Whitsunday Writers' Festival could be the last

 This weekend’s Whitsunday Writers Festival on Daydream Island may be the last. Local author and event organiser Gloria Burley says the Whitsunday Writers Festival grant application has been slashed by 40 per cent, putting future festivals in jeopardy. 

 “The Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) has been the only source of funding for this event. Unfortunately Whitsunday Regional Council has been slow to see the benefits of funding an event, which attracts interest from interstate,” Ms Burley said. 

 Ms Burley said authors and publishers love the idea of a Writers Festival on a tropical island “where it is possible to snorkel at the end of the conference”. 

 “We have no problem getting writers to come and speak. In fact they are very eager to be a part of this prestigious literary event.

 “Basically for this to continue in the future, we need a sponsor to come on board,” she said.

 This year’s Writers Festival (July 22 to 24) will feature Sam de Brito (author of No Tattoos Before You’re Thirty and the blog All Men Are Liars) and author Susan Wyndham, whose experiences with maverick neurosurgeon Charlie Teo, are chronicled in her book Life In His Hands.

 Other guest speakers will include Malcolm Knox (who recently featured on the SBS investigation of the Norma Khouri hoax), Victoria Cosford (journalist with the Byron Bay Echo and author of Amore and Amoretti), and Joanna Savill, who will talk about her passion for food and turning it into an art form. 

 The ferry to Daydream Island leaves Abel Point Marina at 8.00am returning at 5.30 pm. A cost of $120 includes morning and afternoon tea and lunch. Tickets are available from Proserpine and Cannonvale libraries.

 “Make the most of this final Writers Festival and let’s go out with a bang,” Ms Burley said.

 For more information see wowfestival.blogspot.com or call Gloria Burley on 0422026793.