Contributing to Community
Serving others, community building and the positive value of belonging.
"We are 6th generation booksellers, having grown up with Dad working in the bookshop down the garden path behind our home. Our childhood was surrounded by a community of diverse book collectors and dealers, authors, and the general reading public who were ever present within our family life. Like osmosis these many characters with often opposing viewpoints influenced our boyhood adventures and inspired us to ensure that a robust community must sit at the heart of each of our 20 bookshops.
Having spent a life surrounded by books, we have seen how serendipity, and human connections can come from discovering new ideas through books, and how a community bookshop can serve to break down prejudices, heal misconceptions, and help build a stronger home for us all.
Please visit your local Harry Hartog bookshop and let us know what you are reading or wanting to read; as we are always studying demographics, seeking to understand each community, and would love to help inspire your next read."
Harry Hartog's Independent Owners, David & Robert Berkelouw
Celestial Footy by Patrick Skene
"I can highly recommend Celestial Footy for any sports buff, historian, or community minded raconteur who is eager to hear a positive story about Australian immigration.
Through the lens of ‘footy’, Patrick Skene has brought to life some incredible community stories of multiculturalism and Australian Chinese football players. Having overcome different level of prejudice, challenge, and obstacle by immersing themselves in our national game, these players and their communities have participated and thrived." - Robert Berkelouw, Independent Owner
Patrick Skene on Community
"On a beautiful Ballarat summer night after the launch of ‘Celestial Footy’, I was approached by an elderly gentleman who thanked me for writing the book. He said he was proud of his Gold Rush Chinese heritage but noted that his community had been marginalized from Ballarat’s history and that my book gave him great pride.
I wrote ‘Celestial Footy’ to use the power of story to help rebuild the Chinese-Australian community’s sense of identity and belonging, which had been badly shaken by the increase in COVID-19-related racism. My research uncovered a rich 140-year history of Chinese heritage Australian Rules footballers who overcame obstacles and ‘had a go’, challenging stereotypes that Chinese-Australians kept to themselves and didn’t participate in civic life.
The incredible contribution and deep history of the community in building Australia – in every state as market gardeners, brush clearers, miners, laundrymen, cooks, shop owners – surprised recent Chinese migrants who have read the Chinese language version of ‘Celestial Footy’.
The Chinese-Australian community’s response has been overwhelming, and their joy at acknowledgment has reinforced my mantra – that we are only a complete nation when all our community’s stories are moved to the centre. This notion was grasped by the dedicated booksellers at Harry Hartog, with a curated selection highlighting books that explore the many facets of community.
I hope you enjoy the selection of books, as writing can be a lonely endeavour, and these stories I’ve listened to, and those that pass-through communities, are the humbling moments that make it all worthwhile."
Patrick Skene, Author of Celestial Footy: The Story of Chinese Heritage Aussie Rules