Election day. May 21, 2022. Mid afternoon. I make my way to Canning Street, Carlton North. Stop by my childhood home, the neighbourhood of my youth. Election day was a happy day in that house. My mother and father, Hadassah and Meier, loved the three-block walk to the polling booths. In Lee Street, our local primary school. They were elated at having the right to vote. From where they came, this right had been brutally wrenched away. I retrace the tracks from the house to the booths. I see a man, moving slowly, and steadily, walking crook in hand. We stop and talk. He is 91 years old. It is a magnificent walking stick, I say. It is a cromach, he replies. He had acquired it in Scotland, the ancestral land. The handle is made of antlers, and the stick of highland ash. It’s a shepherd’s crook, once used to scale highland pastures, and for rounding up sheep. He sings in Scottish brogue: 'As step I wi’ my cromach to the isles.' The antlers are shed every year, he says. Shepherds could also use the handle to rest their guns on if poachers came in search of cheap spoils. He props the stick on the pavement and demonstrates how it is done. We stand and talk on a glorious autumn day. I could listen to him for hours, but it’s time for him to be on his way. I continue along Canning Street, by the median strip, lined with bare poplars and palms. Walk past terraced cottages, named after places of the old home — Southwick. Harrow. Meadow Vale. Rosedale. Rosewell. Picnickers are out in Curtain Square. I cut through the lane where the bogey man once lived. We would glimpse him through a crack in the fence, a grizzled old gent, sitting in the backyard, surrounded by a tribe of cats. He struck fear in our prejudiced minds. At the end of the lane — the school. The queues to the booths snake through the yard, as they did many decades ago. The how to vote cards are being handed out. Once they were made of cardboard. I would collect them, regardless of the party, and take them home. Spent hours, building cities, pyramids, and fragile homes. Democracy is fragile, my parents would say. It may be flawed, they understood, but it's far better than what we once had. It provided a sense of belonging. Of safety. And a proud walk, to and from that little cubicle, in which they could, without fear, cast their precious vote. As lovers of social justice, and greater equality, I wonder what they would feel now.
Arnold Zable
Election day. May 21, 2022. Mid afternoon. I make my way to Canning Street, Carlton North. Stop by my childhood home, the neighbourhood of my youth. Election day was a happy day in that house. My mother and father, Hadassah and Meier, loved the three-block walk to the polling booths. In Lee Street, our local primary school. They were elated at having the right to vote. From where they came, this right had been brutally wrenched away. I retrace the tracks from the house to the booths. I see a man, moving slowly, and steadily, walking crook in hand. We stop and talk. He is 91 years old. It is a magnificent walking stick, I say. It is a cromach, he replies. He had acquired it in Scotland, the ancestral land. The handle is made of antlers, and the stick of highland ash. It’s a shepherd’s crook, once used to scale highland pastures, and for rounding up sheep. He sings in Scottish brogue: 'As step I wi’ my cromach to the isles.' The antlers are shed every year, he says. Shepherds could also use the handle to rest their guns on if poachers came in search of cheap spoils. He props the stick on the pavement and demonstrates how it is done. We stand and talk on a glorious autumn day. I could listen to him for hours, but it’s time for him to be on his way. I continue along Canning Street, by the median strip, lined with bare poplars and palms. Walk past terraced cottages, named after places of the old home — Southwick. Harrow. Meadow Vale. Rosedale. Rosewell. Picnickers are out in Curtain Square. I cut through the lane where the bogey man once lived. We would glimpse him through a crack in the fence, a grizzled old gent, sitting in the backyard, surrounded by a tribe of cats. He struck fear in our prejudiced minds. At the end of the lane — the school. The queues to the booths snake through the yard, as they did many decades ago. The how to vote cards are being handed out. Once they were made of cardboard. I would collect them, regardless of the party, and take them home. Spent hours, building cities, pyramids, and fragile homes. Democracy is fragile, my parents would say. It may be flawed, they understood, but it's far better than what we once had. It provided a sense of belonging. Of safety. And a proud walk, to and from that little cubicle, in which they could, without fear, cast their precious vote. As lovers of social justice, and greater equality, I wonder what they would feel now. The memoir 'vignettes' which were written for May’s warmup activity, 'Gone Fishing', were varied and precious. Neville and Graeme then reminisced about childhood memories of Anzac Days which have stayed with them, with Neville's story also honouring his father and Graeme’s story describing decades of participation in Anzac Day marches as a band member.
