Guest Trainers

Guest Trainer - Ebony Joachim

Ebony has many years of experience working with her own language, and has worked at Living Languages since 2015, first as a participant in both of our core training programs - Community-Based Training and the Language Leadership Training - then as a Trainer, and most recently as Program Coordinator. This has given her an all-round understanding of language work training, which she uses to support the team in the design and delivery of our workshops.

Ebony is a Yorta Yorta woman and is based in Shepparton, Victoria. It is her passion for her own language and Australian languages in general that drives her to support others that are working with their languages, in any way she can.

Guest Trainer - Hiroko Shioji

Hiroko is a Karajarri, Yawuru and Japanese woman from Broome WA. She is an experienced classroom teacher working with the education department and has been a Yawuru language specialist teacher since 2014. Her other professional role is at the Mabu Yawuru Ngan-ga language centre at Nyamba Buru Yawuru, Broome. She manages and facilitates adult language programs and helped establish and deliver the intensive adult immersion program Walalangga Yawuru Ngan-ga in 2016-2018. In the past Hiroko has been engaged with Living Languages as both a participant and an employee.

Guest Trainer - Priscilla Strasek

Priscilla joins the Living Languages Team as a Language Work Trainer. Priscilla is a Yuwaalaroi/Kamilaroi Wirringgaa from Lightning Ridge in North-West New South Wales with a connection to Slovenian heritage. She was part of the Yuwaalaraay Language Program in the mid-1990’s; and helped establish and co-teach the first Yuwaalaraay Language Program at Lightning Ridge Central School.

Priscilla has contributed to the development of numerous language resources and implemented language and culture programs within community and educational settings. She has continued to learn and support her language and culture, and that passion and commitment extends to all First Nation Languages.

Priscilla is super excited to hear the language journey of other mobs and to respectfully share the learnt experiences of her journey in a way that can be helpful to others.

Guest Trainer - Chris Morganson

Chris Morganson is a Warrungu and Nywaigi man from North Queensland, Townsville. He currently works in the Australian defence force. In his spare time for the past 2 years Chris has worked with Living Languages towards revitalising his language, and is working on language learning materials in between practising the language with his family. It is his dream that one day he can speak fluently and effortlessly with his daughter and family.

Guest Trainer - Micklo Jarrett

Uncle Micklo Jarrett is a member of the Baga-Baga clan of the Gumbaynggirr language group on the mid-north coast of NSW. He grew up surrounded by Elders who taught him Gumbaynggirr ways of knowing and thinking as taught by the Ancestors. As an adult he increased his knowledge with the assistance from Muurrbay Language Centre where he is now Chairperson. Uncle Micklo is an early childhood teacher with a Masters Degree in Indigenous Languages Education and over 25 years teaching experience. He has worked with Living Languages as guest trainer right around the country, sharing a range of inspiring teaching techniques.

Guest Trainer - Sharon Edgar Jones

Sharon has been working towards the reclamation and revival of language within her community for more than a decade. Her language journey commenced in 2009 with her focus being the reclamation and revival of the language of her mother’s belonging place, the Hunter region of NSW. At that time the only researched and available language material available was linguistic and academic in nature. Sharon describes the material as 'treasure in a chest that was wrapped in chains and buried in concrete'.

Over the following years she set about equipping herself with the tools to access the chest of treasure within. This included completing accredited community language courses offered by Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Culture Co-operative, linguistic mentoring, and completing the Living Languages’ (then RNLD) 2015 series of Professional Development workshops; with Sharon going on to complete university studies, obtaining a Diploma in Aboriginal Language Work from Charles Darwin University.   

She currently works with Muurrbay as Senior Language Worker, supporting the revival of both Wonnarua and Gathang languages within their respective communities. She has been a Guest Trainer with Living Languages for many years and plans to continue working with her language while also providing support to other communities.