1996 Silver and Green

T h e Cover gy Danielle Jry avid Julia Howell

For this year's theme, 'Unity and Diversity', we began brainstorming as we wanted to represent what both Silver and Green and MLC are about The globe was used to represent international students, communication around the world via the Internet and unity in the MLC community Various parts of the school were added to this image in a striking and creative way Our cover became very original using a space theme which connects with the MLC star This allowed us to place flying images showing aspects of the curriculum. To depict both technology and tradition, we came up with the MLC tower/rocket. We chose gouache as the medium to achieve a bright and vibrant effect of diversity in the college.

"thank you

A number of individuals put a huge amount of time and effort into this magazine, as well as the invaluable assistance of Ms Walsh and Ms Deriu Thankyou to everyone who contributed articles and photographs, and to the Year 11 and 12 Business students for typing.

Special thanks goes to those who devoted the whole first week of their September holidays to the execution of the finished piece - this year's Silver and Green.

LAYOUT DESIGNERS

Emily Barnes

Joeien e Te e

COMPUTER LAYOUT/ARTWORK

Emily Barnes

JoeleneTee

BelndaConti

Catherine Copley

MirandaTumer

Judfth Graham

PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR

Caroline Van Gemert

TEACHERS

Laura Deriu (Editorial assistance)

Tara Walsh (Graphic Design)

John Rawson (Computerandtyping assistance)

Mrs Mason

MsTemby

MsBracfceer

OTHER CONTRIBUTORS

Amelia Cassidy (Photography)

Annalise Newell (Photography)

Catriona Giver (Artwo*)

Elise Houghton (Artwori<)

tentorial

We were thrilled to discover that we had been chosen as the 1996 Silver and Green Editors We found ourselves faced with the task of collecting and editing enough material to fill a whole magazine. A sobering thought indeed! Our first job was to select a theme. We decided to look at a typical day at MLC, hoping this would provide us with some inspiration On arriving at 7:30 am, the oval is dotted with energetic hockey players Walking past the Assembly Hall, the melodious strains of House Choral groups can be heard, while BJ Hall is set up for Year 10 Cabaret rehearsals At recess Year 7s are busily selling donuts at a Social Service stall At lunchtime the Aerobics teams limber up and classrooms fill with Debating meetings After school, students gather for Orchestra rehearsals, Athletics training, or for InterSchool Badminton matches

As we looked at the huge variety of activities at MLC, we realised just what diverse opportunities the school offers. The choice of 'Unity and Diversity' as a theme was designed to incorporate both the wealth of activity and variety within MLC, and the sense of 'community' the school encourages Then came the difficult part - eliciting hundreds of articles from scores of people We managed to obtain nearly everything, for those who didn't submit things we asked for, we know where you live!

This year there has been a new emphasis upon layout and design Visual media is increasingly important in today's world Therefore we have tried to combine both the outstanding artistic talents of students, and their proficiency with new computer layout technology.

After everyone's hard work, we are extremely proud of the finished product We hope you enjoy it.

Editors: Sarah Norman

Kathryn James

Annabel Hart (Layout and Design)

Annabel.

Principal's Reflections

In need of inspiration on the subject of 'Unity and Diversity', I ventured to the Net to see what I could find Two Australian sitesfurnished me withtwo items on which I thought I could build some meaningful and relevant comments. In the first, a senior official of the Immigration Department expressed the view that "Australia had successful immigration and multicultural polices that had created unity out of diversity." The second set out the present Government's policy of "maintaining and further enhancing Australia's unique and enriching cultural diversity within the framework of national unity." My immediate thoughts were that these views nicely summed up what we have managed to achieve in the environment at MLC.

And yet, as I pondered these worthy statements further, I was troubled. What troubled me was that on the larger national stage there seemed to be a gap between the rhetoric and reality For when I turned to my newspaper on 20th August, I read about what has been described as the worst day of political violence in Australia's history In the days preceding the 'Parliament House Riot', the Federal government had announced considerable funding cuts to, amongst other things, Aboriginal Affairs, prompting angry responses from Aboriginal leaders One such leader was even movedto announce an endto the reconciliation process between white and indigenous Australians that had begun some years earlier Itcaused me to reflect that,despite all the rhetoric about the unity of our diverse multicultural society,the unity to which we aspire is a fragile and tender plant

On thefaceof it, the violence and protests wereabout a significant cut in funds to a minority and somewhat marginalised group in society But unity is not dependent upon the allocation of mere dollars; rather, unity is dependent upon the recognition that diverse groups and different points of view have a right to free existence and development within the fabric of our society! It occurred to me that the cut infunds, justifiable asthey may

economically, were viewed by Aboriginal groups as a move away fromthe commitment tothis recognition and an attempt to revivea viewthat deniesto minority and marginalised groupsthe right to exist and be heard for fear that they may threaten the control of the majority The term 'multi-culturalism' immediately suggests Australia's diversity; but this diversity is easily and instantly devalued by attitudes and programs which imply the superiority or controlof one group over the others, and which fail to promote and encourage understanding and mutual respect betweenallsectionsof society

As I continued to reflect on this undesirable situation, I recalled that the 'control model' with which we were most familiar in Australia was one which vested social, political and economic power in the hands of white Anglo-Saxon males. Surely, I thought, Australia could not revert to such a model, and neither should it! And to provethe impossibility of such a development I need only reflect on our situation at MLC For here we have a community which demonstrates powerfully such principles as gender equality and cultural harmony, and we are not unrepresentative of Australian society

Thus, it seems to me that Australia's social and cultural diversity must be acknowledged as an immutable fact Ours is now a culturethat pivots at the intersections of race, gender and class The real question then is how do we ensure that this diversity brings uscloser to a sense of national unity rather than national fragmentation. Theanswer must surely be that it isonly through recognition of, and mutual respect for, our differences that can map the road to unity

5 David Loader

Senior School

OurAssembly inMulti-Culturalweek revealedjust howdiversewe are in Senior School at MLC Ourforebears camefrom allwerthe world.We are in origin, a trulydiverse internationaloommunity, yet weareunited in being Australian and in beingmembers ofMLC

As a country, our strength isboth inour diversity and inour unity. As a Colege, ourstrength is bothin ourdiversity andin our unity

InSenior School, we are ethnically diverse andreligiouslydiverse. Mos t of us seethe world from a Christian background and perspective, but some of us are rationalists, some agnostics, some Buddhists, and a few Muslims. Thisdiversity anda tradition of open discussion allows usto hear, to question, to reevaluateand itprevents us becoming too complacent So we are unitedin valuing open discussionand that discussion isintensely interesting becauseofourdiversity

Itisthesame in discussions inhumanitiesclassrooms - in English, in Politics, in Literature, in History, in Legal Studies, in Australian Studies - there are always diverse view points And again this is because MLC students come from different parts of Meboume, different parts of Victoria, different parts of the world; we are from different economicandsocial backgrounds; we have different politicalviews and attitudes. In fact, MLC Senior School students areveryindividualistic, independent people,but united in a confident determination to shape ourfuture and contrbute positivelyto society

A hugediverse range of subjects and courses is offeredat Senior Schoolin MLC. VCE siiDjects, dual creditTAFE subjects in Business Studies,inHospitality,TAFEArt, several LOTEs, several Maths, several Sciences. (Is Psychology or Biology or Chemistry or Physics your preference?) We need a diverse offeringof subjects because-we are different in our capacities, in ourinterests, in our skills and in ouraspirations.

Mrs McKenzie

We all need to develop our strengthsand deepen our interests to grow to our fullest capacity So we need, and MLC provides, a wide range ofopportunities: spottingopportunities- rowing, kayakrig, swimming, water polo, athletics, hockey, badminton, cricket, softball, netball, aerobics, gymnastics, weights; drama opportunities; musical opportunities and community service opportunities.

It is important to have the opportunities to be involved, to participate, to work with others in a unified endeavour - be it a sausage sizzle, a House play, or the Year 11 and 12 Dance Committees But it is also important to aspire to excellence, to stretchyourself to see howfaryoucan go And then, ifyoufail or make a mistake, you need toforgive yourself, not judgeyourself too harshly, but justpick yourself upand bounce back

MLC Senior School is diverse We are diverse in ourethnicity, our religions, our backgrounds, our capacities, our interests, our skills, our characters, our personalities and our aspirations But we are united in these things - in our belief in democracy and justice, our pride in being Australian, our respect for all people in all their diversity and variety; our confidence in ourselves as independent women forging a splendid future for ourselves and for our society; and our sheer enjoyment in being alive, relishing thefriendshipsand challenges ofour Senior School years. In the juxtaposition of diversity and unity is the heart and strength of MLC Senior School

Mrs Judy McKenzie Headof Senior School

Middl e

In two days time I will be in Indonesia with fifteen Year 10 students, and Iam franticallytrying towrite a piece for Silver and Green. This frenetic pace is exactly how the year has been for most studentsand staff. Middle School ishectic, butouractivity is usually manifested in vbrant and positiveways There'is certainly no time toslowdown

Each Middle School student has their own memories of 1996. For me, it has been very satisfying. I have seen students gain confidence, become more independent and discover their strengthsand personalqualities, and watched themstrive to take control of their future In Middle School, students learn to assert their needs in acceptable ways, successfully negotiate and communicate, and understandthe needforcompromise.

At times life is turbulent, as students tryto balance their personal wants and the expectations of others Pressures come from peers, from parents, from school. Students quickly realise they do not wish to be moulded nor manipulated by others They try hard to bounce back afterdisappointments as well ascelebrating theirsuccesses.

Looking back over the year, I remember guest speakers emphasising the importance of studentsfollowing their dreams I see the bright colours of House Sports and hear the House Music The Year 10 Theatre Cabaret was undoubtedly a success, while House Drama isyet to occur as I write I visualise the exceptional Art Work produced. I recallthe Year 10 students thrashing the Staff inNetball, and vowthat nextyear we will issue thechallenge toour Year 9s instead!

Year 9 isoftenviewed as the in between" or "difficult"years, but forthe MLC community it is thought of as the Marshmead year!

I am constantly reminded of the enormous impactof Marshmead Term on our students The success of this program is due to the enthusiasm of the students who attend and to the

Schoo l

commitment displayed by our resident staff. New initiativesfor Year 9 have included the 'Contribution to the Community' program, in which students gave up their time to foster links with people in the local community. We have emphasised that making a contribution to the community is a 'learning exchange' program, and that by giving one also receives. Students have also been encouraged to develop a Personal Portfolio, an ongoing record of their achievement and involvements.

Year 10s were able to build upon the skills developed at Marshmead. Many became more internationally aware, through visiting another country or hosting students from overseas Such opportunities will hopefully increase our knowledge and understanding of other cultures Work Experience was also valuable as our students focused upon the opportunities availableto them in the community beyond MLC

An enormous amount of growth occurs in the Middle School years 1996 has been no exception and I have journeyed with the students and staff with pride Much learning has occurred Opportunities have been seized and challenges met with determination, responsibility and the desire to succeed Thank you to staff and students who have contributed to my personal journey. I look forward to continuing this journey into 1997

Ms Rosa Store!H Head of Middle School

^umior Secondary School

Jeel

The tightness of new shoes; the crisp touch of the uniform; the hard edge of the chair and the press of the desk; the weight of the computer clutched tight; the drag of the bag against one's shoulders; the enveloping silkiness of the swimming pool; the squelch of grass and mud as one pounds after the hockey ball; a hard, smooth lizard's back at the Zoo; the sweating tension of hand on rope while abseiling down a climbing wall; the clammy coolness of clay

Smell

Fresh, new books; jasmine blossom against a grey stone wall; the pungency of candles at Chapel service; orange peel and banana skins in classrooms after recess; the sharpness of whiteboard markers; cut grass when playing in the front garden at lunchtime; perfume of deodorant in the Cato corridors; acrid smells in the Science lab; acids and bases and formaldehyde from rats for dissection; sawdust in the Woodwork room; fried rice and muffins cooking in Home Eco.; early morning Milo with Mrs Putt; antiseptic in the Health Centre; the grease-paint and hair spray of "Truth or Dare".

Laste

New faces which become old friends; green carpets and grey walls; gigantic murals against golden wood - "For God and For Home"; the glow of the computer screen, fading to dullness in the bright afternoon sun; books to read and words to write; a brolga stalking by at Serendip; eels dipping through the scummy water of the Botanic Gardens lake; maths problems to solve; snow scrunching against skis; a poetry pavement, ceramic butterflies and spiders inwebs

Hear

Ruth tSaker Headof^mbr Secondary School

Sweet, cloying Easter eggs from friends; sweat on the lips after Phys Ed.; burnt sausages at Bush Survival; crunchy green apples after soaring on the Jane swing; chicken noodle soup before late afternoon gym; a welcome, savoury, hot pie from Tuck

Laughter and chatter; a teacher's voice explaining, exclaiming; the murmur of busy work in a Humanities classroom; deafening House cries and songs resounding round the Swimming Centre; wattle birds and parrots' calls at Devil's Cove; stifled giggles and whispers from tents and dormitories; the hush as a poem is read; strange incomprehensible words of Japanese visitors; the richness of violin, viola and cello; sweet flute and ringing harp; the flip and splash of canoe paddles against the pull of water; the hum of a lathe.

junio r Schoo l

In Junior School, we celebrate diversity and acknowledge that individuals will have different strengths and areas of success As we come to understand more about teaching and learning and explore the notion of multiple intelligences, we are able to identify differences in learning styles and demonstrate that intelligence may be represented and assessed in at least seven different ways - from mathematical representations to interpersonal forms Each of our students is encouraged to know herself and to be a responsible, independent learner She is helped to develop personal organisational skills; she leams to work alone and with others; and she learns the obligations of leadership and community membership

During this year our students have been given opportunities to participate in a wide range of activities For those with strong mathematical interests, there have been extension groups, various competitions, the Maths Olympiad and the Tournament of Minds Our students' expertise in computing has continued to amaze visitors from around the world, including senior computer company executives form Japan Each Junior School student has her own e-mail address and the accessing and authoring of multimedia presentations is becoming part of each student's program

The tradition of a strong music program for all continues. Over two-thirds of our students learn an instrument and there are numerous performance opportunities - at school assemblies, in ensembles, at recitals, at music mornings and evenings, with the JS Band or with the JS Orchestra

Physical education and sports continued to be the passion for many

There have been outstanding performances in the pool, on the ski slopes, inthe gym, on the courtsand on various ovals

Ms T on i Q r a i) Head of Junior School

Ourstudents haweparticipated in Inter-House, Inter-School and Open sporting competitions For those who preferred to read a good book, or perhaps write one, there were Reading Adventures, the Writer-in-Residence, Reading Challenge, Book Week, short story writing competitions, visiting illustrators and authorsandthe YABBA.

The spatial and visual strengths of our students and staff were highlighted during Art Week I suspect the field of scarecrows with the flock of birds hovering overhead will be long remembered by all who saw them The JS Gallery and the paintedtram are a dailyreminderof the talent amongst us.

Whilst celebrating our differences, we alsorecognisethat we have much in common. This has been explored in our weekly Chapel sen/ices and assemblies There has been the joy of sharing so many special times, such as the breakfasts for parents and when we had grandparents visit There also has been the shared satisfaction of Social Service I am pleased to report that our students continue to be mindful of the needs of others

Mr David Loader

Shock! Uproar! This was the reaction to the unexpected news studentsreceived on 31July 1996-that Mr Loader,ourbeloved principal, was leaving for Wesley in 1997after 18 years at MLC However, it also made us realise that although we had been herefor6 years, there was muchwedidn't knowabout theman atthetop of MLC So weapproached himforaninterview, hoping to discovera littlemore about him andhislife asourprincpal

Bom inBrisbaneandeducatedat Sydney University, Mr Loader was principal of a small co-ed private school in Orangefor eight years before coming to MLC He decided to change schools because he felt decisions were often being made for financial reasons, ralherlhan educationalpurposes Wihoutsuch restrictions, he hopedthat MLCcould becomean inno/ative leaderin education, not afraidto experiment. As we sit in Mr Loader's homely office surrounded by photographs of young students immersed in computer programs, girls returning from hikes at Marshmead, and the enormous, innovative structure of the new Music School, he must certainlyfeelhehas achieved his aims

Mr Loader's first impressions of MLC would have beenofavery different school to the one we see today Firstly, the buildings were different - Centenary building, the PEC and the newMusic School were but a twinkle in the eye of the School Council Renovationsto Wood had not even been considered Theconcepts of Junior Secondary, Middle and Senior Schools did not exist Neitherdidsuch revolUionary ideasas laptopsfor everystudent and a residentialcampus like Marshmead.

Having accomplished so much, the obvious question is - why a changeofschools?Should wetakeitpersonally?On the contrary, apparently - Mr Loader believes a change will be goodfor both him and MLC. While he had felt 'a bit restless', hewill find it difficult leaving the people he has workedwith Hewillmissthe interactionwithstudents, especially throughcampsand theBoarding House He alsoregrets leaving the projects which arenot yet

completed, such as the new Music Academy being planned, and aprogramofsending studentsto Indonesia.

MLC is certainly a very different place to the school Mr Loader cameto18yearsago Atthettime, teachersworetheblackacademic gowns every day At hisfirst meeting with staff, Mr Loader was verysurprised tofind thatthestaff stood upfor him-this tradition wassoon left behind Students have also changed - Mr Loader hasbeen glad to witnessthe increased interaction between staff and students Certainly (as he was quick to point out), we were perfectly relaxed conducting an interview in what was, after all, theprincipal's office.

WewishMr Loader luckinhisnewposition atWesley, and know that hiscontributionto MLCwillbe valuedfor manyyears to come

SarahNorman andKathryn JamesYear12

Senior Prefect's Report pr e

After my daily holiday dose of the delightfully trashy "Ricky Lake Show", I noticed the mailon the dining table One envelope was addressed to me and was from MLC with the inevitable star imprintedin thecomer. 'Doomsday' - the first day of Year 12 - was nearing and rryritialthoucflwas'Oh no! Its rry report." Corrposhg mysef, Iopenedtheenvelope

Nowords can illustratethethoughts that went through try head asI read the letter which informed me of my election as Senior Prefect All I can say is, I was happily hysterical to the pointof insanity

After my initial excitement, it dawned on me, that I would have to be responsible, mature and organised for the entire year - I certainly had a challengeahead of me!

Somuch has happenedsince then The yearcommencedwith a holiday meeting forthe 1996prefects. The prefectswere brimmingwithinspirationandgenerating a plethora of ideas for the year ahead

Since this introductory meeting,thegear has notonce shifted from full speed

Our first official task was orientating the new Senior students, familiarising them with al theattractions ofthe school -the tuckshop was the most common destination The annual Teddy Bears' Picnic was next We were reminded how enjoyable it was to play Scarecrow Tiggy and hunt for Easter eggs, although the Grade 1s were relentless and after a few games, it was not they whowere exhausted

The delicious spread of food was eagerly devoured - primarily by us to replenish our energy reserves!

The effervescence of our Grade 1s was a welcome break from the quite erratic and bizarre antics of Year 12s with CAT-syndrome

The cultural variance among the prefect body motivated us to highlight and celebrate diversity by organising a multicultural week It included a concert with students performing Indian, Chinese and Jewish traditiona dances, and ethnic culinary delights

We played the annual netball match against the Scotch College prefects during Term Three Scotch turned up unannounced, but we were keen to display our prowess on the court and willingly challenged them to a game. We put our tactics and game strategies to play and believe we came out victors, but there are two sides to every story I want to thank the MLC girls for their outstanding support. We know they all turned up n the name of school spirit, their presence having absolutely nothing to do with athletic boys running around in tight shorts

Even with the exhausting demands of the VCE, the ongoing tram duty, bus duty, uniform blitzes and seemingly endless meetings and forums, our vitality and commitment has not faltered.

