Penelope Towney- Sharing Indigenous Languages, Culture and Sciences as the Youngest First Nations Film Maker

Looking for something deadly, for you and your jarjum, to dive into this school holidays? I had the absolute honour of chatting with the brilliant 10-year-old Penelope Towney—proud Wiradjuri and Palawa girl, YouTube star, and future media and presenter mogul. Penelope shared her passion for her Indigenous cultures, her languages, and their knowledges she has learnt from her family along the way.

We talked about her hit YouTube channel, Towney Time, where she makes learning fun and accessible, from Aboriginal science to Aboriginal culture. Plus, she gave me the scoop on her groundbreaking short film The Land We're On, which she created when she was just seven! We even got into her love for Dolly Parton, David Bowie, and the dream of one day featuring Dolly on Towney Time.

Penelope’s vision? To be in a Disney film that authentically represents Indigenous cultures—and she's got the drive to make it happen. This yarn will leave you inspired and ready to make the most of life, no matter your age.

Check out Penelope’s YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@towneytime 

Follow Caroline on Instagram @blak_wattle_coaching and learn more about working with Caroline here! 

We would like to acknowledge Aboriginal people as Australia’s First Peoples’ who have never ceded their sovereignty. We acknowledge the Wurundjeri/Woiwurrung people of the Kulin Nation where the podcast was taped. We pay our deepest respects to Traditional Owners across Australia and Elders past, present and emerging.

This podcast was brought to you by On Track Studio.

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This podcast was brought to you by On Track Studio.

www.ontrackstudio.com.au

@on.track.studio

For advertising opportunities please email hello@ontrackstudio.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Podcast. Unite our voices.

SPEAKER_00 0:04

This podcast is brought to you by OnTrack Studio. Welcome to Yarning Up, the podcast that showcases First Nations stories and conversations to help us learn and unlearn Australia's history to work towards a better future. I'm your host, Proud Barbara Woman and founder of Black Waddle Coaching and Consulting, Caroline Cal. We acknowledge the Rurundari people and elders where this podcast is taped, but we also acknowledge the lands that you are listening in from today. It always was and always will be unseated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land. Well, out of all my guests on this show, I think today is going to be my most special conversation. Today I am joined by Penelope Towney, a Rajari and Pallua girl, young warrior, who is bringing your passion for culture and your people and language to the world. So I'd like to start Penelope by getting you to introduce yourself however you would like to be introduced, little sis.

SPEAKER_01 1:30

Uh you would do Penelope Towney Badu Mara Mara. Girbadilnia Badu Rajeri Palua. I'm named Penelope Towney, I am 10, and I'm proud to be Rajeri and Palua. I have a central beaded dragon named Gadungle. I have a southern beaded dragon called Lizzo. I have a dog, a red cattle dog named Ziki, and a ferret named Noodle.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

That is so cool. You've got a a whole household of beautiful animals there. I um I must say, Penelope, I am a huge fan of your work. And so it's such a special privilege today to meet you and to have you on the show. I also understand that one of your very big, big dreams in life is to meet Dolly Parton and to have her feature on your YouTube channel, which I'm a huge fan of your show, Towny Time. I'm wondering if you could tell me a little bit more about that dream and what you and Dolly Parton would get up to.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

So I would love Dolly Parton on Towny Time to like an interview. I first found out about Dolly Parton when I was like two or three years old, and I was at a playgroom and they were ha they were like handing out books, and the books were from all of them were from Dolly's Imagination Library. And Dolly's Imagination Library is like a program that she has that gives out books to like children all around the world to get them like a good education and like make sure they can like read like well because her father couldn't read and she grew up in poverty, uh which is also a big inspiration because yeah, she grew up in like poverty and like she has been like if you Google like if you Google who was the best female singer, the first couple of things, like what in like I think it's like the third thing that it comes up with. It's like it's one of the first things it cut like she is she's famous, yeah. She's like been in the film industry for so long. She's like an amazing actor, amazing fashion, amazing like singer. Like, yeah, just a massive celebration. And I would love for it to be at Dollywood, which is like a theme card sort of thing that she has.

