Welcome back to the next edition of the Stag! We re gret to inform you that this will be the last issue be fore exams as, with the entire school study focused, we figured we would take some time to concentrate on upcoming assessments as well.
However, before we halt our almost year-long jour ney, I have some very exciting news to share with you all. Though we’ve said good-byes to our year 12 cohort of 2022, we have a new group of students joining our Bondi campus next year. All current stu dents inhabiting the senior campus have started to evacuate lockers in preparation for the arrival of the soon-to-be year 10s.
With this, the Stag is also opening an internship pro gram for this year group. This is, what we hope to be, a very exciting opportunity for many of the stu dents, and more details can be found in the Futures column of the Stag. However, in short, just email me at izzy.lowe@reddamhouse.com.au to find out more!
With a quick mood-shift to exam season, below are some important study tips for anyone struggling with where to start:
Get organised. The sooner your notes are ready, the sooner you can start revising them
Talk to your teacher & ask questions. Our incredible teachers are always available (within a reasonable time frame) to help out as they want you to succeed
Find a go-to study location. Your home may be filled with loud, irritating family members running around so find a peaceful place you can work in without distractions
Read on Reddam,
Lowe
Racquet-throwing, philanthropic and immensely popular Swiss tennis player Roger Federer – who has grown to become one of the world’s greatest athletes and was part of a generation that domi nated tennis for two whole decades – recently an nounced that he would be retiring from compe titions. Prior to the commencement of the Laver Cup, Federer is scheduled to meet the media to discuss his retirement from tournament tennis at age 41, following a career that began in the 1990s and lasted into the 2020s.
“I am 41 years old; I have played more than 1,500 matches over 24 years,” Federer said in an audio clip posted on social media. “Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamed, and now I must recognize when it is time to end my competitive career.” Federer finishes the game with one of the greatest athletic records in histo ry, achieving 103 Tour singles titles, 20 Grand Slam singles titles, 310 weeks ranked at No. 1, and an outstanding record of six victories in season-end ing tour finals. Perhaps most notably, given his amazingly long career, he was never forced to quit a game due to an injury, an unfortunately common pattern amongst professional athletes.
- Mia Gottlieb
This issue’s major event in the art community is the annual Sculpture by the Sea from Bondi to Tamarama, re turning after a 2 year hiatus – the pandemic that keeps on giving. The 2-kilometre coastal walk features beau tiful ocean views, idyllic beaches, picturesque cafes and, for the next two weeks, some sculptures.
The event has been a staple for overzealous sub urban parents, screaming children, and disinter ested teens since 1997. Returning artworks from every year include an abstract collection of shapes made of bronze or wood, a pile of actual trash, and literally just a slab of rock. Seriously – keep an eye out this year folks. But this classic Australian art collection isn’t all cliches and nuclear families – no table pieces this year include ‘Lens’ by Joel Adler, a massive shiny disco ball that spins with the wind; ‘Bunker Down’ by Sally Kidall, the entrance to an imagined luxurious subterranean bunker and an
Rishi Sunak became Britain’s first prime minister of colour and the first Hindu to lead the country on October 25th in London. He is also the youngest president in more than 200 years at 42 years old. Sunak is expected to be “richer than the King”, with an estimated net worth of around A$1.35 billion.
Sunak expressed his gratitude for being elected, saying he was “humbled and honoured.” Sunak said in a brief televised statement, “It is the great est privilege of my life to be able to serve the party I love and give back to the country I owe so much to.”
“We now need stability and unity, and I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together,” Sunak said.
Penny Mordaunt, who lost to Sunak, said the elec tion was a “historic one and shows, once again, the diversity and talent of our party,” she said. “Rishi has my full support.”
Sunak’s appointment, according to Brett Mc Leod of 9News Europe, represents a “big cultural change” for the country and Conservative Party.
accompanying real estate sale sign; and ‘Oh No Oh Yes’ by Richard Tipping, a road sign reading “Oh no, oh no no no oh” on one side and “Oh yes” with various subheadings on the other. Does it mean something? Who knows. Maybe Tipping just lost his wallet.
The exhibition remains open until the 7th of No vember, so grab a friend, a sunhat, and a camera with the memory capacity for a truly exorbitant number of amateur photographs, and get ready for an action-packed day of art, community, fresh air, and altogether too many stairs. Happy art viewing! - Poppy Hartley and Adi Alroy
While many are pleased that Sunak will be the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, many are not. The Conservatives, according to Angela Rayner deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party, “crowned Rishi Sunak as prime minister with out him saying a single word about how he would run the country and without anyone having the chance to vote.” Economists have also questioned Sunak’s ability to manage the country’s finances while bringing the party’s various warring factions together.