It has been an exciting and rewarding year for all of us A special thank you to Mrs McKenzie, perpetually bombarded with our proposals and ideas, for her direction and insight.The Deputy Senior Prefects, Dawn, Kate and Lizzy, have exhibited endless enthusiasm and support throughout the year and even with the copious amounts of work, our senses of humour have survived! To the other twenty prefects, well what can I say? The cohesion and focus in such a diverse group was amazing and inspiring - even with all the caffeine highs and sleepless VCE nights!

With Mr. Loader leaving, Year 12 1996 will have a special place in MLC's history; in a sense, we wil be the end of an extraordinary era In any case, our dedication and ability to endure the VCE is an achievement in itself, and we have much to treasure from our final year at the school I can sincerely say that my time at school has given me many memorable experiences. So now that our school life has almost ended, from here on, it will be an open book Although we may not know what exactly lies ahead of us, we will continue writing our new experiences in it and ultimately this book will become our own unique story

Nadeeka Arambewela

1996 Prefects

TOP L-R: Georgia Hopkins, Astrid Gray, Julianna Leslie, Natalie Evans, Samar Jayarajah, Rebecca Smith, Kate Huntington

2nd ROW L-R: Melinda Hall, Jenny Clark, Jane Holroyd, Catherine Turner, Sarah Davies, Gene-Siew Ngian, Leah Bloch

3rd ROW L-R: Libby Swan, Melissa Cafasso, Tanzeel Jabbar, Kate Cunningham, Naomi Smith, Michelle Liu

BOTTOM ROW L-R: Kate Dobson (Deputy Senior Prefect) Dawn Senathi-Raja (Deputy Senior Prefect) Mrs Judy McKenzie (Vice Principal) Nadeeka Arambewela (Senior Prefect), Lizzy Skinner (Deputy Senior Prefect)

Senior Prefect, Nadeeka Arambewela

yss

Throughout this year, Cato has shown a hugeamount of team spirit and great sportsmanship During the many sports that have occurred this year, Cato has proven to be botha challengingand fair house! To those girls who have participated in the many house events and to those who have taken the challenge to try a new sport and support their House, we thank and commend you for your efforts

We all had a great time at the Swimming Sports early this year, and swam withthe Cato spirit TheAthletics daywasfantastic, and the wholeHouse worked together to achieve third place The supporters and competitors did a great job, and our original costumes and decorations stood out from the other teams Catoites are all-round participators in all the events

We would like to take this chance to thank Mrs James and MrsGinsberg for being great House Teachers, helping us in Cato to do our best and to have fun in all the activities throughout this year A big thankyou alsotoall the captains who have done a great job this year Cato isa great Houseandwe are veryproud tobe apartof t Keep ipthe good work and remember that CATO IS THE BEST

JSSCspfahs:JaoqiiWetbard ZbeSoo^o

MS

Middle School CATO has shown its strength this year through enthusiasm, loudcheers and plenty of bluecake! We wereespecially successful in Table-Tennis, coming top of the lot, and also in Badminton, coming equal first. We showed good teamwork in Softball and a sporting effort in Cross-Country Although our performance in the track and pool was not enough to top Fitchett's, we beat them hands down with ourcreative fashion! Too bad there's not a cup for most creatively dressed! Well done to our netballers and hockey players whowere alsoenthusiastic Most of all we'd really like to congratulate the whole Houseforoneofourbest werperformances inthe House Music Festival Our special item Mr Sandman did especially well, and we came a close second in Massed Singing with Book of Days and Immortal Invisible. We'dSketothank all ofourTeam Captahs for their efforts throughout the year, Ms Warren for her help and support, and Jessica for keeping us organised Most of allwe'd like tothank MSCATOITES!

MS Captains: Zbe Lene and Clare Looker

ss1996 has been a huge year for Catoites - we have gone from success to success Pooh Bear got so excited that he lost his right arm for Cato! Swimming was a huge success thanks to Nidhi, 'Crackers' and Kate On the track, Emily, Nat and Christina helped us hop, skip and jump to third place Our Drama performance was also stunning (Marnie and Trish) Dawn and Virginia trained us well for House Music - with great results. In Tennis, Softball, Rowing and Netball we eliminated Fitchett early in the competition, and in Debating Trish won the hearts of the audience (also charming the adjudicator) to be victorious Thanks to our Recorder, Nat Evans, and to Ms Phillips who kept us all smiling ON YA, CATO!

SS Captains: Michelle Liu and Kate Cunningham

7s s

My first House meeting in Year 7 was very daunting - looking up at the House Cgptains conducting the meeting To be elected House Captainsforthis year the ultimate desire - to attend the first House Meeting of 1996,this time starting beforea sea of pinkt-shirts Onceagain, Mrs Putt was smiling from the sidelines

Swimming Sports was the first major event Tutus and pink lipstick were dragged out of drawers, chantsremembered, and the Pink Panther was unearthed Results were all commendable.

The war-cry is a big part of JSS Nevile. Atthe end ofthemeeting,anybodytrying to go early to lunch is dragged back Everyone stands up, groaning to begin with, however, bythetimewe getto N-EV-l-L-E - NEVILE, people outside are stopping to see what all the noise is about

Athletics were also a great success, and House Drama was very exciting

Rehearsal schedules were held during lunchtimes, making for many busy Nevilites

We both agree that all the work paidoff inall areas So.. "GIVE ME AN N-E-Vl-L-E! WHADDA YA GOT?" "NEVILE!! "

JSS Captains:Kate Robson and Cynthia Nolan

MS

The Nevile house spirit has been in full flight this year. The dedication and encouragement of the girls has been ed in some great results Mandy, Emily and Mamey did a fantastic job as Swimming a gutsy effort

ssAs captains we had inspiration

To write in verse for variation

So this we did, we made a scramble, To try escaping a dull old ramble

And now to speak of House affairs, Fitchett gave us quite a scare:

on to some

Nevile legends swim to victory. We did s An exhausting equally well in the . day of fun and laughter, our Cheer Squadurged our great performances Fiona, Vi Holly were fantastic Captains and brought home a well-deserved third placement

Althe hardworkthatLouise and GeneLyn put into House Music really paid off with an exceptional performance gaining first place inthe Proficiency cup and coming a closethird Dramawasalsoasuccess

We have had many victories this year, the biggest and best being the excellent turn-out to every sport As Nevile Captains,we are proud oftheeffort putin by all girts this year and hope that it wil continuein yearsto come

MS Captains: Katie Davies and Alysia Hill

Swimming was poor for those in pink, Butourspirit wasgreat....we didn't sink!

We showed our stuff on track and field

But our third place fate seemed all sealed

AsforHouse Music, wefound we'd won, Withthanks to Adelaide's "conduction"!

Ourthanksto Ms Ray,and pianiststoo, And those in "Variety", "Chorals" and "Instrumental" who, With great enthusiasm and dedication Had our house in jubilation!

OurCross-countryteam ran hardand fast, Emerged the victors - far from last! Though the Rowing was a flop, Our Drama girls came out on top Other sports were squash and cricket, With Rebecca starring at the wicket. Our netball teamnearly ended uplosing ButLeah, asorator, was quite amusing

Thanks to "the committed" who gave their support,

In allNevile matters, fromchess to sport.

Toall houseofficers,bothbigand small

Ourthanksfromthehearttoone and all!

THIN K PINK !

SS Captains: Sarah Davies and Gene Ngian

6

JSS

e

Well, 1996 has flown by, and what a year it has been for JSS Berry! From the excitement of the Swimming and Athletics Sports to voting for sporting captains, everything has been important to all Berryites The achievement and enthusiasm of JSS Berry has been outstanding and we have all done well in every aspect of the House program Every House meeting was running overtime as time was taken up by giving out House Colours and Redates. What would we have done without our Recorder, Claire Darby? As the Year 8s move on to Middle School next year, we are proud to hand over to the Year 8s of 1997 Many of the Year 7 girls are true leaders and voting for Captains and the Recorder will involve tough choices. We wish all girls luck and hope they make decisions wisely, so that Berry remains a strong House in the years to come Never let the JSS Berry spirit die!

JSS Captains: Shona Stewart and Nicole Rothberg

rMS

BenyMdde School has been vay suxessfU and exciting this year. It took us a whie to stir into life, but once we did there was no turningback We started theyear offwel at the Swimming Sports, coming an easy second Many thanks to Nb, Penny and Louise fortheir great workwith organising theday. Next, it was time toswapbathers for sneakers and go to Olympic Park Once again Beny came second overall, reflecting the efforts of Katherine, Velvet and Lara

Afteradaycf running, throwing andjurnpng came a dayofsinging anddancing with the House Music A hugeamount of workwas done especially by Pam and Katrina, who not only choreographed the dancing and singing but also taught us al the songsfaMassed Singing Other successful teams included Debating, led to victory by Simona;the Rowing stroked by Pam; and the netball team headed by Lauren. Part of Berry's success this year is owed to our fabulous new House Teacher, Ms Smith, who has been wonderful. Lastly, thanks to allthe girlsfor making the year so enjoyableforal Good luck, a/etybocfy!

MS Captains:

Belinda Martin and Jane Berry.

ySSrBerry started the year off well with a wonderful, fresh' House Teacher - Ms Medhurst. Although at first uncertain whether she was doing "the right things", she was soon seen to be a great leader The year started well, with Berry coming second in Swimming. But the highlight of the year was definitely Berry beating Fitchett in the Senior section of the Aths, coming second overall and WINNING Proficiency for this carnival! Mr. Loader's run for us wearing a purple tutu was also a spectacle Rowing was 'interesting', as was Drama during which we broke a $100 Chemistry flaskreplaced by selling doughnuts! Cross-country (Irene) and Music (Tanya and Nadine) were successful, and we claimed both the Gymnastics Aggregate and Proficiency Cips (Sarah and Kristin) Last but not least, we WON Chess!THANKS BERRY!

SS Captains:

Mel Becroft and Catherine Turner.

yss

As Captains, we would like to say well done to JSS students for a very successful year We've been a fantastic House in 1996, and everyone has participated enthusiastically in all of the different sports and activities

Thank you to all of the captains, and especially our House Recorder, Melissa Costa Also thank you to Mrs Brown - our terrific House Teacher, who has helped us in all of the House meetings

Congratulation s Kromerians for the effort put into the Swimming and Athletics Sports and well done also for the House Drama

Overall, Krome has been the best House to be in and I'm sure we will continue to be proud to be Kromerians Well done!

JSS Captains:Julia Fetherstonhaugh Erin Mitchell

MS

As Middle School Krome Captains, we would like to take this opportunity to say thank you very much to all Kromerians for being such a great, supportive team. All our activities were very successful with Kromerians really getting into the Krome spirit at the Athletics and Swimming sports The performances in House Music reflected the sensational effort put in by all

We'd like to say a special "thank you" to all the girls who made an extra special effort in getting involved in all the other sports such as netball, badminton and tennis We would also like to thank the captains, our Recorder, the girls who supported Krome from behind the scenes, and Ms latrou for all the time she spent helping us with the House activities

As your Middle School Krome Captains, we would like to take this opportunity to say thank you very much for being such a great, supportive team

Good luck in the future - We hope that we can do as well or even better in our senior years On ya, Krome !

MS Captains: Danette Elicer

Felicity Robb

ssThe year began with a splash as Krome enthusiasts gathered for the traditional pre-swimming sports breakfast by the Yarra Our enthusiasm and team spirit was encouraged by captains Penny Cottle, AmeliaGourleyand ElizabethJesse

Next on the agenda was the Athletics Sports Despite the enthusiasm and dedication of captains Libby Swan, Michelle Oxley and Liz Short, we perhaps did not demonstrate our full potential!

In Rowing, Krome came a creditable third thanks to Penny Cottle, and came fifth in SS Gym under captains Bridget Penny and Shelly Wickham Krome traditionally excels in Drama and 1996 was no exception. Captains Susie Gwyn and Georgie Amott were amazing - as both directors and script writers! The Debating Team made all Kromerians proud, with theirwinning performance in Assembly In House Music, Krome performed their little amphibian hearts out, coming second Captains Bridget Penny andSteph Andrews put in a superhuman effort

Many thanks to our House Teacher, Ms Pateras.We have loved leading Krome this year and wish the House good luck in'97 'The FROGS RULE!"

SS Captains:Astrid Gray

Naomi Smith

i t

JSS

As Fitchett House Captains, we are proud to say that Fitchettites have given their absolute best in every area Within all the different sports we have had both success anddefeats, but most importantly, we have shownourteamspirtthewholewsythrough.

Two of our most memorable wins were at the Athletics and Swimming Carnivals I would like to congratulate the Swimming and Athletics Captains who worked extremely hard and encouraged Fitchett to performits best

Fitchett teams participated in many other sports during the year Tennis, Netball, Badminton, Softball, Hockey, Gym, Volleyball, Soccer, Cricket, Water Polo, Basketball and Squash We also did brilliantly inHouse Drama and the cast, led by MeganO'Heir andJulia Matthews with the help of a great behind-the-scenes crew, were part of a wonderful play called Truth or Dare.

Overall, Frtchett had a great year All our House meetings were fun and enjoyable, and our House recorder Eleanor Davis did a wonderful job receiving and distributing many Housecolours andredateforms

We areall proudof our Fitchettites fortheir enthusiastic participation, great house spirit, andforcontinually giving100 %!

JSS Captains: Lexie Denby and Vicky Unger

c h MS

Fitchett has done exceptionally well in Middle School this year, winning both the House Swimming andAths In House Music we won the Massed Singing in which we performed O Happy Day from Sister Act 2, and the great Fitchett spirit lived on to perform our Variety item, You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile.

Many thanks to all our captains who have done a fantastic job, especially DanielleLynch and Sally Nation ourAths captains; Kim Boyd, Clare Houseworth and Libby, our Swimming captains; Music captains; Alice Forsyth and Shannon Martinez;and Dramacaptains, Catherine Tan and Toni Jones We couldn't have done any of this without the much needed help of Katherine Bonney, our House Recorder, and our dedicated House teacher, Mrs Partenti

MS Captains: Claire Beeton and Kate Wilcox

eS S

tt1996 has been yet another successful year for Fitchett Swimming captains Felbly Hume and Angie Reiter led us to overallvictory in the pool, where wewon both the Senior School and the Aggregate cups. The Fitchett spirit continued at Olympic Park a few weeks later Captains Jane Holroyd and Miranda Turner inspired all participants as we sprinted and jumped our way to the Aggregate trophy, coming secondin Senior School We keptour spirited style strong as we headed inside for drama Oh, What a Tangled Web, directed by Annabel Hart and MarzenaGodecki, was a hilarious play and one to be proud of.

The departure of our House Teacher Mrs McKie at the end of Term Twowas saddening Although new to the job she was always enthusiastic and highly supportive Her departure, however,saw thereturnof Mrs Rawlingsjust in time fa House Music Her experience was invaluable as she helped our talented music captains Miranda Turner and Emma Perlstein produce somefantastic performances.

We would liketo thank all Fitchett members for their contributions in 1996 and wish everyonethebestfor1997

SS Captains: Anna Rix and Claire Dinakis

w I n

Over the summer holidays whilst most of you were working on your tans, both the Junior and Senior Rowing Squads were sweating it out on intensive training campsthe Seniors in Bairnsdale and the Juniors on the Yarra River This is one example of the hard work and determination of the MLC Rowing Squad, which was reflected in the outstanding success of all crews

The first regatta was the Head of the Yarra, in which both the First and Second Eights placed second intheir divisions We

bettered these results the following weekend at the Victorian Universities Regatta, coming first in the First Eights, Second Eightsand the First Quad We achieved the same result in the ScotchMercantile Regatta AttheAustralian Henley Regatta, held overtwo days on the Yana, the MLC First Eight and First Quad becametheAustralian Schoolgirls Rivercoursechampions

Thegold medal haul did not stopthere At the Barwon Regatta, at which the Junior andSenior Squadscombined, the FirstEight andFirst Quad won againandbecameStateChampions At the annual Head of Schoolgirls Rowing Regatta, involvingover 1200 competitorsfrom 35schools, the Junior and SeniorSquad girls

combined once more to win the Senior First Quad, the Junior First Quad and the Junior First Four.For most rowers this was theend oftheseason,buttenseniors kepttraining forthePacific Age Championships at Penrith Lakes, Sydney. The five day competition sawthe MLC First Eight, Under 17 Foursand Under 19 Fours become the Pacific Age Champions The First Quad came a dose second.

The success of all crews throughout the season is partly dueto the support we received from parents, family and friends And who could forget the devoted work of our coaches? A special thank you to Dee Fraser, Brenton Terrall and Minnie Cade for propelling us tovictory.Good luckto everyone next year and I'm sure you will continueMLC's finerowing tradition

Captainof Boats: Astrid Gray

At h I e t i c s

Specialist coaches, compulsory training at Olympic Park and holiday training programs were newly introduced for the 1996 Athletics Squad During Term One, the MLC Athletics Squad trained twice a week at Olympic Park or MLC, under three specialist coaches The vast facilities at Olympic Park catered for all squad members, and training at the venue of all our competitions was of great benefit. As the GSSA and G P S V S A Inter-Schoo l competitions were after the Easter holidays, we had to train together during our break. Holiday training was conducted at MLC This certainly helped us, as r the School Knockout

In the Victorian Cross-Country Relays, Team 1 of the under-17s ran exceptionally well, winning gold medals and helping MLC become under-17 champions Team 1 of the under-20s also ran well,winning silver medals. The same under-17 team came third at the Victorian Schools Road Relay championships All other teams that competed ran well

Athletics squad

Competition inthefirst weekback,M_Cwastheonlyschool tohave teams from all age groups in the finals In the two major competitions -the GPSVAandthe GSSA-wecamefoirthand sixth respectively- However, many girls recorded personal best scores, indicating that our intensive training paid off With more vigorous training and with the assistance of specialist coaches, the MLC Athletics Squad is sure to be even more successful in the future.

When the athletics season finishes, the Cross-Country season begins Training together two mornings per week helped the 1996 MLC Cross-Country Squad increase stamina and improve general fitness. This year saw many new faces, with greater numbers than ever before The squad was very successful this year

The hardest course we were faced with all season was the 3.5 km, extremely hilly course of the Lisa Wardle Cross-Country. However, the hills ddnt seem to bother the MLC squad, who wontheSenior and Intermediate Division trophies, and came a very good second place overall The GPSVA Cross-Country was held at Norton's Park on a very muddy and demanding course, and MLC came second. We also came second at the GSSA Cross-Country at Yarra Bend Park

:hthe MLC Athletics and Cross-Country Squads would not have been as successful without our dedicated coach, Miss Warrick, who supported, organised and encouraged us thewhole year Judgngfrom exciting performancesand to training, there is no doubt that the urntrySquadwillgoon tofurther glory in1997

:helleLiuYear 12

ain: Liz Short Year 11

w i m m / n

The MLC fish have had, yet again, a very successful season in 1996 Triumphing in the GPSVSA, the GSSA and the ai important All Schools, we proved to the other schools that we meant business Not even imported Singaporean Olympians could stop us After visiting PLC Sydney in 1995, it was ourturnto host the PLC swim team in late February Penpals were reunited and many friendships formed Thank youto MrsArmstrong, Mrs Dal, Matt Byrne and Steven Cleaiy for organising the weekend and for their continued dedication to the team

In March, we attended the Bendigo All Schools competition. Several friendships' were formed here also, although they were with members of the male teams! It was a great day - sun shining, clear sky and a 4°C pool Apart from the Scotch, Ivanhoe, Wesley etc distractions, the waterslides were a populi

Individual performances throughout the meets were good, withthree MLC swimmers qualifying for the National Titles in Brisbane at Easter All swimmers achieved personal best times We thank every member of the swim team for their determination, tenacity and enthusiasm We are also grateful to parents and supporters who ongoing roarfrom the grandstand, the results could never have been accomplished

Without the

Finally, we would liketo give our best wishestothe team nextyear We have (Scotch in'97!

