WATTLE AND BANKSIAS LIGHT UP THE WINTER GARDEN

Wattle and Banksias Light up the Winter Garden

Written by Suzette Saint-Claire

There was once a beautiful garden, full of trees, flowers, sand, and a bush castle and many other special places. In the day time young children came to play games in the yard. They had many adventures climbing, hiding, digging great holes and finding all sorts of treasures.

Many other creatures lived in this beautiful garden too. There were the tiny creatures, the caterpillars, grasshoppers and snails, and some larger creatures too: the possums, birds and of course the fairies and elves who lived and worked and played in the garden.

Often when the children were in the garden all the other creatures would hide away. Some children who knew how to quietly creep through the garden could sometimes catch a glimpse of a grasshopper or a snail or even a possum or bird, and sometimes on very special days if they looked very closely they could see the fairies and elves.

But most of all these creatures loved to come out and play at the end of the day when the children had left to go home.

Now it happened that in the winter days Father Sun did not stay in the sky for very long at all and soon after all the children had left to go home the creatures did not have very long to run and play about before it was night time. So they huddled in their nests and burrows and homes in the trunks of the trees, missing their friends.

The fairies in the garden could see how sad the creatures were. One night when all the creatures were sleeping the fairies came out to dance and play in the soft light of the morning. They knew how sad the little creatures were without the bright light of the sun to light their garden. So the planned a special surprise. With their magic wands they lit all the wattle trees up with golden lights that the sunbeam dancers had given them, and they lit golden banksia lanterns to shine in the winter garden.

The next day when all the children came to play in the garden their faces beamed with joy to see the golden lights shining on the wattle and banksia tree. Some children took a branch of wattle home to show their mummies and daddies the gifts left behind from the fairies.

Later that day when all the children had gone home the garden creatures came out to play and now and then they could stay in the garden longer than before, for as the light of the sun dimmed in the afternoon winter sky, the lights of the wattle and banksia trees shone the way for all the creatures to see and play.

WATTLE SUNSPARKS ON THE BANKS OF COOLBUNBIM CREEK

The Wattle Sunsparks on the Banks of Coolbunbim Creek

Suzette Saint-Claire, June 2001

Winter Story

There once was a beautiful bushland garden. Many creatures lived here by the banks of Coolbunbim Creek. All through the long hot summer days, the bushland creatures would play and play.

(song)

In the summer garden wild flowers grow

Sunbeam dancers come to pay with

Bushland creatures to and fro.

In the summer garden sunbeam dancers play

From tree to tree they dance and sing with

Bushland creatures everyday.

One game that all the bushland creatures loved to play with the sunbeam dancers was hide and seek. Possum would hide inside his favourite log where he was sure the sunfairies would not find him. And then ...

(song)

Possum creep out, Sun fairies shout!

We see you, we see you, come out! Some out!

We see you, we see you, come out!

Platypus also liked to lay this game. He would dive down deep beneath the sparkling waters of Coolbunbim creek where sunfairies could not find him.

(song)

Platypus swims in the creek

Down he dives into the deep

Oh so gentle and so meek

Swimming in Coolbunbim Creek.

Early one winter morning, Wallaby woke up and wanted to play the hide and seek game with the sunbeam dancers. He found a good hiding spot behind a log

(song)

Wallaby hides behind the log, early morning misty fog

Sunfairies where have you gone today,

Come out and find me, let us play!

But on that winter morning the sunfairies didn’t come looking for their bushland friend. In fact they came much later than usual, and only stayed to play for a little while.

All the creatures gathered together by the banks of Coolbunbim Creek. Wallaby, Possum, Platypus.

Kookaburra sat in the highest branch of the wattle tree and heard what they did say

“Where are those bright little sundancers hiding? Has Father Sun sent them away. The days grow cool and shorter. Not so many come to our bushland to play.”

That night, all the bushland creatures snuggled back into their cosy homes. As they slept they dreamt of golden summer days.

Kookaburra wondered what he could do to help. As the last rays of twilight crept away from the evening sky Kookaburra called out to Father Sun to ask for help.

As Kookaburra slept that night he had a dream. In his dream he saw a beautiful Palace where King Winter lived. In the palace, he saw that many of the sunfairies had gone there to rest for aw hile.

The sunfairies spoke to him in his dream:

“One day we will return, to bring back Summer warmth and shine.

For now, we will rest a little while in King Winter’s Palace so fine.

When you wake in the morning, a gift you will see

from Father Sun – on the wattle tree.

A gift of golden light, to brighten winter days.

Reminding you that summer time will soon be on its way.:

When Kookaburra woke up the next morning, a wonderful surprise greeted him. Thousands of golden wattle sun sparks were sprinkled all over the bushland trees. His heart was filled with joy at this beautiful sight. So much so that he laughed out loud – waking up all the other bushland creatures.

The bushland creatures gathered, wallaby, possum, and platypus too. As they watched the little wattle suns brightly glowing on the trees, all was still and quiet.

Then softly, softly through the trees, there came along a gentle breeze.

With sunbeam dancers on the wind they offered up a song to sing.

“As Winter Days grow short and dark

We’ll leave you with a little spark –

To brighten up your winter days

You’ll see that summer is not too far away!”

Notes about this Story

Coolbunbim Creek is the name of the creek that crosses Silkwood School, Mt Nathan, Gold Coast

For props have a row of sunfairies hanging from  a dowel – bright yellow ones for the start of the story, and pale yellow ones for when the light is dwindling.