Togatus Edition 2 2021

Togatus 90 Years of

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Togatus is published by the TUSA State Council on behalf of the Tasmanian University Student Association (henceforth known as “the publishers”).

It is understood that all submissions to Togatus are the intellectual property of the contributor. However, the publishers reserve the right to reproduce material on the Togatus website at togatus.com.au.

Togatus Team: Editor-in-Chief: India Beecroft Deputy Editor: Sarah Davison Publication Director: Johanna Beitsch Creative Director: Zaniel Clark Key Contributors: Rachel Hay, Desmond Marcenko, Brittanie McCarthy General Contributors for this edition: Randa Al-Hasan, Hayden Carnes, Holly Clark-Milligan, Katelyn Geard, Kevin Toman Togatus welcomes all your contributions.

Please email your work and ideas to contribute@togatus.online The opinions expressed herein are not those of the editors, the publishers, the University of Tasmania, or the Tasmanian University Student Association. Reasonable care is taken to ensure that Togatus articles and other information are up-to-date and as accurate as possible at the time of publication, but no responsibility can be taken by Togatus for any errors or omissions.

Contact Togatus: Website: togatus.com.au Facebook: @TogatusOnline Twitter & Instagram: @togatus_ Post: PO Box 5055, UTAS LPO, Sandy Bay 7005 Email: admin@togatus.online Contribute: contribute@togatus.online Advertise: marketing@togatus.online All archival images courtesy of the Tasmanian State Library archives. Printed with permission from the Tasmanian University Student Association.

Map of Ireland courtesy of Wikimedia and NordNordWest.

Togatus is printed by Monotone Art Printers.

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Today we are reading from across lutruwita (Tasmania) Aboriginal land, sea and waterways. We acknowledge, with deep respect, the traditional owners of this land, the palawa people.

The palawa people belong to the oldest continuing culture in the world. They cared and protected Country for thousands of years. They knew this land, they lived on the land and they died on these lands. We honour them.

We pay respect to elders past and present and to the many Aboriginal people that did not make elder status and to the Tasmanian Aboriginal community that continue to care for Country.

We recognise a history of truth which acknowledges the impacts of invasion and colonisation upon Aboriginal people resulting in their forcible removal from their lands.

Our Island is deeply unique, with spectacular landscapes with our cities and towns surrounded by bushland, wilderness, mountain ranges and beaches.

We stand for a future that profoundly respects and acknowledges Aboriginal perspectives, culture, language and history. And a continued effort to fight for Aboriginal justice and rights paving the way for a strong future.

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Photo — Dalipinder Sandhu

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Contents 6

Editorial

Brittanie McCarthy

8

90 Years of Student Media

Desmond Marcenko

10

From Union to Association: The Deradicalising of TUU

Hayden Cornes

12

UTAS’ state of the art campuses may overlook accommodation once again

Randa Al-Hasan

13

The Whole World Knew About Palestine in May, But How About Now?

Rachel Hay

15

Tear Them Down? Statues in the 21st Century

Desmond Marcenko

18

Sunset of Empire

Holly Clark-Milligan

20

Art Feature: Memento

Brittanie McCarthy

24

Tassie Talent Making Waves Online

Rachel Hay

26

Retro Revival or Fast Fashion Fable?

Katelyn Geard

28

Art Feature: Just a phase/I will not be erased.

Hayden Cornes

30

Australian Indie Music Producer’s Silver Lining in Covid-19 Conditions

Desmond Marcenko

32

Medusa Waking: How Crowdfunding Helped Independent Live Theatre Return to Hobart

Rachel Hay

36

Restoring Lake Pedder

Kevin Toman

40

The Republic of Amnesia

Rachel Hay

43

100% Dodges

Brittanie McCarthy

48

The Event That Stops The Globe, For Two Weeks

Jo Beitsch

50

Podcasts to Get You Through a Pandemic

Brittanie McCarthy

52

Review: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

54

Mystic May’s Horoscopes

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Editorial

Hello there, dear Tog reader.

Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Jo, my favourite colour is green, I like long walks on the beach and independent media publications. I’m also the Publications Director for the very paper you have in your hands right now.

This issue is a very special one. 2021 marks 90 years of Togatus, and this is the anniversary special —cue the sparklers.

In this issue you’ll find stunning examples of student art and photography, all the latest on pop culture and, of course, the same fiercely independent articles from our talented contributors.

On the cover of this issue you’ll also find clippings and covers of Togatus through the ages, from the 1930’s to today. I hope you find them as amusing as I did.

In my researchfor this issue, I found myself deep within the bowels of the State Library, scrolling through the archives of Togatus.

What I found was incredible.

Even as far back as the ‘30s, Tog had its own unique flavour. Whilst looking through the old issues, you can see opinions and ideas being born right before your very eyes. You see how UTAS has grown. And most of all, you can see how precious the student body is to the culture of both the university and its publication.

I saw how through the ‘60s and ‘70s, Tog became more ambitious, more Art — Jo Beitsch

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salacious. I saw the words of generations and generations of ambitious students who wanted to make their voices heard. I saw years of parties, protests, and quite frankly, more boobs than I had expected.

Seeing this history laid out before me filled me with this intense sense of pride.

I am so proud of Togatus, not only this issue, but every single issue that’s made its way into students’ hands.

I am proud of those who came before me, those who were unapologetically brave, loud and controversial. I’m proud of the readers, the contributors, and of the support this little paper has garnered over the past 90 years.

I hope that you can gain a sense of this history when you flick (or swipe!) through these pages. And if the inspiration strikes, I hope you get into contact with us, so you too can make your mark on this beautiful beast we call Togatus.

So, here’s to Tog. Raise a glass and raise hell.

—Jo

THE TEAM

INDIA, Editor-in-Chief

What’s your take on astrology?

I want to believe

SARAH, Deputy Editor

JO, Publication Director

Taurus sun, Leo moon and Virgo rising. Still can’t keep my eyes open in photographs.

Horoscopes are real, let’s fight about it.

ZANIEL, Creative Director

RACHEL, Key Contributor

How would a Pisces approach the question?

I think it’s important for people to reflect on the way they live and try and improve their life and horoscopes can be a good tool to do that but I believe people’s agency is not determined by the stars, but their social circumstances.

DES, Key Contributor

BRITTANIE, Key Contributor

I wouldn’t say that I believe it, but I think it’s really fun! People believe in way weirder things anyway, like the stock market. Dow Jones Index? Now that sounds made up.

Leave Gemini’s alone

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90 Years of Student Media Brittanie McCarthy

Since 1931, Togatus has been a major part of campus life at UTAS, providing students with a platform to unleash their creativity and publish their work.

Originally named Platypus prior to 1931, Togatus is written by students for students, and aims to reflect the diverse and creative nature of UTAS, providing a platform for students to voice their opinions on campus happenings.

Marking the start of many notable Tasmanians successful careers, Togatus has become the launch pad for a myriad of professions, providing students with the opportunity to sharpen their skills whilst getting a glimpse into the behind the scenes of creating media content for the public.

Notable editors and contributors over the past 90 years, include journalist and reporter Charles Wooley, who has cultivated a lengthy career across news and television platforms. Michael Hodgman was an editor of Togatus in the early 1960s as a law student at UTAS, before moving onto a career in both state and federal politics.

Articles on student elections and the political movements of Tasmanian politics were in hindsight a “step along the way in terms of political commentary.”

With an extensive career in political analysis, Dr Kevin Bonham sharpened his passion for politics and political commentary in his time as editor of Togatus in 2003 and 2004. Whilst studying at UTAS, articles on student elections and the political movements of Tasmanian politics, were in hindsight a “step along the way in terms of political commentary,” as Kevin slowly began to gain public and professional recognition for his political work and commentary.

The role of editor was something that Kevin had been interested in for several years after regularly writing articles for Togatus, saying that “although not very high paid, it was quite a prestigious position on campus, so it was something I’d

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always been keen to have a go at.” This position allowed Kevin to begin to put forward his own ideas for Togatus, and the type of student content it should produce.

Starting in a contributor role in 1997, Kevin very clearly remembers the chaotic nature of the Togatus office and the constant “crazy adventures with student politics and personalities in the staff” in what was a “crazy time in my life and the life of the campus.”

Upon entering the role of editor himself, Kevin noticed a much calmer atmosphere where he was able to focus Togatus on student issues and ensure that these articles provided a variety of perspectives to readers. Aiming to “make it sort of open to all opinions and make it very focused on what students had to say”, Kevin was able to use his time as editor of Togatus to create a solid portfolio of political commentary work. So much so that Togatus was granted a media desk at the 2002 state election.

