The Kangaroo That Visits Our Backyard

One hot summer evening, we were with Dad in his truck driving down the track that would eventually lead to our homestead. The sun was setting and as the red dust swirled around the truck, my sister and I were looking out the back at the clouds we were leaving behind. Sometimes it even looked like a red rainbow with the suns dying rays going through the dust.

All of a sudden Dad braked and we came to a skidding halt. He said that there was a kangaroo that had been hit by another vehicle. As we left the truck, we could see the lifeless body there on the side of the road.

Dad looked at the kangaroo, shaking his head as he always did when we saw things that were sad. Seeing that the dead kangaroo had a pouch, he moved closer and pushed his hand inside. Out he pulled a hand-sized moving creature - a helpless baby kangaroo! Dad said that baby kangaroos were called joeys. Sister Sue and me were worried for the baby - what would it do without its mother? We asked Dad what he was going to do with Joey, but he just smiled and said, "Let's just get the joey home." It was only a short drive.

When we arrived home, we wrapped Joey in a blanket to keep him warm. Mom made him a bottle of warm milk and cream, just like you would do for a baby brother or sister. We all laughed when we saw how fast he drunk down that milk spilling some down Mom's dress.

Mom and Dad explained to us how we must make a home for Joey and it must be just like his mom's pouch. Mom fetched some old soft material, a wooden coat hanger and one of my old sweatshirts; we all looked on as she began to sew.

First she sewed the bottom of the sweatshirt with the coat hanger inside it and then she fashioned a slit in it to look like the kangaroo's pouch. Next she proceeded to pad the inside with the soft material scraps.

Joey was placed in his new home; he settled in no problem. Dad placed his home on a hook on the kitchen door. Me and sister Sue were put on feeding schedules for Joey. Four times a day, we would have to mix the milk and cream and place the bottle just inside the pouch while Joey fed.

As the weeks passed by, Joey grew quickly. Soon he was not fitting at all well in his home. Sometimes we could see his legs sticking out.

One day Dad said that soon it would be time for Joey to leave his pouch. In no time he was bouncing around the house. He was so much fun to have around! Mom was not so happy with him though when he made a mess in the house!

At nighttime, he would stay in our outhouse. He was growing very fast and Mom and Dad explained that soon we would have to let Joey go back into the bush. He was just too big to have around the house and he needed to be with the other kangaroos.

The big day came after he had eaten Mom's flower garden. We went to the bush at the back of our yard and gave Joey his freedom. At first he seemed a little confused at being expelled from our house but all of a sudden he bounded off with not even a glance back at us. That night we had a hard time sleeping, scared for Joey. He had become almost a member of our family and now he was gone.

When we got up the next day, sister Sue and me ran outside. The warm sun hit our faces but - no Joey. We kind of thought he might have come back home but no such luck. That day was long and a strange lonely quiet came over the homestead.

Dusk came and Dad beckoned us with an urgency in his voice to come to the backdoor. There, nibbling on the grass, was Joey. We gave him milk, which he lapped up; he had not forgotten us.

Each night he would return to our yard, to eat and drink his milk. He really was a member of our family now.