Dear Scott,
My name is Imogen. I’m nine years old and live in Melbourne. I was camping with my country cousins at Christmas when my uncle made me a deal: he’d give me $50 if I could learn and recite one of his favourite Slim Dusty songs.
It’s a poem by Henry Lawson called ‘Peter Anderson & Co’. I had to recite it by heart by 10 January 2025. It was tricky at first, but I got there – and I won the $50! (I gave my little sister $10 because she helped me.) My uncle said I should invest the rest. Scott, do you have any ideas for what company I could own a share in? I love animals! Please could you write back with some ideas? My mum reads your column – maybe you could put your suggestions in there? Also, I’ve read Barefoot Kids – it’s the best!
Imogen
Hey Imogen,
I’d never heard of the song, so I looked up the lyrics. They went for three pages (!), with lines like:
See if you can raise a drink, old man, I’m feelin’ mighty bad
Hot and sweetened, nip o’ butter, squeeze o’ lemon, Pete, he sighed.
That’s just weird!
Yet good on you for memorising it – you certainly earned your pineapple.
So here’s what I think you should do with your forty bucks.
First, given your love of animals, I think you should donate $10 to a local animal shelter or the RSPCA. Even $10 can help buy two warm blankets for a puppy, cover food for a cat for nearly a week, or pay for a microchip that helps a lost pet find its way home.
Second, ask your parents (or your uncle) to help you google “kids’ investing apps”. Plenty of them let you start with just a few bucks, so you can use your other $30 to invest in Aussie shares. That’s right: you’ll own a slice of a real company – like Woolies, Coles and the banks.
Pretty grown-up stuff.
And you know what’s cool about that?
You’re memorising this stuff when you’re nine – most people don’t hear the tune until they’re 59. You are going to be so wealthy. I can feel it.
Finally, your uncle sounds like a fun guy. Why not challenge him back? If he can memorise Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off’, tell him you’ll give him $1!
Scott