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INTERVIEWING

INTERVIEWER

MR WALSH

Today we are interviewing the one and only Mr Walsh! Thanks for allowing The Voice to interview you Mr Walsh. Let’s go straight in with a tough question and find out what type of person you are. What core values define you as a person?

Mr Walsh

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I’m a family man. I do believe in honesty and integrity. I think they’re important. I also think it’s important to work hard and play hard.

Well said, mate! Staying with the serious questions, what do you think of our school?

I think it’s a great school. I enjoy a little banter with staff and students. I think it’s important to have a bit of a laugh.

So, what was your favorite subject when you were at school and why?

I actually didn’t mind Maths when I was younger. But as I got older, I really enjoyed Economics. I found it interesting how decision-making can affect everyone, and that really interests me.

Let’s stick with things that you enjoy and move onto sports! What is your favourite Australian sporting league?

I love all sports, and I always have, though I don’t play sport as much as I used to. I suppose I’ve always followed a particular rugby league team - the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. I’ve been going for them since 1979, and I believe that when I was five or six, they got ripped off by St George in a grand final, so I went for them ever since then.

I love a good story! Let’s move on to some fun questions…truth or dare?

Oooh… This could be dangerous -

Well, you’re playing with Cynthia, so of course it’s dangerous...

Ummm…. I think I’d better go the truth.

Ok, tell me what’s the best rugby league team and why is it the Broncos? .

Look, to tell you the truth, the Broncos do have a good young side, and are very good currently. Can’t say I’ve been a big Broncos fan, though - they came into the competition in 1988, I remember. The truth is I can NEVER support the Broncos.

Shame! What would your first reaction be if Reece Walsh was biologically proven to be related to you?

I could use a fantastic young player, that would be pretty cool. Maybe he is? I think he’s a fantastic player, and it’s a very big coincidence that his last name is Walsh. But Walsh is a fairly common surname in Australia.

Okay, let’s switch to something different! What was the worst part of filming Avatrek and why?

I suppose I’ve had no experience in filmmaking ever, and so I couldn’t begin to imagine what the final thing looked like. None of the actors really knew what they were doing - it was pretty ordinary acting, but it was a lot of fun. The scene in the ship with the HSIE staff was a lot of fun. And there was no re-take, so if you made a blooper, then that was just too bad.

Tell us your most embarrassing secret, I wanna know.

Well, this ain’t a secret anymore, but I guess it is the fact that I support the Bulldogs? And also perhaps having Cynthia as a student. Nah, I was just joking. .

Or perhaps not… Well, anyways, this really does bring us to the end. Thank you Mr Walsh!

environment week

The AISHK community had the most incredible Environment Week in week 6. It was held to remind our cohort about sustainability and how to make environmentally friendly decisions. This year, Science Week became part of our Environment Week and there was lots of collaboration to hold multiple after-school activities such as ‘titration challenges’ and ‘Who can grow the tallest plant in 2 weeks?’

The week ended with the great tradition of the Science department movie watch party in Assembly. Surely it couldn’t be better than last year's spin off of The Matrix! This year's film was called Avatrek, and was a take on the classic movie Avatar. The key takeaway from the movie: to only use the resources that we need and always prepare for a dance-off. We never thought our teachers would go above and beyond in creating the most iconic film of the century, wearing the most ridiculous wigs and bringing out their inner actors. But they did!

environment week

Many Secondary students had the opportunity to watch the documentary, Delikado, created by one of our AISHK parents, Mr. Karl Malakunas. Delikado follows a group of brave men trying to stop illegal loggers in Palawan, a tourist hotspot in the Philippines. It shares the harsh truths of the destruction of the “last ecological frontier” of the Philippines for business and profit, as well as the sacrifice it takes to protect our world. The impact of the movie was evident from the tears flowing amongst the members of our audience. We were grateful to Mr. Malakunas for having a Q&A session where our cohort asked questions about his drive to create such an informative, impactful and touching documentary.

Looking forward to next year’s Environment Week, the very first AISHK Sustainability Fair will be held in Term 1 of 2024. Our student community will engage in many activities that focus on implementing ways to be sustainable. If you’re interested in joining the Sustainability Group or helping out in preparation for the Sustainability Fair, make sure to come to the DT room every Thursday lunch or email Alton or me with any inquiries.

