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The Great Book Sale
Saturday, October 23, 10 am to 2 pm
Bargains galore will be on offer at the monster October book sale being organised by the Friends and Coventy Library. Library staff have been busy clearing out stock for the event, which is a highlight of the FOLS year, and members of the community have again been generous in donating additional items for sale.
The tables will be replenished with fresh stock throughout the sale so come when you can, pick up a bargain and support your local library. By the way, it's not too late to contribute good quality books and DVDs.
John Ovenden plays Coventry Library
Friday, October 22, 7.15 pm drinks for a 7.45 pm start
Former ABC television presenter and BBC World Service newsreader John Ovenden will present two new original short plays at Coventry Library, with assistance from Hills Weekender 2009 performer of the year, Mary Marshall and newcomer, Anita McDonald.
Written for the occasion, 'Mary, Mary...' is a drama concerning a woman on the run from her husband who is out to kill her. The second play, 'I wish to see the Manager', is a comedy dealing with a guest's arrival at a tropical island resort where a Fawlty Towers-style regime holds sway.
Tickets: $10. Bookings essential - phone 8408 0420.
New FOLS committee
FOLS has a new secretary and treasurer. Lyn Radzevicius was elected secretary at the August AGM and David Parker is treasurer, replacing, respectively, Sue and Trevor Rodwell. Tony Stimson was re-elected for his third and final term as president, and Geoff Counsell continues as vice president.
Jonathan Crichton and Nynke van der Schaaf also joined the committee for the first time, while Ruth Giles, Lyn Jacobs, Christl Markovic, Mignon Rasch, Sue Rodwell and Trevor Rodwell were re-elected for another term.
In his remarks, the president thanked the retiring secretary and treasurer and raffles co-ordinator, Christl Markovic, and retiring committee members Eileen Bush and Barbara Holbourn for their tireless work over many years.
FOLS Committee
President
Dr Tony Stimson
Vice-President
Geoff Counsell
Secretary
Lyn Radzevicius
Treasurer
Dr David Parker
Contact
Tony Stimson
Ph 8339 1397
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OCTOBER, 2010
Dear [subscriber-firstname]
Welcome to the first edition of our new e-newsletter for Friends of the Library, Stirling. We hope you enjoy the format, and invite you to provide feedback and suggestions to our committee. In this edition, we bring you information about some exciting events coming up soon for our members, and reports from our recent 30th birthday celebrations and the AGM.
Tony Stimson, President
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Remembering the Past: War Heroes and Veterans of the Adelaide Hills
A Joint Evening with the Mount Lofty Districts Historical Society
Friday, November 12, 2010
Guest Speaker: Dr Richard Reid
We are delighted to be hosting what promises to be a remarkable evening in conjunction with our friends in the Mount Lofty Districts Historical Society. One of Australia's foremost military historians, Dr Richard Reid, will speak about the significance of remembrance in the life of the nation at the event where we will also unveil a newly restored honour board from the Stirling East Primary School.
 As Richard notes, there are upwards of 10,000 war memorials in Australia, not including honour boards and church commemorative plaques - not surprising given World War I was a defining experience in the short life of a new nation. Richard will refer to names on the honour board in the course of his talk. One was Staff Nurse Blanche Atkinson who enlisted against the wishes of her father, the butcher at Crafers. She paid her own way to Europe, was awarded the Royal Red Cross Medal for her service and died of tuberculosis in 1918 on her return home.
The Australian's Adelaide bureau chief Andrew Faulkner will also be present with copies of his successful biography of Arthur Seaforth Blackburn VC. Blackburn's military career was nothing less than extraordinary. With another scout he penetrated further inland on the first day of the Gallipoli landing than any other Australian would do during the rest of the ill-fated campaign. Little more than a year later his role in the seizure and defence of Pozieres led to him becoming the first South Australian to receive the Victoria Cross. Blackburn's military career did not end there - in 1942, now a brigadier, he was captured by the Japanese in Java and spent three and a half years in captivity. He lived at 'Green Gables' on Summit Road at Mount Lofty and died at Crafers in 1960.
