Summary

Game name (and type): 'King' (chasing game)
Alternative types: ball games, running games

Handwritten description of the chasing game 'King' written for Dr Dorothy Howard by Fred Holman, a student at Double View Government Primary School, on 25 March 1955. Holman describes 'King' as a popular boys game, requiring between ten and sixteen players and a large, outdoor space. He notes that each player needs a shield, possibly made from a small piece of wood; however the purpose of the shields is not discussed. A captain is elected, who requests the other players to run to a particular location and back. The last player to return assumes the role of the chaser. The chaser chases the other players, attempting to hit their bodies with a tennis ball. If successful, the captured players must assist the chaser to catch other children. Holman notes that the last, free player with a shield is declared the 'king'.

One of a collection of letters describing a children's games written to children's Folklorist Dorothy Howard between 1954 and 1955. Dr Howard came to Australia in 1954-55 as an American Fulbright scholar to study Australian children's folklore. She travelled across Australia for 10 months collecting children's playground rhymes, games, play artefacts, etc. This letter, together with the other original fieldwork collected by Dr Howard during this period, is preserved in the Dorothy Howard Collection manuscript files, part of the Australian Children's Folklore Collection (ACFC), Archive Series 3. The ACFC is an extensive collection documenting children's folklore and related research.

Physical Description

Handwritten game description in black ink on lined paper. Features borders ruled in red pencil; text printed on one side only.

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