COMPETITIONS
Are now closed until
the 2nd of April 2027

Heritage Scroll Judge Number 1

Ian Hooper

Ian Hooper grew up in the coastal town of Larne, Northern Ireland. He joined the Royal Air Force at age eighteen and worked initially as an aircraft technician before being commissioned as an Intelligence Officer. After serving for two decades, he and his Australian wife relocated to the southwest of Western Australia.

In 2014, writing under the pen name of Ian Andrew, his first novel, A Time to Every Purpose, was released to critical acclaim, and in 2018, the first of his ‘Wright and Tran’ crime series, Face Value, won the Publishers Weekly Booklife prize for fiction. In 2024, his poem, Just Enough won the Shore Lines writing for performance prize.

He is now the executive director of independent publisher, Leschenault Press and its imprint, The Book Reality Experience, as well as being an author, editor and ghost-writer. In addition, he is the co-founder of the international series of independent author book fairs. A fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, he holds qualifications in management, training, and learning design as well as a master’s in creative writing.

Living in rural Western Australia, surrounded by a resident mob of kangaroos, he is currently working on the next novel in the Wright & Tran series of detective stories.

Heritage Scroll Judge Number 2

Gaye McBride

Internationally Renowned Reiki Master Hypnotise Gaye McBride has over 20 years of Professional Expertise in Hypnosis, Reiki and Wellbeing Therapies, training Many Students and Masters in Reiki, Meditation, Psychic Development, Stress Management ... and much more. Stage Hypnotist, Author and Recipient of 2017 HNZ 'EXCELLENCE in HYPNOSIS' AWARD in New Zealand.

Baye is the Creator of Hypnosynergy Hypnosis Sessiona for Positive Behavioural Change in ... Confidence, Empowerment, Stress and Weight Management, Freedom from Anxiety, Addiction and so much more. Most of her career in wellbeing took place at her Redcastle Retreat Clinic and all over the South Island of New Zealand ... and now here in beautiful Binningup and Bunbury WA.

Heritage Scroll Judge Number 3

David Blacker

David Blacker’s career in medicine and neurology has spanned four decades, during which he helped lead a revolution in the care of acute stroke. As a doctor, mentor and medical researcher his work has impacted many thousands of patients, hundreds of doctors and numerous scientific medical fields.

In 2018 he received the life changing diagnosis of Parkinson disease, which lead to a reshaping of his career to focus on research and advocacy in PD. He now writes and speaks widely about his personal experience with PD, and hopes to assist others by sharing this. Additionally, he is striving to help his medical colleagues gain a greater insight into living with PD and to improve their communication and interactions with people with PD.

This change in direction created some unexpected opportunities, such as the surprising collaboration with former national boxing champion, Rai Fazio to develop a boxing exercise program for PD. This included a ground breaking clinical trial (FIGHT-PD) and now highly successful training program which is improving the quality of life for people with PD.

In 2023, he faced further challenges with complications following prostate cancer surgery, and a retinal detachment leading to impaired vision. Using the knowledge gained through exercise based therapy, and with the expertise of his wife Kirsten, in yoga, he has fought back to become fitter than ever. This journey from being a doctor to a patient, and all the challenges that posed are described in, My FIGHT with PD, a neurologist with Parkinson disease.

After retiring from clinical practice in 2023, he has continued research into PD and stroke, based at the Perron Institute for neurological and translational science. Also in 2023, he was awarded a membership of the Order of Australia (AM) for his service to medicine and neurological research.