Fraser Coast Regional Libraries held their first Poetry Writing contest for NAIDOC Week this year and our very own Celia Berrell was awarded a Highly Commended for her poem Ancient Secrets in the Sky. Congratulations Celia!
You can read Celia’s beautiful words by following this link. You can find out more about the story behind the poem on Celia’s website.
Australia’s first people
shared knowledge that’s verbal
through story and song
both secret and long.
They studied the skies
and became very wise
in using the stars
to travel afar.
Star maps, like diaries
can jog song-line memories,
showing the best ways
we now use as highways.
When driving one day
on the Great Western Highway,
know ancient astronomy’s
part of its history.
With all of the amazing things you can see in the sea, I’ve been incredibly lucky to have watched the many whales entertaining us all with flips, flops and spectacular breaches, as they slowly make their way along the coast in the past few weeks. So I thought I would ask you – what do you see in the sea? It is also NAIDOC week, so please send in any poetry relating to this special time celebrating the culture, history and achievements of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Send your poems to ozchildrenspoetry@gmail.com and attach it as a word doc or write it in the body of your email.
Here is my acrostic contribution.
WHALE – BERABAKAAN (Awabakal language)
W Wild and wonderful, majestic and gentle creatures.
H Humpbacks languidly and unhurried, make their way north.
A Agile and acrobatic, they flip flukes and splash pectorals,
L Leaping towards the sky as if to say, ‘Here I am!’
E Echoing their songs beneath the waves.
Australian Children’s Poetry 