The guest speaker for the meeting was childrens' author, Kate Nannestad. Kate captured the attention of all as she outlined her journey to becoming an author. Kate dispels the myth that most authors are avid readers. She didn't find the reading material available to her in her Primary years terribly engaging. In fact it became a motivating factor for her to produce literature which would be engaging for young children. At ten years of age she discovered an old typewriter and alas the opportunity to write. After completing page one of a romance novel she had the heroine at the edge of a cliff unable to survive. Without an edit facility or delete button she was unable to continue and abandoned the story.

 

The circumstances were such that Kate took up a Maths/Science pathway until she met a passionate English Literature teacher, Janelle Jones, in the later years of her Secondary Schooling. Janelle sparked in Kate the joy of wallowing in words and ultimately she changed her course and became a Primary Teacher. The highlight of teaching for Kate was sharing stories with children. The joy of entering a made up world was shared with her students and her own children. Kate's early career teaching experiences in a small country school provided the inspiration for her first book "Bungaloo Creek".

 

It took eight years for Kate to have her second book accepted by a publisher. She commented that one doesn't have to have work published to enjoy writing. In its many forms writing is an enjoyable experience for many people. Kate took the opportunity to read a very moving extract from her most recent book "We are Wolves''. This book tells the story of a family's escape from East Prussia after WW2. Needless to say this book required a lot of research.The book touches on the moral issue of decisions about circumstances when it is ok to bend the rules. 

 

Kate has had a number of her books translated into other languages. Her presentation invoked many questions including the way the books are illustrated and the different interests of children as they progress through their developmental stages. It was concluded that the intrigue with bodily functions was inevitably a stage for all children which hopefully they grow out of so that reading becomes a means to give them a wider view of the world. We thank Kate for her most engaging presentation and congratulate her on her persistence and achievements. Kate does Bendigo proud! Thanks also to Phil Britton for arranging Kate's visit.