​Actor and author Bryan Brown spoke to an enthralled audience when he helped open a new Little Library in Milperra on Monday morning.

The Milperra Little Library is the result of the efforts of a group of book-loving local residents with the support of City of Canterbury Bankstown. 

Bryan Brown reminisced about his days growing up in the area and talked about his own experiences with books and reading. 

“I remember Bankstown mobile library at Panania Station every Friday and Little Golden Books around the house”, he said. “Books tell stories about people and culture, people like yourself and unlike yourself.” 

He described his incredible movie career as another kind of storytelling. 

“I have always loved telling stories and see it as a way of getting into another life,” he said. “Stories have enabled me to have a really joyful life.”

Bryan also touched on his debut as an author, with his collection of short stories, ‘Sweet Jimmy’.

“Going into a bookstore and there’s a book with my name on it. I would never have imagined that, as a kid having adventures round here, I would one day write a book.

Bryan donated two full bags of books and a copy of his own book to the library. “Sweet Jimmy” had hardly touched the shelf before local resident Valda Roser took it to read. 

Revesby/Bunya Ward Councillor David Walsh also spoke, and highlighted the new Little Library as a great initiative. 

“I see this as a great example of the community and council working cooperatively,” he said. 

Paul Judge, the main coordinator of the Little Library, and a passionate reader, was delighted to see his idea become reality.

“Milperra has never had a library or book store. It was in recognition of this gap and my own appreciation for books and reading that I initiated this street library project in our area,” he said. 

The Little Library was built and installed by Bankstown’s Men’s Shed and is registered with Street Library Australia. As part of the opening, Bryan Brown, Councillor Linda Downey and Councillor Walsh affixed a Street Library Australia plaque to the library.

Milperra Little Library is packed with books and is ready for the community to start borrowing. You never know, you might be reading a book that used to belong to Bryan Brown!

Milperra Little Library is located at Milperra Community Centre, Ashford Avenue, Milperra.