By Goya Dmytryshchak
Mr Walker, the failed guide dog immortalised in a book series, last week visited children at Westbourne Grammar School.
Head of the Williamstown campus, Mario Chrisanthou, said the year 2 children had written letters addressed to Mr Walker after reading The Tales of Mr Walker by Jess Black.
The book was inspired by the real-life Mr Walker, a Guide Dog Ambassador who calls Park Hyatt Melbourne home.
Mr Chrisanthou said in response to the children’s letters, hotel manager Leigh Shepheard brought Mr Walker to the school on Friday.
Mr Shepheard said it was a visit to remember.
“It was lovely, it was gorgeous,” he said.
“They were so sweet and loved seeing Walker, and the teachers said, they’ll remember this forever – to have a fantasy story and then the real character comes to life.”
One of the letters to Mr Walker, written by pupil Tristan, congratulated him for the
Tales of Mr Walker being nominated for the Australian Book Industry Awards
“Some of my favourite events in the book were when you had a bath and you didn’t like it,” Tristan wrote.
“I also liked it when the piano player came and you leapt on his hat and when you splattered paint on the robbers.”
Charlie wrote: “Some of my favourite events from the book were when the painters were robbers and when Mr Walker fell down the laundry chute.”
Another pupil, Sienna, wrote that her favourite event was when Mr Walker got a new home. “I have a dog called Money,” she wrote. “I think you would be good friends together.”
Royalties from sales of this book go to Guide Dogs Victoria.
Mr Walker even introduces himself on their website: “I’m Mr Walker and I live in the lap of luxury at the Park Hyatt [or the ‘Bark Hyatt’ as I like to call it!] in Melbourne.
“As an official ambassador for Guide Dogs Victoria, I greet guests with a warm, furry welcome – and some of them even take me on walks! But the best part of my job is spreading the word about Guide Dogs Victoria to people from all over the world.”
