Honours were rolled out at the historic Bridgewater Memorial Hall for one of the Loddon Valley’s most loved this month.
Community, friends and family gathered to pay tribute to the late children’s author, poet, educator and Dingee farmer, Lorraine Marwood, and her nationally-celebrated writing.
Lorraine’s friends and fellow writers Glenda Millard and Claire Saxby were in conversation with Bendigo editor Cecile Shanahan for the Goldfields Libraries/Loddon Valley Arts Trail event.
“Lorraine was a trusted mentor and friend for me, and I felt very honoured to be asked to guide the conversation between her two great friends and fellow stalwarts of Australian children’s literature,” Cecile says.
“It was a lovely time to reflect on her legacy in the children’s literature space as well as the impact of her kindness and generosity.”
Many anecdotes were shared, as well as written tributes from those who could not attend in person.
Audience members from the Loddon Valley, Bendigo, Melbourne and even the Surf Coast came to celebrate Lorraine’s life and literary contributions.
Lorraine was the author of 18 books of children’s poetry, fiction and verse novels, published between 1996 and 2021.
Among her titles are three nationally significant books: the 2010 inaugural Prime Minister’s Literary Award-winning Star Jumps, the 2018 NSW Premier’s Literary Award-winning Leave Taking and the 2022 CBCA Notable Book Footprints on the Moon.
She had worked as a primary school teacher, a literacy and writing teacher, and together with her husband and family-of-six children, ran their dairy farm in Dingee for 25 years.
It was Lorraine’s skill in capturing fragments of experience, accompanied by her honest accounts of the heart and harshness of family farm life, that earned her some of the country’s highest children’s literature honours.
Locally, she was a great friend of Goldfields Libraries, and a regular speaker and workshop facilitator.
In 2019 she mentored a group of Loddon Shire seniors to write short stories that became the book Contours of Our Lives. The Goldfields Libraries publication was re-printed for the tribute event and gifted to all attendees.
“Lorraine’s verse novels are exceptional examples of how to write authentically for all – from reluctant young readers all the way to adults who appreciate the skill it takes to create stories with such depth,” Cecile says.
“She was incredibly well respected by her publishing peers but there is no doubt that her legacy will live on in her poetry and novels which will continue to be relevant and resonate with readers for many years to come.”
At the time of her death from cancer in May, 2026, Lorraine was undertaking a PhD, researching verse novels, and deepening her expertise in the hallmark form of her career.
“Her family allowed me to share that Curtin University has awarded Lorraine with a Posthumous Award of Doctor of Philosophy for her doctoral work of the last few years,” Cecile says.
It was fitting news to share among people who so admired Lorraine, and will no doubt continue to do so through their memories of her, and her catalogue of published works.