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A child who sees an adult reading learns something important: that books are not merely homework. They are company, adventure, knowledge, laughter, and sometimes the beginning of a story of one’s own.
So when did you last see a dad reading on the couch, a grandfather sharing a favourite story, or a sports coach talking about a book at training? For many Whitsunday families, it’s a fair question.
Reading for pleasure does more than fill spare time. It builds vocabulary, imagination, empathy and the confidence to think deeply. Skills that follow children through school and into life. The numbers show why these matters. More than two-thirds of Australians aged 15 and over read for pleasure, so there is a strong culture to build on locally. Yet nationally, one in three children is not reading proficiently, roughly eight children in every class of 24.
The gap is particularly noticeable among boys and young men. This isn’t because boys are naturally less interested in stories, it’s more about opportunity, choice, and role models. Young Australian men aged 15 to 24 are currently the least likely group to read recreationally. When boys don’t see the men in their lives – fathers, uncles, grandfathers, cousins, sport coaches, teachers – reading and talking about books, it’s easy for reading to quietly slip off the list of things "people like me" do. Letting boys choose their own books, whether that’s sport biographies, graphic novels, history or science fiction, matters too: most children say the books they enjoy most are the ones they picked themselves.
Of course, screens are part of modern life, and they’re not the enemy.
Audiobooks, e-books, graphic novels, and online reading communities like BookTok can all be genuine pathways into stories. The real question isn’t screens versus books. It’s whether children have regular, unhurried time to read something they actually enjoy, alongside adults who model that same joy.
This is exactly the conversation the Whitsundays Writers Festival wants to start.
Two festival panels - Is There a Book in You? and Where Do You Get Your Story Ideas From? - explore how reading and writing are connected: reading opens the door to ideas, and writing gives those ideas a voice. Families are warmly invited to attend, ask questions, and discover local and regional authors who might just become a child’s next favourite.
The next generation of Whitsunday readers, and perhaps writers, may begin with something wonderfully simple: an adult, a child, a good book, and time to share it.
This September, the Festival invites the whole community, especially the blokes, to pick up a book and be seen doing it.
The 2026 Whitsundays Writers Festival is set to celebrate local voices, regional stories and the readers who bring them to life, with a packed program at the Whitsunday Marine Club, Cannonvale on Sunday 13th September.
The day opens at 11.00am with a welcome from Festival President Richard Evans, followed by Is There a Book in You? — a practical and inspiring panel exploring what it really takes to move from an idea to a published book. Authors A. L. Tippett, Greg Bourke, and Rachael Smith will share their experiences, insights and advice for writers wondering how to turn their stories into books.
At 12.45pm, the spotlight turns to the Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards, with the announcement of winners and runners-up across the Short Story Open Age and Under 18 divisions and Poetry Prize. The ceremony will include interviews and live readings from selected works.
The awards will be followed by the From the Heart Keynote, delivered by internationally recognised, multi-award-winning romance author Rachel Armstrong.
The afternoon continues at 2.00pm with Where Do You Get Your Story Ideas From? a lively discussion with writers Krissy Regan, Gary Wood and Veronica Lando about the unexpected, everyday and extraordinary places where stories begin.
The festival then opens out into Stories by the Sea, a free community celebration from 3pm to 4.30pm, with more than 20 regional authors, book stalls, readings, music, art, children’s activities and a community book swap.
Tickets for the main festival program are available now, with limited places remaining. Stories by the Sea is free to attend.
The Whitsundays Writers Festival is inviting the community to finish the festival with an afternoon of books, authors, art and music at Stories by the Sea on Sunday 13th September.
From 3pm to 4.30pm at the Whitsunday Marine Club, Cannonvale, this free community event brings more than 20 regional authors together with readers for an afternoon celebration.
Meet the authors, browse their books and pick up a signed copy, or bring up to two pre-loved books along for the Book Swap. Feeling adventurous? Try a Blind Date with a Book and discover your next read without judging it by its cover.
There’s plenty happening beyond the books, with live music, author readings, children’s storytime and activities, plus local writing groups and book clubs to discover.
Art lovers can also catch the Creative Connections Whitsunday Plein Air Art Challenge, with artists creating work throughout the day before the People’s Choice Award and silent auction at 4pm.
Add a gold coin BBQ, coffee vans, cash bar, and refreshments, and it’s an easy way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Everyone is welcome and there’s no ticket required.
Bring a friend, bring the family – and bring a book to swap.
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