ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

THE COPPER CROC WRITTEN POETRY AWARDS 2016

RESULTS:

WINNER: KELLY DIXON (Milla Milla FNQ ) “His Mungindi Girl”

2nd Place: Tom McIlveen (Port Macquarie NSW) “The Silence of The Lambs”

3rd Place: Will Moody (Bellingen NSW) “ Moonlight on Menindee”


( Introducing my new category ‘Very Highly Commended Indeed’ (‘VHCI’) for those who were just a whisker away from placing in the top three.)

VHCI: David Campbell (Airey’s Inlet VIC) “Strangers”

Brenda Joy (Charters Towers QLD) “Love In Love’s Ways”

Carol Heuchan (Cooranbong NSW) “To Youth”

VHC:
Tom McIlveen (Port Macquarie NSW) “Bobby”

Tom McIlveen (Port Macquarie NSW) “A Terrible Dream”

Terry Piggott (Lynwood WA) “The Lady of The Lakes”


HC: Will Moody (Bellingen NSW) “The Neck To Knee Controversy”

Tom McIlveen (Port Macquarie NSW) “Bluey”

Donald Crane (Toowoomba Sth QLD) “Westward Quest”


Commended:
Zondrae King (East Corrimal NSW) “A Boy’s Coo-ee”

Caroline Tuohey (Darlington Point NSW) “The Night The Fairstar Sank At Warren”

Jim Kent (Port Fairy VIC) “Memories Of a River Night”


WILD and WONDERFUL AUSTRALIA

WINNER:
SHELLEY HANSEN (Maryborough QLD) “Rich Beyond All Measure”


VHC: Brenda Joy (Charters Towers QLD) “My Sacred Place”

Tom McIlveen (Port Macqurie NSW) “Rainbow Serpent’s Legacy”

nb. I don’t usually allocate secondary awards in this category, but these two entries were of such closely aligned skill to the winner, that I really wished to acknowledge them, with these Very Highly Commended awards.

Congratulations to all the winners and those mentioned and that winning poem is a pearl beyond price - just beautiful.

Thanks for your comment Maureen. I thought so too. But coming from the man who wrote "Leave Him In The Longyard".....who I believe is Henry Lawson's Great Nephew...what else should we expect?

I feel really chuffed that Kelly Dixon entered my little comp.

He has given me permission to publish his poem, so do advise if you would like to include it in your Tat mag? I can tryy to get a pic of him, but these old bushmen can be very camera shy. Lol.

xx Glenny P

Hearty congratulations to all winning and placed poets in the Copper Croc! Thanks to you too Glenny, for your tireless work in running this competition each year and keeping our craft alive. It is great that you had a record number of entries this year. Long may it continue!

I am absolutely delighted to be a winner among such auspicious company! Thanks so much for your kind words about my poem Rich Beyond All Measure. Because you specifically mentioned the sense of "belonging" in my conclusion, I thought you might be interested to hear where my inspiration came from.

As you know, inspiration comes unbidden - often from the strangest sources. I was watching a TV interview with Dr Germaine Greer, and the interviewer asked her if she still felt connected to Australia, having lived and worked all over the world. Dr Greer didn't say "yes" or "no". Her comment was simply this, "Wherever I am in the world, when I sleep at night the skies in my dreams are Australian skies."

It was a light-bulb moment for me - because I immediately thought, "She's right!" I've had the same experience! That was the catalyst for this poem, as I then began to think of the things we've seen on our travels in Australia - every one a facet that makes our homeland so unique. So I guess you could say the poem was almost written backwards!

I've given permission for it to be loaded on the Poetry page of the main website - so that should happen in the near future.

Cheers and thanks again
Shelley

It's lovely when that happens, eh Shelley? And often at the most unsuitable time!...when you're not free to scratch that versifying itch...until later!! grrr. It's a lovely poem Shelley, & I thank you again for supporting the comp.

Cheeers.
Glenny P