The stories that shaped Bedford Heights Retirement Estate

A simple idea for a writing group at Bedford Heights Retirement Estate in Melbourne has developed into a captivating book that will be shared with local schools and libraries, and is also on sale at the local pharmacy.

Resident Cara Beed has a lifelong love of writing and wanted to start up a group of her like-minded neighbours.

“I was an academic writer, I wrote with my husband and I wrote independently. I’ve always written and I love to be in a cohort of writers,” Cara explained.

“I found it very exciting to have all these people in the village as part of a new writing cohort.”

The Writer’s Group began in 2023 and the book, Anthology of Bedford Writings 2025 Volume 1, was launched at a special event in the village late in 2025.

Cara, who co-edited the book with fellow resident Edward Connor, said it was a “unique” collection of stories from Bedford residents’ lives.

“It’s an insight into the time of these people’s history, me included, and I think that it’s a dear little book,” Cara said.

“There are a lot of people who do writing your life but they don’t take sections deliberately to place in a book of collected works - it’s quite unique.”

The stories were inspired by four writing sessions with historian and professional writer, Dr Sarah Craze.

Cara explained, “She encouraged us to write about music, how it affected us and our lifestyle around music in our era, family relationships, food and world events.

“We didn't get on to politics but we did note we all knew where we were when we heard President John Kennedy was assassinated.

“We just noted that these world events coloured our thinking.”

The Whitehorse City Council supported the Writer's Group with a grant of $750 and residents chipped in with their own fundraising to pay for the publishing fees for the book.

The collection of 22 stories ranges from diary notes of one resident’s trek in the Himalayas to a true love story and treasured childhood memories.

The book launch was attended by “the whole village” and many other residents related to the passages that were read out from the book.

The Writer’s Group continues to meet regularly to share their work; a “cathartic exercise” which Cara said has great benefits for all group members.

“It’s very therapeutic and uplifting. It helps us come to terms with the past, laughing in some cases, and look to the future,” she said.

“Writing has a way of mellowing life and moulding regrets into constructive memories.”

The Writer’s Group is already considering compiling a second volume of stories to share with the public in the near future.