June 1, 2025 • 27 mins
What's in Geraldine's happy pants pockets this week? A jar without a lid. Wait... here's another one! And another... and another. Rebecca checks her own pockets and also finds four jars. And a wooden spoon. What on earth do their happy pants want them to do with those? You'll need to tune in to find out...
You'll also hear a reading of Josephine Wants to Dance by Jackie French, hear music, have the chance to follow along with some activities, plus learn some big new words. Like obsession: an idea that becomes fixed in the mind.
We'd love to hear from you about your favourite things, or obsessions. Or perhaps you'd just like to say 'hello'. You can email us at radio@visionaustralia.org.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:04):
One, two, three. It's happy pants.
S2 (00:21):
G'day, and welcome to Happy Pants, a show especially for
kids and especially for you. My name is Geraldine.
S3 (00:30):
And my name is Rebecca.
S2 (00:32):
And together.
S3 (00:34):
We're your happy pants team for today.
S2 (00:37):
Today my happy pants are grey. This kind of grey
makes me think of the way the air smells just
before the rain falls.
S3 (00:47):
Mine are grey to this colour. Grey reminds me of
the feel of the cold draught. Sneaking under the door
of my nice warm room.
S2 (00:57):
Happy pants have lots of pockets. And we never know
what we're going to find. The things are always clues
about something or things for something. But we're supposed to
work out what they mean today. Mine were empty when
we started, but there's certainly something there now. It's a
(01:17):
jar without a lid. Oh, and another one. And another one.
And another one. How many was that?
S3 (01:27):
Oh, four, by my count. Anything else? Mhm.
S2 (01:32):
Oh, yeah. Yeah. A big wooden spoon. How about yours, Rebecca?
S3 (01:37):
A jar exactly like yours. No four jars. Exactly like yours.
And a wooden spoon too. Oh. Hang on. Something just
landed in my back pocket. It's a measuring jug.
S2 (01:52):
Why do we need eight identical glass jars, two wooden
spoons and a measuring jug? Do you think?
S3 (02:01):
Hmm. Big word alert. Identical means exactly the same.
S2 (02:06):
Maybe we're supposed to measure something into the jars and
stir it with spoons.
S3 (02:12):
Well, I'm sure we'll work it out as we go along.
S2 (02:16):
Hmm. You're looking very thoughtful, Rebecca.
S3 (02:20):
Hmm. I was thinking about today's story. It's about someone
who really, really wanted to do a particular thing, and
everyone kept telling her it was impossible. That didn't stop
her from going and trying, though.
S2 (02:39):
I think nearly everyone has thoughts about something they'd really
like to be. My mum said that when I was
about four, a big red fire truck went screaming past
our place with the siren going full on. From then on,
fire engines became an obsession for me.
S3 (03:01):
Oh, another big word alert. An obsession is an idea
that becomes fixed in the mind.
S2 (03:08):
Apparently, I announced that I was going to be a
fireman and drive a big red fire engine. Every time
we went into town, I demanded to be taken to
see the fire engines. And that obsession lasted a few
years until I saw a film about a beautiful singer.
S3 (03:28):
So then fire engines out of the picture.
S2 (03:31):
Are never mentioned it again. From then on, I was
going to be a singing star and wear beautiful gowns
and lots of glittery diamonds. The fact that I sounded
like a cross between a frog and a squeaky gate
wasn't going to stop me. How about you, Rebecca? Did
(03:51):
you have any obsessions?
S3 (03:52):
Of course. Well, mine was trains. I'd. Choo choo choo
choo choo choo. My way everywhere. My favorite story was
the one about the little red engine which sang. I
know I can. I know I can. As it ran
along the flat. And then I think I can. I
(04:15):
think I can. I think I can. As it climbed
the big hill. And then I knew I could. I
knew I could, I knew I could. All the way home.
Apparently I did that whenever we went for a walk
in town.