Looking back on his time with Togatus, Kevin remarks that his time as contributing articles and as editor, “probably did help in sort of building my reputation as a public commentator to some very small degree,” as it provided him with the opportunity to publish his views and political commentary to a wider community.

For aspiring journalists or any students looking to unleash their creativity, Kevin believes that Togatus can provide a “good stepping stone” to future endeavours and it can be a useful tool in providing a contrast to the stress of uni.

“Student media is a valuable media, I think it has an important role to fill” and that it can help to ensure that discussion of student and campus issues highlight student voices and aren’t “dominated by the university”.

With fond memories of his time at UTAS, Kevin remarks that working with Togatus was a lot of fun and was something that was driven by a passion for what he was doing rather than any money associated with this role, encouraging any current UTAS students to consider working with Togatus.

Art — Jo Beitsch

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From Union to Association: The Deradicalising of the TUU Desmond Marcenko

A look at TUSA’s 122 year long history shows that its moments of radicalism were among its most memorable. In its shift from union to association, has the organisation today surrendered to the feckless centrism of the modern student union model?

The Tasmanian University Union, as it was known until just last year, began in 1899 as a social club for the university’s 35 students. Held aloft by scanty membership fees, the TUU hosted sporting events and debating, also overseeing the creation of religious and academic societies. Slowly strengthening as enrolment rose, in 1914 the union launched its first publication Platypus, with an early editorial documenting the organisation as small, but enthusiastic. However, the scrappy optimism that characterised the fledgling days of the TUU soon took a hit after the outbreak of the first World War. The number of male students attending the university declined and the mood on campus sombered considerably, with the union eventually falling by the wayside only to be resurrected years later.

The 1920s saw early vestiges of student political consciousness expressed through the annual Commemoration ceremonies, in which students took to the streets of Hobart to protest against current events and the bureaucracy of the University Council. Students revelled in heckling the event’s stuffy formal proceedings, with pranksters one year suspending a crayfish and a pint of stout over the Chancellor’s head during a speech. By the 1930s, the university began to thrive once again despite the economic depression engulfing the world, with the TUU launching the new student publication Togatus.

Decades later following the second World War, the university had spread out across three campuses to accommodate an influx of ex-servicemen. As a result, students were forced to endure the cramped conditions of the older buildings at the Domain, while university staff were subjected to poor pay.

Swathes of SRC-organised protestors took to picketing University Council meetings in response, with their grievances finally validated by a Royal Commission in 1955 that recommended the university move in its entirety to Sandy Bay.

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The 1960s saw a surge of student activism spread to campuses across the globe and UTAS was no exception, with the sight of leagues of students marching from the TUU building to Franklin Square becoming a regular occurrence. The SRC as its locus, students rallied around issues such as the living conditions of First Nations people on Cape Barren Island, conscription, and the ongoing apartheid in South Africa. Perhaps summarising the union’s radical political disposition, in 1969 President of the Societies Council John White declared the TUU building a ‘safe haven’ for conscientious objectors against the Vietnam War. This radicalism was reflected too in the pages of Togatus, which were rife with passionate arguments for socialism, treatises on sexual liberation and on one occasion even an instructional guide to growing cannabis. Though the radicalism of the 1960s tempered in coming decades, the political commitment of the TUU was still readily apparent across the 70s and 80s. The union steadfastly campaigned against government assault on higher education, including slashes to university funding, tertiary living allowances and the re-introduction of university fees.

The apolitical turn of TUSA likely isn’t motivated by a lack of political courage, but rather reflects years of ideological attacks from government and the cynical reality of navigating the modern neoliberal university model.

The question must then be asked: what ever happened to the radical TUU of yore? Under the leadership of State President Braydon Broad, the tellingly rechristened TUSA has sought to ‘leave politics at the door’. One reason Broad cites for this change is the decline in relevance of student unionism in Australia generally. Indeed, the passing of a voluntary student unionism act in 2005 under the Howard government all but cast a mortal blow to student unions across Australia, significantly diminishing their revenue by legislating that union membership was to become voluntary for university students. While the introduction of SSAF in 2011 provided a much-needed counterbalance to this, TUSA sustained further revenue loss when in 2020 the university decreased the proportion of SSAF fees allotted to it by 52%. Broad argues that venturing into politics only satisfies a small contingent of students, with efforts better spent developing working relationships within the university to produce outcomes for all students, rather than jeopardising this through being deemed ‘divisive’.

The apolitical turn of TUSA likely isn’t motivated by a lack of political courage, but rather reflects years of ideological attacks from government and the cynical reality of navigating the modern neoliberal university model. Still, one can’t help but pine for the heyday of a TUSA with real guts: one that provides a fervent breeding ground for progressive ideas and sows the seeds of a better tomorrow through the youth of today.

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UTAS’ state of the art campuses may overlook accommodation once again Hayden Cornes

Despite the development of new UTAS campuses providing a plethora of new opportunities for both the community and students, student accommodation remains a major concern.

Braydon Broad, President of the Tasmanian University Student Association, said, ‘In the South, you are looking at rent at the excess of $300 a week easily, which is really just way too expensive for a student that’s on Centrelink, or doesn’t have a really generous scholarship, or reasonably wealthy parents, it’s just not doable really’.

Despite the $300 million being invested in the North West campus development, UTAS is not developing affordable housing for students.

Situated in Launceston’s outer suburbs, The Newnham campus, in Launceston’s outer suburbs, will be downsized and split between various parties of UTAS, Australian Maritime College, Defence and Maritime Innovation and Design Precinct, and the government.

UTAS’ Inveresk campus, located in central Launceston, is being redeveloped with an array of new educational, cultural, and community features such as an 8000sqm community food garden and a youth focused recreation space.

The expansion was necessary, said UTAS’ Pro ViceChancellor Professor Dom Geraghty, “The utilisation of many of our teaching spaces at Newnham are booked at less than 10 per cent.”

Northern Transformation spokesperson Chelsea Wingrove said, “People with families will be able to

wander over from City Park, visit the museum, get a coffee from the café, and check out the library.”

Burnie’s new West Park campus is set for completion in September with new courses being offered in a range of faculties.

“A lot of the reporting on this has been really simplistic, looking at the overall build and not really looking at all the different benefits that it might have moving in this way of providing new facilities, different schools and disciplines,” said Broad.

Russell Petterwood moved from Launceston to Hobart to study and struggled to find accommodation within his student budget.

Upon graduating last year, he upped his budget, but found that he was still in competition with students who had, due to pricing, also been driven out to surrounding suburbs of Hobart.

“We pay $210 each, which is still super cheap in comparison to the UTAS apartments in town which is just a tiny box the size of our bedroom,” said Russell about his shared house of four.

“UTAS are also setting the standard by making it so expensive, landlords of privately owned houses are then upping their prices because they know they can get away with it and keep it just a little cheaper than UTAS,” he said.

“Working families are trying to live, but unfortunately not all families are going to have as much money as international students or interstate students who have scholarships or their parents funding their rent.”

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The Whole World Knew About Palestine in May, But How About Now? Randa Al-Hasan

Earlier this year, Palestine was all over the news… for about two weeks.

Worldwide protests in over 150 cities occurred, with millions showing up in solidarity to Palestine and Palestinians. Hobart had two of its own vigils on May 15th and 22nd, organised by Friends of Palestine Tasmania, in response to the illegal bombing of Gaza by the zionist israeli occupation.

Palestine was receiving worldwide coverage, and with social media, unbiased news was accessible and spread. After 73 oppressive years by the israeli occupation and their illegal Jewish settlements, Palestine was finally getting the attention it deserved.

The crisis was triggered on May 6th after Palestinians took to protest against the decision of forced eviction of 13 Palestinian families in the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah by the Supreme Court of israel. This led to israeli occupation forces storming Al-Aqsa Mosque – a sacred site in Islam – in the holy month of Ramadan, wreaking havoc on Palestinians with tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets.

Residents of Sheikh Jarrah, twin siblings Mohammed and Muna El-Kurd, lead the movement through live documentation on their social media accounts, exposing the violence, racism and ethnic cleansing that israelis committed and continue to. The twin activists have already been subjected to forced displacement when part of their home was taken over by israeli settlers in 2009, at just 11 years old.

