Committee
President: Julie Boyd
Vice President: vacant
Treasurer: Gavin Fisher
Secretary: Michael Clancy
Membership Secretary: Christina Jablonski
Publicity Officer: Marion Martineer
Senior Events Coordinator: Robert Allen
Webmaster: Jeannie Barker
Newsletter Editor: Angelika Heurich
Catering Coordinator: Helga Glinatsis
Youth Group Coordinator: Marion Martineer
Speaker Coordinator: Ceresse Gardner
Competition Coordinator: Di Morris
Competition Receiving Officer: Gloria Swab
Christmas Party Organiser: Caren Sattler
General Members: Darryl Greer, Gary Ivory, Caren Sattler, Julie Baythorpe
Read more about some of our committee members below.
President – Julie Boyd
Julie grew up in a Victorian mountain town so tiny she had to leave home at 12 to finish her education.
After a stint as the first girl to breach the boundaries of a boy’s school, starting the trend to co-education and her personal interest in innovation, she went on to study marine biology until she found that involved boats and seasickness. So on to teaching, then psychology, then educational and corporate leadership.
She has found herself working and playing in a multitude of situations ever since, which provide rich fodder for her experientially based, memoir style, Aussie stories. Her friends are very well-behaved for fear of being featured in print.
Julie has also written and published professional learning books for teachers for many years, and has been published in numerous national journals. She has now retired from traveling as an international education consultant and spends her time planning new generation schools for building consortia, coaching and mentoring people and organisations, housesitting for friends, and hanging out on the beaches of northern NSW with her dog and grandkids.
Treasurer – Gavin Fisher
Gavin was born in South Africa. He studied there and worked as an Architect and Project Manager before relocating to New Zealand where he lived for 7 years with his wife and two daughters.
He also enlisted as a volunteer paramedic for several years and served with the National Sea Rescue Institute on numerous rescue missions. Other interests include flying and scuba diving.
Gavin now resides on the Gold Coast with his wife Caroline and currently works for an award-winning construction company as a Contracts Administrator.
Gavin’s début novel Colour of Greed is due to be launched early 2011. He is currently working on his next project.
Favourite Quote: Fiction [fik-shuhn] A literary work that avoids letting the truth get in the way of a good story.
Secretary – Michael Clancy
Dr. Michael (Mike) Clancy is a published author, freelance writer, researcher, editor and now certified trainer who is able to bring a lifetime of real-world experience to his clients which few can match. He is as much at home working with individuals and small businesses as he is with governments and multinational corporations.
Much of Mike’s working life has been spent in Asia, firstly as an Australian diplomat in Hong Kong and Seoul and latterly as an entrepreneur running his own polirtical and economic risk management consultancies in Taipei, China and in Manila, Philippines where he undertook consultancy work for the London-based EIU, Austrade, the US Department of Commerce and a range of Australian, European and American companies. More recently he has undertaken assignments with the Asian Development Bank, the International Labour Organisation as well as a number of specialised agencies of the United Nations.
Mike now lives and works on the Queensland Gold Coast as a freelance writer, editor and blogger. He has traveled between Australia, the Middle East and Asia undertaking research and editing assignments for the ILO, various UN bodies and the Asian Development Bank. He also teaches effective writing and social media on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane as well as providing custom productivity training to corporations in Australia and overseas.
Membership Secretary – Christina Jablonski
Christina Jablonski has been a member of the GCWA for over twelve years. In 2006 she had served on the Committee as a publicity officer. She has written various short stories and travel articles that have been published in newspapers, magazines and anthologies. Christina is also a member of the Queensland Writers Centre.
A keen photographer, Christina has been travelling with her husband to many countries and capturing images of cities and their historic treasures, landscapes, fauna and flora. Back home on the Gold Coast she has attended the courses to improve her photographic skills. Recently, has been accepted to join the professional photographic agency, OzImages.
Vice President – Jeannie Barker
Jeannie was born and raised in northern NSW and spent 26 years in Sydney before returning to the region in 2002.
