Available 28 March 2026

A young Tasmanian woman frees an abandoned boy with a disability who was stuck in a horrific institution and two lives are saved. Young and single, Maxine Griffiths took on Tasmania’s conservative institutions. She never took ‘no’ for an answer and helped Tasmania step out of its shocking past.
This deeply moving true story is about survival and redemption and what motivates us to save others.

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Annie Barrett is a writer, counsellor and writing for wellbeing facilitator, curious about unlocking our creativity, and exploring and reflecting on the narratives of our lives.

Writing helps us make sense of both our inner and outer landscapes, and to discover yet more questions about life’s mysteries.

Trusting the pen on the page is like a deep listening process; images, insights and ideas emerge. It is nourishing and can be full of wonder.

coast WA

Latest Writing

Brick walls and broken systems
A young Tasmanian woman frees an abandoned boy with a disability…
January 7, 2026/by Annie Barrett

Annie writng in the desert — Moroccan Embrace 2020
We shared no spoken language but she held me and stroked my face,…
December 1, 2020/by Annie Barrett

deseterd town — Evening Walk
The old dog walks a few paces, sniffs the air, then turns and…
December 1, 2020/by Annie Barrett

A-SCHOOLS-JOURNEY — A School’s Journey
A history of Cape Byron Rudolf Steiner School
To purchase contact…
October 9, 2020/by Annie Barrett

Australia-wilsons-prom-3 — Metal Cries
I drive along the bay into suburbs I once knew and pass a sad,…
October 8, 2020/by Annie Barrett

ty_newydd — Wales – from New to Old – A writing retreat
I slept in the pink room at Ty Newydd; the house built in the…
October 7, 2020/by Annie Barrett

Testimonials

Annie’s soft, soulful authentic self provides the perfect synthesis for the writer’s unique voice to take flight.

LoisEmerging writer and poet

The time spent writing with Annie (and other like-minded people) is simultaneously challenging and soothing. I find I reach places that I had no idea were concealed under the general business of everyday life. It becomes pure ‘flow’ – very therapeutic indeed. I love it!

Meg Main

I don’t aspire to be a published writer, but in retirement I found I really missed the pleasure and satisfaction I’d previously experienced writing creatively in the workplace. Annie’s Writing for Wellbeing course provided me with the support and direction to experiment with and develop my writing skills. I now attend Annie’s Sunday Writing Group and continue to appreciate Annie’s enthusiasm and encouragement. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who finds pleasure in putting words on paper.

NelRetired Senior Public Servant

Sometimes my emotions seem locked away, just out of my reach; I’m aware of their presence but I can’t identify them. Annie’s Writing for Well Being classes have provided a safe space for my pen and I to discover hidden places within, sometimes exciting, and at other times achingly raw, but always within the circle of her wisdom and encouragement.

Dian Stroud

Loaded with a pen and a paper, we gather under Annie’s literature or personal offerings, from which we create mosaic-like texts of beauty, understanding, emotion, sincerity, humility, and often old hushed courage. With our precious differences, she helps us build a piece of time that will stay in us, a piece of peace, to walk on lightly into our lives.

Francoise TeclemariamEx- Chairperson of the Women group at UNESCO

I arrived on Sunday morning wondering what I had got myself into. Writing… oh my, was I crazy? Annie gently took us through the two hours, which went far too quickly. Her confidence in us, and encouragement enabled me to share. I wasn’t going to share but found it very healing. I highly recommend writing for wellbeing with Annie. I will be back!

Fiona Hunter