LITERATURE FESTIVAL 2024 : STORIES MATTER
STORIES ARE THE THREADS THAT CONNECT US
As Tim Winton recently wrote , ‘ We all live within a story that shapes our aspirations , values and opportunities .’ During each Literature Festival we strive to broaden our students ’ aspirations by exposing them to possibilities . We seek speakers who have branched from their expected life pathways to excel in their chosen profession , sport or passion , and are now ready to share their story .
In the 2024 Literature Festival , our keynote speaker for both Years 7 and 8 was Jessica Watson . While just 16 years of age , Jessica became the youngest person to sail non-stop and unassisted around the world . After her mother read her the story of Jessie Martin , the ( then ) youngest person to circumnavigate the world , Jessica began her quest – eventually defying the critics and naysayers to prove what skill , determination and imagination can lead to … all inspired by story . Our students were absolutely enthralled by Jessica ’ s presentation , and enthusiastically vied to ask insightful questions well beyond the allotted question time .
The Year 9s and 10s keynote speaker , David Knoff , is an Antarctic expedition leader , author and leadership expert specialising in hostile environment diplomacy , remote leadership and resilience .
At a time when the whole world was challenged by a deadly virus , David Knoff and his team in Antarctica were even more isolated than most . David described the sense of vulnerability and loneliness that inevitably afflicted his team , as their sixmonth stay in Antarctica was extended indefinitely due to global lockdowns . David ’ s experience in war zones helped prepare him for the challenge , but even his leadership skills were tested as fissures developed in the team fabric . This was a story of personal resilience , but also of environmental awareness and the impact of humanity on the planet ’ s most remote wilderness . Once again our students ’ questions were varied and numerous and illustrated their interest in David ’ s themes .
Lunchtime activities were also offered during the festival .
Kenny Chan ran an entertaining and instructive manga drawing workshop , delighting the boys with his renditions of some of their favourite manga characters at the same time as coaxing some fantastic drawings from their own pencils .
Mark Smith described his writer ’ s journey which led to the publication of his hugely popular Road to Winter series , a dystopia set on the surf coast of Victoria .
In addition , a keen team of Literature Club students attended the Battle of the Books at Ruyton Girls ’ School , where they battled five other schools in a trivia-style competition .
Stories are the threads that connect us . Through them we develop empathy , expand our horizons , escape harsh realities and find solace in familiarity . We share stories to feed our imaginations , to find a sense of belonging and to bring positive change to the world . We hope the Scotch Literature Festival has enriched the 2024 story of each and every Scotch student .
MICHELLE SWEENEY – LIBRARIAN
THIS PHOTO : JESSICA WATSON PRESENTING HER STORY . BOTTOM : BOYS CREATED SOME EXCELLENT MANGA CHARACTERS DURING KENNY CHAN ’ S WORKSHOP . BOTTOM LEFT : KENNY CHAN PRESENTNG HIS MANGA DRAWING WORKSHOP .
www . scotch . vic . edu . au Great Scot 49