“I want to do something splendid…something heroic or wonderful that won’t be forgotten after I’m dead… I think I shall write books”
Louisa May Alcott

I recently watched Little Women, the 2020 remake of this classic story about 4 sisters living with their mother during the civil war while their father fought at the front.

For me, however, this story was mainly about Jo, the intrepid second-oldest sister who was always stepping out of line. It’s about Jo defiantly cutting off her hair to help her family; about Jo wanting to do more than just get married, about Jo wanting to make a living from writing.

 Watching the movie sent me back to a memory of 8-year-old me sitting on a low branch of a young jacaranda tree, Little Women in hand, thinking ‘Maybe, I too could be a writer. I want to be just like Jo!’

This International Women’s Day I pay tribute to 3 WA writers, who wanted to write books, who started word by word, and who didn’t stop until they made it happen.

I acknowledge them for the inspiration they have been to me & for the inspiration they can be to all of you also wanting to follow in Jo’s footsteps.

DR ELIZABETH REID-BOYD

Dr Elizabeth Reid-Boyd and I met when we were both 17 and attempting to complete our first degrees at the University of Western Australia. We spent a lot of time drinking coffee, sizing up boys and talking about the books we would write… and yes, we did a little bit of study.

Already independent at 17, Reid-Boyd had many odds stacked against her. After that first year of Uni, we travelled our different ways, met up in England a few times in the late eighties and then lost touch for some time.

When we met again in 2000, I was not surprised to find out that Reid-Boyd had already completed a couple of degrees including a PhD in Gender Studies.

Today, she is a respected academic & feminist at Edith Cowan University, she writes regularly for the Australian & as well as many book contribution and articles.

At the same time, she is the author of a dozen romance novels penned under the name elizaredgold.com ! I was so honoured that she dedicated one to me:

This is what International Women’s Day means to her:

“For me, IWD is a chance to honour women past, present and future. Each year I discover more about the amazing work women do in so many different ways, in every part of the globe, to create a better world for everyone. It leaves me inspired and grateful.”
Elizabeth Reid-Boyd.

DR JULIA LAWRINSON

Dr Julia Lawrinson is extraordinary in so many ways… and yet, she went to an ordinary high school in suburban Perth and even did her stint as a teenager working at Hungry Jacks.

When Lawrinson and I job-shared at an International language school in West Perth, 20 years ago – she was doing her PhD and writing her first novel Obsession.

I attended the launch of Obsession which went on to win the Premier’s Award in 2001, and the launch of her second book Skating the Edge. Last year Lawrinson published her 15th young adult fiction, which won Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book, and I am sure she is working on her 16th right now.

Not only a prolific writer, Lawrinson is one of the only women to have held the job of Sergeant-in-Arms in WA’s Parliament (any parliament actually) and also recently completed a law degree with honours including winning the Vice Chancellor’s Award for academic excellence.

Her thoughts on International Women’s Day:

“IWD is a reminder to us of how far we've come and honours those who fought for us to get here. It is also a reminder of how far we have to go to make sure there is true equity for women around the world.”
Julia Lawrinson

DR JENNY BROCKIS

Dr Jenny Brockis has just completed her 4th book - Healthy Happy Humans – adding it to her selection on books about keeping our brains optimised for high performance and wellbeing.

I met Brockis at a National Speakers Association speaker training course about 10 years ago and from the moment we met I just loved her story. She had been a nurse for a number of years and seeing the way doctors dealt with patients and the lack of knowledge around neuroscience and the plasticity of the brain, she decided to become a medical doctor herself.

Today Brockis is a medical practitioner, a speaker and a facilitator with a epic mission: to help optimise brains performance to enhance healthy workplaces and high-performance thinking that makes people happy.

“I see International Women's Day as a great reminder that we need to make every day matter for every woman, wife, mother and daughter. It's a day to unite everyone to think about what action we can take to create a world when women can always feel safe, be assured of an education and receive parity in the workplace.”
Jenny Brockis

Back to Little Women; back to Jo. I don’t know whether Little Women had an impact on either Reid-Boyd, Lawrinson or Brockis, but I know that there is something of Jo’s defiant attitude in each of them; and like Alcott, they have all chosen to do something splendid.

And you can too.

Edgewalkers will be running a Women’s Walking and Writing Weekend 20 - 22 November 2020.