Stay Sustainable :)

Barbenheimer Barbenheimer Barbenheimer

Oppenheimer

DYLAN VOYLES

The highly anticipated movie Oppenheimer released on the 21st of July, it featured a star studded cast with Cillian Murphy (Starring as the lead, J. Robert Oppenheimer), Robert Downey Jr, Emily Blunt and many more A-list actors. The movie focuses on the creation of the atomic bomb and the life of Oppenheimer.

The director is Christopher Nolan, who has directed many blockbusters in the past including, The dark knight trilogy, Interstellar, Tenet etc. Nolan outshines in his technicality experimentation of direction with subjectives and objectives clearly shown in Black And white that too on an IMAX reel. The cinematography in the film captures the essence of the era and the different points of views the characters have. Nolan shows his filmmaking expertise with the atomic bomb scene, the use of chemicals and no CGI make the explosion feel very realistic and the way he chose to make the explosion quiet for the first moments to portray the way the scientists in Los Alamos (Where the test bomb was dropped) would feel, but when the noise finally came in it felt surreal. Nolan still managed to make the explosion feel suspenseful while playing into the horror of what Oppenheimer has brought to the world.

Cillian Murphy as the lead role gives an amazing performance as Oppenheimer and shows his excellent abilities. For the first half of the film we see Oppenheimer sacrifice everything to make the atomic bomb, working with scientists across America to produce the bomb before Germany. However the tone shifts during the second half where Oppenheimer regrets his decision and shows the fallout of his political career and how the world moves on passing over his opposition to nuclear weapons. Cillian Murphy shines in this role and captures the emotions Oppenheimer portrayed, as well as showing the troubles Oppenheimer went through after the creation of the bomb and is shown perfectly in the Oppenheimer security hearing scene where Oppenheimer has his clearance revoked. Robert Downey Jr. also ought to be commenced for his performance as Lewis Strauss Oppenheimer’s nemesis who counters him at different points throughout the film.

Oppenheimer is an intense and thought-provoking film that explores the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb. With a star-studded cast d by the remarkable Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer, he performances are captivating and emotionally harged. I would implore you to watch this film. It is a asterpiece.

We have all seen Greta Gerwig’s Barbie Movie (2023) take the world by storm. Dua Lipa’s new “Dance the Night” song has become stuck in our minds and pink has infiltrated the 2023 fashion culture as Barbie at one point became the highestgrossing movie this year. There is no denying it has been a hit and lots of people are talking about the ‘hidden’ message it conveys.

Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) and her Barbie friends live in a matriarchal world; meaning that society’s roles are dominated by women, as opposed to a patriarchal society, where they are dominated by men. The Kens spend all day on the beach, with Ryan Gosling’s Ken only having a good day when Barbie looks at him. This is a flip to our modern-day world.

When Barbie exits to the “real world” with Ken, she discovers that the real world is in fact the opposite; with men dominating society. Then when she returns to Barbie Land, the Kens have taken over the world, with all the Barbies brainwashed to be an “object” to the Kens. Gloria (America Ferrara) from the real world gave a speech to the brainwashed Barbies that has become infamous; talking about the struggles women have to go through every single day. This breaks the spell on the Barbies, and ultimately tricks the Kens into putting them in charge again. The movie ends with a heartfelt scene that left many people leaving the theater teary-eyed.

Barbie’s journey in the real world and trying to find her owner helps her discover more about herself. With Greta Gerwig known for her feminist take on movies and writing, it was expected that there would be a feminist take on the script. The Barbie movie was definitely an eyeopener for many people, with a healthy way of trying to erase stereotypes for all audiences. All in all, the Barbie movie has definitely left a legendary mark on society and will continue to leave a lasting impression on today’s world both in mindset and lifestyle.

We all awaited the arrival of the formal, each of us quivering with excitement like annoying little chihuahuas. Classwork was being neglected as formal dresses took over the minds of the year 11 cohort. One student had her dress ready to go, she then got really jacked and worried it wouldn’t fit her. Another student got stressed about not having a dress but eventually found hers on Taobao. Meanwhile, the year 12s were able to arrange a collection of red and green dresses, as though Christmas had arrived early

Finally, we were all set! But we had not bargained on all of the weather interruptions and the day seemed like it may never arrive. We awaited a break in the storm.

