The (fabulous & frivolous) adventures of Flat Stanley in Australia volume II – 2013

Conceived and Created by John Carroll Jnr as a gift to Asaf Cohen, his nephew in Israel

Who needs GPS when Flat Stanley is there to point directions! Sometimes I get confused and say ‘turn left’ instead of ‘turn right’ and John gets annoyed. 

I went to Hobart once and we went to a maritime museum. The curator wanted me to stay; he said I was just the right size to show people around.

John & Anne took me to the docks to see the ‘Sam Simon’ anti-whaling ship. Anne stopped me from falling in the water!

Anne fastened me to John and I had a front row seat as we went through the ship. Did you know it used to be a Japanese ship called Seifu Maru?

This is Flat Fiona my Friend From Fitzroy. I call her F5 for short. I invited her home but she said, ‘No thanks, I like it here.’

Check out these dudes pretending to be ‘Flat’. I told them not to be so silly – there’s only one Flat Stanley!

Did you hear John was flattened by a car and ended up in hospital? I told him: “Just keep calm and carry on … look at me; I was flattened and have lots of adventures!”

Anne took me to visit John. When I got there the nurses found a room for me so I could stay with John. 

Hospital food – not half bad. “What are you complaining about?” I said to John. So he just folded me up and put me the top drawer!

Next thing, the nurses made me set some goals for my stay – there’s no such thing as a free hospital stay!

Check out some of my adventures on the following pages starting with me folded up and ready to go to Moscow to catch up with Usain (more later): swimming with fish and whales in the southern ocean, being a hat hook between two thongs in Ocean Grove, hiding in the parsley, hanging out on a wind chime, and enjoying more coffee.

And how about this: I didn’t just catch up with Usain in Moscow at the IAAF World Championships, I beat him!!

THE END

On the next three pages you can see the inspiration for the book – a meet the author session at the local library (creatively adapted by John); and the original postcard that Asaf sent to his uncle John Carroll, in preparation for his next trip to Australia. 

This book was conceived and created in 2013 by John Carroll Jnr as a gift for his nephew Asaf Cohen, who was living in Israel, and had sent him a Flat Stanley cut-out as a gift. John decided to take Flat Stanley on many adventures in Melbourne Australia, and documented Flat Stanley’s adventures in two volumes which he gifted to Asaf on his next visit to Melbourne.

John passed away at his home in Melbourne, on 26 October 2020 after a long battle with cancer. John is survived by his beloved wife, Anne (my sister); Damian (his son); Candice, (his daughter-in-law); their three children, Maya, Harry and Harper (John’s grandchildren);  Emily (his daughter) and Dan (Emily’s fiancé)  

I have created this digital version of “Flat Stanley in Australia” for John’s family in Australia, and his siblings and family in the UK, to enjoy and remember what a funny, creative, loving and generous person John was.

John Carroll Jnr

30.01.1956 – 26.10.2020

Rest in Peace