The Keowa Koala Backstory - Month of March

Let me tell you how I came to create this story. On one of my days off work I went to a Koala Centre. I was not prepared for how cute Koalas are. I shook my head in disbelief and pointed "Keowa! Keowa!". My homestay host who took me there that day thought that is a good name for a Koala. They are very cute (Keowa means cute in Korean). Seeing how much I was moved by seeing a Koala, he suggested that we go to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary next time. Lone Pine was amazing. So many Koalas and other amazingly cute Australian animals. So I absolutely fell in love with Lone Pine, especially the Koalas and the tree kangaroo.

Fast forward a few more months and I returned back to Korea. I thought what should I draw next for my @ddasuhan_ Instagram account. Normally I draw Disney, Pixar or Harry Potter characters, but today I thought I should draw a series about Hope. I couldn't stop thinking about the Koala and Lone Pine and the story about how the founder (Claud Reid) of the zoo had saved all the Koalas from hunting hoping and believing that one day they would become an International attraction. My Homestay host told me that he thought Claude Reid and Steve Erwin were the only true Australian heroes. So I drew a Koala in a hot air balloon flying through the dark night hanging onto the cords of it. This is how I felt coming to Brisbane to do my working holiday, and I felt it captured the heart of Claude Reid's vision.

Once I posted this drawing on my Instagram account I immediately received a call from my homestay host, saying how amazing he thought it was and that it should be turned into a story. He recalled the moment I saw the koala and pointed at it saying "Keowa Keowa" and said that's what she should be named. She should be born and raised in Lone Pine and that's how she meets you. In that moment, the story unfolded into what it for you today. That scene became the cover of Chapter 1: Lone Pine and the beginning of the story. The drawing I drew became Keowa's dream and the front cover of chapter 2: Guest House.

I hope you enjoy this story as it takes you across all of Brisbane to collect all the chapters. These are all the places my homestay host shared with me. He became the inspiration of the Tour Guide. I hope you enjoy your time in Brisbane and Lone Pine.

Sincerely,

ddasuhan (Jisu Sang)

 

Click the image below to go back to the Lone Pine Collection Special Offers: