Elspeth Learns How to be a Happy Elephant

About the Book

I first heard this story some 60 years ago from the Rev. Dr. Graham Hardy of St. Stephen’s, Sydney. I have used and adapted it over the years to make it my own. This is a story about an elephant named Elspeth. Elspeth encounters Alfie the antelope, Poppy the pelican and Clarrie the canary and desires to have their qualities herself. Suddenly these become part of her life and it is only then that she realizes how silly she has become. Elspeth suddenly returns to being herself – and becomes a happy young elephant. Around us we see people who have wonderful gifts and talents. As desirable as it may be that we obtain all these skills for ourselves we simply need to celebrate the abilities that we already have and appreciate the gifts that we see in the lives of our friends.

About the Author

Les Hewitt was born at Punchbowl, in Sydney, in 1940. For eight years he was a hand composer in the printing industry. In 1963 he became a student minister, being ordained in 1969. He is a Uniting Church in Australia minister and finally retired in 2021. Les married Lynette in 1967. They have five sons, three daughters-in-law, nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Les and Lynette live in the Illawarra region of New South Wales. Peter is Les and Lynette’s youngest son and was born in Canowindra. He has worked as a printing machinist and is currently in retail. Peter sketched the drawings of Elspeth the Elephant right through to her being an elephantelopelicanary.