From the committee
by Paul Anderson and Robert Rowe
The Editors NSW branch committee met on 9 February for its monthly meeting, via Zoom, with three apologies.
Reports received included the branch’s financial report for December 2020, with budget commentary, and the membership report for January. Our financial position continues to be healthy. The branch had 348 active financial members on 31 January 2021.
It was fantastic to see more than 50 participants at our first Zoom member meeting of the year on 2 February. Guest speaker Peter Riches presented the Freelance Editor’s Toolkit, to members and non-members. A straw poll indicated about 28 attendees had added new tools to their work flows due to COVID-19.
Peter provided an overview of the software tools available and how they can be used in an editing small business. A recording of the meeting will be available for online purchase (and free if you paid to attend). A short report is also published in this issue of Gatherings.
Please remember that your ideas for presentations are always welcome. Members are encouraged to send suggestions to Caroline Hunter at ednsw.meetings@iped-editors.org.
We hope to see many of you on Zoom at our next member meeting on 2 March.
And please look out for announcements about our upcoming Zoom workshops: Freelance Editing Business with Malini Davedas and Editing Memoir with Pamela Hewitt.
We are also keen to restart our in-person editors’ lunches this year. Please contact Susie Pilkington at ednsw.admin@iped-editors.org if you would like to register interest in organising a lunch in your preferred area of NSW.
Welcome to new members
by Kaaren Sutcliffe, AE
A warm welcome to new associate members Alicia Gaffney, Joanna Dolan and Kerry Boyes who joined Editors NSW during January–February.
Events
Member meetings
Member meetings will continue to be held via Zoom.
Members are urged to check their email for the latest information on any event.
Bookings via the IPEd Events webpage.
The IPEd Mentoring Program
Date: Tuesday 2 March 2021, 7pm AEDT
Location: online via Zoom
Details: Ted Briggs AE will talk about IPEd’s Mentoring Program and how it complements other forms of professional development. Mentoring is a two-way learning experience that benefits both the mentor and the mentee. It can encourage deep satisfaction and numerous benefits in many personal, career, organisational and developmental areas.
Ted will also talk about the outcomes of IPEd’s review of the program and the plans for continuing to develop the program and build on its success from the past eight years.
Join us to find out how being involved could benefit you, either as a mentor or a mentee, at whatever stage you are in your editing career.
Presenter: Ted Briggs AE is an accredited editor and an Honorary Life Member of both the Canberra Society of Editors (CSE) and IPEd. He has been an IPEd councillor and a delegate to the Accreditation Board since 2012, serving as the chair from 2013 to 2017. In 2012 Ted and Elizabeth Manning Murphy DE instituted a mentoring program for the CSE to give editors at various levels the opportunity to improve their skills. This evolved into the IPEd Mentoring Program and Ted is still a coordinator and trainer.
Trivia night
Date: Tuesday 6 April 2021, 7pm AEST (NB daylight saving ends April 4)
Location: online via Zoom
Details: Join us for an experimental trivia event. Have some fun, do some networking, give your brains something different to do online. BYO comestibles and libations. Full details TBA — watch for emails and keep an eye on the IPEd Events webpages.
Plain English
Date: Tuesday 4 May 2021, 7pm AEST
Location: online via Zoom
Details: Plain English (What is it? Why is it important? Who uses it?)
Presenter: Patricia Hoyle, Director, Concise Writing Consultancy