Over the last 7 years or so William & I have been communicating mostly by email with occasional texts, postcards & letters. These pages contain some of those communications (including postings on websites) to give you a sense of the process of creating, editing & publishing the novel particularly the challenges of working with a writer who ocassionally ‘disappears’ for some time on his travels.
They appear in chronological order starting with my Facebook post in March 2015 followed by emails that I received from William from April 2015 to July 2018.
My side of the correspondence is in italics & Williams in plain.
The last communication I had from him was in July 2018. An email that said: “Please stop all publishing/communicating about Albions Children until you hear from me. THIS IS IMPORTANT” (Caps in the email he sent)
Since then I’ve heard nothing from him…..until an email in late September 2020.
After getting his email I’ve been waiting for a text from him with his new mobile number so we can talk…..and then….out the blue he phoned me a few weeks ago, mid March 2021, luckily I’d recorded the call (which he was fine with) so I’ve transposed it and it appears below followed by the email he sent me in September last year (2020)
Since that call I’ve heard nothing from him as of late September 2021. So he’s either still living in Tahiti or has moved on. No doubt i’ll hear from him when he needs to communicate with me. But for the time being I have many chapters to edit & put out both as text and audio…
WILLIAM’S CALL (March 2021)
Below is the transcript of the conversation William and I had on Friday 12th March 2021 around 9.00am uk time.
I’ve edited/pruned it a little.
William has a rather deeper voice than me and a fairly strong Australian accent.
My side of the conversation is in italics.
hello......hello
Gordon.....hello.....it's William here.....your crazy Aussie cousin William
oh my God hey man.....William! how are you doing ?
yeah yeah I'm good........I'm really sorry I haven't been in touch but I'm still in Tahiti.....amazing amazing place..... well I'm not actually living in the city Papeete where I was for a while.....I've moved out of there & I've been rather lucky as I’ve found somewhere out in the country on the south west coast.....beautiful place so yeah I’m here with a couple of younger friends.....they’re both into surfing as the waves here are fantastic.....and it's actually quite close to where Gauguin used to live..... yeah and one of the Tahitian women that I know told me that her great great grandmother I think it was, was one of his models!
really great to hear your voice William....are you OK if I record this...
Of course....thats fine....put it on the website so people know that I’m still alive!!.....And you matey......how are you Gordon....
yeah I'm..... I'm okay.....actually I'm really well
I guess......I guess you’re fully recovered from all that heart surgery......Jesus that sounds like that was quite a thing
yeah it was quite a thing really.......but yes I'm fully recovered though often it's still there in the back of my mind you know and I have such gratitude to all those people in the hospital who looked after me.....all I went through.....the care and attention I got....my friends and family....I feel quite tearful when I reflect on it
yeah amazing......, you're fucking amazing man you know......sometimes I I think about you and I think well.....I'm really sorry about our Albion’s children thing.....feels like I just dipped out of it completely
oh that's okay.....I kind of found difficult myself for a while I kind of......I don't know I thought that maybe you’d just given up on it ....so getting that email from you whenever it was back last year sometime I guess it was .....that kind of inspired me a bit you know to keep going with it
that's great that’s so good to know but you know like I said I really feel that I've handed it over to you
Yeah.....and that’s fine as I've got loads and loads of notes.....obviously all the notes you sent me....probably enough......enough basic material there for at least the rest of this book.....the first book and 2 or 3 maybe even four more
that's really terrific and……I'm still thinking about it from time to time but I’m not doing any writing.......I've actually been doing quite a bit of painting.....When I got back from Southeast Asia it was weird......it was really weird being back in Australia and I went to stay with an old lady friend of mine…… actually somebody I haven't seen for decades so I just phoned her out the blue as I had a landline number for her. Turns out she was still living in the same place..... her husband died a few years ago so……I went to stay with her she lives just outside Canberra and I started painting
I didn't know you painted
well I haven't painted for I don't know how long is it probably 20 years or so….I used to do quite a lot of painting not abstract stuff I've never been into that kind of thing …..but i used to paint landscapes with a touch of aboriginal art to it….and it did make me realise that I have lived in Australia of and on most of my life and really I don't know anything about the country itself……though I’ve travelled through it but I've never really….I've never really felt that connected to it and so……so as a result of doing all this painting I decided that I was going to go travelling, go walkabout
that's extraordinary…..you mean like aboriginal people do
yeah that's right….yeah…. well I have a couple of friends who are , as we white people call them aboriginal peoples, so I spoke to both of them...... Come on they said are you crazy.....at your age and I said well probably yeah but you know it's what I feel I wanna do.......so one of them……one of them suggested that maybe I should go up to.......up to the north, the north-east near where the the barrier reef is......start inland a bit from there but you know he basically said to me that that was a really easier place to walk because you could travel some of the time along the coastal paths ......and it wasn't…..it wasn’t you know walking through the centre of Australia which was completely crazy…..he said I’d be dead within a week!.......even most of his people don't do that any more......so that's what I did....I got as far.... as far north east as I could and I spent nearly a year.....well just under a year walking. …….I didn't take any other form of transport I walked with a rucksack of stuff to sleep in, some change of clothes and a bit of food but I carried as little as possible.....and I would find places to stay.....people put me up......I met some amazing people and I just gradually walked down the coast ..................and it was extraordinary
wow that sounds incredible incredible William and so why are you not still there
Well I guess I woke up one morning I thought …….you know……. I've done this for long enough now....... I think I need to.......I need to go back and be in the city...... so I got the bus......I jumped on a bus and eventually after a few bus rides and hitching I got to Sydney....... and I don't know,,,,,,,,,, I don't think I've ever told you this but I've never really been short of money see......you remember I think I told you that I was married
yeah yeah I do remember she was called.....I can’t remember her name...
