Kaia Mercy, from Maclean High School, has won first prize in the secondary division of the local writing competition Long Way Home.
She has written a short story about Ulgundahi Island, where her grandfather Lester Mercy spent his childhood. It resonated heavily with the judges particularly as the theme this year was ‘To The Island’. Kaia has won ten tickets for herself, some lucky classmates and a teacher to the Byron Bay Writers’ Festival in August.
It was my home. The place where I grew up. My special place. Those words will forever be ingrained into my head. It goes to show how much my family loved it. I wish that I could see it. I wish that I could experience the things my aunties and uncles and grandfather did before me. I’m sitting across the river right now with the water gently splashing against the rocks. It’s like a soothing lullaby, it’s just so calm and peaceful, just like my grandfather.
On behalf of the school, we would like to congratulate Kaia and look forward to reading more of her stories, hopefully after the Byron Writers’ Festival.
Liza Hamilton
Deputy Principal Instructional Leader Aboriginal Students
