Our May icebreaker evoked lots of memories, evident in a particularly noisy room while memories of ‘My First Job’ were shared in pairs!
Carmyl reviewed a rare book ‘Education of a Princess - a memoir by Marie, Grand Duchess of Russia’ (1931), describing being impressed by “the honesty of the account of a life which had very few satisfying episodes… to be able to write this book fifteen years after escaping Russia was a fine achievement”.
A program of catch-up stories preceded ‘intermission’, including ‘Her Story’, Phil’s delightful memories of his mother, Betty … “hard working, a figure of strength, a beautiful singer, and the best Mum of all.” On last month’s ‘My (Best, Worst, other) Holiday’, Barry’s ‘My (Best Steak) Holiday Memory’ and
Phil’s reflections on a ‘Mystery Tour’ involving the elusive ‘Baz’ both contained comedic elements. Neville’s ‘Easter’ story captured the life stage of 20-ish young man returning from Melbourne to the family farm each Easter keen to party, play music and have fun, and a father’s capacity to prick his conscience about spending more time at home and helping with the milking! On the topic ‘Discrimination’, James bravely shared his reflections on discrimination he faced as a New Zealander seeking work in Australian 43 years ago and the ways he found to work around and attempt to overcome it over time.
After ‘intermission’, May’s topic ‘Time Travelling’, brought forth engaging, thought-provoking stories. Graham, Carmyl and John ‘looked behind them to see the future in their footprints’, while Barry, Heather and Delfina ‘travelled through time to find a younger version of themselves and share a life lesson or lessons they have learned’
For the alternate topic ‘Memories Treasure Chest’, Ray shared fond memories of a life time as a bowler in which he participated in competitions and often won premierships, while James recalled as a boy collecting birds eggs, coins, badges relating to attainments in cubs, scouts and life-saving, with more badges added later as he rose through the ranks from air cadet to receiving his own pair of wings as a young pilot. He ended…“Now I collect wine every week for pleasure…… Has to be a Red, mainly Shiraz!!”
Next month’s topics - Inspired by the books of Miles Franklin and recommended for continuing class members ‘My Brilliant Career’ or ‘My Career Went Bung’; and for newer class members, ‘Rebellion’. Details are included below**, in the course handout and will be sent out in a reminder email during the month.
Each month, ‘life’s rich tapestry’ resonates in our stories. A thread of comments and anecdotes in a number of stories this month caused pause for reflection on our experiences of the gendered nature of the world we inherited and gender related issues we have observed across the many decades in which we have lived and worked and brought up families.
Thank you to class members for your preparedness to share your stories. It is such a joy to read them when they arrive in my email or letter box each month, and to observe the encouragement and support you give one another during our sessions.
Bev Lee
Carmyl reviewed a rare book ‘Education of a Princess - a memoir by Marie, Grand Duchess of Russia’ (1931), describing being impressed by “the honesty of the account of a life which had very few satisfying episodes… to be able to write this book fifteen years after escaping Russia was a fine achievement”.
A program of catch-up stories preceded ‘intermission’, including ‘Her Story’, Phil’s delightful memories of his mother, Betty … “hard working, a figure of strength, a beautiful singer, and the best Mum of all.” On last month’s ‘My (Best, Worst, other) Holiday’, Barry’s ‘My (Best Steak) Holiday Memory’ and
Phil’s reflections on a ‘Mystery Tour’ involving the elusive ‘Baz’ both contained comedic elements. Neville’s ‘Easter’ story captured the life stage of 20-ish young man returning from Melbourne to the family farm each Easter keen to party, play music and have fun, and a father’s capacity to prick his conscience about spending more time at home and helping with the milking! On the topic ‘Discrimination’, James bravely shared his reflections on discrimination he faced as a New Zealander seeking work in Australian 43 years ago and the ways he found to work around and attempt to overcome it over time.
