Ken enjoys the simple pleasures

Ken Trimble reckons his Currie Park unit is palatial compared to the accommodation he recently vacated. He was living in a rustic cabin in W Tree, a small town near Buchan in North Gippsland, where he needed a torch to walk the 200m at night to the bathroom facilities, dodging kangaroos along the way. The cold, a few health problems and some old friendships led him to the OCAV village in Euroa three months ago.

While the cabin was basic, the lifestyle at the Tibetan Buddhist Retreat Centre where he lived for three years was inspiring and creative. The years at W Tree were wonderful and productive for Ken who is about to publish his fifth book of poetry and prose, Prayers for the Outsider, which will be available on Amazon. Ken has been nominated three times for the Pushcart Prize, an American literary prize published by Pushcart Press.

Ken, a self-confessed wanderer on a spiritual search, has travelled the world living in Christian and Buddhist communities. He spent a lot of time at ashrams in India and then 10 years in a Christian community in Warburton before heading to W Tree. In between he had a brief stint at a rooming house in Melbourne.

“Going to the Ashram in India in the late 1990s that were set up by Benedictine monk Bede Griffiths, had a profound affect on me because it was about the unity of all religions. When I came back from living in India I moved back into the advertising industry and realized I couldn’t work in that area even though there were a lot of creative people around,” he said.

“I had an accident in Calcutta and a couple of falls and I think maybe that was the start of some health problems. And I have lived in a few rough places in my life. Each place I have been seemed to be the right place for me at that time. I went to the Tibetan Retreat Centre for a one-week counseling course and stayed three years. It was the best thing I ever did.”

Ken, 63, came to Currie Park after friends, now living in the village, encouraged him to have a look and consider the move.

While he loves the security of his new life in Euroa and feels the friendship of the residents, he is finding the transition a little difficult. It’s a feeling many residents across OCAV’s four villages could understand, moving from one home to another.

“It’s strange not having a very set routine to follow each day. When I was in the community at W Tree the day started with chanting prayers at 6am followed by breakfast and then work. So each day had a structure,” he said.

Ken is now looking forward to the challenge of creating a new life at Currie Park, as he has throughout his life, in different countries and amongst different communities of people. One important part of each day for him is his writing and meditation, which he now does independently.

“Being part of the retreat centre meant I was constantly learning and reflecting on what I was learning. But now here at Currie Park I have something else, security, which is something I don’t think I have ever had before in my life. Security is a big thing,” Ken said.

“I think I have been a bit reclusive since I moved in to Currie Park, and finding my feet. I hope to get into a bit of gardening and of course my writing. It just takes a bit of time.”