An Attenborough Moment

(A true story I told to Carole Whitelock's listeners
on ABC Radio 891, 23/06/09)


In the early 1970’s, while teaching at Elizabeth Vale Primary School,
I organized for my Year 6-7’s a week-long camping trip to the Flinders Ranges. In those days, the Flinders were very much less trafficked
than they are now, and we were able to camp all alone in a beautiful spot
in a deep gorge. It was a fine full-moon night, and after a splendid meal provided by our multi-talented bus driver and my helper-cum-chaperone, Caroline - (who I see still sends weather photos to the ABC) - I suggested
a moonlight hike up the creek in the deep steep valley. About a half of the 40-odd kids came with me, the rest were happy to go to bed early. Everybody felt good.

I had already taught the youngsters to walk quietly, listening to the sounds of the bush, and they were all surprised at just how little noise they could make when they tried (and so was I!) When we were a few hundred yards from camp, I sat the group down in a circle in the meditative pose we had used many times at school, cross-legged with eyes closed. There was not
a sound, the kids had never experienced such profound silence in all their lives, and no-one broke the spell with so much as a giggle or a murmur.

We had only been there for a few minutes when there came a scrabbling rattling noise only twenty-or-so yards away on the other side of the creek-bed. We opened our eyes, and to our delight, there was a pair of Yellow-Footed Rock Wallabies, quite unselfconsciously making their way in our direction, crossing with some difficulty a steep scree slope covered with loose shale. No-one made a sound, we sat spellbound, not even daring to breathe, as the lovely creatures came closer and closer still, until at last they saw us, and stopped stock-still, less than ten yards away.

They stared at us in puzzlement, hopped a few steps, stopping again and again to stare at us, obviously in increasing amazement – they plainly could hardly believe their eyes and ears that humans could be so quiet and so still. Eventually they made off unhurriedly in the direction they had been intending to take, with not a single child betraying the stillness and silence. It was not until the wallabies had gone that the kids dared to breathe again, their eyes wide and shining, staring at each other with shared delight and a new pride in each other and in themselves, that no-one had spoiled the magic of the moment.

On the way home the kids vociferously voted the trip the best time of their lives, no risk.
The Wallaby incident was certainly the best moment of my teaching career.

There may be some of those kids – now aged nearly 50 - among your listeners.
I’d love to hear any of them ring in with memories about that trip.
Bruce


My website http://www.ozzigami.com.au/ Email brucebilney@ozzigami.com.au 0409 060 419