Did you know Kwobidak Balladong Boodja means beautiful home land in Noongar? It’s also the name of a new collection of original songs created during CAN’s Noongar Lullabies program in Northam.

Eight lullabies and ballads were written, performed and recorded by Balladong locals as part of CAN’s award-winning language preservation project. The Noongar Lullabies from Northam album and songbook will be launched at a free concert at the Northam Senior High School Performing Arts Centre on Saturday 17th of September at 2pm.

Supported by acclaimed musical artists Phil Bartlett and Cyndy Moody, local songwriters will perform their songs on stage in a celebration of koort, moort and kalyakool (heart, family and legacy). Free songbooks will be given out so the audience can sing along to Balladong - a song specially written by the Lullabies group as an ode to country.

Register to attend the concert

CAN’s Lullabies program supports Aboriginal families to preserve language through writing and recording songs in their traditional language. Noongar is considered to be endangered as there are so few fluent speakers. Lullabies is one of a number of community led initiatives helping to keep Noongar alive.

One of the songs on the album, Koorlangka Koorl Ngoorndiny (Children go to Sleep) transcends four generations. Julie Boundry recorded a Noongar lullaby passed on by her mother, with backing vocals from her daughter and granddaughter.
Lullabies is funded by the Australian Government through the Indigenous Languages and Arts program.

Kwobidak Balladong Boodja was produced with support from Bilya Kort Boodja cultural centre, The Shire of Northam, The Department of Local Government Sport and Cultural Industries and Australia Council for the Arts.