STORYFEST BRINGS LITERARY JOY TO SOUTH WEST QUEENSLAND

The inaugural Storyfest South West has delivered a captivating series of literary events for the residents and students of the Balonne Shire and beyond. 

The event attracted 1,195 ticket sales, including over 660 students and visitors from as far as 400 kilometres away to meet and interact with some of Australia’s most accomplished children’s authors, during 25 student sessions and adult and family events.

The event also included the creation of a collaborative Beehive project, which was produced by local Kimberly Thornton who incorporated the talents of the St George Men’s Shed, the Balonne Creative Arts Group and local permaculturist – Sheila Marshall to capture the imagination of young festival attendees who adorned it with crocheted flowers and painted bee sculptures.

Balonne Shire Mayor Samantha O’Toole was delighted with the outcome of the first Storyfest South West held in St George.

“The first Storyfest South West was a resounding success, with almost 1,200 participants and book sales equivalent to having 25% of our community now housing a new book in their home”, said Mayor O’Toole.

“In a world of smart phones, ipads and social media, where we are often divided by our differences, stories and events like this have the unique ability to bring us together, to foster understanding and to inspire a greater sense of community.

“Teaching our youth about the importance of reading, writing, books and story-telling is such a vital initiative for all levels of government and it’s easy to see that Storyfest South West has planted this seed for the youth of our region.

“As a Council, we are so proud to have been able to assist in bringing this event to the Shire and we would like to express our deepest thank you to Somerset Storyfest for delivering this inaugural festival. 

“Given the success of this first festival, we are all looking forward to next year’s event and making Storyfest South West an ongoing annual celebration in our Shire.”

Somerset Storyfest Chief Executive Officer, Andrea Lewis was thrilled with the way the Balonne Shire community embraced the first Storyfest South West.  

“It was such a delight to bring Storyfest South West to Balonne, as the first instalment of Somerset Storyfest’s Regional Tour for 2024!,” said Ms Lewis.

“Following the success of Storyfest Out West in Longreach for the last two years, we committed to deliver more children’s writers’ festivals in regional Queensland and this one did not disappoint. 

“This year’s regional tour will see us host festivals in St George, Longreach and Emerald across three weeks to give regional children the opportunity interact with some of Australia’s most accomplished children’s authors.

“We are extremely grateful for the members of the St George community who rallied to help us pull this festival together, as without their support we wouldn’t have been able to do this. 

“A special thanks must go to Melanie Mills from the Balonne Shire Library, her passion for children’s literacy and her community is outstanding.

“We are looking forward to bringing Storyfest South West back to St George for 2025.”