Spent the day at Centenary High today with Year 10's, Year 8's and Year 11's.
We were working with anecdotes with the 10's and 11's and tall stories with the year 8's.
Anecdotes are a bit challenging for high school students because they are basically personal stories. Still my 'All the People Who ' game comes in handy.
Tall Stories are related of course. Often the start of a tall story is an anecdote. Worked with the year 8s to do the start of a tall story set in Jindalee. Here's the start. They have to finish it off.
Centenary State High School is located in the middle of Jindalee, and is sandwiched between 4 streets; Jarup, Curragundi, Moolanda and Yallambee. It is built on a hill, which can make travelling around the school tedious and tiring, however it did mean that the area was not subject to flooding during the Brisbane floods of January 2011.
Jindalee State School on the other hand was heavily flooded, particularly one block. It was decided by the Principals of both Centenary High and Jindalee State School that the year 7s at the state school would be housed at Centenary for the first 8 weeks of the school year while the flooding was dealt with.
One morning I saw a small blond girl near the tuckshop. She was wearing a yellow and blue shirt with a large sun on the left side of her chest that said ‘Jindalee State School’. She appeared to be nervous.
I came across to her and said, “Are you okay?”
She shrugged and said, “I feel a little out of place, but I’m okay”. She then shuffled off silently and sat on a patch of grass.
I noticed that she had assumed a cowering position by sitting down and hugging her knees. Her eyes were darting from left to right and back again, and her lip was quivering.
I realised that she seemed anything but okay. I went over to her again. I bent down and patted her on the back, and asked her again, “Are you sure you’re okay?”
All of a sudden, the small girl jumped up and screamed in my face, “Don’t touch me!” She waved her hands around like tree branches in a storm, and, before I knew it, she slammed a meat pie from the tuckshop straight into my face.
................
I got an email today with a Year 8 story in it. Mikala has finished the story off. Here it is.
Showing posts with label austoryplace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label austoryplace. Show all posts
05 October 2011
04 October 2011
Gindie Silos
A little over 10 years ago in 2001, I was invited to take part in a Writers in Residence project in Springsure. Along with a number of writers, poets, illustrators and publishers I was flown up to Emerald and then driven down to Springsure. I spent most of the week working in two schools in Springsure itself.
I enjoy both telling and creating stories with students and Springsure was no exception. Of all the stories that we created then, there are two that I still regularly tell. One was from the Catholic School, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Primary School, and the other from the state primary to year ten school.
The state school one was called 'The Gindie Silos'. It came about because I chipped a school student who was sitting up the back of the group. He'd lifted up a bandaid on his leg and was scratching an itchy scab. I told him to put the bandaid back on and asked him what happened.
He told us all what happened in his backyard in Gindie and we worked on creating the story. You can read it as I published it on my website here.
Now I usually try to publish more than just the text. I usually invite students to do some illustrations. Find a Google map reference, maybe some Creative Commons photos and sometimes an audio podcast.
Since 2001 the Google maps and satellite images have got heaps better and so has their street view. Now if you want to have a look at the silos in the Gindie Silos stories you can. Go here and place the 'street view orange man' near the yellow house marker.
Here's a screen grab from the street view.
After the week had finished we were driven back to Emerald to fly home and, of course, drove through Gindie. I had trouble working out which house was David's but we did drive right past the silos and there was some burnt grass around the base of them. Maybe that's why I remembered the story so well.
I enjoy both telling and creating stories with students and Springsure was no exception. Of all the stories that we created then, there are two that I still regularly tell. One was from the Catholic School, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Primary School, and the other from the state primary to year ten school.
The state school one was called 'The Gindie Silos'. It came about because I chipped a school student who was sitting up the back of the group. He'd lifted up a bandaid on his leg and was scratching an itchy scab. I told him to put the bandaid back on and asked him what happened.
He told us all what happened in his backyard in Gindie and we worked on creating the story. You can read it as I published it on my website here.
Now I usually try to publish more than just the text. I usually invite students to do some illustrations. Find a Google map reference, maybe some Creative Commons photos and sometimes an audio podcast.
Since 2001 the Google maps and satellite images have got heaps better and so has their street view. Now if you want to have a look at the silos in the Gindie Silos stories you can. Go here and place the 'street view orange man' near the yellow house marker.
Here's a screen grab from the street view.
After the week had finished we were driven back to Emerald to fly home and, of course, drove through Gindie. I had trouble working out which house was David's but we did drive right past the silos and there was some burnt grass around the base of them. Maybe that's why I remembered the story so well.
29 August 2011
Terracotta Magic
One day an iron ore ship was being loaded at a wharf in Western Australia.
A workman stood watching the red iron ore travel along a conveyor belt into the hold of the ship.
He saw something glinting like gold and said, "Stop the conveyor belt. A gold ring just fell into the ship!"
But the foreman said, "No! There are too many ships to load. They are waiting for iron in China."
The ship was filled and set sail for China. No knew that the gold ring was an ancient magic ring and when the ship got to China and was being unloaded the ring grew wings and flew away across seas and rivers.
It flew across a wide plain and across Shaanxi provence where it flew around the terracotta soldiers being dug out of the sand. There were terracotta warriors, terracotta horses and a terracotta general who stood with one hand extended.
"At last," said the general, "We have been waiting for thousands of years to come to life and fight for the emperor. Army of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang, come to life and march across the land!"
The whole terracotta army marched out of the pits and across the plain with spears and swords. Soldiers on terracotta horses rode with their terracotta bows and arrows.
People ran for their lives as the terracotta army followed the general with the magic gold ring.
Eventually it was swallowed by a fish that swam all the way across the ocean to Australia.
So be careful, if you are ever fishing and find a gold ring in a fish's mouth.
Don't ever put it on your finger. It is a magic ring.
A workman stood watching the red iron ore travel along a conveyor belt into the hold of the ship.
He saw something glinting like gold and said, "Stop the conveyor belt. A gold ring just fell into the ship!"
But the foreman said, "No! There are too many ships to load. They are waiting for iron in China."
The ship was filled and set sail for China. No knew that the gold ring was an ancient magic ring and when the ship got to China and was being unloaded the ring grew wings and flew away across seas and rivers.
It flew across a wide plain and across Shaanxi provence where it flew around the terracotta soldiers being dug out of the sand. There were terracotta warriors, terracotta horses and a terracotta general who stood with one hand extended.
The ring flew down and landed on the finger of the terracotta general.
"At last," said the general, "We have been waiting for thousands of years to come to life and fight for the emperor. Army of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang, come to life and march across the land!"
The whole terracotta army marched out of the pits and across the plain with spears and swords. Soldiers on terracotta horses rode with their terracotta bows and arrows.
People ran for their lives as the terracotta army followed the general with the magic gold ring.
But the general made a mistake. He marched into a wide valley just as a wild storm broke and as the rain fell and the valley filled with water the terracotta army got soggy and melted in the waters. The ring fell off the soggy generals finger and floated and swam down the river.
Eventually it was swallowed by a fish that swam all the way across the ocean to Australia.
So be careful, if you are ever fishing and find a gold ring in a fish's mouth.
Don't ever put it on your finger. It is a magic ring.
(Created by Daryll Bellingham and years 4B and 4C
as part of the Belmont State School Book Week Literature Festival.)
as part of the Belmont State School Book Week Literature Festival.)
Vampire Snail for PM
Evening was slowly descending around the French snail farm.
The sprinklers had turned off and most of the snails had stopped eating lettuce and had pulled up inside their shells to go to sleep.
The farmer had gone inside for a well earned rest and to watch TV.
The guard dog had settled down outside his kennel.
All that could be heard was a distant owl.'Tawoot Tawooh, Tawoot Tawooh.'
One snail had not gone to sleep however. It was hungry and it crawled over the edge of the tray, down the leg of the bench and onto the concrete.
As it slid slimely towards the sleeping guard dog, it left a shiny red trail behind it.
The snail was a vampire snail looking for its next meal of blood.
It slithered up to the dog and carefully sank its fangs into the dogs neck.
The snail was not careful enough supping on dog blood however. The dog barked and howled until its owner came outside with his torch and looked all around. All he found was a snail crawling back towards the snail farm. He picked it up and placed in the cage ready for the next day's consignment of snails to restaurants all over France.
Her Press Secretary said, "Are you alright? You're looking a little pale."
