It has been ten years since I first published Magic Fish Dreaming.

It was so lovely to recently visit and donate a couple of copies to a Logan bilingual Kindy, Kiwi Kids.

This came about in exchange for a friend and Pasifika colleague kindly doing some beta reading for a new project who then put me in touch with Robyn.

I passed on her kindness and support to someone Robyn.

Whilst there we learnt about the inspiration behind her opening the kindy in Logan – which was to offer a space that felt like a home away from home.

“Kāinga atu i te kāinga” – home away from home

Part of it feeling like home is the bilingualism of the centre which, is English and Māori . Robyn also speaks Tongan due to family connections and a Tongan father. So, she is trilingual at least (I did not ask if she knows other languages).

There are other backgrounds at the school who attend due to shared values around family and culture which are similar to their own in same way, such as other Pasifika families and more. They have chosen the space because it gives them a sense of belonging.

David and I really loved chatting with Robyn and shared some stories about Tonga. We also spoke about my journey as a teacher of Pasifika background.

Robyn shared the story of how she met our mutual friend.

I really loved hearing the guitar from the children’s spaces in the background, whilst we sat in her office and seeing the cultural displays in the centre entrance.

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I now have about 150 copies of Magic Fish Dreaming left.

As well as sales, the book has been distributed to Papua New Guinea through Books for PNG, gone to support children who lost their books after bushfires in the United States, the families of prematurely born children, and cancer research for Love Your Sister. It has supported external affairs events for the Baha’is, focused on Environment, and the 2025 conference of the Australia Pasifika Educators Network.

I’ve performed works from it, in libraries, and at galleries and functions.

I hope one day to have new books published to share with you. I’ve been working extremely hard on my craft and been considering compiling some of my short stories and poems into collections as well through independent publications.

Thank you to all those families who have supported their children’s literacy and love of poetry as well my creativity through your purchase or passing the book on.