5th Toolangi CJ Dennis Poetry Festival

[Stephen Whiteside]

The 5th Toolangi CJ Dennis Poetry Festival has been held this weekend and, once again, it has proved a great success. Luckily, the rain kept away until everybody started going home.

Yesterday afternoon's award ceremony was well attended - about 40 people. Many thanks to our new sponsor, the Bendigo Bank (Healesville) for sponsoring the 'Adults Writing for Children' category. Fortunately, a number of winners were in attendance, and were able to read their winning poems.

The ceremony was held outside under a marquee. It was bit chilly by the end, so the assembly retired to the tea rooms for a 'walk-up' poetry show, which also went exceedingly well.

A number of us then gathered for an evening meal at the Toolangi Tavern, after which we headed off to the nearby Strathvea Guest House for another congenial couple of hours of poetry and poetry-related talk before heading off to bed.

Proceedings kicked off again this morning with more poetry at the 'Singing Gardens' tea-room. After a roast luncheon, we were joined by CJ Dennis himself (yours truly), Banjo Paterson (Jim Brown), Henry Lawson (David Campbell), and Dennis' principal illustrator, Hal Gye (Mac Craig, a wonderful Dennis reciter from Kallista, near the site of the Roberts' 'Sunnyside' farm in the Dandenong Ranges).

Guests were also treated to an introduction to Bill and Doreen, and a re-enactment of their glorious wedding. This was followed by a 'beano up at Mar's' (a sumptuous afternoon tea at the tea rooms), after which we headed inside for another round of poetry! (It was very pleasing to note that audience numbers had more than doubled since last year.)

Again, it was a wonderful festival, and all signs are that it is continuing to grow. A hearty congratulations to all involved!

Results of the written poetry competition are as follows:


Adult Open Awards

1st "Only Six Years" (Stephen Whiteside)
2nd "If C. J. Dennis Came to Tea" (David Campbell)
3rd "The (Modern) Miner's Right" (Will Moody)

Highly Commended:
"Regatta NT 1993" (Hilda Rolfe)
"A Campfire Conversation" (Will Moody)
"It's been a while..." (Hilda Rolfe)


"Trees are the Lungs of the Earth" themed category

1st "Trees of Life" (Jim Kent)
2nd "Bush Friends" (Grahame Watt)
3rd "The Lessons of the Lungs" (Valerie Folk)

(No Highly Commended)


Adults Writing for Children (adult judging)

1st "Wilhelmina's Dragon" (Leonie Parker)
2nd "Grandma and our Black Dog, Jet" (Val Wallace)
3rd "Nasty Nancy" (Zondrae King)

Honourable Mentions:
"Buzzing with Bees" (Edel Wignell)
"My Shonky Wonky Antelope" (Jackie Hosking)
"Peppytweak the Oodlebug" (Wendy Seddon)


Adults Writing for Children (children's judging)

1st "Peppytweak the Oodlebug" (Wendy Seddon)
2nd "Wilhelmina's Dragon" (Leonie Parker)
3rd "Nasty Nancy" (Zondrae King)
4th "My Shonky Wonky Antelope" (Jackie Hosking)
5th "Grandma and our Black Dog, Jet" (Val Wallace)
6th "Buzzing with Bees" (Edel Wignell)


Poems by Students in Primary School

1st "True Blue" (Anna Elias)
2nd "A Swoop and Dive" (Rose Evans)
3rd "The horrible tiger" (Rory Kent)


Poems by Students in Secondary School

1st "Old Sydney Town" (Alice Johnson)



Many thanks to all who entered!

[Zondrae]

Thanks stephen,

for being so quick with posting these results. Since I had a call from one of the organisers informing that I had some success, I have been curious as to which of the poems I wrote specially on topic for this comp, had been the one. I particularly am pleased that the kids also rated my poem. Thanks again for not keeping me hanging til the details (and book) come in the mail.

I will post the poem. 'Nasty Nancy'

[Mal McLean]

Well done all!

[Leonie]

Thanks for the info Stephen, and congratulations on your win. I also got the call about having picked up a major prize but didn't know which one, so it's nice to know and not have to wait a couple of weeks. I'm pleased the kids liked Wilhelmina's little dragon too, even if they liked Owly's Peppy better. Pistols at dawn between the Dragon and the Oodlebug? . Congrats Wendy and Zondrae and David and .... everybody, - too many to mention. Nice to see Will Moody's name pop up there too. Where have you been Will, off chasing that Wonga again?

[Wendy Seddon]

Silly Loenie!!!!
Everyone knows Oodlebugs can't hold guns!

Congratulations to you and Whilelmina!

[Zondrae]

I'm sorry,

I must apologise for my bad behaviour. ("It is not all about me", write three hundred times)

I was so delighted to be in the top bunch again, (it has been a while) that I forgot to say a great big congratulations to all the prize winners. It is so good to be among friends. I am always happy for us all, as an association, when I see so many of the familiar names in the winners circle. Now we only have send get better (health wise) wishes to Ellis Campbell so that the master can be in there again and everything will be right with the writing world.

Well done to all the winners and also to all the others who spent their best efforts in writing poems to enter.
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It's not all about me. It's not all about me. It's not all about me. It's not all about me. It's not all about me. It's not all about me. It's not all about me. It's not all about me. It's not all about me. and so on.....

[Robyn]

Well done to all. Great to see the kids are not forgotten.
Cheers
Robyn

[Zondrae]

Received my package today. Lovely surprise. (I didn't remember there was cash involved)

Stephen, please pass my thanks on to the committee. Also I love the new look anthology. Certainly has improved over the past couple of years.

Congratulations to all place getters and also to the committee and fellow competitors.

[Stephen Whiteside]

Thanks, Zondrae. Will do.

[Terry]

Well done everybody.

Cheers Terry