National Year of Reading & Mentone Grammar

As you may already know, 2012 has been designated the National Year of Reading (NYR). Lots of authors, libraries, schools, publishers and individuals have thrown their support behind this rather brilliant initiative. Now, in case you haven’t worked it out yet… the idea is to get people reading. Yes, I know… it seems like such a simple thing. But there are so many people out there who aren’t at all enthused by reading — and NYR is our chance to get them enthused! Events are being planned all across Australia… so keep an eye out for what’s happening in your area.

To find out more about the NYR and the events being organised for 2012, check out their website.

One school that has really embraced the NYR, is Mentone Grammar. The library staff over there are already in the process of planning heaps of great stuff for next year.

Now, I’ve had a bit of an association with Mentone Grammar over the years. I was a student there back in the 1980s. I returned to the school in 2003 for a week as Writer in Residence, and then again in 2004. In that year I also participated in the Old Mentonians’ theatre production of Breaker Morant, playing the President of the Court Marshal (I occasionally moonlight as an actor). And earlier this year I spoke to the student book club about the process of getting a book published, from first idea to finished product.

Next year I’ll be spending a bit more time at Mentone Grammar. I’ve been asked to be the Patron Mentone Grammar Reading Ambassador for the National Year of Reading (or “Patron MGRA for the NYR” for those who like cool acronyms). I feel very honoured and I hope that I can live up to the title. And I’m also really excited! This is a chance for me to share my enthusiasm for reading and writing. Of course, when I’m enthusiastic about a topic it can sometime be difficult to shut me up. But I’ll do my best to aim for a combination of enthusiasm and decorum. 🙂