We are all still in Australia, but some of the people who will be going to Kalymnos for the week-long Workshop for Charmian Clift Readers and Writers have sent in accounts of what they are hoping for from the island itself and from the explorations (of our own writing as well as that of Clift) that we will make there together. I will post them below, in alphabetical order by first name, with a little image of Kalymnian earth and sea in between.

Anna Fienberg — On Looking Forward to Kalymnos

It was reading Nadia’s masterpiece, The Life and Myth of Charmian Clift, then hearing about the possibility of actually going to Kalymnos and with the author herself, that made me enlist. Now, as Kalymnos gets closer, and it’s dawning on me that I will be there with wonderful, wordy kindred spirits, where we can explore and discuss and dwell on our reflections and words – well, it’s hard to contain myself.

But that’s what writing is for, isn’t it – a vehicle for containing, expressing, soaring.

Nadia mentioned that her writing springs from a connection with Place. I felt a kind of yearning when she said that as I’m aware that too often I stay enclosed inside instead, so overtaken by feelings and experience that I’m blind to my surroundings. And I miss things in this way, too many things. (Makes me think of Charmian’s description in Honour’s Mimic of the gate to the old city, ‘only a blind eye. Trachomaed.’)

In her writing, you can practically feel Charmian’s excitement at the immediacy of the landscape, and her experience of it – the ‘wedges of shade’, ‘the mountains still and naked and terrible’, ‘the matchstick boats’…

I want to walk and look and listen to this landscape, and be open if I can to the maddeningly ineffable, saffron strands of being alive – I just want those small things, ha!, and maybe get a whiff of Charmian’s idea of mermaids. This tour makes such beautiful space for this possibility, a nourishing, protected space out of the noisy wind.

Such a unique journey this will be, whatever happens, this ‘once in our lives to go down to the sea and wait and listen.’

Carmel Kostos

Ever since I was first captivated by the Santorini-like image on the cover of Charmian Clift’s A Mermaid Singing following a trip to Greece, I have been enthralled by her colourful storytelling of Greek life. Equally, I’ve been intrigued by Clift’s intimate portrayal of her life experiences. Since then, I’ve often found myself in moments of serendipity, as if walking in Clift’s footsteps. One such instance was discovering her connection to the Argus Building, where her spark with husband, George Johnston first ignited—a building where I, too once worked. In another instance, after reading about the Greek island of Hydra’s significance in Clift’s life in Greece, I reflected on my own visit to the island, wondering whether I had walked past the house by the well or other landmarks Clift wrote about. On a personal level, Clift’s work became my own Greek School. Being married to someone of Greek heritage, I gained much insight into my Greek Australian in-laws and their way of life. More recently, after moving to the Illawarra region, I had briefly forgotten its connection to Clift. However, I learned about a gathering in Kiama led by Nadia Wheatley to recognise Clift’s 100th birthday. Walking in Clift’s footsteps and celebrating her life with other ‘Clifties’ was an unbelievably meaningful experience. Now, in another moment of serendipity, this trip to Kalymnos and retracing Clift’s steps allows me to explore my own love of writing while reflecting on Clift’s remarkable contributions.

Janelle Warhurst — My expectations of our trip to Kalymnos with Nadia

Each time I have visited Greece I have been drawn to the people, places and the culture of each city and island. This included the Peloponnese and Olympia, Athens, Sifnos, Folegandros, Santorini and Crete. The striking beauty and history of the country drew me there initially. I expect to learn more about Greek history and culture on our trip to Kalymnos.

Since talking to Nadia about Charmian’s life and reading the Life and Myth biography in 2020 I have become increasingly curious about what drove Charmian on her writing journey throughout her life. I expect that the intense week of reading and writing under the curation of Nadia will allow me the time and skills to deepen my knowledge of Charmian’s narrative and work. So far this has occurred through my readings of and about her, field trips and talks during Charmian’s centenary year and on reading Mermaid Singing and re-reading her essays.

In the essay ‘The rare art of inspiring others’ from Sneaky Little Revolutions Charmian Clift notes her observations of creative people who have crossed her path. She talks of their dreams and one of the artists “who transformed their dreams and myths into something more accessible.” I expect that our collaborations as a community in our group under Nadia’s guidance will help us all with our creative processes be it responding to the writing of others or as writers ourselves. I hope to find a voice within this.

Kathy Kallos — Charmian Clift’s Kalymnos

My beloved father died recently. He was among the very first group of 66 young Greek lads who migrated to Australia under the ICEM ( Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration) scheme in early 1953. Tens of thousands followed thereafter. At 98 years of age, my Dad was more than likely the group’s last survivor.

‘Never forget the homeland’ he’d say.

My visits to Greece over the years have always been a kind of homecoming. CHARMIAN CLIFT’S KALYMNOS could not have come at a more significant time. It’ll be a most special of homecomings indeed.

To me, Charmian Clift and George Johnston represent a particular ‘time and place’ - when young Greeks were seeking opportunities abroad due to the economic strife their country was in. Much like Fotis in Clift’s Honours Mimic. The pair bore witness to the mass movement of the Greek people to Australia – at a time when they themselves went in the opposite direction, in search of a ‘Mermaid’.

