Gilmore College songwriter shines

Kwinana teenager Bailey Ballard is now a multi-award-winning songwriter thanks to his latest track which was written about the dangers of marijuana use.

Bailey entered the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre's 2015 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music Competition and claimed the runner-up prize.

He said his song, "No Marijuana No" was a warning to the community of the risks that come with smoking marijuana and through his lyrics he asks young people to say no to the drug.

As a result of his win, Bailey received a $500 cheque and certificate and appeared on Perth's Noongar Radio station 109 FM over the weekend.

Bailey is a Year 10 student at Gilmore College and takes part in extracurricular activities such as sport and music through the Clontarf Foundation's Gilmore Academy.

Clontarf Foundation operations officer Ash Collard helped Bailey record his lyrics and fit them to a backing track.

He said Bailey was a stand-out student who did well in almost anything he put his mind to, and writing lyrics was something the young student definitely enjoyed.

"He has entered songwriting competitions before and I'm sure he has a future in it," he said.

Bailey travelled to Sydney last November as part of the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience program after he was selected in the top five out of 1500 participants in the AIME's Got Game online talent contest.

During the trip, he had the chance to work with industry mentors, performed a song in front of huge crowds and recorded the official AIME anthem for 2014.