THE STORY WEAVERMY STORY
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I was born in Yorkshire, England and
emigrated to South Africa with my parents and younger brother in the
1960's. I completed my schooling in the Eastern Cape, registered with
UNISA for a BA and studied for a Teacher's Diploma at Rhodes University.
Further studies included a BEd through UNISA.
My working life has included teaching adults, free-lance writing, curriculum advice for students and eventually the post of Faculty Officer for Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Cape Town, where I was involved in establishing the first Orientation and Summer Term Programmes. In 1998 I moved to Prince Albert, edited the local newspaper and established Prince Albert Walks and Stories. This grew into The Story Weaver with more and more story telling and the development of website-building and other electronic communication skills. During 2003 I qualified as a tour guide for the Central and Klein Karoo and the Garden Route. In 2005 I returned to teaching English at the local High School and I now teach in a small private school. I have run study-skills courses and a life-skills training programme for the National Garage staff, most rewarding on-going experiences. My husband and I appreciate the tranquility of Prince Albert. Village life is fulfilling, I am a founder member of The Writers Guild and the Cultural Foundation, a Friend of the Museum and a lay minister at St John's Anglican Church, currently studying for a Diploma in Theology and Ministry. I read voraciously, enjoy walks in the Karoo and the Swartberg and make liqueurs and boozy truffles for family and friends. _________________ The following article appeared in the MENNGOS Essential Directory for Business Handbook, 2003 which Ailsa edited. Ailsa Tudhope lives a village in the
depths of the Karoo, hardly the place where you would expect to find an
editing, web-site building and story-writing business. Yet in this world
of electronic wizardry, why not? In 1998 marriage took her to Prince
Albert from a full-time administrative post at the University of Cape
Town. The employment market was limited so she had to assess her skills
and examine the local and wider markets to see what work opportunities
presented themselves. Her background in administration meant she had good
word-processing skills, her teacher’s training and further studies had
honed her English language skills. Her interest in drama and history
didn’t immediately seem useful – but were to create exciting openings
later. The jump off point was an annual contract to edit an orientation manual for UCT. Voluntary work in the village gave her experience and helped her make contacts which resulted in more work. The first voluntary job was editing the local newspaper – a good way to learn to use a desk top publishing package. This led to work in brochure design, e-mail newsletters, editing several books for a local historian, work for tourism projects in Gauteng and recently a poetry editing assignment. A voluntary project to develop a website for the local Tourism Bureau meant that she learnt to use web-site software. These skills opened doors with IPAS, a Human Resource company in Cape Town who were creating intranet manuals and converting books into CD format. The first website led to another, focussing on businesses in the village and she is now building two sites for the Central Karoo Tourism Office. Tourism is a mainstay in the Karoo and visitors want to be entertained and informed – so Ailsa started a story-telling business: Prince Albert Walks and Stories. She gathered the local stories and put together several programmes to be told over a drink before dinner, on a historical walk, a ‘koppie-stappie’ or an evening Ghost Walk through the streets. This led to the Museum in Oudtshoorn commissioning their own Ghost Walk. Voluntary work at the local Library led to Ailsa meeting Petrina Roberts of MENNGOS at the launch of the local Library Business Corner and telling her about her editing and writing services. Which led to her being asked to submit a quote for editing the handbook you are reading! It takes time, energy and determination to build up a business, you need to:
Contact Ailsa
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MENNGOS Essential Guide for Small Business, edited by Ailsa Tudhope
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