It wasn't long before the Q&A music was playing and the compere of Q&A was introducing, "Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia and Tony Abbot, the Leader of the opposition,"
And as the television camera panned over Julia Gillard the light seemed to gleam off her front teeth.
The first question asked by the Q&A presenter was, "Prime Minister Julia Gillard can you tell our studio audience why your government has cut funding to community organisations services such as the Red Cross and blood banks across Australia?"
That night, the Prime Ministers Office got a phone call from Paris, France. It was a haematologist from the hospital where she was treated after eating snails in the restaurant beside the Eiffel Tower.
"A dog that was on that farm was found at the foot of a tree that was a roosting tree for bats. We suggest you take emergency precautions."
The sprinklers had turned off and most of the snails had stopped eating lettuce and had pulled up inside their shells to go to sleep.
The farmer had gone inside for a well earned rest and to watch TV.
The guard dog had settled down outside his kennel.
All that could be heard was a distant owl.'Tawoot Tawooh, Tawoot Tawooh.'
One snail had not gone to sleep however. It was hungry and it crawled over the edge of the tray, down the leg of the bench and onto the concrete.
As it slid slimely towards the sleeping guard dog, it left a shiny red trail behind it.
The snail was a vampire snail looking for its next meal of blood.
It slithered up to the dog and carefully sank its fangs into the dogs neck.
The snail was not careful enough supping on dog blood however. The dog barked and howled until its owner came outside with his torch and looked all around. All he found was a snail crawling back towards the snail farm. He picked it up and placed in the cage ready for the next day's consignment of snails to restaurants all over France.
Now it just so happened that in Paris that day there was an important meeting of heads of state from all around the world. At lunch they went to a famous French restaurant beside the Eifel Tower.
The Honorable Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia, was absent mindedly eating snails fried snails from her plate. She didn't notice the snail that left a red trail behind it slide across the plate towards her hand.
She popped it into her mouth and ate the vampire snail. It wasn't long after that that she grew pale, swayed in her seat and fell to the floor. An ambulance was called and, with a police escort, she was hurried to hospital.
She wasn't long in hospital. Everything seemed fine with her state of health and she was released the next day. Her private secretary was briefed by the doctor. They assumed it was her busy pace of life or something she had eaten but they had taken blood samples just in case.
"Look after her well," said the doctor, "We don't want any unpleasant surprises."
Julia Gillard flew back to Australia the next day and was met by the media at the airport but she would not talk about her hospital visit. "I am extremely well. Tomorrow night I will be debating with the Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbot, about climate change on Q&A. I'm looking forward to it."
When Julia Gillard arrived at the television studios, Tony Abbot was already in makeup.
Her Press Secretary said, "Are you alright? You're looking a little pale."
The Prime Minister said, "I'm feeling a little hungry. I wish I had had something more to eat before I came."
The production manager came in and said, "Five minutes to start please." There wasn't any time for her to get anything to eat.
Tony Abbot was the first of course. He bounded into the studio and sat down but as Julia Gillard followed him in she seemed to be looking at Tony Abbot quite strangely.
And as the television camera panned over Julia Gillard the light seemed to gleam off her front teeth.
The first question asked by the Q&A presenter was, "Prime Minister Julia Gillard can you tell our studio audience why your government has cut funding to community organisations services such as the Red Cross and blood banks across Australia?"At the mention of blood Julia Gillard turned pale, stood up, swayed and fell towards Tony Abbot. Tony Abbot attempted to stop her from falling. He grabbed and held her up and in the confusion of cameras pointing everywhere and people in the audience screaming, nobody really saw that Julia Gillard had sunk her fangs into Tony Abbots neck and had taken a sip of blood.
By the time the confusion had ended she was back sitting in her seat and saying, "Now what was that question? I'm sorry. I missed out on tea tonight."
But do you know what? Tony Abbot was scratching his neck and when he lifted up his hand he saw blood on it. He was looking at the Prime Minister strangely. He looked again at the blood on his hand. He turned pale and fainted falling to the floor with a bang.
The Q&A presenter said, "We regret this interruption to our program but we will just switch to a prerecorded interview with the Leader of the Greens, Bob Brown. We will be returning to our debate between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition very soon."
The TV screen switched to an old interview. Tony Abbot was taken in an ambulance to the hospital and kept overnight. He released the next day but his Private Secretary was told by the doctors, "We think he is OK but we are a little concerned. When we analysed his blood there was something strange in it. Just be careful."
That night, the Prime Ministers Office got a phone call from Paris, France. It was a haematologist from the hospital where she was treated after eating snails in the restaurant beside the Eiffel Tower.
The Prime Minister's Secretary was told, "We have analysed what was in her blood and we've tracked it down to a snail farm where all the snails have turned into vampire snails."
"A dog that was on that farm was found at the foot of a tree that was a roosting tree for bats. We suggest you take emergency precautions."
The next night on the ABC there was an announcement. "We are just crossing to a news flash. Both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition have been taken away by ambulance to a secure hospital."
When reporters tried to interview either Julia Gillard or Tony Abbot they were told that interviews were no longer possible. Later that night a camera crew waiting on the lawn outside the hospital saw two strange forms flying away from the hospital. One of the bats had large ears and the other had red hair.
07 May 2010
Small, bright and shiny.
It wasn't long before the Pumpkin Festival in Goomeri and one of the organisers had rung up the school and asked if some of the students could help clean up any litter that might be on Policeman's Hill. Hodge Street
So, with the permission of the school principal, all of the students in prep to year three set off with their teachers.
As they walked over the railway line and into town one of the teachers said,
"Now, because you're helping the festival organisers they said you can all have some free lollies from the Lolly Shop but you'll have to take turns."
Five at a time they walked into Mrs Toffee's Lolly Shop and made their selection. Some got jelly beans. Some asked for lollipops and some wanted Chicken Feed.
Mrs Toffee stood there with her glasses, brown hair and big, black apron and made sure they all said 'please' and 'thank you'.
"Now," said their teachers, "Let's walk up to Policeman's Hill and make sure it's really, really clean and tidy. We'll go the long way round pass the Hall of Memory and the Motel because it's not so steep."
When they got there they made a game out of who could pick up the smallest piece of litter. The teacher called it an Emu Parade.
"Hey, here's a shiny little bit on the grass," said Timothy.
He bent over to pick it up but his sticky lolly fell out of his pocket and landed on the shiny little thing.
"Oh! It's disappeared," said Timothy as he picked up his lolly and popped it into his mouth.
"Timothy, you shouldn't eat things that have fallen on the ground. There could be anything on that lolly."
And, do you know what? There was something stuck to that lolly it was the shiny little thing and it got stuck in Timothy's throat.
"Arrrrrh! Arrrrrrh! Arrrrrrh! I'm chocking!" called Timothy.
"Look he's turning blue!"
The teacher found her mobile phone and called an ambulance.
They told her to whack Timothy on the back to see if he could cough up the thing in his throat.
As the ambulance came speeding up the road with its siren wailing, Timothy gave a mighty cough and something small, round and shiny went flying out.
It bounced off the windscreen of the ambulance and went whizzing up into the sky towards the swimming pool.
Timothy was taken off to Murgon Hospital in the ambulance and the children and the teachers hurried down the hill towards the swimming pool.
When they got there, the pool was closed but they tied three long sticks together and tied a net to the end and poked it over the fence into the pool.
The teachers said, "Three tries only and then back to school."
The first time they only scooped up a dead grasshopper. "Ohhh!"
The second time they scooped up a plastic toy shark. "Ohhh!"
But the third time they scooped up something small and round and shiny.
It was a gold ring with a shiny pumpkin jewel on the top. "Ahhhh!"
"That must belong to the Pumpkin Fairy Princess," said one girl.
"I bet it's magic," said a boy.
"All right make a wish," said a teacher.
"We wish that Timothy is well again."
And do you know what? He was.
So, with the permission of the school principal, all of the students in prep to year three set off with their teachers.
As they walked over the railway line and into town one of the teachers said,
"Now, because you're helping the festival organisers they said you can all have some free lollies from the Lolly Shop but you'll have to take turns."
Five at a time they walked into Mrs Toffee's Lolly Shop and made their selection. Some got jelly beans. Some asked for lollipops and some wanted Chicken Feed.
