Summary

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

Handwritten description of the chasing game 'King' written for Dr Dorothy Howard by Ian McAra, a student at Double View Government Primary School, on 24 March 1955. McAra describes 'King' as a popular boys game requiring a ball, a large, outdoor space and a minimum of four players aged between ten and twelve. To play, he writes that players form a circle, throwing a ball to each other. The first player to drop the ball assumes the role of 'he-man', the chaser. 'He-man' chases the other players, attempting to hit them with the ball. If successful, the captured players assist 'he-man' to catch other children. McAra explains that once 'he-man' has captured players, he can no longer run with the ball. Rather 'he-man' must throw the ball from a stationary position, utilising his assistants to get closer to the remaining players.

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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