04 June 2026.
I recognise Melissa Garside, a local primary school teacher and author who has received support through the 2026 Country Arts Support Program [CASP], which funds local, grassroots arts in the Southern Tablelands. This funding will enable her to deliver a series of author talks and writing workshops in primary schools across the region. Melissa is the co‑author of the junior fiction series featuring the character STEM‑loving inventor Lexie Moon. Melissa's talks celebrate both language and STEM, while engaging young audiences in an accessible and entertaining way. The CASP funding allows these workshops to be offered free of charge to regional schools that may otherwise lack the resources to host visiting authors. Throughout the year, Melissa will visit schools across Wollondilly, Wingecarribee and Goulburn Mulwaree, with each school receiving copies of the first two books in the series, The Word Burgling Bungle and The Space Day Disaster.
