Ngarigu

The Ngarigu (also Ngarigo) language was spoken on the Monaro Plains in southern NSW at places such as Delegate, Bombala and Jindabyne.  It is closely related to languages spoken in the Canberra district and others on the south coast of NSW.  Some surviving speakers settled on the Aboriginal Reserve at Delegate in the late 19th century before moving to the south coast of NSW and Gippsland, Victoria, in the late 1920s as the Aborigines Protection Board increased their level of control over Aboriginal people.  Prominent Ngarigu trackers include William Rutherford and Alexander Brindle who worked at stations including Bombala, Delegate and Dalgety.[ref]Jim Wafer & Amanda Lissarrague A Handbook of Aboriginal Languages of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory 2008, Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Culture Co-operative, Nambucca Heads; Michael Young The Aboriginal People of the Monaro – A Documentary History, second edition, 2005, Department of Environment and Conservation, NSW.[/ref]