Will Hawkins

Once again Vern has demonstrated exactly why he is in the position he finds himself in. He is a real asset to that company. For a spectator to be invited to speak to the House is a real break with tradition, but for that speaker to be only 16 years old will make a dymamic impression on the members.

The comments at the end of this chapter imply that here was and end to the original tale. I assime that is not to be the case at this time!

I am just trying to keep up with the changes that apparently you have made in the story. You have a way of letting the story go along slowly for a while then hitting the reader with a bang,

It is never a good idea to assault anybody, but it is even worse if that is a minor.

Intelectually I realize that you use WA as the abbreviation for Westrn Australia, but it still gives me a start every time I see it as I am a former resident of Washington State in the US, which uses the same initials! Vern is really taking hold in his position as assistant to his father .. it just goes to show that young people are quick learners and can make intelligent decisions if properly trained.

OKAY, we had a wreck and a stay for Vern in hospital, when does the shit hit the fan next?

Further, the comment I made about the stinger on a Quokka was in error, It is the Koalla that has a stinger I understand. When I visited Australia those many years ago, I was handed a Koalla to hold while having a picture taken, my Koalla must have had his stinger surgically removed as I do not remeber any cautionary statements being made when the animal was handed to me. My outstanding memory from that trip, made as Rehearsal Manager for the Seattle Men's Chorus, was, when we first arrived 'down under' we visited New Zealand and were entertained by a 'farm life' presentation. One of the performances was milking a cow ,,, after the demonstration he asked if there were anyone in the audience who would like to ' give it a go? Well, while I attended my early years at a Community College in Tucson, Arizona, I had been taught, as a joke I suppose, how to milk a cow by the herdsman Mr Bunch at my Sister's farm where I was boarding. So, here goes the guy that veryone figured was a 'city boy' down to the demonstration level. Not only did I siccessfully milk the cow, but I was able to aim a good squirt right at the mounth of a cat that was supervising the performance. Of course, the cat loved that and I though he was going to remain glued to me for the entirety of our stay after that.

OKAY, the confusion I had about a train wreck and injury has been cleared up. But I think the punishment to the upper form boys for the attack on Vern was extremey light … In my opinion they should have been ejected from the school.

As I amreading this story on the 31st of March 2021, my comments will fall much later in the new year than those above. However it is interesting to see how much the story has changed in those few months. It is good reading, just as I have expected after reading previous stories by Quokka, though if memory serves me, that little animal has a sting. I am waiting for that sting to occur in this story!

Sorry for the confusion. The place where my confusion arose was in the 'Comments' at the end of the chapter.

It appears that 'tweaking the nose' of the government, has been a siccessful ploy toward getting a better connection. A quiet threat to re-election is frequently productive even here in my own country. Good show! I am still cofused about the comments speaking to an accident and having somebody in the hospital. Clarification, please. Mister Will

I have been reading each the chapters as they have been posted, but I didn't see anything about an accident and injury. Is some clarification needed? Mister Will

Don’t eat with your mouth full, Master Vern, I wonder if this is exactly what you meant to say.? Don't speak with your mouth full, would be more sensible! Mister Will

I was a little amused by the conceit of the school superintendant. Academics it seems, frequently get so wound up in the process of learning/teaching that they believe that their school has the perfet method and surely no other educational program can touch their perfection. In this case, not even languages acquired in their native country. Our hero surely does not need to add ANOTHER language to his package. My God, eight languages under his belt already! Although Japanese would be a logical choice for living in Oz. Mister Will

I a a little overwhelmed, 8 languages! Hell, I get confusd frequetly with one! My mny years ago trip to Australia was restricted the the 'gold coast', so Western and Southern Oz is all new ground for me. I'm looking forwrd to the erip. Mister Will

Two guys with a big difference in size "When you are nose to nose, your toes are in it and when you are toe to toe, your nose is in it!" 69 sort of become 68 1\4. There are a cople of homophones in the first chapters, but I have resolved not to be a grammar troll today. Mister Will

For me too this is a numbered beginning, only inmy case it is number three. I am looking forward to the reading with as much interest as I did the first ride in George's merry-go-round. The only difference is that I now know there is no disappointment in the future of my reading. Mister will

Framk is really going to need_ a home. and a friend. He may have found both and they willmsave his life.

the engines groweled into life – an excellent image of the sound of airplane engines being started. If they were jet engines there might be a 'whine' included also, from the starters winding-up the compressor fans. I will leave you at it – a very English statement, in America we might say 'I will leave you to it.' 4.30pm – I love the British way of expressing time, so much more a unit than American, 4:30 pm. I find myself somewhat embarassed. I consider myself an author, but in this one story you have consistantly out-shown my poor talents. Time and again, I have seen small bits of excellence in authorship that I hope to be able to include in my writing at some future time. I am totally enjoying everything I am seeing and apparently you have overcome the tiny grammatical errors that peppered the earlier chapters.

I blame ALL the small errors on your auto-correct software, as they usually are a change of one letter in a word, like the common use of the word 'wad' in place of 'was'. Most of these boo-boos are easy to figure out, and only interrupt the flow of the tale a little, I am still working on 'abdominal' however. The affection and support expressed between the two principal characters is refreshing – that is a meme that you should keep up. Mister Will

There are a number of tiny errors in this chapter ~~ mainly some missing spaces between words. Nothing that destroys the reading enjoyment, however. I'm looking forward with anticipation to each coming chapter. Mister Will

dyslexia can be minor, just causing a slowness in reading speed or major, requiring intensive training. It effects about 7% of the population to some extent, with males being more often affected than females (why?). Training of the dylexic can not cure the problem, but it can help him greatly – even to the extent that for all practical purposes, the problem dissappears.

In times past, Boxing Day, the day after Christman, the Lord of the Manor would box up all the left-overs from the Christmas feast and distribute them to the poor in his Shire. With no more Lords of the Manor, what does one do on Boxing Day?

hard wood – Hardwood should be one word when describing the material of a floor. As I have replied in other Jobe stories I have been reading, I am not a professional editor, nor do I wish to take on the task, but, if you approve I will make suggestions from time to time about grammatical improvements, never punctuation as that is a quagmire into which many editors sink and drown. Mister Will

Well, yes, but now everything It would make more sense for this statement to read Well, yes, but NOT everything