SPEAKER_00 3:59

I love that. How cool, and you're right, Dolly Parton is a fashionista, and she just embodies this big, larger than life personality, doesn't she? She's just so cool, and she is a wonderful singer. Do you have a favorite Dolly Parton song, or is it hard to choose?

SPEAKER_01 4:21

I like I quite like Tudors Down.

SPEAKER_00 4:25

Oh, very nice. I must say, Penelope, I am a huge fan of your show Towny Time. I mean, you and your knowledge has taught me a lot about uh your language, Riradri language, and your Palawakan language. So thank you for the gift of teaching us your knowledges and your passions. I wonder what you and Dolly would get up to if she was to come onto your show, Towny Time.

SPEAKER_01 4:57

Probably just like an interview, like just like this.

SPEAKER_00 5:01

Yeah. How wonderful. And she's an inspiration because she teaches us that really anything's possible, right? I also have I have an inkling, I understand that it's one of your your big dreams to be involved in a Disney film. And in fact, I must say that is how I first, I guess, stumbled across who you are and and what you're bringing into this world through your film, uh, The Land We're On. And I've watched it a million times, I must say. And it every single time I watch it, I have a beautiful feeling listening to you speak your languages and to see how proud you are of your culture and and who you are. So yeah, I wonder if you could maybe yeah, share with me a little bit around that that dream of having a Disney film with young indigenous people doing deadly things like you. What what would it look like?

SPEAKER_01 5:59

So I have this book, it's from the 70s, it's a Disney book, and it's about different like cultures from around the world, and it's like it talks like amazingly about all the other cultures, and then when it gets like First Nations people like from this continent, it's like it says that they're like Stone Age people in the past couple of decades, they've been making more like films, like sort of they've been going around the world making films like of of like different cultures from around the world, like such as like Enkanto and like Coco and like Moana. So I feel like now would be like the perfect time to make a Disney film that like really like like not only apologi you but like makes up for what it says like in that book as well, and because also we are like the oldest like continuing culture in the world.

SPEAKER_00 6:54

Mmm, isn't that right? And it's something so beautiful and and lucky that we're a part of this amazing club of this old knowledge and languages, and you're right, we are seeing Disney doom movies like Moana, which is a favorite of ours here. We all sing the the songs in our car with our nieces and nephews. How special would that be to have one with our mob in there too, and people just like you? Have you got an absolute favourite Disney movie of all time if you absolutely had to say?

SPEAKER_01 7:29

That is very hard. Just love the like visual effects in Rapunzel. Like I love the lighting and everything in Rapunzel. It's called Tangled, not Rapunzel. But yeah, I just love all the lighting and how like bright all the colours are in Tangled. Lizard reminds me of Gedungle and Lizzo, the chameleon.

SPEAKER_00 7:49

Yes, you're absolutely right. Oh, how special, how special. I wanna ask you about your show Towny Time, and I also, as I say, want to thank you because it's through your shows that I've learnt about uh Dunawan, the emu in the sky.

SPEAKER_02 8:09

Yum Dumran, you obviously'm now P Towny, and you're watching Towny Time. I'm here at the science space with my friend Kirsten, a Raderi astrophysicist. Whoa! We couldn't make it out to Radri Country to film the episode of Towny Time. But the science spaces planetarium could take us virtually anywhere, virtually a ridery country, anywhere in the universe, and even out. That technology is pretty mind-blowing to me. My dad's dad, my pop, Dunga, Graham Town. He just passed away recently. He was very clever. He showed me the Dinoa, Emu, in the sky, how when it moved throughout the year, and how you'd know the differences between what it was doing, reading, nesting, you know.

SPEAKER_00 9:00

It's through your show that I learned about uh the ore fish, which I did not know. And you also taught us about the eels, Vinnie Boy, I believe it was. How cool! I mean, I am a really big fan of your your YouTube channel, and I think what you're doing is incredible. I mean, what's your what do you what what do you enjoy about towny time? What does it mean for you?

