Lulu Bell and the Sea Turtle (5 page)

A few weeks later, it was time for the opening night of the art show. Dad, Lulu, Rosie and Gus arrived at the Shelly Beach Art Gallery. A big sign said ‘Welcome to the Goorlil Dreaming Art Show'.

Mum was inside greeting the guests. She wore a gorgeous black lace dress. Lulu and Rosie were wearing their best dresses too.

Mum kissed each of them. Her eyes sparkled. ‘Look,' she whispered. ‘There are so many people here.'

Lulu stared around. The gallery was crowded. People laughed and chatted and admired the artwork.

The walls were hung with the paintings from Ardyaloon. There were other artworks too: painted shields, clapping sticks, woven baskets, boomerangs and carved spears. The walls glowed with the vibrant colours of the earth.

Beside each of the exhibits were Mum's photos. There were portraits of the artists working. There were photos
of the Ardyaloon landscape. The turquoise sea. The rust-red islands. The scrubby green bush.

There were photos of the Goorlil kids swimming with sharks, spearing fish and gathering oysters. Lulu smiled as she saw pictures of all her Goorlil friends.

‘The show looks beautiful, Mum,' said Lulu.

Mum kissed Lulu on the forehead.

‘Thanks, honey bun,' she said. ‘And I have a special surprise for you.'

Lulu wondered what Mum's surprise could be. But there was no time to guess. Mum stepped up to the microphone. The crowd fell silent.

‘Welcome to Goorlil Dreaming. Thanks for coming along to this special showcase,' she said. ‘I would like to welcome a very honoured guest to tell us about the art and the stories behind it.'

Everyone clapped loudly. A tall man in a red shirt stepped up to the microphone. It was Anthony. He winked at Lulu, Rosie and Gus. So that was Mum's surprise!

‘The history of our art goes back more than sixty thousand years,' said Anthony. ‘That is five times older than the Egyptian pyramids.'

Lulu looked at him in surprise. That was
very
old.

‘Our art is inspired by the beliefs and magic of the Dreamtime. During the Dreamtime, our ancestral spirits created the animals, plants, people, land and sea.'

Anthony waved at the wall behind him. On it was a canvas covered by a cloth. Together Anthony and Mum pulled the cloth down.

They revealed a huge painting. Two black whales danced together. They were marked with stripes and white dots.

Underneath, nine green sea turtles swam and dived. On the sand were three big turtle nests. The nests were filled with dozens of turtle eggs.

It was Anthony's painting of
Goorlil Dreaming
. Anthony told the gallery the story of the whales and the turtles
wooing. Lulu loved hearing the story again.

Then Mum pointed to the photo beside the painting. It showed Anthony, Dad, Zac and Lulu. They were working to free the injured sea turtle from its necklace of tangled fishing line.

‘
Goorlil Dreaming
is the ancient story of the sea turtles,' explained Mum. ‘This photograph is a new story of sea turtles. It is a story of different people, different families, different generations working together to look after the land and its creatures. It is a story of our future.'

Anthony grinned at Lulu. He gave her a thumbs-up sign.

Lulu grinned back.

It was a story about sea turtles she would never forget.

Lulu Bell and the Sea Turtle
was written with the help and support of the Davey and Hunter families of Gambanan.

My family and I were lucky enough to visit the Dampier Peninsula, where we stayed with an Aboriginal family at their outstation near Ardyaloon. The adventures of the Bell family are based on the adventures we had together as a family – making spears, hunting stingray, fishing, hearing traditional stories and looking after sea turtles.

The painting
Goorlil Dreaming
is based on a painting that I have hanging in my office, which was painted for us by an Indigenous artist called Ashley Hunter.

The Bardi people we stayed with were the Daveys and the Hunters – a wonderful family of teachers, artists, hunters and storytellers.

The time we spent with them was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I would like to thank them for their generosity and hospitality as they shared their culture, stories and way of life with us, and welcomed us into their home and family. We will never forget them.

– Belinda Murrell

aarli
– fish

baawa
– child

bayalbarr
– dolphin

booroo
– home

doorba
– luck

gadiya
– white person

goorlil
– turtle

goowa
– mermaid

goowid
– moon

linygoorr
– crocodile

miinimbi
– whale

A circus is setting up near Lulu's house. How exciting! But as Lulu and her family walk past, they see a young girl crying. Stella tells them that Spangles the performing dog is missing.

 

Lulu is determined to help Stella find the clever pup. Can Stella teach Lulu a circus trick in return? When the show starts, the Bell family might get a big surprise!

Out now

Lulu Bell and the Birthday Unicorn

Lulu Bell and the Fairy Penguin

Lulu Bell and the Cubby Fort

Lulu Bell and the Moon Dragon

Lulu Bell and the Circus Pup

Lulu Bell and the Sea Turtle

Lulu Bell and the Tiger Cub

June 2014

Lulu Bell and the Pyjama Party

June 2014