Life on the West Island - A hidden treasure

Sometimes, really interesting treasures are hiding in plain sight, while others conceal their light under a bushel. Such is the case with the West Island’s National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature, which Life on the West Island visited last week.

The existence of this fascinating institution was discovered online by family members, so we made an appointment to visit, together with two primary school students aged 6 and 8. It was surprising to learn that the Centre had been operating for 50 years with little public notice, so we were full of anticipation as we drove in to the campus of the University of Canberra.

Although the Centre was listed as being on Kirinari Street at Bruce, actually finding it was quite a challenge. The first problem, as on many university campuses, was to find parking which was not restricted to students and staff. Having eventually found a legal space just off Kirinari Street, we spent around half an hour walking in ever decreasing circles in quest of the elusive Centre. We eventually discerned that Kirinari Street bisected the campus but had been deliberately cut into two with a garden plantation in the middle, to prevent motorists from using it as a short cut. Although it was not mentioned on any of the many signposts or mounted campus plans, it seemed that the Centre was somewhere within the area known as The Hub.

Unfortunately, we were at UC during semester holidays, so the campus was almost deserted and the few passers-by from whom we sought directions had never heard of the elusive Centre. So, we located the university library and were finally pointed in the right direction: “out through the front doors, turn right, go down the stairs and you’ll find it along the underground concourse” (still no signs pointing the way).

This brought us to a glass door with a sign proclaiming please knock and wait, which we did. The door was opened by a slightly bemused Prof Belle Alderman, the Centre’s Director. She explained that they did not have many off-the-street visitors, which was hardly surprising because of their hidden-away location. But from there on, the genuine welcome made us feel at home and the magic began.

Prof Alderman was obviously very proud of the book collection, as were several enthusiastic volunteers who willingly showed us all around, pointing out highlights and taking time to read books to our young companions.

The huge and comprehensive collection of West Island children’s books began with collector Lu Rees in 1974. Shortly after, she donated some 1,500 children’s titles to what was then the Lu Rees Archive at the Canberra College of Advanced Education. Subsequently renamed the National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature, it now boasts on its website that it holds a comprehensive collection of books and other resources about Australian authors, illustrators, publishers and their creative works. The collection includes over 57,546 books. Some 5,577 of these books are in overseas translations in 79 languages. The Centre’s latest and first ever language edition is in Mongolian. The Centre also has over 570 research files, with significant collections of authors’, illustrators’ and publishers’ papers, manuscripts and artwork. The resources are publicly available, and visitors are welcome during opening hours.

While there were clearly very few casual visitors, the curators explained that they do welcome quite regular visits of groups from Canberra region primary schools.

In the front office, we found a colourful display of hundreds of popular children’s books, including gift sets, posters and very large format picture books. But the really exciting part was hidden away underground, accessed only through two long corridors via three security-coded doors. This journey to the main collection fascinated our young readers, who both immediately found some of their favourite authors among the numerous book stacks, all neatly labelled and in alphabetical order by author. The eight-year-old climbed onto the mobile steps, found an attractive title and refused to move until he had read it to the last page, while the six-year-old was entranced by readings from the large format books, including Edward the Emu and Hunwick’s Egg.

The Centre had just received the gift of a large collection comprising some 130 books in the popular 13 Storey Treehouse series written by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton. Each successive book adds another 13 storeys, with the latest – and possibly last – being The 169 Storey Treehouse. But what most excited the enthusiasts at the Centre was that these books were translated into some 30 different languages.

Due to space limitations, the Centre keeps only one copy of each book, and sells duplicate editions to its infrequent visitors for $2 each, so we bought some for our junior friends. All of the books in the massive collection were published on the West Island, but the custodians of this national treasure were not aware of any children’s books at the Centre published in Norfolk Island or the Indian Ocean Territories. They were excited to learn from us of some relevant titles and promised to do their best to purchase them.

While the National Library holds a copy of every book published on the West Island, their books are locked away and not available for inspection by the general public. By contrast, the National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature remains open and welcoming for visitors to browse. The staff and volunteers were well informed and enthusiastic, welcoming questions from all of us, including the children, and showing us titles in which they thought we would be interested.

This hidden treasure is well worth a visit, especially for young readers looking for the best in West Island children’s literature.