Therapeutic puppets

The students at Hornsby North Public School were treated to some special visitors of an unusual kind on August 25.

Hornsby North student Jessica Clark, Melissa and NSW Coordinator Angela Carroll

Among the vistors were Kylie, who has Leukemia and has lost her hair, and her school friend Melissa; and Matthew, an amputee as a result of a bone tumour and his school friend Dean. All are puppets from McDonald's Camp Quality Puppets.

For no charge to the school, the McDonald's Camp Quality Puppets perform in schools where a child has recently undergone cancer treatment. The show aims to reduce the risk of teasing, fear and ostracism when the child returns to school and create understanding among their classmates.

Judging by the response of Kindergarten at Hornsby North Public School, all got the message loud and clear.

Explaining the success of the programme, New South Wales Coordinator Angela Carroll says, "The puppets engage the children from the outset so we have their attention from the beginning till the end of the show. Then we have a big question and answer session which enables the children to ask questions, often quite touching questions, in a very safe environment."

"The kids' reactions can be remarkably varied. We sometimes get asked very in-depth questions from children and they ask questions that they normally wouldn't ask because obviously they feel safe in this setting," says Carroll.

The shows' scripts are based on common problems experienced by children who have attended Camp Quality returning to school after cancer treatment.

The scenarios covered in the scripts are based on the children in their school setting and shows the audience the joy experienced by a sick child when their peers accept and support them, despite the fact they may look or be a little 'different.' The McDonalds Camp Quality Puppets offer one show for Kindergarten to Year Two and another show for Years Three to Six, the latter going into chemotherapy and leukaemia in more detail.

Carroll says, "By December the show's going to have a completely new format so it will be even more interactive. The puppets will be coming through the audience instead of standing out the front so it's going to be much more engaging."

As NSW Coordinator of the programme Carroll is paid for her work but the rest of the performers are volunteers. She says, "Some have an acting background and others are just fantastic, wonderful people that volunteer their time to help the kids."

Originating in Sydney in 1988, the program has spread to QLD, VIC, SA, WA, TAS and even Ontario, Canada. Since its inception the McDonald's Camp Quality Puppets have performed for more than two million school children. The puppets also visit the hospitals where Carroll says their aim is to, "go in there and make the kids happy for as long as we can."

The McDonald's Camp Quality Puppets do roughly 50 shows a term, performing not just in metropolitan schools but travelling to schools in regional New South Wales.

The show teaches kids practical lessons such as their friend's high susceptibility to catching sicknesses such as chicken pox as a result of their weakened immune system, and also more profound messages about being considerate and understanding towards those affected.

Watching the show you can understand how the performance allays sufferers fears and concerns about returning to school. After all, these are young children - the last people who should be subject to such emotionally intense situations. Camp Quality, which adheres to the philosophy that laughter is the best medicine, injects a positive influence in what must be a very daunting situation for sufferers.

Quizzed on what they had learnt from the show, five and six year-old Hornsby North students responded with comments such as — "You shouldn't tease your friends if they have no hair", "It doesn't matter what you look like on the outside, it's what's on the inside" and "You should be kind to the people no matter what they look like" — all lessons most adults still struggle to come to terms with.