On 5 October 2024, a group of writers from Women Writers Queensland visited the Bribie Island Community Arts Society (BICAS) as part of our annual 5-day Writers Retreat. The beautiful Toc H, Coungeau House, Banya Street, Bongaree, was again a welcoming sight. It was to be my first retreat, and Toni Risson’s welcoming presence on the wide front steps of the Queenslander confirmed I had found the right location.
I had arrived on Wednesday with purpose. I needed to knuckle down to some serious work. Toni was on the same page. She was comfortable in the dining room, with its ambience of a bygone era. I secured a straight-backed kitchen chair and square table from the front verandah, which fitted snugly in front of the lowboy. Jan, our president, and Sue O’Sullivan were next to arrive and claim a suitable bedroom.
That night Sue made scrumptious eggplant pasta, which went perfectly with a glass of Shiraz. We discussed the plan for the retreat proper, which would start of Friday evening, with Ann Jones and two new ‘Bribie’ members, Bev Young and Sue Davy joining us during the day. This year, Ann Jones suggested it might be nice to visit and do an assignment the Bribie Art Gallery (Matthew Flinders bicentenary Gallery).
Our eyes widen with the joy of expectation. A couple of us take a picture in front of the sleeping nude in the garden near the front door. We are a tad early for our morning assignment, so take the opportunity to wander around the complex. An eclectic array of artwork greets us. I am impressed.
Sue Davy meets us in a large gallery at one end of the complex. She explains how the concept of ‘heart, head and hand,’ relates equally to the art of writing. Our assignment is to look around the gallery and select one artwork that speaks to our heart. The aim is for this prompt to help to write a story or narrative non-fiction piece using the ‘heart, head, hand’ model. We take our time. Some of us immediately find what we are looking for. Others take their time. We sit, ponder and ruminate on the literary possibilities of our chosen piece.
After morning tea in the outdoor dining area we write, some in a small quiet room surrounded in exceptional paintings. We flit around the offerings in the gift shop, with fellow writer, Mary Mennis, being tempted to buy some colourful placemats made from twirled rags. I agree to do a write-up for the Gallery’s newsletter, while the others create a tasty shared lunch. Afterwards, we shared the writing of those in the house. We were looking forward to Bev and Sue joining us for dinner and desert at the house.
The Jetty restaurant was booked, but our position on the water at the Bribie Fish and Chippery had to be a close second. Sue, our resident photographer, took some lovely shots, while Toni attempts to talk ‘pelican’ with a sad-looking specimen on the sand. Back home, we settled into the lounge-room with coffee and Ann’s yummy chocolate and strawberry cream cake. The plan for tonight was to listen to something we had previously written. Sue Davy, opened a lively discussion about how her prize-winning book, the name of which escapes me, could win a literary prize when it contains chapters with no full stops, quote marks, or commas… an interesting discussion indeed.
All too soon, our 5-day retreat came to an end. Sue O’Sullivan was miffed she forgot her swimmers, but pleased to visit the markets with Mary. Toni stayed up writing until the wee hours, and Jan was jealous of how long I could sleep. Nevertheless, we all managed to get what we needed to achieve from a wonderful retreat at beautiful Bribie Island.
If you are a WWQ member, and interested in attending next year’s retreat, set a calendar note for October 2025, you won’t be disappointed.