Magg’s moment arrives

MARGARET Gumley has had lots of "moments" over the years that she shared with Kiama Independent readers.

Now Margaret is about to have one very special moment , the launch of a book compiling the best of the columns that appeared in the Independent between 1999 and 2005.

Magg"s Moments by Request contains 21 short stories selected from more than 80 Margaret wrote under the name Margaret Felton.

"I went to the Independent office one morning in 1999 and asked to see the editor, who at that time was Graeme Henderson," Margaret said. "I showed Graeme one of my short stories and asked if he thought he could use it."

A few days later, Margaret received a phone call asking if she had any similar stories.

"I had about a dozen, which I quickly tidied up and gave to Graeme," she said.

"We then needed a name for the column. My grandchildren referred to me as Magg (I refused to be grandma or nana) and I was writing about moments from my everyday life, so the title Magg"s Moments seemed an obvious choice: the whole thing just grew from there."

Later, as a journalist with The Local (a former monthly free paper published by Weston Print) and writer of the weekly page Roundabout in the Kiama Independent, Margaret found less time to write her 600-word short stories and the final Magg"s Moment was published in mid-2005.

"After 80 stories I"d also run out of fresh ideas," Margaret said.

"About three months ago, a former fan of Magg"s Moments said she still missed reading them and mentioned the possibility of a book. It had been suggested several times before so I decided I really should do something before people forgot all about Magg"s Moments.

"Mind you, I hadn"t realised there was quite so much involved in self-publishing, but I quickly learned and was thrilled when the book arrived from Weston Print exactly as I had designed it."

Margaret"s daughter, Joselyn Cleall, provided the charming line drawings that accompany each story.

The book will be launched at 7.30pm next Wednesday (April 4) in the Kiama Family History Centre, Railway Parade, Kiama.

The launch will be a Friends of Kiama Library (FOKL) fundraising event and the usual donation of $5 ($3 members) applies.

A light supper will be provided and copies of Magg"s Moments by Request will be available, with 10 per cent from each sale going to FOKL.

Magg"s Moments by Request (RRP $9.99) will be available from various local outlets.