On Thursday, we sat nervously in our classes, a murmur rising amongst senior students whilst teachers looked grim. Mr. Emery introduced us to the wonders of Windy.com, but we looked on in horror as the simulation showed the typhoon tearing through Hong Kong right as we were supposed to be taking photos with our parents on the steps of the Icon Hotel. The formal was cancelled. The storm continued and we were disappointed.

Fighting through the rain clouds to bring us a little hope, our own ray of sunshine, Mr Philips, was able to negotiate an alternative date. Although the date clashed with the exams, we were just excited to be able to be seated in a room, each trying to achieve our own vision of high society fashion. The sun finally shone and our formal finally arrived on the evening of the 7th of September.

Standing nervously on the 2nd floor of the Icon Hotel, right outside the ballroom, we all observed as teachers, students, and parents poured in. Each dress was more dazzling and each suit more stylish than the one before. Suddenly a bell rang and we began to make our way into the ballroom

Once inside, we were greeted by some steaming lamb racks, juicy medium rare steaks and, best of all, mac and cheese. On each table were pictures of teachers trying to look cool, a model of Bonds car, poker chips, and a disposable camera. Zoe and I took on the responsibility of photographer and made sure to capture some brilliant shots of the event, as well as some other questionable ones.

As we approached the teachers with the cameras, most of them would say, “Wow, doing it old-school!” as the flash of the disposables blinded their eyes.

Once everyone was fed and ready to party ��, we proceeded to the dance floor, where there was a live performance by the brilliant year 12 rock band The dance moves were mostly just hopping in sync with the beat (well, syncing was optional) with some exceptional moves coming from Ms Dunstan, Charlie, Ms Ellis and Ms Craig.

Once the year 12 band retired to the comfort of their tables and the company of their friends, Harry Avery or DJ HAZMAT took over with his DJ skills. The sudden boom of music took many by surprise. The year 12s continued to storm the stage and keep the night going.

By the time the night ended there was trouble brewing…some girls had taken their heels off as blisters appeared, but worse was yet to come. Many staff and students found themselves trapped due to the floods caused by the black rain. A few lucky students made the decision previously to book a room and were able to remain in the warmth and comfort of the hotel room whilst listening to the calming pitter-patter of the rain on the double glass windows. Others made their way home or went out with their friends, embracing the rain. Thankfully, everyone got home safely, even if it was later than expected and absolutely drenched.

It was a fun night! Let the planning for next year’s formal commence…

THINGS TO DO OVER THE HOLIDAYS

I’m sure everyone is buzzing with excitement for the holidays. Some students are travelling overseas whilst others stay in Hong Kong. If you need some ideas on what to do over the holidays, check these websites out!

October 2023 Events in Hong Kong

Events for kids aged 14-18 years in Hong Kong

Activities for teens in Hong Kong we promise they’ll love | Honeycombers

25 things you have to do as a teenager in Hong Kong - YP | South China Morning Post

What do you call two ducks and a cow? Quackers and milk!

INTERHOUSE VOLLEYBALL

In week five of this term inter-house volleyball was held. Students all around the school came to play for their house in the gym during lunchtime. On Monday, junior boys played their games first, this led to Euca and Wattle getting into the finals. On Tuesday, junior girls played, resulting in Wattle vs Euca for their finals. Wednesday was when senior boys played, leading to Jacaranda and Waratah versing each other in finals. And finally on Thursday senior girls played, with Euca and Wattle yet again going head to head in the finals.

Junior boys played first on Friday after lunch. The teams were neck and neck the whole game, until full time the score was tied, 20/20. The referees decided to allow three more minutes of time to the game, to get our final winner. Excitement was rippling through the crowd in those last 180 seconds, Euca and Wattle were back and forth, but as the buzzer went off the score was 29/28 with Euca being our junior boys winner.

INTERHOUSE VOLLEYBALL

After Eucalypt won, it was the junior girls' turn. Wattle and Euca both put up quite a fight. During the whole game Wattle was always a few points ahead. Once the time was up the final score was 24/21 to Wattle. This meant that Wattle and Euca were now tied for the overall winners of the whole tournament.

