A special event held yesterday at the Lodge--the Prime Minister's Canberra residence--has garnered widespread mainstream media coverage for the Indigenous Literacy Project in last night's television news and on Radio National.

The event, hosted by Indigenous Literacy Project (ILP) ambassador Therese Rein--the wife of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd--brought together many prominent Australian authors; ILP board members including ILP chair David Gaunt and founder Suzy Wilson; representatives of ILP partner the Fred Hollows Foundation including Gabi Hollows; and local students--as well as several students from three of the remote Indigenous communities receiving books through the project.

After a traditional ‘welcome to country', Minister for Indigenous Affairs Jenny Macklin introduced Rein, who lauded the project, acknowledging Australian booksellers' and publishers' efforts and describing the improvement of Indigenous literacy as ‘critical to bridging the gap' in Indigenous health. ‘Every single dollar raised [on Indigenous Literacy Day] goes directly into books ... directly to communities,' she said.

tudents from three of these communities--Wugularr, Barunga and Manyallaluk--flew down for the event and took part in a story writing workshop with ILP ambassador Andy Griffiths. The results of this workshop, several handwritten works, were read to guests by an impressive line up of Australian authors--Alexis Wright, David Malouf, Kate Grenville, Anita Heiss and Tara June Winch.

The stories brought to life for the audience elements of life in the remote Northern Territory such as floods, fishing, the Barunga fair and ‘shopping in Darwin'--something for which Grenville thanked the young authors. Later, a poem, Mother, by 14-year-old Indigenous student Sianna Eland (pictured with Rein) brought Rein to tears as she read it aloud to the room.

This year's Indigenous Literacy Day (ILD) takes place next Wednesday 3 September. For information on how to be involved visit www.worldwithoutbooks.org.  

http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2008/08/09323/

This article from Thorpe Bowker's Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2008, Thorpe-Bowker

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