His story begins somewhere in the deserts of Central Australia – some say close to Alice Springs or Kakadu National Park. The actual location is uncertain though we do know that the surrounding area was mostly dry and barren. Hidden amongst some old logs and large rocks was a family of geckos, where – you guessed it – lived our gecko.
Ecko (that was his first name), was the youngest in his family. His older brother and sisters had long ago moved out of home to find their own way in the world. Our gecko was not called Mr. Green at that time. In fact, he was not green at all. As you probably already know, different kinds of geckos are coloured with relation to their surroundings – camouflaging them for protection against predators. Ecko’s family was brown in colour, actually called the ‘BROWN’ family.
Anyway, there was a time when Ecko was spending too much time watching T.V. and playing with his soccer and tennis balls. Food was hard to come by, especially when insects moved further south to get away from the hot summer months.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown, realizing that their son would have to move out eventually, encouraged him to learn a trade. They knew of an Old Lady who lived close by who tended her garden with the utmost care, and they suggested that he go and watch her for a while to see if it might be of interest.
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained!” he thought to himself. So that afternoon, he paid a visit to the Old Lady and snuck behind some tall grass to watch her from a safe distance. She began pulling weeds and sorting herbs, digging holes and planting seeds. So gracefully did she work that he was transfixed – staring at her in amazement. After what seemed to be a long time, she harvested some vegetables and herbs, and took them into her cottage.
A lovely aroma started to waft through the air, and Ecko soon realised that she was making some soup. “Ooh! That smells so nice!” he thought to himself, feeling hungry. The Old Lady then placed a bowl of soup on the window ledge to cool, as she went to do some housework.
Unable to contain himself, he crawled up onto the ledge and sneakily ate a few mouthfuls before scampering away back home, telling his parents excitedly of his day and the wonderful food he had tasted.
The next day he returned to his hiding spot and watched the Old Lady again as she worked. After a short time she stopped, looked over to his direction and called, “Hello there!” Our gecko quickly lowered his head, hoping he wasn’t seen. “It’s alright, come over here!” she called again. He wanted to run away, but there was kindness in her voice, and so he slowly got up and walked over to her.
“Here! Start pulling these weeds, but leave those herbs alone!” she commanded in a firm yet gentle voice. He was a little taken aback, but eager to do what she said. As they both continued with the work she began talking, as if to herself; of how to plant certain vegetables; of how to make good compost; of the goodness of worms. All sorts of things.
At the end of the day, the Old Lady asked if he was hungry. “Yes I am… but…,” replied Ecko. He was feeling a little ashamed of taking some of her soup the night before, and so confessed this to her. “Yes, I know,” she said with a cheeky smile on her face. “Come! Lets make some more!”
At that, our gecko was relieved and so happy that he began dancing around in the kitchen, glad to have found a new friend and teacher. The soup was different this time but just as tasty, sharing stories and getting to know one another as they ate. After dinner, he was ready to go home for a good sleep. “Come back tomorrow with your gloves,” she called as she waved him good night.
In this way, Ecko came to learn his trade. In the course of a year, he listened to what the Old Lady taught, and asked many, many questions. He learned about this and that; the seasons of the year; keeping yourself healthy; and so on. His parents were very happy, and proud that he had learned so much so quickly but they were also feeling a little sad, for they also realised that he would soon be leaving their home.
One night he had a strange dream. He was building a canoe on an island that didn’t seem to have a name. A UFO that was made from bugs and flies appeared, took him aboard, and flew him to a distant land. The UFO turned into a raincloud and he fell down onto a pumpkin, landing softly. The pumpkin started getting bigger and bigger, and suddenly exploded. All sorts of fruit and vegetables came out of it, and started to grow on the soil where they landed. Close by, there appeared a magician with the letters HHPS stitched onto his hat. Without saying a word, he waved his wand and touched him gently on his thumb. Everything then turned green! The road, the sky, the buildings! All green! Even …even himself!!!
And that’s when he woke up. He was shivering with excitement, knowing that something special had just happened. He then had breakfast with his parents, telling them of his dream. His father looked into his mother’s eyes, with a glance of understanding, and then looked back to Ecko, saying, “Go to the Old Lady. She will know what it means!”
He quickly ran to her cottage, nearly tripping over himself once or twice, and re-told his dream. The Old Lady had tears forming in her eyes, and after giving him a warm hug, she gently spoke these words. “Your time has come. I’ve heard of a place in Sydney, to the north I think, that is in need of some help. Go, and tend your garden there.”
At that, he thanked her for all her kindness and knowledge that she had given him, and started on his way. On turning around for a last wave goodbye, she called out, “Hey look! You’ve got a green thumb!” It was true! His thumb had turned green!
