Robin Boord, Member 6,556, wrote the essay “Consolation of Clouds” that won third prize in the Calibre Essay Prize and was first published in the Australia Book Review.  Robin recounts the mystery that surrounded her father’s death.  He was a pilot in the Korean War and died at home following a training flight that had encountered mechanical failures.

Read the full essay here

Robin’s novel “Out of Place” will be published by Picador in 2026.

Image credit – A long range view of an Altocumulus volutus, otherwise known as a Roll cloud, extending northward 50 kilometers. In total, it was reported that this band extended 300 kilometers. This photograph was taken near Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.   © Doug Goold