But how do you keep a language alive when it stops being useful to those who speak it? Bonnie acknowledges that she doesn't have many people she can talk to in Jaru. She says it's important for kids to be proud of their language and the culture behind it, but knows that the language needs to be relevant in their own lives for it to stay strong.

As an eleven year old coming from New Zealand, I quickly tried to mimic those around me in rural Victoria. But just as I became aware of my new voice, I noticed that I'd left my first way of speaking behind. There's still a slight twang, and it comes back when I'm around family, but I wish I hadn't been so hasty in getting rid of it in the first place.

It's a small example far from the reality of the endangered languages in the Kimberley, but it reminds me of the kids going to school today who aren't familiar with the languages their parents spoke. Why are we so quick to try and be just like everybody else?