Cairnlea icon turned into a children’s book

Meredith Thomas and Clare Brennan. Picture: Shawn Smits

Cairnlea Community Hub played host to the launch of locally focused children’s book, The Little Black Powder Mill on the Grasslands of Cairnlea.

Centring on Brimbank’s historical Black Powder Mill, the book highlights the history and heritage of the area.

The mill is the last surviving building of the Albion Explosives Factory, which was a key element in Australia’s munitions industry from 1939-86.

Author and Brimbank resident Clare Brennan read her book at the launch, while illustrator Meredith Thomas, also a local, walked guests through the process she used to animate its subject.

By Alex Ferraro