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y separately published work icon Robbie and the Dolphins single work   children's fiction   children's  
Issue Details: First known date: 2006... 2006 Robbie and the Dolphins
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'During a Sunday School picnic Robbie, wheelchair-bound and lonely, meets a returned soldier called Alan. Robbie, who tires of watching the other children play, follows Alan to where he is fishing on the nearby jetty. When Robbie wheels himself to the end of the jetty, he experiences a little dolphin magic: his cap is blown from his head and then thrown back to him by a passing dolphin. The event is so amazing that Robbie cannot convince Alan that it happened at all!

Although Robbie returns to watch the Sunday School cricket match he is determined to get back to the jetty. Despite the worsening weather, Robbie makes his way back to the empty jetty and spots the dolphin again. Robbie soon realises that the dolphin is asking him for help: she has a calf that is trapped and drowning beneath the jetty.

Using all his courage and strength, Robbie enters the water, and with a little help from Alan (who returns just in time) manages to cut the calf free from some tangled fishing line. This amazing achievement allows Robbie to discover his own strength. It also leads to Robbie being able to tell Alan about his father who did not return from the war.' (National Museum)

Notes

  • The National Museum of Australia website offers online resources associated with this title.
  • 'Robbie and the Dolphins features a Chev truck built during the Second World War. The Chev is part of the National Museum's collection.'

Affiliation Notes

  • Writing Disability in Australia:

    Type of disability Poliomyelitis - requires wheelchair.
    Type of character Primary.
    Point of view Third person.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Last amended 19 Mar 2018 11:16:16
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