www.dorothea.com.au

The History of the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards

DOROTHEA MACKELLAR POETRY AWARDS
Dorothea Mackellar (1885-1968) - Famous Australian Writer
Author of "My Country"

Earlier this century, Dorothea Mackellar's family lived in Sydney. However, in 1905 Sir Charles Mackellar (Dorothea's father) purchased four properties in the Gunnedah district.  Dorothea visited the country as much as possible, drawing much of her inspiration from these visits.

In 1983, Mrs Mikie Maas OAM PHF, orchestrated the foundation of the Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Society Inc. whose aims were to recognise the contribution Dorothea made to Australian literature.  The poetry competition was initiated to ignite a spirit of patriotism amongst Australia's youth, similar to that felt by many upon reading Dorothea Mackellar's famous poem, "My Country".

The poetry competition for school students throughout Australian grew from strength to strength, until in 1995 a full time coordinator was employed to conduct it.

The poetry awards are now in their 18th year and in 2001, more than 10,400 entries were received from school students throughout Australia and from School of Distance Education students living overseas. Woolworths Limited, proud presenters of the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards, see the project as a way of putting back to the community. The Awards receive endorsement from the National Australia Day Council and support from the 1,200 Rotary Clubs around Australia who adopted the competition under the banner of "Programs for New Generations" in 1997.  The 2002 Poetry Awards are also receiving support from the organisers of the 2002 Year of the Outback.

The current aim of the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards is to capture the imagination of every school student in Australia, inspiring 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.
 

[Home] [The Awards] [How to Enter] [Our Sponsors] [Our History] [Contacting Us] [Poetry Links]