From the committee
by Paul Anderson and Robert Rowe
The Editors NSW branch committee met on 9 March for its monthly meeting, via Zoom, with three apologies.
Reports received included those for budget commentary, professional development (PD) and social media. The financial position of the branch is sound, and the branch is operating within the budget guidelines. The branch’s financial report for February 2021 was in preparation at the time of the meeting. The Accreditation Board delegate’s report and Director’s update were also received.
A working party has been established to consider member engagement and the format of our member meetings, now that they are online. Some branches are moving to a schedule of formal and informal meetings. The committee is keen to hear from and listen to what members want from their monthly meetings. Please send your thoughts to Susie Pilkington at ednsw.admin@iped-editors.org.
Ted Briggs AE presented an overview of the IPEd Mentoring Program at our Zoom member meeting on 2 March. He promoted the program that IPEd is making wider and more accessible. Elizabeth Manning Murphy DE, a program co-founder, assisted with the Q&A. A recording of the meeting will be available for online purchase (and free if you paid to attend). To find out more about the program, or to contact the NSW Coordinator, Maureen Shelley, please email ednsw.mentorship@iped-editors.org.
Who will win bragging rights at trivia? Join us at our next Zoom member meeting on 2 April for your chance to win. Please remember that your ideas for presentations are always welcome. Send them to Caroline Hunter at ednsw.meetings@iped-editors.org.
Our next Zoom workshop is shaping up to be Editing Fiction with Nicola O’Shea, in July. Other workshops — Freelance Editing Business with Malini Davedas and Editing Memoir with Pamela Hewitt — are now being scheduled after the IPEd conference this year.
It was nice to see those who could attend our social networking evening (drinks) in Sydney on 24 February.
And editors’ lunches are officially back. Thanks to all who responded to the call-out. In coming months events will be hosted by members in Brooklyn, the Blue Mountains and other locations. Some months are still free in this year’s calendar. Please contact Susie Pilkington at ednsw.admin@iped-editors.org if you would like to organise a lunch in your preferred area of NSW.
The old Editors NSW website will be closed down in May. Content has already been migrated to the branch section of the IPEd website, as previously reported.
Sydney got together — again
by Susie Pilkington
After nearly a year of being locked down, being thrown in at the deep end (of Zoom) and generally paddling madly to try to keep up or catch-up despite 2020 restrictions (yes, we can/no, we can’t/how many?), it was lovely to climb the familiar stairs of the Edinburgh Castle Hotel in the Sydney CBD, to take part in the first of our casual get-togethers for 2021 on Wednesday 24 February.
Ours is an isolationist sort of industry, but the December dinner showed that our editors rally to the opportunity of a bit of social networking.
And so it was at the February dinner and drinks: a simple affair where we booked a table, sent out the details and took loose RSVPs for numbers. Anyone who came along bought their own drinks and dinner, and drifted in and out to suit their own timetable. Some stayed quite late.
Importantly, we were delighted to see new members at both the December dinner and the February catch-up so, like everyone, we look forward to the opportunity to get together more often.
Newcastle editors get together
by Mark Lock
Editors, experienced to aspiring, met in Newcastle’s ‘East End Hub’ for lunch on 28 February. It was a happy, sunny day and we were thrilled to meet face-to-face in these COVID times. Mark, Olivia, Elizabeth and Maria discussed all things editorial, including the IPEd Accreditation Exam that Maria and Elizabeth successfully passed. It was great to meet, chat over lunch and get a peek into each other’s editorial lives. Looking forward to the next lunch.
From left: Elizabeth Beach, Maria Roberts, Mark Lock and Olivia Wroth
[Photo credit: Mark Lock]
Events
Member meetings
Member meetings will continue to be held via videoconference using the Zoom application.
Members are urged to check their email for the latest information on any event.
Bookings via the IPEd Events webpage.
Trivia night
Date: Tuesday 6 April
Time: 7pm AEST (NB: daylight saving ends 4 April)
Location: online via Zoom
Details: Join us for an experimental trivia event. Have some fun and give your brains something different to do online. BYO comestibles and libations. Full details via email to members.
Book here.
Plain English
Date: Tuesday 4 May
Time: 7pm AEST
Location: online via Zoom
Details: At this insightful talk, discover how to adapt your skills to become a plain English writer and editor in this rapidly growing field. Patricia Hoyle, owner of Sydney-based Concise Writing Consultancy, will talk about how she worked her way up from legal secretary to creating her successful writing consultancy. Operating for 27 years, Concise Writing Consultancy provides plain English writing, editing and training services to the corporate sector and all levels of government.
Presenter: Patricia Hoyle, Director, Concise Writing Consultancy
Specialising in plain English, Patricia has written and edited a wide range of government and corporate documents in the past 30 years. This includes annual reports, plain English technical reports, fact sheets, policies and procedures, brochures, newsletters, articles and websites.
Patricia has also been a freelance non-fiction editor for ABC Books, Sally Milner Publishing, and NCELTR Publishing (Macquarie University). Through her customised and highly interactive workshops, she has also helped thousands of managers and staff at all levels develop their writing skills and gain a better grasp of English grammar.
Pragmatism overrides ethics? Editing for clients in Dutch academia
Date: Tuesday 1 June
Time: 7pm AEST
Location: online via Zoom
Details: TBC
Presenter: Dr Joy Burrough-Boenisch from Unclogged English (based in the Netherlands)