'Maurice Saxby was a gentle man, the original National President of the CBCA and an inspired advocate for children's literature. He was the second school librarian ever appointed to a NSW school and his catch cry "give them wings" was all about encouraging us all (and I was student at Kuring gai CAE where he was lecturing us) to give kids great stories so their lives were enriched.. the why of reading literature according to Maurice; 

“Apart from what we see about human beings when we read and what we find out about life, we’re attuned to story and to the shape of story and to the way words work.”

 

This speaks to the heart of what we all do; whether creators of stories, advocates, teachers, or librarians— maybe a part of us is each of these things.

 

What I always recall, and try to action everyday is Maurice's absolute dedication to talking about, learning about, and teaching about—the high value a society should place on the transmitting of our shared values through stories, particularly to our children. Now more than ever our children require stories to make sense of this world, and honour the power of storytelling in our culture.' 

Wendy Rapee National Board Chair CBCA