AN ENTERPRISING LIFE : Dorothy Bransgrove

By Marissa Byatt

We are continuing with our profile pieces on members of the society as a way of showcasing the excellent variety and skills of our members and this month’s profile is no different, highlighting just one of our many talented writer/artists, Dorothy Bransgrove.

 Dorothy Bransgrove is a longtime member of the SWWV and speaks fondly of the friendships she has formed through our society.

In 1968 Dorothy, her husband Lindsay and their children settled the small outer east town of Pakenham and very quickly became involved in this community. While Lindsay worked as a real estate agent, Dorothy began work as the assistant librarian at Pakenham High School during the 1970’s.

Dandenong TAFE arranged for a tutor to come weekly to the Pakenham Neighbourhood House and the Pack Track  Writers Group was established in 1990. (This group continued well into the 2000’s.)  The writing group received a grant in 1992 for a Writer in Residence and the tutor that came weekly for six weeks was the then President of the SWWV, Trudy Oldaker. Dorothy says, Trudy encouraged the group members to join the SWWV and so she and fellow member  Phil Macleod went to their  first meeting, Dorothy joined straight away.

In 1994 Dorothy had work published in an anthology called the ‘Spirit of Pakenham’ and her first poetry book, ‘Painting with Words’ was launched in 1995.

Dorothy is a member of the Living and Learning Centre and an inaugural member of Pakenham’s U3A.  This love of learning and education led Dorothy to attend Berwick TAFE where, as one of the older students, she graduated with a High Distinction in 1997. 

During this time she had also  been involved with various poetry groups including Kathryn Purnell’s monthly Friday group and the Monash Poetry Group.

When Dorothy found the monthly travel to SWWV meetings too much, she joined our postal workshop ‘Carpe Diem’ in 1999, which was the name proposed by Dorothy, run at that time by Lorraine Marwood. 

As the founder of the Toomuc Valley Art Group, Dorothy has proven herself not only a talented writer but artist as well, having some of her paintings in the care of the Cardinia Shire Collection. 

We are exceptionally lucky to have such variety and inspired members willing to share and learn in the SWWV. 

Tricia has written this about herself for us:

I have always had an awed fascination with parasites!

While teaching science in a very distant rural town in West Africa in the 1960's, I also became involved in helping out at the local hospital laboratory. Conditions were very primitive and diseases spread like wildfire amongst the townsfolk. This was partly because everyone bathed, drank, and washed their clothes in the one river that passed through town. Millions of flying insects added to the spread of disease. I saw people with huge worms coming out of ulcers on their bodies, and patients at the hospital passing massive tapeworms. These experiences engendered my parasitic obsession!

I then taught for six years, in the 1970's, in Saudi Arabia, also helping out in their hospital lab. Parasites were very evident there too!

When I came to Australia 34 years ago, the DPI Veterinary Laboratory was opening in Benalla. Such beautiful countryside and a very genuine, friendly, farming community!

I feel SO privileged to live here! To top it all off, the work I loved was very useful to the farmers, as I could do tests on their animals' dung to determine the Roundworm and Liver Fluke burdens. We also found many fascinating parasites in domestic and other species of animals.

I have always received excrement from everyone!!!

The local insects and spiders are so beautiful too!

After 18 years, the Vet Lab closed down, so I started my own business and continued the farmers' testing, for 11 years, from my own property on the edge of town. There was always a little time for writing wormy articles in scientific and farming papers … plus some parasitic poetry.

The years are finally catching up so I have recently sold my business and retired. So there is more time for writing but … the worms have now taken over my brain! They flow out of my head, down my arm, through the pen onto the paper!

I am now completely parasitised!!!

Sumus semper in excretum sed alter variat!

Tricia Veale