The Historic Hydro Writers' Collective is continuing to grow every Wednesday night, with residents from all walks of life taking part.

There's writing, the sharing of stories and it all ends in some sort of magic being produced.

The collective's leader, Sarah Tiffen, said members were from all walks of life.

Two of these are Leeton's Chris Dawe and Ben Smith.

Mr Dawe works in agricultural research by day and is the father of two boys.

The group soon discovered while he works on rice research trials at the Yanco Agricultural Institute, he is writing poems in his head.

When he heard about the writers' group starting up, he decided the time had come to act on his secret passion for writing.

His little boys were intrigued.

"Where are you going, Dad?" they asked. "I'm going to a writers' group," Chris replied. Sensing their dad's trepidation, they re-assured him that "it's probably about narrative."

"When Chris started reading (his work) to the group, silence fell," Ms Tiffen said.

"Chris's poems spoke about the philosophical and spiritual ideas revealed in the everyday life he observed around him, giving voice to issues at the heart of the life of our town."

Mr Smith, an English teacher at Leeton High School, is also a composer of powerful, heroic and emotionally charged poems about life, loss and struggle.

While he read the group was captivated by the epic passionate quality of his poems.

As Mr Smith revealed later, though he has been writing for many years, at school he really struggled.

School was a time when he thought he couldn't write at all.

"Lucky for me, a couple of my teachers, and my mum, had faith in me, and now I am teaching kids who are just like I was - and I really try to help them imagine a future where they too have a voice," he said.

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Ms Tiffen said the message from this tale was you never know what hidden superpowers people in our community have.

"Men you know as a father, teacher, colleague, mate, may also in fact, be writers and poets," she said.

"It is serendipity that has created the writers' collective, and we are excited to see what other secret superpowers we uncover in town."

For more information about the group, which meets at the Historic Hydro every Wednesday evening, contact Ms Tiffen on 0404 348 277 or sarah.tiffen93@gmail.com.

By Chris Dawe

The serendipity of chance

Who will I lay beside

For all of eternity?

Unless otherwise specified

It will be in between

The one before

And the one after

I might have known them

I may well have not

But in no fit state to forge new

acquaintances

It will be where I lay

Be they who they may.

By Chris Dawe

Drawing from few resources

A decision was made

In the interests of most

Which affected a few

Those concerned were informed

Their concerns duly listed

As the decision continued

And affected a few

In due course

The former referred to the latter

And the latter did too

As the minds concerned

Did what they must do

And in time it was seen

That between me and you

A decision was made

Confounding the few.

By Ben Smith

Brave:

Am I brave enough to stare into what makes you scared

And absorb the afflictions that dig in deep?

Redirect the grief, and aim it at me.

I will shoulder the pain and set thee free.

The scars prove that I shall try again.

Not for glory, just sincerity

I will shoulder it to set thee free.

These wound won't heal over.

But Ill be brave and face the way

Of the demons that hang over.