Children's Book Council of Australia Queensland Branch Book Week 2022 Celebration

Children’s Book Council of Australia, Queensland Branch President, Ms Claire Jackson, Vice-President and Secretary, Ms Patricia Buckley, and Committee Members; teachers; teacher librarians; authors and illustrators; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen, good evening.

Thank you for welcoming us to Country today Mr Gregg Dreise. I too, would like to respectfully acknowledge the original custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and pay my respects to Elders, past, present and emerging, and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here today. For thousands of years, the stories of our First Nations people have enriched the connection to earth, and we are privileged to learn from this incredible cultural legacy.

This evening we are celebrating the commencement of Book Week 2022, and as Patron of the Queensland Branch of the Children’s Book Council of Australia, I am delighted to support an organisation that promotes literacy in our young people – a passion I know I share with all of you in this room.

I firmly believe that developing the ability to read and write for all, and particularly amongst our State’s Indigenous children, leads to improved outcomes in all aspects of life.

And what better way to do this than through the fun and excitement that our much loved Book Week brings each year!

This year’s theme “Dreaming with eyes open...” is one rich with possibilities, sparking young imaginations to consider how books, and the words and images that create them, can send us to amazing places.

Over the coming days, Book Week celebrations will again reach into every corner of our State, with schools and libraries becoming a hub of enlivening activities, events and competitions that will celebrate and explore this theme, highlighting the importance of reading for everyone in our communities.

This takes significant work, so I thank all of our incredible classroom teachers, teacher librarians and public librarians, who play such a crucial role in children’s literacy journeys. 

Of course, stories also work to connect, educate, and build our understanding of different perspectives and experiences, demonstrating the tremendous transformative power that books bring.

I am always so in awe of our remarkable authors and illustrators, and how they can turn an idea into an engrossing story. I commend all of you here tonight for ensuring young Queenslanders have access to quality, diverse literature to enrich their lives.

I am particularly looking forward to presenting the winner’s certificate to this year’s Dame Annabelle Rankin Award recipient, to be announced shortly. This biennial award honours “distinguished services to children’s literature in Queensland”—which is an admirable and worthy achievement and I congratulate the winner and all nominees in advance.

I also thank the Queensland Branch of the Children’s Book Council of Australia—whose committee members are all volunteers—not only for hosting tonight’s event, but also for being such strong and tireless advocates for literacy in our State through a range of activities and initiatives.

Now, I am immensely proud to present President, Ms Claire Jackson, with a Certificate of Patronage, as a symbol of my continued commitment, as Governor of Queensland, to do all I can to encourage a love for reading amongst the young people I meet.

Thank you.