An Australian Girls is an wonderful poem written by Ethel Castilla.

An Australian Girl is a unique contribution to the literature of early childhood education through its comprehensive understanding of what makes us who we are and how we learn and grow. Ethel Castilla’s insights come from a lifetime of experience as a teacher, mother and grandmother. She writes with warmth, wisdom and humour

“She’s pretty to walk with,
And witty to talk with,
And pleasant, too, to think on.”
Sir John Suckling.

She has a beauty of her own,
A beauty of a paler tone
Than English belles;
Yet southern sun and southern air
Have kissed her cheeks, until they wear
The dainty tints that oft appear
On rosy shells.

Her frank, clear eyes bespeak a mind
Old-world traditions fail to bind.
She is not shy
Or bold, but simply self-possessed;
Her independence adds a zest
Unto her speech, her piquant jest,
Her quaint reply.

O’er classic volumes she will pore
With joy; and true scholastic lore
Will often gain.
In sports she bears away the bell,
Nor, under music’s siren spell,
To dance divinely, flirt as well,
Does she disdain.

About the Author

See our page on Ethel Castilla.