- Victoria Zeritis
Welcome back to the Integration Portfolio’s Culture column. We have a very ethnically and religiously di verse school, and we wish to keep you up to date with upcoming fes tivals, cultural events, and religious holidays.
If you have any questions or wish to share an upcoming event, please email me at zoe.littler@reddam house.com.au
people shouted “Oxi”, translating to “No” as a sign of support for Metax as’s brave refusal. Today, the day is commemorated through songs and military parades.
All Saints’ Day:
Birth of the Báb and the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh:
The 1st of November is a religious day for Christians, as they celebrate all saints, known and unknown. A saint is defined as, “persons in heaven (officially canonised or not), who lived heroically virtuous lives, offered their life for others, or were martyred for the faith, and who are worthy of imitation.” The day is celebrated by going to church and lighting candles.
Fun Facts: SNAILS!
In 1819, in Iran, Siyyid Ali-Mu hammed was born. He would later be known as the Bab, which means “The Gate” in Arabic to symbolise the manifestation of God. A twoday festival takes place, referred to as the Twin Holy Days, as the follow ing day after the birth of the Bab is the birthday of the Baha’u’llah (which means “Glory of God” in Ar abic).
Oxi Day:
The 28th of October is Oxi (Ohi) Day, and is commonly celebrated in Greece and Cyprus as it marks the day Greek Prime Minister, Io annis Metaxas, denied the entry of Italian troops across the Greek Border in 1940. On this historic day,
Did you know that snails can sleep for up to 3 years? They require mois ture to survive and in poor weather conditions, they must go into hi bernation. To protect themselves whilst in this state, they surround themselves with a layer of their own mucus. Yes, ew exactly. On a less disgusting note, snails don’t feel any pain due to the inability to process emotional information. They also have 20,000 teeth — I bet you couldn’t figure that out by looking at them.
Riddles
Here are the last edition’s
What has 13 hearts and no other organs?
A person goes out in the rain with no form of cover (eg. umbrella) and does not get a single hair on their head wet. How?
What is thrown out when you wish to use it and taken back in when you don’t wish to use it?
- Zoe LittlerHave a religious or cultural event coming up?
Do not hesitate to share your re ligious or cultural background by writing about an upcoming event to be published in the Stag.
Email zoe.litter@reddamhouse. com.au to help better recognise the diverse culture at our school.
With the return of Sculptures by the Sea, it seems as though COVID-19 is well and truly behind us. This ex hibit confirms life is back to normal again and that we are able to enjoy the simplicity of coastal art as we did before the pandemic.
The founder of Sculptures by the Sea, David Handley, was inspired by an outdoor sculpture park in Klatovy, Northern Bohemia. He wanted to recreate a similar atmo sphere along the Bondi to Tamara ma coastal walk in Australia and did so in 1996.
Since 1997, over 2400 sculptures have been displayed, making it one of the world’s largest free outdoor sculpture exhibitions. The 2022 Sculptures by the Sea was the 24th showing at Bondi, however, there have been more than 50 versions, including Cottesloe Beach in Perth and Aarhus in Denmark.
Sculptures by the Sea:
Bondi will be transformed with unique sculptures crowding the two kilometre Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk in Sydney from Octo ber 21st to November 7th 2022.
The event is believed to accumu late over 450,000 visitors during the 18 days. This is most likely due to the showing of 100 new sculptures and the fact that Sculptures by the Sea is finally back after its two year break because of COVID-19.
These artworks are created by Aus tralian and international artists alike, giving the Bondi coastal walk some much-needed flare. Some pieces include a giant disco ball, a hand sticking from the sand grasp ing a seashell, and vibrant yellow cherries the size of a person.
This year there will be a wide range of Ukrainian artists in order to raise funds for Ukrainians who are dis placed by the war. Dmitry Grek, Egor Zigura, Nikita Zigura and Oleksii Zolotariov have created art works such as ‘Colossus Holds Up The World’ and ‘Global Warming’ in order to further their brand and raise awareness about the growing global crisis. Sculpture by the Sea has decided to donate the entire ty of its commissions from sales to the Ukraine Crisis Appeal.
Tony Davis, one of the artists
showcased, has been awarded the Aqualand Sculpture Award as well as $70,000. His jarrah timber and steel seven metre tall sculp ture ‘Folly Interstice’, awarded him the biggest prize for sculptures in the entire Southern Hemisphere. Once the exhibition is over, Aqua land will donate the work for per manent public installation in Syd ney.
