[type] ryde. issue #7

1[type] ryde. Issue #7

[typ

e]

issue #7ONE YEAR LATER

[type] ryde. Issue #7 get involved - [email protected]

PASSION

OPINION

INSpiRation

EXPRESSION

we seek

encourage

embrace

and facilitate

at [type] our philosophy is simple:


because to be INSPIRED to be OPINIONATED to be PASSIONATE to be EXPRESSIVE

is to be

and that’s all we are.


April, 2012.

[type] ryde. is not something that is easy to

define. Every time someone asks me what it is

I rattle off “For youth, by youth, arts based…”.

Words that make up an idea. Not an identity.

But as [type] grew from an abstract notion to

something tangible, it stopped being an idea.

And suddenly, [type] ryde.’s identity was the

most integral part of the whole project.

So I’ll give it a go.

What is [type]?

[type] ryde. is everything it is to be young.

It’s passion and emotion mixed up in rational

thought where it really doesn’t belong.

It’s falling in love and euphoria and doing things

it shouldn’t do just to get a rush.

It’s angst and mood swings and it’s highly

opinionated, a little whiney and a

little vulnerable.

It’s stupid mistakes and rushing to conclusions

and recklessness, it lives by ‘it seemed like a

good idea at the time’.

If [type] ryde. is anything at all, it’s you. You

make it exactly what you want it to be.

So it’s been a year since I wrote that. So it’s been a year since

the first thought, the first voice, the first contribution, the

first issue. So it’s been a year of words and photographs and

artworks and people and places and things.

So it’s been a year.

7 issues.

131 stories.

296 photographs.

19 works of art.

50 contributors.

I’m going to let each and every one of those words, thought

of and typed out with such innovation and care, every one of

those snapshots, stealing moments from the films of our lives

and slowing them to that mesmerising stillness, every one of

those brushstrokes, pen lines, pencil shadings, having taken

shape from the hand that hurls forth an idea from the mind to

the page, and every one of those contributors, people unlike

any I’ve ever known, speak for me now when I say that has

been one incredible year.

[type] ryde. has given me something that I can only

articulate through these moments, these ideas. They have

filled me with more inspiration than I knew even floated

about in the atmosphere.

I’m going to let each and every one of these seven issues,

and all the hopes, fears, dreams, thoughts, actions, ideas and

emotions living inside them, speak for me when I tell you

how very, very much I love [type] ryde. And as I’ve said once

before, love is the only thing that matters.

What a year.

What an incredible year. •

NOTEFROM THE

EDITOR

Alana Bourke.Editor, [type] ryde.


Ask yourself these as you read this issue of

[type] ryde. You’ll find a whole bunch of

answers people have entered online, answers

I have so enjoyed discovering, answers that

are all so different but honest and inspired, but

none of them are going to make you sing quite

like like adding in your own...

make this copy yours.

if there were no

what dream would you

chase?OBSTACLES

how do you

vent?

what would you

about your

change

WORLD?

where do you find

INSPIRATION?


where do you find

Isabella An

drews (14)

**

**

INSPIRATION?

“...people inspire me with the wonders they create...”

“...I’m inspired by people who rise above the challenges in their lives to become a better person and don’t let themselves become victims...”

“...all good music instills passion in me that I can’t find anywhere else. a good beat gives me freedom to dream ...”

“...men and women who have done big things, Nelson Mandela in paticular ...”


words, words everywhere!

There’s something amazing about words on a page.

The way they convey thoughts, emotions, feelings,

belief systems, almost anything the writer wants

them to convey. It’s pretty amazing when you

think about all the pieces of literature that exists

in this world and all the different ideas crammed

into them. Actually, is it even possible to fathom

all those ideas written down between the pages of

a book? There must be thousands of books in the

world! With millions of ideas! Multiply those two

together and you get a massive number of things

to learn about, things to laugh about, things to cry

about, just so many things!

And what about all those blogs? There are so

many fantastic blogs on the internet run by so

many crazy, creative people with so many crazy

creative ideas! And let’s not forget what may be

my favourite website at the moment: YouTube.

Although YouTube’s not so much about the writ-

ten word than it is about the spoken word. But if

you’ve ever experienced the smorgasbord of crazy

videos on that site you’ll understand what I mean

when I saw that amongst the cat videos (although

I do like them) there’s some pretty fantastic stuff on

there, Vsauce anyone?

contributor:

SHEVORODRIGO

It’s amazing to think that words allow us to com-

municate with so many different people from all

over the globe! Well, maybe language can be a

barrier but it doesn’t matter, there are ways to get

around it! This is a quote from John Green (novel-

ist and YouTuber): “Writing, at least good writing,

is an outgrowth of that urge to use language to

communicate complex ideas and experiences be-

tween people.” …Oh my god!

