Diane Lucas – July 25 2021

Blak History Month – July

Seeks to promote, celebrate and remember the history of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Diane moved to Kakadu in her late twenties and worked as a school teacher on an Aboriginal out-station before joining a research project documenting traditional resources on the South Alligator River floodplain and surrounds. She currently works as an ethnocologist with her husband, travelling around northern Australia and in Africa doing botanical and fire ecology work. Diane’s other books, all illustrated by Colwyn Campbell, include Brumbies in the Night, about a boy’s encounters with many Top End animals while pursuing his dream to travel with wild brumbies; Waterlilies, in which a boy learns how to collect and prepare the edible seeds of lilies; Spines in the Sand, where animal tracks lead us on a wonderful journey; and Wan’kurra the Golden Bandicoot, a real life story about the use of Wessel Island Aboriginal people’s knowledge in an attempt to bring these small animals back from the brink of extinction. The Teachers’ Notes for Walking with the Seasons in Kakadu contains many lyrics and melodies to songs, and Diane has a CD of children’s songs from the bush to celebrate the six seasons of northern Australia, titled Singing with the Seasons. In addition to these, Diane has co-written A Natural History and Field Guide to Australia’s Top End with Penny van Oosterzee, Ian Morris and Noel Preece.

Walking with the Seasons in Kakadu – Illustrated by Ken Searle
Allen & Unwin, 2004; ISBN 9781865088679
6-10 years
Join Diane Lucas and Ken Searle as they walk through the bush of northern Australia. Follow the seasonal calendar of the Gundjeihmi-speaking people of the Murrumburr clan of Kakadu. This sumptuously illustrated book invites children to closely observe the birds, plants, and animals that inhabit the unique environment of Kakadu by presenting the six Aboriginal seasons and their characteristics. Offering a holistic approach to the climate and life in Kakadu, it explores educational themes including seasons in the tropics, stories from the land, cultural and Indigenous studies, language studies, and art, with detailed Teachers’ Notes for each.

Walking in Gagudju Country – Exploring the Monsoon Forest – Illustrated by Emma Long, co-written with Ben Tyler
Allen & Unwin, 2021; ISBN 9781760525958
Primary school; teenagers
Combining their expertise in and passion for botanical work, wild landscapes and the culture of the Top End bush, authors Diane Lucas and Bininj chef Ben Tyler join with illustrator Emma Long to share this luscious book dedicated to the Elders and people of the Gagudju (or Kakadu) area. The nonfiction narrative encompasses a walk in the unique ecosystem of the Northern Territory’s Kakadu National Park and includes text in the Kundjeyhmi language of the Bininj people. Brimming with life, beauty and magic, this information-laden book introduces the Gagudju bush and underscores the importance of respecting and advocating for the environment. – Based on Romi Sharp review