Master Billy Joe by Toni Newell

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As brown as a block of milk chocolate,
Eyes yellow as egg yolks,
A coat of curls feels soft to the touch,
My Billy Joe who I love so much.
A tail that wags with great delight,
A dog so bright
That he can almost read my mind,
Knows when it’s walking time,
Without a word, just a glance
And off we go
With love so simple, so pure,
Filled with trust,
My best friend, my confidant,
He doesn’t judge or criticize,
He is always there by my side.
What words can totally express
The relationship between man and dog?

Image supplied by Toni Newell

Our Coat of Arms by James Aitchison

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The kangaroo and emu 
are Aussie through and through.
No other country has them,
and the whole world knows that’s true.

Is that why they’re our symbols,
because they’re ours alone?
No — kangaroos and emus can’t
move backwards, it’s well known!

That’s why they’re on our coat of arms,
the fact can’t be ignored:
they symbolise a nation 
that’s always moving forward.

Read more about the Australian Coat of Arms here:
https://kids.kiddle.co/Coat_of_arms_of_Australia

Image from Pixabay

Bobby the Bilby by Linda Davidson

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Bobby the Bilby is cute as can be.
He’s very shy and hides from me.
With long ears and a pointy nose
He builds his burrow with clawed toes.

I want to pat his soft grey fur.
Down a burrow he dashes in a blur.
Should I wait in the pale moonlight,
or come back again tomorrow night?

National Bilby Day is the 13th September 2026

Image from Save the Bilby fund

https://savethebilbyfund.org.au/

Chopsticks!! by Marcus Ten Low

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Chopsticks
was a song that my jokesy old dad
played just before dinner arrived.
Dad boasted that his song was rad…
We thought he was dinner-deprived!
We always had winding spaghetti like snakes,
in meals that took longer than the game of AFL,
‘cause baby would kick the meatballs in her shakes,
as we held up our chopsticks like goalposts as well,
and if the ball made it between two of such posts,
we would scream loud and proud! and all of the sauce
would hit our Dad splat on the face! and like ghosts,
we’d all cower under the table, of course, of course!

Image from Pexels

On dinosaur beach by James Aitchison

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Here the cliffs are sinking slow,

Slipping, sliding, down they go.

Fraught with danger, who will save

These ancient cliffs from the waves?

Fossils here are found in scores

On these old Jurassic shores;

Here were creatures long since lost,

When dinosaurs this land had crossed.

A crumbling cliff at Sidmouth on the Jurassic Coast. Photo by Ginette Pestana

Teacher’s note: The English resort town of Sidmouth lies at the mouth of the River Sid in Devon, on the English Channel.  Its origins date from the Iron Age, possibly earlier.  It is famous as a gateway to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. The giant red cliff of Salcombe Hill is a well-known though crumbling landmark.  J.R.R. Tolkien wrote early parts of Lord of the Rings while holidaying in Sidmouth with his family.  

Big Bird Emu by Celia Berrell

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Big Bird Emu
cannot fly.
Got long legs
and big brown eyes;
slender neck
and smiley beak;
stringy feathers,
mega feet.

Big Bird Emu
sits on nest.
Eight whole weeks,
no food no rest;
nearly faint
from heat and thirst;
wants those chicks
to hatch out first.

Shading babies,
outstretched wings,
eating grass
and insect things.
Eighteen months
‘til they’re full-grown,
big enough,
safe on their own.

Big Bird Emu
dedicated.
Caring love
for little babies.
Get too close
might make him mad,
‘cos he’s their
Big Bird Emu DAD!

Today is Father’s Day

Image from Pixabay

Kids & Pets Playtime  by Celia Berrell

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Sometimes the simplest
things are the best.
The magic of play
among kids and their pets

comes from the time
they spend with each other,
rather than whether
a toy lasts forever.

As children grow up,
they go through phases.
Peek-a-boo games
don’t last for ages.

But sticks and balls
always win the day
whenever it’s
doggy-time for play!

Artwork: FRIENDS by Karen Erasmus