1: Sailing To Cairns or Little Ship - Big Trip by Diane Andrews

Sail from Sydney to Cairns in a sixteen foot long boat - little more than a surfboard with a cover - with two mad people having another mid-life crisis.

2: Dingo Trapper by Philip Fitzpatrick

Learn about the facts of the Aranda stolen generation - though this is a fictionalised version.

3: Bougainville Blue by Brian Darcey

Brian delivered a fridge to a remote mountain in Bougainville with his Cessna when he was growing coffee and cocoa in Bougainville. That site became the Panguna Mine - subsequently closed by the BRA. Brian saw it all, though he has fictionalised the event.

4: Bamahuta Leaving Papua by Philip Fitzpatrick

Fellow was a kiap in PNG during the time it was administered by Australia. He writes about his adv entures falling in love with the country and people and catching a few cannibals along the way.

5:The Speed Of Darke by Diane Andrews

This is a collection of fiction pieces published online or in print, over a period of 5 years. I have been told my writing resmbles that of Virginia Woolf - though I never read her work before I started writing.

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Diane being interviewed by Red Room Company and ABC Radio National in Cairns

This article may seem to be ‘all about me’, but I am just trying to help you see how to get publicity for yourself. I could be a ‘nobody’ or a ‘worker ant’ in a larger organisation - however have decided to dig my own road. So, here is my advice to you. I hope it helps you.

Recently I heard about a poetry project which was carrying duffle bags of poems up both Australian coast on ships. I fully researched every inch of the project and worked out how I could fit into it. The project was run by the Red Room Company and involved ABC Radio National. I am a sailor and write poems SO… I searched out my best poem and bought a new set of clothes and got a haircut.  I uploaded several poems to the website at Pool. I told my fellow poets about it. I contacted the organisers and offered local knowledge and as much help as was needed (from photos of the venue beforehand to my husband rushing off to buy camera batteries at the event etc) and then turned up at the drop off point - on time.

I got into the documentary and was interviewed for Radio National. I got the photo. It is on my CV. My poems were featured on the front page of Pool. Poetry may be a niche in society but these insider secrets to getting publicity can apply to greater areas. it is a win-win for all because now I am publicising the Red Room Company, who support poetry and are a wonderful group of people.

It is necessary, if you want to get publicity, to organise it beforehand. The media does not know by esp what is happening. Make contacts and put your work out there to be viewed. I did not get into the local paper in the above example - but could have, had I made the connections beforehand. This is the key. I have been featured in the local paper many times previously, and once again I had to go out (ensuring my work is of a high standard first) and put myself and my acheivements in front of the relevant person.

Just search the internet and find that contact. You have to turn yourself into your own ‘agent’. If you are starving in a garrett bemoaning your lack of publicity, realise you have to DO it just as you had to DO it when you sat down to create your art work, of whatever persuasion. If you don’t want to - find an ‘agent’ to do it for you. Join a group that is doing it. However - this way you will have less control over the ‘outcome’, less profit from your craft and maybe only a passing nameless mention as a ‘contributor’. It is up to you to decide the best road.

Get a grant. This is the way to do it - some inside secrets. First you need to be an incorporated organisation; that’s a big stumbling block. Find your local friendly incorporated writers’ group and join it, or join an arts group if no writers group exists and invite fellow writers of all persuasions in as a sub-group. Put out your invitation to all ethnic and disadvantaged people. A lot of good can come from the interactions between different strata of society - on both sides. Real gems can be discovered.

Once you have workshopped, trained under a tutor, assessed and polished you works and have about 200 A5 pages worth, write your grant to publish an anthology. This does not need to be expensive. A small request is more likely to get approved. get quotes and do a very good budget.

With computers and the internet you can easily do all the work in-house including ISBN from ThorpeBowker. You can print small amounts through Digital Printing Australia, go to your local printer and get a bulk lot to resell or upload to Lulu.com and distribute at book signings etc.

If you are a community group catering to all ages and genre - supporting marginalised persons as well, you will get the grant. You will be enhanced by your new relationships as well. Yours and others’ writing will greatly improve by human interaction.

Eventually you can expand your reach into joining the local festivals. Well-known authors can be invited and this will benefit those lesser-known names within the group.

Grants can be obtained from many sources. I suggest you google literature grants Australia or contact your local council concerning RADF. Some organisations may also give in-kind support such as meeting rooms or performance spaces.

2: Queensland Premier’s Writing Awards Entry Forms and details are available in May - go to the website

3: The Freshwater QCWA is having a Poetry and Pasta on the 29th of May at 6.30pm at their hall (Next to the tennis courts on Kamerunga Road Freshwater)

4: ABC Radio far North Bush Poetry Competition entries open - check the website for dates

5: The Tropical Writers Festival is on in October in Cairns at the ShangriLa

Add or update your event by filling in the comments form

They have criteria which weeds out markets that are not good for the writer (scams set to fleece you). I use it in two ways. I check the submissions calendar and write for a particular market and I search for markets that might suit something I have written. I have had a large amount of work published by finding ‘my’ markets. There are plenty of other market databases around and they are all useful. I just find Duotropes can be tailored to my needs by that little search engine they have.

19 November 2009
Papua New Guinea ‘Kiaps’ paid high tribute in Australian Parliament

‘BAMAHUTA LEAVING PAPUA’ – a book by PHILIP FITZPATRICK, played a role in this endeavour. It details his life as a Kiap and was read by MPs: Scott Morrison, Duncan Kerr, John Faulkner

Scott Morrison MP moved a private member’s motion on Monday calling upon parliament to recognise the service of Australians employed as kiaps between 1949 and 1974 and to acknowledge the hazardous and difficult conditions that were experienced. A number of ex-kiaps and their families were present in the chamber to hear the speeches.

