IT HAS often been said that the greatest gift a parent can give their child is a love of reading and writing.
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No doubt this enduring sentiment manifested at a time when books were ubiquitous in everyday life.
But, arguably, it has as much – if not more – relevance now, in 2017, than ever.
Books, newspapers and magazines might not be as such an integral part of a child’s development in the present day as they were in years past.
These days, children grow up on a diet of smart phones and tablets and enormous television sets that bring to life their favourite small screen and cinematic characters.
There is little need to exercise one’s imagination when all the glorious action is playing out in technicolour right in front of your eyes.
But Bendigo man Jack Kelly is left in little doubt that reading – and, for that matter, writing – is every bit as essential now as it was when he was a boy.
And he is adamant that children have just as much to say, in their own unique way, as they ever did.
For the last 45 years, Mr Kelly has published the Scribe Periodical; a collection of stories submitted by local children.
The retired English teacher still receives about 300 submissions a year and publishes them unedited.
He is a firm believer that writing is not always something that needs to be judged, marked, corrected or criticised.
The result is a fascinating insight into the often ingenious, occasionally bizarre and always entertaining workings of children’s minds.
His magazine has no doubt been a significant factor in instilling countless local children with a love of reading – and the confidence to pour out their thoughts on paper.
Education is a popular battleground in Australian politics.
Political parties like nothing more than pointing out the failures – both real and imagined – of their rivals’ education policies.
But does this constant tit-for-tat, as we have seen over initiatives such as the Gonski reforms or NAPLAN testing, really result in better education outcomes for our children?
One suspects the best path forward is to ensure more people with passion and skill and a love of the written word like Jack Kelly can be present throughout a child’s formative years.
- Ross Tyson, deputy editor
