ON THE WALLABY- 19th March 2006

DOLLY PARTON – MORE THAN A GREAT VOICE .

”I thought, wouldn’t it be wonderful to let kids learn how to love books? We (her Imagination Library project started in 1996) now give books to at least 500 counties in 42 States in the USA and last year we sent out more than two million books” – Dolly Parton, Country music singer, actress and legend

I have great passion about a number of things in life, amongst them are numbered auctioneering, sailing, flying, encouraging people to chase their dreams and books and it is the latter that has spawned today’s OTW.

I was reading in a magazine today a story on country music legend Dolly Parton and of whom I have been a great fan since she started singing way back when.

What caught my eye was not the disarmingly frank and honest way that she talks about her childhood, her looks and her (multi million dollar) business but her passion for not only books but the benefits they can bring.

As she said in the article “if you can read, you can learn and you can educate yourself” and given that in many ways, words are my business, that comment struck a very responsive chord within me.

So it was with absolute joy that I read on and discovered that she was a woman who puts her money where her mouth is and in 1996, she created the Imagination Library project.

Initially created to give one book a month to each child in her home county (in the beautiful Smoky Mountains in Tennessee) from birth to age 5, it has now expanded to where books are given to at least 500 counties in 42 states across America and over two million books were given away in such a manner last year alone.

That is truly fantastic and we will never know just how many children were able to improve not only their lot, but their quality of life through her generosity.

How many children are able to escape the harrows of life by being able to read and through those pages, turn themselves into the heroes of their life?

Heck, here I am at age 60 still retreating from the real world, through the pages of authors such as Patrick O’Brien, Alexander Kent, Douglas Reeman (“Alexander Kent’s” real name), Dudley Pope and other maritime authors to an age and lifestyle when I would loved to have been alive.

Whilst I guess I am, as they say, a “published author” in that my first book The Complete Guide to Selling Real Estate by Auction has now sold into every State and Territory of Australia and overseas into China, Indonesia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States, I hope one day to be able to write a book that will be of interest to people as these have.

Congratulations Dolly not only on your singing and acting skills but also on your philanthropy which has, and continues, to benefit so many youngsters.

Carpe diem

Tony

Tony Fountain

Professional Speaker, auctioneer and author

Sydney NSW Australia

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