Olga D. A. Ernst—Author

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
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In 1904 Olga Dorothea Agnes Ernst wrote, Fairy Tales From The Land Of The Wattle. She was aged 16 and had graduated from Pupil Teacher School. The book has beautiful drawings by Dorothy Ashley and was one of the first books about Australian fairytales to be published in Australia by a young woman.

Australian Christian Commonwealth (SA : 1901 - 1940), Friday 29 August 1913, page 16

For the Children "Once Upon a Time"

There came into our hands the other day a delightful little book by Olga D. A. Ernst containing a number of "Fairy Tales from the Land of the Wattle", beautifully illustrated by Dorothy Ashley. They are the work of a young Australian girl whose childhood was passed in quiet country places where the wattle is a wealth of glory, where the laughing jack makes the woods ring with his jollity, and where fireflies make luminous the night. They are the kind of tales a child would love to tell younger children, and we have pleasure in giving our readers the story which is applicable to this season of the year.

"Fairy Tales from the Land of the Wattle"

THE ORIGIN OF THE WATTLE.

BY OLGA D. A. ERNST.

Once on a time, so scientists tell us, the country around Lake Eyre, in the State of South Australia, was fruitful and productive. The plains around the lake were covered with beautiful grass, on which kangaroos and wallabies grazed in hundreds. Ferns and gumtrees skirted its shores, while in their branches by day birds of all sizes and colours chirped and twittered, and by night numbers of opossums and flying squirrels sported. In the shallow inlets of the lake great crocodiles wallowed in the soft mud.

Then great changes came, over the Lake Eyre country. Gradually the waters of the lake receded, and slowly, very slowly, the once fertile and beautiful plains grew barren and desolate as we now know them.

As all the plants and animals in the surrounding country either migrated or starved, a certain race of fairies, called "The Children of the Lake," were doomed to perish also. :These little fairies' only chance of escape from destruction was that Oberon, supreme king of all the fairy tribes, should take pity on them in their dire distress and change their form.

When the fairies heard that they must either die or be changed, they wept very much, but their little queen arose and said: "Sisters, we will not die ! We will , ask to be changed into plants or animals. Which shall it be ?"

"Let us be plants! " Oh, could we but retain some of our present beauty, at least our golden hair!" sobbed the other fairies.

Now I must tell you that these fairies were beautiful little creatures, with pretty slender bodies and lovely golden hair, which, as they floated about among the trees, gave them the appearance of lovely golden balls.

Next day the queen and her subjects sent a message to Oberon to grant them an interview. When he was come they asked him to change them into plants, of a form in which they might still retain their beauty, especially their golden hair, of which they were justly very proud.

"Then you shall be trees—of such a kind as man has never seen before. Be trees !" said Oberon kindly to them, for he was touched by their grief.

"Yes! yes!" cried the fairies, "but remember our request!"

"Be it as you wish," said he, waving his wand and immediately, where the fairies—alas! no longer fairies—had stood, lay little black hard oval seeds.

Oberon smiled and returned to his kingdom, but the seeds lay where he had left them.

They lay there a long, long time; the sun dried them, but did not shrivel them up, for they were too hard.

After a time Oberon remembered that he had only half fulfilled his promise. So one day a large flock of big birds were seen to fly over the lake country, swoop down on the seeds, and each take one in his bill, and then they flew on again, far, far to the south-east, where Victoria now is.

But on their way a great bush fire broke out! The flames blazed, the trees crackled and fell; but the birds flew on till one by one, overcome by the heat, they dropped in various parts of the country—and the seeds seemed lost. The fire swept over them, scorched them, and buried them under the hot ashes and soil; and then the rain fell.

Glorious rain! All Nature revived again. After a while a great change came over the seeds—the hard skins cracked, and tiny white shoots sprang up.

These then unfolded two pale green leaves, and soon more leaves came on, then more and more till the plants, were a foot high. After that they grew quickly, and soon full-grown trees stood there with slender, pliable branches, clothed with dark grey-green feathery foliage.

Soon buds came, which grew larger and larger, and at last burst into flower, covering the trees with a wealth of golden blossoms, which diffused a sweet perfume around.

When white people came to this island continent they admired these trees exceedingly, but being pioneers of a new country they had to study utility more than beauty, and found that the slender, pliable branches would be useful for plaiting and "wattling" together to form the rude walls and enclosures of their early habitations.

