The poetry competition received over 70 entrants submitting their work. 

Event organiser Kerrilee Jay said it wasn’t hard to pick a common thread among the entrees. 

“What we did find is that, in one way or another, it means the same thing for a lot of people. It’s about that sense of community, friendship, belonging – hardship at times – but it’s the common thread of celebrating life in Coleambally,” she said. 

The committee drew inspiration for the competition’s theme from the Coleambally quilters. Its exhibition was centred around the individual notions of ‘what Coleambally means to me’. 

RELATED:

“The 50^th birthday committee decided it would be nice for people to write poems celebrating Coleambally,” she said. 

“We put it out to the community, to the schools and the preschools and we were overwhelmed with the response.” 

St Peter’s Primary School student Chase Neutze was part of the competition’s winning class. 

“We all worked together. Our poem was about what Coleambally means to St Peter’s,” he said.  

Chase said the class worked together on its submission. They started by thinking about where each student grew up and what activities – like football or netball – they did around town as hobbies. 

“We started by doing own ideas and then we combined them.”