A WORDSMITH from Rockley has released a new collection of his poems and stories with the help of a fellow village resident.
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Syd Riley's book When Every Bubble Had A Rainbow was published in 2021 with an exclusive print run - just 10 copies, intended for family and friends - but there were plans even then for a follow-up publication.
Those plans have come to fruition for the 87-year-old, who lives at home with the assistance of the Christian charity HammondCare.
Mr Riley has spent a lifetime committing his material to memory but it was only in recent years that his words were recorded for publication during visits from HammondCare At Home volunteer Jasmin Hooper.
Ms Hooper said, in 2021, that she realised the village character's words needed to be published, so she spent months typing his poems and stories from pieces of paper whenever he recounted one of his recollections.
Fast forward to 2023 and a revised version, When Every Bubble Had A Rainbow, including some new content, has been published.
HammondCare At Home says it has organised for the publication of the book with financial assistance from the HammondCare Foundation.
It covers Mr Riley's childhood in the Sydney suburb of Caringbah, his lengthy recovery from a gunshot wound received during a stint with the Australian Army and work in a Kingsgrove air-conditioning factory.
Poems include On The Way To School, My Big Brother and Mr Riley's tribute to the Aussie utility, One Tonner.
Mr Riley, who is now living with dementia, says the origins for some of his poems and stories came decades ago as a young dad wanting to share yarns about his formative years with his family.
"I start thinking about the past and my wonderful experiences and then the words start coming to me," he said.
"So much of what I have written about are to do with when I was young."
HammondCare says Mr Riley moved to Rockley with his wife Patricia, herself an illustrator, after his retirement in 1999 and he has since become a local character.
Mrs Riley passed away 12 years ago.
At-home volunteer Ms Hooper said Mr Riley "has a great sense of humour and has lived such a full life".
"I'm especially fond of his poem Jolly, about a school mate who risked life and limb to gain house points at a swimming carnival by jumping off a tower - even though he couldn't swim," she said.
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HammondCare says Ms Hooper, who lives nearby in Rockley, sometimes inspires new poetry during her visits.
"Jasmin gives me a word prompt for homework, and I write poems or stories around them," Mr Riley said.
HammondCare at Home general manager Bay Warburton said helping Mr Riley have his book published, even with a small print run intended for family and friends, was an example of HammondCare at Home's relationship-based model of care.
Organising volunteer and pastoral care visits to clients are part of the services provided by HammondCare, he said.
"It's great that we can help Syd, who has lived such a rich and colourful life, to share his unique stories in this way," Mr Warburton said.
"We aim to offer our clients - no matter who they are - a personalised level of care that meets their needs and considers their background and preferences."
To download a copy of When Every Bubble Had A Rainbow, click on this link.