Q&A with True Story festival author Jeremy Lasek

A journalist, media professional and author, Jeremy Lasek is a true local.

Jeremy started his career at the Lake Times and went on to work in the newsrooms of ABC Illawarra and WIN-TV. After a successful career in Canberra, where he held senior executive roles in government, the private sector, the National Australia Day Council and the Federal Police, Jeremy returned to Wollongong, where he writes for The Illawarra Flame and channels a lifetime's commitment to social justice into local projects.

In the 2023 referendum, Jeremy was one of hundreds of locals who campaigned in support of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. In November, he will appear at True Story Festival as part of the True Locals panel, speaking on a collaborative retrospective book, We Voted Yes: The Wollongong Voice Referendum Story.

See Jeremy in conversation with local writers Jeff Apter, Erin O’Dwyer and Saul Griffith in this panel hosted by ABC Illawarra’s Melinda James on Saturday, 15 November at 2:45pm at Coledale Community Hall.

True Story Festival's theme for 2025 is ‘But Seriously’ and author talks will be held over Saturday, 15 November and Sunday, 16 November – tickets via Humanitix.

What is your latest writing project?

I'm working with a small, dedicated editorial team on a retrospective look back at the local campaign in support of the Yes campaign in the October 2023 Voice referendum. We felt it was important to capture the essence of our energetic grassroots campaign which we are proud to say delivered a narrow majority in Wollongong to the Yes vote.

Why this book?

The referendum was a bit of a milestone moment for the nation – it certainly was for me.

History shows that whenever there is a battle, the winner documents the history and the loser just has to suck up whatever that history looks like. We decided it was important to document the history of the referendum locally, because hey, we actually had a win in Wollongong with the Yes vote.

So, we have produced a very warts-and-all look at the referendum with close to 100 contributors all up, all people who changed their lives in those months leading up to the referendum to give the Yes campaign the best chance of victory.

This nation doesn’t have a great history of truth telling, at least not in the last 250 years or so. So, for me and the team involved in putting this book together, this is a really important piece of truth telling. We hope it is read not just by those who voted Yes but also by those who couldn’t see the logic, or have the compassion to vote Yes. We believe it’s an Australian first and we are so very proud of it.

What do you love about writing it?

We have enjoyed reconnecting with many of the hundreds of volunteers who became a part of the local Yes campaign. Many of these people had never been a part of a campaign of this nature and they gave 100 per cent of themselves. Our book captures the highs and lows of the campaign, including the devastating national result which left our team gutted.

What is your earliest reading memory?

Probably an Enid Blyton or Dr Seuss book. Great stories that took me into a different world. Reading for me has always been a bit of an escape.

Which book made you want to be a writer?

I don't think there's one standout. I've always had an interest in politics and so I devoured political biographies as a young bloke before they really became popular. As luck would have it I landed a job as a newspaper cadet journalist and so writing became my career and my future.

Who is the writer that changed your mind?

Probably my first newspaper editor, Peter Attwater. An old school journo who instilled the basics in me. Check the facts. Look for balance. And always strive to be first with a story.

What are you currently reading?

Kosciuszko, by Anthony Sharwood. The incredible life of the man behind the mountain (we holidayed in Poland earlier this year and my dad was Polish so this book was a no brainer for me).

Your comfort read is?

A good biography on a sporting or musical hero of mine.

True Locals

Book tickets for Saturday, November 15, 2:45–3:45pm

Non-fiction authors walk among us! Four local writers tell ABC Illawarra host Melinda James about their exciting new titles. Biographer Jeff Apter reveals the life of trailblazing music producer Lee Gordon. Journalist Erin O’Dwyer has the inside story on the true crime memoir she co-wrote with a former beauty queen and convicted drug dealer. Electrify Everything guru Saul Griffith explains how to Plug In! to cut household costs and carbon emissions. And journalist Jeremy Lasek looks at the people who powered the Illawarra’s Yes23 referendum campaign. Plus, our True Locals share their 'must-read' non-fiction recommendations.