Captain: Felicity Hume

Vice-Captain: GeorgieWaldie

HThe Senior Hockey team completed a fairly successful season Training began late in Term One under Mrs Orr, before Mr Nelson became our officialcoach We won three of our six matches, but were unfortunately defeated by our mainrivals,PLC Our best result for the season was a 7-1 win against Camberwell Girls' Grammar. The B team also completed a fantastic season, defeating Strathcona, PLC and MGGS

We ended our season with a match against a New Zealand Girls' School. Their intensetraining inthe lead-up to their tour left us witha slight disadvantage, andwe were beaten

We would like to thank Mr Nelson for the great job he did in coaching us We also want to thank all playersfor their dedication andteam spirit throughout the season, and wishnextyear'sSenior Hockeyteamsthe best ofluck.

Captains: Anna Rix and Catherine Turner

I'm sure few MLC students would welcome the chance to expose their bodies in tight lycra cossies, stretch their limbs beyond the pain threshold andmaintain cheesygrinsthroughout However, this year's aerobics teams did all this with style Performing a fully choreographed two minute routine might sound simple, but it involves jumping at 120 beats per minute, changing positions, and arm and leg movements every four beats - while all the time maintaining co-ordination! Its a short burstofcolour,music,movementand energy

Training several mornings a week at 7:30 am, the teams choreographed complex routines which included high leg kicks, push-ups and yes, that tortuous pose - the splits

We trained and trained for the ultimate goal: the Victorian Championships at Dallas Brooks Hallin May With a bit of fake tan and a lot of make-up, the smiles came naturally on competition day. Maybe we were laughing at ourselves, perhaps the other teams, or maybe just the very serious judges who examined our every move We all shared the excitement as we bounced to the beat of the music, whichwas just about in sync with our rapid heart-beats Unfortunately our cossies weren't bright enough and our make-up wasn't thick enough for us to advance to the finals Nonetheless, we all enjoyed competing AerobicsCaptain:ClaireDixon

P& V

Back Row:Claire Dixon (B Team Capt.), Libby Brest, Nata;ie Evans, Brooke Robinson

Middle Row:Penny Opie, Lexi Judge, Lucy Schroder, Nada Zito

Front Row:LiI Hudson (B Team VC), Michelle Oxley (A Team VC), Ava Vujovich, Ainslie Woods, Sarah Norman

Absent: Marzena Godecki (A Team Capt.), Kristy Leigh, Kate Buckley

5 o f t b a I I

1996 Softball - what can I say? We played, we won, we were great! The fantastic A team players were Liz Robinson, Sarah Davies, Catherine Turner, Jane Holroyd, Penny Forsyth, Alison Wilcox, Olivia Kinnnear, Christina Dickinson and Tressie Nortan. The season was very successful We had only one loss-to PLC Some very dodgy umpiring let us down. Sometimes we were also distracted by Olivia's underwear-or lack of it! [??? - Eds],

Some of our exciting training sessions involved wet grass, superb sliding abilities and saturated, itchy clothing for the rest of the day Thanks to our coach Mr Shipp, and to the even more successful B team players, who won all their matches It was a great season

Captain: Fiona Charles

Vice Captain: Liz Robinson. N e t

b a I I

1996 has proved to be one of the best years for Netball at MLC The enthusiastic and dedicated squad has trained almost every week since the start of Term Two They have helped out at trainings for younger girls, and also umpired a few of their matches Our teams have reaped the rewards of their hard work and won most matches in the Inter-School competition.

This year, as well as inter-school match School's A Team schools had a gri second Although come so close - wel

Netball is a great sport of 1997 the best Of luck

Captain: Kate Dobson played against extra teams from around Melbourne The Senior win against) a team from New Zealand The A Teams from all Schoolgirls competition, with the Middle and Senior School teams coming und, all team members played superbly and it was a great effort to of spirited netballers have been a great team I wish the teams

fencin g

Of the many sports that MLC offers, Fencing isone of the least known. But it is one of the few sports inwhichthe primary aimis tofatally injure your opponent - and you're even supplied with a sword to do it. So, after my friend Liz and I convinced ourselves that beginning an extra-curricular activity in Year 12 was sensble, we signedup for Fencing lessons.

Before the first class, I had visions of The Three Musketeers battlingagainst evil. Unfortunately, sword-fighting accordingto a Hollywood script isvery different to fencing inthe PEC corridors

Like all sports, fencing has preliminary steps which must be learnt before anything dramatic can be attempted. We mastered the basic en garde, then learnt how to move around en garde. We were taught lunges and attacks, balastras, parry and ripostes, fleches and compound attacks Of course when we started bouting, allthe above was ignored with most of us opting forthe"juststab her" approach [With friends like these... - Eds],

Fencing is much more than just a stabbing game It's not who scores a hit the fastest which is important - Fencing involves instant planning and changing your fighting strategies, anticipating your opponent's actions and psyching hinVher out with your moves, calculating the right movement to attack and the moment to defend. All of these require speed, concentration and coordination, skills which take time and practice to acquire This was the primary reason that Liz and I decided to postpone ourtrp to the nationalsand headfor Sydney 2000 instead

Whilefencing sometimes lacksthe edge of scripted sword fights, there is always continuous action And of course, there's the glamorous side of fencing - the jacket, breast-plates, gloves and mask which must be worn to protect the body from the swords Fencing is not a sport for those queasy about occasional body pain. A useful rule to remember when bouting is never to assume your opponent is wearing protective plates (I leamt that lesson the painful way) While allthe heavy gear is

extremely uncomfortable in summer, believe me, you feel much better wearing it when your "she's a beginner too" opponent starts displayingsome uncannyskils.

Like al sports, one of the important things about fencing is to never take losing seriously, but to learn from your losses and enjoy the fights.And, since mydoctor has reassured me that "thehumanbody can reverse perforation", there is nothing better than fencing for a breakfrom CATs

LilCheong Year 12

tenni s

Tuesday morning training and hot Thursday afternoon matches brought the tennisteam together for a very successful season. The team played extremely well, with only one very close defeat by Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar

Throughout the season, many girls participated eagerly in extra competitions Our top eight girls were fortunate enough to play at the National Tennis Centre against several schools, finishing a commendable second. Another competition was the APS versus GPSVSA where Lil represented MLC Unfortunately the APS won, butwe did struggle

On behalf for her terrific

Captain: Lil Hi

tothank ourcoach Mrs Peters throughout 1996

The House Gymnastics competition in is held each year in August, and isone of the largest and most exciting House events Involving students from Junior School through to Secondary School, the competition itself is a spectacular display of cobuful leotards and choreographed routines. However, the day would not be possble without the hard work put in by all Gym captains in the weeks leading up to the event JS and MS captains are responsive for coaching their peers during lunchtimes, while SS captains have the added responsibility of taming hyperactive armies of Junior School children into vaugely disciplined gymnastics teams - no meanfeat Thisyear, Berry was successful in winning both the Proficiency and Aggregate Cups Yet for me,the most memorable moments of the day involved taking the 'Juniors' around their competition. Their serious faces set between pig-tails put smiles on the faces of coachesand judges alike

Berry GymnasticsCaptains: Sarah Norman KristinBadger

Q y m n a s t i c s

Inter-School Gymnastics is held in September, and is also an important event for MLC gymnasts. MLC traditionally gains outstanding results in the competition; this year was no exception Forthose not still in training, itwas an opportunity for a relaxed bit of fun For the others, it was good competition practice MLC won alldivisions, with individuals taking outmost oftheavailable medals Well done to everyone

Captain: Sarah Norman

Vice Captain: Angela Sharp

y Kayakin g

This year the MLC Kayak Team has become stronger and more well known within the school The team consists of girls in years 10,11 and 12 and has increasedfrom approximately 16 girts in 1995,to 44 girls in1996

We train and race TK2s (touring kayaks for two people) and occasionally inTK1s Training consists of weights sessions once a week beforeschool,and a session onthe Yarra River in the cityon Sunday mornings. Training began inTerm 1 insteadofTerm 2 as it usually does, so capsizing was a slightly warmer experience!

This year the team competed in sprint events for the first time, as well as the customary marathon races In May we took part in the Inter-Schools Canoe Marathon and Sprint Championships In the sprints section we came a very pleasing 6th out of 28 schools, while we won both of the marathon divisions we entered. The Kayak Team also participated in the Echuca Mini-marathon and the Murray Marathon The Echuca Mini is a practice event for new team members, giving an insight into what to expect at the Murray Marathon. This internationally recognised Marathon is fivedays long and covers 404km, attractingthousands of competitors everyyear.

The team this year was both strong and very enthusiastic, and gave everything their best shot Gook luck to all the girls next year - we hope theteam becomeseven stronger.

KayakingCaptain:Susie Gwynn

RE i n Middl e & Senio r Schoo l

In R.E we've had the privilege of some interesting visitors addressing us abouttheir particular religion.

Mrs Allys Andrews, our first visitor, gave us an insight into Buddhism She converted from a Catholic to a Buddist around theageof 25,aftertravelling through Nepal She took us through a numberofactivities, one wasafiveminutemeditation

The second group were three Year 11 students from a Jewish school, Mt Scopus College (in Burwood) Theydemonstrateda number of traditional Jewishrituals,one being the beginning cf the Sabbath, which goesfrom sunset Friday to sunset Saturday They gave us a first hand look at the Jewish community in Melbourneand around the world.

These were enriching experiences and made us think aboutour ownexpressionsofbelief

ByKatieDavies and Coco Pinnts, Year 10

Building fridges

With a bridge slung across the chapel, those attending the 1996 Senior School Chapel Servicewere enoouragedtoconsider the bridges we build inour lives For Year 12 students, this was our last formal church service as part of the MLC community Many girls activley participated in the service by leading prayers, reading Scriptures and performing in the dramaand music

Looking from a different angle, Year 12 dramastudentsprepared apiece focusing onthe gaps whichexist r our relationships The Music School was represented by a choir and orchestra These performances enhancedthe messages presented in the Scripture readings

TrishWestmore Year12

Winter-School Debating

Ignoring the sweat tricking downyour back,you stand to speak "Good evening,adjudicator, ladies and gentlemen."Thatwasthe easy part. Clearing your throat nervously, you launch into your rebuttal, hoping toamaze everyonewith yourwitandbrilliance If only it was that easy! The few words you scrawled onto your palm cardsduring the other team's speech no longer make any sense, and you receive the blank stares from the audience, as well as hearingsighsfrom your own team. Trying toignorethem, you move into the main part of your speech, hoping you are at least coherent You listen desperately for the bell marking the end of your speech and pray that the adjudicator understood someof your points Thenthebellcomes andsighingwithrelief, you sit back down, avoiding the smug, self-satisfied glances d theopposition Ifsover -fora coiple ofweeks

Does this sound like a form of torture devised by teachers whenthey were particularly bored? Not quite Believe it or not, Inter-School Debating is a voluntary exercise, performed bygirls from Year9 toYear12

Five evenings a year, we traipse over to Camberwell Grammar and go through the above process, as well as spending countless hourspreparing for each debate Why? Well,ifs not all trauma and embarrassment Debating gets easier each time, and the feeling you get when you thrash your opponents is excellent! Along with the glory of winning, debating gives you a chance to learn about current issues, often leading you to support viewpoints you would never have considered before the debate

Debating also helps you to overcome nervousness, although many debaters still get the shakes before their speech Aside from this, debating is a great way to widen your social scene. "Arent you a debater?" is a pick-up line I've heard issuccessful, althoughpersonal/, I'd be waryof relying onit tooheavily!

Kate Thwaites Year11

C o u r s e s

VCt Catering Course

The Catering School Course is slightly different to most VCE programs - involving both VCE and introductory TAFE modules. In order to complete VCE, students must study four Year 12 VCE subjects, wlrie TAFE study consists oftwo sitojects the practical Principles of Cookery, and a theoretical subject The theory component teaches about hygiene, receiving orders and other necessities Principles of Cookeryteaches commercial cookery involving traditionalFrench methods.

After completing Principles of Cookery, students are kept busy with various functions Catering students also spend the remainder of the year catering for dinnerfunctions withupto 200 guests On 2nd August, the Staff Winter Celebration was held which meant serving nachos, hamburgers and fudge sundaes for 200, for the 1950s theme For each function, a student is appointed head chef and is in charge of the function, and we learn to delegate and lead capably Being part of the Catering School also involveswearingafull chefs uniformincludingchefs coat, apron and hat

An advantage of completing the Catering Course is the experienceyougain Notonly isthis great ifyou wanttojoin the industry, but it gives you a chance to decide if youactually do want to be in the industry, before committing yourself You alsolearn to cookreallydeliciousfood!

Thecourse teaches skillsthat can be applied every day, even ifyou do not enter a career in hospitality The only real disadvantage is the irregular and long working hours.Aftercompleting theCatering Course there are a numberofoptions Students can continue theirstudy ata UniversityorTAFE, take an apprenticeship and learnfurther skills first-hand or many other options The Course has lead many students to successful careers in the hospitality industry MelindaHall Year12

Themembers oftheMLCCateringCourse

VCE business Course

To many students, the Business Course sounds like too much hardwork - extra subjects and nofree periods However,forthe students of the Business Course, the main reason for undertaking the extrasubjectsand hard work issothat attheend ofYear 12 we have achoice about whatweare going todo The course gives us the option of going to University, to TAFE, or more importantly,going to work

The course is aimed at preparing students for life in the workforce straight after Year 12 We do fun-filled activities such as interview assessments and creating letters and memos We also have 3 - 4 weeks of actual employment in the wori<place putting to use all the wonderful information imparted to usby our teachersMrs MillerandMrRawson.

Being sucha smal grxxp we have got to know each other very well, and have leamt muchfrom others' experiences Doing this Course has been one of the most positive experiences I have hadthroughout myentireeducation.I amsurethat both past and presentstudentsoftheBusiness Course would agree with me

Denise Golding Year 12

University Subjects

Uni. Literature

Most Year 12s dawdle home on Friday afternoons to be met withan expanseof weekend They eat,watchTV, maybe go out toamcvieor party Mostly they just crawl into bed for some well-deserved sleep But every Friday afternoon, one group of Year 12s prepareforthe socialeventoftheweek - Uni.Lit.

As soon as the last bell rings, weary students appear, slumping intothecushioned comer of the Common Roomfor posstfy the first moment of peacethey've hadallweek Someare uniformed - othersgleefully escapethe monotony of theirschool's garb We arethe pictureofteenageangst

Theconversation quashes this stereotype, rushing loudand fast from smiling faces and interspersed with laughter After the first lecture and tutorial in March, we'd already become tentative friends Nowwearea sturdy bunch of disparate Lit freaks,eager fa thegossipandjokesof each week

Oh yes, and we do some work, too. Conversations are interrupted by Kevin, our lecturer, who hauls us in for an hourof literary theory and hilarity Most sit back and enjoy the lecture, curious as to how Kevin will relate street signs and the word 'supertanker' ("Soopahtankah," he whispers "Sounds loohvety, doohsn't eht?") toAustralianshortstories

After an hour of guzzling pizza, we trundle off to our tutorial with either Ms Gariick or Ms Daley We share our thoughts and opinions freely, often disputing traditional readings of works by iterary geniusessuch as Shakespeare, Donneand Bronte

Atthe end of the night we rarely goour separate ways Together we boarda train to the city. Unlike other enhancement subjects, which sound like sheer hard slog in comparison (and they don't get pizza), Uni Lit isfun, laughter and some interesting learning along theway

Emily Porter Year 12

Uni. Accounting

Huddled in freezing classrooms as accounting terms and financial information flies over our heads, we often wonder why we bother Is it the minimal workload? A CAT-free sixth subject? Sheer stupidity? The opportunity to spend 2 and 1/2 hours a week with Carey and Camberwell Grammar boys? No, it's for the food. Each week we are provided with an interesting array of sandwiches, party pies and pizza, and if we're especially lucky some cake or a doughnut Running comparisons of food and facilities at different schools fill our breaks, as well as questions like 'Did you understand a word of that?" (mostly answered with cries of "No!")

Seriously though, undertaking one semester of Uni in Year 12 has been a refreshing break from the more stressful VCE subjects We have been introduced to the Uni format of lectures and tutorials, and to various accounting subjects ranging from Company Formation to Managerial Accounting

Doing Accounting 1B has been a beneficial experience, although end of course exams are still to be sat at the time of writing ! I would recommend Uni Accounting to anyone,asaneasieralternativetodoing a sixthVCE study

Libby Brest Year 12

University Literature Senior School House Music

Scene One.

A room on the third floor of Centenary Building on the west side of Methodist Ladies' College. There is a large bay window with a rucksack placed on the inside still. Twenty-five or so chairs are arranged in vague rows in front of a whiteboard. Voices can be heard. When the curtainrises,a Uni Lectrer enters the room, followed by around twenty-five students in varying attire.

At the risk of offending the Arts Faculty at Monash University, or alternatively Willy Russell, I think it would be fair of me to draw an analogy between the Uni Lit Enhancement program, and the play Educating Rita.

To my mind, the parallels were immediately obvious

The part of Frank was enacted briliantly by our lecturer, Kevin, whose amusing English accent and sense of humour kept twenty five budding Ritas entertained non-stop during the weekly lectures Although perhaps not being 'bleedin mad" or threatening to throw students out of the window, Kevin also seemed to share Frank's peculiar problem with doors: students sometimes found they had been 'accidentaly locked out of the room There were those of us who, during these lectures, became infrequently lost by concepts such as "Structuralism orthe'GenesisTwo Theory

Lively tutorials lead by Mrs Garlick and Ms Daley often helped us to 'see the light'

Throughout the course, a chance to meet the "proper students" was also provided, and we journeyed twice to 'scenic' Monash to attend lectures and tutorials

While Uni Lit may not have left us all with the great sense of choice Rita is left with at the conclusion of Educating Rita, we have certainly appreciated the opportunity to escape the monotony of CATs and criteria sheets, and indulge n some enjoyable education

Sarah Norman Year 12

I'm not sure when House Music practices officially started, but somehow Cato, at least, didnt really get into gear unti the beginning of Term Two Turning up to practices on the first days of term, I was only just getting the hang of school again Then the realisation hit - n less than three weeks we would be performing on the Assembly Hall stage, in front of al of Senior School (and the odd parent) The holiday frame of mind was shaken off very quickly, and I and much of the rest of Senior Schoo began frantically preparing for the Senior Inter-House Music Contest, on Friday 2 August

Being in all three of the items, Variety, Choral and Instrumental, I had rehearsals before and after school and at lunchtime every day Any pretence at a social life I had ever had evaporated.