“The kiaps were an extraordinary group of young Australians who performed a remarkable service for the people of PNG,” Mr Morrison said. “They were some of our nation’s finest. Their adventurous spirit was matched only by their commitment to the wellbeing of the people of PNG. Their story remains largely untold. More Australians need to know the story. It is deserving of recognition and much greater awareness.”

Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, Hon Duncan Kerr MP, said the Government should look at some way of appropriately recognising kiaps’ service. He said he knew there was some discussion among kiaps as to whether the mechanism proposed in the motion is the appropriate one, because of its considerable emphasis on kiaps’ policing role.

He said: “I note that in the recent PNG affairs newsletter that is produced by Keith Jackson, who has a long history of involvement, there is a discussion between Phil Fitzpatrick and Paul Oates about whether the particular mechanism that is proposed in this motion is appropriate - the reservation being the over-emphasis, perhaps, on the policing function. Kiaps were far more than police. Whilst it is true that they were all sworn officers, equally they represented the civil authority in the widest range of possible services. They were, in many ways, the face of government in the districts for which they had responsibility. Mr Kerr commended the mover of this motion for bringing the issue to parliament and said “It may be that a new model needs to evolve to properly recognise the range and depth of that service.”

Luke Hartsuyker MP said that kiaps were multi-skilled field officers who often filled over a dozen roles. “The kiaps lived a dangerous existence,” he said. “There was an ever-present threat of attack from hostile tribes and locals, and many kiaps were murdered on patrol. The harsh conditions on the frontier also proved to be very dangerous, with accidents and illness claiming the lives of kiaps. The list of kiaps killed in boating and aircraft accidents is extensive and I think it is fitting that these men and their surviving comrades should be officially honoured by the Australian government.”

Jill Hall MP said it was very appropriate to give recognition to the role the kiaps played in PNG. “I would like to put on the record that this has been a long campaign - it has gone over six or so years - and that you are getting towards the end of the road. I truly believe that there is going to be some form of recognition in the very near future. PNG is very different to Australia. We have remote areas in Australia, but our remoteness is different. The issues we have around keeping peace and harmony within the community are very different. The role played by kiaps was of vital importance. You kept those communities together. You kept those tribes together. You kept villages and districts functioning. I know the government is working to see that formal recognition is given for the vital role that you played from the Australian perspective and from PNG’s perspective.

Sometimes, in the world of fast content creation, mistakes happen, typos slip thru and punctuation suffers.  One of the places I have had a lot of success has been at Constant Content which has a pretty tough editorial team. While being rejected for a missing apostrophe can be frustrating, overall if you can get accepted by offering high quality articles to buyers you can make some really good money by picking and choosing the assignments you will work on.

I still think those damned apostrophes are more akin to witchcraft than proper English. Who, apart from a dedicated Grammarian could keep all those rules straight? Take a look at this little gem:

Each of these four phrases (listed in Steven Pinker’s The Language Instinct) has a distinct meaning:

• My sister’s friend’s investments (the investments belonging to a friend of my sister)
• My sister’s friends’ investments (the investments belonging to several friends of my sister)
• My sisters’ friend’s investments (the investments belonging to a friend of several of my sisters)
• My sisters’ friends’ investments (the investments belonging to several friends of several of my sisters)

I’m with George Orwell, get rid of the annoying little buggers.

2. If you plan to be off Twitter for a time period, be sure your last tweet was
a good one. That tweet is what people will see when they check you out to see if you’re
worthy of following. What you had for lunch is not going to cut it.

3. Don’t rush right in and follow 2000 people. When people go to check you out
and see you’re following numerous people and barely anyone is following you, they will be
suspicious you’re a bot. Take your time developing a following and give your potential
followers a chance to follow you back and even out your numbers a little.

4. For that matter, have more than 1 or 2 tweets under your belt before you begin
Racing after followers. If you don’t know what to say, retweet (RT) someone else’s
excellent tweet, and/or @reply to others’ tweets.

5. If you suspect you are not picking up all your replies (like perhaps someone forgot to
put the @ in front of your Twitter name), use the search function to locate these lost
tweets. Simply click on the search function and put your Twitter name in.

6. Use hashtags in your tweets so others with an interest in that same thing will
find you. For instance, using #bowling in your tweet will ensure your tweet will be found
by those interested in and searching for bowling. The more eyes that see your tweet, the
better, right?

7. Don’t send blanket promotional DMs unless you want people to un-follow you
and consider you a spammer. That is not what the DM function is for. DMs are reserved
for talking personally, yet privately with someone.

8. You may have a reason for locking your Twitter stream, but if you’re using
Twitter for business exposure, don’t do it. It’s much harder to get followers and let’s face
it, you want followers.

9. Don’t forget to promote your Twitter usage on your blog. Cross promotion is
a good thing. You let your blog readers know you’re on Twitter, and you let your Twitter
followers know your blog address.

10. Stay active on Twitter. If potential followers or current followers visit your
Twitter page, they’re going to form some negative opinions as to why you haven’t tweeted
in three weeks. Maybe you’re just messing around, maybe you’re not real serious about
your so-called business, maybe you have a hard time sticking with something, maybe
your business has gone belly up? Get on there several times every day during the work
week.