Ken Methold

When Ken Methold settled in Kiama, nothing would be the same.

Ken was a script writer, TV and movie producer, novelist, playwright, internationally acclaimed creator of over 100 ESL books and the world’s most eccentric Alpaca farmer. While others looked at Kiama and saw beautiful beaches and peaceful hills, Ken looked and saw – Hollywood.

And his beady, showbiz, monocled eye fell… on the Kiama Lions.

Lions members found themselves performing first in a theatre group, then on radio (producing CDs and MP3 for vision impaired children) and finally, in community movies, all for charity.

As Lion Gerry McInerney recalls of A Town like Ours, “Almost all club members were involved and who will forget the final scene with several hundred extras, parading with police, fire brigade, ambulance and emergency services to the theme music of the previous Olympics.”

Who else but Ken…

Ken had three great loves: family, showbiz and charity.

Charities included the Cancer Council and Amnesty International.

He donated the copyright of his ESL books to the Lions, who printed and distributed 52,000 copies to schools in needy countries.

He campaigned tirelessly for writers and was a founding member of the Copyright Agency Limited, which tracks and pays vital royalties to over 40,000 Australian artists and writers.

Ken was unstoppable.

In his final days he sold the film rights to his last novel. The contract arrived on the day he died… And there were you, thinking a little thing like death would obstruct him…

Vale Ken. Kiama will never forget you.

Linda Aronson