Not the last Gasp

So much later...

A belly laugh is good and I’ve just had one.

‘Over a year?’ I asked myself. ‘A YEAR!’ Hah-hah-belly-laugh-hah.

Mortifying, really, to have been out of touch for so long. I’m now 80 but I won’t allow that to be an excuse for anything. Age is not disease, nor has it rendered me incompetent. It’s just that your bone-idle, ancient author has been so busy and occasionally having such a good time she’d almost forgotten the existence of a wider, very kind public. Sorry, sorry, sorry.

Where did time go? I’m aghast. I do find comfort in the realisation that almost no one reads websites so it’s unlikely I’ve been missed. Humbling, to say the least.

It would be ridiculous to cover everything that’s happened in the interim. If I forget to mention some special event that you and I were at together, forgive me. There have been many, each of which has been buzzy, invigorating and uplifting.

Let’s begin...

Where is the Green Sheep? has brought pleasure to millions over the last 23 years and I’m happy to say it continues to delight anyone who comes across it for the first time, although after several hundred repetitions of it, parents may sigh and wish it had never been written.

Where is the Green Sheep? made my family and me wild with delight when we saw the hysterical play of the book at its launch in the Sydney Opera House last November (2025).

Judy Horacek, who sat with us, had had a huge input into the production. She’s a multi-talented cartoonist so the production was a wildly funny depiction of her illustrations. I can safely say it was the best children’s theatre I’ve ever seen. The whole audience, of every age, was howling with laughter. Marvellous! Jenny Darling, my friend and agent, and also Judy’s, was also sitting with us. The book is dedicated to Jenny, so it was a family event in more ways than one. The production has been booked in over 58 venues across the country over the next few years. I’ll be seeing it again in Adelaide in January 2027. Here’s the schedule: https://www.monkeybaa.com.au/shows/where-is-the-green-sheep

And here are a couple of pics:

Where is the Green Sheep? A Monkey Baa Theatre Company and QPAC’s Out of the Box Festival co-production. Based on the book by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek. Written for the stage and directed by Eva Di Cesare. Photo by Robert Catto.

Where is the Green Sheep? A Monkey Baa Theatre Company and QPAC’s Out of the Box Festival co-production. Based on the book by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek. Written for the stage and directed by Eva Di Cesare. Photo by Robert Catto.

Where is the Green Sheep? A Monkey Baa Theatre Company and QPAC’s Out of the Box Festival co-production. Based on the book by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek. Written for the stage and directed by Eva Di Cesare. Photo by Robert Catto.

Over my lifetime, but in particular over the last twelve months, the last I hope I’ve inspired many more children to read for pleasure, and to understand the world a little better through the words I’ve written and the schools I’ve visited.

For example, in May 2026, I was at a small school in country South Australia, under the auspices of the Premier’s Reading Challenge. The entire school and I were packed into one big room, little ones almost sitting on my feet, a few lucky kids on chairs, and older children and their teachers holding up the walls.

I read Koala Lou and explained its genesis: how I’d had two younger sisters and would often wonder if I were still important to my parents, especially to my mother. I reassured the children that no matter what, my mum still loved me dearly, even when she was so busy with the other two she hardly had time to breathe.

At the end of the session, an anxious-looking seven-year-old waited to speak to me.

‘I have a little sister,’ she said.

‘You do?’ I said.

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘She’s autistic.’ (I could see where this was going.)

‘So,’ I said, ‘your mum’s really busy, isn’t she? And you’re wondering sometimes if she has time for you in her heart?’

The child looked stricken. ‘Yes,’ she whispered.

‘Well, let me tell you. Your mum really loves you. She does. It’s just that life’s a bit hectic for her at the moment. All right?’

‘OK,’ she said, and smiled.

A moving last moment.

Here I am at my 80th (looking 90), with my Premier’s Reading Challenge pals from the SA Education Department: Julia Baldwin, Mark Williams, and Alle Goldsworthy.

Alle set the whole thing up 23 years ago and deserves a gold medal. We travelled together to many schools in Adelaide and also to the east, south, north and west of the state, often by plane to the furthest places. Such happy memories. (One little boy, bursting to ask a question, wanted to know where I had bought my earrings. His poor teacher looked as if she wanted to die.)

It was my final visit to schools with the PRC. I had been the first ambassador, at the invitation of the then SA premier, the Hon. Mike Rann.  I’ve now retired. I’ve absolutely loved my 23 years volunteering as a reading ambassador.  I could have carried on with a certain amount of verve and passion, but it’s tiring. There comes a time, and the time is now.

I loved turning 80. My birthday’s in March so it was a hot day, but I could have done it all over again the following week. In a nod to my darling dad, Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, whose name I used as the title of my second book, my birthday celebration (more of a cocktail party) was at Partridge House in Partridge Street in nearby Glenelg. I had, of course, been Miss Partridge myself, before I was Ms Fox.

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, the book, is about memories and an old lady. It seemed appropriate to read it as part of my short 80th birthday speech, so I did.

Friends and family came from across the world, across the country, across the state, and from almost next door. It was joyful and funny.

