© Thames Valley Writers’ Circle
Barbara Olive Smith
Founder and Life President
of the
Thames Valley Writers’ Circle
Born in Bristol in 1926, I was the
youngest of six children. Growing
up during the war years we
survived the bombing, despite a
direct hit on our house.
After my marriage in 1948, I sailed
from Dartmouth on a cargo ship to
the Gold Coast to join my husband,
an Agricultural Officer in the
Colonial Service.
We had three children over the
ten-year period we lived there,
during which, the colony struggled for independence and
emerged as Ghana.
In 1958 my husband was transferred to Mauritius and in April
of 1960 we experienced the devastating cyclone “Carol” – the
worst in the island’s history.
The following year, my husband left the Colonial Service and
we moved back to West Africa. We lived in Nigeria for the next
eight years. It was a turbulent time culminating in the Biafran
War which lasted two-and-a-half years.
Then followed a period of short stays. First, we moved to
Chemelil, in Kenya, then Mumias, also in Kenya. Surabaja, in
Indonesia, was our next home for a year before my husband
was posted to London.
We continued to travel as his work took him to Papua New
Guinea, Sri-Lanka, Brazil and the Philippines – wherever in the
world that sugar is grown.
After nearly forty years of a wonderful marriage I was widowed
and had to start a new life.
I attended courses on creative writing including novel writing
courses at Brazier’s College, Ruskin College, Reading
University and Oxford University Summer School.
In 1993 I met Dorothy Winters and Joyce Robinson while
attending a creative writing course at Theale Green College
of Further Education. When the course ended, we thought it
likely that we would lose contact and not meet again.
With this in mind, we convinced the principal of Wilson Adult
Education College to let us hire a room one evening a week.
From this, the Thames Valley Writers’ Circle was born.
We arranged occasional workshops and guest speakers, and
have been fortunate to have visits from Colin Dexter, Robert
Harris, Mike Walker, Ann Schlee, Brian Stableford, Deborah
Moggach, Lesley Wilson, Roisin McAuley and many other
authors.
Drawing on my life experiences, I have written two novels:
Listen to the Drums, and Of Doubtful Loyalty, and many short
stories which have been published in Writers' Magazine, New
Writer, Yours, My Weekly and The Countryman. I have also
won several awards for my short stories, poems and articles.
I do not much like housework. I find it repetitive and boring. I
do the dusting and as soon as my back is turned it comes
back. A quick Hoover round if I’m expecting visitors seems
perfectly acceptable. I’m not over-fond of spiders but I can
live with them, provided they are not too big.
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