Who are the Catchfire Committee?:
a who's who, in their own words.
Catchfire Press itself has only a short, though fertile, history, but many members of the committee have been generous contributors to and workers for the literary culture of Newcastle for many years—though, fortunately, there are also some new influences. Each entry has been left in the presentation preferred by its author, giving another indication of the range of the Committee's style and taste.
Convenor: Don Cohen, BA, M.Ed. Stud
Active in Newcastle Literary organisations and theatre since 1992. Prior to this, active in theatre in the Port Stephens area since 1981.
Administrative positions: Literary organisations—committee member, Fellowship of Australian Writers (1993-1996); President, Poetry at the Pub (1996-1997); selecting co-editor for Catchfire Press's The Christmas I'll Never Forget (2002). Current positions held—Secretary and Newsletter Editor, Catchfire Press Inc (1998-), Treasurer, Poetry at the Pub (1998-) Theatre organisations—Involved in various capacities with a number of Newcastle theatre groups: Newcastle Repertory Club, Metropolitan Players, Newcastle Dramatic Art Club, Intimate Theatre Company, Club 71.
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Secretary:
Margaret Gibberd, BSc, BA, Dip. Ed.
I was born in Adelaide in 1945. My father died of war injuries when I was three years old so we moved from Aldgate to Adelaide and a maiden aunt came to live with us. She became a second mother to my older sister and me until my mother remarried in 1957. At the University of Adelaide, I majored in Microbiology and Biochemistry and found a husband, Robert. We lived overseas for four years (Edmonton, Alberta and Austin, Texas) before returning to Canberra. We moved to Newcastle in 1974 with our three children and I found part-time work in the Biological Sciences department at the University of Newcastle. Tiring of laboratory work after ten years, I helped two friends set up a consignment agency, Merry Go Round at Merewether, as well as completing an Arts Degree, which included a Creative Writing course.
This was followed by a Diploma of Education and taught in Primary schools for the next ten years. I spent the remainder of my working life teaching Science in Education at the University of Newcastle for two years.
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Treasurer: Jackie Jools
Born of a Dutch father and a Swiss French mother, I came to Australia at an early age. I was educated in Sydney and later in Lausanne, Switzerland.
I returned to Sydney and was employed in advertising, which I interrupted by a working holiday around Australia. I was by turns waitress, barmaid and hostess on Barrier Reef cruise ships. Back in Sydney, I worked in the clothing industry in sales, publicity and production management. I also drove a taxi, did catering and for a time ran—and cooked in—a pub bistro. Intending to retire to Newcastle (I came here in 1998) I have again become involved in catering. I am convenor of the Catchfire Press Cookbook Committee. [
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Committee: Katharine
Aitken
Born in Scotland, Katharine is currently enrolled in a PhD in Creative
Writing at Newcastle University. She completed a BA (Communication
Studies) at Newcastle University before moving to Melbourne to complete
an honours degree in Creative Writing at Monash University. Now back
in Newcastle, Katharine is keen to gain experience and work in the
publishing industry.
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Committee: Andrew Chesham
Born in Canada, Andrew grew up on a chicken farm in Surrey, British Columbia. Andrew graduated from the University of British Columbia with a BA in sociology and history. After graduation, Andrew travelled through europe for five months. Andrew moved to Newcastle at the beginning of this year. As well as his work with Catchfire, he has currently produced a publication with the Hunter Writer's Centre titled Scrawl on the Wall, about the cell wall scratchings in the old lock-up on Hunter street.
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Committee: Margaret Frost
Margaret was born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1945 of Dutch and German parentage. She came to Australia in December 1969. She has studied at Universities and colleges in South Africa, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Newcaslte. Margaret became a teacher, sociologist, historian, therapist, theologian, linguist, writer, artist and musician. She has had articles published in many newspapers, like: Die Burger, The Age, The Courier Mail, and the Newcastle Herald.
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Committee: Zeny
Giles (Zenovia Doratis)
Born 1937, Sydney. 1957 BA, Dip. Ed. Sydney University. 1971 MA (English) University
of Newcastle. 1980, Dip. Special Education, Newcastle CAE. Taught in various
NSW schools, as tutor for the WEA and at the University of Newcastle. 1991 Writer-in-Residence,
Migrant Resource Centres Hobart and Launceston. 1997 to date, Creative Writing
Tutor, University of Newcastle.
Publications:
- 1981 Between two Worlds (novel) published
by the Saturday Press.
- 1984 Zorica (play) written and performed
with Freewheels Theatre in Education.
- 1989 Miracle of the Waters (short stories)
published by Penguin Books.
- 1998 Inside the Storm (libretto) sung
by the Hunter Singers, music by Michael Atherton.
- Stories and poems in literary magazines.
- 1999 Vintage Crop (short story) published
by Catchfire Press as SEAMARK 3, with illustrations by Ruth Uhrig Samuels.
- 2002 Caught in the Light (mixed mode,
stories, poems, autobiography and essays) published by Catchfire Press.
Awards:
- 1981'The Economies of Mourning' won the
Age-Tabloid Story Competition.
- 1981 'River' won the Newcastle Herald's
Ann Danckwerts Prize for poetry.
- 1989 Miracle of the Waters highly commended
in the Literature and other Writing section of the National Human
Rights Awards.
- 1995 'Vintage Crop' a winner in the ABC
Radio National Books and Writing Short Story Competition.
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Committee: Joanna
Hampson
Born and raised in Oxfordshire, England I moved to Australia in September 2007 after completing a BA in English Literature and Language at Leeds University. I am now enjoying the ever-sunny Australian way of life, happily living by the lake in Fassifern. As a member of Catchfire I am keen to gain some experience in publishing whilst also learning more about Newcastle and its surrounds.
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Committee: Michael Jameson
Michael was born in the UK in 1967 to Australian parents, and the family
returned to Australia in 1978 to settle in Newcastle. At
the University of Newcastle he worked in all aspects of production for the student
magazine, OPUS, including writing, proofreading, layout and design,
darkroom, advertising, and eventually a period as co-editor. In 1989 he
founded a publishing company with a friend and produced twelve books
over five years, primarily collections of poetry and short stories,
including Poetry at the Pub anthologies. As a freelancer he has produced
books, corporate submissions, advertising materials and other publishing
requirements for a diverse range of clients. He joined Catchfire in
2004.
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Committee: David Kibble
David is a retired school teacher who enjoys writing as a hobby (prose, poetry and drama). He has won a number of literary prizes, including: first prizes in Albury City Short Story competition and Max Harris Literary Awards (short story) 2003, third prize in the Di Cranston Award (play) 2003, plus a commendation in the Roland Robinson Literary Award 1998 (poem). Most recently, his short story, The Miner, was included in "Beneath the Valley"
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Committee: Jo
Tregellis
Jo (Josephine) Tregellis was born in Newcastle in 1941. Educated at St Joseph’s Merewether and Newcastle Teachers’ College, she taught for 37 years in schools at Newcastle, the Hunter Valley, the far west and Sydney. In 1998 Jo retired to Buttaba (Lake Macquarie) and now Bonnell’s Bay. Jo is a published poet mainly in Yellow Moon literary magazine. In 2004 Jo received 3rd prize in Lake Macquarie and Landcare competition for Two Lake Haiku. She was commended in the short story section of 2005 Denis Butler competition. Coal in my life a memoir,was published in Beneath the Valley in 2005. Jo is an active committee member of Lake Macquarie FAW and of Catchfire Press.
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