Radar's and Thea's Running Away Book

About 40 years ago a little 'Mr Happy' booklet came home with my young daughter Thea after she'd spent the weekend with her Dad. The handwriting belonged to her stepsister Radar, a year older. I opened it with trepidation. Was I going to discover some unpleasant truths?

The lack of apostrophes on the title page was quickly ignored when page 2 proved they had no intention of getting lost. Radar helpfully provided her home address and phone number.

Thea wasn't quite sure of hers:

It was pleasing to see that the primary safety lesson instilled in both girls had been absorbed - 'stay together'. And it seems they were a bit scared of the dark.

They planned to keep warm:

And they did not intend to starve:

Hmm, we must have done something right as the parents of young children, as their food preferences were encouraging:

No squatting on the ground for this pair - chairs would be much more comfortable. I heaved a sigh of relief at this point as the 'pads and pencils' item proved they intended to stay in touch, even if they were running away.

They'd keep boredom at bay with a spot of reading, planned to keep themselves clean and, being good little Aussie kids, they knew they had to be Sun Smart.

No finger food for this pair - tableware was needed. By now it had almost reached the stage where a removalist would be needed to transport the load:

They paid impressive attention to personal grooming issues and first aid supplies:

They'd learned to count without making a mistake, even if their spelling was a little haphazard:

Craft activities were in order, with sticky tape, a pencil sharpener, a rubber and glue on the list. And last but not least was the most important thing, made evident during this COVID-19 pandemic:

It was a relief to reach the end and discover that they just wanted an adventure. No mention of wicked stepmothers or stepfathers.

This little booklet remains one of my treasured possessions. I love it. Thank you girls. Now that COVID-19 has struck and you're confined to barracks with your own children, I hope this story will amuse them for a moment or two.