Congratulations to Izzy who won 1st prize in the Andrew Hardy Youth Poetry Prize - Youth Division (8-15years). 

Izzy wrote an original poem, titled 'Tiagarra' about an excursion she went on with her class to Tiagarra in Devonport. 

The judges' commented:

This is a reflective poem about the shared experience of an encounter with indigenous history and culture, when “it felt like they awoke”, and to have their faces painted with ochre felt like “a grace.” Clear-eyed and insightful.

'Tiagarra' by Izzy

The outdoors is connected to our history,
But if we don’t learn it will end as a mystery,
Being in nature always makes us feel at home,
Like the bees in their sacred honeycomb,
We all need to give care for this earth,
So some lost plants can rebirth,
Our ancestors had a horrible past,
But we apologised finally at last,
Sacred hearts children came to Tiagarra,
In excitement they all yelled hurrah,
On the bus they sang sweet tunes,
It was like a party with a ton of balloons,
When they arrived they were so surprised,
The tiagarra sign was clear to their eyes,
They stood in a circle, watching the smoke,
As it blew it felt like they awoke,
While the ochre was placed on their face,
They felt blessed because the feeling was a grace,
As they learned about the beautiful nature,
They didn’t realise they were all standing where the graves were,
While students praying for the lost generation,
Some were sad about this poor nation,
Sadly after they learnt this new information,
They had to get on the bus with some hesitation,
As their arms reached high into the sky,
They started waving their arms signalling goodbye.

About The Andrew Hardy Poetry Prize

The Andrew Hardy Poetry Prize is an annual youth poetry prize awarded in memory of Andrew Hardy, who died at the young age of 22 in 1997. The prize was established in memory of Andrew, and of Tim Thorne, who recognised Andrew’s talent and wished to foster the love and practice of poetry in Tasmanian youth. The Andrew Hardy Youth Poetry Prize is offered for an original poem, written by a young Tasmanian poet.