Sculptures by the Sea have also introduced a new app that is free to download. It allows viewers to navigate and find out information about artists and their artworks. This allows the sculptures to gain more attraction and praise for their contribution to the art world and helps viewers (like me!) to not get lost.
So come down to the Sculptures by the Sea exhibition to support local and international artists. Af ter 2 years without it, this exhibi tion is a great reminder and cel ebration of Sydney’s community and tradition.
- Kiera Millin and Larissa RosePark and Putin:
Imagine being shot in the head and chest by your best friend during a ban quet. On October 26th, 1979, Park Chung-hee, the President of South Korea, was assassinated by his best friend, Kim Jae-gyu.
Park Chung-hee did some interesting things during his life, if controversial. He swore an oath to Japan – written in his own blood! During WW2 he sought to advance himself, like his role model Napoleon, and joined the Japa nese Army in Manchuria (modern day north-east ern China). There was another assassination at tempt in 1974 where his wife was killed, and Park continued his speech as she was carried past him, dying. He did apparently miss her though.
Park is a controversial leader because he ruled the country with an iron fist. He committed serious hu man rights abuses and limited people’s democratic expression. However, during his rule, extreme pov erty was reduced from 67% to 11% and child mor tality decreased by 64%. There’s debate even today between different generations of Koreans about which is worth more merit.
Despite Park seeming irrelevant here in Australia right now, that might not be the case. As the war in Ukraine wages, sceptics all around the world are getting louder. What if Vladimir Putin were to be killed in a similar way to Park by someone close to him? Park Chung-hee was killed at a time in South Korea when student protests were heavy and peo ple were questioning the way they were ruled. As Park’s assassination shows, Putin may be in trouble.
- Evie ZavosPillars and Pain:
The funniest assassination attempt in history, with out a doubt, happened in 228 BCE. Now I hear you dear reader, “Jo, assassination attempts are never funny. It’s tragic and awful, no matter the circum stances.” I hear you. Your words come to me in the night, burning my eyes and my mind, and I am so deeply afraid. However, you probably haven’t heard of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. Though technically, Qin Shi Huang is a title, not a name, and he was King Zheng at the time.
His planned assassin, Jing Ke, hid his dagger in a scroll, and he and his idiot partner, Qin Wuyang, entered the palace. This is where the plot begins to look like a bad ‘Scooby-Doo’ episode. Qin Wuyang was so nervous that he stopped speaking or even moving, which Jing Ke had to cover up by claiming he was intimidated by how powerful King Zheng was. This goes over well (ancient officials LOVED sycophants), and the King asks to see the scroll Jing Ke is holding. When the scroll is unfurled, re vealing the dagger, King Zheng runs. Panic sets in. Jing Ke runs after him. The tension is high. The king desperately tries to pull his sword out, but it’s only ceremonial and is too long for his short arms. Des perate for something to do, he follows in the foot steps of a hundred bad children’s show characters before him and hides behind a pillar. Stupid, right? No way in hell that would work, right? Wrong! Jing Ke is blindsided by this, before he is beaten by a nearby physician and stabbed eight times by the king. As blood seeps into the ornate floors, the king sits down for a moment of peace. Looney tunes’ shenanigans, as always, save the day.
- Jo Gilliatt
It’s the beginning of Week 4 already, and that means we’re almost halfway through this unusually short term. As always, a lot has happened already in these first few weeks, and there’s plenty more coming up to look forward to. Following the beloved year 12s’ departure at the end of last term, two weeks ago it was time for Reddam to welcome our new recruits – the year 7s of 2023 – for their Orientation Day. The action started at 9:45 am when the new year 7s ar rived at the Woollahra campus and started their first activity – a treasure hunt. Clues were hidden around the school, and teams had to race to find them the quickest. Then it was time for morning tea, where the year 7s enjoyed a cupcake in a box and a juicethe quintessential orientation snack – before taking some placement tests to determine their classes for next year. Jessie Gatt (no relation), a year 8 helper, commented: “I think it was a really good experience for the year 7s because they got to meet each other
and get to know the school a bit better before they come next year, and I think they had fun. And the cupcakes were delicious.”
The school journey of our year 12s is drawing to a close on Thursday with the completion of the Phys ics, Dance, and IDT final exams. Their exams were written at Church in the Marketplace with some teachers heading down for last-minute good wishes. And finally, this Tuesday at 7 pm in Adelaide Hall will be the Spring Recital. It’s the Music Department’s final full school recital of the year and will showcase an impressive repertoire of performances from some of Reddam’s most talented ensembles, duets, trios and bands. Everyone is encouraged to come along for what promises to be an excellent evening of en tertainment.
