Write for Your Life – Starting a Memoir Writing Group

By Darryl Dymock Convenor, Oxley Men’s Shed Writers Group

Bill Thirkill was a much-loved member of Oxley Men’s Shed in Brisbane’s western suburbs from the time it started in 2012, when he signed up as Member No. 2. His trade skills were always an asset, but when the Writers Group began in 2021, we discovered another side to Bill.

From the start, it was as if he’d struck oil. A flurry of tales about his life gushed forth. Bill quickly outstripped the rest of us with the stories he wrote, both in number and mind-boggling adventure.

We would sit in disbelief as he regaled us with yarns about his years as a tour leader and coach driver across fifty countries, not always on the right side of the law.

Regrettably, an unexpected diagnosis took Bill from us in 2024. However, as a result of joining the Writers Group, he had written some fifty stories - a lasting legacy that has delighted his family.

That’s the virtue of a memoir writing group – we’re writing not only for ourselves but also for our families and friends. Like most of the group, Bill had never written about his life before.

We meet fortnightly for 90 minutes to share stories and poems from our lives – work experiences, holidays and travels, adventures, family moments, humorous and sometimes dramatic happenings. Our aim is around 500 to 1200 words a time. We listen to each other’s stories with respect and good humour and try to write them better because we want them to make an impact.

The writing group has added another dimension to Oxley Men’s Shed’s activities, providing an option for those who may not have the skills or interest for hands-on workshop activities. Full Shed meetings give us a regular opportunity to share our stories and poems with the wider membership.

Thanks to proactive support from a local independent publisher, Armour Books, we’ve also been able to publish three editions of our stories for a wider audience. In November 2024, at our annual Open Day EXPO, we launched Offcuts 3, our third collection of stories to be professionally published. Illustrations by the Shed’s talented Art Group are a bonus, including the cover image by their convenor, Peter Darmody.

If any Brisbane Men’s Sheds are interested in getting a writing group underway, Darryl is happy to come and talk with them about the Oxley Men’s Shed’s experience. (Or arrangements can be made to connect with Sheds outside of Brisbane),

Interested Sheds can contact Darryl directly via email at drdymockwriter@bigpond.com