Her experience in web design and development, graphic design, marketing, eBook publishing, editing, training and project management serve her well on the committee. Jeannie enjoyed two years as President of the association (2009-2009) and was awarded the Andrew McDermott Annual Achievement Award in September 2011.
Jeannie has published several non-fiction eBooks and has had articles published in national magazines.
Newsletter Editor – Angelika Heurich
Born in Germany and growing up in South Australia, Angelika moved to the Gold Coast in 1982. She has two children and four grandchildren, speaks three languages and has been involved in working with people throughout her life.
Her career has included positions as Guest Service Coach for Warner Village Theme Parks, Table Games Supervisor at Jupiters Casino and Home Tutor Coordinator (Migrant English) for the Department of Immigration.
A qualified Trainer and Workshop Facilitator, Angelika enjoys working in her own business and has a passion for personal growth, interpersonal skills and inspiring others. Her two day seminar offers individuals the opportunity to find “what makes their heart sing” – what they have always dreamed of doing, being, having.
Angelika is currently writing her first book, ‘The Inside Story – A Journey of Self Discovery’, due for publication shortly.
With extensive committee experience for groups such as The Gold Coast and Hinterland Historical Society, Toyota Landcruiser Club of SA, as well as social, community and educational organisations, Angelika feels very honoured to have been President of The Gold Coast Writers’ Association from 2007-2009.
Speaker Coordinator – Ceresse Gardner
Ceresse Audas Gardner grew up in Africa. A childhood spent living in countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. She was married in the Kingdom of Swaziland, lived in South Africa, for a number of years, and there volunteered in the Civil Defence, which has been a great source of material for her action/thriller novels. On migrating to Australia in 1986, her adventurous spirit soon had her travelling extensively around Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania. In 2009, after a stint in Byron Bay, she moved to the Gold Coast.
Ceresse is a passionate writer of romantic action/thriller novels. Sample chapters can be found on her author website cjaudas.com. She has produced a number of short stories, delved into writing poetry and is currently running a motivational blog Unencumbered Spirit. Her latest project is another blog “de Baldi’s World” aimed at helping men overcome depression.
Ceresse has worked extensively in the IT industry and as a Business Coach and now runs her own home-based business.
General Member – Darryl Greer
Apart from a stint in London Darryl has lived in and around Queensland most of his life.
From striding down London’s Chancery Lane in a three-piece suit, clutching a briefcase and swinging his brolly to hanging his shingle in a hotel bar at Cooktown, Darryl has had a career marked by variety and his love of challenge. A lawyer in his other life, he now works as a consultant to other law firms and any fleeting desire to return to the corporate high life is quickly overcome by gathering his manuscripts around him and thinking of The Booker.
He now has a penchant for skeletons—of the archaeological kind—due to a current writing project. He is fascinated by how much information a 2000-year-old skull can provide.
Darryl has had numerous articles published in national and international law and travel magazines and in ezines. He has even received respectful reviews.
Now he writes books – The Election is his first published novel.
Darryl lives in the hinterland with his wife and their Maltese Shih-Tzu.
General Member – Gary Ivory
Gary hails from Queensland and grew up in Brisbane at a time when roads were still being sealed and out -houses languished splendidly across suburban backyards. Educated as a teacher, and a Graduate of both Deakin and James Cook Universities, Gary has lived in many parts of the State and is now in his 36th Year as school principal. His interest in writing has grown out of his teaching experience and continues to peek his interest as the influence of technology shapes and forms the modern writing experience.
Living in country Queensland gave Gary the opportunity to write as a correspondent for two provincial newspapers. As well as this experience, Gary managed one of the Brisbane Urban Newspapers and regularly wrote columns of interest for local communities.
Gary and his wife Penelope, recently returned from the Middle East, where Gary worked for the Qatar Government as a consultant assisting in the establishment of the Independent School System. Gary took the opportunity to write extensively about this experience and his forays into Jordan and Morocco and shared these writings with a large following of interested armchair travellers.
With travel to the Middle East and Africa on the agenda again, maybe there will be an interesting book in the making.
A lover of music and a member of the Gold Coast Theatre Organ Society, Gary spends his very spare, spare time playing piano and organ.
