Bass Coast Prize winner
Reconnecting through daily swims at the beach in the area where he was born and grew up has won the 2021 Bass Coast Prize for Non-Fiction for Cape Paterson writer Rees Quilford.
His entry “Adrift in shallow waters” outlined his experience of returning to Bass Coast after an extended period away and reacquainting with the place through a daily routine of swimming at Cape Paterson, walking and taking photographs.
The judging panel said Mr Quilford’s reflections linked history, science, literature and myth with well chosen and referenced quotes.
“It weaved between the past and present of the town and writer while always coming back to the source – the ocean”.
The Bass Coast Prize, which carries prize money of $10,000, is the richest for short non-fiction in Australia and is open to writers that live in Gippsland or have a strong connection to the region.
It was sponsored by Bass Coast Shire council, West Gippsland Library Corporation and ArtSpace Wonthaggi.
Foster writer Graeme Wheeler was second with “The Snow Girls” about a search for two young women that went missing in the High Country in the 1960s, and third prize was awarded to Judy Vradenburg of Inverloch for “Wallace Avenue Community Park Inverloch”, an account of community activism from the inside.
Roman Kulkewycz of Garfield was commended for his entry “Rescue at the Bridge”.
With 42 entries submitted judges Geoff Ellis, Anne Heath Mennell and Karen Bateman said they were impressed by the level of interest in writing about Gippsland, the talent of so many writers and their courage on putting their work “out there”.
The entries from people in ages ranging from the 20s to 90s included more from men with 18 compared to just eight the previous year.
Personal and family memoirs were well represented alongside stories about local, natural and military histories, travel, true crime and an artist profile.