Empire Times 47.2

VOLUME 47

EMPIRE TIMES ISSUE TWO

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GROWTH

Empire Times would like to acknowledge the Kaurna people, who are the traditional custodians of the land Flinders University is situated on, and that their land was stolen and never ceded. We would like to pay our respects to the elders of the Kaurna nation and extend the respect to other Aboriginal peoples past, present, and future.

Editors

Cover Art

Amy Bennett Bec Manser Carmen Giffen

Lawson Dodd // 'Bloom' 1

Visual Artists Sub-Editors Amy Lowe Brie Dark Celeste Northcott Elissa Unferdorben Joshua Collison Melanie Ross Rachael Stapleton Tabby Knight

Writers Advena Page Amy Bennett Amy Lowe Brie Dark Connor Phelan Evangelia Karageorgos Hollie Gardner Janelle Chaptini Kieran Thornton Liz Waldron Maddie Hand Madeline Percey Monique Hausser Nick Prescott Phoebe Sydney-Jones Sheridan Phillips Taygan Beaton Tony Saad

Bec Manser // 3, 18-20, 28-29, 33 Brie Dark // 12-13 Carmen Giffen // 23-25 44, 48-49 Kendrea Rhodes // 'Renmant Regrowth' 21, 38-39 Rebecca Stevenson // 30-32 Sheydin Dew // 'Foilage' 26-27

Masthead & Logo Bec Manser

Photography Amy Bennett // 50 Janelle Chaptini // 23-25 Kendrea Rhodes // 8, 10-11 Unsplash // 14, 22, 36-37

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Empire Times is a publication of Flinders University Student Association (FUSA). The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the editors, Flinders University, or FUSA. Reasonable care is taken to ensure that Empire Times articles and other information are up-to-date and as accurate as possible as of the time of publication.

No responsibility can be taken by Empire Times for any errors or omissions contained herein.

Special Thanks Caleb Osborne Jess Nicole Hollie Gardner

Printers Newstyle Print

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President’s Address 6 // Your Student President's humble beginnings

Bushfire Recovery 8-11 // Where do we go from here?

An Idiot's Guide to Green Thumbs 12-13 // Please, stop dying...

Reef Regrowth 14-15 // New hope for coral reef recovery

Humans of Flinders 16-17 // Hear from other voices on campus

Reclaimed by Nature 18-20 // Regrowth overtaking civilisation

Peter Pan Leaves New Orleans 22 // A poem

Chasing Moments of Happiness 23-25 // How travel can change a person

My Sister’s Funeral 28-29 // A story of how healing grows from grief

Embers of the Oak Tree 30-32 // A short story

We're Going on an Adscenture!

33 // Life after anosmia

Pets of Flinders 34-35 // Pokévolution edition

Gap Years: Are They Worth It? 36-37 // Was your decision right for you?

To Boldly Go...

38-39 // ...and get there eventually

Political Correspondence 40-41 // Q&A with uni political clubs

Princess Mononoke 42-43 // Battle between man & nature

Untitled 44 // A(nother) poem

My Experience Joining a Uni Club 45 // How it enriched my student life

Student Council Profiles 46-47 // Questions for SC officers

Puzzles & Activities 48-49 // A comic and things to do

The Cook Nook 50 // Asian cabbage soup recipe

sking yourself how you’ve grown in recent years can be challenging: while we’ve changed, learnt new things, and met new people, we’re still young. We’re continuously developing and don’t yet have the opportunity to… not change.

Since the start of our first year of university alone, all three of us have changed—mostly in subtle ways, like confidence in ourselves, our work, and our strange hobbies. But also in living independently and being brave (and potentially stupid) enough to run an entire student publication or to sit at a stall while hundreds of people milled about for three days. O’Week was a great experience and we got to meet so many people—students who didn’t know the magazine, who have worked with us but we’ve never actually met, or who were keen to get involved. It’s exciting putting an obscure email name to a face, or seeing a familiar name appear in our inbox. We’ve been able to get to know so many people in different stages of their creative journey, and it’s been so wonderful having others be a part of ours.

Empire Times is an ever-growing, ever-changing, and yet ever-stable being. It remains here on campus when the students who worked on it have to leave, but yet it still manages to change. Just like how we—those who contribute to it and read it, and those who make it theirs for a year—change.

Empire Times Editors, 2020

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During my time as Education Officer, everyone on Student Council tried their best to ensure that FUSA had an active voice during the academic restructure process. We also introduced Academic Associations to foster greater student representation across the university. The student movement won’t always have wins, but the more that we can bring a diverse range of students into a movement, acknowledging that we all want to make the absolute most out of our time at university, the more we will have wins in the future.

H

ello again! My name is Josh and I am your SC Student President! The theme for this edition is ‘Growth’, so I thought I’d share with you my reflections on my time being involved in FUSA, and how I’ve seen your Student Association grow in that time. The picture above is baby-faced me running in my first election for Student Council, and when compared to more recent photos you can see just how quickly we can age in student politics!

In October 2017, I ran for the position of Education Officer as I wanted to see FUSA play a more dominant role in advocating for student rights. Flinders University had begun its restructure process, and I wanted to see FUSA play a bigger part in holding the University to account, ensuring that our interests were at the forefront of everything they did. Until tertiary education becomes free again, universities across the country will always have corporate interests that will often clash with what’s in the best interests of staff and students at their university. We shouldn’t hide away from that reality, and instead FUSA should be a fighting force in bridging the gap between students and university management.

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Over the past 12 months serving as both General Secretary and now as Student President, I’ve really tried to work with Student Council to expand our reach across the university, making sure students know of the services and support we provide, as well as the advocacy power we have. A highlight of mine has been the recent revitalising of our Collectives to ensure that autonomous communities across our campuses can link up, skill share, and engage directly with Student Council to achieve campaign and initiative outcomes that they themselves want to see.

FUSA has grown steadily over the past four-to-six years. Although we’ve faced consistent attacks from the Coalition Government in the form of funding cuts, FUSA has stood strong alongside the entire Flinders University community to campaign against these. I’ve been so privileged to have served alongside so many talented students from all corners of campus and have seen tremendous growth in all of those around me. I think we can reflect positively on the development that our Student Association has made since its inception less than 10 years ago, but boy oh boy gee whiz wowee have we got some growing to go, and I can’t wait to see where our future student representatives take it!

~ words by Josh Rayner Bachelor of Public Administration

~ photography by Kendrea Rhodes Bachelor of Letters (Creative Writing)

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don’t read about the bushfires anymore.

Vicarious trauma (or compassion fatigue) is a complicated beast. There’s a constant background of new information relating to this monstrosity scouring the land, yet my ability to process this information ebbs and flows.

Vicarious trauma is best described as a trap, where the empathiser is suspended by a cord that is being slowly burned by the heat of a candle. People who empathically engage with trauma survivors, or traumatic material, move the candle closer to their cord, slowly unravelling the string that suspends them and separates them from becoming traumatised themselves. This usually occurs in people who are exposed to trauma in their profession: mental health workers, law enforcement, emergency services, and even social support services. Yet, with incessant media updates that draw you in and urge you to help, anybody who cares enough to stay updated is at risk.

~ The effects of the bushfires have been so broad that they stretch into factors we weren’t prepared for. The frequency and intensity of bushfires are increased by hotter, drier, and windier climates. Australia has been averaging 1°C hotter per year since 1910. The difference in temperatures of the east and west Indian Ocean is at its largest in 60 years, causing the eastern half (that’s us) to receive less rain, contributing to drought conditions. Editor-in-chief

of Business Insider news division, Jim Edwards, states that as the fires get bigger, they can ‘generate their own weather’, generating lighting storms that increase the risk of further fires.

Reports on the bushfires emphasise that their scope is unprecedented, but that does not mean it was unanticipated. In the 1970s, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) already had researchers across multiple disciplines compiling data depicting the risks of climate change, with the first paper linking climate change to worsening bushfires emerging in the 1980s. The Prime Minister at the time, Bob Hawke, first spoke of reducing climate emissions in the 1990s, aiming a 20% cut in emissions by 2005. The National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, founded in 2008, was our only dedicated climate change adaptation program—and had its budget reduced to less than 20% in 2014, losing federal funding in 2018. In 2014, the CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology warned that extreme fire weather has increased since the 1970s, and that a further increase in the duration of fire season, extreme fire-weather days, and drought frequency and severity were to be expected. We knew this was coming.