Sandra that's what she was called Sandra.......she was an heiress and she inherited a whole load of money from her dad who was a sheep millionaire......yeah sheep millionaire and actually I discovered that he is probably very distantly related to you & to me really......yeah on your mum’s, on Dorothy side of the family.... his family was from Glasgow originally.....he's some sort of fourth cousin twice removed or something a bit like me to you but even even further removed from you........and he's been in Australia for a long time or at least the family has and they made their money out of sheep
Right I remember I remember mum saying something about somebody who......yeah somebody who is related to her being in Australia.....and of course there are relatives on my dads side as well his father.....my grandfather was Australian
yeah that's right my great uncle David......I know you've asked me but I've never really....... do you know I've always felt a bit uncomfortable about tracking down that whole Wade Wilkins connection...... I mean obviously you know it's my fathers side of the family, I’ve got his surname for fucks sake.....and that's how really you and I know each other..... but I didn't really have much to do with them....... with that side of the family......you know that link back to your Grandad it was a bit ......difficult.....as it was my mum brought me up on her own.....anyway maybe one day…… maybe one day I will look into that connection...anyway Sandra and I were married and it was only when we were looking at her family tree that we realise there was that connection to Scotland and then when I met you along with everything else we had to talk about I completely forgot about that....and didn’t even mention it......I don't know why
that's bizarre
oh yeah yeah….
LONG SILENCE
okay so…….Sandra you were telling me about Sandra
yeah she was amazing......she was amazing……love of my life and then she got cancer......she got cancer and and she died quite quickly she was..... it was some sort of bowel cancer..... horrible horrible horrible!!......and I guess she had it well 20 years ago now......she was a bit younger than me..... I was in my mid 50s and she was in her late 40s.....it killed her really quickly and........it just blew me away……just fucking blew me away I thought we were together forever you know....... anyway she was loaded from her inheritance and she left everything to me including the big house in Sydney......I haven't lived in that house for a long time ……well since she died….. it was rented out for a while and friends of mine used to stay there...... so when I got back to Sydney I went there and it was weird....... it was weird being there because I guess most of the time I spent there I'd been with Sandra and when she died I couldn’t bear to live there any more.....that’s when I moved to Byron Bay.....
yeah I guess that must be very strange not having been there for so long........... but why did you leave Sydney and go to Tahiti then
Well funny thing is I met a friend of mine.....he just turned up and opened the door to the house……he had a key because I'd given him a key years ago and had said any time you're in Sydney you can stay here and I've also had a .......what do you call it a cleaning service and they've been paid to come in to look after the house…… so the house was in a good state…. it had been well looked after.......he was coming to stay for a few days while he was in Sydney....he had no idea where I was so it was great to see him and catch up.....anyway he had a big sailing boat….. which he didn't just own himself he shared the ownership with a friend and they were about to sail to Tahiti and he just said to me did I wanna come.......and I said yeah why the fuck not why the hell not...... I'll come with you it feels like I'm done with Australia or…….maybe I felt at first I was done with Australia for the time being but when I got to Tahiti......when I got here I realised I had done with it.....so I’ve no plans to go back....and we had an amazing journey......an amazing trip on this beautiful big sailing boat....it took us five months to get here.......we went all over the place......but I'll tell you about it sometime
yeah I'd love to hear that I'd really love to hear about that journey.....but I still haven’t transcribed all your notes about your journey through Southeast Asia..... but I'll get round to it.....it’s kind of a part of the novel .....the bit that's got our correspondence in......
you're right.....those correspondences feel like a crucial part of the whole story.....how lots of it came to me on my travels..... but that feels like God...... that feels like another lifetime really
ANOTHER LONG SILENCE
Hello.....William...are you still there
Yeah. Just thinking about those other journeys......anyway here I am in Tahiti..... I'm really sorry I haven't got back to you sooner……I just had a sense of.....I don't know......anyway I’m sorry
Hey no need to apologise…..I’m just glad you’re still alive!
