BUNBURY children were invited to test out their writing abilities for the chance to win a family pass to an exciting live performance coming to the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre next week.
Perth’s Barking Gecko Theatre Company will bring the internationally acclaimed The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk to our city on Tuesday, September 8.
Tickets for The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk are available now at bunburyentertainment.com, by calling 1300 661 272 or in person at the box office.
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The bullied becomes the bully
I look out the window rain pattering down on the car as my father sputters abuse.
I see a child, quite a few years younger than me jumping in the puddles with his dad and I feel an isolated tear run down my face as I’m told ‘how weak I was’ and how ‘real men didn’t cry’ and felt this wasn’t the way things were meant to be.
As soon as the car hoalts at the school gates I throw my bag over my shoulder and quickly wipe away my tear and try to put on my bravest face while making sure my lip doesn’t quiver in fear.
Real men don’t cry, I tried to remind myself.
Those four words echoed through my mind as if they meant both nothing and everything.
As I get out of the car I see the same little boy as his father kissed him goodbye.
I don’t know what came over me but I felt myself going to him and attacking him.
I know he is weaker than me so he’s on the ground with one push, tears in his eyes as the school bell clangs I leave him there alone only looking back to say “real men don’t cry.”
Only then did I realise how wrong I was.
Iris Warren, Bunbury Primary School.
Iris is the winner of our competition and has scored herself a family pass to the internationally acclaimed The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk.
A friend in need
“Hey!” shouted a familiar voice.
I turned and saw Blake walking up to me through the trees. At his side was Bryn, his best friend.
“Hey, you two,” I said, trying to keep the worry out of my voice.
Blake and Bryn have been bullying me for a month now, appearing out of nowhere and pushing me around.
“You shouldn’t be here, cuz.”
“It’s a public park. Anyone can come here.”
Bryn gave me a smile which meant trouble, and without a second’s hesitation, pushed me into a nearby tree.
My head hit the tree first causing a trickle of blood to run down my cheek.
“I told you to leave, Leah, but you didn’t listen,” I heard Bryn say.
I turn my head to face them and see James sneaking up behind them with a stick in hand.
He raised his hand and wacked Blake in the leg with the stick. Blake let out a yelp of pain as he collapsed to the grass holding his leg.
Bryn turned and ran away. James walked over to me and put a tissue on my head.
“Thanks James.”
He helped me up and we left the park together.
Isabella Green, Newton Moore Senior High School.
The story of the Bully Fairy
There was once a kingdom of fairies. All of them were good except one, Bullyinda.
Bullyinda’s favourite pastime was to wave her magic wand of meanness everywhere, making everyone it touched turn into a bully, even the extraordinarily nice people.
One average day, at an average school, a tree magically sprouted up from the ground right near Elizabeth – the nicest kid in school. “Help! Help!” A muffled voice cried from inside the trunk.
Elizabeth opened what appeared to be the door of the tree. Inside was Bullyinda, but in the blink of an eye the fairy disappeared.
Startled, Elizabeth caught a glimpse of Bullyinda standing behind her just as she was zapped by the wand of meanness and instantly turned into a bully.
Elizabeth’s first victims were Chelsea and Samantha. “Chelsea you’re a nerd, and Samantha you’re a freak who dresses like a boy!” she taunted.
Chelsea knew the only way to overcome bullying was to stand up for yourself and your friends.
“Elizabeth, you’re being a bully. If you don’t stop you’ll lose your friends!” with these words Bullyinda’s magic was broken, and in defeat the fairy retreated to her tree and was never seen at the school again.
Jasmine Wilson, Australind Primary School.
When it's too late to apologise
There was a Year 7 girl who was getting bullied.
She had moved from New Zealand and her name was Melizabeth. She had epilepsy. Phoebe knows Melizabeth has epilepsy.
One day Melizabeth had a fit and the ambulance had to come to the school. Phoebe was sitting there and laughing.
Melizabeth had to stay at home for two days after the fit. Melizabeth was not at school so Phoebe started to tell all of Melizabeth’s friends that she died.
Melizabeth came to school the next day. Phoebe said to Melizabeth, “You don’t belong here. You belong in a hospital and you need to die because your mother, father and your sister hate you.”
The next few days Melizabeth did not come to school and the principal was getting worried. Melizabeth’s mum and dad came to the school and said very sadly that Melizabeth had slipped and hit her head on the table. She had a really bad fit. Then she died.
On the funeral day the mother and the father invited four of Melizabeth’s favourite teachers to the funeral.
Phoebe felt really sad for what she said, but it was too late.
Kira-Lee Dhu, Newton Moore Senior High School.
He does it to everyone
“Amber is horrible at everything.”
“Yeah she also… ”
That’s what Amber hears every day. She hears it but never does anything about it. She hates it and knows how it started. He does it to everyone that is new to the school. She wants to do something but she can’t because he’s older and bigger than her. She wishes it would stop.
Finally Amber had enough.
“Tom, why are you doing this to me?” “You’ve been doing it to me for weeks and it needs to stop!”
Tom looked shocked. No one has ever said that to him.
“How would you like it if this was happening to you?” “Everyone bel-ieves what you say,” said Amber.
“Well.. I never actually thought. I just always wanted to make the new people look bad.”
“Well you’ve done a good job of that but it needs to stop”
Tom took a step back.
“Everyone else just moves away and its better because then no one can beat me at….”
Before Tom could finish, Amber cut him off, “sport.”
“Yeah well.”
“Yeah well, you’re a bully. And it’s all because I’m good at sport? Just stop.”
Kyeesha, Newton Moore Senior High School.
My Choice
I feel so very alone,
All of the cyber bullying on the phone,
It is mortifying to tell,
They treat me like an object they can sell,
I`m supposed to enjoy my schooling life,
Instead I am full of fear and strife,
Sweating all over at night,
I then finally see a light,
I am not alone,
I finally feel at home,
I will talk about it and stand up for myself,
I will not be treated like something else,
I am now thinking positive,
I have discovered a new way to live.
Stephanie Delaporte.