I’ll always remember the horrendous rain at my first Festival in 2012. I was awake most of the night, stressing how this would impact the Festival’s opening day on Thursday and what damage control might be needed. When I walked into the Voices office at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, Jenny Grant was already sitting there. As I walked in, I said, 'What are we going to do?' She replied with a smile, 'Great weather for ducks!' I laughed, and I will always remember how her humour and calm demeanour reassured me that everything would be fine for the day to unfold.

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What a privilege to be involved in a Festival that brings so much joy to so many children in the Greater Whitsunday region - inspiring a love of reading and where the rock-stars are authors. And to be involved in the amazing team at Whitsunday Anglican school - where everyone gets involved in making the Festival a memorable and a special experience for all our visitors. My time at Voices would not have been the same if it wasn't for the help of Anna for my few months, and then Tracey for the next two years - both of whom worked tirelessly to bring our ideas to life. We worked so well as a team, leveraging each others' strengths. I am so grateful for my time at Voices - the Festival, and you, Tracey, will always have a special place in my heart.

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This was the most memorable and exciting time of my career. I was incredibly grateful and excited to be part of an amazing team of creative, enthusiastic, and dedicated group of educators and parents who all worked so passionately to bring the love of books to the students. As any creative person will know when you have been working on something and planning it, seeing it come to fruition is incredibly satisfying and gave me the most joy! The festival was more than just a 3-day literary event. It was a signature event for Mackay and one that just got bigger and better year after year!

There are way too many highlights for me to mention. The stories that were shared amongst the presenters in the Green Room, to seeing the endless smiles and the sound of laughter amongst the students when they met their favourite authors. I loved the exhilarating nature of the Festival and at the end of each Festival I would be thinking geez, how do we top this next year!

One of my favourite moments was on the final day of my time with WV and I was given the opportunity to escort Tara Moss before she flew out on the Saturday. All she wanted to do was eat sushi in Caneland’s in the food court with the rest of the gang! Here we were with a bunch of hilarious presenters, Tara wearing her signature black sunnies eating in the food court. Mind you she did have all the shoppers gobsmacked.

What a Star! I managed to get a selfie with her which I have treasured along with the happy memory.

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Every day of my tenure with Whitsunday Voices was the "best day ever". The best job ever because the creation and implementation ticked many boxes - importantly, education and community engagement. The Whitsunday Voices "architects" and the supportive school community are an incredibly generous bunch, the staff and student involvement is beautifully memorable. I love seeing the growth of the event that still holds fast to the early mapping and production and then goes beyond!! When I close my eyes and look for the favourite moment - well, it appears as a walk through a buzzing festival listening to the hundreds and hundreds of students chattering excitedly about the authors they have just seen, the new books they've been introduced to. No matter the age group - year after year the authors are treated as celebrities and that is an enduring vision for me. Thank you for all you do. 

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My favourite memory from the inaugural Whitsunday Voices 2004 was standing with Craig Bassingthwaite, the Principal at the time, as the rain lightly drizzled down, and saying, 'I wonder if they will come.'

As I said it, five large buses came round the corner and 100s of students climbed off, and walked towards us.' 20 years later, there are 1000s of students still walking towards two days of fun, reading, and laughter, as Whitsunday Voices goes from strength to strength. Well done, Tracey, Liz and Crew!

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It was a dark and stormy night…..

Bringing together a passionate team who wanted to deliver a life changing experience for others and building something from nothing is a rare and special event

There are too many fond memories to single out but here goes.

- Tara June Winch in a Whitsunday school uniform.
- The list of responsibilities for the Committee, and the Principal noted as “drinking coffee and hanging out with authors”; finally, a position that got me!
- The absolute joy on the faces of the students, reflected then on the faces on the authors who were treated like rockstars.
- The battle of the bands.
- Watching the literary dinner grow into the community event that exceeded all our expectations.
- Seeing the lines in the Book shop
- The Bell Shakespeare Company in Mackay
- We built it, and they came, but most importantly, they continue to come.
- Dickens nailed it…it was the best of times

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