ANZAC stories

 

Meet Syd Dewes.

Listen to him reading My Older Brother by Tamati Te Aho, age 11.

https://toitoi.nz/my-older-brother/

Toitoi have made some wonderful audio recordings of members of the Devonport RSA reading ANZAC stories from the special ANZAC issue of Toitoi. Read and listen to 'My Older Brother', by ex-Russley pupil, Tamati Te Aho.

Published!

Congratulations to five talented authors/artists who have been published in the special ANZAC edition of Toitoi. We are so proud of you!

Alisha, Kaile, Tamati, Hannah and Aditi

Athletic Poetry from Team Moana

Athlete
by Hao Yu, 13yrs

Spinning discus gliding
across the sky like a UFO
Speedy runners bolting
across the track
Shot put meteor
Epic commentator
thunderous voice
shouting on the mic
But now it's my turn
                              to run


Heart of a Champion
by Ethan, age 12

Puffing
Breathing heavily
Clappers, cones, wind
Smack of the baton
Running


Bang went the clappers
by Baylee LM, 11yrs

BANG went the clappers
I ran
I had the sweat pour off me
to the end
and had a card handed to me
3rd place
then there were ice blocks
coming round
so I got one
and sat down
to eat my ice block
blast
a sensation of lemonade


Jump to the Stars
by Archie, age 12

The taste of sweat dripping down
my face the taste is super salt
I see the bar get raised
As I jump I feel my leg
skim the bar
I'm over


The Finish Line
by Tama, 12 yrs

Ground shaking like a 7.1 earthquake
Sweat dripping off my skin like I just jumped into a pool
Wind pushing against me as I speed down the track
People heavily breathing

The echo of the whistle
The last lap bell
Sprint to the finish line


The Breath of Freedom
by Raeven, age 12

I'm in the fourth lane
I stare seriously ahead of the race
I shoot past like a bullet
I feel the wind battling against me
I smell my first breath of freedom... the finish line


Athletics Day
by Holly, age 11yrs

Yelling and cheering
legs shaking
loud clappers
too much bubblegum perfume
Lemonade ice blocks yum


THE JUMP
BY Sakura, age 11

The hand slowly raised into the air signalling for me to start.
I started running, the wind rushing through my hair and face, giving me a surge of power.
I feel myself accelerating,
my worries are running away with the wind...
nothing matters except this moment.

I start speeding up as I leap into the air.
I feel like I am soaring through the sky like a bird.
People clap, even though it's not for me, I feel like they are cheering me on.

My feet sink into the soft sand,
as I walk out of the pit the smell
of freshly mown grass hits me in the face like a wave.

As I turn my back on the sandpit,
a big smile spreads across my face
like a child getting a free icecream.

I had done it.

Congratulations Tama

Tama's story My Older Brother has been accepted for publication by Vox Box (a journal of writing and art by young New Zealanders). Tama's very moving war-time story is to be published in a special ANZAC themed journal - to be released in November this year. His entry was chosen from over 500 submissions from young writers all over New Zealand. The publisher said the quality of submissions was outstanding, and of Tama's story, "...this is a terrific piece - beautifully paced and deeply felt."

Congratulations Tama!

More Moon Poetry - Senior

The Big Donut

        by Thomas P (year 7)

The moon is a big donut

half eaten

It is a ginormous elephant

moving logs

It is a glowing T.V.

It is a rally car doing laps

at speedway

It is a blue sea

with crashing waves

It is a shining spotlight

glaring at me

The Moon

          by Baylee L-M (year 7)

The moon is a big M&M cookie

it is the big blue sea swaying

it is a ginormous Hummer cruising across space

it is a blinding camera flash

Yummy Tummy

        by Cameron L(year 7)

The moon is a full tummy

It is a blue Smurf

It is an illuminating smile

It has so many little sparkling friends

It is an adventurous white rat

IN SPACE

The Big Red Moon

        by Holly (year 7)

The moon is a silver doorknob

It is a blue clue stick

It is a glowing lamp flying

it is a soccer ball spinning

in space

It is changing

into a

banana

The Pie in the Sky

        by Tama T (year 7)

The moon is a half-eaten

steak and cheese pie

It is a silver wheel rim

of my Lamborghini Aventador

It is a bright camera flash

at a gaming convention

Pounamu Moon

        by Raevyn H (year 7)

The moon is a pounamu ring

worn by one of the Gallipoli men.

