Saddle up: call goes out for Mulga Bills

EAGLEHAWK’S Dahlia and Arts Festival first started in 1972 to promote the Borough through mass plantings of dahlias in Canterbury Park, and a Dahlia flower show.

But it also included an Australia-wide literary competition, now known as the Mulga Bill Writing Awards.

As any lover of Banjo Patterson will know, Mulga Bill took a bit of a fall.

To ensure the ongoing viability of the awards, two years ago Goldfields Libraries and Eaglehawk Festivals took over the management of the competition.

Library services officer Shae Hellstedt said the awards provide a great opportunity for creatives to dip their pens into the world of competitive writing.

“We invite entries from all over Australia and encourage people with an interest in writing stories or poetry to try their hand at these awards, whatever their skills,” Ms Hellstedt said.

‘Gold’ is the theme for next year’s Dahlia and Arts Festival and writers should weave that thread through their works.

Two winners from each section are chosen by judges. Lauren Mitchell is looking over short stories, up to 2000 words with $500 for the first prise and $150 for second.

Lorraine Marwood will be judging poetry, up to 25 lines with $200 first prize and $50 for second.

Winners from each section have their works published on the Goldfields Libraries website.

Eaglehawk Library has become a community hub for a wide range of diverse activities including story time for toddlers, IT support to creating habitat gardens for birds.

“It’s been so good to see the growth in the community using the Eaglehawk Library after two years of lockdown, from families with young children to people who have recently moved into the district. We really do offer so much,” Ms Hellstedt said.

Entries for the Mulga Bill Writing Awards close on Friday, 3 March and winners will be announced at the 2023 Dahlia and Arts Festival.

For further information got to ncgrl.vic.gov.au/mulgabillwritingaward.

– BY FIONA WATSON