Hobart writer – Ruth Dawkins Freelance Writer

Navigating the net zero transition

March 28, 2023 DorkyMum

My latest piece for CSIRO was published recently, and I thought I’d share a link here because it’s really interesting topic.

The feature was for CSIRO’s Resourceful Magazine, which is focused on content that’s relevant to the minerals value chain, from mining exploration to metal production.

I was lucky enough to speak with some researchers from the recently established Valuing Sustainability Future Science Platform about the work they are doing mapping out potential routes to a decarbonised society – and ensuring that issues of social justice and fairness are taken into account.

I think this is a really important part of the net zero conversation which is often skimmed over in favour of a technology focus, and I’m really pleased to see the national science agency starting to work in this space. I’m excited to see what happens with the Valuing Sustainability FSP over the next couple of years.

If you’d like to read the article, take a look here: Navigating a Path to Sustainability.

Photo by rafael albornoz on Unsplash

Copywriting, Feature Writing

February 2023: some recent writing work

February 9, 2023 DorkyMum

Black text that reads 2023 on a great background

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful, restful break over the festive period, and you’ve started 2023 feeling enthusiastic and energised!

Here in Tasmania, schools only went back a couple of days ago. While I did manage a few bits and pieces of work over the holidays, it’s nice to be getting those longer stretches of uninterrupted and focused time again.

I thought I would share links a few recent pieces of work. It’s great fun having this blog to look back on and remind myself of what a variety of projects I do each year.

Back in December, I was lucky enough to interview Hobart local Briony Kidd about her tips for visitors to Hobart. That feature was published on Guardian Australia: Platypus spotting, spontaneous nights out, and grassroots energy.
More recently, I had a piece of creative non-fiction published at one of my favourite websites, Caught by the River. That one is called Dog walking at the bottom of the world.
This interview for Brand Tasmania, with Caro and Chris Brown of Brady’s Lookout Cider was really fun to write.
And as ever, I am so grateful to CSIRO for being a regular, ongoing client. Recent pieces I’ve written for them include one for Resourceful Magazine on indicator minerals for nickel exploration, and two for ECOS on carbon sequestration and deep sea mining.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Copywriting

My latest for CSIRO

December 12, 2022December 12, 2022 DorkyMum

Photo shows a black, green and blue image that looks like electricity emanating from a black ball. In the corner is a box that reads 'Writing for CSIRO'

CSIRO is one of my very favourite clients.

Sometimes I have to pinch myself, because I feel like it’s a huge privilege helping some of Australia’s top researchers communicate their findings to a wider audience.

The briefs I receive from the Communications Managers across different CSIRO business units are always very thorough and clear, and every single piece I have written has taught me something. The breadth and depth of work that the national science agency undertakes is truly astonishing.

That diversity is on show if you take a quick look at the last three pieces I wrote for CSIRO.

The first: a look at the importance of biodiversity in water assessments in Northern Australia.

The second: proteins of the future, and how CSIRO is working with companies on precision fermentation.

Finally: an exploration of the work CSIRO is doing with a consortium of other organisations to examine the potential impacts of deep sea mining.

I have three other pieces due to be published in the coming weeks, and they are equally varied: they’re on carbon sequestration, indicator minerals for nickel exploration, and potential impacts on regional branding from gas development. Phew! I’ll look forward to sharing those with you very soon.

Photo by Moritz Kindler on Unsplash

Copywriting

From graphite to hemp: my latest writing subjects

August 29, 2022September 1, 2022 DorkyMum

I’ve been lucky enough to work on a real diversity of writing projects recently, and I thought I’d share a few of them here.

A piece for CSIRO’s Resourceful magazine about graphite processing.
A second piece for CSIRO, this time for their ECOS blog, about the State of the Environment Report and the important work that was done by Indigenous co-authors.
An article for one of my newest clients Brand Tasmania. What a privilege to help tell the stories about some of the smart, interesting, inspiring people who call Tassie home. My first piece was about Tim Crow, a Queenslander who moved to the north of the state and established a company called Hemp Harvests.
And my second piece for Brand Tasmania, which was about Mary Knights – Senior Art Curator at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.

Photo by Remedy Pics on Unsplash

Copywriting, Feature Writing, freelance life

A New Year: Open for Business

March 2, 2021March 2, 2021 DorkyMum

Decorative flat lay with the text 'Happy New Year' in the centre

You know you’ve been busy when you don’t get a chance to write a ‘Happy New Year’ blog post until the first week of March.

It feels a bit late to be posting a detailed roundup of the projects I worked on during 2020, so I think I will skip that annual tradition other than to say thank you so much to all the clients and editors who chose to work with me. Continue reading “A New Year: Open for Business” →

Copywriting, Feature Writing, freelance life, Writing

Spring in Tasmania

August 31, 2020August 31, 2020 DorkyMum

cherry blossom with blue sky in the background to illustrate a post about Spring in Tasmania

Tomorrow – the first of September – marks the beginning of spring in Tasmania. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to some warmer, brighter days.

Winter was a weird one this year – but then, hasn’t everything been weird this year!? There were individual days that seemed to last forever, and weeks that seemed to be over before they’d even started. Continue reading “Spring in Tasmania” →

Copywriting, Feature Writing, freelance life, Writing

February 2020: Back to work!

February 25, 2020 DorkyMum

View of desk from above with caption 'Back to work'!

After a long and lovely summer holiday which included a trip to Hawaii for a family wedding – lucky me – I’m finally back at my desk.

Even after six years living in Tasmania, I haven’t quite adjusted to taking a break in January. For all my friends in the Northern Hemisphere, the turn of the year marks that moment when they start to feel energised with new ambitions and resolutions; whereas here it simply marks the start of a month off.

That means when February does roll around, and school goes back at last, it can feel like there’s an awful lot to catch up on. Continue reading “February 2020: Back to work!” →

Feature Writing

SBS feature on Antarctica

March 17, 2019March 17, 2019 DorkyMum

Screenshot of SBS news piece on sexism in Antarctica by Ruth Dawkins

I was really pleased to have my first piece published with SBS a couple of weeks ago. I’d written a couple of pieces for their lifestyle section – SBS Life – a while back, but never for the news section.

Timed to coincide with International Women’s Day, it was a reported piece about the gendered barriers to conducting Antarctic fieldwork, pegged on a study that was led by researchers at the University of Tasmania.

Even though the word count grew significantly from the initial commission – from 1000 words to 1600 – there was still a huge amount that I was disappointed to leave out. It was fascinating and very inspiring speaking to a number of women who work in Antarctic research – some in humanities and social sciences, others in biology and climate science – and I hope I can do a follow up piece further down the line.

If you’d like to read it, it’s here: SBS News – Even in Antarctica, women are experiencing sexism.