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The aim of the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards is to capture the imagination of school students in Australia, and inspire them with a passion for poetry. It is a unique national project, giving Australia’s young people a voice and an opportunity to strive for excellence in literature.
The Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards are conducted by the Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Society Inc. The Society’s aim is to recognise the contribution Dorothea made to Australian literature and to ignite a spirit of patriotism among Australia’s youth.
The Society is based in Gunnedah, north-west NSW. It is here where the Mackellar family owned several properties. Dorothea often visited the country properties and drew inspiration for her poems from these trips.
In 1983, Mrs Mikie Maas OAM PHF, orchestrated the foundation of the Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Society Inc. Mrs Maas is a post war immigrant who, after reading ‘My Country’ was deeply moved by the patriotism displayed in the poem. Mrs Maas moved to Gunnedah and later became a Councillor on the Gunnedah Shire Council. Mrs Maas was a driving force on the tourism committee and decided to raise funds to build a memorial to Dorothea Mackellar in Gunnedah.
The poetry competition began on a local level in 1984, as part of the promotion campain, and quickly grew to state-wide level, becomming a national project a few years later.
A bronze statue of Dorothea Mackellar sitting side-saddle on a horse drinking from a stream was erected in Anzac Park, Gunnedah. This statue is now one of Gunnedah’s most visited landmarks.
Following the statue’s completion, the poetry competition continued and grew from strength to strength. It now attracts up to 15,000 entries each year from school students throughout Australia. The competition also has a fantastic following from teachers whose support is integral to the success of the competition.
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