A Life Shaped by Language

There was no grand plan. But in the blink of an eye, what was meant to be a four-year teaching placement in Zambia quietly stretched into a decade.

For eighty-year-old Lyndal Reid, that unexpected adventure proved to be the perfect rehearsal for the next chapter of her life. From a simple idea to a thriving bricks-and-mortar business, The Language People bookstore—founded by Lyndal, together with Cheryl Colgrave and Anna Kohler—grew into a Brisbane institution.

Yet Lyndal is quick to acknowledge the expertise that helped shape the bookstore’s success.

“Anna was really the driving force,” Lyndal explains. “She was a pioneer of ESL teaching in Queensland.”

Today, Lyndal enjoys a quiet, but busy, retirement in her  Brisbane home. Yet there are unmistakable reminders of the life she built. Parked in her garage is a large sign bearing the words “The Language People.” Alongside other pieces of memorabilia, it serves as a tangible reminder of the much-loved West End bookstore on Boundary Street, opposite the local library, that became an invaluable resource for teachers and students of English as a Second Language.

Lyndal began her Arts degree at the University of Queensland during the 1960s. After graduating, she responded to an international recruitment program seeking educators to teach in Africa.

Along with other teachers, she was accepted into a position at an all-girls boarding school in Zambia, where she taught Religious Education, English literature and language.

She remembers the experience as a genuine cultural exchange. While Zambia’s people, traditions and customs broadened the horizons of the visiting teachers, they, in turn, shared their own knowledge, teaching methods and culture with their students.

“We taught African literature in English,” she recalls.

She still smiles when remembering the Shakespeare plays her students performed, alongside more contemporary productions such as Jesus Christ Superstar.

When Lyndal returned to Brisbane in 1979, she resumed her teaching career with newly arrived migrants at the Government’s Wacol Migrant Centre, where students came from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds.

Reflecting on those years, she says many teachers could almost predict the next intake of students.

“Unfortunately, our predictions were usually based on the world’s trouble spots,” she says.

The countries still roll easily off her tongue.

“Vietnam. El Salvador. Bosnia.”

Returning home also meant adjusting to a very different Australia after ten years away.

She remembers being surprised by the amount of food Australians threw away, the footpaths replacing grassy verges, supermarkets stocked with produce from all over the world, and even the sudden popularity of an item she had never encountered before leaving Australia—pantyhose.

Following her work at Wacol, she says:

“I did a brief stint in Cairns, then years in the famous Phoenix House at 333 Adelaide St, and then Inala.” “In those days, students were entitled to 510 hours of English tuition,” she says.

“And if you were teaching English in Australia during the 1980s, Raymond Murphy’s blue and red grammar books were regarded as the bible.”

“Cambridge and Oxford were the major publishers in the field.”

As English language teaching evolved, Lyndal and her colleagues became increasingly eager to access a broader range of teaching resources, particularly Australian publications that reflected local language, culture and experiences.

Finding those materials, however, was often frustrating.

That challenge sparked an idea.

What began as a way to source quality English language teaching materials gradually evolved into The Language People—a specialist bookshop dedicated to English language teachers, students and trainers.

“It was a wonderfully creative time,” Lyndal recalls.

In those days, there was a real sense the team were building something for Australian teachers.

The bookstore’s West End location added to its character. Lyndal remembers a steady stream of colourful personalities calling in, along with the occasional unexpected visitor.

“I was on the phone one day and suddenly had to end the conversation,” she laughs.

The cause of the interruption turned out to be the arrival of a car that had veered off Boundary Street and driven straight into the front of the bookstore.

Thankfully, no one was injured and business carried on as usual.

Eventually, however, Lyndal decided it was time to retire and hand the business to a new generation. That’s when, about fifteen years ago, former ESL teacher Carmelina Lanza-Volpe took over  The Language People.

Now located in Spring Hill, The Language People continues to serve teachers, trainers and students throughout Queensland and beyond, maintaining its reputation as one of Australia’s leading specialist education book suppliers.

Looking back, it is remarkable how a one-off teaching adventure in Africa eventually led to a lifetime dedicated to helping people learn through language—first in the classroom, and later through the books and resources that supported thousands of teachers and students across Australia.

Today, The Language People continues to build on the store’s original vision—connecting educators with quality resources and supporting the teaching of English and vocational education for a new generation of learners.

You can also hear Lyndal’s voice in the CD recording for Sugarbag on Damper readers.