Committee Members

President: Caroline Webber

Caroline has been passionate about books and writing for as long as she can remember and published her own monthly newspaper when she was ten years old. She has worked in the publishing industry for almost twenty years. After receiving a Doctorate in Eighteenth-Century Literature, specialising in editorial techniques, she established an independent publishing company, Green Olive Press, and
continues to work as an editor and publisher. 2022 – 2023 marks the start of Caroline’s second year as President and she is looking forward to developing an interesting a diverse
program for members during the coming twelve months.

Vice President/Newsletter Editor – Paula Wilson

Paula joined the Society of Women Writers Victoria in the mid-1990s while studying Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT and has been an active member ever since. While still studying she attended a gathering of 400 women for the magazine Karios, where the former Premier of Victoria Joan Kirner said ‘For a claim on the future there must be an understanding of our achievements in the past, the names of men live on and women become lost.’ These words had a profound impact on Paula and from that day on she set out to discover the lost stories of Australian women in history. These stories have been published in magazines and online. Paula also writes short stories inspired by her grandchildren and her travels around Victoria in her caravan.

Company Secretary – Vanessa Potts

Vanessa grew up in the UK and studied Literature at University. She has worked in the corporate world most of her adult life but has swopped this to study psychotherapy. She finds writing is a release from her other roles and lets her creative side free. Vanessa describes her writing as a constant work in progress and has focused her skills on poetry with an interest in the smaller moments in life that help define us. Vanessa is delighted to take on the role of Company Secretary.

Treasurer/Assistant Membership Secretary – Del Nightingale

Del has lived in Melbourne from day one. Training to teach was the stepping off  point for a varied career. Slipping easily from the educational environment into welfare work, Del coordinated support programs and delivered client services. As a  business owner/operator she managed a computer bureau, provided vocational training and completed writing contracts for clients.

Membership Secretary/Assistant Treasurer/Writing Groups Coordinator – Lindsay Bamfield

Lindsay came to Melbourne from London in May 2019 having retired from her  career as a specialist speech and language therapist. She began writing after completing an Honours degree in Literature in 2006. She cofounded a local peer critiquing writing group with three others which expanded into four groups with around 25 members in total. They ran three international short story competitions and held five local literary festivals in north London with an amazing range of  literary speakers. Finding a writing group in Melbourne was a priority and after a couple which didn’t fit the  bill, Lindsay joined SWWV in June 2020.

Website Manager – Bhavna Khanna  

Bhavna is an artist with a keen interest in watercolour painting, mural painting and  book illustrations. She is currently working on a number of creative projects (of which the list is very long) but has started with a small series of watercolour paintings corresponding to each season. She also dabbles in writing. Bhavna enjoys volunteering with the Society, all the way from NSW where she lives in South Sydney with her husband and two children.

Assistant Company Secretary – Karen Meyers  

Although trained as a secondary teacher in food and technology, Karen now spends  her time helping with her two grandchildren and hopefully passing on skills and  knowledge to them. Prior to this, she lived and worked in London for a couple of years working at a Cooking School before setting up her own in Melbourne in the  1980s. Karen has published eight recipe books, in the days before the celebrity Chefs put out their popular glossy coffee table versions. She loves writing and is currently working on a rather continuous ‘letter to her Grandchildren’ detailing all the small but meaningful  events in their lives that the Instagram photos will forget. 

Committee Member – Breda Hertaeg  

Meeting the committee of SWWV was quite an experience. So many members go the next mile to help all of us enjoy a terrific writing group. Unlike me, some have  accounting or bookkeeping skills or experience, knowledge of legal requirements  for running a meeting, taking minutes, writing reports and numerous minutiae which have never been part of my work as a midwife. And, these outstanding  people are all women! There’s not much call in the group for my professional skills, however, everyone can assist is some way and I’m delighted to have been accepted as a committee  member to assist in any small way within my capabilities.  

Committee Member – Jennifer McInnes  

Jennifer joined SWWV last year to learn about writing. Her experiences at school all  those years ago were desperately uninspired. The collection of 350 letters her Grandfather who served at Gallipoli and the Western Front, to her Grandmother talks to her regularly and asks to be made into a book. She has filled the time in between school and SWW with lots of work.

For the last 22 years making chilli condiments under the label Hells Breath. She is an unashamed food obsessive, beekeeper and enthusiast of yoga.

Committee Member – Tracee Spiby  

Undeniably a country girl, Tracee has lived all her life in central Victoria, working in various fields  including as a small business operator, Adult Education, community development and Child Protection.  With no formal writing background but a love of family history and research, she is learning through doing  and has commenced writing her grandfather’s story of two world wars.  

Tracee joined the society before the For the Love of Writing Festival and has gained so much from the  Society that she has now joined the committee in order to give something back.