The Cloud Wallaby is a fable written and illustrated by Pixie O’Harris.1 It was published in The School Magazine in August 1949.2 It goes something like this:
One evening at sunset, a little girl looked out of her bedroom window and saw the shape of a wallaby in the sky. “A cloud wallaby” her mother remarked but the little girl assured her it was real.
Hearing these remarks carried on the wind, the Cloud Wallaby thought that perhaps he was real and with the help of the Cloud Mother, he drifted to earth to seek his relatives.
He landed in a beautiful valley and sought guidance from the various creatures he encountered. He chanced upon a sparkling waterfall inhabited by water sprites. They warned him not to be caught in the hot midday sun lest he be destroyed.
Eventually he spotted wallabies in the distance but, by the time he had reached them the sun was up and he ultimately dissolved into mist. This was gathered by the Cloud Shepherd and carried back to the evening sky where it once again became the Cloud Wallaby.
Come eventide, the little girl again joyously pointed out the Cloud Wallaby and he, in turn, understood the happiness to be had in bringing joy to others.
Author: Penny Teerman
Note: Pixie’s original illustration “The Cloud Wallaby” is held by the Manning Regional Art Gallery in Taree.
References:
1 Australian Dictionary of Biography: O’Harris Pixie (1903-1991)
2 The School Magazine August 1 1949 P180
