Every week four dedicated women drive two vans full of toys, dress up costumes and a whole host of colourful goodies to children in Gum Flat, Bukkulla, Wallangarra, Delungra and Gilgai.
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These are the Northern Roads Activity Vans, which give children in some of the district’s most remote areas a place to get ready for school without leaving their hometowns.
Growing from a small playgroup, the vans have been travelling to country kids for close to 40 years, but many still have no idea such services exist.
“Nobody knows what mobile preschools are. And I just thought, ‘It needs to be shouted from the rooftops,’” Kylie Hill said.
Kylie has been travelling in van one with her friend Debbie Wilson for about 20 years, and felt it was time others knew what mobile preschools were all about.
Collaborating with local photographer Mel Arnott, Kylie authored My Preschool Has Wheels, set to be launched at the Dust Jacket on Friday, October 21, 10.30am.
“It’s always been a bit of a dream, a bit of an idea for me,” Kylie said.
“Because most people have no clue about mobile preschools and pictures tell 1000 words.”
Filled with full-page images of children playing in paddocks, dancing in their temporary classrooms and playing dress ups, their joy is clear.
“Mel’s amazing, she’s just captured the whole essence of a country preschool,” Kylie said. Also creating the layout and graphics, Kylie felt Mel went above and beyond with her “crazy idea”.
Parents and family are thrilled with the book, and many have ordered extra copies to share. Charging $10 each, Inverell District Family Services are donating the proceeds to ovarian cancer research.
“Sue Sharpe worked on van two, and we lost her in 2014 to ovarian cancer, and I used to talk to Sue about the idea for the book and she had said to just do it,” Kylie said.
“So we’ve dedicated it to her, and there’s been lots of copies that have been bought. Hopefully lots more that we can donate lots of money to ovarian cancer.”
The organisation also hope to donate money to bowel cancer research in honour of one parent.
The book has already begun travelling the country, with one sent to India and another used as a training tool. It will give both parents and children an idea of what’s available in country areas, and how mobile preschools operate.
“I just love that every day’s different,” Kylie said.