Report: Australian Bush Poetry Championships 2009
What a successful Australian Bush Poetry Championships Festival! We had poets from as far away as New Zealand, spectators from Canada and all mainland states of Australia and a huge number of people from the Moreton Bay Region and the greater Brisbane area.
We started with the Junior Sections with the young people performing extra well, including five year old Felicity Swan from Nundah who, with minimum help from mum gave us "The Man from Ironbark" .Australian Junior Bush Poetry Performance Champion is Sebastian Gelenke from Upper Coomera. All the youngsters performed well and were a credit to themselves and their teachers. The winner of the Primary Australian Written Bush Poetry is Amy Auld from Southern Cross Catholic College at Scarborough. The winner of the Secondary section is Kirily Greenbank from Creswick, Victoria.
There followed some of the best poets in Australia performing for record crowds. We had five current state or Australian champions competing as well as a large number of former champions. All judges and experienced poets stated that the quality of the performances were the highest that they have ever seen and the excellent performances by Susan Carcary from Maclean NSW and Greg North from Linden NSW saw them crowned Australian Bush Poetry Performance Champions for 2009. North Pines Kevin Dean from Strathpine attained a third place in the Modern (Male) Section with all other winners and placegetters scattered around Queensland, NSW, Victoria an New Zealand. The winner of the Australian Written Championship for 2009 is Max Merckenschlageer with "The Magnificent Seven". The Gala Concert was sold out weeks ago so Club Pine Rivers added extra seating and a bumper crowd enjoyed three hours of top class entertainment from Marco Gliori, Zita Horton, Milton Taylor and our own Long John Best.
We had five Festival Living Legends this year, Maxine Ireland, Alex Allitt, Ellis Campbell, Mary Hodgson and Ross Keppel.
The Australian Bush Poetry Championships will be held elsewhere next year as the Australian Bush Poets Association allows it to be held only twice at the same venue. However, North Pine Bush Poets will return to hosting the Camp Oven Festival as it has always done at this time next year to bring you another Festival starring some of the best bush poets in Australia and possibly overseas again As president of the North Pine Bush Poets Group I would like to thank all the supporters. Many thanks too, to our sponsors, Quest Newspapers, the Queensland Government Gambling Community Fund, radio stations 98.9 FM and 99.7 FM, the Moreton Bay Regional Council and Club Pine Rivers where the Festival was held.
Cay Ellem
President, North Pine Poets' Group
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RESULTS
ABPA 2009 Australian Bush Poetry Performance Champions
Hosted by the North Pine Bush Poets at Club Pine Rivers
Category 1a – Junior under 7
1st Felicity Swan Nundah Qld
Category 1b– Junior 7 to under 13
1st Sebastien Golenko Upper Coomera Qld
2nd Emily Bradfield Warwick Qld
3rd Dominic Swan Nundah Qld
4th Ashleigh Ross Scarborough QldCategory 1c– Junior 13 to 19
1st Zuzanna Kamusinski Southern Cross College
2nd Amy Bradfield Warwick Qld
3rd Trent Jenkinson Ubobo Qld
4th Caitlin Fanton Southern Cross CollegeABPA 2009 Australian Junior Champion
Sebastien Golenko Upper Coomera Qld
Category 2, NOVICE
1st Christopher Cape Christchurch NZ
2nd Barbara Clark Rochedale South Qld
3rd Brian Weier Dalby Qld
Category 3 Classical (Male)
1st Terry Regan Blaxland NSW
2nd Gregory North Linded NSW
3rd Maurie Foun Corryong VicCategory 4 Classical (Female)
1st Susan Carcary Maclean NSW
2nd Brenda Joy Charters Towers Qld
3rd Betty Walton Tindaldra VicCategory 5 Modern (Male)
1st Ellis Campbell Dubbo NSW
2nd Terry Regan Blaxland NSW
3rd Kevin Dean Strathpine QldCategory 6 Modern (Female)
1st Claire Reynolds Gloucester NSW
2nd Susan Carcary Maclean NSW
3rd Maxine Ireland Tweed Heads NSWCategory 7 Humorous Original (Male)
1st Gregory North Linden NSW
2nd Geoff Mann Edmonton Qld
3rd Terry Regan BlaxlandCategory 8 Serious Original (Female)
1st Susan Carcary Maclean NSW
2nd Heather Searles Branxton NSW
3rd Claire Reynolds Clocester NSWCategory 9 Serious Original (Male)
1st Geoff Mann Edmonton Qld
2nd Terry Regan Blaxland Qld
3rd Lionel Euston Hervey Bay QldCategory 10 Humorous Original (Female)
1st Susan Carcary Maclean NSW
2nd Heather Searles Branxton NSW
3rd Claire Reynolds Clocester NSWCategory 11 Billy Hay Yarn-spinning
1st Terry Regan Blaxland NSWABPA 2009 Female Champion
Susan Carcary Maclean NSWABPA 2009 Male Champion
Gregory North Linden NSW
Open Written
1st Max Merckenschlager - The Magnificent Seven
2nd Ellis Campbell - Beechley Calling
3rd Ron Stevens - Coo-ee GenerationHC Catherine Clarke - Fallen Majesty
HC Max Merckenschlager - Fury's Feast
Junior Written - Secondary
1st Kirily Greenbank, Creswick Vic -
The Hanging
2nd Zuzanna Kamusinski, Southern Cross College - The Very Last
3rd Emily McKenna, Southern Cross College - Annoying RemoteJunior Written - Primary
1st Amy Auld, Southern Cross College - Framed Dreams
2nd Lauren Wylie, North Lakes Qld - Anything I want to Be
3rd Nama Small, Murwillimbah NSW - Australian
2009 Festival Living Treasures
Betty Walton, Tindaldra Vic
Ross Keppel,Bundaberg Qld
Maxine Ireland Tweed Heads NSW
Ellis Campbell Dubbo NSW
Mary Hodgson Mooloolaba Qld
Alex Allitt Deniliquin Vic