The Palestinian situation received more exposure after May 10th, where Hamas, a Palestinian resistance organisation that also governs the Gaza strip, gave the israeli occupation an ultimatum to withdraw their colonial forces from the Temple Mount (where Al-Aqsa Mosque resides) and Sheikh Jarrah. After Art — Zaniel Clark

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no response was given, retaliatory rockets were launched onto israeli occupation territory, in which the israeli occupation then attacked Gaza with violent airstrikes.

forces have stormed the houses of Palestinian families living in these neighbourhoods and towns countless times with the only intent of terrorising them with violence and dispossession.

Gaza is a Palestinian territory facing a 14 year-long blockade by the israeli occupation. Home to 2 million Palestinians, over only 362 square kilometres, the Gaza Strip is incredibly densely populated, and is often described as the largest open-air prison in the world. The blockade has caused the impoverished territory to be uninhabitable, with severe shortages of medicine, food, electricity, and clean water.

The occupation has demolished 81 Palestinian homes this year alone. In Silwan and Hebron, the expulsion and home demolishing of Indigenous Palestinians has already begun, in order to make way for settlers or to build other facilities, like a ‘”biblical theme park” in Silwan’s case.

The attacks caused further damage, including a 76% electricity deficit due to targeted infrastructure and electric/fuel plants, blocked ambulance access due to bombed hospital roads and 39,200 homes destroyed or damaged.

The israeli aggression hit with constant bombings and airstrikes targeting residential buildings, schools, hospitals, and medical clinics, including the only COVID-19 testing laboratory. As a result, 256 Palestinians were murdered, including 66 children and 40 women, as well as upwards of 1900 Palestinians injured and 91,000 displaced.

After 11 days, the israeli occupation agreed to a ceasefire on May 21st after huge international pressure. It wasn’t long afterwards that the terrorist occupation violated the ceasefire agreement.

They attacked Gaza yet again on June 16, due to incendiary balloons sent by Gaza militants that caused 26 fires (they are threatened by balloons?).

A considerable amount of the coverage died down after the ceasefire agreement, much to Palestine’s harm. It’s disappointing that the internet only likes to prioritise Indigenous genocide for about 15 days.

So, fast forward to the present day. What’s happened with Palestine? Did the martyred Gazans receive justice? Did the Supreme Court make a decision about Sheikh Jarrah?

The situation has only gotten worse since. In addition to Sheikh Jarrah facing forced expulsion, as do Silwan, AlNaqb, Lifta, Beita, and Yafa. Occupation

Sheikh Jarrah’s case continues to be delayed and under blockade in the sole effort of suffocating and terrorising the Palestinian residents, while zionist settlers roam free, often armed, and permitted to harm Palestinians, with the protection of the occupation forces.

Gaza has suffered several overnight air raids since May. No shocker that a ceasefire is meaningless to a state built on Indigenous genocide and annexation.

Palestinians will rightfully resist the occupation however they can, whether it be inflammatory balloons or rocks, and the imperialist occupation responds with airstrikes.

In June, thousands of far-right zionist settlers marched at Damascus gate in occupied Jerusalem chanting “Death to Arabs” and “A good Arab is a dead Arab” as well as “The 2nd Nakba is coming”, with full support of the occupation (unsurprising).

An estimated 33 Palestinians were injured with stun grenades and rubber bullets, and 17 arrested by occupation forces for protesting the racist movement.

The israeli settler-colonial occupation continues to carry out war crimes in Gaza, continues to violate international law and continues to commit ethnic cleansing and genocide against Palestinians, but the fight for a free Palestine will never end.

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.

The non-capitalisation of “israel” is purposeful and used to demonstrate its illegitimacy as a state.

Hence why it is also never referred to as solely “israel” but as an occupation.

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Tear Them Down? Statues in the 21st Century Rachel Hay

Last year, whilst Covid-19 spread around the world, like many, I stayed indoors and watched way too much TV. There were a lot of memorable things on the news last year, but an image that stuck with me was of a brass-faced statue toppling into a river, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, and the subsequent Blake Lives Matter protests.

That statue depicted 17th century slave trader Edward Colston, who transported 80,000 people, 20,000 of whom died, from West Africa to the Caribbean. It joined the likes of statues such as the one of Jefferson Davis, the leader of the Confederate army, which was torn down in Portland, Oregon.

A statue of Christopher Columbus, whose ‘discovery’ of America led to the colonisation and genocide of Native Americans, was pulled also pulled down in Richmond, Minneapolis.

More recently, in the wake of the discovery of hundreds of bodies of Indigenous children buried at schools that they were forced to attend, statues of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II have been pulled down in Canada. In Australia, there have been calls for statues of James Cook, who, in a similar way to Columbus, brought colonialism to Australia, to be torn down. Statues of Charles Cameron Kingston, the father of the White Australia Policy, are also key candidates for removal.

We’ve seen these statues (and what they represent) defended, both by reerecting them once they’ve been pulled down, and by physical displays of force to protect them. When protestors tried to topple a statue of President Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Park, Washington, police officers used riot shields and pepper spray to deter them. Police similarly stood around a statue of Winston Churchill, guarding it from protestors. A fierce verbal debate has also emerged on whether we should protect, alter or tear down these statues.

The first option is to tear the statues down. The commemoration of a person in a statue is a celebration of the things that they did, the part of history that they contributed to and the values that they represent. Many of the statues

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Photo courtesy of Hobart City Council

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that stand aim to celebrate the values of charity, leadership or ingenuity. But by the very product of who they commemorate, statues often celebrate richness, power and masculinity. If that person has also participated in colonialism, subjugation and genocide, a statue also celebrates that. This does not accord with the values of today.

If a statue is torn down, it can be replaced with someone who represents the values which we want to promote in modern society, the history that we want to celebrate and the people we want to remember. It gives us the opportunity to celebrate people who weren’t given the recognition they deserved at the time in which they lived, when society was less progressive (or downright racist).

For example, it has been suggested that the statue of Edward Colston should be replaced with Paul Stephenson, a black man who led a boycott of the Bristol Omnibus Company in 1963, in the aim of ending discrimination in hiring. Or, instead of erecting another statue, we could commission another piece of art which better reflects modern trends of expression.

Another option is to keep the statue up, honouring the person for the good things that they did in their life, and ignoring the bad. It’s true, the men honoured in statues are often the ones who led the building of our societies and cities. But often these people didn’t do just ‘bad’ things - they did completely morally abhorrent things, like own slaves or commit genocide. Often, if not always, this was the means by which they achieved the things which they’re celebrated for. Take Edward Colston for example. In his lifetime, he gave over $5 million to create schools, poorhouses, hospitals and churches in Bristol. But how did he earn that money? The slave trade.

Some people say that removing statues removes the discussion around the abhorrent things that they did and the darker parts of our history. But you can’t tell just by looking at a statue that the man it immortalises was a racist.

So in order to really have a discussion, you need to alter the statue as it currently stands. Altering the plaque next to the statue to add a line at the end saying ‘oh and this guy committed genocide’ really

doesn’t cut it. The statue needs to be altered in a more noticeable way. We have an excellent example of this close to home.

The statue of William Crowther in Franklin Square has been reinterpreted by Tasmanian Aboriginal man and artist Allan Mansell, who has covered the statue’s head and hands in red paint, put a butcher’s knife in one hand and an Aboriginal flag in the other.

It commemorates William Lane, also known as King Billy, whose body was cut up by Crowther, including his head, which was sent to England.

But does the very fact that the statue remains up still honour that person and the values they represent, despite the alterations made? Does allowing for the alteration of a statue simply allow the people who can legally remove it to get away with not having to make the decision to remove the statue (a decision which may be politically, or legally, difficult because of the continuing power of colonialism in our society)?

Where it has been too difficult physically or legally for statues to be torn down by protestors, and where governments have refused to take down or alter statues, altering statues is a tactic that can be used to allow protestors to voice their opposition. Statues have been altered in Richmond, Virginia, where images of George Floyd, the letters ‘BLM’ and the pride flag have been projected onto the statue of the Confederate general Robert E. Lee. In England, statues of Cecil Rhodes, colonial politician and white supremacist, have been covered with graffiti and plastic bags.

So what’s the path forward? Do we tear the statues down, leave them up unaltered or alter them? I’ve got opinions, but it’s not mine that we need to be listening to. We need to hold space for people, particularly black people, First Nations people and people of colour, who’ve been affected by the people in the statues, and the things that they represent. We need to listen to the effect that these statues have on those people.

We need to action their suggestions on how we move forward. Otherwise, we will keep repeating the mistakes of our history.

