Stringybark Times Past Award 2024

RESULTS

Competition Closed: 1 Sep 2024

115 entries.  $1131 in prizes.

Prizes sponsored by: Stringybark Publishing

Judges: Alice Richardson, Justine Blunden,  Stephen Senise and David Vernon

Editor: David Vernon

Cover designer: Jonathan Vernon

Layout: Stringybark Publishing

Australian printer: Prinstant, Canberra

37 published stories. One e-book and printed anthology, Small Things

Edited by David Vernon, e-book and paperback, Stringybark Publishing,

ISBN: 978-0-9875239-4-5

A$21.95 includes postage within Australia.  Discounts for multiple purchases.  Please enquire for international orders.

The Stringybark Times Past Award 2024

Pre-Order Paperback

EQUAL THIRD PRIZE

Far Kurnell

by

Andrew Brown

FIRST PRIZE

Small Things

by

Adrienne Farago

SECOND PRIZE

The Fight for Union Street

by

Kevin O’Sullivan

EQUAL THIRD PRIZE

A Man of Return

by

Graham D’Elboux

This fascinating anthology contains the winners and highly commended authors from the popular Stringybark Times Past Award 2024. Selected from over 115 entries the stories showcased here explore many facets of Australian history including — the Frontier Wars to the Great Depression, the Kokoda Track to Cyclone Tracy; and the search for Lasseter’s Reef to abuse in the Catholic Church. Taking the facts, authors retell events using real and fictional characters. This is historical ‘faction’ at its best.

His green eyes sparkled like emeralds when he saw me. Bill was a good lad, and he was waiting outside the post office, just as we had planned. His gaze devoured me as he pulled me aside into the lane where his handsome features became more boyish and pleading. “My beautiful Hettie, tell me she’s left.”

I nodded, and he stepped closer. The smell of his strong body almost making me swoon with desire. He placed a small dark bottle under the candles in my basket before stroking my cheek. “While the cat’s away…”

                              – From A Piece of the Pie by Terence Phillips

He’s at it again. It’s 3am and Uncle Geoff’s belting out another drunken rendition of That’s Life. For the third night in a row, he’s lamenting his ex-wife through rum-slurred wails. Most nights are like this. And if he’s not pulverising Sinatra, he’s yelling at imaginary demons, or slamming fists into the wardrobe.

I liked Ol’ Blue Eyes before I moved here.

                              – From Yesterday by Tanya Allen

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Yesterday — Tanya Allen

Sleeper's Curse — Derek Argent

Seeds of Life or Death? — Rosemary Argue

Finders Keepers — Greg Bartlett

Sabbatical — Simon Bolger

Furious — Adrienne Bonwick

Mr H — Mark Brailey

The Canton Lead — Chris Burchett

Strangers in the Night — Kerry Cameron

Not a Butterick Pattern — Angela Cummings

Guilty Till Proven Innocent — Margaret Dakin

Bougainville Express Post — Carson Drummond

Heads or Tails — Valerie Everett

Pop's Curse — Judd Exley

My Mate, Norman Brown — Otto Fischer

The Lure of Gold — Stephen Knox

The Price of an Accordion — Athena Law

Showdown at Charlie Lee Shing's — Benjamin Lee

The Story of Annie who Couldn’t Speak but Could Run Faster than a Horse — Marie Low

On Lasseter's Reef — Stephen McCarthy

Defending the Nation — Lee McKerracher

The Blue Gum Bluff — Tracie McMahon

Captain Maconochie's Fortepiano — Kevin O'Sullivan

Brave — Robert Padgett

A Piece of the Pie — Terence Phillips

The Louvre Bank — Jon Presswell

The Things You See When You Haven't Got a Gun — Jon Presswell

Sundays — Josephine Shevchenko

No Wide Brown Land for Me — Kay Spencer

Brucedale — Daan Spijer

Red Jack — Gaye Sprenglewski

Boat Crew — Roger Vickery

Friend — Rita Willsher