Page 203 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 12 February 2020
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Adjournment
Motion (by Mr Gentleman) proposed:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Canberra—Our Bush Capital
MS CHEYNE (Ginninderra) (5.01): Yesterday the minister for early childhood and education spoke about the recent release of Our Bush Capital, written by Samantha Tidy and illustrated by Juliette Dudley. I want to take the opportunity to echo the sentiment she shared. Our Bush Capital is a children’s book, but it is so much more than that. It is an ode to Canberra, a testament to our city, a reflection of our people and our community’s fabric, and a collection of memories for children and adults alike.
Our Bush Capital started with Samantha as a gem of an idea. She knew what she wanted to do and she knew she wanted it to be high quality, from the words to the illustrations to how the book feels in our hands. With crowdfunding and by teaming up with Juliette Dudley, she made that happen. Our Bush Capital was launched on 1 February on what was a dark and nervous day for Canberrans, a day of extreme heat and with the Orroral Valley fire so close. But the mood, while cautious, was warm and generous at the National Capital Exhibition Centre.
Crowd funders like Minister Berry and I were able to receive our copies. We were also treated to a reading from the author, as well as hearing her and Juliette explain the story from this gem of an idea to the realisation. Not only are there many notable names among the list of crowd funders; it was obvious that many Canberra personalities had promoted this book as so important to our region and to our history. Samantha and Juliette’s spirit was on full display as they made sure everyone who had helped was acknowledged.
In the days since, the book has been read to children in our ACT libraries, and copies have been given to our federal parliamentarians, reminding them that while a parliamentary bubble might exist, a Canberra bubble certainly does not. I am confident that the book’s sense of fun and exploration and the striking imagery will play a big role in encouraging politicians who are not from this territory to get to know our extraordinary city and the region just a little better.
For those of us who are not parliamentarians, Our Bush Capital has had an equally strong effect. Samantha has told me that people have said the book has helped them to fall back in love with Canberra after a very difficult summer. There are people in other states and even other countries saying that they are buying it to remind them of home. I do not think you can find stronger endorsements than those.
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