But it’s true! Whether a journalist wants to inform,

an author wants to explore an issue or a film di-

rector wants to make you cry, an experience or an

idea is always being communicated to you. And

it’s great! Even now, as you sit there reading the

fine publication that is [type] ryde. I am commu-

nicating my ideas to you. And you probably don’t

even know me, but here’s the thing: it doesn’t even

matter! Because I’ve been able to communicate to

you how I feel about the overwhelming power of

words and how many words are out there waiting

to be read, written or maybe even invented and

that is pretty freaking awesome! •


contributor:

ANNDING

Lyon, France. Just hearing the name conjures

up images of cobbled streets lined by elegant

buildings with charming wrought-iron balconies

and cafés spilling out into the street. The scent of

fresh bread and the rrring of bicycle bells wash

over you as you stroll, bundled up in coat and

gloves and scarf, along the quai of the river.

It’s not too far from the truth, either. I was lucky

enough to spend seven weeks in France as part

of an exchange program, speaking the language

and immersing myself in the culture. I remember

coming out of the train station after two hours

on a train, whizzing through the French coun-

tryside, to see the creamy façades of the apart-

ments, the interesting abundance of Smart cars,

and the citoyens, dressed in the most stylish cold-

weather fashion. The wide boulevards fold into

quiet, narrow cobblestoned paths that criss-cross

each other, netting the city into an intimate web.

Everything in Lyon is close together, especially

living on the presqu’île in the heart of the city.

It’s part of the culture to simply stroll or cycle

everywhere – either over one of the many bridges

crossing the Saône to tread the medieval foot-

paths and see the bright storeys of Vieux-Lyon, the

WANDERLUST...

lyon, france


shining turrets and golden statue of the Basilique

de Fourvière, or the ruins of the Roman amphi-

theatre; or perhaps over to the other side to visit

the vast Parc de la Tête d’Or or to explore the chic

modern shopping district of La Part-Dieu.

Living seven weeks of the French life reveals

smaller joys, like going around the corner to buy

freshly baked baguettes that warm your hands

up in the chilly evening or seeing teens smoke a

cigarette next to teachers in front of the school.

In French classrooms there is less interaction

between the teacher and the class and open

discussions are a rarer thing, but outside of lessons

the students are just as lively and mischievous,

and regularly take moments to light up together

in the afternoon. Smoking is much more common

too; crowds of sixteen-, seventeen- and eighteen-

year-olds will huddle together in the fading winter

light and puff on their hand-rolled cigarettes whilst

fully exercising the extent of their French slang.

Perhaps the most spectacular night I spent in

Lyon was during the Festival of Lights, or Fête des

Lumières on the 8th of December, when every

major building was illuminated with dancing

light animations and even games – one of the

building façades in the city was transformed into

a giant light-pinball machine. In the main square,

Place Bellecour (incidentally, the largest square in

Europe), ferris wheels and fairy-floss stands

encircled the crowning glory of the festival, a

bunch of giant glowing balloons anchored to the

central statue of Louis XIV.

Lyon is a city whose history stretches from Roman

times to modernity, and you can really appreci-

ate every part of this magical place – the ancient,

the medieval, the modern, the gastronomic, the

sartorial, the cultural, the spiritual – the list goes

on. I know I’ll be back in the near future. •

*

*

*

“...the radio play Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas, an extract: [silence] FIRST VOICE (very softly) To begin at the beginning: It is spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black, the cobblestreets silent and the hunched, couters’-and-rabbits’ wood limping invisible down to the sloeblack, slow, back, crowblack, fishingboatbobbing sea... And all the people of the lulled and dumbfound town are sleeping now. Hush, the babies are sleeping, the farmers, the fishers...”

“...Tyler Ward inspires me. he’s a singer/songwriter/ producer trying to make it in the toughest industry out there and never giving up...”

“...shoot for the moon, even if you miss you’ll land amongst the stars...”

where do you find

INSPIRATION?

Isabella An

drews (14)


th

i s i n s p i r

e d . . .

I could feel the rain falling, and I could feel it pouring down

through space, with each roll of thunder swiftly becoming

harder. They shook my hands, and rattled my insides as if to

call into a great canyon; are you there; is anybody there. And

as I cupped my hands to return the water’s embrace, and as it

pooled within me, the sound of rain turned to ghostly whispers

breathing close to my ear, “can I get you something else?”

Hands removed my glass, refilled it. Placed it back onto the bar.

Something else was said. But only a mumble could echo against

the crumbling walls my hands held.

KRISHANIDHANJI

JESSYSEMLER

ANNDING

t h i s i n s p i r e d . . .

can you see it

lick

the glass

it falls into the abyss

(her eyes

are not there;

she swims)

the clouds drown,

turn themselves inside

out.

she falls into the abyss

turns herself

inside out.

she empties.

she refills.

