The talents of district poets and storytellers has caught the attention of an Australian acting legend.

The Burke and Wills Expedition Short Story and Bush Poetry Competition, which commemorates the 150th anniversary of Burke and Wills arriving at Mia Mia on August 25, 1860, will produce an anthology compromising pieces from writers who place in the competition.

Australian actor Jack Thompson will produce a foreword for the anthology, which will be launched at Mia Mia on August 28.

Competition co-ordinator Colin Carrington said he was thrilled Thompson was lending his name to the anthology.

``There had been a steady stream of competition entries so far, but with the involvement of an acting legend, it should create extra incentive for people to enter,'' he said.

Thompson, of Breaker Morant, The Man from Snowy River and Wake in Fright fame, is a devotee of bush poetry, releasing a CD recording of the famous Australian poet Banjo Paterson's battlefield poems.

Paterson wrote the poems during his time as a war correspondent in South Africa during the Boer War and serving in the Australian Imperial Force in the Middle East during World War I.

``Australians getting in and having a go, giving it their best shot, the comradeship, the quiet heroism of men standing by their mates through thick and thin, the sheer dependability of the decent Australian. I admire Paterson for that. I love these poems,'' Thompson said.

To win a copy of Thompson's recordings, answer this question: What was the name of Thompson's character in the much maligned Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones?

Send your answer to the McIvor Times, 170 High St, Heathcote, 3523, with your name and contact details on the back.

Entries close Monday, May 3. Winners will be notified the following week.

For information about the Burke and Wills Expedition Short Story and Bush Poetry Competition, contact Colin Carrington on 5433 2427 or email col@mulgabill.net.au