Storm Boy

Storm Boy likes to wander alone along the fierce deserted coast of South Australia’s Coorong. He and his father live a reclusive life among the dunes that face out into the Southern Ocean. After a pelican mother is shot, Storm Boy rescues three chicks; he names them Mr Proud, Mr Ponder and Mr Percival, and nurses them back to health. His father, known to some as ‘Hideaway Tom,’ forces Storm Boy to release the birds, but Mr Percival returns. The boy and the pelican form a special bond. Mr Percival is shot by hunters and dies. The story also looks at the conflict between Storm Boy’s lifestyle and the externally imposed requirement for him to attend school. Storm Boy was made into a major feature film and won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Film in 1977.