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EDUCATION COLLECTIVE

WE DON’T NEED NO THOUGHT CONTROL

Join the Education Collective & take control!

FUSA is rolling out its most dynamic and inclusive collective project.

Register your interest and become a part of the movement to shape education and the student experience on your campus.

Help us run campaigns by students for students. From assessment issues to Government policy, we are the voice of students.

Speak to the Education Officer or any other member of the Student Council to find out what we are working on at the moment!

Want to roll your sleeves up and get involved straight away? Then why not join one of our sub-committees?

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FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION

- Editorial -

Hello Lovely People!

Hey Everyone!

Hey readers!

For the length of your degree Flinders is your educational home. It is here that you learn how to reference and how to construct arguments. It is where you meet friends that will stay with you forever and learn how to function on minimal sleep/with high amounts of alcohol coursing through your veins.

Beautiful Flinders, perched on the side of a ginormous hill, overlooking Adelaide and the ocean. What more could anyone want?

I’m your new editor, Simone! I’m super psyched to be part of the team.

For the making of this issue I was partly MIO (Missing In Office). With the help of the cold weather and a disappointing immune system, earlier this week I emerged from a blanket cacoon, not as the hopeful butterfly ready to tackle the day, but as the wheezing moth capable of very little. A word of advice when trying to work or study from home while sick: throat-numbing lozenges, while candy for the sick, should be consumed responsibly and not act as rewards for minutes worked.

Flinders also offers students the opportunity to go out and see the world. By partaking in an exchange or AIM overseas program, you are able to go out and study at a different university, on a different continent and bask in the glory of not having too many responsibilities back home. When going on exchange you get to meet a wonderful, extraordinary array of people from a vast amount of countries and experience things you never could even dream of here.

It doesn’t mean you love your home here any less, it just means for a period of time, you get to call some place else home. For more information about exchanges, and to see if they fit in with your degree, speak to your school or the study abroad office, because the memories you make at University will stay with you forever.

When I’m not swearing at the unintuitive nature of mac computers (PC master race ftw), you can usually find me sobbing in some darkened corner of the central library – Yep, you guessed it, I’m an Honours Creative Writing student!

Not only that: this is my second degree, having already studied a Bachelor of Science (Animal Science) at Adelaide Uni, and I can tell you now, Flinders is much more kickass. Especially when all this construction is finished. Rooftop bar, amirite?

Back in April I went to China as part of the Asiabound topic with a bunch of awesome people. And last year I completed a summer school course at Oxford University (Yes, that one, in England. Where they filmed Harry Potter). If I could give anyone advice on how to make the most of their time at Uni, it’s to travel. Do an exchange, find a summer school program, do whatever barely-related-to-your-degree cultural trip is offered your way, and do so with a delicious scholarship. You’ll never travel so cheap again, so make the most of it while you can!

Since the weather has been getting icier, I’ve been attempting to contribute more to the heating source for my home: the fireplace. While my housemates don’t seem to have difficulty being lumberjacks and chopping the wood, I have discovered I am grotesquely unfit and have the muscle strength of a small bird. I therefore congratulate anyone who is capable of wedging an axe into a tree stub and somehow making fire happen.

There’s a lot of very cool reading for you to do in this issue so please have fun and tell us what you think.

Bye for now, Jess

Simone

Much Love Laura

TOP PICKS FOR THIS ISSUE

TOP PICKS FOR THIS ISSUE

TOP PICKS FOR THIS ISSUE

p. 32 p. 34 p. 8 p. 9

p. 31 p. 15

p. 1 p. 21 p. 38

Home Away from Home Pharlap The Road to Success Budget Wrap Up Home

p. 38 p. 10

Exchange Home: Keele University Timmy, can you get mummy’s briefcase?

Gravel and Bone Equality

The Threads That Bind Us The Possum Diary We Need To Talk About: Stay At Home Dads

1

OH HELLO there.

EDITORS

Jess Nicole Laura Telford Simone Corletto

SUB-EDITORS Jess Miller Tamsin Alexander Kayla Gaskell Liam McNally Anupol Bordoi Riana Kinlough Justina Ashman

COLUMNISTS Jonno Revanche Emma Sachsse Marat Sverdlov Kaisha Wyld Eleanor Danenberg Kelly Guthberlet Kevin Clark Aden Beaver Bethany Lawrence

ILLUSTRATORS Sheydin Dew Benjamin Hall

CONTRIBUTORS Brian Gardiner Kayla Gaskell George Mountzouris J.R. Koop Amy Manners Siti Maesaroh Georgia Riessen Justina Ashman Sarah Barrett Emma Cresdee James Vigus Liam McNally Anthony Bruno Natika Cunningham Keelan Bozman Glory Gatwiri Laura Telford Jess Nicole Imogen Bateman Amber Hall

FRONT COVER Hannah Everett

BACK COVER Benjamin Hall

HOME ISSUE

Issue 5 Vol 42 May 2015 empire.times@flinders.edu.au www.empiretimes.com.au Advertising: stephanie.walker@flinders.edu.au Empire Times is the student publication of Flinders University. All work within remains the property of the producers and may not be reproduced without their consent. Empire Times reserves the right to republish in any format.

Empire Times would like to acknowledge the Kaurna people who are the traditional custodians of the land Flinders University is situated on. We would also like to pay our respects to the elders past and present of the Kaurna nation and extend that respect to other Aboriginal peoples.

“The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the editors, Flinders University, or Flinders University Student Association. 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, but no responsibility can be taken by Empire Times Magazine for any errors or omissions contained herein.”

PHOTOGRAPHERS Matthew Bird

FUCK YEAHS • • • •

Semester 1 is OVER!!

Christmas is coming Simone’s first issue as EDITOR!!!!

LOTS of new contributors

FUCK NOS • •

We are over half way through 2015!

Flu Season is here :(

WITH THANKS TO Our incredible sub editors and artists, particularly those who have just joined us, went above and beyond to help out this issue and for generally being fabulous people!

Index

FEATURES

INTRO

9

1

EDITORIAL Words from the Editors

6

PREZ DISPENSER A message from the President

7

INTERVIEW WITH COUNCIL International Officer

8

EQUALITY Coming Out

12

OPENLY SEXUAL A Few of my Favourite Things

14 WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT Stay at Home Dads

36 POETRY

POLITICS Budget Wrap Up

38 FICTION Gravel & Bone

HOME Indigenous Perspective 18 THE THREADS THAT BIND US How a ‘Homemade’ movement could change the world

42 FILM Big Eyes 43 FILM Avengers II: Age of Ultron

20 FREEDOM OF CHOICE Is being “free range” for the best?

46 MUSIC Ne Obliviscaris

21 POSSUM DIARY Dawn of the Possums

COLUMNS 10

CREATIVE

22 1967 REFERENDUM Helpful or Harmful?

FUN STUFF

24 VOX POP Voice of the people

41 CROSSWORD Win movie tickets!

26 LYDIA WOODYATT Best Teacher

48 QUIZ

28 HOUSEMATES Six Housemates that aren’t from the cast of friends

15 FEMINISM Timmy, can you get mummy’s briefcase?

16 THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Crossing the Threshold of Memory

29 INTERVIEW John Schumann 30 HOME AWAY FROM HOME A Personal Story

17 TECHNOLOGICA Home Is Where The Hack Is

32 EXCHANGE STUDENT Home is where YOU make it

44 LEVEL UP The Sims 4: Get to Work

33 EXCHANGE HOME Keele University

45 FOOD REVIEW Gunners Restaurant

48 Where is your one true home?

34 PHARLAP The Road to Success

47 MUSIC Say Lou Lou

28

34

21

vox

pop

9 24

18

3

WHAT’S GOING ON August

MONDAY

3

TUESDAY

4

WEDNESDAY

5

FLICS movie night, 5pm, North Theatre 2.

FUSA Says Relax Day, Sturt Courtyard

FUSA Brunch, Library

10

11

FUSA Brunch, Library

12

FUSA Says Relax Day, Anchor Court

FUSA Brunch, Sturt Courtyard National Campus Band Competition, DeCafe

17

18

Submission Deadline (Issue 8)

FUSA Brunch, Library

19

World Humanitarian Day

THURSDAY

6

FUSA Says Relax Day, School of Medicine Courtyard FUSA Brunch, School of Medicine Courtyard

13 National Campus Band Competition, DeCafe

20

25

26

FUSA Brunch, Library

FUSA Brunch, Flinders Living Community Centre

FLICS movie night.

5pm.

7 Last day to enrol in Semester 2 topics

14 Flinders OPEN DAY!!!

21 FUSA Says Relax Day, School of Medicine Courtyard

FUSA Brunch, Anchor Court FLICS movie night.

5pm.

24

FRIDAY

27

28 Census date for Semester 2 FUSA Says Relax Day, Tonsley Campus

31

FUSA Brunch, Library

FUSA’s Relax and Brunch Days are free events for students. If you would like your Flinders University event in the calendar, contact us at empire.times@flinders. edu.au

#Flashback to ET in 1980

5

Prez Dispenser

The Student Council President (“Prez”) is the official spokesperson of students and the Student Council. They make representations on behalf of students to the university, media, government, and external organisations.

Everyone craves for a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. Although deeply personal, the kind of home we strive for can become a deeply public issue and a source of much debate. Dramatic social changes in Australia over the last couple of generations have seen the 1950s norms of home life transformed. This is illustrated by the different living arrangements within our homes and the configuration of ‘family,’ becoming increasing unorthodox.

I am grateful to those before my time who struggled for the recognition and equal rights in sexuality and gender relations which have meant my home life — living with my male partner and feline friend — does not raise eyebrows in my street any more than any other family.

Despite the increasing acceptance of different domestic arrangements, home life isn’t always rosy. We are consistently faced with rising costs of living, which prevent many of us from being able to create an ideal home situation. This can be seen within the Flinders Uni community with a huge number of students unable to move out of home and enjoy an (albeit clichéd) independent student life that was much more common in the past. Today more students are compelled to live at home with parents for longer and take part-time jobs to get by.

At Flinders we have more than 4000 students who have moved here from overseas. For many, this must have created huge upheaval in their personal lives and research has shown that international students in Australia experience loneliness and social isolation.

This is not only because they leave social networks behind, but also, more frequently they are treated as money-spinners for cash-strapped universities, rather

than treated equally and fairly as humans. Rarely are overseas students discussed in popular commentary without a monetary value mentioned at the same time, or without being treated as social experiments.

The commodification of overseas students is an absolute scandal and this exploitative situation often extends to their home life too – where they rent tiny apartments near campus for exorbitant rates, or are in overcrowded suburban houses with manipulative landlords.

Just as the social movements of the 1970s opened social doors to new living arrangements, we need to start a new movement today which will allow people to live in a range of secure and diverse home situations.

For some Aboriginal people this also means having access to traditional lands, and, in many cases, decent houses for the first time. For everyone it means access to homes which serve their social and cultural needs, and with proper access to public transport and other services. Entitlement to decent housing should be open to anyone, whether citizens of Australia, refugees who arrived by boat, overseas students, young or old.

One final point about homes: My deepest sympathy to everyone impacted by the devastating earthquakes that struck Nepal. We have 68 students from Nepal studying at Flinders and many have had their homes damaged and communities dislocated. Some have even had cherished homes completely destroyed or have lost loved ones in the catastrophe.

- James Vigus, Student Council President

Inside Student Council: International Officer

The International Officer lliaises with other bodies that provide representation and personal and academic support to International students. They are also responsible for the coordination and implementation of campaigns on issues of importance to International students and reports them to Student Council

Siti Maesaroh Why did you run for Student Council?

Honestly, I did it because my friends asked me to. However, after being busy with personal stuff as a new international student last year, I realised that I am glad I got this position because it is actually what I have always been passionate about – advocating and helping people who need it.

Back in my home country, I have more than ten years of experience as a representative officer: professionally for private companies as well as for state institutions. My latest position is as a public participation manager for a national human rights institution. So I am very used to dealing with people, listening to them, talking to them and helping them connect how to listen, address and make connection for my audiences. So, I am super glad that my friends asked me to run, and now I will just try to do the job to the best of my ability.

What kind of issues does the International Officer handle?

I believe a lot of us acknowledge that international students are a bit left behind by our universities. Most of us don’t really engage with campus culture and, socially we mostly just hang out with our own group, usually with people from our own country. Being a student from a non-English speaking country, I can understand that some of us struggle with the language barrier (I face that issue as well!). We also face difficulties coping with daily life; juggling study, family and work; and just being so far away from home, can be a major issue and does affect us all differently.

What is the one issue you’d really like to tackle this year?

My vision as International Officer is that I want to see more international students connect with each other (and with uni), and enjoy international friendships here at Flinders. I believe if we can just start a connection, a lot of good things will happen, and that is what I aim to do for this year. I have started making that connection with international students and am finding ways to provide a platform for them to be connected to each other

and to the wider Flinders community. This semester I have been super busy with the Flinders University Multicultural Festival 2015, and I am so blessed that everybody (especially my sub-committee!) has been very supportive!

International students’ involvement and participation in the event is massive and I really hope this particular occasion can be a good place for us to meet each other, start that connection, and hopefully somehow it will help us in dealing with our issues as international students so that we aren’t just doing this alone. In case you missed it, please check our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ FUMCF2013?fref=ts How can people help out?

Reach out to me! I believe everyone can play a role, has an interest, and has a capacity to help out. So if you are interested and have any kind of idea in mind, please find a way to meet me and I will work out how we could work it out together. I am also setting up an international sub-committee as a platform for us to help out each other in this matter, so please feel free to join and participate!

What is the best way for students to contact you?

Seriously, if I could, I would like to meet everyone in person. I am not a good talker (and can be very quiet) but I always love to make new connections with new people. I study at Sturt campus, so mainly I spend my weekdays in the Sturt library, or the FUSA room at Sturt so please come and say hello.

Email is also a good idea. You can email me at international. officer@flinders.edu.au

INTERVIEWEE Siti Maesaroh, Master of Disability Policy and Practice If Siti could live anywhere it would be near the beach that smells like vanilla.

7

Politik

BUDGET 2015: What it means for you...

The second federal budget from the Abbott Government was released on the 12th of May 2015, announced by Joe Hockey, and is supposed to outline the proposed spending and revenue plan for the government over the next 12 months. There had been much speculation prior to this budget, with most claiming that it was going to be boring, with Tony Abbott himself claiming a “dull and routine” budget to be delivered. Anyone watching on that fateful Tuesday night probably would have agreed.

Good news! It seems the budget crisis that was so urgent last year doesn’t exist anymore, and that although many of the revenue raising, cost cutting measures presented in last years budget, such as the GP co-payment and university deregulation, didn’t get through the Senate, it doesn’t actually matter. This budget was an attempt by the PM and Treasurer to convince the public that they weren’t the baddies, to try forget the horrors of last years budget, and to save their skin. The budget focused heavily on small business with the Treasurer announcing a tax break of 1.5% for small businesses whose annual turnover is less than 2 million dollars starting from July 1st, and no tax on any purchases for small businesses under $20,000. There were also more incentives to employ youth announced, particularly those who leave school before completing their high school certificate, including wage subsidies and work experience opportunities. Joe Hockey called small business the engine room of the economy, which is quite possibly true, but let’s not forget that it is also the engine room of the Liberal vote. Talk has surrounded this budget, calling into question whether it is setting up the Coalition for an early election. Personally, I don’t think the election call would come anytime soon, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was before the next budget came rolling around.

