South East Writers Inc (37th Public Meeting) Labrador Community and Youth Centre 10th July 2021 10:00am
57 Billington Street, Labrador, QLD 4215 – $10.00
Guest Speaker Ken Vernon
Journalist, writer, author, MD Maverick Outcomes
Ken Vernon is a highly-qualified, highly-experienced and widely travelled journalist/media advisor who brings a new dimension of knowledge and ability to a wide range of media related positions.
The Author.
Ken Vernon is one of those mavericks life throws up Born and bred in Australia, after leaving school at fifteen he later travelled the world looking for the perfect wave before finally washing up on the shores of Africa – instantly knowing it was where he belonged.
He has worked as a storeman, glass washer, barman, fruit picker, clothes salesman, electrician and electrical engineer. After driving a Russian motor bike from the UK down through Africa, he ended up at South Africa’s Rhodes University, graduating with an honours degree in Journalism and Politics, before spending 30 years as a journalist, specialising in African politics.
He has written widely on politics, economics and the environment, in addition to covering wars and political upheaval across the African continent, reporting from the South African townships to battlefronts in Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, Madagascar, Zimbabwe and the Comoros – to name but a few – rising to become Deputy Editor of Johannesburg’s Saturday Star newspaper.
In 1996 he was chosen by the (South African) Sunday Times to cover Africa’s first expedition to Mt. Everest, of which President Nelson Mandela was the patron.
In a year which turned out to be the deadliest in Everest climbing history, the South African team became reviled and ridiculed – and the catalyst for Ken’s first book.
Returning to Australia in 1999 he worked at the Gold Coast Bulletin in a wide range of positions, covering local and state politics, as well as a feature writer and features editor, columnist and editorial writer, in addition to a stint in the Queensland government as senior media advisor to two state ministers and running his own media liaison/PR business.
He is the author of four books.
Ascent and Dissent: The SA Everest Expedition – the inside story.
Published 1997 by Jonathan Ball Publishers (SA arm of Harper-Collins)
Reached #2 for non-fiction titles in 1997.
Penpricks: The Drawing of South Africa’s Political Battlelines.
Published 2000 by The Spearhead Press.
A history of South Africa as seen through the eyes of political cartoonists – the book is a version of Ken’s Honours thesis.
Everest ’96.
Self-published on Amazon 2015.
An updated and greatly extended version of Ascent and Dissent, it has reached #1 in Amazon’s Southern Africa History category several times and is still a regular in the top 10-20 of the Southern African History; Mountaineering and Extreme Sports categories.
Last Shots of the Cold War.
Self-published on Amazon 2017. A ‘Year of Living Dangerously’ look at the final days of the Cold war along the remote Namibian/Angolan border seen through the eyes of a journalist.
University Students and Indigenous Writers welcome.
Proudly supporting Somerset Storyfest www.storyfest.com.au
South East Writers is an initiative to combine skills, experience, educate and raise standards within Writing, Printing, Publishing and the associated arts.
Printing Plant tours, Workshops and Guest speakers will be offered to assist Writers in achieving their optimal goal.
South East Writers will develop benchmarks and adhere to industry standards. Actors, AudioBooks, Book trailers, Design, e-books, Distribution, Editing, Films, Illustration & supportive Artwork, Printing, Publishing, Crowd funding for publishing, Sub editing, Voice-Overs and Writing.
Openness, integrity, transparency and active participation will be encouraged at all Membership levels. Contact Mark Wren – ipcc@ozemail.com.au – 0416 365 859 (07) 5571 7488
We look forward to seeing you on the 09th January 2021 at 10:00am