S2 (04:33):
We could all do that together to help Rebecca out.
Find a clear space. Bend your arms so they work
like wheels. And we'll help Rebecca be the little red
engine that could. Ready? A big woo woo to start.
And off we go. Woo woo! I know I can,
(04:55):
I know I can, I know I can, I know
I can. And here comes the hill I think I
can I think I can, I think I can, I
think I can. And we're at the top now. I
knew I could, I knew I could on you. Good
on you, good on you, good on you, good I
(05:16):
knew I could, I knew I could. All the way home. Rebecca,
(07:39):
did you ever get over your obsession with trains?
S3 (07:41):
Oh, yes. I found something much better. We lived in
the country, and our next door neighbor's daughter had a
pony called sprig. When she left home, there was no
one to ride sprig. So they asked my parents if
I would like to look after him. From then on,
I spent all my spare time with sprig. I fed him,
(08:01):
brushed his mane and tail. I even learned to clean
his hooves. Sprig had been trained to go over the jumps,
so I learned to ride and go over with him.
I planned to become a rider in the Olympic Games.
S2 (08:15):
Did you ever fall off?
S3 (08:17):
Oh, at first, until I learnt how to sit properly.
When I fell off, sprig would turn around and come
back for me. He'd stand near wherever I was lying
and I could almost hear him saying. Come on, you
clumsy klutz, get up and get back on.
S2 (08:36):
Did you go to Pony Club with him?
S3 (08:38):
Well, the owners were happy to see him being exercised properly. Yes,
so I did. Sprig loved meeting up with all his
horsey mates, and he especially liked the barrel races. He
was really fast on the turns and we often won.
S2 (08:54):
Did you eventually get too big for him?
S3 (08:57):
Well, sprig was already 20 years old when I started
writing him, so I only wrote him for five years
before he came to old and he retired. He spent
his last few years in a big grassy paddock with
a donkey for a mate. Oh, but I visited him
nearly every day with an apple or a carrot. And
we had long conversations over the gate, and he never
(09:21):
passed on any of the secrets I told him.
S2 (09:26):
So you didn't become an Olympic horse riding champion after all?
S3 (09:31):
Not likely. What I really wanted back then was to
visit other planets. I was sure that one night, a
Tardis would land in the backyard and I'd be off.
It didn't happen, though. I didn't even manage to find
a flying saucer either.
S4 (11:33):
You are listening to Happy Pants on Vision Australia Radio.
S2 (11:36):
Well, when I gave up wanting to be a famous singer,
I thought I might like to play an instrument. So
I started listening to lots of different ones to see
which I liked best. Like, um, maybe the violin. Or
(11:58):
the harp.
S3 (12:05):
Harp music always makes me feel as if fairies are
making dancing music.
S2 (12:12):
Well, the xylophone makes a sound like tippy toes. Fairies
dancing too.
S3 (12:20):
I've just worked out what we can do with those jars,
spoons and measuring jug. We can make our own instrument.
S2 (12:29):
Oh. We could. Oh. It's easy. Would you like to
make one for yourself? All you need is eight identical
jars or bottles. Something like a wooden spoon to use
as a striker. And some water. And here's what you
need to do.
S3 (12:46):
First, set out your jars or bottles in a line.
Tap the first one with your striker and listen to
the sound it makes.
S2 (12:58):
Second, pour a little water into the second jar and
test the sound with your striker. Is it a higher
or a lower sound than jar number one?
S3 (13:09):
Mm. Next, pour a little extra water into jar number
three and test it for sound. Keep on until you
have eight jars, each with a different sound when you
tap it. Does more water or less water make a
different sound? Here comes the hard part. Geraldine, can you
(13:31):
remember that scale?
S2 (13:34):
Oh, you mean the Do-Re-Mi one?
S3 (13:36):
Yeah.
S2 (13:37):
Yeah. Do re mi fa. So la TI do.
