A PORT Macquarie man has taken out third place in a major national poetry competition.
Tom McIlveen won third place in the Golden Damper performance competition at the Tamworth Country Music Awards for a recitation of his poem, ‘The Ghost of Long Tan’.
Tom was also awarded a highly commended prize in the Blackened Billy competition for another poem, ‘Jimmy’.
“I was amazed that I managed to not only get through to the finals, but succeeded in taking out third place in a very tough field of seasoned, talented performers,” Tom said.
“A Golden Damper medallion and trophy is considered to be the Holy Grail among Australian performance poets, and I am extremely proud to have been awarded one.”
Tom said he had already won first and second place respectively in the national Bush Lantern and Bronze Swagman awards with the Long Tan poem, but the Golden Damper was also judged on the way he performed the poem. In this instance he was able to show genuine emotion because of what it meant to him.
“I wrote this poem in dedication to my cousin, who had fought in the legendary Long Tan battle in Vietnam,” he explained.
“He was in the audience when I performed, and I dedicated it specifically to him.
“He allowed me to wear his Digger’s slouch hat and medals on the day, which gave me a stronger emotional connection with the audience, and allowed me to better feel the theme of my poem.
“I was further lifted by the large audience who had come for the finals, which allowed me to convey the required emotion needed to impress the judges.”
Tom said performance poetry shows – including comedy skits and yarn spinning – were a major part of the Country Music Festival, attracting some of the country’s best poets and many sessions playing to full houses. This was the fourth time he had competed.
Tom is also very much involved in poetry at a local level, being president of the Live Poets Society which meets in Port Macquarie on the second and fourth Sunday of each month.
“We have a growing, keen group of like-minded, creative members – consisting of poets, minstrels, story-tellers and musicians, who come together to share their love and passion for Australian verse and song,” he said.
“We are rehearsing to put together a variety show consisting of balladeers, zany skits, traditional and contemporary humorous and serious poetry, yarn spinning, a didgeridoo, a ukulele duet, with some good old Australian folk songs and sea shanties – which we will be performing at the Panthers Club here in Port Macquarie later this year.”
Anyone interested in the Live Poets Society is invited to contact Tom on 0417 251 287.
You can read Tom’s Long Tan poem at: https://sites.google.com/site/fawnorthshoreregional/2013-poetry—traditional-second-place
