The Englishman’s 2020 murder mystery novel, which is being turned into a film for Netflix viewers, has encouraged residents at Uniting’s retirement villages to write a book.

The First Thursday Memoir Writing Group consists of 13 residents from Uniting’s McRae-McMahon Place and Hawkins Place in Leichhardt, 5km west of Sydney’s CBD, who gather in the community room to share stories and connect over lives well-lived.

They bond over storytelling and the creative writing process, in what has been described by the group’s 87-year-old organiser Leone Sperling, as ‘cathartic and therapeutic’.

The result is a 40,000-word memoir collection reflecting on such themes as friendship, parenting, emotion, and satisfaction.

Leone Sperling (pictured), 87, organiser and a resident at Uniting’s McRae-McMahon Place, had the idea for The First Thursday Memoir Writing Group upon moving to the new village.

She formed the group to help her meet like-minded people – those who love writing, storytelling and connection – and because of a belief that writing memoir stories would be a valuable and healthy activity for people her age.

“It was not unusual for the reader of a story to become tearful on reading their story to the group. I would set a topic each month that would enable the members to look at their past and find a relevant pertinent moment in their life to examine and turn into an exploration of the feelings involved in that memory,” Leone said.

“It is certainly a psychologically beneficial thing to be able to express genuine, honest feelings with one’s fellow writers and community.”

Renee England, Head of Senior Services at Uniting, celebrated Leone’s initiative.

“What Leone and her friends have created with this engaging and emotional book demonstrates just how wonderful it is to see residents come together in a shared common space. We’re proud to have created an environment that provides the opportunity for our residents to build and share community connections at Uniting.”

Authors of The First Thursday Memoir Writing Group include Leone, Thelma Abrahams, Brigid Sen, Michael Barker, Philip Ansoul, Geoff Amblin, Carole Bye, Julie Bailey, Ginna Hastings, Cathy Milgate, Rowena Simone, Maggie Wall and Richard Whitfield, each of whom came from diverse backgrounds and careers, finding joy in identifying the differences between their stories.

One member, for instance, lived a few streets away from Leone, while others grew up in the UK and had similar experiences as children.

With research showing storytelling can increase resilience and wellbeing in older adults, Leone hopes residents of other retirement villages and aged care services across Australia consider similar initiatives to connect with one another and reflect on their life journeys to-date.

The First Thursday Memoir Writing Group is available via short print-run to friends and family of the residents. For further information, please email [email protected].