Vivienne Worthington
Writing, research and publishing experience
Some brief biographical details of my life since retirement in 1998.
Casting around for a hobby to interest me in my new home in Geelong
I approached many clubs and organizations that appealed to me.
Gradually I sorted out the ones that aroused my curiosity.
I began by attempting to learn French with U3A. Then I turned to a genealogy group using computers also with U3A.
This led to joining Women’s Access at the Gordon Institute in Geelong.
Encouraged by these studies I decided to brush up my writing skills in 2002.
The combination of writing and recording the stories about my family led to me writing a book about family history.
I was a foundation member of Scribes Writers in Geelong and have been a driving force behind it for some years.
I contributed a story to One For’d Road in 2005 and again in Geelong Rendezvous in 2008.
This story was about Lewis Bandt which the Ford V8 Club of Victoria decided to use it on their new webpage.
I have been a member of Scribes Writers since 2004.
We are a unique group as we meet every Monday morning at the South Barwon Community Centre for writing,
fellowship and self development.
But the real story I needed to tell had been gathering dust in front of me all my life.
It was this story about my mother’s family involvement with establishing the earliest
and most well known Tourist Company in Australia, Pioneer Tours.
My mother regaled us with amazing stories of the trips and adventures she and her seven brothers
experienced under the strict control of their ambitious entrepreneurial father.
I am very content to have finished this task.
I regard it as an important part of social history and a record of the introduction
of automobiles and travel into Australia.