Amie and the Intoxicated Kangaroos
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Amie and the Intoxicated Kangaroos
Authors note: After a long Landcare meeting on a chilly winters night, I was standing with a friend under veranda lights and was about to leave when she mentioned seeing kangaroos staggering about in her lower paddock after licking fermented banksia flowers. Knowing she was very close to her granddaughter who was also my good friend, I put the two ideas together. I have since heard that possums and birds can also become intoxicated on the fermented nectar of wild flowers
The blurb
Amie is just an ordinary girl who has an extraordinary experience. Her visit to her grandma in a quiet country town becomes an unforgettable adventure.
In this moving short story, Amie stumbles onto a mob of kangaroos and is upset by what she discovers. But don't worry, there is a happy ending.
Illustrations by Enid Woodside

It was one of those clear sunny winter mornings that Amie loved. After the morning frost, the air was so crisp that breathing it was as refreshing as sipping water from a mountain stream. As Amie watched her breath rise to the cloudless sky, she felt an extra excitement because she was visiting her favourite grandma in the small rural township of Teesdale. Though her grandma was an eccentric naturalist and could be quite stern with people she didn’t like, Amie was always made to feel very special. Her grandma also told wonderful stories about the wild birds and animals that lived in and visited her six acre garden. When Amie arrived at her grandma’s home, it didn't take her long to realise that something was not quite right. Instead of the usual excited greeting from her grandma, the house was as quiet as the Teesdale cemetery.
Her Dad had been in such a hurry to drop her off that he had driven away before Amie could tell him that no one was home, so she was stranded. When she thought about her predicament, she knew that she didn't really mind being alone here because this place was like her second home and it was where she had always felt loved. So she went inside and poured herself an orange juice from a bottle in the fridge and stood looking out of the big glass double doors at the huge garden of wildflowers and freshly mown grass.
“Grandma must be out walking Sheba (a Murray River Curly Coated Retriever), otherwise that clumsy dog would be rubbing against my legs wanting a pat”, she thought to herself. Though she liked Sheba, Amie had to watch that she didn't lose her balance and end up on the floor if the dog enthusiastically barrelled into her legs. “So where could her grandma be, She wondered with mixed feelings of relief and emptiness?”
Her Dad had been in such a hurry to drop her off that he had driven away before Amie could tell him that no one was home, so she was stranded. When she thought about her predicament, she knew that she didn't really mind being alone here because this place was like her second home and it was where she had always felt loved. So she went inside and poured herself an orange juice from a bottle in the fridge and stood looking out of the big glass double doors at the huge garden of wildflowers and freshly mown grass.
“Grandma must be out walking Sheba (a Murray River Curly Coated Retriever), otherwise that clumsy dog would be rubbing against my legs wanting a pat”, she thought to herself. Though she liked Sheba, Amie had to watch that she didn't lose her balance and end up on the floor if the dog enthusiastically barrelled into her legs. “So where could her grandma be, She wondered with mixed feelings of relief and emptiness?”

At that moment a picture came into her mind of a favourite place that she and her grandma loved to visit. So after picking up a shiny apple and two bananas from the fruit bowl, she set off with purpose at a brisk walking pace, not knowing what she might find when she reached her destination.
Amie’s walk took her under some ancient River Red Gum and Manna Gum trees. As she passed under their huge spreading branches she could imagine her grandma talking about Paul the plump and clumsy Brush-tail Possum, sparky Sarah the agile Sugar Glider and Bill the cross-eyed Boobook Owl, all sleeping in the tree’s hollows. These native animals were like little people with personalities to her grandma and they all played parts in her captivating stories.
At that moment a picture came into her mind of a favourite place that she and her grandma loved to visit. So after picking up a shiny apple and two bananas from the fruit bowl, she set off with purpose at a brisk walking pace, not knowing what she might find when she reached her destination.
Amie’s walk took her under some ancient River Red Gum and Manna Gum trees. As she passed under their huge spreading branches she could imagine her grandma talking about Paul the plump and clumsy Brush-tail Possum, sparky Sarah the agile Sugar Glider and Bill the cross-eyed Boobook Owl, all sleeping in the tree’s hollows. These native animals were like little people with personalities to her grandma and they all played parts in her captivating stories.
Her grandma also had a passion for the old gum trees in the town. If anyone was even thinking about cutting one down, somehow her grandma would find out about it and she would just walk right up and tell them to stop. “What are you thinking, you foolish men,“ she would demand. “The animals and birds that live in these trees have rights too. They’ll have nowhere to live if you cut down this tree. You should be ashamed of yourselves” and so on. The big burly men with chainsaws would become red-faced and bewildered. They could tell that she wasn’t the sort to back down, so they would pack up their stuff and drive away. Amie thought that was a pretty brave thing for a little old lady to do and felt very proud of her grandma.
