Julie holding her prize with the event organisers.

The Port Fairy Prize

Julie Mundy-taylor

On the way to Port Fairy Folk Festival in March I caught up with fellow storyteller Anne E Steward at her home in Daylesford. During that dinner conversation, Anne E asked if I would be going to the Pat Glover Memorial Storytelling Award, traditionally held during the Port Fairy Folk Festival. I have to confess, I hadn't given it any thought but she planted the seed. I scanned the program and at the earliest opportunity registered as a teller.

After the long, live storytelling event drought of the last few years, it was wonderful to be sharing a story with an audience again. As much as online events have been great, there's nothing quite like that immediate, in person teller/audience interaction, is there? And what a great variety of stories were shared at Port Fairy, displaying different storytelling styles. There were tales that varied from finding a brown snake in your outback bath, writing stories on collected airline boarding passes, to being determined to somehow get your name in the Port Fairy Folk Festival program. I chose to tell my version of a British legend, Beth Gellert (sometimes written as Bedd Gelert). I've loved this story ever since I read it in "Celtic Fairy Tales", edited by Joseph Jacobs in 1892, and I've collected as many versions of the story as I can find and blended them into my own retelling of the tale.

The audience were so quiet while I told the tragic tale of a loyal, brave dog and were so kind with their applause. The three judges (all previous recipients of the Award) also enjoyed my telling; enough to announce me as the winner of the Pat Glover Memorial Award 2022! I was both surprised and thrilled but also humbled to be in the company of fabulous storytellers who have been previous recipients, like Anne E. and Jackie Kerrin.

The prize for this years award was just stunning: a hand-crafted, hand-bound journal, presented in a custom made box of mulberry bark, all created by a Port Fairy artist Jill Edwards. I was able to visit Jill at her gallery/studio and personally thank her for creating such a beautiful and thoughtful prize. She told me she envisaged the winning storyteller using the journal for capturing new stories to share. We spent a wonderful hour together, talking about our creative muses, the value of listening to and sharing stories and opening your eyes to the sources for creativity that surround us. Having met Jill, the prize is even more precious now.

Our journey home again took us through Daylesford so I was able to have morning tea with Anne E. Stewart and we shared our experiences of being part of the Pat Glover competition. We discussed why professional storytellers have a tendency to do well in the competition and Anne E. made a very pertinent point. Through our workshops, story circles, seminars and regular get-togethers, members of the guilds are encouraged to hone their stories. We know how to get to the hub of the story without adding unnecessary details. Every element of the story that we share relates to what Doug Lipman refers to as "The most important thing (MIT)" of a story.

I feel very fortunate to have had the experience of taking part in the Pat Glover Memorial Storytelling Award, thrilled to have won it and to have had the opportunity to share the experience with Anne E and Jill. I'm also very mindful and grateful for the generosity and mentorship I've received from members Australian Storytellers, (aka the Australian Storytelling Guild, NSW). I'm very conscious that I stand on the shoulders of some amazing storytellers.

Dr Julie Mundy-Taylor
BA (UNSW); Grad Dip. Librarianship (UNSW); Grad. Dip Children’s Lit (UTS); PhD (UoN))

Freelance Editor/ Proof reader
Accredited Member: Australian Storytellers Inc.

The Tale Teller
https://australianstorytellers.org.au/tellers

www.juliemundytaylor.com