(cut to the carpark

he sits in the rain

,still

he watches her,

wonders)

i see her from here

sundays, 4pm

her forehead pressed

against the cool

of the window like

like a leaf kissing

the water. ripples.

she always looks so

alone.

i see you.

who are you?

...train


how do you

vent?

Sash

a de Valen

ce

**

“...I try to write as much as I can, but sometimes I’ll just vent verbally, usually to whoever has the misfortune to be with me at the time...”

“...doodling pictures is what usually happens when I’m bored or sad or anything. sometimes ripping up the picture afterwards feels nice...”


RHIANNA LEWIS

contributor:

the first meeting

She sat a hundred metres away, leaning against the

dense trunk of a matured, yellowing maple. To a

creature as strong as I, it would take no time at all

to devour her.

But wait. What was that dark blur wavering on the

horizon? No! How could it be? Such an unusual

place as this, no one should be passing by. How

dare he intrude on my moment! But steadily he

came, his features becoming more distinct as he

approached.

It was easy to see that he had not come here with

the purpose of meeting the girl. His stance shifted

the moment he caught sight of her, adjusting to a

formal posture as he prepared to greet her. The girl

took another few moments to notice his appear-

ance. She must have been focused on something

within her mind, not from the surrounding land-

scape. As she looked up, her poise changed also

and she shrank back into the tree.

The air was still. The girl stayed as she was, watch-

ing purposefully as the boy continued to draw

closer. His steps were certain, and he did not

shrink away. He stopped five metres from the girl

and their eyes locked.

They spoke through their eyes only at first. I bid-

ed my time in the shadows of the tree line. To

them, this time passed as if a million years were

squeezed into the space of ten minutes. Their eyes

conveyed more than words could do justice. The

boy was the first to speak aloud. His voice, carried

across the field to me, sounded dry with disuse.

“Seth. My name’s Seth.”

The girl stood and spoke delicately but in a natural

tone.

“And I am Tessa.” After a pause, she continued.

“This field does not lead to anywhere. It is an unu-

sual place to walk.”

“I was not on my way to anywhere in particular. I

just wanted to walk and be by myself for a while.”

He spoke with eyes wide and his eyebrows were

raised in earnest.

“That sounds likes a good reason. I often come

here just to be alone as well.”

And that was all that needed to be said. They

turned in the direction of town, and set off togeth-

er, walking close to each other and speaking every

now and then. And so it was that my prey escaped

me, and I watched in wonder as she walked away:

content with life and blissfully unaware of the im-

minent danger that had been. •


I have always gaped in awe at those people who walk by, ray bans pushed

high on the forehead, weather-beaten satchel hung casually across the shoulder with an impressive cam-

era in tow. They seemed to be inspired by everything around them, and even when I was younger, I al-

ways hoped that one day, to put it simply: I could be that cool. We are all guilty of wishing for something

along the lines of that. However, I never thought I had any real talent for photography, growing up with

photographs my mother, with every single zooped-up canon camera known to mankind, had taken on

her often photographic excursions. I never thought I’d be capable of anything like that.


ISABELLAANDREWS

contributor:

Any-who, years passed and the older I got the

more I felt the need to have my phone on hold

as I walked down the streets of Paddington and

Glebe, in order to be able to swiftly take a shot

of my friends the moment I got inspired. This be-

came an often occurrence. Initially my friends

never really cared for me taking photos of them

all the time, but it slowly became habitual, like,

“Okay, guys, let’s stop walking, Izzy wants to

take a photo.” It even became a fun tradition, if

we ever passed by an intense wall of street art

or an in impressive beaten down brick building

that looked as though it had once been occupied

by poets or druggies, we’d look at each other,

psychically knowing the area was crying out to

be photographed with one or more of us artfully

(but never pretentiously and artificially) posed in

front. A few months ago I inherited my mum’s

canon camera that she no longer uses (naturally,

she had recently purchased the latest model). 5

minutes later I was on the phone to my friends:

“Guys grabs some clothes, we are going out

now!” I will always remember that day; we each

modelled in front of the graffiti ridden tunnel that

runs spookily beneath Victoria road.

We frolicked amongst long stemmed grass that

appeared to have never encountered a lawn

mower before and stood rebelliously against

a pool intangible surrounded by a chain link

fence, adorned with numerous warning signs

proclaiming: DANGER-KEEP OUT. It was a

brilliant day.

