BALLARAT student James Grills might be one of Australia’s future best selling authors, after representing the region at an annual storytelling conference. Grills, 17, was Ballarat’s winner in the annual ABC Heywire competition, which gives young people from regional Australia the opportunity to write and tell stories about themselves and their communities.Last week Grills attended the Heywire Youth Summit in Canberra, meeting with federal parliamentarians including Ballarat MP Catherine King and Schools Minister Peter Garrett. All regional winners are invited to participate in debates and workshops with industry mentors and visit institutions including the Australian War Memorial.Grills told the story of his father being made redundant in Ballarat’s gold mining industry and later being diagnosed with lung cancer. He said the forum was a great opportunity to discuss ideas. “It was good fun and pretty cool to meet some great people and see Canberra.” Ms King congratulated Grills for sharing his important life story and that of his family. “All families go through their challenges and it is great to see that James has been able to tell this story in such a straightforward and moving way,” she said. Read the story at http://www.abc.net.au/heywire/