Grenfell residents were saddened to learn of the passing of Grenfell Henry Lawson Festival of Arts Patron, Hilarie Lindsay. I have known Hilarie since she won her first Short Story Award in the Henry Lawson Festival in 1966.

Hilarie was an Australian toy manufacturer and writer of short stories, poetry, instructional texts, biography and other genres. She was a former president of the Toys and Games Manufacturers' Association of Australia and of the Society of Women Writers (Australia), who has been inducted into the Australian Toy Association Hall of Fame and the National Pioneer Women's Hall of Fame, Alice Springs. Her best-known work, The Washerwoman's Dream, was a biography of Jane Winifred Steger, described by one reviewer as "enthrallingly readable" has become an Australian classic.

Hilarie Elizabeth Dyson was born in Sydney April 18, 1922. She attended a business college in Sydney in 1939 and in 1944 she married Philip Singleton Lindsay, with whom she had two daughters and a son. Lindsay died in May 2021 at the age of ninety-nine.

Hilarie Lindsay began writing as a child, but was first published in 1966, after winning the Henry Lawson Festival of Arts Award for Short Story that year, as Lindsay Dyson, a pen name she also used in writing poems and newspaper articles. She was also awarded the same prize the following year. In the early 1970s, Lindsay's established an imprint called Ansay and Hilarie Lindsay published a series of books for children. Among these were the comprehensive volume One hundred and one toys to make (1972), and smaller books focused on topics such as puppets, dolls, rainy days and sunny days, with step-by-step instructions clearly illustrated, which were "sensibly priced .... in easy-to-read big type" She also wrote a well-received guide for teenagers setting up home for the first time, You're On Your Own. She continued writing short stories, and wrote a series of stories for children about Mr and Mrs Poppleberry, "an elderly couple who always tackle problems without using any sort of violence"

In 1977, an extremely popular book was Grenfell sketchbook (Drawings by Stephen Pile and text by Hilarie Lindsay).

Anthologies include Echoes of Henry Lawson: Award winning stories and verse, Grenfell Lawson Festival, 1960-1981. When I was ten: memories of childhood, 1905-1985 (1993) (with Len Fox, Beyond the black stump of my pencil: an anthology of prose and verse / written by members of the Isolated Writers Regional of the Fellowship of Australian Writers (1993), Sydney life / an anthology of prose and verse, written by the members of the City Regional of the Fellowship of Australian Writers (1994) (with Patrick McGowan) and Sydney life 99: an anthology of prose and verse, written by members of the City Regional of the Fellowship of Australian Writers (1999) (with Patrick McGowan)

Awards: 1966 and 1967 - Grenfell Henry Lawson Festival of Arts - Award for Short Story (as Lindsay Dyson), 1970 - Society of Women Writers (Australia) - Award for Short Story - winner for The Professor's Son, 1974 - Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to literature, 1976 - Runner Up, Bronze Swagman Award for Bush Verse (as Lindsay Dyson,1977 - Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, 2003 - Fellowship of Australian Writers Walter Stone Award for an Essay - winner for 'In Search of Winifred the Washerwoman, 2006 - Medal of the Order of Australia, for Service to Literature and through a range of professional organisations mentoring aspiring writers.

Recognition Patron, Henry Lawson Festival, Grenfell, Fellowship of Australian Writers (FAW) NSW Hilarie Lindsay Young Writers Short Story Competition For Australian School Children, Fellowship of Australian Writers (FAW) NSW Hilarie Lindsay Young Writers Poetry Competition For Australian School Children and Honorary life member Fellowship Australia Writers.

90TH BIRTHDAY: Congratulations to former resident Cecily Little who celebrated her 90th birthday on January 22. Unfortunately, Cecily was in lock down at Greenmount Gardens Nursing Home and son David and family were unable visit to celebrate her wonderful achievement. Daughter Shayne who lives nearby was on hand to celebrate Cecily's milestone.

SCHOOL IS BACK: Remember school is back this week. Speed limits around schools from 8am -9.30am and 2.30pm - 4pm is 40km per hour on school days.

This also applies to traffic near school buses when the wig-wag lights are flashing at pick up and drop off points. Parents are advised not to drop children off in bus zone in front of schools.