Vale Pat Dargin

It was with great sadness that we received the news of our member Pat Dargin’s death. Pat died on 14th May 2021 after fighting dementia for a number of years.

Pat and her husband Peter were devoted members of our Guild. Peter was President and Pat was Treasurer during the early 2000’s. (2001-3) They also edited and published the national storytelling magazine Swag of Yarns.

Pat was a great Storyteller, writer and literacy tutor.

Many of us will remember Pat’s effective use of her BAG OF TALES that paired with Peter’s SWAG OF YARNS and travelled Australia.

Pat would delve into it, and bring out a puppet, toy or other object designed to intrigue her young listeners and encourage them to participate in the stories.

Pat had extensive experience as a teacher, and literacy consultant. She was an active member of the Dubbo Early Childhood Education Group. She focused on promoting the rich language of story, assisting in the growth of vocabulary, visualization skills, and appreciation for rhyme, rhythm and structure of language. Pat also told stories for adults, who were also fascinated by her skills in drawing her audience into the story. She wrote the Education Package for the National Trust property Dundullimal and the Guide’s Training Manual that stressed the importance of storytelling in history.

Pat wrote many fascinating articles on all aspects of storytelling for the Storytelling Tips included in the Guild’s Magazine Telling Tales. Peter was the Series Editor of these inspiring articles, which were treasured by Guild members, and were also included in Swag of Yarns. Pat also wrote many of the U2 Can Tell Stories and most of the Learning Literacy brochures the pair used for training pre-school teachers.

Pat and Peter introduced the tradition of Stone Soup day.

Those of us who were fortunate to know and admire Pat will miss her deeply. We send our sincere condolences to Peter, her beloved husband, during this time of sadness.

Sue Alvarez Life Member