August 21, 2018
If you happened to be visiting Maidenwell on Saturday morning, you may have noticed a refrigerator outside the Maidenwell Trading Post sporting a large red bow surrounded by colourful children’s drawings.
Yes, you guessed it … this is no ordinary fridge.
It’s Maidenwell’s latest attraction: a community street library – number 1151 in the Australian Street Library Network.
A Street Library is basically a home for books that is accessible from the street, and an invitation to the community to share the joy of reading.
The idea for a Street Library was first raised at the Maidenwell Community Group’s (MCG) May meeting and was embraced by the group wholeheartedly.
“I saw a couple of stories on the ABC about street libraries earlier in the year,” MCG member and project organiser Megan Theobald said.
“I did some research and found out that Street Libraries are a growing trend in Australia, but the closest one to us was in Woodford.
“So I saw an opportunity for a project that would not only let the Maidenwell community share in the joy of reading, but also be of added interest to South Burnett visitors generally.”
The fridge was donated by the Trading Post and a competition was launched at Tanduringie State School for students to design posters reflecting the theme of the Children’s Book Council’s 2018 Book Week theme ‘Find Your Treasure’ to decorate it.
At the launch, Tanduringie State School principal Paul Thorpe endorsed the project and quizzed two of the school’s Reading Cup Champions – Charlotte B. and Charlotte W. – about what they were expecting when they competed at the State Finals in September.
The gathering also welcomed Leader of the Opposition and Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington, who spoke about the importance of reading and presented certificates to all students who entered the competition before announcing the competition winners.
They were Sophie Pincott (Prep/1/2), Isabelle Winks (3/4) and Lachlan Cullen (5/6), who all received a $50 scholastic voucher donated by the MCG as part of their prize.
Sophie, Isabelle and Lachlan then assisted Mrs Frecklington to cut the ribbon to open the library and revealed their designs to the applause of the crowd.
[Photos: Maidenwell Community Group]
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