After ‘intermission’, May’s topic ‘Time Travelling’, brought forth engaging, thought-provoking stories. Graham, Carmyl and John ‘looked behind them to see the future in their footprints’, while Barry, Heather and Delfina ‘travelled through time to find a younger version of themselves and share a life lesson or lessons they have learned’
For the alternate topic ‘Memories Treasure Chest’, Ray shared fond memories of a life time as a bowler in which he participated in competitions and often won premierships, while James recalled as a boy collecting birds eggs, coins, badges relating to attainments in cubs, scouts and life-saving, with more badges added later as he rose through the ranks from air cadet to receiving his own pair of wings as a young pilot. He ended…“Now I collect wine every week for pleasure…… Has to be a Red, mainly Shiraz!!”
Next month’s topics - Inspired by the books of Miles Franklin and recommended for continuing class members ‘My Brilliant Career’ or ‘My Career Went Bung’; and for newer class members, ‘Rebellion’. Details are included below**, in the course handout and will be sent out in a reminder email during the month.
Each month, ‘life’s rich tapestry’ resonates in our stories. A thread of comments and anecdotes in a number of stories this month caused pause for reflection on our experiences of the gendered nature of the world we inherited and gender related issues we have observed across the many decades in which we have lived and worked and brought up families.
Thank you to class members for your preparedness to share your stories. It is such a joy to read them when they arrive in my email or letter box each month, and to observe the encouragement and support you give one another during our sessions.
Bev Lee
**Topics for June -
For continuing class members, the theme is - ‘My Brilliant Career’ and/or ‘My Career Went Bung’ (Miles Franklin)
Miles Franklin’s ‘My Brilliant Career’ and its thoughtful sequel. ‘My Career Went Bung’ closely mirror events in her life.
Reflecting back on your life, flesh out the story of (one of) your brilliant career(s), sharing with us the highs, the lows, the struggles, it’s meaning to you, and more, OR
Reflect back on a time when your ‘My Career Went Bung’. Set the scene by sharing with us the nature of your career before it ‘went bung’, what appeared to have happened, why, what it meant to you, and whether perhaps other doors opened up to you as a result.
For new/newer students, a topic to get your teeth into…. ‘Rebellion’
An act of rebellion! Have you ever challenged authority, defied expectations or fought for your beliefs? Choose a single, defining act of rebellion in your life & tell us about it
Of course, you can choose from either the ’continuing’ or ’new’ member topics!
if you have been busy or had writer’s block, you can always present a catch-up story you haven’t shared yet; share a 'members' choice’ story, or simply pass and enjoy the stories shared by others. Long-term members, it’s fine to share a story you enjoyed writing in the past on one of these topics, while for those who have written about one of these topics as part of an autobiography or story collection, it’s fine to share this, tweaking the story to ‘fit’ the topic if necessary.
For continuing class members, the theme is - ‘My Brilliant Career’ and/or ‘My Career Went Bung’ (Miles Franklin)
Miles Franklin’s ‘My Brilliant Career’ and its thoughtful sequel. ‘My Career Went Bung’ closely mirror events in her life.
Reflecting back on your life, flesh out the story of (one of) your brilliant career(s), sharing with us the highs, the lows, the struggles, it’s meaning to you, and more, OR
Reflect back on a time when your ‘My Career Went Bung’. Set the scene by sharing with us the nature of your career before it ‘went bung’, what appeared to have happened, why, what it meant to you, and whether perhaps other doors opened up to you as a result.
For new/newer students, a topic to get your teeth into…. ‘Rebellion’
An act of rebellion! Have you ever challenged authority, defied expectations or fought for your beliefs? Choose a single, defining act of rebellion in your life & tell us about it
Of course, you can choose from either the ’continuing’ or ’new’ member topics!
if you have been busy or had writer’s block, you can always present a catch-up story you haven’t shared yet; share a 'members' choice’ story, or simply pass and enjoy the stories shared by others. Long-term members, it’s fine to share a story you enjoyed writing in the past on one of these topics, while for those who have written about one of these topics as part of an autobiography or story collection, it’s fine to share this, tweaking the story to ‘fit’ the topic if necessary.
