Speak Out Dec 2016 low res final

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Book of the year
The Book of the Year Awards ceremony in 2016 was a resounding
success. The ceremony was again held in Brisbane and hosted and
supported by the State Library of Queensland. In a change from
previous years, the event was professionally facilitated by Jo Hayes,
radio journalist and newsreader from Brisbane Radio Station 4KQ. Ms
Hayes is a former speech pathologist.
The ceremony was opened by SPA National President Gaenor Dixon
who also presented the awards. SPA CEO Gail Mulcair closed the
proceedings.
The highlight of this year’s ceremony was the induction of well-known
Australian children’s book author Alison Lester into the Speech
Pathology Australia Book of the Year Hall of Fame. Ms Lester was
inducted as the winner of the Association’s Children’s Language and
Literature Award for 2016.
Ms Lester is a prolific and successful Australian children’s author. She
is best known for her Australian children’s books, including: Imagine,
Magic Beach, Are We There Yet?, Celeste Sails to Spain, and Ernie
Dances to the Didgeridoo . She won the Speech Pathology Australia
Book of the Year in 2013, in the Lower Primary Category, as it was
then, for her book Sophie Scott Goes South .
Every year it is presented only when an author is nominated and is an
outstanding talent. Past winners of the Speech Pathology Australia
Children’s Language and Literature Award include, Graeme Base,
Mem Fox and Colin Thiele.
As announced in the October edition of Speak Out, five deserving
books were awarded for their contribution to language and literacy
development.
Birth to 3 years
Once I Heard a Little Wombat by Renée Treml
Three to 5 years
Something Wonderful by Raweyn Caisley (Illustrations by Karen Blair)
Five to 8 years
Funky Chicken: Chooks in Space by Chris Collin (Illustrations by
Megan Kitchin)
Eight to 10 years
New Boy by Nick Earls
Indigenous children
The Pearl-shell Diver by Kay Crabbe
Thank you to everyone involved with the Book of the Year Awards in
2016. A special thanks to Kylie Webb (consultant speech pathologist
at the State Library of Queensland); Dan Georgeson, Executive
Manager, Literacy and Young People's Service at the State Library of
Queensland; and to everyone else at the library who made us feel so
welcome on the day.
This year’s awards ceremony was filmed and can be viewed from the
Association’s YouTube channel.
Michael Kerrisk
Communication and Marketing Manager
Book of the Year Awards
Alison Lester
enters the hall
of fame
Alison Lester’s Hall of Fame award sits “pride of place” in her studio
at Fish Creek in Victoria.
December 2016 Speak Out 19