1. Art techniques
2. Belonging
3. Community
4. Country
5. Discrimination
6. First Nations people
7. History
8. Human rights
9. Music
10. Resilience

Many people know the song ‘From little things big things grow’. Less well-known is the inspiration for the song. In 1966, Gurundji man Vincent Lingiari led his people off Wave Hill station in the Northern Territory beginning a fight for justice and land rights that lasted eight years.

Wave Hill station was on Gurundji land, but the traditional owners had few if any rights on their Country. They worked the cattle on the station and were paid only in rations. Although the Gurundji workers were entitled to wages, the British station owners, the Vestrey brothers, refused to pay them.

In 1972 the Whitlam Labor government came to power promising to ‘establish once and for all Aborigines’ rights to land.’ Finally, on August 16, 1975, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam poured Gurundji soil into Vincent Lingiari hand symbolically returning the land to the Gurundji people.

The song was composed by well-known Australian singer/songwriter Paul Kelly and singer/songwriter Murri man Kev Carmody. The song is called ‘an anthem of hope’ and in this book the song’s rhyming verses are integrated with illustrations and artwork for the verses from students at the Kalkaringi School in the Gurundji community. These alternate with paintings of Gurundji country by artist Peter Hudson who has a long association with the Gurundji people.

At the back of the book is an interpretation of the song in the Gurundji language. The language is regarded as endangered, and it is hoped that by writing it down in language this will encourage young people to understand the need to keep the language alive.

1. Paul Kelly September 27, 2009. ‘From little things big things grow’ Includes historical footage accompanied by Paul Kelly singing this song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_ndC07C2qw
2. Anita Heiss Blog November 6, 2008. ‘From little things big things grow’ http://anitaheissblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/from-little-things-big-things-grow.html
3. Deadly Story [n.d.] ‘Gurundji strike for their land’ https://www.deadlystory.com/page/culture/history/Gurindji_strike_for_their_land
4. ABC News August 26, 2011. Martin Hodgson ‘Lingiari’s legacy: from little things big things grow’ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-26/hodgson-from-little-things-big-things-grow/2855942
5. ABC News August 18, 2016. Elliana Lawford and Stephanie Zillman ‘Wave Hill 50th anniversary: Timeline of the station walkoff and Gurindji land handback’ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-18/timeline-of-wave-hill-land-rights/7760300
6. Artist Profile: Peter Hudson, Issue 43, 2018. Peter Hudson writes about his artistic journey from childhood to the present. https://artistprofile.com.au/peter-hudson/