ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Announcement - Kembla Flame.

Big news regarding the THE KEMBLA FLAME Prize value now total $600.

Illawarra Breakfast Poets are delighted to announce they have been joined by
the Illawarra Folk Club in presenting The Kembla Flame.
The competition has moved from July to September.
There is also a big change in Prizes and Awards.

We are also introducing a local poet award
called 'THE KEMBLA STAR'. See your next ABPA Magazine for details.
The award winners will be announced in early September at the 'Folk By The Sea Festival'.

Well done, Zondrae. Sounds great!

G'day all.

The changes to the Kembla Flame will include the change that there is now only a First place with Highly Commended and Commended awards to fifth place. The First place prize is now a trophy plus $500. The 'Local ' award, for the highest scoring poem (within 150km of Wollongong) called the 'Kembla Star' will be a trophy plus $100. Full details and entry form will be in the ABPA magazine.

To my surprise,

My competition secretary tells me she has already received some entries for The Kembla Flame/The Kembla Star..
I am excited! Lets hope that the increase in prizes will equal an increase in entries.

A real shame when money equates to more entries.


Bob

G'day Bob,

I don't agree. The better known writers/performers need to make a living. If it takes extra prize money to attract them well and good. They may mention the competition, and the hometown or club that runs them, when they perform. They may also be inspired to write a great poem or two that they might not get round to if the competition wasn't on.

Then you have mugs like me that spend their life chasing anything that might promote or improve the general Poetry scene. I work my guts out and then am in a position that I can't enter the competition. So all the hours/days/weeks.
(In reality, it is more like months because I have started promoting the Kembla Flame now and it isn't complete til September) I put into competitions, either arranging or judging etc. are for benefit of others. Often I don't even get a thank you and I certainly don't get paid for it. But I do it because I love poetry and I don't want to have the art die out with our generation. So if begging a sponsor for a few dollars more does the trick, I'll grovel.

Zondrae I read your article with interest. But remember no writer of poetry could make a full living just from poetry alone.
But, there is one thing that most fail to take note of
That the everyday poet is the backbone of the poetry world whether it be,
FREE POETRY or METERED VERSE they are in all forms together.
The little person who writes knowing that he or she will never amount too much knowing quite well that greater prize money offered will go to those with the ability what is commonly called the gift of the gab and so receive the large money that is available yet it is the general run of writers that keep the poetry scene alive
We of coarse need these writers but the majority of them are money chasers and I no you will say bull to that statement but just look at the entry sheets only the high profile writers names are there they rarely appear on entry form numbers of low priced prize moneys. So it would appear that those writers are hungry for prize money rather than being true writers in the world of story telling poetry
that all the great poets wrote that the common people read in it’s simplicity that ordinary people could see the pictures that it tells in their minds.

I know that many of you would call me a rabble rouser but I honestly could not care less

Bill Williams the old Battler

Thanks for you comment Bill,

Every point of view has value.
I am in the 'sometimes lucky' category as far as my writing is concerned. And as far as performing, well it is always the opinion of that particular group of judges on that particular day that wins. I never enter a competition thinking I have any chance to win. I only like to think that someone will read my poems and be touched in some way and if I get a commended nod then I feel I am not waisting trees. This is enough to keep me trying.
I have been surprised with a win now and then and it has been a long time since I have had any success. Also, I had a period of about 18 months when I didn't write much of any worth. Lately I have been catching up on some unfinished poems. I have been surprised (again) that maybe one or two of them could have merit. Only time can tell. We each get satisfaction from our writing in our own way.
But I will keep promoting the writing of Australian Rhyming Poetry in any way I can. The bigger the incentive the more people who are likely to write poems the more chance of discovering another talent.