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  By the time I returned, Meg and Jack had reached the family out the back behind the waves. The four swimmers were clinging to the sides of the surfboards. Jack had the mother and the youngest child, while Meg had the boy and the older girl. Jack hauled the little one out of the sea and onto the surfboard in front of him. Meg and Jack began slowly paddling for the shore with all their might, hampered by the extra weight.

  The lifesavers reached me and stripped off to their swimming costumes. Zoe’s face, normally happy and smiley, looked tense and focused.

  ‘Don’t try to paddle ashore,’ yelled Nigel to Jack and Meg. ‘Stay where you are and keep calm. We’re coming to get you.’

  He turned to the others. ‘Zoe, come with me. Lisa, you stay here with the radio and stand by in case we need to call an ambulance.’

  Zoe and Nigel pushed the rescue boards into the sea, jumped on and paddled with all their might.

  My heart was thumping with anxiety as I waited on the shore. I felt so useless. Would Zoe and Nigel get to them in time? Would Meg and Jack be able to keep the family afloat? I needed something to distract me.

  I looked around and saw Mum’s camera sitting where I’d left it on top of my backpack. I picked it up and started snapping photographs of the action.

  Zoe and Nigel powered through the water, racing to reach the bobbing surfboards with their precious cargo. Through the zoom lens, I could see Meg’s face, pale and tense as she struggled to keep the surfboard steady. The older girl lost her grip and Meg had to drag her back towards the board. Jack had his own struggle with the youngest child, who wriggled and cried with terror, nearly slipping into the sea.

  It took long, tense minutes for Zoe and Nigel to reach the group. Nigel took command, calling instructions and transferring the children to his rescue board. Zoe scooped up the youngest child and hauled her onto her own board.

  Together the lifesavers, Meg and Jack brought the family into the beach. A wave gathered momentum and surged towards the sand, carrying the boards with it. Nigel waded ashore with a child under each arm.

  Zoe carried the youngest child in her arms. The little girl was pale and shaking, coughing up seawater. Jack and Meg helped the mother, who was visibly exhausted and collapsed on the sand. After a couple of minutes she sat up and wept as she hugged her children close.

  Zoe and Lisa set to work checking the children for injuries and shock. Thankfully they were all okay. Jack and Meg had reached them in time to prevent any serious damage. We helped Nigel to drag all the boards onto the sand then stood around watching as the lifesavers worked calmly and efficiently.

  ‘Are you feeling all right?’ Zoe asked the mother.

  ‘It all happened so fast,’ she sobbed. ‘I told the children they could go in up to their knees but the water rushed in so quickly. There was nothing I could do.’

  ‘You’re all okay,’ said Nigel soothingly. ‘Thanks to these two courageous surfers. And this young lady who ran for help.’

  Zoe gave us all a hug. ‘It may have ended very differently if you three hadn’t been so quick thinking and brave.’

  I felt shy and proud all at once. Jack, Meg and I grinned at each other.

  Nigel and Zoe introduced all of us to the family.

  ‘I’m Annetta Moretti,’ said the mother. ‘And this is Lucia, Marco and Aurora.’

  Annetta turned to us. ‘I can never thank you three enough. You saved our lives.’

  ‘It was our pleasure,’ said Jack. ‘We were lucky to be out there when Pippa saw you get into trouble.’

  ‘Well, Annetta, I do hope that you’ll remember to swim between the flags in future,’ said Nigel sternly. ‘The ocean is very unpredictable.’

  Annetta shuddered. ‘Definitely. I won’t ever make that mistake again. I hate to think what might have happened.’

  Nigel noticed the camera I was holding. ‘Did you take some photographs of the rescue?’

  ‘Yes,’ I replied.

  ‘Could you let me have some copies?’ asked Nigel. ‘I’d love to publish them in our club newsletter, if you don’t mind?’

  ‘Of course,’ I replied. ‘I don’t know if they’ll be any good. But I can email them to you.’

  ‘Why don’t I take a photograph of the three of you?’ Zoe suggested.

  So Meg, Jack and I posed with the two surfboards and the ocean behind us. We had our arms around each other’s necks and broad smiles on our faces. Then I took a photo of the brave lifesaving team with their red-and-yellow caps.

