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The Elyne Mitchell Rural Women's Writing Award not only commemorates Elyne's life and work, but it has also been established to encourage rural women to write their stories.
There are two categories of entry:
Emerging - Women between 15 years of age and 25 years of age
Open - Women over 25 years of age
$1000 will be awarded to the winner of each category!
Winners of the Elyne Mitchell Rural Women's Writing Award for 2008 will be announced at a ceremony to be held in Corryong on World Rural Women's Day, 15th October 2008.
Winners will be immediately notified and all short listed entrants and final winners will be listed here on the 16th October 2008.
Elyne Mitchell
Elyne was born in 1913 in Melbourne. In 1935, she married Tom Mitchell, a barrister and later parliamentarian, and lived at Towong Hill, 10km from Corryong. Elyne was a keen sportswoman. She enjoyed skiing, perhaps most of all. Although she is remembered particularly for the Silver Brumby series of children’s books, she wrote other novels and non-fiction relating to the Snowy Mountains and family and military history.
Although interested in all facets of nature and particularly the Upper Murray region, Elyne had a soft spot for the Azure Kingfisher. She would often float in the lagoon, hoping that the kingfishers might forget she was there and she would catch a glimpse.
Elyne received a number of awards including:
- an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Charles Sturt University (1993);
- Order of Australia Medal for services to literature (1990);
- Children’s Book Council awards (1959-1968).
In 2001 the Corryong Branch of the Upper Murray Regional Library was renamed The Elyne Mitchell Public Library and a permanent display of her work can be viewed there.
The Elyne Mitchell Rural Women’s Writing Award commemorates Elyne’s life and work, and hopes to encourage women all over Australia to write their stories and send them in.
Elyne’s love of wildlife, and in particular the Azure Kingfisher, is represented in the logo for this award, designed by Giselle Dosen for Friends of Corryong Library.
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