Winners of Love Letter to Queensland community writing competition announced
The Whitsundays Writers Festival is excited to announce the inaugural winners of the Love Letter to Queensland community writing competition that took place 6:30pm-9pm Thursday 5 September 2024, at the Coral Sea Resort, Airlie Beach.
The Love Letter to Queensland community writing competition invited individuals to share their personal stories and tributes to Queensland with the aim to express love, share a story, and celebrate Queensland.
Whether it’s the breathtaking landscapes, the vibrant communities, or our unique culture, we all have our reasons to love Queensland. The community writing competition hoped to capture the essence of what makes Queensland so special to each of us and provide an opportunity to reflect on experiences, memories, and connections to Queensland and express them in a love letter.
Love letters of 300 words were received with prizes for best submissions in the categories of Adult ($500), Under 18 Years ($250), and Under 12 Years ($200).
The Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox MP, announced the winners at the special Love Letter to Queensland event.
Under 12 Years winner
The Under 12 Years division winner, Emma Chan from Kanimbla, Cairns wrote of her fun camping trip with my family and friends in Cobbold Gorge:
Last week, my family and my friends went camping at Cobbold Gorge for the first time ever! Waking up at 5 am, it took 7 hours to get there by car. But in the end, it was all worth it!
Walking along the peaceful lake, we discovered the free kayaking activity. Amazed by the cute ducklings and egrets, we carefully sailed beside them. At nighttime, after we finished playing with bright sparklers, eating toasted marshmallows, and enjoying the warm campfire, we went to bed.
The next morning, I didn’t want to get out of my sleeping bag because it was absolutely freezing. It was only 5 degrees Celsius. My hands and feet were as cold as an icy pole. I wore a long-sleeve shirt, two layers of pants, and three layers of jumpers. I literally looked like an onion.
At noon, it was finally time for the breathtaking Cobbold Gorge hiking and boat tour. The tour guide team came from Brisbane and will stay in the gorge for this dry season.
The tour guide told us this gorge is 14,000 years old. He brought along an apprentice to drive the boat. Then, the apprentice accidentally drove the boat too close to the shore. The freshwater crocodile was frightened by us. He nearly jumped onto our boat. Carefully, the apprentice kept sailing past those gigantic sandstone walls. Finally, we reached Australia’s first fully glass bridge in Queensland’s gorge.
What is more? Our friend’s sedan car stopped halfway to Quartz Blow Lookout. Their car could not climb up the deep slope. Luckily, they hopped on my dad’s four-wheel drive to continue our journey together.
Thank you, Cobbold Gorge, for giving me such a memorable and fun trip with my family and friends.
Love, Emma
Under 18 Years Division
There were no submissions for the Under 18 Years division.
Adult Division Winner
Claire Thompson, of Slade Point Mackay, winning entry centred on her relationship as a Queenslander:
Dear Queensland,
I know…I’ve left you several times, I’ve wandered afar, seen remarkable sights, experienced pure joy. But here I am, hat in hand, hand over heart.
I belong here with you. You give so much and more. You tantalise me, surprise me, reward me and open your arms to let me in, take me home. This is where I belong, where I was born…in Queensland.
Your glorious sunset skies, white open beaches, forests of wonder, fields of every hue, red earth…ah there lies your heart.
Through tragedy and bliss it comes down to this. Your people, close together yet very personal, so little pretention. Glamour if you need it, remoteness if that’s your style, but stumble and they come to aid, to offer support. Pretty tough, sometimes rough but the country needs such souls who can carry on, take the load, offer a hand or a soothing word, no matter what. As the day closes in a vibrant curtain of gold I feel warmth, protection and gladness that I am part of this state. The rhythm of the pounding rain reminds me that you are back again, wearing a different cloak, renewing your earth, your sky, your people.
You welcomed me and mine without judgement nor ridicule. You took me back and soothed my soul. Queensland so full of sophistication, isolation, freedom to be who you are, to choose your place and space.
I love you Queensland, awkward, versatile nurturing state. I hope I can give back something of what you’ve given me, gladly and with determination, to maintain your pride, your style, your openness.
Thank you Queensland for leaving the door ajar lest I stray too far, left wondering who I am. A Queenslander.
Congratulations to the two inaugural winners of the Love Letter to Queensland community writing competition. The community writing competition and special event will return in 2025.
Thanks to our partners
Love Letter to Queensland is proudly supported by James Cook University’s Roderick Centre for Australian Literature and Creative Writing.
The Centre, housed within James Cook University in North Queensland, fosters the reading and writing of Australian literature and encourages the study of Australian literature and literary cultures.
At its heart, the Centre continues the work of passionate North Queenslander’s the late Professor Colin Roderick CBE and Margaret Roderick, embodying their generous commitment to stimulating knowledge and production of a wide variety of Australian stories, storytelling, and writers.
“Many people imagine the cliché of the starving poet in the Parisian garret. But most of us write in everyday places and circumstances: social media, emails, messages to friends. This kind of everyday writing can be the beginning of something much more. Great writers and writing can emerge anywhere. Queensland and regional Australia are as culturally inspiring and imaginatively fertile as Paris.” Dr Victoria Kuttainen, Director Roderick Centre
Also supporting Love Letter to Queensland is the Whitsunday Regional Council through their Community Assistance Grant program.
