December 1958 School Magazine

Brisbano Girls' Gramma1' School Magazin.e

Decembsr, 1958

December, 1958

Brisbane Girls' Gramma1· School Magazine

Some very particular ghosts only deign to appear in certain places at certain times, but more compatible types do their haunting every night in quite an amiable fashion . Re- gardless of their character, all ghosts find it disheartening if their human victims do not appear frightened. They feel that they are losing their touch. Haunting has received several severe setbacks in the last century as the scientific discoveries have made humans more sceptical. Still, the ghosts are fight - ing bravely to reinstate themselves. Next time a ghost haunts you, pretend to be terrified. You can have no idea with what confidence you w ill inspire him. -Dawn Ra msay, IIJA. PICNIC AT PETRIE ON THE PINE All Friday night the rain came pouring down-a delightful assurance that our picnic would be held the next day. Sure enough, on Saturday morning it was announced over the radio that the picnic was "on " . At about ten o'clock everyone assembled at the school gate and then there was a dash for the buses. The luckier girls managed to get seats while many others either clung on to straps or sat in the aisle on imprc- vised seats made of school cases stacked on top of one another. All normal etiquette was thrown overboard and the singing talent we displayed was remarkable. (for C! time I thought we had left the mistresses at school). Anyhow, we all reached Petrie alive . Being very modest demoiselles, we changed into our ordinary clothes under cover of bushes and then some girls went swimming while others lost themselves in the bush. My, what a slippery job it was wading across the river, tool Ignoring the sign which said, "Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted", we climbed under barbed wire fences and were scared out of our wits by some cows that probably resented our intrusion into their previously peaceful country- side. After lunch all went well until we again had to turn into demure little school girls, ready for the journey home. How- ever, I am sure that every one of us enjoyed our day at Petrie .

Soon after breakfast we set off and, each carrying a small pack, we entered the forest where the damp, chill air lent spring to our every step. As we walked briskly along the narrow, winding track, the beauty of this sub-tropical jungle Jeally captured our imagination. Overhead, the swaying branches of tall trees, thick with a liberal growth of green leaves, seemed entangled by a variety of vines, some as fine as hairs, and others as thick as rope. Pale shafts of sunlight iiltered through this shady canopy and rested on the dark- green outspread leaves of numerous large tree ferns. Lofty palms, the treacherous Gympie Stinger, the giant Hoop Pine, and the Redwood, were all included in the enormous variety of trees. The trunks of many of these trees were covered with the frothy green foliage of feather-like creepers. Sometimes, in the dense undergrowth beside the track, we could see de- caying logs, soft with an emerald-green covering of velvety moss, and decorated by tiny semi-circles of Fairy Fungus. This evergreen forest seemed to abound in every type of bird life . An occasional rustle in the pile of dead leaves by the side of the path would portray the presence of a scrub turkey, or even a little blue-capped wren. The sharp call of the whip bird echoed continually above us in the tree tops , while the harmonious, throaty carolling of the elusive bell bird, seemed to herald our approach. At last, we arrived at the picni~ spot which proved to be a very broad flat rock where a fire could be made in a sheltered crevice. We sat there basking in the warm sunshine, ahd munching hungrily at our lunch. Up above us, the picturesque Elabana Falls tumbled their gushing waters over the stark, black rocks, till this bubbling force splashed into what seemed a bottomless pool of dull blue, icy cold water at the foot of the falls. Below us, the overflow from the falls continued its endless journey as a little creek of crystal-clear, shimmering water . Reluctantly we left this lovely scenic spot so aptly named Picnic Rock, and entered the Box Log Forest for the tramp home. Here we walked over a soft, springy carpet of auntumn-tinted leaves, which had fallen from the branches of ihe pinkish barked Box Trees towering above us. Many of ihese stately giants are over three thousand years old and, as ihey stand there with de-caying roots but straight gnarled trunks, they seem a challenge to the march of years. On the branches of these ancient trees, we saw collections of large staghorns surrounded by their slender clustered leaves . . . Finally, we left the magical wonders of nature m th!S Jorest and arrived at the boarding house, tired but happy.

-Robyn Boyd, IIIB.

A DAY IN THE LAMINGTON NATIONAL PARK During the August holidays, at the Lamington National Park, we decided to go on an eight mile hike to the ElC!bana Waterfalls, and to have lunch at a famous scenic spot called Picnic Rock. 46

-Wendy Boulton, IIIC.

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