The Weekly Times - 7th March, 2018

Wednesday 7 March, 2018 THE WEEKLY TIMES 11
Today’s the day the teddy bears have their picnic
FROM Winnie-the-Pooh to Paddington Bear, the attachment between a child and a teddy bear can last a lifetime.
The Weekly Times was at Gladesville’s Our Lady Queen Of
Peace Catholic School last week to discover that the very British
tradition of a teddy bears’ picnic is alive and well.
The school’s teddy bear’s picnic was part of a concert called
‘Everything Bears’.
It was also the ideal time to celebrate the birthday of School
Principal Karen McGinlay who said the picnic was an enchanting
event that ave the infants a hane to sho o their eoved
cuddly companions to parents and teachers.
“It was also an opportunity to entertain our local Preschools
Trinity Early Learning Centre and Kids Cottage at Gladesville,”
Ms McGinlay said.
“The performance involved Kindergarten with their Teddy
Bears’ Picnic, Year One with Going on a Bear Hunt, Year Two
‘with a performance of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and the
Choir with their song called There Was a Bear.”
The story of the teddy bear began in 1902 when American
President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt went on a hunting trip to
the Mississippi where he refused to shoot a bear cub.
The story of “teddy’s bear” became legend but the teddy bear
really became popular with British children when it became associated
with the royal family’s own teddy, King Edward VII in
1905.
Immortal British teddy bears include Alysious of Evelyn
Waugh’s book Brideshead Revisted, Winnie-the-Pooh, Rupert
the Bear and Mr Tubby Bear of Enid Blyton’s Noddy books.
oet aureate ir ohn etean a have een the first person
to host a teddy bears’ picnic and when wartime hero Sir
Robert Clark parachuted into Italy in 1944 he had his teddy bear
“Falla” tucked into his uniform.
The boom for British bears was in the 1930’s when manufacturers
Merrythought of Shropshire became world leaders in the
craft of bear making.
Merrythought still makes bears for the Royal Collection Trust
although iconic British brands Fortnum and Mason and Burberry
also produce hand crafted bears.
PICTURED Our Lady Queen of Peace School Principal Karen
McGinlay joins the teddy bears’ picnic at the school last
week. TWT on-the-spot PHOTO
Holy Cross
College, Ryde
Open Day 2018
Educating men of faith since 1891.
Founded by the Patrician Brothers
Holy Cross is a place where students develop
into confident and creative young adults who
take responsibility for their own learning.
For further information, please contact the Principal’s Secretary.
517 Victoria Road, Ryde NSW 2112
Phone: 02 9808 1033
Email Address: info@holycrosscollege.org
Website: www.holycrosscollege.org
ENROLLING NOW FOR 2020
LIMITED VACANCIES FOR 2019
Sunday 11 March 2018
10:00am to 2:00pm
Principal’s Address: 11:30am