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Sunset of Empire Desmond Marcenko

The Taliban’s swift capture of Afghanistan following the US’ military withdrawal from the region has left Tasmania’s Hazara and Afghan communities reeling. In examining the aftermath of the nearly 20 year-long conflict, we must be unafraid to name the US’ war in Afghanistan for what it truly was: a failed imperialist occupation paid for in the suffering of the Afghan people.

To understand the political context from which the US’ modern imperialist project emerged, one must look to the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse in the early 90s. For the American ruling elite, the ‘unipolar moment’ represented an opportunity to establish a new global political order with which to further their economic interests. Testing the waters with the Gulf War and NATO bombings of Serbia, it was not until the horrors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 that the US war machine was given the public support necessary to launch a full-blown invasion of Afghanistan. Entering the region under the auspices of toppling the Taliban regime to bring Osama Bin Laden to justice, the US soon shifted tact to propping up the newly founded Afghan government, spending billions in the process. Far from fighting terrorism or offering freedom to the Afghan people, the installation of an Afghan client state provided the US crucial power projection in the resource rich Central Asia region, perhaps most importantly over a rising China.

The humiliating defeat of the US backed Afghan government marks a significant decline in the prestige of the American empire, prompting the question: just how did the world’s sole remaining superpower lose?

The corruption at the heart of the Afghan government must squarely take the blame. Comprised of opportunistic expats, local warlords and reactionaries,

Art — Zaniel Clark

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the puppet state was rife with those looking to make a quick buck at the expense of their own countrymen. A report issued by the Special Investigator General for the Reconstruction of Afghanistan (SIGAR) in 2016 detailed the way in which high-level government employees suspected of corruption routinely escaped arrest. The same year, former President Hamid Karzai was credibly

Save perhaps the single greatest transfer of wealth to the defense contracting industry in history, the US’ bloody nation-building project in Afghanistan amounted to nothing. accused of being paid millions each year by the CIA to buy American influence.

One of the most significant symptoms of the Afghan government’s corruption was the prevalence of ‘ghost soldiers’ in its army and police force, with the SIGAR finding in 2020 that 50 – 70% of registered military and police personnel in Kandahar, Zabul, Helmand and Uruzgan simply did not exist. Corrupt to the hilt and severely overstated in size, it is no great surprise that the Afghan government fell to the Taliban’s seven-day blitz with little resistance.

Save perhaps the single greatest transfer of wealth to the defense contracting industry in history, the US’ bloody nation-building project in Afghanistan amounted to nothing.

Above all else that can be said about the US’ criminal war, its most important cost has been the suffering of the Afghan people. Conservative estimates suggest that 71,000 Afghan civilians have died throughout the conflict, with generations of children growing up in fear of US drone strikes. As it stands today, over 3.5 million Afghans have been internally displaced the war, with a further 2.5 million fleeing as refugees to neighbouring regions. Not only suffering at the hands of US barbarism, the people of Afghanistan are also now once again at the mercy of the Taliban. While offering empty promises of moderation, reports indicate that the ultra-reactionary fundamentalist group has already began targeting women and intellectuals. Taliban forces in Herat have turned away female students attempting to attend university and have instructed female bank employees to remain at home. To the south in Kandahar, they search door to door for journalists who’ve collaborated with American outlets. All signs point to the return of pre-2001 Taliban rule in Afghanistan: a brutal, patriarchal regime denying Afghan women and ethnic minorities basic rights.

The federal government must heed the call of Australia’s Hazara and Afghan communities and expand its refugee intake from the region immediately.

Considering our lapdog complicity to the US’ imperialist brutality in Afghanistan, as well as the allegations of ADF war crimes levelled in the Brereton Report, the current proposal of 3000 humanitarian visas is but an offensive gesture.

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Memento Holly Clark-Milligan

Memento Mourning is traditionally accepted as a response invoked by the death of a loved one. It carries human-centric connotations and is often manifested in tokens of memory. There is a shared desperation to never forget someone lost.There continues to be a broad denial of the consequences of anthropocentrism, many still wish to see the environment as something that cannot die. I watch as spaces of nature are overcome by human development and feel grief.

Through this photography series, I have aimed to shift the tradition of memorializing and expressing love of human life to expressing love for artefacts of the natural world. I do this by referencing the form of antique portrait photos held within lockets, which historically have often contained photos of deceased loved ones. The series features a number of endemic plants, to showcase the flora unique to our state, and subsequently the flora in the most danger as humans continue to colonize natural spaces.

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Tassie Talent Making Waves Online Brittanie McCarthy

Third-year music student LJ Parks, is making waves across Australia as her song Hobart, rapidly climbed up the charts in the Campus Music Competition. The aspiring musician is the only student representing the University of Tasmania (UTAS) at the competition in 2021 and hopes to showcase the talent her island home has to offer to other competitors and the general public.

The Campus Music Competition is Australia’s longest running student-based music competition, allowing aspiring artists at university to showcase their work online and gain some industry recognition.

Open to university students across Australia and New Zealand LJ says that “it doesn’t matter if you study music or medicine, if you create original music and are enrolled at an eligible institution you can enter”, with past winners including well-known bands Spiderbait, Ball Park Music and Peking Duk. The chance to share her music and talents on a wide scale allows LJ too “not only help boost my online artist presence but bring home some glory to UTAS! Most of the other entries are from the mainland or NZ, so I want to be able to remind people that we’re still here and making noise”.

The newly renovated Hedberg building in the city’s centre, provided LJ with the perfect facilities for her to reach her full potential musically as an artist, as the new state-of-the-art equipment allowed her to collaborate with other students to create two versions of her song Hobart. The Hedberg was “ the nicest space I’ve ever recorded in”, LJ said .

Saying that “the major recording studio is amazing.

The main recording console is enormous and state of the art. I’m pretty sure it’s worth as much as a small house. Having access to the facilities at the Hedberg was wonderful.”.

The recording spaces and studios allowed LJ to feature the talents of other students in her song Hobart, as well as creating an acoustic version using an arrangement she created at the Hedberg.

Inspired by missing life in Hobart, as she spent time with her family in Victoria during the Covid-19 lockdown, LJ decided to “put all of my thoughts and feelings to music” and create a song that reflected how she felt about her hometown. After returning to Tasmania, LJ was able to play the first draft of her song to her classmates and begin to receive feedback with the help of her song-writing class tutor Dave Steel.

“Everyone seemed to genuinely enjoy the song, and I received a few good suggestions of things to add to it. When the song was done, I recorded the acoustic version with my guitar and vocals. Dave also offered to play dobro on the recording, so we layered that in on top”.

Creating another version of her song Hobart with the help of other students at the Hedberg, took her music her music to another level with LJ finding that, “the band did such a great job with the song and took it in a different direction than I would have on my own, but I’m in love with the results.”

The Campus Music Competition has become the perfect stepping-stone for many Australian artists to launch their careers over the past 30 years, and LJ wishes to follow in their footsteps by using this platform to share her music and begin to promote her talents.

As for the future, LJ hopes to work within the music industry. She knows that “it can be hard to break into it as an emerging artist” and the recognition that can come from winning this competition can help her to achieve this dream.

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Photo — Melissa Parks

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Retro Revival or Fast Fashion Fable?

Rachel Hay

Retro fashion is everywhere. I see it in the windows of shops in the mall, on the backs of strangers as I walk past them on the street and advertised on my Instagram feed.

Take, for example, flared corduroy pants. They’re selling now in lots of fastfashion stores, but they were first seen in the 1970s on popular trendsetters such as Shaggy from Scooby Doo. Now that I think about it, the pleated tennis skirt and oversized sweatshirt combo that’s popular on TikTok is also reminiscent of Shaggy’s partner in crime-solving, Velma.

But we’re not just all dressing like characters from Scooby Doo. Popular pieces from the 1980s and 1990s are also making a resurgence. “Mom jeans” paired with a vest or cardigan and bucket hat is again a common look. Slip dresses in velvet and floral patterns were also popular in the 1990s. And of course the bike shorts, oversized sweatshirt and chunky sneakers combo was first made iconic

by Princess Di in the 1990s.

Now even fashion trends I remember from my childhood are coming back into fashion. Scrunchies, bumbags and wrap-around tops are all back on our shelves. And the worst travesty of all — low-waisted jeans.

In part, this retro revival is spawned by the move that many consumers are making from fast-fashion to vintage clothing, motivated by the social and environmental impacts. Buying vintage instead of fast-fashion means that we are not encouraging the modern slavery that the fashion industry uses to make our clothes. Compared to participating in the fast-fashion industry, which produces 10% of carbon emissions per year, purchasing vintage fashion has a relatively low amount of carbon emissions. From a waste perspective, it also seeks to prevent the 23 kilograms of textiles that the average Australian sends to landfill per year ending up there.