Joe Hockey and the Liberal Party don’t always have good timing when it comes to announcing policies and proved this by announcing that there will be no more ‘double dipping’ for paid parental leave, on Mother’s Day. I mean come on, really, Mother’s Day? Way to celebrate Joe! Currently, soon to be mothers are able to access both an employer’s paid parental scheme and the government paid parental scheme. The government only provides 18 weeks, or roughly four months, of payments at the minimum wage, and was originally designed by the ALP to complement private employers’ existing schemes. However, Joe Hockey claimed that these new mothers were ‘double dipping’ and that it was unfair, but solely relying on 18 weeks at minimum wage to stay with your newborn child is hardly a luxury. It puts more stress on new parents to find a way to afford to stay at home to breastfeed and bond with their baby — hardly encouraging for working mothers who are now forced to choose between a government or employer scheme. Luckily for those already pregnant, the new scheme won’t be applied until July 2016. This is no doubt hypocritical and a huge backflip from Tony Abbott’s original scheme, announced prior to the 2013 election, where he originally announced he would give new mothers six months of leave at the same wage they were already receiving, capped at around $180,000 p/a, plus superannuation. This new scheme

seems miles apart. Tony Abbott said that he had listened to the public when there was outcry about the generosity of the scheme, but to go from hello to hell no is quite a step to make.

This policy is also quite interesting considering Tony Abbott’s conservative nature,, as before he was preaching about having mothers stay home with their babies, and now it’s all about getting back to work.

As for getting out of the house, Hockey has a plan for that too. He has introduced more carrot and less stick for unemployed youth to get employed. The less stick part of the deal included a drop from six months down to four weeks wait for under 25s to start receiving welfare support. Incentives in the 2015/16 budget are geared towards employers, who are able to access wage subsidies if they employ people aged 15-29 who have been in the program Jobactive for at least six months. 1.2 billion dollars in added funding for wage subsidies, will allow employers to claim $10,000 over 12 months, rather than the previous 24 month scheduled.

The government will also provide 18.3 million in funding to allow jobseekers to take up work experience for maximum 25 hours a week for four weeks. Where the result of employment is possible, these workplaces will also receive wage subsidies if they employ the jobseeker afterwards. The government is also focusing heavily on school students laying out 212 million to support those most at risk of long term unemployment and welfare dependency.

The grey army aren’t forgotten in this either, Restart works similar to the Jobactive wage subsidies and will allow employers to access $10,000 of over 12 months. All in all, Hockey is looking to get everyone working, and everyone back to work; a plight that will hopefully work better in this budget than last.

New Parents are the losers, small business are winners and everyone else seems to fall somewhere in between. Home is where the heart is, but with these new policies, not necessarily where the parents are. The government’s rhetoric on budget night was ‘to have a go’. They’re relying on small business to kick-start the economy, and get unemployment down. Although the catch cry of last years “lifters and leaners” is gone, the message is still the same — everyone should work — which is agreeable, but this time they’ve actually put measures and incentives to make it happen. In the end, there really wasn’t much in the budget for university students, other than the fact that living overseas will no longer exempt you from paying your HECS debt. So sorry to foil your plans if that’s what you were thinking.

AUTHOR Emma Cresdee, 20, Bachelor of Arts If Emma could live anywhere it would be New York, followed by Adelaide.

Eds Note: How do you feel about Abbott’s second budget? Send us a letter to the Editor!

Home The journey home always feels hours long, but the excitement of seeing your family builds as you draw nearer; when you arrive you’re greeted by everyone, who are always glad to see you. The warm embrace of your aunties, uncles and cousins are one of the many feelings of home. The roar of laughter that fills the room, a perfect moment that would be impossible to match anywhere else.

You can only imagine the anger and hurt that something like this would have on the people living in these communities. The massive issue here is that the government is allowed to go into these communities, these homes, and forcefully shut them down. Shut down.

These very words send chills through my heart, knowing that homes are ripped out from under families, with no consideration for the First Nations People.

The love that radiates from your family is irreplaceable.

No matter how long you have been away, your family are first to welcome you with loving arms. You know that you will never go hungry or homeless, because you will always have family to turn to when the chips are down.

Culture is not a lifestyle choice. These forced closures not only affect homes, but a way of life; many generations before now have lived in these communities, and for many of these people, they have never left. Why is it that these communities are the ones that are being shut down?

A threat that happens to only affect the First Nations People. Taking away someone’s home for the sake of the taxpayer is not reason enough. If anything, we are letting the Prime Minister bully these communities into homelessness.

Coming from a big family myself, there has always been that indescribable bond.

It’s only natural that the love in our homes is important to us. Our home is where we grow, learn and return to when we are finished experiencing the world. There really is no place like home. Especially when you have lived in one house your entire life.

When you picture home, it is where you feel most safe, where you feel comfortable, where your memories are made. Whether it be dinner in front of the TV every night where you have those awkward talks with your parents or a quiet place to hide away when you feel the need to be alone. There are so many reminders that this is your home.

Then, imagine being told that your home is ‘A lifestyle choice’. Prime Minister Tony Abbott has made a statement ascribing this to Aboriginal communities in rural areas, and that these “lifestyle choices will no longer be the taxpayers job to subsidise.”

I believe it is important to know that this is not the first time First Nations People have been faced with this threat, and I fear that it won’t be the last.

AUTHOR Natika Cunningham, 23, Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing and Screen and Media) If she could live anywhere Natika would live in a world full of flowers and rainbows. No of course not! She bad sinuses. She would love to live somewhere between the beach, city and country. Which she is sure is fictional if she only want to spend 20 minutes each way on travel.

9

Equality Coming Out Opinions by Jonno Revanche

Everyone alters their behaviour depending on their setting, who they’re talking to, and how they are feeling at the time.

This is, to put it simply, ‘human nature.’ Everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, responds differently to different situations. As queer people, our identities are multi-faceted and important in every incarnation they take.

But as a result of heteronormative culture, we often have to assert our sexuality or gender identity in order to make a statement, to open up discussion about representation, or just to feel like we belong.

There is another layer that must be considered in personal situations and social situations if you are LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex or asexual). It is a privilege, then, to NOT speak, to not feel like you have to yell just to make yourself heard as a minority.

These projections may also change depending on what stage of our lives we are at. Does this mean if we’re not divulging our sexuality, we are being ‘inauthentic’ to ourselves, just by the assumption that we are straight as the default? Do we have to constantly self-identify or make it obvious just to create new ground for the people we are interacting with? If we ‘pass’ as trans people, and don’t mention our journey or identification, what does this mean in the grand scheme of things? Is the idea of ‘authenticity’ just a concept that has seeped into our culture to create boundaries, to create supply and demand?

A lot of ‘inspo culture’ (the name given to the pseudoinspirational ideas printed on t-shirts, posted on Facebook as image macros, and painted onto sidewalks) relies on these new ideas of ‘authenticity’. We are encouraged, always, to be ourselves, although no information or clarification is offered aside from that. When we love ourselves and when we are authentic, our life will be enriched with happiness.

These are the clichés we are often fed.

There are flaws in this argument. What if someone goes their whole life without learning how to truly love themself? Does that mean their life was a lie? Are we leading ‘inauthentic’ lives? This whole cultural precept of authenticity is vague and puts the onus on the individual to always be open, to say how they feel, to do what they want.

Unfortunately, living with these freedoms is not always possible. Even if someone is acting in a way that’s not honest or not natural for them at the time, they’re still doing it for a reason and those reasons are still valid. If a situation is making them act this way, they’re responding to it and therefore, arguably, they’re ‘being themselves.’

I have always struggled with the idea of authenticity. For the most part, it seems like a fun campaign for the masses to indulge in to feel at one with each other. For certain people, these ideas of ‘realness’ are not so easily accessed and granted. Indeed, maybe this idea of Authenticity © is simply a way of trying to create a new ‘normal.’ It seems like authenticity as a word has actually become equated with something else, something that is not defined with selfownership.

By this new logic, is a trans woman not a ‘real’ woman because she was born with a body that did not affirm her true gender? This rhetoric is practiced by many theorists who believe in a strict gender binary. The idea of this being an ‘essential’ authenticity is damaging because it sacrifices the agency of the individual. Indeed, this whole sensibility is inherently damaging to those who lay outside the spectrum and those who are intersex. Are there racial implications here, too, especially for migrants and for individuals who choose to explore their background despite being born in a different country?

Writer Rob Horning asserts in his book Authenticity that “Authenticity is a means to create consumer demand in the

midst of abundance. They treat authenticity fundamentally as a means for creating a perceived scarcity — a lack of sincerity — in a populace of satiated consumers.”

uncertain situations. I think every LGBTIQA person is brave for trying their hardest to thrive and for being careful with their emotions.

‘Coming out’ is a construction of the so-called West which privileges professed ‘authentic’ identities over those kept unprofessed for valid reasons. Not being ‘out to someone does not necessarily mean you are lying, or that you are wronging some kind of all-seeing God of the Gays. In fact, this kind of discerning attitude is sometimes necessary to get ahead, be it socially, economically, or politically, until further notice. It would be easy for someone who is not trans or gay, to look down on this attitude, or to not understand it, especially if the person is out to some people and not others. Scholar Bernard Tschumi says it well: “Masks hide other masks, and each successive level of meaning confirms the impossibility of grasping reality.”

My relationship with my grandmother is perhaps one of my strongest. However, it is hard to say whether she would react positively to my coming out, even if she has figured it out already. In some situations, aspects of my personality are not important and I do not feel like they need to be offered up to the plate in order for a relationship to be real, honest, powerful and valid.

My life at home has been kept relatively stable simply by me being ‘closeted.’ I am not necessarily saying my parents would abandon me if they knew I fell outside the guidelines of sexuality and gender…but things would certainly change, and they may not be in my favour. I am in charge of determining when this will happen, and whether I want this to happen. This opens up a lot of moral possibilities, ones which I am the custodian of, and ones which I am respectfully carrying out of my own will. This does not necessarily mean I am less ‘brave’ for other kids for coming out, or for asserting my identity at every corner.

Someone’s sexuality or gender identity doesn’t have to be emphasised as the prime focus of our personality.

Unfortunately, asserting a specific part of your identity is something you must do sometimes to defend yourself, or to be heard, to fight favouritism. It is up to the individual to choose their own battles.

I think every trans person is brave for simply being alive in

‘Coming out’ is a privelege. Unfortunately the public celebration of these announcements often leaves out the gay kids, the trans kids, who do not have that option. The person who has ‘come out’ (whatever that really means – coming out can actually be continual) is seen as a hero, as a spokesperson, while those who choose to be more careful are seen as being ‘inauthentic.’ These people, in my opinion, are just as brave.

This is where the chaos comes into my home life. This is where the potential for harm comes into play, where my rights could be taken away, where my character could be attacked, where I could be kicked out onto the street.

We can never forget, as LGBTQIA people, or even as allies, how important it is for the individual to decide what is safest and most convenient for them. Power is ownership, no matter how unconventional that may look. We all want to be empowered.

AUTHOR Jonno Revanche, 23, Counselling If he could live anywhere Jonno would like to temporarily live in the castle in Never-Ending Story. It resonates with his current goals and aspirations.

11

OPENLY SEXUAL improved ones on the market all the time. Obviously, this kind of vibrator lends itself to doggy style most easily but it can be used in other positions as you become more proficient.

My final favourite thing was only discovered recently whilst watching Burn After Reading. I noticed a cool sex pillow in it. I knew what a sex pillow was but had never thought to try one out before. I said I wanted one and Santa Claus delivered; proving you can be naughty! It was a revelation. I cannot speak highly enough of how comfortable it made so many positions. In fact, just how much better it makes missionary alone makes it worth the price. However, it is designed to make everything easier by elevating and propping where needed. No more cricks in the neck or squished arms or bent backs – this simple piece of equipment will make life easier for everyone. If you have an injury or disability that makes some acts difficult or painful, then this pillow may just make you so much happier. It certainly beats brown paper packages tied up with string. Unless that package has condoms, a vibrator, excellent lube and a sex pillow in it!

Introducing a vibrator to your male partner:

A Few of my Favourite Things

•

Get something that doesn’t look like a giant penis and you will find your partner is more accepting of it.

•

Suggest it as something fun that you would like to try with him as you “have only used it on your own and you have fantasised about what it would feel like with a/ his cock inside you as well”. Not all men understand that most women don’t come from penetrative sex alone.

•

Explain your fingers get too tired and this is an easier way to stimulate the clitoris.

•

You could go shopping for it together to make it part of the lead up to some truly great sex.

Hints about condoms: •

A variety of colours, sizes and styles makes selection more fun.

•

The flavours are not that nice.

•

Glow in the dark could be fun for a Star Wars themed sex night.

•

Ensure you have the right one for the right penis.

•

Triple extra large condoms are great but unlikely to be needed. They will however stop the larger dicks claiming condoms hurt their penises. Less whinging is always better.

An important ingredient in the bedroom is excellent lube. I know in porn, women are wet, wet, wet. In real life, however, women get dehydrated. They have a cycle that varies, have taken a couple of Codral, smoked some dope, or would just enjoy/like/need some help. It is better to use lube when you might not need it than to leave it out and end up not enjoying yourself — or worse — making it impossible to go again because you are both too sore. If you are doing anything anal: lube, lube and more lube. Then, use some more lube.

Crisco, a brand of vegetable oil, works well in more extreme situations (I know, I reacted the same way when I first found out about using it for that). Remember, as it isn’t water based it will degrade latex but I hear that, for fisting, it is the way to go. There are so many brands of lubricant out there now that I would recommend trying a few until you find one you like.

When you have multiple partners make sure it is condomcompatible and in a smaller container.

•

Triple extra large are great but will scare a less well endowed man.

•

Triple extra large are great but will fall off a less well endowed man, inside you.

•

Latex free are essential for the dick that says he can’t use a condom because he is allergic to rubber – show him the latex free as you kick his STD riddled arse out the door.

Obviously all ladies love a vibrator but for the hetero women, my most favourite thing ever is a vibrator that I can use whilst having penetrative sex. The trick with these is to get one that is powerful yet unobtrusive so that you can stimulate your clitoris whilst having intercourse. There are new and

AUTHOR Emma Sachsse, 42, Psychology (Hons)

When you are thinking about setting up your home, you need to make sure the bedroom has everything it needs for you to enjoy yourself comfortably and safely. You should have a nice box or handy drawer (I didn’t have bedside tables until recently) with a few important items in it so that, in the heat of the moment, you are not frantically scrambling for what you need; you can just reach over and grab it. I have a few favourite things that I feel are important and helpful to having a good time. Not all of them are necessary, but boy do they help.

Lube: •

Buy the best you can afford – claggy lube is useless.

•

Keep that container clean. No one wants to see the residue of your last session.

•

Dusty lube bottles are not such a good look either.

If Emma could live anywhere it would be England and then there would be cute squirrels in her garden instead, preferably near the Far Away Tree, so she could also have Saucepan’s pop biscuits for afternoon tea.

13

- Feminism -

We Need to Talk About...

The hidden double standard of parenting; when a man is a stay-at-home parent, he’s brave and revolutionary; when a woman is a stay-at-home parent…she’s doing what’s expected of her sex.

Stay at Home Dads

by Eleanor Danenberg I was procrastinating in the library one fine day, when I came across a brilliant article in The Times (UK), about the rise of stayat-home Dads - or as the article dubbed them, ‘the alpha dad’.

