Phew! That was something special.
Today I went to a book launch at ARC Disability Services Inc., where three more writers from their creative cohort have published an illustrated children’s book. Trent Griffin ‘The Kindest Goat’, Darren Smith ‘Friends at First Sight’ and Andrew Barton / Imogen Lambeth’s ‘Frank the DJ’
I have been to a lot of launches in my time. This one had a different current running through it.
Let me tell you about one of the books.
Frank the DJ is structured with real craft. Frank is a flying fox who hears music drifting through the air and decides he wants to make it. He sneaks into the Cairns Library, under those giant fig trees where the real flying foxes roost, and begins to learn. There he meets Betty, a bird who can sing, and Basil, an ant who can play the spoons. It is such a simple premise. It is also perfectly built.
They practise. They take risks. They feel nervous. They feel grateful.
They sneak onto a stage after a festival and try out their sound. A musician hears them and invites them to rehearse with him. They practice and practice. They land their first gig, a birthday party. THen the gigs escalate…on the Cairns Double-Decker Party Bus, the Tanks Arts Centre, a tropical island event (Fitzroy, I think), and finally the Sydney Opera House. The arc is clear. The triumph is earned.
I had a tear in my eye at the end. After they got a standing ovation at the Opera House, Frank says to the audience, “Thank you for your kindness.” That line killed me. It shifts the story away from ego and towards belonging and simple human connection. It reminds us that none of this happens alone.
What I admire most about this work is how it lets imagination shine through a different lens. These are not stories about limitation. They are stories about persistence, inclusion, risk and empowerment. They offer children an aspirational trio who work hard and step into the light together. The message is generous and expansive.
The illustrations are magnificent, too. Chunky blocks of colour. Clever composition. A strong sense of place. You can feel Cairns in it: the Esplanade, the Lagoon, the Festival energy. Local children will recognise their own city.
And then there was the launch itself.
The confidence of the emerging writers. The enthusiasm. The way they shook my hand, signed books, and posed for photos. The buzz was real. That is what “making it happen” looks like. Not waiting to be invited in. Stepping forward. Claiming space. Saying: this is my work.
Thank you to ARC Disability Services for backing their artists so visibly and so practically. Programs like this do not run on good intentions alone. They run on commitment. And a shout-out to Karen Jackson for the passion and skill it takes to bring something like this into the world.
I am pictured here with Imogen Lambeth, who co-wrote and illustrated the book with Andrew Barton. The pride was palpable. As it should be.
Children deserve stories like this. We all need more of it!
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