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Wearedelightedtosharewithyouhighlightsofourworkin2016…VictorianDigitalStorytellingProgramThisyear sawthe return to fourVictoriancommunitieswith thenearcompletionof themulti-yearDigitalStorytellingProgramfundedbyan InnovationGrant fromtheLordMayor’sCharitableFoundation(LMCF).Communitymulti-touchbooksdevelopedusingatemplatefundedbyGandelPhilanthropyhavenowbeenpopulatedwithaculturalstoryineachofthecommunitiesasfollows:•Shepparton,‘Tongala’(aBangerangstoryaboutthecreationoftheMurrayRiver),•Mildura(storiessharedbythreetribalgroups,theMutthiMutthi,NgiyampaaandBarkandji),• Swan Hill (‘Pondi’, aWembaWemba story about the GiantMurray River Cod and the creation of theMurrayRiver)and•Thornbury(‘Birrarung’,aWurundjeristoryaboutthecreationoftheYarraRiver).

StudentsinSheppartonlearninghowtousegaragebandandworkingtogetheronthecreationoftheirowndigitalbooksinwhichtheydocumenttheirprogramlearnings,wordbankandcollaterelatedmedia.SharingStorieswilltraveltoHeywoodinearly2017toworkwithcommunityonproductionofamulti-touchbookinterpretationofanimportantGunditjimarastory.FundspermittingweplantoworkwithVictoriancommunitiestoevolvethecommunitybasedmulti-touchbooks intoversions that canbe sharedwith thebroaderpublic.Thesewill includebi-lingual functionality,making thestoryavailable inbothLanguageandEnglish.Wearealsoplanning todevelopcomprehensiveteacher resources to accompanyeachbook. These valuable resourceswill beheldby communities in thelocal Language & Culture Nests which provide educational material to schools in their region. Ideally,approved content will also be made available in interactive display panels and installations in relatedregionalgalleries.LearningsfromtheVictorianprogramarebeingconsolidatedintoanadaptableprogramtemplate which can be utilised across the country. We are also seeking funds to continue work on theGandjalala (Sugar Bag Hunter) and Mukarr (Giant Green Sea Turtle) stories with the Wägilak and Liya-dhälinymirrDjambarrpuyŋuclansinNorthEastArnhemLand.Theseprogramsinvolvedawonderfulartspractice,productionofshadow,puppetandprojectionworkandconsolidationandincorporationofmediaalreadyproducedintotwonewinteractivemulti-touchbooks.Thiswork builds on earlier work supported by the Wales Family Trust and the Eldon & Anne Foote Trust

AnnualReport2016

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administeredbyLMCF. Someoftheoutcomeswillbefeatured inanexhibitionatManlyArtGallery fromMay-July2017,aspartoftheGuringaiFestivalandNAIDOCWeekcelebrations.

(Left)FilmingtheBungul(dance)associatedwiththeGandjalalaSongCycletobeincorporatedwithartwork inthemulti-touchbookand(Right)participantscreatingartworktoillustratethestoryofGandjalala.

ArtworkproducedfortheGandjalalamulti-touchbookbyMikoCameron.ContinuationofrecordingoftheAncestralDreamingTrackandSongCycleofWoonyoomboo,theNightHeronresultinginproductionofarangeofnewmulti-mediaoutcomes.TheSharingStoriesteamreturnedtoCountrywithSeniorNyikinaMangalaCulturalCustodiansAnnieMilginandDarragahWatsontocontinuemappingtheSongCycleandAncestralDreamingTrackof‘Woonyoomboo’in theWestKimberleyRegion.Woonyoomboocreated theFitzroyRiverand leftbehindextensiveculturalknowledge for theNykinaMangalapeople.Annie andDarragahaddednew songs and information to themapwhichwillbeaddedtothemulti-touchbookproducedwiththecommunitylastyearandserveasanimportant cultural archive. Content will also be incorporated into interactive display panels that can beexhibitedlocallyandtravelaspartofamajortouringexhibitionscheduledtocommencein2019.Directedby Annie, our team used a drone and 360 degree video technology to record from an aerial perspectiveimportant sites and to produce an immersive media experience. Annie was deeply gratified to see herCountry from this perspective. The drone also allowed access to areas that were impossible to reachphysicallywhichwasof significantvalue.Thisworkwasgenerously supportedby theAustraliaCouncil fortheArts.

