Students and parents from Brocklesby, Burrumbuttock, Walbundrie and Walla Walla primary schools came to Rand to celebrate the talents of their students and present the books to their schools and to the farmers and community members they wrote about.

The books have been professionally printed as the culmination of a writing program under the 2014 Creative Catchment Kids program, a partnership of  Murray Local Land Services with Wirraminna Environmental Education Centre and the Murray Darling Association.

The books become readers for Year 4 students, and show the great creativity in primary schools as students explore land and water issues while writing about their chosen leaders.

Rand school, which has been the program for some years, decided this year to make sculptures for the school grounds that depict aspects of rural life.

Brocklesby school wrote about Nicole Stephens who coordinates the Hume and Murray Farmers Markets, while Walla Walla Primary chose Kotzur’s Silos as the subject for their book.

Burrumbuttock Public School chose to write about three local farming families and the changes they have seen in machinery and practices through the generations.

Walbundrie Public School chose local farmer and director of the Walbundrie Co-op, David Wolfenden as the subject of their book. 

Mr Wolfenden, a former student of Rand Public School, attended the book launch to receive his book and represent the Board of Murray Local Land Services. 

“These remarkable little books give these small rural schools recognition and show the reality of modern farming integrated with natural resource management, that opens a window into life in rural Australia,” Mr Wolfenden said.

This year, the project has involved about 250 primary and high school students from Tumbarumba in the Snowy Mountains to Balranald and Moulamein in western NSW.  

In 2015 the books will focus on farmers and communities tackling biosecurity issues, animal health and feral animals.