Closing date 12 March 2022
The Fremantle Volunteer Heritage Guides Association in association with the Fremantle Round House in Western Australia, is pleased to announce the John Gavin Writing Competition 2022 , with two open categories:
- The John Gavin Ballad Competition, 500 word limit and
- The John Gavin Flash Fiction Competition, 750 word limit.
On the 6th of April 1844, Easter Saturday, John Gavin was hanged in front of the Fremantle Round House and buried without ceremony in the sand dunes nearby. Thought to be around fifteen years old, and having been sent out to the Colony to be apprenticed labour from the Parkhurst Prison on the Isle of Wight, John was convicted of murdering his employer’s son, George Pollard, on a farm in Dandalup. John Gavin’s tale is one of hardship and tragedy and an uncomfortable reminder of our not so distant past.
Theme: The Life and Times of John Gavin
Prizes: 1st prize $200, 2nd prize $100, for each category.
Entry fee: $10 per entry.
Please go to the competition website for details about the competitions, Entry Forms, (entry fee paid via Eventbrite), Terms and Conditions, links and recommended reading about John Gavin and the trial.
Winning and highly commended entries may be invited to perform at a special awards day in April 2022. (Interstate and out of Perth metro area winners will not be expected to travel).