2020 - A very COVID Year

​2020 will go down as the year when the COVID epidemic waylaid plans for functions, activities and meetings as we flexed with ever-changing restrictions aimed at ensuring the health and safety of our patrons, members and committee.
 
Our annual Night of the Notables in March was the first event to be cancelled. This was followed by the cancellation of our exciting plans for hosting the National CBCA Shortlist Announcements at The Sanctuary Adelaide Zoo in child-centred experience featuring workshops with our premier South Australian authors and illustrators and an animal handling experience in keeping with the CBCA Book Week theme “Curious creatures, Wild minds”.
 
The national hosting of the CBCA Book of the Year Awards to be held at Government House and hosted by the Governor and Mrs Le also had to be cancelled as travel restrictions, quarantine uncertainties and social distancing made face to face gatherings impossible to plan and execute.
 
South Australian children’s authors and illustrators were also impacted by COVID restrictions. More than 20 had new books were released, but opportunities for launching and promoting were negligible. The SA Branch planned a massive mini-launch for more than 15 new South Australian children’s books, but this also had to be cancelled to accommodate COVID restrictions.
 
We are looking forward to a better 2021!