When fire destroyed Malakai Nave’s family home, the thing the eight-year-old was most upset about losing was a personal letter from David Attenborough.
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When he was four, Malakai had drawn a jungle scene with crocodiles at the bottom of a waterfall and sent it to the naturalist and presenter. Sir Attenborough replied to say thank you and how much he liked the drawing.
Unfortunately, that letter, which Malakai’s family had framed, was lost in the March 18 bushfire along with everything else in Deb Nave and Ingrid Mitchell’s home.
However, Malakai’s English aunt, knowing how much the letter meant to him, wrote again to Sir Attenborough to let him know what had happened in Tathra.
Now Malakai's prized possession is a new note from the great man saying how sorry he was to hear the news of the bushfire and their loss.
“I had no idea what it was,” Malakai said of the letter’s arrival. “I was so happy and excited.”
Malakai loves Sir Attenborough’s nature documentaries, his favourites being about snow leopards and Komodo dragons!
Malakai is not the only Bega Valley child the famed naturalist had corresponded with.
Click here to read about Laila Johnson’s lovely surprise letter and here for our story about when Malakai received his first one.