Whirling away the layers

One of the best parts of a PhD is the side tracks along the journey. I would probably finish faster but not enjoy the stroll,
or learn, as much.
H.C.E. Morant is one such divergence. Whirlaway was shown to me on Saturday, when I met with interested relatives, passed on after originally being given to Helen by her mother Olga Ernst. An Australian girl (aptly named Helen) and her koala bear companion travel back in time to learn about Paleontology. Teaching + fantasy + timetravel. Enough to delight any child!

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/11067828

Sadly, most of its print run was destroyed during the "blitz"in the London warehouse where it was stored. This prevented it becoming the success story it was expected to be. Hutchinson declined to reprint it and the intended sequel an exploration of the planets for children which had been written already by Morant was never published. With her keen interest in astronomy the next book would have appealed to Ernst. How easily a writer can be discouraged as it seems that there are a few fans out there on the internet willing to speak up about its appeal to children. I quote Jim, who offers a 'wee story' on a forum, 'This is about a book (Whirlaway) I picked up in the Aberdeen Public Library, back around 1949 I think....With each doorway they go through, they get higher and closer to the present time. It was so long ago when I read it that I can't remember how it ended up. But it was a great book and I credit it for getting me interested in dinosaurs and that part of science. Just as much as today's kids got interested in that kinda stuff when the movie Jurassic Park came out. What I liked about this book was, it was like a school science book that was disguised as kid's adventure story. Hermit's blog has a free pdf. of the book available to download or it can be bought in epub format for $4.00.

Morant was also a photographer for the Kennel Countrol Council.

Comments

My Thesis - what's it about?

I am always thrilled to be contacted by those who by chance find my blog. I have been blogging for three years and am hoping to complete my first draft by the end of the year. I thought it timely to re-publish what has already been published. The following is from my presentation at the University of Kassel, Germany. In 1904 Olga Ernst, a pupil teacher, wrote Fairy Tales from the Land of the Wattle. Although she was just sixteen years old, Ernst was one of a small group of writers in Australia who attempted to nationalise the fairytale towards the end of the nineteenth century, signalling quite clearly that they intended to affix the elves and fairies of Europe onto the Australian landscape aiming to fill a void that was keenly felt by the children of emigrants and the Australian-born children of emigrants. (Walker, 1988) The beginnings of the Australian bush fantasy genre can be linked with the desire to bring the comfortable and familiar into the new and distinctly non

Judged by the audience.

I started this blog as a way to reflect on intriguing aspects of my research. I wonder about who is reading this blog? It is nice to get emails and the occasional comment. I ponder about the regular visitor from Slovenia and am delighted that I was discovered by Heyne family members quite by accident. The most visited posts are: A PhD! What's in it for me? Sept 12,2010 Teaching in the blood Oct 19, 2010 Rosalie's Reward Oct 16, 2010 Tassie Tales Aug 15, 2010 Toxic Friendships Jun 19, 2010 Producing a poster - AARE Conference Oct 24, 2010 So... how popular are the Grimms? March 6 2011

A new audience for 'old' Australian fairy tales?

The Internet offers collaborative possibilities as well as the ease of sharing. This blog, maintained as a writing tool for five years, has shared research that may not appear in my thesis. It also explored the personal narrative of a PhD journey as well as my relationship with Ernst’s work. Interested relatives and other acquaintances interstate and overseas discovered my blog through search engines. They have added to the research data available in State and Lutheran archival records and made personal papers and photographs available. Patterson and Lindberg (1991) claim that, ‘the private papers of authors and artists are important to the cause of learning’ (218) on two levels: one to allow insight and understanding about, the creative process of the author and at another as the ‘cultural heritage’ of how an author’s work has shaped or reflected for the reader, their environment. Relatives who have contacted me through my blog have offered further insight through their anecdotes, p

Early Australian fairy tales

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