This is a longer version of the report which appeared in the June Newsletter.
The topics for June, July and August were distributed at the beginning of May’s class. Bev’s story, ‘The Separator’, acted as this month’s icebreaker, prompting discussion and developing ideas for June’s first topic which is ‘Stock and Land’. Later, we briefly glanced at a series of stories published in The Guardian about the second topic for June: ‘The place that stayed with me’.
Our memoir writers produced very powerful and moving insights into this month’s challenging theme: ‘Things Fall Apart - Loss and Learning’.
However, we started on a lighter insight. Anne took the group through Richard Glover’s article “My lifetime of crushing failure - turns out it’s an anti-dementia super power”. (The Age, 3/4/26). Apparently, if you take up an activity in which you’ve shown no previous ability your brain will create more neurons than someone with a natural ability. We could all relate to deficiencies in our musical or foreign language or sporting abilities and imagine how we might - or might not - revisit some abandoned activities.
The memoirs around ‘Failure and Success’ showed how two ideas can coexist. Merv’s successful reputation was undermined when he went on holiday and handed over responsibility to a colleague. Merv described his job as author and publisher of hundred of books; a local telephone directory. Trusting his experienced replacement to complete his work while he went on leave, he returned to find it went straight to publication. Questions were being asked in high places about missing entries.
Heather’s purchase of a racehorse turned out to be an expensive end to dreams of a racing career. Still, Saucy Sam became an amiable companion to his stable mates and his human friend.
Jenny took us back to house sharing days in her early 20’s when a medical emergency that was eventually resolved could be viewed as both a success and a failure.
Carmyl and Anne both shared stories of ‘Heartbreak’, revealing the build up to the loss of a loved one.
To explore the topic ‘The Toughest Year of My Life’, Robyn and John agreed that tough times don’t fit neatly into a one-year timeline. Robyn took us through the ups and downs of farming, in particular, the challenges of surviving drought and floods. John’s story led to a discussion of the challenges of being a teacher and the support systems that are lacking in many workplaces.
Jan’s story shared the challenges of suddenly coping with widowhood. Although she originally wrote it under the topic ‘If only I’d known’, it could fit any of this month’s topic about loss and learning.
Max’s discovery of a memoir, 'Jackson’s Track', inspired memories of his great grandmother, Georgina. A mysterious footnote had been added on one of the pages; that a skilled forestry axe man mentioned was an ancestor of Max’s (true). The writer of the footnote remains unidentified!
A founding member of the memoir writing group in 2015, David Palmer passed away on 30 April after a long illness. David’s stories often featured memories of cherished times in his life on farms, in planes, with his family and as a journalist, stories which led on to his being encouraged to offer the ‘Stock and Land’ course and co-convene ‘The Sky’s the Limit’.
The theme for next month’s meeting on June 15th is Place. Suggested topics are Stock and Land and The Place That Stayed With Me.
Anne Stewart
The topics for June, July and August were distributed at the beginning of May’s class. Bev’s story, ‘The Separator’, acted as this month’s icebreaker, prompting discussion and developing ideas for June’s first topic which is ‘Stock and Land’. Later, we briefly glanced at a series of stories published in The Guardian about the second topic for June: ‘The place that stayed with me’.
Our memoir writers produced very powerful and moving insights into this month’s challenging theme: ‘Things Fall Apart - Loss and Learning’.
However, we started on a lighter insight. Anne took the group through Richard Glover’s article “My lifetime of crushing failure - turns out it’s an anti-dementia super power”. (The Age, 3/4/26). Apparently, if you take up an activity in which you’ve shown no previous ability your brain will create more neurons than someone with a natural ability. We could all relate to deficiencies in our musical or foreign language or sporting abilities and imagine how we might - or might not - revisit some abandoned activities.
The memoirs around ‘Failure and Success’ showed how two ideas can coexist. Merv’s successful reputation was undermined when he went on holiday and handed over responsibility to a colleague. Merv described his job as author and publisher of hundred of books; a local telephone directory. Trusting his experienced replacement to complete his work while he went on leave, he returned to find it went straight to publication. Questions were being asked in high places about missing entries.
Heather’s purchase of a racehorse turned out to be an expensive end to dreams of a racing career. Still, Saucy Sam became an amiable companion to his stable mates and his human friend.
Jenny took us back to house sharing days in her early 20’s when a medical emergency that was eventually resolved could be viewed as both a success and a failure.
Carmyl and Anne both shared stories of ‘Heartbreak’, revealing the build up to the loss of a loved one.
To explore the topic ‘The Toughest Year of My Life’, Robyn and John agreed that tough times don’t fit neatly into a one-year timeline. Robyn took us through the ups and downs of farming, in particular, the challenges of surviving drought and floods. John’s story led to a discussion of the challenges of being a teacher and the support systems that are lacking in many workplaces.
Jan’s story shared the challenges of suddenly coping with widowhood. Although she originally wrote it under the topic ‘If only I’d known’, it could fit any of this month’s topic about loss and learning.
Max’s discovery of a memoir, 'Jackson’s Track', inspired memories of his great grandmother, Georgina. A mysterious footnote had been added on one of the pages; that a skilled forestry axe man mentioned was an ancestor of Max’s (true). The writer of the footnote remains unidentified!
A founding member of the memoir writing group in 2015, David Palmer passed away on 30 April after a long illness. David’s stories often featured memories of cherished times in his life on farms, in planes, with his family and as a journalist, stories which led on to his being encouraged to offer the ‘Stock and Land’ course and co-convene ‘The Sky’s the Limit’.
The theme for next month’s meeting on June 15th is Place. Suggested topics are Stock and Land and The Place That Stayed With Me.
Anne Stewart
