Guardians of the Ocean @mthld - Tumblr Blog

Guardians of the Ocean

My project is based on the story of Nim’s Island, a book by Wendy Orr and film adaptation by Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin. It takes place in the same island but instead of a author and an adventurer that joins Nim, it is 2 other kids. Every summer, the three kids meet on this island, but as they grow up, they lose touch with each other. The story is told by each kid.

James' version

August 2012

Dear diary, today was probably the saddest day of my life. I know it has been a while since I didn’t write in this journal, but this evening I had to. I just got back from the cruise I was doing every summer in the last 4 years. As soon as it had opened, I begged my parents to do it because I knew it was going to be amazing. It was not really a big cruise for me, as I lived in the last pick-up point, Brisbane. But I really wanted to go on the Hinchinbrook Island as it is the largest island on the Great Barrier Reef and also the largest island national park in Australia. I always wanted to see the ocean wildlife and being able to study it for the whole summer was just amazing. I still want to become a researcher in marine biology, it hasn’t changed since last time. And this is mostly thanks to you Nim… I am so glad I met you. The first time I was already having fun in the boat, because I met Oliver, we did a lot of things in this big boat. Here is him and I in 2009 - I know, this white hat was too big for me :

Then when I arrived and as the days went by, each moment became more and more perfect as you were there. When I saw your cute face that day, by the waterfalls, I immediately felt in love with you. You were so pretty, and I loved your messy hair and your adventurous outfit. You were so passionate about every single same thing than me that I could hardly believe it was real, that was insane. My summers were unforgettable, we were all three of us and needed no one else. We were going on all types of mission for the Nim's Ocean Guardian's Club with your animal friends, and we talked for hours. My favourite moment will always be from this summer, on that night when we were staring at the stars, just you and I, on the beach. I made you listen to your first music ever, my favourite song – Beautiful Day, from U2. I just wanted to hold your hand and confess my feelings to you.

Obviously, I didn’t tell you about it, I was too shy… But now I kind of regret it, because I didn’t get to say goodbye to you either, I just couldn’t. I think I won’t forgive myself for letting you like this. Even, if it is time for me to pursue my dreams, and that in one week I will be moving to Cambridge, Massachusetts to start high school at Harvard – yes, I was accepted into their special prep program, in order to get into the Bachelor of Marine Biology and Oceanography. I will never forget you, and as soon as I will be graduated, I promise that I will go back to you.

Well, I guess I need to go to sleep, tomorrow I will start packing.

I will always love you Nim, bye <3

#guardiansoftheocean #friends #fiction #australia #queensland #hinchinbrookisland #nim'soceanguardiankid'sclub #greatbarrierreef #animals #nature

Oliver's version

September 2013

Yo, I’m Oliver, I'm 15 and I actually need to tell one of my childhood vacations for this first assignment. So last summer, I didn’t do anything because of my sister, as we went on vacations 3 times in a row the years before. But I can tell you about those 3 cool summers. So, the first time was in 2009, my parents had been boring us with this cruise for the past two years, and we finally went there. We left from our home in Melbourne, and we went all the way up the east coast, stopping briefly on all the surrounding islands and for 2 days each time in Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane. Before Brisbane I didn't talk to anyone on the boat, so it wasn't necessarily cool. My parents had made a lot of friends and did all the fancy activities and went to restaurants and bars every night. I was supposed to do the lame club activities at the front desk, but I managed to get away from it most of the time.

When the last people went up to Brisbane, it was already a little better, because I met James. We had no more stops left before the island where we were going to spend the rest of the summer, Hinchinbrook something, I don't know. He too was dodging club activities and we were spending time on the deck of the boat admiring the ocean, playing the game of who could see the most dolphins or whales. We would stay for hours above the glass panel in the basement looking at the fish and the whole great barrier reef. It was getting prettier and prettier, and I was finally starting to enjoy it. When we got to the island, we went straight to explore and found a pool full of seaweed.

It was very interesting, so we came back all the time because they were evolving from day to day. At the end of one week, a girl that we had never seen showed up and told us that it was her who had created that. It's Nim, she lives on the island by herself and wants to become a marine biologist like her father. She made us discover all the incredible places of the island, we spent all our days all 3 of us and we joined her private club. At the end of the summer, I didn't want to leave anymore, I liked it too much. I was lucky because my parents loved the cruise too, so we went back 3 more years after, and I was with James and Nim every time. But this year we couldn't go because my mom got pregnant, so she had to stay quiet. I don't think I'll be able to do the cruise again next year either, my little sister won't even be one so we can't take her on the boat. But I'm a little sad because I couldn't tell the guys I wouldn't be back.

Anyway, here is my favourite picture :

#guardiansoftheocean #friends #fiction #australia #queensland #hinchinbrookisland #nim'soceanguardiankid'sclub #greatbarrierreef #animals #nature

Nim's version

June 2014

Hey you ! My name is Nim and I’m about to tell you my crazy life. I was 11 years old on the picture that you see, but I am now 17 years old and since my father left for a very special mission on his boat, I am all by myself. So, it’s been 6 years and 2 months since he left to save the Great Barrier Reef. My dad is a marine biologist, if you are interested, and I want to be one too. He told me that I was old enough (at 11) to manage to live all alone. And also, we can't really say that I am ALL by myself, because I have my friends with me : Selkie the sea lion, Fred the bearded dragon, Chica the sea turtle, and Galileo the pelican. I am living on the Hinchinbrook Island, off the northeast coast of Queensland, Australia. I love my island so much because of the nature and the ocean.

5 summers ago, I met two other Australians boys, Oliver from Brisbane and James from Melbourne.

I was with Selkie when I saw that big boat approaching my island. I had never seen one before. I was really scarred at the beginning, because I had no idea what was on the boat. So I went home with all the animals, barricaded it like dad had taught me and stayed there for about a week. When I finally went out because I had no more fish to eat, I saw that this boat had unloaded all its passengers on the north beach. The tents had simply invaded my entire beach.

I quickly went to my favourite spot to hide by the waterfalls, but that's where I ran into the boys. They were with their backs to me, crouching over the pond where I raise my algae to study them and understand them better. I couldn't move, but when they turned around, our eyes instantly understood each other. They were in awe of my breeding and immediately asked me lots of questions. We were in fact all three passionate about marine biology. I decided to integrate them in my club, which until now only counted me and the animals, the Nim's Ocean Guardian's Club.

I told them everything I knew about ocean wildlife, and we played together in the water and with the animals every day. They also taught me some of the things they had learned at what they called "school". We would have fun and talk for hours and hours, exploring the island and I would show them all my secret places. They became like brothers to me.

At the end of the summer, they had to leave again but promised me to come back. And that's what they did, the next 3 summers. I was just waiting for the summer to come, to see this tourist boat with my friends in it. But last summer, they didn't come... And now the summer starts in 2 weeks, and I don't even know if I'm still expecting them to come or not… Why does everyone end up abandoning me?

#guardiansoftheocean #friends #fiction #australia #queensland #hinchinbrookisland #nim'soceanguardiankid'sclub #greatbarrierreef #animals #nature

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