I am not sure if I ever metamorphosed into one

of those impressive street-wise photographers

that I am guilty of fawning over. I am not sure

whether or not anyone else but my friends and

I look at my photographs and thinks “Wow, I

like that,” but in the end, the only opinion that

really matters is yours and the people around

you, but when it comes to the crunch, if you

have produced something that makes you smile

and perhaps even proud enough to load on

Facebook, well then, that’s good enough for

me.•

“...if you have produced something that makes

you smile and perhaps even proud enough

to load on Facebook, well then, that’s good

enough...”

isabellajean


MARGARETWALKER

contributor:

Soldiers are marching at a steady pace, like an

army moving into war. We look focused, we

look ready but our battle has already been lost.

Bruises tarnish our smooth young skin and blood

soaks through the fabric that covers us, staining

as proof of what we’ve done wrong. Eyes stay

low, watching the clouding dirt. Hands swing

numbly as they stay by our sides. Soldiers we

seem in how we walk in sync, every expression

the same, a mask of emotionless, but soldiers we

are not, not poised and ready, not anymore.

Darkness is what surrounds us, the darkness of

the woods. Trees tower around us, trunks older

than blood that runs through our veins. Foliage

makes a blanket over the trees, over the path,

over us and it hides escape from those who live

with wings to soar. Bugs scatter as we move for-

ward, hiding in the wild grass, never expecting

our heavy feet to disturb their hiding ground.

Ahead us lies the mountains, they stand tall

and proud, as welcoming as music heard from

a pipe.

We run towards the mountains and run away

from town. We run from all our trouble and run

to what we hope will be our escape.

Bits of light filter through the leaves, sparks of

fire that light up in the tall grass. They form the

path we follow, weaving through trees and cir-

cling the mountain, hope in the almost hopeless

place. If only they knew, I think as we run, just

what will be found when the sparks turn into

flames.

Wings flutter, hidden from view. The shadows

hide secrets but it isn’t just them, they also lay

hidden in the pair that stay at the back. Hand in

hand they run, we run, my sister and I. We feel

eyes on us but not those in front; our brothers

and sisters are here and they are waiting to wel-

come us home.

But home is not where we want to go.

When the sparks go dim they sink down into the

cool grass and they all fall into a peaceful sleep.

We stay awake, feeling the moon rise around us

and hearing the mountains music flow through

us. We stand guard for the ones that we’re travel-

ling with. Our siblings come out into the moon-

light which shines through stronger than the

sun’s. They hold swords and they hover with glit-

tering wings.

The metallic sound of sword against sword is

the only thing heard. We fight our own blood to

protect those who have done nothing to deserve

our protection. But it ends not a happy one for

us who have lived among the humans and we’re

dragged off home, along the others. We go deep

into the mountains, where the music begins, the

home of the winged ones, the ones that will steal

you for their own.

As the sun rises again, only a single person left,

they have nothing to do but to continue on, to

find a new home. •

winged soldiers


ANTHONYGOTT

contributor:

“...to capture what really makes me happy and proud and gives life that spark, to enjoy it just a bit more. makes the good things

seem just that much better by having a memory of them...”

why do you photograph?

gott_photography


JI JUNXIONG

VINCENTOU

contributors:

Focal. Pictures Photography Art


SASHADE VALENCE

contributor:

age

I can’t stop thinking about age.

I keep unearthing more and more memories from my

childhood that I had left resting and I keep pictur-

ing new and conflicting versions of adulthood that I

will maybe realise one day. I am losing myself to the

meaninglessness of numbers and the overwhelming

weight of years continuing to build against each other.

Yet beneath all these lurking notions, these aches and

thirsts, is a deep, abiding love for what is now.

James Joyce wrote “better pass boldly into that other

world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and

wither dismally with age”, and though I do all I can

to resist the construction that age equates loss, I cling

fervently to his words.

The full glory of some passion. Those words roll

around inside me. This, surely, is the full glory of some

passion. That partitive article, that little some,

justifies all that consumes my life at this hazy point. I

have some passion. I have enough passion to let shards

of light fall on my face, to streak colour through my

days and to tint my nights with my own unapologetic

existence.

This now, this time of amalgamated knowing and

blindness, is all I have to define the words passion. It’s

why I keep thinking of age.

What I must do, I tell myself, is to refuse to sacrifice

this time. Perhaps, I tell myself, it will never cease to

exist. The change in rhythm, the threat of loans and

jobs and also just the joys to be found in normality, do

not mean these days will be gone. Instead, they will

be embedded in me and they will continue to stretch

forward in time as I myself grow with the years.

James Joyce had it right and he did so very, very beauti-

fully, but I will not relinquish some passion, any pas-

sion, for such a simplistic ideal as time functioning on

a linear scale. Age will not expend what I have been. •


*

**

*

*

“...I vent through writing, and exercising...”

“...POETRY AND ART; sketching, painting, word-ing...”

“...I vent through writing and having imaginary debates with people...”

“...I express myself through writing and art...”

“...I like to vent through my love of TV shows or via social media. somehow my love for characters helps to balance my feelings...”

Sasha de Valence

how do you

vent?


