The wisdom contained in Aboriginal Australia’s place names

Whadjuk Nyungar Elder Len Collard shares the rich, ancient history and cultural wisdom that lies within the Nyungar place names in the southwest of Western Australia.  

Len explains why and how the meanings of these names can help unite us in connecting to the land we share.  

He is deeply passionate about the preservation of Nyungah language and culture. His hope is that, one day, all Australians will speak their local language. 

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx 

About the speaker 

One of nine children, Whadjuk Nyungar Elder Professor Leonard ‘Len’ Collard learned the importance of values and culture from an early age. 

With a background in literature and communications, Len has dedicated much of his career to recording, reclaiming and preserving Aboriginal language and culture. 

Len completed several studies to help preserve the Nyungar language as the former Australian Research Council Chief Investigator at the School of Indigenous Studies at the University of Western Australia. 

His work has included creating a public database of 25,000 Nyungar words for places in the South-West of Australia and the first Australian bilingual Aboriginal Wikipedia. 

In 2022, Len was a WA Nominee for Local Hero in the Australian of the Year Awards.