A Coolamon girl, born and raised, though I left home for the bigger smoke of Canberra at the age of seventeen. Except for a couple of years overseas, Canberra has been my home. It’s where I’ve raised kids as well as myself. I’ve lived (in chronological order) in Acton, Barton, Campbell, Hawker, (Queanbeyan), Yarralumla … then Turner, O’Connor, Lyneham, O’Connor, Lyneham, O’Connor, Lyneham. It’s in North Canberra that I’ve learnt about vegetable gardening, feminism, car mechanics, activism, community radio, and the sheer pleasure of walking for the heck of it. In the 1970s Canberra was big enough for me, and not too far from Coolamon. I haven’t lived there for almost fifty years, but I’ve always been a Coolamon girl, always will be, and thank goodness for that. ​ Writing has been a part of my life since I was a kid. I started my first novel when I was thirteen using a typewriter borrowed from our next-door neighbour. I’ve written poetry and some short stories but rarely for publication. For many years my writing life was focussed on my job. I’ve had articles published in journals such as Women Against Violence, and many organisations have my reports on their shelves from when I was a consultant in, and for, the community sector. MY WRITING LIFE Since 2008, I have been a member of a writing group: writing, receiving and providing feedback, rewriting, editing, and loving every moment of it. I am currently working on the second volume of my memoir which will explore addiction, motherhood, and the growth of my feminism and political activism. DAY JOB A trained librarian, I’ve spent the majority of my working life in the community sector organisations established by feminists to assist survivors of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and homelessness. The book shelves were always tidy. Currently, I am a member of the ACT Civil & Administrative Tribunal, where I sit on Energy & Water (Ombudsman) hearings and, pre-covid, Mental Health and Guardianship hearings. I continue to be passionate about the community sector and have recently stepped down from my position as Official Visitor for Homelessness Services (2014 – 2020) and from the Domestic Violence Crisis Service Board (2013 – 2019).