Mary grew up in Wagga and is doing her PhD at the Australian Catholic University (ACU). Photo: Supplied.
For Wagga Wagga’s Melissa ‘Mary’ O’Neill, a new children’s book is about much more than dinosaurs, pirates and a magical didgeridoo.
It’s about making sure her grandchildren remember her the same way she remembers her own nan – as a storyteller who could captivate a room and pass on culture, family history and life’s lessons through a simple yarn.
The Australian Catholic University (ACU) PhD student has released Bipo and Roo and the Magical Didgeridoo, a story inspired by family, education and Aboriginal culture after it sat untouched on her computer for four years.
“I wanted my grandkids to remember me like I remember my nan. I wanted to be an awe-inspiring person in their lives, like she was to me,” Mary said.
Growing up, Mary was surrounded by storytelling.
She remembers her grandmother spinning tales about strawberries grown for the snake in the backyard and sharing stories about where the family came from and who they were.
At the time, Mary and her cousins dismissed them as their grandmother’s “silly words”.
It wasn’t until years later that she understood what was really being passed down.
“We used to get immersed in my nan’s storytelling. She shared everything she knew about our culture and our family,” she said.
“She never stopped surprising me or astounding me until she passed away.”
Now a grandmother herself, Mary has drawn on that same gift in Bipo and Roo and the Magical Didgeridoo.
The story follows two brothers who travel through time using a magical didgeridoo. Along the way they visit a land of volcanoes and dinosaurs, ancient Egypt and a pharaoh with golden rings, a pirate ship led by a sword-bearing captain, and finally the Dreamtime, where culture is shared through song and verse.
The characters are deeply personal.
Mary’s three grandsons are Brooklyn, Reggie and Zephyr. Bipo’s name comes from Brooklyn’s initials, while Roo is Reggie, represented as a rooster. The book’s final page includes an image of the youngest grandson, Zephyr.
Writing the book is another chapter in Mary’s lifelong commitment to learning and education.
At 20, she enrolled in an Away From Base teaching degree through ACU, completing it in 2004 while pregnant and working full-time.
She later lectured at ACU in Aboriginal education before building a career in child and family services throughout Wagga Wagga, where she has lived for the past 25 years, and across the Riverina and Murray regions.
“For me education takes many forms. Its sitting and listening, writing and sharing stories, being creative, painting, being connected to family or in a classroom,” she said.
“Bringing Bipo and Roo to life has been a deeply meaningful part of this journey. Through their adventures and connections, I have been able to weave in our stories and art, creating something that is not only for our family, but for all families to connect with and enjoy.”
Mary’s book is about two brothers who travel through time using a magical didgeridoo. Photo: Supplied.
Mary began her PhD journey at ACU in 2026, with research focusing on cultural supervision and how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders working in non-Indigenous institutions can be supported in ways that honour rather than erase their identity.
She said those themes are woven throughout the book.
“The messaging in the book is direct but not harsh,” she said.
“It’s about how do we find a way to invite people in? And that’s all about sharing. We’re sharing who we are. We’re not apologising for who we are, we’re grounded in who we are.”
The book, and her research, are both guided by advice her nan gave her many years ago – be authentically yourself.
“I’m doing it for family, for my kids and my grandkids, and for me. In the end, that’s what matters most,” she said.
Bipo and Roo and the Magical Didgeridoo can be purchased online.