  Annetta didn’t want her children photographed. They were still too shaken. However, she did give Nigel a lovely quote about us for the newsletter. Zoe recorded it on her phone. We all helped the family to pack up their beach gear and then Lisa and Nigel walked them back to the lifesaving club for a final check-up.

  ‘Don’t forget to send us copies of the photos,’ said Zoe with a smile. ‘You three were amazing!’

  After saying goodbye to my friends, I walked home thinking about what Nigel had said about including the photos in the club newsletter. Meg and Jack had been so incredibly brave to assist a whole family and keep them afloat for so long. They really were heroes.

  Of course! I could write up a story on the rescue for the school newsletter to go with the photos. I raced home, got changed, then went to get Summer from Mimi’s house.

  Summer was super-excited to see me, rolling on her back and offering me her tummy to scratch.

  I sat at the table in the caravan, with Summer at my feet, and set to work. I borrowed Mum’s computer and loaded the photos from the camera onto the laptop. Summer nibbled my toes while I worked.

  The photos came up clear and sharp, bringing the rescue back to life. I chose the four best photos, including the one of Meg, Jack and me with the surfboards on the shore, plus the group shot of the lifesavers.

  I sat down and planned out the story, then I typed it up. I phoned Nigel at the surf club and asked him if I could get a few quotes. Then I rang Meg and Jack on their yacht.

  I read over my story, then I rewrote and rewrote to make it as good as it could be. This is what I had written:

  HEROIC RESCUE – KIRA KIDS SAVE FAMILY CAUGHT IN RIP

  By Philippa Hamilton

  Two Kira Cove primary school students have been praised as heroes after rescuing a family of swimmers caught in a rip. Sister and brother, Meg and Jack O’Loughlin, aged 11 and 12, were surfing off Kira Beach at around 4 pm on Monday afternoon, when a family in need of help was spotted from the shore.

  A mother and her three young children were splashing in the shallows when a powerful wave swept them off the beach and out into deep water. The rip carried them a hundred metres offshore, where the mother tried to keep the children afloat.

  Jack and Meg paddled about fifty metres to reach the struggling swimmers. They calmed the children and helped them to cling onto their surfboards until lifesavers Nigel Woods, Zoe Martin and Lisa Shehadie arrived to help bring the family back to shore.

  ‘These kids deserve a medal for their bravery,’ said Patrol Captain Nigel Woods. ‘They stayed calm under pressure and put their own lives at risk to save the distressed swimmers. This incident is a timely reminder of the importance of always swimming between the patrol flags.’

  The young surfers were humble about their involvement in the rescue.

  ‘We are so glad that we were out surfing and there to help when it was needed,’ said Meg O’Loughlin. ‘It was a huge relief when the lifesavers arrived to help bring them to shore.’

  Her brother Jack said he and his sister had to be careful to keep the swimmers still.

  ‘It all happened so fast, we didn’t have time to feel scared,’ said Jack. ‘We learn surf lifesaving skills at school so we knew we had to keep the kids calm so that they didn’t panic and tip us off our boards.’

  The mother of the young family, who has asked to remain anonymous, was very shaken but thankful.

  ‘I hate to think what would have happened if Jack and Meg hadn’t
been there to save us,’ she said. ‘I will be eternally grateful to those brave young heroes.’

  When I was sure that I was happy with it, I emailed the article to Jack and Seb. I sent it to Nigel too, along with the four best photographs. There, I’d done it. An extra story for the newspaper. And I had a hopeful feeling it was good – really good!

  Mum arrived home with Bella and Harry a few minutes after I’d sent off the story, so I was bursting with news to tell them. Mum oohed and aahed as I recounted the dramatic rescue.

  ‘Thank goodness you were there, Pipkin,’ said Mum, blinking away tears. ‘And Meg and Jack, and Zoe too. Otherwise goodness knows what might have happened to that poor family.’

  Bella was jiggling up and down on the edge of the bed. Harry was lying on the floor playing with Summer’s silky ears.

  ‘That’s not as exciting as what happened to me today,’ said Bella. ‘I met Ruby Starr! She came into the cafe. I told her all about how I’m going to be a palaeontologist or maybe an archaeologist.’

