Published on Wednesday, 9 April 2025 at 8:00:00 PM
Acclaimed journalist and award-winning author Ros Thomas will be presenting her groundbreaking research on loneliness at Nedlands Library on Wednesday, 7 May 2025. The event, titled "The Loneliness Project," will shed light on the growing epidemic of social isolation and its profound impact on individuals and communities.
Ros Thomas, known for her extensive career in television investigative reporting and long-form non-fiction, dedicated a year to studying loneliness across the world. Her research, funded by a Winston Churchill Fellowship, enabled her to combine her love of photographic portraiture and reportage to publish a series of interviews with lonely and isolated people. This work culminated in the publication of her report, Solitary – How to Beat Loneliness, which has garnered significant attention from governments, healthcare providers, non-profits, and employers.
The Loneliness Project includes poignant interviews and photographs of individuals who have experienced severe loneliness, offering a deeply human perspective on the issue. Ros emphasises that loneliness should be seen as a critical warning sign, urging society to foster stronger social connections and community resilience.
"My research has shown me that we should be thinking of loneliness as the warning light reminding us that we are alive but not thriving," she said. "The key to beating loneliness is creating social resilience: communities with in-built structures that foster social wellbeing. In the end, the connections between us are all that matters."
Ros Thomas' work highlights the importance of gratitude, reciprocity, altruism, enjoyment, and choice in combating loneliness. She believes that building compassionate and generous communities is essential for addressing this widespread issue.
The event at Nedlands Library is free to attend, but bookings are essential.
- Date: Wednesday, 7 May 2025
- Time: 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
- Location: Nedlands Library
- Admission: Free (Bookings essential via Humanitix)
About Ros Thomas:
Ros was the first woman the Seven Network sent to a war zone, when she covered the 1998 Gulf Crisis from Israel. She reported on the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death from London, the Heaven’s Gate cult mass suicide from San Diego, and the Bali bombings of 2002. After a twenty-year career in national and international current affairs for the ABC, Nine, and Seven, Ros became a long-running columnist for The West Australian Newspaper with a devoted readership of 350,000.
Outside of writing, she’s a passionate advocate for dignity in aged care, has been an ambassador for Alzheimer's WA and is currently the Deputy Chair of the WA Government’s Carers Advisory Council.
For more info about Ros's work, please visit her website and Instagram, and you can also check out the full report here:
Solitary: How to Beat Loneliness.
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