Wearing vintage clothes which are off-trend can also be a way to establish a personal style and express yourself. This is important, particularly for women, who have been told to look a certain way their entire lives by fast-fashion Art — Jo Beitsch

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brands. The purchase made by my friend the other day at the Reloved Market — a rainbow cardigan, with embroidered swans and matching swan buttons — is a perfect example of vintage clothing allowing the exhibition of a personal style. I doubt anyone else in Hobart will be wearing that.

Vintage fashion allows the people on the street to reclaim the decision on what is fashionable from designers, corporations and runways.

But by simply setting the fashion trend, it doesn’t stop garment-selling corporations wanting to sell, or people wanting to buy, what is in trend. The amount of retro fashion produced by fast-fashion companies has increased to mimic the popular vintage fashions trends. Dangerfield, for example, prides itself on “blending vintage vibes and street style” in its new retro garments.

Fast-fashion brands also try to suck vintage shoppers back into fast-fashion, by selling a retro knitted vest which matches the vintage corduroy pants that can be picked up from a market.

These pieces give off the air of being a well-made and long-lasting vintage garment, but in reality they’ll either fray or we’ll be sick of them in a year when the next retro trend is popular. By branding their products to remind you of your Grandma, they make you think that their environmental and social practises are as good as they were back in her day. But they’re still forcing women to work 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, dumping the toxic chemicals used in their processes into precious drinking water and polluting our atmosphere with incredible amounts of carbon.

And despite the increase in retro fashion, our penchant for it is, just like the inspiration for the fashion itself, not new. The use of old styles in new designs has been occurring for hundreds of years. Even the term ‘retro’ itself was coined in the 1970s, when fashion designers borrowed heavily from the style trends of past decades. The plaid dresses of the 1990s, for example, were inspired by their 1960s counterparts.

Fast-fashion companies have simply co-opted the vintage fashion trend to sell more retro and non-retro pieces than ever, in turn encouraging us to buy more than ever. The new narrative that they push is that if we’ve bought something second-hand that we could have bought new, then we shouldn’t feel bad about buying something new to go with it. If we buy that new thing, and we get sick of it later when the trends change, we can sell it on Facebook Marketplace, Depop, at a market or at Goodbyes. And if those clothes fail to sell, we can donate them to a second-hand store like the Salvos or Vinnies. But the reality is that the majority of fast-fashion clothing does not sell, even in Salvos and Vinnies. The Salvation Army spends $6 million a year hauling things that we donate that they cannot sell to landfill.

We need to stop being sucked into fast-fashion by the retro revival. If we can’t wear what we have, we need to only wear Nana’s old knits that can be picked up second-hand, instead of the same old crap with a social and environmental cost which is far too high.

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Just a phase/ I will not be erased.

Katelyn Geard

“So, found that special someone yet?”

“You don’t want kids? You’ll change your mind in a few years.”

“What do you mean you’re not looking to date anyone?”

These common phrases and the ideas and assumptions that underpin them are a direct result of amatonormativity; the idea that every person will one day have a monogamous, romantic, and sexual relationship and that relationship is the most important relationship a person will ever have.

This artwork is made up of two parts: the projection representing amatonormativity and the white fabric with hand sewn text representing the self. The projection of amatonormativity appears to dominate and erase the self. It may be the more powerful voice but it is the self that remains unmoving.

The words of strength and resistance against it are embedded into the self.

They are a part of the individual, amatonormativity merely rests on the surface.

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Photo — Jacob Collings

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Australian Indie Music Producer’s Silver Lining in Covid-19 Conditions Hayden Cornes

Australian solo indie music producers have relished the time provided by Covid-19 but they still await the opportunity to showcase their new projects.

Covid-19 placed major restrictions everywhere in Australia and has been detrimental to many industries, especially the arts creative industries which is often overlooked by government support.

Hobart based electronic pop producer Chuck Pyecroft, said “Man, I felt pretty good about it.”

Melbourne based producer and Majula bassist Nicholas Daley said that they are holding off on releasing an album as they would lose out on an enormous amount of content as without live shows, artists lose valuable promotional content such as videos and photos.

‘We were just getting started with the new album we had just done like we could have released it, but we wanted to release it alongside shows and actually kind of get the ball rolling in that regard in promoting ourselves’, said Daley.

“Cause last year I spent a lot of time in my studio writing heaps of stuff and getting a lot of time to focus on what I actually want to put out without any outside influence.”

Pyecroft foresees the future of the music industry as being on new platforms such as Twitch, which has proven successful for other Hobart artists.

Given the circumstances of last year forcing people to spend more time at home, producers had more time to work on projects. It was extremely beneficial to producers, but has been awful for gigs, bands, and networking.

Daley expressed that Bandcamp has been his favourite outlet for posting the band’s media, an all-in-one site for merch and music where people can outright pay for music as opposed to the minimal profit streaming provides.

Pyecroft stated that it has become impossible to perform and network through gigs. Venues stopped running weekly gigs that artists could consistently play at, preventing them from connecting with other artists.

Live shows are slowly returning with some artists beginning to set up and perform in smaller shows, but until the Covid-19 vaccine rollout is fully completed, large scale shows cannot go ahead.

“Consistently playing live music is super important for building a following and getting people to know who you are and when people know who you are you get more and better gig opportunities, so it kind of snowballs”, Pyecroft said.

Daley’s final words are to get involved in live performances as soon as you can.

“There’s just so many people that are getting employed along the way and without those, the show doesn’t go on and they’ve been out of a job for a long time, so get into it.”

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Medusa Waking: How Crowdfunding Helped Independent Live Theatre Return to Hobart Desmond Marcenko

For emerging playwright and UTAS alum Emma Skalicky, the journey to bringing her first full length play Medusa Waking to Salamanca’s Peacock Theatre was not without challenges, but the powerful production speaks to the mythic potential of Hobart’s independent theatre scene.

No stranger to the performing arts, Skalicky has acted in, produced and directed plays since 2014, with a recent short work of hers staged in Sydney at the Griffin Theatre. Currently employed as a first year English tutor at UTAS, Skalicky graduated from its English Department with Honours in 2019, with her topics of interest including hydrofeminism, hauntings and folk adaptations. It was as her Honours project that Medusa Waking first came to be, writing the play with the support of her supervisor Dr Naomi Milthorpe and Associate Head of Research Dr Hannah Stark.

Medusa Waking is a magical realist reimagining of the myth of Perseus and Medusa. It tells the story of a teenage girl named Maggie, who while struggling to process a traumatic event in her past, locks herself in her bathroom only to be greeted by characters from Greek mythology. Crucially focused on the psychological aftermath of sexual abuse, Skalicky took care to ensure that the play’s confronting themes were treated in a way that was compassionate rather than exploitative. Drawing from personal experience, Skalicky did this through extensive research into the stories of survivors and by punctuating the play with a kind of ‘gentle hope’ that acknowledges the lasting impacts of trauma.

Central to Skalicky’s exploration of trauma is the mythic figure of Medusa.

From monstrosity to Freudian sexual archetype, the image of Medusa has had hundreds of faces. It’s only in the last hundred or so years, Skalicky says, that Medusa has been rehabilitated as a visually arresting feminist icon, one particularly emblematic of our current political moment. Her story rife with injustice and misunderstanding, Skalicky viewed Medusa as an inroads to

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expressing a multitude of survivors’ experiences: “Survivors come in all shapes and forms. There are thousands of voices telling stories like this, or nothing like it at all. They’re all valid. This play or that Medusa - they’re just one. I feel like Medusa is an archetype that can express that. She’s so evocative, and it gives space for so many voices.”

While Skalicky was found strong support for Medusa Waking in director Natalie Venettacci and Bad Company Theatre, the COVID-19 pandemic proved a sizeable challenge to bringing the play to Hobart stages. With independent productions struggling to gain traction in the best of circumstances, when theatre did slowly begin to return to Hobart following the easing of gathering restrictions, it was accompanied by significant reduction in government support for the arts through grants. In light of this, Skalicky and Bad Company turned to crowdfunding to get Medusa Waking off the ground. Collaborating with local artists to offer t-shirts, art prints and tote bags as rewards for donors, through overwhelming support from the community (and a viral TikTok), the team behind Medusa Waking managed to raise 150% of their fundraising goal: “It really showed us how much people care about the arts, about paying artists, and about the story we were telling.”

