Helen Garner: Author

Helen Garner was born in 1942 in Geelong and she attended Manifold Heights Primary School and The Hermitage Private Girls School in Newtown.

Her first novel Monkey Grip was published in 1977. It won a National Book Council award in 1978 was filmed in 1982. Since then, Postcards from Surfers won a 1986 NSW Premier's Literary award, & her short novel The Children's Bach won a SA Premier's Literary Award in 1986. Her novel Cosmo Cosmolino was nominated for a Miles Franklin Award in 1993. In 1993 she won a Walkley Award for feature journalism for her story in Time magazine about the Daniel Valerio case. Her first non-fiction book, The First Stone (1995) was highly controversial. It explored a sexual harassment case at the University of Melbourne which led to the sacking of the Master of Ormond college. She was widely criticised by many feminists for being too sympathetic to the Master and angered supporters of the two female students who bought the case against him.

Link here to more information about Helen Garner: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Garner

Several YouTube videos of Helen discussing her work are available.

Award winning novelist

Dorothy Johnston is an award-winning novelist, poet, short story writer, and author of reviews and literary essays who was born in Geelong, Victoria, in 1948. She was winner of the Miles Franklin Award 1986 and 1997. After living in Canberra for thirty years, she has returned to the Bellarine Peninsula, and her new novel (forthcoming Bewrite books) is a sea-change mystery set in Queenscliff titled, 'Through a Camel's Eye'.

Link to her website here:

• http://www.dorothyjohnston.com.au/

Sally Learey: Geelong children's book author

Sally Learey (Waurn Ponds) is a children’s book author and ex-primary teacher who began writing children’s books after she learnt that her son, daughter and husband had coeliac disease. She has written two books on food allergies for children. Her first book was title ‘Food for Me is Gluten Free’ (2007) (ISBN: 9780646466651). She has written four location books featuring Lorne, Ballarat, Melbourne and Geelong. Her location book with a distinctively Geelong flavour 'Corio Bay Kingdom' is set in Geelong, The Surf Coast and The Bellarine Peninsula. It includes specific foci on Eastern Beach, The Carousel, The Bollards, Fairy Park, The Barwon River, The Queenscliff Ferry, Torquay surf culture, the beaches at Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads, The You Yangs and Skilled Stadium.

Her most recent book is about personal learning and growth and its titled: “Overcoming Problems: Effective Steps and Strategies to Create your Blockbuster Life". 

Sally Learey, 2012.

• For more information about Sally and her personal growth seminars and books please visit her website: http://www.sallylearey.com
• Information about her books can be found at: http://www.sallysbooks.com/page6.htm

Books about Geelong

• 1997. Geelong born, Dorothy Johnson publishes One for the Master (Wakefield Press) a novel set around the Mills between 1950 & ends in 1996. The story is told from the point of, Helen Sullivan a woman whose own life has been determined by her relation to the mill. The book was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin award in 1998.