Beverley McWilliams expresses her passion for helping children learn about history and empathy for animals through the lens of adventure and animal perspectives. In this interview, UWA Publishing Intern Naomi Becker chats to author Beverley McWilliams about her research during a stay in a rural Karen community in Thailand, and the surprisingly mischievous personality of elephants. The focus is on the making of Beverley’s middle grade historical fiction novel Bandoola (2026) which is about an elephant, who, in 1944, led a group of elephants and refugees on a treacherous journey across mountains to safety.
Naomi Becker: To start, could you share a bit about your career and personal interests?
Beverley McWilliams: After studying law and qualifying as a chartered accountant, I worked in corporate tax (which was as dull as it sounds). When I moved to Australia from the UK, I had four young children, and I felt I couldn’t balance a job like that in a new country with a young family. Giving up my job meant I had time to do all the mum stuff, which was wonderful, but I felt I needed something else. So I started writing just to keep my brain active. I loved it, and I hoped, deep down, that it would turn into more than a hobby. It took a while, but eventually I got an article published in a children’s magazine and shortly after that I contracted my first picture book, Born to Fly, which came out with MidnightSun Publishing in 2019. Since then I have published three more picture books and three middle-grade novels.
I love writing nonfiction and stories inspired by true events. Historical fiction is my passion, as I like taking something amazing from history and then building a story around it (which is often more remarkable than anything I could make up).
My personal interests are very much reflected in what I write. I love animals (and have 23 pets), history and plants!
Naomi: I understand you were interested in the roles of animals in war. What inspired you to select and recreate Bandoola’s story as a middle-grade novel?
Beverley: I have always been fascinated by the roles animals have played in war and I think it is important to share these stories. When I was researching my previous novel, Spies in the Sky, I came across a newspaper article about the Elephant Company, a group of elephants that served in former Burma in WWII. When I delved into the history, I learnt about a remarkable rescue led by an elephant named Bandoola. Bandoola was part of the Elephant Company, and he led an evacuation of elephants and refugees across the mountains from Burma to India. It was an incredible journey, and at one point they had to cross a virtually impassable mountain. I was fascinated by the trust the people and other elephants placed in Bandoola, and it was this incident that really drew me to writing the story of Bandoola’s life.
Naomi: A lot of historical texts are written from human perspectives, even if they are intended for younger audiences. Why did you prioritise the animal perspective?
Beverley: With my first novel, The Reindeer and the Submarine, I chose to write from the reindeer’s perspective. That was partly because it was the reindeer’s story, and I thought it would be fun for her to tell it. But also because submarines are complicated and submarine warfare is confronting. By using an animal narrator, I was able to deal with these issues in a way that was understandable to young readers. When I first pitched this book to a publisher, they liked the story but told me I should re-write it in third person. I felt that it was the animal’s point of view that made the story so accessible to children. So I stuck with it, and I’m glad I did, as I received lots of positive feedback from readers who loved the animal narrator.
I had so much fun writing from the animal’s perspective that I continued it with my next two novels, writing from a pigeon’s and an elephant’s point of view.
Naomi: As a character, Bandoola’s voice and perspective are especially engaging, with his strengths, flaws, and sense of humour. Do you have a character-building process? How did you shape his voice?
Beverley: Just as I would with a human character, I built a detailed character profile for Bandoola. Being a real elephant, I was able to use what had already been written about him as a foundation to build on. His elephant rider, Po Toke, and a man named Elephant Bill, who worked with Bandoola, both talked about Bandoola’s humour and mischievousness. He would sometimes stuff his kalouk bell with mud if he didn’t want to be found. He would pretend logs were too heavy to push, then he’d just tap them with his trunk and chuckle to himself. Bandoola was also very intelligent and knew all the elephant commands even as a calf. The more I learnt about him, the more I came to really know his character, and from there his voice came naturally to me.
Naomi: In Elephant Bill (1950) and Bandoola (1953), J. H. Williams shares his experience in learning about elephants’ greater intelligence. Which of his human-elephant interactions stood out to you the most, and how did it influence elements in your novel Bandoola?
Beverley: One of the stories Williams shared in his writing was about an elephant named Bon Lan Pya (Guide man). His mother had been blinded in an accident, and he became her guide from a very young age. It was such a beautiful relationship. She’d rest her trunk on his back, and he’d lead her to food. They were inseparable. But tragically, Bon Lan Pya was killed in a mud slide. His mother was so broken-hearted that she refused to eat, and she died a week later. This moving story really emphasised the emotional depth of elephants. I wanted to pay tribute to this. So I used Bon Lan Pya’s story to inspire the character of Pya, Bandoola’s best friend.
Naomi: During your research trip in the Karen Community, Koh Pah Doh, was there an elephant encounter that you experienced or the Mahouts shared, that stood out to you?
Beverley: During my time in Koh Pah Doh I spent two days with the mahouts, tracking the wild elephants, and we were fortunate to have two close encounters. On the first day, after about two hours’ trek, we saw one bull elephant, and on the second day we observed a family of females and one young male. It was truly breathtaking to observe elephants in the wild. I was surprised how gracefully and quietly they moved (they actually walk on tiptoes), but then they’d rip up a bamboo or strip a tree of its leaves, and it would feel like the forest was shaking.
Naomi: In Bandoola, the rainforest is an especially immersive experience. Could you explain what you considered when building the setting?
Beverley: I did a lot of background reading and research into the setting, but spending time in the forests around Koh Pah Doh really helped me to add depth to this. I experienced life living in a traditional bamboo hut. I learned all about local plants and their uses from the village medicine man. Then there were those magic moments that I captured just by being there: the overpowering scent of night-blooming flowers, the screech of the gibbons, the morning mist over the mountains. It was such a peaceful and spiritual place and getting to experience that first-hand certainly helped me to write about it.
Naomi: What do you hope readers will take away from this novel?
Beverley: Primarily, I want children to read my book and enjoy it as a story. But I also hope that readers come away with a deeper understanding and respect for elephants. And if they learn some history too, then that’s a bonus.
Naomi: Finishing off, is there anything else you’d like to mention about this book or current projects?
Beverley: My next historical novel is set in the 1880s and is the story of a dog called Bob who used to ride the railways all around South Australia. It has been a lot of fun to write something set close to home (and I love steam trains).
I also have a picture book coming out next year with MidnightSun Publishing, Lulu the chicken who went to War. This is a nonfiction graphic picture book illustrated by Tim Ide and is based on the memoirs of a soldier who served in the New Zealand Field Ambulance in World War II.
About the author
Beverley McWilliams is a multiple award-winning children’s writer based in South Australia. She writes across genres, both picture books and novels, but has a particular passion for writing about animals in historical fiction. McWilliams’ books include Bandoola, Spies in the Skies, Willow’s Gumboots and Cassowary Dad. She is a regular contributor to The School Magazine.
About the interviewer
Naomi Becker is an upcoming postgraduate from Curtin University, finishing her Master’s in Publishing and Professional Writing. A former member of Elephant Page Publishing, she is an aspiring editor and writer.