Saying goodbye to his parents was one of the hardest things he had ever done, but Mr. and Mrs. Brown understood that each must follow their own path. They both gave Ecko a great big hug, (the kind of hug you can’t forget), and wished him well on his journey.
How our gecko managed to make that trip from Central Australia to Sydney was anybody’s guess. Some say that he hitched a ride on a wheel of a plane, and others say that he was on holidays from Jamaica! (Ecko was a little vague on this point). One thing is certain though:- the closer that Ecko got to Sydney, the greener he became. The green colour began at his thumb, then progressed onto his fingers; his hands; arms; nose; head, and extended all the way to the base of his tail. He was a little frightened at first, but then came to realise that the green colour was actually guiding him towards his destination.
He arrived in Sydney quite safely, but where to from here? “To the north…” was the words of the Old Lady, so he made his way up to Hornsby, and sure enough, a little bit more green had covered his tail. And when he arrived at Rofe Park in Hornsby Heights, virtually half of his tail was green. He was heading in the right direction!
He decided to rest for a while in the park, so he crawled up a tree to get a better view of his surroundings. He could see children in the playground, some were riding around on the bike track and there were adults with their pets in the dog park. He knew it was getting close to Christmas time because he saw the local Scouts selling Christmas trees to passers-by. “What a lovely place!” he thought to himself, and quickly fell asleep, as he was quite exhausted from all his travels.
The next morning he got up, ate a few bugs for breakfast, and continued on his journey. (We all know geckos are nocturnal, but he was on a mission!) He walked along Galston Road for a while and checked every so often if his tail was getting greener. It sure was! Making his way further along, he stopped at a set of traffic lights, and decided to turn right into Somerville Road.
After only a minute or so, the most amazing sight caught his eye. On the notice board at Hornsby Heights Public School were written these words:
MASCOT NEEDED FOR
ECO FOOD GARDEN
APPLY WITHIN
He fainted after reading these words, being overwhelmed by the realisation that he had found his destination, that his journey was coming to an end.
Some children found him in the grass near the fence as they were making their way home after school was finished for the day. So well camouflaged was he that one of the children nearly stepped on him. They picked him up carefully, barely awake as they carried him to Mrs. Redrup’s office.
“Careful of his tail,” said one of the children. It might drop off if he’s frightened.”
Mrs. Redrup thanked the children, and placed Ecko on the desk. She had a cape that was rumoured to have special flying qualities, and wrapped it around him. “Here, this will keep you warm,” she said.
After a few minutes he awoke, completely refreshed from the kind treatment. “Some of my students brought you here from outside,” began Mrs. Redrup. “You seem to be okay now. How may I help you?”
“My name is Ecko Brown, and I’ve come here…” He told his whole story – of the Old Lady, his dream and his travels. Mrs. Redrup listening carefully and with much interest realised that he might be a suitable Mascot. After he had finished, she sat back in her chair, thought for a moment and said:
“Last year, the Eco Food Garden Team made a gecko their mascot. Are you willing to be that mascot?”
“That would be great!” He said, and his tail was getting greener.
“Are you willing to be known as Mr. Green, our Garden Mascot?”
“Oh, most certainly!” He said, and his tail was now completely green.
She paused. One more question to go:
“I’m concerned that the gardens will produce a fair amount of fruit and vegetables. Any tips on what to do with it all?”
“Share it all at Crunch and Sip!” was his response, and just at that moment, he felt the very tip of his tail change colour from brown to green, sending a lovely warm feeling throughout his whole body.
“Welcome to our school Mr. Green!” said Mrs. Redrup, feeling quite pleased with his answer. “I’ll get in contact with the Eco Food Garden Team, and let them know that you’ve got the position.”
Mr. Green was so overjoyed that he was dancing and singing for 12 hours straight, spending the night on the school grounds, which had since become his new home. He met with the Eco Food Garden Team soon after, briefly discussing the many possibilities in the future. The Team saw that he was very knowledgeable in all garden matters, and wise too, giving good advice when needed.
Mr. Green now spends most of his time amongst the garden beds, eating any bugs or insects. In this way he helps to keep the fruit and vegetables healthy. (Sometimes he makes himself a nice bowl of soup too!) He also supervises new projects as they occur and develops new ones too.
So that’s it children. We have found Mr. Green’s history. The Eco Food Garden Team would like to thank you all for providing clues for our search. They were all helpful in some way. Well done! We hope you have found it interesting, perhaps inpiring you to create a garden at your own home. After all, that is one of his roles. He is Our Mascot, Our Gecko, for Our Garden. Hooray! For Mr. Green!
