21 – 28 April, 2012

9 – 16 June, 2012

22 – 29 September, 2012

(if these dates don’t suit you, please contact us; we are often able to arrange small groups at other times)

A fantastic week of snorkelling, learning and exploring in Fiji

8 Days / 7 Nights

The reefs around Vanua Levu provide some of the most rewarding snorkelling in the world. If you don’t want to dive the reefs, this week will give you the chance to see sharks, rays, turtles and many species of reef fish and corals.

In the evenings, an experienced marine biologist will give talks on the marine environment and brief you on the next day’s snorkel. He will come with you to guide the snorkel and point out some of the wonders of the ocean on an all-day field trip.

Below the water is definitely the centre of the week, but we’ll also show you a lot of Fiji above the water. Visits to schools, farms and villages are included.

Marine Biologist Johnny Singh studied at the University of the South Pacific in Suva. He has worked in Savusavu for the past 6 years and knows the reefs and marine life of the area intimately. He is a keen underwater photographer and illustrates his talks with his own wonderful photos and videos. He is a passionate conservatioist, and his enthusiasm for ocean life is contagious.

Itinerary at a Glance

The course runs for 7 days; the last day is a travel day.

You should book your flights to arrive in Savusavu on the first flight from Nadi at 7.00am on Saturday – and you are welcome to arrive earlier in the week or stay on later – we’ll just charge you at regular room rates less 15% if you’re on the course.

Saturday
Introductory lecture and field trip with Johnnie Singh.

Sunday
Field trip day with Johnnie Singh.

Monday
Morning: Field trip.
Afternoon: Town Visit.
Evening: Lecture on Conceptual Coral Reefs

Tuesday
Morning: Filed trip.
Afternoon:Pearl farm visit.
Tapa demonstration.

Wednesday
Morning: Field trip.
Picnic lunch and boat / beach trip.
Evening : Lecture on ‘Cities under the sea’

Thursday
Morning: Field trip.
Afternoon: Excursion tolocal village.
Evening dinner in town.

Friday
Morning: Field trip.
Afternoon: Free
Evening: Lecture on Coral Critters

Saturday
Leaving Ceremony and departure to Nadi.

Cost: F$1665 twin share. F$1615 is approx AUD$1050 / US$850 – we take payment in Fiji dollars and your bank will advise you the rates they charge. Single supplement F$400.

Includes accommodation, all meals, excursions, equipment. Does not include travel – but we are happy to advise.

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End of summer special $1500 ($2400 with flight)

Breakthrough writing is a week’s creative writing retreat during which Jan does what she’s so good at: focussing on what’s swirling around in your mind, accessing it and getting it down on paper in your own voice. As any writer knows, none of this is easy – and all of it is essential.

Jan is coming back to Daku Resort for the third time: this is what Chris Richards had to say about the 2011 workshop he attended:

Every now and again in this world of spin, hype, over promise and under deliver, we get a surprise. Our expectations are exceeded. My experience of Jan Cornall’s Writers Workshop at Daku Resort, Fiji was just one of those rare times.

Here I was sixty thousand words into a novel and totally stalled. I am an experienced writer, I know all the gimmicks but still “the very urgent but not important subsumed the very important but not urgent,” in my life. The casualty was my demon, my novel. What I needed was some isolation, immersion and the company of like minded writers to resurrect my demon. Daku Resort (a jewel) and Jan Cornall provided just that.

Jan is a more than a competent facilitator and an excellent writer. She is non invasive but nevertheless resolute on our purpose for being there. She coaches and pushes… just enough. Her workshop was one of the best things I have done in the past twenty years.

Workshops take place every morning and participants are expected to use some of their time in the afternoon to complete specific writing goals. During the workshops, we’ll revise the essential elements of the writer’s craft, and you’ll have a chance to read, critique and receive feedback on any aspect of your writing or writing process. Begin a new work, refresh a tired old draft or come as you are. Jan uses the principles of the course to work with all genres including scripts, poetry and non-fiction with the emphasis on breaking new ground in your chosen writing form.

It takes place in March, which is the end of summer in Fiji and can still be hot and humid – but this end of summer price is a real low-season bargain which should really take the heat out of your purse.

A writing workshop is a precious opportunity to forget all your daily responsibilities and be greedy with your writing time. No work; no cooking or shopping – just pens, paper, inspirational teaching and a group of others who share the passion.

Then spend the afternoons relaxing or exploring the island – snorkeling the reef, hiking up the mountain, visiting a local village, having a spa massage or reading by the pool.

Throughout this week you have the opportunity to be a serious writer and show yourself and others just what you are capable of. The lab concludes with celebration drinks and readings.

