Harrington's Kaye Christensen has been writing since she could lift a pencil and has had numerous stories printed across various publications, including the Manning River Times.
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But having her work being included in the Seniors' Stories Volume Five book has reconnected her to her childhood storyteller.
"I was a storyteller because my mother was a storyteller," Kaye smiled. "I lacked confidence in primary school and I knew the way to build confidence was to talk. So I started a talking group at school and I told the stories that my mother would tell."
Not only did she love to write, but she loved to read, often reading stories aloud to her children and her husband, Harold.
Harold was her "big love" and the inspiration behind the story she wrote for the Seniors Card Short Story Competition, a competition backed by the State Government for Seniors Card holders.
According to the Department of Communities and Justice, around 600 seniors from around NSW entered and 100 stories were chosen. And Kaye's being one of them, has reinvigorated her love of writing.
Although she has been continually writing bits of her memoirs and travel exploits, she found that her work become a little macabre after suddenly losing her husband 18 years ago.
When she came across this writing competition, she fully embraced the theme of Love Your Life and started writing about Harold.
"The first two years of my marriage were perfect, so I wrote about that," Kaye said.
And out came "Chooks on the Table and the Cat ate the Toad", a light-hearted humorous piece that captured a very special time in her life.
"It is a true account of the start of my married life at Dumaresq Island, learning to become a farmer's wife," she explained.
So where to now for Kaye, well, perhaps she'll return to her memoirs.
"Every year I say this is the year to finish it. I retired in 2012 and I still haven't finished," she laughed.
Seniors' Stories
The Seniors Card Short Story Competition is run each year by the Fellowship of Australian Writers NSW, backed by the Department of Communities and Justice.
Seniors' Stories Volume Five is a project under the NSW Ageing Strategy 2016-2020 and highlights the literary talents of the State's seniors, dispelling the negative stereotypes about ageing.
The NSW Government introduced the series of the book in 2013 as a way of recognising and valuing the experiences of seniors.
In addition to the writing competition, a number of workshops were held across NSW, providing an increased number of seniors with writing tips, guidance and the opportunity to share their stories.
The workshops were held in Dubbo, Tamworth, Nowra, Wagga Wagga, Gosford and Sydney.
Seniors' Stories Volume Five is available at all local libraries across NSW.
Anne Keen
Anne has been a journalist with the ACM (Australia Community Media) since 2016. She primarily works at the Gloucester Advocate but also contributes to the Manning River Times.
Anne has been a journalist with the ACM (Australia Community Media) since 2016. She primarily works at the Gloucester Advocate but also contributes to the Manning River Times.
