My Writing Journey by Craig Harris

Starting with Zagato

I remember reading an article about the Zagato racing team when I was about 12 years old. Their vehicle was based on an Aston Martin DB4. Based in Italy, the Zagato company modified many aspects of the vehicle, readying it for a racing career.

It was entered for its first race at the Goodwood racetrack in 1961, driven by the renowned driver, Stirling Moss, who came in a credible third. Moss was knighted in 2000 for his lifelong involvement in motorsport.

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I attended many racing events with my father at the Mallala racetrack, about 15 miles from home. Dad was the District Clerk of Owen and a knowledgeable and experienced road builder. Along with the District Clerk of Mallala, my father designed and built a motor racetrack on the recently vacated RAAF base. Hangars and base infrastructure were still intact, so the track wove its way past and around them. They hoped the munitions buildings were carefully emptied.

With this as background, I embarked on the journey of writing a book! Full of passion, I designed my cars with exotic paintworks, loud exhausts, and famous drivers. After about thirty pages, I came to a standstill. I cannot remember if I lost enthusiasm, the storyline, or my father’s reminder that it costs a lot to publish a book that stopped the project. I often think about that manuscript and whether it was readable and wish I could again see it.

Finding My Way

While I had a happy childhood, with holidays in Coffin Bay, during my school years, my reports would say ‘…has the ability but needs to apply himself’ or has the knowledge but does not take tests or exams seriously’.

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But, before I left school (in July 1967), I joined the EFS (Emergency Fire Service), later known as the Country Fire Service CFS), and I have been volunteering with them for over 35 years. I have held many positions: Brigade Captain, Group Training Officer, Regional representative on the State Training Committee. And, I was presented with several medals, awards, and accolades.

My Career

My early career was centred around the dairy industry, where I made butter and powdered milk, later overseeing the boiler house. A career change into industrial emergency services lasted 33 years until I retired in July 2016.

I spent a total of forty-nine years in the fire industry! I was a recognised trainer during the early years, developing training material and student manuals specific to various locations. Later I took responsibility for developing emergency plans for fire, security, environment, marine, aviation, preplanning tools, risk and recovery. These plans were for the first responder through to the corporate sector.

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Another significant part of my role was to conduct scenario-based training and exercises (drills). These exercises could be for a group as small as 5-10 persons through to several hundred, including police, ambulance, and both state and federal government agencies.

I was also invited to join teams and committees to develop large scale exercises. In one, the scale was large enough to involve several state premiers who escalated this onto the Prime Minister. Another was the sizeable annual military exercise conducted across several states with hundreds of personnel deployed.

In 2005, I received a bravery award for rescuing a work colleague who had succumbed to horrific burns, a sad and challenging task for a firefighter.

My working life shows that I was often required to author and develop critical documents, all of which received intense, high-level scrutiny (Especially by insurance companies). I enjoyed this technical writing style and the research necessary to deliver a paper of best practice. Continual improvement during document revisions was challenging.

My First Book

My partner’s Father is Marsden Hordern, an author of many books, including A Merciful Journey, Mariners Are Warned and King of the Australian Coast. His maritime history passion earned him an honorary doctorate in literature from the University of Sydney and many other awards.

He spent WW2 in the navy and sailed as a navigator in four of the early Sydney to Hobart Yacht races. He kept all his logbooks and many souvenirs, mementos, and photo collection.

Marsden is a remarkable man, a few weeks shy of his 99th birthday. He is in good health, has a sharp memory and still drives — in Sydney!

Several years ago, Marsden’s children and I urged him to expand his notes into a book. He answered, I am an old man; I haven’t got time for this; I am writing my life story and other submissions for naval journals. 

On Self-publishing

I realised Blue Water Warriors would not be a best-seller, so I decided to self-publish. That was a big learning curve, along with a financial commitment. After the employee expense account bought an expensive bottle of red wine, the book made a small profit.

I did not completely understand the enormity of the project when I started. I soon adopted the approach ‘…that is possible to eat an elephant, providing you do it one bite at a time’. Determination and commitment are two of the critical tools needed for writing a book. The adventure has made me better educated and wiser.

Once the project was complete, I woke up in the morning feeling lost without any writing or research to do.

What Next?

Another project – But what? I loved reading fiction based on fact (faction), novels by Clive Cussler, Lee Childs and others. I have always been fascinated by the space race. Could I write a story with espionage involved in the narrative? Such a book, I thought, would centre on the USA, so a lot of research would be required.

I soon started a series of novels following a timeline beginning in October 1952. The Genius of Illusions is now waiting for a publisher or an agent to accept it; a problematic process indeed. Both The Master of Illusions and The Maven of Illusions are complete pending a final edit. And, The Maestro of Illusions is about 40% complete.

I am a member of the Australian Society of Authors, Writers SA and several writing groups. Belonging to these groups has expanded my knowledge and enjoyment of different writers and styles.

I now write many short stories, and about three years ago, I wrote my first poem. Here are two recent poems that focus on climate and the weather, making sense in terms of my fiery history.

My Hobbies

My hobbies include my V8 powered MGB roadster, and I have competed several times at the Mount Alma Mile hill climb.

Another pastime is the intricate art of home brewing. With the SA Amateurs Brewing, I have won several state awards, and an Australian title.

And, poetry!

The Journey Continues…

AUTHOR BIO

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Text, poems and images remain the property of the author.