By CORALIE VERNON Snowy Mountains author and organiser of Afternoon Tea with Children’s Writers of the Far South, Coral Lindt, is encouraging families to attend the event to hear from some of the region’s most talented writers. Lindt is hosting the intimate free event at Tura Marrang Library and Community Centre on 17 October for children in preschool to Year 3. Expect afternoon tea, a bookshop, story time, author talks and family fun with a lucky door prize. Jackie French AM, will attend via video with live sessions featuring award winning Sapphire Coast author Dr Helen Lewis, and exhibiting Snowy Mountains artist-author-illustrator Rowena Evans. “The far south has so much beauty but our people are our greatest asset,” Lindt said. “Our coastlines, mountains and forests are spectacular, but there’s also genius and opportunity here. Highly successful people live here. Some of those people write books for children, and it’s important that the children here get to meet them. “We live in a time when literacy levels are dropping in Australia, so it’s more important than ever to instill a joy of reading in our children. We also live in times of conflict and difficulty where empathy, kindness and critical thinking are essential. Stories teach us these things.” Deliberately timed on the eve of the Headland Writers Festival, Lindt said that this event, whilst independent, supports the festival’s aims to showcase writers of the region. “Meeting authors is important. It enlarges a child’s understanding of the world and their expectation of their place within it when they understand that they too, can develop a skill, excel in it, and become a success,” Lindt said. “Children need to see examples as they grow up. It normalises the idea of accomplishment.” For Snowy residents on the coast that weekend, Afternoon Tea with Children’s Writers of the Far South starts at 3pm on 17 October at Tura Marrang Library and Community Centre. Tickets are free but places are limited. Book via Eventbrite.
