Louise Markus (Macquarie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Earlier this month I had the great pleasure of joining members of the Katoomba community in celebrating the 20th anniversary of Varuna, the Writers House. Varuna provides writers with a quiet place to escape the everyday pressures and constraints of life, allowing five writers each week of the year to retreat from everyday life and focus on their writing. The organisation behind Varuna, the Eleanor Dark Foundation, also provides other services directly related to encouraging writers. The ongoing support of the arts is so critical to preserving our literary history and providing opportunities for budding writers from all over the country to come to Varuna to hone their skills and to explore their writing in a supportive environment.

The house was constructed in the 1930s by Australian writer Eleanor Dark and her husband, Dr Eric Dark. A great writer, Eleanor wrote many short stories, articles and 10 novels. Her best selling novel was the 1941 The Timeless Land. An important figure in Australian literature, Eleanor won many awards, receiving an Order of Australia Medal in 1977. Dr Eric Dark was a writer as well. His work focused on politics and medicine. Dr Dark served with the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War I and was awarded the Military Cross for his service. Dr Dark's books include The World Against Russia and Who Are the Reds.

Inheriting the home in 1989, Mick Dark formed the Eleanor Dark Foundation, with the house to be used as a writers centre. Following his generous donation, the house was renovated in 1990 with funding contributed by numerous state government authorities and the first Varuna fellowships began in December 1990, with the house officially opened by the then state Minister for the Arts, the Hon. Peter Collins, in 1991.

Varuna, the Writers House, offers a variety of services for anyone interested in writing. For the professional writer, the Eleanor Dark Foundation administers several scholarship programs. These scholarship programs, offered in partnership with major publishers, including Penguin and Random House, are designed to encourage budding writers taking the next step from writing to publishing. Committed to developing young writers as well, Varuna offers the Ray Koppe Young Writers Residency to ensure that young writers are not forgotten or overlooked. Varuna also runs several masterclasses and workshops for those in the community interested in literature and provides mentoring services.

Many examples of great Australian literature are written by Varuna alumni. Notable works include Malcolm Fraser: The Political Memoirs, written with Margaret Simons; Border Watch by Helene Young; and Violent Exposure by Katherine Howell, who is running this month's masterclass at Varuna. I thank Mick Dark for making such a generous contribution to the Blue Mountains community and writers all over the country. His modesty, generosity and ongoing support for the work of Varuna is something which should be celebrated. Others who deserve congratulations include Lis Bastian, Lynn Vernon and their team for the outstanding work they have done to raise the profile of Varuna, the Writers House, throughout the country. I congratulate everyone at Varuna for reaching this milestone and look forward to their success continuing into the future.