Knox Prep students recognised in NSW WriteOn Competition

Congratulations the following Knox Prep students, who were recognised in the awards for their creative writing submissions:

• Dean Malouf (Year 2) - Silver Award
• Marcus Lin (Year 4) - Bronze Award
• Jeremy Owen (Year 5) - Gold Award

The boys' winning entries are published below.

'My Best Friend'

Jeremy Owen, Year 5

I feel like my world is ending as I know it as I lie here trying to imagine my life without him. My cheeks are hot and scorched from shedding tears. I knew it was coming. Mum and Dad had told me to prepare myself, to cherish these last few hours, and to say goodbye forever. I can feel his shallow breathing next to me. I sense his weakness, his exhaustion. He is trying to stay strong for me, like he always has. His name is Jax.

As I stare down at him lovingly I notice the grey around his ears and mouth, his nose, dry and rough. The light has gone from his eyes. As I gently stroke his soft fur, he acknowledges me gratefully, attempting to lift his head and meet my gaze.

I will never forget that time he chewed up my homework. His tail wagged as he looked up at me, anticipation in his eyes. We could go and play now. Except we couldn’t. Mum was really mad. I yelled at him and chased him out of the room. When I emerged hours later, he was still sitting there waiting for me. His tail was between his legs, his head lowered, and his little soft ears pinned back. I bent down and whispered in his ear that I was sorry too.

He was small in size, but mighty in nature. He was brave enough for the both of us. Ferocious looking dogs on the end of heavy chain leads would stride towards us, walked by bigger boys than me. Jax didn’t care, he was ready to take them all on.

Tennis lessons were another story. Jax tried to be helpful. The only problem was he didn’t really understand that once he collected the balls he was supposed to bring them back. It was a big joke but not to Dad who was paying for the lessons. I pretended to be mad but I was laughing on the inside and Jax knew it. It was always fun like this with Jax. He was so loyal, adventurous and knowing.

Every night he curls up next to me. If it is hot he chooses to sleep at the end of my bed. Tonight though he wants to be close. He is scared because he knows I am. My strong little friend, my favourite companion, the keeper of all my secrets, is weakening. The pads on his feet are worn and rough, his tail wispy, as his breathing slows. Tomorrow, I will say goodbye for the last time. My heart is heavy. I gently cover him the blanket, fearful of how fragile he now is. He has been with me my whole life, in all of my adventures and memories. His favourite red ball sits next to my bed. I will keep it there forever. As I drift off to sleep, I feel him snuggle in closer, as we both know, this will be the last time.

Felton’s Nanny

Dean Malouf, Year 2

“Uurg!” Felton came home from school in the same old, black car. He had a nanny who was the boss of the house from 3pm-7pm every evening. He wished Mrs Black didn’t exist. She was mean, bossy and had a witch's voice. Sometimes Felton thought she really was a witch. How could he make her go away?

“Go upstairs and do your homework, you helpless child,” growled Mrs Black.

Felton was lucky he had the best dog in the world. He lay on his bed and tried to think of a plan to make that grouchy old lady go away permanently. Suddenly…’Ding!’ he thought of something. “I can make her look so bad in front of my mum she will get fired,” Felton told his dog, Max.

Outside of Felton’s room, Mrs Black’s ear was glued to the door. She was shocked when she heard what Felton said. When she went downstairs Mrs Black murmured to herself, “I must reveal my identity. I’ll show him tonight.”

“Dinner!” called Mrs Black. Felton and Max trudged down the stairs. Felton had a naughty grin on his face but before he could register anything unusual Mrs Black took off her suit. In front of Felton there was a human-shaped mechanical robot. “Aarrghaa!” shrieked Felton. Both he and Max got a huge fright and Max barked and barked.

Felton raced up to his room, grabbed the secret cameras he had received the previous year and videoed his ‘nanny’ while she didn’t have her suit on. He took a snap and sent it to the police force. The next day the national army came. The army tried to take her away but the robot blasted off into space. Due to the sudden pressure loss, the robot ended up in flames and that was the end of Mrs Black.

“It’s party time!” Felton told Max with great delight.

Cricket with Jumper

Marcus Lin, Year 4

“Heads!” I yelled as the heavy leather ball fell from the sky. Then out of nowhere Jumper leapt across the cricket pitch and caught the ball in mid-air. “And he’s out!” I called to my dad. I didn’t know who looked more self-satisfied – Jumper or me!

I am 10 years old and I live with Cindy, the most selfish, bratty sister on this planet. On the good side I also get to live with my parents and my best friend Jumper, my trusty canine companion.

This year Jumper’s health has deteriorated. Every time we play cricket in the yard I have noticed he has been limping more and more. He often drops or even misses the ball completely and he really isn’t living up to his name. Because of this I’ve become really anxious about him as cricket has been our shared favourite activity since he was a puppy. He is now getting to the age where we have to give him medicine every month, and take him to the vet for regular check-ups. He is starting to look sad and he sleeps most of the day.

During dinner tonight we had a family discussion about what my bratty sister would like for her birthday. She said a kitten, and because she is young and a real cry baby she gets whatever her selfish-self needs and desires. To make matters worse it was another thing to bother Jumper, and it did not occur to her that Jumper was getting old and frail, even finding it difficult to get out of bed. I belligerently thought that the last thing Jumper needed was a hyperactive kitten to bother him!

Today my dad announced that it was time for Jumper to be put down because his limp was now even more pronounced and he was constantly whimpering in pain. It just wasn’t fair to keep him alive under those circumstances. To try and soften the blow dad said we could get a puppy but I still thought no dog anywhere in the galaxy could be a better companion for me than Jumper had been.

That evening we played one final game of cricket with Jumper before we had to go to the vet. I was sad and Jumper seemed to have a sixth sense about what was soon to happen. He looked at me with his big, round trusting eyes but he actually seemed to be at peace. Jumper gave the game his best shot, jumping higher and faster than he had in months, this one last time.

As I lay in the sun on the cricket pitch with my new puppy I thought about all the good games of cricket that I have had, all the amazing catches that have been caught by one single, drooling mouth. Come to think of it, Jumper really was my best friend. He definitely epitomised the old adage, ‘A dog is a man’s best friend’.