Author & Illustrator

Although I believe Sydney is still in Antarctica, many of you believe he has left there by all sorts of means, sailing away on surfboards and ships, rescued by helicopters and aliens, swimming north with whales and penguins.

And he has ended up having some wild adventures, karaoke in Mexico, sunning himself under palm trees in Florida, helping other animals in the Arctic, watching movies in New York and climbing the Sydney Harbour bridge.

If you think he has made it back from Antarctica, well, he might be close to you now.

You could help find Sydney by printing this missing poster and putting it up in your school or send it to your friends—download a PDF here.

If he has made it back and he is still having adventures, someone is sure to spot him!

Hi to all. I hope your school year has started well.

The days are getting a little bit shorter, but the last ships have not as yet returned from Antarctica, so there is still some hope that Sydney may be on one of them.

I keep looking south and hoping to see a pair of red and white spotty ears waving from the bow of a ship.

Yendys and Hobart have been resting after their long journey south, but I think may wake up again once the weather has cooled.
Meanwhile, they are enjoying the quiet.

It took them a long while to get back their land legs after being at sea for a month.

I wonder what Sydney will be like when he finally comes home. I know he’ll be wiser and full of tales, perhaps a little smaller, as some of his stuffing may have come loose.  We can always fix that!

I will put up a little poster on the site soon. Perhaps you could put this up at your school in case he has decided to wander further north.

All the best, Coral.

When the Kapitan Khlebnikov sailed back into Hobart, I went aboard to see Mr. S and to finally meet Yendys and Hobart.  

As you know, they searched and searched, but could not find Sydney.  But they did meet two very special people, Melissa, who was the pastry chef on board and her partner Joe.  

Melissa had been in Hobart just before the story of Sydney was launched, in October 2007.  She saw the book advertised in the Hobart Bookshop and asked if she could purchase a copy.  I met Melissa and Joe the day the ship returned.  

When the story of Sydney was published I had no idea how many people would be touched by his story.  I have piles of stories and drawings sent to me from children, and I cherish these, but it is often the stories told to me from adults that make me realise that we all share stories of being lost and found.  

Melissa sent the following email to Mr. S and with her permission I now pass it on for you to read.

Coral.

We are at home now and I was lying in bed the other night and looked up at our ceiling that is clad with pine panels. As I studied the pine panels I was greeted again with an image that looked in to me every night in the months prior to joining the Kapitan Khlebnikov.

We are at home now and I was lying in bed the other night and looked up at our ceiling that is clad with pine panels. As I studied the pine panels I was greeted again with an image that looked in to me every night in the months prior to joining the Kapitan Khlebnikov.

This image is something I would like to share with you and I know you will smile when you see it. I noticed this image in my ceiling about four months after I had bought Coral’s lovely children’s book about Sydney . Her book would make me dream about Antarctica.

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I finally meet with Yendys and Hobart. Here they are, waiting in Mr. S’s backpack in a cabin on the ship, looking a little tired from their expedition, but excited about their new life in Hobart.

They have now been here for a short time and their favourite place to sit seems to be high up on a shelf, looking out over the Southern Ocean.  

Perhaps they are still keeping an eye out for Sydney, as some ships are still to return from the ice over the next couple of months. But for now, they are enjoying the rest.  

Or, perhaps, I just think they are. They may be out and about at night, as sometimes they are not in the same place as where I left them.  But that is what toys are about, isn’t it?  

I’ll keep you informed… promise — Coral

The wild sea between Macquarie Island and Hobart lived up to its legend and the Kapitan Khlebnikov was late coming into Hobart.  I tried to see if I could spot a pair of little red and white spotty ears, but to no avail.

Mr S. had tried his best and Yendys and Hobart were seen at various landings during the expedition, doing their best to search for Sydney.

In this photo at Cape Adare they had just finished a conversation with some Adélies, who are known for great observation and willingness to pass on any gossip they can.

Yendys heard that there had been rumours of some Adélie chicks that had been seen sporting red and white polka dots under their flippers… but none were seen at Cape Adare.  

But as you can see in the very, very distant parts of this photo, the little grains going up the hill are not rocky bits, but penguins, so Antarctica can be a very crowded place. Hard to spot a little tinge of red. Could Sydney be hiding with them?

They finally got to Cape Evans and to Scott’s Hut.  As you can see in these photos, they tried to hide away from other humans apart from Mr. S.  

They kept a low profile and snuck in and out of all the hiding places they could find, but sadly did not see any sign of Sydney.

 (Although when Mr. S. talked with them back on board the ship, he noticed some stray crumbs that had stuck to their fur whilst looking in the dark corners of the hut.  Could this be a sign of Sydney?)

They even managed to climb up through the rocky fields, finding some monster rocks of their own, to perch upon and call out to him.  They left Cape Evans with heavy hearts, but told Mr. S. they had a feeling he wasn’t that far away.  

As it is constant light at this time of year, it may be hard for Sydney to recognise different days, as weeks and months just seem like one very long day.  Without their human families around, toys can become very distracted.

So now, back in Australia, Yendys and Hobart are enjoying a well deserved rest.  They are having a great time telling their tales to all of Sydney’s other friends… and sometimes, late at night, I can hear them whispering.  Perhaps they are plotting another rescue attempt?  But for now, others are looking for Sydney and will keep looking until the light dims for another year.

