Three incredible writers haven made history by becoming the first joint winners in the Short Story Section of the 2021 Banjo Paterson Writing Awards and impressive writing featured in the ABC Radio Children’s Awards. We are pleased to announce the winners:

Short Story: Joint winners: Co-authors Sagamba Muhira and James Page; and Carmel Lillis:

Sagamba Muhira

James Page

1st Co-authors Sagamba Muhira, Townsville QLD, and James Page, Redcliffe QLD – Out of Africa

And joint winner:

Carmel Lillis

1^st Carmel Lillis, Yarraville VIC –  Laughing like children

Contemporary Poetry

Mark O’Flynn

1^st Prize, Mark O’Flynn, Katoomba  NSW – Interesting times we could all do without

ABC Radio Children’s Awards

Lola Stafford

1^st Lola Stafford, Billywilliga near Bathurst NSW – Story – One Land …Two People

2^nd Sybilla Chapman, Bathurst NSW – Poem – Our Underwater Aussie Garden

3^rd Luke Favantines, Mt Victoria NSW – Poem – Light and Dark

Congratulations to all who entered the awards and the 2021 winners!!!

Get creating these school holidays with free take home Activity Packs from Orange City Library, Orange Regional Gallery and Orange Regional Museum. The Library pack features a Cardboard City Project where children can have fun constructing and decorating buildings, cars, trees and more from provided material.  Children are also invited to build some of the Central West’s most iconic buildings for the Lego Club Holiday Challenge.  Activity Packs will be ready to collect from Monday 6 July. Book your Activity Pack via eventbrite.

**Please note we have had an overwhelming response to our School Holiday Activity Packs. If you missed out on a pack, please download your own printables here.

Entries are coming in everyday now. Time to get your entries in for the Banjo Paterson Writing Awards. They close on Friday 18 April. Writers are encouraged to get their entries in the post before then. We also have 150th Banjo Paterson commemorative coins to present as first prizes in each section for Short Story, Open Poetry, Bush Poetry and the ABC Central West Radio Children’s Awards. This is an added incentive to enter along with the generous prize money. Competition details are on the entry form – see our home page. Good Luck!

Incredible art pieces form part of the Youth Week Art Show inside Orange City Library all this week.  Check out the art then come along to the Art Show and Photo Competition event on Friday 11th April from 4 – 7pm.   Vote in the People’s Choice Awards and enjoy light refreshments. Supported by Orange City Council, Orange City Library, Canobolas High School, Orange High School and the NSW Government #orangeyouthweek

Play Central West Libraries Reading Bingo and go in the draw to win prizes including an e-reader. It is a variation of traditional Bingo. Take the challenge by reading some different books –  written by a local author, a forgotten classic, a book that became a movie, a book set on a different continent or one based on a true story. It’s about having fun reading, finding new books to read and staying motivated to keep reading.

Collect a reading 2014 – Reading Bingo Sheet  from your Central West Libraries branch or download from the website. You can start with trying to get one line, a diagonal or the just go for the all the boxes in any order. Write down each book in the space provided and you may find some books may fit one or more categories.

Drop your completed entries into your library for the prize draw by Monday 19^th May during Library and Information Week. Please note Library staff members and their families cannot enter this competition.

Play Reading Bingo, write down books that fit the categories. Have Fun!