2008 Winners
Winner of "Photo featuring 10-18 year old" by Melinda Poor
Winner of "Open" section by Jodie Laing
Winner of "Grandfather or older carer" section by Carole Gray
Winner of Photo plus story - Secondary school section by Mattea Taylor
Winner of Photo plus story - Primary Section by Lachlan Kuhr
Winner of "History Section" by Veronika Shailer
Winner Junior Scrapbooking by Tyla Johnson
Winner Open Scrapbooking by Kelly-Ann Oosterbeek
Winner "Photo taken by Primary School Student" by Jessica Sneath
Winner "Photo taken by Secondary School" student by Lacy Fielding
About us
Our Thanks Dad Photos Story ... a brief version.
Simply displaying positive photos of dads with their children was first suggested to Chris Hawke in July 2000 by Michael Hawton a Family Court Counsellor in Lismore and Greg Schlieman one of the co-founders of Northern Rivers Mensline telephone support based in Lismore NSW.
Chris Hawke had just started in July 2000 as a men and family relationships worker funded by the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services in the Lismore area. His aim was to continue to run Father Son Weekends and provide dads with other activities like sporting days to bring men and boys together. This positive photo idea was a great way to get to know the local community.
The 2000 Fathers Day Photo Competition was organised in six weeks with the support of local media and schools with cash prizes provided by Lismore businesses and presented to winners in front of K-mart in Lismore Shopping Square. The Lismore Camera Club and several local schools were involved, local judges and also peoples choice voting. A trophy was also given to be best primary and secondary school photographer by Darcy McFadden, a well known and recently retired photographer with The Northern Star.
The impact was amazing. In organising the competition, Chris became involved in hundred of discussions with men and women who were keen to share their positive stories. Many men were delighted to have positive photos of themselves with their kids displayed in public. The public people's choice vote seeded many thoughts and stimulated many discussions within families or with the exhibition attendants. Some also wanted support to rebuild broken or struggling relationships with their children and partners.
The 2001 Fathers Day Competition and Exhibitions expanded to include people voting for their favourite photo at Ballina Shopping Fair, schools and community venues. The regional newspaper The Northern Star provided cash prizes and promotion for a Regional Schools Workshop at Richmond River High School. Ian Causley our federal parliament representative presented prizes with several speakers including Jacklyn Wagner photographer fromThe Northern Star.
In 2002 we went national after many requests from around Australia. We visited many schools, community groups
A second regional schools workshop was run in conjunction with the NSW Camera Clubs Convention with speakers and school students from 15 schools across the region, speakers and prizes.
In 2003 the People's Choice Exhbitions also toured for three months around the south coast and southern highlands of NSW with the NSW Mens Health and Wellbeing Association.
People's Choice Exhibitions have been held in Darwin, Melbourne, Newcastle, Sydney and in numerous venues across the north coast of NSW. We have been limited by finances. Hundreds of people have provided time and effort over the past five years to encourage entries in their families, schools, churches, shopping centres and community venues. Other went on to organise exhibitions in these same spaces.
The community continues to respond to this positive strengths based approach to creating the space for men and their families to both share what they already do well and how to strengthen their relationships for the future.
In 2004 the name was changed to Thanks Dad to reflect the core sentiment of this national photo competition, exhibitions and various other activities. The Thanks Dad name was subtitled 'Affirming all men for positive time with our children' to include grandparents, step dads, uncles, sports coaches, teachers and any male with a significant positive relationship with children and young people.
Westfield Shopping Plaza in Liverpool Sydney held a Thanks Dad Shopping Centre Competition with local stores providing thousands of dollars worth of prizes. These entries were also entered in the national competition.
2004 Winners were announced and some presentations were made at the worlds first Fatherhood Festival in Bangalow Northern NSW. The name has been refocused to Thanks Dad Photos: National Photo Competition and People's Choice Exhibitions.
In our sixth year 2005, we again announcing national winners again at the Fatherhood Festival and followed with People's Choice Exhibitions across Australia.
Many thousands of Australians continue to be stimulated by this positive preventive activity affirming the positive times that men are already having with our children and young people.
Chris Hawke June 2006
PS Please personally thank the many men who you personally know do have positive time with the children in their family and/or local area.