{"id":18590,"date":"2023-03-24T16:46:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-24T08:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/?p=18590"},"modified":"2025-07-24T10:40:35","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T02:40:35","slug":"wa-author-an-inspiration-to-young-writers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wa-author-an-inspiration-to-young-writers\/","title":{"rendered":"WA author an inspiration to young writers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Trevor Todd.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author | Carmelle Wilkinson.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forget the smell of roses or freshly cleaned laundry \u2014 for WA children\u2019s author and playwright Trevor Todd, nothing beats the smell of a new book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The strangely intoxicating scent haunts libraries and bookstores, sending bookworms into a state of euphoria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI remember waking in the middle of the night to hold and smell my first published book, Mason Judy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had an advanced copy sent to me and I\u2019d keep it right next to my bed. I may not have done that for the ones that followed haha, but that first book was a huge sense of achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Trevor<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Trevor<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Trevor, with his first book Mason Judy, which was illustrated by the late and great Australian artist Robert Juniper.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With 15 children\u2019s books, a feature film, television drama series and a stage play to his name, the 75-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wrote my first stage play With Fire in Her Heart: An Edith Cowan Story for the Perth Fringe Festival when I was 71,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m currently working on a First Nations stage play and children\u2019s book, The Island in Time, which explores what happened when Captain James Stirling arrived on the banks of the Swan River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe story follows the leader of the Whadjuk Noongar people, Yellagonga and the story of colonisation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trevor said for as long as he can remember he\u2019s had a pencil in his hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI started writing stories in primary school, a passion which was lovingly supported by my mother,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWriting has always been my happy place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI still remember in fourth grade we were asked to write a story for the headmaster, and Mr Woods walked into my class that afternoon and said someone in this class has written the best story in the whole school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen he started to read my story aloud that was a real lightbulb moment for me. I felt on top of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following high school, instead of pursuing a career in writing, Trevor decided to follow a path more well-worn \u2013 teaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy brother had studied teaching, so I thought I\u2019d do it too,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was while teaching at a primary school in the eastern suburbs for several years that it became evident that this profession wasn\u2019t for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen an opportunity to study at WAIT (Western Australian Institute of Technology) came along I jumped at it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am eternally grateful and thankful for my time at Curtin. It\u2019s opened so many wonderful doors for me over my career and I am so appreciative. All the things I learned during my degree I\u2019m still making use of, after all these years.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Trevor at his graduation with his mum.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born in England, Trevor moved to Perth with his parents and siblings when he was four years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The family called Guildford home for many years, and it\u2019s here that Trevor recalls a wonderful childhood playing by the river with his brother and sister and staying out until the streetlights came on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI spent a great deal of my childhood reading,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou would often find me with an Enid Blyton classic in my hand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When he was nine, Trevor received an ink pad from his aunt in England, which he used to create a catalogue for his books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI placed numbers on the books and then placed them on the bookshelf my parents got me – I had my very own Trevor Todd library.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Following graduation in 1982 Trevor worked for the audio-visual branch of the education department, where he used to make educational films and television for students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there he did some freelance writing, before writing his highly popular children\u2019s book Old Sam, Jasper and Mr Frank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The book, which was published by Penguin and adapted into a television series, earned him an Australian Writers Guild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1996, Trevor took up an Australian Film Commission Creative Nation Fellowship and travelled to Britain to work at Pinewood Studios, an experience which he said changed his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was in heaven. It was one of the greatest experiences of my career,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other incredible experiences included watching his psychological thriller feature film Devil\u2019s Gate in a Scotland movie theatre for the first time and sitting in the audience at the Perth Fringe Festival reciting the lines from his first stage play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is nothing quite like sitting in the audience and hearing and watching people\u2019s reactions to your play,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe emotions are immediate, and no two audiences are the same.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inspired by the colourful and magical world around him, Trevor\u2019s tales are a kaleidoscope of themes and adventures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love variety, I couldn\u2019t imagine doing the one thing all the time. I\u2019ve been very blessed to be able to do that,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of my books, 100 Watermelons, came about after a trip to the Boat Shed in Cottesloe with my grandsons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were in the carpark, when we saw a forklift taking a load of watermelons off the back of a truck. It wobbled and looked like the watermelons might fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought, I could write a story about this, so I did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Trevor Todd\u2019s popular children\u2019s books – 100 Watermelons, and Feeling Blue which features beautiful photography from Mark Eatwell (a former student of Trevor\u2019s, when he was a primary school teacher).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the course of his career, Trevor said he\u2019s never been short of mentors who believed in his ability, including his good friend David Lightfoot – the late Australian producer of Wolf Creek and Babe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDavid was a great guy. He was always happy to have a chat, look over my scripts and lend advice,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can still hear him saying \u2018mate, you\u2019ve got to smash this by page six\u2019 and then he\u2019d tell me what to do to achieve this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEveryone loved David, he was definitely one of the greats.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another inspiration to Trevor was Professor Glen Phillips who he met in 1967 at Graylands Teachers College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat an inspirational lecturer. There are lecturers you never forget, and he was one of them,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m a much better writer because of him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what\u2019s Trevor\u2019s advice for budding young writers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKeep writing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPick up the paper and pen or grab your laptop and just keep writing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author | Carmelle Wilkinson.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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