MAXBRECKENRIDGE

contributor:


JESSY SEMLER

ANNDING

contributors:

THE FIRST

THE SECOND

THE THIRD

The golden god-spun clouds are in the opal sky; they are eating up the wind,

(heartless consumers of a drip from time, drinking nectar of the ageless breeze)

the same way that a glass of lemonade disappears into a small child, slinking as a casual

accident between flesh, widening cracks within a person, gaping;

So the blue dome of the heavens is split

by the spilling clouds that trickle and spread and swell

And, guzzling, fall into open minds on hinges and lick away the rust.

They dissolve, a thin mist veiling eyes as second lids - to hold back the deserted sands,

the speckling, freckling storms of sulphur yellow and saffron that scatter and smatter matter

as stars against a midnight black - which happens later, before the dawn and dew-drenched

world becomes a different kind of alive.

See the moon-flowers blink and whistle and yawn up to the fizzing skies above, soaked in heat

and kissed with silver

See the changing dunes that toss and turn in sleep

and slumber within the hollows of beating hearts snuggled between ribs; warm and raw

only to explode again, a phoenix of unfurling flowers and spearing, sprouting green -

full with the chattering rains, as they shout and whisper to one another,

free!

Another turn of the moon across gravel, across sand; skittling over the star-slivered night,

it comes again -

the churning of air, empty, yet humming and alive in its stagnant self -

intimately sucking in each breath through the cracked mud;

and the ground is pulsing, palpitating like a shimmering cicada about to shell - the sand, too,

glimmers and winks

rustling restlessly in wait.

But the tide comes again like time

skimming over the earth; the clouds rolling in thicker.

Breezing in on the back of that anthem.

pair poetry


if there were no


chase?OBSTACLES

**

“...if failure was not an option I would write a lot more, maybe even publish some of it, I would try vlogging and play guitar so much that my fingers would go numb..”

“...I would be an author and write all the crazy stories I have and hopefully some people might like them...”

Ji Jun

Xion

g/Vin

cent O

u (18)


ANNIEMAO

contributor:

preserving the German-Australian root

As English is now being acknowledged as the

“international language”, many people believe

that learning a second language is no use regard-

less of how popular it is in the world. However, this

is a false assumption. Learning another language

improves cognitive processes, and opens your

mind to other cultures, so that each individual is

able to view the world and express themselves

in a different way. Since German is on the same

dialect as English, it will also allow each Australian

individual to improve their own understanding

of the roots of English, our native language in

Australia.

Learning German benefits everyone, especially

students. It gives students an edge, as studying in

Germany is always an excellent yet achievable

opportunity. Education is extremely valued in

Germany, and German universities take their

excellence in teaching with pride. Over 4000

courses, both Bachelor and Masters, are offered,

so it is possible to study almost any course in

Germany! As for our very unreliable economy,

I can confidently say that Tertiary Education in

Germany is normally free, except for a few

nominal fees which are within reach. Due to

Germany being the 3rd most popular destina-

tion for foreign students, almost all Australian

Universities have exchange programs with

German universities, allowing students to have

an excellent opportunity to experience a different

culture, and a different way of learning.

Each year, more than 1000 Germans migrate to

Australia, creating German communities and

running luxurious German restaurants, such as

Sydney’s Löwenbräu in the Rocks. Two bilingual

and bicultural German schools have also formed

in Australia, the “Deutsche Schule Melbourne”

and “German International School Sydney”. Apart

from looking at it in terms of education, we can

also acknowledge the fact that there is quite a

big outpour of German industry in Australia. To

catch a few bargains, many people do turn to the

German shop Aldi as an option. When we

succumb to sugar cravings for Haribo Gummi

Bears or Ritter Sport Chocolate, we are eating

German produce. In fact German produce is

present all over Australia, with the Volkswa-

gen and Audi on our roads to having Nivea and

Schwarzkopf on the cosmetic shelves of Australian

stores.


Despite how important German can be to many

of us Australians, it is a language skating on very

thin ice that dramatically drops in numbers as

time passes. Each year, the amount of people in

the whole of New South Wales that sit for German

in the HSC does not exceed 500. According to the

Goethe Institute Australia, “German has been an

integral part of the lives and professions of many

Australians and continues to do so today – on

professional, economic, cultural and individual

levels”. However, the numbers of people that

learn it does not reflect the importance the Goethe

institute advises to us.

As a student growing up dreaming to know about

German, I often had others say to me, “German

is incredibly difficult with all that grammar and

nouns and whatever else it has.” However, I was

extremely lucky that the incredibly overwhelming

German culture won me over, and that I started

learning the language at 13 years old. At that age,

I compared what others said to me, to reality. As I

slowly starting developing a deeper connection to

the language, I am almost able to completely prove

that the statement is false. German is a language

mostly followed by formulas. Therefore, if an in-

dividual knows the formula, the grammar, nouns,

verbs, and sentence structures are at no extent any

difficulties. When coming across new vocabulary,

many cognates (words that spell similar and have

similar meaning in 2 different languages) appear.

