General News
28 August, 2025
Books to benefit schools
TWO Tablelands schools will receive 14 Australian-made “George the Farmer” picture storybooks, thanks to an initiative by Rabobank.
The bank’s Rabo Community Fund will supply St Joseph’s School at Atherton and Yungaburra Outside School Hours Care with one of 72 “George the Farmer” book packs distributed to primary schools, kindergartens, pre-schools, early learning centres and childcare centres around the country to integrate into their learning programs and share in their libraries.
Rabobank group executive for Country Banking Australia, Marcel van Doremaele, said the initiative – now in its fourth year – attracted an “impressive 415 applications from large and small learning centres across Australia”.
He said the interest from educational institutions – from both city and country locations – highlighted the enthusiasm for children to learn about where their food and fibre comes from in an entertaining and engaging way.
“George the Farmer” began as an interactive story app in 2015, and founder Simone Kain has since expanded the brand to include virtual-reality experiences, music, performances and paddock-to-plate videos available on YouTube and ABC iView, alongside free, curriculum-aligned educational resources.
Ms Kain said finding the right book could transform a child’s reading experience.
“Stories reflecting a child’s own world make reading meaningful. ‘George the Farmer’ was created to provide curriculum-aligned resources for all children – not just farm kids,” she said.
“Our platform has educated over 660,000 Australian children about food and fibre, significantly enhancing their learning.”
