I learned lifelong lessons from the first book I read... and the last and the next one!

The first book I ever read was called 5 Pennies to Spend. I was five years old, so there was symmetry. I think I loved the pictures as much as the story.

It had the lot: money management, maths, kindness and a surprise ending. I know it contributed to my adult sense of social justice and responsibilities. No kidding, it did.

Neil with the book that sparked his love of reading

So, I read that Little Golden Book and good things happened to my brain, but the keyword is reading.

I attended to the NSW Public Libraries Association conference “Switch 2022” in Albury last week, and was pleased to learn that they coaxed an additional, indexed and ongoing $41 million every year from our State Government.

I saw bestselling author and musician Holly Throsby at Kiama Library, in conversation with publisher Richard Walsh about her new novel, Clarke. I read a book about a bored little boy to the kids at Ss Peter & Paul primary school in Kiama and the children laughed and learned about how it’s always best to just be you.

I met with Sally Rippin, Australia’s highest-selling female author, who has ventured into the previously unknown territory (for her) of adult non-fiction with her new book Wild Things, about how we learn to read and what can happen if we don’t.

In council we have to do a great deal of reading. Our business papers (the council meeting agenda) are often more than a thousand pages long. And we only have days to take it all in.

The Mayor reading to Ss Peter and Paul students

Reading is so vital, and sometimes so rare that if you can read this, you can count yourself lucky. Many people have either no or just basic reading skills.

Without the ability to read, some of life’s most essential necessities become far out of reach.

It becomes difficult to have a job, to access information, to engage in local democracy and even community participation can prove challenging when your reading skills are low or limited.

So, when I talk about the first book I remember having read having a great impact, research backs me up. It confirms that a child’s early years of brain development shape the adults we become, the success we achieve and the contributions we make socially, economically and personally.

According to the World Literacy Foundation, if a child reads for just 20 minutes a day, they are exposed to 1,800,000 words per year.

Our Kiama Library service promotes literacy skills in early childhood and provides literacy resources and services to all. Our library staff are the best of the best.

And I’m pleased that our newest library space – Gerringong Library and Museum (GLaM) – is celebrating its first anniversary on 3 December and everyone’s invited to the party (see the council website for details).

On the other side of one of those five pennies are people living with dyslexia: a learning disability that can cause difficulties with reading and writing. Dyslexia is not a reflection of intelligence and more common than you may think, it actually affects around 10 per cent of the Australian population.

Ask our excellent library staff and they’ll point you in the right direction for support with dyslexia if you need it.

Local Government is more than just roads, rates and rubbish. Kiama Council plays a vital and very broad role in the lives of each and every person in our community.

Our libraries and crew do a fabulous job that is well regarded throughout the state, I am incredibly proud of that team.

Don’t forget to visit your local library soon – after all, it’s the building with the most stories in town.