Yet here we all are, asking, “How do we fix this?”.

We were bafflingly unprepared for an event that we were warned about decades ago. Although preventive efforts might be desirable in hindsight, we are now a nation in crisis management mode.

We need to pick up the pieces and work towards preparing for our next environmental catastrophe.

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Ecological Recovery

Images were taken at the Lobethal Bushland Park in the wake of the recent bushfires

The bushfires may be a symptom of the damage we’ve done to our environment, but the destruction that a fire disaster wreaks is particularly fierce. Our immediate environmental needs are focused on salvage and recovery, where possible.

backburning practises is near impossible to test due to restrictions on what First Nations communities are allowed to do with their land.

Despite validation as a possibility by some fire experts, it’s unreasonable to expect cultural land management from communities who are not

However, most recovery will depend upon slow political processes. Breeding programs and increasing protective measures for native wildlife are a good first step, but the need to prevent the over-growth of non-native plants and stop the further destruction of native plants is equally important. The Australian environment was already under constant threat from introduced predators, and with native populations severely damaged by the fires, we can’t afford to be reckless with land clearing. It’s no longer enough to plant two trees for every one uprooted, or to pretend that mining companies will adhere to regulations about repairing the land where they mine and the damage done; we need development models which are evidence-based, future-focused, and environmentally friendly.

There has also been significant debate about what preventive methods should be put in place to protect our environment in the future. Our first step should be to make dramatic changes in our cultural understanding of climate change; the research into ways to address disasters like this are constantly being progressively de-funded and buried. As people pursuing tertiary education, we should all already share the belief that there are genuine experts in the world who spend their lives discovering new things and changing their minds in discussion with other experts. To that end, we need to prepare to do more cross-disciplinary work in our studies—not just in academia, but outside of it.

We need to practice being more relatable and less intimidating; we need to learn how to make people listen to us when they think they shouldn’t have to.

Fire experts are engaged in national debates about the preventive efficacy of fire control methods traditionally used by First Nations communities.

However, this hypothetical about using indigienous

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paid to do so, are legally restricted from doing so, and have a lack of resources to manage every vulnerable region. Just as volunteer firefighters should be paid a living wage over their extended period of crisis management, so too should fire prevention consultation and action be seen as an urgent, valuable, and therefore paid initiative.

Community Recovery

For years now, the political approach to urban crowding has been to argue that people should move out of the city to rural areas where the rent is cheaper. Yet, where can we go now that the infrastructure in those areas is destroyed and the people have left? As more areas are being labelled “high risk”, do we expect people to move back there when they have no fire-resistant house to protect them, and no funds to build one? If they do move back, they must face the questions of how to live an adequate life—not healthy, merely acceptable.

a month of hearing about the constant danger and damage and pain occurring to your loved ones, the fear becomes a background character in your life, and you become desensitised. The best way to manage those feelings is to take a break, recharge, and then find something specific that you can do to make a change. Go out and protest for positive political action, donate what you can to bushfire recovery funds, or volunteer your time however you can. When you feel yourself getting sucked into the frustration of confronting our reality, try not to let the frustration turn into despair. Frustration is a resource like any other, and can be turned into a focused determination to do something, to make some difference.

So, I don’t read about the bushfires anymore, except when I am motivated by a furious compassion to drive urgent and immediate change. Because knowledge—of where we are now, how we got here, and how to continue—is a powerful tool, but you can’t use it if you are so mired in compassion fatigue that you begin to disengage. We all have different skills and capacities to offer. Use your resources wisely.

If you want to make a change, visit: Charity Navigator https://www.charitynavigator.org/index. cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=7695

Crisis App https://crisis.app/#/

Conservation Volunteers Australia South Australia is attempting to address the rebuilding of local economies with the hashtag #bookthemout on social media, arguing that this will rejuvenate cash flow in areas like Kangaroo Island and help the locals to pay for their own recovery efforts. But what can we do to rebuild ourselves individually?

It’s debilitating to face something so vast and terrifying and immediate as a bushfire that traps and contains your family and friends. Worse, after

https://conservationvolunteers.com. au/news/2020/01/how-you-cansupport-bushfire-recovery/

Volunteer Fire Fighters Association https://volunteerfirefighters.org.au/welfarerelief-fund-for-volunteer-rural-firefighters

~ words by Liz Waldron Bachelor of Behavioural Sciences & Bachelor of Arts

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I

f you’re reading this, there is a probable chance that you have a high body count regarding gardening. You probably think that being able to keep plants alive requires a deal with the Devil, and in some ways, I agree.

Plants are living and, like us, have basic needs.

Obviously, when it comes to plant care, it’s a little different to our own; we wouldn’t feed a succulent a cheeseburger, would we? Let me share with you a couple tips on how to keep your plants from looking like Yzma’s unfortunate lab flower from The Emperor’s New Groove.

Here are some crucial areas of plant care: watering, lighting, repotting, humidity, cleaning, and fertilising. It’s important to be aware of

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your plants exact preferences, as, just like people, their needs are all different. If you’re a beginner, I would highly recommend taking your first step with small potted houseplants.

By doing this, not only is it easier for you to attend to all its needs but you’re also less likely to forget about it if it’s sitting on your window sill. As for a first plant, a succulent or cactus are a great idea as they are low maintenance.

My first plant was a succulent (named Mark…

Succerberg), who is still with me today.

~ Lets start with the most important plant requirements: sunlight and water. These two

factors work in a “give-and-take” relationship. In summer, as it’s hotter and there tends to be more light, some plants may need more water. The opposite goes for plants in less sunlight, lest you risk subjecting your leafy-green friend to root rot.

Here are a couple tips for a plant that’s potted: is it wilting because of lack of sun? Acclimatise it to a sunnier patch. Is it shrivelling up because of too much sun? Stick that pot in a shadier spot.

Generally, most plants enjoy filtered sunlight and weekly watering. To gauge if your plant needs more watering, you can check if it’s wilting, feel the soil for moisture, lift the pot to check its weight, or you can insert a moisture reader. There are also humidity readers if your plant is high maintenance.

If you notice your plant is reaching for sunlight, you could either relocate it into a brighter location or spin it around to face it in the opposite direction so that it does not grow on an angle.

investigate what sort of grooming your plants prefer, look up how you should prune your plants before you start giving them a haircut.

Another common issue with potted plants is rot. Root rot is the situation in which the roots of your plant sits in a build-up of moisture. The easiest way to avoid this happening is through choosing a pot with a drainage hole for the water to escape. If you’re unable to provide a drainage hole for your plant, filling the bottom of your pot with pebbles can also suffice. Targeted towards forgetful plant owners are also self-watering pots, which slowly releases the water into the soil.

~ And with that, I wish you luck. May your home be the jungle you’ve always wanted.

~ When potting a plant it’s important to consider their roots. A plant can’t grow in a pot too small for its roots, so be prepared to repot your plants into larger pots as they grow. It is important to also research which soil is best suited for your leafy friend as some are quite particular about what they sit in. This also goes for fertilising.

Fertilising provides your flora with the essential nutrients that help them grow (like tasty food).

On the topic of research, it is also a good idea to

~ words & art by Brie Dark Bachelor of Media & Communications

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Those in the know have been saying for years that coral reefs across the world are under severe threat due to the effects of climate change. Our Great Barrier Reef is no different. You’ve probably heard a little about it at school, or while listening to the dry magnificence of David Attenborough on Netflix. I don’t know about you, but sometimes it feels less like raising awareness, and a little more like fear-mongering. It’s important to know the realities of the situation, so here is a short explanation of what coral is and the danger they’re in. More importantly, it’s also about what people are doing to fix it, and what you can do to help.

Corals are invertebrates that live in colonies that can last for generations. They attach themselves to something like a rock, grow, produce more coral, die, and continue to produce new coral on top of the old . Corals form symbiotic relationships with algae, a kind of invertebrate that can photosynthesise. By renting out their structures, the corals provide the algae with protection, and, in return, the algae provides the coral with extra nutrients. They use this to produce their supportive ‘skeletons’, and it’s the algae we see when we observe their brilliant colours.

