Council resolves to rename the Yellow Room at Leeton Shire Library

25 Oct 2017 9:45 PM -

Council resolved a motion at its October Ordinary Council meeting to rename the Yellow Room at Leeton Shire Library the “Henry Lawson Room”.

Cr Michael Kidd said that he felt the name change was an excellent way to celebrate Henry Lawson’s time in Leeton given that this year it has been 100 years since the well known Australian poet and writer had left Leeton.

“Henry Lawson took his work in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) very seriously producing around 30 poems and 10 prose sketches which was an average of one major work every two weeks. He is one of Australia’s favourite writers and we are privileged that he spent some of his career writing important pieces in our area.”

Two of his most important pieces written during his time in Leeton were “Leeton Town” and “A Letter from Leeton”.  The latter, published as a book distributed to soldiers at the Front, was credited by a government report as having had “inestimable value” in attracting settlers to the MIA after World War 1.  

A special event to launch the renaming of the Leeton Shire Library Yellow Room will be organised in due course with more details to follow regarding this ceremony.