Murder, beauty, guilt, blame, rumours and … footy. All get a look-in within the pages of the new anthology launched by the Clunes Writers’ group at last month’s Booktown festival.

Launched with readings from the writers, or their stand-ins, at the Esmond Gallery in The Warehouse, Boundless is the third anthology of collected short story and poetry by members of this lively local group.

Convenor of the group, Sandra Nichols, said the new anthology is “a treasure trove of thoughts, dreams and experiences”.

“We currently have close to 20 members and they are not only people who live in Clunes but also come from surrounding areas including Newlyn, Newstead, Talbot, Maryborough and  Scarsdale,” Sandra said.

Among the 17 contributors to the new book, group member Deb James read one of her own pieces entitled Grandpa’s Bookcase,’  telling the launch audience: “This is a story about the beginnings of a love of books and reading”.

Members say the welcoming group meets every second Monday of the month from 1-3pm at Attitude Clunes and have the opportunity to read out their work and receive feedback – if they wish.

“Each month we have a new theme to write to and that’s great because people will all interpret that in very different ways,” says group member Julie Moran.

“The thing we’ve found this year is that people’s writing has really developed.”

The group has stood the test of time. It’s been running for 20 years now, and current members say it’s great for socialising.

“Oh God I love it,” says member Judi Palmer.

“It gets me out of the house and stimulates my mind  to have to keep coming up  with something each month. The camaraderie is great and the mental and physical health benefits are a huge advantage of belonging to a group like this.”

Boundless retails for $32 and members say it is currently available for purchase at Boom Clunes, the local green grocer’s shop and online, with a small fee for added postage,  at harmony4books@gmail.com .

Words: Eve Lamb

Newly formed local group, Transition Clunes, is preparing to hold its very first public event this
month – a women’s clothing swap.

Taking place from 1pm-3pm at the Clunes Neighbourhood House on Sunday April 28, the upcoming
clothing swap is in keeping with the ethos underpinning this new group that’s aligned with the wider
international Transition Town movement.

The group’s co-founder, Clunes local Sandra Nichols says the Transition Town movement aims to
foster more resilient communities with minimising waste, decreasing carbon emissions, achieving a
circular economy and enhancing environmental health outcomes all main aims.

“We had our first get-together in January and I’d canvassed the idea last year with a few people,
says Sandra, now one of five core group members.

“Two of us are both on the Sustainable Hepburn Advisory Committee and we’d noticed that Clunes
is one of the few towns in the Hepburn shire that didn’t have a sustainability group as such, so I thought it was time we jumped on board,” she says.

“Transition Clunes is based on the transition town movement that started quite a few years ago by a
noted permaculturalist in Ireland.

“Totnes in Devon is the world headquarters of Transition Towns. There’s a ten minute YouTube
video of what the movement has achieved over 20 or so years and it’s worth watching,” Sandra says.

With the dumping of huge volumes of serviceable clothing, and wastage rife in the fashion industry
a far-reaching societal problem, this first clothing swap event is an apt one for this new group.

“It looks towards a better future where everyone works towards less waste,” says Sandra who is
originally from Sydney where she personally trained with one of founders of the Transition Towns
Movement in Australia, Janet Millington.

Sandra has solid experience on which to draw as she also co-founded a successful Transition Town
group in her former home Sydney suburb of North Epping.

“We did things like build a community garden in a shopping centre car park,” she says.

“We established a herb garden that is still going.”

Ahead of Transition Clunes’ inaugural community event, Sandra says local women or girls who have
items of clothing or fashion accessories that they’d like to swap are invited to bring along up to eight
different items which they can then swap for tokens.

They can then use the tokens to exchange for any of the items that catch their eye that others have
chosen to bring along and swap.

“So if you bring along four items, for example, you can then use the tokens to choose four items
yourself,” Sandra says.

“And if you haven’t brought along anything to swap you can pay $1 per item instead.

“We will also be having a free raffle of beauty products from the Body Shop.”

Those who wish to participate can bring along clean clothing or accessories – such as costume
jewellery, hats or bags – to swap. The items can be any size or style. They just need to be clean and in
good repair.

The new Transition Clunes group is already planning a second event for later this year as well.
Sandra says members are currently meeting on a monthly basis, with anyone interested in finding
out more about the group welcome to phone her on 0438415715.

Words: Eve Lamb

The Clunes writers group is a diverse lot so it’s little wonder that their new anthology has something in it to appeal to just about every kind of reader.

There is short story, fiction, autobiography and memoir, poetry, haiku – even song lyric.

The group, which has been running for well over fifteen years, launched the new 310 page volume called Chequerboard at the recent Clunes Booktown festival.

 It’s the group’s second published anthology featuring the work of members, and it’s being snapped up fairly fast with half of the copies published in the first print run already sold.

The new anthology showcases the  talent, diverse interests and considerable background life experience of the group’s membership – and it’s an impressively consistent membership.

“We generally  have about 14 to 18 members turn up each month so it’s fairly consistent,” says  group convenor and keen local writer Sandra Nichols.

When members gather, as they do on the second Monday of the month, they get the chance to read their latest work out aloud, taking to the mic to test out their creative output on others who appreciate the written and spoken word.

But members like Newlyn’s Julie Moran are quick to  let you know that you don’t have to take to the mic with your work if you don’t wish to.

However, the fact that it doesn’t seem to take long before most are fairly itching to grab the mic speaks volumes of the fact that this is a welcoming and non-intimidating group.

“During our monthly meetings we encourage our members to read pieces aloud with a microphone,” Julie says.

“We have a monthly theme and more often than not we all write to that theme.

“We don’t critique each other’s work. We don’t pull the pieces apart. It’s a very welcoming environment.”

 Fellow member, Clunes musician and writer Judi Palmer who, like both Julie and Sandra has a background in academic research and writing, agrees on this point.

“It’s very laid-back,” says Judi who contributed several original song lyric works to Chequerboard.

The new anthology was also published by Judi who runs her own local publishing enterprise, Harmony for Books, while the cover design features a quilt design by talented local textile artist, Mel Drummond.

Sandra says that for those group members who, like herself, do occasionally want a bit of constructive feedback, they can simply request and readily obtain it during the group’s monthly sessions.

“Quite a few of our members have been writing stories or poetry for a very long time,” says Sandra, reflecting on the benefits to be derived from being able to read your work aloud to others who share an appreciation for good writing.

“It provides an opportunity to have an audience of people who appreciate what you do.”

Among the 20 different writers whose work is represented in the new anthology, Julie contributed three fictional short stories to Chequerboard, while Sandra contributed works of poetry.

Copies of the new book are available for purchase ($27 for those keen to secure one) from BOOM Clunes at 28 Fraser Street, and group members say they’ll also be selling copies at this month’s Clunes Farmers and Makers Market that happens in the town’s main street on Sunday April 14.

Sandra says new members are very welcome to join this longstanding local writers’ group whose current members travel from locations throughout the wider region including Talbot, Creswick, Newlyn, Newstead, Ballarat and Scarsdale, to attend the monthly sessions that happen from 1-3pm in the town’s main street Attitude building.

“I’m not sure exactly how long  the group has been going for now but it would be 16 to 20 years,” muses Judi.

Members say that those  who think the Clunes Writers’ Group may be for them, are welcome to simply sit in on a monthly session and listen to how it all works before  taking the next step and becoming a member for the very nominal $10 annual membership fee.

More information about the group is available from Sandra on 0438-415-715.

Words: Eve Lamb