Students jump on board the Story Train

ALMOST 200 school children from across the region boarded Geelong Regional Libraries’ annual Story Train on Friday.

Travelling from Drysdale station aboard the Bellarine Railway to Queenscliff, specialist children’s and youth services (CYS) librarians were dressed in colourful character costumes and armed to the hilt with books, songs and games.

The Story Train is an annual highlight for CYS library staff, with never a shortage of staff putting up their hands to take part in the fun activities, ride on the historic steam train and share a picnic in Queenscliff’s beautiful Princess Park.

Chair of the Geelong Regional Library Board, Cr Margot Smith, said the annual Story Train event had been promoting a life-long love of reading and literacy for more than a decade.

“The Story Train is such a fantastic event and we are very proud of the contribution it is making to the development of early literacy skills, particularly as it is offered predominantly to schools from lower socio-economic areas of the region,” Cr Smith said.

“Geelong Regional Libraries has an important role to play in improving early childhood literacy and this is reflected in our extensive children’s programs and initiatives such as the Story Train.”