Scenic Rim Regional Council, Media Release, 5 September 2022

The installation of a series of colourful storyboards in parks at Boonah and Beaudesert has marked a new chapter for Scenic Rim libraries.

Proudly funded and supported by the Queensland Government and State Library of Queensland, the Story Walks at Springleigh Park, Boonah, and Jubilee Park, Beaudesert, aim to encourage children’s early literacy through play while strengthening family connections and the Scenic Rim’s links to its Indigenous heritage.

Mayor Greg Christensen said the Story Walks would provide another vibrant addition to Scenic Rim parks for residents and visitors to the region.

“The Story Walks are an innovative and delightful way for children and adults to enjoy reading and the outdoors at the same time,” he said.

“Each Story Walk is a book and each storyboard a page so that, by following the path, the reader moves through the story at their own pace.

“This is a great way to encourage children’s love of reading from an early age and for families to spend time outdoors together.”

Beaudesert’s 10-page Story Walk, nestled in garden beds, is based on the Jarjum Gurema children’s story book, which was launched in September 2021 and was Highly Commended in the Community category of the 2022 Queensland Reconciliation Awards announced in June.

Created in partnership between Council and the Mununjali Housing Development Company, the publication was funded by the Queensland Government’s First 5 Forever early literacy program.

“This beautifully illustrated book, based on local Yugambeh greetings and totem animals of the Mununjali area, has brought the wider community together through the sharing of stories, cultures and values and strengthened relationships between the Indigenous community and education providers,” Cr Christensen said.

“Scenic Rim libraries have already distributed 1500 free copies of the book to families with children under five years of age and the Story Walk is another way of sharing Jarjum Gurema with the wider community.”

The 14 storyboards which have been  placed within the enclosed playground at Springleigh Park, Boonah, are from the pages of Koalas Like To…, one of 12 Stories for Little Queenslanders picture books published by the State Library of Queensland.

Each page has a QR code that can be scanned through a smartphone so the story can be heard aloud.

The Jarjum Gurema storyboards are also linked by a QR code to video of the story being read by footballer Jamal Fogarty.

A Beaudesert local as well as a proud father and Mununjali man, he has championed the Jarjum Gurema project’s aims of inspiring all parents to read, sing, dance and play with their children and encouraging pride in the culture, language and history of the Indigenous community.

“The Story Walks project highlights the changing role of our libraries and the use of technology in connecting with the community,” Cr Christensen said.

“Like Jamal, I hope both Story Walks will inspire parents to read, sing, dance and play with their children and for everyone to take pride in the culture, language and history of our Indigenous community.”

First 5 Forever is an initiative of the Queensland Government, coordinated by the State Library of Queensland and delivered in partnership with local government.