November 2011
Once again we gathered at the Bowling Club to enjoy each others company and a nice lunch.
We welcomed three visitors and hope they enjoyed themselves.
Barbara Bloom has done a great job in finding interesting speakers for us this year.
Our guest speaker for this lunch was an Australian author who proved to be a great story teller and kept us all entertained with his accounts of his life adventures and the people he has met on the way who have provided inspiration for his writings.
His name is Robert Gordon Menzies- a name chosen for him by his parents in honour of the Prime Minister at the time of his birth.
He says that his name has proved to be more of a burden than a bonus.
He also celebrates the same birthday as the former Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister was well known for his quick wit.
Young Robert attended a small country school at Dorrigo.
When the headmaster heard the Prime Minister was driving past the school on the way to Armidale he managed to prevail on the entourage to stop at the school.
Young Robert was introduced to his namesake and announced that they shared the same birthday, to which the great man replied. “You have held your age well”.
It took a while for young Robert to get the joke. He did not understand why all the adults laughed. A memorable experience nonetheless.
When Robert graduated from Macquarie University with a degree in Politics a report appeared on the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald.
The reporter had asked Robert why his parents had named him in this way to which he replied that they must have had a sense of humour.
This appeared on the front page of the paper and unfortunately his parents, who had high expectations of their son, were not amused. Another learning experience.
Growing up in a small country town gave Robert many opportunities to meet all different kinds of people from timber mill workers and potato farmers to iterant seasonal workers. After graduation he went to England expecting to find work as a teacher not realising this was not an option at the time.
Because he left Australia with only $300 his money soon ran out and he found himself living on the streets for four years.
He says he was saved by a wonderful woman. On return to Australia he was able to find positions at a number of Sydney private schools.
Now he is retired he has drawn from his wide ranging experiences to write four novels (so far).
Culture Shock is based on a story about a young girl he knew at school.
Webs of Deception comes from his experiences at the schools where he worked.
His latest book Beyond the Labyrinth comes from the experience of meeting a strange person in the local caves where he grew up. This man had many interesting stories to tell.
Robert also talked about the book industry and the demise of bookshops in Australia.
He says he never knows where or when his books are for sale and he sells more books over the internet. Internet sales do not give much to the author. Robert thinks that authors are going to have to have other jobs to support themselves or wait until they retire to write. Only 7% of Australian authors can make enough money to sustain them.
Robert lives on the Gold Coast and travels around talking to groups like VIEW Club and promoting his books and we thank him for coming.
He is certainly good at telling stories so his books should be worth reading.
The next meeting and lunch will be held at the Kangaroo Valley Bowling Club on Friday 11th November-11.30 am for 12 noon.
Elections for some committee positions will be held at this meeting.
Lyn Gerstenberg our district representative will be our guest and she will be giving a talk about the founder of VIEW, George Forbes and the present CEO Lisa O’Brien.
Please phone Jan Starkey on 4465 2080 or email her jjstarkey42@bigpond.com by 6 pm on the Wednesday before the lunch if you are unable to attend.
It is necessary for us to provide the caterer with accurate numbers for our luncheon otherwise our club will be charged.
New members and guests are welcome.
Please phone our President Margaret McLachlan 4465 1946 for details.
Jeannette Dumbrell
Publicity Officer