CBCA News and Views, Feb 2013 - Aleesah Darlison

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12 australian Children’s Laureate Alison lester and Boori Monty Pryor are our first Australian Children’s laureates! together they share the inaugural role for 2012 and 2013 and they are united in their message to all Australian children: “ Join our story circle!”. Both have been very busy in 2012 involving children, their families and communities in events, festivals and projects all over the country from remote communities to inner city schools. Now it's 2013 and they are excited about another full program of story-based activities! visit the Laureate website http://www.childrenslaureate.org.au CeleBRAting 2012 nAtiOnAl YeAR Of ReADing by aleesah Darlison 2012 National year of Reading ambassador for greater taree City Libraries twenty four years ago, the original We Are The Future anthology project was developed by Manning Valley year 12 student Ainslee Dennis (now a journalist at the Manning River Times in taree) to help celebrate the 1988 bicentennial year. Students from across the Manning Valley entered short stories and poems. the book was edited by author Jenny Summerville. i had three works published in the anthology and have kept a copy of the book to this day. it was probably my first faltering step towards becoming a “real” author, though it would take me twenty years to finally come around to fulfilling that dream. When i did become a published author in my own right i tried to think of ways i could give back to kids in the Manning. Helping to develop their storytelling and creative writing skills was one way i thought i could help. i approached taree library (Danielle Old and Margie Wallace) to see whether they would be interested in supporting a new anthology project to help celebrate 2012 National year of reading. Danielle and Margie were behind the project one hundred percent from the start. Danielle and Debbie Horgan did a lot of administration and behind the scenes work to make the project a success. they also applied for, and secured funding for the project from Mission Australia. We couldn’t have completed this project without the funding. in March this year i spent five days visiting six schools across the Manning Valley and Great lakes workshopping with children about how to write narrative, helping prepare to launch the project and getting them excited about the anthology and the launch, so they would enter stories and poems into the book. Students started their stories with me and then had several more months to finish them by the end of May. From that point on i edited the stories. the book was hot off the press for the launch of the We Are Now, We Are the Future anthology. We had 60 stories from 57 children included in the anthology. Schools included: Moorland PS, Hallidays Point PS, Cundletown PS, Krambach PS, tinonee PS, taree West PS, Chatham PS plus one entrant from a home-schooler. the launch took place on Friday 7 December at taree library. We had well over a hundred students, parents, teachers, principals, library staff, NyOr Ambassadors, community members and the media at taree library in attendance. the place was buzzing. Camera flashes were popping everywhere as the young authors featured in photograph after photograph. Several students read their stories out, which was very exciting to witness. Students were also given pens to sign each others’ books, and i was thrilled to be able to sign some too. My publisher, Walker Books, provided some extra special giveaways for the students. So many teachers and parents approached me at the launch to thank me and say how wonderful the project was for the community and how thrilled they were for their children to be involved in it. My hope is that one day some of these students will become published authors in their own right. For me, that’s what it’s all about: inspiring others to write, to express themselves, to know that they can achieve. Simple things like that make a huge difference in kids’ lives. Because the project was such a success, we are hoping to repeat it. this time, i won’t wait twenty four years.
The School Magazine—a world of words By tHE SCHooL magazINE tEam Did you read The School Magazine when you were at school? If so, you’re one of many tens of thousands of people. and if, like many, many people, you have fond memories of the magazine, you might be surprised to know that it’s better than ever—and about to turn 100 years old. a bold idea When the first edition of The School Magazine made its way to young readers it was no doubt delivered to some schools by horse and cart. the year was 1916 and, as the world grappled with horrors of World War l, the New South Wales Department of Education had a brave and brilliant idea: why not give primary school children their own free high-quality literary magazine? So, while hardships related to the war abounded, Australian children gained something remarkable—their own magazines to read and to treasure: the School Magazine of literature for our Boys and Girls. With Editor Stephen Henry Smith at the helm, the first 16 page magazines were published in 1916.there were three parts to each issue, catering to different reading ages—for example, ‘Part i … for Class iii’. Here is an excerpt from the words that welcomed new readers: DEAr BOyS AND GirlS Here is the new School Magazine, which henceforth will come to you monthly. A Magazine means a storehouse; it is a word we get from the Arabs. And what are the stores you will find here? there will be tales of boys and girls, of men and women, of birds and beasts, of all living things. you will find tales of the fairies and their wonderful doings. in fables you will meet with animals that talk in your own language, and say wise things that you will like to know. there will be stories of all lands and seas, of our own Australia, of the mother country, of the regions of tropical suns, and of ice and snow… Most beautiful of all will be the golden verse, which will delight your ear as well as your mind. And whence come all these treasures? the editors write some of the articles specially for you, and search everywhere for what will give you pleasure and perhaps a little wisdom too. 13
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Page 3 and 4: Dates for your diary 2013 18 - 19 m
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Page 9 and 10: Aspiring Writers (formerly Frustrat
Page 11: at school. His work seems distant,
Page 15 and 16: Jonathan Shaw replied, “in fact i

CBCA News and Views, Feb 2013 - Aleesah Darlison

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