In 1989 the Guild was approached by late Hettie Finley who wished donate a sum of $2,000 to establish a special fund in memory of her mother, Hilda Finley. The fund, to be administered by the Guild, is to be used to promote the art of oral storytelling in Western Australia by funding annual awards to support and encourage new storytellers.
The first awards under the provisions of the "Hilda Finley Perpetual Award Fund" were made when five storytellers received the award at a special presentation during the Saturday Night Concert at the Rainbow Gathering in 1990 attended by Miss Finley's niece. To date thirty Western Australian storytellers have been recognized in this way.
1990 | Denise Borger, Audrey Fraser, Valerie Jackson, Mabel Kaplan, Alison (Tunney) Sutherland |
1991 | Bridgett Byron |
1992 | Carolyn Winterbottom |
1993 | Neville Blampey, Bill Park |
1994 | Pip Leake |
1995 | Jannine White |
1996 | Cynthia Bremen-Rooke, Leticia Mattocks, Dan Mulcahy, Cecily Scutt |
1997 | Rosemary Horton, Sandra Swain, Evyn Webster |
1998 | Harry Holland, Michael Lush |
2000 | Christine Begovich, Carol Reid |
2001 | Dorothy (Dot) Lullfitz |
2002 | Lavinia Tarrant |
2003 | Jenny Hill |
2004 | Ingrid Ipp |
2006 | Ruth Kaljee |
2010 | Sally Gaunt, Kathleen Comber |