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Joan Healey

Joan Healey, born in Melbourne in 1934, worked various jobs, including pressing shirts in a factory, as a lingerie salesgirl, clerk telephonist and assistant librarian, until she was offered a journalism cadetship at Murdoch’s Woman’s Day magazine. She went on to work at Adelaide News Ltd and ABC Sydney radio news.

Joan then hitchhiked and camped around Australia for six months, before heading off on overseas adventures for several years, and found herself in London. Looking for work, she discovered adventure playgrounds and landed a job in a rough part of the East End working at one.

After deciding to return home to Melbourne, Joan brought back information about adventure playgrounds with her, and reluctantly agreed to try one as a short holiday program in Fitzroy.

Joan currently lives in Altona, Melbourne, with her foster grandson, Haylen.

Joan Healey

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Events

Book Launch: From Convict Printers to Book Arcade

Melbourne Athenaeum Library Level 1, 188 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Join us for the launch of From Convict Printers to Book Arcade A History of the Book in Australia, Volume I: 1788 to 1890 Edited by Wallace Kirsop, Elizabeth Webby...

See our authors at Adelaide Writers’ Week

Pioneer Women's Memorial Garden King William Street, Adelaide, South Australia

See Kim Carr, Gareth Evans, John Lyons and Richard Denniss at Adelaide Writers’ Week.

See our authors at the Manly Writers’ Festival

Darley Smith Building Corner of 1 Darley Road and The Corso, Manly, NSW

Join our authors Kim Carr, Lauren Samuelsson, Sarah Arachchi, Tracey Kirkland and Gavin Fang at the Manly Writers' Festival.