As the day drew closer, tempers frayed and arguments over venues and schedules erupted The Music Captains became involved n complicated peace negotiations - "We're supposed to be in Room 3.01, but our instruments weren't moved from the Assembly Hal because it's raining, and we know you haven't had a practice in there yet, but could we take t and then you could swap with Berry tomorrow because they kicked us out last Wednesday...?" Afternoon rehearsals stretched on, with conductors pleading, "Let's go through it just once more," as girls began to examine watches and train timetables The staging rehearsals gave us a taste of the competition we were up against, and were also an opportunity for Mrs Elton Brown to give al the houses "a few pointers". Oh well, we could only improve.

The day dawned and we were in high spirits The Assembly Hal had been magnificently decorated with streamers, balloons and posters Members of every house had a serviette in the blazer pocket', as well as blue/pink/green etc badges and hair ribbons. The traditional game of 'spot the misspelled name inthe program had begun

Instruments set up, voices primed, costumes prepared - we were ready for anything

First up was the Instrumental section We considered that despite the curtain being opened too soon, our saxophonist breaking her reed, the drum kit being set up wrongly, the synthesizer having no sound and the tambourine losing its shakers, we did pretty well Unfortunately the adjudicator didnt agree, giving the prize to Nevile's more traditional (and brilliantly performed) Eine KJeine Nachtmusik. Ithink, however, we were crowd favourites And Mr Loader himself had given our Commitments Megamix his approval when he visited our final rehearsal - what more couldany performer ask for?

In the choral item, Krome prevailed with Let It Be, Cato coming a close second with Bohemian Rhapsody. Nevile and Fitchett shared the glory for Variety, performing The Wizard of Oz and Little Shop of Horrors respectively But Cato also had a victory, winning the Massed Singing with Anytime You Need a Friend (yes, Mariah Carey again), ahead of Krome's Where Everybody Knows Your Name. Berry also got a mention, coming equa first with us in Proficiency However Nevile were the overal winners, a fact we were made al too aware of because we shared a change-room with them afterwards

While everyone in the house was involved to a greater or lesser degree, undoubtedly the Captains worked harder than anyone n those three music-ridden weeks Special thanks must also go to the House Teachers, music staff and maintenance staff

Once the contest was over, t was niceto be able to 'sleep in unti 6.45 However I did have a few twinges of sadness when I realised my last House Music ever had finished My advice to those who wil be here in years to come - get involved! On that finalday, it'sworth al the work

KathrynJames Year 12

Concert Orchestra

HOW TO /ISSEJVU^CE /1JV OKeHEWl

IngrecKents:

-100 girls andtheir respective instruments

-1 conductor

- 2 cips of inspiration

-1 blockofdedication

- a largeportion of enthusiasm

-a sprinklingoftalent

Method:

Step 1- assemble every Friday afternoon3.30 - 5.00pm

Step2 - createa cacophony ofsound

Step 3 - throw ina couple of weekend rehearsals and voia! the MLC Concert Orchestra isready forserving.

Orchestra this year has been an extremely enjoyable experience underthe leadership of Mr Fitzgerald The focusofthis yearhas, as usual, been the Gala Concert. Here we performed Intermezzo by Kodaly, Andante from Spartacus by Katchaturian and The Thieving Magpie by Rossini Our schedule also included a performance at the MLC Open Day, and a visit to Scotch College

As wellas providing an opportunity to play with other musicians, Orchestra has furthered our understanding of different music styles andoomposers Our thanks go to Mr Fitzgerald and the many tutors who have provided us with their invaluable assistance. Good luck to those continuing next year. We wish you allthe best.

Tanya Jayasuria and Gene-Siew Ngian Year 12 (TwooftheJoint Leadersofthe Concert Orchestra)

Senio r Madrigals

"| don't get it How, exactly, do you conduct with your head?' This question is often asked of the three Madrigal Leaders, and it's not an easy one to answer Indeed, when we first began leading the Senior Madrigal group earlier thisyear, we often had greatdifficulty cueingentriesor indicatinga change of dynamics using only a subtle nod or a raised eyebrow. However, we soon got used to thisspecial conducting technique, and began preparations for the Gala Concert. Our piecesWhitsuntide (conducted by Nik Wood), Beach (conducted by Sarah Norman) and Chocolate (conducted by Alex Otzen) were all well received. However, rehearsals did not end after the concert! Next came our CD recording. Our programme comprised four pieces from the Lifestyle Suite by George Dreyfus The recording session itself was a lot offun - George Dreyfuswas present and offered

all sorts of encouragement as we recorded and re-recorded. Richard also came in to provide Mrs Elton Brown with a carpet (so that she could conduct "energetically" without making a noise.)

Good luckto allMadrigals in1997!

Joint Madrigal Leaders: AlexOtzen, Sarah Norman and NikWood Year 12

Music 7 s e

Junior School Concert Choir is a group of about sixty girls from Grade 5 and 6 The choir is divided into two halves Sopranos and Altos The Sopranos meet on Thursday lunchtime and the Altos meet on a Friday lunchtime Everybody rehearses on Tuesday In Concert Choir rehearsals we start with a warm-up, and then practice the songs that we are performing at our next concert

So far this year we have sung on four occasions The latest performance was the Gala Concert where we sung a medley from 'Sister Act' and 'Song of Peace'. We were really nervous before the performance, but once we began,we enjoyed it

We also performed at the Junior School Chapel Service and MLC Open Day Earlier in the year we sang at the wedding of our Chaplain, Mrs Sterner We are now preparing for the Junior School Music Evening and the Junior School Heads' Association Biennial Festival. Overall Concert Choir is great, and we have lots of fun! We would like to thank Miss Price and Mrs Kenway for all their hard work concerning the Concert Choir

Bree Sandley and Kathryn Madden Grade 6

Junior School Choir

Choi r

On the 16th April this year, ninety girls from the MLC Concert Choir and sixty boys from Camberwell Grammar were fortunate to have the opportunity to perform at the AFL Centenary Ball. This event, one of the highlights of the Centenary celebrations, was held in a huge marquee which covered two-thirds of the MCG.

Rehearsals for the performance began in March, and created many bleary-eyed students in first period dueto the early morning starts The singing progressed well, we thought, but Mrs Elton Brownjust couldn't pass up the opportunity to disagree (not in so many words!)

We weresingingthetheme songs of each of the clubs, but with a slight twist - allof them had been re-written into different styles There was the "Richmond Rap" (complete with black and yefcw caps wan backwards), the "tango-ing Swans"and the "can-canning Lions", justtoname a few

Just whenwe finally thought it was all under control, we learned that we were also expected to dance Ms Osboume-Smith and Leida Waker came to teach us their version of a simple dance routine. Simple, maybe, for those peoplewho hadlearntdancing before, but tricky for some (dare I say most) of us At least I got mydaiy aerobic wortout [feels great at 8am - Eds], Eventualy, after many long and hard rehearsals, we managed to get the dancetogetheraswell.

Thebig night wasfinally upon us We hadallbeen givenwhite

poloshirtswith the AFL Centenary symbol printedon them (real collector's items,wewere told,sincetherewereonly 150 made) Jeans and white runners completed the new choir 'uniform' - a welcomechange fromour usuallonggreen skirts, whiteblouses and ties [forthe girls -Eds], Wewere holed up in the North Meboume change room inside the MCG forquite a whilebeforeour performance Although the entertainment also included such celebrities as John Famham and Kate Ceberano, we did not get to meet anyone really famous (discounting the Prime Minister and the Premier, of course) That was reserved for those who had paid their $500 for the privilege of attending this event

After so many rehearsals, the actual performance went off without a hitch It was fantastic to see the numberof people from the audience who joined in withthe songs, many getting to their feet when the finale, 'Up There Cazaly', began Afterwards, I spoke to several people who were at the event, and the feedback was most encouraging Everyone thought that ouract, which included footy players and celebrities asthe lead vocalists, professionaldancers, andof course the 150students who made ip the backing choir, were the best ofthe night - it was entertaining and also involved the audience in the singing and clapping

The AFL Centenary Choir performance was extremely successful,and an experience weshall notsoon forget Jenni Bushby Year12

Drama House Drama festivals

55

The role of House Drama Captain brought with it many responsibilities: choosing a play, editing, auditioning, casting, blocking, rehearsing, organising sets, props,costumes, makeup, lighting..

I can't deny that when catching the tram at 7.15am to get to morning rehearsals, Iexperienced momentsof doubt, (ie. Why on earth did I get myself into this?) Our cast included a range ofpergonalities who provided many entertaining diversions during rehearsals of our play, Oh, What a Tangled Web.

As the performance grew cbser, the dialogue which Marzena and I had initially found so hilarious was becoming somewhat gratingly familiar Nevertheless, we got our play together Performance night came and brought with it a funny, twisted feeling in my stomach What if no-one laughed? What if they forgot their lines? We had come this fan now it was out of our hands, and we could only watch Then, to our amazement, the audience laughed Rather than cringing, Marzena and I found ourselves institches in the wings

The adjudicator Robert Morgan was impressed by the high standards presented The winning play was Nevile's French comedy Brothers in Crime, with Emily Porter being awarded best actress'. Awarded second place was Cato's sensitive performance of My Daughter, My Son, which looks at famous characters through their mothers' eyes Berry's adaptation of Lovesick was the controversial play of the festival, a bizarre, yet fascinating drama The evening finished with Krome's comedy, Nothing Legal, with a brilliant singing performanceby Nik Wood The night certainly included everything: from a poignant speech by the mother of Marie Antoinette, to a psychologist curing homophobia by induced vomiting! Asthe Assembly Hal dssolved nto the noisy war-criesand charts ofthe Houses, al invokedcouldfeelproudoftheirachievements

Annabel Hart Year 12

7S S

The JSS House Drama play was an original script, Truth or Dare? Thescript follows the life of Jane Hardy, a Year 8student, as she attempts to fit into a new home and a new school with new friends Urfortunately, Janejust does not seem tofitin anywhere and resorts to extreme measures in ordertoachieve popularity

The JSS students, Drama staff and House staff are to be commended for their dedication and enthusiasm Congratulations to Fitchett in achieving the ProficiencyAward

VGE Drama Production

After returning froma relaxing summerto stressandstudy,most students returned to their books somewhat grudgingly and startedthe countdown to Term One holidays The Year 11 and 12 Dramastudents,however, began to bite their nails and memoriselinesin preparation forthe 1996 SeniorSchool Play

Each yeartheVCE Drama students perform aplaytoshowcase the talents of the girls and the drama department. This year, students performed the modernised script of Antigone, in many waysa break fromthe traditional scriptsoften produced at Senior Schoollevel Antigone is thestoryofagirl wlx> buries her dead brother against the wishes of her uncle Creon, King of Thebes The penalty for attempting burial isdeathandAntigone mustdecide whethertotake responsibility for her actions or allow her uncle to grant her safety Antigone chooses to face death, but before she can be killed she hangs herself

Those who came to view Antigone saw the smiling faces of relieved girls after a polished performance. For the actors, it had been a long (andat times arduous) task of draggingourselves through weekday rehearsals, only to wake up on Saturdayandhead offagain to MLC Itis at these timesthatwe forgot dreamsofa life on the stage.

Helping us through such times was a support network of students all as stressed and busy as eachother InYear 12,there were only eight girts studying drama and we became a bit of a second family to each other, especially over production weeks Antigone also gave students in both year levels a chance to meet and work with one another.

Under the direction of Ms Jackson and Ms Duncan, we went through our paces in the early weeks ofTerm One .forthe play

Opening Night was a black tie affair Audience members were treated to champagne and fingerfood astheMLCString Quartet strummed melodiously in the background The performances seemed successful and well-received - on one niglit we were seating people on the floor to accomodate them As we took down the scaffolding anddismantled the set after the final night, we realised how lucky we had been to be involved Monthsafterwards, whenstill trying to removethe stagemake-up from our eyebrows, all Drama students looked back on Antigone with fond memories and we now lookto thefuture for even biggerand betterthings for MLCs Drama Department

TrishWestmoreYear12

Senior School Writing Competition

Winner- have n

The city always seems rather sane to me. Neat and packaged, brimmingwith bustle and ordered movement, likea crateof fruit, jostling, healthy, popular. The streets smooth themselves into a grid, coated like syrup with shining cars The trees are linear Buidings are sure of themselves The Rialo stiffens itsegowith theriseof the sun and glows contentedly against the night sky. The city is no place for insanity So in all its order, in all its deliberation, the city has a house for middle-class loonies, a sensible building fortified with reception desks and smiling, wary staff

We troop into the marbled foyer with our sunny flowers and brave, stupid grins, gathering awkwardly in the elevator as it grindsus 143 tothe silenceof the depressed. Thought processes are almost visfcle in the eyes of the visitors, as they compose fragments of lyrical chatter and cliched goodwill which will persuadethepatientsto be happy again.

There are threefloors.The groundflooristhe communaldining room, now empty during mid-morning The topflooris foraduls, who are in therapy for depression, anger, or simply wanting to die I wonderwhovisits them

The secondflooris in two sections. One side houses mothers and their babies, the tangble object of their depression The other side is foradolescents. My destination. It lookslike the floor of a modest four-star hotel, except you can't use the pooltable because someone rammed the cue through the glass door a few days ago. The bedrooms are small cells laminated with comfort in neutraltones I peek inon my way downthecorridor at stuffedtoys, CD players posters,flowersstiffened on window sills. In one room lies the skeletal form of an anorexic, her thirteen meagre years sustained by the ruthless spike of an IV drip. Hersunken eyesgape. Iblink andhurryon.

Myfriend iscurled on her bed likea frightened child, huddling

from the nightmares that wrack her brain. The staff member wholed me heretaps her gentlyon thearm, almost afraid to chip her porcelain fragility Her thin wrists are bandaged tightly in gauze, hidingthe incident a few nightsago when thisfrail porcelain child crouched undera showerof hotwater andstruck ather wrists with broken glass. She showed me those wrists many weeks later Scar tissue littered the paper-thin flesh like scrawlsof scribbled crayon, baby pink and beginning to fade intothe folds of memory I know that every time she looks at her wrists, she seesa wayout. Every time I lookatthem, I cringe.

Sunlight creeps wanly into the room, some of its weak winter warmth penetrating through the window stained with the permanence of locked out city fumes and musty indoorodours. On the wall hangs an abstract painting of jagged dark lines, j stressedandfurious. Istareat it and wonder at its purposehere. I can't see how myfriend would find its presence comforting or peaceful

After she wakes and we have gasped our breathless, high-pitched greetings, myshopping list ofquestions rolls out like an incomingtideof curiosity What's it like in here? What are the people Ike? Have you made friends? Areyoualbwed toswear, cry, scream, abuse? What do you do all day? Can you go outside? I want to ask her, whafs it like to be mad? But I know my friend isn't mad. Only depressed, depressed to the point where she can't swear, cry, scream, abuse For her, she tells me,everythingis black. Sometimesthedarkness in her mind overwhelms herandeven suicidebecomes physically irrpossfcle. Harm is done consciously, lucidly I feel useless, looking down from iry stable sunny ledgeat herpleading eyes.

She seemstohavepride in introducing me tothe other people in the ward These people, a collectbn of anger, shouts, tears, silence, are her friends. I am told intones of authority and

nonchalance oftheirreasonsforbeing here

"She's doing anger management, aftershe hither mum." 'She can't stop crying."

'He's been readmitted for trying to run away." 'Sherefuses to eat."

We walk past an open door, and she points into the room. 'He wouldn'ttak until Icame here Heonly speaksto me." I look in at the figure bythewindow, a wiry shadow slumped sadly in a chair, staring atnothing and nevermoving an inch.

Her parents arrive and take us to the tea rooms at the Botanical Gardens. It istense becauseno-oneknowswhatthey can say. So we avoid disruption and glaze the tension with talk of England, houses, weather It istoomuch Wewak aloneandI am allowed a smal knowledge of herfeelings After herinitial fearofa psychiatric ward, she admits she feels safe there I understand Who wouldn't? The hospital is a silent haven, solid and uninterrupted The outside world is sterilised and tempered at the entrance I wonder what will happen when she leaves, like a child forced again from the warmth of the womb. As we tak, sitting together and clinging like barnacles on the sprawling grass, her mother takesaphoto

Mum drives me home that night and, on the way, buys me fish and chipsfordinner and comfort Ican't express to her whatthe day means to me, on^ that it came as a shock All the people I met, theadolescents, arejust ike me, tryingtocopeand breathe in a world which shrugs its shoulders at the faults it has given us These people merely find it harder to deal with Some wil never leamhow

Ayear later, and the memory remains ofthat firstvisit tothe haven stubbornly surrounded by city and sanity, captured within the glossy photo on my dressing table of twDtiny girts holdingfast to oneancther in an ocean ofsunny grass

Emily PorterYear 12

Rumerup - the

Onceupon a midnight dreary, as I pondered,weakand weary, OvermanyaCATand work requirement,thinking it aboreWhile I nodded, nothing stirring,suddenlythere came awhirring, Asofsome strange creaturepurring, purring at mychamber door." Tb rrybackLpcisk', I muttered, asmyoomputerflashedon 'store' Onlythis and nothingmore

Ah, distinctly I remember, I wasdreaming of December Wheneachlong and loathsomeCATwould beaghostand nothingmore

But deeply did I dread the morrow,vainly had I soughtto borrow Anextension for my 'Lit*CAT,going to myfinal scoreTothat large and loominghonorthattheycall thefinalscore Afterthat,peaceevermore.

And with manyadejected howl, dreamtI ofeach bright beach towel Haunting- tauntingwith fantasticfreedomneverfelt before. Sothat now, tostill the beating of my heart,I stood repeating Get a perfect TERanditissummer ever moreUni callsmefromthe distance and it's 'bludge'forevermore;Tutes andlectures, nothingmore.

Butfromdeepwihrirrysnoozing(learningofmysummer 'boozhg", And the endless days oftanning, like a lobsterthermidor Iwas woken with ajerk on remembering mywork LoathsomeCAT,ohdreadedessayv\hich hadmademe ioudysnore CursedLit CATwhich did haunt me ikethe ghost of Elsinore It depressedmemoreand more

Open here Iflingtheshutter, when, wthmanyagrumbleand mutter

In there stepped a ragged feline,itshead the sign ofVBOS bore Andwith wail offeine glee, in onejumpleapedup and stayed he Andoh,sorrow,erasedmyessay,hittingkeyboard with hisdaw "Just whatdoyou thinkyour gameis,stipidcat?' Ibudy swore Quoth thefeline, "Final soore"

Startled atthe stillnessbroken by replysoaptlyspoken, "Doubtless," saidI, "what it uttersis onlystockand store Leamtfrom some unha[[y masterwhomunmerciful amarker gavea gade, which speledD-saster, ti hissongsonebudenboreOf "Oh thatfinal - final score."

Muchitstartled this ungainly cat to heardiscourse so plainly Though itsanswertoo much meaning-too much relevancybore Butbeforeme was unfolding, writing mostattention holding, As likemonkeyspenningShakespeare, thefelinetyped with tal andclaw -

Resurrecting rry lostand essayand much imprcvingwith itsdaw Only dawsand nothing more

Presently mysoul grewstronger procrastinatingthen no longer, and I put my head down to it, theCAT markerstoimplore Forit'struethatI wasnapping whenwedelthatconcepl mapping so nowthepages I sentflapphg- in hopeofgood gadestorestore and nowI workedall nigh likefuryformy goodgradestorestore

Adding to myfinal score

Forthis feline's imperfections I had developed greataffedion Andwith the curious incarnation I hadbuiltagreatrapport Sountoits presenceeerie, I beseeched itwith a query "What excitement does await mewhen I leave theschool house door?

