General News
3 June, 2026
U3A writers receive grant for new book
U3A Horsham’s Writing for Fun group will publish a new collection of local stories after receiving $1100 through Horsham Rural City Council’s Community Development Grants Program.
The grant will support the professional publication of “Double Faced Thoughts,” a booklet featuring stories, short pieces and contributor biographies from members of the Writing for Fun group.
Group tutor Ronda Coffey said the funding would allow the group to turn its writing into a polished publication.
“We received $1100, which was what we applied for,” she said.
“It’s just basically our stories, and we’ve got a bio for each contributor.”
The new book follows Double Spaced Thoughts, a 2018 publication by the group.
Mrs Coffey said the latest edition would focus on writing completed during 2025 and would include about 25 double-sided pages, including the cover.
She said the group began collecting pieces during its regular sessions, during which members complete short writing activities, poetry exercises, and homework assignments.
“People can use a topic, or they can write about whatever they like,” she said.
Mrs Coffey said the group had previously displayed a shorter version of the booklet and decided to seek grant funding to have it professionally printed.
“We thought we would like to have it made professionally, so that’s what we applied for the grant for,” she said.
She said the book would likely be published within the next couple of months, after editing and final preparation.
“There’s a bit of work to be done, to condense it to that number of pages and tidy it up and make sure there are no errors,” she said.
Mrs Coffey said the grant made the project possible.
“Getting a grant, and in what was probably a fairly simple process, is just terrific, and we wouldn’t have done it otherwise,” she said.
U3A Horsham was one of 25 community organisations to share $99,362 through Horsham Rural City Council’s 2026-27 Community Development Grants Program.
The council received 38 applications totalling $145,062.
HRCC mayor Brian Klowss said the grants supported local projects, improved community facilities and encouraged safety and engagement.
“Each of these groups has a positive impact on our region, and each makes a valuable contribution to the vibrancy of our community,” he said.
“We are delighted to support them all.”