Me too!…..but I do know that I love it here and I'm doing lots of painting,,,,,, it's funny here I am with Gauguin’s old place just up the road……. though I'm not painting Tahitian women..... I'm a bit of a celibate at the moment.... yeah though it was difficult when I left Canberra me and Molly you know we.......we really kind of slipped into each other's pockets easily and yeah first time for quite a while that I was having an active and really enjoyable sexual relationship.....for a guy of my age that's quite a thing really.....and I was sorry...no not just sorry, really sad to leave her…… but I think we both knew that yeah we both knew that we’d done something important together…… spending that time with each other before I set off to walk all the way down the coast…..but we’re still writing to each other…..she doesn’t do internet stuff….so I send her a postcard every week and she writes me long letters…..and maybe…..just maybe she’ll come for a visit….that would be good…anyway man........it’s very good to say some of this to you.....though this isn't actually costing me any money at all
really I thought it would be costing a lot....you've got your own mobile phone then
yeah I've got a mobile phone........one of these stupid fucking iPhones....no I shouldn’t be rude about it...... I know they’re clever bits of technology really......but they're just phone’s basically with all sorts of other things you can do on it........and this guy I met who is also a painter and an artist…..he’s into digital stuff and he was doing a mix of painting with his digital stuff and I met him in the art suppliers where he was buying a whole stack of acrylics and other materials....so we got talking....... and he's got some clever way of being able to use your mobile phone and bouncing it around somehow so you can make international calls for free....it’s probably totally illegal but it doesn't cost me a penny or euro or whatever........I guess you're probably pissed off about leaving Europe
yeah you could say I kind of I still grieve about it occasionally ........it comes up at me from time to time but it what’s happening ......very bad idea in so many ways......but life goes on....and I'm really getting on with the novel....... I feel like I've got up on the second or third wind for it which feels really good......Do you wanna tell me about......about anything you’d like me to do with it
you know I don't think so.......I mean I have had a few other ideas about it lately.....stuff about chapters really ......probably way down in book 3 or even book 4.......but my feeling is that you're doing pretty good with it man......you know it feels like you're the author as much as I am.......so why don't you just crack on with it for the moment.......I'm probably going to be in Tahiti for some time as I'm really loving living here......beautiful place..,..really beautiful place...but quite a lot of poverty and social inequality....like most everywhere really...... I'm surrounded by jungle where I am.....it’s a big wooden bungalow with a verandah and views out across the trees and down to the sea..... and I'm doing some interesting painting....I'm kind of doing dream painting really and mixing it with landscapes....... Using stuff that comes up in dreams and then kind of setting it in jungle landscapes......if that makes sense….
That sounds extraordinary I’d love to see them William it can you send me some photos
maybe not quite yet......I don't feel I'm ready to put it out there..... I mean it's kind of.....it's almost photorealism some of it and I'm really surprised myself at how good I've got.......I think all that time painting landscape in Canberra was really important….
ANOTHER LONG SILENCE
anyway mate I am really really glad I got to talk with you.....to find out how you are....I hope your health stays good.......I hope you stay well......This coronavirus thing…… we actually have had very little of it here in Tahiti.....believe it or not I've had a double dose of the vaccine.......yeah I went to the Australian embassy and said to them look I’m an Australian citizen and they said yeah we can see that...we can hear that in your voice ha ha ha you're obviously not a fucking New Zealander and then they said look you know if you want we can get you vaccinated.......we've got a vaccination program for the Australians who live here …….so I got vaccinated......so I've had both of mine
Great.....yeah I've had one of mine…..about a month ago. The first one and I get the next one in May…..mid May...... I'm just being very cautious Bill......I mean William ......you know I'm just being really really cautious....weird that I called you Bill ......Bill is my landlord’s name.....
funny you should say that because lots of people here call me Bill......quite a variety of nationalities here…. people from all over the world who’ve ended up here.......a really interesting mix.....you should come here man it's a really amazing place.......I can see why Gauguin loved it here and the women .....well you know I'm like I say I'm celibate……but I do appreciate how beautiful they are and right now I don't have much in the way of sexual desire maybe you know.....maybe......well..... I'm going to be 80 quite soon
I guess you are......well when are you 80 William
I'm 80 on June 21, 2023 so in two years time ....... so I’m 78 now
oh right so you're just just under five years older than me
yeah yeah I guess I am well.......it's really good to talk to you Gordon
it's really good to talk to you William
A SHORT SILENCE
like I say I'm sorry......I'm sorry for those long gaps in me contacting you......maybe I was just just letting you get on with it......and you're getting on with it man.......I guess I get emails and updates from you like all those others on the mailing list and I can go on the website....... oh yeah I just wanted to say that I really like the narration......How’s the Amazon audible book thing panning out…
oh right well I was going to talk to you about that......very briefly to do it as an audible book on Amazon…… whether that will earn us any money or not I don't know......