Whatdizzy heightswillmy life soarto, once I'm outtheschod house door?"

Quoththefeline,"Final score"

'Bethosewordsor siyidparling,CATorfiercf, Ishrieked, ipstarlrigandwith bootthe CATwas ushered, ushered out my chamberdoor,

"Leave no markorscoreastokenofthatliethysoul hasspoken!"

Takeyourword count and your marks scheme Haunt my presence nevermore

Butstill my mindit dimly echoes with theburden that it bore-

Ofthe cursed "Final score"

junio r Secondar y School

Winner- seur$A D9wwg

I sit on the edge of the boat I see the sky turn above me, the dropletsofwaterblurmy vision Suddenlyal I cansee is water It is all around me,caressingmybody, lifting my arms

Arainbowof fish glides past me, an octopus lies lazily in the shadows, too contented with the tranquil surroundings to catch food I see a splash in the distance I drift towards it, my hand trailing overa veil of slimyseaweed It lifts ip, displaying acircus d tinyanimals,rushing togetawayfrom the sudden light. As I near the place of the movement, Isee a huge body cutting through the still water The blue whale stares at me through puny eyes toosmall foritsmajesticbody

I am suspended inthe water, too awe-struck to move Abruptly, the whale slides into action, slowly at first and then faster and faster Itjumpsoutd thewater, creatingaphenomenal undertow I am sucked into the spiralling waterpool, my breath is being powerfully squeezed outofme

Sharp objects cut through the scuba dive appard, piercing my skin My mask becomes heavy, and my mouthfillswith the rancidtaste of sal water mixed with sand and blood. My lungsare bursting, and my body is aching All I see is water strewn with debris all around me

I am wrenched into a world of blankness I sway into welcome darkness I can see trees and aeroplanes and sheep, going round in crazy ancles, perhaps triangles I don't care I amtrulF free For days I keep travelling round in the same pattern It is broken. Someone or something is shaking the beautiful web I have created awayfrom me

My eyes rdl open I seewhite,white,white The nurse isstardng overmeherfacefractured with creased lines ofworry

But etoriptlythey change intolines d joy Myparentscome rushing in 'You're awake!!" They cry out in amazement 'We're going scuba diving asaspecial treattomorrow!!!!" SarahBroadberrt

C&VDJQQ WDTH TH E Ott y

The train is always full on a Friday evening Everyone is going home after a long hard week. There are men in business suits, reading newspapers and comic books Some of them appear lost in thought, staring out the window: until the wires of their Walkmans become visible Teenagers in ugly school uniforms canbe seenalmost glowing inanticipation ofthe holidays They stand in groups of three or four, trying to look cool to impress those of the opposite sex Women stand or sit with briefcases Their business-ike short skirts, high heels and bright lipstick are reminiscent ofvacuous fashionmodels.A few peopledressed in nondescript clothing sit on the floor, slumped against the train doors, cigarette packets in their pockets and tattoos poking out from undertheirsleeves

The faceson the trainseem asdecrepit as thisbeloved city The scenery fromthe train is dull and gloomy. Thetops of thetallest buildings are enveloped in the thick smog that fills the sky The trees that stand beside the flowing river climb high, and many leaves wave inthe breeze Theriverlooks radiant compared to the stark glassand concrete of thecity Yet to someone used to fresh country air and unpolluted surroundings, these trees look weary and lifeless, their leaves sick Theriveris stained by the strain of citylife

Thetrain rumblestowardsthe end oftheline, stopping intermittently. People rise from their seats as they come to their stations Businessmen unhook their Walkmans and go home to their wives and children and conservative white houses with lawns thatarealways neat On the way, they checkthe maiboxtoooKect bills and letters from long-forgotten friends Women go back to their apartments and slip high-heeled shoes off blisteredfeet as they feedtheir cats Teenagers run,focused on changing outof uniforms into jeans and shirts. They calltheir friends and make plansto go out

Attheend ofthe line, thosestill onthe traingetoff Theystare at f their feet as they walk, not seeing the beauty of the day They ignore the birdsthatflyabove them, and the cotton-like clouds do notarouse their curiosity When they lifttheir heads it is to see if traffic is coming, not toadmirethegreen ofthe grass orthe

charm ofthe blowing wnd Theyareforeverstuckin the monotony ofcitylife.

Sylvia KauerYear 12

%/lKEDJDSH

There'sanelderly man whocomes into thesupermarket where I work on Saturdays He talksa lot; must be lonely Oneparticular day he bought somefresh fish A rainbowtrout, I think it was He placesiton the beltand giggles ashe doeslike ayoung boy

"Having some fish for tea tonight, are you?" I ask him, thinking he'd enjoysome conversation

"Yes ...I've cooked manyfishover the years, but I'm really going toexperiment with thisfella,"

"Doyouknowwhoyou'll cookit?"

"Oh, I'm not too sure... probably stuff itwith tomatoesand onions and things like that, and put it in the oven I s'pose thafs what you'd cal abakedfish, wouldn't you?"

"I justwishI had someoneto enjoy it with..."

Theaxwessiiondesoerdsashepeysardga(herh^ "Enjoythefish." I smile ashe replies:

"I hopeI do!"

day to but bread and more,his dogis asmall fox

I watch him leave, and sigh as I realise he must be all alone. Perhaps hisvwfededafewyearsago Maybe hehassomechildren, a boyand a giri perhaps They probablymarriedthirtyyears ago He mighteven have somegrandchik±en. Ormaybe henevermarried. Hewears an old brownjacket, checked, and some fawnslacks This scraggy whitehair isfine, and needsacut He probably didnt it this morning I'll bet hegoes home toa dog Helivesin a small house in the streets nearby and walks to the shops each on Saturdays, he buys a little heloves hertobits She's old now, almost as old as him in dog years. She walks slowly, doesn't go around the streets with him ofa morning anymore He likes to keep fit. He was a great runner, seventy odd years ago His dream wasto makeitto the 1936 Olympics

Its his eighty-sixth birthday in a month Unfortunately, I don't think anyone will bewith himtocelebrate it.

Dasha Robinson Year11

MEjVlORy

After his great-aunt died, Ben didn't feel sad Infact, hecouldn't stop laughing during her funeral. He and Rebecca barely managedto keep straight faces during the eulogy, though Mum blew her nose Dad seemed more uncomfortable than grieved He kept loosening his tie, swallowing loudly and patting Mum's hand

"We arethankful for having been partof Leah'slife..."

Ben breathed in deeply and started to focus Nothing was particularly funny, but once he'd started laughing it was hard to stop Everyone was being so serious! Of course he was sad about Great-Aunt Leah dying, but it wasn't as if she'd been very important to him.Still, laughterwas definitely nottactful when she was lying in a coffin Ben concentrated on the yellow wreath of flowers on the coffin, and tried to be respectful and remember Leah

".. and wewill all cherish these memories..."

He couldn't say they had been close, even if he had seen her almost every day after school Dad would order him to "goand keep Leah oompany, she's lonely now with Mark gone andthe kids all grown up." He tried to remember her face, and one picture surfaced: Leah, all wispy grey hair and sad brown eyes, standing in a garden As the rabbi droned on, the memories camefloodingback

Ben remembereda bitingly coldwinter afternoon, socold that he had seen his breath rising before him when he exhaled Leah was in her garden It had seemed strange to him that she was outside on sucha coldday,even stranger that sheworenothing buta light sleevelesscotton dress She wasdigging furiously into a patchof soil, and when he had picked up a shovel and joined hershehad smiled and smoothed his hairback

Ben remembered now Leah's resigned expression and theway the muscles in her arms worked under her skin, making the

faded blue numbers tattooed on her left forearm move

Hedidn'taskherwhytheyweredigging, and Leah had not told him

".. and shewilbe received into His heavenlykingdom..."

She would always kept her doors and windows open, even in winter When Ben had asked her why she never cbsed her doors, she'd poked up and sat him onher lap and saidinher soft voice, 'Towalkoutside."

"So what?'

Leah told him that she didn't like locked doors because they reminded her of cages "Sometimes," she explained, resting her chin on his head, "You hear maybe a small sound, or smell a particular scent, and yourememberthingsthat happened to you once Becausethat noise orthatsmellhappened with it."

"Like the smell of chicken soup." Ben had wrinkled his nose "It reminds me ofwhen I wassickand had tostay in bed."

'The sound of feet, marching," she'd said, stomping her feet on the groundand nearly throwing Benoff. 'Guards ...or thesound offirecrackling Burningbooksand papersandphotographs..."

"Glass breaking," he said in a small voice." Michael Hartley throwing the ball in the window and the glass breaking over me And then thenurse that kept wipingmy face."

Leah putherarms around him 'Youstillrememberthat?'

"Yeah."

"Doesit still frighten you?'

"A little bit."Benhuddledintoherarms

"It was a bad experience, yes." She traced his scars with herfinger,one on hisforehead and one onhis arm.'But you can still stand in frontof windowsandnotbescared?'

"Yeah."

"And this boy- you arestill friendswith him?

"Yeah."

"So you have no needto worTy. It has a bad memory, it is over Remember it if you like, tell thestorytoyourfriends, but donot be frightened As I alwayssay, you must keep onliving."

Ben felt herpulling awayslightlyandheturned andlooked ather Hereyes were solemn and she was looking at the wall,not him. "Youmustkeeponliving," sherepeated "I wasn't scared," Ben insisted, confused at her suddenly serious tone. "Only after I woke up, because the stitches were in."

She chuckledand put himon his feet "Lets gosee whatflavour of ice-cream I havein the freezertoday."

How many little memories about Leah had he forgotten, Ben wondered? The ice-cream The way she would say "Ben" with heraccented pronunciation and theway hereyes wrinkled when shesmiled How she had buried hercollectionofoldnewspaper clippings in that holethey'd dug in heryard,after she thought he had gone Leah hadkeptthe papers in acupboardand Ben had only seen them once He didn't actually read them, but he'd glimpsed some headlines "Angel of Death located', 'Mengele found in Spain", "Nobel for Night". These little memories slip away soeasily,Ben thought The bad onestend to hang around longer,until youlearn to deal withthem

Mum suddenly nudgedhim "Bowyour head," she hissed "So let us remember LeahTalmann, belovedwife, mother,aunt, grandmother and friend, who touched the lives of each of us in differentways..."

Ben stared at the wooden coffin and thought of her soft voice and the blurry numbers on her arm He pictured the deep hole waiting for heratthecemetery and felta lumpsomewhereat the base of his throat He was relieved that all other eyes were closed, because hefound hehad towipehisown

By Lil CheongYear 12

2nd February 1992

Soold, sotraditional All my life, I've livedwithinthese walls of tradition I thought I'd escape them in my marriage, but once again, tradition has outwitted me Why didn't I run away? Tradition sapped my strength, my wil to rebel It put me in this cold,unreal marriage

I should have runaway, to find David,to bewith him again But heput mein thissituation He left me,with noexplanation I tried tolive withouttradition, but it didn't work I couldn't resistwhen my parents marriedme offtothiscold, old man.

Now I wanttofight Afewweeks ofthismarriagehas putthefight back in me I can't take his stupidity, his expectation of my obedience and acceptance of his ideas, even when I know they're wrong My mother tells me I should be grateful to him "What other respectable man would take you after you'd been withthat foreigner? You should be grateful he's so forgiving, so modeminhisideas!" Forgiving andmodem! Mama, you have no idea It's not modern to scowl at your wife every time she expressesan idea you don't agee with It'snotforgiving tofind a thousand cutting ways of reminding your wife she is lucky you stooped to marry her. He's not a husband, he's a figure of authority -someone whowantsthe respect given toafather, not theintimacy given toahusband

I've got to go - he's calling I feel like I'm trapped in the seventeenth century

9th February 1992.

Oh, the joys of beingmarried toan old, rich, Italian!Let me count my blessings, as my mother would say Let mesee one Uh uh, time's up Kat Self pity - it's a wonderful thing It's so comforting to be able to pour out my sorrows My last outburst readslike something from abad romancenovel

I'vegotall the elements for a great Mills and Boon - girl meets handsome, charming boy; boy and girl fall in love; boy runs off ongirl leaving her heartbroken (and pregnant); girl's traditional parents, shockedby herfall from grace, many her off to a respectable but uncaring older man; girl submits because her heart isbroken Nowal I need isforthat charming boyto come and rescue me Notbloody Ifoely! I haveto rememberthat heleft me That makeshimthe bad guy I'm not supposedto want him back

You're probably wondering, dary, why I let myself be forcedinto thisposition. Apart froma broken heart (not a very goodexcuse in thisday and age), whydid I manythisoldman whomI detest? I have avery 90sanswerforyou, diary It wasmoney Cold, hard cash My parents were going to throw me out if I didn't many Benito I'mjust eighteen, howcouldI possblyfindmyself ajobto support myself and a baby? I can't even finish school because I'm pregnant

My friends all told me I should have had an abortion This is where the tradtion comes into it I ignored my Roman Catholic origins longenough to get pregnant, but I can't get past the belief that abortion is murder The Pope and my parents have a lot to answerfor

II February 1992.

I'mslowly going crazy If I stay inside hisdark, gloomy house,it oppresses my mind unti I'm readyto scream. If Igoout I'm sure to meet someone I know, and thafs worse that staying inside My school friends are uneasy and embarrassed around me They can't understand our traditions When I meet someone who does understand them,like one of Mama's friends, theyare so hypocritical that I want to spit in their face. They talk about how lucky I am to get Benito with all his money, how happy I must be But they know I hate Benito and all he standsfor, that my maniage is a patched-up affair.They are nice to me only because it makesthemfeelsuperior, sincetheir daughters didn't ruintheir reputationsbyfooling around with a foreigner.

They wonder why Benito lowered himself to many me They knowhe was 'capturedby mybeauty",but can't understand why he sullied his respectability They don't understand that Benito is a collector His house is filled with objects of beauty, and I am part of his collection It doesn't matter to him that I'm pregnant, onlythat I'mthe most beautiful Italiangirl around here. (I can say thatwithout being vain, it isanestablished fact.) I havebecome a museum piece, simplyto belooked at

17 February 1992.

I love being a martyr inthis diary Ifsthe onlyplace I can be Wh would anyone else listen to my sorrowful outpourings? They have sorrowsoftheir own to engrossthem. Diary, I'mturning into a cynic I used to think life was likea romance novel Backthen, could still believe in happy endings Idreamed cf the day when, without even a backward glance, I would walk out the door, straight into David's arms The only possible ending for a romance novel

NowI haveto face thefactthat happyendings don'tjust happen they're created YouVegotto have strength, belief in yourself, fo a happy ending I lost that strength - perhaps I never had it AllI knowisthatrightnow,nohappyendingisin sight

This doesn't mean that I'm going togive ip I can't win the wara the moment, but I cansure as hell win the battles. Maybe it's the battles that count By winning them, surely I'm getting closer to winningthe war? Perhaps I'm not such a cynic after all I think I can believe in a happy ending, one day I know that it won't involve meridingoff intothe sunset with David But I'm not sure thatwould satisfy me anyway.

Then again,I could just befoolingmyself. Life seems more bear able when I can believe in my own personal Utopia It could just be an escape I've created, not something which actually exists.Enoughbrooding, Kat. No matterwhich way Ilookat it, life hasto be lived

Kate ThwaitesYear 11

afterthought

His rough lips brushing hers, she remembered. But more, she enjoyed his warmth. He held her, arms firm, secure, holding it in and together, locking out all the bad. So warm, she was, so safe ...It was impossble to be unhappy.

She awoke, the bright white shuttered light shootting daggers across the bed and blinding her eyes She blinked, the world slowlyswimming intofocus She wasalone, itseemed, the warm sheath evaporating, his hollow inthe bed cool andfading.Was he gone?

She turned over,and across mountains of whitesheet he stood His eyes wouldn't meet hers, and he struggled to buckle his jeans quickly, as if, as if he had something to hide. From her? When hours before, they'd been one, their flesh melting and moulding, limbsentangled, their bodies andlivesintertwined?He wouldn't lookat her,andashe slipped hisshirt over his head, as she took in, ina seconds glance,the tanned smoothness of his muscular trunk, begging for hands to smooth and touch, all at once, she knew Her mind groping desperately, shut off, and drew her body in protectively, legs curled to her chest, arms wrappedaround knees. The sheet was stil there, white rumples everlasting,the mountain rangescoveringan immenseexpanse of lonelybed, whileshe lay, curled and alonein the centre

Still he wouldn't look She wanted to touch, to feel his warm live flesh, togrip and grasp, and feel alive,but he wouldn't Lastnight, hehadknownher, aphysical,passionate, gropingfleshyher, but now, discarded, used up, the goodness was sucked out of her. Onlyan emptyshel leftonthebed Shewihctewfulherinside herself

But she maintained her blank look in case he was looking He wasnt, he was painfully not looking Slipping on boots now, jacket slung casually over shoulder, only the hurried grab for his bag togivehimself away He opened the door, she could see the light green stained the wall inthe dilapidated corridor outside A vomit-coloured, putrid green, peeling spreading like a vile

disease. Was he really goingto leave, without sayinganything? He turned,and then, hedidlookat her Sheswam in the luscious sea-green of his eyes, pleading But they were hard, fibreglass, and heonly stared, unseeing Light drops of perspirationforming, standingoutandglistening on the stubble of hisupper Ips, his lips moving finaly,and thewordscame Scornful, harsh, mimicking, all themoneyand gloatinginthe world floating in hisvoice

I'll pay.. just.. return the key, cantyou

And unformed wordsfloatedin the air, a stale stiff breathless air

He ripped his glance away, she screamed in pain Then hewas gone, away, out of her life forever Only the pale green peeling remained, staring back

Deception

Reflections bounce offthe smooth water, He smiles,

Awarm caring smile

Full ofmemory

Hishand touches the silky water, It quivers, Hereturnshishandtothepocketof hisdarkjacket.

Slowlyheturns

As ifto leave, But is pulled back He looksacrosstl

She is dancing onthe opposite bank, She is beckoning himto cross, Herslender hand isreaching outtohim

He stares at her Entranced, Herfamiliarfaceis pale,

Her white dress shifts delicately in the wind

He is intrigued by her,

He steps into the cold water

His feet push through the weed.

She stops dancing

Her long brown hair ruffles in the breeze

There is no breeze

She smiles,

A cold smile

Full of deceit

He loses his footing,

The water sucks him under His leg is snagged, Panic invades his body.

She begins to giggle

His energy drains away, His will fails,

His lifeless body sinks into its weedy grave

A pale figure dressed in white emerges from the water, He takes her hand

And together they disappear into the trees

Ebony Balaz Year 11

you are...

You can bloom so quickly, Yet sometimes you fail to even bud

You can survive anything, Or die and shrivel away at the icy touch of doubt

You can make us immortal, Yetyou cankillus at thehandsoffate

You can drive us to suicide, Or urge us to hold on.