Amie's pleasant daydream was brought to an abrupt end by an unbelievable sight. The scene before her was chaotic yet somehow peaceful. When she walked out from under the trees, the garden opened out to reveal a huge dam with water so smooth that it perfectly reflected the blue sky. To the left of the dam was a sandy bank covered with tufts of wild grasses and lots of different kinds of her grandma’s favourite plant, Banksias. There were Banksias as tall as trees and others that were just small bushes and they all had beautiful flowers shaped like long fat candles. The colours of the Banksia flowers were such beautiful reds, bright yellows, golden with flecks of red and even one that looked just like a sleeping fat possum. But it wasn’t the beautiful Banksias that made Amie’s eyes widen and her mouth fall open.
Around the sandy bank were lots of motionless grey shapes that she realised were the scattered bodies of kangaroos. The only movement was from two frantic joeys that were nudging their mothers hoping to climb into their pouches, but their mothers didn’t move. Amie stood for a while, looking from one furry grey body to another. What had happened here? Had they been poisoned, or maybe they had been shot? What a terrible thing to happen! She began to feel sick and tears began trickling down her cheeks.
Just at that moment, Amie was pushed roughly from behind and the soft green Wallaby grasses on the ground came rushing toward her. The push had been so unexpected that she fell quite heavily and painfully. As she slowly eased herself onto her back trying to regain her breath, she wondered who had been so cruel, and did her pain have something to do with what had happened to those poor kangaroos. As her eyes focused, she was confronted by a pair of piercing yellow eyes glaring down at her. It was Amie's worst nightmare, she was all alone with no one to help and a yellow eyed demon had her at its mercy.
Around the sandy bank were lots of motionless grey shapes that she realised were the scattered bodies of kangaroos. The only movement was from two frantic joeys that were nudging their mothers hoping to climb into their pouches, but their mothers didn’t move. Amie stood for a while, looking from one furry grey body to another. What had happened here? Had they been poisoned, or maybe they had been shot? What a terrible thing to happen! She began to feel sick and tears began trickling down her cheeks.
Just at that moment, Amie was pushed roughly from behind and the soft green Wallaby grasses on the ground came rushing toward her. The push had been so unexpected that she fell quite heavily and painfully. As she slowly eased herself onto her back trying to regain her breath, she wondered who had been so cruel, and did her pain have something to do with what had happened to those poor kangaroos. As her eyes focused, she was confronted by a pair of piercing yellow eyes glaring down at her. It was Amie's worst nightmare, she was all alone with no one to help and a yellow eyed demon had her at its mercy.
"Amie. Amie." She could hear a familiar voice but it seemed so far away. "Amie". Now the voice was more urgent, and Amie felt the light touch of a hand on her right shoulder. "Rusty, you silly dog, look at what you've done!" A familiar hand turned her head then pulled her up into a warm embrace. Her grandma then held her at arm’s length and Amie could see through her tears that she was looking concerned.
"I see you've met our new dog."
Amy was just beginning to understand that those devilish yellow eyes belonged to a dog.
"You've got a new dog? Where is Sheba?"
Her Grandma said soothingly, "I'll tell you all about that a bit later, but are you all right?"
Amie thought for a moment and nodded her head. She then remembered the upsetting scene that had caught her attention before she was knocked to the ground.
"The kangaroos!" she gulped as she turned her gaze back to the bank of the dam. "They're all dead," she heard herself splutter.
Her grandma gave her another hug, laughed and said, “dead? Amie, they're no more dead than this silly dog. Just a moment while I tie him to a tree." As her grandma tied up the bouncy bundle of brown curls with the yellow eyes, she added,
"those kangaroos are all drunk on Banksia nectar. They’ll soon sleep it off.”
"Amie. Amie." She could hear a familiar voice but it seemed so far away. "Amie". Now the voice was more urgent, and Amie felt the light touch of a hand on her right shoulder. "Rusty, you silly dog, look at what you've done!" A familiar hand turned her head then pulled her up into a warm embrace. Her grandma then held her at arm’s length and Amie could see through her tears that she was looking concerned.
"I see you've met our new dog."
Amy was just beginning to understand that those devilish yellow eyes belonged to a dog.
"You've got a new dog? Where is Sheba?"
Her Grandma said soothingly, "I'll tell you all about that a bit later, but are you all right?"
Amie thought for a moment and nodded her head. She then remembered the upsetting scene that had caught her attention before she was knocked to the ground.
"The kangaroos!" she gulped as she turned her gaze back to the bank of the dam. "They're all dead," she heard herself splutter.
Her grandma gave her another hug, laughed and said, “dead? Amie, they're no more dead than this silly dog. Just a moment while I tie him to a tree." As her grandma tied up the bouncy bundle of brown curls with the yellow eyes, she added,
"those kangaroos are all drunk on Banksia nectar. They’ll soon sleep it off.”
