The Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Society invited children’s author Karen Comer to present poetry writing workshops for Gunnedah school children in March.
Primary students from Gunnedah, Curlewis and Gunnedah South Public Schools and St Xavier’s Catholic School participated in the workshops. Karen visited several schools in Quirindi before arriving in Gunnedah.
The society also donated of copies of Karen’s 2023 verse novel Sunshine on Vinegar Street to local school libraries as well as Gunnedah Shire Library. Published by Allen & Unwin, the book was a finalist in the Queensland Literary Awards for the Children’s Book Award 2024 and was recommended for Younger Readers in 2024 by the Children’s Book Council of Australia.
The Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards have been run from Gunnedah for more than 40 years and continue to attract some 9000 entries from students across Australia each year. Karen Comer was one of the judges of the awards for two years 2024-25.
“The awards seek to capture the imaginations of school students around the country, inspiring them to express their thoughts and feelings through writing poetry,” said committee president Rebecca Ryan.
“The number of entries reminds us that poetry remains embedded in Australia’s popular culture, from children’s books to slam performances, from bush poetry to music lyrics.
“We are always keen to offer poetry workshops to local schools.”
Rebecca said Karen’s knowledge, expertise and experience encouraged students to craft their creativity into poetry – and, they hope the experience will inspire them to keep writing.
“We reserve special awards – the Kurrumbede Awards – for schools within 100kms of Gunnedah, so we are really looking forward to seeing more entries this year from schools in the area,” Rebecca said.
The 2026 competition is underway with entries accepted up to June 30. The optional theme for 2026 is “The Traveller”, however, students are encouraged to write about topics and experiences that spark their poetic genius.