Pronunciation is also quite similar to English and

at some extent easier. To identify whether German

is difficult or not depends on the individual and

his/her own strengths.

While learning the language itself, I touched on

a few aspects of German culture as well. Ger-

many has over 1500 different types of sausages,

more than 300 different types of bread, and 1200

different types of bread and pastries. Being

interested in different forms of art at a young age,

I discovered that I could relate to the German

culture, as Germany is a land and nation

filled with incredible talents of art, such as

classical music, paintings, architecture and

literature. Studying German literature may also

allow each individual to think back about their

very own Australian childhood, where we were

told bedtime stories and fairy tales such as Snow

White and Little Red Riding Hood, which in-

fact German fairy tales. For those interested in

preserving our own earth, Germany would

“...saving German within the Australian Curriculum is

beneficial for future careers and our own future

development...”


be an inspiration to you, as they can be

known as a leader in saving our planet. Most

public transport in Germany are run by electricity

instead of fuel, and most German people either

ride bikes or catch public transport; only a por-

tion of people drive. Professional Actor, Director,

and Cabaret Singer Annie Lee sees German as

incredibly inspirational to her career in art, as

she says, “German culture, it’s literature, music,

and art, have become the inspiration and back-

bone of my working the theatre. It is a seduc-

tive multi-layered treasure pot that never fails to

inspire me with its artfulness, rich irony, and deep

understanding of humanity. Learning German has

given me the vital key I need to be able to access

this wealth of inspiration that feeds my creative

work.”

It is of common understanding that many students

choose their career according to what is useful

in our current society, and through this theory

many decide to give German the “un-useful” flag.

However, Germany has the world’s 4th

largest economy, and is Australia’s 5th largest

import partner. There are more than 300 German

subsidiary companies in Australia, providing

90,000 Australians with jobs. In this situation,

learning German should not be marked with

the “un-useful” flag. With many new jobs being

created each year, students would never know

when German would come into use.

German is a language that I would strongly

recommend to others. It is fun, useful, im-

proves cognitive processes and allows us, each

individual Australian to understand more about

the roots of our own language. Saving German

within the Australian Curriculum is beneficial for

future careers and our own future development. •

if there were no


chase?OBSTACLES

*

*

**

*

“...I’d chase the dream to become a spy - James Bond style...”

“...I’ve always wanted to just drop everything and run off to a foreign country, at the moment India but it changes daily, where I know no one and start a new life...”

“...I have always thought that acting would be fun! if there was no change of failure, I would definitely chase that dream...”

“...an international laywer...”

“...DIRECTING, in theatre. starting a theatre company and school. writing my own plays...”

Isabella Andrews (14)


Every day, an increasing number of children in

Nigeria are being accused of witchcraft. This

means that their families and friends shun them

and leave them on the street, to be trafficked and

tortured. There is widespread belief in Nigeria that

witchcraft is one of the main causes of HIV/AIDS.

The UN has estimated that there are over 930,000

orphans with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. The fact that

both children accused of witchcraft, and children

who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS are

being left to fend for themselves is a huge issue.

The care for all these stranded children is one of the

Nigerian government’s major challenges, however

very little is being done to really save them.

The main causes of the problem are: Religious

profiteering, extreme poverty, disintegration of

the extended family structure, ignorance and

superstitious beliefs, and broken marriages.

always a good thing?

WITCHCRAFT AND WIZADRY...

interview:SUSAN DHANJI

There are many different international campaigns

and charities seeking to help these children. Susan

Dhanji is part of a charity who also aims to help

these children and improve their terrible conditions.

1. what is the name of your charity? Stepping Stones Nigeria (Australia)

2. what do you do? I am on the committee and my role is to raise money

for the charity. There are 4 meetings per year which

I attend and there are about 7 or 8 people in the

committee. At the meetings we discuss past events

and what initiatives we want to achieve in the

future. I mainly think up projects and talk to family

and friends in the home school community (turn to

for funds), and try to think new and fun ways to raise

money.

3. when was it established? The Australian fundraisers began in June 2009.

Suspected Witches are often:

• Abandoned, isolated, discriminated,

ostracized from the community,

• Taken to the forest and slaughtered

• Disgraced publicly and murdered

• Bathed in acid

• Poisoned to death, often with a

poisonous local berry (asire)

• Buried alive

• Chained and tortured in churches in

order to extract confession

KRISHANIDHANJI

contributor:


at the Harbour B

ridge Run

4. how often do you fundraise? As often as I can! Last year, my whole family ran

in the Blackmores Running Festival. We trained up

and managed the 9km (with the littlest one in the

stroller) and my children had a fundraising page

through the website GoFundraise. One of the home

school choirs also performs and raises funds as

well. The president of the charity always does an

introduction and asks others to donate.

