Fifteen former Over 31s young writers in 2020 were moved into Senior Writers in the Press Service International young writer program in conjunction with Christian Today.
This eleven year program was recognised last year (2019) by the Australasian Religious Press Association with their premier award ‘The Gutenberg’. The citation highlighted the effort involved in seeing young people being published.
At the same time the Christian Today editor David Chang was seeking young faces in the Senior Writer group which was established by Panellists providing encouragement to the young writers.
In fulfil this we were able to bring well established young people in the Over 31s group into Senior Writers and this has worked very well.
Who are they?
These 15 new post-Over 31 young writers fall into three categories
New Zealand
Australia
Internationals
The New Zealand group of three were obvious as they were the only ones in the NZ Over 31s group
Emma McGeorge
Esther Koh
Mussita Ng
Emma based in Auckland, has been a perpetual winner of the NZ Basil Sellers Awards, 2017 NZ young writers, then 2018-19 NZ Over 31s winner.
Esther and Mussita are based in Wellington. Esther has been the Kiwi young writer editor for some years and Mussita Ng the editor of the International young writers who with her 3rd baby this editing role is now held by Francesca Tavares West Indies.
Internationals
The three Internationals Over 31s moved into Senior writers are
Josh Robbie
Francesca Tavares
Kimberley Salman.
Josh an Australian, married to a South African who spends time between the two nations, has been the program’s Internationals young writer program adviser.
Francesca from the West Indies is a lawyer who spent a number of years in Switzerland, is the new editor of the International young writers 18-30 years.
Kimberley recently married (nee Morgan) was in a situation to move into senior writers and replacing herself in the Internationals Over 31s.
As is obvious by now, the senior writers is a closed shop to anyone outside the program. There is a progression from young writer, to Over 31s writer to senior writer.
Australians
There are so many Australian Over 31s it was no issue at all see many of them progress into senior writers
Tim Everton - Adelaide
Michael Dahlenburg - Adelaide
Justin Monaghan - Adelaide
Liana Monaghan - Adelaide
Peter Brookshaw - Melbourne
David Goodwin - Melbourne
Phil Hall - Melbourne
Neville Hiatt - Melbourne
Jo Fuller - Queensland
Total – 15 all up.
Tim Everton was the 2016 Basil Sellers Award winner, Peter Brookshaw the 2018 Over 31s winner, as was Jo Fuller in 2019, Justin and Liana were Tronson award winners in 2019, David Goodwin the Sport writer award winner 2015, 2017, 2019. Michael has served as a the photo selector for the Week 1 for many years.
Considerations
West Indies and former Internationals Basil Sellers winner Sharma Taylor has returned to the program and is likewise slotted in as a senior writer.