Corals tend to grow in warm, shallow areas of the sea, usually close to coastlines, where the algae can get plenty of light and warmth to photosynthesise.

Unfortunately, the burning of fossil fuels produce gasses which react with atmospheric water to produce harmful acid. The acids fall with rain back down to the earth, landing in the oceans and causing them to become more acidic over time. This increased acidity weakens the coral’s skeletons. Usually, coral reefs absorb a great deal of force from powerful oceanic waves, reducing the impact of these waves against the shoreline, but with weakened skeletons, these waves can obliterate reef structures. Since some coral can grow as slowly as a millimetre per year, prolonged damage can be irreparable, and fatal.

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Global warming has had an even more damaging effect on coral reef environments. The algae living with the coral are sensitive to heat, and when it becomes too hot (only a few degrees above normal), they can die . Sometimes, without the algae supplying them with nutrients, this can starve the coral, killing them, too. Between 2015 and 2016, Australia experienced a summer so hot that 67% of coral died in the northern region of the Great Barrier Reef. As global warming continues to raise the temperature of the oceans, the damage to coral reefs on a worldwide scale will likely be catastrophic.

There is hope for the coral reefs, though.

People from around the world are constantly

efforts. By collecting the sexual spores of coral species, they have been able to produce and grow them in a controlled environment. This process is more time-consuming and costly than microfragmentating, but it generates greater genetic diversity in the coral it produces.

The higher the level of genetic diversity in a population, the greater chance it has of surviving.

Finally, Australian designer, Alex Goad, has developed the Modular Artificial Reef Structure (MARS) using 3D printing technology. MARS is attached to underwater structures, functioning as a framework for colonising corals. Once colonised, MARS’s intricate structure makes it an immediately viable habitat for reef-dwelling animals. Using MARS, one could theoretically build an entire reef, piece by piece. working to find ways to combat coral decline, and their effots are making progress.

The Reef Restoration Foundation are one group working to restore the Great Barrier Reef by a process called fragmentation. A “mother” coral is broken into smaller fragments which are grown on support frames near the reef. When these fragments are large and healthy enough, they can be replaced or fragmented again to repeat the cycle.

Dr. David Vaughan, working in the Florida Reef Tract, has developed a similar method called microfragmentation, focussing on the regrowth of massive, slow-growing corals.

By cutting these corals into individual polyps and growing them in ideal conditions, these corals are growing 10 times faster than normal.

They are then attached to the reef, near each other, to grow and reconnect, achieving mass amounts of growth in less than a year.

Dr. Anastasia Banaszak and the University of Mexico are experimenting with the sexual reproduction of corals to promote restoration

We can’t all devote our lives to restoring coral reefs, but we can do our part to support them.

Firstly, by being mindful of our own contribution to burning fossil fuels and climate change.

Secondly, if possible, by donating to causes like the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and the Reef Refstoration Foundation. Every donation, no matter the size, helps further their efforts.

Finally, and most importantly, by taking part in reef tourism. It’s crucial for acquiring ongoing funding for research, and you will see firsthand what remarkable places coral reefs truly are.

If you want to donate, visit: Reef Restoration Foundation https://reefrestorationfoundation. org/pages/crusader

Great Barrier Reef Foundation https://www.barrierreef.org/ donate/make-a-donation/

~ words by Kieran Thornton

Bachelor of Science & Bachelor of Middle & Secondary Education

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Ten years ago, I was eleven and had a special interest in science. I always had wild and fantastical dreams of creating some kind of miniature self-sustained biosphere, and I vividly remember creating a plasticine sculpture of a snake’s skeleton (with all the internal squishy bits included). Despite this, I don’t think I ever considered university or any other type of tertiary education. I honestly thought I’d just wind up in a lab working with genetics or animals straight out of high school. Having done a biology class at Flinders… I was massively underestimating how much it took to become a biologist.

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I

was just starting high school ten years ago and I did not imagine my life would be the way it is now. I had imagined my life to be in my hometown of Victor Harbor, working in a small café, living a simple life. My life has not turned out that way.

I’m now in my third year at uni, wanting to go on to do honours next year, and living in Adelaide with the love of my life. I want a career and I have bigger dreams for my life than I did ten years ago.

Ten years ago I imagined that the focus of my work would be slightly different, but I am delighted with the way it has turned out. I wouldn’t have imagined that I would be able to spend so much time working with wonderfully talented Creative Arts students, or that I would be the coordinator of the BCA. I imagined that I would have fewer grey hairs in my beard, that more of the dishes would be done, and that I’d have a more extensive record collection. I’m working on the last two issues, but I’ve had to come to terms with the grey hairs.

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Ruins of Valle Dei Mulini

There is something intriguing about reclaimed places. The mere idea that a place that held an entire civilisation could become empty is as fascinating as it is unnerving. It’s a common desire to walk among crumbling ruins and imagine what they were like before trees grew in the streets or vines stretched over the walls.

Nature has taken the place of human life in these six places from around the world.

The Ruins of Valle Dei Mulini, Italy

Known as the Valley of the Mills in English, this place is named for the abandoned flour mills that dot the valley. The earliest ruins date back to 10AD, and at one point there were around 25 working mills in the valley. As the town of Sorrento began to expand during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, industry slowly encroached upon the city. The mills were abandoned, and the valley that once supplied the region with flour fell to ruin. Today the buildings are overrun with thick, green vegetation and the valley resembles a mysterious faerie hideout.

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Pripyat, Ukraine

Perhaps one of the most famous reclaimed sites, the city of Pripyat was left devastated after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant’s reactor No. 4 exploded in 1986. The blast released dangerous amounts of radioactive chemicals into the air that contaminated the surrounding lands. Toxic fumes were carried on the air over Ukraine and across Europe. Pripyat was the closest city to the Nuclear explosion and all 49,000 citizens were forced to evacuate soon after the disaster. Today, the city is nothing more than a moment frozen in time and is a perfect snapshot of what life was like in the Soviet Union of 1986; communist propaganda posters still hang on the walls and toys are strewn across the floor as though the children who played with them only just left. But in the absence of humanity, the forests have reclaimed the city streets and animal life has returned to the area, despite the high levels of radiation.

The Floating Forest, Australia

The SS Ayrfield was a former collier (coal-carrying ship) that travelled between Newcastle and Sydney and was repurposed to deliver supplies to US troops serving in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. It was returned to Homebush Bay to be dismantled in 1972. However, operations ceased in the bay and the SS Ayrfield (along with many other ships used in WWII) were left to nature’s mercy. Today, the ship only carries a forest of fully-grown mangrove trees and the amazement of those who see it.

The Floati

ng Forest

Wittenoom, Australia

Sometimes known as “Australia’s Chernobyl”, the small country town of Wittenoom was once a thriving mining community, built to support the blue asbestos industry in the 1950s and 1960s.

The town was the largest in the Pilbara region and the only Australian mine that dealt with asbestos.

However, it was shut down in 1966 following rising concern for the health risks of asbestos mining.

Since the town’s abandonment, the long exposure to dangerous levels of asbestos has resulted in the deaths of an estimated 2,000 former residents from diseases linked to asbestos, including cancer and mesothelioma. Today, Wittenoom has been erased from all official maps and road signs and is regarded as the most contaminated asbestos site in the Southern Hemisphere. Anyone who visits Wittenoom now will be greeted with fields of tall spinifex grass and rusted sheds the colour of the earth they were built on.

Stari Bar, Montenegro

This small town in the southeast of Montenegro has had a history of bad luck. Since its settlement, it has been captured and occupied by Serbia, Venetia, Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire.

In 1877, Montenegro finally reclaimed the town from the Turks after the locals cut off the town’s water supply. However, a century later the town was struck by a major earthquake, and its aqueduct—the same one that was bombed to drive out the Turks—was destroyed once again. Today it is the perfect scene for a Shakespeare play, with crumbling cobblestone walls covered in lush greenery and tall shrubbery filling the vacant houses.

Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse, Denmark

The Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse was built to aid ship navigation in 1900. In the 1910s trees and bushes were planted around the building to help combat the drifting sand dunes. However, despite more attempts to fend off the rising sands during the 1950s, the lighthouse was eventually buried by the dunes. Any further attempts to salvage the lighthouse were abandoned as new navigation technology became readily available. The Vendsyssel Historical Museum was built nearby in the 1980s as a dedication to the lighthouse’s history, but it too was no match for the relentless sand dunes and was closed in 1992. Today, history seekers can travel to the museum’s new location a few kilometres away from the original site to learn about the natural and cultural history of the lighthouse and its battle with mother nature.