You are more powerful than life ordeath, Nothing can stop you,

Yet nothing can grow on its own

I can't live without you, Yetyoucan bring metothebrinkofdespar

You grow in me and others

But eat at hateful hearts

You are my only hope I can lean on you, You are love

Fiona Birlev Year 9

Space Poem

Sizzling, hot ball of fire

Unbelievable heat

Nobody ventures up there &

Magically shimmering in the sky

Orbiting round the Earth

Old man in the moon

Natural source of light

Luisa Frederico Grade 6

Rain Jo rest

Green lush forest plants, the dark grainy soil

Bubbling brooks abundant with glimmering fish,

A green canopy of vines and trees.

Snaking, turning, in the undergrowth

Cold,dampair, oolourful bushbirdsshging,

No sun finds its way through the deep green canopy above

Fresh geenspring grassbeneath rryfeet

The song of the birds is enchanting. Sunlight finally filters through a gap in the vines

A cool, green glade. Light green ferns sprout from the damp, brown soil

Soft green moss, gentle silk beneath thefeet of rainforest creatures,

The roaring song of the waterfall

Clear blue cascades, trickling in a ibling fall

Hitting the soft, clearwaterofthe stream, ight bounces off on the stream, langing it to a brilliant gold ^s the water hits the stream, tiny rubbling crystals

ralling and bouncing to the velvet loss, which lies beneath my feet

As I walk through the rainforest

Fiona Doig Grade 3

§reen

Thinking green

Traffic lights telling me to go, The colour of croaking frogs on lily pads, Rustling reeds bordering lakes and ponds, Or simply the leaves and grass growing in our gardens.

Luscious green meadows, paddocks and fields

Cover the countryside, Calling me to visit them, Like the vast green ocean from above Many gems and crystals are treasured and admired, But not like the precious green emeralds, Glistening in the sun

Green makes me think of springtime, When the air is crisp and sweet, Filled with the smell of nature's bright blossoms

Though other colours may be beautiful, none can compare

With the lively refreshing feeling of green!

Tahlia Cocks and Sarah Loo Grade 5

Roadtojigctiong

One bleak day in 1931, three aboriginal cousins were taken from their homes and families in Jigabng, andbrought to Moore River Native Settlement. Molly Kelly was fourteen at the time.

Thebarson the windowpress in on me,suffocating the life out of me The oppression inthe heavy air weighs down on me likea load, seeming to push me into the dust I must get out of this place! The bed is stiff and sharply tucked in, the mattress hard I swear I will notspend another night in this placeas long as I live As I turn my shoulder folds underneath me, but the bed refuses to give way

Twist again, and again Why can't I breathe? Soft flutters of breath come from the sleeping forms next to me Daisy and Gracey sleep easily, untroubled by the heavy atmosphere, but I twist and turn in my bed I feel out of place in this silent dormitory The row of beds stretches along to my right, their silent occupants already cowed by this place Much as I need my strength, I can't sleep here I lie staring at the ceiling, counting the cracks until the moonlight disappears

I slip out of the inflexible bed and wake Daisy and Gracey They stare at me sleepily, and Gracey demands to know where we are going "It doesn't matter." I start pulling them roughly out of bed, trying to collect my thoughts I just have to get out of there, home to Jigalong! "We're going home," I tell them "Get a move on!" I want to leave before my fierce whispers wake anyone up.

"But how will we find the way?"

"The rabbit-proof fence, of course Now shurrup." I'm not sure what they do to girls who escape, but it might be best not to think about it too much

We slink along the corridor in bare feet and nightgowns, holding our breaths while the door swings open It's early morning, my head feels fuzzy and events blur I'm not sure how it happens, but I find myself travelling east, my feet moving steadily Cold wind cuts at me like a knife through my thin nightgown, but the moon is appearing in the beautiful, wide open sky and my lungs fill with clean air "Home! Home and freedom are surely just around the corner," I say to myself, as my tough brown feet skip across the hills

Three figures dance over the hills, their shadows falling back over Moore River as they disappear into the distance

Cathy Glen Year 9

d/iwm's Hvgnw/iy

CJUST C9KE yOU

SA9D).

1 hear you Jim

1 felt your fear

1 felt mine

A child

like you said

1 understand is like a flower

The Indians

His head is just floating

1 saw them floating in the breeze

METERS

Move this looming meter

This parking meter

This monolith

Licking up the loser's last loot

Sucking him dry

Sending him home, scattered

like you said

Just like you said

Scattered on Dawn's Highway

Dawn's Highway?

Only because it was dawn

Highway?

Because you were in a desert

1 hear you Jim

1 know

It's OK

Be calm

1 saw the souls of the ghosts

Two, maybe three

Screaming silently

They saw you

Littering the landscape

Like monstrous mechanical lollipops

Measuring time

They are money clocks

Swallowing clockwork money

They should be jackpots

Then we too could win wastelands

Delicate you of wealth

They wanted your soul

1 felt the ghosts too Why?

They were flying

For still standing steel

But alas

Why not?

There is yet no need and like you said

They took it

For needle-sized camels they were freaked out

They changed you Jim

They crowded you they changed you forever

SCOTCH

Procrastination eats my time your young, fragile, eggshell mind

1 heard it crack

1 saw it

1 know

1 hear you Jim

1 know

Ask them

Ask them, Jim

"Indian, Indian

A soporific sedative

The television infects the air

Infiltrating ears

Sucking thoughts

1 know they were bleeding what did you die for?"

Suspending them on the tip of an They were bleeding to death

Blood everywhere

Blood in the streets of New Haven

"Nothing at all," says the Indian overhang

It was just like you said

Just out of reach

If only entertainment was less inviting like you said

Blood up to your thighs

You tasted fear

1 hear you Jim

1 hear you

Anon - A special thank you to

Less enticing

Less mesmerising

Something productive might evolve So did 1

J.D.M who greatly inspired me

TECEPHOflE

Thetelephone sits, Monstrousin itsmechanism, Knowledgeableandsafe

Bubousthreatening buttons connectto Cream coloured cord-liketentacles

Thatdive through theholein the wafl, Through darktunnels, Dankand drpping, To another universe So singularwe sit

Scared andsweating

Heartbeating

Eyes blinking In ourown stonestickywell.

sywup

Tendrils ofsyrup deliriouslysweet caress lingerand droo oop from my languid fingers

Sweetsuffering asthe stickysubstance straps sucksand clings surrenderingnot staying sothat I mustlick, lick and unstick it

(Fourpoems) Michelle Wyatt Year 12

POEM TO A JOKJVIEK JKDEJVD

I say I hate you,I don'tthinkthafstrue, I say I'dkill you, ifonly you knew, The emotions I have, they waythat I feel, I wonder, I worry,I don't knowwhatsreal I don'tthinkyoumeantthethingsthatyousaid, Howgullible the people werethatyoulead, The gossip, the stories, the liesthat you told, Maybeintime thetruth will unfold Fornowin myheart I cantrytoforgive, Andhope you havefaithinthe liesthat you live, Forme, allI SCO isa friendshipthafs lost, Butreally,mydear, wasit worth such acost?

WcsieK

People saythat black is sad, It makesthem feel claustrophobic and mad, Theysayblack isasign ofpain, Closingin on you,it screamsout yourname, Innerfears comeout and fight, They ripyou apart until youdieand saygoodnight

JOREVEK

It seems I'veknown you allmylife, Eightyearsthafsall,but I'm sure it wil be forever, Itell you all mysecretthoughts, AndI knowyou'll keepthem toyourself forever You trustmewith things, thafs reallynice, I'll keepthem to myself FOREVER

I appreciate you help and advice, AndI know I wil forever, You'rethereforme, andI'mhereforyou forever, And ever

Writtenfor myfriendEllaHot (Three poems) BrodiePint Year7

farmhouse Dreaming

The old farmhouse at Marshmead could have been a special placefor me.Theworn carpet and mismatchedfurniture made it the comfy sort of place Grandma and Grandpa would live in One ofthehouserules wasthat shoes beremoved before entering This ensured a cowpat- free zone and softened the footsteps through the kitchen, so that all one could hear of intruders was the muffled blurofexplorer socks on gentlycreakingfloorboards

There were always intruders, though perhaps it was I who disturbed the sleeping farmhouse Enveloped in its dreaming, I breathedin thewarm smell of taking bread and curled up bythe fire with a copy of Little Women. The sweet murmuring of sleepingchildren drifted to my earsfrom the bunkhouse, asthe SouthernCrosskept a loving watch

Itcould have beenthe place I always went for comfort when the world was against me, when I wanted to bealone My sorrows would have been absorbed by the ancient wood of the kitchen table,each teara new knot inits grainy surface

Thereneverwasmuch timetobe alone, tothink,to resolvelife's difficulties and learn to smile again Only twice was I ever alone in thelamhouse Wefchrgfiegaden'scoloursfade tohoneyedgreys, I supported myself and my failures against a growing verandah post until darkness was my friend. There Ifound the tranquillity which helped me love the next spring day Another time, I explored the old bunkhouse and untangled an enormous kitethat was caught betweenthe beds likea trapped butterfly It was warm inthat little room, with the sunstreaming yellow through the windows The dustyfloorboardswere supple under myfeet,andthere wasa pleasant musty smellonecould almost see inthe air Itouched the bunk; it was solid under the peelingredpaintand wasbolted tothefloor.Oneperson's memory is insignificant when compared with the memory of a building Thefarmhouse holdsthe memoriesfrom all generations; a passing child feels but the echo of time past The farmhouse remembers AdelaideWorcester Year12

Magic Marskmead

Mother Nature isat work,putting al her effort intoevery detail of the landscape Her pallet has every single colour She binds together the magic of life! The hills are bathed in sunlight, its warmthlickingmy face.

She curves the trees so they are gnarled and twisted like my grandma'sfingers Sheblowsthegrassaboutwith hercold, crisp breath. Thetrees in the rainforest billow inwaves. ThebeUbirds songringsthrough.

I close rry eyesand tastethe cool,sweet air. Mytaste buds tingle as a small droplet of rain lands on my tongue and dances in my mouth

The once deep blue sky is now covered the angry grey clouds, about to yell down thunder and scream down rain I am a prisoner- trappedin its beauty.

Siana Einfeld Year 9

Au s I an Gamp

Australian SignLanguage -Auslan - is oneofthe mosttheatrical and cultured languages of all Consisting of hand movements, facial expressions and body postures, Auslan is used by over 50,000 Australian citizens as a means of communicating with deafand speech impaired people

On June 22, Year 11 and 12 Auslan classes from MLC and Monash Secondary College piled onto a bus taking them to a weekend of silence An entire weekend without Triple J - who would cope? A few hourslater, we arrived atthe bushysurrounds of Dehuntie Park After unloading ourbags ontomuddyterrains, ourteacher signed to us ourfirst instructions: 'You alinow group, group About 10, 11 Then will in house Understand?" (Meaning: Nowall get into groupsof 10 or 11 and each group wil beassigned to a cabin Understand?) I was a littleapprehensive aboutbeing in thesame cabinassomeof the Monashstudents, but as we all set out for Cabin No. 1, we began signing to each other as if whether we were deaf or hearing, orfrom Monash or MLC, wasirrelevant

Dumping our stuff in the accommodation unit, we headed to the first Group Meeting where we were signed the campus rules Then, to our surprise, we were set free to whiz around on the flying-foxesand attempttodrown in thefreezinglake Afterbeing introduced to the manager of the camp, we were toldthat we couidearnmoney bycompleting fun activities andridingon fourwheeled motorbikes, and by complimenting each other This sounded good in theory, however the man willing to supply all prizes didnt understand Auslan, so our attempts to compliment each otherwere simplyawaste oftime

Next came an activity in which we were all supposed to hold hands in a tangled manner and, without talking or unlinking hands, create a circle Any game isfun if you can finda wayof cheating, but we couldn't talk and our hands were otherwise occupied The gamebecame onlyafrustrating failure!

Dinner was not memorable - pasta and water, yummo! But we had ourjunkfood tosavour,soafterwatching Party of Five, we hurried back to the cabins The teachers' window-banging escapade aroundthe camp a little later was the signal for 'lights out' On most camps, D&M conversations would now begin beforethe lids drooped andthe journey to dream-land began but not on Auslan Camp. Signing after lights-out proved too difficult a problem for usto solve, so we used ourvocal chordsfor the first time in 12 hours We were joined by one of our deaf friends, who had left her hearing-aids on and was trying to decpher our words Goodbye D&Ms and helb hysteria, as we circled the room to see how many voices and words she recognised We fell asleep to the sounds of laughter, only saddened by the knowledge that tomorrow we would have to leaveit all.

LisaDoueal Year12

involved in Japanese

All thoseat MLCwith blondehair,raise your hands Feellike you blend into thecrowd? Don't despair - ifyou want attention,go to Japan In Japan, peoplewith blonde hairalways get noticed -just oneofthemanyways in which Australia and Japan differ

Discovering the differences between Australian and Japanese • jf l culture is one of the great things about going on exchange to Japan. As well as giving you a totally different aspect on the worldandintroducingyou to someofthedelicaciesof Japanese cuisine (such as seaweed or fried eel), exchanges are a great waytoimproveyourJapanese andmakelotsof newfriends

Each year, MLC runsexchanges to our sister school, Tsushima Girls' School Every two years students also visit Chikushi High School in Fukuoka and Tsushima in Nagoya, for about three weeks I took part in one of these visits, and found it very rewarding

"Thetourstarted in FJ<uoka, wheretheMLC groipwassomething of a novelty We hadour pictures published in the local paper and were thereafter recognised on the streets of Fukuoka. We grew usedto the glances and smiles directed towards us, and hada wonderful time at Chikushi High for a week We even amazed ourselvesby managing toconveyourthoughts in Japanese on a variety ofsubjects!

The tourthen movedto Hiroshima, travelling onthe BulletTrain This was a very moving part of the trip as we visited the Peace Park in Hiroshima This is dedicated tothememory ofthose who died when the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima during World War II. We also managed to 'lose' large amounts of money in the big department stores in Hiroshima

Our last stop was Nagoya, where we spent a very enjoyable week at Tsushima Girls' School Then, all too soon for most of us, it was time to return to Australia We came back with wonderful memories, newfriendsandimproved Japanese skills

While exchanges are great fun, hosting a Japanese student is also beneficial and enriching This year, MLC has had many Japanese students - some of whom stayed for a couple of weeks, some for as long as a year. While hostingcandefinitely be challenging (there are times when you feel you'll never be abletoexplain to a Japanese student that although thattree over there is a gumtree, there are no koalas in it), ifs also greatfun Hosting will leave you with wonderful memories, and a new friend.

Kate ThwaitesYear11

txchange to Jrance

Over the 1995 / 96 summer holidays, while my friends were relaxing on beaches in the hot Australian sun, I and four other Year 12s were experiencing life in Grenoble, France,as part of atwo month exchange

Although I was a bit apprehensive about going overseas on my own for two months, my exchange gave me the opportunity to improve my French and allowed me to experience life in a cultureverydifferentto myown I found my eyesopened to alot ofproblemsthatwe at MLC arefortunate enough tobe sheltered from One of the things that shocked me about Grenoble was that there were homeless people sitting outsideevery third building, beggingforfood or money I'veneverfe* so helpless before, nor have I ever seen so clearly the presence of poverty and how many people itaffects Also concerningwasthefactthat inParis all thebinsweresealed,becauseof the numerous bomb threats the government had received in reaction to France's nuclear testing policy. Forthe first time in my life, violence and terrorism were made real to me

On a lighter note, everyone in France was friendly and helpful. Being Australian, I wasa bitof a novelty and gotthe usual questions about whether we ride kangaroosto school One individual asked me how I learnt to speak such good English! Grenoble was freezing Ittook mea whileto get used to goingto schoolin negativetemperatures, notto mentionthe different school hours 8am to6pm! However, I was lucky enoughto experience a real 'whiteChristmas' in the Frenchcountryside, stayingwith my host family in a 15th century house I also went to Paris for a few days and, as Grenoble was only a short drive from the magnificent SwissAlps, tried toimprove my skiing!

I treasure all my French experiences, and would recommend the exchange programto anyone interested. It's an experience you'llneverforget!

Belinda Glass Year12

year 12 Qerman at MUG

In general, every non-LOTE student I talkto marvels at myYear 12pursuit of a Language Other Than English, namely German I remember inYear 9 beingtoldbya Year 11student doingUnit 3/4 Germanthat "Germanwas one of [her]easiest subjects" Of course Ibrandedthis girl a compulsive iar, and immediately recommended this great therapist I knew However, she hassince been proved to be completely sane Having completed VCE German, I now realise that German, infactany LOTE at VCE level, is one of the most straightfoward and rewarding subjects studentscan do [WHAT!!-Eds],

This year there were two Year 12 German classes containing about 11 students each, taught by Frau Freeman and Frau Corstorphh. Frau Corstorphin is new to MLC this year, having replaced Frau Tarran as head of the German Department Although initiallyoverwhelmedby MLC'ssize(herprevious place of employment was Ruyton) she has since settled in and has provedtobeevery bitasgood asherpredecessor

Ensconced in the ancient but much loved [not - Eds] Nicholas Houseclassroom of Language4, Year 12 German proceeded at a leisurely pace Our lessons centred around either one of the many cultural themes that the course encompasses, including 'The Environment', 'Love', 'Food or 'Foreigners in Germany' Oral lessons, while initially daunting, were great practiceforthe oral CAT 2 Speaking of CATs, VBOS are uncharacteristically kind to LOTEstudents They have implementedaCATprogram that is anything but stressful Itconsists of a CAT 1 Writing Folio, containing work completed throughout the year, and two exam CATs inTerm 4 - CAT 2 is an oral while CAT3 is a 1 1/2hour written exam Students do plenty of practice and preparation for thesethoughouttheyear

However, Year 12 German is not just about jostling for thebest positioninfrontoftheheater in Language 4.

Therearealsoopportunitites to utilizeone's German skills in the wider community This year, for example, we sacrificed a Thursday night at home with all our other homework to dine in High St Armadale at the Alt Wien (Old Vienna), an authentic Austrian restaurant Although the food left a little to be desired, thechance to use German in a real-life situation(we hadto order in German and speak German the whole night) was greatly appreciated

Other extra-curricular activities included the annual GoethePoetry Competition, in which students memorised and recited a poem in front of a judge at Melbourne or Monash Universities MLC alwaysdoes wellin this competition, fielding several finalists every year

Finally, there is everyone's favourite extra-curricular activity: authentic German cake sampling, guaranteed to ensure full attendance at German class If nothing else youVe read here convinces youthat Year 12 German is not so bad after all, then just visualise a sliceof luscious black forest cake, melting in your mouth as you sink your teeth into its dark chocolate, cherryliqueurfilledsponge,encased inhigh-fat whippedcream Aaaah! Absoluteheaven! Thestuffthat Year 12 German wasmade of Nikki Young Year12

Our Jinnish Jriend

Irene (li-re-nay) Pendolin arrived at MLC at the beginning of August 1995 Shesnuck intoYear 11 classesquietlyand, at first, convinced us she wasjust a shy Rotary exchange student from Finland How wrong we all were! Everyone has a story to tell about the first time they met Irene Whether it was at her first Choir rehearsal when she burst in late and wrapped Mrs Elton Brown around her little finger, or simply when they saw her bounding around the school, Irene was noticeable I only really got to know her six months after she'd arrived. Following the summer holidays, I heard a boisterous account of a holiday at Philip Island, roller-blading and water-skiing with a few Brad Pitt look-alikes Of course, I followed the voice, and met Irene Little didknowwhat I was infor

Over the next six months I was led on a whirlwind tour of Melbourne and the surrounding areas It was incredible how much of Australia Irene saw during her twelve month stay. She toured Canberra and Phillip Island with Rotaryfamiliesfromthe Hawthorn club She then went to Queensland and Central Australia with about forty other exchange students, under the guise of helping strengthen international relations I've heard tales of many internationalrelationshipswereformed on totour, but perhaps now isn't the time for such details.. When she returned,we headedoffto Daylesford fora Rotary weekend with about 100 other VCE students, which was an incredible experience We also toured Belgrave and rode Puffing Billy (in the middleofwinter) visited the NationalGallery, partied the night away at the Metro and spent innumerable hours drinkingcoffee and discovering how much we had in common All this in between school and Irene's weekends away with friends in Bendigo, and without breaking any of the Rotary 'dont's' - No Drinking, NoDriving,NoDating and No Drugs!

