Lu Rees
Lu Rees | |
|---|---|
| File:Lucy Frances Harvey "Lu" Rees AM MBE.jpg | |
| Born | Lucy Frances Harvey Waugh Template:Birth date Armidale, New South Wales |
| Died | 23 January 1983 (aged 81) Canberra |
| Occupation(s) | Bookseller, book collector |
Lucy Frances Harvey "Lu" Rees (born 19 September 1901 – died 23 January 1983) was a prominent Australian bookseller and collector, as well as an advocate for children's literature. She established the National Centre for Australian Children's Literature.
Life and career
Born as Lucy Frances Harvey Waugh at Guy Fawkes Station near Armidale, New South Wales on 19 September 1901, Rees developed an early passion for books influenced by her father's personal library.
Following her marriage in October 1925, she relocated to Bogan Gate and subsequently moved to Brisbane in 1931. There, she opened a branch office of the Australian War Memorial. She became a member of the Queensland Bibliographic Society and played a key role in the creation of the John Oxley Library, helping it become a centre dedicated to Queensland research.
In 1938, Rees settled in Canberra where she worked as a research assistant to Dr Graham Butler, who authored the official history of the Australian Army Medical Services. In 1955, she launched Cheshire's bookshop located in Garema Place. She was appointed the first secretary of the Canberra branch of the Fellowship of Australian Writers in 1950 and remained actively involved until 1975.
Rees established the Canberra Children's Book Council in 1957 and served as its founding president. The inaugural meeting brought together over twenty community groups from Canberra, including parents' associations.
After her divorce in 1962, she stepped down from managing Cheshire's bookshop in January 1968 to organize an international journey and develop an Australian book information service. During that year, she traveled with her youngest son Lauron across Israel, Europe, Canada, England, and the United States.
By 1980, Rees had curated a collection of more than 1,500 children's books which she formally entrusted to the Canberra College of Advanced Education Library.
She passed away in Canberra on 23 January 1983.
Awards
In recognition of her contributions, Rees was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1964 and later honored as a Member of the Order of Australia in 1983. Her extensive collection of children’s literature and manuscripts formed the basis of the Lu Rees Archives, which is now known as the National Centre for Australian Children's Literature. She was also awarded the Dromkeen Medal posthumously for her impact on children's literature. In 2005, her family donated her medals to the University of Canberra to be preserved within the Lu Rees Archives.