It was Territory Day on July 1, which celebrates the day that the Northern Territory commenced self-government in 1978. This year, the centenary of the territory’s foundation, the Northern Territory government and Music NT offered a $10 000 prize to the person who wrote the best Territory Anthem.

The winner was musician and music teacher Stephanie Harrison, from Alice Springs. Stephanie was in the early stages of labour on June 29 when she was told that her song, Stand As One, had won the contest our of 120 entries. And 48 hours later she and her partner Jack Batty had something else to celebrate – the birth of their son Tanami Batty.

Stephanie says that the song “came out of nowhere”, and that “I just couldn’t get the bloody song out of my head”.

The prize money means that she can stay home with Tanami without financial worries, and will also be used to fund some family road trips.

Her song was performed by the Darwin Symphony Orchestra and Darwin Chorale at Parliament House as part of the Territory Day celebrations.

Tanami is named after the Tanami Desert in the Northern Territory. It is pronounced tan-uh-my.

Although it’s rare, this isn’t the first time I have seen Tanami used as a name, but it’s the first time I have seen it on a boy. It seems like a brilliant name for a baby born on, or near, Territory Day.