Learn about the Murray River Girl at the Cohuna Library

Published on 02 August 2024

The true story of a girl who lived in a makeshift tent on the banks of the Murray River will be the focus of a special Gannawarra Library Service Author Talk session occurring at Cohuna this month.

Cathy Hope, author of Murray River Girl will be the special guest at the event, occurring at the Cohuna Library on Thursday, 29 August from 10am.

“The Gannawarra Library Service’s Author Talk program enables residents to learn about what inspires many of Australia’s top authors without the need to travel out of the Gannawarra,” Gannawarra Shire Council Chief Executive Officer, Geoff Rollinson said.

An author of 30 books, Cathy has spent most of her lifetime as an educator in schools, teaching English overseas and in Distance learning with the School of Air. She has published educational text and won writing awards for her non-fiction and children's environmental books.

Murray River Girl is Cathy’s latest book, which is the true story of Roma, an adventurous little girl and her faithful companion during the era of the Great Depression, the polio epidemic and World War Two. Until she was 11 years old, Roma was the Murray River Girl, living in a makeshift tent on the banks of the river with Teddy and her parents.

“Visitors to this special event will be able to reminisce about what life was like during this period and learn about what inspires Cathy’s stories,” Mr Rollinson said.

Places are limited for this free event, with bookings essential.

For bookings and more information, contact the Cohuna Library on (03) 5456 2124.