Boasting strong central performances from Lizzie Jackson as Maggie and Simone Dobber as Mum/Athena, the cast of Medusa Waking succeeds in bringing Skalicky’s vibrant vision to life. Jackson deftly navigates the nuance of Maggie’s emotional trauma, her performance conveying vulnerability and anger in equal measure, while also communicating an unmistakable kindness and strength. Dobber’s warm performance as Mum is wholly contrasted by her dual turn as Athena, who commands the stage with her otherworldly presence. The central dynamic between Jackson and Dobber deserves to be lauded with praise; Dobber effortlessly portraying the frustration with which Maggie’s mother tries to cut through her daughter’s isolation, culminating in their emotional reconnection at the play’s conclusion. Noah Casey’s Perseus is also to be celebrated, leaning in to the campness of the Grecian hero archetype with his bombastic timbre and dynamic use of gesture. The constantly rotating set – a worn bathtub, sink and toilet, provides a disorienting backdrop evocative of Maggie’s processing of her trauma.

An immensely powerful play, as Skalicky so elegantly puts it, Medusa Waking is ‘a story of recovery borne from the recovery of a story’. Speaking to the dire need for the experiences of survivors to be listened to, Skalicky’s feminist reclamation of the Medusa myth resituates them at the forefront of stories they’re too often forced in the background of. Through its intimate exploration of trauma and historically voiceless women, Medusa Waking reaffirms the importance of Hobart’s independent theatre scene in amplifying important artistic voices.

Medusa Waking is expected to tour Tasmania later this year, with hopes of bringing the play to mainland festivals in 2022.

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Photos — Joel Wilson

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Restoring Lake Pedder Rachel Hay

When I first went to what is now known as Lake Pedder, I had an eerie feeling looking out at the environment. I might have felt that way because I was truly in “big nature”, surrounded by large mountains, a huge body of water and trees as far as the eye could see. It’s the kind of nature that made me feel that I will be gone in the blink of an eye but that this landscape will be here forever.

But I think the unnaturalness of the environment also played a part in my feeling of eeriness. The Lake, now the second largest in Tasmania, looms large, as if it will rise up and swallow you. Its waters do not lap on stones and sand which it has worn away for thousands of years, into a perfect accommodating shape. It has the feeling of something lurking below the surface. And of course, as I now know, there is.

Almost fifty years ago, the still blue-brown waters and pink quartzite sand that was the iconic Lake Pedder slipped below rising waters. Plants and animals, like the Pedder Bristlewort, unique to the area, drowned as water flowed in. Humans had managed to sink a 10,000 year old glacial lake.

The epic history of hydro-electric industrialisation in Tasmania began in 1914, when the state government established the Hydro-Electric Department (later the Hydro-Electric Commission). Over the next century, the Hydro-Electric Commission, in a close partnership with the state government, built 43 dams across Tasmania, laying the foundations for a rumour that there were plans to dam every river in the state.

In 1967, it became clear that the Hydro-Electric Commission planned to develop a dam in the South-West region of Tasmania, near Lake Pedder, when the National Park status for the area was removed. The Hydro-Electric Commission and the Premier, known as “Electric Eric” for obvious reasons, pushed forward with these plans despite financial offers from the federal government aimed at preserving the area, strong resistance in the community and a campaign for preserving the lake, led by the Lake Pedder Action Committee. In 1971, the Huon and Serpentine Rivers were dammed, flooding Lake Pedder.

The first time I saw a photograph of the original Lake Pedder, I was taken aback by its beauty. A stunningly still lake, with an edging of sand, surrounded by mountain peaks and trees. It’s just as scenic as any of the other great wonders Art — Jo Beitsch

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in Tasmania - Dove Lake, Wineglass Bay, kunanyi/Mount Wellington and Lady Barron Falls. I felt an overwhelming feeling of loss that the lake was forever changed, and that I would not get to experience it like I have the other beautiful natural places in Tasmania. I thought ‘this would never happen now’.

But my feeling that our natural places are protected, and would be defended if they were threatened, stems from the loss of Lake Pedder. The drowning of Lake Pedder showed activists that the traditional means of campaigning such as public meetings, protests and information campaigns would not protect a place when the bulldozers rolled in. In the end, members of the Lake Pedder Action Committee were left simply to sit in boats on the Lake as waters rose, trying to save what parts of the unique environment that they could. This loss informed the tactics of subsequent campaigns across Australia to protect the environment - most prominently that to protect the Franklin River. In 1978, when the Hydro-Electric Commission initiated plans to dam the Franklin River, activists were ready to use direct action tactics alongside traditional tactics, creating a blockade which saw 1,217 people arrested and the river saved.

Even as campaigns for the environment progressed and evolved from the loss of Lake Pedder, the fight for the lake did not disappear when the lake itself went underwater. In 1994, the Pedder 2000 campaign was created in order to push for the restoration of Lake Pedder by 2000. Recently, the campaign to Restore Pedder has taken off again, convened by Christine Milne and supported by Bob Brown, Paul Thomas and Todd Dudley.

The group has commissioned research which provides strong evidence for the restoration of Lake Pedder. They have shown that the original pink quartzite sand is still intact beneath the water and that the Lake could be returned to its original form. They’ve considered the environmental impacts of restoration on the flora, vegetation and platypuses, as well as the legal, social and economic factors. They’re even currently developing a full restoration management plan and exploring options for the decommissioning of the Gordon River Dam. While it’s been fifty years since Lake Pedder was flooded, now is the right time for its restoration. The United Nations Decade of Ecological Restoration began this year, and aims to promote the restoration of ecosystems which is drastically needed to protect against climate change and species extinction. In this context, the restoration of Lake Pedder could provide an important symbol as we fight against climate change. If we can write the wrongs of the past and reverse the tide of industrialisation at Lake Pedder, then we can protect our significant natural places like the Great Barrier Reef from the industrial carbonisation of our atmosphere. Maybe we, unlike those who watched the waters rise and swallow Lake Pedder, will not have to watch our beaches be washed away by rising waters fuelled by climate change. And maybe we’ll be the generation that will get to see the waters in the southwest wilderness drain away, and sandy beaches of Lake Pedder once again greet the sun.

You can find out more about the campaign to restore Lake Pedder at https:// lakepedder.org.

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Photos — Reuben Sayers

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Art — Zaniel Clark

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In light of the centenary of partition it is apt to reflect on the actions of the Irish “republic” on the question of republicanism.

This year marks the 100th year of the Partition of Ireland. Much has been and will be written about the century of disaster that Northern Ireland has been in but there has been relatively little commentary on the first 100 years of the Free State project.

This seems logical, the Republic of Ireland appears to be a quite conventional European liberal state. It legalised gay marriage and abortion, it has a gay son of an immigrant as Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) and has looked comparably mature compared to the boisterous tomfoolery of the Tories during the Brexit negotiations. However, this hides a true reckoning with the history of the twenty six counties.

Even though this article is commemorating the signing of the Anglo Irish-Treaty in 1921, the modern free state did not come into being until 1927. A massive power vacuum was left in the wake of the Irish Civil War. The Pro-Treaty forces, although victorious in the Civil War, were still regarded as treasonous and illegitimate by vast swathes of the population who saw the abandonment of the North as an abject betrayal.

To be Irish for many was to be Catholic and to be obedient to the Church. The most damning example of the Church’s overbearing stature is the collusion between the Church and State to “treat fallen women”. “Fallen” women were any women who dared to stray from the obedience that was demanded by both Church and State. Magdalene Laundries were essentially prisons run by religious orders to house these fallen women; the Nuns would isolate the inmates from the outside world, extract labour from them for minimal compensation and allegedly engage in ritual verbal, physical, psychological and even sexual abuse. The operation of the Laundries was encouraged and facilitated by the Irish State. The Laundries were largely clouded in secrecy until a mass grave was found on one of their sites in 1993 which forced the Irish State

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to grapple with their legacy. It was not until 2013 that the Irish State apologised for these abuses and set up a compensation scheme for the victims, even so the Religious orders responsible have refused to contribute to the redress scheme. This state confessionalism, although administered by the Church, was supported and facilitated by mostly Fianna Fail governments (though the Fine Gael and Labour governments were also compliant) through the first 50 years of the State.