While these wonders often rise from tragedy, they prove that life will always return, no matter how grim the circumstance may be.

~ words by Hollie Gardner o

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Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)

~ art by Bec Manser Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)

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I don’t think I’d want to be Peter Pan. I think the idea of being fixed is terrifying.

Knowing that I used to be different, that is slightly less terrifying to me.

To be changing, I don’t have to be stuck as the person I was.

I’m not ashamed of who I was, but I’m not upset that I’m not quite the same anymore.

It seems like such a sad fate to be as you were.

In order for that, every day and every thing would have to be the same: no variety, or spontaneity.

Imagine not being able to notice anything new.

and the day before that.

I’m okay with who I’ve become and the person I’m becoming.

Just like a flower is beautiful fully bloomed, a pressed and dried-up flower still is beautiful.

Different is not ugly— change is not bad, because everything grows.

If not, how would we know we are alive?

Every new place and new person is foreign and unknown at first, but enough time passes and you find yourself intertwined— linked to a place— that you used to not know.

As I sit writing this in New Orleans— a city that had to grow after so much destruction— and seeing so much life and happiness here, it has to be clear: growth is a good thing.

And I can’t help but think that even being here a short while, I am different to when I first stepped foot.

I don’t want to start growing up and then become Peter Pan, stuck in one age, one mindset, one moment forever.

I want to grow up, be able to grow up.

It makes me hopeful that I will be different ~ words by Phoebe Sydney-Jones tomorrow Bachelor of Creative Arts than I was today, (Creative Writing)

I

t was a nurse that inspired my trip to Bali when they said, ‘The next time you find yourself spiralling down, remember where you could be and get there’. I booked my solo ticket to Bali the next day despite many unknowns and fear from family. I was fed up with existing on the boundary. I had become unhappy with where I was and I needed a change.

The people at the homestay and village have to work hard. They don’t have much. They don’t get days off or paid. It is normal for them. The stories I’ve heard have been full of death, pain, and suffering. Yet they don't complain either.

Their nights are dark, yet they still wake up and smile. They would rather live simply and happily.

In the airport, I was overwhelmed with fear.

Handing my ticket over to the airhostess made me realise there was no turning back now. I was alone with no idea what the next month had in store. I didn’t know that I was just moments away from a life-changing adventure and a world well beyond my imagination.

I came to teach them English, but they taught me more than any textbook or university ever could.

The essence of love, respect, and community acceptance. They made me laugh more than I have laughed in a whole lifetime. They reminded me of how life could be—should be. I thought to be happy I needed more, but now I think I need less. We don’t get better achieving, sitting, waiting, or complaining. Making good little things happen fills the world and you with hope.

~ The first thing that I did in Bali was spend Christmas at an orphanage. When we arrived, every child reached out their hand to welcome me. They hardly have the basic things that we take for granted, yet they have everything they need to smile, laugh, and dance.

I really struggled to understand and adapt to this way of life. I kept thinking: how can we have everything we need, yet still be sad? These people have nothing, yet they’re happy. Maybe all our suffering is self-inflicted from wanting

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and expecting too much. It was something that will stay with me, and after being here, my life could never just go back to normal.

What I will remember is when the owner, Neville, was showing me their shared beds and waterless kitchen and said, ‘And you know what: they never ever complain’.

~ Hiking up the volcano in Bali, my foot started hurting. With each step, I would slide back. I wanted to give up so many times. There were people overtaking me, and I was constantly on the verge of crying. Through hiking, I met this fear and anxiety with love and kindness. I did what I could to manage the pain and put one foot in front of the other.

I made it to the top just in time to see the last sunrise of the decade: a perfect time to reflect.

I found beauty in the challenge, and don’t think I would have appreciated it as much without it testing and break me down first. Just like with life.

I felt a mixture of emotions. I was sad, angry, happy, proud. I was so exhausted, but I felt more alive than I had in a long time. Before I even made it to that volcano—or to Bali, for that matter—there was a big chance that I wasn’t going to get there at all. A few days after booking my flights, I sprained my ankle. I remember making a promise to myself while I sat in my hospital bed, staring at my moon boot, that I would do everything to get myself healthy and hike up that volcano. It would’ve been easier to give up. To complain and use this as another excuse, but I didn’t. If I had given up, I wouldn’t have known what that felt like—wouldn’t have known the bliss just on the other side of the pain. While I was walking up, I remembered back to the quote from the orphanage. ‘They never complain’. I had to move, even if it hurt. I found the strength within myself and believed

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that I could do this. I was slower than others, but I made it and that was all that mattered.

The beautiful silence as the sun rose around me allowed me to experience one of the few moments in my life where I felt part of something such larger. I felt love and pride that, despite having a really difficult year, I was still standing (or limping, rather) knowing that the world had not defeated me yet. If anything, it had made be stronger.

~ I had to be strong when I was travelling alone.

Many things went wrong, but I couldn’t hand-ball the situation over to someone else. By facing all the challenges head-on, I was able to emerge on the other side stronger, better, and more capable.

Where I thought there was no opportunity, the opportunity opened up. This strength from not complaining and persevering allowed me to move through and past my problems. I took responsibility and looked for opportunities.

~ In Bali I went parasailing, despite being so afraid of heights. I didn’t know what to expect; I was scared and asking lots of questions to the tour guide who couldn’t speak English—which only added to my fear. They strapped me up to the back of the boat and it was too late for me to escape.

Once I was up, however, it was bliss. I realised that the extreme vulnerability of just doing it is what freed me from the fear. It was electrifying.

~ Prior to Bali I didn’t think that my life was going to change as much as it did. I’d always had reasons to stay in bed and feel sorry for myself, reasons to complain that my life was not going the way I wanted. I began wallowing in misery and becoming too familiar with sadness. I had to hold onto something and believe that it was

worth fighting for despite all the trauma and roadblocks I’d faced in 2019. I look in the mirror now and I don’t see the girl I once saw. Every person I met, the clues I found, the signs, the coincidences, and the adventures that led me to self-discovery all changed some part of me and how I see the world. I don’t value the same things anymore, and I’ve grown to appreciate new things.

I’ve laughed more, noticed more, loved more, hurt more. There are so many reasons to smile in this colourful world, just as there are to cry.

From everything said here, I want it to be remembered that, when you think your life is a trainwreck and that there’s nothing left to do, there’s always opportunities out there, you just have to hold on to them and don’t let go.

~ words & photography by Janelle Chaptini Bachelor of Law (Honours)

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The morning of my sister’s funeral I was seated in my father’s house, blindly staring at bouquets of flowers overflowing from the mantle onto the floor. As the vibrant greens and yellows of the array registered, it occurred to me that none of the floral offerings of support were for me. It was time, I decided, to reach out to my friends.

As an expat recently returned home, this process saw me sit at a laptop to type a message to my best friend in Canada. Knowing her mothering nature well, I asked if she would be so kind as to inform the others of my current tragedy. The responses were quick and many and I am grateful for how lucky I am.

Before that day (the one I presume will always be the worst of my life), I often felt inconvenienced by parties or group engagements. As a result, I was tardy and suffered through what I considered to be social obligation. When entering a bar to meet someone I had most likely put off seeing for weeks, I would already be planning my escape. I had issues in crowds, and especially with strangers. My anxiety was mostly conceptual, but also presented itself physically: my thoughts overactive, my palms sweaty and wringing themselves under the table. I would stutter over my words or not have anything

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interesting to say. I figured the world was arbitrary, and I did not feel safe in it.

At the funeral I felt like I had just been released from a position that caused pins and needles to encompass my body; as the blood flows back, it’s excruciating to move, but you know you must. I was lost with what to do, pacing aimlessly, not able to make sense of anything in my head. My train of thought was halted at the station. I was like a Sims character walking into a wall over and over.

As mourners arrived early, a beautiful friend of mine of more than twenty years stepped out of the crowd and I flew to her. I remember grabbing her hand and asking ‘please help me’. Because what is there to do on a day like that?

