Bob the Railway Dog Book Launch – Melbourne – 1st August, 2015
5 Aug, 2015 | What's happening in my writing life
Although Saturday was a freezing winter Melbourne morning with the promise of wind and rain, inside the Railfan Shop in Mont Albert, an old suburb of Melbourne, it was warm and cosy and full of train lovers, book lovers, dog lovers and one very well behaved dog, Smithy who was the model for Andrew’s gorgeous illustrations.
Around 65 wonderful supporters joined Bob illustrator, Andrew McLean and myself to celebrate the release of Bob the Railway Dog, welcomed by Bruce McLaren, President, Association of Railway Enthusiasts and launched by the wonderful Karen Tayleur, friend, author and Editorial Manager at The Five Mile Press. There were many thank you’s but here I would like to specially mention, Maryann Ballantyne, Publisher Black Dog Books for loving Bob’s story and publishing it, Julie Webster and Smithy for driving all the way down from Mansfield to be at the launch and Ron Fluck, OAM, without whom the book wouldn’t exist.
Launching on Saturday was important to me – it’s 120 years ago this week that the newspapers reported Bob had died, after barking at a passing canine, outside his favourite butcher shop in Hindley Street, Adelaide . . . after a long and wonderfully adventurous life of riding the rails wherever and whenever he chose to. Here are some photos and we’ll be doing it all over again at the National Railway Museum in Adelaide on August 23. Email me via my website if you’d like to join us.
