It was difficult to miss the bright pink rocking chair with The Very Hungry Caterpillar cushions in the middle of the library at St Francis Xavier’s College, Hamilton. Surrounded by plants and flowers, a patch of fake grass underfoot and a side table ready for coffee and homemade brownies, it was an inviting place to spend 15 minutes. 

Throughout the day, a passing parade of staff, students and community leaders settled into the chair, opened a book and read. They weren’t reading aloud and there was no audience there to listen. The whole point was to be seen. 

Teacher librarian Julie Hoey created “Be Seen Reading” as part of the College’s Book Week celebrations, inviting people to make the simple act of reading visible to students. “We just wanted to normalise reading,” Julie said. 

“So many people are not reading anymore and it’s such a valuable thing to do from so many points of view. Academic results improve, cognitive ability – the ability to concentrate and think deeply … as well as emotional wellbeing.” 

Among those taking their turn in the chair were student leaders, Principal Greg Ptolemy, Director of Catholic Schools Maitland-Newcastle Jacqui Wilkinson, Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp and NBN News journalist and newsreader Natasha Beyersdorf. 

Natasha’s working life revolves around reading and sharing information, so picking up a novel offers the chance to escape into another world. 

“I love that reading transports you to another place, another time in some instances, and just getting to know new friends. At the end of a good book I think, ‘I’m really going to miss that person’.” 

Tim Winton has been her favourite author throughout her adult life, partly because of his ability to transport readers so vividly to the places and communities he writes about. Natasha recently visited Western Australia for the first time and found herself thinking: “I’m going to Tim Winton land!” 

Natasha believes reading is particularly valuable for young people, helping develop skills that can stay with them for life.  

“Try and make it part of your day if you can. As a journalist, I think that a lot of the skills that you pick up about writing, about being creative, is from having what you’ve read in the past. You learn so much but also, it’s good for your brain, it’s good to exercise that muscle.” 

Student leader Hali Delaney understands the challenge of finding that time. With the demands of Year 12, reading for pleasure has become harder to fit in. 

“I like that reading takes me somewhere else. And all different books have different fantasies and stories that you can delve into, and you’ll feel part of them. It’s just fantastic. None of them are the same; they’re all different and you can find out a lot about life with books.” 

Hali also saw firsthand why it mattered for students to see adults reading. Jacqui Wilkinson had been in the reading chair immediately before her and Hali noticed she wasn’t just turning pages; she was smiling and laughing at what she was reading. 

“She was reacting like you would as if you’re on your phone, but instead you’re getting introduced to a new world and get to use your brain,” Hali said. 

“I think it’s awesome to see adults reading. I feel like with older generations, it’s just embedded in them to read a book. They didn’t pick up their phones; they’d pick up books. It can be just as fun as scrolling on Instagram.” 

Jacqui said that visibility was exactly why she wanted to take part. 

“It’s incredibly important that young people see books, real books in the hands of real people. It’s important to send the message to young people that it’s such a pleasure to read,” Jacqui said.

“They get the adventure and the magic and the creativity. It opens up all of those worlds and things that they’re interested in, or things that they don’t even know they could be interested in.” 

Greg Ptolemy agreed adults needed to do more to model reading for pleasure.

“It’s extremely important and we don’t do it enough, and I’m as guilty as anybody of that,” he said. 

“My work is bound around reading, so there’s a lot of reading there, but do we take the time to read for pleasure in the way we should? No.” 

It was also why he welcomed the chance to take part. 

“The opportunity to stop in the middle of my day and read is just a beautiful invitation. But it’s also a chance for me to reflect what we value as a school, and that is about that importance of reading and educating one’s mind and the possibility of exploring new concepts.” 

Tim Crakanthorp said books offer a way to leave the pressures of politics behind at the end of the day. 

“After a stressful day, reading just helps you take your brain somewhere else,” he said. 

“You might pick up a book you don’t like; it doesn’t mean you don’t like books. I’ve usually got to try ten different books before I like one that I just can’t put down.” 

Hali has similar advice for a generation that has grown up with a smartphone in their back pocket. 

“Reading isn’t for everyone, but if you could just take it at a slow pace, find what you’re into, whether it’s fiction, whether it’s a biography. I’m more of a fantasy girl. But just explore, find what you like.” 

By the end of the day, plenty of people had taken their turn in the pink rocking chair, each spending 15 minutes simply enjoying a book. Throughout Book Week, students will hear plenty about the importance of reading and the places a good book can take them. 

But ‘Be Seen Reading’ offered something different. Instead of simply telling young people to pick up a book, the adults around them picked up one too. 

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