RAG Road Trip - Day Four

What an amazing and productive trip. This has truly been a fitting conclusion to the Read Around Gladstone program.

Over three jam-packed days, authors Samantha Wheeler and Lance Balchin presented to a total of 760 students and 88 adults (including teachers, librarians, parents and community members). Venues ranged from state of the art libraries to single teacher classrooms, from sports halls to music rooms, from the heart of the town to the middle of the bush.

We have seen such an incredible range of schools here in Gladstone. From the 1600 student Gladstone State High to the 14 students at Nagoorin State School, we have had the privilege to visit a varied slice of the Queensland educational pie. It’s been wonderful to not only meet the students but also the hard working teachers as well. Teachers are my heroes. They are underpaid and overworked and yet everyone we have met has still held a passion for teaching and their students. In a world that values people that make money rather than ideas the role of the teacher can’t be underestimated or understated.

Last day today here in the town that drives the industry of Australia. It’s a town that lives and dies on the fluctuating world economy like no other place I have been. Tough people that I suspect will produce their own generation of unique writers and artists. 

The gorgeous drive out to Miriam Vale was a fabulous way to end our RAG 2016 tour. The Grade 3 to 6 students wised up to our visit when the teachers allowed them to turn on the aircon, and on such a hot, sticky day, I was super grateful for the cool air to launch into my very last session, which was, once again, a tonne of fun. Many of the students admitted to not being fond of reading, and even less of writing, so it was a great privilege to share my tales of cassowaries and koalas and wombats and how I fell into writing. Hopefully Lance and I put the 'cool' back into literacy today, although one of the grade 6 boys did admit to having already written 5 books, which is pretty cool in itself. 

So now, as we head home after four amazing days, what will I remember most? The dedication of teachers in schools of all shapes and sizes, doing everything in their power to motivate students at various stages on the literacy trail? Possibly, yes. Or the resilience of regional students – so engaged and keen to learn? Most definitely. Or perhaps it will be the time spent with Lance Balchin, and the wonderfully supportive Meg Vann, and seeing inside the hearts of country towns that most people would just drive past. Whatever memory stays with me, I firmly believe that this worthwhile initiative not only helped our young readers engage with ‘real life authors’, but helped us authors understand our audience a thousand times better.

The benefits of this program will live on in the lives, aspirations and achievements of the 800-plus people who benefited from this final author tour. To stay up to date with UPLIT's upcoming adventures throughout Regional Queensland, sign up to our eNews. 

Blog content courtesy Meg Vann, our Producer on the ground in Gladstone