Mrs Toffee stood there with her glasses, brown hair and big, black apron and made sure they all said 'please' and 'thank you'.
"Now," said their teachers, "Let's walk up to Policeman's Hill and make sure it's really, really clean and tidy. We'll go the long way round pass the Hall of Memory and the Motel because it's not so steep."
When they got there they made a game out of who could pick up the smallest piece of litter. The teacher called it an Emu Parade.
"Hey, here's a shiny little bit on the grass," said Timothy.
He bent over to pick it up but his sticky lolly fell out of his pocket and landed on the shiny little thing.
"Oh! It's disappeared," said Timothy as he picked up his lolly and popped it into his mouth.
"Timothy, you shouldn't eat things that have fallen on the ground. There could be anything on that lolly."
And, do you know what? There was something stuck to that lolly it was the shiny little thing and it got stuck in Timothy's throat.
"Arrrrrh! Arrrrrrh! Arrrrrrh! I'm chocking!" called Timothy.
"Look he's turning blue!"
The teacher found her mobile phone and called an ambulance.
They told her to whack Timothy on the back to see if he could cough up the thing in his throat.
As the ambulance came speeding up the road with its siren wailing, Timothy gave a mighty cough and something small, round and shiny went flying out.
It bounced off the windscreen of the ambulance and went whizzing up into the sky towards the swimming pool.
Timothy was taken off to Murgon Hospital in the ambulance and the children and the teachers hurried down the hill towards the swimming pool.
When they got there, the pool was closed but they tied three long sticks together and tied a net to the end and poked it over the fence into the pool.
The teachers said, "Three tries only and then back to school."
The first time they only scooped up a dead grasshopper. "Ohhh!"
The second time they scooped up a plastic toy shark. "Ohhh!"
But the third time they scooped up something small and round and shiny.
It was a gold ring with a shiny pumpkin jewel on the top. "Ahhhh!"
"That must belong to the Pumpkin Fairy Princess," said one girl.
"I bet it's magic," said a boy.
"All right make a wish," said a teacher.
"We wish that Timothy is well again."
And do you know what? He was.
Created by Daryll Bellingham and the students from years Prep, 1 and 2 at Goomeri State School.
Want to listen to our recording of the story by teachers and students? Here it is -
© 2010
Want to listen to our recording of the story by teachers and students? Here it is -
© 2010
Old Henry and the Pumpkin Festival
In Goomeri, we all love the Pumpkin Festival and everyone helps make sure there's something different each year.
One morning not long before the festival, three people were collecting their mail at the post office at the same time.
Mrs Toffee, the owner of the lolly shop, was picking up another parcel of new lollies and she saw the manager of the Pumpkin Festival with a big smile on his face.
'What are you so happy about Blue?' she asked him.
'This letter here is the insurance for the festival. Now the festival can go ahead. Nothing can stop it now.'
'Look. Here's old Henry. He's ridden his bicycle all the way in from Tansey to pick up his mail. I don't know how he does it.'
'What have you got there Henry,' asked Blue as Henry carried his heavy little parcel out of the Post Office.
'None of your business. It's mine,' said Old Henry as he walked back to his bicycle and started to ride back to his farm.
No one knew what Old Henry took back to his farm that day but another day he was seen to park his bicycle in front of Mrs Toffee's Lolly Shop. He came out with a parcel and a smile and he rode back to his farm.
Well on the day of the Festival everyone in town was there. There were lots of tourists buying pumpkin scones and getting ready for the pumpkin roll down Policeman's Hill.
'Hey look who's coming. It's Old Henry.' shouted some kids.
Everyone looked and, sure enough, there he was puffing up the hill on his bicycle and on the back there was a big pumpkin.
He waited till everyone had had a go rolling and then stepped forward. 'Ladies and Gentlemen. I have the best pumpkin of all. All children must hold out their hands and open their mouths.'
He put his pumpkin down on the start line, lit the fuse sticking out of the pumpkin and gave it a shove and it went rolling down the hill.
'Ahh! It's a bomb. Duck for cover!' But before anyone could move, the pumpkin went off like a giant firework.
Bang! Ziiiiii. Ziiiii. Ziiii. Zup-zup-zup-zup-zup.
Fireworks went zipping everywhere over Policeman's Hill and out of them flew lots and lots of bright colourful pumpkin shaped lollies.
'Hooray!' Kids ran here and there scooping them up and when they tasted them they fizzed and zipped in their mouths like yummy, sweet fireworks.
'That's what was in that parcel at the post office,' said Blue. 'The Pumpkin Festival will get another tourism award for sure this year. Thanks old Henry. That was the best.'
Old Henry had his photo taken with the festival committee and Mrs Toffee from the Lolly Shop and all the happy smiling children before he hopped on his bike and rode back to his farm.
One morning not long before the festival, three people were collecting their mail at the post office at the same time.
Mrs Toffee, the owner of the lolly shop, was picking up another parcel of new lollies and she saw the manager of the Pumpkin Festival with a big smile on his face.
'What are you so happy about Blue?' she asked him.
'This letter here is the insurance for the festival. Now the festival can go ahead. Nothing can stop it now.'
'Look. Here's old Henry. He's ridden his bicycle all the way in from Tansey to pick up his mail. I don't know how he does it.'
'What have you got there Henry,' asked Blue as Henry carried his heavy little parcel out of the Post Office.
'None of your business. It's mine,' said Old Henry as he walked back to his bicycle and started to ride back to his farm.
No one knew what Old Henry took back to his farm that day but another day he was seen to park his bicycle in front of Mrs Toffee's Lolly Shop. He came out with a parcel and a smile and he rode back to his farm.
Well on the day of the Festival everyone in town was there. There were lots of tourists buying pumpkin scones and getting ready for the pumpkin roll down Policeman's Hill.
'Hey look who's coming. It's Old Henry.' shouted some kids.
Everyone looked and, sure enough, there he was puffing up the hill on his bicycle and on the back there was a big pumpkin.
He waited till everyone had had a go rolling and then stepped forward. 'Ladies and Gentlemen. I have the best pumpkin of all. All children must hold out their hands and open their mouths.'
He put his pumpkin down on the start line, lit the fuse sticking out of the pumpkin and gave it a shove and it went rolling down the hill.
'Ahh! It's a bomb. Duck for cover!' But before anyone could move, the pumpkin went off like a giant firework.
Bang! Ziiiiii. Ziiiii. Ziiii. Zup-zup-zup-zup-zup.
Fireworks went zipping everywhere over Policeman's Hill and out of them flew lots and lots of bright colourful pumpkin shaped lollies.
'Hooray!' Kids ran here and there scooping them up and when they tasted them they fizzed and zipped in their mouths like yummy, sweet fireworks.
'That's what was in that parcel at the post office,' said Blue. 'The Pumpkin Festival will get another tourism award for sure this year. Thanks old Henry. That was the best.'
Old Henry had his photo taken with the festival committee and Mrs Toffee from the Lolly Shop and all the happy smiling children before he hopped on his bike and rode back to his farm.
Created by Daryll Bellingham and the students from years 3, 4 & 5 at Goomeri State School.
No pumpkins were hurt in the production of this story.
© 2010
No pumpkins were hurt in the production of this story.
© 2010
It Never Rains but it Pours
It had been raining for weeks and all the creeks and gullies were full of swirling, muddy water. Some of the bridges and roads had been cut off and the electricity had gone out.
Still that didn't stop most kids in Goomeri from having fun. Some boys were playing in the park on the edge of the gully, throwing things in the water and pulling out the long grass and the water weed to make the water go faster.
One of their sisters was watching from the verandah and called out, 'Be careful Timmy. Don't go near that drain. Drains are dangerous.'
'Oh, I'm all right Alice. The water's not deep.'
'Don't be stupid. Get out of there!'
But it was too late. Timmy slipped and splashed into the deeper water and before any of his friends could help the current was dragging him down the drain towards the culvert.
Timmy was swimming as hard as he could but it was as if some terrible cold force was dragging him under. The last they saw of him was his bright yellow board shorts as he was sucked down the drain.
'Hold your breath Timmy!' yelled Alice as she ran across the park.
'Where is he?'
'He must be trapped.'
But Timmy wasn't trapped. Somehow he had held his breath and came up coughing and spluttering in the drain on the other side.
He managed to grab some grass on the side and pull himself out before anyone got to help him.
'Why are you so pale Timmy?'
