It was announced last week that our colleague Lesley Reece has left her position as Director of the Literature Centre. As the Centre’s founder and driving force for nearly thirty years, Lesley’s contribution to the development of children’s literature in Western Australia and nationally has been phenomenal.

Her fierce advocacy on behalf of the children’s literature sector and the many extraordinary creators who work within it has delivered both opportunity and investment, and earned her the admiration of so many.

Amongst her many other achievements and accolades, Lesley was recognised in 2019 for her outstanding contribution to the vitality and success of Western Australia’s literary culture with a shortlisting in the inaugural Writing WA Literary Lions Medal. In her role as a recently elected member of the Writing WA Board we know that she will continue her passionate advocacy on behalf of WA’s literary creators and we look forward to working with her in this capacity.

We also look forward to continuing to support the important work being undertaken by the team at the Literature Centre as they embark on this next phase in the Centre’s development.