The Shire of Plantagenet acknowledges the traditional owners of the land the Menang Noongar people and welcomes the Hazara peoples that choose to call Plantagenet Home. Please be advised that this page contains culturally sensitive information and may include names and stories of those elders past.

Reading for Generations

The Reading for Generations project is the telling of four stories sourced from our cultural treasures in Plantagenet. The stories weave local Noongar history with childhood folk stories from Afghanistan, taking our junior readers on a journey of surprises, adventure, family, love and hope. 

Reading for Generations showcases a true community partnership, where Indigenous elders and the next generation of leaders from the Plantagenet Hazara and Menang Noongar community generously shared and recorded their stories that have been passed from generation to generation.

The stories aim to engage a new generation of multicultural early readers.  Each of the stories are presented with dual languages so our Noongar and Hazara families can enjoy the gift of reading in English and their traditional language.

Booklovers can also enjoy listening to their traditional bedtime tales with readings in Menang Noongar or Hazaragi available to download.

These tales provided the framework to showcase local youth art skills, as students from the Mount Barker Community College worked alongside children’s author and illustrator, Leanne White, to bring the stories to life through their hand drawn illustrations.

The year-long effort by Years 4, 5 and 6 art students, with guidance from their teacher Jay Klinac, demonstrates their commitment to this heart-warming project.  The student’s illustrations bring the pages to life, giving these stories from the past a new vibrancy and energy into the future.

The result is four traditional tales available to listen as an audio download, viewed online to read or available in a picture book to hold and enjoy.

These stories capture a moment in our local history and will continue to circle in Plantagenet’s community for everyone to enjoy.

Congratulations to the Mount Barker Library for creating this initiative, providing a new opportunity for young readers to start their early literacy journey no matter their language background, and for encouraging all readers to feel welcome and celebrated. 

This project has been supported by funding provided by the Shire of Plantagenet and the State Government of Western Australia, through the State Library’s Better Beginnings program.  Thank you also to the Mount Barker Community College for your generous support and commitment.