It is a beaming flashlight

flickering through the night.

It is a memory

dragging me back to my Loved Ones.

The Crescent

        by Avijit (year 7)

The moon is a speeding

        boomerang

        going around the planet

It is a frightened grey mouse

        hiding in the clouds

It is a middle distance runner

        racing laps around the tracks

        in the flashing stars

The Shimmering Moon

        by Ollie M (year 6)

the moon is a smile

in a dark forest

it is a golden blade

slicing through the jet black sky

it is a shrimp

in an inky sea

it is a shining spotlight

searching for a pack of howling wolves

The Moon is a Chocolate Chip Biscuit

        by Farren S (year 6)

The moon is a chocolate chip biscuit.

It is a silver necklace gleaming through the window.

The moon is a knife cutting through the glistening night sky.

It is a hailstone getting closer and closer to the icy landscape.

The moon is an LED beaming into a shimmering pond.

Kim Schonert Moon Poem

        by Kim  (year 6)

The moon is a lime banana

The moon is a silver medal

The moon is a golden trophy

The moon is a bouncy ball

It is a shining firefly and a glowing lamp

it is a gleaming bottle of colourful glitter

When I hear...

Inspired by Apirana Taylor's visit to Russley School and all his wonderful musical instruments, stories and songs... and his poem 'Haka' we wrote our own sound poems.

We listened for the sounds in our everyday life; the 3pm bell, the cheering crowd at a basketball game, a laugh, a snore... and the sounds in nature; thunder, rain, waves, tui.

We thought about the feelings and emotions these sounds evoked and came up with some surprising metaphors to describe them.

Here are a few of the best:

Speed Car

When I hear the engine roar

I want to jump in

and drive away

as fast as a second going by

it is a cheetah with nitrous

it is the washing machine spinning                

it is the drums in ‘Loaded Diaper’

it is a one year old baby screaming

Gggggeeerrr!

by Thomas Pugh

                                                     

STEP DAD SNORING

When I hear the snoring of my stepdad

I feel like the room is going to fly away

it makes annoyed when I try to go to sleep.

It is an earthquake

It is lightning and thunder

It is a tiger roaring.

It is the wind blowing through the trees.

By Holly Sanders-Young

                                                     

The Beach

When I hear the waves

I feel it in my mouth

It makes my mouth salty like McDonald’s chips

It is the crashing of the drums

and the humming of the flute

It is the growling of the T-Rex

THUMP CRASH BANG!!!!!

                                                                             by Tamati Te Aho  

                                                      

The Big Shake

by Cameron Lonie

When I hear the RUMBLING

I see it in my head

Memories of 2011

I feel really red

So much mayhem around me

It makes me curl up into a ball

like a little armadillo hiding from its hunter

It is the chitter chatter chatter of the people’s teeth

that spent a night under the rubble

Waiting Waiting Waiting…

                                                     

THE BUZZER BEATER

When I hear the crowd

It makes me feel great

It makes me shoot the ball

like a meteor in the hoop

It is a boom box

It is the script

by Josh Sangster

                                                     

Thunder

When I hear the thunder

I feel threatened

It makes me slowly fade

It makes me feel fast

It is a striking bullet  

It is the trampling of an elephant pack

It is fast as flowing water

Rumbling grumbling mumbling

By Raevyn Hohaia

                                                     

Waves

When I hear the waves

I feel free

It makes my heart race

It makes me feel like I’m in my dream

It is a rhinoceros crashing into the walls

It is the thundering of the Haka

It is my heart pounding

It is the gust of wind cracking the tree

It is a thunder of an explosion

Crash! Smash! Slash!

By Raevyn Hohaia