Long ago beyond the mists of time - a legend was born deep in the Giraween (forests of flowers.) The story has been handed down from generation to generation. It tells of a golden tree that has a female guardian. She will grant a wish to a worthy person. The beautiful Mingga, or golden tree, shines so brightly that it lights up the surrounding forest and makes the flowers more beautiful.

The child's name has been lost over the years, his story comes down to us through legend; he is a special boy who found Mingga.

A small boy was continually taunted by his tribal members - so much so, he became mute and stayed well away from the rest of his tribe. His deformed body prevented him from joining in with his siblings; running races, hunting lizards, throwing pretend spears. And so he gave up; miserable - he sat in the dust helping to sharpen spears for the men and sealing the tips in the dying embers of the campfires - he listened to the countless stories that the elders told around the campfires. They told him about the Mingga and that no one had ever found this marvelous tree.
The night brought him peace as he gazed up at the stars and watched the smoke curl upwards from the fires. The elders loved him as he was. His tormenters never came near him as he listened to the stories - they were afraid of insulting the elders.

As the years went by and the boy grew in stature, he decided to run away from the cruel taunting. He thought to himself "Mingga will make me a strong man." And so he crept out of the camp and into the forest, his dingo, only friend, followed him.

For a day and a night he hobbled painfully through the forest and away from his tribe; exhausted, he lay down to sleep. He woke as the sun rose and was alarmed at his surroundings.
The flowers and trees were not like those surrounding his home, instead, the colors were bright and the trees stood like sentinels, straight and tall. Small wallaby hopped close to him without fear - overhead he watched the colored birds gliding on the thermals and singing their beautiful songs.

"What is this place?" He thought to himself.

He rose to his feet helped by the crutch that his grandfather had carved from the red gum tree. He was awed by what he saw and yet he was also frightened of his strange surroundings "Surely this is magic," he took tentative steps towards a beautiful sight.

A woman floated above the ground, and she beckoned to him. She was the guardian of the Mingga.

"Don't be afraid, there is nothing to fear, come, come to me." Her voice was like the chiming of the Bell Bird across the valleys of his home.

"You have come a long way, child, I am the guardian of the Mingga. Why have you come?"

He wobbled on his makeshift crutch and found so much peace flowing from the guardian he was no longer afraid of her, his eyes were focused on the most beautiful Mingga - whose leaves shone in the morning sun.

"The elders told me about the Mingga and that wishes were granted to worthy seekers."

"Have you come to be healed?" The guardian reached out and touched his woolly cap of hair.

"No, I just wish that my tribe would stop fighting and learn to love each other. I do want to go home to my family, but they fight all the time and besides, they think that I am worth nothing."

"Because you wished, not for yourself, but for the fighting to stop and peace to come upon your tribe - I will grant that unselfish wish to you."

"Oh, thank you...I, I can walk straight?" He stood proudly and knelt at her feet.
The guardian touched his beaming face and told him: "Now, run home and find your tribe at peace."

For the first time in his young life, he ran and jumped for the joy of being whole.