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AnnieNayinaMilginlookingforsitesonCountryandworkingwithSharingStoriesfacilitatorstorecordcountrywiththedrone.ProfessionalDevelopmentinWilcannia(NSW)andYirrkala(northeastArnhemLand)ThisyearweprovidedprofessionaldevelopmentforWilcanniaCentralSchool(NSW)teachersbuildingskillsin the use of digital media in the classroom, engaging children in a creative, culturally relevant learningprocess. SharingStories has been working with the Paakantji community over many years; recentlydeveloping a Language Lightbox, a user-friendly digital device enabling communities to record and learnlanguage. SharingStories also conducted professional development at the Yirrkala Homelands School inYirrkala,NorthEastArnhemLand,supportingteachercapacitytoteachdigitalliteraciesinculturallyrelevantways in theschoolenvironment.Yirrkalahas longbeena leader in the fieldofculturally relevant learningpracticeswithwhomweareexcitedtobedevelopingadeliverypartnership.SharingStoriesdelegatesattheFestivalofPacificArtsinGuam

AttheinvitationoftheCommonwealthDepartmentofCommunicationandtheArts,SharingStoriestravelledto Guam to participate in the Festival of Pacific Arts that occurs once every four years. NyikinaMangalaSenior Custodian AnnieMilgin and Adnyamathanha Custodians Leslie Coulthard and Tracey Jacksonwereaccompanied by SharingStories Program Facilitator Conor Fox and Strategy and Partnerships DirectorBrynnie Goodwill. SharingStories presentedworkshops and talks showcasing the digitalmedia developedwithyoungpeopleandseniorcustodians,featuringexcerptsfromthemulti-touchbooks,‘Woonyoomboo’,‘Yulu’sCoal’and‘BunjiltheEagle’.OurteamdevelopedstrongconnectionswithothercustodiansacrossthePacific including an Indigenous Healers Circle, as well as deepening connections between theAdnyamathanhaandNyikinaMangalacommunity.

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Women’sJourneytoNyikinaMangalaCountry

(Left)AnnieMilginandLesleyCoulthardwithSharingStoriesChairpersonAmandaMilledgeandvisitingwomen.(Right)Annieshowcasingtheproductionofbushsoapsusinglocalleavesandoils.

Sixwomen fromSydney andMelbourne joined SharingStories onNyikinaMangala Country for aweek ofculturallearningwithAnnieMilginandSeniorWomenfromtheWalmajarriandKarajarricommunities.Withthe support of The Yiriman Project,we camped by awaterhole on the Jirrkalyie River atOongookoorr, afavouritecampingplace.Visitorswereinvolvedinsugarbag(honey)hunting,asoap-makingandointmentworkshop, and jewellery-making techniques. The days often endedwith evening yarning circles, and theculminationofthetrip includedavisittotheJarlmadangahCommunity,schoolandculturalcentreandanovernightcampatbeautifulKalkabiny(HoneymoonSprings).AspecialguestonthetripwasAdnyamathanhacustodian Lesley Coulthard who forged a strong friendship with Annie in Guam; the two were keen tocontinuelearningabouteachother’scommunitiesandcountry.CountryArtsSAhelpedtosupportLesley’sparticipationinthisprogram.

(Left)AnnieMilginandLesleyCoulthardsmokingKarenMahlab,oneofthevisitorsonCountry,aspartofaWelcometoCountry.(Right)WomenrepresentativesofYiriman,KarajarriRangersandotherdeliverypartnersoftheWomenOnCountryTrip.

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In ConversationwithAnnieMilgin and Liz Thompson.Discussion relating to the importanceofDigital Storytelling to help Indigenous peoples protect,maintain and grow cultural knowledge(Sydney/Melbourne)

