Success for the rain conjurers in dry Whyalla

The people of Whyalla are rejoicing this morning after nearly 10% of the average annual rainfall fell over the city overnight, widely credited to be the work of the Wordsworth Rain Conjurers. 

Currently travelling the country selling their services, the Wordsworth Rain Conjurers finally arrived in Whyalla earlier in the week to work their magic on this usually dry area of South Australia.

“We knew they were on their way when we saw the rain clouds form over Port Elliot, so it was just a matter of getting in touch and telling them what we were after,” said local Whyalla mayor Joe Black.*

“But nearly 10% of our average annual rainfall in just one 24 hour period? They really do know their stuff,” he added.

One half of the magical duo Jim Wordsworth is pretty pleased with the results. 

“Look, we’ve been honing our craft for 200-plus days now, ever since we drove out of the driveway in Brisbane in a torrential downpour. But up until now we’ve been working in areas where rainfall can be quite high anyway, so Whyalla was the first chance to really show what we’re made of,” said Jim.

“I’ll admit coming into town surrounded by a severe weather warning on Tuesday was a bit of show-ponying, but it got their attention!”

Local resident Keith was full of praise for the travelling duo. “My vege garden has sparked up a bit that’s for sure! I’ll have to deal with the weeds though…”

Whyalla is just the latest in a long string of successes for the team.

“We really made our mark in Ross in Tasmania. Probably went a bit overboard actually – caused a bit of flooding and even got caught up in the evacuations ourselves. Sometimes it’s a bit hard to control the spells, but we’re getting better,” said Sarah Wordsworth.

“We’ve had a bit of a go at conjuring horizontal rain too. We managed five days straight on Bruny Island!” she added.

But wind won’t be added to the repertoire anytime soon.

“It’s too dicey casting around wind spells when you live in a tent. We’ve tried it in most spots we’ve been just to have a go, but I think we’ll leave it up to an enterprising caravanner to fill that spot in the market,” Jim said.

There are plenty of challenges ahead for the duo though, as they head for the traditionally dry, arid regions of Australia.

“We’re definitely looking forward to bringing rain to these dry areas. Some kids in these places might have never seen rain before! What a privilege to be able to bring that experience to them. Coober Pedy only averages 160mm a year! We’re keen to get our teeth stuck into that one in a few weeks’ time,” Sarah said.

Despite their success, this wasn’t always the planned career path for the travelling team.

“I didn’t even pack a coat!” exclaimed Jim.

*Names have been changed to reflect the fictional elements of this news story.