Early childhood educator Adam celebrates award win for debut book

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) professional Adam Duncan was pleasantly surprised recently when his debut story, The Bunyip and the Stars won a prestigious award, which he didn’t even know the book was nominated for. 

Mr Duncan, a Biripi man who now works as the National Museum of Australia education manage, received the Kids in Print accolade at the Australian Museums and Galleries Association Incorporated Awards (AMaGA) 2024 last month. 

The AMaGA’s annual awards are “dedicated to celebrating, acknowledging, and showcasing achievements within Australia’s museum and gallery sector”, and the win was a surprise for Mr Duncan, who was scheduled to be at the conference where the award was presented before ‘life got in the way.’

Had he known about the nomination, he said, he would have moved his calendar to accommodate. 

Thankfully his colleagues were in attendance, and accepted the award on his behalf. 

“It’s not a hugely common thing for debut books to get that kind of recognition, so that was a great thing,” he shared with Canberra Daily.

Released in April 2023, Bunyip and the Stars incorporates First Nations storytelling and mythology, and explores the importance of family bonds, connection to Country and the value of shared knowledge.

It was the first in a series of five picture books, by different authors, to be released by the museum.

Each book draws inspiration from the museum’s Tim and Gina Fairfax Discovery Centre, which caters for children from birth to six years of age

At the time the book was written Mr Duncan was working as an early childhood teacher (ECT) with the University of Canberra’s Wiradjuri Preschool and Child Care Centre in Bruce, a role he left at the end of 2023. 

While he has no plans to continue the National Museum series, Mr Duncan has further books in the works, which are ‘peripherally related’ and which were also developed with his preschool class. 

The Sector extends congratulations to Mr Duncan. 

Read the original coverage of this story here.

Picture: Jordan Mirchevski