Join in the Mulga Bill and Buckinbah Art Festival on 26 - 27 July at Yeoval. The annual Mulga Bill Festival celebrates the life of Australian icon, Banjo Paterson. Banjo spent the first seven years of his childhood in Yeoval and to this day the town's folk continue to retell Banjo Paterson tales and anecdotes. The festival is an entertaining weekend for all the family and includes the now famous Cumnock to Yeoval 24km bike ride, along with stalls, sheering, games, antique cars, tractors and engines, food stalls, damper/camp oven cooking competitions, poets in the park and more. There will be poets breakfast on both mornings. Come and paint a Waltzing Matilida tile, see art in action, ice carving, poets in the parlor and more. The inaugural Buckinbah Mulga Bill Art Festival will be launched, celebrating the town, the country, and the people. Free entry. Buses will run from Yeoval to Cumnock. At Yeoval Memorial Hall in Forbes Street. Contact Alf Cantrell on 02 6346 4478 or visit the website www.mulgabillfestival.com.au The event is assisted by grant from the Regional Arts NSW Country Arts Support Program(CASP) and Festivals Australia.

The winning short story in the 2008 Banjo Paterson Writing Awards "Exposure" by Margaret Betts of VIC, has been published in today's Central Western Daily (CWD) on page 9 and you can also read it, along with other winning entries, on the Central West Libraries website Reading and Writing page. This story stayed with the judges for a long time afterwards - its evocation of a boy running away to sea and the tragic death of the boy's father following his return. This story is beautifully written, building up the atmosphere of the piece with a skilled control of language and metaphor. The descriptions of the natural world are original and enchanting, emotionally charging the landscape with a sense of dread and foreboding. From details of seaweed, clouds, damaged crabs and wind, to the domestic descriptions of a bed stripped bare – exposing its naked base – an 'iron black skeleton' – this is first class writing. Catch up with the winners of the Children's Writing Section featured in the CWD today too on page 5: http://orange.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/banjo-would-notice-stories-made-of-the-write-stuff/793522.aspx

The 2008 Banjo Paterson Writing Award Winners were announced today. A rural theme emerged across all sections which is not surprising as the awards honour Banjo Paterson and foster writing with Australian content. Winning entries will be published on the Central West Libraries website and the winning prose/short story entry in the Central Western Daily. Thank you to all the participants for your writing efforts and taking part in the competition. The winners are: Prose: Margaret Betts from VIC for Exposure, Greg McFarland of Orange for The Tractor, Neridah McMullin from VIC for Bart and the Underground Water Supply. Open Poetry: Jo Mills from WA for Walyunga, Jillian Pattinson from VIC for E H Holden and Pamela Sherpa from Jindabyne for Drought. Bush Poetry: Ron Stevens of Dubbo for Distant Dialogue. Children's Writing Awards: Thomas Whitehead, of Orange, for his poem My Favourite Holiday, Eleanor Delaney, of Orange, for her poem Winter and Holly Frederickson, of Orange, for her short story Bushed. The Yvonne Zola Encouragement Award goes to Sarah Stackman of Lewis Ponds, for her poetry.

There is still time and this weekend to get your entries in for the 2008 Banjo Paterson Writing Awards. Entries close on Friday 18 April, 2008. The Awards aim to honour Banjo Paterson, a great Australian writer and favourite son of Orange, with a competition promoting all forms of writing with Australian content. There are four categories: Prose; Open Poetry; Bush Poetry and Childrens' Writing Awards. Entry is $10 and $5 for Childrens' Writing Awards entries. The winning prose entry will be published in The Central Western Daily. Click on our events link for an entry form and conditions or phone (02) 6393 8120.

Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, most famous for penning Waltzing Matilda and The Man From Snowy River was born on February 17, 1864 near Orange. To celebrate his birthday Orange City Council, Central West Libraries, Central West Writers' Centre and The Central Western Daily announce the call for entries to the Banjo Paterson Writing Awards. It is important to note that entries into the Prose, Open Poetry and Children's Writing Awards categories of the competition do not have to be in the style of Banjo's writing.

Entry forms can be downloaded from this website and are available from Orange City Library and also from The Central Western Daily at 132 Kite Street, Orange. The competition closes on Friday 18 April 2008 and winners will be contacted by phone on Monday 16 June 2008. Read more about in today's Central Western Daily: http://www.orange.yourguide.com.au/news/local/general/writers-asked-to-find-their-inner-banjo/1184621.html