2006 Writing Competition

Living with the Black Dog

Back Row L-R: Gordon Parker (Executive Director), Dennis Sleigh, Daniel Cremin, Ingrid Barr, Hon Cherie Burton MP, Mark Miller, Siobhan Walsh, Robert Stephenson, Peter Joseph (Institute Chairman). Front Row L-R: Daniel Bainbridge, Jean Sharman, Catriona Russell, Judith Fleming	The three place getters: 1st place: Robert Stephenson (Centre) 2nd place: Siobhan Walsh (Right) 3rd place: Judith Fleming (Left)

We thank each and every one of the 634 entrants in the Black Dog Writing Competition. We were overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response we received to this competition and sincerely thank all entrants for sharing their inspiring accounts of how they cope with depression.

The prizes and awards were presented on 31 May 2006 at a ceremony presided over by the Assistant Minister for Health (Mental Health) the Hon Cherie Burton MP.

• Read a news release [PDF, 91KB]
• Read the judges’ overview of the entries [41KB]
• See more photos from the awards ceremony [1.5MBKB]
• Hear some of the winners talk about their stories [3min 03sec]

Prize Winners

• 1st Prize: Robert Stephenson, SA Learning to Live, Not Suffer - The drugs that didn't get away [PDF, 68KB] (Poem - Time Does Not Stop as referred to in story [PDF, 48KB])
• 2nd Prize: Siobhan Walsh, NSW The Black Dog: An Owner's Manual [PDF, 100KB]
• 3rd Prize: Judith Fleming, NSW Understanding My Son's Black Dog [PDF, 96KB]

Highly commended awards:

• Anonymous, TAS How to live with the Black Dog [PDF, 99KB]
• Daniel Bainbridge, WA How I Deal with My Mum's Depression [PDF, 41KB]
• Daniel Cremin, NSW Learning to Live with Depression [PDF, 68KB]
• Michael Griffith, NSW My, My Family and Our Secret [PDF, 47KB]
• Kylie Ladd, VIC Bringing the Black Dog to Heel [PDF, 90KB]
• Mark Miller, NSW How to Live with the Black Dog (Depression) [PDF, 104KB]
• Megan Redfern, QLD How to live with the Black Dog [PDF, 83KB]
• Catriona Russell, QLD Hair of the Dog [PDF, 213KB]
• Jean Sharman, NSW How to Live with the Black Dog version [PDF, 57KB]
• Dennis Sleigh, ACT How to Live with the Black Dog [PDF, 39KB]
• Meg Wright, QLD How to Live with the Black Dog [PDF, 76KB]