Margaret Dawn Hamilton

Margaret Dawn Hamilton (23 June 1941 – 24 November 2022) was an Australian children’s literature publisher who served as the National President of the Children’s Book Council of Australia from 1991 to 1992 and as a National Board Member until April 2017 when she formally retired. She also published seven books.

Early life Margaret Hamilton was born in Surry Hills, Sydney. Her family moved to Parramatta when she was around 10 years old. She attended Macarthur Girls High School. As a child, she did not have access to picture books but read comic books given to her by her uncle and did not enjoy the books she was required to read in her high school days.

Career Hamilton studied librarianship in her higher education at the University of Sydney. Following her schooling, she first worked as a librarian at the Parramatta City Library where she was a children's librarian. During her librarianship, she encountered Maurice Saxby, a well known figure in the children's book industry, whom she credits with inspiring her passion towards children's books, for sixteen years and then a bookseller in a bookshop. She also worked at the publishing company Hodder & Stoughton Australia eventually becoming Director of Publishing there.

In 1987, she discontinued her current job as Director of Publishing at Hodder & Stoughton to begin her own publishing company Margaret Hamilton Books with her husband Max Hamilton. Her philosophy in starting the company Margaret Hamilton Books was 'that children have a right to the best of everything, especially books’. from 1996 to 2001.

Hamilton served as National President of the Children’s Book Council of Australia from 1991 to 1992, and was a National Board Member of the CBCA until April 2017 when she formally retired.

Margaret Hamilton retired from publishing in 2001 but occasionally worked with other children's books authors and illustrators such as Glenda Millard, Stephen Michael King, and Patricia Mullins as a freelancer.

Hamilton died on 24 November 2022 in Springwood, New South Wales. She was surrounded by family, her husband Max and daughter Melissa.

Awards 1991 Lady Cutler Award from The Children's Book Council of Australia New South Wales Branch 1998 Pixie O'Harris Award 2004 Dromkeen Medal 2004 Nan Chauncy Award 2006 Distinguished Services Citation from The Children's Book Council of Australia 2008 Member of Order of Australia - "For service to the arts through the promotion of children's literature and literacy and through support for authors and illustrators." 2014 Children's Book Council of Australia Notable Book for B IS FOR BEDTIME 2022 Children's Book Council of Australia Notable Book for RAINBOW DAYS

Works The picture people: illustrators of contemporary Australian picture books (1993) Life's little guide to children's books (1995) The ABC book of Australian children's illustrators (2005) Creative connections: Blue Mountains writers and artists (2009) B IS FOR BEDTIME (illustrated by Anna Pignataro) (Little Hare Books, 2014) COUNTING THROUGH THE DAY (illustrated by Anna Pignataro) (Little Hare Books, 2016) RAINBOW DAYS (illustrated by Anna Pignataro) (Little Hare Books, 2022)