S3 (13:43):
Perfect. You want to make your jars play that. Use
tiny bits of water testing as you go. Till you
can play the scale on your jars with your striker.
S2 (13:56):
Come now you can play a tune. Pick an easy
one to start with, like Three Blind Mice or Frere Jacques.
If you can play a tune, you have played it
on an instrument you have made yourself. Of course, you'll
have to make up a name for your instrument.
S3 (14:18):
I think we should call ours Tuner Glass.
S2 (14:21):
Well, sounds a bit fishy to me.
S3 (14:24):
Huh? Well, we can play scales on it.
S2 (14:28):
Here's an instrument which is home made. Can you guess
what it is?
S3 (14:52):
That was the steel drum. In places like Jamaica, Maker.
Ordinary people couldn't afford expensive instruments, and there were lots
of old oil drums lying around so they would cut
one in half, trim the metal off the ends to
make notes, and play tunes for singing and dancing. Anyone
could afford one of those, and players became experts in
(15:16):
getting lovely music out of them.
S2 (15:19):
Another instrument, which was first made from materials found around
the village was the bagpipes. The bag was made from
the whole skin of a sheep, and the pipes were
carved from local wood or from animal bones. Modern ones
leave out the sheepskin and animal bones, of course. Some
(15:40):
people don't like the sound of bagpipes. How about you
listen to this old favourite and form your own opinion.
S3 (16:35):
Bagpipes make wonderful music to march to, but some people
hate it. What do you call ten bagpipes at the
bottom of the sea?
S2 (16:46):
I couldn't guess, Rebecca, what do you call ten bagpipes
at the bottom of the sea?
S3 (16:51):
A good start.
S2 (16:52):
Ah, only a bagpipe hater could have thought of that.
S3 (16:58):
Both you and I changed our minds about what we
wanted to be. I reckon most people try a few
different things before they settle on a career.
S2 (17:08):
I think every single person has a special something that
they are good at. It's just a matter of finding
out what that something is. There's room for only a
few stars at the top of anything. The rest of
us are happy to just do our best at whatever
it is we do.
S3 (17:28):
There are a few people who are so determined to
be the best that they just keep going until they
make it. Our story today is about Josephine, who did
just that.
S5 (17:40):
Josephine wants to dance. By Jackie French and Bruce Whatley
Josephine loved to dance. She bounced with the Brolgas and
leapt with the Lyrebirds. Kangaroos don't dance, Josephine, said her
little brother Joey. They hop. But Josephine took no notice.
(18:07):
The emus showed her how to point her toes. The
eagles taught her how to soar to the music of
the wind. Josephine whirled like the clouds across the gully.
She swayed with the branches in the trees, but still
(18:29):
she dreamt of somehow finding another way to dance. There
has to be something more, said Josephine wistfully, as she
danced across her brother. Kangaroos down! Dance! Josephine, yelled Joey,
(18:50):
ducking his head. They jump. But Josephine kept on dancing.
The next day, Josephine found posters stuck on the trees.
The ballet was coming to Shaggy Gully. That's how I'd
(19:11):
like to dance, cried Josephine in a pink tutu with
silk ballet shoes. Get real, said Joey. Kangaroos don't wear tutus. Josephine.
And they never wear silk ballet shoes. I'm going to.
(19:35):
Said Josephine, pointing her toes. A week later, Josephine sneaked
into town. She crept over to the hall and peered
through the window as the dancers rehearsed. Oh! Cried Josephine.
(19:59):
She watched the dancers for hours. Then she practised at
night all alone. She spun, she swirled. She pirouetted. And
at the end she always curtsied. I really am becoming
(20:20):
a dancer now, thought Josephine. The day of the first
performance arrived. But the ballet company was in trouble. Oh!
Shrieked the prima ballerina as she twisted her ankle. Oh!
(20:43):
Sobbed the understudy, as she found a splinter in her toe.
Who will dance.
