MAGICAL tales from the past were brought to life in the present for Portland youngsters.

The pupils at St George’s School spent two days learning about traditional legends from other cultures in the company of The Man from Story Mountain, the internationally renowned storyteller and cultural worker Adrian Beckingham.

Through the workshops, Adrian immersed the youngsters in the stories, dance, art and bush survival skills of the Australian Aboriginals.

Adrian, who lives in Dorset, has been a full time professional storyteller for 15 years. With a career that has led him to collect traditional stories from master storytellers in places as diverse as Australia, Bali, Egypt and Africa, he has also published the Stories That Crafted The Earth, a book of traditional tales from around the globe.

Adrian said: “Among my repertoire of over 100 stories from across the globe, are some of the oldest stories in the world dating back over 40,000 years of unending and unaltered oral tradition.

“I learn my stories direct from the source – visiting the cultures and working with recognised master storytellers or elders from those communities.

“When I visit schools I like to teach a few of the traditional words from the culture, such as how to say hello and goodbye, the indigenous names of the animals, and so on.

“ I also teach Aboriginal Australian art workshops as this artform is now recognised as the oldest form of the written word in any human culture.”

He added: “When in front of my audiences I tell the stories, I don’t read them, although my book Stories That Crafted The Earth makes the stories available to readers. I am proud that my book bears the insignia of Survival International on its cover, showing full endorsement for the authenticity of the stories by the only international charity focusing on tribal peoples.”

Michael Coombs, head of Year 6 at St George’s Primary School, said: “This year, each year group in the school has chosen a different location around the world and we had a day where the school was an airport and the children transferred to different locations.

“The children had storytelling in the morning, after break they did dance and then in the afternoon they did painting on canvases.

“Adrian is from West Dorset and the school has had a relationship with him for the past five years.”