International Women’s Day at Echuca Library

By Jaci Hicken

Feb 9, 2024

New chapter: Local author Karen Mills will speak at Echuca Library on International Women’s Day. Photo by Contributed

Local author Karen Mills was first inspired to write by author Edel Wignell.

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“I used to work in a local library, a school library and I had Edel as a guest author, and afterwards, I was telling her that one day, I hoped to write children’s picture books when my kids leave home,” Mrs Mills said.

“And she said, why wait until they leave home? Surely you can find one hour a week to write.

“Probably about three months later, my family were in the snow, and I was at home, and I drafted the first copy of a picture book called Precious Artwork.

“I self-published it two years later, once I had to get my illustrator on board, but Edel encouraged me with ‘don’t wait until the kids leave home’ that I wrote it.”

Mrs Mills hopes to honour Ms Wignell’s legacy by speaking about her life on International Women’s Day at Echuca Library.

Once Mrs Mills had retired, she tried to reach out to Ms Wignell, only to find that she had died.

“It is more I want to honour Edel, I want to share Edel’s story, that is my reason for doing that,” Mrs Mills said.

“She had written over 100 children’s books, and I thought this lovely lady needs to be honoured.”

Mrs Mills researched Ms Wignell’s archives in Canberra in preparation for her International Women’s Day talk.

One of the things of interest about Ms Wignell, who authored the children’s books Escape by Deluge and Bilby Secrets, is she was originally from Echuca before settling in the foothills of the Dandenongs.

Having been inspired by Ms Wignell, Mrs Mills has self-published a children’s book, Precious Artwork, and has work published in seven anthologies and online.

“I enjoy writing poetry and short stories,” Mrs Mills said.

“In my poetry, I usually get inspired about something and I do research, which spurs me to write a poem.

“And then short stories, once again, are based around a real-life experience but then tweaked to use as a story, which is not 100 per cent true because I have fleshed it out and made it into something more.

“Or I have used a life experience to boomerang off into a story.”

Mrs Mills is the president of the Campaspe Murray Writers group, which meets monthly at the Echuca Library and recently had art on show in The Foundry Arts Space summer members’ exhibition.

Mrs Mills will be one of two speakers on International Women’s Day, with the other being author Hazel Edwards at the Echuca Library, on Friday, March 8 at 2pm.

Bookings are essential for this free event on 5481 2400.