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Daniel Ducrou
Author
Daniel Ducrou’s first novel, The Byron Journals (Text Publishing, 2010), tells the story of an eighteen-year-old classical musician from Adelaide who goes off the rails on a schoolies trip to Byron Bay.
Where were you born?
I was born in Adelaide, spent my twenties surfing and writing in Byron Bay, and now live in Melbourne.
What other jobs have you had?
I have worked a variety of jobs over the years – some more serious than others: supermarket night filler, petrol station attendant, camp counsellor (USA), furniture removalist (UK and Australia), private English tutor (Year 12 students), surf shop assistant, video shop assistant, music festival production runner, bookshop assistant, film producer and local government community planner (Aboriginal partnerships).
What themes are recurring in your work?
Freedom/responsibility, order/chaos, drug /alcohol abuse, running away / confronting problems, parent/teenager relationships.
What have been the highlights of your career?
- Shortlisted for the Australian / Vogel Literary Award 2007
- Shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award (Unpublished manuscript) 2008
- Launch of The Byron Journals at Trades Hall (Melbourne) and the Byron Bay Writers Festival 2010
- Speaker at a school session of the Melbourne Writers Festival 2010
- Guest author at the Ubud Writers Festival 2010
What are you passionate about?
Reconciliation/Aboriginal affairs, surfing, Byron Bay, etymology, Australian literature, Indonesia, music videos.
Anything else you’d like to share with us?
I have sat on Program Advisory Committee for the Emerging Writers Festival for the last two years.
Testimonials
The students were appreciative of Daniel’s visit, expressing their interest in his writing and thanks for his openness and honesty. He was approachable, entertaining and sensitive to their interests and needs, giving useful tips to improve their writing. We would highly recommend him to others.
Daniel was fantastic for our purposes. The students were engaged and he related to them very well. He was very personable with staff too. His presentation worked well with a group of ESL students as he broke the task down to easy steps.