2008 HEYWIRE Winners Announced

The 2008 winners of ABC Radio’s regional youth initiative Heywire were announced today.
Now in its eleventh year, Heywire is a competition designed to encourage regional youth to 'tell it like it is'. Open to people aged 16-22 living in regional or rural Australia, Heywire seeks short stories in text, pictures, film or audio, about life in Australia outside the major cities.
The 29 Heywire winners for 2008 will have their stories told on ABC Radio or ABC TV and also online at abc.net.au/heywire. Winners will travel to Canberra in February 2009 for the Heywire Youth Issues Forum at the Australian Institute of Sport.

The new Heywirers will participate in leadership and community building activities, skill-building in media and communication, and network with members of parliament, government and community leaders. They will also work on strategies to address some of the issues raised in the winning Heywire stories.

Winning stories have come from far and wide across Australia - from places such as Tom Price (WA), Alice Springs (NT), Streaky Bay (SA), Charlton in (VIC) and Orange (NSW).
They tell stories of drought, relationships, new starts in life, making your own fun when there's not much else around, racism, culture and identity. Others look at life on the land, the ups and down of working the farm, mental illness, people’s pre-conceptions about the country to name a few.

The Hon. Tony Burke MP, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said of his department’s support for Heywire, “…there are so many different stories, different life experiences and different challenges that people face. What Heywire does is bring that diversity of Australia’s youth… together to the one place, for people to share stories, share experiences and learn from each other. It’s invaluable, it’s uniquely Australian.”
Director of ABC Radio & Regional Content Sue Howard said she was delighted that so many young people continue to use Heywire to speak out about the things that matter to them.
"Heywire is unique, in that it gives young people in rural Australia a chance to highlight what is important to them, to their families and communities. To see the creativity and depth of the stories from all over Australia is an eye opening and a truly moving experience," Ms Howard said.

A full list of winners including the winning story themes follows.
Heywire acknowledges the support of the Australian Government through the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, the Department of Health and Ageing and the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.
Heywire website - abc.net.au/heywire

The 2008 winners of ABC Radio’s regional youth initiative Heywire were announced today.

Now in its eleventh year, Heywire is a competition designed to encourage regional youth to 'tell it like it is'. Open to people aged 16-22 living in regional or rural Australia, Heywire seeks short stories in text, pictures, film or audio, about life in Australia outside the major cities.

The 29 Heywire winners for 2008 will have their stories told on ABC Radio or ABC TV and also online at abc.net.au/heywire. Winners will travel to Canberra in February 2009 for the Heywire Youth Issues Forum at the Australian Institute of Sport.

The new Heywirers will participate in leadership and community building activities, skill-building in media and communication, and network with members of parliament, government and community leaders. They will also work on strategies to address some of the issues raised in the winning Heywire stories.
Winning stories have come from far and wide across Australia - from places such as Tom Price (WA), Alice Springs (NT), Streaky Bay (SA), Charlton in (VIC) and Orange (NSW).
They tell stories of drought, relationships, new starts in life, making your own fun when there's not much else around, racism, culture and identity. Others look at life on the land, the ups and down of working the farm, mental illness, people’s pre-conceptions about the country to name a few.

The Hon. Tony Burke MP, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said of his department’s support for Heywire, “…there are so many different stories, different life experiences and different challenges that people face. What Heywire does is bring that diversity of Australia’s youth… together to the one place, for people to share stories, share experiences and learn from each other. It’s invaluable, it’s uniquely Australian.”

Director of ABC Radio & Regional Content Sue Howard said she was delighted that so many young people continue to use Heywire to speak out about the things that matter to them.
"Heywire is unique, in that it gives young people in rural Australia a chance to highlight what is important to them, to their families and communities. To see the creativity and depth of the stories from all over Australia is an eye opening and a truly moving experience," Ms Howard said.

A full list of winners including the winning story themes follows.

Heywire acknowledges the support of the Australian Government through the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, the Department of Health and Ageing and the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.
Heywire website - abc.net.au/heywire