“I have just completed my third book and like the previous two, Jacquie Whitefield has guided me all the way through to the finish line, evolving from lopsided written reminisces and transforming them into the finished product.

Having only taken up writing in my seventies, crossing paths early with Jacquie was a Godsend. Her expertise, input, attention to detail and general organisation of the project allowed it to flow in a seamless fashion.”

John (Paddy) Pendergast, Book #3

“Jacquie and I spent just one hour together and had a few phone calls, and I am blown away by her reportage. She has masterfully picked up the essence of my life story and has pulled together a page-turning illustrated booklet. I was nervous to read it at first, but I couldn’t be happier with her creation.”

Liz Maynes

“Jacquie is kind, patient, very efficient and during the process, became a very good friend. Nothing was ever a bother. She always responded immediately if I had a query or a change during the drafts. I would also like to thank my family who decided my life stories should be written. It was they who engaged Jacquie to write Being Jeannie and all contributed to its final print.”

Jeannie Forrest

“My daughter, Jane, who sings with Jacquie in the Hummingsong Choir, suggested that Jacquie engage my wife and I in compiling our life story. This proved to be a fascinating experience and resulted in the production of Moving with the Harmonies, an attractive book embellished with both black and white and colour photos drawn from many aspects of our lives. The process brought back many happy memories and Moving with the Harmonies is now one of our most treasured possessions.”

Warren Ogborne

“I have been compiling notes and photos of all members of my family for years.  One of my daughters introduced me to Jacquie in the hope that a book could be produced for future generations.

Jacquie has been so helpful and encouraging, suggesting what might be better left out, and what should be included, including photographs and letters. Her experience and skill in putting my ‘stuff’ together in a bound book are just amazing. The finished product is, to me, just fantastic.

Did l mention how patient she is?  Nothing seemed to be a trouble, and her guidance and care were awesome.  This book would never have come about without her.

If you are thinking of doing such a thing, you simply could not go wrong with Jacquie assisting you, and you will get a superb result!”

Pepita Carpenter

“Jacquie taught me so much and guided, mentored and empowered me through the process of creating my life story book. She was so patient and always seemed to have the right words at the right time. At all times I felt like it was ‘my’ book.”

Janet Cater

“Too late I realised that writing the book is only the beginning of the voyage. But thank goodness for Jacquie, her knowledge, helpful suggestions, not only in editing and proof reading, but also her encouragement and skill in navigating the book from concept to final destination. Thank you Jacquie.”

Captain Peter Murphy

“Jacquie did a beautiful job putting my mother’s book together. It has turned out even better than I had hoped! She has created a wonderful memoir which will be treasured for a very long time. I am well aware of the hours she put in listening and revising the story and I appreciate her patience and all of the time she spent with my mother to create it. I certainly would not hesitate to recommend Jacquie and her beautiful books to others.”

Susan Loughland

“Jacquie worked with my in-laws to produce a beautiful book filled with their memories and photos that we now have forever. They are typical English people and very private, but they ended up enjoying the process. As it was all done via Zoom (Sydney to Devon), Jacquie captured their stories in a unique way. I only wish I had been able to do this with my father before he passed away. Stories change over time because how we retell them is not always correct. I thoroughly recommend Jacquie to create your personal piece of family history to have and hold and enjoy with the whole family.”

Fiona Brewster

“Jacquie has worked with me tirelessly for about 9 months to produce a book about my life. To say anything but I’m thrilled with the result would be an understatement.

The process for me was daunting initially, but Jacquie smoothed the waters to make it a challenging, thought provoking and ultimately rewarding project.

Due to Covid-19 and these days of health regulations and lockdowns, I haven’t been able to “launch” my book with my family and friends … but I know they will all be as delighted as I am with …

The Life and Times of
Douglas Henry (Doug) Crosby OAM
Then … and Now”

Douglas Crosby OAM

“I am very pleased to provide this testimonial on the expert services provided by Jacquie Whitefield of My Life Story Writer in the development, production and publication of my recent book The Windward Mark.

I found Jacquie highly efficient and systematic at record keeping at every stage along the way with a quick recall of detail and conferences.  Never intrusive with her own ideas nevertheless, when invited, she made the most useful suggestions about structure, the selection of images and where to place them in the story.

Jacquie has a most engaging, communicative skill that has made the whole process a pleasure. Add to that her specialised range of knowledge in the areas of typesetting and layout, as well as printing options, taken together, has lifted the quality of my book to a very satisfactory outcome.”

David James

“We have now done books for both my parents and it was a wonderful experience. They really enjoyed revisiting different times in their lives and the family have loved hearing the stories. Jacquie was very thoughtful and considerate, and I am so very glad we have done this.”

Anna Bowden, Book #2

“I would like to acknowledge my thanks to Jacquie for producing the final outcome of my story, taking it from its raw production to its finished outcome.

I detest modern jargon but have to accede to the expression ‘user friendly’ which describes Jacquie’s expertise.

I have already alluded to encouraging anyone and everyone to record their own memories of their life. Don’t be discouraged by believing you have nothing important to say. It didn’t put me off.

