Meet our Chair: Lee Joachim

Lee Joachim

Can you please introduce yourself?

Lee Joachim - Yorta Yorta descent – Father of 9 children.

Why do you think language work is important?

Lightness/Darkness, Earth/Wind/Fire/Water explained in an uncomplicated form created the languages of each nation. Our respect to this provides us the ability to talk to country and for country as it has spoken and speaks to us. Preservation of language is central to our identity, our belonging and lore.

What would you like to support Living Languages in doing, during your time as Chair?

Our songlines, our storylines are interwoven with such richness where collaboration was essential for continuity of all life forms. Our world today is segmented into issues of health, justice, education, employment. How can we support a vison of cooperation and empower through language in all aspects of our lives.

What is one word you love in your language, or one thing that you love about your language and why?

There are so many words. From a European value system everything must have a meaning/explanation. Love the words that have a multitude of meanings, that can’t be explained as simple as most European languages. “It is but it isn’t” words are the best.