The collapse of the Church’s dominance was self-inflicted. The passing of the Eighth Amendment to the Irish Constitution which constitutionally banned abortion in Ireland was the high-point of the Church’s power. However, the bitter and divisive campaign of the amendment allowed for open opposition to the Church to be tolerated in the Irish political sphere. Mary Robinson, one of the most public faces of the “No” campaign during the referendum, was elected president only 8 years after the referendum, beating out Fianna Fail giant Brian Lenihan in the process. Robinson’s election is often cited as the birth of the new “liberal” Ireland but the legacy of the collusion between the Irish State and Irish Church has largely been ignored by this “liberal” Ireland. Victims of the Church’s many abuses from the aforementioned “mother and baby” homes to the childhood sexual abuse from the church are still largely uncompensated for the wrongs done against them.

In light of the centenary of partition it is apt to reflect on the actions of the Irish “republic” on the question of republicanism. Northern Ireland up until the civil rights movement operated as a functional apartheid state; the propertied franchise, workplace and housing discrimination all operated to disenfranchise the nationalist community in the six counties. While not expecting the South to support physical force republicanism, the relative silence on civil rights for Catholics in Northern Ireland from the Free State was deafening. As the troubles progressed the Free State rather than advocating for the Nationalist community came to collaborate with the British, especially in the extradition of republican prisoners and running an extensive informant through the Garda Siochana (the Irish police force). Since the Peace Process, like with the influence of the church, a general amnesia has fallen over the legacy of The Troubles.

The Troubles to many in the South were a peculiarity of the North in which they had no role or responsibility but the failure of Southern politics to deal with the Northern question led to an exacerbation of the conflict.

People from the North are routinely asked to reflect upon the troubled history of the six counties and the sectarianism that goes along with it. It is time now for the South to reflect upon its own misgivings; an overbearing church and the betrayal of the Irish people left behind when the rigid lines of Partition were drawn.

One hundred years on from the Treaty, the South of Ireland remains a contradiction. It is a “republic” but has largely refused to engage with the constitutional position of Northern Ireland. It portrays itself as a modern liberal state but is reluctant to properly engage with and compensate victims for state facilitated church abuses.

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100% Dodges Rachel Hay

In my long twenty four years, I’ve lived in three houses. For all but my first eight months, I’ve lived in the same place, near a (mostly) calm stretch of water that flows onto sandy shores and at the feet of boat sheds. As I sit here and write this, I can hear the the loose rigging of a sailing boat tinkering in the wind and the chirps of flying seagulls. And if my parents weren’t talking about the price of real estate, I’d be able to hear the waves lapping on the beach.

When I look out of the window, I can almost see those two other houses I’ve lived in, hidden amongst the trees and reno-ed shacks. Below the brush is the beach that I used to walk along to get to primary school, collecting shells along the way. Just past the school is my Uncle’s house, which overlooks Tickle-BellyFlats (aptly named for its infestation of crabs). And if you kept walking along the coastline, you’d get to the place where I learnt how to swim. Twelve years later, I used that skill in the waterway it overlooks, as I paddled back to our boat having just crashed while learning how to water ski. It was in that same bay I saw dolphins for the first time, jumping up and under the water. And around the corner, which I’ve walked and rode to more times than I can count, is the surf break where I’ve frozen my fingers off sitting in the water, waiting for a wave to come in.

My Dad and Uncle first rode those waves and walked along those beaches thirty years before me. My family have had some sort of place to stay in Dodges for the last sixty years, starting with a small cinder-block shack behind the shop. Dad spent a lot of time there when he was young, living off Chiko rolls and chips. It was while staying at the shack, at a party of one of the other shackies, that Mum and Dad first saw each other. Like a lot of the other children of shack owners, they became part of a new wave of full-time inhabitants of this coastal town.

So, as the stickers that the local pizza van gave out a few years ago said, I’m ‘100% Dodges’. But the area has changed a lot even in the last twenty four years.

Art — Jo Beitsch

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As you take the Highway home from town (that’s what we call the big city, Hobart) to Dodges, you’ll get stuck in traffic that’s backed up before the Airport and stretches all the way to the Midway Point Roundabout. While travelling between zero and five kilometres, you’ll have plenty of time to take in the roadworks, which we all hope will fix the traffic problems. You’ll see the trees that’ve been cleared laying along the roadside, the piles of dirt with steel sticking out of them and a small fleet of diggers.

You’ll roll over the bridge that they replaced about ten years ago. While on the bridge, you can look at the rows of houses under construction. If you see a man in high vis waiving a trowel around, that’s probably my Dad. For years, Dad would have to drive a couple of hours each day to work. He’d travel to Kingston, Tranmere and even Swansea. For the last five years he’s barely gone further than Midway Point for work, building hundreds of houses for more people to live in and increase the traffic problems. Thanks Dad. Once you finally make it past Midway Point and into Sorell, you’ll drive past Sorell High School, which has a new science block. You’ll bypass the main streets of Sorell, to avoid the cars queuing on the main street which blocks important shops like the local Maccas. Across the road is the Coles which they built a few years ago to rival the local Woolies. Sorry to the Fresh Food People, but I have to say we’ve never looked back. On the road out of Sorell, they’re excavating a sub-division on the left hand side and a road which will bypass Sorell completely on the other side.

And when you finally round the corner to my street, you will be as shocked as I was a few days ago to see the newly constructed road islands. The days of children dashing across the street between the numerous utes towing boats is over. And I’m sure those children will be less fulfilled without that exposure to anxiety at an early age.

Around Dodges, the school has upgraded from the terrapin classrooms I was educated in. There’s a community garden. And as I mentioned before, there’s a pizza van alongside the usual options of fish and chips at the takeaway or a sausage roll at

the bakery. We even have a Hill Street. And the final straw which I think cements Dodges’ bougieness - we now have a cafe. Two cafes, if you count the coffee van around near the fire station, which everyone does.

So this sleepy little coastal town is starting to wake up. The shackies are almost all gone, and have been replaced with full-time residents. The car park at the Hill Street is usually full. The line up at Park Beach is too crowded. And the price of houses is rising at a scary rate. There’s houses selling for over a million dollars. The other day, a two-bedroom shack built in 1940 sold for $930,000 (its basically right on the beach, but even so). It’s certainly not the town that Mum and Dad bought into twenty five years ago.

All of these changes leave me questioning what place I have here, in my home of twenty four years.

I’ve already stayed longer at my parents house than most people my age. As much as I appreciate being able to live with them, I don’t know how many more times I can argue about the precious resource that is my Mum’s Tupperware. And now I’m working in the city, a daily commute of almost three hours in the traffic isn’t exactly how I’d like to spend my free time.

But you’ve probably gathered that I’m pretty attached to the area — the sand, the water and the people. In times where being in Hobart has been noisy, uncomfortable and stressful because of uni assignments or one of life’s other challenges, Dodges has also been a place of peace and quiet.

So moving up to Hobart isn’t overly enticing. If I did move up to the rat race, I’d follow in the footsteps of my family decades before me, stealing whatever time I could to come back down to Dodges.

With the rising house prices, there’s no way I’m going to be able to afford to buy something in Dodges anytime soon. So I guess that leaves my hands in the fate of boomers, with the hope that they won’t decide to do-up their newly bought property and keep it as a shack. And instead, that they’ll rent it out at an exorbitant rate, to someone who’ll take put up with living in a leaking, crumbling and cold old place, just so that they can stay in the area.

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Photos — Rachel Hay

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The Event That Stops The Globe, For Two Weeks Brittanie McCarthy

With the commencement of the 28th Olympic Games in Tokyo, the world tunes in to watch athletes from over 206 countries compete to win gold and see their country’s flag fly over the Olympic podium. For 16 days, our lives are consumed with 24/7 coverage of impressive athletic feats, an opportunity to share in the glory of Olympians and feel as if we played a role in their success.

Every four years (global pandemic permitting), we suddenly become invested in the success of Australia in everything from swimming to skateboarding, cheering on our home-grown athletes as they compete to secure the title of the world’s best. With 11,000 athletes from every corner of the globe dedicating all of their time towards achieving the Olympic dream, the Olympics have become the perfect distraction from the ever-changing Covid-19 situation, as we can turn our attention to living vicariously through the success of our athletes. To hear the national anthem of their country play after a win is enough to bring a tear to the eye of any athlete, or highly immersed spectator, in what is considered one of the greatest sporting honours.

For those that are unfamiliar with this 125 year-old event, athletes compete to see who can go fast, jump high or throw far, hoping to win one of three medals and stand on a podium. 472 Australian athletes will compete across 33 events in Tokyo, representing the green and gold under team names that are unmistakably Australian. The Hockeyroos, Socceroos and Olyroos all have a certain ring to them, but surely a team named after the merciless magpie would be enough to scare off competitors?