If you are tempted to do so, I can more than highly recommend Jacquie to put together a finished product that you will be proud of.

It matters not the level of your writing proficiency, Jacquie is capable of providing the necessary guidance and assistance required.

Nike – ‘Just Do It’”

John (Paddy) Pendergast, Book #2

“It was an absolute pleasure working with Jacquie to help my mum with her book. I enjoyed the journey and learned lots about my family history on the way. Thank you Jacquie, your professionalism and patience were greatly appreciated.”

Virginia Bateman

“Anyone contemplating committing their memories to print, I recommend making Jacquie Whitefield your first port of call and take advantage of her expert guidance.

My heartfelt thanks go to Jacquie for keeping me on the straight and narrow, editorially that is. Jacquie managed to turn my roughshod manuscript into a polished outcome.

I gave Jacquie ‘carte blanche’ authority to amend, edit or erase any inappropriate or offensive content on condition she left me a couple of paragraphs.”

John (Paddy) Pendergast, Book #1

“I laughed, I cried … all those stories Nana told us when we were young have now come to life and I’m forever grateful to have this.”

Lucy Allen

“If you have someone in your life who means a lot to you and you want their story to be passed from generation to generation, then you need to meet Jacquie. Jacquie has recently completed my mother-in-law’s life story and each member of our extended family now has a beautiful bound book about Patty, with photos scattered throughout. The book is priceless and I recommend doing it before it is too late.”

Viv Allen

“We’ve always listened to Patty’s interesting anecdotes about her life at family gatherings or when on holidays and came to the realisation that these stories were too valuable to be lost forever. Everyone deserves their story to be told.

Jacquie has captured Patty’s story just so beautifully. As we read it, we can hear Patty talking – it’s like she is standing there on each page. We now have this priceless and unique story packaged up to share with current and future generations. We hope it inspires others to appreciate the simple things in life and love so deeply. We are extremely grateful for Jacquie’s professionalism and eloquent storytelling. It was so easy to work with Jacquie and she has the patience of a saint.

We are so happy to have this beautiful story safely in our hands forever.”

The extended Allen family

“I reached out to Jacquie when I heard about the work she was doing at My Life Story Writer, as I thought that her services would be a fantastic gift for my partner, Vera. Her parents were far away in Italy and had a wonderful life story to tell.

Vera was very excited, and although a bit nervous at first, her parents loved the idea of capturing the story, especially her father’s time in Australia in the 1950s. Jacquie was wonderful in her Zoom interviews with them, and really helped them to relax and to get all of the memories out.

Unfortunately, we lost Mario before the book was finalised, but he lives on in every page now. The finished book is beautiful and tells a great story. I would highly recommend Jacquie’s services if you have parents or siblings that have a story that should be preserved for our future generations.”

Dermot Crowley

“Jacquie, I so enjoyed working with you. Your professionalism, expertise, advice and patience made getting our family history book to print achievable. Mum was delighted with it and my sister really enjoyed reading the stories about our ancestors.”

Jane Macbeth  

“My children have been saying for years, ‘Dad, you should start writing about your life, you have so many amazing stories to tell.’ Finally, at nearly 82 years of age, I thought, yes I should whilst I am still able to remember those memories.

A close friend showed me a book that Jacquie had written and said, “I think this is the perfect person for you Ted.” How right he was.

Jacquie has just finished my memoir and I could not be happier with the end result. The final presentation of the book with photographs, letters and documents is very professional.

Thank you Jacquie for making all this possible.”

Ted Lyndon

“Everyone has a story (or two) but there are only some who can tell them successfully. Jacquie has The Gift and turns a chore into an interesting pastime. It was a part-time pleasure working with Jacquie and my wife and children treasure the result. Keep bringing joy to others Jacquie!”

Barry McFarland    

“I thoroughly recommend Jacquie’s services. Her hard work resulted in a fantastic 130-page hardback book which I find remarkable and could not have done myself. Jacquie provides a structure and process via interviews and the scanning of photos that enabled me to include what I wanted to be recorded in my story.”

Roy Shackley

“Working with Jacquie to produce my father’s life story was a wonderful experience. Capturing his story to hand down to his children and grandchildren, while it is present and real, gave us an opportunity to talk about it. And now his story will be kept in the family forever.

The quality of the book is excellent and the whole process was very easy. Jacquie worked very hard! Dad enjoyed the process too, he had a wonderful opportunity to go back in time and bring together some of the threads of his life.”

Anna Bowden, Book #1

“I have received lots of very positive feedback from The Windward Mark, which Jacquie helped me to complete and self-publish.  Today a letter arrived from the Australian National Maritime Museum. They have my book proudly placed next to the “Lake Illawarra” transcript that I donated to them earlier.

So I think we could say that is a real feather in our caps.

Thank you once again, Jacquie, for all the effort that you put in to producing something that has been so well accepted – you’re a true legend!”

Winton Knowles

“That little booklet is fantastic! I didn’t realise I had such an interesting life! I think it’s extremely interesting for people to read each other’s stories because we’re not all the same and it’s a wonderful thing for the ones coming after you.”