My memories are nightmarish, not because it wasn’t a glorious celebration of a young life, but because people from all stages of my past— babysitters, primary school teachers, childhood playmates, etc—were mingled together with my sister’s high school friends, humming, softly murmuring, weeping in the background, their sadness tinted by my sunglasses.

People offered me food and talked about things we used to do together, and all this time I couldn’t

reach outside of my brain, couldn’t grasp a single thought and send it successfully to my mouth. I couldn’t punch through the cotton stapled to the inside of my head like a soundproof recording studio. I was harrowed in a dreamlike, terrifying state. The grandiosity of my hours-long panic attack minimised any social anxiety I had felt before.

For days, weeks, months afterwards I was trapped in the glass box of grief. The shock was like a cage, an alternate reality. It was as alienating as it was bonding with the people who were also in pain.

Some friends could see my box, but couldn’t get in.

They bowed their heads as I explained—they had no words. Grief trapped me in an existence from which I could only watch this crazy world continue.

It was from this place of isolation I realised the small stuff—spilled milk they call it—isn’t worth complaining about. From a point of anger inside my box I wanted to shake any complainers by the shoulders and say: life is bigger than that! While bargaining, I considered, I will execute menial tasks if someone, anyone, will acknowledge that everyday tasks are menial. Later, from the depths of depression, I figured everyone’s world is as big or small as they want it to be. From these stages

of grief, my new perspective was born. From the adversity came growth and acceptance. With the upheaval of everything I took for granted came an attitude change that I have cherished.

I have a new priority list: stay healthy, openly love those who love you, listen when people are speaking, and with your whole heart, be present. I continue to plan; I do not expect myself to live each moment like it is my last because it probably isn’t.

I continue to plan, and instead, I intend to be the best that I can be. Sometimes the best I can be is compassionate with myself for not being my best. I do not deny my feelings of guilt or my bad and sad days, but what I have found wonderful about life is, for those living it, it persists. So, I can catch up and try again tomorrow. From my place of healing one lesson prevails above all: don’t sweat the small stuff.

~ words by Taygan Beaton Bachelor of Letters (Creative Writing) & Honours of Psychology

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S

trange. I have never before stood on this golden beach, admiring the sparkling, rainbow sea. Yet, the pure, white waves breaking onto my bare feet, the gentle breeze caressing my soft, dark hair, the soft touch of the wet sand between my toes—my heart aches at this deep sense of familiarity. I don’t remember the lush forest behind me, just beyond the sand’s reach. Nor do I recall the sun being so big, covering a large stretch of the deep, blue sky whilst gently resting in the glistening water. Mesmerised, I raise my hand towards it, light streaming between my fingers.

A loud rustle in the nearby bushes startles me, breaking my trance from this dazzling paradise.

I search for the source of the noise in the trees’ shadows at the water’s edge. Squinting my eyes at the blueberry bushes, I see sunlight reflecting from two chocolate-brown eyes between the branches. Those eyes gaze deeply into mine, curious yet reproachful. ‘Hello?’ As they quickly shuffle backwards towards the forest’s shade, I glimpse their pale face.

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A little girl spins on her heel, raven hair flipping behind her small shoulders. I glimpse her dirty sunflower dress retreating into the forest’s clutches, leaving a trail of tiny footsteps in the dirt. Strange, I feel I have seen her somewhere before… but why is she all alone?

‘Wait!’ I call out, but my voice is vaporised by the sound of a thundercrack.

Odd, the sky was beautifully clear earlier.

I stumble after the girl, clumsily navigating my way through this bleak, confined forest. The sunlight barely penetrates the canopy above, shrouding me in the darkness. I am poked and prodded,

nicked and scratched, bitten and stabbed. ‘Keep out! Stay away!’ The wind roars in my ears.

‘Look out!’

‘Come back!’ I yell. ‘You shouldn’t be out here by yourself!’ Amidst the darkness, I notice a pinprick of light in the distance.

A little further.

I crawl out of the brambles, finding myself in a clearing.

Sycamore trees grow sparse, and were surrounded by millions of bright, yellow, soft soursobs. The field radiantly shines in its colourful glory—I turn, shocked to find the menacing barrier of trees behind me has vanished. Instead, a grand oak tree stands proudly, holding a rope swing on its bough.

Someone is swinging towards the azure sky, screaming and laughing the word ‘Higher!’. I recognise the little girl’s hair as it flows around her like a cape. A deep sensation overwhelms me as I experience this déjà vu. I imagine myself on the swing, feeling the delight beating in my chest as the soft cool breeze tickles my face. I remember when I would dare myself to touch the clouds, not an ounce of terror in my wake, just like the girl. She is serene in this place of tranquillity. Let her be like this forever… let no harm come to her.

Suddenly, deep, aubergine clouds invade the sky, enveloping the clearing in darkness.

The girl merely rises towards the perilous sky, obliviously screaming to go ‘Higher!’

I trample on the soursobs as I sprint towards her, but the ferocious wind lashes at me, forcing me away from her. A shocking gasp escapes my lips as I see the girl let go of the ropes that bound her to the seat. As she disappears into the clouds, the swing falls slack, forgotten and empty.

I blink.

Suddenly, I am engulfed in pitch-black smoke as a hellish firestorm incinerates everything in its path. How on Earth did this happen? The sycamore trees try to shrug off the flames, but it’s no use. Leaves burn crisply like paper, the noise crackling and popping in my ears.

Some of the sycamores fall to the ground, unable to fight this devastation. The stench of burning wood makes my stomach turn. The fire violently lashes at the oak tree, but the flames are no match for the ancient tree’s grandeur.

It is scorched and burned, yet it stands tall.

I see a figure walking between the burning ruins, arms shielding their face from the red, searing heat. It must be the little girl, I think. Yet, she is different. Only moments ago, she was a short and innocent girl who dared herself to fly into the sky. Now, she tightens her black jacket around her shaking body as she witnesses the devastation around her. My heart is pierced by an angry blade as I hear her shrill cries. Her pain overwhelms me as I fall to the ashen ground: I can feel her anguish, her despair, her loss. It all feels too familiar. Tears flow from my eyes, but the intense heat evaporates them instantly. A great wall of fire emerges, blocking the girl’s path.

Somehow, my mind slips into hers as I glare at the fiery beast through her eyes. Our thoughts swirl together, interconnecting as one: you will not tear me down! She clenches her fists as she sprints into the wall, leaving embers kicked-up in her wake.

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Despite the chaos and destruction, I feel this strange sensation of profound strength. As I slowly rise from the ground, the rain begins to pour, piercing through the smoke and black clouds. The trees sizzle and hiss as the rain fights the fire’s deadly force. I run towards the wall of fire that the girl jumped through only moments before, noticing the peculiar re-growth of the forest. As I hear the crunch of the dead leaves beneath my feet, fresh leaves sprout on the branches above me. I pass the shrivelled soursobs and new flowers bloom vibrantly, growing as large as boulders. As the ash floats to the ground, long, luscious, green grass flourishes, fighting against its grey stain. My heart aches for the blackened, dead trees, but new sycamores burst from the ground, growing towards the sky at an extreme pace. The rain slightly quells the fiery wall by the time I’ve reached it, yet it still blazes mercilessly. I close my eyes as I jump through it, prepared for the onslaught of a severe burn.

As I feel the cool breeze upon my face once more, I hear parakeets singing and the gush of water.

I open my eyes and am bewildered to find the oak tree standing before me again, but it is now a gargantuan size. The tree’s branches are flexed wide like an eagle’s wings unfurling, and its mane of leaves blow proudly in the wind. Its magnificent height is infinite as it opens a hole in the fluffy clouds; in fact, the leaves on the top can reach the stars beyond this world’s atmosphere. The trunk is sturdy and a rich, mahogany brown, appearing wise beyond its years. Its roots traverse deeply underneath the newly formed river circling around it—I can imagine these roots travelling far and wide, connecting itself to everything that exists

~ art by Rebecca Stevenson Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)

in this forest. The oak tree’s bark bears scars as embers shine in the crevasses, but the tree looks splendid with its new orange glow.

A large waterfall in the centre of the tree somehow cascades through the leaves, falling into the river circling the tree below. I focus my eyes on the waterfall and I notice a figure appears to be stuck in the water. As I look closely, I see their raven hair resting on their shoulders.

The girl!