Throughout her stay, Irene was involved in MLC activities. She sang as part of the Choir in the 1996 Gala Concert She

attended the Year 12 Formal,and wasthe only Year 12 student to hand in the English Issues CAT without having to (and achieved an A grade for it!) Out of school, Irene learnt karate, swam regularly, and practised her English with anyone who'd stand still for more than two minutes, particularly if they were male, tall, darkand hadmusclyshoulders!

Andthen in July, Irene hadto leave At Tullamarine Airport, as we were trying to convince ourselves she wasn't really leaving us,what was Irene doing? Stilltrying to convince methat Santa Claus lived in Finland, a debate which had been runningfor the past six months. Iguess I'll just haveto go over theresometime, andmake surethat he'slooking aftermy wonderful friend

Wendy Hughes Year 12

th e yE/ w 11 psyenocogy

J9ECD TWDP

During August, three Psychology groups headed to a Monastery in Croydon Spending a weekend at a Monastery didn't sound iikean ideal weekend -fromthe rumours we had heard, it sounded ghastly- However, we had a ball! The field trip wasfilledwith laughter and excitement

I think it was the sense of the mystery surrounding the field trp that initially ooncemed the Year 11 s most of all. Although we had no idea whatsoever of what to expect, once on the trip we learned a lot about ourselves and our behaviour through different experiments.

Thefirstnight we were asked to sleep in a room by ourselves I was so enthusiastic about the whole event, I didn't get to sleep until 3 am! But the second night was a completely different story. During the second afternoon I was told that my room (we each had separate rooms) had sprung a leak. Out of 40 rooms, mine had to spring a leak! Not a tiny little drizzle, but enough so that my sleeping bag was wet through and the floor was soaked Because of this disaster I had to share a room with afriend, and it wasn't until the next day that we realised that the whole corridor was leaking and there were buckets everywhere!

I had a fabulous time, and I hope that the Year 11s next year have just as muchfun as I did

Catherine Nesci Year 11

yE/W?SK9TKDp.

It was winter, the slopes were beckoning and skiing seemed much more enticing than a day at school with the books So once again, the Year 7 girls headed for Mt Buller on the annual Year 7 SkiTrip

After a couple of hours in the bus, everyone was fired up and ready for action. By 9:30am, 50 students had managed to squeeze into 50 pairs of uncomfortable ski boots, and each had acquired a pair of 2 metre skis. For the beginners, just standing on slippery snow was a challenge, while more experienced girls were tempted by the slopes Within 15 minutes my group was off and skiing. The only problem was that when the teachers started screaming at usto snow plough, we had no idea what they were taking about - we couldn't stop! Eventually we all managed to stop ourselves, mainly by falling or by skiing straight through a group of unsuspecting males By lunch time we had all had a lessonand were able to skidown at least part ofthe slope.

After a nice warm lunch in a nice warm kiosk, we were out inthe freezing cold again We now had a few hours of free time to perfect our skiing skills, and everyone putthistimeto good use

By 3:00 pm nearly everyone had managed to ski down the slope, master the ski lift,and be back on a busthat wouldtake us down the mountain. By the time we were down and back on the school bus, everyone was exhausted We weren't too sad to see the back of the slopes Every bone in our bodies was aching After we had stoppedfor dinner and watched a movie in the bus. everyone was very close to sleep But the ski trip proved to be a lot of funfor everyone - eventhe people who didn't come back in one piece! Congratulations to all the teachers who accepted the challengedof taking 50 giris to the snow They showed much talent onthe slopes.

Rebecca AlizziYear 7.

Art Tour to Staly

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Duringthe firstterm holidays I spent a month in the beautiful Italian city of Florence. This opportunity arose inthe form of an Art Tour conducted by the school in which sixteen students, accompanied by Mr Savage and Ms Medhurst, eagerly particpated As an Art Tour, this aspect was accentuated, and by actually living in the heart of Florence a total experience was achieved. I was greatly influenced by being surrounded by exquisite art works and this was very much reflected in the art work I produced As wel as gaining an understanding of the city and its present culture, history came to life My visualdiary was my constant companion and was a primary source for recording daily activities, it contains sketches and impressions gainedthroughout my stay. I spent a great deal of time drawing pictures of different items which interested me during my travels Museums and Churches were the main destinations each day with the occasional short day trips made to Lucca, Sienna and Pisa, alltowns near Florence, each with theirown individual character.

Visiting and seeing great artworks in The Uffizi, The Bargelk) Museum, The Academia Gallery were certainly highlights for me as it enabled metostudy at first hand theseart works. Viewing originals displayed in their historical settings was an amazing experience. Santa Croce, The Cathedral (Duomo), The Vatican and Sistine Chapel were visited and displayed an equally remarkable array of famous art works

The touralso includedvisiting thecities of Venice and Rome which added an extra dimension to the overall experience The different cultural elements that each contained all added to the total encounter and provided a wealth of inspiration for future artistic endeavours.

With twelve four-hour practical art sessions undertaken in Print Making and Photography Studies, there was ample opportunity to produce artwork in Italy. Emphasis was given totwo print making styles, namely etching and mono printing Different aspects of Florence inspired me to produce artwork based on images of the city I was particularly impressed with thedetailedarchitecturalfinishesvisible allaroundthe cityand took particular note of pilars and columns. In comparison to the crowded busy townships, the countryside was a place of great beauty and vast open space. The countryside around Florence was magical and the sweeping hills and little villages are depicted in some of my sketches and paintings. The bright vibrant colours and dean cod air was superb and inspired me to interpret these features in my finished folio

The month abroad was a wonderful highlight - the best month of my life Looking back, I realise it was a unique experience. My artwork, my visual diary, postcards and photos bring wonderful memories flooding back. I have attempted to provide a glimpse of what our time away was like. It is difficult to relate every aspect, however the time away provided me with the basis and inspiration for all of my VCE art work, giving it a unique and special focus. The friendships, the sights and»the opportunity to produce art in and of this famous city were all aspects which made the month in Italy very special A time which will stay locked in my heart forever

Miranda Turner Year 12

Art Tour to Staly

A Jtorentine Church Service

Earty inthe year, sixteen Year 11 and 12 photography students went on a study tour to Italy, staying in Florence and visiting Venice and Rome. Of the many experiences of that trip, the Good Friday Easter celebration at the church inthe Piazza San Marco, Florence, was one I shall never forget. A small groupof us decided that after a week of being in a foreign country, we wanted to havea goodof sing-a-bngto some hymns What better way than to go to church on Good Friday? We were aware that the service would probably be in Italian, but nevertheless ventured into the small church with fading frescoes on the walls of the foyer, the images barely visible It was the same churchthat Michelangelo had attended, and where his brother had become a monk.

We found some seats relatively close to the front. From where we sat, we could see the covered up glass ooffin containing the 500-year-old body of a monk Three priestscame in, andtwosat down while one talked intoa microphone. He looked remarkably similar to one of the two Ronnies, [which one? - Eds] whilst one of the other preachers looked like Pavarotti We listened calmly, and soon realised that we were witnessing a proper Italian Churchservice

We tried our best to follow the sen/ice from the book, waiting to hear the organ start playing.. when suddenly, the church was filled with sound of a Gregorian Chant. I could not believe my ears This music was beautiful and would have been more so had the microphone been absent It was a sound I had never expected to hear, especially while sitting in a little church in Florence Itwastruly amazing That night in the ancient church in Florence, was perhaps the most memorable Good Friday I will ever have.

Stephanie White Year 12

Senior School Trips

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Can you think of anything that would motivate you to arrive at school at5 amona Monday? For thfty-fiveYear11 srd 12students, and our long-sufferingteachers Mr Bel and Ms Philips, something did - the Senior Politics trip to Canberra on 9 -10 September. Despite being able to spend only two days there and having to wear our school uniforms, it was afantastictrp. Never have so many photos beentaken by sofew, inso little time.. And despite Ms Philips' refusal to count us atany stage, no-onegot lost We hadfamousencounters - we met Gough Whitlam during our tourof Old Parliament House (there are dozensofphotos to prove it) and caught glimpses of ourfavourite politicians including Cheryl, Gareth and Amanda, during Question Times While trooping around the back rooms of Parliament as 'escorted visitors', we spotted Peter Reith inthe Cabinet Room He provided us allwith signedpiecesofpaperfrom the official Cabinet Room writing pads. Our whirlwind bustour included seeingthe High Court in session, the old and new Parliament Houses, the War Memorial, the Electoral Education Centre, the embassies and the National Gallery, where we checked out exhbitscontaining suchthingsas sump oil and finches, aswell as more conventional 'works of art.

We visited Question Time in the House of Representativesunfortunately many of us were rather tired by this point Despite the riveting speeches of the politicians, more than one person drifted off tosleep. A security guard suggested tactfullyto Mr Bel that this showed a lack of respect and that we should perhaps leave. We managed to stay awake for most of the Senate Question Time the next day though, refreshed by our night in Rydges Resort Apart from their insistence that 17 and 18-yearoldsneededa 10.00 curfew,this was quitean acceptable motel. Much of Canberra's female population seems to be made up of Old Colegians Drawingonthis connection, we were able to talk toSenatorJudith Trothe, MHR Charmain Stoneand a member oftheWomen's Electoral Lobby

Our last act in Canberra was to unfurl the MLC banner used in the infamous student march in Meboume, which Asha and Yas had brought along Then itwas time to farewell our friendly bus driver - Tone-with-the-phone - and fly back to Meboume, taking with us many memoriesand even more photos Many thanks to Ms Philipsand Mr Bell fororganisingthe trip

KathrynJames Year 12

L) r 12 forma l

HeldattheCaHton-CnestHotelonthe27April,the Year12 Formal was eagerly lookedforward to by many girls Whie for someit wassimplyanoccasiontomeetwith friendsandhavedinner, for many, it was a competition as to who could display the best-lookingpartner, weartheprettiestdressanddancethe most energetically and wildly The preparation and anticipation surroundingthis event was enough to maketeachers weep,as students forgot their studies for weeks before the event. For some, the terrifying step of calling their prospective partner sapped themoftheenergytoplan further until afewdays before the big night For others, questions of partners, fashion and partying dominatedtheir lives The number of inanephone calls asking what eyeshadow someone was wearing or ifthey were going to fake tan today or tomorrow, was staggering

When the day of the Formal finally arrived, ten girls from the Dance Committee decorated the Carlton-Crest Function Room with purple and pink balloons, scattered gold stars across the tablesandplacedapink roseoneachgirl'sfolded serviette The overalleffect was magnificent,with theformalsettingof adinner dance,buttheatmosphereofa party

The fashions displayed were varied - some girls were adventurouswithplunging necklinesorcreeping hemlines,while others went for elegance, in long, black evening dresses. A Gothic theme was present at many tables, black dresses accessorised with black handbags and black make-up Others were morecolourful, some dyeingtheir hairto matchtheirattire Partners also displayed daring clothes - some wore audacious coloured suit coats or hats, others arrived with a rose between theirteethandacane

Partnerswere notjust of theopposite sex -some girlschoseto be accompanied by friends and other classmates A few onlookersfound itdifficult to accept the concept of same-sex

dates However no matter who accompanied who, the majority ofpeople enjcyedthe night

Although everyone cannot be expected to like the choice of music, few would agree that Nirvana or Pearl Jam were appropriate music to dance (or mosh) to when wearing high heels! [Why not? - Eds] Girls hobbled around school for days afterwards, bruised feet caused by both ill-fitting shoes and oblivious moshing from others. Carefully styled hair collapsed whenthe musicbegan

As the evening concluded and couples began to leave viathe sweeping staircase that had led us up to this evening full of expectations, the night was still young The music was still playing and strobe lights still flashing as many piled into scarcetaxisandlimousinestocontinuepartyingatothervenues

However,the Formal had beenthe final opportunity for usto officiallysocialiseasayear level For Year 12 1996,thepartying wasover, notjustforthenight,butforever.

JuliannaLeslieYear12

Ljr tleven

During Term Two, a twelve week cult possessed a normally sensible year level Of course, it was the Year 11 Formal! There are three components to Formals: the hype,the occasion and the post-event depression Phase one involves finding the dress. Whilst some discovered in Granny's cupboard a dress that was not only the epitome of fashion, but also fitted flawlessly, others searched fruitlessly for the ultimate creation If you could put up with dozens of insincere compliments, Memphison ChapelStreet wastheanswer Othersfound refuge in afriend'scupboard, Chadstone,ordependableoldMyers.

Thedresswasonly oneof many problems Shoeswere another dilemma, as were hair, stockings, make-up, and finding a discreet bratowear underthe backless, strapless,creationyou'd bought Thenitwastimetoworkonthepartner Ofcourse,some were more concerned about their partner's appearance, intelligence etc thanothers Many weredesperately tryingtofind someonetoplonk in a suitand tie-preferably a male

Phasetwo-the day This involved twocomponents Thefirst was transforming students into stunners - some relied on their own abilities, whilst others turnedto professionals Various pre-dinner parties occurred throughout Melbourne, before the beginning of the Formalat Chaucer's Onarrival, wewereawedbytherazzle, dazzle and splendour Dinner was edible- who eats at a Formal anyway? Most of us were distracted by the music, the dancing, and the"Youlookunreal!"comments

Atthe conclusion of the Formal,we allraced home -to have a drink of.. hot chocolate - with Mum and Dad - of course Allthose monthsof dieting, shopping, dreaming.. for what? The sense of purpose was gone The Monday after the Formal, we were left staring pathetically into our lunchboxes with no conversation A bleak vision of a Formal-less Term Three stretched before us Ah well, time for Phase three: countdown to next Formal!

Claire Finkelstein& Rebecca Howie Yr11

Lj r Tem

'Camberwell Grammar! Lucy, I can't believe you invited them! Areyou insane?'

'Why didn't you invite Marcellin? They always invite us and we never invitethem!"

"My life is ruined! My dad has volunteered to be a bouncer and mymumwantstoservedrinks!"

These werethe sortof declarationsringingthroughthe corridors of Nevie inthe weeks leading upto the Year 10 Social, heldon Saturday 15th June 1996 Standard questions soon developed: "Are you going to the Social?" and 'What are you wearing?' Moreoftenthen not, theanswers, respectively, were "Yes"and'1 haveno idea, I'mgoingto Chadstoneon Saturday withmy dads wallet." Lucy Anderson and Nat Hale (Middle School SRC) were appointed organisers of the Social, and had to put up with constant questions, complaints and requests from most of Year 10. After careful consideration and selection, the following schools had been invited: Camberwell Grammar, Carey (guys only), Ivanhoe, Meboume HighandTrinity

On Saturday night, girts and guys started arriving from all over Melbourne The ladies of the evening had plucked, pulled, washed,scrubbedandwaxedallday longwhilethe guys.. well, guys will be guys! Soon enough, the music was pumping, the crowd was sweaty and the drinks were flowing. After you've beengroovingforthree hours,you'lldrinkanything - evenwatery cordial! Eventually some girls paired off with guysandthe others werefired upto "shakethat groovethang" We'll never forget the brightredvestthe DJ wore

Monday cameandwewerestillbleary-eyedafterthe weekend's event The Social was most definitely a success, and proved to be a plentiful source of gossip for the last couple of weeks of Term Two Thanks again to Nat and Lucy for their efforts I'm sure everyone had a fantastic/interesting/good/badtiorrible ... unforgettabletime.

OliviaOstojic Yr10

Being New in Ljear 7

"What am I doing here?' I asked myself those first few days at MLC I remember going into the Assembly Hal with Mum and hoping that I wouldfindsomeoneto hang aroundwith. I thinkthat everyone was hoping the same thing, that someone would just come up to them and say "Hey, do you want to hang around togetherfor lunch?'Afterthefirstfew weeks I gotto know people and people got to know me, and our friendship groups started forming. It was all so different to my Primary School. There, everyonewas friends, and people there were just sodifferent to people at MLC The only similarity Ican thinkof is that everyone isreallynice andfriendly.

The first person I saw was a tall girl who had obviously been in Junior School, because she had about five other friends walking around with her giggling and mucking around, and we hadn't even been put inourform groupsyet. She kept on laughing in a really fake and stipid way, and I thought, is this what everyone is goingtobe Skehere? Ifthey are, Idonl think Iwi fit in tooquickly. Luckily, everyone turnedout to be completely different, and Isettled in well

During the first few weeks we had orientation, which was a programorganised forYear 7 classessothat everyone could get to know each other. We played name games, and games in which you said things about yourself, your pets and the things you likedor enjoyed doing I suppose itwas sothat other people could see what you were like.

After we all got to know each other pretty well, itwas time to get to know ourteachers and our way aroundthe school. Getting to know the teachers was the hardest part - they were all sodifferent from what I expected. Some of them are really strange but funnyatthe sametime, theyalmost made schoolworkfun!

After about three weeks we had to stop doing fun stuff like games and going on excursions, and start work. That was fine, because all the teachers were nice and the stuff we had to do wasn't boring!

Sometimesteachers stand up the front and raveonabout something you have never heard of before in you life, but if you don't understand after they have finished, they will always explain to you afterwards and make sure you understand. They never leave you ifyou don't 'get something All of the teachers I have this year are very understanding and helpful They are all great and theyexplain things well.

Alice Clement Year 7

Alews of the Library

It has been busy for many weeks in the Ibrary, with kids of all ages coming in to do research, projects, and use the Internet Internet is now becoming very big at MLC, with tons of people flooding in to use a computer Lately this has been a problem, because of girls' passwords were not working The hardworking crew at the Dungeon are getting to it. Butfor the meantime, girls are using COMMED!

The Lbrary recently had Ms Boyd, Ms Gully and all the library gang working hard to make the 50th Annual Children's Bookweek just perfect There have been stories, a cartoonist, charades, TV, 50 baloons each day and even a party... all in all, it wasa goodweek

The Walton Lbrary if fun, exciting, and full of informatbn. Why don't you comeandsee it foryourself!

SusieScholem, Year 7

]Qig Sister Program

Coming into MLC secondary school can be very nerve- racking, as it'sso huge-especialy ifyou are new tothe school! But luckiy, MLC hasa great program called 'The BigSisters Program" The program is designed to help both new and continuing girls in Year 7 feel more secure, by helping us with anything we dont feelwe can talk toa teacher about The bigsisters are a group of Year 12s who are heaps offunand great totalkto.The program is only meant to be in First Semester as our big sisters come whenever they can, but they still visit us even in Second Semester!

