Pat Lee is a poet who lives at Wattle Grove Retirement Living and has recently launched her second book of poetry.
Writing has long been a part of Pat’s life, and her first book, Nudge the Morning, was a natural collection of musings.
Pat, a keen observer of people and places, said, “this book is really about encouraging people to slow down, observe, enjoy and value nature”.
“For many years, since I was a child, I used to save my scribbled thoughts and notes in an old munition box. On retiring I opened the box and started writing poetry.”
In late November 2012 she joined Friendly Street Poets and was first published in that year’s FSP Reader, with new poems published annually since.
Her poems have appeared in literary journals and poetry anthologies in Australia and overseas.
In Nudge the Morning, published in 2017, and in her latest collection, A Spot in Time, Pat continues to display her ability to turn inspired thought into well-crafted poetry.
Her honest revelations are refreshing, sometimes confronting.
A champion of nature, and a keen observer of people and places, her poems cover a wide range of topics with which people can relate.
Her poetry is authentic and heartfelt, written with apt imagery and clever word choice.
The path to this second publication, A Spot in Time, had its hurdles.
After publishing her first book, Pat experienced a 10-year break from writing to manage the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
However, encouragement from friends and former colleagues pushed her to pick up the pen once more.
After moving to Wattle Grove she spent at least two hours a day putting together the manuscript for A Spot in Time.
The book was launched at a gathering with family, village residents and some former neighbours.
The launch was made even more special by Pat’s two granddaughters, who read a poem each, and her elder son, who flew in from Myanmar for the event.
Guest speaker Jude Aquilina, a member of Friendly Street poets, highlighted Pat’s natural ability to reflect the human experience through her words.
“It’s a poet’s job to show the world how it is to be human. Not only does Pat write vividly and tellingly about herself, but she has the gift of being able to step into the lives of others and portray how it might feel to be in their shoes,” she said.
Pat’s life story is as rich as her poetry.
She began her career as an English and Geography teacher at Gepps Cross Girls’ High School before completing a degree in Librarianship.
She helped set up the school library at the newly opened Morialta High School in 1975 before taking a year’s leave without pay for an adventurous journey overseas that led her to Europe, Egypt, England and eventually Russia.
It was on the flight to Russia that she met her husband, Alan, who later came to Australia.
Over the years, Pat undertook several different roles in the South Australian Education Department’s English as a Second Language (ESL) Program.
Initially providing hands-on education to newly arrived students with varying levels of English proficiency, she was seconded to set up the Languages and Multicultural Library in Grote Street.
She spent five years as deputy principal at the Adelaide Secondary School of English.
She finished her career as an ESL Project Manager overseeing the development of courses for teachers on explicitly teaching students the nuances of English language in different subjects and social situations.
These courses have been recognised internationally and are being used in schools across Australia and overseas.
The next project for Pat is an autobiography of sorts - but with a format she herself admits is “ambitious, even crazy”.
“I’ve got lots of old pictures from the 1850’s on, when my ancestors from Poland and England came out to Australia. I want to include them with relevant poems and vignettes from my two publications.”
At about a quarter of the way through writing the book, Pat had 133 pages, and she admitted the writing was getting more difficult the more she knew about family members.
But Pat is a determined woman and will finish the book for her family - no matter how many pages it takes!
Copies of A Spot in Time are available through Em Dash Publishing, phone 0416 103 223.
