Jill Dodd is one of six children born and raised in Rockhampton by her maternal grandparents, Kate and Reg Dodd Snr in an extended family of aunties, uncles, cousins and siblings. Jill is descended from the Birri (Collinsville area), Wirri (Urannah area) and Kaanju (Cape York) Peoples of Central and North Queensland, Australia. The influence, values, beliefs, Aboriginal culture, customs and teachings of her grandfather Reg — a well-known and highly regarded Elder who made indelible contributions to the advancement and rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is the inspiration and connection to her cultural belonging and identity. In 1971, Reg was recorded and noted speaking his native Birri Language by author and professor of linguistics R. M. W. Dixon. Jill has over 30 years’ public sector experience mainly with Housing. In 1992, she moved to Brisbane with her two young sons. Jill has written and illustrated a collection of four ‘contemporary’ children’s books using Birri Language in popular classic children’s stories and nursery rhymes.
