Lesson 5: Far From Home: Koala A shell-shocked koala enters a dream state in which he rediscovers how he came to be the mascot of his Australian regiment. Background Context The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps By 1915, the war on the Western Front reached a stalemate with neither side making progress. Britain and the Allied Forces believed capturing Constantinople (the capital of the Ottoman Empire, today modern day Istanbul) was one way to weaken the Central Powers.1 To do this they had to capture the Dardanelles, a narrow 60-mile-long (96 kilometres) strip of water that divides Europe from Asia. Gallipoli is the peninsula which became the focus of this bloody campaign. Keen to support the motherland, the Australian and New Zealand governments joined forces to form part of an allied expedition to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula. The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was formed and quickly became known as the ANZACs. In 1915, the ANZACs travelled to Gallipoli via Egypt to start service. After less than a year there were devastating losses on both sides. Allied forces suffered 44,000 deaths. Although the Turkish defenders were victorious, estimates from those killed from the Ottoman Empire range between 66,000 and 86,000.2 When the First World War began, Australia had only been a federal commonwealth for 13 years. The qualities demonstrated by the ANZAC soldiers characterised their reputation as tough, loyal and courageous men. Gallipoli marked a defining and unifying moment in the formation of Australia s national identity3 and the ANZAC legend continues to shape the way many Australians view themselves.4 1
The word ANZAC generated many slang terms in the forces serving in Gallipoli including: Anzac button: a nail used in place of a trouser button; Anzac soup: shell-hole water polluted by a dead body; Anzac stew: an urn of hot water and one bacon rind. 5 Animal Mascots Many animals were adopted as mascots during the war. Mascots played an important role in keeping up morale and often made great companions on long and hard journeys. They helped remind the soldiers of life in their home country and many accompanied regiments and travelled all over the world. Nancy the Springbok was the mascot of the 4th South African Infantry Regiment and accompanied the troops throughout Egypt and France. Other animals were found and adopted along the way, such as Tirpitz the German pig. Tirpitz was rescued from the waters by sailors of the HMS Glasgow after a skirmish with the Imperial Germany Navy. Story Frame: This story is told using third person narrative, and is structured by the use of three dream sequences, during which the Koala hears stories from his homeland, Australia. These stories, from the cultures of Aboriginal Australians, are called Dreamtime stories, or stories from the Dreaming. These are some of the oldest stories in the world. They were originally told by mouth, when the Aboriginal Australians had no written language. The Aboriginal Australians have a rich cultural tradition and profound spiritual beliefs. Their belief systems are bound spiritually to the Earth. Dreamtime refers to the time in which Aboriginal Australians believe the Earth was shaped and populated. Dreamtime legends tell how giants and animals, such as a rainbow serpent, sprang from the Earth, and created the physical features of the land, such as mountains and rivers. So, to the Aboriginal people, the world we live in is a sacred place, a gift from the gods. They are appalled at the way many people regard the Earth as something to be owned and exploited. European settlers drove Aboriginal people off their lands. Those who resisted were killed. Only recently efforts have been made to return some of their land, thus enabling Aboriginal Australians to regain their faith, their culture and their dignity. Please note Dreamtime stories should not be treated lightly; there are sensitivities around their retelling and ownership. Some are in the public domain, and some are very protected. 2
Key Questions: What are the stories from the Dreaming? What forms our identity? Who is the Koala and who or what does he represent? How does the Koala s story parallel with the soldier s story? What were the causes and effects of shell shock? How were soldiers mentally, as well as physically, wounded by war? Key Words: Story Words Friendship Homeland Identity Loneliness Mascots Memory Remembrance Shell shock Storytelling Words Dream sequence Figurative language Repetition Rule of Three Sensory description Simile Third person narrative Cairo, Egypt 1915. A corporal, probably on the staff of the 2nd Australian General Hospital, holds a koala, a pet or a mascot. Australian War Memorial Archive Store 3
