President: Julie Boyd
Treasurer: Gavin Fisher
Secretary: Martin Line
Membership Secretary: Christina Jablonski
Webmaster: Jeannie Barker
Newsletter Editor: Angelika Heurich
Catering Coordinator: Helga Glinatsis and Penelope Churchward
Competition Coordinator: Di Morris
General Members: Gary Ivory, Julie Baythorpe, Louisa Wright, Chris Low.
Read more about some of our committee members below.
President – Julie Boyd
Julie is an experienced keynote speaker, professional facilitator, psychologist, educator, expert coach and mentor who has won several business awards for innovation.
Julie is a prolific writer who has also written and published professional learning books for teachers for many years, and has been published in numerous national and international journals, national newspapers and magazines and online magazines and blogs. She is passionately interested in politics, human nature, learning, indigenous cultures, the environment and creating healthy societies. Julie grew up in a Victorian mountain town so tiny she had to leave home at the age of twelve to finish her education. She has found herself working and playing in a multitude of situations ever since, across Australia and internationally, which provide rich fodder for her experientially based, memoir style, Aussie stories. She has now semi- retired as an international education consultant and spends her time planning new generation schools for building consortia, coaching and mentoring people and organisations, writing, working with suicidal young people, and conducting wellbeing reviews on schools, as well as house-sitting for friends, and hanging out on the beaches of northern NSW with her dog and grandkids.
http://julieboyd.com.au/writing/
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 – Martin Line
Martin came from New Zealand in the early seventies to teach briefly at the University of Queensland (where he met his wife-to-be, Margaret), and then for thirty three years at the University of Tasmania. Now retired to the Gold Coast where the weather is warmer, Martin enjoys the company of like-minded writers (particularly the Writers in the Ruff), U3A music, a U3A book group and online chess. His urge towards the latter requires strict self-monitoring to allow for more important things, like writing.
His teaching specialty of microbiology proved useful when writing his first self-published novel, ‘A diary with a difference’ (Amazon), but his research background of organic waste recycling has yet to find a place in his more recent writing.
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.
Webmaster – 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.
Competitions Co-ordinator – Di Morris
Not liking to be in the public eye (unless she really knows what she’s talking about) Di prefers to write pieces about other people.
She still feels half-British after spending 20 years in England.
Up till now, she has dabbled in education, music, academia, photography, graphology, freelance journalism, literary reviewing and writing. She is surprised to find herself on a committee, but then she does like camels and horses.
Providore – Helga Glinatsais
I am a former business woman, semi retired florist and TV advertisement actor, looking for a new passion like writing and painting and making lots of new friends.
My novel is still in the in the pipeline, love fighting with my computer and going to the gym.
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 pique 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.
General Member – Louisa Wright
Louisa Wright was born in the UK and migrated to Australia as a single woman almost two years ago. Having always wanted to write a book one day; Australia inspired Louisa to follow her dream and she joined a Creative Writing class at the local TAFE. Louisa made some friends also fellow writers and she began to write her memoir titled Rollercoaster the ride to OZ about her amazing journey both personally and physically to Australia.
Louisa would also like to write her biography then also look at writing in the romance/erotica genre inspired by Fifty shades??!!
Louisa is a qualified trainer and assessor in Business and Information Technology and has worked in vocational education for the last 15 years and currently works for a local training company on the Gold Coast.
General Member – Julie Baythorpe
Julie Baythorpe was born In Sydney and grew up in Brisbane. She moved to the Gold Coast in 1985. Julie has been writing all of her life. For many years,she taught creative writing both as a teacher and principal in classrooms across Queensland. Julie started writing full time when she retired from teaching. She has written and published numerous short stories, poems and journal articles. The Lavender Principal is her first full length novel in the amateur detective murder mystery genre. She is co author of a book of short stories Love, Lies, Laughter and a Few Little Tears. Julie is currently writing her second novel The Silo Deadfall.
General Member – Chris Low
Chris Low grew up in Hervey Bay but has lived on the Gold Coast with his wife and four children for the last twenty years. He current
ly works in the solar industry, but has in past lives been a boat builder, a courier driver, a teacher, a landscaper, and most notably, a sea slug process worker.
He has written a novel for Young Adults and an anthology of Children’s Poetry, several plays, and is presently working on a collection of novella length stories for adult audiences. His work has been described as “very Australian” with “meaningful characters and surprising plots”, employing at times “wicked humour” and “confronting or controversial themes”.
Apart from writing, Chris is passionate about fishing and boating with his family, playing master’s softball, archery, supporting the Mighty Maroons, putting the drinks in the esky before the ice, and fixing broken things so that he doesn’t have to unnecessarily waste money buying new things.