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Walpiri's Quest is based on the book An
Apology to Bilbies (with good grace) written by
Rob Atherton. Rob was a Senior Ranger for Queensland
National Parks and Wildlife and his job was to learn
as much as he could about bilbies so he could
understand why there are so few of them left in
Australia and think about how they could be saved.
Sadly,
Rob died in September 1997 but he wrote this book so
that we might carry on his work to save these 'little
gentlemen of the inland desert.'
This
is the story...
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Tulka, the Elder Bilby, is very worried because it has
been a long time since his family has had any contact
with other bilbies, and he fears there may be no other
bilby families left.
So, he sends Walpiri, the young bilby on a journey
throughout Australia to discover why.
For three years Walpiri searches.
The emus carry him to the beaches in the east; the
wedge-tail eagles carry him to the Great Australian Bight
in the south; and the red kangaroos carry him to the
deserts of the west.
But when he finally returns to Curica Creek, he does not
have good news. He has not found any other bilbies.
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You are being asked
to investigate the answers to these questions.
Why was Walpiri's search unsuccessful?
How can we ensure that the bilbies of Curica
Creek survive?
How can we live in harmony with Nature?
Use
this scenario as a basis for your investigation.
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A large international company has decided
that Curica Creek would be the ideal spot for a new
tourist resort. They believe that it would be a good
thing for Curica Creek because
*it would create a lot of jobs
*it would bring lots of tourists to the town to spend
their money
*it would make them even richer
But first they have to get permission from the local
council. Many of the people in the town agree with him
and want the resort to go ahead, but a small group of you
are worried about how it will affect Walpiri and his
family. After all, Walpiri's family is the last colony of
bilbies in Queensland and there are only two other
colonies in Australia. You are going to be given an
opportunity to put your group's point of view at a
special meeting with the Mayor, who holds the deciding
vote.
However,
despite your concerns for the bilbies, you are not sure
whether to persuade the Mayor to vote yes or no.
The artist
would like to see the extra tourists because there would
be more people who would buy more drawings and paintings.
Maybe an important art collector would buy one and hang
it in a gallery for everyone to see.
The ranger would be able to make some extra money by
giving talks and tours about the area. People might even
donate money to the 'Save the Bilby Fund'.
The environmentalist thinks that more people would learn
about bilbies and be more interested in saving them. They
might decide to do more than just buying a chocolate
bilby at Easter.
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Before you can
carry out your investigation, you need to know
more about bilbies. Explore
one or two of these sites so that you can
understand
the habitats and habits of
bilbies
the dangers they face
the reasons they are endangered
the sorts of things that need to be done to
protect them
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To help you make
your decision, each of you will take on one of
the following roles:
1. The Artist, who has to explain to the council
how they would recognise a bilby and how it has
become the symbol for endangered species in
Australia.
2. The Ranger, who has to explain where bilbies
like to live, why they choose those places and
why it is important that this last area is not
destroyed.
3. The Environmentalist, who has to explain why
the bilbies are now an endangered species, how
they are being protected and what could be done
to make sure they do not become extinct. |
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The Artist
Use the links below to learn more about your
role.
Look for answers to the following questions:
How
would Walpiri know what his relatives look like?
What special features do bilbies have, and what
special things do they do to help themselves survive
in the environment?
How have they used these special features to help
them survive at Curica Creek?
What does the bilby look like?
How can you recognise a bilby?
The Easter Bilby
The
Ranger
Use the links below to learn more about your
role.
Look for answers to the following questions:
What
would be the best sorts of places for Walpiri to look
for his relatives?
Why do bilbies live in these sorts of places?
Where could Walpiri have looked for his relatives a
long time ago?
What is so special about Curica Creek that Walpiri's
family are surviving there?
What are bilbies like?
Where does the bilby live?
Where could we look for bilbies
in Australia?
Why is the bilby under threat?
The
Environmentalist
Use the links below to learn more about your
role.
Look for answers to the following questions:
What
are the bilby's main enemies?
How have people hurt Walpiri's relations?
How would building the resort affect Walpiri?
What sorts of things are being done to help save
those buildings that are left?
What more could be done?
How could these be incorporated into a resort?
Why is the bilby endangered?
Why are so many of our unique
creatures under threat?
How do feral animals affect our
wildlife?
How can we control feral
animals?
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Now it is time to
put together all the things that you have learned
so you can decide whether you will vote for or
against the resort. It
will help you if divide a large sheet of paper
into three segments which are labelled PLUS,
MINUS and INTERESTING.
Under the PLUS heading write all the good things
that would happen if the resort went ahead; under
the MINUS heading write all the bad things; and
under the INTERESTING heading write all the other
things that you discovered.
What will you decide?
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Hold the Council meeting and invite your
principal to be the Mayor who has the deciding vote. At
the moment, the Mayor is thinking the opposite way to
you. That means that if your group has decided to vote
FOR the resort, then the Mayor wants to vote AGAINST it.
If your group has decided to vote AGAINST the resort,
then the Mayor wants to vote FOR it.
You will have to put your arguments that support your
point of view very clearly and carefully to persuade the
Mayor to agree with you. It will also help if you have
pictures and charts to explain what you are trying to
say. Ask your teacher to help you make these using
special software like PowerPoint and Excel.
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Jane
Carr is Rob Atherton's
sister and she would love to hear your solutions
and suggestions. Summarise
them and then email her, or share them with her
when she is online on August 25.
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Think about these aspects in your summary.
What
decision did you make?
How did you reach the decision?
Were you all happy with it?
Were you able to change the Mayor's mind?
What do you think would be the most effective way of
helping to save Walpiri's family?
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Now it is time to
think about your learning journey and what you
have achieved by taking part in Walpiri's Quest. |
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Consider these questions.
Did
you enjoy the challenges you were set?
Did you use the Information Literacy Process to guide your
research?
Did you use a range of resources, particularly the
suggested Internet sites?
How did you use the information you found to help you
decide your point of view?
Did you work with the other members of your team to
negotiate a solution that you were all comfortable
with?
Was it a win / win solution?
Which parts of the assignment did you do well?
Which parts will you need some help with next time?
If you were to do it again, which parts would you do
differently? Why?
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Senior Activity
