Creative residents write book of memoirs
Residents at two Sydney retirement villages have published a book of stories about their lives.
A group of Uniting residents living from two retirement villages in inner-west Sydney have come together to pen a 40,000-word collection of personal stories entitled The First Thursday Memoir Writing Group.
For eight months this year, on the first Thursday, 13 residents from Uniting’s McRae-McMahon Place and Hawkins Place in Leichhardt have got together to share stories about their lives. It has resulted in the completion of a book containing 46 stories.
The organiser behind the initiative, 87-year-old Leone Sperling, established the group believing that memoir-writing would be a valuable and healthy activity for like-minded people her age.
Ms Sperling said the sessions were often tearful for those taking part.
“I would set a topic each month that would enable the members to look at their past and find a relevant pertinent moment in their life to examine and turn into an exploration of the feelings involved in that memory,” Ms Sperling said.
“It is certainly a psychologically beneficial thing to be able to express genuine, honest feelings with one’s fellow writers and community.”
Themes explored in the collection include friendship, parenting, emotions, and satisfaction.
Aside from Ms Sperling other authors of The First Thursday Memoir Writing Group include Thelma Abrahams, Brigid Sen, Michael Barker, Philip Ansoul, Geoff Amblin, Carole Bye, Julie Bailey, Ginna Hastings, Cathy Milgate, Rowena Simone, Maggie Wall and Richard Whitfield.
Uniting Sydney Central head of senior services Renee England called Leone’s initiative to create the writing group “wonderful”.
“We’re proud to have created an environment that provides the opportunity for our residents to build and share community connections at Uniting,” she said.
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