Statues, Stamps and Coins: celebrating the immortalisation of Australian children's book characters

I ordered the wombat today. Not a wombat. The wombat. This one right here. 

Jackie French and Bruce Whatley's renowned picture book 'Diary of a Wombat', published in 2003, was commemorated with this special uncirculated coin by the Royal Mint earlier this year. As a collector of classic children's books, and memorabilia pertaining to books, I had to snap a coin up for myself before they became unavailable forever. 

Produced in collaboration between the Royal Mint and the Children's Book Council of Australia, the Wombat coin has received much media attention, rightfully so, and will no doubt increase readership (if that is possible with the huge success already) of the original 'Diary of a Wombat' book. The second coin in this collaboration with CBCA (Animalia by Graeme Base being the first, as well as a $2 'Possum Magic' coin into circulation a couple years earlier), I couldn't help but think, as I entered my credit card details and wondered how long it would take for the little silver coin to be safely on my bookshelf, how huge 'Wombat' being immortalised in a coin is. 

In 2019, an array of children's authors were honoured in a series of Australia Post stamps, alongside one of their most iconic and recognisable books. To have the faces behind Australia's classic literature is a true coup and cause for celebration of all in the children's book world. Maybe another series with more authors is due? 

It is certainly a sentiment with great meaning and no doubt great honour attached for Jackie and Bruce. No book's success can be predicted: in interviews surrounding publicity regarding the launch of the coin, both creators have stated how they would never have imagined that 20 years after the book's release, an event like this would occur.

But it is fantastic that it did occur. It is wonderful to see children's books being brought into the public eye in new, innovative ways such as the Royal Mint Coin. Seeing characters and stories celebrated and honoured is important, for posterity, and to show the great impact children's book have, not just for the child reader or tight-knit literary community, but for the public at large.

And children's book characters being celebrated in this way has been happening longer than you may think. 

In 1985, in conjunction with Children's Book Council, Australia Post released several stamps featuring artwork from classic picture books. What a coup it must have been at the time! Classic Australian picture books were being sent (literally) nation-wide, no doubt inciting curiosity of 'What book is that from?' and, hopefully, eliciting new readers. Stamps go out of circulation of course, yet the following stamps have live on. They immortalise four gorgeous illustrations and brought picture books to a new type of audience, and one need only look on eBay to see these collector's items are still highly-sought after. 

It's not just the characters either: children's writers from Australia, who then write internationally, have had their fair share of commemoration in their home country. 

Before the release of 2013 film Saving Mr Banks, and the 1999 biography Out of the Sky She Came: The Life of P.L. Travers by Valerie Lawson, the fact that P.L. (Pamela) Travers, the author of the beloved Mary Poppins books, was an Australian was known to few. Born in Maryborough, and raised in Bowral, Allora, and Woollahra, Pamela left Australia behind for England in the mid 1920s, returning just once in her 60s. She never acknowledged her Australian heritage until just before her death in 1996. 

Thanks to Valerie Lawson's biography, the story of this enigmatic author was revealed, for the first time

ever. Her connection to Australia has caused several campaigns for statues, plaques, museums, and there is even an annual 'Mary Poppins Festival', as these small-town communities revel in an iconic character's local link. Alongside The Story Bank in Maryborough, QLD (which is a museum and research centre devoted to P.L. Travers' past, writing life, her books and stories, manuscript drafts, and the pop culture legacy of her famous nanny character), the town also successfully raised funds for a statue of Mary Poppins (seen below) which is a focal point in Maryborough's main street. 

And in a fun fact, the crosswalk traffic light on the same street does not show a male figurine when you press 'Go - Walk' - it shows the figure of a nanny with an umbrella and hat to indicate 'Go - Walk' (or, should that be 'Spit-Spot'?). 

Mary Poppins statue in Bowral. 

The statute of Mary Poppins in Maryborough. It is placed outside The Story Bank, a museum dedicated to the works of P.L. Travers. And in a lovely twist, guess which heritage building the bank occupies? The bank where Pamela's father worked, and where Pamela herself was born, on the top floor in 1899. 

Stamps, statues, coins... well done to children's book characters, I say! When a writer, illustrator or publisher begins that journey of birthing a book, I doubt they could possibly envisage said book being commemorated like this. With that in mind, who knows what the future holds for further ways of immortalising book characters? There's no way to predict it, but there's boundless possibilities....

a coin or statue of 'The Silver Brumby' (from Elyne Mitchell) or 'One Woolly Wombat'? 

a statue of 'Hippo Eating Cake' (Hazel Edwards) on the roof of a children's library or book museum? 

a real 13-storey treehouse monument (Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton) constructed in a park? 

playground statues or figures of Edward the Emu, Wombat Stew, or Muddle-Headed Wombat?

Or, better yet, an entire museum space to Australian book characters... imagine a display on ocean (an island and boat display for  'Nim's Island', 'Sea Country', 'You and Me: Our Place', 'Where the Forest Meets the Sea') … a display on adventure and fantasy-themed stories with tributes to 'The Rainbow Serpent' or 'Victor's Quest' or 'Deltora Quest' or 'Space Demons'  or 'Ranger's Apprentice' …. and …. well, there's too many possibilities. I'm sure you can think of titles perfect for being commemorated and immortalised whether it be in statue or stone-form, coin, artwork, or museum display. And maybe this will happen more and more. 

Maybe 'Diary of a Wombat' coin will spur more in this series of 'books to coins' and lead to new ways of celebrating book characters. Of course, only time will tell.

But I have a good feeling. 

Article by © Brenton Cullen