Araluen Valley resident Jackie French has been announced as 2015 NSW Senior Australian of the Year. The announcement was made with Deborra-lee Furness being named 2015 NSW Australian of the Year for her work as a child advocate and adoption campaigner; Genevieve Clay-Smith, 26 (Monterey) as 2015 NSW Young Australian of the Year and Kevin Robinson (Glenbrook) as the 2015 NSW Local Hero.
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The Premier of New South Wales, The Hon Mike Baird MP, has announced the 2015 NSW Australian of the Year Award recipients at a ceremony at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney on Monday evening.
Living in a shed and needing to register her car, author Jackie wrote her first children’s book, ‘Rainstones’, in 1991. While her editor said it was the messiest, worst spelt manuscript ever received, the book was shortlisted for Children’s Book of the Year and Jackie’s career as a best-selling author began. One of the few writers to win both literary and children’s choice awards, Jackie has published 140 books in 32 languages and received more than 60 literary prizes for beloved children’s classics such as Diary of a Wombat.
Overcoming dyslexia herself, Jackie is a tireless advocate for children with learning difficulties. As the current national Children’s Laureate, Jackie is travelling the country to promote literacy and share the transformational power of reading, creativity and story-telling in the lives of young Australians.
Passionate about the conservation of wildlife and our planet, 60 year old Jackie is also a director of The Wombat Foundation that raises funds for research into the preservation of the endangered northern hairy nosed wombat.
The NSW Award recipients will join recipients from the other States and Territories as finalists for the National Awards to be announced on 25 January 2015 in Canberra.
