Photo - 2018 winning - “My home among the gum trees”
The 2018 winner of the Basil Sellers Midge Point Art Prize is held Saturday 28 July at The Point Tavern over a morning tea was Midge Point artist Betty Moxham.
Betty’s winning art work “My home among the gum trees” was selected from one of nine finalists by the Proserpine art judge who explained that all nine finalist art works were exceptional.
Runner up was three time winner of the Basil Sellers Prize Jill Liepertz with her work “Pete’s Boots”
The nine finalist art works may be viewed on the Midge Point News.
The arts community met last November for a country spread cuppa at Gina Passfield's farm setting everything in place. This includes entries, logistics, planning, display and the like. Paintings get delivered. The judging was arranged. The unveiling of the finalists is organised.
Past winners
2013 - Jill Liepertz
2014 - Gina Passfield
2015 - Margaret Pearce
2016 - Jill Liepertz
2017 - Jill Liepertz
2018 - Betty Moxham
Photo - Dr Mark Tronson with winning artist Betty Moxham with the winning art work
Background of the Art Prize
This is one of three Basil Sellers Art Prizes – the first I established in 2004 in Moruya on the NSW south coast, the second was Basil Sellers $100,000 Sport-Art Prize in Melbourne and this at Midge Point is the third initiated in 2013.
My wife and I had established the Basil Sellers Laguna Quays Respite ministry for missionaries and those in ministry at Midge Point on the Whitsundays in 2011. It became apparent to us after two years the community was a small one, people knew each other well, and there was a very active arts community.
It seemed to us at least, an art prize would value-add to the community and having approached Mr Basil Sellers AM he agreed to support this small rural region. The Point Tavern likewise saw this as something they would support providing a morning tea and a venue.
2013 set the pace
The inaugural art prize was set for the last weekend of July and so it was – 24 entries were received – the judging took place – and the winner was announced at the launch.
A month later Basil Sellers visited providing a lunch for the eight finalists which set a pattern for the following years. In recent years the local real estate agent Terry and Cathy McMullen collected Basil Sellers at Proserpine airport and provided a tour of the region including a detailed account of the area's real estate.
Photo - Sid Moxham checking out the competition
2018 Art Prize
Inas Jackson has been the mainstay of the annual Art Prize in the region - extended to rural regions on the Bruce Highway towards Mackay – places such as Calen and Kuttabul.
This was broadened the intake of the region's art prize with good will which has allowed this art prize to develop to the joy it has become.
This annual art prize is one of the areas that we serve this community – there is an annual business meeting and a fancy dress afternoon, a high tea for the art ladies put on by Delma and a weekly online news which replaced the hard copy in 2012 with the same person, Kim Hanson, running it. These are examples of ministry in a small rural community.
Photo - “Pete’s Boots” 2nd place by previous three times winner Jill Liepertz
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at