Written by Claire Saxby …

Thank you so much to everyone who entered our Kookaburra competition, for your imagination and skill. We were overwhelmed by the quality and number of entries in both categories. Thank you to the parents and teachers who supported their children/students.

Congratulations to our artwork winners for their creative and original artworks: 

Quentin (Yr 2 Our Lady of Lourdes PS NSW) 

and Petra (Yr 1 Brunswick Nth PS Vic)

Congratulations too to Yr 5B at St Joseph's Catholic PS Como-Oyster Bay NSW for submitting 36 verses - a clear winner for the most entries from a single class (verse) and to Yr 1/2AL at Avalon PS NSW for submitting 22 artwork entries, the most for a single class and school. Prizepacks are being sent to both classes.

Congratulations to our writing winners, for their imaginative and lyrical new verses

Emily (9, Forest Hill VIC) 

Kookaburra sits in the empty playground

wishing there were children to make a sound

Come everybody, come everybody,

when this lockdown ends. 

and Noah (Yr 2 St Pius X Unanderra NSW) 

Kookaburra sits on my garden shed

Eyeing off my food like he wants to be fed

I give in kookaburra, you win kookaburra

I’ll leave some out at tea

Claire and I shortlisted 5 entries in each category before choosing winners. Choosing a shortlist was tough but choosing winners was even tougher.

Each of the entries on the shortlist deserves a Special Mention. 

Artwork Special Mentions: 

Eliana (Age 4 Jacks Avenue Kindergarten Dingley Vic),

Yaami (Prep Watsonia Heights PS Vic)

and Maxim (Yr 3 St Therese's Catholic PS Denistone NSW) 

Writing Special Mentions:

Amali (Year 6, William Clarke College Kellyville NSW), 

Kookaburra sits in the hot gum tree

Tryna find shade cause it’s a hundred degrees

Search kookaburra, search kookaburra

Burnt your feathers must be

Hamish (Yr 2, Camberwell PS Vic) 

Kookaburra soars through the dusty sky,

Looking down on rivers and lands so dry.

Fly, Kookaburra, fly, Kookaburra,

Watch the scene from high.

and Iyah (Yr 2 Our Lady Star of the Sea PS Ocean Grove Vic)

Kookaburra sitting in the big gumtree

Laughing at you and looking at me

Why kookaburra? why kookaburra?

Tell your story to me!

Thank you so much to Claire for cohosting and cojudging our Kookaburra competition. To learn more about Claire, you can visit her website.