Late last year I entered one of my historical Tasmanian poems: ‘Mathinna’ into the Tom Collins Prize which is coordinated by the Fellowship of Australian Writers (Western Australia). There was a fantastic shortlist of poets so I was very excited to learn that I’d won a Highly Commended Award. Here’s the full winners’ list. Making this award even more wonderful was the fact that one of my favourite poets Judith Rodriguez was the judge.
Here is what she had to say about Mathinna.
Mathinna was a little indigenous Tasmanian girl, the daughter of an important man, who was after a fashion adopted by Lady Franklin, wife of a colonial governor. There is a beautiful oil painting of Mathinna. Lady Franklin was concerned to “civilise” her, dressing her, teaching her correct behaviour, showing her off. The Franklins separated her from what they thought wildness, but they left and did not take her with them. Her disoriented and drunken later life is seen alongside a description of the decayed mining township named after her. “Mathinna” is a powerful piece of writing by Vanessa Page QLD
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