2005 TASMANIA & NEW ZEALAND SONGWRITING CONTEST & INDEPENDENT ARTISTS AWARDS
Camille Te Nahu / Stuie French, Alisha Smith, Terry & Jenny Bennetts Take Out Major Awards in The Tasmania & New Zealand Songwriters Awards.
Jannali, NSW based singer/songwriters Camille Te Nahu & Stuie French won the Independent Artists Album Of The Year Award for their latest release "Not Without You" at the 2005 Tasmania & New Zealand Songwriting Awards held at the Australian Italian Club, Launceston on Friday the 9th of September, 2005.
Also singer/songwriters Terry & Jenny Bennetts from Gnangara, Western Australia won the Independent Artist EP Award Of The Year for their latest release "The Soldier With His Banjo".
And the new addition to these awards, the Independent Artists Instrumental Album Award which was included this year was won by Alisha Smith from Blackwater, Qld. for her first Album "The Guitar Pickin' Chicken". This Award is to Promote Independent Artists and to give them the recognition they deserve. Each of these artists are awarded with a framed copy of their Album/EP plus a Cash Prize & Certificate. This Award started in 1999 and has grown considerably as more Artists are recognizing the potential it has to offer.
These Awards are run under the title of the Tasmania & New Zealand Independent Artists Awards in conjunction with the Songwriting Contest (in it's 9th. year) by Gaylene Faulkner who is the Tamworth Songwriters' Association Inc. state co-ordinator for Tasmania and New Zealand but all sections of this contest are open to all writers and independent artists of Australia and New Zealand. The competition is run with the support of the Tamworth Songwriters' Association.
Entrants do not have to be members of the Tamworth Songwriters' Association but there are benefits to those who are members in the form of entry fees for the contest.
There is only one Award for the Album and EP given each year but I wish to inform you of the minor placings in each of these.

Album Award - 41 Albums Entered
1st. Camille Te Nahu & Stuie French - "Not Without You" - NSW
2nd. Paul Costa - "Walking In These Shoes" - Vic
3rd. Sweeney Killeen - "Along For The Ride" - NSW
4th. Natalie Howard - "Yesterday's Makeup" - Qld
5th. The Atherton Brothers - "The Atherton Brothers" - Qld

EP Award - 6 EP's Entered (contains less than 10 songs)
1st. Terry & Jenny Bennetts - "The Soldier With His Banjo" W.A.
2nd. Merilyn Steele - "Forever" - NSW
3rd. Rebecca Lee Nye - "I Started Living" - Vic

Instrumental Album Award - 2 Albums Entered (Due to new section)
1st. Alisha Smith - "The Guitar Pickin' Chicken" - Qld
2nd. Gary Smith - "Gazza's Tribute to Bazza" - Tas

The Songwriting Competition
Craig & Rosalynne Giles take out two Major Songwriting Awards in the Open Contemporary Section. The winning song went to the Giles writing team with their song "A Million Beer Drops" with the 2nd. Place going to the same team for the song "Riding That White Line".
Congratulations to Craig & Rosalynne for their combined effort with these songs which will be released on Craig's new album "Kick It" to be released very soon. For more details regarding this log onto Craig's website on www.craigiles.com
Guest Artists on the awards night was 2004 Album Award Winner, Peter Pratt and South Aust. touring artist, Allan Webster also visiting entrant, Laurie Manitzky form Qld. performing at the Awards on the night and as Tasmania has that large stretch of water between it and the mainland this doesn't usually happen. The awards night was well supported and a great time was had by all that attended.
The Winners and Placings for all sections of the songwriting contest are as follows:

