Taking Queensland by storm, the team from Erth’s Dinosaur Petting Zoo thought it timely to introduce themselves to us all…
Cam – The Pack Leader: Studiously manages a wild bunch of diva puppeteers all with extremely loud laughter. In his down time you will find Cameron sprawled on the rearranged motel furniture covered in maps and all tour phones on hand. Cam is on a ʻsee food dietʼ, that is, notorious for being absent during scheduled dinnertime and requiring food to be physically placed within eyesight for him to eat. It’s a wonder how that physique stays so fit and strong.! After years of Jurassic flying school, Cam is the only one brave enough to battle with the winged mega fauna!
Ra – The Pensive Cowboy: Born and bred from the small cluster of Islands to the east of Australia, Aotearoa. Ra has embarked on a journey of self-discovery leaving his homeland to venture back in time to the land of dinosaurs. He can be found at dusk staring wistfully over the cornfields into the setting sun, squinting in his quest to perfect his pensive cowboy look. Ra as presenter has garnered the ability to turn children’s interest in dinosaurs into joyous fear. He lives his life solely in a world of suspended disbelief that is The Petting Zoo.
Hosi – The Tango Puppeteer: Adventurer from long ago, Hosi has also embarked on a new journey of carnivorousness being the first female puppeteer to inhabit the guts and spirit of the Australovenator. Hosi has transferred her skill and strength from throwing around Argentineans in Tango Halls to throwing around a 50 kg Australovenator in Gatorade fueled frenzies on stage. However her ability to throw caution to the wind has also resulted in many superficial injuries (some call this clumsy).
Sam - Giggle Hicks: The youngest in the team but by no means the most immature, she demonstrates wisdom beyond her years. In between fits of uncontrollable giggling, Sam is a self-proclaimed vegan but is unaware that her fellow cast members have slipped small portions of meaty treats and dairy goodness into communal meals (until now that is). Sam has become quite possessive over her puppets and has been seen spending excessive ‘one on one’ time with them in the dead of night. Sam and Leaellynasaura have a particularly close bond over their herbivorous ways, often sharing leaves and plants together.
So far we have all ziggy star dusted our way from the mighty Millmerran to the industrious Gladstone, entertaining and educating children, parents and teachers alike.
Some days look like this…drive 200kms, check in, bump in, do a few shows, bump out. Other days you can find us op-shopping, cooking, taking sunset walks between a few rehearsals and puppet repairs.
Our favourite dinosaur joke so far is from our very first show in Millmerran “Why did the dinosaur cross the road?” A: “To do a wee on it.” Hahahaha.
More of our exploits to follow soon!
