The Ides of March...
VP Brian advised March is Rotary Water, Sanitation and Hygiene month.
- The Rotary Foundation has invested over $148 million globally in over 2,000 projects world wide.Guest Speaker - Ros Thomas, Journalist and Author
Ros Thomas is a journalist turned author from Perth, Western Australia.
After twenty years in national and international television current affairs, working from Sydney, London and Los Angeles, she became a long-running columnist for The West Australian Newspaper with a weekend readership of 350,000 every Saturday.
Her first book, an anthology of favourite columns, was University of WA Publishing’s best-seller for 2014.
In 2017, she gave up her weekly writings to care for her mother, newly diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. During this time she began writing her first novel — How To Shame The Devil— the story of an elderly man who finds himself embroiled in a #MeToo scandal from his past. Published in 2021 by Night Parrot Press, it sold out its first edition in eighteen weeks.
Ros is also the prize-winning author of short stories and flash fiction. In 2021 she was named the winner of Britain’s Staunch Prize from an international field for the best short fiction of the year. She was also awarded a 2024 Churchill Fellowship to study effective interventions in the identification and management of chronic loneliness.
As a passionate advocate for dignity in aged care, in 2018 Ros was the ambassador for Alzheimer’s WA and joined the board of the WA Government’s Carers Advisory Council where she advises the Minister on the needs of carers.
Ros is now hard at work on her third book, again set in Perth and is married with three children, none of whom read anything she writes!
In her address to the Club, Ros remarked that asking a writer if they enjoyed writing is like “asking a duck if they like pate…” and she writes every day, saying "it’s like practicing golf”.
At age 15, she wanted to be an actress, dressing up like Debra Winger in Officer and a Gentleman”.
At age 16, she was sick of being asked “what do you want to do when you grow up?” so she answered “an astronaut", and when asked where she wanted to go?, she answered “Uranus!”
At least it stumped the adults…
As her school Work Experience she chose to be a Dental Nurse (for the pink uniform….) and her work experience consisted of making cups of tea until the last day. She then assisted the Dentist with an elderly male patient. This turned into a disaster with the suction hose stuck to his tongue and dental instruments being scattered everywhere!!
After being sacked from work experience she decided to become a Journalist instead.
30 years later - how did she get here?
Ros' words of wisdom included :
Writing is like a blank page, you have to create magic. Keep turning the sentences over.
There is no problem with failure, it is success you have to worry about…
Be prepared to fail often. Many people fail to be Astronauts, but they are still good and decent people.
Ros observed you write to
connect to your readers and included some classic anecdotes and one liners...
It’s like marriage - “one is right and the other is the husband….”
The best thing is when you read something you think is only you.
Books are who we are, how we live and die.
There is the sheer beauty of words, where arrangements matter, sentences flow.
Writing is best done surrounded by people in cafes, not at home surrounded by dirty socks!
Ros then spoke of the novel versus mediums such as Netflix. Literature has the power to stay with you. However, due to social media people’s attention span seems shorter.
The publishing trend is towards the shorter “Novella”.
When asked what is the future of investigative journalism v opinion? she answered the old news cycle of '12 hours' is now '20 minutes'. There is no time to validate, so who do you put your faith in?
Ros thanked the club and took a number of questions.
Directors' Reports and Announcements
VP Brian: Rotary Action Day 13 April, 20 Expressions of Interest for International Dinner. Link via TryBooking (https://bit.ly/RotaryActionDay). No table booking offered at this stage, so suggest registering and we will work on the seating plan…
Ross S: Ronald McDonald House dinner locked in for Sunday 17th March - be quick one place left.
Gerry M: SKG Vocational visit now Wednesday 13th March.
Fines and Winner of Heads and Tails
- All those that were unaware we have gained an extra day this week.
- In support of the celebrity’s arrival in Perth, all those attired in any shade or infusion of pink, or with tickets to attend the razzle dazzle show.
- Current and ex public servants who will likely miss out on what they’ve always dreamed of - a 4 day week and 12% pay increase.
- South Perth rate payers, in light of the argy-bargy between councillors over pre-selection for the future Liberal candidacy, and
- A range of persons with skilled occupations that Dr Cook might call upon to assist with development of the new ferry service 'Metrowet' - under consideration!
Heads and Tails was won by our 'Global Supernurse' Raelene George.
Attendance
33 attendees in all including Ros our guest speaker, guest Rhonda Kremmer, and soon to be members Diana Goh and Lydia Wong.
Men's sheds as a metal health resource
Our long time member Graham Rennie is heavily involved in the Manning's Men Shed and here is an article which helps us understand the implications and need of such a worthwhile project in our community.
WA Men’s Shed Magazine is a great way to keep in touch with their successes. Cut and paste the link into your browser if you would like to the story in full and more about Men's Sheds.