  My heart sank. I imagined poor Ruby having her ear chewed off by my baby sister.

  ‘Oh, yes, I completely forgot,’ said Mum. ‘Your friend Ruby came into the cafe this afternoon looking for you.’

  ‘Looking for me?’ I asked. ‘I wonder why?’

  Mum raised her eyebrows in a mysterious way. ‘She’s leaving to go on her world tour on Friday morning. But she came up with an idea she wanted to discuss with you and the girls.’

  Mum paused, dragging out the suspense.

  ‘And?’ I demanded impatiently. ‘What idea?’

  ‘Ruby asked my permission first,’ continued Mum. ‘And I agreed. But perhaps it’s best if you ring her and Ruby can tell you all about it herself.’

  Mum passed me her mobile. ‘She gave me her number but you mustn’t tell anyone.’

  By this time I was squirming with impatience. I grabbed the phone and hit the dial button.

  ‘Hello,’ answered the voice on the other end.

  ‘Hi. Is that Ruby?’ I asked. ‘It’s Pippa Hamilton here. Mum said you wanted to talk to me about something?’

  ‘Thanks for calling, Pippa,’ said Ruby. ‘Yes. I had an idea and wanted to know what you think.’

  Ruby explained her idea to me. It was a great idea. An absolutely fantastically incredible idea. The other Sassy Sisters would be ecstatic.

  ‘We’d love to!’ I said, barely containing my excitement. ‘I’ll ring the girls and we’ll organise it straight away.’

  After school on Thursday, the year six editors stood by the front gate with Mrs Neill, handing out copies of the very first issue of the Kira school newspaper.

  ‘Here you go, girls,’ said Mrs Neill, smiling at the four of us. ‘Your very own copies of our Kira Conch. Thanks so much for your efforts. You all did a marvellous job with your stories.’

  We each grabbed a copy of the newspaper. My heart gave a skip of excitement when I saw the front cover.

  ‘And I’ve decided to award you each a prize for the best story,’ continued Mrs Neill. ‘I know you all worked together very closely, so I have a special book pack for each of you in the library.’

  ‘Thanks, Mrs Neill,’ we chorused. But while it was fun to win the prize, holding the newspaper in my hand was the best reward for our hard work.

  The newspaper’s masthead was illustrated with a large, curly conch shell. Jack told me that in ancient times these shells were used as horns. On the top half of the front page was the photo Zoe had taken of Jack, Meg and myself at the beach with our arms around each other. Underneath it was the story that I had written. I noticed that Jack had made a few edits.

  KIRA COVE SCHOOL HEROES SAVE FAMILY

  By Philippa Hamilton

  Three Kira Cove primary school students have been praised for their heroic rescue of a family who were swept out to sea in a strong rip. Sister and brother, Meg and Jack O’Loughlin, aged 11 and 12, were surfing off Kira Beach around 4 pm on Monday afternoon, when a family in need of help was spotted from the shore by their friend, Kira Conch reporter Pippa Hamilton.

  Pippa was on the beach when she saw the family being swept into the surf and called for help. She then ran up the beach to fetch the lifesavers …

  I felt a huge thrill when I saw my name in print on the front page. The rest of the story was continued on page three, including the quote from Nigel praising all of us for our bravery and quick thinking. He called us young superheroes!

  On the bottom half of the front page was a huge photo of Ruby Starr sitting on the rocks playing Charlie’s guitar. The headline read:

  RUBY STARR INSPIRES KIDS TO

  LOVE LIFE

  Interview by Charlie Harper

  There aren’t many Kira Cove students who don’t love the music of our very own pop star, Ruby Starr. So when our fave songstress popped home to the island for her mum’s birthday, all the locals were dying to meet her. So far, Ruby’s been lying low in preparation for her world tour, which kicks off in Sydney this Friday. But the good news is that before she jets off, Ruby will be hanging out at her favourite cafe – the Beach Shack – this evening. She has invited all the kids of Kira Cove School to come along to meet her at her farewell bash. Ruby will perform a couple of songs from her latest album and sign autographs from 4 pm to 5 pm. We look forward to seeing you there!

  Before you meet Ruby, get to know her a little better with the questionnaire below.

