{"id":199860,"date":"2025-12-24T14:54:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T14:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/199860\/"},"modified":"2025-12-24T14:54:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T14:54:10","slug":"meet-the-woman-behind-nzs-longest-running-book-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/199860\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the woman behind NZ’s longest-running book club"},"content":{"rendered":"

From childhood visits to the library<\/a> with her older sister to teaching children with disabilities, hiding from her family to squeeze in a few more pages and 52 years as a member of what may be New Zealand\u2019s longest-running book club<\/a>, reading has brought Annette Hill countless moments of joy.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom day dot, I read anything and everything I could,\u201d shares former principal Annette. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was younger, I even used to love getting fish and chips wrapped up in the Truth newspaper because you never knew what you were going to be able to read.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now 84, she is the only remaining founding member of Christchurch\u2019s first Book Discussion Scheme group.<\/p>\n

\"\"Avid readers (from left) Annette, husband Richard, Sarah, Stuart and Anna in 1986. <\/p>\n

\u201cSadly, over time, I\u2019m the only one left, but it\u2019s evolved and kept the same feeling of closeness,\u201d says Annette.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to explain \u2013 we support one another and always will. But our focus is on the book, and on valuing and respecting people\u2019s opinions of it. It\u2019s the knowledge and experience of others that\u2019s so valuable, and adds to the richness of the group.\u201d<\/p>\n

Founded in Canterbury in 1973, the Book Discussion Scheme now sends out titles and notes monthly to around 12,000 Kiwis, from Stewart Island to the Far North and even the Chatham Islands.<\/p>\n

Why discussion matters<\/p>\n

\u201cDiscussion is the key concept,\u201d explains Annette. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur group has always held a very strong model, gathering a group of like-minded souls. You read the book, give it a mark, have a brief talk, then go back through the notes and questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

And it can be wonderfully perspective-shifting.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt times, hearing others\u2019 points about the book, I\u2019ve changed my views or original opinion,\u201d she tells.<\/p>\n

Finding herself through reading<\/p>\n

Annette was a young mother of three when she first joined and remembers, \u201cIt was something that was just mine, my thing away from the family. It might sound selfish, but it was a retreat and it also kept me stimulated mentally.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Annette\u2019s love of learning began long before she joined the book club. Growing up in Christchurch, she recalls being surrounded by books at home with her mother and grandmother, and she treasured trips to the library with her older sister. She learned to read before she started school.<\/p>\n

She says, eventually, teaching was a natural calling. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother had two cousins who were teachers and I thought they were wonderful. They, along with some of the teachers I had, inspired me.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Avonside High School, Annette trained at Christchurch Teachers\u2019 College and later became a principal at a low-decile, inner-city school.<\/p>\n

Working with children from varied backgrounds, some with disabilities, reinforced her belief that reading transforms lives.<\/p>\n

\"\"The school principal in 2005.<\/p>\n

A home shaped by books<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the cornerstone of learning,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

At home, books were central to her parenting approach alongside husband Richard, now 85, with their three children, Stuart, now 60, Sarah, 58, and Anna, 54.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur children were read to all the time. I remember trying to miss a few pages of a favourite Dr. Seuss book<\/a> and there was no way I was getting away with that,\u201d she laughs, before another beloved literary memory pops up.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany years ago, I was given a copy of [NZ writer Keri Hulme\u2019s] The Bone People for Christmas. We were packing to go on holiday and the book kept interrupting my packing. I had to sneak away and hide, and keep reading just a little bit more. \u201cEven with our grandkids, who are adults now, all of us have a love of reading and books \u2013 it\u2019s part of our DNA.\u201d<\/p>\n

When life got in the way <\/p>\n

At one stage, Annette\u2019s career became so demanding that she stepped away from the book group, but it never stepped away from her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings were hectic and I said I didn\u2019t think I could keep going,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a leave of absence for 11 years and they kept my place the whole time.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cTruthfully, whether they liked it or not, I was coming back!\u201d<\/p>\n

Coming home to books<\/p>\n

After retiring, Annette picked up right where she left off. <\/p>\n

\u201cI had missed it so much, and since retiring and coming back into the book group, it\u2019s just been bliss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although most groups opt to have them delivered, Annette loves visiting the Book Discussion Scheme headquarters each month to pick up their new titles and connect with like-minded literature lovers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re just incredible and it\u2019s always delightful to have a chat,\u201d she enthuses. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe women are all readers and so dedicated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still in love with reading<\/p>\n

These days, Annette can read without sneaking away, but the novelty of a good book has never worn off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had a wonderful life, a great marriage and a husband with similar interests who is also an avid reader,\u201d she smiles. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it\u2019s good now I don\u2019t have to hide from the family \u2013 I can read wherever and whenever I want.\u201d<\/p>\n

To find out more about the Book Discussion Scheme, visit bds.org.nz<\/a><\/p>\n

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