- Florence Gatt and Jacob AtchisonDo you want to get more in volved in school activities but have no idea where to start?
Do you really want to add some more extracurriculars to your re sume so that it looks a bit more full? Are you an avid reader and supporter of our school’s very own Stag?
Well, aren’t you in for a treat? Let me open your eyes to this readily available, once a year in your lifetime opportunity! Izzy, our wonderful Head Edi tor, has opened up an internship programme. What does this internship programme mean? What does it entail? Well, read on and find out! Simply send an email to Izzy at izzy.lowe@reddam house.com.au and let her know that you’re inter ested in getting involved in the Stag. If you have a specific interest, such as editing, or writing Futures, Reddam Affairs, or even being Head Editor your self, feel free to mention that in the email as well. This way, Izzy can brief you on the process, which is everything that goes into the Stag with writing, deadlines, and editing. Then Izzy can connect you with the best suited team member for your inter ests, and you can work alongside your favourite writer or editor, or someone who does both!
Isn’t this a glorious opportunity? It gives you fab ulous experience to put on your resume. You’ll be an outstanding candidate with a major point of conversation during job interviews since the Stag can teach you skills such as time management, or ganisation, collaboration, teamwork, and effective communication.
Keep thriving, Quinn Luu
Spotlight On- Bella Kable:
So originally we had 30 in a year group now we’re looking at 150160. Huge. Definitely, it’s become more academic, so you’re see ing kids with a greater focus on studying coming through, as a teacher it’s really nice.
1. What was your favourite sub ject at school?
English, straight up. Because of Angela Di Stefano – absolute queen. If we had an 8am, what she would do is go to the bakery before school and bring us all breakfast. And she was gener ally just an incredible teacher, our marks across the class were incredible, not as a result of our studies but because of her.
2. What is your favourite movie?
Probably ‘Kingsman: Secret Ser vice’, the original one. I absolutely love it.
3. Is that the one with the church scene?
YES yes! Oh my god so bad, it’s the lamest movie to like but it’s a really funny one.
4. What is your favourite TV show?
Currently ‘Game of Thrones’ at the moment, absolutely binge ing it. There are a lot of scenes where I’m like “okay can we skip through this, can we just keep going”, but it’s incredible to binge and watch quickly.
5. What’s your favourite book?
What did I just read the other day by Liane Moriarty? ‘The Husband Secret’, really just an easy breezy read, just a great one.
6. What is your favourite genre of music?
R&B. Straight-up R&B with Drake and some nice tunes and a little dance.
7. If you weren’t a PDH teacher, what would you be?
Professional surfer any day. Any day of the year I’d love to travel the world, surfing, competing, but on a realistic note that’s not gonna happen. So I was originally doing a business course before I did this, so probably something in the commerce/finance world. I know, ew, I lasted three months there before I was like “see ya!”.
8. How has Reddam changed since you arrived?
Hugely. Obviously, I’ve been here since I was in year 2, so I’ve been at Reddam since 2006. So I’ve seen a huge transformation – re membering that the school only started in 2000. When I started we only had 10 girls in our year and 20 boys. Just a completely different school based on num bers. Have you been to the Wool lahra campus recently? It’s a zoo, there are just kids everywhere.
9. What is your go-to Shuk order?
Shakshuka any day. And an oat cappuccino. Maybe an egg and bacon roll if it’s breakfast but the Shakshukas are really good.
10. What is your favourite sport to teach?
AFL. I like doing AFL because it’s mostly kids who haven’t played it and it’s really nice to teach a sport where you don’t have kids who are a lot better than every one who then come out and try to show off. Everyone’s on a level playing field, there’s lots of skills involved in it, so yeah, AFL.
11. Who is your celebrity crush?
Taron Egerton. He is my favour ite, favourite actor in the world. He’s the main actor in ‘Kingsman’, which is probably why it’s my favourite movie as well. And he’s Elton John in ‘Rocketman’.
12. What has been your favourite student moment?
For me it would have to be prob ably a primary school moment – teaching swimming. We had a kid come in who was in year 1 last year and couldn’t swim. In the first lesson his mate pushed him in the water, fully clothed, which didn’t go down well as you can imagine. So it was that transfor mation in eight weeks making that kid comfortable in the water. By the end, he completed a 25 m freestyle lap which was incred ible. Not being able to swim in Australia is hard, as the beach is a big thing, so that was a big deal for us.
