2012–2013 Laureate: Boori Monty Pryor

Much-loved children’s authors Alison Lester AM and Boori Monty Pryor were Australia’s first Children’s Laureates. They were appointed together to start off the first Laureate program because of their shared creative spirit.

Boori Monty Pryor is an Indigenous man descended from the Birri-gubba and the Yarrabah nations of Queensland. He is highly respected and acclaimed as a performer of dance, music and storytelling, Boori has worked in film, television, music and sport.

Boori’s Laureate Focus: ‘Storykeepers’

Boori shared his own curiosity and imagination as Laureate to encourage children to become storytellers. 

“We need curious children and to have curious children we need children who are not only able to read but children who WANT to read,” Boori said.

Boori enjoyed telling stories to so many people as he travelled around Australia, especially those stories he learnt as a young Indigenous boy in North Queensland. He was often seen dancing and shaking a leg, like you can read about in his ‘Shake a Leg’ book.

“The future of Australia lies in imagination. To have a creative economy we need curious children and to have curious children we need children who are not only able to read, but children who WANT to read. To build a culture of reading we need a nation of story-tellers,” Boori said.

About Boori

For 40 years Boori has been an indefatigable and inspiring promoter of Indigenous culture in our country. His collaborations in children’s publishing have resulted in awarded books including Maybe Tomorrow, The Bina Binna Man and My Girragungi with Meme McDonald; and Shake a Leg with Jan Ormerod.