The article focused on a group of men with one thing in common; they had all left the workforce to become the primary caregiver of their children. The collective experiences of these men revealed the societal expectations and double standards surrounding parenting — and where better to discuss the ‘stay-at-home dad’ than the Home issue of ET? The five men all have a similar story; both parents were working full time – the child was in childcare – with the commute, work hours, and child’s sleep schedule, the parents were spending less quality time with child. Moreover, the parents were concerned with the development of their child, and felt guilty about missing their child’s first steps (or other significant toddler milestones).

The father then realised that because the mother earned more than he did, and enjoyed working life more than he did, that logically, he should be the one to leave his job to become a fulltime parent. (Sidenote: Not many relationships I know involve the woman earning more than the man, so way to go ladies!)

The men all reported similar feelings surrounding the adjusted family earnings and budget. With no independent income of their own, the men reported a loss of independence and a blow to the ego when they have to ask their female partner for money.

This arrangement understandably put stress on these relationships. The men felt jealous of their partners experiencing the prestige, intellectual challenge, and excitement of working life, which they were no longer a part of. One father remarked that, at times, being a stay-at-home Dad had tested his sanity — an entire day without adult conversation. At the same time, working mothers were envious that their partners got to spend more time with their child. They were worried that the father would become the ‘favourite parent’, the one the child would call out for when they were hurt or had a bad dream.

The men soon realised how invisibly sexist and gendered the parenting world is. When they took their children to the doctors or to the supermarket, people would ask things like, ‘Is it Mum’s day off?’ They also experienced admiration and praise for being so ‘brave’ to be a stay-at-home Dad.

These men experienced the hidden double standard of parenting; when a man is a stay-at-home parent, he’s brave and revolutionary; when a woman is a stay-at-home parent, she’s doing what’s expected of her gender.

The men also experienced the negatives aspects of being a stay-at-home Dad. They are in the minority; many felt excluded at child-friendly cafes, which often boast a ‘mummies corner’ or ‘mummies microwave’. Being the only man at a play group often resulted in one of the dads being asked to leave, as he was making the mothers ‘feel uncomfortable’. The fathers feared that their children were suffering because of this, and missing out on socialisation opportunities. One father said he was too worried to invite a mother and her child over for a play date for fear that she will interpret it as him hitting on her. Another important point raised was that the support networks available for fathers is seriously lacking, with parenting blogs and books being gendered and more often than not, aimed at mothers.

The work/personal life balance is a tough one. It’s widely known that women often earn less than men working the same job, and that women are under-represented in high-paying job fields.

Therefore, if a couple decide who is to stay home with the child based on who earns more, the woman is generally signed up by default. The fact that stay-at-home parenting is such a gendered role means that when a woman doesn’t want to be a stay-athome mother, or instead employs a nanny, she is considered unnatural and not maternal.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be a stay-athome Mum and running a household, but there is something wrong if we do it because we feel pressured, or because ‘that’s what women do’, or because we want to be a ‘good’ mother and think this is the way to get there. It is a decision that should be made by the family, based on what works for that unique family – but for heavens sake, can we start leaving gender out of the decision?

AUTHOR Eleanor Danenberg, 19, Bachelor of Arts (High Achievers) If Eleanor could live anywhere, to quote Joey from FRIENDS, live in ‘London, baby.”

- Feminism -

Words by Kaisha Wyld Artwork by Sheydin Dew Every now and then, when everything becomes too much and I feel like ripping my hair out and screaming into the void of due dates and confusing references, I think to myself that maybe I should just throw it all in and become a housewife. It would be the seemingly easier option and, just like a student, it would be completely acceptable to still be in my pj’s at three in the afternoon.

I have wanted to be a career woman since I was fifteen, when I decided I wanted to be a clinical psychologist and help people. I threw away the idea of pursuing a partner, to become a husband or wife, accepted that children aren’t mandatory, and devoted myself to study and education. It all made sense to me: I would live in a two bedroom apartment close to the city. My cats would keep me warm and my books would be my company. I would become a high-flying business woman, living in power suits with strong shoulders, and I would laugh with friends over coffee at Sunday brunch. I then realised I didn’t actually like the taste of coffee, but my dreams were not deterred. I would be a career woman, and neither man nor lady could convince me otherwise.

Unfortunately, another idea snuck up on me; the idea that not being career driven and having children and a husband or wife was an alternative (easier) option.

I didn’t even realise that this idea existed in my mind until a few years ago, when every second friend was getting engaged, or pregnant, or both. I started to think of them as lesser than me, as if by following their own

“

Wherever you find a great man, you will find a great mother or a great wife standing behind him -- or so they used to say. It would be interesting to know how many great women have had great fathers and husbands behind them. ― Dorothy L. Sayers

“

Timmy, can you get mummy’s briefcase?

choices in their own lives made them inferior. I know now that this is incorrect: no matter what choices you make, you’re going to have tough times as well as the good times.

I realised after a little while, it doesn’t matter what other people choose to do, so long as the choices exist for them to make. I am incredibly thankful that I, as a female, am able to attend university without an issue; that I don’t have to be married or have children to fulfil my role in society; and that my living arrangements aren’t dictated to me based on my gender.

No matter how difficult study becomes, I will pursue it because that is my choice to make. Who knows though, I may end up practicing for a few years and then marry and/or invest in some children. I may be a career mum. I might choose to stay at home, or swap it up part-time with my partner. But whatever happens, it will be a choice that has been afforded to me because a group of people decided that men and women are equal, and thus should have equal choices in this world.

AUTHOR Kaisha Wyld, 22, Psychology (Hons) Kaisha would be happy living anywhere, so long as she had cats, cheese, and plenty of books.

15

- Science -

T The he

T Theory heory O Off

E verything Everything Crossing the Threshold of Memory

by Marat Sverdlov You need to get something from your bedroom. You get off the couch, walk down the hall, through the door and… stare blankly at your bed. Why are you here again? You shrug, go back to the couch, sit down and—Oh yes! That was it. Now you remember. It’s happened to everyone, and left us feeling like a Sim with cancelled commands. This occasional annoyance is actually indelibly linked with how your brain stores information, and it has a name: The Boundary Effect. Also referred to as ‘the doorway effect’ (no plot twists there), it relates to your brain compartmentalising episodes of activity and thought data, and filing them away.

According to research published at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, by memory model researcher Dr. Gabriel Radvansky, the brain’s data compartmentalisation is strongly tied to location and treats going through a doorway as an ‘event boundary’, separating the information from the previous form from that of the new room and making it harder to access. Imagine your memory is a filing cabinet with many drawers. In the living-room draw you have a file that says “the remote stopped working, get new batteries from your bedroom”. You walk through the doorway and your brain closes the ‘living room’ draw and opens the ‘bedroom’ draw… except now you don’t have the file that explains why you’re here and it’s harder to remember. Going back to the living room switches to the other draw and it’s right there staring you in the face.

This strange effect does have a positive side; it can be used to enhance your memory, rather than sabotage it, if you do it on purpose. The method contemporarily referred to as a ‘memory, or mind, palace’ was known to ancient Romans and Greeks as the Method of Loci (loci being Latin for ‘places’) and was discussed by the Roman orator, statesman, poet, and philosopher, Cicero, in his 55BCE work ‘De Oratore’ (“On the Orator”). To use it, you memorise the layout of a building, or a street, or any physical area that has a number of discrete and separate ‘loci’ (rooms in a building, shops on a street). Then, when memorising information,

you ‘walk’ through the locations and commit information to the ‘rooms’ by visualising it and forming an association with the distinguishing features of the location you’re ‘in’. Later, when recalling information, you ‘walk’ through your memory palace again and you go to the place where you left the information you need.

This allows you to engage not only the visual areas of your brain but the spatial ones as well, and we explored in our creativity column the positive cognitive effects of interlinking multiple areas of the brain during learning or memory formation.

World memory champions swear by this technique, including Dominic O’Brien (8-times World Memory Champion), Clemens Mayer (2006 World Champion, used a 300-location journey to memorise 1024 random digits in half an hour), and Gary Shang (used it to memorise Pi to 65,536 digits). The process is also supported by Radvansky’s research, which demonstrated that the memory effect worked regardless of whether the subject physically moved room-to-room, or did so virtually in a computer simulation. A convincing visualisation of crossing room thresholds is good enough for your brain.

That kind of memory domination takes a lot of practice but it has been demonstrated that a person with an ordinary memory and no prior memorisation training can learn to use this technique well enough to memorise the sequence of a shuffled deck of cards with less than a half hour’s practice, and it is commonly taught as a metacognitive technique in learning-tolearn courses or components of other courses the world over.

Memorising a deck of cards might be a fun party trick, but this technique is demonstrated to be usable by pretty much anyone to memorise and recall large swathes of information. With exams coming up, consider looking up a practice guide for the technique if you’re having trouble keeping all that topic content in your head.

technologia Home Is Where The Hack Is

by Kevin Clark

It’s 2020 and you have a baby, or maybe you adopted, or maybe they belong to a loved one of yours and you are just helping out by babysitting for a while. You have a baby monitor and there is a baby on the other end who I am presuming you have an obligation to look after. The monitor is one of those walkie-talkie like things that lets you watch TV, sit on Facebook and listen to the baby sleep all at the same time. Not that Facebook is going to be the same in five years, if it is still around. It probably won’t even be the same next week.

You get up to use the bathroom. As you stand the lights brighten and the TV pauses, thanks to smart-sensors running off of an application on your watch. As you walk down the hall, you pause to check in on the baby, only to hear another voice in the room. Worried that someone else is in there, you rush in and find that the mystery voice is coming from the baby monitor. As soon as the voice hears you come into the room it advises that you might want to change your wifi password as well as put your fridge onto a different network – apparently the manufacturers were more focussed on functionality of the smart-fridge then the security of it. You’re not quite sure how someone does that, but you are certain that you don’t want a stranger talking to the baby while it sleeps.

Luckily for us, cyber-criminals and cyber-security researchers are revealing more and more flaws in seemingly simplistic devices (although quite cool), which is forcing manufacturers and developers to consider security before they send out the key to gaining access to your internal network and devices. Unfortunately most of us have no clue that this is even possible, and that all of the above is actually not just a concern for the future but is in fact already happening (including the occasional stranger through a baby monitor, such as happened to Foscam earlier this year). As we trust these devices with everything from our medical data, dietary and sleeping patterns to our bank details, it is becoming increasingly likely that the weakest link to your private data is not the laptop with the up-to-date (I hope) virus checker and an inbuilt firewall, but rather the bluetooth/wifi plant watering system you set up to look after the pot plants in the back room.

You immediately bring your laptop into the child’s room, turn off the baby monitor and resolve to enjoying the internet as quietly as you can without having the baby physically out of your sight. As you get over your concern of the stranger on the baby monitor, you get the coffee machine to start up from your phone and wait for the notification that it’s ready. With disgust, you note that the criminal also had the machine add sugar to your usual cup of relaxation. The bastard.

AUTHOR Kevin Clark, 20, Bachelor of Engineering (Software) Kevin would live here and now, although a glimpse of when George RR Martin finishes the books might be tempting.

17

- Feature -

The Threads that Bind Us How a ‘homemade’ movement could change the world.

By Amy Manners

I woke up the other day with an intense desire to knit. Perhaps it was the rain pattering on the roof that sparked the longing to create something cosy and warm. Or maybe I was inspired by the memory of my grandmother who taught me to knit with soft wool she’d spun herself from neighbours’ sheep. But most likely, my aspiration to make my own jumper this winter came from a more unimaginative source; my Instagram feed has been overtaken by a knitting frenzy. Friends are posting pictures of homemade blanket squares, fashionable knitting books and receiving comments from others crying out, ‘Teach me how to cast on and off!’ Similarly, social networks like Pinterest are loaded with DIY and craft ideas, confirming the popularity of all things homemade. Whether we’ve made the items ourselves or picked them up from stalls at local markets, there’s something deeply personal about the term ‘homemade’ and we can’t get enough of it.

And so I wonder: is there a change on the horizon that a mass manufactured world can’t anticipate? Our consumerist society has forgotten there is skill, labour and environmental impact behind every product we buy. But like lightning flashing across a dark horizon, wholesome words like ‘organic’, ‘sustainable’, ‘handmade’ and ‘fairtrade’ are suddenly shaping our purchasing habits and the lifestyles we seek to embody. Despite a synthetic culture of technology, multiple screens, and advertising, we suddenly want to do things with our own two hands again. We want to knit, make bread, and farm an urban garden on our windowsills.

Advertisers have warned us for decades that this way of life is too hard and expensive for busy modern humans. However, I recently discovered all that bread requires is my fists, an oven and four ingredients: flour, water, oil and yeast. Since then, I have made a more majestic find. By melting cocoa powder, maple syrup and cocoa butter, and then setting this decadent mixture in the fridge, I can craft homemade chocolate.

It has been a revelation to discover making stuff isn’t hard! Yet billions of dollars has been spent on marketing campaigns to ensure we forget we are capable of living homemade lives. Not so long ago our greatgrandparents baked their own bread, fashioned their own clothes, and grew their own food because this was the most cost effective and efficient way to live. The result was an earth that was cared for, diets that were free from preservatives our bodies were never meant to

digest, and a self-sufficient lifestyle that didn’t scour the globe to exploit the vulnerable. But today, consumerism has fooled us into believing we live in an ‘un-handmade’ world of magically appearing stuff. The reality is, the unseen hands that fuel global trade are bound by injustice.

Consumer demand is met by the mass manufacturing of products, but in order for brands to make a substantial profit, the highly competitive marketplace means they need to strike dirt-cheap production deals. This is achieved through exploiting labour amongst the world’s poorest. This is how everything — electronics, children’s toys, shoes, furniture, groceries, even the cotton in our underpants — comes into being. More often than not, the threads that weave together our favourite products are spun from inhumane working conditions, environmental hazards, child slavery, abuse, poverty and even death.

Take for instance the Rana Plaza industrial disaster in 2013. The collapse of this cheaply constructed Bangladeshi building, which housed garment factories and produced clothing for popular Western labels, resulted in over 1000 fatalities, mostly young women.

Though the workers noticed the roof was damaged and dangerously close to caving in, they were slapped for raising concerns and were not permitted to evacuate the building: the fashion industry stops for no-one, after all, and there were orders that needed to be met.

(To find out more about factory working conditions visit globallabourrights.org). Similarly, the bittersweet currents of the chocolate industry also camouflage tales of injustice. World Vision’s Ethical Chocolate Guide states, only five per cent of chocolate is certified to be free from forced, child and trafficked labour. In West Africa, where 70 per cent of the world’s chocolate originates, a 2010 study by Tulane University revealed almost two million children in Ghana and the Ivory Coast worked in cocoa fields. Many of these children are victims of human trafficking. Though we should feel uncomfortable with this casual acceptance of slavery, I’m not trumpeting these unspoken realities to drown us all in floods of guilt. Though our daily lives may be sketched by patterns of capitalism, and though conglomerates may manipulate us with marketing campaigns; a change is here. Those wholesome words flashing like lightning should be petrifying conglomerates like Nike, Apple, Target, Coke and Mars

- Feature -

into a more just way of doing business. This is because suddenly we, as the target market, want items that enrich our lifestyles with all that is personal, fair and good. We want the warm reassurance of all that’s homemade.

There are unfathomable benefits behind the popular rise of ‘homemade’ goods. If I knit my own jumper, it means I’m not paying a brand to exploit another human being. If I create my own chocolate from fairtrade ingredients, I can rest easy knowing this certification ensures cocoa farmers are given the support they need to provide for their families and improve the livelihood of their communities. The world of the homemade opens the door for us to appreciate the skill, time and labour behind everyday items. Could this homemade movement help us value the unseen hands behind our products? While we all don’t need to knit clothes or make chocolate, we can all make choices that benefit those who do. The Shop Ethical! mobile phone app identifies what brands are ethically better than others. Or visit Good On You (goodonyou. org.au) to find fashion labels with values. And finally, being ethical isn’t meant to weigh heavy on our wallets.

