From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 6 March

In the first decade following World War Two there was a dearth of Australian children’s literature; consequently, baby boomers (1945-64) grew-up reading established English and American writers.

The Western Australian Education Department created a travelling library for children living in the more remote areas of the state. The selection of books, which arrived by train in an orange metal trunk, were available for a month, at which time the books were returned and another trunk arrived in its place. I recall particularly, and which I must confess I kept, an illustrated edition of Oliver Twist. It so captivated my imagination and sparked a life-long relationship with Charles Dickens, one of the great writers of all time.

Recently, my recollections of childhood literature were triggered by a visit to a second book shop. The sight of a dog-eared copy of Enid Blyton’s The Twins at St Clare’s, stirred myriad memories.

My father bought for me the weekly, English, children’s illustrated newspaper, Jack and Jill, and Playhour. They were a carefully balanced hotch-potch of stories, puzzles, adventures, quizzes, and all the literary ingredients necessary to satisfy a child’s imagination. Also, each week they contained an abridged, illustrated version of some of the great English and American novels, including Black Beauty, The Water Babies, Peter Pan, and Children of the New Forest, the plot of which set my mind racing, and remains a favourite from those times.

A cousin had an enviable collection of Little Golden Books. The first twelve titles were published in 1942. Three editions, totalling 1.5 million books, sold-out within five-months of publication. While I was allowed to stare longingly at her treasure trove, her mother, my aunt Annie, would not allow me to touch or read them. Ultimately, she had hundreds of the published 696 titles.

My collection of Australian works included Snuggle Pot and Cuddle Pie, Blinky Bill, Digit Dick, Shadow the Sheepdog, Blue Hills by Gwen Meredith, and Shy the Platypus.

I had a treasured collection of Eric Joliffe’s cartoon books, Saltbush Bill and Witchetty’s Tribe, and which now, viewed through a more enlightened prism of 2022, are classified politically incorrect, even racist.  It would be churlish to call them comics and would undeservedly diminish Joliffe’s significant creative talent from another time and place.

However, of all the authors and various publications, it was Enid Blyton who most engaged my curiosity. I remember, clearly, my first Secret Seven book.  I was so captivated by the characters and the plot I read it in one sitting, atop a sack of bran in the shed. My father, over months bought me the entire series. Then came The Famous Five!  The adventures of Julian, Dick, Anne, Georgina, and Timothy the dog, were unlike anything I had known, ever. While it’s difficult to choose a favourite, Five On Kirrin Island Again certainly set my heart pumping. It was a page-turner, a thriller for children.

There were such happy times!

Still, there is much to makes us laugh – despite the vicissitudes.

I bought one of those new non-twisting garden hoses which comes with a 25-year guarantee. I stared for a moment, thinking, then said, ”I’ll be dead in 25-years. Please, could I have a discount?”

It was obvious from the expression on the face of the check-out person. Her eyes were turning like windmills. I knew exactly what she was thinking. “I’ve got a live one here!”  She paused for a moment, and then said, without a flicker of humour, “Sorry, no. I can’t do that!”

Now I have to decide who gets it in the will.

Roland can be contacted via [email protected].