'I saw something under the water. It looked like an old grandma ghost.'
'Was she trying to drag you under?'
'No. She looked really worried and said something to me. She was holding out something in her hand. I think her hair was on fire.'
'In all that water. You're crazy.'
'No, no. Look. There it is that's what she was holding.'
Timmy pointed at a glass jug that was been carried along on the flood water in the drain.
'I'll grab it.' and one of the boys picked up a fallen tree branch, poked it through the handle of the jug and lifted it out.
'That looks like a beer jug from the pub. How did your old grandma ghost get that?'
'What's written on the side?' said Alice.
'Goomeri Hotel,1939. Pour it on.'
'Heh, that's what she was saying to me, Pour it on! Pour it on!'
'Did you say her hair was on fire? Wasn't there a fire in the old hotel and people died.'
'Yes. There's a plaque on the wall of the hotel. People died.'
'I think she was trying to pour water on the fire with this jug.'
'What are we going to do with it?'
'Let's give it back to her.'
They walked back up the side of the drain, up above the culvert and carefully put the jug back in the water. Timmy shoved it out into the deep with the long branch and they watched it being sucked back under the swirling water.
'Now don't go swimming in that drain again. It's too dangerous.'
'No way,' said Timmy.
View austoryplace Goomeri Stories in a larger map
Still that didn't stop most kids in Goomeri from having fun. Some boys were playing in the park on the edge of the gully, throwing things in the water and pulling out the long grass and the water weed to make the water go faster.
One of their sisters was watching from the verandah and called out, 'Be careful Timmy. Don't go near that drain. Drains are dangerous.'
'Oh, I'm all right Alice. The water's not deep.'
'Don't be stupid. Get out of there!'
But it was too late. Timmy slipped and splashed into the deeper water and before any of his friends could help the current was dragging him down the drain towards the culvert.
Timmy was swimming as hard as he could but it was as if some terrible cold force was dragging him under. The last they saw of him was his bright yellow board shorts as he was sucked down the drain.
'Hold your breath Timmy!' yelled Alice as she ran across the park.
'Where is he?'
'He must be trapped.'
But Timmy wasn't trapped. Somehow he had held his breath and came up coughing and spluttering in the drain on the other side.
He managed to grab some grass on the side and pull himself out before anyone got to help him.
'Why are you so pale Timmy?'
'I saw something under the water. It looked like an old grandma ghost.'
'Was she trying to drag you under?'
'No. She looked really worried and said something to me. She was holding out something in her hand. I think her hair was on fire.'
'In all that water. You're crazy.'
'No, no. Look. There it is that's what she was holding.'
Timmy pointed at a glass jug that was been carried along on the flood water in the drain.
'I'll grab it.' and one of the boys picked up a fallen tree branch, poked it through the handle of the jug and lifted it out.
'That looks like a beer jug from the pub. How did your old grandma ghost get that?'
'What's written on the side?' said Alice.
'Goomeri Hotel,1939. Pour it on.'
'Heh, that's what she was saying to me, Pour it on! Pour it on!'
'Did you say her hair was on fire? Wasn't there a fire in the old hotel and people died.'
'Yes. There's a plaque on the wall of the hotel. People died.'
'I think she was trying to pour water on the fire with this jug.'
'What are we going to do with it?'
'Let's give it back to her.'
They walked back up the side of the drain, up above the culvert and carefully put the jug back in the water. Timmy shoved it out into the deep with the long branch and they watched it being sucked back under the swirling water.
'Now don't go swimming in that drain again. It's too dangerous.'
'No way,' said Timmy.
View austoryplace Goomeri Stories in a larger map
Created by Daryll Bellingham and the students from years 6 and 7 at Goomeri State School.
© 2010
© 2010
14 September 2009
Belmont Stories - 'The Park'
Bedevire Park is on Bedervire Road and you can get to it on a bike path from Belmont State School. When you get there you will find an orange spide web, a rocket ship, swings and the eating area.
One day, Jack, who lives quite close to the park, was climbing the spider web.
He said, "Wow! Look at that."
There was a turtle on his back on the side of the creek and it was waving his legs frantically in the air.
Jack saw his best friend riding his BMX along the bike path. He said, "Look out for the turtle!"
But it was too late. There was a bang, a crash and a splash.
Jack said, "Lachlan. I'll help you!"
As Jack ran down to the creek, he tripped on the turtle. Jack crashed to the ground. The turtle flipped the right way up and waddled down to the creek and saved Lachlan.
Every afternoon from then on, when Jack and Lachlan come down to the park they always go to the creek look out for their friend the turtle.
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Created and recorded by Years 4MC / 4RG as part of the Belmont State School Literary Festival.
11 August 2009
Thomas Jack Park Magic Goldfish
Everyone in Dalby knows Thomas Jack Park on the main road through the town with its green grass, picnic tables and shady trees. When the Cotton Festival is held every year, great use is made of the park for events and performances.
Some families have their birthday parties there and one day Ben, a student from Our Lady of the Southern Cross College, told his family that he wanted his eighth birthday party beside the water fun feature.
The water feature has a water fall and a small stream that runs between the large rocks and under the ornamental bridge made of concrete and wood.
Ben had invited all of his friends from Our Lady of the Southern Cross College to his birthday party and that afternoon he stood beside the marquee with the food and birthday cake waiting for them to arrive. Everyone thought that Ben looked like the young Harry Potter. He had glasses, was smart, had the same smile but didn't have the lightning scar on his forehead.
'Wonder if Ben's going to do any magic at his Birthday Party,' said Rebecca.
'Yeh! He might disappear just when his mum's trying to take his photograph,' said Tom.
'No. Don't be silly he's not Harry Potter.'
Parents dropped their children off, told them to be good and to listen to Mrs Affleck and told them not to eat too much as they drove off.
The kids gave their presents to Ben wished him a happy birthday and ran over to the water feature to have a look at the gold fish.
"What will we do till everyone gets here?" asked Rebecca.
"Let's see who can count the most gold fish," said Tom as he leaned over the rail of the ornamental bridge.
Something made them look up into one of the trees instead of counting gold fish however. It was the raucous sound of one of the family of kookaburras that lived in the gum trees of Thomas Jack Park. It was laughing loudly from a branch just above the creek. The children laughed back at it but stopped and ducked for cover as the kookaburra swooped past them, splashed into the creek and then flew back up to the tree branch.
Wriggling in its beak was a gold fish. The kookaburra whacked it a couple of times on the branch, flipped it around in its beak and started to swallow it.
"Oh Yuck. Poor little gold fish," said Ben. "How would you feel like it if you turned into a goldfish, you mean kookaburra?"
The gold fish gave one last wriggle as it the Kookaburra swallowed and one of the golden scales was knocked off by the sharp end of the beak.
It floated down towards the childen. "Catch it!" said Rebecca. "I want it," said Ben but, just as he reached up to catch it, a gust of wind blew the golden scale over towards the marquee and the children couldn't find it no matter how hard they looked.
Well the usual party things happened. Games, fruit juice, more games, more fruit juice, sausages and tomato sauce, more fruit juice and then it was time to sing happy birthday to Ben and for Ben to cut the cake.
Then his mother took the electric carving knife and cut the cake up for everyone to have a slice. Ben got the slice with the number eight on it. No one noticed, not even Ben, that the gold fish scale was lying on the icing right in the middle of the number eight.
He opened his mouth wide and popped the whole piece of cake into his mouth chewed and swallowed the cake, the icing and the scale.
"I wish that Kookaburra hadn't eaten that gold fish," said Ben, "I like them."
"I reckon it would be fun being a goldfish."
Just then, every Kookaburra in Thomas Jack Park began laughing. The gold fish in the water feature started splashing and jumping out of the water.
"Hey look at that!"
All of the children ran over to the water feature staring at the gold fish, jumping and turning somersaults in the air.
"Wow!"
As they watched the jumping goldfish, no one noticed that one of them was changing colour. He was growing more and more golden. It was Ben.
Some of the kids from the party said that they think he would have turned into a gold fish and splashed into the water feature with the gold fish if his grandmother hadn't grabbed him and whacked him on his back just in time. As he coughed the gold fish scale flew out of his mouth and landed in the water. The gold fish stopped jumping, the kookaburra's stopped laughing and Ben turned and gave his grandmother a hug.
