The Preface from the Children’s (and Adults) Story book that finally explains.. ’the strange circumstances’.. that led to ‘Karmai’s’ creation.

I sincerely hope that this book becomes as much of a friend to people as I have become to that giant pink phenomenon called "Karmai". It is true that Karmai was born in the mud of this unique land many years before you and I were thought of, but it is equally true that the spirit of this unique creature remained dormant through the ravages of time, waiting to be raised and to be used for the enjoyment and benefit of a whole community.

My introduction to our giant earthworms could fairly be called rude, for sometime in 1958 whilst swimming in the town reservoir near Korumburra, I chanced to hear some gurgling sounds emanating from the banks. Thinking that these hallowed banks were haunted I used a "rabbiting" spade (we used to dig them out) and came across what I described then as "faceless snakes". Upon presentation of one fine specimen to my father, I wrote my first letter to the National Museum of Victoria. The worm - Megascolides Australis - was a fine example of the Giant Gippsland worm, and in the grey subsoils of this very confined area, lives the world's largest earthworms, averaging two to three metres in length.

Years later when I returned to this area, it was my honor to present arts programs to children at Primary school level and this combined with a desire to find some new community orientated activity that could weld people together in an economically ravaged country town set me on the path of Karmai. For as it was then, it still is now that 1 believe the greatest possible worth is the use of the arts for the betterment of the common goad. The later development and story behind the Karmai story is a testament to the value of the arts in any society and no one can deny it; for it was born of the four ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS of any worthwhile social communication: ENJOYMENT, EDUCATION, ENTERPRISE and ENTHUSIASM.

In 1974 a much younger looking Hugh Hendry (Director of Coal Creek Village) was presented with some drawings from "this fellow" at the local primary school. It had occurred to me (via strange circumstances) that a giant puppet of a worm propelled by 34 people could be built as a float for the Melbourne Moomba Procession from textiles and soft cane and that this would capitalise on what we had, bigger and better than anyone else in this world, and that it would be the ideal ambassador for Korumburra. With the assistance of a younger {and later termed} "worm freak" - Andrew Walls - we concocted a small scale model from tissues and florists wire. A plan was drawn up and with the assistance of 5 other children, we were ready to take an Moomba. We were convinced that the whole thing was a world beater.

The ensuing year was one heavy slog. As if all the laughing from some of our respected community leaders wasn't enough, my own little son sealed the fate of the project for that year by eating our model - in retrospect I believe he put on weight after that.

And so it was that "the worm" was born under sufferance, into our area, and people became aware of the enormous potential that it had. In 1977 we arrived at a name from the Aboriginal tribe that once inhabited this area -- The Kurnai Tribe (meaning man) and their ward Mining-Kar-Mai (place where a worm is) - KARMAI.

Of course this was later to be widened to the Karmai Festival and this has since gone on to become a household word, The rest is history. How the enthusiasm of a group of people with 100 metres of pink material, 3 kilometres of sewing and a roll of poly pipe, took this area by storm and how Karmai went an to become one of the most successful Moomba Procession floats ever, winning 3 years in a row, most of the coveted prizes that this great festival could offer. A vocabulary chart has been made available with this edition in the form of a check list of Applied Concept, words that can be used in the presentation of this book to younger children. The words have been arranged into 12 categories as listed from simple to difficult concepts, based on visual discrimination clues in the illustrations only, but with a cross reference to page numbers for easier identification. As well as forming the basis of a picture discussion for each page, these words correlate with the vocabulary development throughout primary school applied mathematics i.e. from Preps. to early Grade ti. In addition the illustrations have been reinforced with perceptual development concepts.

Each illustration has a cause and effect direction whereby children may follow the course of action in each illustration, both physically and mentally, and without relying on any suggested text, come to their own conclusions about where the story is going next.

Finally, the illustrations themselves attempt to present the central character in roleplaying situations, where it is given a variety of emotions that should be noticed in the presentation of this book to younger children. Concepts are repeated throughout the book to reinforce those previously learnt.

It should be understood there that the story line to this book is not intended to 6e educationally significant in itself, but follows closely the wards to sang "Karmai the Giant Earthworm" due to be published in 1981.

"Karmai" has appeared on National T.V. and has even been featured on BBC T.V. in Britain and to those people who were members of the very first worm team, and who took that walk with destiny one humid night in early 1977 in Coal Creek, then this book is dedicated to you for being the first custodians of a tradition that I hope will always stay within us.

Francis Mayson Smith