Anzac Ted

Anzac Ted Front Cover High ResAnzac Ted is the story of a teddy bear who goes to war, proving there is more to him – and all of us! – than meets the eye!

I’m thrilled that my debut children’s picture book, which I wrote and illustrated in watercolour, is now a bestseller and available in 5 countries!

It was launched back in November 2014.

You can buy a copy or find out more at your local bookseller or at www.anzacted.com!

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Belinda x

2 thoughts on “Anzac Ted

  1. Rod Hurley

    Hi. i am the librarian at my school and I have been asked if ANZAC Ted is a true story and whether you have any personal connection to the story. Unfortunately I can’t answer either of these my but my colleague, (NE, Year 1 teacher) would be very grateful.

    I hope you are safe in your bubble during these unique times.

    Thank you
    Rod

    Reply
    1. belinda Post author

      Hi Rod,

      Lovely to here from you across the ditch! It certainly has been a challenging year so far, but let’s hope the world turns right-side-up soon!

      Regarding your question, there’s no short answer, so please pass this on to your colleague, NE…

      The idea for Anzac Ted was based on my husband’s teddy bear “Ted” which he brought with him when we were married in 1982.My husband, David, is hugely sentimental and couldn’t leave his beloved bear behind when we moved into our new home but I’m ashamed to admit I was horrified by Ted’s unsightly appearance (there are pictures of him on my website – you can’t miss him, in fact!) Over the years I kept putting Ted away in cupboards etc but Ted stubbornly kept “reappearing” so I finally asked David about him.

      As it turned out, David’s dad, Alf, had found Ted in a gutter and given him to his young son. As Alf had been conscripted in WW2 I started wondering: “Could Ted have gone to war?” I couldn’t ask Alf as he’d died many years previously but after doing some research I discovered an identical bear to Ted which was old enough to have experienced WW1. And the idea for Anzac Ted was born.

      But wait! There’s more!

      A couple of years ago I was contacted by a lady who volunteered at the Frenchs Forest War Cemetery in Sydney. She was very excited because she was a) just loved Anzac Ted and b) had just discovered that the story was in fact “true.”

      She was looking after the grave of a WW1 soldier; I believe his name was Albert Nobbs. As the cemetery is visited by school children and historical societies the staff research the people buried there. That’s when it was discovered that Albert had gone to war and taken his teddy bear with him for luck. At one point, Albert had been shot and survived because his pocket notebook had deflected the bullet. His teddy bear had also been shot and had lost an eye. But miraculously, after many battles the pair had survived and returned home to Australia. Albert lived to a ripe old age and always maintained that his teddy bear had been his wartime lucky charm.

      Naturally, while I was delighted to hear this wonderful story, I wasn’t surprised. I’m sure there are many more like this one. I hope so.

      So when people ask me if Anzac Ted is a true story, the short answer is “It could be. It’s certainly possible.”

      I like to think the ANZACs wanted it written.

      Stay safe and well,
      Belinda

      Reply

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