WHAT’S ON AT THE LIBRARY IN 2020
Lovers of Books – Friday 14 February 2020, 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Speakers include:
Dr Jay Kylie Ludowyke
Author & Academic
BA(CreatWrit)(Hons) DCA Sunshine Coast, GradCertSc(Astronomy) Swinburne
Debut book Carpathia: The extraordinary story of the ship that rescued the survivors of the Titanic was released by Hachette Australia, on 10 July 2018.
Meet Me at Lennon’s by Melanie Myers
Winner of the 2018 Queensland Literary Award Glendower Award for an Unpublished Manuscript.
As university student Olivia Wells sets out on her quest to find an unpublished manuscript by Gloria Graham – a now obscure mid-twentieth century feminist and writer – she unwittingly uncovers details about a young woman found murdered. Strangled with a nylon stocking in the mangroves on the banks of the river in wartime Brisbane, the case soon became known as the river girl murder…
Russell McGregor’s book Idling in Green Places : A Life of Alec Chisholm
The launch of Idling in Green Places: A Life of Alec Chisholm, the new biography of ornithologist, journalist and pioneer conservationist, Alec Chisholm, written by Russell McGregor.
This is the first biography of noted journalist, ornithologist and pioneer conservationist , Alec Chisholm (1890 – 1977). He was a prolific author with most of his work focused on birds and their study. This biography was appropriately launched in Lamington National Park in October 2019 given Alec’s life-long interest and involvement with the Park from the first scientific camp in 1918/1919 shortly after the declaration of the National Park right through to the 1970s.
Russell McGregor is an Adjunct Professor of History at James Cook University. He has written extensively on environmental History, race relations and nationalism, and the history of northern Australia. Like Alec Chisholm he is a keen birder. This book is based on his research conducted under a David Scott Mitchell Fellowship at the State Library of New South Wales in 2016.
A new biography by Peter Nolan
‘Trang: The More You Give’ (Professor Emeritus Trang Thomas AM)
Have you ever met a special person whose story begs to be told? I first met Professor Trang Thomas in Hanoi in 2011 when she was leading a group of Australian psychologists on a professional development tour of Vietnam. My wife, Robyn, was a member of the group and I was tagging along for the experience. I was most interested to discover that Trang was a native of North Vietnam and that her family had fled to Saigon in 1954 to escape from the rule of communist leader Ho Chi Minh. A brilliant student, in 1964 Trang won a Colombo Plan scholarship to undertake tertiary studies in Australia. She excelled in her studies in psychology as the first female Asian student to achieve first class honours at the University of New South Wales. From that auspicious beginning, she went on to a stellar career as both an outstanding academic and the ‘go to’ person for state and federal governments for representation of multicultural interests and those of the broader community in a long succession of challenging positions. In an era of feminist determination to achieve equality of opportunity in male-dominated occupations and institutions, Trang repeatedly broke new ground as a female immigrant who achieved eminence through sheer ability and her commitment to give as much as possible to her new land. Along the way, she faced the challenges of marriage, motherhood and gaining a foothold on the academic ladder. In parallel, she and her husband, David, gave unstinting support to Trang’s family in South Vietnam when, refugees once more after the fall of Saigon in 1975, they experienced tragedy and hardship as they sought to escape from the harsh communist regime that ensued. Among those who survived was Trang’s mother, an indomitable woman who was the major influence on Trang’s life and the source of her philosophy of ‘The more you give…’
All of this I would learn in the months and years after our meeting in Hanoi. But even then I learned quickly that Trang wasted no opportunities. Robyn had already told her a little of my background as a Vietnam War veteran and author of a history of Australian Army Aviation’s participation in that conflict. ‘You will be my historian on this tour,’ Trang smiled. ‘We have a long bus trip to Halong Bay in three days. Along the way, your contribution will be to tell us what moved you to write about the war and give us your opinion on the factors that led to a high level of psychological impact on the troops who fought there.’
Over the next several years, we accompanied Trang on similar tours to destinations as varied as Greece, Turkey, Italy and South Africa. In Southeast Asia, we toured Cambodia and cruised down the mighty Mekong River to experience once more the delights of Saigon. We meandered through India from New Delhi to Goa, always learning, always enjoying the company of colleagues and friends. Somewhere along the way, the suggestion was made that I should write Trang’s story. And as we explored new places, I recorded Trang’s story and was privileged to meet other family members who could describe for me their own journeys as refugees as well as Trang’s early childhood in North Vietnam.
Now, in July 2019, Trang’s story is in print. I have tried to capture her many high achievements and honours in the context of the long-running drama series that perhaps best describes her life. I feel honoured to have had the opportunity to ensure that her adventures as an outstanding Australian in an increasingly diverse society are now a matter of record.
I hope that readers will join me in engaging with Trang’s modesty, energy and unselfish commitment to her new land.
Phillipa Robertson
2018, English, Book, Illustrated edition:Intuition to inspiration : how to activate and harness latent skills to empower life.
MJ Gibbs ‘Arriving Home’ – her first published book. Children’s text based on the Blackall Range
Mapleton Art – nine members – book ilustrators of ‘Arriving Home’.
John Aylmer ‘Staying Alive’ – Surviving Tropical North Queensland and Beyond.
This is John’s first book and is self published.
Currently living in Mapleton, John grew up in a small agricultural community on the banks of the Burdekin River in an area inhabited by crocodiles, wild pigs and dangerous snakes.
What he has produced is a colourful memoir, packed with stories about living in North Queensland post World War 2. It records some of the hardships and lucky escapes that challenged a boy living on a family farm in the 1950’s and 60s.
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Book now
Recent Events – 2019
2019 Winter Book Sale and Mini Market – The wet and cold weather on Saturday 29 June did little to deter our regular stall holders and customers! Despite the weather it proved to be a successful event!
Mapleton Community Library Trivia – another very successful Trivia event held at the Bowls Club on 21 June. This event sold out soon after it was advertised!
Bunnings Sausage Sizzle – Another successful sausage sizzle was held at Bunnings Maroochydore on Friday 24 May, 2019.
Lovers of Books, held on Valentine’s Day, 2019, was a very successful event, and six local authors gave presentations at the event.
PAST EVENTS
Events that were held during previous years can be viewed on the Past Events page