Conventionally, mega bucks are spent on marketing and little on production. Therefore, by limiting advertising budgets and increasing worker’s wages, ethical products can support producers, break cycles of poverty and still be affordable. Just browse through the Oxfam online shop (oxfamshop.org.au) and you’ll find a range of

products with similar prices to mainstream ones, except these are fair, ethical and environmentally sustainable alternatives.

To relish the homemade is to learn how to honour one another and the world in which we live. Whether the home in question is on the other side of the world where communities are justly supported to handcraft items, or whether it’s in our own homes where we try to impact the world one stocking stitch at a time, let’s determine that we’ll create the change we want to see.

It’s time to turn the page and discover a new pattern.

AUTHOR Amy Manners, 25, Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing & Media) If Amy could live anywhere it would be in a whitewashed cottage tucked into the Cornish cliffs with raging Atlantic swells beneath her. If that plan failed she would journey to Narnia through her wardrobe.

19

Freedom of Choice:

is being “Free Range” for the best?

Is freedom of choice all it claims to be? Or rather, is it slowly leading us towards extinction? In the Western world we maintain control over the majority of our lives with minimal intervention from government. Children are taught that they can be whomever or whatever they dream to be. By allowing choice are we setting future generations up for failure? If so, what are the potential consequences? This piece aims to raise questions – allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions – in an attempt to challenge preconceived societal ideas around freedom and the right to individual self-determination.

Choice – we get it everywhere! In spite of the rhetoric around the government controlling almost everything we do, if we look at legislation it only covers a miniscule amount of everyday human life. Whilst this level of choice varies throughout societies’ common choices, in Australia, it include a choice in government and, to a less defined extent, future career pathways.

Democracy is the worst form of government, as it doesn’t allow for long-term planning. As a result self-interest will always prevail. Elected governments become lame rather quickly and actions that should be taken in the best interests of the citizenry in the long-term are sacrificed due to the short-term political cost.

However the question here is what can be done to combat this? The simple answer would be to have a more permanent governmental structure; this could include longer political terms or even the potential of appointment for life.

The latter would remove the need to worry about political capital. Sadly, it is not quite this simple because self-interest will still prevail. To quote Orwell on the matter ‘power corrupts but absolute power corrupts absolutely’.

Individual self-determination provides a degree of choice for most people. We can choose our own career path and aspire to better ourselves. But what happens when we don’t achieve what we set out to? Is the despair worth it? Does it contribute to mental health incidence? Maybe it’s for the best if we are “given” our role in society, as determined by bio-psychosocial factors. But then what would this do in terms of being intrinsically human? Is the goal of humanity the preservation of itself or to be free to express individuality and enjoy the journey with minimal worry of what is to happen once we, as individuals, are gone?

Essentially we can’t be given free range over every aspect of our lives and neither can we be controlled at every given moment. There is a happy balance out there and I believe this differs amongst cultures, geographical areas, and more importantly, amongst individuals. It’s hard, we claim, to value individuality, yet wish to live in such a closed way. Yes, we are able to debate issues. However this is often only within preconceived and predefined “normal” boundaries and to

exceed these is frequently regarded as socially unacceptable.

Therefore how much individuality do we maintain? At the end of the day, society will live or die. Whilst theorising what the best approach to humanity may be, it is well beyond the boundary of what can be changed by the average individual.

However, these ideas do need to be discussed. Who knows, you could be seen as the “crazy one” but remember it’s the “crazy ones” who change the world!

AUTHOR Brian Gardiner, 21, Bachelor of Paramedic Science If he could live anywhere, Brian would live in Eastern Europe (particularly the German Democratic Republic) during the 1980s. Failing that the Hundred Acre Woods would be lovely!

ARTWORK Sheydin Dew

The Possum Diary: Dawn of the Possums Day 1: The possums have broken through the bird netting and eaten my spinach, lettuce, and broccoli. I am distraught. I am not sure where they are getting in but I have wired up the possible site of entry. What are my cats doing whilst their territory is being invaded?

Day 2: They got in again last night and ate the strawberry plants, the leaves of the beetroots, and the chilli plants. Oh well. I guess that it no longer matters if they get in; there is nothing else worth eating. Chilli plants? Seriously?

Day 3: They ate the pansies, the petunias, the rose bush, the glory vine, and the new shoots of the Chinese Star Jsmine. They ripped up all the parsley. My garden is no longer. It is a desolate wasteland.

My barista says she is having possum issues too: they are eating her cactus.

Day 4: I have decided to fight back. I investigate some anti-possum solutions. They cost three hundred dollars. I buy some garden trellis fencing stuff for ninety dollars. It is strong and has openings of 5x10cm; too small for a possum to get through. It is hot hard work but I manage to enclose my entire garden area (a small 6x1.5m covered area). I leave out half an apple to test my defences.

Day 5: The apple is gone. I buy some more wire and shore up the weak areas with a complex threading and weaving of wire. This process leaves me looking like someone who self-harms as I have so many cuts on my arms. I leave out half an apple.

Day 6: The apple is gone. They are getting through the 5x10cm holes. I go and buy chicken wire, as I am told that they are unlikely to chew through it straight away—apparently they dislike the taste of galvanised metal. It is 38 degrees. The ends of the chicken wire are sharp. I hammer and thread it all to the existing structure. I leave out a couple of lettuce leaves.

Day 7: The lettuce leaves are still there. I am cautiously triumphant.

What if the lettuce leaves weren’t tempting enough to stage a break in? I buy an apple, cut it up, and leave out the whole lot scattered around the garden.

Day 8: The entire apple is still there; tiny ants are crawling over each piece. The possums have not broken in. The sense of victory is mired by a niggling feeling that the possums are just lulling me into a false sense of security. The possibility of them waiting for me to replant my garden before they stage another full-scale invasion is at the back of my mind.

Day 9: I cautiously plant some lettuce, petunias, mint, and some strawberry plants. I put out another apple.

Day 10: The apple is still there, as are the plants. The possums are no longer able to torment me.

Caterpillars have eaten all the mint.

AUTHOR Emma Sachsse, 42, Psychology (Hons) If Emma could live anywhere it would be England and then there would be cute squirrels in her garden instead, preferably near the Far Away Tree, so she could also have Saucepan’s pop biscuits for afternoon tea.

Artwork by Benjamin Hall21

1967 REFERENDUM: HELPFUL OR HARMFUL The Australian Constitution is the core foundation from which all laws are created, and yet the document makes no mention of our historical origins. The birthplace of a British Australia meant the formal denial of the people who had occupied this land, continuously, for more than 40, 000 years. The cultural clash between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and the ‘white’ population that makes up the majority of this country is something that remains prevalent in today’s society.

It was not until the referendum in 1967 that Aboriginal people were even counted as existing in our nation, with the removal of section 127 of the Australian Constitution which stated: “In reckoning the numbers of the people of the Commonwealth, or of a State or other part of the Commonwealth, aboriginal natives should not be counted.” For 66 years, Aboriginal people were not counted during a census. They missed out on vital resources, including healthcare and education, and were considered so second-class that they were simply ignored in the eyes of the law, not to mention the horrifying discrimination that they faced from the general community, as well as by those in positions of authority.

As well as section 127, words in Section 51(xxvi) were also taken out. Section 51 outlines the powers allotted to the federal government, with number 26 stating that the government has the power to make laws in regards to, “The people of any race, other than the Aboriginal people in any State, for whom it is necessary to make special laws.” The referendum sought to remove the words “other than the Aboriginal people in any state,” as this would make Indigenous affairs a power of the Commonwealth,

rather than a residual power of the states. The idea was that in removing these words, the federal government would be able to legislate in areas relating to Aboriginal people in a positive manner, although there has not been a lot of evidence to support this idea. The referendum was passed with an overwhelming majority, with approximately 90% of people voting yes to the changes, and approval in all six states. The removal of these sections in the Constitution were a step in the right direction in regards to Aboriginal rights and recognition, but now, almost 50 years later, little has been achieved since, in terms of altering the Constitution and legislation, to make the needs of the Aboriginal community paramount.

“

Australia is ranked at number two in the United Nations Human Development Index. When determining that rank, the UN considers life expectancy, education and per capita income. As a nation, we have developed considerably since federating in 1901, and yet one area that continues to be a constant pit-fall is the treatment, acknowledgement and integration of our Aboriginal culture and heritage into every day society.

The referendum sought to remove the words “other than the Aboriginal people in any state,” as this would make Indigenous affairs a power of the Commonwealth, rather than a residual power of the states.

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but it is a necessary change, that would have a positive flow-on effect in terms of the treatment of Aboriginal people in today’s society.

When children are forcibly removed from their mothers, people are taken to reserves, education and health gaps are at an all-time high, and the government is doing nothing about it, clearly there is a national issue that needs to be addressed. While the situation is no longer as dire as it once was, today the cultural gap very much still exists, little attempt of cultural understanding is made in schools and general society. There is a definitive gap in education, health, life expectancy and job prospects between Aboriginal people and the rest of Australian society. In 2013, Prime Minister Tony Abbott set up the Indigenous Advisory Council to advise on matters relating to Indigenous affairs in the community, in order to address some of these issues. Warren Mundine, a prominent Indigenous political leader, was appointed as chairman of the council and many efforts were made to ensure the success of the committee. This is one step that has had a largely positive effect in regards to the treatment of Aboriginal Australians, at least in the eyes of politics and the law. By involving Indigenous people in the law making process, the Government can hope to more appropriately respond to the pressing needs and issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our country.

The Australian Constitution, whilst no longer containing openly discriminatory sections regarding Aboriginal people, makes no specific mention of the traditional owners of the land— in fact, the silence is almost deafening. Arguably, the Constitution makes no mention of any specific group in society, so some people ask why should it single out the Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people? While this is the case, the fact that the preamble of the Constitution does not even acknowledge the original owners of the land makes a mockery of a spiritual and cultural heritage that existed long before the British claimed the land for themselves, whilst openly ignoring the presence of the pre-existing culture. A push to change the preamble, as a step towards the appropriate and necessary acknowledgement of the original owners of this land, is one that many see as a step in the right direction. This change, while having no affect in terms of the legality of the document, would instead have an effect on the way in which society views Aboriginal people. The acknowledgement would begin to have a positive effect on the general wellbeing of Aboriginal people, and hopefully ignite change in other areas such as the crime rates, health and education of Aboriginal people. In altering the Constitution, politicians would be forced to consider the ways that real change could be enacted through legislation, rather than simply looking at the issue from a position of disdain. In 1901 when Australia became a nation, there was no acknowledgement of the Aboriginal people, their role and place in the new nation, and their spiritual connection to the land. In fact, legislation regarding the treatment of Aboriginal people was blatantly ignorant of the existing cultural backgrounds from which they herald.

The Australian Constitution was designed to be a fluid document, one that could change and adapt with the changes in society, but after more than 110 years, only six changes have successfully passed the convoluted referendum process necessary to alter the document. To change the Constitution to recognise the original owners of our country would be a difficult process, one that would have to be handled in a sensitive and appropriate manner,

Despite a somewhat feeble attempt to improve in all of these areas, the lack of Indigenous representation in Parliament, as well as prioritising other issues has led to slow progress in terms of addressing the inequalities in our society. It was only two years ago that the first Indigenous woman became a Member of Parliament at a Commonwealth level. Nova Peris, a prominent Australian sports person, became a member of the Australian Labor Party in 2013, and in September of the same year, was sworn in as a Northern Territory senator. Perris represents a step in the right direction for Aboriginal representation in positions of power, however so much more can and should be done, to ensure that she is not the only indigenous woman represented in Canberra. It is appalling to think that in the 21st century, in a country that prides itself for being multicultural and accepting of others, the original owners of this land are still not afforded adequate representation in federal Parliament. The purpose of a democratic society is to ensure that the public is represented when laws are created, and it becomes a significant issue when only 32 indigenous people have ever been elected to a state, territory or federal parliament. How can we address the cultural gap between Aboriginal people and when politically, the gap remains so prominent? It is unrealistic to expect changes to happen over night, but perhaps with more representation in parliament, laws can be created to respond to the problems that have been created after over a century of neglect and discrimination towards Aboriginal people by those in positions of power.

It’s easy in today’s society to criticise an issue and then do nothing about it, and this seems to be the case in the Australian Federal Government. Despite the Rudd government’s official apology to the Stolen Generation in 2008, and Royal Inquiries into the mistreatment of Indigenous people, there is still a level of racism and inequality that has seeped further and further into the Australian culture.

AUTHOR Sarah Barrett, 20, Bachelor of Education (Middle/Secondary)/ Bachelor of Arts If Sarah could live in London, because who wouldn’t want to live in London?

23

VO Q.

1.IF YOU COULD LIVE IN ANY TV SHOW, WHICH ONE WOULD IT BE AND WHY? 2.

WHERE DO YOU CALL HOME? 3. WHAT DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN SCHOOLS THAT ISN’T ALREADY? 4. WHAT CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN HUMANKIND OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS? 5. YOU’RE HOME ALONE, WHAT DO YOU DO? 6. IF YOU COULD LIVE ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD IT BE?

1.Sabrina the Teenage Witch. High school and magic I literally can’t see a problem with this 2. Wherever my loved ones are... Or the nearest food source 3. LGBTIQ sexual education

4. The dissolution of heterosexuality as a defult

1. Sabrina the Teenage Witch

1. Wizards of Waverly Place — because wizards 2. Adelaide

3. What happens after education

2. Glenelg

3. How to do taxes and that girls are just as strong as boys 4. More natural resources and peace and justice

5. Pretend I’m Stevie Nicks or Marina and the Diamonds

4. Less War

5. Eat and Watch TV

5. Play loud music and cook

6. With Jasmine

6. Hogwarts

6. Hogwarts

Callum (CJ McLean)

Georgia

Kahrynn

2. Somewhere where I can be my frightening self...

3. Proper sexual education

4. Total acceptance of all races, cultures, genders, sexualities and disabilities.

For there to be no stigma about normal things

1. Brooklyn Nine-Nine, because it is hilarious and has fantastic representation and doesn’t mock minorities for a laugh

pop

X O 1. Galavant. Just so people would be singing all the time - that would be hilarious!

2. My bed with tea and chocolate 3. Education striving to teach that everyone is equal — tolerance and understanding and acceptance.

1. The Office 2. Loxton

3. More Australian History

5. Sing at the top of my lungs to Asgeir and Of Monsters and Men when I should be doing uni work.

4. Equal rights for everyone — legally and in society 5. Eat Nutella

5. Watch TV

6. With Callum (CJ)

6. London

6. Loxton

Jasmine

Amelia

4. More Tolerance

toby

25

LYDIA WOODYATT Having won a Faculty and Vice Chancellor’s award for Teaching Excellence, it comes as no surprise that Dr Lydia Woodyatt has been nominated as one of Flinders University’s Best Teachers by readers of Empire Times. Jess Nicole chats to Lydia about her background in theology, her involvement with first years, and life as an academic.

Dr Lydia Woodyatt is a lecturer from the School of Psychology as well as the Director of First Year Studies in Psychology at Flinders University.

