A group of Henty students have written a book about dung beetles, to be launched at Henty Machinery Field Days, as part of an award-winning environmental program.

Cindy's Beetles Beat the Flies, written by Imogen Jones, Joely Scott, Sarah Brennan, Tara Scholz, Preston Coe and Charlie Doig, is one of three books that will be unveiled at the field days under the banner of Creative Catchment Kids. A program involving more than 60 schools in the Murray, Riverina and Western regions of NSW, Creative Catchment Kids encourages children to research, write and publish books about local people and groups who are helping to improve the environment.

The project, a partnership between Wirraminna Environmental Education Centre and the Murray Darling Association, won the 2015 NSW Junior Landcare Team Award and has just been announced as the state’s representative at the national awards early next year.

“To be down to the last five or six in Australia, it’s pretty amazing,” program manager Owen Dunlop said.

Creative Catchment Kids began in 2010 and has produced more than 200 books in the past couple of years.

Mr Dunlop said because the children had to conduct interviews and then write and illustrate their books, they gained many skills in the process.

“It’s really positive and it builds self-esteem in children,” he said.

“We don’t always choose the most gifted or the outstanding literary kids. 

“It’s pleasing to see that when children are involved over 12 months, they gain in confidence and you can just see they get a real boost out of it.”

Henty Public School is a regular participant in Creative Catchment Kids, with last year’s book focusing on the field days event itself.

Assistant principal Mary Liston said this year the children visited a family who had introduced dung beetles on to their farming property as a way of increasing soil productivity.

Cindy’s Beetles Beat the Flies is the result, with the children enjoying the experience.

“Learning about dung beetles was fun and a different topic to learn about,” one said.

Mrs Liston said the children were proud to have published their own work.

“The whole idea of the books is they’re targeted to other school-aged children and trying to raise that environmental awareness,” she said. 

“It’s been a great exercise in terms of awareness and obviously the kids feel very proactive having this kind of a role.”