Community & Business
22 July, 2025
Street library honours avid reader
A new street library has been built in front of Wyreema Hall by local resident Sharon Lea in honour of her mother Del Huf, a great lover of books.
The Street Library has been built to the left of the Wyreema Hall’s front entrance in front of the fenceline, facing Umbiram Road.
Sharon said Del, short for Delma, was born in Toowoomba in 1932 and was raised on a farm at Pilton, attending the Pilton Primary School.
Del and her husband built a house in Toowoomba in 1956 and lived there until around 1993.
“She worked for many years at the then Open Book (Lutheran Bookstore) in the Australia Arcade before getting a position at Chandlers in Clifford Gardens,” Sharon said.
“A job that she loved because she enjoyed helping people choose the right appliances for their needs.
“It seemed everyone knew her as I could not walk down the street with her, without someone stopping her to chat.
“She was also a part of the Lutheran Choristers for many years, and faithfully attended Redeemer Lutheran Church.
“She opened her home to many people in the community to share a meal and friendship. “
Sharon said Del’s later years were spent in Buckingham Gardens Nursing home in Brisbane where she spent all of her time reading.
She passed away there on 23 May 2024, at age 92.
“It was her love of reading, and my desire to give something to the Wyreema Community (our now forever home) that inspired me to set up a Street Library in her memory,” Sharon said.
“I hope this gift brings joy to those who use it.”
A Street Library is a home for books and is accessible from the street, with an invitation to share the joys of reading with your neighbours.
The library is a symbol of trust and hope in the community, with books constantly coming and going with no need to check them in or out.
People can reach in and take what interests them and, when they are done, simply return them to the street library or pass them on to friends.
If anyone has a book or two of any genre that they think others would enjoy, they can pop it into the street library when they happen to be walking past.
There are also street libraries in Cambooya and Westbrook.
The Cambooya Community Street Library can be found in front of the Cambooya Landcare office at 64 Eton Street and the Westbrook Wise Owl Library is at 8 Westfield Drive.
There are over 5,000 street libraries across Australia.