Jan Cornall is a highly experienced teacher, renowned for motivating writers in all genres to set and complete writing goals while instructing them in essential writer’s craft. Participants in past workshops include many who go on to publish. First time author Marguerite Van Geldermalsen, Married to A Bedouin, received invaluable help from Jan’s workshops. Margo Lanagan, award winning fantasy writer wrote her novel, Tender Morsels, with the support of Jan’s Draft Buster workshops, as well as her novella Sea Hearts, the winner of the 2010 World Fantasy Awards.

Others who have benefited include : Margaret Wilcox, Gone (Penguin); Anne Lovell, Connie’s Secret (Allen & Unwin); Catherine Therese, The Weight Of Silence (Hachette Livre); Margaret Stevenson Meere, The Child in The Lotus (Rockpool); Walter Mason, Destination Saigon (Allen & Unwin); Yvonne Louis, Brush with Mondrian (Murdoch); and Mary Delahunty, Public Life, Private Grief (Hardie Grant).

She has also written over 15 produced plays and musicals, a feature film (Talk 1994), a novel (Take me to Paradise, 2006) and three CD’s of songs. Jan’s cabaret musical, Failing In Love Again, (with pianist Elizabeth Drake), was a cult hit of the comedy/cabaret revival in the early 80’s when Jan performed alongside Jeannie Lewis, Margaret Roadknight, Robyn Archer, Wendy Harmer and Gretel Killeen.  www.writersjourney.com.au

Read Jan’s account of the 2011 retreat at Daku Resort »

Program Includes

• Return domestic flight from Nadi to Savusavu.
• Return airport transfers from Savusavu to Daku Resort.
• 7 nights accommodation at Daku Resort in traditional bures with private facilities.
• Breakfasts, lunches and dinners are provided.
• Course fees.
• Lectures, excursions as indicated.

Program Excludes

• Departure taxes applicable to the standard itinerary.
• Comprehensive Travel Insurance.
• Optional activities not listed on the program
• Costs of a personal nature eg laundry, massages, private trips
• Meals taken in transit at the airport

Cost of course
$1500 per person twin share (includes flight from Sydney)
$300 single room supplement
or course plus international flight Sydney-Nadi return: $2250 if booked by Jan 10

The course runs for 6 days, and includes workshops, local excursions and free time.
Throughout this week you have the opportunity to be a serious writer and show yourself and others just what you are capable of.

Programme

Day 1:
Arrive : Welcome ceremony and dinner.

Day 2:
10.00am – 1.00pm: Workshop – Breaking Through to the Essence of Your Writing.
Setting goals, mapping the territory, making a plan, hunting and gathering. Dreaming up descriptive detail, creating the atmosphere of your writing.
6.00pm –7.00pm:  Reading and feedback
7.00pm: Dinner

Day 3:
10.00am – 1.00pm: Workshop – Breaking Out of Old Habits.
Dealing with the negative critic, procrastination, avoidance addiction, transforming obstacles into descriptive imagery, character and plot.
Afternoon: Visit to Savusavu town
6.00pm –7.00pm:   Reading and feedback
7.00pm: Dinner

Day 4:
10.00am – 1.00pm: Workshop – Breaking Into Voice.
Rediscovering your writer’s voice, developing its character, tone and rhythm, through the building blocks of sentence, paragraph, scene, chapter, story.
Afternoon: Beach outing
6.00pm –7.00pm:   Reading and feedback
7.00pm: Dinner

Day 5:
10.00am – 1.00pm: Workshop – Breaking It Down.
Effective editing, busting bad writing habits, going for the jugular, ensuring the impact of our writing with pace, style, rhythm, timing.
6.00pm –7.00pm:   Reading and feedback
7.00pm: Dinner

Day 6:
10.00am – 1.00pm: Workshop – Breaking Into a Run
Finding dramatic tension in action, plot, juxtaposition and opposition. Foreshadowing and suspense techniques, character development,  emotional subtext, subplots and storyline.
5.00pm –6.00pm:   Reading and feedback
6.30pm: Drinks and dinner at Savusavu Yacht Club

Day 7:
10.00am – 1.00pm: Workshop -  Breaking Out of The Mould
Enhancing the unique qualities of your writing, finding unity and cohesiveness, experimenting with form. Setting future writing goals, discussing publishing options.
4.30pm – 5.30pm: Village visit and meke (traditional dance)
Final dinner and readings and celebratory drinks

Day 8:
Return home.

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2 courses for the price of one

Leonie has been leading painting and sketching tours to Fiji since 2007. She delights in the rich variety of flora which offer her students a marvellous choice of subjects – at least 6 varieties of heliconia ranging from tiny, delicate flowers in shades of oranges and reds, soft pinks and lemons, to the larger hanging bright red and yellow species with long glossy leaves; hibiscus; the beautiful orchids, and robust coconuts in all stages of development.