When asked about her background, perhaps the most surprising fact is that Lydia’s first degree is not Psychology. Lydia studied her first degree in theology in Queensland. Lydia’s final year of studies focused on becoming a minister in a church. Given that “being a 22 year old female minister is not the peak of employment opportunities”, Lydia worked initially at “random jobs” in places such as OSCH (Outside School Hours Care), strawberry picking, and finally at a psychology clinic, working on case management, marketing, and helping synthesis psychological research for GP newsletters. A year after graduation Lydia moved to Adelaide, taking a job in a church. One year in, Lydia recognised that she wanted to be back studying since she missed the learning, and being part of an academic community. Working in a church that was located in an area with substantial economic and social disadvantage was sometimes challenging and all-encompassing, so she wanted a space that was her own. Uni was that space. While continuing to work, she did a Graduate Diploma in Psychology at Flinders, and then Honours in Social Psychology over two years, before snapping up a funded PhD examining self-forgiveness in the context of restorative justice. When offered a parttime teaching position at the university, Lydia resigned from her role in the church and decided academia was for her. On reflection of her journey from her previous career to teaching psychology at Flinders University, Lydia says “what you develop in one place can completely open up an opportunity to do something else.” She says her seven years in ministry helped develop skills that have been vital to what she’s been doing ever since, teaching and supporting Flinders Students.

Lydia’s role as Director of First Year Studies (Psychology) involves making sure psychology students have everything they need to succeed at university and monitoring that success in terms of transitioning into second year. Lydia took on her role as director in light of her interest in first year disengagement and non-completion of topics. Lydia says in order to combat this issue one has to “take a whole system approach to thinking about what a student needs… thinking about not just this little topic on its own and in isolation, but how does it fit in the context of what the student is doing in their whole course and in their life.”

Lydia is also behind the Psychology peer-mentoring program which endeavours to increase success of first year students, while also developing the work readiness of third year students. The peer mentoring is curriculum embedded in that it is in a foundation topic in first year, and also in a capstone topic in third year psychology, which helps to make the program sustainable and accessible to all students. Those in first year experience being mentees and then later, in their third year, they will provide mentorship for new first years. This year is the first year that the program has been fully integrated into the third year curriculum, with 124 mentors and 515 first year students as mentees involved.

Lydia says that “most people are missing something that they need to succeed through uni and you’ve got to get it along the way…every student needs up skilling in some way, whether it’s personal…or academic.” She describes her “light bulb moment” as when herself and Dr Anna Moffat, also from the School of Psychology, ran an optional workshop on essay writing for first years in second semester, and the room they had booked overflowed with students. Lydia explains that there are many skills that students don’t even realise they are lacking until they reach second and third year, when they get feedback: “first year is made to be a bit simpler so people can master some basic skills, but in that, people can think they’re okay until they’re not okay. It’s important to know that whenever you reach that point, there is help available.” In recent years, Lydia has replaced the smaller and numerous tutorial classes that were originally in place, with larger workshops. These larger workshops are all taught by Lydia now so that first year students can have face-to-face contact with one academic staff member throughout all of first year, and teaching is consistent across classes. “In increasing the class sizes, however, a student’s anonymity is increased and the chance of them knowing anyone or being known themselves is reduced” Lydia explains.

“The peer-mentoring program was introduced as a way of offsetting this as well as providing personal contact and a network of support at a more intimate level.”

learn to regulate your emotions. There are times when getting work done and getting published “feels really fantastic” and there are the low periods, when “studies don’t work, grants that you’ve put lots of time into get knocked back and there are papers you think are good get shredded.” Lydia’s research is focused on social psychology, particularly responses to committing transgressions including self-forgiveness, defensiveness, shame and selfpunishment amongst a range of other topics centred on justice, emotions, and morality.

Teaching is a nice balance to being a researcher: “research provides the intellectual stimulation, the challenge of problem solving, the reward of exploring an idea in depth, the fun of collaborating with others and coming up with neat experiments, but in teaching you feel like you’re having this practical, helpful impact on someone’s life… it’s really easy to help a student, it’s really hard to publish unpublishable data.”

Lydia reports that she wants teaching to be like a conversation. “I teach referencing and how to write an assignment and these are not the topics that necessarily thrill my life but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring or unengaging.” To Lydia, it’s about trying to make the subject relevant to students, finding how to reach each student who is listening and promoting their engagement.

Along with teaching and working with research students at a collaborative level, Lydia also enjoys the autonomy, intellectual freedom and flexibility that comes with her university role. “It’s fantastic. It’s never boring – there’s always something more interesting you can look at.”

In her downtime, Lydia likes to socialise, cook, read, and binge watch television shows. “I just finished watching Pretty Little Liars. I got to the point where I binge watched it over two weeks, all four seasons, and by the end of season two I hated the show. I watched so much that I made myself sick on it. But I had to finish it. Not sure what that says about my personality.” P.S. She doesn’t recommend this as good example of quality TV or a useful way to spend your time.

HD

When asked about the best quality a student can have through university, Lydia uses the term ‘stickability’.

Stickability is a word she uses to describe sticking with it when things get tough, and being driven by one’s own curiosity and interest in learning. She says stickability is reflected in the students who are “almost a little bit happy with being imperfect in order to keeping learning and growing.” Lydia reports that the worst part of her job is trying to get the balance right in her workload: “I like thinking and breathing and sleeping and eating and doing things other than work [but] these things sometimes get squeezed out”. Lydia also mentions the bureaucratic difficulties that naturally come from working for a large organisation, and the emotional roller coaster ride of being a researcher as other challenges. She explains that being a researcher involves success and failure, so you have to

27

Six

housemates that arent from the cast of FRIENDS:

Artwork by Amber Hall Words by Jess Nicole

If you’re living out of home, you may find yourself in a share house, because being a student often means you’re flat broke and can’t afford to live alone. Once thrown into the world of share houses, you quickly learn to identify the housemates who are savages, and the ones who are compatible with you. I have discovered the perfect housemate is probably a myth or a miracle reserved for those more fortunate than myself. During my time I have encountered a pick n’ mix of people, many of whom I have come to love and admire. I have also met six types of housemates you too might meet during your student years in a share house: the Slob, the Ghost, the Gamer, the Freeloader, the Nester, and the Fruitcake.

The Slob is the thing you see splayed out on the couch with its belly up, dressing gown insufficiently tightened, cheesy fingers, lying in a bed of crumbs and shame. They will raid your fridge, hoard dishes in their room, pee with the door open, and use your Netflix account when you’re not at home. The Slob is like a hybrid of a Snorlax and a stoner zombie: they sleep all the time, eat all your leftovers and wander around aimlessly, groaning from the sheer agony of still having the munchies.

Enter the Freeloader. Skilled in the art of being a leaching, lazy vulture, the Freeloader is usually your housemate’s boyfriend or girlfriend. They could also be a vague acquaintance that guilted you into taking them on while they looked for a new place. That said, they now refer to your house as “our house” and mail has started arriving with their name on it.

The Freeloader stays at your place free of charge, eats your food and doesn’t contribute to the household chores. They may even have another place in which to live but yours seems much more appealing.

The Gamer is the housemate who only emerges from their dwelling for toilet breaks and to purchase a weeks worth of energy drinks and pop tarts. Their mum pays the rent on time. Serious quests call for serious game time and serious lack of showering. It’s advised that you get air freshener.

The Nester knows no bounds. They see the house as an opportunity to spread out, with each room a vast field in which to place their unnecessary crap. All surfaces are littered with unopened letters, loose change, hair products, socks, bags and other items that should be stored away neatly. Communal areas are infiltrated with their knickknacks, photos of their family and/or the menagerie of pets they own.

Unlike the Slob who leaves their mess due to laziness, Nesters deliberately distribute their mess around the house in order to feel comfortable and settled.

You’re inclined to believe that your other housemate exists but only because of the reliable rent payments their making. You hear footsteps at random hours of the night but on rising, see nobody. The milk appears to have depleted slightly, but you can’t quite be sure. The Ghost provides inadequate company but is otherwise a model housemate.

By the time you realise that your housemate is completely batshit, it’s too late. Since the Fruitcakes of the share house world are disguised as sane, well-adjusted people, you are genuinely shocked when their peculiarities start to show one week into living together. The honeymoon period is over and they no longer feel the need to put on the facade.

Whether it’s voodoo dolls, excessive cleaning or hoarding (both are bad), or just downright neuroses and paranoia, obsessive and odd behaviours a week in are a sure sign of ‘get them, or yourself, the hell out of there’.

Q&A: John Schumann

Distinguished Flinders Alumni John Schumann, best known for his song ‘I was only nineteen (A walk in the green light)’ sat down with Laura Telford from Empire Times to talk about his new song, commissioned for the 100th Anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli in recognition of the Indigenous soldiers who fought.

ET: Earlier this year you were commissioned by the Australian Army to write a song called “On Every ANZAC Day” dedicated to Indigenous soldiers. Can you explain that process?

J: I’ve been friends with the chief of the army, General David Morrison, for a couple of years now. I met him when my band, John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew, played at a parade in Darwin welcoming back soldiers who served in Afghanistan. David and I maintained contact, and he asked me whether I’d write a song commemorating the service of Indigenous soldiers for the 100th anniversary, centred mainly on WWI but also extending into all the conflicts in which Indigenous soldiers have participated.

There were quite a number of issues I had to deal with. I’m not an Indigenous person, so I couldn’t take that narrative perspective, but I wanted it to be authentic. I wanted it to be credible and I didn’t want to shy away from any of the uncomfortable issues. That was quite a challenge. I had to make sure that whatever song I wrote was going to be accessible to serving soldiers now and, without shying away from some of the less palatable aspects of our history, be a source of pride for the Indigenous men and women in the ADF. I have to acknowledge Lieutenant General Morrison, who didn’t ever suggest that I shy away from anything; he respected that I had to bring my own integrity to the task.

David is very socially progressive, he’s really gone about changing the culture of the army in a very significant way.

ET: Your song “I Was Only 19” is one of the most iconic wartime songs and one of the most recognised around Australia. How does that make you feel even after all this time?

J: It’s really quite astounding to think that a song that I wrote in 1982 and recorded in 1983 is still being discussed today.

A person from the record industry rang me and said, ‘Did you know “Nineteen” is in the charts again?’ It had something like 5000 downloads in two days. It’s terrific. I don’t really know what to say about its longevity, other than to suggest it’s probably because the issues and observations are timeless.

The details are quite important and taken to heart by the

Vietnam veterans and their families. I think it was also one of those ‘I get it’ moments for Australia. We’re pretty good [as a country] with our veterans, by and large. The government can be very mean and stingy with them, but Australia, generally speaking, is very respectful of the men and women it sends to fight wars in its name. However that wasn’t the case with the Vietnam War. “I Was Only Nineteen” made Australians stop, reflect, and realise that we hadn’t treated those blokes very well at all. And I think going out and buying the song, which people did in their hundreds of thousands at that time, was a way of saying sorry.

ET: As a distinguished Flinders Alumni, what was Flinders University like when you studied here?

J: It was terrific. It was a very young university and a lot of the academics were quite young, extraordinarily bright, and out to make a name for themselves. I was there during the Vietnam War, and [the university] was very politically active. The student union was very involved and progressive, much to the distress of the young Liberals. We all learned a lot through our political activism. Redgum would not have manifested at Adelaide University for instance.

ET: How did Redgum begin?

J: Redgum arose from a course called Politics and Art. The topic examined the relationship between art, politics, and society, and we were able to present either an academic paper or a practical project. Some people wrote plays, some people wrote poetry, others wrote stories or painted. I got together with some students I’d never met and together we wrote about eight songs. We performed them and they were hits with the student population. After that we were taken around the country to perform at different student events— there was nationally a very strong entertainment scene for students. That’s where we really established ourselves and grew, with our roots very much in that scene and on community radio around the county.

ET: Finally, what does an average day look like to you at the moment?

J: I really live in two worlds. I’m a writer, a public speaker and I have my own Strategic Communications business, but the other part of my life is music. I have a band—I’m probably the oldest guy in Australia still touring with his band. I have a publishing deal with Universal Music, I released a picture book of “I Was Only 19”, and I’m on the board of a few organisations. I have lots of things keeping me busy.

29

Home away from home: A personal story.

I am sitting in my room thinking about my life, as I have done many times before. Tucked away in the warmth of my bed, in my dark room with the glow of my small Apple computer lighting the room, I am half a world away from home. I flash back to that day when my plane touched down in Melbourne on February 28. Though summer was still yet to end, the weather had been chilly and it was drizzling as I passed through customs. I remember the last weekend I had at home before I embarked on the journey that was to change my life. Shopping with mother, lunch with siblings, frustrations at the bank, and a sleepover with the girls. I was homesick already, and as I rolled my trolley that carried what would be my only belongings in this foreign country, for god knows how long, I felt joy even though I was also sad. I smiled with a slight frown and felt a leap in my heart, though there was a tight uncomfortable feeling in my belly. It was a bittersweet feeling. I had left my comfortable nest and I was finally learning to fly solo. However, I had no idea of how much this journey away from home was about to shift my perspective on life. I come “here” (in my inner space) often thoroughly confused, to listen to my own dismayed cry. I come here to reflect about the two lives that I now lead. One without limits and the other interrogating the impudence of the former.

As I contemplate on what this means to me after four years of being “away,” I cannot help but wonder why being different must be so difficult.

It was not long before I realised the existing politics of colour in this country, the standards of beauty for women and how much my “difference” would affect how I coped. My resilience would be tested to the core. This is a place where being a minority definitely

makes you feel like one. A place where being outside the small narrow box of having blonde hair and blue eyes puts you in a marginal corner. A place where my “blackness” and my body size actually mattered.

A place that has given me so much, yet has taken so much more in return. A place where I started to count the calories on my plate and my size 10 was suddenly a little bit too big. A place where I cried myself to sleep because a big man driving a truck decided I was ugly and thought that I should “piss off back to my country.” A place where I was denied a job because the owner of the restaurant thought that his “customers would only appreciate being served by a local, but they could grow an appreciation for my legs.” It makes you stay up late at night, checking yourself out in the mirror, scrutinising all the little “flaws” that are impossible to change, with the biggest one of them all being your skin colour. YOU. These experiences shape you, build you.

Tonight, I am thinking about whether being away from home has made me a rebel or a conformist. I think both are too extreme. I like to think of myself as someone who enjoys getting lost whilst finding their own way. I enjoy not knowing where I am going, trusting the universe will give me a sense of direction and trusting that I will be humble enough to obey.

I enjoy the thrill of feeling misplaced sometimes; knowing the path back home will be as adventurous as the feeling of being lost. I have many people tell me how much they admire my boldness (meaning the courage to leave my family, my friends, my country, and my culture to settle in a different country). I thank them and wish they knew that though my days may seem fulfilling, many nights are filled with

vulnerable moments and doubts. That in my own quiet reflections I do not feel strong at all. That sometimes I feel shame, I am afraid, I am confused, and uncertain, and exhausted from the cognitive overload and tension of trying to fit in. That it has been a long journey of denial, and I am finally trying to acknowledge how much I have allowed this new world to make of me, such that I have become unconscious of subtle inconsistencies/mysteries about myself. In those nights, I constantly ask myself insignificant questions: if abandoning my religion and all faith-based practices after a thorough research was the best of decisions, if my now virulent stance towards marriage will mean that I will be alone forever, if supporting gay rights will leave me isolated by own society if I return home, if seeking the highest academic degree at such a tender age will mean unmarriageability (as I have often been told – or should I say warned), if being abroad, away from the comfort of my home, mother, and siblings, has taken more than it has given me.

