From a Childhood Love of Reptiles to the 2026 Indigenous Languages Forum: Corey Tutt’s Journey of Language, Legacy and Connection

As a child growing up on Yuin Country, spending time with my grandfather Cliff Walford on Kamilaroi Country, and living in South Australia with my sister, we didn't have much. Material wealth was scarce, but our world was incredibly rich in one thing; reptiles. Snakes, lizards, and turtles were the constants of my childhood, sparking a deep fascination with the natural world that would shape the rest of my life.

In 1998, my Pop gave me a secondhand copy of Dr Harold Cogger’s Reptiles in Colour, published in 1984. He had found it at Vinnies, but to me, it was pure gold. That book lit a match inside me. From the moment it left his hands and entered mine, I knew I would treasure it forever. It became a portal to a world I loved, fuelled by the quiet encouragement of the man who gave it to me.

Years later, in 2024, I found myself deeply reflecting on a conversation I had with Pop before he passed away in 2011. He had looked at me one day and asked if I was ever going to write a reptile book of my own. How did he know? How could he see into my future and know that I would one day become a writer? I will never know the answer to that question. But I do know one thing; my Pop believed in me. In fact, at that age, he was one of the very few people in the world who did.

Now, looking past a massive migraine, I find myself standing at the Language Symposium. I am not just attending; I am presenting a published book. It is the very first reptile book ever produced in our Traditional Languages. As I watch people pick it up and flip through the pages, I witness something magical. I see that exact same spark in their eyes that my Pop gave to me all those years ago with his secondhand gift. Although his physical body may be gone, his spirit and his shine live on. They live on through every single person who gets lost in the beauty of our reptiles and feels empowered by the strength of our languages.

Pop’s legacy is woven into every word of that book, and his wisdom continues to guide me. I want to leave you with a piece of advice he told me when I was young, something that has carried me through my hardest days. He said, "Your best is always good enough." No matter what stage of life you are currently navigating, and no matter what challenges you face, remember to always try your best.