THE "GOOD ENDEAVOUR" LEAGUE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 53, 14 July 1947, Page 6

THE "GOOD ENDEAVOUR" LEAGUE

What ho, what ho, ma hearties! Well what weather we had last week. My I .thought Whakatane would be washed right out to Whale Island. Such a downpour. I’ll bet there are a few colds about now what with wet feet etc. The pets were kept in the cave of course and I expect -I will have another mess to clean up when I get the chance. The poor old seagulls had a trying time,in all the wind too. They were blown about all over the place. You will see the competition results in the column. Congratulations to Kevin Fitzgerald. I will send your ticket out soon lad. Cheerio till next week, P.T.W. Competition Here are the results of the poetry. It was won by Kevin Fitzgerald with his poem “The Derelict.” Good work lad. Several other good entries were received and they are published here: The Derelict The ship sailed from the harbour, One dull day at noon; And as the headlands she did round, There came a far flung boom. Twas that of thunder in the -teeth, Of an approaching storm; And all the crew upon that ship, Saw thunder-clouds to form. Then with a sudden crash, With its full force, it struck; The floundering ship was in its path, And now it ran amok. And as the tempest driven; The ship then struck a rock; On the reef lies rent and riven, The rustic ship’s last shock. The rust has claimed its old iron-

ware, The mould, its wooden hulk; She now lies spent upon the beach, The gulls around her sulk. • The old ship’s hull is holed and breached, The old frame is so queer; It sleeps in peace, its last long sleep Well is the derelict now mouldering here. (Kevin Fitzgerald.) Another very good one came from Margaret Mahy who is quite well known in our cornier. I’m looking forward to receiving that next poem from you lass. The Castle Behold, I built a castle in the air, With spires and towers and turrets raised on high A celestial castle, it was passing fair, And raised its beauty up towards the sky. And from its windows, silver-paned and clear, My happy hopes and dreams waved

out to me My secret hopes and dreams to me so dear, In the castle none but I could see. I laughed and gaily moved to join them there When, as if from distant fairy call, My hopes and dreams, they turned and changed to air, And bit by bit I saw my castle fall. How many folks in such a mood as I, .Have built a merry castle in the air, And moved to climb its stair cases to the sky, And wakened up to find it is not there. . (Margaret Mahy). Aileen Fitzgerald sent a very good one in about her smart horse. I’m keeping your idea for a competition in mind lass but I will have to see if I can get the picture in the Beacon first. My Smart Horse I have a black horse/ And I call him Nigger, When he stands beside cow, He isn’t very much bigger. I ride him to school, Each day when its fine; He’s that blooming slow, I’m never in time. He is a four year old, And-he doesn't like work, He is a lazy fellow, And he sure likes to shirk. (Aileen Fitzgerald). ANIMAL PARADE THE KANGAROO When young kangaroos are born ‘they are only 2 inches long. That is why they have to be carried about in ; mother kangaroo’s fur-lined ‘pouch,’

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for at first they are completely helpless. As they grow bigger, they take short trips from the pouch and gradually learn to hop about, to eat grass and small plants. There are about fifty varieties of kangaroos, some of them smaller than rabbits, and others the height of a man! They are champion jumpers of the world, owing to the colossal strength and size of their hind legs and strength of their tails. Each hind foot is armed with long sharp claws with which they can slash and kill any one who attacks them. Kangaroos, however, fight only in self-defence. The kangaroo is found only in Australia. ICE IN CROW’S NEST The North Atlantic weather is bitter and unrelenting. Men of the Royal Canadian Navy’s ships know that every trip means action against storm, wind, ice and 40-foot waves. In terms of daily life, this means hardship and perhaps suffering; it means cold meals and soaking, cold clothes; it means moving inch by inch on deck along the course of lifelines, where howling gales drive the breath back into a man’s throat; it means sleepless nights and grave responsibilities. An anonymous seaman describes life on board in a bitter cold gale off Iceland: “Cooking was impossible. We had only beef sandwiches, and we washed them down with cold water.

“The decks were leaking and everyone was wet. It was freezing above, and below everyone was trying to find a dry corner to steam out his wet clothes.

“After 36 hours of icing we were in dangerous shape. We had ice right up to the crow’s nest. Our ship began to list. After one roll she didn’t come back for so long some of us were saying prayers to ourselves.” OUR STORY THE PRETTIEST DOLL “May I go and show Alice my new doll, Mother?” Shirley asked. “Yes, you may,” her Mother said, “but be careful while crosing the street.” . Shirley was very careful and looked up and down the street before crosing it. She rang the doorbell and Alice opened the door. Her eyes widened in surprise when ishe saw the new doll. “Isn’t she pretty?” Shirley asked. “Yes, she is,” Alice agreed. “I have never seen a prettier doll. Come on in. Jane, Donna, Eva and Lila are here. We are playing house.”

Shirley noticed that the girls all looked at her lovely doll and then at their old ones. She was proud because she was the only girl with a new doll. The other girls asked her to play house with them, and they pretended to have tea at Lila’s house. They placed their dolls in a row, but Shirley did not like it when the other girls put their dolls close to hers. She was'afraid they would soil the pretty dress. Then, by accident, Lila bumped against Shirley’s chair and almost knocked her 1 new doll on the floor. “Oh, be careful what you’re doing,” Shirley said. “You almost knocked my doll off the chair.” Lila said she was sorry, but after that Shirley noticed that the other girls did not come near her. They acted as though she weren’t even there. At last Shirley slipped quietly out the door and went home. “Did you have a nice time?” her mother asked. Then she noticed that Shirley was crying. “What is the matter.”

“Alice and the other girls would not play with me,” she sobbed. “Why did Alice act like that?” Mother wondered.

“I know why,” Shirley said. “It was because I didn’t want them to touch my doll. But why should I?” “You earned your punishment,” Mother said, shaking her head. “You were too proud of your doll.' Remember, it is more important to have friends than to have the prettiest doll.”

Shirley stopped crying and wiped her eyes. “I am silly,” she said. “I would lots rather have Alice and the other girls like me, than to be so proud of my doll that they won’t play .with me. Do you think it will help if I go back and tell them I’m sorry?” “I’m sure it will,” Mother said. :