Making the Team
Authors: Scott Prince
As an educator I know how hard it can be to get young boys to read. Many young boys will be keen to read
Deadly D: Making the Team
, because it was co-written by one of rugby league's superstars, Scott Prince. This is the very reason my fourteen year old was keen to read it and I am certain many other boys will share his enthusiasm as they recognise parts of their own lives jumping off the pages.
Deadly D
is a fun and simple story embedded with some important messages for young boys.
Dr Chris Sarra
Executive Chairman, Stronger Smarter Institute
First published 2013 by Magabala Books Aboriginal Corporation, Broome, Western Australia
Website:
www.magabala.com
Email:
[email protected]
Magabala Books receives financial assistance from the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts advisory body. The State of Western Australia has made an investment in this project through the Department of Culture and the Arts in association with Lotterywest.
This manuscript was developed through the support of the State Library of Queensland's 2013 kuril dhagun Prize which is part of the State Library's black&write! Indigenous Writing and Editing Project.
Copyright © Text Scott Prince & Dave Hartley 2013
Copyright © Illustrations Dave Hartley 2013
All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this publication may be reproduced by any process whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher.
Designed by Mark Thacker
Printed in China at Everbest Printing Company
Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry:
Prince, Scott, author
Deadly D and Justice Jones: Making the team/Scott Prince,
David Hartley.
9781922142184 (paperback)
For primary school age
Other Authors/Contributors: Hartley, David, 1979, author/illustrator
A823.4
To my lovely wife Kristy and two beautiful daughters Taliah and Kahlen â my ladies who have always been there. This one is for you!
Scott
Helen, I couldn't achieve anything without your love and support. To my two gorgeous girls Kirra and Jaya, I am so proud of the way you are both growing up!
Dave
CONTENTS
Chapter 10
The Secret Comes Out
Chapter 14
Roast Pork and Fluffy
Chapter 16
The Return of the Bully
Chapter 19
Justice to the Rescue
Chapter 28
Welcome to First Grade
Chapter 29
Three-Person Piggyback
Chapter 31
An Interesting Conversation
Chapter 1
The Big Shock
The TV is really loud. I can't take my eyes off it. North Queensland are winning by four points but The Bulldogs are about to score. Mum is saying something to me but I can't hear her. The commentator is shouting, “Bulldogs have the ball with a minute to go!”
“Barba passes to Ennis, Ennis to Morris, Morris finds space out wide, he steps one, steps another, he's in the open ⦔ CLICK. Mum turns off the TV.
“Aye, why'd you do that? Mum! Bulldogs were about to score!” I say springing off the couch.
“We're leaving, son,” Mum says.
“No way! Are you gammin'?” Morris scoring for the Bulldogs is now a distant memory.
“Dylan, the boss has given me a promotion,” she says. “What does promotion mean?”
“It means I'll be getting a better paying job with the power company.” Mum makes it sound like a good thing. I'm not sure that it is.
“I like it where we live,” I say, my voice starting to shake. Mum comes over and gives me a hug.
“I know son, but I've been working hard for this promotion.” I can see Mum is about to cry, I try not to notice.
“Where is your new job?” I ask her. Townsville, Darwin, Cairns, Rockhampton ⦠every city I know of goes flashing through my mind.
“We are going to Brisbane. I start in two weeks,” Mum replies.
Chapter 2
The Mount Isa Miners
I'm going to miss Mount Isa. This is the only place I've ever lived. I was born here and all my mates live here. I'm really going to miss them. I get to see my cousins nearly every weekend, but now Mum says that I'll only get to see them on the holidays. I'll miss my footy boys, too. We're called the Mount Isa Miners. Last year, we made the under 11s grand final. It was deadly, all my mob came to watch. We were all over them until the last minute. Their fullback intercepted one of my passes and ran the length of the
field to score and win the game. I still have nightmares about that day. Maybe moving to Brisbane will help me forget. I doubt it. At least we get to bring Mongrel, our cat.
All the photos I've seen of Brisbane make it look like a pretty flash place. There are shopping malls, high-rises and heaps of people! I've never lived in a big city before.
I'm only allowed to pack one bag. The rest of our stuff is going to be delivered by the removalists. So I grab my football, some clothes, my fishing rod and my Cowboys doona and stuff them all into my Mt Isa Miners training bag. As we drive through town towards the airport, I realise that this is it. We're really leaving and very soon we will be all alone in a city where nobody knows who I am.
Chapter 3
Up and Away
The plane speeds down the runway, faster and faster. Finally I feel the aircraft's wheels leave the tarmac and the jets thrust us high into the air. Below me the town of Mt Isa looks smaller than I've ever seen it. Before I can spot our old house, a thick cloud appears and blocks my view. In the reflection of the window, I can see Mum next to me dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. I don't know what to do, so I keep looking out the window.
We don't say anything, but finally I turn to Mum and ask, “Do we really have to leave Mt Isa?” she looks straight ahead at the movie that is showing. It's the new Justin Bieber one. I can hear a kid down the back of the plane singing one of his songs. Shame!
“Of course we do,” answers Mum. “If we don't go, they'll give my promotion to somebody else. Plus, that hollow belly of yours is getting more expensive to fill. Now be quiet before I go wild.”
I decide to shut up. There's not much to see out the window, only the dry brown land of western Queensland
and the occasional patch of clouds. Sometimes I spot a river twisting through the flats like a rainbow serpent. You can tell it's a river because there are trees along it, surviving off the riverbed. I feel my eyes starting to get heavy as I try to track the river into the distance. I start to drift off to sleep. Suddenly I'm woken by that kid singing again.
“You'll like Brisbane son, it's a nice place,” Mum says as she sees me waking up. “We took you there before your dad died ⦔ then she goes silent. “You were only a baby then. We went to Sea World on that trip too,” she says softly. I can't remember it, but I've seen a photo of Dad holding me next to a dolphin. I wish I could remember him.
“Deadly! Can we go there again?” I say. Mum smiles. I think she's happy that I'm happy.
“Yes! Just let me get settled in my new job first,” she laughs.