Simultaneously, we both hop onto the rocks, careful not to fall into the river, as we try to reach each other. Finally, I stop before the waterfall, feeling its gentle spray on my face.

The girl appears slightly distorted in the gushing water, but I can see her beaming at me. I wave my hand to say hello, and she does the same.

When I tilt my head, shift my body, and raise my eyebrows, she mimics my actions perfectly.

She has grown since I had seen her last; her chocolate-brown eyes meet at my level.

My eyes…

Suddenly, I see my reflection clearly for the first time.

She smiles. ‘It’s come so far,’ she says, looking around our beautifully, thriving forest.

A sense of pride swells in my chest.

Together, as one, we shall watch it grow.

~ words by Monique Hausser Bachelor of Arts & Master of Teaching (Primary)

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I

have lived with anosmia for most of my life.

What’s anosmia, you ask? Well, it’s the partial loss or lack of sense of smell. I lived with this for almost 19 years when my ability to smell came back. I’d go into detail on that, but I only have a limite word count ,so here are few of my hot takes on the world of scent. An adventure of scent. An “adscenture”, if you will.

I’ll let myself out. Enjoy.

~ Having a working schnoz changed a lot of things for me, but the main one was taste. Being able to taste things more intensely than before was horrifying and I could only bring myself to eat the blandest of foods for the first few months.

Vegemite had to go. That shit smells the way a carpet burn feels. Tomatoes took some getting used to. Even apples—my favourite of all foods— were dicey for a while there, until I could reconcile this new fruit with the one I used to sustain myself on.

But now I could also understand what people had been saying about certain smells all my life. My friends had what was possibly far too much fun with this. There was an incident with a bag of salt and vinegar chips that I will never recover from.

A new book's smell is so overrated. Seriously. And chocolate doesn’t smell anything like how it tastes.

Nothing does, except for onions which are fucking S.T.R.O.N.G. Jesus, Lord. And nail polish? Call time of death. My first time painting my nails in a world with smells made me so nervous about using a sharpie. My one solace was that I really looked forward to smelling ice cream for the first time but, tragically, that doesn’t even have a scent? What?

My whole world changed, and I was overwhelmed in such a bad way that I wished my anosmia would come back.

Then I smelled a rose for the first time. And the garden right after it rained. I found out that the smell of food cooking can remind you that you were hungry, and cookies make the house smell like heaven as they bake. And different people’s houses really do have their own smell.

It’s still crazy, and sometimes it catches me off guard, but I’ve managed to accept this weird, almost-taste-but-not-quite phenomenon that most of the world lives with. I’d call that growth.

~ words by Madeline Percey Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)

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l

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been the kind of person who would choose my subjects based on whether my friends were in it, though it was a nice bonus to have my friends around me as we made this transition together.

School is a prison sentence. Thirteen years of mandatory attendance—it’s no wonder some don’t want to go back. Even more understandable are those individuals who choose to take a gap year once they graduate. I think gap years are a relatively new concept, considering that life decisions in the past have been a linear line. Graduation. Further education. Get a job. Retire. But the job and the career line aren’t as simple now. People are expecting to change jobs multiple times and fear greater competition. With no clear guide of what to do, it’s difficult to make the right choice for you.

Entering into uni, I didn’t even consider taking a gap year. At school I always knew I was going to study further, and as early as Year 10 I’d pretty much settled on the decision to attend Flinders. In my head there was a plan: finish school and then go to uni. Studying in a topic I was passionate about helped, along with most of my friends going to uni as well. I’ve never

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Back then I didn’t need a break, with so many months between the end of school and the beginning of uni in March. Choosing to do honours is the next step in my education, which I know will be a crazy-hard year. I’m excited for what this year will bring but by the end of it I’d really like to travel as a way to celebrate all my hard work. I feel like I’ve been stuck behind a desk and computer screen and wads of papers while others are out there chasing dreams and seeing the world. And though

I’m a fan of creature comforts, whenever someone mentions Germany my ears prick up. I need to get out and do some living. I’m so caught up in my studies, I feel like I’m behind on life experiences.

A gap year is a brief taste of freedom, it is a promise of what you could do, have, or be. It’s a breath of fresh air in a stale room. But once you’ve traversed the globe, uni might not be enough to satisfy you. Maybe you won’t be able to come back, maybe you’re always seeking the next adventure. You could also lose your motivation and drive to study. Fresh out of school, you can still write an essay, arrange formulas, and reference. Not only would you have to relearn those skills that you lost but also readjust to university standards. This could make you feel as though you’re one step behind your peers.

On the other hand, a gap year could be the best year of your life so far. Travelling. Working.

Volunteering. It gives you time and an opportunity to chase some of your dreams. It defines you as a person, your character. You can build relationships, confidence, skills and abilities, street smarts, tick off bucket list items. Add to that resumé or discard it entirely and take the chance to do something just for yourself. I’ve been surrounded with people roughly my age but I feel as though they seem older than me, maybe because they’ve moved out,

travelled, or have a partner. So I think having a gap year helps you grow into yourself and become more mature, which could benefit you at uni.

Taking that gap year could allow you to change for the better before you fully commit to study.

I think if you take one it should be focussed, otherwise you might just lay on the couch for 52 weeks. Taking a gap year could help you sort out what you want to do. It might save you from switching degrees halfway through or getting to the end of your study and wishing you had studied something else.

I don’t think there’s a linear line of which individuals should base their life choices. So, in the end, I think gap years are worth it, but I don’t think they’re for everybody. I didn’t need one but others might want one. There are so many opportunities out there for us, and no matter what we choose, our choices will cross out some of them. Sitting at home behind a desk for years on end, I’m going to miss out on some experiences, but if I had travelled for those years, I wouldn’t have my degree. In the end, we’re going to make some bad choices and some good ones. And whether you took a gap year or not, you’ll still gain amazing memories and experiences. Just choose the right path for you.

~ words by Maddie Hand Bachelor of Science (Honours)

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The Land

You know when you’re watching a science-fiction TV show and the dashing space adventurers visit another planet for the first time and go, “Wow, this is great! I can’t believe I am experiencing the customs and culture of this alien world because the specific part I have landed on is representative of the entire planet!”? But going off of what you know about Earth, a planet can have thousands of diverse cultures and is not just an extraterrestrial version of London. We only know our vast diversity to be true ourselves, however, because of our drive to explore our planet.

When it comes to exploring the land we live on, our ancestors have pretty much covered that for us already. Granted, the method they used probably wasn’t the most morally righteous, but as far as we know they have discovered as much of Earth that there is to be found.

I

think it’s no secret that as human beings we have a desire to consume information and learn as much as we can about everything around us. Whether it be as simple as knowing what the weather will be tomorrow to something as complex as why we even exist, uncertainties like these fill our minds every single day. There is one question, however, that has gone through generations and led to discoveries that have shaped our entire history: what else is out there that hasn’t been found? What that load of waffle is trying to say is that we have an urge to understand not only our universe but the world we live in as well, whether it be the land, the sea, or the stars.

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Because of those who dared to traverse the globe in search of new lands, their determination to discover all that there is has opened up a connection between hundreds of cultures around the globe, creating a bridge that has aided in our development. The technologies of each country have been shared and improved, new cuisines and tastes have been introduced into homes, and beautiful native landscapes can now be seen and experienced by everyone.

The Sea

Now I know I said that we have done a great job in getting a lay of Earth’s land, but the above ground barely makes up for the planet as a whole, the rest of it being surrounded by our mysterious ocean.

Everyone knows that Earth is made up of around 70% water, but only 5% of the ocean has been explored, leaving 65% of the world unanswered for. This means that even after discovering the majority of the Earth’s terrain, there is still an entire world left to be explored below the surface.

The main reason why we’ve barely scratched the surface of the ocean world is simply this: it’s really hard to do. Due to the unforgiving water pressure and it being in complete darkness, the deep sea has made it a bit difficult for oceanographers to get a decent look at it. The only possible detection system that can map the deep sea is sonar, but that can only give us a mere glimpse of what’s below. Despite it being difficult though, our explorers have been working tirelessly to get to the bottom of our deep, blue sea.

parts of the universe that we do know rather than keep looking further beyond. With all this mystery regarding our universe, however, it has allowed brilliant artists of all kinds to temporarily fill in the blanks of what could be out there.

