September 11, 2014
The Other September 11
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Today is September 11, or 9/11 as it is often known. Many of us still recall hearing, with shock and disbelief, that planes had flown into the World Trade Centre on this day in 2001. Every year the media ensures we remember. For the families of those killed, how can they forget? But there is another […]
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September 1, 2014
As a child who grew up surrounded by books, and often spent more time in fictional worlds than the real one, it’s difficult to imagine a life without them. But for many children, particularly those in remote Aboriginal communities, this is a sad reality. Did you know: Only 1 in 5 kids in a NT […]
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August 28, 2014
Question Time
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Today I witnessed name calling, put downs, blaming, snide remarks, interrupting and petty bickering. As a parent, I’d be horrified if one of my children was subjected to such behaviour. I’d be even more mortified if I discovered they had been the perpetrator. Only I wasn’t in the schoolyard. I was watching Parliamentary Question Time. The difference between Question Time […]
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August 18, 2014
This week (Saturday 16 August to Friday 22 August) is Children’s Book Week in Australia, and I love its theme of ‘Connect to Reading – Reading to Connect’. Some of my most cherished moments are of connecting to my children through fabulous books. But I also remember with fondness the nightly routine of my parents reading to me. So […]
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August 15, 2014
Levi’s Leukodystrophy Battle
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Meet Levi. This cheeky little Perth boy is about to celebrate his first birthday. He loves Mickey Mouse, music and cuddles with his grandparents. Levi’s young parents Ashley and Ben Wibberley should be looking forward to a long list of firsts: first steps, first day of school, first bike ride. But as they plan a […]
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August 8, 2014
Earlier this year, I heard Australian author Claire Zorn speak about her YA novel The Sky so Heavy at the Perth Writers Festival. I bought a signed copy for my teenage son, only to discover he had already borrowed it from the library (‘But I’ll read it again. It’s good.’) – and wound up reading it […]
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August 8, 2014
Welcome to Treefall Writing
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Welcome to Treefall Writing. The title for this blog came partly from the centuries old philosophical question, made famous by Bruce Cockburn’s song in the late eighties: If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear? There is also a term in forest ecology called the treefall gap. A treefall gap is an opening in the […]
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