Tutor George Merryman says: “What makes the class a delight is the group’s sense of humour, their sense of decency, their sense of history. The lives they have lived – and are living – cover the full breadth of human experience and endeavour.”
Long-term sponsor of the group, the City of Sydney, also sponsored the project, and Deputy Lord Mayor Robin Kemmis launched the book at the Cliff Noble Centre in Suttor Street.
The book cover portrays the 13 writers when they were younger: Barton Barrack, Elizabeth Chamberlain, Junes Collins, Ethel Driscoll, Robbie Granath, Francis Lee, Wilga Leone, Rosemary Owens, Reeva Schindler, Mila Serendenko, Noeline Slowgrove, Soh Bee Meng and Lyn Taylor.
Writers tell of how things have changed over the years – buildings that have disappeared, the beginning of the “talkies” and changes such as losing the chickens from backyards. They mourn the loss of their favourite places and their personal reminiscences make this book one that should be picked up and read. Historian Shirley Fitzgerald says: “Piece by piece [the selection] creates a layered and often beautifully written weaving of words that illuminate the experiences of living, of living here, and of living well.”
