The Theme for the 2001 Competition was

"Changes in the Home since the Sixties"

Certificates, prizes and trophies were presented by the Mayor of Newtownabbey, Alderman Vera McWilliam in a ceremony in the Town Hall in Ballyclare. Use the links below to read some of the winners from this and earlier competitions

Living in a world where a myriad of entertainment channels beam into our homes from satellites twenty two and a half thousand miles out in space, it is hard for us to realise the excitement our grandparents derived from a simple radio. We shower and bath at the turn of a tap when they had to carry buckets of water to fill a tin bath in front of the fire. Our food comes pre-wrapped and often frozen when once a grocer carefully weighed the items and filled their baskets. All of this is within living memory and is the reason why Ballyclare Historical Society launched an annual competition for Primary School pupils.

The aim was to involve children in original research and to demonstrate that they could make a real contribution to recording the history of our area. The Fiftieth Anniversary of the ending of the war provided our first topic and the initial entry encouraged us in 1996 to launch the theme of 'World of Work in the Past'. More schools became involved and the entry numbers doubled with often whole classes taking part. We were so impressed by the quality of the work and the amount of interesting information uncovered that we decided to publish a selection of the entries. The booklet sold out, as did the reprint, proving there was a wide interest in the material. In 1997 the theme of 'Hearth and Home' produced over two hundred entries from eight schools, some taking part for the first time. The third theme of "Fun and Games" again attracted a large high quality entry

The competition was originally launched in tribute to our first two presidents, Mrs May Craig and Mr Robert Grange. Elegant trophies were presented by their families and these are awarded to the two schools with the best entries. The shields are engraved with their names and held for a year. The competition is now well established and while it involves a great deal of work for members of the society in visiting schools, word processing any handwritten entries, scanning contributions and putting together a booklet it is all made worthwhile by the reactions of pupils and parents. Grandparents have enjoyed being the centre of attention and sharing memories.

Teachers have commented on the value of the history competition in building oral and communication skills though one was rather taken aback when her grandson asked could he interview her for the competition as she was the oldest person he could find ! Pupils have received prizes including family days at the Ulster Folk Museum, they have seen their work in print, been featured by the local press and discovered a living history that is all around them. At a time when our schools are being asked to demonstrate the attainment of their pupils, the writing in the pages which follow is ample evidence that all the schools in our area are doing an excellent job. We extend our gratitude to principals and teachers for their encouragement and support and to the judges who have included historians from the Federation of Ulster Local Stiudies, the Ulster Folk Museum experts, together with the two Mayors of Newtownabbey

Selection of the Children's Writings

2001 Competition Winners

Oh-How things have changed

Changes in the Home Since the Sixties

Memories of a Ten Year Old Girl in Ahoghill

Catherine's Story

Cogry - the Village that Vanished

Farming Fifty Years Ago

Granny's Games

Fun in the Forties

Three Generations

Childhood in Fermanagh

When Granny was a Nurse

The House in the Painting

Wartime Grocer in Ballyclare

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