The Australian Museum presented a limited-time exhibition (which, fun fact, was extended due to popular demand) about the golden empires of Peru The museum showcased a variety of artefacts from ancient civilisations part of the family of pre-Columbian cultures that once inhabited the region. These artefacts included jewellery, statues, ornaments, ceramic pieces, among others. The exhibition served as a portal for communicating knowledge about Latin American cultures and civilisations, particularly the Inca civilisation, renowned for its engineering, architecture, and, of course, luxurious attire.
Kate Jeffers, a second-year archaeology student, had the opportunity to attend the exhibition and spoke about the importance of hosting such events in museums and cultural institutions within our community
Q: What did you like about the Machu Picchu exhibition?
A: I liked the range of objects they included. They had items related to particular deities that were worshipped, but they also featured everyday objects like drinking vessels or small statues. They showed artefacts belonging to people of lower status as well as those from the elite, including royalty, and illustrated the differences in what they would have worn.
MACHU PICCHU
BY NATALIA
Q: Why do you think, as an archaeologist, that these kinds of exhibitions are important for our community?
A: I think they’re really important to spread knowledge and educate people about past cultures. But also to help past communities stay connected with current ones, and to share that sense of cultural continuity. Learning what mattered to them back then—whether it was their clothing, religion, or household items—is essential. It’s also important for museums to create exhibitions that connect ancient civilisations with present-day communities who share that ancestry.
The Inca civilisation is best known for one of its greatest cities, Machu Picchu (which, fun fact, was also the name of the exhibition), but there are many other aspects of this culture that are not widely known. The Australian Museum’s exhibition on the Andean civilisations plays a vital role in bringing these lesser-known cultural elements of Latin America to light. However, it’s equally important to acknowledge the present-day aspects of these cultures to build a more meaningful connection with the past.
Events Events
BY MAZ
The Encore
Get hyped for the release of the semester one year book: The Encore! Coming straight off the printers just before exams begin, The Encore is a memento of your time here at RMC with photos and messages from all RMC events this semester (+ some extra fun bonus articles)! Hope you enjoy reading and make sure to thank the Encore Team for all their hard work!!
Welcome to The Cozy Corner! The home of promotional material for art events at RMC, media reviews, resident submitted art, and Maz’s Mixtape! Remember to leave your feedback for the next volume with the Voice team. All suggestions arewelcome!
Contents
Events
Art Week
Congrats to all the art competition and Revue participants and winners! It has been amazing to get to see the work of so many different talented artists at the college Thanks again to everyone who participated and helped run this year ’ s Arts Week!!! See you again next year for more paint, music and laughs!
INTERNATIONAL DINNER
BY NATALIA
RMC’s renowned and much-loved International Dinner returned this year with marvellous musical performances, delicious food from around the world, and residents dressed in their finest attire.
To start the evening, residents paraded with the flags of their respective countries and took photos with their friends. This year featured two fantastic musical acts. The first was performed by Harshita, Bprem, Tyrone and Carol, who delivered a beautifully harmonised rendition of Titanium by David Guetta and Sia, complete with instrumental accompaniment
The second and final act of the night was presented by Sebastian, Marianne (also known as Maz, who played the flute), and Natalia (on guitar, drawing on her years of experience). They performed Hasta la Raíz, a Mexican song by singer Natalia Lafourcade. Their heartwarming performance blended the classical sound of the flute with the traditional melodies of Mexican folk guitar in a truly moving way.
Later in the evening, excitement soared during an adrenaline-filled activity: a Kahoot quiz featuring flags from different countries The room filled with shouts, friendly rivalry, and intense competition as tables formed teams and put their cultural knowledge to the test
The night’s menu was wonderfully varied, with highlights including Chilean empanadas and mango sticky rice. Each dish was introduced by a resident from the country it represented, who shared a bit of background before everyone had the chance to enjoy the flavours of different cultures. The evening concluded with lively dance performances by residents, including choreography from the freshers.
The International Dinner is a cherished annual tradition that brings the RMC community together to celebrate the many cultures that call the college home. With its vibrant energy, entertainment, and of course, delicious food and desserts, this year’s event was the perfect welcome for new residents and a joyful continuation for returning ones.
HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?
Some Menzies might’ve been surprised to read that such a cutely titled session was actually unfiltered sex education (as unfiltered as it can get in a Christian college). Even for such standards, there was a lot that Dr. Monica covered that you won’t commonly see anywhere else. RMC embraces the traditional Christian values of sex and marriage and recognises the importance of refreshing, and maybe introducing, these topics. Dr. Cook starts off the session saying that in the Christian sense, sex isn’t simply an act of pleasure. It’s a human act that reflects the idea of love, and love is sacred. “It is an authentic form of intimacy that echoes the intimate form of love we find in Christ To be united in intimacy, known and truly seen, a promise built upon faithfulness ” The title itself was taken from the Bible, specifically speaking, Song of Songs 4:16.
