Having lived on a farm in my young, formative years with family members who were keen gardeners and observers of nature, I have always had a strong connection to the Australian land. When we lived in the country town of Moruya (NSW South Coast) at the Basil Sellers Timeout athlete retreat, I created a walk through the natural bushland called "Australia's Bush Orchestra".
There, visitors could listen to the various birdsongs, smell and see the native vegetation, and reflect on some great evangelists of history I had selected. This awareness caused me to prick up my ears when I heard of two stories of the amazing cleverness of some of our Australian animals.
Echidnas
Echidna (spiny ant-eater) behaviour in south-west Queensland is not usually quite the same as in the southern states.
During the mating season in the south, the echidnas often are seen in groups with one female being followed by several males. This is rarely seen in Queensland. However, this winter many people have spotted groups of echidnas, who seem to be following the mating patterns of their southern cousins, perhaps as a natural response to an increase in numbers or as a way to build up numbers again after a decline.
Associate Professor Stephen Johnson, University of Queensland, says the abundance of these animals provided insights into the healthiness of the population.
"It's very unusual, but it's probably a good sign in terms of there being quite a few around" he said.
Koalas can learn new tricks
The author Dorothy Wall (although a New Zealander by birth) created a mischievous and very Australian character, a young koala called Blinky Bill, who got up to heaps of adventures usually involving his meanderings from his home tree.
The modern Blinky Bills have been in great danger if they wander this far, mostly because of humans driving cars in places where they want to go at night.
The Environmental Futures Research Team in Queensland has put tunnels under the roads in some of the pathways frequented by koalas, but no-one knew if the koalas would learn to use them.
So they have developed a range of systems to find out, using camera traps, audio radio transmitters and RFID tags similar to microchips in pets. This has given them more information about individual koalas and their wanderings than any researcher has ever had in the past.
Professor Darryl Jones said nobody knew beforehand whether the bypass structures would keep koalas safe from being hit by cars. He said: "we needed to be clear on whether they were successful because the structures were so innovative and risky...".
And the result is that yes, you can teach koalas new tricks. The team verified 130 crossings by koalas over a 30 month period. To the team's great surprise, they were using the tunnels within three weeks of their construction.
It seems that little Blinky Bill's young relatives will be able to (safely) have even more adventures than he did.
All things bright and beautiful...
These stories put me in mind of the children's hymn that I still love: "All things bright and beautiful / All creatures great and small / All things wise and wonderful, / The Lord God made them all." I wondered how this hymn came to be written, and my research uncovered another little-known wonder of God's work.
With the wonders of modern online search engines, I found out in a very short time that it was part of a hymn book called "Hymns for Little Children" written in 1848 by one Cecil Alexander. I assumed this was a man's name. But, I wanted to know more so I searched some more and discovered that it was published by MRS Cecil Frances Alexander. Hmmm. In those days, women often called themselves Mrs (husband's name). I wondered if she had just published her husband's verses, or if she had written them. I also wondered about the spelling of "Frances" - which is the usual way to spell a woman's name.
So I kept doing more research, and the story unfolded.
Yes, Cecil Frances Alexander (nee Humphreys) was indeed a woman, and one who had written many, many religious verses and hymns. She had been encouraged from an early age by Dr Hook, Dean of Chichester. There is no reference at all to any help by her husband, who was a clergyman and later Bishop of Derry and Archbishop of Armagh. However, she seems to have been accepted and respected due to her own efforts and had certainly started writing hymns and religious poetry before her marriage.
Some of the other hymns she wrote, which may be familiar to some, are: "He Is Risen", There is a Green Hill Far Away" and "Once in Royal David's City".
Proverbs chapter 31 verse 26 seems to epitomise her contribution: "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue."
Two conclusions
From my research and musings, I have come to two ideas about how we can mentor our youth.
Firstly, when we are reading or singing about God's creations in nature, we should remember to observe the animals and the environment of our own local areas, and not just rely on telling stories from books that have been written overseas. They are just as much part of God's universe, even if they are not specifically mentioned in Scripture. You never know, you may inspire some great zoologist of the future.
Secondly, when we are singing traditional songs or reading traditional Christian stories to our youth, we should try to find out about the authors or composers. We may be surprised (as I was today) about the gender or social background of some of these people, and they can serve as positive role models for youngsters who have gifts or talents in these areas.
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html