Whilst the mornings are dedicated to Botanical Art, afternoons are the time for sketching, when Leonie will take you off around the island to capture the landscapes and details of your holiday.
You are welcome to bring along non-painting partners or friends, who will find plenty to do and are welcomed on all the group outings.

Botanical Art

Fiji’s rich tropical flora offers sensational subjects for the botanical artist – multicoured ginger, delicate orchids, vibrant heliconia, sturdy coconuts and other exotic plants. These specimens can be gathered from the gardens of Daku Resort where we are staying, and also sourced from the surrounding countryside. Leonie combines individual tuition with group demonstrations, focusing on each participant’s particular abilities and style within the context of the demands of botanical art. Explore various techniques in both drawing and painting and learn to mix and match any botanical colour. All skill levels are welcome.

Holiday Sketching

In the afternoons, following a demonstration of colour and techniques, there will be expeditions to local locations to sketch. Holiday sketching is quick and spontaneous, and captures the impression of people and place. Learn to create a visual souvenir of your holiday in Fiji. Diarise your experiences and enhance them with colourful sketches. Explore and experiment with various materials and techniques using coloured pencils, waterproof pens and watercolour. There are daily demonstrations, individual tuition on location and daily reviews of completed sketches. No previous experience is necessary.

You will receive a list of materials for both courses.

Read an account of Leonie’s August 2010 retreat at the Daku Resort blog.

Leonie Norton is a versatile artist who has made her name in Botanical Art, and also runs workshops on Holiday Sketching as well as taking holiday sketching tours to various destinations. She is an international tutor of Botanical Art and Sydney’s most prominent botanical art educator. She is highly qualified, holding a BA(VisArt), B.Fine Arts (Hons) Plant & Wildlife Illustration and a Grad Dip VET (Adult Ed). Her paintings can be found in private and public collections in Australia and overseas. She also illustrates for magazines, undertakes commission paintings, has a published a fascinating study of botanical artists, Women of Flowers.

Leonie holds regular courses in community colleges and art centres and conducts specialised workshops throughout Australia and New Zealand. She instructs at Summer Schools in the UK, Canada, NZ and regional NSW, in addition to conducting an External Botanical Art Course where she educates students globally. She welcomes all levels of skills. She is past President of the Botanical Art Society of Australia. As one of Australia’s better-known botanical artists, she successfully exhibits annually with the Botanical Art Society of Australia and the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens.

Programme

The programme may change depending on the weather and the interests of the group.

Saturday 17 March
Fly to Nadi: overnight in Nadi.

Sunday 18 March
Fly to Savusavu.
Welcome ceremony.
12.00pm: Poolside lunch
2.00pm: Botanical Art Workshop
7.00pm: Dinner

Monday 19 March
9.00am: Botanical Art Workshop
12.00pm: Lunch
1.00am: Holiday Sketching Demonstration.
Afternoon: Visit to Savusavu, visiting the geothermal hot springs, the local market and the shops. Sketching in town.
7.00pm: Dinner

Tuesday 20 March
9.00am: Botanical Art Workshop
12.00pm: Lunch
1.00pm: Visit local beach for snorkeling, diving, swimming, relaxing and sketching
4.30 pm Tapa making demonstration (traditional decorated bark cloth)
7.00pm: Dinner

Wednesday 21 March
9.00am: Botanical Art Workshop
12.00pm: Lunch
1.00pm: Holiday Sketching Demonstration
Free Time
3.30 – 5.30pm: Boat/beach outing with sketching
7.00pm: Dinner

Thursday 22 March
9.00am: Botanical Art Workshop
12.00pm: Lunch
Afternoon: Relaxing. Optional outings to beach or locations along the coast with sketching
7.00pm: Dinner

Friday 23 March
9.00am: Botanical Art Workshop
12.00pm: Lunch
1.00pm: Holiday Sketching
4.00 – 6.00pm: Village visit
6.30pm: Final dinner

Saturday 24 March
Return to Nadi and on home.
Costs
AUD $2,980.00 twin share including flights ex-Sydney / Brisbane
Single supplement: $350
Non-painting partners: $1050 (international flight not included)

Program Includes
Return international flights from Sydney / Brisbane
Return domestic flight from Nadi to Savusavu.
Return airport transfers from Savusavu to Daku Resort.
7 nights accommodation at Daku Resort in traditional bures with private facilities.
Breakfasts, lunches and dinners are provided.
Course fees.
Lectures, excursions as indicated.

Program Excludes
Comprehensive Travel Insurance.
Optional activities not listed on the program
Costs of a personal nature eg laundry, massages, private trips
Meals taken in transit at the airport

You can see some pictures from last year’s Botanical Art Workshop on our Flickr page.

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