Imagine Your World Presenters

Lunch time Speakers

Mem Fox

Mem Fox knows the importance of the first five years of life and there is nothing that she enjoys more than watching the joy on children’s faces as she fills their hearts and imaginations with her stories. One of Australia’s most loved writers of children’s fiction, Mem has written over 40 books for children and several non-fiction books for grown-ups, including her renowned book for parents Reading Magic. Many of her stories for children have a subtle focus on equality, tolerance, and respect. A passionate advocate for literacy, Mem speaks extensively on the subject in the most engaging way, reading her stories aloud to captivated audiences and demonstrate the way in which literacy can inspire and educate.

Mandy Foot

Since being handed a tin of chalk to draw on her grandparent’s concrete paths at 2 years of age, Mandy has never stopped drawing. In between then and now, she has completed a Bachelor of Design (Illustration), illustrated for the Adelaide Zoo Education Service for 12 years (drawing enough animals to fill an encyclopedia), may have hung out with Anacondas all in the name of research (until they got too friendly), received a heartfelt letter from Sir David Attenborough and went mustering in Outback Australia where fly sandwiches are a real thing! As an award-winning Author and Illustrator of 28 children’s books, she thrives on inspiring children through stories and sharing her passion of books and creativity. With 2 border collies under her feet in her Adelaide Hills studio, she loves to paint traditionally, particularly animals in watercolour, marvelling at all the happy accidents this medium creates. Her books include the heart-warming Joey and Riley, Lucy and Copper (both titles as Author and Illustrator) and the Children’s Book Council of Australia Honour Book 2023 and SCBWI Crystal Kite Winner 2023, Bev and Kev.

Art Workshops

Gilbert Dashort    Cartoons and Caricatures	Gilbert's art encompasses many styles and various media. Best known for his intricate, accurate and beautiful botanical art, Gilbert also works in oils, acrylics, charcoal , watercolour and pencil. Working as a botanical illustrator for 30 years, Gilbert also works privately on commissioned pieces and public art. Some examples are numerous murals in the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) and at Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre. One of Gilbert's talents is his ability to design pieces that can be contributed to by others, such as the RAH and Hampstead works.
Ross Morgan    Concept to Published	Ross Morgan is fine artist and illustrator from Adelaide, South Australia. From an early age growing up in the mid–north of South Australia, Ross enjoyed exploring the rural environment filled with creatures, abandoned structures, and objects of yesteryear. He also practiced drawing, painting, and arts and crafts projects encouraged by his mother at the kitchen table. These early experiences have been key in establishing his life-long interest in drawing and painting. In 2018 he won the Raising Literacy Australia’s Emerging Author and Illustrator Mentoring Project. Through this initiative he completed his first illustrated book Molly Moores has a House Like Yours written by Kaliah Tsakalidis and published by Little Book Press in 2020.
Jennie Newman    Flowers and Plants	For the last 16 years Jennie has lived in Normanville and enjoyed the company of the wonderful Yankalilla Art Group. The Group is supported by a number of very talented, local artists including Barbara Pettigrew, Jane Smeets, Judith Sweetman and Gilbert Dashorst. It is these generous people who developed Jennie's interest and love of painting. Jennie is looking forward to exploring this interest and love with the children in our book related activities.
Barb Pettigrew    Drawing Cats and Dogs	Barb graduated in Secondary Arts Teaching in 1970 and subsequently began a career as an Arts Educator in Metropolitan and Country schools continuing over 40 years. As a practicing artist she has also held a number of solo exhibitions in a variety of subject matter and styles, however her particular love has been painting dogs and cats. In 2022 she began a business called ’for the love of dogs’ and has completed an extensive number of commissions in oils and acrylics, for people to enjoy as memories of their beloved pets. Many of these paintings can be viewed on Instagram. .
Judith Sweetman    Plasticine Portraits	Judith is a local Practising Artist with a Diploma of Teaching Fine Arts. She has worked in a wide variety of schools and Art programs. Since 2007 she has facilitated Art Workshops at the Art Gallery of South Australia for AGSA Public Programs and AGSA Education. Judith has lived in Normanville for the past 13 years, continuing her Art practice, [Painting], participating in exhibitions, and running a variety of workshops locally. She particularly enjoys engaging with the local Community.