I’m looking forward to immersing myself in the Greek landscape and its people once again and in the thoughtful contemplation and reflection of Clift’s Kalymnos, as it was then and as it is now.

I’ll salute the end of an era, acknowledge personal transition and celebrate wonderful new beginnings with Nadia and fellow travellers.

When our regular parish priest was unavailable to officiate my father’s funeral, Father Savvas Pizanias from St Savvas Orthodox Church was asked to step in.

Perhaps it was no coincidence - St Savvas is the patron saint of the Greek island of Kalymnos.

Lynnette Gurr

Charmian Clift came to me recently and I was caught up in her writing. I lived in Greece for 4 years, mainly in Athens. During that time, I travelled throughout Greece to understand why so many people journeyed to this country. Kalymnos and the Dodecanese will be new to me. My partner’s family is from the nearby island of Symi. He is keen to show me places that are part of his family legends.

I am interested in the concept of place and how we respond to landscape, the built environment, its history, culture and people. Of particular interest, is how place can inspire the observer and artist—change a person and question one’s thinking.

Exploring how Kalymnos has changed since Charmian Clift described it in 1954-55, and my experiences, 70 years later, will be interesting. Clift was an independent woman in the mid-20th century, an author, wife, mother, and trail blazer. Living for a year in Kalymnos would have been an adventure, but there would also have been difficulties in communicating, understanding, and assimilating.

It will be fun to explore and write about Kalymnos—to stimulate my creative juices and write with new insights—immersing myself in its nooks, crannies and stories. I am hoping the workshops will stimulate, and maybe change, my ways of observing and my way of describing what I see, smell, hear and experience. I am looking forward to Nadia’s guidance and learning from those sharing the workshops.

Mike Ranger

As a young architect 50 years ago, I fell in love with Greek architecture and Greek island life. I have travelled many times to Greece and visited over thirty islands including Hydra and Kalymnos in the 1970's.

It was my love of Greece that led me to Nadia's brilliant biography of Charmian Clift. Since then I have read most of Charmian’s books, and about her life in Greece.

It is my hope that in this week I will become closer to the time she spent on Kalymnos and better able to appreciate the wonderful writer and inspirational woman she was.

I often give copies of her books to overseas friends and family in the hope that they will become Clifties too.

Neta Mariakis

My expectations of Kalymnos is best summarised in a little story.

Several years ago, I was booked to participate in an art residency in rural France. Following the residency I was to visit my relatives in Greece - whom I had not seen for some 20 years. The trip was cancelled due to the covid pandemic. I was devastated - not because of the residency, but because of what I believed would be the last time I would see my Aunt - the last living relative of my parents' generation. I felt so deeply wounded. The desire to connect with the Greekness in my being, in my heritage, was so strong. Stronger than it had ever been.

Fast forward to 2023 - i finally visited my relatives again. I felt settled to be in Greece. The connections and strangers I met was emotionally overwhelming. I cried alot. Tears of comfort. Tears of settlement. Tears of connecting to heritage.

My parents - Nicholas and Helen - were born in the Northern part of Greece near Thessaloniki. They - like many Greeks at the time - left Greece for Australia in search of a better life. They arrived in Australia in 1954.

As the Kalymnos 2025 opportunity presented itself to me, I felt the spiritual stirring once again. It seems ironic that the year Charmian and George arrived in Kalymnos was 1954. Charmian seems to be following me, and also, opening paths.

My expectation of Kalymnos is to further stir my spiritual connection, tap into childhood memories of our neighbours from Dodecanese and allow the spiritual Greekness in me to flow. I also look forward to my creative development and to sharing this experience with other participants.

Victoria Mascord —Why am I journeying to Kalymnos?...

A juncture has been reached. I am free and able to pursue fulfillment of personal needs and desires beyond absolute family responsibility. Slowly, giving myself permission to allow self nurturing. It’s time for reconnecting and understanding the place I sit along my life course. Charmian Clift and the Kalymnos Journey has interestingly provided an impetus. I have been stimulated to discover a ‘source’ and fill a ‘hollow’ in turn enabling ‘reassurance’ of my own ‘humanity’, as Clift described in Mermaid Singing.

It resonates with me that Charmians’ character Kathy in Honour’s Mimic was constantly searching for ‘It’ or ‘The Big Thing’, possibly a reassuring ‘source’ or ‘wonder’ even. My renewed focus is a similar yearning however on perhaps a different dimension. ‘It’ transforms into being found in the seemingly mundane, the everyday of life, the simplest of things I see and feel. Through immersion in a different Society and Culture, with a cross-cultural dimension of Clift’s writing ensuring a spark to ignite my thoughts, I hope to listen, observe, sense, analyse and derive deeper understanding of everyday life from my experiences and the environment in which they occur. From this ‘source’, hopefully enrichment of my sense of self, belonging and connectedness to ‘humanity’ will flow.

Analysing life’s similarities, differences, continuities and change, by travelling with and amongst other people is enormously insightful and exciting. I trust the Kalymnos Journey will revitalise my sense of appreciation and contentment of ‘It’ present in the everyday of life. That I will start to develop a new sense of self purpose and connection and that I may find myself perhaps as the ‘Mermaid’ and leave the island shores ‘singing’.

Kalymnos Workshop — participants’ hopes and expectations