And the way I was thinking about libraries dear reader. The way I reckon they’re pretty great places.
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And I was of course thinking about our library, the one down there beside the river, beside the High Street. And I know you know that beautiful, arcing, curving, built-real- nice place - know that you know Maitland Library.
The way it’s a beautiful, brick and mortar 1968 model - and how it’s always kinda been there; how it kinda fits just right and nice there on that lovely spot.
And they made her so that the swirling brown water can flow beneath her books, made her to be like a bridge, made her to suit the land on which she lives.
And the way she was made by those with a memory of how the river can rise and rise and come, uninvited, right into our kitchens and all that.
And that’s right … I been thinking about the library.
And I remember when I was young how we walked up to the library from school, walked up High Street or along the riverbank. Found our way along that lovely ribbon of ramp, up that meandering bend of concrete, up that ramp that’s given us all a boost, the ramp that’s taken all of us, at one time or another, up inside the library.
And there, as kids and older, we’ve read and researched, we’ve had our drawings and paintings pinned on boards, our school-time stories celebrated – in there we’ve been made to feel okay about ourselves and the world.
And I remember how the library owned a Bookmobile too.
Remember how it was despatched from Library HQ, replete with a thousand stories, sent out into the streets, sent to softly sit in school yards to help open our minds to the world beyond Horseshoe Bend and Louth Park and all that …
Remember how in Grade Two I co-wrote a story about a robot with my mate Peter Jones, another Bend boy. Remember how the tiny paper story was placed up there in the library. Remember seeing it displayed on a shelf on some long-gone sunny Maitland day.
And the way I know the Library still makes the kids feel good. The way it’s for free and it doesn’t matter if you’re from down in old Horseshoe bend and you ain’t got much money and all that. The way libraries are good like that …
And how the inside of libraries are reverent sort of places. The way they own a secular calm and quiet. The way libraries have got librarians too and how they respirate slow and steady and know where to find things. The way librarians have a careful, gentle thoroughness that’s kinda nice …
And the way on our Library, Milton Morris and Ms Cribb have their name on nice plaques out the front. How if you’re from round here you know those names and all that.
And how on the front of the Library, on the High Street side, right under the beautiful Plane Tree, there’s a magnificent, perhaps the best Maitland crest.
And I like the look of that there crest. I like those egrets, and the river and soil, the crops and Cedar tree - and of course, the books.
And the way I like the way it’s on our library, like the way it reminds of me where I am …
And so it goes.
Goodnight
