Willoughby Wildlife Storybook

Year 5 students participated in the Willoughby Wildlife Competition, where they were challenged to create artwork and stories centred around the green sea turtle. This remarkable species, recently removed from the endangered list, a huge achievement, it is native to the waters of the lower North Shore that surround our community. Earlier this year, we embarked on a bushwalk to explore our local wildlife, encountering many beautiful native plants and animals featured in the storybook.

More than 10 schools took part in the competition, and we are proud to announce that four Northbridge students; Lara H (5B), Nina M (5H), Amy C (5H), and Beatrix R (5B), were selected to have their work included in the book. Congratulations to these students for their creativity, attention to detail, and imagination, which earned them this well-deserved recognition.

Copies of The Wildlife Storybook are available for purchase at Chatswood Library for $10 and can also be downloaded for free from the Council’s website under Schools Wildlife Storybook.

You can access the book online https://www.willoughby.nsw.gov.au/Environment/School-programs/Willoughby%E2%80%99s-Wildlife-Storybook the books will available in libraries over the next couple of weeks.

Link: Willoughby’s Wildlife Storybook | Willoughby City Council

Diary of a Green Sea Turtle
By Amy C

Visiting the shores of Northbridge,
It is no small task.
I even saw a fridge,
It was lying under the large rocky ridge.
Today me and Jerry the fish,
went to see the crabs.
There are less than there used to be,
Because, don’t you see,
Those weird, wrinkly human things
They bring the yucky oil rings.
Today me and Billy the stingray,
We went to see the creek.
Although it’s getting a little meek,
It’s stuffier than it used to be.
With fast-flowing currents, trash everywhere.
It’s a little sad to see.
Tomorrow is migration day.
The other Green Sea Turtles and I have to say,
“Goodbye Billy, goodbye Jerry.”
When we return, we hope to find you merry.
Today I migrated, with hundreds of others.
I went with my sisters, my friends, and my brothers.
This migration feels different from the last.
I’m going to lay my eggs,
Back where I was born.
The soft sand, the lapping waves,
I remember it all.
But soon I’ll be back,
Back to this slightly trashy place.
And maybe, just maybe,
This summer, it’ll be great.

The Turtle’s Journey
By Beatrix R
It started in a cove on a small sandy beach,
where a turtle was curled up in her round white egg.
She was not scared for she did not know what lay on the journey ahead.
Her egg under the sand began to crack.
It was small at first but soon she could see, light instead of black.
She wriggled onto the sand where danger awaited her.
Past gulls and crabs she wriggled along until she reached the water.
She swam until she found a current that swept her out to sea.
The deep green ocean stretched around her, now she was free!
She floated to a place where coral grew wild,
where forests of sea grass went for miles.
As she was exploring, she came across a ship,
She tried to dodge the plastic nets but got tipped and flipped.
Just as she had given up, she fell back down to sea.
The fishermen on the ship above had not seen her in their net,
So they had lowered it down and out to sea she leapt.
Now she knew she should go home, go back to lay her eggs.
Back to the cove, the small sandy beach, to where she first hatched.
She dug her nest and laid her eggs under the soft warm sand.
She lay there on the sand and took one last rest.
This is where it ends, where it began, on the same patch of sand,
Same sandy beach and same sheltered cove.