John W Griffith grew up in Ipswich Queensland and had a wonderful childhood enjoying most outdoor activities, but in particular, he loved playing rugby league and swimming. He even represented Queensland State schoolboy Rugby league side that played against New South Wales. 

Starting his working life as an apprentice electrician, he later decided to study mechanical engineering and was admitted to the Institution of Engineers Australia. (Mideast)
Looking to work on bigger and challenging projects he and his young family left Australia for South Africa in 1969. There he worked as the construction engineer for the mechanical services on the 38 story Trust Bank Building project in Johannesburg before joining a Cape Town-based national consulting engineering group as chief engineer. 

After returning to Australia and a short period with family and friends he moved to Sydney and worked on major shopping centre projects before establishing the Sydney office of Lincoln Scott Australia.

He, shortly thereafter, became a director of that organisation and the next 20 years saw it flourish. The staff members of the Sydney office grew to slightly more than 100 people before he relocated to establish an office in Singapore.

He returned to Brisbane in 1993 and established his own Consulting engineering practise which later merged with a Gold Coast firm that has gone on to become a preeminent consulting engineering organisation. He retired from that organisations in 2002 and busied himself with minor development work and travel. He and his wife travelling adventures include visits to Kenya, Peru, Brazil, USA, Canada, Europe, England and of course our neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Indonesia. 

 

With the memory of his long-ago primary school head teacher’s comments still locked in his head, 'you write a good composition son; it's a pity that you cannot spell ', and the discovery of spell check he decided to give writing a go. "Bedtime Reading for Grey Nomads’’ is his first attempt at putting it together with a collection of his short storeys.  

 

Web: www.greymomadbooks.com

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Helensvale Writers Group

Having spent a large part of my working life writing letters, reports, submissions, and studies of most things related to building services engineering matters he thought writing fiction would be a doddle. Surely after obtaining a quick understanding of the basics of writing stories, it would all be plain sailing. But it seems there is little more to the craft then he first imagined. 

How lucky he was to have noticed a small advert in the local paper about the Helensvale Writers Group. 

Recognising that he needed a little help, he decided to go along to one of their meetings. 
He has been attending the Helensvale Writers Group meetings for a few years now and owes a lot to the help of past and present members. 

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Contacts details and information are to be found:

Email: wgriff@bigpond.net.au

 

Facebook: John W Griffiths

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