Below is a short biography about me for those who are interested in my personal writing services and therefore my personal story.

I grew up in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia). As a family, we lived in a neighbourhood where everyone knew or knew of each other, on which street they lived, their parents, their grandparents, and beyond. I attended a Catholic Convent School run by German nuns. The school had impeccable facilities, academic standards, dress and conduct codes. By today’s measures, the environment would be considered austere, but I always feel a deep gratitude for the personal values and discipline I learnt there. I have a mixed ethnicity of Indian, South African Dutch, Bantu and Khoisan. My South African ancestors originate from the Eastern Karoo in the Eastern Cape.

In my neighbourhood, the residents inspired our recreation centres, sports fields, local primary and secondary school, churches, old age home and public swimming pool through fundraising and advocacy for our communal needs to Government, churches and others. It gave many of us a sense of home, of identity, of belonging, of ownership, of responsibility to each other, and of connection to those before us who made sacrifices to create it. At times, it was also quite oppressive and inward looking but you could still leave it for other places and visit back! It’s different from today’s transient world which allows us to journey through different places, cultures and experiences, but is so often devoid of those qualities I mention. But how can you miss, what you’ve never known?

I was interested in personal stories from when I was at least 9 years old. I would ask my Mother, “Where was Granny born”, “Why did Oupa go blind”, What was Granny’s surname before she married Oupa, “Why isn’t Oupa called Grandpa” - Oupa and Granny were my maternal great-grandparents who I had never met. Rather than normal childhood enquiry, I see these questions as an attempt to discover my personal story and resolve the contradictions within it.

“Mummy” (as we called my Mum) would wave my questions off with a laugh but occasionally she offered up rare nuggets of information. I buried them deep within me but little did I know that decades later these snippets would be the basis of a profound family history fascination and forensic enquiry. I couldn’t have imagined that the unique occasional details my Mum provided would help me identify ancestors in historical institutional records.

After school, I obtained a Bachelor of Arts in French and International Studies. The application of language rules and grammar stimulated my logical mind while International studies cemented my understanding of the pivotal events that shape our human existence. Later, it seemed my skill set was best suited to organisational writing of reports, stories and news. It came second nature to me to understand the dynamics, pinpoint salient events, and compartmentalise them into a logical chapter-like story. My favourite corporate pastime was to write profiles about staff. I had the gift of taking myriad unrelated facts and transforming them into a connected, rolling story with personal quotes, historical detail and other interesting curves.

My biggest personal opportunity was being invited to co-write and co-produce a personal life story and publication along with its Author. It ended up taking 8 years to finish. Our reference documents were 50 years of personal diaries; personal letters; accessing thousands of tribunal cases, Parliamentary records and daily work schedules; examining newspaper articles and archives; and researching the internet for details of events of the past. It was a monumental task and it was also extraordinary! It gave me a sense of all the sources of information we can use to inform a life story; and the diaries depicted all the daily events that make up a life which we might otherwise forget.

My favourite city to visit is London. It’s a strange thing about London for me. I loved it from the very first moment I arrived there for a working holiday. When back in Australia, I continued to visit and always felt the same way. It is a special city to me with special memories.

In my spare time, I like reading, exploring my family history and genealogy, and being with family.

Tracey

Photo just below: Mum, me, and my dog Skippy, in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, during a time of drought and water rationing.

Photo further below: Me in London with St Paul’s Cathedral in the background.