SPEAKER_01 9:29

I love Towny Time. I can like have a whole little sort of world, little portfolio sort of thing, like my channel, and I just love making the videos, I love doing the research for the videos. It's I just love the videos, the videos are amazing. Just subscribe to Towny Time. It's like Towny Time's like education, but it's like fun education. Let's be honest. Most people, when somebody says edu get educated, like most people think that like learning is boring, but it's not, and towny time is like proving that learning is not boring, and that it learning learning is good, and education is like fun. And on Towny Time, there's like science and culture, and like there will be art and like stories, and there's three episodes so far, so make sure to subscribe to Towny Time.

SPEAKER_00 10:26

Yes, everyone listening, you know, get out your phones and go on and watch Towny Time. Subscribe and share because you're right. I think this is the thing I really enjoy about Towny Time, is it is informative. I've learned so much, and it's funny, and it's it's a way to share our culture and to be really proud of our sciences. Like you say, we're old scientists, and I know that science is an interest of yours, I believe. So you're sharing that knowledge and science with the world. So thank you so, so much.

SPEAKER_01 11:03

Yes, so make sure to subscribe to Towny Time like but not if you're driving, if you're driving right or listening to this, get to your destination and just remember towny time, and when you get to your destination, subscribe to towny time.

SPEAKER_00 11:19

Exactly right. You don't do it if you're driving, absolutely, safety first, making sure that all of our listeners are safe. As I mentioned, I've learnt a lot about language and culture and science. You're talking about science in a really cool way, almost like people from like deadly science, like Corey Tart and people like those people you're you're creating that. What's your vision for towny time?

SPEAKER_01 11:46

My vision for towny time is yeah, just like an education place that's like really fun as well, because as a student that goes to a school, it's like hard when you're studying sometimes. A lot of the time, either you can't find what you want to research, or you do find something and it's like like a YouTube video or something, and it's just like pretty boring. So Tiny Time is like fun education, like it's something that you'll wanna go home and you'll in like enjoy watching it when you get you will like want to watch it in your spare time, if anything. Like it's it's fun, it's fun education. Yeah, but I have three episodes, and I will plan to make many, many, many more until the day that I start making episodes.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

Yeah, I love it. Making education fun. It's so so beautiful, and you do that so so well. And I'm not sure you realize how much you're educating people on the beauty and richness of Aboriginal cultures. So thank you.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

You're you're welcome.

SPEAKER_00 13:11

We'll be back, you mob, right after this short break. I guess with that, Penelope, you know, you are considered one of Australia's youngest First Nations filmmakers. You produced your own film, The Land We're On, when you were just seven. So how many years ago would that have been, maybe now? Like three years. Three years. And your film, The Land We're On, it's screened on SBS. I actually saw it on NITV a few years back, and I also saw you on channel 10, which is is amazing. And the way that you speak in your beautiful languages um and talk about the importance or the backstory about why we do or don't do acknowledgments of country. But what was that process like for you making that film? What did you feel when you made it?

SPEAKER_01 14:19

I practiced most days for like three months. I practiced like on most days. By most days it sounds like I missed I'm just I missed most of them, and I'm just trying to say that like I practiced most days. But uh I practiced I probably missed like three days because I was like feeling really tired. And then I made the film and it was just so surreal turning my television on and I was on the television, I was on SPS, and I switched the channel to NITV and then channel 10, and they were all my face talking to me, all like in sync, and it was just so like surreal, and it made me so happy that all of my hard work has finally is worth it, and it just made me so happy and proud.

SPEAKER_00 15:08

Wow, you should be proud and you should be happy. All of that hard work, all that dedication, all of that passion, and all of the gift that you gave us all. Because young people like you give people who are a little bit older, a quite auntie girl, permission to reimagine the world, and you give us strength. So thank you. You should be very, very proud of what you achieved. Amazing work to practice and dedicate to that. Thank you. No worries, thank you. I wonder, you know, Penelope, do you have, I guess, any words or any encouragement for other Aboriginal young people out there like you who are trying to make this world a bit better and blacker and brighter?

