The roots of the Tamworth Bush Poetry Competition go back to 1987 when the Tamworth Poetry Reading Group decided that a bush poetry program would make a very interesting and relevant addition to the Tamworth Country Music Festival. A competition was held at the Longyard Hotel and included poetry recitation and yarn spinning. There were enough competitors to make a competition, which was won by locals Murray Hartin in the Original Section and John Philipson in the Traditional Section, and there was enough interest for the group to try again the following year, but the Longyard management was not interested. So an effort was made to present a program in the carpark of Kentucky Fried Chicken. BAL Marketing, an arm of the Country Music Festival was interested in promoting the concept and provided a drawcard in the shape of good-looking young country music singer, James Blundell, as compere. The carpark was situated right next to a busy highway and it was a very hot day with storms threatening. These conditions did not make an ideal setting for the competition, but the Finals, held in a hall across the road due to a sudden storm, resulted in Marion Fitzgerald, who only entered to see James Blundell, winning the Original section and John Philipson again winning the Traditional. These first two years of the competition may not have been a raging success, but they did bring poets together and sparked the initial interest in performing bush poetry.
The Tamworth Poetry Reading Group needed a venue if it was to continue running their competition, and it was Murray Hartin who came to the rescue by arranging for the next competition to be held in the beer garden of the Imperial Hotel. This was a pleasant venue that suited the growing numbers of people who began to see Bush Poetry as a legitimate part of the entertainment of the Country Music Festival. The competition became known as the Tamworth Bush Poetry Competition, but was generally referred to as “The Imperial”. From 1989 to 2004, the “Impy” was the home of bush poetry. These years saw the emergence of the talented performers who now form the ranks of bush poetry entertainers throughout Australia. During these years, sponsorship was secured by North Power, later Country Energy, and the “Golden Damper” trophies were introduced for the winners of each section. These are ceramic trophies made by the Fred Hillier Studios in Moonbi, near Tamworth. In 1994 a meeting was held at the Imperial after the Finals of the competition to form the Australian Bush Poets Association. The Imperial has strong and emotional ties for many of the bush poets and the competition organisers, but, in time, the competition outgrew the facilities, hotel management attitudes changed with a preference for country/rock music, and, with the assistance of sponsors, Country Energy, a venue was secured at West League Club.
Wests is now the “home of bush poetry” with breakfasts, Club shows and the home of what has come to be regarded as one of the premier Bush Poetry competitions in Australia. Ever increasing numbers crowd into the competition heats and audiences of 500 are common for the very popular Finals.
The Tamworth Poetry Reading Group also introduced a written poetry competition named the Blackened Billy Verse Competition. The first competition in 1991 was won by a very shy, young man whose arm had to be twisted to perform his winning poem, called “The Aussie”, before the Finals audience of the performance competition. This was Bobby Miller’s first appearance on the Imperial stage.
The Blackened Billy now attracts hundreds of entries for all over Australia and overseas. The trophy is also a product of the Fred Hillier studios and is much prized by poets.
The Tamworth Poetry Reading Group is proud of its association with Bush Poetry and the part it has played in its resurgent as a important and popular part of Australian culture. The group celebrated its 25th anniversary on 13th November 2008. |
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