S6 (20:52):
The Lead rule.
S5 (20:53):
Cried the ballet director.
S6 (20:56):
Who else can leap so high?
S5 (21:00):
Josephine jumped through the window and onto the stage.
S7 (21:08):
A kangaroo.
S5 (21:10):
Yelled the dancers.
S7 (21:12):
There's a kangaroo on the stage!
S5 (21:16):
Josephine pointed her toes. She tossed her head. She swayed
like the lyrebirds as they called to their sweethearts. She
soared like an eagle through the sky.
S7 (21:35):
Are dancing kangaroo.
S5 (21:38):
Everyone cried.
S7 (21:40):
Who's ever heard of a dancing kangaroo?
S5 (21:44):
Josephine swirled above the stage like the mist. Playing with
the moon. The director stared at Josephine. Finally she smiled. Well,
this kangaroo can dance, and she knows the lead role.
(22:07):
And she can jump higher than any other dancer I've seen.
The director took Josephine to the wardrobe department. A kangaroo!
Exclaimed the costume designer. I can't dress a kangaroo! Just
(22:27):
do your best! The director told him. The costume designer
quickly altered a tutu for Josephine. He stirred some ballet shoes, too.
They were probably the longest ballet shoes in the world.
(22:48):
At last, it was time for the performance, the audience
took their seats. The orchestra tuned up. Josephine stood backstage,
waiting for the music to begin. Josephine hissed Joey through
the window.
S7 (23:09):
What are.
S5 (23:10):
You doing? Come back to the bush at once. No,
said Josephine, are going to dance in a pink tutu
with silk ballet shoes. I'm going to jump higher than
any other dancer in the world. The lights dimmed. The
(23:35):
orchestra started playing. The curtains opened. The performance began. The
ballerinas fluttered onto the stage. One, two, three, four. And Josephine.
(23:57):
Someone in the audience giggled.
S7 (24:00):
It's a kangaroo.
S5 (24:04):
Then Josephine began to dance. She twirled through the air
like leaves in a whirlwind. She leapt like no dancer
ever had before, and at the end she curtsied like
the brolgas bowing to the sun. The audience was silent.
(24:31):
And then they clapped. And then they cheered. This kangaroo
is a dancer. They cried. A truly magnificent dancer. Josephine
was still curtseying when the ballet director brought bunches of
(24:53):
roses onto the stage. Roses are delicious, decided Josephine, and
I am finally a dancer. And it's for.
S7 (25:07):
Life.
S5 (25:09):
In fact, dancing looked like so much fun that soon
all the audience were bounding and bouncing and prancing and pouncing,
bumping and jumping and leaping and thumping sound and swirling
(25:33):
and twinkle toe twirling. But nobody ever danced quite like
Jo Fifine.
S2 (25:49):
That was a reading of Josephine Wants to Dance by
Jackie French and Bruce Whatley. The reader was Mike cannon.
So what have we done today?
S3 (26:01):
We had two lovely big words. There was identical, which
means exactly the same, and obsession, which means an idea
which becomes fixed in the mind.
S2 (26:14):
We heard about Josephine, who practiced and practiced until she
did indeed become a star.
S3 (26:22):
We learned that not everyone can be a star, but
everyone has a special something that they're good at, and
you just have to keep looking until you find it.
S2 (26:31):
And we made our very own tuna glass instrument.
S3 (26:38):
A special shout out to our listeners, both young and
young at heart, who have sent in their feedback. We
love getting your messages.
S2 (26:46):
If there was anything in today's program about which you
would like to comment, or maybe just say hello, you
can contact us on Radio Vision Australia. Keep wearing those.
S3 (27:01):
Happy pants and we'll catch you.
S2 (27:04):
Next.
S3 (27:04):
Time.
S8 (27:17):
Happy pants is produced on the lands of the Whadjuk
Noongar people. Vision Australia Radio acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples as the first Australians, and the traditional owners
of the land across our working area, we pay our
respects to elders past, present and future in maintaining their cultures,
countries and their spiritual connection to the lands and waters.
