Entertainment
28 February, 2025
Book leads to global credit
LOCAL journalist and author Kirsty Nancarrow is a finalist for the 2025 Women Changing the World Global Awards for her work on Himalayan Dreams, which has helped to raise over $30,000 for Nepalese children.
‘Himalayan Dreams: The Story of Som Tamang’ is a biography of a Cairns man who overcame incredible hardships to save children from his village in Nepal through education.
Almost a year after its release, the book has been sold in at least 10 countries, become an Amazon best-seller, and today it will be launched as an audiobook at the Cairns City Library from 12.30pm.
After all this wave of success, Ms Nancarrow was named as one of the finalists of the Women Changing the World Awards, an accolade that celebrates and recognises women achieving outstanding success in areas such as sustainability, humanitarian work, leadership and advocacy.
The awards will be presented in London this April.
“This is the first time that I’ve received recognition for writing Himalayan Dreams: The Story of Som Tamang. So, it’s very special to be in the running for a global award for literature,” Ms Nancarrow said.
“All I wanted when I wrote this book was for it to have an impact, and being a finalist shows that this book is having the impact that I wanted it to, that the message about gender equality and the power of one person to change the lives of many is actually getting out there to a much broader audience.
“I’m very proud of the fact that this is a story that has come from Far North Queensland. Som has called Cairns his home since 2003 and this community has really been part of the success of Friends of Himalayan Children (foundation).
“It’s not just an opportunity to celebrate Som and his work, but also to celebrate the impact that the Cairns community has had in supporting the work that he’s doing.”
Ms Nancarrow said she was also proud of the achievement of turning the biography into an audiobook.
“I have loved getting out and speaking at more than 30 events since launching the book, but I knew that there were readers and users that I wasn’t reaching with the physical book or the e-book,” she said.
“I’m so grateful to have received a grant from the RADF through Regional Arts Australia to enable me to hire a local broadcast professional, Richard Dinnen, to record and produce this audio book.
“This means the book can now get out to many other audiences. People with low vision, people with English as a second language, who may find this an easier way to access the story, so I’m proud to have made it into an audiobook. It took me back to my radio days.”
