It's shaping up to be another beautifully warm and sunny day at "Riverbend", and it can't get any better than an early visit from Mr Percival (although he never stopped to introduce me to his girlfriend).
I take it you're all familiar with "Storm Boy", the most cherished of Australian classic films based on a novel by Colin Thiele (not to be confused with Leonard Teale), unless you're like a certain person in the village (who shall remain an omnibus) who won't even shop at ALDI because it's owned by Germans, because Colin Thiele, too, was born to German parents and spoke only German until he went to school.
The film is clearly about much more than the boy’s love of the pelican, which he calls Mr Percival. It touches on race relations, ecology, the breakdown of families, white and black law and questions of prior ownership, but the themes are seamlessly woven into the story.
The full-length version was on YouTube some time ago but when I tried to find it again, it said, "This video has been removed for violating YouTube's Terms of Service". Instead, I now offer you the following audiobook:
If you want to continue with the book, click here
To me who shuns all physical exertion and strives for immobility as the ne plus ultra of the good life, an audiobook is just perfect as I can lie back on the old sofa on the verandah, close my eyes and let my imagination go.
