Mary-Lou also ruled her life

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33995, 8 November 1975, Page 10

Mary-Lou also ruled her life

Mary-Lou. The Story of a High Country Lamb. By Mona Anoerson. A. H. and A. W. Reed. 64 pp. N.Z. price $3.50

This is Mona Anderson’s first book for younger readers. After years of living on Mount Algidus Station in the Rakaia Valley, and writing four books beginning with “A River Rules My Life,” she now lives with her husband in Darfield, at the edge of the highcountry they both know and love so well.

Mona Anderson was determined to have no more pet lambs after Paton and Baldwin died from eating poisonous poppies, but somehow the three-day-old motherless Mary-Lou won her heart. Living in the Mount Algidus kitchen with Timothy the friendly tabby-cat, with a bottle of milk every four hours, Mary-Lou soon looked like Tweedledum in “Alice in Wonderland.” Then she was big enough to sleep on an old mattress in the garage, getting very cross if any of her favourite enemies, the hens, beat her to it.

Perhaps the book could be called “The Lamb who thought she was a

dog,” for when she was older MaryLou loved to munch dog-biscuits and often went for walks and played with Sam, a friendly noisy huntaway dog. Like the dogs too, she loved to travel on the back of Ron Anderson’s Land Rover, pushing the dogs aside so that she could peer into the cab during her joy-ride. When old Sam died Mary Lou camped by his empty kennel for days, but Kemp, Tan and Monk, the other dogs, kept her company and stopped her being too lonely. Mona Anderson wanted to take Mary-Lou with her when Mount Algidus station was sold and she and her husband had to leave. She is glad now she didn’t. She has been back to visit Mary-Lou, who has a new dog-friend called Honk and all the food and fuss she needs. Mrs Anderson writes, "She still hates sheep . . . and she still thinks she’s the boss of the station.”