Together they walked from kangaroo to kangaroo and stroked the soft, silky smooth fur. Amie could feel their warm relaxed bodies and their ears twitching when she gently scratched behind them the way she had scratched Sheba's. Her grandma said, “We’d better leave them in peace, the joeys look worried. We can stand back near the trees and watch them for a while”. So her grandma untied Rusty commanded him to go back to the house. They watched him as he galloped away and then they walked toward the old Red Gum and Manna Gum trees. Here they stood for quite a while and watched the sleeping kangaroos.
As they watched, some of kangaroos began stirring. They lifted their heads a little, but even that seemed like too much effort for them at first. Eventually a few struggled to stand and somehow managed to roll until their huge hind feet were under their bodies as well as their small front legs, but when they tried to move forward they lost their balance and toppled over. Amie couldn’t help herself, her grandma was chuckling and before long they were laughing together until their sides ached. The kangaroos kept staggering and falling over in a slapstick comedy routine that was hilarious.
As they watched, some of kangaroos began stirring. They lifted their heads a little, but even that seemed like too much effort for them at first. Eventually a few struggled to stand and somehow managed to roll until their huge hind feet were under their bodies as well as their small front legs, but when they tried to move forward they lost their balance and toppled over. Amie couldn’t help herself, her grandma was chuckling and before long they were laughing together until their sides ached. The kangaroos kept staggering and falling over in a slapstick comedy routine that was hilarious.
Eventually most of the kangaroos had found their balance and were pentapedalling about using their four legs and their tail like a fifth leg. The big males were taller than an adult human when they sat upright on their tail and they looked quite scary Amie thought, especially when they stood sternly facing you with their front lags folded on their chests like two arms.
“How can a kangaroo get drunk on Banksia nectar?” Amie asked.
“See how the Golden Stalk Banksia flowers on that bush are all dishevelled”, said her grandma, “That’s because the kangaroos have been sucking and licking the sweet nectar from the flowers. Have a sniff of one of those flowers and tell me what you can smell?”
“How can a kangaroo get drunk on Banksia nectar?” Amie asked.
“See how the Golden Stalk Banksia flowers on that bush are all dishevelled”, said her grandma, “That’s because the kangaroos have been sucking and licking the sweet nectar from the flowers. Have a sniff of one of those flowers and tell me what you can smell?”
Amie bent forward, put her nose next to the flower and breathed-in expecting a pleasant sweet scent, but to her surprise the Banksia flower smelt quite strange. “It smells sweet and yeasty like your fresh unbaked bread dough”, she said. “That’s right,” said her grandma. “I think that the yeast you can smell is turning some of the Banskia sugar into alcohol. That’s exactly how your grandfather makes his beer and how winemakers turn sweet grape juice into wine. Even the little bit of alcohol on those Banksia flowers is enough to addle the small brain of a kangaroo, particularly when they’re not used to it.
“So we could make Banksia wine if we collected the nectar”, joked Amie. “That’s not as silly as it sounds” replied her grandma. “Aboriginal women used to make a sweet drink from Banksia flowers by pouring water over them and collecting it in a wooden bowl. Aboriginal children loved to drink this natural cordial.” Perhaps any leftover Banksia cordial, sometimes fermented into Banksia wine. It would have been a popular drink, don’t you think.
Amie and her grandma were so involved in their conversation that they didn’t notice that the sun had dropped behind the horizon and the sandy bank had turned a silvery grey in the moon light. They had been speaking so quietly that the kangaroos had grown used to them and the mob had drifted nearer, looking for some sweet grass to chew. They were now part of the mob, surrounded by kangaroos of all sizes and they could have reached out and touched them if they had dared. Amie looked at her grandma and their eyes met as they realised that they were sharing a very special moment. They could hear the soft crunching of teeth on fresh wild grass, they could smell the kangaroos sweet grassy breath, and they could see steam rising from their expanded nostrils. Most of all, Amie felt as if she was a trusted and valued member of this contented mob of kangaroos.
At that moment, a voice called from the house, “Dianne, are you alright?”
Ears twitched and heads turned as one and a big buck kangaroo moved away. As if of one mind the mob followed, and with giant leaps their shadowy bounding figures disappeared into the crisp night air, leaving Amie and her grandma looking longingly after them. Together they turned and walked arm in arm back toward the warm glow of the house nestled in the garden of wildflowers and ancient eucalyptus trees.
Ears twitched and heads turned as one and a big buck kangaroo moved away. As if of one mind the mob followed, and with giant leaps their shadowy bounding figures disappeared into the crisp night air, leaving Amie and her grandma looking longingly after them. Together they turned and walked arm in arm back toward the warm glow of the house nestled in the garden of wildflowers and ancient eucalyptus trees.
THE END