Preschool Activities

Katrina Germein    Reading and Activities

Katrina Germein writes joyful books for children. She is an award-winning author who believes young readers deserve stories that inspire curiosity, imagination, and laughter. Published internationally, Katrina’s popular titles include Before You Were Born, Thunderstorm Dancing, Bev and Kev, and the best-selling My Dad Thinks He’s Funny series. Her work has been Highly Commended in the Prime Minister's Literary Awards, won the Speech Pathology Book of the Year Award, and received many Notable book Commendations from the Children's Book Council of Australia, as well as a shortlisting for the Early Childhood Book of the Year. In 2022 Katrina released her first non-fiction picture book, Wonderful Wasps, while 2023 sees the release of her first sing-along story, One Little Duck. Katrina has an outstanding guinea pig named Honeydew and Summer is her favourite season.

Jane Jolly    Reading and Activities

Jane was born in Adelaide, went on to Torrens C.A.E. and then taught at Koonibba Aboriginal School, Ceduna Area School, Pt Broughton Area School, Minlaton Primary School and Strathalbyn Primary School. In 1983 she worked as a governess/housekeeper on Commonwealth Hill Station, north-west of Tarcoola. She is married with a twenty three year-old daughter, three adult step-children, four grand-daughters and two grandsons. She works two days a week in the Resource Centre at Eastern Fleurieu School, teaching creative writing and doing literature studies with classes. Jane loves gardening and has an organic orchard and vegetable garden. She also loves food…and cooking up a storm! Her favourite food is chocolate. Jane presents “Meet the Author” talks to R-12 students and brings many props with her, which always leads to the students enjoying a very interactive session. She has copies of drafts of her stories, both published and unpublished and her working notebooks. She also brings with her some of her homemade books, which give students ideas for their own productions. .

Writer's Workshops

Charlie Archibold   Ages 13yrs–16yrs	Charlie is a YA and children’s author. Her debut novel Mallee Boys won the unpublished manuscript award at the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature. In 2018 Mallee Boys was recognised as a CBCA Honour Book.
Adam Cece   Ages 9yrs–12yrs	Adam Cece loves to write books, screenplays and shopping lists. His debut middle grade novel, Wesley Booth Super Sleuth, was published by Scholastic in 2015. Adam has an Advanced Diploma of Arts in Professional Writing, and visits schools and libraries delivering fun, interactive talks focused on being an author, the craft of writing, getting published, solving mysteries, and how to write a cracking shopping list.
Tania Ingram   Ages 5yrs–8yrs	Tania Ingram is an internationally published author of children’s picture books, novels and poetry. Prior to becoming an author, she worked as a child psychologist. Her picture books include, Dog on Log, Oma’s Buttons Jinny and Cooper, published with Penguin Random House. Book #1, My Teacher’s Big Bad Secret was shortlisted for the Speech Pathology award in 2016.
Mike Lucas   Ages 5yrs–8yrs Ages 9yrs–12yrs	Mike was born in Plymouth, England, and moved to Adelaide in 2010.His books include, Olivia’s Voice, Vanishing, Let's Build a House, Let’s Build a Backyard & Where is Cheeky Monster? Mike has written and published several books of nonsense poetry, contributed to Tadpoles in the Torrens, dedicated to Max Fatchen. He is an Ambassador for The Premier's Reading Challenge in South Australia,
Margot McGovern   Ages 13yrs–16yrs	Margot has always been an enthusiastic reader and storyteller and knew from an early age that she wanted to be a writer. Her darkly whimsical fiction weaves fairy tale elements and threads of magic realism into contemporary narratives that speak to themes of family, identity and mental health..