Inspired by Squizzy

This term in English, the Year 7 boys have been studying the novel ‘Runner’ and were extremely fortunate to meet the author, Robert Newton. Rob spoke to the boys about the inspiration for his novel, which began with his mother’s enthusiasm for the 1920s Melbourne gangster ‘Squizzy’ Taylor (born 1888 in Brighton before moving to ‘the slums of Richmond’!).

Jackson Pantelopoulos, who presented Rob with a gift of our Daily Writing Book, had this to say:

“Everyone was clearly fascinated by what Rob had to say. Each and every boy in the room was transfixed by his stories. His talk was not only very humorous but inspirational as he told us about how he handled two jobs at once (being an author and a fireman). His message – that we can all be authors – helped us better appreciate the emphasis the English Faculty has put upon writing.”

Lauren Murphy
Middle Years Librarian