Every object tells a tale, and many of Australia’s most treasured possessions can be found in Canberra. Now, these amazing artefacts and the stories behind them will be highlighted in a new book, published by Halstead Press and produced as part of the Centenary of Canberra celebrations.

No-one knows their way around the capital’s great collections better than Betty Churcher AO, former Director of the National Gallery of Australia and one of Australia’s most admired cultural authorities.

Paintings, drawings, maps and prints will be featured alongside monuments, historic documents, relics, books and specimens. Each object provides a valuable insight into the past and offers an opportunity for reflection on the history and development of our national identity. Treasures have been sourced from major national and local institutions.

This book will be a personal showcase of some of the most loved and most precious items selected by Betty Churcher and co-author Lucy Quinn from Canberra’s glorious array of cultural riches.

Betty Churcher is well known in Canberra as the former director of the National Gallery, and to the outside world as a TV presenter and author. Co-author, Lucy Quinn, is a gifted young Canberra artist, she studied at the Australian National University and has worked as a gallery educator at the National Gallery of Australia and the National Portrait Gallery.

For more information visit www.halsteadpress.com.au