Tait Ohlsen appears in the image of Tongala Primary School’s most famous football product, last year’s number one pick and West Coast Eagles star Harley Reid.
An AFL football star, a BMX gold medallist and the Three Little Pigs were among the characters to steal the show at Tongala Primary School’s Book Week parade on Monday, August 19.
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The theme for Book Week this year is Reading is Magic and when it comes to Tongala’s most famous recent football product, Harley Reid, there has been plenty to read about.
Harley Reid is regularly back in Tongala and his signature appeared on the back of Tait Ohlsen’s guernsey.
So heavy was the focus in the pages of the West Australian that Reid’s sponsor, Puma, bought the back page and simply wrote the words “A back page without the pressure . . . Good luck mate” prior to Reid making his AFL debut.
It’s a little removed from the likes of fairytales and Harry Potter books, but it didn’t stop one student from donning the now highly recognisable number nine jumper and the associated head band to portray his football hero.
Teachers Jade Holloway, Julie Dullard and Nicki Cardillo appeared at the Book Week parade as The Three Little Pigs.
The presence of “Harley” at the parade also prompted an announcement from principal Rob Hogan, who informed the students that the real Harley Reid would be at the school for the final day of term three — which is dedicated to Football Colours Day.
Reid’s older sister Hollie, who is on her way to becoming a fully qualified teacher, has been gaining valuable career experience by working at Tongala this year.
School principal Rob “Dumbledore” Hogan is shown interviewing Ivy Beach, who came as Australia’s Paris Olympics BMX gold medallist Saya Sakakibara.
Alongside the student kitted out in West Coast Eagles colours was a helmetted BMX riding student portraying Paris gold medallist Saya Sakakibara.
Complete with a makeshift golf medal and the number 77 bib which was a salute to her brother Kai — who incurred a brain injury after a World Cup crash four years ago — the student was also picked out for a quick door stop interview with the principal.
Sakakibara famously competed in the Games wearing the number 77, which was the competition number of her brother who suffered a brain in jury while competing in a BMX World Cup event.
As for the Three Little Pigs, well they proudly led their students on the parade ground to celebrate the annual salute to books and reading.
Tongala Primary School students were among thousands from throughout the region who took on the personalities and appearances of characters from books which that have inspired them in the classroom.
Enid Blyton passed away in 1968, but her books have stood the test of time, as shown by Tex Townsend choosing The Saucepan Man (one of the magical characters from The Faraway Tree series) as his inspiration.
Dr Zeuss characters are among the most popular during Book Week and this year it was Ruby Emonson and Hanna Hughes who appeared as Thing 1 and Thing 2.
Summer Dixon was among a handful of students who chose the Cat in the Hat as their Book Week character.
Chett Cox was among the “coolest” characters at the Book Week parade, maybe a salute to the success of Australians in the Olympic Games skateboarding events.
Harvey Nunn and Xavier McKeown brought two of the more popular characters to life, Mario the Plumber and Harry Potter, at the Tongala Book Week event
Rylee Penola was among several Dalmatians who appeared at Tongala for the Book Week parade this week.
Tongala primary schooler Oliver Croft could have been a stunt double for Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe.
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