Northern Territory Government
Department of Territory Families, Housing and Communities
Croc tale one for the adventurous reader
8 March 2023
A Northern Territory library worker has featured in a national literacy campaign after posing for a photo while sharing a story with a monster croc in Darwin's infamous Cage of Death.
First Nations Collections and Content Coordinator PJ Andrews crossed the insane activity off his bucket list while reading local author Freya Galati's award-winning book 'What do crocodiles really think?'
The photo will be used nationally to promote Australian Reading Hour on 9 March 2023.
PJ said that while it was a brilliant idea in theory, there were some practical challenges of reading in the Cage of Death.
"Almost as soon as I went underwater the pages started to fray and I reckon after about two minutes the book had well and truly disintegrated," he laughed.
"I had to clench the book closed to try and hold the thing together."
PJ said he had never been in the Cage of Death before and time was critical to get the photo.
"I kind of had to remind myself why I was there. I got under the water, there is a huge croc swimming towards me and it was like 'oh, that's right, I have to pose for a photo now'.
"While I wouldn't advise reading underwater with a small screen between you and a crocodile, I hope it did a small bit to promote the importance of literacy."
Australian Reading Hour will see a series of events held across the country on 9 March where Australians will come together to read, share and enjoy books.
The book featured in the campaign is from home grown author Freya Galati who, at eight-years-old, wrote a picture book 'What do crocodiles really think?' which won the Young Territory Authors Award for the Darwin region in 2019 in the eight and under category.
Last year, Freya, now 12, was announced as the overall winner of the Young Territory Authors Award for a young adult short story.
Freya said she was delighted her book had been chosen to feature in the Australian Reading Hour campaign but was glad that PJ took the plunge.
"My whole family is a bit too chicken to do the Cage of Death so PJ was very brave to do it in the name of a good cause like reading," she said.
"I've been going to the library for as long as I can remember and I have my head in a book so often that Mum had to ban me reading at the kitchen table, which I still consider cruel and unusual punishment."
Freya is born and raised in Darwin and wrote the book in a bid to convey what crocodiles were like to her young cousin in Melbourne, with the book now on sale at Bookshop Darwin in the Mall and available to borrow at City of Darwin libraries.
Director of Library and Archives NT, Patrick Gregory said the campaign had been a fun and novel way to remind people of the benefits and joy reading can bring.
"Books retain a remarkable power to educate, to inspire and to show us different worlds," he said.
"The benefits of reading are enormous, whether for learning or for wellbeing, but at the end of the day there aren't many better things than burying your nose in a good book."
Darwin City Libraries hosted a series of free events for Australian Reading Hour this week, with an event to be held at Karama Library at 10am Thursday 9 March.