"Thanks Grandma. I didn't really want to be a goldfish."
Some families have their birthday parties there and one day Ben, a student from Our Lady of the Southern Cross College, told his family that he wanted his eighth birthday party beside the water fun feature.
The water feature has a water fall and a small stream that runs between the large rocks and under the ornamental bridge made of concrete and wood.
Ben had invited all of his friends from Our Lady of the Southern Cross College to his birthday party and that afternoon he stood beside the marquee with the food and birthday cake waiting for them to arrive. Everyone thought that Ben looked like the young Harry Potter. He had glasses, was smart, had the same smile but didn't have the lightning scar on his forehead.
'Wonder if Ben's going to do any magic at his Birthday Party,' said Rebecca.
'Yeh! He might disappear just when his mum's trying to take his photograph,' said Tom.
'No. Don't be silly he's not Harry Potter.'
Parents dropped their children off, told them to be good and to listen to Mrs Affleck and told them not to eat too much as they drove off.
The kids gave their presents to Ben wished him a happy birthday and ran over to the water feature to have a look at the gold fish.
"What will we do till everyone gets here?" asked Rebecca.
"Let's see who can count the most gold fish," said Tom as he leaned over the rail of the ornamental bridge.
Something made them look up into one of the trees instead of counting gold fish however. It was the raucous sound of one of the family of kookaburras that lived in the gum trees of Thomas Jack Park. It was laughing loudly from a branch just above the creek. The children laughed back at it but stopped and ducked for cover as the kookaburra swooped past them, splashed into the creek and then flew back up to the tree branch.
Wriggling in its beak was a gold fish. The kookaburra whacked it a couple of times on the branch, flipped it around in its beak and started to swallow it.
"Oh Yuck. Poor little gold fish," said Ben. "How would you feel like it if you turned into a goldfish, you mean kookaburra?"
The gold fish gave one last wriggle as it the Kookaburra swallowed and one of the golden scales was knocked off by the sharp end of the beak.
It floated down towards the childen. "Catch it!" said Rebecca. "I want it," said Ben but, just as he reached up to catch it, a gust of wind blew the golden scale over towards the marquee and the children couldn't find it no matter how hard they looked.
Well the usual party things happened. Games, fruit juice, more games, more fruit juice, sausages and tomato sauce, more fruit juice and then it was time to sing happy birthday to Ben and for Ben to cut the cake.
Then his mother took the electric carving knife and cut the cake up for everyone to have a slice. Ben got the slice with the number eight on it. No one noticed, not even Ben, that the gold fish scale was lying on the icing right in the middle of the number eight.
He opened his mouth wide and popped the whole piece of cake into his mouth chewed and swallowed the cake, the icing and the scale.
"I wish that Kookaburra hadn't eaten that gold fish," said Ben, "I like them."
"I reckon it would be fun being a goldfish."
Just then, every Kookaburra in Thomas Jack Park began laughing. The gold fish in the water feature started splashing and jumping out of the water.
"Hey look at that!"
All of the children ran over to the water feature staring at the gold fish, jumping and turning somersaults in the air.
"Wow!"
As they watched the jumping goldfish, no one noticed that one of them was changing colour. He was growing more and more golden. It was Ben.
Some of the kids from the party said that they think he would have turned into a gold fish and splashed into the water feature with the gold fish if his grandmother hadn't grabbed him and whacked him on his back just in time. As he coughed the gold fish scale flew out of his mouth and landed in the water. The gold fish stopped jumping, the kookaburra's stopped laughing and Ben turned and gave his grandmother a hug.
"Thanks Grandma. I didn't really want to be a goldfish."
Created by Daryll Bellingham and the students from year 3A and 3D,
Our Lady of the Southern Cross College,
Dalby, Queensland - 11th August, 2009.
Our Lady of the Southern Cross College,
Dalby, Queensland - 11th August, 2009.
21 March 2009
Unlucky Day at Splash
It was Friday the 13th and a group of students were going for a swim at Splash in Acacia Ridge.
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They were lining up at the ticket window when Michaela slipped on a slurpy and crashed in Jaydens back.
Michaela slips on a slurpy
(drawn by Tarley at Sunnybank Library)
"Ow! What did you do that for?" said Jayden
"Don't talk to my friend like that. She slipped on a slurpy. It wasn't her fault," replied Tarley.
So the girls walked into the indoor pool followed by Jayden.
"Let's swim outside it's more fun."
So they all went outside and crashed into the lifeguard. He said, "No running!"
"Oh yeh. We've already had one slip on a slurpy. Some one should clean that up."
"OK. We'll see what we can do about that."
"Last one in the pool's a dead duck!" said Michaela.
So the girls put their stuff down on the grass and ran over to the pool.
"Heh. Stop. There's something down there really shiny."
The three girls all dived in together and swam down towards the bottom.
Tarley was just about to grab it when along the bottom of the pool came swimming Jayden.
The race for the ring. (drawn by Michaela at Sunnybank Library)
He grabbed the ring, swam up to the surface and as he broke the surface the ring slipped over his finger and he said, "Ha ha! Finders keepers, loosers weepers!"
And do you know what happened? Those three girls immediately began to cry. They were weeping and wailing. Their tears were streaming down their faces so much they were filling up the pool!
The lifeguard said, "Hey! What's going on here?"
Jayden said, "Oh, I wish you would be quiet."
And straight away, even though their lips were moving, no sound was coming out. They were as quiet as church mice.
"This is cool. This must be magic."
He tried something else.
"I wish they would just run under the sprinklers."
The three girls ran straight over to the sprinklers and stood there as if they were in a shower.
One of them looked really scared. She said, "Help!"
The other one was angry, "Hey! What did you just make us do?"
The third just stood there going, "Spash, splash, splash."
The lifeguard came running and Jayden turned and smashed into the lifeguard. The ring flew through the air and this time Michaela jumped up and caught it, slipped it over her finger and said, "Now we turn you into something. I wish that you would turn into a dolpin."
Immediately Jayden jumped into the pool and went swimming down, splasing up into the air, doing sommersaults. He was having a ball as a dolpin.
Tarley said, "Hey! He's not meant to be having fun. Let's turn him into something gross."
"Like a toad."
"I wish you would turn into a toad."
Needeep, needeep, needeep, needeep.
There he was, a toad, sitting on the edge of the pool with his white L.A. hat on, shaking his head and wondering what had happened.
The lifeguard discovers the toad.
(drawn by Priscella at Sunnybank Library)
Just then, the lifeguard came up with a rubbish bin, popped it over the top of the toad and said, "We can't have toads in the Splash pool. I'm going to throw this toad in the rubbish compactor."
"You can't throw him in the rubbish! He's Jayden."
'Bring him back!"
"I wish that he turns back into Jayden"
And straight away, that's just what he did. The rubbish bin was so heavy, the lifeguard dropped ito on the concrete. Jayden stood up with the rubbish lid on his head, saying, "What am I doing in here?"
"Yeh!"
They helped him out of the bin, cleaned off some of the rubbish and they even gave him some money to by a slurpie at the shop.
And do you know what? From that day on, they were best of friends and they always met up at the Splash centre at Acacia Ridge.
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They were lining up at the ticket window when Michaela slipped on a slurpy and crashed in Jaydens back.
Michaela slips on a slurpy(drawn by Tarley at Sunnybank Library)
"Ow! What did you do that for?" said Jayden
"Don't talk to my friend like that. She slipped on a slurpy. It wasn't her fault," replied Tarley.
So the girls walked into the indoor pool followed by Jayden.
"Let's swim outside it's more fun."
So they all went outside and crashed into the lifeguard. He said, "No running!"
"Oh yeh. We've already had one slip on a slurpy. Some one should clean that up."
"OK. We'll see what we can do about that."
"Last one in the pool's a dead duck!" said Michaela.
So the girls put their stuff down on the grass and ran over to the pool.
"Heh. Stop. There's something down there really shiny."
The three girls all dived in together and swam down towards the bottom.
Tarley was just about to grab it when along the bottom of the pool came swimming Jayden.
The race for the ring. (drawn by Michaela at Sunnybank Library)
He grabbed the ring, swam up to the surface and as he broke the surface the ring slipped over his finger and he said, "Ha ha! Finders keepers, loosers weepers!"
And do you know what happened? Those three girls immediately began to cry. They were weeping and wailing. Their tears were streaming down their faces so much they were filling up the pool!