AnnieMilginandLizThompsonpresentingattheofficesofArnoldBlochLeibler

WewereveryluckythisyeartohaveAnnieMilgininconversationwithLizThompsonatspecialeventsheldinSydneyandMelbourne justpriortoAnnie’s leavingforGuam.TheSydneyeventwasheldatTheEthicsCentreandinMelbournetheeventwashostedbySharingStories’MelbourneprobonolawyersArnoldBlochLeibler.Annie talkedabout thecriticalneed toholdculture for futuregenerations,andhowdigitalmediahelpedtoengageyoungpeoplein learningaboutandproducingnewformsandinterpretationsofculture.Morethan65philanthropistsandotherguestsattendedbotheventsandexploredwithAnnieandLiz thechallenges,joysandimportanceoftheworkinwhichSharingStoriesandcommunitiesareengaged.BoardRetreatonCountryTheSharingStoriesBoardhaditsfirstretreatonCountrythisyear,justpriortotheWomen’sJourney,with.BoardmemberAnnieMilginourhostonNykinaMangalaCountry.Being ‘on location’ and sharing storiestogether helped deepen directors’ understanding of ourwork. The Board discussedways of building ourcapacitytoassistcommunitiesseekingtoholdandsharecultureforallgenerations,intothefuture.

(Left)SharingStoriesBoard(missingNäkarrmaMarkGuyula)onNyikinaMangalaCountry.(Right)BoardMembersAnnieNayinaMilginandTimGoodwinatthesiteoftheBlueTongueLizard.SharingStoriesexhibitsinIndia

Through a grant from the Australia-India Council, SharingStories held Digital Storytelling Programs withundergraduatesfromBenaresUniversityDepartmentofJournalismandMassMediaandyoungpeoplefromtheJeevanShikshaSamajSevaSamitiSchoolinVaranasi,India.Mediadevelopedduringtheschoolprogramwas exhibited at Kriti Gallery alongside media, photographs and artwork created by children from

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Indigenous communities in Australia. Liz Thompson conducted the workshops with Taz Miller and localfacilitatorAjayPandey.SharingStorieshasbeen invited topresenta largerexhibitionat the IndiraGandhiNationalCentrefortheArtsinNewDelhi,whichwewouldliketodowhenprogramfundingpermits.

(Left)Seema,astudentfromJeevanShikshaSamajSevaSamitiSchoolinVaranasi,withfamilyandrelativesinfrontofanimageproducedaspartoftheprogramandexhibitioninstallation.(Right)StudentsvisitingtheKritiexhibitionandfillingoutteachingandlearninglessonplans.

StudentsvisitingtheKritiexhibition.BHUundergraduateswalkingvisitorsthroughtheexhibitiontheystagedasaresultoftheSSFprogram. OngoingworkatLakeMungowithlocaldeliverypartnersAspartofourDigitalStorytellingPrograminMildura,SharingStorieshasbeenassistingwithdocumentationofculturalknowledgerelatingtotheLakeMungoareabythreedifferentlanguagegroupswithconnectiontothisCountry:Barkandji/Paakantyi,NgiyampaaandMutthiMutthi.NewpartnershipshavedevelopedwiththeMungoJointManagementAdvisoryCommittee,WillandraLakesRegionWorldHeritageAreaAboriginalAdvisoryGroup,NationalParksNSW,ArtsMildura,WesternLocalLandServiceandDiscoveryRangersasaresultofthiswork.Ultimatelythestoriesofeachcommunitywillformanew,interactivedisplayexperienceattheLakeMungoTourismCentre.

SeniorMutthiMutthi,NgiyampaaandPaakantyicustodiansleadingtheinitialprogramatLakeMungo.

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CastlemaineArtGalleryandMuseumPermanentDisplayFeaturing‘BunjiltheEagle’AttheurgingofJaaraSeniorCustodianUncleRickNelson,SharingStoriessharedthecommunitymulti-touchbook‘BunjiltheEagle’withJenniferKalionis,DirectoroftheCastlemaineArtGalleryandHistoricalMuseum(CAGHM).Thishas resulted inourworking inpartnershipwithCAGHMtosecure funding fromTelematicsTrust to redevelop the permanent outdated display relating to local Koorie culture. The new displaywillfeatureaninteractivepanelshowcasingthemulti-touchbookcontentfrom‘BunjiltheEagle’.TheexhibitionwillalsoincludemediadevelopedbySharingStorieswithlocalcustodiansandyoungpeoplerelatingtobushtuckerandbushmedicineintheregion.ThenewdisplayisintendedtoopenapproximatelyApril2017andwill provide an important cultural starting point for school tours and community tours, engaging peopleyoungandold,families,visitorsandnewaudiences.

