More than 200 students from 12 Sydney schools gathered in the sunny Concert Hall Northern Foyer of Sydney Opera House to celebrate Indigenous Literacy Day. ILF Patron Thérèse Rein spoke of her love of books and how much her family values reading together. Ambassador Michael O’Loughlin urged the kids to consider what their lives would be like without reading – without newspapers, books and even text messages and Facebook. The Darlington Dance group performed and Arndell Anglican College choir sang Bad Swimtime (listen to your mama) a song by Michael Rohanek inspired by the ILF Book The Naked Boy and the Crocodile. The event finished with a Great Book Swap and the students swarmed down the purple stairs to gather around the table and pick a new book. Check out the SBS coverage of this event.
Our thanks to Thérèse, Michael and all the volunteers who made the event possible. We would also like to thank the school children who sang, danced and threw themselves into the book swap with such enthusiasm.
For more information about the event check out our photos. Keep an eye on our blog for stories about the other events.