John Rudder, PhD, has studied the

Australian Aboriginal languages The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...

, of

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compan ...

( Gupapuyngu) in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

and the state of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

(

Wiradjuri The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , ...

), Australia.

Work

In 1964, Rudder went to Arnhem Land as a teacher, and later as a community development worker and educator among adult

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

. In that time he learned to speak the language of the region, and analysed its

grammar In linguistics, the grammar of a natural language is its set of structure, structural constraints on speakers' or writers' composition of clause (linguistics), clauses, phrases, and words. The term can also refer to the study of such constraint ...

and

syntax In linguistics, syntax () is the study of how words and morphemes combine to form larger units such as phrases and sentences. Central concerns of syntax include word order, grammatical relations, hierarchical sentence structure ( constituency) ...

. He sought to gain formal educational qualifications after moving to

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, and has since gained a master's degree in

Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

focussing on ''Aboriginal Classificatory Theory and

Cognitive Cognition refers to "the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, ...

Structures'' and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Aboriginal Anthropology focusing on Yolngu

Cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount (lexicographer), Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in ...

(focusing on beliefs regarding the nature of existence and how the world is ordered.)

Language teaching

From 1993 to 2010, Rudder was heavily involved with Stan Grant Sr, an elder of the

people, in reclaiming the

Wiradjuri language Wiradjuri (; many other spellings, see Wiradjuri) is a Pama–Nyungan language of the Wiradhuric subgroup. It is the traditional language of the Wiradjuri people of Australia. A progressive revival is underway, with the language being taught ...

that was at that time effectively

dead Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

.January 26 is a reminder that Australia still hasn't reckoned with its original sin
Stan Grant Jr, 2021-01-26 He took anthropological studies and records amounting to the records of fewer than 2,000 words and applied the language and cognitive analysis he had previously applied to the Yolngu language, to begin to reconstruct the

. With Grant, who provided a sense of the language remembered from his youth in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

among Wiradjuri-speaking family and tribal members, notably his grandfather, they have established training sessions to teach the language across Wiradjuri country. Intensive weekend camps, workshops, and other sessions have seen a growing number of Wiradjuri speakers who are beginning to re-establish the language. For instance, these speakers are beginning to write songs and poems that are then being taught to children. Secondary effects of the cultural use of the Wiradjuri language are being felt within the language group, and beyond. Examples are: * recognition of the Wiradjuri as a cultural group within the wider society * use of Wiradjuri words in communities, and in Australian usage * teaching of Wiradjuri to New South Wales Primary School children

Art

Rudder has been an artist for many years, previously entering the

Blake Prize for Religious Art The Blake Prize, formerly the Blake Prize for Religious Art, is an List of Australian art awards, Australian art prize awarded for art that explores spirituality. Since the inaugural prize in 1951, the prize was awarded annually from 1951 to 2 ...

. He recently returned to painting, and his entry was selected for display in the exhibition of the inaugural

Phoenix Prize for spiritual art The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in additio ...

in 2005.

Personal life

Rudder has been a member of the

Uniting Church in Australia The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was founded on 22 June 1977, when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost all the churches of the Congregational Union ...

. Until her death in 2008 he was married to Trixie, a part-time

lay Lay may refer to: Places *Lay Range, a subrange of mountains in British Columbia, Canada *Lay, Loire, a French commune *Lay (river), France *Lay, Iran, a village *Lay, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community People * Lay (surname) * ...

pastor for a

congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: *Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administra ...

of the Uniting Church at Gunning, near Canberra. In December 2010 he remarried and moved to Sydney. His second wife Dr Julie Waddy PhD OAM worked as an

ethnobiologist ] Ethnobiology is the scientific study of the way living things are treated or used by different human cultures. It studies the dynamic relationships between people, biota, and environments, from the distant past to the immediate present.culture ...

and

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

working with the

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...

Groote Eylandt Groote Eylandt ( Anindilyakwa: ''Ayangkidarrba'' meaning "island" ) is the largest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the fourth largest island in Australia. It was named by the explorer Abel Tasman in 1644 and is Dutch for "Large Island" in ...

in the

with the aboriginal people for 30 years, and returned to Sydney in 2005. John says that his relationships – what most white Australians would call friendships and family – are mostly with the Aboriginal people. John passed away on the afternoon of the 24, July 2021.

Publications

Rudder has self-published a book on the counting (relationship) system of Australian Aborigines, has produced teaching materials for his courses in aboriginal speaking and thought, and is in the process of completing an Aboriginal–English dictionary. His recent writing has been extensively in collaboration with Stan Grant. Rudder's publications include: * Rudder, John; ''Yolngu Cosmology: An Unchanging Cosmos Incorporating a Rapidly Changing World'',

DPhil A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

thesis,

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

, 1993 * An Introduction to Aboriginal Art * An Introduction to Aboriginal Mathematics * The Natural World of the Yolngu: The Aboriginal People of North East

* Aboriginal Religion and the Dreaming * The Bark Paintings of North East Arnhem Land * Learning Wiradjuri 1–5 (graded texts) * Learning Wiradjuri 1&2 CD * A Teaching Wiradjuri Support CD * Eric Looks for a Friend (PowerPoint book) * Wiradjuri Language Songs for Children * Wiradjuri Language Song Book 2 * CD of Wiradjuri Language Songs * Wiradjuri Language – How it works: A Grammar in Everyday English * Wiradjuri Language A First Dictionary of Wiradjuri * Wiradjuri Sentence Book * Wiradjuri Language Black Line Poster Masters * Wiradjuri Language Black Line Masters – Book 1 (Colouring-in) * Wiradjuri Language Black Line Masters –Book 2– Learn to Draw * Wiradjuri Language Colouring-in Books 1 and 2 * Wiradjuri Language Learn to Draw Books 1 and 2 * English Language Blackline Poster Masters of Australian Natural Science & People * Unlabelled Blackline Poster Masters of Australian Natural Science & People * Towards Holiness, (2007), , Restoration House In July 2006, the

Parkes Parkes may refer to: * Sir Henry Parkes (1815–1896), Australian politician, one of the earliest and most prominent advocates for Australian federation Named for Henry Parkes * Parkes, New South Wales, a regional town * Parkes Observatory, a radi ...

Shire Library (central west NSW) inaugurated its collection of books on WiradjuriWiradjuri language revival
Jane Simpson, Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures,

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

, 28 July 2006, accessed 25 April 2008 attended by Wiradjuri language students from Primary schools at

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

, Peak Hill and Central West Christian School, whose teachers were learning from Rudder and Grant.

Notes

Citations

External links

profiles of John Rudder and Stan Grant

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudder, John Linguists from Australia Uniting Church in Australia people Living people Year of birth missing (living people)