He ran his first workshop at Whangarei's Northland Polytechnic in 1988 and the universal notion that "we too are ancestors of generations to come" has seen him run workshops in New Zealand, throughout the UK and most recently Canada.
The idea was first inspired by his observation that some young people had little connection to their family histories.
"While working with a group of nursing students, I realised that some had very limited knowledge of their heritage.
"Like where a name like O'Shaughnessy comes from."
Paterson was able to spend time looking into his own lineage while living in Falkirk, Scotland, and it was from there that he published the revised edition of With Love
in 2001.
"It seems to me that Whanganui grandparents will have some very good stories to share," says Paterson.
Although the Patersons have only been living in Whanganui for a few weeks, both say they are enjoying the lifestyle and Canadian born Sue describes it as a "beautiful city".
Mike says his experience of the past 30 years has shown him that the With Love groups have multiple benefits for the participants.
"Some participants from the very first group are still in touch and meet up occasionally.
"People gain self-esteem because they realise that their stories are a lot more interesting than they thought they were.
"They also form friendships and develop writing skills."
The With Love groups run for five days and the first Whanganui group will run from May 28 until June 1.
Contact Mike Paterson at writemike5846@gmail.com or call 06 348 9383