  Favourite food? Barbecued steak with mushroom sauce and mashed potatoes. Although Cici’s strawberry cream cupcakes are pretty awesome too!

  Favourite ice-cream flavour? Coffee

  Favourite hobbies? Singing, dancing, playing the guitar and writing songs

  What do you want to do in the future? I want to make people happy through my music. I want my songwriting to make people think about the world and their place in it.

  Favourite pets? I travel a lot so I really love coming home to our family dog, a bouncy Jack Russell called Pogo.

  Favourite motto? Live every moment. Laugh every day. Love with all your heart. It was the inspiration behind my latest album.

  There was eager muttering among the students as they read the news about Ruby performing at the Beach Shack this afternoon.

  I was jittery with excitement.

  You see, when I spoke to Ruby on the phone she had explained that she still felt terrible about all the kids who had left disappointed after coming to the Beach Shack to see her. She also felt really awful about Olivia, Tash, Willow and Sienna being so upset when she hadn’t arrived for her interview.

  So, as well as performing and signing autograhs at the Beach Shack, she would also have a special afternoon tea with Olivia, Sienna, Willow and Tash.

  Charlie and I wandered over to where Olivia and her friends were talking to the boys in the playground. Some of the kids were holding copies of the newspaper and reading different stories.

  ‘I can’t believe it,’ said Olivia, shaking the newspaper in disgust. ‘I can’t believe they stole our story idea.’

  I looked at Charlie and raised my eyebrows in an ‘I told you so’ way.

  ‘Olivia,’ I said, as we joined the group. ‘We didn’t mean to steal your story.’

  Olivia looked at Charlie and me as though we were slimy, green critters from Mars. She clearly didn’t want us anywhere near her.

  ‘It just kind of happened …’ I tried to explain.

  Olivia’s face went bright red. ‘As if you didn’t plan it! You set out from the beginning to ruin it. You didn’t want us to have the best story. You wanted to be the ones to get the front-page scoop.’

  Everyone looked at me. I gulped.

  ‘No, it wasn’t like that, Olivia,’ said Charlie.

  ‘We honestly didn’t plan to interview Ruby,’ I said. ‘We were just lucky that she walked by while Charlie was singing one of her songs.’

  ‘Ruby was so excited,’ Charlie added. ‘Then we started chatting with her …’

  ‘It was
my father who found out that Ruby was coming home to Kira Island,’ said Olivia, her eyes filling with tears. ‘And it was my idea to interview her for the school newspaper. If she hadn’t decided to do it at your cafe this would never have happened.’

  I paused. Olivia was right. It was Olivia’s idea. She could never have guessed that so many people would turn up and that Ruby would panic and leave. It probably would have happened no matter where the interview was planned. I did feel sorry for Olivia and the girls.

  ‘I know,’ I said. ‘It was a brilliant idea. And I’m sorry you were all so disappointed when Ruby didn’t come into the Beach Shack that day.’

  Olivia tossed her head and looked away, her arms crossed. She blinked back tears.

  I pulled four envelopes out of my backpack.

  ‘But I do have something for you from Ruby that might make up for it,’ I said.

  ‘What is it?’ asked Tash, looking curiously at my fistful of envelopes.

  ‘Open it,’ I said, passing one each to Tash, Willow, Sienna and Olivia. The girls ripped them open and read the handwritten notes inside.

  ‘What does it say?’ asked Alex, peering over Tash’s shoulder.

  ‘Ruby Starr has personally written to ask the four of us to afternoon tea today at the Beach Shack,’ explained Tash. ‘She apologises for not making it last Friday and wants us to be the star guests at a special celebration.’

  ‘And she wants to interview us,’ said Olivia, with a high-pitched squeak of excitement. ‘She wants to interview us for the next issue of The Kira Conch!’

  ‘Ruby hates doing interviews herself,’ explained Charlie. ‘But we told her about how we’d come up with a set of questions about what kids love for the school newspaper. So she agreed to answer those questions for us, and thought she could ask you the same questions at afternoon tea.’

  ‘So will you come?’ I asked the girls.

  ‘Of course we will!’ they shrieked together.

  A big group of us walked to the Beach Shack, joking and laughing. A stream of kids and their parents was already heading the same way.