This year, we are running a home school Bike-a-

thon at a home school park meet. The children ask

for sponsors per lap and then all race around the

park on bikes, scooters, trikes and ripsticks.

The plans for next year are to run a talent show and

have entrants pay a fee to enter which will then be

donated to the charity. Or set up an art show,

showcasing all the home school artworks and

raising more funds.

This year we are going to do the run and the

bike-a-thon again with all the committee mem-

bers and hopefully raise more funds. All the

committee members also make contributions

to the charity and some also sell chocolates as

well.

You have to try and choose something that peo-

ple would be happy to support. For example,

my friend Lindy already had a fundraising event

for the marathon and I got the kids involved and

we raised over $1000.

5. how did start the charity start? The Australian fundraisers began in June 2009

in response to the screening on ABC Four Cor-

ners programme ‘Saving Africa’s Witch Chil-

dren’. A number of people including my friend

Lindy Hadges (the charity president) felt as

though they needed to do something and set up

the Australian sector of fundraising for children

in Africa. Lindy asked me if I was interested; she

knew that I was already running another charity

for children in the Congo and asked me wheth-

er I wanted to become part of Stepping Stones.

The Congo charity has since gone to America

so now I am just part of Stepping Stones. I have

been part of it for over a year now helping to

fundraise and create fundraising events.

Because there are already people who are

working in Nigeria, instead of duplicating that,

we fund what they are already doing through a

branch in the UK.


6. what is your role in the charity? To fundraise – Family and friends supported us in our

run last year by donating to the GoFundraise page. This

year, we are raising money in the Sydney home school

community.

7. how do you get other people involved? You try and get people to donate. The other thing is get-

ting into the media as much as possible and creates more

publicity. In the committee meetings we discuss how to

get more publicity. If something comes up where you can

make a speech and spread the word, we try to talk about

the charity and increase our media profile. After some of

our events we just try to get our pictures and articles into

our local paper.

The committee is also there to support other people who

want to help out the children in Nigeria. Anyone can or-

ganise an event to raise funds for this charity or simply

donate at http://www.steppingstonesnigeria.org.au/

8. what effect have you had on the Nigerian community?

We in Australia raise funds that go directly to the UK

Charity of the same name. Together, we make a difference

by supporting the housing and education of children that

are turned out from their families. Because these children

are accused of being witches and wizards and chucked

out of their community, last year there was a successful

prosecution against a child who was accused. We also

want to increase the legal representation in Nigeria so

fewer children are shunned from their homes. Also the

more prosecutions that occur, the less people will be-

lieve that these children are really wizards. Instead of just

looking after individual kids on the street, we can eventu-

ally help children communities for the future. •


SKATE&

PR ES ENTS

N S W Y O U T H W E E K

Artat Mac Park

1 0 a m - 4 p m F R E E AGES 12-25 welcome


what would you

about your

change

WORLD?

An

thon

y Gott (17)

**

*

“...I would make curves on women become an object of normality, not insanity...”

“...I want to change the way people think. I want them to change the world...”

“...inequalities between the sexes...”


GINAZHENG

contributor:

The aggression between two great and influen-

tial Asian countries is escalating rapidly every

day, as Japan and China fight over ownership

of land. The political tension between the two

‘nations’ is growing hastily over their territorial

disputes over a small group of islands in the East

China Sea, with the two countries labelling one

another as bullies.

In the last several months, Japan and China have

played a game of cat and dog, and many people

– reasonably – question whether this political

tension is worth what the countries are fighting,

as the Japanese island claim that their seizing of

China’s islands are based on international law,

while China draws back on ancient documents

from the 15th Century. This highly sensitive and

volatile situation has only been made more dan-

gerous with the United States recent siding with

Japan, as a senior American intelligence officer

has put the bully-name on China.

Neither three nations are demonstrating the

composure needed to prevent conflict. To make

matters worse, President Obama has recently

placed marine fighting units in Darwin – a pro-

vocative action towards China, and an action

that will place Australia in a position of conflict.

That thus only begs to ask, that in this teetering

global political digression, where does Australia

stand?

One would hope in a ‘Switzerland’ position –

that is to say, we remain neutral as three super-

powers battle it out. Or will Australia make the

same mistake as in the past, and blindly follow

the States into warfare?

