Why

The art of storytelling has always been popular, particularly with children, country people, those in the outback and for thousands of years oral tradition has been an essential feature of Indigenous cultures. Since my parents were raised in the country we seemed to be always surrounded by storytellers. As kids we listened to stories from grandparents, relatives, visitors and particularly my father’s stories before we went to sleep at night.

At school we longed for a story to break the daily routines, but seldom heard one except for those contained in the Bible which had a treasure-trove of gems. We listened to the tales of creation, Noah’s Ark, the Tower of Babel, Moses, David and Goliath, Jonah and the Whale and a host of others which always set our imaginations alight. Those of us who wanted more, turned to books, but in the 1950’s and 1960’s these were far less appealing than the ‘Harry Potters’ books of today. Our teachers' reluctance to tell stories possibly resulted from a notion that familiarity with students was frowned upon in pedagogy of that era. Yet, when we did hear a story in the classroom it was sure to be remembered.

There is no better way to capture a congregation's attention at Church than to tell a story.  A young long haired, hippy-like priest, Fr. Corbett, from our Parish in Ringwood developed it into a real art form during the 1970's when the winds of change were blowing through the Vatican. He had the ability to relate fables which explained the Gospel stories, engaging the young children in wrapt attention and the punch-line was delivered at the end for the 'grown ups' to take to heart.

When I started my long association with Aboriginal students in the Kimberley I realised quite quickly that they had a wonderful tradition of Dreaming stories. They are an oral people who possess a unique ability to paint a scene with words and to capture the atmosphere by inflections in their voice, together with a series of sound effects that keep their listeners riveted. Above all, Aboriginal people love to laugh and so humour plays a prominent part in their stories. I also came to understand that my own teaching could be greatly enhanced by storytelling.

Going to the USA in 2003-04 was a boon.  My friends told me that taking the opportunity to teach in a Native American school would be rejuvenating and would be the journey of a lifetime. They were right! By day we experienced life in the High School, and afterwards we returned to the comforting sounds of nature at our tiny farm house on the prairie.  Our nearest neighbours were very distant and the whole experience was wonderful.

Above all it gave us time to ponder and to escape the endless treadmill of activity we were used too. It was an opportunity to develop some creative aspects that were reaching out for expression. At school in the 1960’s most of us disliked writing essays, or compositions as they were called, which were often a tedious test of stamina.  We also had an aversion to grammar and the endless divisions of sentences in adjectival and adverbial clauses and phrases. It really hindered any desire in me to write, and so my classroom 'English' experiences were generally not associated with enjoyment. It was only in later life that I discovered that writing could be both satisfying and therapeutic.

So when the opportunity presented itself to travel to the USA, it was an ideal time to do something else different and to delve into some creative pursuits. There were plenty of days when we were confined to our house because of the severe weather conditions outside, presenting a perfect opportunity to make a start on writing about some experiences that had been floating around in my head for years. This was something I had wanted to do in retirement but I thought, why wait?

As each new day came to life with the sun shining through the window and the snow falling like confetti outside, I penning these stories which gave me tremendous pleasure and satisfaction.

Now that I've finished I hope they provide some interest and entertainment for you.