Penning a new path

Ms Knight said writing had always brought comfort to her when times were tough.

“I’ve always had a knack for writing, I have always loved to do it, especially during hard times,” she said.

“When I struggle with situations in life, I always want to journal ... I still think baking is absolutely wonderful, but I think I’ve found another pathway.”

Ms Knight studied to be a baker for seven years at different bakeries and finished her apprenticeship at the Lockington supermarket.

She became the head baker at the supermarket after she was fully qualified and in the years that followed she enjoyed having creative freedom to bake anything she wanted, from rainbow bread to cat-shaped loaves.

However, in 2022, like many other Rochester residents, her life was flipped upside down when the floods occurred.

Not long after, disaster struck again when she injured her back in the process of repairing her home, resulting in her having to quit her job.

She tried her hand at various other jobs but nothing brought her as much joy as baking had, so in 2024, she enrolled in TAFE to pursure writing.

During this time, Ms Knight and her partner were still living in their shed.

All their belongings and furniture were stacked inside with them, everyday living items were stored in hardware tool cabinets and barbecues were on the menu most nights as they didn’t have an oven.

Ms Knight said she didn’t have much to work with but she did what she could.

“It wasn't much, it was just a tiny little picnic table between my partner and I to put our laptops on,” she said.

“I travelled as much as I could to TAFE and back and my teacher would allow me to sometimes stay after class because it felt more comfortable than doing my work in a shed.

“After going to TAFE, I learnt so much and I was able to continue perfecting my novel writing, but non-fiction also came along and the idea came about that maybe I could write about the Rochester flood.”

For one of her assignments, she was able to interview a few Rochester residents about their experiences during the flood.

Although she didn’t feel ready to write the book, the more she spoke to people, the more she was encouraged by those around her to write it.

She now has two books in the works, including one on the Rochester floods and another novel she started writing to help her cope with the floods.

Ms Knight will officially be graduating in a month and said it was all possible through the help of her community and teacher.

“There were so many times that my partner and I were like ‘how do we get through this?’,” she said.

“But it was by meeting our friends and meeting other people in the community who were going through the same thing that actually got us through.

“I also have a lot of gratitude for my teacher ... he was a very good support for me in this journey.”

At Bendigo TAFE’s awards ceremony this year, Ms Knight was recognised as its inspirational student of the year.

She also received the professional and creative student of the year award, sponsored by Bendigo Community Health Services.