~ Whether it be land, sea, or space, humans have a basic instinct to explore and thanks to the groundwork laid by the past explorers, our nations were able to connect and form a cultural network. In today’s world, however, each country is racing to see who can plant their flag first in the latest discovery and wave it in everyone’s faces. Despite the competitiveness of modern exploration, it doesn’t matter who is making the first find, but rather that we are continuing to push further into the unknown.

The Stars

While we have been trying to explore what’s below Earth, the biggest question we face is if there is anything above it. To find out what else exists within our universe has been a desire of explorers’ past, present, and probably future. I say “probably” because, if you haven’t noticed, space is really big. So big that only 4% of our universe has been mapped out, with the remaining 96% of it being a big shrug of the arms from astronomers, because they simply don’t know.

When exploring the universe, there are two major reasons as to why we crave to know more about it: to discover if there are others like us out there, and if there is someplace we can escape to when Earth becomes a bust. The latter of those motives is why the majority of our space exploration has been devoted more to understanding the

~ words by Connor Phelan Bachelor of Arts

~ art by Kendrea Rhodes Bachelor of Letters (Creative Writing)

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*These questions and responses were provided in early Feburary, before COVID-19 had undergone rapid development as a global health concern and been declared a pandemic. Thus, the opinions and information supplied do not accurately reflect the current state of affairs.

SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE 1. The left has a responsibility 2. We can already see the

LEFT

to condemn the inhumane travel ban on all non-citizens and non-residents from China, and its policy of forcible quarantine for Australian citizens and residents returning from Hubei. Australia should pool its resources with other wealthy countries to provide high quality healthcare to victims of the virus.

Instead, we see authoritarian quarantine measures, none of which medical professionals recommend. Travel bans inside China tighten the net around the population and make it harder for people to flee contaminated areas. The use of Christmas Island as an internment camp for Chinese people serves a dual purpose for the Australian capitalist class: to normalise the use of detention centres and to feed upon the racist legacy of “yellow peril” hysteria in this country. We must stand with Chinese people to oppose racism and authoritarianism.

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dangers the climate crisis poses with the horrific bushfire season this summer as well as an increase in destructive weather patterns that have already killed thousands of people and displaced many more. The causes of the crisis are known; human production of greenhouse gasses is causing a rapid global temperature rise which is destabilising global weather systems. Australian capitalism is a key player as it is the world’s largest exporter of coal. The problem is not a lack of research. The Australian fossil fuels industry must be dismantled immediately. It is disgusting to see the ALP advocating an inadequate target of zero emissions by 2050 whilst supporting the continuation of the Australian coal industry.

FLINDERS UNIVERSITY LABOR CLUB 1. We understand the fourteen-day quarantine procedure that the Coalition Government is enforcing is based on the advice of medical experts and encourage all students to read up on the facts on the novel coronavirus.

However, the current travel ban is inconsistent and discriminatory, disproportionately affecting hundreds of thousands of Australian international atudents. We stand with all of those who have been hugely impacted by this ban and wish to highlight the important contribution that so many International Students make to our tertiary education experience. FUSA has also taken a strong stand in fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment on campus but it is up to us as students to combat all forms of racism and xenophobia on campus and in our communities.

CEN

1. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a worldwide concern. Do you agree with the current

quarantine situation that Australian is using? How can information about it be safely managed without causing hysteria and xenophobia?*

2. What is your stance on the dangers of climate change? How can Australia more ethically research and implement strategies to preserve our diverse ecological systems?

should be stances on the dangers of climate change, as the evidence is irrefutable.

Climate change is not a new concept; in fact, scientists first predicted the dangers of rising carbon emissions in the 19th century. That’s why we were so glad to see the recent announcement that an Albanese Labor Government would back net zero emissions by 2050. While this is a big step in the right direction, we need to demand immediate action to reduce our emissions. We are privileged enough to be living alongside the oldest existing culture in the world, and we need to be doing more to actively re-empower the voices of First Nations people in combating this crisis together.

We are an incredibly wealthy nation, and Australia has a global obligation to use our position to be a world leader for change.

NTRE

novel in more ways than one. Highly infectious and suggested to be communicable by asymptomatic individuals.

It's debut in a globalised world couldn't be any more advantageous. Xenophobia is unfortunate and inevitable. By and large, such behaviour isn't tolerated by the Australian public—though ChineseAustralians rightly need this affirmed.

Hysteria is what I would consider the biggest risk factor—infection fatalities included. We're also beyond the point of travel bans alone being effective. To continue doing the best they can in this situation, the Federal Government needs to work with States to prepare for product shortages and quarantining of affected locales. These measures won't halt the virus, but it will stagger rates of infection: allowing our healthcare infrastructure to

better handle cases requiring hospitalisation.

2.

It's certainly an existential threat to Australia. It's also a tense topic politically, as working people contribute little compared to other governments or the Fortune 500. The public-private partnership is where we'll find alternatives and solutions.

When it comes to bearing the brunt of austerity, we need to reorient the discussion away from everyday Australians. No tradesperson or professional contributes via multimillion dollar estates, private jets, or hazardous manufacturing practices.

RIGHT

2. We do not believe there

FLINDERS UNIVERSITY LIBERAL CLUB 1. COVID-19 is certainly

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P

rincess Mononoke is a 1997 film by legendary auteur Hayao Miyazaki. It’s a beautifully lush work of animation, but is also a testimony to the importance of environmentalism in the modern era. The juxtaposition of nature and human industrialisation is integral—both visually and thematically—to the narrative arc of the film.

We can’t deny that it is a battle being waged between two forces: nature and man, purity and corruption, progression and regression.

The film introduces us not to a healthy cycle of all living things, but instead the slow death of it.

Some may say that’s an overwhelming issue in our own lives, too. We watch as things die and as they rot, they are broken down into nutrients

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Images were taken from Princess Mononoke as streamed on AUS Netlfix

The overall narrative structure of Princess Mononoke focuses on the protagonist, Ashitaka, attempting to find a cure for the curse laid upon him by a boar god who had been poisoned by an iron bullet—or, the manifestation of human evil. The journey Ashitaka takes is also symbolic of finding a way to remedy the imbalance of the world. Nature is being invaded by humans, the peaceful forces of nature are weakened, and the established system of life in the forest is fading.

and used for sustenance, which is integral to the rebirth of new things. Decay begets growth.

However, in Princess Mononoke, humans are the source of evil that disrupts that natural order of those things. Metal and evil and war have polluted the environment and left only destruction in its wake—curses, death, or the continued deforestation and mining of the forest for the sake of greed. Whereas, in contrast, the almighty Great Forest Spirit that rules over the lands is representative of the symbolic power of nature as it controls the balance between life and death. It is depicted as an mystical and healing force that gives instead of takes like humans and industrialisation does.

The contrast is apparent, and that idea of environmentalism has never been more important to the current ecological state of the world.

Princess Mononoke encourages us to be aware of the efforts of conservation and to adapt to these changes to protect our natural resources. It makes it clear what we should do the most that we can to care for the world instead of condemning it to the harmful processes of production and economy. As Miyazaki is quoted saying, ‘I’ve come to the point where I just can’t make a movie without addressing the problem of humanity as part of an ecosystem’.

Those ideals are very characteristic of Miyazaki’s own authorial voice within the film, although they are not unfounded in this modern age.

However, Studio Ghibli is also famously known to portray that there is light to be found in all death, ruin, or pain that darkness casts. Where such great, inspiring change of environmentalism can’t be forced, compromises can be made.

The world can be rebuilt because the integral characters of Princess Mononoke are multilayered and forgiving, pledging to restore a better world after its cinematic climax. It lauds compassion as the greatest strength anyone can have in the wake of destruction.

I think the great, profound core of Princess Mononoke is most aptly summed up in the film with the quote: ‘Life is suffering. It is hard. The world is cursed. But still you find reasons to keep living’. The dialogue can resonate with anyone, regardless of who you are. It’s universally understood because it’s true; humans are exposed to such awful things on a daily basis that you’d think it’d be hopeless to go on, but we still persevere. The world is still our home.

Because even though the Great Forest Spirit is eventually killed by the greed of humans, it does not mean the death of everything as we know it. The remnants of its body and spirit cover the landscape in one final, powerful breath of life.