I don't need any money man .....I'm rolling in it but if you need the money then you just take whatever comes in from selling Albion’s Children online....
Thanks William......let’s see what happens with that... just to go back to the Audible version if we're going to put it on Audible it needs to be put out there as a text version on Amazon Kindle first.
oh shit….really…..so you can't just do the audio and then put it out there
apparently not apparently...... you can't just do that you have to put a text version on Kindle first..... so I'm thinking about it I mean I'm going to look at other audio platforms other than the Amazon.......but Audible is the big one..... It’s huge and if we want to get it out there…..get people to read it……. feels to me like audible is the best way to go.....so I'm going to get my head around what I need to do to put it out on Kindle first...
might not be a bad idea.....maybe it will get more people to read it first……though I suppose it means you've got to do lots of other work haven't you........and you’re busy doing all the creative stuff on it at the moment rather than having to do all that reformatting shit or whatever it's called.....
yeah that's right I would have to do quite a lot of reformatting but for the moment I'm going to focus on getting the audio done and getting it out there........Actually I'm rather enjoying it……. I'm enjoying that process of narrating it.....kind of brings it to life....
I get that..... you're good at that…… kind of drawing on all your past acting experience I guess.... okay man I probably better go......it's certainly a lot later here than it is where you are…… I think we are seven hours ahead of you so I'm going to go to a lovely little café I know……meet up with a few friends and eat some food maybe even drink some cold lager..... I've got a motorbike again.....another rather lovely old Kawasaki trials bike......I zoom around on it all over the island..... but I think I might get rid of it soon…..maybe even buy a horse as I quite like the idea of getting around on a horse.....bareback of course.....no saddle or bridle or any of that horse torturing shit....make sure we become good friends
oh yeah that sounds like the right way to do it......though of course you went all over Southeast Asia on the bike didn't you
that's right I did.......I did that extraordinary trip into Burma and then the time I spent in the monastery in Laos and of course that weird prison stay in Fu Chang.....feels like a dream now.....but I don't think about it very often.......but now you mention it it was an extraordinary journey and I hope you get that down on paper sometime as part of our novel...
okay William I’ll do my best.....well it was wonderful to talk to you....... give us a call again soon as I would love to keep us updated.....as soon as you've got some paintings you'd like me to see I'd love to see them.....
okay matey......really great to talk with you too.....give my love to sally tell her one day I hope we can meet up.......just heard your dog barking.....your dog called foxy......I've seen a few pictures of her......she looks wonderful like a real delight......okay you take care...... huge blessings to you my friend.....huge blessings to you Gordon….bye...
to you too William take care and be well....bye....
Below is the email I got from him in late September 2020 which means I’ve been able to update the novel with new chapters & audio.
Self explanatory I think.
Hello Gordon
This is just to apologise for another of my very long silences.Since I emailed you in 2018 I have been travelling, often on foot, in Australia & New Zealand. Then voyages on a sailing boat in the Pacific. An extraordinary almost 2 year long odyssey that eventually brought me to Tahiti in early July this year. I’ve done very little writing since I started my recent travels but am attaching a few thoughts/ideas on the development of Albion's Children.
But most importantly - From now on please ignore any of my directives. Whatever I may say or strongly affirm just view it as mere creative advice. There is now so much raw/unfinished/almost cooked Albions Children material in your possession that I feel it’s best to let you get on with organising & creatively ‘editing’ it.
My other thought is for you to focus on making audio recordings of all the chapters that are either published on the website or ready to be published. Maybe even re-record the ones that are out there? I believe there is an audio website called Soundcloud. Perhaps investigate it as a host for the audio version?
But whatever you think best to move Albions Children on & to get it read/listened to by a wider audience.
I now have a mobile phone, having been without one for well over a year. I’ll text you my number, assuming yours hasn’t changed? When we talk I can explain in detail why I wanted the project to be put on hold. Apologies again
Love & strength to you & blessings as we move into this new decade full of serious challenges and beautiful possibilities.
William
More past communications can be found by clicking on the links below & at the bottom of each series of correspondence.