With a teaching career that began in 1988, Ms Sherrell Bonney-Williams is now leading a groundbreaking project to implement the first nationally recognised Kaurna language curriculum in South Australian schools.
Growing up in a family of change-makers, Ms Sherrell Bonney-Williams was inspired by Aboriginal leaders who demonstrated the power of education.
Her great aunt Gladys Elphick, a prominent Kaurna Elder and founding president of the Council of Aboriginal Women of South Australia, exemplified community leadership that deeply influenced Ms Bonney-Williams’s career path.
When Ms Bonney-Williams, a Kaurna and Nharunnga descendent, first entered the teaching profession in 1988, she was assigned to Renmark Junior Primary School, which was amalgamated and no longer exists, on the Murray River three hours north-east of Adelaide.
“I can still remember my first day at the school. There was one computer in the classroom – a Commodore 10. I had a reception class which had an intake at the beginning of the year, and another intake mid-term. That’s how it was structured in those days,” she says.
Despite the archaic technology, her early years were characterised by emerging educational resources for teaching Aboriginal Studies, with the South Australian Department of Education publishing innovative teaching units that incorporated dreaming stories from different South Australian Aboriginal groups.
Her career quickly expanded beyond traditional classroom roles. She worked as a Coordinator at Winkie Primary School, a predominantly Aboriginal school, and then moved to the District Education Office in Berri.
“I worked there for three years to implement several programs that the Aboriginal Education Unit in South Australia developed, and it was a whole suite of professional learning for teachers in primary and secondary schools on how best to support the needs of Aboriginal students,” Ms Bonney-Williams says.
Around 2010, she developed a partnership agreement at Blair Athol B-6 school, in inner Adelaide, and co-worked in developing an agreement with Mannum Area School, up on the Murray.
“This involved working with parents, staff and leadership to bring positive relationships and interactions to support Aboriginal students to have a voice,” she recalls.
In 2016, Ms Bonney-Williams made a significant career transition, returning to Adelaide after years of teaching in rural areas. Exercising her Department of Education right to transfer after working more than 28 years in the country, she endured a challenging selection process.
“You could select from 75 schools to then apply for. I had no idea which school I was going to; I could have been appointed anywhere within 45 kilometres of my home address,” she says.
Fortunately, her comprehensive cover letter detailing her skills, qualifications, and interests caught the attention of Marryatville Primary School’s then-Principal Ms Angela Falkenberg, now President of the Australian Primary Principals Association.
Ms Bonney-Williams was appointed to the school, teaching grade one and two.
This move wasn’t just a professional shift, but a return to her cultural roots. Drawing on her early training, which included a specialised major in Aboriginal Studies, Ms Bonney-Williams brought her deep understanding of Aboriginal Education to her new school, continuing her lifelong commitment to meaningful, culturally responsive teaching.
Secondment
Ten years after joining Marryatville Primary School, a new opportunity presented.
In a groundbreaking initiative, the SA Department of Education have collaborated with Aboriginal writers and Aboriginal Community Organisations to develop a Kaurna language framework.
Ms Bonney-Williams, who was involved in the reference group, successfully applied for an advertised position for a Project Officer in Aboriginal Languages – Kaurna. In this role, she leads the SA Department of Education’s involvement in the implementation of the nation’s first Aboriginal language in Kaurna curriculum in South Australian schools.
“This is a project that has been developing over the last four years to have an Aboriginal language written up in the Australian curriculum framework,” Ms Bonney-Williams explains. “It’s the first one nationally.”
The SA Department of Education supports Ngarrpadlarna Mila, an organisation whose name translates to ‘five aunties’ in the Kaurna language, to lead the project. Established just two years ago, the organisation is composed of Aboriginal teachers and leaders dedicated to cultural education and first language revival.
“Ngarrpadlarna Mila was set up when one of our members retired from teaching and wanted her mother’s Kaurna language teaching to continue on Kaurna country for all to learn from,” Ms Bonney-Williams says.
“A group of Aboriginal teachers decided to establish an organisation in culture and Aboriginal language education to assist with the co-design, publication and implementation of the Kaurna language scope and sequence.” They secured a grant to enable the pilot project over a two-year period.
The program is being piloted in 10 schools on Kaurna country across Adelaide, including Kaurna Plains School, an Aboriginal school in Elizabeth, a northern suburb of Adelaide, operating from preschool to year 12.
John Hartley School, a birth to year six co-ed school in Smithfield Plains, South Australia, is also involved in the pilot.
Other pilot schools are Lake Windemere B-6, Paralowie R-12, Salisbury North Primary School, Burton Primary School, Glenelg Primary School, Keller Road Primary School, Modbury South Primary School and Madison Park Primary School.
These schools will implement a comprehensive Kaurna language curriculum developed through extensive community consultation.
Ms Bonney-Williams emphasises the importance of community-led language education.
“It’s not mainstream teachers picking up the document and teaching,” she explains. “We have Aboriginal Kaurna language educators who have completed Certificate two and three in Learning an Australian First Nation’s Language, trained specifically to deliver the language.”
Her current role focuses on building the capacity of Kaurna language educators.
“We’ve co-designed a whole year of professional learning and mentoring to support them in becoming better and more confident teachers in the classroom,” she says.
This approach reflects a deeper commitment to cultural recognition and preservation. Many schools are now incorporating Kaurna names for spaces, creating bush tucker trails with native plants, and establishing yarning circles – demonstrating a growing commitment to Indigenous cultural integration.
For Ms Bonney-Williams, this secondment represents more than a professional role – it’s a continuation of her lifelong mission to empower Aboriginal communities through self-determination and education.
“We want culture and language enriched in our schools,” she says, “to ensure our community’s knowledge and traditions continue to thrive.”
Beyond her work in education, Ms Bonney-Williams remains committed to community engagement. She conducts tours and supports classes at the historical site called The Colebrook home, situated at the Blackwood Reconciliation Park, which features a memorial to the Aboriginal children and their families of the Stolen Generation, and has been involved in creating a documentary to educate about the Stolen Generations.
She is also involved in supporting the South Australian NAIDOC Week Committee, organising activities for the Family zone that celebrate Indigenous culture.
“I donate my time because it’s for my community and about bringing out the best,” she says.
Ms Bonney-Williams also works with Kaurna Warra Karrpanthi, an Aboriginal language organisation that names community places and provides educational resources for learning Kaurna.
Her community work extends to naming significant sites in Adelaide, ensuring Kaurna language and cultural recognition remain prominent in public spaces.
