Thank you everyone for Ten Years with Poetry in Paradise, heres the journey!!

Thank you everyone for making our group such a success. I was dismayed at other groups I joined and never really fitted in anywhere much in my life. I started the group myself, the solo attendant for the first three months at Christabella’s Wine Bar and Café in Harbour Town (now gone) on Sunday March 21st 2004. In June 2004 I moved to the Evergreens Garden Restaurant in Bundall (now gone). I put flyers in every book shop from Runaway Bay to Burleigh to Tamborine and on every community notice board I could find all over the GC. I went to every school on the GC in the same area. I placed adds in the Bulletin and the GC Sun and went to all the local radio stations but not much interest was shown, then Jennifer Eden from ABC Coast FM 91.7 let me recite a poem on the radio and the first audience started to attend. I became a regular on her morning show on the Saturday prior to the recital and she let me recite a poem each month. I registered the Name Poetry in Paradise in November 2004. After about a year of searching I found a new home at The Old Teahouse Café in Mudgeeraba in 2005 and remained there until early 2010 when Brian and Dianne sold it and the new owners didn’t want us to continue there. We then moved to Jambo Java coffee shop run by Dave for four or five months in Labrador/Southport. Then finally after much more searching we settled into our newest home at the GCCC Southport Library thanks to Andrew the manager at the time, our first recital there was held the on Sunday the 20/06/2010. Thank you everyone for making all this possible and for your continued support. A special thank you goes to the foundation member’s that have been with the group for almost as long as I have; Bob, Joan, Gloria, Dancin Dan & Christine, Trish & David, Manya, Cedric, Bette, Lydia and Sue. Many thanks also to foundation members Jean, Judi, The Banjo, Eoin, Vincent, Alex, Roger, and Lisbey. Thanks to all the other great poets, Ngaire & Rob, Joyce & Mac, Marta & David, Margeret & Ray, Alan, Graham, Paul M, Paul K, Judy B, Judy K, Kathy, Peter & Lisa, Janette, Sylvia, David, Sandra, Sandy, Cathy & Rod, Sandi, Ted, Rhonda, Jenny, Pat, Don, Di, John, Damien, Rita, Ibolya, Amaluce, Pammy and anyone else I forgot to mention. I look forward to our twentieth anniversary recital with you all!!