The lifeguard said, "Hey! What's going on here?"
Jayden said, "Oh, I wish you would be quiet."
And straight away, even though their lips were moving, no sound was coming out. They were as quiet as church mice.
"This is cool. This must be magic."
He tried something else.
"I wish they would just run under the sprinklers."
The three girls ran straight over to the sprinklers and stood there as if they were in a shower.
One of them looked really scared. She said, "Help!"
The other one was angry, "Hey! What did you just make us do?"
The third just stood there going, "Spash, splash, splash."
The lifeguard came running and Jayden turned and smashed into the lifeguard. The ring flew through the air and this time Michaela jumped up and caught it, slipped it over her finger and said, "Now we turn you into something. I wish that you would turn into a dolpin."
Jayden Dophin having fun in the pool
(drawn by Jayden at Sunnybank Library)
Tarley said, "Hey! He's not meant to be having fun. Let's turn him into something gross."
"Like a toad."
"I wish you would turn into a toad."
Needeep, needeep, needeep, needeep.
There he was, a toad, sitting on the edge of the pool with his white L.A. hat on, shaking his head and wondering what had happened.
The lifeguard discovers the toad.
(drawn by Priscella at Sunnybank Library)
Just then, the lifeguard came up with a rubbish bin, popped it over the top of the toad and said, "We can't have toads in the Splash pool. I'm going to throw this toad in the rubbish compactor."
"You can't throw him in the rubbish! He's Jayden."
'Bring him back!"
"I wish that he turns back into Jayden"
And straight away, that's just what he did. The rubbish bin was so heavy, the lifeguard dropped ito on the concrete. Jayden stood up with the rubbish lid on his head, saying, "What am I doing in here?"
"Yeh!"
They helped him out of the bin, cleaned off some of the rubbish and they even gave him some money to by a slurpie at the shop.
And do you know what? From that day on, they were best of friends and they always met up at the Splash centre at Acacia Ridge.
© Daryll Bellingham and the participants of the Qld Book Council Harmony Week Digital Story Publishing workshop at the Brisbane City Council Sunnybank Hills Branch Library, 22nd March, 2009.
Special thanks to Tarlia, Mischaela, Jayden & Priscilla.
Special thanks to Tarlia, Mischaela, Jayden & Priscilla.
14 January 2009
The Day the Painted Fish Came to Life
It's a 43c day here in Rochester and we're talking about our favourite places.
'The Day the Painted Fish Came Alive'
One morning the Rochy Readers had gathered for a meeting at the Rochester Library in Mackay Street. They walked in the front door past Genevieve and said 'Hi.' The Librarian said: "Paul is waiting for you outside."
They were all glad to see Paul because they knew he would help with the little bird they had with them. It was such a hot day that the bird had fainted in the heat. Paul said: "Gently pour your water bottle over it and let it rest on my palette there in the shade."
Picture by Naomi
Then Paul set to work on the painting: it was one of the paintings going to Japan. Aiden said: "Is this painting really going to Japan?" Paul said: "Yes, they're going over to Japan, to our sister city."
Aiden said: "Oh, cool!" And as they sat down they heard the cicadas buzzing and buzzing and then over the top of them came the sound of the fire brigade siren and William said: "They normally practise on a Sunday. Samuel said: "It can't be a practice - it's the real thing!"
Naomi said: "I wonder where it's happening?"
James said: "Something smells like burnt chips!"
Picture by James
They ran down Mackay Street and there was the fire brigade. Just then a ute pulled up and the driver said: "Want a lift?" They all jumped on and arrived just in time to see the firemen blasting a great jet of water through the window of the fish and chip shop.
One of the fire officers said: "Can you help save the pictures?" The heat seemed to bring the window of the shop alive. It was melting and moving and it was just like the fish were swimming along the glass.
Naomi jumped up and said: "Let's run back and get some of Paul's canvases!"
Paul picked up an armful and gave them to them and they ran back to the fish and chip shop. It was really funny, the painted fish almost seemed to know. Through the heat and smoke they seemed to wriggle across the glass towards the canvasses. Then, one by one, they jumped off the window and onto the canvasses.
"Yes! Let's take them down to the Campaspe!"
The Rochy Readers walked back past the skate park near the river each carrying a canvas.
When they reached the river they held the canvases in the water and the fish drifted off and then, with a little flip or two, they swam off.
Naomi said: "Good luck fish! Oh well, we'd better take the canvasses back to Paul."
But you'd never guess what - the outlines of the fish, their tails, their fins, their scales and their lips were still on those canvasses. When Paul saw them he said: "Wow, that's wonderful, we'll send those off to Japan for sure!"
Three months after they sent the canvasses an envelope arrived at the Library. It had lots of Japanese stamps on it. The Librarian and the Rochy Readers opened the envelope and inside was a cheque for 30,000 yen, enough to buy a whole new collection of books for the Library and a good feed of fish and chips!
- James - fish and chip shop
- Helen - the library
- Naomi - her friend's place where they play on the computer
- William - the pool
- Samuel - his backyard where he plays footy
- Aiden - the skatepark
'The Day the Painted Fish Came Alive'
One morning the Rochy Readers had gathered for a meeting at the Rochester Library in Mackay Street. They walked in the front door past Genevieve and said 'Hi.' The Librarian said: "Paul is waiting for you outside."
They were all glad to see Paul because they knew he would help with the little bird they had with them. It was such a hot day that the bird had fainted in the heat. Paul said: "Gently pour your water bottle over it and let it rest on my palette there in the shade."
Picture by NaomiThen Paul set to work on the painting: it was one of the paintings going to Japan. Aiden said: "Is this painting really going to Japan?" Paul said: "Yes, they're going over to Japan, to our sister city."
Aiden said: "Oh, cool!" And as they sat down they heard the cicadas buzzing and buzzing and then over the top of them came the sound of the fire brigade siren and William said: "They normally practise on a Sunday. Samuel said: "It can't be a practice - it's the real thing!"
Naomi said: "I wonder where it's happening?"
James said: "Something smells like burnt chips!"
Picture by JamesThey ran down Mackay Street and there was the fire brigade. Just then a ute pulled up and the driver said: "Want a lift?" They all jumped on and arrived just in time to see the firemen blasting a great jet of water through the window of the fish and chip shop.
One of the fire officers said: "Can you help save the pictures?" The heat seemed to bring the window of the shop alive. It was melting and moving and it was just like the fish were swimming along the glass.
Naomi jumped up and said: "Let's run back and get some of Paul's canvases!"
Paul picked up an armful and gave them to them and they ran back to the fish and chip shop. It was really funny, the painted fish almost seemed to know. Through the heat and smoke they seemed to wriggle across the glass towards the canvasses. Then, one by one, they jumped off the window and onto the canvasses.
"Yes! Let's take them down to the Campaspe!"
The Rochy Readers walked back past the skate park near the river each carrying a canvas.
When they reached the river they held the canvases in the water and the fish drifted off and then, with a little flip or two, they swam off.
Naomi said: "Good luck fish! Oh well, we'd better take the canvasses back to Paul."
But you'd never guess what - the outlines of the fish, their tails, their fins, their scales and their lips were still on those canvasses. When Paul saw them he said: "Wow, that's wonderful, we'll send those off to Japan for sure!"
Three months after they sent the canvasses an envelope arrived at the Library. It had lots of Japanese stamps on it. The Librarian and the Rochy Readers opened the envelope and inside was a cheque for 30,000 yen, enough to buy a whole new collection of books for the Library and a good feed of fish and chips!
(© This story was created by Daryll Bellingham with assistance from the Rochy Readers
as part of the Campaspie Regional Library Service Rochester Branch vacation program on 14th January, 2009.)
as part of the Campaspie Regional Library Service Rochester Branch vacation program on 14th January, 2009.)
Echuca is A-Mazing
One day in Echuca a group of young people were exploring the Oz Maze. The wind was blowing through the gum trees and the kookaburras were laughing wildly.Picture by Austen
As they were lining up to pay for the tickets the attendant said: "All the maze is open but that area over there, you musn't go there. Whatever you do don't pass through it." The young people said: "Oooh."
No sooner were they in the maze when one of the boys said: "I wonder where that place is he's talking about?"
