December 20, 2024
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The story of Country and Community
Australia’s Indigenous Communities – also known as First Nations or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples – are thought to have lived in Australia for 60,000 years.
Before British colonization in the 18th century, 250 Indigenous languages were spoken in Australia with around 800 dialects. Just 123 languages exist today.
Lachlan Morton isn’t just chasing new cycling records; he is supporting the race to protect Australia’s vanishing Indigenous languages. In September 2024, EF Pro Cycling’s adventurer set out on a 14,200 km journey to break the record to circumnavigate Australia, all the while raising funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
The Indigenous Literacy Foundation seeks to recognize the importance of Community, Country, and Indigenous Peoples by capitalizing these terms. It is a mark of respect to the culture and history of their Communities.
What’s in a language? At EF, we are keenly aware how a language tells the story of a people, their history, and their connection with the world and each other. Today, it’s easy to take our languages for granted. We have books, documents, films, and even government departments charged with maintaining them.
But some languages and cultures don’t have that representation, and many are at risk of disappearing. As these languages dwindle, we lose an anchor in time and the story of a community.
In Australia, 90% of the 123 remaining Indigenous languages are considered “endangered.” However, there are moves to protect and enhance them, and EF Pro Cycling’s Lachlan Morton wanted to support those efforts.
Credit: Karter Machen.
On September 5, 2024, Lachlan set off on one of his biggest challenges yet: Breaking the record for the fastest time to circumnavigate his home country of Australia. The statistics are mind-blowing: 14,200 km, riding an average of 450 km daily to beat the previous record of under 38 days.
Lachlan had more than a record on his mind, however; he was raising money for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, established to promote and conserve the languages of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities around Australia.
This isn’t the first time Lachlan has taken on a huge challenge raising funds for such organizations. He has supported various causes over the years, including World Bicycle Relief to bring bicycles to communities in rural Colombia, and the Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund.
For Lachlan, raising money for these initiatives is “a no-brainer”, helping turn his personal pursuits into positive impact.
“I am in a unique position where I have an audience that follows me in these challenges. The cycling community is incredibly generous, so to leverage those things for causes tied to what I am doing is amazing. It’s important for me to give back. It enriches my pursuit.”
Founded in 2004, the Indigenous Literacy Foundation seeks not only to protect the over 100 Indigenous languages remaining in Australia but improve the economic prospects for their Communities.
The ILF’s work is focused on publishing books in Indigenous languages, helping to represent what are largely oral languages and stories. In producing books in these languages, the ILF hopes to reverse their decline and provide a voice for the First Nations Peoples across Australia. To date, the ILF has published 130 books in 44 Indigenous languages, distributed to over 400 Communities in rural Australia.
Credit: Wayne Quilliam (Reading opens doors); Tiffany Parker (No Way Yirrikipayi!)
For Ben Bowen, CEO of the ILF, this work ensures these languages thrive into the future, safeguarding one of the oldest living cultures in the world. As an Aboriginal man himself, Ben is only too aware of the challenges his ancestors have faced – and the opportunities presented by the ILF’s work.
“We know that when our People have culture, language, Country, and Community, they will excel ... The work we lead is about resourcing and supporting Communities to bypass the obstacles they face so that they can achieve their full potential.”
Ben sees this work as being vital to give children in particular the best start, equipping them with the literacy skills they need to go on and learn other languages, opening doors to future opportunities.
“We wanted to have a positive impact on the Communities we’d be riding through”, Lachlan said on his motivation for supporting the ILF. “There are some big gaps when it comes to education for Indigenous Communities, and the ILF is doing amazing work on this. It’s difficult work, so I was glad to do something to support that cause.”
Lachlan completes his record-breaking endeavor.
Credit: Karter Machen.
Lachlan rolled back into his hometown of Port Macquaire, completing his grueling lap of Australia in a record time of 30 days, nine hours, and 59 minutes.
In that time, he’d faced innumerable physical and mental challenges, but he'd also received incredible support both online and on the road. In addition to this monumental feat, he raised A$140,000 – enough money to deliver 14,000 culturally relevant books to remote Communities around Australia.
Watch the full feature film documenting Lachlan's record-breaking ride.
“We don’t receive government grants, and we remain transparent with our Communities in our fundraising”, said Ben Bowen. “We are now in discussion with them to see where we can best invest Lachy’s support.”
And it doesn’t stop here: Lachlan will be taking the film made during his record attempt on tour around Australia, with ticket sales also going towards supporting the ILF’s work.
Preserving a language and reversing its decline is not going to happen overnight, but with the work of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation and Lachlan’s support, countless Indigenous Communities can access books that represent their Community, culture, and history in an empowering way.
14,200
kilometers cycled around Australia
123
Inidgenous languages spoken in Australia today
90
%
of Indigenous Australian languages are endangered
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