Category: Memoir

  • I visit the Ukraine in 1968

    I visit the Ukraine in 1968

    My Travel Journal Continues: “From Paris to Russia and Back” Because of the events in Ukraine today, I have re-published this post with sadness in my heart at the thought of these memorable days. May the sufferings of the Ukrainian people come to an end soon, and the Russian troops ordered into the country by…

  • In Search of a Voice

    In Search of a Voice

    My writing started out as therapy for a polarised — to be explained later on — childhood. My own background had been stamped indelibly by my not having had a voice within the extended family I was born into. Others in my family had gorged themselves on yackety-yak, thereby filling the void left by my…

  • A First Day in Paris

    A First Day in Paris

    This is a short story expressing contrasts between two cultures and the beauty and awe associated with the new one.

  • Candidly Yours…

    Candidly Yours…

    In search of a voice… My writing started out as therapy for a polarised — to be explained later on — childhood.  My own background had been stamped indelibly by my not having had a voice within the extended family I was born into. Others in my family had gorged themselves on yackety-yak, thereby filling…

  • Moree and Insistent Voices

    Moree and Insistent Voices

    Moree, with a population of about 8,000, is situated in the north-west of NSW on the Mehi River and at the junction of the Gwydir and Newell Highways. It is famous for its Artesian Spa waters, which were discovered accidentally in 1895 when a bore was sunk in search of irrigation waters. Instead, mineral water…

  • A Well-Loved Pet

    Zac followed my partner along the footpath near our home, one afternoon when Mark was walking towards the gym. An Aussie Terrier, starving and weary. These gym sessions were daily events and sacrosanct at the time. This day, instead of continuing on his route, Mark bent down, picked the skinny runt up in his arms…

  • My 1968 Travel Journal: a metaphor

    My 1968 Travel Journal: a metaphor

    My European travels in a downbeaten French deux chevaux car, shuffling and chugging through 15 countries, is a metaphor for my earliest attempts at self development. During the months’ long trip, I kept a daily journal, developing writing skills that proved a helpful therapeutic resource later on. After I returned to Australia, I engaged a…

  • Memoir Writing

    Memoir Writing

    According to American author Marian Roach Smith’s definition, “Memoirs are selections from your life story, shaped by theme, driven by a few burning questions.  So the question the reader brings is: why these bits of your life? The answer to that question will lead you to your opening.” See her website for more gems about…

  • River Girl: An Early Chapter of my Memoir in Progress

    River Girl: An Early Chapter of my Memoir in Progress

    River Girl I lived at a place called Waterview, a lush, fertile valley, with a river swollen like a pregnant woman coursing through it. Despite the name ‘Waterview’, the Clarence River was hidden from sight at the point where I was brought up, because of the lie of the land. The irony was that there…

  • Lambs in Spring

    Lambs in Spring

    Lambs in Spring The humid scorching heat of the sub-tropical climate engulfed us; the sun’s rays tore at our skin with ruthless intensity and sent us kids scurrying towards water, even if it was only to the hose in the back or front yard. Sometimes Mum would pile us into the jeep and head for…