The night has officially ended with him – the man who makes it all feel okay, cupping my face in his hands. He says, “Remember these eyes, take a look at them, they will always long to see you, they will always reflect the thirst in my heart to see you and when they see you, they will always glow…. just like they are glowing now.” Being here has found me love, revolutionised my thinking, my perspective on the world, and my whole person. Many times, I have had to reach for strength from depths I never knew existed inside me.

I do feel like a better person, grown in compassion and kindness. However, until I find enough courage to expunge my fears of being different, the nights will still

be long and difficult; even for a strong-willed person like me. It is in that silence and that darkness that I am reminded that I am still evolving, that different is not always bad and that when sometimes people laugh at me because I am different, it is okay to laugh back; laugh because we are all the same.

So recently, after a long time of feeling trapped in between two worlds, I dared to look deep into myself.

I was afraid I would find hollowness and emptiness, instead I found a good person, a worthy humanist.

I decided 10 was a perfect size, that an afro was good enough, and that black was definitely the new black. I turned around and I asked him to take a pair of scissors and rid me of the extensions on my head.

My hair could now breathe – kinky and fluffy – as it should have always proudly been. In fact, just as I was filling my car with gas this morning, a woman walked by and said that my hair looked beautiful, different, and stylish. She said she always wished that she could have hair that was as diverse as mine. Then it hit me, I have spent too much time trying fit in, when I was always meant to stand out. In this far away country, my not-so-new home away from home anymore, I have learnt a lesson to cherish forever: “To be yourself in a world that is trying to make you something different is the world’s greatest accomplishment.”

To mum: Thank you for seeing me differently.

AUTHOR Glory Gatwiri, 25, PhD (Social Work) If Glory could live anywhere she’d live in “Casalunka”- a fictional beach tree house in the middle of tropical Africa. The sunsets and sunrises are magical and orange.

31

Home is where you make it...

As an international student at Flinders, and a student in my third year of university, I am in a unique position to talk about home. As defined via a quick Google search, home is: “The place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a house hold or family”. As college students, we share a unique definition of where our home is, and where it will be for years to come. This place is different for others and has a range of different meanings.

For some, college is a time in their lives where they spend long periods of time away from home, from where they were raised, from where there parents live. As college students, the anticipation of moving out of our parents’ homes and into a new environment can be very exciting. Outside of our parents’ domain, we learn things about ourselves; our preferences, our likes and dislikes, and who we are as people.

During this period in our lives we are considered adults; we can vote, fight for our country, and if we choose to, partake in the consumption of alcohol.

If these things are so good, why are we tempted to return to the comfort of our family home? Is it for a home-cooked meal? To have mum do a load of laundry for us? To hang out with high school acquaintances? Or to satisfy the longing for something familiar?

Over time, I have observed that “home” loses it appeal. Your parents may start to look at you as a finical responsibility and want you to finish your course ASAP. Your parents may get tired of whipping your ass and cleaning up after you. The close friendship you had with your best mates slowly starts to fade into the dolly days of high school, and that feeling of familiarity is harder to grasp than it once was. To compensate for these feelings, we do things to make our current situation feel like home, such as making new friends, decorating living spaces, cooking our favorite meals, and doing things that comfort us.

But how long does this feeling last? Surely we cannot stay in Uni forever! As students we are eager to graduate and take the best job opportunity that comes along. Often this means

relocating to a different state or sometimes even a different country.

For the semester, Adelaide has and will be my home. It has been where I have made a base camp for my travels, where I return to sleep, eat, and relax at the end of the day. However, I don’t feel permanent here because of the situation I am in. Soon I will run out of money, my visa will expire, and I will retreat to my home university to finish my degree. But who is going to stop me if I decide I wanted to extend my visa, get a job, and start to permanently reside in Australia? While my family and friends may be disappointed in this decision, they cannot change what I decide to do, and at the end of the day it’s my life and I will live it the way I want!

For the next couple of years, for most of us, Adelaide will be our home. But what about after university? Are you going to move back to your hometown and back into your parents’ house? This is unlikely and not desired by most.

As univeristy graduates, we will have the ability to define where home is; to change where we live. the ability to go places, see things, put our knowledge and skills to the test.

For me, home is not 4956 Caribous Drive Charlotte North Carolina 39986.

Home is the future, home is where I make it, home can be carried with me in the form in a backpack if need be, home is where I will raise a family, and home isn’t what it used to be.

AUTHOR Keelan Bozman, AGE, Exchange Student from Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences East Carolina.

Exchange Home: Keele University

United Kingdom. England. Staffordshire. Keele University.

Lindsay Hall. Block P. Room 5.

That was my home for an entire semester and the consequences were unimaginable. The one thing no one prepares you for when going on exchange, is the inconceivable pain you feel when you have to leave. Uprooting your life for any length of time is a hard thing to do; so many emotions are felt, from nerves and worry, to excitement and joy and everything in between. You hope that your friends will still be there when you come back, you hope that you find friends and you hope beyond all hope that you can fit in with new people, in a new place. You expect to feel homesick, you expect to miss out on important milestones and you even expect things will be different when you arrive home. But the one thing you do not expect is falling in love with your new home so completely it hurts to leave.

I arrived at Keele with 25 kilos worth of luggage and knowing a total of one person, who happened to live on the opposite side of campus to me and had enrolled in totally different subjects.

To say I was worried was an understatement and in all honesty, my expectations were quite low. However, what happened over the course of the following 3 months changed my life forever.

I never really believed in instant connections until I met three American girls on my first full day at Keele. They were three girls who, just like me, were on exchange and ready to see what university in England was like. Whether it was the way they spoke, or the glimpse of something more in their eyes I will never know, but meeting them was like I had found myself in three different people all in the same moment. That instant spark and new unwavering friendship would drive our wanderlust and take us to places dreams are made of.

That fateful September day I also met my roommates. They were girls from The Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Romania, Sweden and England. And then there was me, all the way from Down Under. Despite being the only student in second year and the only one from the southern hemisphere, I now had 11 roomies, all sharing two toilets, two showers and one kitchen.

It was exhilarating to have a family of fantastic roomies and extraordinary friends.

When on exchange, it is up to you to make the most of the situations you are put in and I was determined to get as much as I could from my time abroad. I helped my sisters hone their English skills and in return learnt how to make the most incredible pesto gnocchi and Dutch delicacies. We had library study sessions together and dance parties. Oreo’s and vodka became our trading currency.

I only spent one weekend on campus my entire semester. I travelled to Wales with the Ultimate Frisbee team and we became international winners. I took a train to Scotland and hiked up a hill with severe food poisoning. I may have broken into a castle. I experienced getting lost in Rome with nothing but a map and a metro ticket. I also studied harder than I had ever done back at home. So many experiences I will carry forever.

Keele’s student life was incredible, with socials (read: pub crawls) three times a week, dressing up and partying by night, and living in the library by day. I hosted a radio show with my American friends, which ended up being 70% talking about our travel plans, 20% talking about the differences in the three countries, 5% singing very badly on air and 5% thanking our very few listeners for sticking with us.

Whilst I was away, my motto was ‘go hard because you KNOW when you are going home’, and I was fortunate enough to find people with the same beautiful mentality. Home is where you make it, where you most feel at ease and where your heart is. Distance cannot separate the bond I formed with these gorgeous people. It has been nearly 6 months since I last saw my roomies and my American sisters, but I can honestly say my home away from home exceeded my expectations. I am so grateful that I met the people I did because I can’t even begin to imagine my life without them.

AUTHOR Laura Telford, 20, Bachelor of Arts (High Achievers) If she could live anywhere, Laura would travel between Canberra and London, with a few trips to the USA every year.

33

PHAR LAP The road to Success Big, orange, lanky and unsightly, that was what Phar Lap’s American Owner, David Davis, first cried when he saw the now infamous racehorse. He could not believe what he saw – an ugly racehorse with little to offer Australian racing.

Phar Lap’s trainer, Harry Telford, could not convince Davis that he would be a great racehorse. Davis was ready to call it quits on the short term lease he offered to Telford, leaving both horse and trainer with an uncertain future. Telford immediately rushed inside to his dilapidated house to find Phar Lap’s pedigree. Davis rolled his eyes whilst he was left to hold his unfortunate purchase. Telford came running out, holding Phar Lap’s pedigree and pointed to the gelding’s father, Night Raid, who sired 1920 Melbourne Cup winner Night March. Davis took little notice of this and continued his rant about spending his money on an ugly racehorse.

payday came for Davis when Telford decided to increase Phar Lap’s racing distance. He crushed his opponents in the race meeting of Saturday 1, 1930 at Rosehill Gardens; indeed Telford was having the last laugh that afternoon. Phar Lap rested for several months at an equine retreat until he raced again at Rosehill Gardens. There he finished second in the Chelmsford Stakes and with his growing success he attracted crowds who followed his every move. As Phar Lap kept winning, he gained unwanted attention from criminals, who would stop at nothing to have the gelding dead. As Phar Lap finished his regular track work activities, a group of thugs came driving around the corner and pointed the barrel at the unbeknown horse, missing him and just grazing his stable hand’s ear. As Telford and Davis realised, the threat to Phar Lap’s safety was ever present and called for immediate action: 24 hour security with two guards.

Given Telford was not a particularly successful horse trainer, this only added to Davis’ concerns about buying a purchase which may not live up to his pedigree. Arguing back and forwards about the fees associated with Phar Lap, Telford eventually gave in to Davis’ demands to train his horse for nothing, in return for a third of the race winnings. It was not a great deal, but at least Telford could have a chance to train his beloved horse and bring in some income. In a decision which Telford would later regret, he gelded Phar Lap so the horse would concentrate on racing and not get distracted by other pursuits.

Running late to Flemington, Harry Telford ran in the pouring rain to get Phar Lap, who was being guarded at the stable closest to Telford’s house. He left his arrival to the last minute as his security concerns for Phar Lap outweighed the benefits of warm up before the big race. He made the quickest homemade bridle in history, threw it on Phar Lap and walked him quickly over to a waiting float, which his strapper had waiting for him. With his strapper by his side, Phar Lap munched on his hay, unaware that the he would win Australia’s most famous race in as little as two hours.

A few months into Phar Lap’s training, things were not going so well. At his first race meeting he showed no signs of brilliance and lagged behind the other horses. Davis laughed uncontrollably in the member’s area whilst trying to hide any connection to the gelding. Telford assured Davis that Phar Lap was simply young and needed more experience, but this did little to calm Davis’ bad mood. Five races later he still lagged behind and time was running out for Telford to show Davis that he was worth every penny. Finally,

“Calling all horses for the final warm up!” The steward cried, as he walked past the horses running in the 1930 Melbourne Cup. He looked on his checklist and shook his head; where was the big chestnut? He looked in stall 15 without success.

He asked around but neither the trainers nor jockeys could answer the million dollar question. It seemed that he would not be racing today, unless he arrived in 15 minutes and that didn’t look likely. Ten minutes later, the float with two security guards and an entourage pulled up in front of the

big Flemington gates and the float came to a grinding halt.

Telford jumped straight out of the front seat, knocking his head on the side mirror and ran to the backside of the float to unload the gelding. He trotted out, lifted one hoof as if to salute his upcoming rivals and walked with pride to his allocated stall. A quick brush and saddle up later, the big chestnut walked towards the mounting yard and his jockey, Jim Pike mounted the horse as they paraded around the ring.

Both man, woman and child were there to see Phar Lap race and there wasn’t enough room for a mouse, let alone late racegoers!

Phar Lap had a fantastic start and had his preferred position in the middle of the pack. Pike made sure the gelding was at a slow to medium pace as to conserve his energy for the final furlong. Phar Lap was getting excited and Pike felt him edging forward to the front. He tugged the reins back, to steady him. It was still two thousand meters to go and Telford was watching with Davis in the member’s area. Rival owners kept looking over their glasses to see the various array of expressions on Telford’s face. Occasionally Telford looked in their direction, but the others did little to intimidate his focus on the race. Approaching the 1500 mark, Pike glanced to the pole and smiled to himself; he knew he had Phar Lap in the prime position. Phar Lap was becoming more and more excited as he galloped around the infamous home bend on the Flemington track, his ears pinned back, Pike gave Phar Lap a bit more rein, then a bit more, then a bit more. He approached the third horse. Pike gave Phar Lap the opportunity to get faster as he let him approach the second horse. Close to the rear of the second horse, Phar Lap’s left eye focused slightly on his rival and then went back to the front, his legs became faster, his tail was up.He was being watched either on the track or back at home on the radio.

had so much riding on this that it wasn’t funny anymore.

Now with all of Australia watching, it was time to show them why he was the most famous racehorse in Australia. Pike gave the signal with the shake of whip and Phar Lap used his almighty behind to propel himself, and within a heartbeat, they won the most famous race in Australia.

After a moment of silence, Pike stood up on his mount and looked to the heavens. He gave two big slaps on Phar Lap’s shoulder and leaned forward to hug him. Telford and Davis stood up in sync and shook hands. They could not speak, instead Telford put his hand on his chest looking like he had just experienced a massive heart attack. Davis was a mess, the American, who normally showed little emotion, looked to Telford and cried. He could not believe that three years ago he had purchased a lanky, ugly and wart ridden horse who had looked like a pile of crap.

Little then two years later, the big red was dead in mysterious circumstances. Some say it was caused by the mafia, whilst others say it was rivals within the Telford team. Indeed the death of Phar Lap has caused many speculations through the years and it will never stop being discussed. Whatever killed Phar Lap, killed his strapper Tommy Woodcock as well. He was never the same after his best friend’s death, despite having numerous successes as a horse trainer. Telford trained a few winners since, whilst Davis never owned another horse again. It was Phar Lap who brought them together and he will always be remembered as Australia’s unlikely hero.

AUTHOR Imogen Bateman

At the 500 metre pole, Pike could feel his heart in his throat; he had this. Telford and David looked as pale as ghosts; they

35

- Poetry -

Homeward

Advance Australian Despair

My heels dig edges

As various Australia Day organises once announced that singing the national anthem should be compulsory on Australia Day, I’m proposing a rewrite of the first and second verses.

in a country track,

left over

from yesterday, as rain sips ink from mud.

Your droplets silver a fencepost to hold my hand, knotting our fragments on a pilgrim path.

I watch blue rake

misty skies,

my focus so strong it hurts all clarity

is blurred.

Before,

Australians all let us despair, For we’re no longer free; With ASIO and wealth for none; Our home is girt by greed; Our land suffers with politicians Privileged and degenerate; In history’s page, let racism stay, Advance Australian Despair.

In angered strains then let us sing, Advance Australian Despair.

Beneath our iron law government; We’ll toil under deceit;

downpours cast furrowed light on bone-buried pastures, burnt to sand.

I wait. Dust-perfumed hills will paint miracles in green.

Your sign,

To make this country of apparatchiks A joke of all the lands; For those who’ve come in run down boats We’ve detention centres to share; In tearful rasps then let us cry, Advance Australian Despair.

In defiance let’s all unite to, Advance Australian Despair.

I am not my own when all these rain-ploughed roads point home into tomorrow where

Our (clear) horizons meet.

Words by Amy Manners

Words by Georgia Riessen

- Poetry -

The Colours of Love

SAUDADE

Petals colour the stones

Give me wings; I’ll show you all that is true.

pink and apricot.

Night glimmers overhead -- that starry sky,

They are the colours

Golden and silver, as above, I flew –

of a loving heart.

Believe me this, stars: I would never lie.

A man is in his garden

For it is only for the stars I’d die.

stripping away dead leaves

Gleaming light above guides my weary, lost sight –

and making way for new life.

