Stories for Mob written by Taree writers used to teach people to read
Toni Baxter and Delleise Walker have published books in the Short Stories for Mob collection. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
Biripi woman Toni Baxter wants to ensure stories and traditions from her coastal mob are passed on to future generations.
Writing a book has allowed her to do that but it will also be used to teach Indigenous people to learn to read.
Ms Baxter's grandmother was skilled in traditional Indigenous shell work, a craft she continues to practice with her mum.
"It's my connection to Nan … when I sit doing shells, I can feel Nan," she said.
Ms Baxter has published a short story about her family traditions called Naanggu Duran, which means Mother Shell.
"Nan used to take us down the beach, me and all the girls, and we'd go shelling while Pop and the boys would catch fish for dinner," she said.
"We'd sort out all the shells and Nan would make these shell shoe sets, jewellery boxes, vases, picture frames.
Toni Baxter continues to practice shell work, a traditional First Nations' craft. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
"I feel that it's really deadly and it's so amazing we can pass our stories down through generations … it's important for me to carry Nan's beautiful tradition on."
Ms Baxter wrote her story as part of a Koori Writing Program at the NSW TAFE's Taree campus, on the Mid North Coast.
Her story, and nine others written by Indigenous authors in the program, were recently published as part of a collection called Short Stories for the Mob.
The books ensure stories are passed on and will help other First Nations people learn how to read.
Delleise Walker in the writing group at Taree TAFE campus, with Kate Fazio and Mindy Avery. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
The story collection is being used as a resource by the national Reading Writing Hotline, a free telephone referral service for adult literacy and numeracy, funded by the federal government.
Adult literacy teacher Kate Fazio runs the Koori Writing program and said they teamed with the hotline after hearing there was a shortage of stories for beginner readers which reflected Indigenous Australians' lives and cultural stories.
"The Reading Writing Hotline contacted us when they heard about the program," she said.
"They said, every day they get calls from Aboriginal people or organisations all over Australia wanting literacy resources for Aboriginal people.
"The authors are gifting their stories to all of Australia."
The Short Stories for Mob story collection covers a range of themes. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
Vanessa Forrest, an adult literacy teacher and project officer with the hotline, said the Stories for the Mob books were highly relatable.
"They are human stories so every Australian can enjoy them and relate to them and learn from them, but they are also stories from this community which is wonderful to share with the whole country,"she said.
Reading Writing Hotline manager Vanessa Iles said the service received about 4,000 calls every year for assistance from adults looking to improve their reading and writing skills and 10 per cent of the callers were from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background.
The Koori Writing group encourages Indigenous people to write down stories from their lives. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
The latest books add to a small collection of First Nations reading resources provided through a previous Taree-based community literacy program, called Our Words Our Stories.
Ms Baxter said it was a great outcome.
"It's good because it's something they're interested in and they want to read more, they are hungry to read more,"she said.
A dog named Eric
Biripi woman Delleise Walker has written a story in the latest collection, about a dog from her childhood named after Indigenous rugby league footballer, Eric Simms who played for South Sydney in the 1960s and 70s.
The stories being told are from the authors' lives. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
Ms Walker said Eric the dog would walk her and other young children to and from their school in Sydney each day.
One of the books features Indigenous rugby league player Eric Simms. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
"He would wait at the gate to take us home … he would tell us when to cross … he was like a guardian angel and protected us no matter what … it's a good story," she said.
"I saw some of the other stories women did, and I thought maybe I can do this for my grandchildren.
"It's about time we do get our stories out there, and I thought this was a good way of doing it."
More stories for mob
The Koori Writing program recently expanded to the nearby Great Lakes TAFE campus, hoping to encourage the area's Worimi people to share their stories.
The Koori Writing program is run by NSW TAFE at the Taree and Great Lakes campuses. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
Taree TAFE education support officer and Biripi woman, Mindy Avery actively tries to engage budding Indigenous writers.
"I go everywhere to find them, and convince them, I go out and talk to them,"she said.
"They are short stories, and the kids love them and read them when they go to bed … and if the parents' literacy is not really good … they can read by the pictures."
Toni Baxter's story celebrates her Nan's tradition of shell work and their family connections. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
Ms Baxter hopes to write another book.
"I'm doing my Certificate II in Gathang language, and I want to do a book in that language."