SPEAKER_01 16:00

I'm not the biggest fan of like quoting people because it makes me feel like unoriginal. But my favorite singer of all time, of everything, there's a poster right there, is David Bowie. And David Bowie has my favorite quote of all time, and I love the quote, and it's all people, no matter who they are, they all wish that they enjoyed life more, and that it's what you do in life that's important and not like how much time you have or what you wish you'd done. Yeah, you should never like waste like any you should never just like be a hundred percent unproductive for a day. Because life is like it's precious, okay? It sounds dark, but you're going to die one day. So you you you do what you want to do, okay? You're gonna do what you want to do.

SPEAKER_00 17:00

What beautiful and important in advice that life is for living it all, isn't it? And soaking up all the wonder and joy.

SPEAKER_01 17:09

That's more what I was trying to say, so yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:12

Yeah, wow. David Bowie is a bit of an icon, isn't he? Yeah. You know, I read something about David Bowie, I didn't know this, but he has obviously one blue eye and one green eye, but I thought that that was a fake thing. It's actually his eyes.

SPEAKER_01 17:33

Yes, it that is what a lot of things say, but he actually has like a lot of things say that he has one blue eye and one green eye, but actually when he was like fourteen or something, he got like punched in the eye in a fight with his friend, and it like made one of his pupils bigger to make it look like one of his eyes are blue and one of the eyes like darker, but actually just that one of his pupils bigger. I think it's like an anascoria or something. But yeah, that's actually what happened, and a lot of people don't know that as well.

SPEAKER_00 18:03

Wow, I didn't know that. That's a fantastic fact for me to know. I might put that in my trivia pile. Thank you for sharing that. How cool. Do you have a favorite song of David Bowie's as well?

SPEAKER_01 18:17

My favorite David Bowie song like changes basically every single day. Like I wake up one morning and I'm like, you know, I'm probably gonna play this song, and that is my favorite song for the rest of the day. But I feel like if I could choose one song, even though it's like his most popular song and it sounds so baseball, but like if I could choose one song, one David Bowie song for the rest of like eternity, I would choose Starman.

SPEAKER_00 18:40

That is a great song. My I think mine sounds very unoriginal too, to quote your words. Mine might be a little cliche, but I might have two favorites of his. Both of them are maybe the cliche versions, but I love Let's Dance because that's just always so fun to move around, and every time it just brings joy. And also I love Under Pressure because I feel like life is about dancing through pressure at times, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 19:08

I have a record player and records, and Let's Dance was the first record I ever got, it's just over there.

SPEAKER_00 19:14

Wow, that is so cool.

SPEAKER_01 19:18

It's just on the side of my room right now as we speak.

SPEAKER_00 19:21

Wow, you have such a wonderful taste in music for a young person. That is very inspiring. I my first album that I ever got, I'm not sure you might know this person. It wouldn't surprise me, was Mariah Carey. Wasn't as cool as David Bowie, I'll tell you that. Can I ask maybe one more question and you can choose to answer if you if if not? But I just wanted to know who inspired you to learn your languages? How did you learn Maradjri? And and is it Paloakani? Is that how you say it?

SPEAKER_01 19:55

Yeah, my family. Really? Like my family inspired me to learn my languages and my culture and just all of the above. Culture, like my heritage, my family, you know?

SPEAKER_00 20:09

It's very special. You know, I'm a barberum person. I'm from far north Queensland. I'm if you were to get that big, big map with all the mobs, I'm a tiny, tiny one up right up north. And unfortunately, we don't have any words left. It's all gone. And so we really look to the the leadership of the Radru people and other nations like you. And yeah, it's just very special to hear you speak in language. So we're really proud of you and all that you're doing in sharing culture with the world. So thank you again. Thank you. Oh, it's been such a wonderful privilege to get to to meet you today. And I have no doubt that you're gonna continue to just do what whatever it is that you know brings you joy and wonder. And no doubt we'll see you on our screens with Towny Time and Disney. Thank you. Mandangul, thank you. Bye. See you, Penelope. Thank you so much for listening, you mob. If you are vibing this season of Yarning Up, then please head over to Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast from to show us some love, rate, and review. Alternatively, you can get in contact and give us some feedback by visiting www.carolinecal.com.au