Vision Australia Radio acknowledges and respects the genuine diversity and
(27:41):
richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia.
Happy pants has been made possible with the support of
the Community Broadcasting Foundation.
One, two, three. It's happy pants.
S2 (00:21):
G'day, and welcome to Happy Pants, a show especially for
kids and especially for you. My name is Geraldine.
S3 (00:30):
And my name is Rebecca.
S2 (00:32):
And together.
S3 (00:34):
We're your happy pants team for today.
S2 (00:37):
Today my happy pants are grey. This kind of grey
makes me think of the way the air smells just
before the rain falls.
S3 (00:47):
Mine are grey to this colour. Grey reminds me of
the feel of the cold draught. Sneaking under the door
of my nice warm room.
S2 (00:57):
Happy pants have lots of pockets. And we never know
what we're going to find. The things are always clues
about something or things for something. But we're supposed to
work out what they mean today. Mine were empty when
we started, but there's certainly something there now. It's a
(01:17):
jar without a lid. Oh, and another one. And another one.
And another one. How many was that?
S3 (01:27):
Oh, four, by my count. Anything else? Mhm.
S2 (01:32):
Oh, yeah. Yeah. A big wooden spoon. How about yours, Rebecca?
S3 (01:37):
A jar exactly like yours. No four jars. Exactly like yours.
And a wooden spoon too. Oh. Hang on. Something just
landed in my back pocket. It's a measuring jug.
S2 (01:52):
Why do we need eight identical glass jars, two wooden
spoons and a measuring jug? Do you think?
S3 (02:01):
Hmm. Big word alert. Identical means exactly the same.
S2 (02:06):
Maybe we're supposed to measure something into the jars and
stir it with spoons.
S3 (02:12):
Well, I'm sure we'll work it out as we go along.
S2 (02:16):
Hmm. You're looking very thoughtful, Rebecca.
S3 (02:20):
Hmm. I was thinking about today's story. It's about someone
who really, really wanted to do a particular thing, and
everyone kept telling her it was impossible. That didn't stop
her from going and trying, though.
S2 (02:39):
I think nearly everyone has thoughts about something they'd really
like to be. My mum said that when I was
about four, a big red fire truck went screaming past
our place with the siren going full on. From then on,
fire engines became an obsession for me.
S3 (03:01):
Oh, another big word alert. An obsession is an idea
that becomes fixed in the mind.
S2 (03:08):
Apparently, I announced that I was going to be a
fireman and drive a big red fire engine. Every time
we went into town, I demanded to be taken to
see the fire engines. And that obsession lasted a few
years until I saw a film about a beautiful singer.
S3 (03:28):
So then fire engines out of the picture.
S2 (03:31):
Are never mentioned it again. From then on, I was
going to be a singing star and wear beautiful gowns
and lots of glittery diamonds. The fact that I sounded
like a cross between a frog and a squeaky gate
wasn't going to stop me. How about you, Rebecca? Did
(03:51):
you have any obsessions?
S3 (03:52):
Of course. Well, mine was trains. I'd. Choo choo choo
choo choo choo. My way everywhere. My favorite story was
the one about the little red engine which sang. I
know I can. I know I can. As it ran
along the flat. And then I think I can. I
(04:15):
think I can. I think I can. As it climbed
the big hill. And then I knew I could. I
knew I could, I knew I could. All the way home.
Apparently I did that whenever we went for a walk
in town.
S2 (04:33):
We could all do that together to help Rebecca out.
Find a clear space. Bend your arms so they work
like wheels. And we'll help Rebecca be the little red
engine that could. Ready? A big woo woo to start.
