State Library Victoria today awarded the 2015 Dromkeen Medal to Australia’s bestselling children’s author Andy Griffiths.
The Dromkeen Medal was established in 1982 by Joyce Oldmeadow to honour outstanding contributions to Australian children’s literature, and was named after the Joyce and Courtney Oldmeadow’s iconic Riddell’s Creek homestead. Since it was founded, the Dromkeen Medal has been awarded to 33 prominent Australian writers, illustrators, editors, publishers and booksellers.
This year’s Dromkeen Medal recipient Andy Griffiths is the No. 1 bestselling children’s author in Australia. Andy has published 28 books and counting, and he has been writing for children for more than 25 years.
Together with his long-time collaborators, illustrator Terry Denton and his wife Jill Griffiths, Andy created the phenomenally popular Treehouse series, and has experienced unprecedented success.
This year, The 52-Storey Treehouse was the first children’s book to ever win the ABIA Book of the Year Award. His most recent publication in the series, The 65-Storey Treehouse, published in August this year, is the fastest selling Australian book in history.
Acting CEO and State Librarian Justine Hyde said: “We are delighted to present the Dromkeen Medal this year to Andy Griffiths, who is a very worthy recipient of the Medal.”
“Andy is truly a titan of Australian children’s literature. His books – full of whimsy and imagination – have entertained a whole generation of Australian children. He has devoted his career to making kids laugh and encouraging even reluctant readers to learn to love reading, and beyond his books he is also extraordinarily generous in working directly with young people,” she said.
Dromkeen Librarian’s Award given to Rosario Martinez
The State Library also presented this year’s Dromkeen Librarian’s Award to Rosario Martinez. Rosario Martinez has worked as the Children’s and Youth Services Librarian at the City of Darwin for nine years, where she runs highly successful programs aimed at young people across four libraries.
Under her leadership, the annual Young Territory Author Awards has grown into an initiative supporting emerging writers across the Northern Territory. Rosario also pioneered an outreach program bringing storytime sessions into classrooms at local schools, and expanded the Babes and Books and storytime programs in Darwin libraries that now attract more than 27,000 parents and children each year.
