The emu and the marbles
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (386686)
Rockingham, Australia
July 4, 2026 8:06am CST
From time to time, Perth Library publishes oral histories on their Facebook page.
A recent one told the story of a person who was taken from her indigenous mother, making her one of the ‘stolen generation’. These children were raised in missions under very tough conditions but I wanted to share a lighter moment from Jessie Coyne’s story. The children were often hungry and poorly clad. They had few toys but one of their pleasures was playing marbles.
At one time, an emu joined the children as a pet and he would swallow the marbles whenever the chance arose. The kids would then follow him around and poke around his droppings with a stick to get their marbles back.
The photo is of an emu we saw in Ireland at a holiday park. Because of European Union rules, he was kept away from the public. He was regarded as an ‘exotic creature’ and could only be displayed if there was a resident veterinarian.
16 people like this
12 responses
@AliCanary (4878)
•
4 Jul
How odd that they could KEEP him at all without a veterinarian. I feel sorry for the indigenous children who were stolen away from their parents. We had something like that here, too ("Indian schools"). It's disgusting and cruel.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (386686)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Jul
The stolen generation is a very tragic part of our history. I did know about the Native Americans but I'm not sure how it works there.
@JudyEv (386686)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Jul
@AliCanary A lot of the errors are being redressed now but there are some indigenous who 'milk the system' which can cause a lot of resentment among others in society.
@AliCanary (4878)
•
5 Jul
@JudyEv pretty much the way it happened all over the globe - Europeans pushed out the native peoples and marginalized the ones they didn't outright slaughter.
1 person likes this
@allen0187 (59971)
• Philippines
5 Jul
That is not an ideal way to get marbles back.
2 people like this
@allen0187 (59971)
• Philippines
6 Jul
@JudyEv I'd rather not play at all if I have to go through emu droppings.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (386686)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Jul
@allen0187 You might have thought differently in those days and under those circumstances. 
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (386686)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Jul
They are big birds and I think they'd eat bigger things than marbles.
@valherma00 (5069)
• Zagreb, Croatia (Hrvatska)
7 Jul
i was watching some emu videos and they made me laugh. emu seem like a sociable animal but with a character. those stolen kids, i think i read about it and even watched some documentaries and it is so sad how things like this happened.
1 person likes this
@valherma00 (5069)
• Zagreb, Croatia (Hrvatska)
13 Jul
@JudyEv it happened in many corners of the world, i think. yeah.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (386686)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Jul
Emus don't occur naturally in Ireland so they are called 'exotic', much like tigers and lions would be. The rule ws a silly one as emus don't require a lot of attention. They can be eaten and sometimes emu oil is processed and used in soaps and cosmetic products.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (211836)
• United States
4 Jul
What a crazy story. Some people here raise emus for food, although it isn't too common.
1 person likes this
@ptrikha_2 (49925)
• India
5 Jul
Such tales often make up for quite interesting readings.
Perhaps they sometimes become part of folklores, TV series or even movies?
Or in books.
Well, Emu would indeed be "exotic" for Europe.
I wonder how are Emus coping with the extra heat in Europe now?
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (87190)
• United States
5 Jul
That sounds like that obnoxious Emu that comedian/puppeteer Rod Hull had! 
I’m glad Kentucky Down Under didn’t classify the kangaroos as “exotic” when i was there, which allowed me to pet them and hand feed them!!! 
I’m glad Kentucky Down Under didn’t classify the kangaroos as “exotic” when i was there, which allowed me to pet them and hand feed them!!! 1 person likes this
@FourWalls (87190)
• United States
5 Jul
@JudyEv — yes, and they were quite docile! (Of course, being in a “petting zoo” with countless people sticking food in their faces would do that. I still made VERY sure to stay clear of their back legs, just in case.)
1 person likes this
@sathviksouvik (23531)
•
7 Jul
the eggs of emus are also big and are green in colour
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (386686)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Jul
That's correct. We had an emu as a pet once and she would lay a clutch of eggs each year.
