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I am currently working on a book in honour of Professor Phil Best, who died in July 2019. A Perth boy who went on to become a physics specialist, he lived nearly all his working life in the United States. Having written his obituary for The West Australian, I told his wife, Laurie, that he was worth much more than 850 words. He was worth a book.
She agreed. We have tracked down family and friends to gather a range of views of a remarkable life. As a compiler of what matters to other people, I am – in essence – following the path started on as a newspaper reporter in Cardiff half a century ago. I have been a “generalist” for most of my working life. Spending three years teaching journalism at Perth’s Murdoch University in the early 1990s was an adventure, but I returned from academe to a newspaper office with relish. I cannot say that I understand my fellow beings any better, but it has been a hell of a ride through the fascinating labyrinth of human hopes, fears and recollections. Do you need a writing or editing job done? A biography, maybe? A ghostwriter for your autobiography? A series of articles for a brochure? An obituary or family memoir? An Annual Report for a club or corporate body? Travel article? Workshops I also give workshops on writing. Lasting up to two hours, each session is tailored for the participants. Among the groups I have addressed and encouraged is the Royal Western Australian Historical Society, of which I am a keen member and for which I was voluntary editor of the newsletter History West for two years. |
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