Waratah and Jacaranda versed each other next in senior boys, placing some new houses on the court. Waratah put up quite a challenge, but Jacaranda's volleyball skills were unmatched. The final score was 26/15 to Jacaranda.

The senior girls Wattle vs Euca game was the one deciding the final champions. Both teams had some ups and downs, but throughout the whole game, Euca was always one step ahead, and their ultimate victory made Eucalypt the champions for term three’s inter-house volleyball.

Overall this was one of the most enthusiastic inter-houses of this year. Every player gave it their all, win or lose, and the audience showed their excitement by cheering for their houses. Support came from the crowd as the games ended.

CONGRATULATIONS TO…

AISHK Student, Sarah Broderick

Sarah completed a week at the prestigious Longines World Equestrian Academy in Riesenbeck, Germany. She undertook a training program that focused on showjumping and was trained by Thorsten Wittenburd, a trainer at Beerbaum Stables, owned by famous Olympian Ludgar Beerbaum.

Sarah listed some of her highlights as:

Riding Discar, one of Ludgar's horses

Posture training and fitness both off and on the horse

Visiting: Ludgar's stables, an equine hospital called Tierlinik Telgte, the German National Equestrian Federation training facilities and the North RhineWestphalian State Stud with over 80 breeding stallions

Visiting a 5* International show in Valkenswaard, Netherlands and getting to walk the 1.60m grand prix course with rider Eoin McMahon and all of the other professionals

Getting to watch the classes at the show from the VIP section

What an experience, Sarah!

CONGRATULATIONS TO…

AISHK Teacher, Sian Byrne

Ms Byrne represented Hong Kong’s Gaelic football team at the 2023 Asian Gaelic Games in Kuala Lumpur this weekend. They beat Thailand in the final to become the Asian Gaelic Games (AGG) Women’s Intermediate Winners 2023.

Ms Byrne is very happy to see the promotion of Gaelic sports, especially for women and girls, and informed us that there were 23 active clubs from all around the region at the AGG. These included Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and China. Women’s Gaelic games are seeing the strongest growth ever in Europe and Asia. If you are interested in getting involved, here is some information on how the game is played.

Gaelic Football originated in Ireland. It is played with a round ball, on a rectangular grass pitch, with H-shaped goals at each end. Both hands and feet are used to control and pass the ball. It is an extremely physical game, full of speed, precision, accuracy, and intensity. Gaelic football is an amateur sport and is closely associated with Australian Rules Football. Some of the best Irish Gaelic Football players moved to Australia to play Australian Rules professionally. The most famous players are Tadhg Kennelly (Sydney Swans), Mark O Connor (Geelong Cats), Zach Tuohy (Geelong Cats), Cora Staunton (Great Western Sydney Giants), Orla O’ Dwyer (Brisbane) and Blaithin Mackin (Melbourne).

CONGRATULATIONS TO…

AISHK Alumni, Campbell Rawiller

Former student Campbell Rawiller has been achieving his dreams in the world of horse racing. After a stint as a highly successful apprentice, he has now graduated to senior jockey. We wish him the best of luck.

He tweeted, “Today is my first day as a senior Jockey (18.9.23). I would like to say a huge thank you to everybody who has supported me throughout my Apprenticeship. Special mention to my sister, mum, dad, D Gauci and Logan McGill for their full support and for always having my back since day 1.”

A recent win for Campbell came on July 10 at the Port Augusta Cup, where he rode Shiny Rock (above) to victory.

Why didn’t the koala get the job?

He was underkoalafied.

CCONGRATULATIONS ONGRATULATIONS

YEAR 12 GRADUATES YEAR 12 GRADUATES

CLASS OF 2023 CLASS OF 2023

CLASS OF 2023

WRITERS:

VIOLET CHAPLIN

DYLAN VOYLES

CYNTHIA LU

ZOE WAN

DESIGNERS:

Logo: SAM WONG EMILY CHANG

NATE WONG

ALTON QIU

VALERIE NG EBBA HELLSTRÖM SAM

KIMBERLEY NG JANE KIANG