MELTON & MOORABOOL
Home » News » A poem for the platypus

A poem for the platypus

A love of animals and writing made the perfect combination for nine-year-old Fraser Rise resident Myrah.

Myrah, who is in grade four, jumped at the opportunity to enter the Environment Education Victoria (EEV) poetry competition.

The EEV called on school students to write about the platypus in a competition designed to raise awareness about the threatened species.

“I love animals so I decided to enter this competition…to write a poem about the platypus,” Myrah said.

In the rules for the competition, the EEV suggested some ideas for the types of poems kids could write, including a question and answer poem, which gave Myrah an idea.

“So it’s basically…a person asking a question to the platypus…and the platypus would answer back.”

Myrah said when she found out she had won, she was “very happy” and that her writing “paid off”.

“The people who motivated me was my grandma and my mum,” she said.

She also said she wanted to thank her teachers for “teaching me some good writing skills as well”.

Myrah said she loves writing and specifically poetry because she gets to rhyme words and that she will definitely do a lot more writing in the future.

Eventually, Myrah wants to become a vet.

“I want to be a vet because I love animals so I want to help look after them, so I will open my own vet hospital and start a vet clinic.”

Digital Editions


  • Dementia grants now open

    Dementia grants now open

    Dementia Australia has opened its applications for a new round of Community Engagement grants for up to 12 dementia-friendly community initiatives. Dementia Australia CEO Professor…

More News

  • Council calls for stronger funding

    Council calls for stronger funding

    Purchase this photo from Pic Store: 323327 Moorabool council is calling for major reform to the way local governments are funded, warning fast-growing councils are being pushed towards breaking point…

  • CFA’s commitment to community

    CFA’s commitment to community

    Purchase this photo from Pic Store: 528517 As the fire season intensifies across Victoria, volunteers at Eynesbury CFA are once again stepping up, dedicating countless hours to training, response and…

  • West is best this Midsumma

    West is best this Midsumma

    Midsumma Westside is back again, with plenty of events happening across Melbourne’s western suburbs between 18 January until 8 February. Georgia Tacey dives into all the events happening over the…

  • My Place

    My Place

    Purchase this photo from Pic Store: 528034 Meet Melton local Faryal Rizwan, who will soon embark on an educational trip to Malaysia as she explores the way Islamic values shape…

  • New year, new baby

    New year, new baby

    Purchase this photo from Pic Store: 528118 The start of the new year wasn’t the only thing being celebrated by Rockbank locals Nathalie and Chris Torress as they welcomed a…

  • Storm ready for challenge

    Storm ready for challenge

    Purchase this photo from Pic Store: 463997 Sydenham-Hillside is working hard to make sure it locks in a finals spot in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association senior division. Having made…

  • Road works in Melton

    Road works in Melton

    Motorists are being advised to plan ahead with current night-time roadworks set to impact Ferris Road in Melton this week. As part of Victoria’s Big Build, southbound lanes on Ferris…

  • EmergencyRedi workshop comes to Melton

    EmergencyRedi workshop comes to Melton

    It’s officially fire season across Australia and with the extreme weather conditions affecting people across the country, it’s time to get prepared and educated with the Australian Red Cross EmergencyRedi…

  • Community commits to clean-ups

    Community commits to clean-ups

    A group of Caroline Springs residents are taking action to clean up rubbish left around Caroline Springs Lake. Local Nimita Alphonse, who has lived in the suburb for 15 years,…

  • Fire ready

    Fire ready

    You may see Rockbank’s dedicated CFA Firefighters coming to your door in the coming weeks. The hard-working locals are targeting high-risk areas around the community, going door-to-door to raise awareness…