13. Do you have any pets?
I don’t have any pets currently. My partner is begging me to get a dog but I’m holding off for the moment. When I was 18 and I lived at home, you might remem ber Mr Kable’s dog from assem blies. His name was Bernie and he passed away recently but he was a legendary dog. 70 kilos, big, fluffy.
14. What is your pet peeve?
Ooh, pet peeve. Here we go.
Spotlight On- Bella Kable:
Based on my experience last night - someone chewing with their mouth open. I was at a din ner last night for about two hours and I didn’t really know this per son that well. They were chewing with their mouth open and I was like, “Come on, close that mouth.” So, as of last night, that’s my pet peeve. I hope this article doesn’t go past the Stag.
15. If you could go to any place in the world, where would you go?
I’m going to New Zealand in De cember and I’m really looking forward to that, but aside from that, I’d really like to go to Moroc co. There’s the Sahara Desert, and a really good surf break there. That’s on the cards, hopefully, next June/July school holidays. That’s why we teach, for the school holidays!
16. What is objectively the best sport?
I’m stuck on swimming as in Aus tralia, it’s such an amazing life skill. But objectively I’m gonna say cycling. As a sport, being able to ride a bike to get around is objectively my number one. And it has team elements if you cycle with other people.
17. What sports do you follow?
The NRL, surfing, a little bit of cricket.
18. Who will you support in the Soccer World Cup?
Come on guys, Australia! And sec
ond place, England.
19. Who do you think is going to win?
For the men’s, I don’t really fol low that closely but I would say England. And for the women’s, I’d put money on England or Amer ica.
20. For PDH, what is the most interesting unit to teach?
Hands down it’s sexual educa tion, consent and respectful re lationships. I’m currently doing that with Year 9, and it’s very confronting to teach because you have different kids in the room with different reactions to the content. But the kids really love it, they listen and learn something from it. So yeah, Sex Ed.
21. What do you think Reddam will be like in 30 years?
I think Reddam is going to con tinue growing and growing. The year groups will keep expanding. I think we’ll keep those extremely high rankings, and become more focused on academics. I’ll prob ably still be teaching here in 30 years! Hopefully not.
- Jacob Atchison and Florence GattBad Habit:
Steve Lacy’s ‘Bad Habit’ is an excellent piece of mu sic and is usually my go-to song to study. It has peaked in the top 1 charts on the billboard in the US, and I’m not surprised.
Its steady beat with the addition of the high-pitched male vocal is so pleasant to the ear. Its opening of the shallow chorus is an interesting way to start a song. Its chorus of the lyrics “I wish I knew, I wish I knew you wanted me”, is memorable and some what relatable to listeners as he describes the idea of not taking the chance to do something.
The contrast between the verse and chorus keeps the song entertaining and makes you want more. Its repeated rhythm of 2 semiquavers paired with a quaver and following a crotchet note is catchy yet simple, and the chord progression is both complex and unique and gives the song its distinctive iden tity. The song captures a sad moment in life where
Johnny English Strikes Again:
Released in 2018, ‘John ny English Strikes Again’ is not a new release by any standard. But star ring Rowan Atckinson (Mr Bean) and UkrainianFrench actress Olga Kurylenko (Hitman), it is a must watch comedy.
When a cyber attack outs all the serving agents for MI7 in England, Johnny English is recalled from be ing a teacher to try to find the hacker. This Johnny English movie is the third in the series, and differs from the previous two with less active violence such as machine gunning from a vacuum cleaner, given the threat is an internet one. ‘Johnny English Strikes Again’ also allows Ben Miller as Bough to come back into the story, a nice addition given he was cut out of the second movie ‘Johnny English Reborn’. The smart detective Bough and idiot detective English provides plenty of comic entertainment. Gillian Anderson is also brilliant in ‘Johnny English Strikes Again’ as the prime minister of England, making lots of jokes at the expense of her real counterparts.
love is rejected, and the ways we as a society cope with it and how it relates to audience members.
With its lo-fi-like beats and contrasting vocals, this is one of the best songs to listen to casually. The sped-up version is slightly better, though.
Generally the movie is well acted, with a lot of the comedy coming from physical mishaps. The movie is set up well from the opening, with almost every reference being capitalised on later in the film. Avail able on Foxtel, Binge and Amazon Prime, although not recent, ‘Johnny English Strikes Again’ is a must watch for a good laugh. Even when watching it for the tenth time, as this writer did recently, the jokes never get old.
Anonymous
