The Whitsunday Writers Festival - Love Letter To Queensland

On Friday evening the Whitsunday Sailing Club hosted the Whitsundays Writers Festival annual event and competition, Love Letter to Queensland.

The evening began with Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor opening the event and announcing the Love Letter to Queensland Community writing competition.

The Adult Section prize was awarded to Delila Bevan Zavadsky of Brinsmead, near Cairns, for her work title ‘Confessions to Queensland’. She received a two-night ocean view stay with transfers at Daydream Island, valued at $1,000.

In the Under 12 category, Taleah Atkins of Edens Landing took out the top prize for her writing titled ‘3 Month Caravan Trip’, she won a Street Library from Street Library Australia along with a starter book pack from Kitten Vintage Mackay, valued at $350.

Also on the night, the prestigious Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards, Gloria Burley Unpublished Manuscript Award was announced by Jess Begun.

First prize winner was Paul Garrety for his work ‘Before Summer Comes’, he won $2500 cash prize sponsored by Roderick Centre for Australian Literature and Creative Writing at James Cook University. Jess Begun read out the beginning of the book, which left audience members on the edge of their seat.

President of the Whitsundays Writers Festival Karen Jacobsen said experiences like these are highly important and should not be forgotten.

“I would like to say that sometimes we may forget the power of a group of people coming together and sharing an experience, like leading authors reading their work and sharing about their creative process,” she said.

“There were many moments where you could hear a pin drop in the room, and some of our speakers were moved to tears, as were the audience members.

“This is one of the signs that we had a really special and effective event.”

Anita Heiss conducted a From the Heart keynote address, and Karen Jacobsen jumped on stage to talk with Gold Walkley Award-winning journalist Hedley Thomas, Queensland Literary Award winner Steve MinOn, prize-winning novelist and journalist Matthew Condon OAM.

All three speakers grabbed the attention of everybody in the room, Hedley Thomas discussed his true crime journalism, focusing on unsolved murders of Australian women. He discussed his podcast titled  ‘The Teacher's Pet,’ where Chris Dawson was investigated for the murder of his wife in 1983. His podcast lead to Dawson's conviction after 40 years.

Matthew Condon discussed his extensive work on a trilogy of books about Commissioner Terry Lewis. Initially, Condon aimed to write a single book but expanded it to a trilogy as the scope of the project grew.

Steve MinOn discussed his latest novel which explores migrant stories and family dynamics through a fictional narrative. The novel, set in North Queensland, features a protagonist who is a dead man walking from Brisbane to Innisfail, reflecting on his life and family history.

All authors added something unique to the talking panel and audience members were left hungry for more.

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Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor, President of the Whitsundays Writers Festival Karen Jacobsen, Steve MinOn, Matthew Condon OAM, Dr Anita Heiss, and Hedley Thomas

Writers / Journalist / Author panel at the Love Letter to Queensland

President of the Whitsundays Writers Festival Karen Jacobsen

Photo credit: Daniel Heggie

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