And off we go. Woo woo! I know I can,
(04:55):
I know I can, I know I can, I know
I can. And here comes the hill I think I
can I think I can, I think I can, I
think I can. And we're at the top now. I
knew I could, I knew I could on you. Good
on you, good on you, good on you, good I
(05:16):
knew I could, I knew I could. All the way home. Rebecca,
(07:39):
did you ever get over your obsession with trains?
S3 (07:41):
Oh, yes. I found something much better. We lived in
the country, and our next door neighbor's daughter had a
pony called sprig. When she left home, there was no
one to ride sprig. So they asked my parents if
I would like to look after him. From then on,
I spent all my spare time with sprig. I fed him,
(08:01):
brushed his mane and tail. I even learned to clean
his hooves. Sprig had been trained to go over the jumps,
so I learned to ride and go over with him.
I planned to become a rider in the Olympic Games.
S2 (08:15):
Did you ever fall off?
S3 (08:17):
Oh, at first, until I learnt how to sit properly.
When I fell off, sprig would turn around and come
back for me. He'd stand near wherever I was lying
and I could almost hear him saying. Come on, you
clumsy klutz, get up and get back on.
S2 (08:36):
Did you go to Pony Club with him?
S3 (08:38):
Well, the owners were happy to see him being exercised properly. Yes,
so I did. Sprig loved meeting up with all his
horsey mates, and he especially liked the barrel races. He
was really fast on the turns and we often won.
S2 (08:54):
Did you eventually get too big for him?
S3 (08:57):
Well, sprig was already 20 years old when I started
writing him, so I only wrote him for five years
before he came to old and he retired. He spent
his last few years in a big grassy paddock with
a donkey for a mate. Oh, but I visited him
nearly every day with an apple or a carrot. And
we had long conversations over the gate, and he never
(09:21):
passed on any of the secrets I told him.
S2 (09:26):
So you didn't become an Olympic horse riding champion after all?
S3 (09:31):
Not likely. What I really wanted back then was to
visit other planets. I was sure that one night, a
Tardis would land in the backyard and I'd be off.
It didn't happen, though. I didn't even manage to find
a flying saucer either.
S4 (11:33):
You are listening to Happy Pants on Vision Australia Radio.
S2 (11:36):
Well, when I gave up wanting to be a famous singer,
I thought I might like to play an instrument. So
I started listening to lots of different ones to see
which I liked best. Like, um, maybe the violin. Or
(11:58):
the harp.
S3 (12:05):
Harp music always makes me feel as if fairies are
making dancing music.
S2 (12:12):
Well, the xylophone makes a sound like tippy toes. Fairies
dancing too.
S3 (12:20):
I've just worked out what we can do with those jars,
spoons and measuring jug. We can make our own instrument.
S2 (12:29):
Oh. We could. Oh. It's easy. Would you like to
make one for yourself? All you need is eight identical
jars or bottles. Something like a wooden spoon to use
as a striker. And some water. And here's what you
need to do.
S3 (12:46):
First, set out your jars or bottles in a line.
Tap the first one with your striker and listen to
the sound it makes.
S2 (12:58):
Second, pour a little water into the second jar and
test the sound with your striker. Is it a higher
or a lower sound than jar number one?
S3 (13:09):
Mm. Next, pour a little extra water into jar number
three and test it for sound. Keep on until you
have eight jars, each with a different sound when you
tap it. Does more water or less water make a
different sound? Here comes the hard part. Geraldine, can you
(13:31):
remember that scale?
S2 (13:34):
Oh, you mean the Do-Re-Mi one?
S3 (13:36):
Yeah.
S2 (13:37):
Yeah. Do re mi fa. So la TI do.
S3 (13:43):
Perfect. You want to make your jars play that. Use
tiny bits of water testing as you go. Till you
can play the scale on your jars with your striker.
S2 (13:56):
Come now you can play a tune. Pick an easy
one to start with, like Three Blind Mice or Frere Jacques.
If you can play a tune, you have played it
on an instrument you have made yourself. Of course, you'll
have to make up a name for your instrument.
