Videos
Bird in the Classroom
The students drowsed and drowned
in the Teacher's ponderous monotone -
limp bodies looping in the wordy heat,
melted and run together, desk and flesh as one
swooning and swimming in a sea of drone.
Each one asleep, swayed and vaguely drifted
with lidded eyes and lolling weighted heads,
were caught on heavy waves and dimly lifted,
sunk slowly, ears ringing in the syrup of his sound,
or borne from the room on a heaving wilderness of beds.
And then on a sudden, a bird's cool voice punched out song.
Crisp and spare on the startled air, beak-beamed or idly tossed,
each note gleamed like a bead of frost.
A bird's cool voice from a neighbour's tree
with five clear calls - mere grains of sound
rare and neat repeated twice
but they sprang from the heat like drops of ice.
Ears cocked, before the comment ran
fading and chuckling where a wattle stirred,
the students wondered how they could have heard
such dreary monotone from a man,
and such wisdom from a bird.
Thiele, Colin. (n.d.). Bird in the Classroom. Retrieved from https://allpoetry.com/Bird-in-the-Classroom
Other Books by Colin Thiele
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Pannikin and Pinta by
Call Number: F THIISBN: 9780850919882Publication Date: 2000Colin Thiele returns to the setting of his bestseller "Storm Boy" with this remarkable new picture book about a young boy and a family of pelicans who have to escape from drought-stricken Lake Eyre. -
Uncle Gustav's ghosts by
Call Number: F THIISBN: 1741102375Publication Date: 2005Ghosts are abroad in this hilarious story set in a South Australian farming community. Colin Thiele’s outstanding ability to combine humour and drama with vivid characterisation is seen at its best in this diverting tale. -
February dragon by
Call Number: F THIISBN: 9781741102390Publication Date: 1966The lives of three Australian children are cruelly affected when a bushfire known as the February Dragon sweeps across the countryside. -
The Sknuks by
Call Number: F THIISBN: 0727003860Publication Date: 1977The greedy sknuks pollute their beautiful planet and face extinction because they are suspicious and refuse outside help.
Links
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De Berg, Hazel & Thiele, Colin. (n.d.). Colin Thiele reading poetry in the Hazel de Berg collection [sound recording]. Retrieved from https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-214330043/listen?searchTerm=colin%20thieleThiele reads three poems: "Best Schultz", "The Mushroomer" and "Eclipse".
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Colin Thiele. (2021). COLIN THIELE AC Australian author and educator 16/11/1920 – 4/9/2006. Retrieved from https://colinthiele.com/This web site is to celebrate the life and achievements of one of South Australia's and indeed Eudunda's Favourite sons, Dr. Colin Thiele AC. by sharing our experiences with you.
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Eudunda Family Heritage Gallery. (2020). The Colin Thiele Drive. Retrieved from https://eudundaheritage.com/the-colin-thiele-drive/The Heritage Gallery have created a drive of the area where Colin Thiele grew up. You can download a PDF of Colin Thiele Drive Story and a map from this website.
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Fantastic Fiction. (2021). Colin Thiele. Retrieved from https://www.fantasticfiction.com/t/colin-thiele/This page has a short biography of Colin Thiele, and an extensive list of his published works. You can click on the book covers to find out more about each book.
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Flinders Ranges Research. (no date). Colin Thiele,AC, BA, Dip Ed, Dip T. Retrieved from https://www.southaustralianhistory.com.au/thiele.htmA short biography of Colin Thiele, who was born at Mutter Knabe's Nursing Home at Eudunda [South Australia] on 16 November 1920.
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National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. (1988). Storymakers: Colin Thiele. Retrieved from https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/storymakers-colin-thieleA short clip of author Colin Thiele reads from his book Storm Boy as we see how the film interpreted the world he created. Thiele goes on to talk about the power of words.
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National Library of Australia. (no date). Colin Thiele interviewed by Suzanne Lunney. Retrieved from https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-193678435/listen?searchTerm=colin%20thieleThis is an interview with Colin Thiele, one of the most versatile and widely-wed, widely-read authors of the post-war generation of Australian writers. He will be talking with me—Suzanne Walker—for the Oral History Program, which is being carried out by the National Library of Australia.
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Queensland Theatre. (2019). Storm Boy Education Resources. Retrieved from https://go.aws/2UowIhr.A collection of educational resources and activities produced by Queensland Theatre.
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The West Australian , Tuesday, September 05, 2006; Section: News, Page: 5An obituary for Colin Thiele.
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The World Today, ABC. (2006). Storm Boy Author Colin Thiele Dies. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1733728.htmThis is a transcript from radio program The World Today, about the death of Colin Thiele. You can also listen to the story in mp3 format, including some archival audio of Colin Thiele speaking.
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Storymakers: Part 3, Colin Thiele Teacher's NotesExplores words and their impact—the power of words and how they are used to develop setting, character and the spirit of place. Colin speaks of the importance of word choice and word order for suspense and dramatic effect. He talks about imagery, mood and creating humour with dialogue and description. He also discusses other aspects of his writing including: where his ideas come from, his reasons for writing and how long it takes to write a book.
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Webby, E. (2021). Thiele, Colin. In World Book Student. https://www-worldbookonline-com.db.plcscotch.wa.edu.au/student/article?id=ar746236A short article about Colin Thiele.