Local author Margaret Hickey has long been a part of our community in the North East and her recent recognition for the Ned Kelly Award from the Australian Crime Writers Association has been a proud moment for our region.
It’s fitting that a local writer should win the Ned Kelly Award with Margaret's connection to Glenrowan before moving to Beechworth.
Her gripping fourth novel, The Creeper, has earned the prestigious title of Best Australian Crime Novel, placing her alongside literary giants like Jane Harper and Peter Temple.
This award validates her works and we hope encourages her to continue to create.
Not only is she supplying us with reading material that keeps us on the edge of our seats, but she also has a significant impact on the community.
Having been a teacher for 25 years, including at Cathedral College Wangaratta, Margaret has nurtured and encouraged generations of our community and with her literary feats, continues to inspire far beyond the schoolyard.
Her success is not just a personal triumph, it should be celebrated by all as our local literature is recognised as well as the communities that inspire her work.
As she prepares to focus full-time on writing, we celebrate her achievement and look forward to her next novel, set right here in the North East.
Margaret has earned her place among Australia’s crime fiction elite.
She’s achieved it with heart, grit and a deep love for the region she calls home and regional Australia more broadly, and we should all be proud to call her our neighbour.