As
a youngster she consumed the Greek Myths with passion, rehearsing
her life as she lay under the pussy willows that lined her back
yard like proud sentinels guarding her territory.|
One Woman's Writing Retreat: Heather Blakey |
Guest Columnist
About Heather Blakey
Throughout her life Heather Blakey
has been an avid reader and writer.As
a youngster she consumed the Greek Myths with passion, rehearsing
her life as she lay under the pussy willows that lined her back
yard like proud sentinels guarding her territory.
To live out her myths she moved on from being the childhood teacher, who lined up her recalcitrant teddies and dolls, to becoming a secondary school teacher. Like Hermes, she became a messenger, filling such roles as Leader of Staff, Transition Co-ordinator, Affirmative Action Co-ordinator, Head of Learning Area, 5-8 Curriculum Co-ordination and School Councillor. Her techniques and strategies for motivating students to write often come from left field, but always manage to work. You will find most of them in her Soul Food Cafe, a resource she originally built to inspire her students.
Yet to truly live out the myths she consumed as a girl Heather went on and, like Artemis became a warrior. She served in local government as a councillor of the City of Fitzroy from 1984 to 1992, accepting the Mayoralty in 1988-89. Throughout this time she maintained a strong social conscience which characterizes her work today.
Heather says that if she is to be remembered for anything she
wants to be remembered for her social resilience and capacity to
listen and take account of alternative views. She hopes that it
is her concern for the welfare of those who sometimes find themselves
'outside the town wall' which will separate her, that it will be
her dogged determination to break down the walls of silence that
surround us, which will be spoken of.
Heather and her husband, Darryl, have been married for 26 years. They have lived in the liberal thinking suburb of North Fitzroy in Melbourne, Australia, since 1981. They live with their daughter Helen, two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Montgomery (Monty) and Douglas (Dougie) and designer cat Calvin. Their son Greg shares a house with friends in a neighbouring suburb and is 'in an out' all the time.
Heather's home, Carnforth, has become a haven, a kind of temple to the Muse, the actual Soul Food Cafe, for writer's who began working with her when she ran Writing for Well-Being classes. She believes she is an ancestor of the muse and some folks agree for she is often said to have inspired them to write.
Heather's Soul Food Cafe was named one of the 101 Best Web Sites for Writers by Writer's Digest Magazine in May, 2003 and once again in 2004.
Copyright
© 2010,
Heather Blakey.
All rights reserved.
About Heather Blakey | Electronic Works | Billabong Dreaming
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