LetterfromtheCEOandChair…

2017hasbeenayearof consolidation forSharingStories. Inadifficult fundingenvironment,wehavebeensuccessfulatraisingthefundsweneedtoensurewecontinueourplannedprogramofwork, even thoughour core resources havebeen stretched. Themany accomplishments of thisyear would not have been possible without the support of our fabulous funders, partners,volunteers,Boardandstaff.Thankyouforyourextraordinarycontributionandconnectiontoourwork.Wearedeeplygratefulforallyoudo.

At thecoreofourbusiness is a commitment to learningbothways–Elderandchild, Indigenousand non-Indigenous, speaking and listening, traditional andmodern, oral storytelling and digitalstorytelling.BybuildingspaceswherelearningbothwaysisrealforIndigenouschildren,Eldersandall Australians, SharingStories is telling an old story and creating a new one –of the hope andpowerofIndigenousculturalknowledge.

Assuchwetakeprideinourwayofworking,anapproachthatencompassesamutuallyrespectfulcollaboration of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Our board is equally represented byIndigenousandnon-Indigenousdirectorseachofthembringingtheiruniquestrengths,experienceand insights to the table. It is a luxury for us to meet face to face since we are spread acrossAustralia. However, the directors benefited enormously from such ameeting in September thisyearon theCountryofboardmember,AnnieMilgin, inWestKimberley.Weareverygrateful toAnnieandhercommunityfortheworktheyputintohostingthismeeting.

Duringtheyearsahead,SharingStorieswillbebusyundertakingitsprogramofworkontheground,collaboratingindepth,andoverthelongterm,withcommunitiestosupportthecreationofdigitalmediadocumentingstories,languageandculture.Atthedirectionofcommunitieswithwhomwework,wewillalsobe looking fornewand innovativeways tosharemediadeveloped inorder togrow knowledge of, and respect for, Indigenous culture especially in educational and tourismsettings.Tothisend,wewelcomeworking inpartnershipwithotherswhopossess thenecessaryskills.WefirmlybelievethatAustraliansocietyisenrichedbyagreaterunderstandingandvaluingofIndigenousstoriesasavitalpartofthephysicalandspirituallandscapeofCountry.

LizThompson&AmandaMilledge

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Acknowledgementanddeepestthanks

Special thanks to our partners and funders for the year ending 2016withoutwhose support thisworksimplywouldnotbepossible…

ArtsMildura•ANZ•AustraliaCouncil fortheArts•Australia-IndiaCouncil•BangerangCulturalCentre•Bell Charitable Fund • Castlemaine Art Gallery & Museum • Collier Charitable Fund • CommonwealthIndigenous Languages & Arts • Country Arts SA • Dusseldorp Forum • Fouress Foundation • KimberleyAboriginal Law and Culture Centre (KALACC) • LordMayors Charitable Foundation •Manly Art Gallery&Museum • Mungo Youth Project • National Parks NSW • Ngalpala • SharingStories Donors Circle•SwinburneUniversity of Technology • Telstra Foundation • The FundingNetwork •VictorianAboriginalEducationAssociationInc.•WalesFamilyTrust•WeymandoTrust•Western(NSW)LocalLandServiceandDiscoveryRangers•WilcanniaCentralSchool•WillandraLakesRegionWorldHeritageArea•TheYirimanProject•YirrkalaHomelandSchools

Tooursponsorsandprobonosupporters…

AESOP•ArnoldBlochLeibler•Gilbert&Tobin•Maddocks•JaneTewsonandIgnitingChange

Tothewonderfulcustodians,communitiesandschoolswithwhomweareworking…

Adnyamathanha, Bangerang, Barkandji, Buruwuy,Darlinybuy, Jaara, Kija, Liya-dhälinymirr Djambarrpuyŋu,GanGan,Garrthalala,Gunditjmara,MutthiMutthi,Ngiyampaa,Ngaanyatjarra,NyikinaMangala,Paakantji,Wägilak,WembaWemba,Wurundjeri

Frog Hollow School, Heywood & District Secondary College, Mildura Primary School, Nyikina MangalaCommunity School, St. Georges Rd. Primary School, SwanHill Primary School, Thornbury Primary School,WarburtonCampusNgaanyatjarraLandsSchool,WilcanniaCentralSchool,YirrkalaHomelandSchoolsAndtothegenerousindividualsupporterswhohavedonatedtoSharingStoriesthroughouttheyear.