Suddenly he saw an orange construction fence. Beyond the orange construction fence there was something bright and shiny. It was a time portal. Matthew took off, jumping into the time portal. Grace and Gabi were a bit scared and wondered where he'd gone to.
In the ticket office the security guard glimpsed the video and saw what was happening. He leapt up and started running through the maze. "What's going on here?" he shouted.
The young people saw him coming. Janelle called out: "Oh no, he's after us, let's go!"
In an instant the young people were in the portal. They fell and landed on something really hard. "Where are we?" they cried out.
Matthew, the eldest of the group, rubbed his head and said: "It's a paddlesteamer."
And sure enough it was. It was an 1800's paddlesteamer.
Matthew looked at everyone. "Hey! we've slipped back in time. That portal worked!"
As the paddlesteamer came into the port of Echuca they heard a scream. It was the security guard. He'd come through the portal too but he didn't land on the paddlesteamer, he fell with a huge splash right in the middle of the Murray!
The young people said: "Hey, let's go! Let's get away."
Drawing by GabiThey jumped onto a Cobb and Co coach. "He'll never get us now!" But that security guard was quick. He jumped on the back of the coach as they sped through the main street of Echuca.
One of the girls, Chelsea saw a strange door. "Come on everybody!" she yelled out. "Jump!" And they all jumped and followed Chelsea through that strange old door.
Chelsea must have guessed that it was another portal. But she could never have guessed where they'd end up.
"Wow!" said Austen. "This is sick! I love bowling!" And sure enough they were at the bowling alley.
He looked at the other kids and smiled. He was just thinking about a game when he saw that the security guard was in the bowling alley too! "Oh, no!" they all called out. All the young people started to run across the alleys.
Just at that moment a really heavy and very fast ball came down the lane and hit the security guard. The guard was knocked down, disappeared behind the bowling lanes and was swept down the portal.
Luke and Gabi reached for their mobile phones. "Let's ring our Mums!"
When the young people's parents arrived they all had a bit of explaining to do about how come they were at the bowling alley and not at the maze but they sure had a good story to share with their friends when they headed back to school. All their friends said: "That's amazing!" even though they didn't believe them.
© This was created by Daryll Bellingham and young library users at the Echuca Branch Library of the Campaspe Regional Library Service, 14th January, 2009.
The following map includes the locations of the story settings.
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11 January 2009
Kyabram Kangaroo Chaos
Kyabram is a small country town in northern Victoria not far from the Murray River. It’s surrounded by wide flat plains filled with herds of black and white dairy cows to supply the milk factory at Tongala with rich creamy milk.
The town has all the usual things a country town in Australia has - show grounds, park, a swimming pool, tennis courts, primary and secondary schools, lots of houses, some shops and a library.
Now, one morning, not so long ago, an old lady called Mrs Smith was walking slowly along the footpath in Allan Street towards the Municipal Library which is housed in the old Town Hall. She waved with her favourite duck-headed walking stick to the owner of the coffee shop as she walked by and muttered to herself, ‘How he can charge so much for a cup of tea I just don’t know. Just as well he has good cakes.’
As she turned into the Library someone came out, or maybe we should say something, because it was covered in fur, had two ears that stood up on the top of its head, a long tail and a joey hanging out of its pouch. It was of course a kangaroo.
“Goodness gracious,” said the old lady, “a kangaroo in the library. What next?”
The kangaroo hopped over to a seat on the footpath and sat down. It reached into its pouch, pulled out a book, opened it up and held it out in front of its joey to read.
“Oh dear,” said the old lady, “I wonder if the librarian knows that kangaroo has borrowed a book. I’d better go and tell her.”
She walked into the library and up to the counter but instead of finding Allison the librarian standing there, guess what? Standing there, wearing Allison’s dress and top and librarian’s badge, was a kangaroo. It said, “Tttt, ttt, ttt, ttt, ttt?”
The old lady screamed, “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!” and fell to the floor in a faint.
“Oh possum,” said the kangaroo librarian. It reached for the telephone and dialled 000. “Ambulance please. An old lady has fainted in the library.”
It wasn’t long before a siren could be heard coming down Allan Street and an ambulance with its lights still flashing pulled up in front of the library. Out hopped two kangaroos in paramedic uniforms. They opened up the back of the ambulance, pulled out a stretcher and began to push it into the library.
Now all of this was seen by a young girl called Maddie. She had just ridden her bike along the lane from the carpark at the back of the library and pulled up to watch the ambulance. When she saw the kangaroo paramedics push the stretcher into the library she left her bike and crept along the front of the library and peered into one of the front windows. There was the kangaroo librarian telling the kangaroo paramedics to take the old lady to the hospital and, when she woke up, to change her into a kangaroo as well.
“What on earth is happening,” thought Ashley, “they’re going to turn poor old Mrs Smith into a kangaroo. Maybe the kangaroos are taking over Kyabram? No they couldn’t be. Kangaroos are nice animals.”
She snuck back to her bike and rode it as fast as she could back along the path, across the car park and through the back streets towards the hospital. She got there just in time to see the kangaroo paramedics pushing the stretcher with poor, old Mrs Smith on it into the emergency section.
“Hullo Maddie. What are you doing hiding behind that tree?” It was her best friend, Tamara, who was trying out her new rollerblades.
“Tamara, shhhhhhhhh! Come over and look.”
Inside the hospital, the two kangaroo paramedics were standing over Mrs Smith and saying out loud, “Kangardoo, kangardoo, kangardoo!”
Mrs Smith’s ears grew long and furry. Her little pink nose grew large and grey with a black end. Her fingernails turned into black claws and from beneath her dress they could see her legs had turned skinny and furry. Mrs Smith had been turned into a kangaroo right in front of their eyes.
“Nttt, nttt, nttt,” said one of the kangaroo medics, “That will teach her. These humans have been too cruel to us poor kangaroos.”
“Yes,” said the other, “they’re always running us over in cars and trucks and shooting us if we try and eat some farmer’s grass. All they are interested in are those silly cows and whether they get enough milk from them.”
“If we turn all the humans into kangaroos then they won’t be able to run us over or shoot us because they’ll be kangaroos as well.”
“But what if the humans that are left work out the magic word to turn kangaroos back into humans before we get all of them?”
“No way. They think they are so smart but they’ll never think of ‘kangardon’t”
Maddie and Tamara looked at each other and then crept away from the window and over behind a big tree.
“What are we going to do Maddie?”
“I know. Mrs Smith’s son is the police sergeant. Let’s tell him. He’ll know what to do.”
Maddie jumped on her bike and began to pedal furiously while Tamara rollarbladed along the footpath towards the police station as fast as she could. She arrived just as Maddie was leaning her bike against the fence. Tamara started to unclip her rollerblades and pull them off her feet. As she walked through the door of the police station office she could hear Maddie saying, “Sergeant Smith, Sergeant Smith, you’re mother is in hospital. She’s been turned into a kangaroo!”
They both got a shock however when a kangaroo wearing a police cap, blue shirt and trowsers and a police revolver hopped behind the counter and said, “Nttt, nttt, nttt, come with me young children.”
Maddie and Tamara looked at each other and ran. They ran out of the police station with the kangaroo in hot bouncing pursuit.
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Kyabram Memorial Park photo Flickr download courtesy of Dey
Across the road, down the footpath, into the park the kangaroo policeman was getting closer. They both ran towards the slippery slide and ran up to the top. The kangaroo hopped on as well but slipped all the way back down.
“Ha, ha, ha, ha, you’ll never be able to catch us up here!”
“Ntt, ntt. That won’t matter I’ll just turn you into young kangaroos from here.”
“Ahhhhhh. Nooooooo. Don’t do that, please!”
“Ntt. Ntt. Now let me see what was that magic word?”
Maddie and Tamara looked at each other and they said, “How about, Kangardon’t, Kangardon’t, Kangardon’t”
As they watched Sergeant Smith started to reappear. There was little pink nose, broad shoulders and fat tummy. He looked a bit funny standing at the bottom of the slippery slide in bare feet and looking puzzled but they were so pleased to see him. They both slid down the slippery slide and gave him a big hug.
“What happened?” he said.
“Sit down Sergeant Smith. This might be a shock.”
