Aboriginal elders from Wollondilly have encouraged young people to read.

Eddy Blakney, of Yanderra, supports the indigenous novel Black and Gold by Colin and Paul Tatz.

Mr Blakney said the book portrayed famous indigenous people.

``The book is very inspirational,'' he said. ``I'd recommend it to any young person. It shows what they can do.

``If you strive for something you'll get it, and that's not just aimed at Aboriginal kids. I think it would be to the youth's advantage to learn more about Aboriginal culture.''

Growing up in Sydney, Mr Blakney suffered from racism, but today said it did not defeat his spirit.

``Racism was just a part of growing up, you learnt to ignore it or give some sarcastic remark,'' he said.

``My father taught me to roll with the punches and that you never get anywhere unless you work for it.''

Mr Blakney said NAIDOC week is a great way for white society to accept indigenous culture, with more young people studying Australia's history.