S3 (14:18):
I think we should call ours Tuner Glass.
S2 (14:21):
Well, sounds a bit fishy to me.
S3 (14:24):
Huh? Well, we can play scales on it.
S2 (14:28):
Here's an instrument which is home made. Can you guess
what it is?
S3 (14:52):
That was the steel drum. In places like Jamaica, Maker.
Ordinary people couldn't afford expensive instruments, and there were lots
of old oil drums lying around so they would cut
one in half, trim the metal off the ends to
make notes, and play tunes for singing and dancing. Anyone
could afford one of those, and players became experts in
(15:16):
getting lovely music out of them.
S2 (15:19):
Another instrument, which was first made from materials found around
the village was the bagpipes. The bag was made from
the whole skin of a sheep, and the pipes were
carved from local wood or from animal bones. Modern ones
leave out the sheepskin and animal bones, of course. Some
(15:40):
people don't like the sound of bagpipes. How about you
listen to this old favourite and form your own opinion.
S3 (16:35):
Bagpipes make wonderful music to march to, but some people
hate it. What do you call ten bagpipes at the
bottom of the sea?
S2 (16:46):
I couldn't guess, Rebecca, what do you call ten bagpipes
at the bottom of the sea?
S3 (16:51):
A good start.
S2 (16:52):
Ah, only a bagpipe hater could have thought of that.
S3 (16:58):
Both you and I changed our minds about what we
wanted to be. I reckon most people try a few
different things before they settle on a career.
S2 (17:08):
I think every single person has a special something that
they are good at. It's just a matter of finding
out what that something is. There's room for only a
few stars at the top of anything. The rest of
us are happy to just do our best at whatever
it is we do.
S3 (17:28):
There are a few people who are so determined to
be the best that they just keep going until they
make it. Our story today is about Josephine, who did
just that.
S5 (17:40):
Josephine wants to dance. By Jackie French and Bruce Whatley
Josephine loved to dance. She bounced with the Brolgas and
leapt with the Lyrebirds. Kangaroos don't dance, Josephine, said her
little brother Joey. They hop. But Josephine took no notice.
(18:07):
The emus showed her how to point her toes. The
eagles taught her how to soar to the music of
the wind. Josephine whirled like the clouds across the gully.
She swayed with the branches in the trees, but still
(18:29):
she dreamt of somehow finding another way to dance. There
has to be something more, said Josephine wistfully, as she
danced across her brother. Kangaroos down! Dance! Josephine, yelled Joey,
(18:50):
ducking his head. They jump. But Josephine kept on dancing.
The next day, Josephine found posters stuck on the trees.
The ballet was coming to Shaggy Gully. That's how I'd
(19:11):
like to dance, cried Josephine in a pink tutu with
silk ballet shoes. Get real, said Joey. Kangaroos don't wear tutus. Josephine.
And they never wear silk ballet shoes. I'm going to.
(19:35):
Said Josephine, pointing her toes. A week later, Josephine sneaked
into town. She crept over to the hall and peered
through the window as the dancers rehearsed. Oh! Cried Josephine.
(19:59):
She watched the dancers for hours. Then she practised at
night all alone. She spun, she swirled. She pirouetted. And
at the end she always curtsied. I really am becoming
(20:20):
a dancer now, thought Josephine. The day of the first
performance arrived. But the ballet company was in trouble. Oh!
Shrieked the prima ballerina as she twisted her ankle. Oh!
(20:43):
Sobbed the understudy, as she found a splinter in her toe.
Who will dance.
S6 (20:52):
The Lead rule.
S5 (20:53):
Cried the ballet director.
S6 (20:56):
Who else can leap so high?
S5 (21:00):
Josephine jumped through the window and onto the stage.
S7 (21:08):
A kangaroo.
S5 (21:10):
Yelled the dancers.
S7 (21:12):
There's a kangaroo on the stage!