Sword in my hand, wings at my back, I fly,

With a snip, a rose is cut.

Reuniting my soul with the bless’d night.

To the light he holds it,

Fright’ningly, you can taste the cold up here,

his eyes filling with wonder.

Far above oceans, mountains, valleys, homes;

It is such a delicate thing.

Nothing is more unwelcome than our fear,

His wrinkles are pulled taut as he smiles.

For, above the earth, I am free to roam.

He turns to the woman making cuttings

Though these are simply words upon a page...

and meanders over to her

The stars that I adore rule this lost age.

with his prize, offering it up to his bride.

Words by J. R. Koop Her eyes meet his and she smiles.

‘Not another one you old fool!’

Words by Kayla Gaskell

37

GRAVEL & BONE

By Justina Ashman

You go to the edges of the town that is no more, and you stare at the borders that used to be. You think: there used to be a mayor of this town. You think: this town used to be one of many. Staring at the blackened husks of bombed-out buildings, you think: this is not a town.

Your speech goes like this: ‘Your bravery, your courage and your dedication to our cause and country are all that stands in the way of our enemies. You are the last safeguard of freedom, defenders of liberty and democracy. When mothers tuck their children in at night, safe in their own homes, they know it’s thanks to you.

You’ve done your country proud.’

It’s a rousing speech. You smile to yourself.

Gravel crunches beneath your boots and you pretend that it’s the ground-up bones of fallen soldiers. That’s pretty fucked up, Jack would say, and then he’d laugh and slap your back. You agree.

You’re all pretty fucked up by now though.

When you told your parents you were enlisting, your father beamed with pride, and your mother told you not to be so fucking stupid. At the time you laughed and rolled your eyes, sharing a knowing look with your father. Now you think maybe your mother had a point.

Sometimes you wonder what your life would be like if you’d listened to her. You picture a college dorm, a cramped city apartment, a big house in a leafy suburb. You try, but you can’t imagine yourself in those places—the details fail you. The college dorm smells of smoke and ash and gunpowder; the wail of sirens from the street outside the apartment morphs into the whistle of falling bombs; and as you walk across your front lawn, thick mud sucks at your shoes and you struggle with every step.

Fucked up is right, you think, and you kick at the gravel and watch as bits of bone scatter around you.

The politician’s speech is rousing too. You know it is—you know the words, same as they always have been and always will be.

One day, on a distant planet, lines of spacesuit-clad soldiers will stand tall, eyes a-glitter with glory and honour and pride as they listen to those same words. That same speech, over and over and over again in an endless loop through time, words blurring together until they become indistinguishable—a mindless buzz of white noise injected into the vein to produce immediate, zealous patriotism.

You yawn, not so much bored as tired, and finger the empty pill bottle in your pocket. Around you, the soldiers clap, and you can tell how long people have been on the frontline by how straight their backs are as they applaud.

You lean over to Tom, who’s newer than you but older than most, and say, ‘What a load of bullshit.’

He glares at you and says in a hushed voice, ‘Shut up and show some respect.’

‘Jack would think it’s bullshit,’ you say.

‘Jack doesn’t think anything. Jack’s dead.’

# # He stands in front of you and grins with too-white teeth. You’re not sure what this one’s name is; politicians all look the same to you. Meet the new boss, you think, same as the old boss. It’s something Jack had said as you both watched the run-up to last year’s election on the small TV at base. He never did find out who won. You look up at the politician with his pressed suit and his shiny shoes and his smile that never reaches his eyes and you think Jack wouldn’t really have cared either way.

He falls to the ground like a marionette that’s had its strings cut.

One second he’s running for cover and the next he’s dropping, as if his limbs have turned to dead wood and all his busy movement was just a cheap trick—nothing but the tug of strings, jerking him this way and that. He lies there, motionless and forgotten, a discarded puppet.

You’re not listening. You don’t have to. It’s always the same. You make up a speech in your head, and it makes no difference, no difference at all.

He lies there like a man who is dead.

He falls to the ground like a man who has been shot.

# You don’t punch Tom in the face, but you imagine it—the satisfying feeling of his nose breaking under your closed fist, the bruises he’d leave on your knuckles.

The first chords of the national anthem ring out over the rows of gathered soldiers. You think about gravel and ground-up bones.

You think about blackened rubble that used to be a house—a home, with a mother who would no longer tuck her child in at night and knew it was thanks to you. You think about bodies falling to the ground with their strings cut. You think about Jack.

You wonder what there is to be proud of and you place your hand over your heart and sing. # Before you were deployed, a medical screening determined you had ‘chronic anxiety’ and you were given a bottle of pills to help you sleep. They worked almost too well—you wandered around half in a daze, limbs heavy, eyelids heavy, everything heavy.

You place the empty orange bottle on your bedside table. It’s been months since you slept naturally. Lying in bed, you close your eyes and wait. You count one hundred and seventy two sheep before you give up, pull on some pants, and leave the barracks.

As you’re walking out, Tom’s walking in, and all that nervous energy keeping you awake buzzes under your skin, right down to the tips of your fingers.

‘Never talk about Jack like that again,’ you say, clenching your hands into tight fists.

Tom blinks back at you in tired confusion. ‘What?’

You punch him. His nose crunches under your fist, bruising your knuckles. It feels so good, you do it again. You do it again and again and again until strong arms grip you, pulling you back and pinning you against the wall.

Tom is on the ground, clutching at his face and groaning in pain.

There’s blood all over his face, all over your hands. Someone’s shouting for a medic. You must have woken everyone up.

You wonder what Jack would do if he were here.

‘That’s pretty fucked up,’ you say and laugh. # ‘Why did you do it?’ The shrink stares at you, expression blank and neutral in a way that makes you want to scream, just to see if he’ll flinch.

‘I don’t know,’ you say, because it’s easier than thinking about it.

‘Were you angry with him?’

‘I don’t know. Yes. Well, he’d said something earlier that day that got me riled up.’

‘And what was that?’

‘Nothing really. He just said something about Jack—a friend of mine who... I wasn’t going to do anything, I just let it go, but then I couldn’t sleep—I’m taking those pills, but they just don’t work anymore—and then he was there and I remembered what he said and I was just so angry and I don’t know. I just couldn’t stop. I just... I couldn’t...’

‘What exactly did he say about Jack?’

You pause. ‘He said that he was dead.’

‘And why did that make you angry?’

‘Because he was right.’

The shrink scribbles in his notebook. You lean forward and glimpse a few words. Anxiety. Depression. Post-traumatic stress?

Personality disorder? That seems like a lot of things to be wrong with you.

‘Am I crazy?’ you ask.

He stops writing and thinks for a moment. ‘You’re not crazy, you’re just...not well,’ he says carefully. ‘Not well enough for active duty, certainly. But that’s okay. We’re here to help you.’

‘Oh.’ You’re not sure what else to say. ‘Okay.’

The psychiatrist hums quietly, nods, and writes you a prescription.

39

- Fiction -

# When you get home your mother hugs you tight, and your father asks you how you could be so fucking stupid. # The woman in the bed next to yours is crazy. You try to tell the doctor this, and he smiles at you indulgently. We’re all crazy, you reassure yourself. The whole army. The whole country. The whole world. It’s okay that this woman is too.

what dosages. When you tell her she always says the same thing: ‘HA! I’ve been on that before. That shit will fuck you up.’

Other days it’s almost as if Sarah doesn’t exist at all. She curls into a ball and doesn’t eat or speak or move, but you can hear her ragged breathing, so you know she’s not asleep.

One day you watch her, curled on her side with the blankets pulled up to her chin, and it’s several hours before you realise you can’t hear a thing.

Her name is Sarah. # ‘What are you on?’ Sarah says severely, as if she’s interrogating you.

You say, ‘Seroquel.’

‘Everyone’s on Seroquel. Couldn’t get off it if they tried. HA!’ Her laughs occur in isolation—just one ‘HA!’ and then nothing.

The official cause of death is ‘multiple drug toxicity’ and you think of her list and her fingers ticking off each item. You don’t have to imagine what she would say to you if she could still speak.

‘I win.’

‘HA!’ you say.

‘Inderal,’ you say. ‘Zoloft.’ # She counts on her fingers. ‘Seroquel, Zoloft, Clonazepam, Lorazepam, Inderal, Chantix. I win.’

You nod. ‘Yes, you win.’

‘HA!’ she says. # ‘I’m not crazy,’ Sarah says.

You say, ‘Yes you are. Everyone’s crazy. The whole world’s crazy.’

‘Not me. It’s these drugs. They fuck up your head.’

‘Your head’s already fucked up. The drugs are supposed to fix it.’

They say you’re ready to leave. They say you’re fixed. You don’t feel fixed. They hand you a prescription and send you on your way.

You can’t stand your parents’ house, with your mother’s taut smile and worried eyes, and the disappointed set of your father’s shoulders as he turns away from you. You move out as soon as you can—’The doctors said I was fine,’ you tell your mother—and you rent a cramped studio apartment in the city.

You lie on the bed, springs poking into your back through the thin padding, and you close your eyes and try to sleep. In the street outside, the wail of sirens morphs into the whistle of falling bombs. #

‘Nothing to fix.’

‘They’ll do you good.’

‘HA! They do someone good, but not me and not you, that’s for sure. No, this is all for some suit in a glass tower, cashing in fucked-up vets like poker chips.’

‘You remind me of a friend I used to have. He was always saying stuff like that.’

‘Used to? What’d you do? Scare him off, huh?’

‘I killed him.’

All you want to do is sleep—you can’t remember the last time you really slept. You just need a higher dosage, that’s all. The pills used to make you so tired—they’d completely knock you out. Now you shift and fidget with restless energy and stare ever-wakeful at the ceiling. Just a couple more ought to do it—just so you can get to sleep. You hold the pills in your palm for a second, before swallowing them down with a glass of water.

You close your eyes and see Jack. You watch him fall. You imagine your fingers are scissors and you reach out and cut his strings. He drops, flesh turned to wood, and splinters as he hits the ground.

You grind him up beneath your boots, stomping and stamping and mashing until all that’s left is gravel, then dust, then nothing at all.

‘Fuck. You’re the crazy one.’ # Some days, Sarah exhausts you. She’s almost more concerned with your mental health than the doctors are. She wants to know everything, what your current diagnosis is, what drugs you’re on,

AUTHOR Justina Ashman, 22, Creative Writing Justina would live in a vacuum of space, drifting endlessly through the vast nothingness of the universe.

Complete the crossword and send a picture of your answers to stephanie.walker@flinders.edu.au and WIN one of ten free double passes to Palace Nova!

ACROSS 6. The court martial of Australian war criminal (2 Words) 7. Lost fish is searched for by his father (2 Words) 9. Child accidentally left behind terrorizes burglars (2 Words) 10. The highs and lows of a rich party-loving socialite in 1920s America (3 Words)

DOWN 1. Observatory crew are invaluable in broadcasting moon-landing (2 Words) 2. Fish-out-of-water tale in the bush and New York (2 Words) 3. Famous spy blows up family home 4. Orphaned pig begins new life on farm

12. Capsized sailors are pursued by malicious shark (2 Words)

5. Fiends use peculiar power source for their city (2 Words)

14. The life and times of a Melbourne plumber

8. Melbourne family resist airport extension (2 Words)

16. 10-year-old finds herself in a fantasy realm after family moves to Japanese countryside (2 Words)

10. Indigenous quartet sing for troops (2 Words)

19. Old man escapes nursing home fate by extreme means

11. Traveling Kelpie achieves fame (2 Words)

21. Jealous cowboy fights spaceman for child’s love (2 Words)

13. Adopted mouse is not welcomed by all family members (2 Words)

23. Mangrove monster picks off stranded fishers (2 Words)

15. Long-gone home of superhero

24. A widow and her son are threatened by evil being (2 Words)

17. English aristocrat inherits cattle station

25. Quiet country from short-statured hero sets out (2 Words)

Crossword clues by Liam McNally

18. Motorists accept help from psychopath (2 Words) 20. Rural Australians struggle to endure one of World War One’s most famous battles 22. Apocalyptic road rage (2 Words)

41

film reviews

portray Margaret Keane as one of these unique characters. Throughout the film, Margaret is extremely reserved, keeping her feelings and emotions well hidden from her husband and the world. The couple both lie to the public about the identity of the artist behind the paintings. It is in this silence, and the way she instead transfers these emotions directly onto the canvas and into her peculiar and extremely emotional paintings, that Margaret works as an emotional character that the audience can’t help but feel drawn to. As Margaret says in the film, “The eyes are the gateway to the soul”.

Burton has said that he tends to work with actors that can tell a story through their eyes, where they don’t have to say anything in a given scene because their eyes give away the inner turmoil of the character. Amy Adams is able to do exactly this in her performance.

BIG EYES (2014)

Big Eyes is the latest film by visionary filmmaker Tim Burton. It stars Amy Adams as Margaret Keane, the artist of famous paintings depicting children with big eyes that soared to popularity in the late 50s and 60s, and Christoph Waltz as her husband, Walter Keane, who for decades claimed to be the masterstroke behind the paintings.

Tim Burton is renowned for exploring characters that are outcasts and isolated figures of their worlds, characters longing for something more and to find a greater meaning in their lives. This is apparent with characters such as The Penguin in Batman Returns, Pee-Wee Herman in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Edward in Edward Scissorhands, and Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas. Even when dealing with real life people, in a real world environment, Burton is still able to

Her body language and use of silence are hugely effective in portraying the inner turmoil of her character, and her eyes tell the story of Margaret’s pain and struggle during this period of her life.

There are many scenes where we see Walter Keane in his art gallery talking to crowds of admirers while reprinted copies of Margaret’s work are selling out by the second and being autographed by Walter.

Meanwhile, we see Margaret locked in a small, dark room, painting like somewhat of a slave, producing new art for Walter to take to the gallery and claim as his own. It is in these intimate scenes that we see what the big eyes, with a tear rolling down the cheek of a young child, really come to symbolise. These connotations of entrapment are extremely reminiscent of scenes with like hearted characters from earlier films such as The Elephant Man, The Oblong Box, and even Burton’s own Edward Scissorhands.

Christoph Waltz, yet again, delivers another boisterous yet outlandish and overly brilliant performance as Walter.

The character of Walter is packed with personality. At first he comes across as very charming, elegant, funny and intelligent but as the film goes on, we see Walter’s true colours. As he transitions into a very controlling, demanding, dark and perhaps abusive figure, he is still seen as an immensely driven person, determined to get what he wants at any

cost. He is a man obsessed with money, fame, and gratitude, from his peers and critics alike. As soon as he gets his first taste of success with his wife’s paintings, he never looks back. In a way, Walter Keane may be one of the most frightening movie ‘villains’ in some time, purely because of the ease in which he is able to pull off everything that he did, for so long, and with such little regard for the sanity, wellbeing, and reputation of his loved ones. Waltz was able to perfectly capture all of these facets of the character, while drawing exactly the right emotions from the audience at exactly the right times during his character’s development.

This film marks the 15th collaboration between Tim Burton and composer Danny Elfman. After working with each other for so long, audiences may come into the film with an expectation of what the music might sound like. Fans who are used to the signature Elfman sounds, comprising of choirs, organs and an overly dark and gloomy ambiance, may be caught by surprise by the music of Big Eyes. Although these signature sounds can definitely be heard throughout the film, Elfman interchanges between these sombre tones and more light-hearted ones to accompany some of the more vibrant moments of the film. The film also boasts a great soundtrack, perfectly capturing the essence and vibe of California in the 1950s and 60s, and there is even a separate soundtrack for the scenes taking place in Hawaii. The soundtrack utilises the big band and jazz-styled music of the 50s, incorporated especially well in the scenes depicting the California nightlife of the period. Two Lana Del Rey tracks also feature, their tone and subject matter perfectly matching those of the film.