Attention Map It! Trace the soldier s journey from Australia to Gallipoli. Discuss It! You are a soldier leaving your family and going to war. You want a mascot. Why? Which animal will you choose for your mascot and why? What will this animal mean to you? How will its qualities help you? Make a list of emotions Koala goes through in this story. Prepare to Advance Discuss It! The soldiers bring their Colonel along because he reminds us who we are. What do you think they might mean by this? This story uses the Rule of Three as a framing device, as three Dreamtime stories are told. Recount the three Dreaming stories used throughout the story. How and why do the Dreaming stories help the Koala to change? What has happened to the soldier while the Koala has been talking to the other animals? How are the Koala and the Soldier similar? Listen to the story again and note its use of sensory description and figurative language. What words and phrases have particular impact? Explore this simile, which concludes the story: The soldier began to rise to his feet, and he rose up and up and up and higher and higher and higher until it seemed to Koala he was in the branches of a tall tree. And the Soldier looked down at Koala and said, Now, let s go off and see who we can help. What is the effect of this simile? What is it saying about how Koala and Soldier feel at the end of the story? Act It! How does the Koala feel at the beginning of the story, and how does he feel at the end? How about the Soldier? In pairs, hold an interview between an interviewer and the Koala, and then the interviewer and the soldier. Explore their experiences. 4
Write It! The Rule of Three is used as a framing device, but it is also used in the phrases and syntax of the language. For example, the Koala looks and sees that Some people were crying, some people were bleeding, some people weren t moving at all. In pairs, imagine what the world must look like after an explosion, and write your own descriptive sentence using three repeating opening phrases, such as the world was. Forward March Research It! Research different Dreamtime stories, and tell them to each other. Find out about shell shock. What is it, what causes it and what would it be like? Independently, write a 10 word sentence from the point of view of some one with shellshock, and share examples with the rest of the class. Gather responses to a vocabulary list or word wall. Make It! Explore examples of Aboriginal art depicting stories from the Dreaming. Emulate the style to create your own piece of art telling a part of the soldier s story. What point in the story will you choose and why? Write It! Examine the use of the senses in the Soldier s following description of home: He remembered the smell of the eucalyptus in the morning time. He remembered the sound of fire crackling beneath the night sky of stars. He remembered the song of the birds, and the laughter of his children. Use this as inspiration to write your own sensory description of what home is for you. Independently, consider: What things define your personal identity? Think of three objects that represent personal stories for you. The objects and stories should be a part of your identity: they should be meaningful for you and will always reassure you whenever you feel you have lost your way. 5
Write It! Write a presentation called My Identity using these three objects to inform your narrative structure. You can use this framework: - Introduce yourself and some things that you believe make up your identity (e.g. language, likes and dislikes, hobbies and interests, family and friends, etc). - Show the first object and explain the following: - What is it? - How can you describe it? (use sensory description and figurative language). - Where is it kept? - How did you come to have it? - Does it have a use? Did it have a use once? Has its use changed over the years? (e.g. a clock which has stopped years ago but you keep it because you still like the design). - how does the object make you feel? - why is it important to you? How does it reflect your identity? - Repeat for the other two objects. - Conclude by saying why you chose to talk about these particular objects and not others in your possession, and what you believe your own identity is. Present stories to the rest of the class, bearing in mind that this is a personal and potentially sensitive topic. Afterwards, evaluate and reflect on the all the different objects the class has used. Can the class categorise the types of objects the class thought of? Are they ephemeral, precious, urban, rural, nostalgic, of monetary value, of sentimental value, etc? 1 The Gallipoli Campaign, Josh Blair IWM Classroom Learning Resources www.iwm.org.uk/learning/resources/thegallipoli-campaign 2 The Gallipoli Campaign, Josh Blair IWM Classroom Learning Resources www.iwm.org.uk/learning/resources/thegallipoli-campaign 3 The Gallipoli Campaign, Josh Blair IWM Classroom Learning Resources www.iwm.org.uk/learning/resources/thegallipoli-campaign 4 ANZAC and the Australian Identity, Gallipoli Education Pack, 1914-18 Centenary Education www.centenaryeducation.com.au/teachers/gallipoli/lesson5.php 5 ANZAC Acronyms, Australian War Memorial www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/anzac/acronym Illustrations by Sheena Dempsey Text The Story Museum 42 Pembroke Street, Oxford OX1 1BP 6