Budding writers and historians have taken part in the inaugural Ken Donnellan Memorial Local History Competition.
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The competition involved writing a WWI diary entry based on ‘The Names on the Wall’, Ken Donnellan’s book on soldiers from Gerringong who served in The Great War.
Students were given a brief, which stated the following:
Imagine you are a World War I soldier in the trenches in a war zone. You are keeping a diary of your daily activities so you can show your family when you return home to Australia. Write a 500-word diary entry detailing a day in your life.
Mayor Mark Honey has congratulated the local primary school students.
Cr Honey said he was deeply impressed by the insight students demonstrated about the conflict.
“The standard of writing was excellent but what struck me most was the understanding of the significance of the conflict and the impact it had on the soldiers, their families and friends,” he said.
Cr Honey thanked the parents, library staff and judges for their support of the competition, including Malcolm Bedford from the Kiama District Historical Society.
The Ken Donnellan Memorial Local History Competition is a tribute to former staff member and researcher Ken Donnellan.
Cr Honey thanked the Donnellan family for their support and participation in presenting the awards to the students.
“Ken was not only a much-loved member of the team at Kiama Library, he was a valued and dedicated member of our community,” Cr Honey said.
“I think this competition is a fantastic way to honour his memory and also instil in young students his love of history.”
The results of the competition are: Ss Peter & Paul Catholic School Winner: Elias Oldfield Highly Commended: Noah Parker Highly Commended: Lily Gazzard Kiama Public School Winner: Laura Ellis Highly Commended: Scarlett Hill Highly Commended: Molly Simpson Gerringong Public School Winner: Kate Evans Highly Commended: Mia Reiten Highly Commended: Samuel Le Jamberoo Public School Winner: Jack Maguire Highly Commended: Clare Smith Highly Commended: Pippi McInness
Kiama Council has donated $100 to the winner from each local primary school and $200 to each participating school’s library fund.
The winning and highly commended entries are currently on exhibition in the Library and will be available to view online at library.kiama.nsw.gov.au