Under the theme of 'Friendship', stories of great warmth were shared about the rediscovery of 'A Long Lost Friend' by Carmyl, Heather, Joan and Marg. Ray chose 'A Friendship Tested', reading his father's poem, 'The Stockman's Lament', a poem which powerfully illustrates the way in which young people can test friendships using peer group pressure involving risk, danger, and in this case, death. With two months to catch up on, a longer session with an afternoon tea of slices, biscuits and chocolates was the order of the day. During the break we celebrated Ray O'Shannessy's 90th birthday. Ray has been a member of the memoir writing group since February 2017 and has written many stories about his life since then. Happy Birthday, Ray! The topic, 'Community', resulted in stories set in geographic communities, such as Barry's story of growing up in Wollert and Ray's record of his extensive involvement in the Benalla community. Stories about ‘communities of interest' were also shared - Marg's participation in “Tennis Playing Communities” from County Tipperary to Benalla; Carmyl's beloved cottage industry community at Tallangatta; Bev's reflections on educational communities, and Heather's story about the RAAF– “I have been in a number of places where I have developed a real sense of community, but none affected me more than my years of service with the RAAF”… During the session we listened to a new story on Life Matters from the ABC’s current ‘500 words’ project. Writers now submit stories recorded on their smart phones! We talked about adding their new topics to our list, with the group clearly in favour of 'Precious Objects', but not so sure about 'True Confessions'! We also checked out the positive comments Marg’s story ‘Annamult’ has received on the website from people living in Ireland. Our topic for June is 'Causes' - the brief "Tell us about a time, or times, when you have taken on a cause you were passionate or concerned about. When did this occur; why was it important to you, how did you go about addressing it - with what result?" The alternate topic for June is 'Rebellion'- The brief, "Have you ever challenged authority, defied expectation or fought for your beliefs? (Each month we offer a popular, previously used topic as an alternative for newer members and those wishing to revisit and perhaps edit a previous story.) On a final note, kudos to new members Graeme and Joan, who have now taken the leap, sharing engaging stories to commence their collection of 'slices of life' stories for 'As Time Goes By'. Bev Lee We did not meet in April as our session fell on Anzac Day, however we have extended our meeting time on Monday 23 May to 1 to 4 pm. Please bring one if not two 500-word stories and a small plate of afternoon tea or some chocolates to share!
The topics? ‘Community’ (April’s topic)- “Write about a community you participated in, taking this opportunity to write about a slice of your life’s journey which may be of interest to your family. It could be a community in which you felt a really ‘good fit’, a community which changed you, perhaps even a community you were glad to leave behind. Share your reflections in 500 words. ” 'Community' can be a geographical unit - a region, a town, a neighbourhood, a street, but it can also relate to a 'community of interest' you belong or have belonged to. The alternate April topic is ‘Anzac Day’ – The Brief - 'Looking back over your lifetime, write about your memories of Anzac Day and its place in the cultural rituals of your family and the communities in which you have lived, moving from the personal to the political if you wish. “A chance to reminisce about memories of Anzac Day (or Days) which have stayed with us over time”. ‘Long Lost Friend’ (May’s topic) – “Have you ever come across a long-lost friend years after first meeting them? Tell us about the time when you first knew them, how you lost touch and the major changes in your life since, how you met them again, and your reflections on doing so. Are you still in contact? Explain what has happened since you came across them again.” (‘long lost’ could also be a family member). The alternate May topic is ‘A Friendship Tested’ - "A true friend is there through thick and thin, but not all friendships survive under pressure. Tell us about a time when a friendship was put to the test. Did it strengthen your relationship, or push it over the edge?" Bev Lee |
About 'As Time Goes By' - Memoir Writing'As Time Goes By' provides an outlet and support for members keen to write about their lives and tell stories their families may not get around to asking them about. A memoir is a slice from a person’s life which focuses on a particular theme or lesson or flavor of experience, an aspect of life that is most unusual or fascinating. Each month class members reminisce, write about and share memorable ‘slices’ from their lives in response to set ‘500 Words’ themed writing topics.
Please note - The course does not cover writing a detailed, chronological autobiography. Convenor & Contact detailsBeverley Lee
5762 8171 Meeting Times4th Monday 2 - 4 pm
U3A Meeting Room - or during Covid-19, this is the time to emailed stories to Bev to be shared online. 2021 Collection'Found'
'Triggers' 'This (...) Life' 'If Only I ...' 'Right Here, Right Now' 'Crash' 'Stock and Land' 'Cringe' 'A Childhood Memory' 'Curved Ball' 'The Year that Made Me' 'Someone who Shaped Me' 'A Memoir' 'Anzac Day' 2020/2021 'One Moment, This Year' (2020) 'A Love Letter to Travel' 'Too Hard Basket' 'New in Town' 'In Isolation' Collection 2020March: Making Waves
April: Winging It/Taking the Plunge May: Anzac Day or Turning Point June: 'I grew up in...' July: 'Car Stories' and 'Ideas Piggy Bank' August: 'Right Here, Right Now' September 'Out of the Blue' October 'This Life' November 'Triggers' December 'One Moment, This Year' - (2020) (due in Feb) Past topics
All
LinksLife Matters 500 words writing projects
Australian Writers' Centre Victorian Writers' Centre - Writers' Victoria Wheeler Centre Archives
May 2022
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