In history, China has suffered many scrutinies

due to Japan and the US. However, having ex-

panded its nation and economy at rate greater

than rapid, China has emerged as a powerful

country that refuses to endure humiliation. The

US has not a stellar record in Asian history, hav-

ing been a main facilitator in the rise of Japan in

the early 20th Century, and watched as the coun-

try took chunks of China until eventuating to the

bombing of Pearl Harbour. To complicate mat-

ters more, bound by treaties, the United States is

obliged to defend Japan in case of attacks.

It is clear that the States hold strong loyalty to

Japan, but that is not to say that Australia is then

incapable of standing this conflict out. Australia

has had a less-than-fortunate series of events

from following America into war. Vietnam was

– in later years – one of our nation’s biggest re-

grets. Before, during and after our involvements

in Iraq and Afghanistan should copious amounts

of public fury and objection.

China, who was subject to centuries of being the

scapegoat, has now emerged beneath our nos-

es as a superpower with intense global trading

links, and now refuses to be stepped upon.

And it’s about time that Australia begins thinking

for itself.

As Malcolm Fraser states “If we had a govern-

ment with a sense of history and of the future,

we would see to use our influence for peace and

moderation. We should make it plain to America

that we will not be going to war on that issue.” •

layi

ng

dow

n t

he

lin

es


IMMIEWIJERATNE

contributor:

good show, good show

LIFE OF PII’m sure we’re all familiar with the Flixter movie

critics “Rotten Tomatoes”, yet they’ve built up quite a

reputation for themselves, and have been promoted

from “Rotten” tomatoes to “inexcusably putrid, ghastly

and abominable” tomatoes, as the critics – of the angry,

middle-aged, unemployed demographic – look down

at each movie and pick at the most minutely imperfect

detail. Never before have I seen a review that wasn’t

bathed in a toxic, poisonous hybrid of tomato, but

after two-webpages of research, Ang Lee’s 2012 movie

Life of Pi had quite an impressive score! And many of

us would be wondering why exactly that is; what is it

that makes a movie good, enjoyable, tomato-resistant?

The movie turned out to have quite a few surprises,

and a very interesting cast, despite the majority of this

‘cast’ being animations, and CGI materialisations,

they still deserved just as much acknowledgement as

the actors, despite not being paid quite as much. The

movie revolves around an unsuspecting young boy

who is thrown into a storm [pun intended] of twists

and turns. He is left with nothing but a pathetic

life boat, and the company of a series of whacky

animals – a tiger, a hyena, a zebra and a very pleasant

orang-utan. Despite this isolation, he is able to find

his way into the hearts of these animals, and make

many new friends along the way, including a herd of

meerkats that had dominated a deserted island. Yes, try

and figure out how that one ties in with the storyline.

All in all, it was a great watch, and evoked a lot of

thought; definitely worth the time spent watching! •

what would you

about your

change

WORLD?

*

*

*

*

“...sometimes I wish people could read other people’s minds, or just communicate better. all we can see is the surface...”

“...I’d change the lack of encouragement and oppurtunity for teenagers to get outside...”

“...I would like to see much less discrimination in society, (gender, race, other social minorities)...”

“...the inability to leave a legacy. and I mean the real kind of legacy - that will matter for, and be remembered for, eternity...”


When I was twelve my mum bought me a book called Sophie’s World. The blurb reads:

Why does Sophie keep getting postcards addressed to a girl called Hilde?

Who is the mysterious mentor who appears from nowhere to talk to her about philoso-

phy?

Who is Hilde?

Who is Sophie?

Those final three words caught me and held me and are yet to let go. Who is Sophie?

Who are we? Who are we who are we who are we?

The book is written by a Norwegian man named Jostein Gaarder, who unravels the his-

tory of philosophy in humanity. It sounds big. It is big. It is not for the feint hearted. I like

to think this is why Gaarder targeted it at young adults.

I have qualms regarding philosophy, as a practice. I read and learn about the philosophy

greats and I am inspired or despaired but I can’t help but wonder what they felt when

they went to sleep at night.

I am indebted to them, of course. We wouldn’t be where we are, as a collective, and

I wouldn’t be where I am, as an individual, without them and their arguing and their

restless sleep. But I have been reassured over and over that it is the small things we do

in life that end up bearing meaning and sometimes I worry about what small things

Socrates did.

However, my cynicism regarding ‘contemporary philosophers’ is vast. Which probably

means I will miss out exposing myself to our generation’s most vivid mind. But it seems

presumptuous to choose philosophy as a career path.

In some ironic and ill-fated twist, I think this is the doing of Gaarder’s book. “We,

too, are stardust”. That’s what I took. We are stardust. Is it really our job to discern the

meaning of life? The nature of being? Or is it our job to live and to shatter and to accept

ourselves as pieces of the sky? •

SASHADE VALENCE

contributor:

sophie’s world


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get involved - [email protected]

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issue #6

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issue #7ONE YEAR LATER

2012-2013

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year of words

incredible year

good idea

bunch of answers people

rational thought