IBBY AUSTRALIA SEMINAR

To celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen, the Australian section of IBBY (under the aegis of ALIA) held a full-day seminar entitled "The Fascination of Fairy Tales" on April the 2nd in Sydney. Approximately 70 participants attended.

Dr John Foster, the president of the IBBY Australia, welcomed the participants, including in his speech a message - which received an ovation from the audience - from Ms Winnie Vitzansky, Secretary General of the Danish Library Association, that gave an idea of the importance of not only Hans Andersen personally to Danish children but also fairy tales to the world at large. She concluded:

'Through the reading of great poets children are taught empathy and basic values for living a full and rewarding life. Libraries give all children the possibility and the inspiration to read, and the possibility to learn and grow. Let us use the occasion of Hans Christian Andersen's 200 years anniversary to remember that in the midst of creating the information society with full ICT skills for all citizens - as important as this is - the libraries still have the duty and the joy of opening the world of fairytales and fantasy to children and adults to enrich our lives. Happy birthday to Hans Christian Andersen and the best of luck with your seminar.'

The seminar was then officially opened by the Danish Consul-General in Australia, Mr Jorgen Mollegaard, who spoke wittily about the central role of Hans Andersen in Danish culture: Mr Mollegaard was then presented with a memento of his visit, a book (in Danish) of Andersen's tales illustrated by the Australian Robert Ingpen, himself a winner of IBBY's Hans Christian Andersen Award.

The remainder of the day was taken up with a series of presentations that were both entertaining and erudite: 'The Fascination of Fairy Tales' (Dr Maurice Saxby); 'Old Tales, New Readers: Fairy Tale Themes in YA Novels' (Judith Ridge); 'Illustrators of Hans Christian Andersen: a visual literacy approach' (Dr Robyn Morrow); and, a special offering, a panel session featuring two award-winners, author Patricia Wrightson and translator Patricia Crampton, with Maurice Saxby as convenor. For many, this would have been the highlight of the seminar, for Ms Wrightson is the only Australian author to win IBBY's highest honour, the Hans Christian Andersen Award, while Ms Crampton was on the Award jury. Unfortunately, Robert Ingpen, the only Australian illustrator to have won the Award, was unable to attend.

The seminar was rounded off with thanks to all those who made it possible, including Tara Anglican School for Girls, North Parramatta, which allowed its premises to be used gratis, the organising committee headed by Miranda Harrowell, and ALIA, which underwrote it. Finally, a slide of the late Ena Noël, IBBY Australia's first president, next to a life-size sculpture of Hans Christian Andersen, gave symbolic weight to the link between IBBY and the great Danish writer. After all, he is the guiding inspiration and almost the patron saint of the organisation because, with his birth, Children's Literature as it is known today was born, too.

The success of the day was not merely that of the quality of the papers and obvious camaraderie between the participants or even the telling of two Andersen tales over lunch - for, in addition, there was great interest in IBBY itself. A number of participants requested that the newsletter, which has not appeared for some years, be reinstated, while others wanted to purchase IBBY publications. In every way, it must be said, the seminar was successful and, so far as IBBY Australia is concerned, the reverberations of the day might be felt for some time to come.

Dr John Foster President Australian Section of IBBY
Current President: Dr Margaret Zeegers

Back to home page