How courage and resilience in the face of adversity inspired a new picture book from this Canberra author
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Canberra author Barbie Robinson and Yass-based artist Sara Phemister have come together to share the story of former Canberra resident and prominent human rights and disability advocate Annette Holden.
Addressing discrimination against blind and vision-impaired people, this is the story behind the making of Molly and Maple – The Guide Dogs who changed Nettie’s world.
This is a story of one woman’s courage in the face of challenging change – but it is a story for and, of everyone.
As a long-time friend of former Canberran Annette Holden, I was privy to her many stories of what had happened as a result of the loss of her sight in later life.
We learn to be good people from the beginning – so I couldn’t help but think what better place to deliver the messages of this real story than in the type of book we first have read to us?
In the wake of the Royal Commission into Disability, at which Annette was a witness, I asked her if I might write her story and that of her guide dogs as a children’s picture book – but a picture book for all ages..
There would be no simplified language or concepts in this work, no glossing over of difficult content; it would be a story of the courageous overcoming of adversity and the joy of a full and active life.
When Annette agreed, I was naturally delighted, but there was still the matter of finding the right artist to create the visual story. Having met Yass -based artist Sara Phemister and seen her beautifully warm and intimate domestic interiors, (many of them featuring her ebullient and handsome black labrador muse BeppO), I knew she’d be the one for this book.
We met and discussed the book project; she read my story and imagine my joy when she came on board.
Without ever meeting Annette or her dogs and working from a small collection of photographs as reference, Sara produced a series of watercolour paintings that perfectly captured the essence of the textual story and told its own rich narrative.
So, who is Annette?
Annette Holden worked for decades as a print and radio journalist throughout Australia and as a public relations consultant in the Australian Public Service in Canberra for various government departments. Her work included speechwriting for Prime Ministers and the Governors-General.
Annette with Molly and Maple.
Her sight deteriorated and she now has only two per cent vision. It was this that led to an unfortunate change in the way she was perceived by some in the workplace.
After successfully using an International White Cane for some time, Annette realised that she needed more help and in time her first guide dog, Molly, came to live with her.
Learning to work with a guide dog is no mean feat, but Annette took it in her stride and soon she and Molly were seen about town in Adelaide, where she had moved in 2008.
Annette was always a keen traveller and continues to travel widely, locally with her guide dog and internationally with a cane.
However, too often Annette encountered negative behaviour from various people, including taxi drivers refusing her service because they didn’t want a dog in the car. She also experienced discrimination in the workplace.
Annette realised that she was not alone in these experiences. Thus began her work as a disability and human rights advocate – work which continues to this day.
She advises regularly to the NDIS and is a member of numerous advocacy bodies. She does not take discrimination lying down – as the text in Molly and Maple points out.
My friendship with Annette means that I have been in a privileged position to hear about the challenges she faces in daily life.
Her shared stories are never grizzles or whinges. They are told with both humour and outrage, and always result in action from her to try to change the way people think about and treat people living with disabilities.
The company and help of her guide dogs have brought untold happiness into Annette’s life and the lives of others who meet them in personal, social, and socio-educative contexts.
These are the stories I want to tell when I write. I am a passionate advocate of the picture book genre for its accessibility, its beauty and its capacity to speak of complex things with brevity (though not necessarily simplicity) of text.
My co-creator artist Sara Phemister has told a parallel and complementary story in pictures, original watercolour paintings full of heart and emotion.
This self-published, self-funded project has been immensely heartwarming, with support and interest from many quarters. The Molly and Maple team hopes that the story inspires and delights its readers and encourages them to carry its messages of hope, human decency, equality, and accessibility.
We live full and satisfying lives when we can choose what we do – no matter that we all have limitations: it is how we deal with them that matters most.
Feature image: Barbie and Sara with BeppO. Images supplied.