Open Contemporary Section - 62 Entries
1st. Craig & Rosalynne Giles - "A Million Beer Drops" - NSW
2nd. Craig & Rosalynne Giles - "Riding That White Line" - NSW
3rd. Tracy Killeen / Roger Corbett - "Can't Do A Thing Without You" - NSW
4th. Brian Elkington - "It's Too Late To Be Good To Me Now" - NSW
5th. Laurie Manitzky - "Rusty Hills Hoist" - Qld
6th. Robbie Dalzell - "Sitting In The Car" - SA
7th. Leon Argent - "Valentine Girl" - Vic
8th. Robbie Dalzell - "The Letter" - SA
9th. Aaron Jury - "White Linen Dress" - NZ
10th. Laurie Manitzky / Billy Vaughn - "One Night" - Qld

Open Ballad Section - 43 Entries
1st. Steve Gibson / Mark Hoppe / Mark Tinson - "King Of The Ranges" - NSW
2nd. Rob Brown - "There's Only You" - NSW
3rd. Robbie Wason / Samson James - "The Place Where I Came From" - Qld
4th. Stephen Graham - "The Grass Ain't Never Greener" - NSW
5th. Bec Hance - "I Miss My Life" - Vic

Open Gospel Section - 12 Entries
1st. Stan Lenz - "Sweet Love" - Qld
2nd. Noela Dillon - "The Bush Church" - Qld
3rd. Bill Lewis - "Just Do Your Best" - Qld
4th. Wal Davies / Peter Stock - "What Ever Things" - NSW
5th. Tim Hannan - "Down On My Knees And Pray" - Vic

Tasmanian Resident Section - 17 Entries
1st. Ivan Fletcher - "My Lady" - Tas
2nd. Ivan Fletcher / Nita Clifford - "The Silver In My Mothers Hair" - Tas
3rd. Noel Freeman - "Texas Ranger" - Tas

Comedy/Novelty Section - 29 Entries
1st. Alan McPherson - "Santa's New Rig" - Qld
2nd. Rita Schneider - "I'm Bootscootin' Shirl" - NSW
3rd. Keith Jamieson / Joe Daly - Twenty Million Bulldog Ants" - Qld
4th. Keith Jamieson / Joe Daly - "Loudmouth" - Qld
5th. J. J. Justin - "Sticks N Stones" - WA

Graham Rodger leaps ahead with 3 placings in the Recorded Section of the 2005 Contest with 1st. - 3rd. & 6th. from a huge amount of entries of 107. The comments from the judges this year were asking the co-ordinator how they were supposed to find a top 3 from so many brilliant songs, it was a very difficult task for the judges as they felt there were a very large number of songs which could easily fitted into the top placings. Congratulations to Graham Rodger for a wonderful songwriting effort and Graham will be appearing at the 2006 Awards as leading Guest Artist for our 10th. Birthday Celebrations & Awards Presentations on the 8th. September 2006.

Recorded Section - 107 Entries
1st. Graham Rodger - "Lets Keep Australia, Australia" - Qld
2nd. Ron Milliner/ Gaylene Jennings / Leanda O'Brien - "Uncle Jack" - NSW
3rd. Graham Rodger - "The Matilda Highway" - Qld
4th. Jessica Belle / L. Towers - "Never Reached The Stars" - NSW
5th. Ron Milliner / Leanda O'Brien - "Roughrider Don" - NSW
6th. Graham Rodger - "The Wheels Of Cobb & Co" - Qld
7th. Jeff Brown / W. Crosby - "Bucking Reins And Bullropes" - Qld
8th. John Seers / Virginia Coad - "Mud In His Eyes" - NSW
9th. Jeff Brown / R. Dutton - "The Jacaranda Tree" - Qld
10th. Jeff Brown / W. Crosby - "Fred Gutty" - Qld

Total Entries - 319

Barry Thornton Encouragement Award
Tony Smalldon - Tas

Lois Hall Judges Award
Bonita Elphinstone & Pam Crawn - Tas

Congratulations to all Winners and Runners-up and Thank You to all the Writers who supported the Contest to make it what it is today.
Gaylene Faulkner Co-ordinator
2005 Tasmania & New Zealand Songwriting Contest & Independent Artists Awards

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