Putting Pen to Paper - National Writing Month

For Gill Waminda Aged Care Centre (“Gill Waminda”) resident, Ron, his love for all things words and writing spans across his impressive 99-years. When asked where his passion for reading and writing first stemmed, Ron explains: “I was good at it.” In fact, during his life, this passion eventually led him to have many jobs relating to the practice of writing.  

Ron had a weekly newspaper column in The Goulburn Post for 23 years and he broadcasted the column, ‘Todays’ Thought,’ on the local radio station, 2GN. During the segment, Ron had one minute to read his column which was pre-recorded. Ron was also a teacher, where he taught Geography, Economics, Commerce and English, at the local High School. He recalls that writing was something he enjoyed and could inspire his students with.  

Ron finds inspiration for his writing through various aspects of life, including his religious connection to the Uniting and Methodist Churches. Beyond this, he finds inspiration from humour books, British comedy, and joke books, reflecting that readers often appreciate humour. Most recently, Ron’s current writing is inspired by his own life, having written 50 pages of his autobiography as of October 2023. Ron’s advice for inspiring writers? It starts at the very beginning, with him highlighting the importance of planning drafts, having a plot, and writing for a specific group of readers.  

For Burrangiri Aged Care Respite Centre (“Burrangiri”) client, Ken, he has authored a book about his life, noting that he, “thought about it for five years and then put it together,” with the help of his daughter. He has sent copies to a friend in Darwin, and a friend in Perth, and to his many friends across the globe.  

For Ken, his sense of creativity stems from his early childhood. “I’ve always been creative,” he states. “I started playing the drums when I was seven and creativity just comes naturally. I’ve done painting and all those sorts of things.”  

His book covers the activities of his life, starting from his early childhood in Melbourne, recalling his time in the Scouts. His Father was a Scoutmaster, before noting his move to Melbourne from Canberra, as well as his time in Bangladesh as Australian High Commissioner. 

Raoul (pictured at the start), another client who has attended Burrangiri, has written a book about his family story. He notes that the objective for this project was to capture his memories. “One purpose was to write down memories that are in danger of being lost. I wanted to push myself to remember,” he says.  

His passion for writing comes from, as he notes, “over 60 years of reading. I am an academic. I have always read and sought the truth, so it doesn’t get lost.” He hopes that his work will be read by his family. “I wrote my personal family history in politics, so it can be carried on. I imagine my great, great, great grandchildren reading our history. That’s quite likely.”  

When considering his advice to future aspiring writers, Raoul tells of the importance of drawing upon the past. “Take on records retained in your time,” he says. “Lots of other people have written; do your research. Start with a small question and keep going back.”