By Rachael Grenfei Year 7

Nicole DeGaris

Qeorgina Sowers with her 'little sisters' Rachael, 7ess, Megan, Kate, Renee and Nicole

Nicole DeGaris, Year 7

7D - Collage/Photocopy/Painting/Drawing

Joelene Tee - Yr 11 Painting

Yr 8 Teddy Bears

TANO

The theme of this year's Art Week was 'Artsurroundsus'.

Throughout the week of festivities, student installations called 'Eye Sights' were placed in the grounds of the school to encourage a greater awareness of art and the visual impact it has when included in our environment Feature artworks included a spider web and ceramic impressions of famous paintings, namely Van Goghs and Picassos. Butterflies and scarecrows invaded the Junior School precincts, with ceramic head sculptures adding variety and impact. An interesting, feature entrance to the art exhibition was a dragon mouth tantalisingly inviting visitors to enter and view the artwork of students from Prep to Year 12, in Betty Jackson Hall On Wednesday evening the Hall was abuzz with excitement for the official opening of the exhibition by Mr. Loader. The works were from various areas of the arts: textiles, graphics, photography, painting, ceramics, drawing and woodwork.

While Mr Loader was rounding off his speech, fashion girls were preparing for the Fashion Parade in Fashion Hall, which included garments from girls in Year 8-12 This event was smartly choreographed with appropriate lighting and music, providing a wonderful spectacle The participants enjoyed the experience and the audience applauded loudly Everybody involved was elated by the quality of the performance and garments displayed

During the week, Junior School girls produced some wonderful visual effects. These included the creation of a pond with ceramic fish and flowers, overhead fabric butterflies for the tree and scarecrows to frighten the birds away.

The new scheme of placing students' artwork around the school grounds encouraged a greater diversity of artwork to be displayed. It is hoped that this has furthered an understanding of Art throughout the school Art Week was an exciting and enjoyable experience for all who participated.

Miranda Turner, Year 12.

'Artsurroundsus'

Art Week this year was very imaginative and original. Itincluded many different aspects of art - fashion, photography, painting, graphics - and showed the works and talents of students from Junior School to Year 12 I really enjoyed the Art Exhibition and felt very inspired as I walked around viewing the work There wasa obviously a great dealof effortputin by all students whoexhibitedwork,and the week wasverysuccessful

hoarders' Birthday Night

It has been an MLC Boarding House tradition for many years that all the boarders celebrate their birthdays on the same day

Every year,the Boarding House staff secretly plan a special night for this celebration. They choose a theme, often a musical or a fairytale They dress up, decorate our dining room, planthefood andorganise a skit and a song which bothworkswith thetheme and isrelevantto Boarding Houselife.

Along with the secret theme, there are several other traditions. The youngest girl in the Boarding House getsto blow out thecandles out onthe cake, and the girlwho has been inthe Boarding House the longest gets to cut the cake. The youngest girts get special presents, while every one else gets something in the

Boarding House theme (this year we received a Tiddeman house hat) We alsoreceivea present the whole House canshare

Dinner folbws, and the food is always specially prepared and delicious. An additional bonus is that we are served by the mistresses of the house and do not have to do kitchen duty. Following dinner we have a concert in the dinning room, where the students take-off the staff and the staff take-off the students

Boarders' Birthday Night is always a very memorable occasion forall boarders - a unique birthday celebration

Ingrid RichardsonYear 12

Life in the tfoarding House

19 9 6 Boarders' play

The Boarders' Playthisyear was So Much To Tell You by John Marsden Afterdoing Grease in 1995, rt was a huge change -from a 1950s musical to the storyofa girl who doesn't talk. It was particularly interestingforthe boarders to perform this play,as itis set h aBcarcfrrg House Otviousty,thecjlswareexperts atperformingroles in dorms, but somefoundit a bit more difficult toplaythe part erf a Boarding House mistress!

With the help of the producers, Sister Brown and Pam Mullan, and the director, Penny Evans, we got to work on auditions in Term One The cast members were given their scripts Rehearsals began at the start of Term Two The cast included both nervousdebut actorsand more experienced actors, providing an interesting contrast Rehearsals continued every Monday and Thursday night throucfiout Term Two in Dwyer Hal. In TermThree ws progressed to the Assembly Hall for our practices, which brought the reality of anaudience and a largevenue.

The Boarding House bedroom

Afterten hoursof weekend rehearsalsthe weekend beforethe performances, the boarderswere ready foropening night They were prepared for showing their ability off to friends and family on two nights, Friday 16th August and Saturday 17th August, whichwasalso the Boarder's Family Night

On both the Friday and Saturday nights the girts performed to their capability They showed professionalism and great potential, particularly on the Saturday when families were there Many encouraging comments were made, and on both nights the Assembly Hall held over 200 people It was huge success and everyone, even after all the rehearsals, were glad they had been involved It issomething I'llbe proud of doingforever The Boarder'sPlay is now a tradition of five years and I'm sure it will continueformany more. Itbrings out many goodpointsin people, and is a great way forthe boardersand Boarding Housestaff to worktogether.

Christina DickinsonYear 11.

MUG and the VCE

13 years at MLC

For every Year 12 student leaving MLC is a momentous occasion, but for an elite group it means a lot more. Eleven out of the 350 Year 12 students have both begun and finished their schooling at MLC For this group, leaving school means leaving a place in which over three quarters of their lives have been spent

Thirteen years ago these young girls entered MLC, unaware of the years to follow They were schooled under Mrs Dale's leadership for five years, then handed over to Mrs Dettman. These girls changed uniform in Grade 4, were the last year level to have Year 6 with the big girls in Senior School and the first to have computers. They also witnessed an abundance of structural changes - they saw the PEC move from the Chapel car park to where it is located now; the Wood building renovations; Junior School being dramatically changed; and the new Music School being built

This group saw out their childhood and adolescent years, which are among the most important years in anybody's life, within the safety of the MLC community MLC played a great part in their lives, providing them with the safety to explore, and the space to question and improve. From their beginnings as innocent young girls, they have been transformed into strong-minded, politically correct young women.

Some people in this elite group have recently reflected on Mr.Loader's decision to leave at the end of this year. We have concluded that without doubt, he was simply just too sad to see this fantastic group leave and could not imagine the school without them. I certainly know that we can't imagine life without MLC

Asha Holmes Year 12

THt Methods CAT

'You know, it says here that the Maths CAT should only take about twenty hoursand you've already done four timesthat," my mothertellsme, attemptingtobe helpful.

"ITS NOT MY FAULT ITS A STUPID CAT WHY DON'T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Conversations like this can only mean one thing - I'm the Victim of a Cruel Experiment The busy CAT time in May brought out the worst in us, as life disappeared beneath a pile of paper. Every day, someone was bursting into tears over lost work and lost sleep. Leaving school or dropping a subject which I knew I needed for my future aspirations suddenly seemed quite logical, as I struggled with hallucinations caused by sleep deprivation.

Rumoured breakdowns over CATs; comparisons over how many days since the last sleep; best methods for staying awake and how long it was since we last went out became favouritetopics of conversation. We were a depressing lot Then there was that homicidal feeling which appeared whenever a draft came back from the teacher covered in red pen, with "This really needs a bit more work" scrawled across it I wanted to kill, I wanted blood! Didn't they realise this meant another night with no sleep? Even worse, I wanted to murder those annoyingly organised people, the ones who had finished their third draft by the time I'd just got my first one back. Fabulous though, was the smug superior feeling when I realised that one girl in my class hadn't done anything with only three days to go No sympathy or consolation, just relief that I wasn't her. Ah, the CATs bring outthe best in us!

Anna Trahair Year 12

Trials of year 12

Reasons

Year 12 prompts bizarre conversations. Students begin desperately searching for reasons - why are they being put through this torture? This is one of the funnier discussions heard, recorded for posterity

"VCE is the government'sway ofcontrolling us."

"Why,sowe don't noticeall the alien conspiracies?"

"Wei, sometimes a UFO could landrightin frontof me and I wouldn't notice."

"I know! It's the coffeecompanies!What a wayto make money!"

"Don'tforget No-Doz!"

"Howcould I forget No-Doz?"

"Electricity companies I bet Kennett, when he sold the SEC, told the buyers that due to the VCE, there would be at least 14,000 lights onall night!"

"Ifs to counter over-population. More people commit suicide during the English CAT than at any othertime ofthe year."

"Paper companies! Don't forget tophotocopy thatCAT!"

"Ifs togive first year Unistudents jobs- as tutors."

"AllI wart to know is WHY?"

"Whynot?"

"Myboyfriendalwaysringswhen I'm about tostartworking."

"I dumped Ben the day my Specialist Maths CAT came out. I said I'dgive him a call when it wasdue."

"See, I told you VCE wastostopover-population"

"It just keeps goingonandon. Will this ever end?"

"Oneday, you'll lookbackandlaugh."

"No Iwont"

Gian Sampson-Wild Year 12

Ljear 12 txperiences...

Your entire thirteen years of school are all geared to one purpose: passing Year 12 It is in this year that you suddenly realise - maybe there is a point to school. There are many common experiences shared by Year 12here are just a few examples. Do any ofthem sound familiar?

-The local milk bar owner knows you by sight and orders an extra bcKofCacburys mikdxoolate bars a/eryweek,justforyou.

-You single-handedly supply enough waste paper to support yourcouncil's recycling program

-You twitch involuntarily at the words 'CAT, 'double spacing' and *word limit'

-The mere mention of 'Bike Track next to the Yarra River' (the subject of the Maths Methods CAT) causes something to implode violently inside yourbrain

-Yountendtoseta lynch mcb onthenextperson who cracksajoke aboutCATsand connectsitwith dogs Andthenthnks ifsfunny

-Really corny, dumb, unfunny jokes [except about CATs - Eds] tend to make you laugh hysterically. This behaviour surfaces mostlyondayswhenwrittenCATs are due

-Billy mincing around the swimming pool shirtless (Melrose Place) is the highlight ofyoursociallife NB: prolonged exposure to this may be harmful

-Saying, "Mum, Dad, I forgot to hand in my CAT' induces a moreviolent responsethat saying, 'Mum, Dad, I'm pregnant."

-Your parents have mortgaged the house to finance yourchocolate/caffeine addiction.

-You have been the target of many enthusiastic salespeople trying to offload their CATbusters, GATbusters, Exam Guides, etc on you All areridiculouslyexpensive but "well worth what you get - worked solutions, examples of essays...." You have been warned.

By Lil Cheong Year

12

junior School Activities

Qrade 6 Internationa! Luncheon.

Sarah McNicol Grade 6

On Wednesday 26 June 6S and 6J

had an international luncheon. We have recently done projects on a country, and had to dress up in the national dress and make some food from that country We all had a delicious lunch and no-one could say that they left hungry!

We all had a good look at each other's projects and everyone became involved - parents, teachers and students It was an exciting, creative and fun conclusion to our study of various countries

Quotes from the Preps:

"Why do we have to learn about allthese lettersand stuff?' -Victoria Appleton.

'"Is that God on the window?" - Heidi Speer at Chapel

"I like Prep because you can colour in. When you're big, you don't get to colour in." - Shamilla Galbally.

"Done! I like those Cs must better than theAs." - Annabel Warren

"She's the boss." - Nicole Blanks, pointing at Mrs Gray

Preps visit the Melbourne Zoo (22 March).

"I liked seeing the lions and hearing them roar." -Zoi Zapantis

"The butterfly house was beautiful because it had so many colourful butterflies." - Artemis lonnides

"We saw a polar bear, he looked really, really white!"- Andrea Bunn

Qrade 6 Scienceworks visit.

^ Tanya Mylvaganam and Penny Spicer Grade 6

On Tuesday 27 August 6S and 6J went to Scienceworks We had been studying Inventions and so we went to the machines area. We studied Inclined Planes, Wheels and Levers in detail, then looked at the general exhibits. We had a great time moving and experimenting with the weird and wacky inventions.

After lunch we had a go at Sportsworks There were many activities - wheelchair races, rowing and lots more. We had a very exciting day at Scienceworks We would like to thank the mothers for coming along and to say a very big thank you to the teachers, for organising the excursion.

Reflections of Qrade TVon Camps Week:

"Last weekthe4s,5s and6swent to camp It was great without rry sister On Monday we had a dayoff. OnTuesdaywe had special activities On Wednesday we had a teddy bears'pcnc."- RebeccaBrody,

"I Sked the big girlsbeing away Ilikedthe teddy bears' picnic and the food I liked the aerobics." - Siobhan Tremaine.

"I liked Camp Week I liked the food at the teddy bears' picnic and after that we went to see Mr Loader. The Preps and Grade 2s and us watched some of The Lion King." - Emily Bkyew.

Ec o c a r e

The introduction of the structure of an Executive Committee in 1996 - portfolios, meeting protocol, agendas, minutes and projects - was enough to make anyone think the Politics students were starting up a government at MLC However, this was not the case Rather, it was the beginning of the brand new Methodist Ladies' College environmental group, 'Ecocare.'

Ecocare was initiated by Mr Ian MacDonnell, a Senior Biology teacher new to MLC. In Term One he met with Year 12s who were on the Environmental Committee in 1995 , and the idea of an environmental group consisting of portfolios and an Executive Committee was discussed

In Term Two Mr MacDonnell introduced the idea in Assemblies. Girls interested in being on the Executive Committee then had to go through an application process.

Our inaugural meeting was held on on Thursday 25 July, where we met other members of the committee, discussed the organisation of the committee and began planning our first activities The Executive committee consists of Mel Micheletto (President), Sally Summers, Georgie Arnott, Kate Guest, Simone Lewis, Angela Harper, Nicole Kee, Suzi Young, Siana Einfield, Sonya Lewis, Mr MacDonnel, Ms Greenall, Mrs Ginsberg and Ms Parlanti Within the Committee therearefourportfolios.

Each member is in changeof oneof these MLC girls not on the committee can buy Ecocare badges or memberships Membership includes a badge, monthly newsletter (printed on recycled paper), to whichanyone can contribute, and priority for events and activities. All money raised by Ecocare goes directly into helping the environmenttowards the Ecocare-sponsored Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat, to buy materials for our projects and to pay for education and production costs

Our first campaign was a litter awareness program, presented in Assemblies by Committee members during Term Three Our first event was tree-planting at Banyule Reserve in Heidelberg on Sunday 1st September, 1996. This was very successful, even scoring a mention in the Age. We hope to see all budding environmental enthusiasts in the ML C c o m m u n it y getting involved in next year's activities

Sally Summers Year 12.

Members of the tcocare Qroup

M y C t Tutoring

MYLE isa joint program undertaken by MLC and the Hawthorn Community Centre, aimed at assisting primary school children who are disadvantaged at schoolbothacademically andsocially, due to cultural and language barriers Often these children are new migrantsto Australia, and their parents cant helpthemwith homework as they themselves are struggling with the English language. This can be a very difficult and frustrating experience forthese children, who endeavour to cope notonly academically, but culturally aswell.

The tutoring sessions, undertaken by Year 11 and 12 students from MLC, are beneficial for both the children and their tutors Eachchild receives personalattention, explanations ofAustralian expressions and celebrations, and verbal and written English practice MLC students gain satisfaction from encouraging growth and self-confidence in a young child, and the chance to come into contact with othercultures.

The student I am tutoring, Nufitriwita (Fitri for short) is currently in Grade 3 at Glenferrie Primary School. She migrated to Australia from Indonesia late in 1995 with her parents and younger sister Both she and her sister are gorgeous children, who are fascinated by many Australian customs and expressions. Fitri is obviously anxious to catch up, and makes the most of our tutoring sessions They have both picked up the language quite quickly, and are now concerned with understanding many social situations they find themselves in. Fitri's stories of playground politics often remind me of my primary school days, and things I thought I'd forgotten

Since I have begun visiting Fitri every week, I have become more aware of the problems of migrant integration in foreign countries. I've realised that ittakes a lot of courage to be able to leave a culture that you've been familiar with all your life, and have the determination to change to a new one Through this program, I have not only gained a young friend, but insight into a culture I might have never known.

Emily Chew Year 11

% I Ooa Bank

Itwasthat time of year again- the Red Cross Mobile BloodBank had arrived at MLC for the day As usual, horrific rumours were circulating:

"Theyput a needle like a straw into yourarm, dont they?' "Yes,andthen theytake outa whole litre ofblood!"

Despite such rumours, I was lining upalongwithabout 140 other staff and studentsto have 450 mLof my blood extracted (no, not with a straw-sized needle).

When I walked into Betty Jackson Hall, it had been transformed into a busy donation centre Portable booths, couches and medical equipment were set up. Nurses in blue gowns walked around tending girts on couches. The atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed A radio played softly, and people read or chattedasbloodflowedfrom theirarms

After filling out questionnaires about my health, my blood pressure was taken. A haemoglobin test revealed that I was not anaemic, and fit to donate Then I was taken over to a banana-lounge type couch A nurse inserted a needle into a vein, andbefore I realised what was happening, my bloodbegan flowing down a tube into a bag.

Nurses kept asking me if I was okay. I assured them I was fine, and wondered why there was such concern Then I noticed some activity on the other side of the room A girt lay limply on a couch, while somebody fanned her and put a cloth on her forehead.

"You seemtohave lostsomeone overthere," I said toa nurse. "Oh, yes," she repliedcasually. People faint all the time." However, this was my third donation and I had no intention of fainting I suffered no ill effects from the process, which lasted about 40 minutes.

While this may sound a little gruesome, I dont want you putoff from donating blood If you're over sixteen, you can donate the next time the Mobile Blood Bank comes around There are also two city Blood Banks. And by the way, if you get through the donation,the Red Cross supplies biscuitsand Chuppa Chups to help yourecuperate

Kathryn James Year 12

Music for People

It is not often that music students have the chance to play for an audience that is consistently patient, understanding, appreciative, and more than willing to overlook minor (even major) slips during performances. Indeed, many budding musicians often find it hard to persuade parents, even the family pet, to sit quietly and appreciate the product of the many hours of practice required in perfecting a musical piece Others may be blessed with an attentive home audience, but (like me) may lack in performing confidence and therefore continually avoid public performances for fear of something going wrong. For one group of MLC students, however, the opportunity to play new pieces, run through exam programmes, or just have a good old sing along with the School Hymn Book, has been offered by residents of the Eva Tilley and Carnsworth Garupna Nursing Homes.

Arriving early on our first visit, we were delighted to see residents happily making their way by walking stick or wheelchair to the designated performance area

When I first approached the Nursing Homes with the idea of giving some short musical concerts, I was amazed at the response Staff were anxious for students to visit, and went to no end of trouble preparing suitable performing areas and advertising our concerts to the residents. Our humble programme was well received and we were even requested to perform an encore Having exhausted our collective repertoire, we decided to put our ^ A X Assembly vocal

5 4. ft > f » training to good use. As we attempted to look somewhat angelic, Shine, Jesus, Shine was sung with great volume and fervour We hopethe Nirsng Home residents continue to enjoy our music, and that the concerts continu e to be beneficial to students and residents alike

Thankyou to all students involved: Belinda Glass, Steph and Lizzie White, Adelaide Worcester, Denise Ho, Jemy So, Jaimie Shuen and Georgina Way.

Sarah

Norman Year 12.

Quote s teachers caught out

Ms Temby: Have you noticed how the missing men are always absent?

® Mrs Jarrett: You can put cold

cream on your face or anywhere

else that needs lubrication.

Mr Kennedy: If you haven't got your socks on you can't pull them up

Mr Koch : (refernngtoa norma l distribution) 12year-old girls and 17year-old girls will have different curves..