Chris Bourke MLA Adjournment Author Marji Hill
Chris Bourke MLA
Adjournment Author Marji Hill
6 May 2014
I recently launched Marji Hill’s latest book Staying Young Growing Old at Belconnen Soccer Club, Hawker.
Many would know Marji Hill a former long term Canberran, even a Belconian, and as an author and member of the Australian Society of Authors.
Marji Hill and her late husband Alex Barlow were long term residents of Belconnen and were well known members of my Labor sub branch until retiring and ending up on the Gold Coast a few years ago.
She is the author, or co-author, of over 60 books including the non-fiction Six Australian Battlefields, the nine volume Macmillan Encyclopedia of Australia’s Aboriginal Peoples, books on multicultural Australia simply titled Chinese Australians, Italian Australians, Lebanese Australians etc etc, titles on Aboriginal art such as From the Ochres of Mungo: Aboriginal Art Today and in 2009 she had published, The Apology: Saying Sorry to the Stolen Generations.
There is a bit of a theme here but Marji’s interests range widely especially as illustrated by this latest book.
However though her books for children and adults focuses on our Indigenous history she has contributed more than most to reconciliation and understanding of the first Australians.
This latest book, Staying Young Growing Old is Marji’s exploration of staying positive, being active in body and spirit and keeping a sense of humour in older age.
It is not about growing old disgracefully, but irreverently. It is about staying curious, interested, active and playful in challenging perceptions about what it means to be of “advancing years”.
Marji dedicated the book to Alex Barlow, her partner of 40 years who died in 2012. He was a great example of Staying Young Growing Old.
In her loving dedication Marji points out that Alex who retired at 65 then went on to study law and was admitted to the Canberra bar in 1995.
Marji is also a renowned painter.
Apart from earning a Master of Arts Degree in Anthropology at the Australian National University she also completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Painting in Canberra and has gone on to hold exhibitions here and interstate.
Her book Staying Young Growing Old is available both as a paperback on Amazon and as a Kindle eBook.
ENDS