S5 (21:16):
Josephine pointed her toes. She tossed her head. She swayed
like the lyrebirds as they called to their sweethearts. She
soared like an eagle through the sky.
S7 (21:35):
Are dancing kangaroo.
S5 (21:38):
Everyone cried.
S7 (21:40):
Who's ever heard of a dancing kangaroo?
S5 (21:44):
Josephine swirled above the stage like the mist. Playing with
the moon. The director stared at Josephine. Finally she smiled. Well,
this kangaroo can dance, and she knows the lead role.
(22:07):
And she can jump higher than any other dancer I've seen.
The director took Josephine to the wardrobe department. A kangaroo!
Exclaimed the costume designer. I can't dress a kangaroo! Just
(22:27):
do your best! The director told him. The costume designer
quickly altered a tutu for Josephine. He stirred some ballet shoes, too.
They were probably the longest ballet shoes in the world.
(22:48):
At last, it was time for the performance, the audience
took their seats. The orchestra tuned up. Josephine stood backstage,
waiting for the music to begin. Josephine hissed Joey through
the window.
S7 (23:09):
What are.
S5 (23:10):
You doing? Come back to the bush at once. No,
said Josephine, are going to dance in a pink tutu
with silk ballet shoes. I'm going to jump higher than
any other dancer in the world. The lights dimmed. The
(23:35):
orchestra started playing. The curtains opened. The performance began. The
ballerinas fluttered onto the stage. One, two, three, four. And Josephine.
(23:57):
Someone in the audience giggled.
S7 (24:00):
It's a kangaroo.
S5 (24:04):
Then Josephine began to dance. She twirled through the air
like leaves in a whirlwind. She leapt like no dancer
ever had before, and at the end she curtsied like
the brolgas bowing to the sun. The audience was silent.
(24:31):
And then they clapped. And then they cheered. This kangaroo
is a dancer. They cried. A truly magnificent dancer. Josephine
was still curtseying when the ballet director brought bunches of
(24:53):
roses onto the stage. Roses are delicious, decided Josephine, and
I am finally a dancer. And it's for.
S7 (25:07):
Life.
S5 (25:09):
In fact, dancing looked like so much fun that soon
all the audience were bounding and bouncing and prancing and pouncing,
bumping and jumping and leaping and thumping sound and swirling
(25:33):
and twinkle toe twirling. But nobody ever danced quite like
Jo Fifine.
S2 (25:49):
That was a reading of Josephine Wants to Dance by
Jackie French and Bruce Whatley. The reader was Mike cannon.
So what have we done today?
S3 (26:01):
We had two lovely big words. There was identical, which
means exactly the same, and obsession, which means an idea
which becomes fixed in the mind.
S2 (26:14):
We heard about Josephine, who practiced and practiced until she
did indeed become a star.
S3 (26:22):
We learned that not everyone can be a star, but
everyone has a special something that they're good at, and
you just have to keep looking until you find it.
S2 (26:31):
And we made our very own tuna glass instrument.
S3 (26:38):
A special shout out to our listeners, both young and
young at heart, who have sent in their feedback. We
love getting your messages.
S2 (26:46):
If there was anything in today's program about which you
would like to comment, or maybe just say hello, you
can contact us on Radio Vision Australia. Keep wearing those.
S3 (27:01):
Happy pants and we'll catch you.
S2 (27:04):
Next.
S3 (27:04):
Time.
S8 (27:17):
Happy pants is produced on the lands of the Whadjuk
Noongar people. Vision Australia Radio acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples as the first Australians, and the traditional owners
of the land across our working area, we pay our
respects to elders past, present and future in maintaining their cultures,
countries and their spiritual connection to the lands and waters.
Vision Australia Radio acknowledges and respects the genuine diversity and
(27:41):
richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia.
Happy pants has been made possible with the support of
the Community Broadcasting Foundation.
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