South Coast Writers Centre: A history

The South Coast Writers Centre began in 1995. The grassroots organisation was founded by the late Ron Pretty OAM, a poet and educator at the University of Wollongong, with the intention of bringing together writers and poets of the Illawarra for creative development and community-building. Around the same time, Ron Pretty also established local publishing house, Five Islands Press, which continues to this day.

Initially, the South Coast Writers Centre established a presence in Wollongong Town Hall, using small meeting rooms provided by Wollongong City Council as a homebase for admin and activities. Sam Wilde, the first Director of the South Coast Writers Centre, introduced the Centre’s first events during her tenure, including a series of reading nights open to the public. For certain significant events, such as a visit from renowned author and late historian Aunty Ruby Langford Ginibi, Wollongong Art Gallery collaborated with South Coast Writers Centre to provide a suitable venue.

At the end of Sam Wilde’s tenure, Annie McNamara became the new Director of the SCWC in 2001 and ensured the ongoing stability of the young organisation for another six years.

In 2007, Director Ali Jane Smith introduced new and invigorating events for members and the public, growing the Centre’s offering. This era, however, was not without challenges, as the limited budget and small support team constrained any greater growth for the organisation. It was during this time as well that the organisation experienced the first of several big shifts in its homebase.

In 2009-2010, a planned refurbishment of Wollongong Town Hall meant the SCWC no longer could operate from the central Wollongong location. A co-working space in Coniston Community Hall was provided by Wollongong City Council as a temporary replacement venue, but the shared nature of the building provided a challenging obstacle when organising and hosting events.

In 2011, incoming Director Dr Friederike (Rike) Krishnabhakdi-Vasilakis brought major exciting changes to the SCWC. One early change was a transplant from Coniston to disused classrooms in the Conservatorium within the Wollongong Botanic Gardens, followed by a jump to a couple of offices in Building 19 at neighbouring University of Wollongong (UOW) until the later refurbishment of the campus building.

During Rike’s tenure as Director, the SCWC expanded significantly in scope. She initiated a range of new events, many of which were open to members and general public alike, such as the first South Coast Writers Centre-supported festivals. The Wollongong Writers Festival, founded by Chloe Higgins, began during this time and paved the way for the now-annual South Coast Readers and Writers Festival hosted by SCWC.

In 2011, Aunty Barbara Nicholson began the acclaimed Indigenous literary program, the Ngana Barangarai (Black Wallaby) project, which the SCWC has been proud to support since its inception. In 2015 and 2016, the SCWC’s Indigenous Writers-in-Residence program supported the work of eminent authors, Bruce Pascoe, Jim Everett, John Muk Muk Burke, and Tony Birch.

Throughout the 2010s, Rike and the Committee of Management also initiated an internship program for students at UOW to gain firsthand experience in creative industry. Other events offered during this period of the SCWC included the Young Writers Program, founded by Helena Fox; a series of workshops, facilitated by Linda Godfrey; and the Spanish writers group.

After several successful years as Director, Rike moved on to new projects in late 2018. Shortly after, Director Kirsten Bokor signed off on Wollongong City Council’s offer to lease the organisation a more permanent home at Coledale Community Hall, where the Centre is now located.

In 2020, the Illawarra, along with the rest of the world, went through the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic. The SCWC’s incumbent Director, Dr Sarah Nicholson, took the helm at this time of major uncertainty, and has steered the SCWC to continuing success in the years since.

The SCWC’s membership continues to grow, with more events and resources on offer than ever before. Building on the tireless work of our Directors, staff, and Committee of Management, Sarah has embedded the South Coast Readers & Writers Festival as an annual tradition in the Illawarra’s calendar and led the SCWC in the support of a plethora of community creative and literary endeavours.

Sadly, the South Coast Writers Centre’s founder, Ron Pretty OAM (1940-2023), is no longer with us, but left a beloved legacy that we are proud to continue. In 2024, the year after his passing, South Coast Writers Centre began the annual tradition of the Ron Pretty Poetry Award to honour his memory and to celebrate exceptional poets.

In 2023, Aunty Barbara Nicholson was awarded the first Life Membership of the SCWC in recognition of her great commitment and service since the founding of the organisation.

In 2025, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the South Coast Writers Centre, the thirteenth publication in the Ngana Barangarai series, and the fourth South Coast Readers & Writers Festival.

While this history is not able to capture the full extent of the many events that have the SCWC last 30 years, we are grateful for all of the directors, board-members, staff, interns, volunteers, donors, teachers, participants and members of the South Coast Writers Centre who have contributed to SCWC’s journey. The work of this organisation has been made possible only through the generosity and commitment of many hardworking, passionate people, and we thank you all.

Written by Samson Soulsby, Deputy Chair, Committee of Management, 2025

Special thanks to Aunty Barbara Nicholson for her assistance in compiling this history.
Special thanks also to Linda Godfrey for her assistance.