Overall, Big Eyes serves as a hugely entertaining story that works beautifully on screen thanks to Tim Burton’s ever growing direction expertise and the amazing performances by Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. The film is classic Tim Burton but demonstrates a progression in the director’s style that is sure to satisfy a broad range of moviegoers.

AUTHOR George Mountzouris, 22, Double degree in Law & Arts If George could live anywhere it would be a sound stage at Warner Bros. Studios dressed as Gotham.

THE AVENGERS II: AGE OF ULTRON (2015)

The Avengers II: Age of Ultron seems predestined to be the biggest film of 2015, which is no small thing since this is a year that will see the release of another James Bond film and the return of Star Wars. It is consequently the job of its creators, spearheaded by Joss Whedon as writer and director, to live up to the hype and the spectacle expected, while delivering a film with some soul.

The film begins in spectacular fashion and hardly lets up for the duration.

It has the luxury of possessing a dominant position in the public psyche.

The saturation of media in the leadup to the film will leave few people uncertain of what they are going to see. Anyone familiar with the franchise will be in for no surprises. The byplay between characters is there and it seems the desire is to create a film of unprecedented scale that does not dwarf its characters. It could be the greatest balancing act in film, to give enough time to each Avenger and also to the plot itself.

The audience may know the nature of the film well, but Marvel team knows its audience better still. The film took time to give every fan some scenes devoted to their favourite Avenger. The tone of the film wouldn’t surprise a single person in the audience. It was what to be expected; a film as tonally diverse as the line-up of superhero characters.

A film with such a devoted fan base runs the risk of becoming stagnant and becoming uninviting to new viewers, and while there are many things within The Avengers II: Age of Ultron that are there for the fans, they did not make the film unapproachable to newcomers.

It is an incredible thing in itself that a film with so many factors to balance can still surprise.

This is a film made with the knowledge that it has a sizeable fan base so devoted to it that they will know of things not yet fully unfolded on the screen; to surprise an audience like this will take some doing, yet it is achieved.

The plot was not a complicated one, nor was it particularly original, but it didn’t have to be. It was what the fans wanted and it left a strong impression on everyone in the theatre. A work of incredible spectacle and occasionally predictable, it was a film served well

by Whedon’s post-modern style and delivered with a knowing wink to the audience both of things past, and things to come.

One area that the film suffers in is that it is clear throughout that the franchise is building to greater things and that this is act two in tale at least three acts long. The future looks fascinating for this franchise and should manage to hold the interest of even the most disinterested film viewer.

There are many things to debate in a film of this sort but one thing that can be stated with absolute certainty is that Age of Ultron is big. Scale is what they aimed for and scale is what they achieved.

AUTHOR Liam McNally, 22, Creative Arts (Creative Writing) Being a Doctor Who fan, if Liam could live anywhere it would be in Gallifrey.

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- Games -

“Whippna Choba Dog!”

— My sim, I think

Up

L evel The Sims 4: Get To Work Just Like Home

The Sims 4 is the latest release in The Sims life simulation video game series. Spanning 15 years, developed by Maxis and produced by Electronic Arts, it is one of the most popular video game series of all time. The fourth entry in the series was released at the end of 2014, with the first expansion pack Get to Work released in Australia back in April this year.

I grew up with The Sims games; my childhood was spent frantically entering cheat codes to obtain more money (from ‘rosebud’ to ‘motherlode’), building grand houses with fabulous gardens, seeing how small a room I could fit a Sim in, telling a Sim to swim in the pool then deleting the ladder, pursuing prestigious careers, trying to fight off death for the Sims I actually liked, and so on. But somehow the games would always get boring.

I would exhaust the list of creative opportunities, give up on one family and switch to another; there was just something missing.

The Sims 4 fills the Sim-shaped hole in my soul with its latest expansion pack Get to Work. Even before it was released, The Sims 4 was winning me over with the incredible amount of body customisation in the Sim creation process, the wide range of modern outfits available, the smooth new cartoonish animation style, and the Star Wars costumes. However, Get to Work has really made the game exceptionally enjoyable to me.

The Get to Work expansion pack is a sort of combination of the Open for Business expansion pack from The Sims 2 and the Ambitions expansion pack from The Sims 3. It introduces features including playable jobs through three new active careers, a new neighbourhood, aliens from an alien planet called Sixam (Maxis backwards, if you’re like me and didn’t notice that the first time), objects and clothing, and the ability to build and start up your own retail business. There are also Baking and Photography skills Sims can develop.

I have not yet fully explored all the features of the Get to Work expansion, but I have played with two of the active careers. The three active careers are Doctor, Detective, and Scientist. My latest family consists of a human doctor and an alien detective (who is careful to hide his alien identity when investigating cases).

Active careers require the Sim to complete several tasks throughout the day, filling up a progress bar that adds to their job performance and leads to promotion. The Doctor and Detective careers both start off at level 1 with simple tasks such as talking to and feeding patients (Doctor), or doing research and going on patrols of the neighbourhood (Detective). Challengingly, as the Sims get higher up in their careers, more demanding and more frequent tasks are required of them. For example, Sims must eventually perform surgeries and build and solve cases.

These active careers give me something more to aim for with my Sims while adding to the goal-oriented nature of the gameplay that I enjoy. I also hear that the Scientist active career is quite fun to play (stopping the world with your freeze ray in particular). I would recommend this expansion pack to anyone who likes to achieve focused goals in their gameplay, progressing Sims through careers, exploring alien worlds, building businesses, and baking too.

I have a lot of fun playing this expansion, especially the Doctor active career. I hope for more fun expansions to be released, including a University one because sometimes I just need to escape from my own university life to another university life.

AUTHOR Kelly Guthberlet, 20, Bachelor of Science/Education If Kelly could live anywhere it would be in Asgard for all the cool futuristic magic tech.

Food Review: Gunners Restaurant When I think of home, nothing stands out more than my little suburban town of Blackwood. I’ve spent around 18 years of my life in and around Blackwood. To describe Blackwood is like imagining a place where generations have grown up beside each other, had kids, and then never left, so the cycle continues. Everybody knows somebody – teachers have taught your parents, business owners knew you from when you were three, and you often see your peers from reception age walking around. However, one of the main problems with growing up in Blackwood is that it never changes. And when you’ve lived there for years – it gets old, real fast.

One of the biggest surprises to come from Blackwood however, is Gunner’s Restaurant, which is actually joined to the Blackwood RSL adjacent to the Woolies shopping centre. Recently revamped, not many have heard of it because of the misconception about the RSL being exclusive for its members, but this is a restaurant open to everybody, which I discovered a few weeks back.

Inside, it’s a typical pub scene. A couple of pool tables are on the gaming side of the room, along with the bar and a large flat screen that regularly shows the sports channels on the wall. It’s not a modern facility, and it reminds you a little of the dining rooms on your primary school camps, but its quaint in this way. Along the walls are various items of RSL memorabilia- portraits of army art and crests. It’s certainly not the place you’re going to have a wild night out at, but it’s a great place for the after uni pickup with some mates.

The food is standard pub fare, with specials allocated to each day that don’t burn a hole straight through your pocket. Steak, for example, can come up to nearly $25-30 dollars at a standard watering hole. Come in to Gunners on a Tuesday night, and you get a choice of rump steak, porterhouse or ribeye, all under 20$ with a free glass of wine. And where at other pubs, you have to play Russian roulette with meat, as you never know whether its a veteran chef or a pimpled trainee searing your meat – Gunners have proved to serve absolute perfection steak every single time.

This comes from me, a complete connoisseur carnivore when it comes to food – I judge damn harshly about how meat is done, and you know you’ve found somewhere pretty freaking amazing when the steak is actually top notch and the chef hasn’t just

thrown it on a grill because he has 100 orders in tow. The knife simply slides straight into the meat as it falls from the bone and melts in your mouth, making it one of the most succulent steaks I have had in the longest time. Why am I giving away this gem’s location again?

Gunners proves to be one of the best places to get a amazing pub feed at a lower price, and with only a ten minute bus trip to Blackwood from our campus- its perfect for Flinders students.

Head on down sometime for those after test celebrations, after assignment blues, or graduation celebration!

Specials of the week, courtesy of the RSL Blackwood website: TUESDAY NIGHT – STEAK NIGHT Rump: $15.90 Porterhouse: $17.90 Rib eye on the bone: $19.90 Comes with a glass of house wine and your choice of sauce and sides WEDNESDAY NIGHT – SUPER MEAL DEAL 1 course: $16 2 course: $18 3 course: $22 A popular night! New menu every week!

THURSDAY NIGHT – KIDS EAT FREE Kids under 10 eat free!* A choice of anything on the kids menu, followed by a special dessert just for them! *Maximum 2 per table FRIDAY NIGHT – PINT AND PARMY NIGHT A pint of beer and a beef or chicken parmy for only $15.90!

AUTHOR Bethany Lawrence, 21, Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing) If Bethany could, she would live in DC/Marvel’s New York, where missing a day of work due to a giant-ass robot destroying everything is perfectly acceptable.

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- Music -

NE OBLIVISCARIS // CITADEL

minutes in length, the song transitions from melodic to heavy sections, and back again flawlessly.

One aspect I love about the band is how ridiculously talented each member of the band is, and every member gets their time in the spotlight. Whether there’s a guitarist playing a technical riff, or a cool drum fill or a sweeping violin solo, all of the songs are filled with talent. However, it never feels like the songs get crowded with complexity. The band utilises both growling and clean vocals. While the growled vocals are very good and suit the music, the clean singing is nothing to write home about.

Luckily, the growls mainly dominate the album.

In one word: Epic. That’s the word I use to describe Ne Obliviscaris’ second album, Citadel. This talented six piece extreme metal band from Melbourne manages to combine a multitude of different metal genres including progressive, melodic, death and black.

They also somehow include folk and classical into their work too.

The album opens up with a calm instrumental called “Wrymholes”. With pleasant sounding backing piano and a violin solo that slowly fades to an echo, it’s definitely not your typical extreme metal opener, but allows the band to showcase its melodic side.

Many metal bands who use the violin do it as a sort of novelty. Too often it either overpowers or it is used so infrequently

that it doesn’t impact a band’s sound.

However, Ne Obliviscaris’ incorporation of a violin is, for lack of a better word, fantastic. It almost acts like a second lead guitar, as in certain songs (such as “Reveries from the Stained Glass Womb”) the violin is extremely technical and fast, but can also go back into a more slower, classical approach that adds emotion.

The second song, “Triptych Lux” (don’t ask me how to pronounce that), starts off in a more common metal fashion; with fast double bass, growled vocals and technical guitar work. However, a short way into the song, the song strips back to a groovy bass line and light yet technical drumming. It then builds up again into a heavier section, which also features clean singing. At over 16

AUTHOR Anthony Bruno, 19, Bachelor of Computer Science If Anthony could live anywhere he would live in The Shire, Middle Earth.

Second breakfast? Yes, please.

My favourite song off the album would have to be “Pyrrhic”. The first half of the song is heavy and fast, with a couple of Ne Obliviscaris’ signature violin parts. However, at the halfway point, everything strips back. A simple drum beat and a gentle guitar riff is all that remains. The song slowly builds before exploding into a beautiful intensity that concludes the track. This section was the first time in a long time where a song made me just sit still and focus on the music.

This is an album that every metalhead should listen to. When it’s not battering you with insane drumming and great guitar work, it’s soothing you with violin and piano, taking the listener on an aural journey. It’s simply a masterpiece.

- Music -

For the Home Issue, it would make sense that I reviewed a musical act from Australia. After trawling everywhere that is not Triple J, I came across the twin sister outfit of Elektra and Miranda Kilbey-Jansson, and their electronic dream/synth pop debut album Lucid Dreaming. Australian but based in Sweden, the duo have received attention around the world, with additional production from the Norwegian producer Lindstrøm and Swedish producer Addeboy vs. Cliff.

They’ve even attracted attention from Chet Faker, who appears on their uplifting single “Fool of Me” which unfortunately didn’t make the cut to this album.

There seems to be a lot of 80s revival and synthpop on the airwaves these days with bands such as Purity Ring, Passion Pit and La Roux getting a lot of radio play. I’m always told the 80s were a terrible decade when it comes to music, but influences from this decade can be heard throughout their album, from the likes of The Church, Pink Champagne, This Mortal Coil, and Kate Bush. The instrumentation on Lucid Dreaming is reminiscent of this, with strong keyboards and uplifting electronics sticking to the same tried and true formula of pop music.

Fortunately, this album doesn’t sound as sugary and high as Purity Ring’s latest album. Tracks like “Peppermint” and “Julian” have dark, thumping kickdrums with a hint of synthesizers sprinkled

SAY LOU LOU // LUCID DREAMING

over the top. “Games for Girls” is just one of the tracks which strays from the formula. Lindstrøm’s additional production shines, making it one of the danciest tracks on the LP. The flowing bass riff and digital disco drumbeat is hard not to tap your foot to. The track “Nothing but a Heartbeat” has a catchy vocal hook, and ‘Skylights’ has great chord progression and digital drum production.

While pop is their forte, most of these tracks could be reworked for a mainstream EDM audience. All of their singles have at least 3 remixes attached to them, but the majority of the album has everything a producer would want. It makes me wish Lindstrøm had produced the full album; his talents seem wasted for just one track.

(His solo record, It’s a Feedelity Affair, is definitely worth checking out) The twin sisters share the vocals across songs, and their voices are so virtually indistinguishable on the record that I’m not sure who sings what. The vocals glide blissfully over all the tracks without straining. The harmonies could be louder in the choruses. In terms of lyrical quality, of which I can’t find much, it takes a sideline. It’s all about the sonics, and there’s plenty of that in this 52 minute record.

Bottom line, Lucid Dreaming is possibly one of the only synthpop albums I have truly enjoyed from start to finish.

AUTHOR Aden Beaver, 18, Bachelor of Creative Arts (Digital Media) If Aden could live anywhere he would live in Whistler Valley, Canada.

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Where is your one true home?

How would you describe yourself?

On the weekend would you rather go shop or excerise?

Shop

Old soul

Work out

Athletic

What is your favourite sport?

It is early evening, what are you currently doing?

Summer or Winter?

Winter

Summer all the way!

Shopping

Kickboxing

Getting ready for a party

Pick a number

9

Loner

2

Reading

Going for a walk

Working

Would you rather..

Are you a social person?

Are you rich by inheritance or by business?

Go to a museum

Go to a ball game Yes!

Business

DUbai You absolutely love the extravagant lifestyle and the heat. In your heart of hearts you know that is where you will always say home is.

Not really

Inheritance

BUdapest As well as having a song dedicated to this beautiful city, you feel most at home surrounded by ancient architecture and spectacular views.

Colorado You are the sporty type who loves nothing more than getting out in nature during your spare time. Climbing, hiking, watching snowstorms and basking in the heat.

This city has it all.

Antarctica You are someone who enjoys their alone time and thrives in the winter months. You feel most at home working hard and in small groups.

Photograph by Matthew Bird Photo taken at Kangaroo Isalnd. “I’ve always had a fascination for the interaction between the built environment and nature. People try to define boundaries and separate themselves from the natural world to varying degrees of success. I find it interesting how nature moves back into and around what humanity builds and abandons.”

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