by David Vernon
Fleur Joyce spent her early years as a frustrated sandgroper youth. She petitioned her primary school to allow girls to do woodwork, refused to stand and sing the national anthem (G save the Q) at assembly and got into trouble for being anti war on ANZAC day. Finally she escaped to Canberra where she studied politics and sociology at ANU and then since worked in social policy. However in all her years as a public servant, she’s cleverly managed to spend half of them at home with her three favourite people and travelling whenever possible. She likes ‘interfering’ in her school community, dreaming of the next house move and of course reading and pondering. Currently working in legislative reform, she looks forward to reading more creative and much much shorter works!
Colin ‘Colly’ Campbell has written poetry, fiction as well as journalism for a few decades now. He emigrated from Scotland to North Queensland as a kid, studied Eng Lit at Uni, and landed his first real paying job as a reporter at that organ of record, the Townsville Bulletin. He moved to Canberra in the ʼ90s with his family. He’s passionate about words and stories, and for a crust worked in federal politics, government and the media where words and stories abound — tho’ not all of them lyrical.
Feeling creative?
Don’t let everyone else share the glory! If you have written a masterpiece that you wish to share, consider entering it into a Stringybark Short Story Award. Visit: http://www.stringybarkstories.net
More stories please!
Feeling bereft that this book is over? You can find many more stories at the Stringybark Stories Award Website. All anthologies are for sale and are reasonably priced. Visit: http://www.stringybarkstories.net
Acknowledgements
A book is the creative output of many people and therefore please indulge me while I thank a few people. Firstly, thank you to the writers who have so willingly entered Stringybark Competitions and thus given us an opportunity to choose their writing for publication. Secondly, I thank my family for allowing me the time to select, edit and present to you this wonderful collection of stories. Finally, thank you Aislinn Batstone for her wonderful work as a proof-reader. Any errors remaining are not Aislinn’s fault but mine — or the bunyip’s that live in my dam.
Cover image: Tom Roberts — A Break Away! (1891)
Cover design: David Vernon http://www.davidvernon.net
Other titles by David Vernon at Smashwords.com:
The Umbrella’s Shade and other award-winning stories from the Stringybark Short Story Award
Our Name Wasn’t Written — A Malta Memoir 1936–1943
Between Heaven and Hell and other award-winning stories from the Stringybark Flash Fiction Award
A Visit from the Duchess and other award-winning stories from the Stringybark Speculative Fiction Award
The Bridge and other stories from the Stringybark Short Story Award
The Heat Wave of ’76 and other award-winning stories from the Stringybark Erotic Fiction Award
Marngrook and other award-winning stories from the Stringybark Australian History Short Story Award
The Road Home and other award-winning stories from the Stringybark Short Story Award
Into the Darkness — One Australian airman’s journey from Sydney to the deadly skies over Germany — 1939–1945
Between the Sheets and other stories from the Stringybark Erotic Fiction Award
Tainted Innocence and other award-winning stories from the Twisted Stringybark Short Story Award
Yellow Pearl — eighteen stories from the Stringybark Australian History Awards
The Seven Deadly Sins and other stories from the Stringybark Seven Deadly Sins Award
Behind the Wattles — 77 award-winning short stories from the Stringybark Flash and Microfiction Awards
Hitler Did It — and other short stories from the Stringybark Short Story Awards
Fight or Flight — twenty award-winning stories from the Stringybark Young Adult Fiction Awards
The Very End of the Affair — twenty-four award-winning short stories from the Stringybark Humorous Short Fiction Award
Valentine’s Day — twenty-three award-winning stories from the Stringybark Erotic Fiction Awards
Stew and Sinkers — thirty award-winning stories from the Stringybark ‘Times Past’ Short Fiction Awards
Malicious Mysteries — twenty award-winning stories from the Stringybark Malicious Mysteries Award
Side by Side — twenty-three award-winning stories from the Stringybark Short Story Award
A Tick Tock Heart — twenty-two award-winning stories from the Stringybark Future Times Award
Role of a Lifetime — twenty-five award-winning stories from the Twisted Stringybark Short Story Awards
Cocktails — twenty-five award-winning stories from the Stringybark Erotic Short Fiction Awards
No Tea Tomorrow — twenty-seven award-winning stories from the Stringybark Short Story Awards
Non Posso — twenty-eight award-winning travel stories from the Stringybark Short Story Awards
The Ghostly Stringybark — twenty-nine award-winning ghost and horror stories from the Stringybark Short Story Awards
Standing By — thirty-one award-winning stories from the Stringybark Short Story Award
Longing for Solitude — thirty award-winning stories from the Stringybark Times Past Award
A Nice Boy — thirty-two award-winning stories from the Stringybark Short Story Award
Gift of a Casserole and other Deadly Sins — Thirty-three award-winning stories from the Stringybark Seven Deadly Sins Awards
A Gentleman and a Scholar — thirty-four award-winning stories from the Stringybark Short Story Awards