At the culminative ending of Princess Mononoke, Ashitaka survives, and new plants flourish over human civilisations to show that if we can’t at least save what we destroyed, we can grow.

The final scene in the film reveals an uplifting secret, too: that it will all be alright in the end.

As a kodama (tree spirits of Japanese folklore, and indicators of a healthy forest) appears in the final seconds of Princess Mononoke, it promises that there is a future that we can believe in.

We have lost, but we are not defeated.

Hope continues to exist in whatever capacity it can. Like a seedling buried in the earth, it may struggle against the forces of nature, but it will not wither, and ultimately emerge stronger than ever.

~ words by Amy Bennett Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)

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Her tw isted column

the foundation of her structure.

Her torso a ca ge, holding h er hostage.

A defo rmed mess an angry dis tortion.

As caf fold ing of

meta l and plaster,

an instr ument o f cons traint a nd torture .

At tem ptin g to m

r

~ art by Carmen Giffen

he

Br

hold t ogeth e r

oken

and d

a ma ged,

an yc roo

ke d l i n e s .

Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)

Trapped

~ words by Evangelia Karageorgos Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)

e m a fr ng i v i in a n u nforg

.

A

club is like a family; its members are united by their shared passion for a specific subject. But what makes clubs special is how members commit to it. Joining a club can increase your discipline through deadlines, schedules, and projects that are made time and time again. You need to learn to take initiative, be persistent, and above all, you need to enjoy what you do. This is why being in a club allows you to grow significantly as a person, with a family of strong supporters on your side.

At first, I was unsure where to find good friends outside of class. If anything, I felt very uneasy about talking to people I did not know. I am studying French, and while it was good being with like-minded students, I did not have any friends there. Soon, a group of students invited me to join a club they ran called French at Flinders.

I was quickly thrust into being an executive without knowing what to expect, or how to lead a club. Half the committee was unavailable at the time too, which made things tougher, as we had to take on more roles than normal.

However, I was lucky to meet friends on the way who understood what was going on.

I met a fellow Letters student around early last year, and she was also passionate about French, and took part in our weekly conversation session.

Talking to her and the other members of the club about possible activities has allowed me to become more confident and outgoing, and to pitch my ideas without fear. Together, we are planning many fun activities this year which made me more extroverted and involved in society.

The support, welcome, and friendship that I got from my fellow club members was invaluable.

We made bonds that reached beyond university, which ultimately changed me as a person. I feel more determined to get out there—to risk myself but to also enjoy life. I am more persistent when faced with challenges, such as recently when we tried to get into O’Week.

At the end of the day, clubs are another family we join. We support each other, always have a good time, and try to make the most of everything we can.

~ words by Tony Saad Bachelor of Creative Arts (Screen) & Bachelor of Letters (French)

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What would you like students to know about you?

My name: it’s Molly. I’m studying Social Work after transferring from Tourism & Events and am going into my second year here at Flinders. I like memes—especially memes with cats!

Why did you run for Student Council?

I wanted to spread cultural awareness of First Nations people across campus and make FUSA an even stronger advocacy force for First Nations students. I also wanted the opportunity to play a supportive role to fellow First Nations students at Flinders.

What are the most pressing issues for the students you represent?

Racism. A lack of knowledge and understanding of First Nations people and culture. Even tensions within the First Nations community. We’re facing a whole range of issues and I can’t possibly mention them all here.

Although it’s early in your term, have you seen any personal growth since starting your role?

I’ve gained a greater understanding not only of the services and advocacy that FUSA can provide, but the potential for this to be even stronger. I’m more comfortable advocating for others. I’ve also expanded my awareness of other communities on campus and some of their challenges.

46

How do you see FUSA growing in the future?

I see FUSA establishing itself more within the student community so that it can more strongly represent and advocate for us as students. I would love for FUSA to have a great financial capacity to support students in times of need.

Questions supplied by FUSA's Student Council President

What would you like students to know about you?

I’m from Vietnam and I’m everyone’s Son! I’ve been studying in Australia for over a year now and I’m currently undertaking a Master of Arts in Women’s Studies. I’m a listener and consistently available on campus to support international students.

Why did you run for Student Council?

I wanted to see FUSA have greater representation for international students.

I came to Australia not only to study, but to experience student life in a different country. Australia has a long history of student unionism, and I saw Student Council as a way to get more involved.

What are the most pressing issues for the students you represent?

Being disconnected from our home, friends, and family can be a huge culture shock for international students. We often struggle to familiarise ourselves with university services and experience a reduction in academic direction and support. This is just a snapshot of the many unique challenges that international students face, but I’m hoping to make more students aware of our concerns.

Although it’s early in your term, have you seen any personal growth since starting in your role?

It’s only been three months, but I feel more confident reaching out to fellow students and staff across the university. I have also become more comfortable advocating for the students I was elected to represent.

How do you see FUSA growing in the future?

I would love to see more representation and advocacy for autonomous communities to control their own affairs on campus. I want all international students to feel comfortable accessing all of FUSA’s services, not just the free food. I see FUSA growing to be a stronger student association to bridge the gap between students and the university.

47

ACROSS

2

4

2

1

4

1

3

6

3

6

1. Everyone’s favourite type of houseplant 3. Finish the gif. “You know what that is? ____” 5. What type of weather did we need more of over summer?

7. How many weeks of Orientation were there?

5 5

DOWN 77

2. Who’s your Student President?

4. What’s the app that gives you student discounts?

6. What new transport is coming to Flinders?

ANSWERS: 1. SUCCULENT // 2. JOSH RAYNER // 3. GROWTH // 4. UNIDAYS // 5. RAIN // 6. TRAIN // 7. FIVE

ANSWERS: 1. SUCCULENT // 2. JOSH RAYNER // 3. GROWTH // 4. UNIDAYS // 5. RAIN // 6. TRAIN // 7. FIVE

48

~ comic and activities by Carmen Giffen Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)

YEAR ONE

:51 arch 10nday, 15 M Su :51usahrch ow’s 10ndayc, r15hMey hessay?

Su

your assignments are spaced YEAR out likeONE this: never and then all at once your assignments are spaced out like this: never and then all at once

the ing? o y y h sa he es ? e th ing? go sh go w’s

u cr

“YEAR ONE” > “YEAR THREE” // addition of “STILL” // crush > girlfriend ANSWERS: bigger laptop // more bobby pins // different wall colour

SPOT THE FIVE DIFFERENCES

YEAR THREE

:51 arch 10nday, 15 M d Su en :5gi1r15lMfrayirchhows’say 0 1 nday, he es ?

YEAR THREE your assignments are STILL spaced out like this: never and then all at once your assignments are STILL spaced out like this: never and then all at once

theending? fri go w’s

Su

rl gi

o y y h sa he es ? e th ing? go

49

INGREDIENTS: • • • • •

1/4 onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed Pinch of salt & pepper Chicken stock (some canned stock is veganfriendly but check information label to be certain) 1/2 wombok (Chinese cabbage)

METHOD:

1. Boil a pot of water 2. Add both the onion and garlic to the pot and stir 3. Add salt and pepper for flavour 4. Add two teaspoons of chicken stock to the broth 5. Cut the wombok into half-centimetre slices 7. Boil wombok in the hot broth for 2-3mins 8. Remove pot from heat 9. Taste for flavour before serving

TO SERVE:

The soup can be eaten alone, but alternatively it can be served with: • Rice • Noodles • Spring onion as a garnish

~ photography by Amy Bennett

50

Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)

ET 2020 EMPIRE TIMES // 47.2 Advena Page // Amy Bennett // Amy Lowe // Bec Manser Brie Dark // Carmen Giffen // Celeste Northcott Connor Phelan // Elissa Unferdorben Evangelia Karageorgos // Hollie Gardner Janelle Chaptini // Joshua Collison // Kendrea Rhodes Kieran Thornton // Lawson Dodd // Liz Waldron Maddie Hand // Madeline Percey // Melanie Ross Monique Hausser // Nick Prescott Phoebe Sydney-Jones // Rachael Stapleton Rebecca Stevenson // Sheridan Phillips // Sheydin Dew Tabby Knight // Taygan Beaton // Tony Saad UPCOMING ISSUES:

ISSUE 3: LOST & FOUND ISSUE 4: PERSPECTIVE Want to get involved? Get in contact! empire.times@flinders.edu.au

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