2018

‘The difference between eating well and eating poorly is only a couple of dollars. And the difference between writing well and writing poorly is only a few minutes.’ I made this statement to a bunch of people in a writing class a few years ago and, as expected, earned a sea of wide eyes. But […]

Coming alongside older people in their last days to listen to their story is a humbling experience and an enormous privilege. For the most part families are supportive, helpful and are excited for what the process will produce. Just occasionally though, where there is unresolved hurt and grief, families can be resistant and unhelpful. I […]

“When you are asked if you can do a job, tell ‘em “Certainly I can!”                                                                                    Then get busy and find out how to do it.” Theodore Roosevelt, US President Do you recall your initial work? Many of us had duties to perform at home while we were kids and teenagers such as washing the car or […]

It’s a question that fascinates many older folk. Should I write my memoir? And what really motivates people to explore their life story? Won’t I appear to be self-absorbed or egotistical? These are questions answered by a new book entitled Life is a Story: How to write your memoirby Mark Koehler. The book uncovers the two […]

“When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.”Italian film actress and mother -Sophia Loren. If you’d asked me, I would have said that I had little in common with Sophia Loren! However, I am a mother […]

Your DIY ANZAC Day Kit All of the questions you need to interview a relative about his/her war time experience. Collect the stories and preserve them for the future as a family heritage legacy REMEMBER OUR FALLEN FAMILY HEROES MISSED, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN “Australia has sent young men and women to face the trials of […]

If Only I Had Asked. If Only He Had Lived Longer My father never mentioned the war! I was 21 when I lost him to a sudden heart attack. He had told me he was proud of me the night before and that is my last memory of him. He was gone before I even […]

If you haven’t already done so, commit to making time this ANZAC Day to remember and record your family’s war stories.  War has been a defining feature in Australia’s history in every generation. We have been involved in wars abroad since 1899 when our first 561 ADF (Australian Defence Forces) were killed or missing. Since […]

Written in 1997, Pamela Harazim’s poem ‘The Strangers in the Box’ points out that many of us have boxes of unattributed photos tucked away in our homes – photos of family, friends, neighbours and strangers that only we can name. Does this sound like you? “THE STRANGERS IN THE BOX” Come, look with me inside […]