These two, Lyn Wilkinson and Rick Hosking, are much loved ex-colleagues and friends from Flinders University. I stole Rick’s last name for one of the characters in Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge.

I’ve been attending my Monday fitness class weekly for 33 years, so my lovely classmates got together and spoke a wonderful poem, full of in-jokes, as you’d imagine. I’m still alive and fit thanks to that class. Our instructor for the first 30 years  was Catherine Doyle in the blue dress.

And then Anne took over. I credit my fitness teachers with keep an old asthmatic alive and fit for so long. Here’s Anne with two of my fitness mates, Phil and Richard.

My own adored students from 1973-’75 at Sturt Teachers College (now Flinders University) performed a fantastic song and dance act based on a song from Auntie Mame. Mame became Mem. Brilliant! They’re grandparents themselves, now. That’s how old 80 is.  Here we all are:

Lindsay Glaister, Don Bull , Jackie Nelson, me, Fiona Wald, Andrew Wald, Harry Dewar and Paul Carter.

In October last year (2025) I went to two marvellously divergent writing festivals, one in Melbourne and the other in Perth, a week later. Each focussed in different ways on children’s fiction, popular fiction and self-publishing, which was new to me as a literary reader. And I’ve  been published only by mainstream publishing companies: Penguin and Scholastic. So, I was way out of my zone, although I was doing my usual thing by request, on how to write for young children. I found it new and sort of edgy to be exposed to such a different literary world. Fascinating. Divine people at both.

Tess Woods, who instigated the Festival of Fiction in Perth and runs it annually with a bevy of devoted volunteers, is an author in her own right, highly successful (her latest book is The Cairo Bridal Shop, which I loved), and one of the most dynamic women I’ve ever met. And so kind. I had said no presents for my birthday as I’m a  ruthless de-clutterer, but Tess gave me 80 iced biscuits arranged in upright rows in a gorgeous box, with a Mem Fox  book cover on each one. Brilliant. Just amazing.

My daughter and my editor, Allyn Johnston, tied them one by one in little gauze bags as party favours for my guests. Jokes were made about selling them on eBay for vast prices.

One of my friends, Helena Nilsson, foolishly showed her ONE biscuit to her grandchildren, Luca and Rosa.

You can see why being 80 is so great.

But the story continues... in April I signed a contract with Scholastic for a brand-new book. I was in a state of ecstasy as I signed. Luckily, my highly focussed  agent, and good friend Jenny Darling, was there to make sure everything was in order.

I was thrilled and honestly surprised to realise I could still write at 80. I thought I’d finished with writing, lost the talent, fallen out of the groove, and moved on. But no. That’s the benefit of napping. You wake up with a new story in your head for zero to four-year-olds! Who? Who? The Kangaroo? It’s wildly repetitive, rhyming of course, and madly rhythmic: all the usual Mem Fox elements.  It may take less than minute to read (I haven’t timed it yet) so it should be popular with parents, although they may be required to read it a million times and come to regret their purchase. The Australian illustrator, still secret until his contract is signed, is very excited about it. You’ll know his work. He’s famous. Publication is promised for Christmas 2027.

 And lastly (remember, I never talk about my darling family as we value our privacy), but rest assured, they’re there, always present, always tell you about a magnificent event on the evening of May 21st this year. My Lord, what an evening!

It was the occasion of the annual Australian Book Industry Awards night, known as the ABIA awards.

Everyone is there to acknowledge the best small publisher, best crime publisher, best overall publisher, best new writer for young children, best bookshop, best non-fiction book, best book, you name it.

Here I am with Belinda Collins and Bec Diep, my publicist, from Penguin RandomHouse.

My award, cherished beyond measure, was one of the last presented that evening: the Llyod O’Neil Award for Lifetime Services to the Australian Publishing Industry. My speech had taken weeks to write: a limit of five minutes, a nightmare of brevity. I was introduced hilariously by my American editor AJ (Allyn Johnston) and was about to speak when the entire room got to its feet. A standing ovation! Before I’d had time to say a word! I mean. Put yourself there. It was wild. Stupefying. So kind. It took a moment to take it all in. The honour of it. Here I am afterwards, holding the award, showing off.

And here I am with the other two members of Team Magic, as we laughingly call ourselves: Jenny Darling, my agent, me, and Allyn Johnston, my American editor.  AJ came to Australia August, March and May to work with Simon and Schuster in Australia and to attend a publishers’  conference in Melbourne. It was a treat to have had her visit me for a few days each time. Work was done...

Look, I’m a dedicated family person. I’m a gardener. I’m a friend. I’m a tidy, efficient, de-cluttering housewife. I’m a reader. I’m a podcast fan. I’m a good cook and a good cleaner. I love Netflix and games on my iPad. I love ABC radio, RN in particular. Occasionally, amazingly, I’m also a writer. So you’ll understand how extraordinary it felt that night to be applauded only as a writer. So that’s who I was! And that’s who I am. Wow.

To finish, a great poster from a teachers’ union demo in Melbourne, earlier this year.

Thank you for your heart-warming support over my writing life-time.

And yes, I promise to write more than once a year in any years I have left.

Mem Fox xxx
Adelaide, mid-late 2026