"The kangaroos of Kyabrum are turning all the people into kangaroos because they are sick of being run over by cars and trucks and being shot at for eating grass. We just saw you’re mother beeing turned into a kangaroo in the hospital and we learn’t the magic word to turn kangaroos back into people. It’s ‘Kangardon’t’”
“Good. Well done girls. Now I want you both to go running through town singing out ‘Kangardon’t’ and I’ll go back to the police station and get the police car with the loud hailer. I’ll drive through the streets around the outskirts. Don’t forget if you see any kangaroos at all shout out the magic word.”
Well you can guess what happened can’t you. Soon everyone in Kyabram, Mrs Smith, Alison the librarian, the two paramedics, everyone was back to their normal human selves.
There was one difference however, now the people of Kyabrum do their best to look after kangaroos. They try really hard not to run them over and Kyabrum has a Fauna Sanctuary and Education Centre where all the animals are looked after very well.
Kangaroo at Kyabram Fauna Sanctuaryphoto Flickr download courtesy of Cdr Aitch
Created by Daryll Bellingham
with the assistance of the audience at
the Kyabram Library Vacation Activities Storytelling Show,
Wednesday 7th January, 2004.
© Daryll Bellingham
(Thanks to the Echuca Friends of the Library for helping to make the storytelling sessions possible.)
The original publication can be found on the Plains Talking website at
http://plainstalking.deni.net.au/storiescampaskyab.html
The Tongala Tortoise Trials
Peter was throwing lumps of mud into Coomes’s Channel. He had ridden his red mountain bike down the flat road from the small township of Tongala in northern Victoria to the channel hoping to find some of his friends there.
“Where are you going?” said his mum.
“Off riding on my bike,” said Peter.
“Don’t go near that channel,” said his mum, “and make sure you wear your helmet.”
.jpg)
(Not really Coomes Channel but it would look something like this.) (Flickr download with thanks by - yewenyi)
Peter didn’t say anything as he rode away and his helmet dangled from his handlebars all the way to the channel. When he got there he was alone. None of his friends were there.
“They must be still at Vacation Activities.
The lumps flew through the air and into the irrigation water like army mortar rounds.
Eeeeeeeeeeeehhh! Splash! “That’s one.”
Eeeeeeeeeeeehhh! Splash! “That’s two.”
Eeeeeeeeeeeehhh! Splot! “Hey what did that hit?”
Now there’s not a lot of life in an irrigation channel. You do get some fish and some shrimps and insects like Water Boatmen. You do see cormorants and the big black and white pelicans chasing fish, even the odd snake.
But that wasn’t what Peter hit. What Peter hit was a tortoise and, boy, was that tortoise angry. That tortoise started swimming towards the bank of the channel. It climbed up the bank and waddled over towards Peter’s mountain bike. It opened it’s mouth and, chomp, it bit right through one of the tires.Pssssssssssssss.
“Hey, you stupid tortoise, leave my bike alone!”
Peter picked up a big rock above his head to drop on the tortoise but the tortoise waddled off into the long grass and reeds on the bank of the channel. Peter followed holding up the rock ready to drop it on the tortoise. The tortoise walked into a hollow log and disappeared.
Peter stood there with the rock still above his head looking for the tortoise.
The tortoise wandered out the other end, around behind Peter and bit him on the toe.
“Owwwwwww!”
Peter tripped over the log. The rock went flying through the air and landed on his head. Whack!
He was knocked out. The tortoise waddled off back into the channel. Splash.
Peter’s girlfriend, Corrie, arrived at the other side of Coomes Channel. “Peter, are you here?”
As she walked past the irrigation wheel she saw Peter’s red mountain bike lying beside the channel.
“Come on Peter I know you’re here somewhere.”
Then she saw him lying on the ground by the log and the rock beside his head. She jumped into the channel, swam across and started to give him the ‘kiss of life’.
“Wake up Peter, wake up.”
She could see his chest moving and felt his heart beating.
“Come on Peter, wake up.”
She grabbed Peter’s bike helmet off his handle bars, dipped it in the channel and manage to carry enough water back to splash on Peter’s face.
That did it. Peter woke up and when he saw Corrie’s worried face he said, “What happened?”
Corrie said, “I dunno. Maybe you fell off your bike and hit your head on this rock.”
“Oh yeah, that right. There was a tortoise in the way.”
“Lucky it wasn’t a Red Belly Black Snake. My dad said you have to watch out for snakes and fallling branches from Gum Trees.”
“Oh what would he know?”
“He’d know enough to wear his bicyle helmet.”
And do you know what? From that day on, Peter did too.
View Larger Map
“Where are you going?” said his mum.
“Off riding on my bike,” said Peter.
“Don’t go near that channel,” said his mum, “and make sure you wear your helmet.”
.jpg)
(Not really Coomes Channel but it would look something like this.) (Flickr download with thanks by - yewenyi)Peter didn’t say anything as he rode away and his helmet dangled from his handlebars all the way to the channel. When he got there he was alone. None of his friends were there.
“They must be still at Vacation Activities.
The lumps flew through the air and into the irrigation water like army mortar rounds.
Eeeeeeeeeeeehhh! Splash! “That’s one.”
Eeeeeeeeeeeehhh! Splash! “That’s two.”
Eeeeeeeeeeeehhh! Splot! “Hey what did that hit?”
Now there’s not a lot of life in an irrigation channel. You do get some fish and some shrimps and insects like Water Boatmen. You do see cormorants and the big black and white pelicans chasing fish, even the odd snake.
But that wasn’t what Peter hit. What Peter hit was a tortoise and, boy, was that tortoise angry. That tortoise started swimming towards the bank of the channel. It climbed up the bank and waddled over towards Peter’s mountain bike. It opened it’s mouth and, chomp, it bit right through one of the tires.Pssssssssssssss.
“Hey, you stupid tortoise, leave my bike alone!”
Peter picked up a big rock above his head to drop on the tortoise but the tortoise waddled off into the long grass and reeds on the bank of the channel. Peter followed holding up the rock ready to drop it on the tortoise. The tortoise walked into a hollow log and disappeared.
Peter stood there with the rock still above his head looking for the tortoise.
.jpg)
The tortoise wandered out the other end, around behind Peter and bit him on the toe.
“Owwwwwww!”
Peter tripped over the log. The rock went flying through the air and landed on his head. Whack!
He was knocked out. The tortoise waddled off back into the channel. Splash.
Peter’s girlfriend, Corrie, arrived at the other side of Coomes Channel. “Peter, are you here?”
As she walked past the irrigation wheel she saw Peter’s red mountain bike lying beside the channel.
“Come on Peter I know you’re here somewhere.”
Then she saw him lying on the ground by the log and the rock beside his head. She jumped into the channel, swam across and started to give him the ‘kiss of life’.
“Wake up Peter, wake up.”
She could see his chest moving and felt his heart beating.
“Come on Peter, wake up.”
She grabbed Peter’s bike helmet off his handle bars, dipped it in the channel and manage to carry enough water back to splash on Peter’s face.
That did it. Peter woke up and when he saw Corrie’s worried face he said, “What happened?”
Corrie said, “I dunno. Maybe you fell off your bike and hit your head on this rock.”
“Oh yeah, that right. There was a tortoise in the way.”
“Lucky it wasn’t a Red Belly Black Snake. My dad said you have to watch out for snakes and fallling branches from Gum Trees.”
“Oh what would he know?”
“He’d know enough to wear his bicyle helmet.”
And do you know what? From that day on, Peter did too.
Created by Daryll Bellingham
with the assistance of the audience at
the Tongala Library Vacation Activities Storytelling Show,
Wednesday 7th January, 2004.
© Daryll Bellingham
Original story was published here : http://plainstalking.deni.net.au/storiescampTongala.html
Podcast recording of this story can be found in the menu bar or here.
I'd like to put a map with Coomes's Channel marked for you but unfortunately I can't because I don't know where it is so, if any reader can pinpoint Coomes's Channel on a Google Map for me, can you please send me an email with the map. Here's some possibilities.
with the assistance of the audience at
the Tongala Library Vacation Activities Storytelling Show,
Wednesday 7th January, 2004.
© Daryll Bellingham
Original story was published here : http://plainstalking.deni.net.au/storiescampTongala.html
Podcast recording of this story can be found in the menu bar or here.
I'd like to put a map with Coomes's Channel marked for you but unfortunately I can't because I don't know where it is so, if any reader can pinpoint Coomes's Channel on a Google Map for me, can you please send me an email with the map. Here's some possibilities.
View Larger Map
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