Five years is a brilliant achievement for a printed publication, these days. Let alone one that is community-focused and produced largely by volunteers. FIVE. YEARS! Let’s all pause for a moment (or five) to acknowledge that in a period of time when printed newspapers are thinning in both quantity and genuinely-local content, The Westsider is…
Married with a young family and a great job, JC Clapham thought he had ticked all the boxes for a good life. Then he nearly lost it all, and himself. On paper, I had the perfect life. Married with three kids, a seemingly great job that paid very well, a mortgage in the suburbs, and…
My local community newspaper The Westsider, which covers the inner west of Melbourne, ran a profile of me in their November issue.
I love being a dad and having my three kids. I’m a very involved and good father, and the upside of quitting my senior corporate job last year after my marriage ended, is that I’m now far more present and active in my kids’ lives. With three major and parallel challenges in the preceding few…
Depression and suicide are far too common, particularly amongst men in regional areas. My father lived in regional Victoria, and he became a statistic. I was living in regional Victoria when I nearly became a statistic myself. I’m keen to hear suggestions on where my storytelling show HUMPTY DUMPTY DADDY, which tells of my dad…
Today marks 19 years since my father hanged himself. For more than half of those years, I hated him. Intensely. Fiercely. But now, having been right to the same metaphorical ledge he stood on (but stepped back and resolved never to get there again), I feel desperately sad for him. I miss him. And I…