Hence they gave the tree the name of "wattle," under which name it is dearly beloved and familiar to all Australians. But a learned professor gave to it the more appropriate and beautiful Greek name "Callicoma," which means "beautiful hair." So, you see, the fairies had their wish concerning their lovely hair. ^[1]

A Short Story written by Olga D. A. Ernst and published in the Leader in 1907. She was age 19.

Leader (Melbourne, Vic. : 1862 - 1918, 1935), Saturday 21 September 1907, page 50

HOW THE RAIN CAME.

BY OLGA D. A. ERNST.

"How hot it is!" grumbled a disconsolate jackass sitting on the dead stump of a tree; and all nature responded, "How hot it is!" Yes! It was Hot! Every hour the grass withered more and more, the last few wild flowers drooped, the hot sun burned pitilessly down on the thirsty roots of the great trees, and all the bush creatures sought what shade they could find, and with parched throats thought of the floods of winter, which had been hated in their season nearly as much as the drought was now! :Slowly the sun sank lower and lower till like a fiery red ball it dropped behind the distant hills.

No clouds anywhere; and out of the North came a soft, but very warm breath of wind—it passed— and all was still.

That was the North wind sleeping and breathing heavily in his slumbers, the next day he would blow with all his might and scorch the land still more.

The shadows of night fell over the land and the stars came out one by one and shone with the look of kind eyes, pitying the stricken earth; the crickets sang, and the mosquitoes hummed and troubled man and beast.

"Oh! That it would rain ! rain ! " sobbed the she-oak. My roots are so thirsty!

" And so are mine! And mine! And mine!" was echoed from all sides.

"E-e-eem!" hummed a male mosquito. "I wish there were some juicy plants about!"

"E-o-eem! You silly!" retorted his mate coming up as soon as she heard his note. Why don't you do as we ladies do, and suck blood, that doesn't dry up in summer!"

Then soft came the prayer of the Bush— Rain! Oh, come rain! Come!"\

Down from the starry heights came a silvery voice— the voice of the evening star—saying "Send for the South wind; his breath is cold enough to change the watery vapor floating in the air into rain! Send for him! Send for him if you want rain!"

"Sough! Sough!" came a breath from the North again.

"Couldn't you ask the South wind to come." begged the she-oak of the tiny breeze.

"I'm not strong enough!" it sighed, and when as it spoke it died away.

Another and a stronger breath came— "I am stronger than my brother; I will help you if I can. I will go south with your message to the South wind!" it whispered softly.

Then the stars seemed to sing for very joy; and the grass and tree sobbed with thankfulness as it passed!

Further and further south it travelled, but, ah, so slowly; it required all its strength to go forward (it was such a tiny breeze, and still it kept, on.

"I'll get there in time!" it whispered to itself; and the night wore into day, and it was still on its journey.

In the north, the north wind came, at first in gentle gusts, then quicker and fiercer, till at last it blew a gale — hot as the breath from an oven.

"Have pity! Have pity on us!" pleaded the trees, but the north wind lashed them, the more, till their twigs flew in all directions.

The yellow dust had travelled for miles with his northern friend the wind, and soon all the land was hidden under his amber colored mantle.

"Oh! that the breeze would hasten!" was the cry of all the bush.

Suddenly they heard a rushing and a whistling, above the howl of the north wind, and there, the two brothers of the north and south met.

Such a tussle as there was!

They fought, and roared, and sprang at one another, till the twigs and boughs fell from the trees, and the air was thick with dust and leaves.

Down in the valley the people said: "The wind has changed to the south at last!'" for at length the south wind prevailed, and his brother slunk back to his desert plains.

But the south wind stayed not long; he mounted into the air, and the watery vapor turned visible at his cold breath".

The more he blew the closer, the tiny particles of vapor cuddled together, till many joined hands and melted into one.

"You are too heavy for me to hold," said the air, and down, down they dropped to the thirsty earth; but they brought the dust with them, and the people in the valley said: "Look! We are having red rain!"

Then more drops fell, and more, till everywhere was heard the sound of the welcome, welcome rain.

How everything rejoiced!

"How good! How glorious!" was all that they could murmur; and still the rain poured down. . . . But what became of the little breeze?

Alas! He had but strength to give his precious message to the south wind, when he died away. But who shall say that he died in vain? ^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ WATTLE BLOSSOM (1913, August 29). Australian Christian Commonwealth (SA : 1901 - 1940), p. 16. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article214052009
2. ↑ HOW THE RAIN CAME. (1907, September 21). Leader (Melbourne, Vic. : 1862 - 1918, 1935), p. 50. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article198098404