In addition to the standard Olympic sports that spectators are familiar with, this year has seen Tokyo add skateboarding, surfing and sport climbing to the events, in an effort to entice the next generation of athletes watching at home.

Since 1896, the Olympics have become a platform to launch winners into a world of sometimes short-lived fame, with many resurfacing every few years to begin another Olympic campaign and a shot at gold.

Art — Jo Beitsch

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While some of us can only dream of becoming an Olympian, for some Tasmanians this dream is a reality. With 11 Tassie athletes competing in Tokyo, Tasmania is able to remind mainland Australia of the talent our state can produce, as our top athletes represent their state with pride. Launceston born swimmer Ariarne Titmus has just become the first Australian to win gold in the women’s 400m freestyle in 49 years, since Tasmanian resident Shane Gould won at the Munich games in 1972. Defeating her rival, American Katie Ledecky, in a nail-biting finish, that came down to only 0.67 of a second. With another win in the 200m freestyle and silver in the 800m freestyle, Ariarne’s success marks a major milestone for Tasmanian sport.

Men’s Hockey Tasmanian players Eddie Ockenden and Josh Beltz, were aiming to continue the Kookaburras consistent success over the past 30 years, as they competed to defend their title of world no.1. Claiming silver, in a nail-biting finish against Belgium, a dramatic penalty shoot-out as the game went into overtime had Australian’s on the edge of their seats, as the Kookaburras tried to win their first gold medal since 2004.

With the commencement of the Paralympics, on August 24th, Australia has claimed an impressive 80 medals overall, with our biggest ever Paralympic team of 179 athletes competing in Tokyo. Upon the discovery that Paralympic athletes do not receive any financial medal bonus, compared to their Olympic counterparts, a mass outcry by the Australian public resulted in Prime Minister Scott Morrison announcing that the federal government would be providing the funding to end this major disparity.

With Brisbane now lined up to host the games in 2032, it’s likely that the massmedia attention given towards the Olympics will only increase in Australia over the next 11 years. A respite of only 3 years until Paris hosts the next games in 2024, seems like just long enough to recover until the excitement begins again.

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Podcasts to Get You Through a Pandemic Jo Beitsch

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been at home a lot more in the past year. As life has been forced to a standstill, I’ve been eager to fill my days with something other than pondering the existential dread of existence.

For me, this took the form of diving into podcasts.

The sheer amount of content available in podcasts means that you’re never without content, and the smooth voices through your headphones can make you think you actually have friends.

Here are a few of my top picks from the wide, weird world of podcasting.

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Hello From the Magic Tavern This strange little show was my first introduction to fictional podcasts and, quite frankly, it’s a weird one. When host Arnie falls through a portal behind a Burger King, he finds himself in the magical world of Foon. Arnie uses the faint Wi-Fi signal from the fast food joint to start his own podcast and interview the characters that inhabit the strange land. If you’re a fan of absurd comedy, fantasy and diving into a whole new world, this podcast is the one for you. HFTMT is insanely charming and completely unpredictable, since most of the episodes are completely improvised.

Listening from the beginning gets you the whole story, and it’s a wild one.

This Podcast Will Kill You If hearing about a certain worldwide disease has awakened a morbid curiosity in you, this podcast may become your new addiction. Epidemiologists Erin Welsch and Erin Allman Updyke take you through the history and all the nasty details of every disease, ailment and malady you can think of, all whilst sipping their own signature cocktails, quarantinis. The hosts bring their own brand of humour and knowledge to the table, and mix theory with real-life patient accounts to create a podcast that is as empathetic as it is informative. If you love getting all the gory details, learning about the human body, or just like good cocktails, give this one a listen.

Get Sleepy These days, getting a good night’s sleep can be a struggle. This is where Get Sleepy comes in. Stop thinking about those overdue assignments and embarrassing things you said seven years ago and let host Tom Jones guide you through over 100 episodes of sleep-inducing bedtime stories. Get Sleepy is the perfect nightcap to any stressful day. I could give an in-depth review, but most of the time I’m asleep before the episode finishes. But I think that’s a review in itself, don’t you?

Kill James Bond From my mediocre attempts at research, I can tell you there are a ton of James Bond podcasts out there. However, KJB is the Bond podcast with a difference. Kill James Bond is an out-and-proud anti-Bond Bond Podcast. Every fortnight, Hosts Alice Caldwell-Kelly, Abigail Thorn and Devon watch a new Bond film, tearing the martini-drinking superspy to shreds in the process. KJB manages to find the perfect balance between sincere commentary on issues like misogyny and racism in film, and complete dumbassery. This podcast is hilarious, thought-provoking and ridiculous. No prior knowledge is required, so simply plug your headphones and start your mission to Kill James Bond.

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Review: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Brittanie McCarthy

The release of Disney’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has brought a welcome reprieve to the constant delay of blockbuster movies, as Covid-19 continues to interrupt the plans of moviegoers. As the first film in Marvel’s new Phase 4, Shang-Chi reminds viewers that standalone Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films can be just as successful, if not more, as those deeply embedded in this vast universe.

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Shang-Chi follows the story of the titular character, played by Simu Liu, as he is forced to return home to his father and sister, ten years after running away from home. As his father Wenwu (Tony Leung), leads the Ten Rings criminal organisation and possesses the immense power of these rings, he is convinced there is a way to bring his late wife back from the dead. This forces Shang-Chi to make peace with his past and his ancestry, in order to end his father’s potentially world-ending plans. Pleasingly, the film displays a diverse cast that showcases the talents of many up-andcoming future stars. With comedian Awkwafina providing some light-hearted comic relief to the well-crafted action scenes that are the basis for this film, this cast comes together to create a film that reminds viewers of what made Marvel films so successful in the first place.

This fast-paced superhero movie has had a cinema only release so far, meaning fans in lockdown will have to wait just a little bit longer, with rumours it will be made available on streaming service Disney+ by October 18. However, for those who are able to visit their local cinema, as with most Marvel films there are two post-credit scenes with an unexpected cameo at the end, so make sure you stick around to get a glimpse of what’s to come.

If Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a sign of what Marvel has in store for the next phase of the MCU, then we can be assured that there will be many more spectacular films to come.

Art — Jo Beitsch

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Art — Raymond Wittenberg

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Mystic May’s Horoscopes Aries (March 21–April 19) As the year reaches its end, your ambitious energy will come to the forefront.

Whilst focussing on goals is important, you need to think things through before committing to your next ‘genius’ plan.

Taurus (April 20–May 20) Look, we all know you can be a stubborn little bull sometimes, Taurus. This month, learn to let go. Learn to accept that you may be wrong sometimes, and maybe shut up and listen once in a while.

Gemini (May 21–June 20) Gemini, you get a bad rap from the rest of the zodiac. They say you’re two faced, self-absorbed liars who always steal attention. And honestly, they’re completely right. Gemini’s, keep gaslighting, gatekeeping and most of all, keep girlbossing.

Cancer (June 21–July 22) Dry your tears, dear Cancer. We all know you love your dramatics, but if you look around, things aren’t as bad as they seem. Take a walk outside, touch some grass and calm the hell down.

Leo (July 23–Aug 22) Leo, you’re so vain, you probably think this horoscope is about you.

Virgo (Aug 23–Sep 22) To my sweet, highly-strung Virgo. Your overthinking nature makes you very detail-focused, but sometimes you can miss the forest for the trees. Widen your perspective and embrace chaos.

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Libra (September 23–Oct 22) Libra, Mystic May loves you. But, for the love of god, make a solid decision for the first time in your life. Be brave. The universe will thank you.

Scorpio (October 23–Nov 21) I believe the silent treatment was invented by a Scorpio. This month, learn some damn communication skills and show some vulnerability. Only then will you get the fairy-tale ending you secretly daydream about.

Sagittarius (Nov 22–December 21) Sagittarius, you are so caring and give amazing advice to your loved ones.

Maybe apply it to your own trash fire for once.

Capricorn (Dec 22–Jan 19) Stop trying to predict the future, Capricorn. That’s my job.

Aquarius (Jan 20–Feb 18) Aquarius, truly the airiest of the air signs. Get your head out of the clouds and join us mere mortals in reality, you might learn something… If you stop being so stubborn.

Pisces (Feb 19–Mar 20) Sweet, sensitive Pisces… I’d love to say something scathing about you guys, but I’d be genuinely concerned about your emotional state afterwards.

Art — Jo Beitsch