Dr Richard Reid is known for his contributions to Australian military history and the study of Irish Australian history. For years he was principal historian at the Department of Veterans' Affairs where his projects included the development of innovative websites that brought Australian military history into living rooms and classrooms. Richard is now working at the National Museum of Australia, creating an exhibition on Irish Australia, due to open in 2011.
7.30 pm drinks for an 8 pm start
Admission - general public $10, members of FOLS or MLDHS $8.
Bookings can be made at the library or phone 8408 0420.
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Celebrating 30 years of the Library and Friends
The Coventry Library and FOLS celebrated their 30th anniversaries with a joint cocktail party attended by about 70 people on Friday, September 14.
The library opened in 1980 following a campaign by local people such as Professor Colin Horne, Jury Professor of English i n the University of Adelaide. The facility was made possible by a generous bequest from local butcher Ern Coventry, who left his house and land for Council to build a library. Until then there had been a subscription library at Aldgate with a small and tired collection.
Former FOLS president Christl Markovic recalls the borrowing fee was sixpence per book. Other books had to be ordered on inter-library loan from the State Library and were delivered by train to the Mount Lofty, Aldgate and Bridgewater stations. It was the borrower's responsibility to collect them at the station.
By 1983 the Library was, as Christl says, 'bursting at the seams' and a committee was formed to push hard for a new building. Over the years minor building works brought additional space for a growing collection and staff offices but the situation remained dire until Council opted to build the new Coventry Library, which opened in December 2007.
FOLS was established two months before the library opened in 1980. This in itself was a departure for libraries; the new entity was only the second library friends group to be established in South Australia, with the first being the Friends of the State Library.
Since then we have worked hard to represent the interests of library users, support the library manager and raise funds to support the library's work. FOLS' office holders and committees lobbied for many years to have the new library built, particularly during the final decision-making processes when crucial votes were made by the Adelaide Hills Council.
Mayor Bill Cooksley, council CEO Peter Peppin, foundation Library Manager Sandy Starr and FOLS President Tony Stimson all spoke briefly at the cocktail party, Sandy entertaining those present with anecdotes from the library's early days. Bill and Tony noted the achievements of the past 30 years, the role an outstanding staff had played in that time, the co-operation evident over such a long time between Council and FOLS, and the extraordinary success of the new library which had quickly become a much loved and used council resource with a huge role to play in community building.
Growth brings challenges for Coventry Library
With some 20,000 people now holding membership cards at Coventry Library, FOLS is facing a greater challenge than ever to build a collection worthy of its splendid building, according to president Tony Stimson. "Membership and loans have increased dramatically since the new library opened in December 2007, a reflection of the flagship role the Coventry Library plays in our community, but growth has made additional demands on the collection, infrastructure and staffing," he said in his annual report to the recent AGM. "Moreover the Library is not removed from the wider budgetary constraints within which Council operates. The fact is that library use is increasing apace and this in times of financial stringency." A copy of the full report is available by contacting FOLS.
Healthy finances for FOLS
FOLS is in a very sound financial position for the future, retiring treasurer Trevor Rodwell told members in his annual report to the agm in August. Assets stood at $42,562.70 at May 31, 2010, compared with $51,019 in the previous year. Over the 12 months FOLS donated $29,805 to the Coventry Library, including $18,205 towards solar panels.The organisation also sponsored the summer reading programme, chess, films and drama programmes, children's puzzles and puppets, the retirement festival, a book repair workshop and adult art classes, as well as purchasing a glass display cabinet. Pledges made to the joint fundraising committee under the building appeal were now complete. The meeting adopted the report and, in a separate vote, opted not to reimpose a membership fee for 2010-2011.
Did you know?
 The Coventry Library has more than met community expectations since it was opened in 2007. In the three years 2006-2007 to 2009-2010, loans, membership and visits all increased considerably:
* Loans increased by 26 per cent
* Membership increased by 1500 or 8 per cent
* Visits increased by 23 per cent
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