So far, 2026 has had a number of memorable moments for me: receiving an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) from Her Excellency Sam Mostyn, Governor-General of Australia; being given a Canberra Gold Award by ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr; and being shortlisted for the CBCA Children’s Book of the Year Award in the same category as Tim Winton and Annabel Crabb. Now, to top things off, my face has just been painted on mural at the Hughes Shops here in Canberra, along with some very impressive fellow former inhabitants of the suburb of Hughes. You can find out more about them here: https://www.wcs.org.au/community-murals/.

I was lucky enough to live in the leafy suburb of Hughes for many years. It is where I bought my first house, raised three wonderful kids by myself, and wrote many of my children’s books, including Lennie the Legend. Some of my best friends still live there. My image on the mural shows me with the front cover of my latest book, Peculiar Parents, illustrated by Ingrid Bartkowiak and published by NLA Publishing. And above my head flies a swift parrot, which is the subject of my book Swifty, illustrated by Astred Hicks and published by CSIRO Publishing. Swift parrots often visit Hughes on their yearly migration from Tasmania. What an honour it is to be featured on this wall!