Living Languages Team

Language Work Trainer - Mandy Davis

Mandy is a Birrbay woman from the Mid-North Coast of NSW. She has been heavily involved in the revitalisation of Gathang Language since 2008.

After the publication of the Gathang Dictionary in 2010, Mandy began teaching Gathang Language in TAFE, Schools, and Community programs, and continues her language learning to pass on that knowledge.

Mandy’s passion to keep on learning and teaching Language is driven by her vision to see multiple generations of Warrimay/Birrbay/Guringay speaking Gathang fluently again and having deadly yarns in language.

Mandy is also a visual Artist and language has given her more depth and meaning to her Art through the layers of cultural knowledge held within Gathang. Mandy loves to hear stories from Elders and other Mob walking their language journey.

Language Work Trainer - Desiree Johnson

Desiree is a proud Ngalakan/Mudburra/Jingili woman whose mob are from South East Arnhem Land, Roper River area and the Katherine region in Northern Territory. Her language groups are Kriol, Marra and Mudburra.  She is an Early Childhood/Primary School Teacher with many years’ experience in a variety of other work too. Her passion is Indigenous languages and she loves to incorporate Indigenous Languages and pedagogy into her classroom environment.

She is very excited to join the Living Languages team and is keen to support others in training and exploring their own language projects and journey.

Program Coordinator - Sophie Hogarth

Sophie is from Lutruwita, Tasmania, and joined us as our Program Coordinator in 2024. In this role, she oversees and directs our training programs and training team, as well as providing linguistic support to our training team and participants.

With a background in education and linguistics, she has experience working in community-based education programs to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities reclaim and preserve their Languages. Sophie is passionate about grassroots training and supporting people to develop the skills and knowledge they need to learn, teach and share their Languages. She loves seeing the transformative journey that people undergo in this process. This is what attracted her to Language work, she is continually inspired by the determination and the strength of individual and community-led Language work happening across Australia. 

CEO – Anna Ash

Anna joined Living Languages in mid-2022. Since joining Living Languages in mid-2022 Anna has focused on engaging more Indigenous staff and supporting the Board to become 100% Indigenous, a milestone achieved in 2023. For many years she worked as Community Linguist and Co-ordinator of Language programs, so understands the joys and challenges associated with providing grass roots and tailored support for language revitalisation. She also enjoys seeing partnerships grow between Living Languages, Language Centres and families revitalising their Languages, it’s at the heart of what Living Languages does best.

Anna is based in Nambucca Heads on Gumbaynggirr country. For many years she worked as Coordinating Linguist with Aboriginal organisations like Muurrbay, so is well prepared to work closely with the Training Team in providing grass roots and tailored support for language research and revitalisation. Having spent much of 2022 on the road, visiting many Language Centres on her way around Australia, she's looking forward to being back on Gumbaynggirr country and focusing on supporting Living Languages to both employ and support more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in strengthening their Languages.

Digital Communications Officer - Lakota Milera-Weetra

Lakota is a proud Arabana (Arabunna) & Narungga woman from Kati Thanda (Lake Eyre) and the Yorke Peninsula area of South Australia.

She started her language journey through yarning with her Amanya (Grandmother) about Arabana culture. She decided to explore her language, and to contribute to the many years of work her Amanya and other Elders had done. Lakota has now been working on the maintenance and revival of the Arabana language for the past five years.

Lakota has a keen passion for the arts, which she brings into many aspects of her work, she has been a part of implementing on-country language camps and the development and creation of language learning and teaching resources, while endeavouring to become fluent in Arabana language, in the hopes that she can pass this knowledge on to her children.

Program Support Officer - Penelope Schmidt

Penelope is our Program Support Officer. She lives and works on Wadawurrung country. She has grown along with the organisation since first volunteering back in 2015, and now provides operational and administrative support to all aspects of Living Languages’ programs and projects.

Penelope enjoys being the first point of contact for everyone who sends enquiries in through the web form or the contact email, and through this, connecting people with the skills and knowledge they desire.