I will keep you posted about any sightings and any news.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Ahoy, Coral.

Yendys and Hobart are due very soon.  They will sail into Storm Bay and up the Derwent River to the port of Hobart.  

For those of you who know the book Sydney of the Antarctic, you will remember how Sydney used to sit on the blue chair and watch all the ships sail south, until they slipped over the horizon, swallowed up by the great Southern Ocean.  

I will be watching in the dawn light for the approach of the Kapitan Khlebnikov, with my binoculars near, hoping to spot a pair of red and white spotty ears.

They have just visited Macquarie Island, a speck in the Southern Ocean, a refuge to thousands of birds and seals.  As you can see from this photo, Sydney met with some King Penguins last time he was there… so perhaps this time he has met them again, and has a thousand tales to tell.

It may be hard for him to find them again in such a crowd, but toys have a way of finding each other and so do penguins.  I just hope he doesn’t lose himself in the crowd, if he’s there.

Or perhaps he has curled up around some of the island’s other residents?

I wonder if he is on the ship, if Yendys and Hobart did find him and are bringing him home?  

I know that I will just have to wait to see if Mr S and the others have any news for me… until then, I am dreaming of him and hoping.

We will know in a couple of days and will keep you posted.

Ahoy, Coral.

It’s a privilege to voyage to the white continent. Its power and size are humbling, and leaving the ice is always sad.

As the ship moves through the last of the ice and into the Southern Ocean it will pass by ice-covered mountains and into Cape Adare.

Perhaps the last of the penguins will be seen dwarfed by the landscape, on their way to adventures, like Sydney, Yendys and Hobart.

I can only hope that Sydney is snugly sleeping on board, or perhaps he’s doing some long forgotten domestic duties, like this old photo of him shows: resting after hanging out the washing in the cabin.

As they head north, the air will be getting warmer and the ocean will give up its cloak of white and the ship will start riding the great waves north.

Knowing Sydney, he may be keeping his rescue a secret and I suppose we’ll have to wait until the ship returns to port to find out what has happened… until then, I keep hoping we may get a message.  

Soon, they will be arriving at Macquarie Island, then home.

Keep those fingers crossed.

Ahoy,  Coral.

I have not heard anything from Yendys and Hobart in their attempt to rescue Sydney, but knowing the ship well, I can only imagine how difficult it would be for them to climb the many stairs up to the communication room, particularly with hiding themselves from people, as toys have to do.

But by now, they would have sailed into McMurdo Sound, past the majestic Mount Erebus and into Cape Royds and Cape Evans.
I’m not sure if they found any sign of Sydney.  Perhaps they have decided to stay there with him.  As you can see by this photo of me sketching inside Scott’s Hut on my last trip, the beds are quite comfortable.

For those of you who know Sydney well, you may remember this, the last known photo taken of him at Cape Evans.

It was after I had taken that photo that I saw this dragon rock, perching like the skuas high above Skua Lake, defending or protecting its territory.  It took my attention away from Sydney… and, as they say, the rest is history.

I am hoping that Yendys and Hobart, knowing how well they have trained for this adventure, have climbed across the rocks to Skua Lake in their search fro Sydney and have snuffled in every corner of the hut for him.

We will all have to keep our fingers crossed.

Ahoy,  Coral.

Scott’s hut (left) and the ice heart of Antarctica.

Our travellers, Yendys, Hobart and Mr. S. have been sailing the seas for eight days now. Their first stop was to be at Enderby Island, a magical place where the albatross nest on the plateau and teach their babies to soar on the wind.

Below them in the red-flowered Rata forests, parakeets dive through the mosses and tangled wood. A fern-lined creek where baby seals learn to swim without the current, runs to the sea through an open field, spongelike in depth, it makes everyone walk like they are on the moon.  Small watery grottos carved from the bases of volcanic columns sway with the weight of heavy kelp. Occasionally a Hooker sea lion emerges, but the yellow-eyed penguin keeps its distance.
Sometimes obscured by a frosty smoke rising from the ocean’s surface, Perserverance Harbour is a safe entry to Campbell Island, the second of New Zealand’s sub-Antarctic islands that our travellers have visited.  Its sides tower above the ship.  Sea lions come out to greet the vessel and follow those who go to shore.  Steep paths wind up sculptured valleys, high into the realm of the albatross. Grasslands of tussock rise between the mega herbs and ferns.  From here the ship leaves to navigate through the Great Southern Ocean and on to Antarctica.

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On Sunday evening, from the flooded belly of an ancient volcano, the Kapitan Khlebnikov set sail for the Antarctic.

As it left Lyttelton harbour in New Zealand to speed southwards, it carried two passengers that visitors to this site will know well, Yendys and Hobart.

They have travelled a long way from the parallel world in their quest to find Sydney, and they were helped on their way by their human companion Mr. S.

Unfortunately, due to ill health, I have not been able to travel to find Sydney, but know that my dear companions, Yendys, Hobart and Mr. S. will do all they can, along with a ship full of passengers to search for him.

During the next few weeks I will keep you informed of their travels and hopefully their prize!

Ahoy, Coral.