A SIMPLE idea for a Facebook page has led former Port Fairy woman Susan Gourley to international art exhibitions, publishing a book and raising thousands of dollars for charity.
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Now based in Byron Bay, Gourley and her friend Zoe Hudson are behind The Breakfast Club Diaries — a photographic page on the social network that asks its members to share an image from their early morning walks.
“Zoe was doing early morning walks on the beach, and I was never much of a morning person but I saw a photo of a sunrise she had put up on Facebook and it stopped me in my tracks,” Gourley said.
“It was full of so much potential and promise and I said to her — and it was so random — that we should start a Facebook page and invite anyone all around the world to share moments of their early morning walks.”
That was two-and-a-half years ago. Since then the resulting “daily visual diary of each day from all over the world” has attracted over 1400 members and sparked international interest.
“The feedback has been so amazing,” she said.
“It’s accessible to anyone and everybody. Most of the images have been taken using an iPhone so you don’t have to be a professional photographer.”
About 140 images from the first six months of The Breakfast Club Diaries’ existence have been compiled into a book, which was launched earlier this month.
The proceeds from the book’s sale will go to the Fred Hollows Foundation, which works to restore sight to people in underprivileged communities around the world.
An exhibition of about 200 images from the Facebook page was toured through Poland, with another exhibition to take place in Amsterdam next year.
Gourley said there were also plans to tour it around Australia.
The page receives up to two dozen photos each day, including some from her home town of Port Fairy.
“It makes me so nostalgic ... and homesick any time I see one from Port Fairy,” she said.
Gourley said the response to The Breakfast Club Diaries was humbling and positive.
“There’s a real sense of community, a sense of integrity and a sense of goodwill,” she said.
The sale of the books are expected to raise almost $15,000.
Head to www.susangourley.com.au/tbcd for more details or search for The Breakfast Club Diaries on Facebook.