Gwyn Whitefield

“The best part was meeting Jacquie!”

Esther Doyle

“My family is very pleased with the way Jacquie has put my story together. They get the feeling of me growing up and of my life as an adult and raising my family. I didn’t want my story to be boring and the book Jacquie created certainly isn’t! The process was very easy.  I’m really into ancestry and I’m happy that part of my life is now in print.”

Wendy Burns

“Jacquie, my book probably would never have happened without your help. Thank you for your patience and guidance.”

Fay Osborne

“Jacquie was great … she spent time getting to know my mother and developing a good understanding of my mother’s extraordinary life.  We now have a beautiful snapshot of the ninety-two years of Esther Doyle’s life to date!”

Peter Doyle

“Jacquie’s passion for people and their life stories are evident in recording my Mother’s stories. Gwyn’s Stories is recorded by Jacquie sensitively with natural tones. Mother’s voice speaks from the pages like any conversation about her life, as if chatting over a cup of coffee! The stories are thoughtfully recorded with pictures vividly bringing many aspects of Mother’s full life to all of us that know her and love her.”

Leslie Abraham

“This book is absolutely fantastic. I really enjoyed reading about Gwyn’s interesting life and the way it was written made it feel like she was sitting with me telling me the stories herself could honestly hear her voice. You rock Jacquie ❤”

Nadene Whitefield

“All of my family and friends gave my book rave reviews, with the common response: “I couldn’t put it down!””

Helena Pendergast

“From a single session with Jacquie, my sister and I came away with the tools we need to record Dad’s life story ourselves. Jacquie provided a clear and simple roadmap, and we may call on her expertise if we need further support along the way. We’ve just started our project and we’re excited about what we will discover and be able to share with all Dad’s loved ones.”

Lynette Arnold

“Jacquie has been coaching me since March 2020, as I put together my mother’s life story. She has been reading my efforts and giving comments on FaceTime and by email every week. She is warm and encouraging and has given me specific advice on how to make the characters come alive. She is also very good at seeing the big picture and how to pull it all together.”

Ingrid McGovern

“Thank you Jacquie for bringing my life into order! I loved our chats and the way you were able to put my thoughts into words. I would highly recommend Jacquie to anyone who would like to capture their family history but don’t know where to start.”

Betty Pola 

“Jacquie Whitefield has worked with me on the draft manuscript for my forthcoming book. I found her to be an excellent proofreader with a quick and perceptive eye. As well, her helpful suggestions on sections of the text have led, I feel, to clearer identification and a strengthening of my main themes. We found that our Zoom meetings were very productive.”

David James

“Jacquie became my saviour when she took control of my memoir after meeting her at a Life Story Workshop. I’m a published freelance writer, but I no longer use a computer, which makes me a real technical dinosaur. I had written seven chapters but a lot of fine-tuning was required from someone with Jacquie’s expertise.  If you are considering using Jacquie for your life story I recommend her most highly.  She is marvellous!

I would like to congratulate Jacquie on her superior communication skills in keeping me well informed throughout the process.  It has been like a breath of fresh air. She has produced good flow and it has turned into one of those reads I find hard to put down.

Without Jacquie’s assistance I’m sure that my book would not have been completed.”

Winton Knowles

“Jacquie was an unknown quantity when we agreed to run a workshop for residents at Dee Why Gardens but she attracted an enthusiastic group of ‘workshoppers’ and the gales of laughter coming from the meeting room attested to the fun everyone was having. Every resident told me how much they’d enjoyed the session and how much they’d got from it. A few attendees have subsequently engaged Jacquie to collaborate with them in writing their life stories and the one book I’ve seen is a professionally-produced fascinating read. The resident is thrilled with it and remarks on how much fun she had with Jacquie during its production. We had no hesitation in having Jacquie back for another workshop, also much appreciated by all, although COVID and renovations at the village have delayed plans for a third. In the interim, Jacquie has provided me with really interesting articles for the monthly newsletter which I produce for the village residents; I always look forward to reading them and so do the residents. We hope to welcome her and a new group of residents for a workshop in 2022 – and if time allows I’ll be joining myself!”

Stephanie Boyer, Assistant Village Manager, Dee Why Gardens Retirement Village

“Jacquie’s presentation was interesting and professional.”

Kerry Brown

“Jacquie’s Introductory Talk at the Life Story Workshop in the Leisure Centre was most interesting. Her enthusiasm for gathering and telling the stories of elderly people was quite infectious as she spoke about the stories of those she had already helped.

As she said, everyone has a story to tell about their life experiences, from the humorous incidents to the gems of wisdom, which we as older folks, can pass on to our children, grandchildren and all those who come after us.

She kindly came to see me to talk about the Life Story I have been writing since 2000 and we spent a very pleasant time chatting and exploring the possibilities of structuring and presenting my words in the most entertaining way.

She is very easy to talk to, a most charming person and empathetic listener. She is interested in everything one has to say, as she sees all detail as important and pertinent to the individual’s story.”

Elizabeth Kennedy