WITH DR. MONICA COOK
BY JOSEPHINE
Monica leads us through her session by having us think about our sexuality as gardens, invited us to drawthem. Gardens, with its many plants, the soil, dark patches, and boundaries. How will you maintain your garden? Who will you let in it? What will you choose to grow? If you think the metaphors are obvious, at least keep reading for the anatomy facts.
Boundaries
Some gardens are open No fences, so that anyone passing by may enjoy its beauty, or, depending on its caretaker, how neglected it is. Other gardens have a short fence, (“you may see but you may not touch!”) and some are behind high brick walls so that only a few may enjoy them. Like fences, just because boundaries exist, doesn’t mean there are no gates. Having healthy boundaries is not sex negativity… boundaries may mean that you are sex positive enough to believe in healthy ways of sex.
Soil, Weeds, and seeds
The “soil” in question refers to your brain: the biggest sex organ. It’s where everything starts; its activity is, of course, influenced by your behaviours and habits. Porn, for instance, lacks the emotional connection, cuts out the intimacy and communication that realistically should happen in healthy sex. What fuels our expectations? If our expectations are out of touch… It’s time to re-fertilize the soil. What’s growing in your garden? What do you let grow in your garden? Letting invasive weeds grow unmaintained will eventually kill off your carefully curated selection of plants Weeds can also come in the form of insecurities or bad myths we learnt about sex Planting native species in your garden may be better for the environment and easier for you to maintain. Of course, the weeds and seeds represent our expectations, growing straight out of our soil-brain.
Dark patches in the garden
Sexuality is largely a taboo topic, especially if you grew up sheltered or conservative. Dark patches in your garden represent this shame, and lingering too long in this space may influence the rest of the garden. A common one among Christians might be religious shame. However, Dr. Monica reminds us that God does not ask for perfection! Don’t forget that God is the first person to have ever loved us unconditionally, and there is no shame too large to turn Him away
How does your garden grow?
As per any cottagecore dream, our garden shall bear fruits! What do you want to enjoy in your garden? During these Safer Communities events the activities makes for interesting conversations between mates you’ll share a table with. I for one, learned that some people have a knack for drawing anatomicallyaccurate sexual organs. Perhaps, you might become one of them next time.
BLOCK WARS
BY SEBASTIAN
This was my first year taking part in Block Wars, and I was genuinely blown away by how much fun it was! I’d expected something more like a typical school rally— usually organised by teachers and while that’s always a classic, I know some people would rather give it a miss. But this event clearly showed that it was created by people with commitment, creativity, and passion
I’ll admit I let my block down by missing two of the competitions. :( Even so, I still had an amazing time, and it was easy to see how much enthusiasm everyone brought. From the classic to the more unusual games, some highlights included: sack races in the forest, a dry wheat-eating competition, a volleyball tournament, and a fruit-and-marshmallow kebab challenge while blindfolded! And that’s just to name a few
Wanting to know more, I asked B Block’s incredible RA, Nathan Lai, to share his experience. Here’s what he had to say:
"Joining Block Wars this year was a refreshing experience for me rather than dodging the 'draft', I now have to encourage my block to take part! I had a lot of fun playing all the different games, but honestly, the best part was seeing my blockmates come together and work as a team. I think the execs did a great job planning Block Wars this year, and I’m looking forward to what they have in store for the rest of the year."
A huge thank you to everyone who helped organise Block Wars your hard work truly brought the RMC community together and gave us all something to look forward to. I can’t wait to see what’s t!
Welcoming Spring with Fire and Celebration!
While many of us mark the New Year on 1 January, cultures around the world welcome their new years according to different calendars and traditions for example, Lunar New Year celebrations in late January or February, and Thailand's new year, Songkran, in April.
At RMC, we ’ re fortunate to have community members who bring these rich traditions with them. Sohrab, one of our RAs who also works with the Maintenance team, recently shared his experience of Nowruz the Persian New Year.
“In Iran, everyone gets very excited for the new year, ” Sohrab said with a big smile.
“We start celebrating a week before. We set a table with red fruits, and we even jump over fire!”
His face lit up as he recalled these special memories from home, showing just how deeply these traditions are woven into cultural identity
Nowruz, meaning “New Day,” marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in the Persian calendar This ancient celebration dates back over 3,000 years and is observed across Iran, Afghanistan, parts of the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Balkans. The festivities begin at the exact moment spring arrives, usually on 20 or 21 March.
At the heart of Nowruz is the Haft-Seen table—a display of seven symbolic items, all starting with the Persian letter “S”:
Sabzeh (sprouted wheat, for rebirth)
Samanu (sweet pudding, for wealth)
Senjed (dried fruit, for love)
Seer (garlic, for health)
Sib (apple, for beauty)
Somagh (sumac, for sunrise)
Serkeh (vinegar, for patience)
Families gather around the table as the new year arrives, exchanging gifts and wishing one another good fortune.
The fire-jumping ritual Sohrab mentioned is called Chaharshanbe Suri, which takes place on the last Tuesday evening before Nowruz (this year, on 18 March). People leap over small bonfires while saying, “Zardi-ye man az to, sorkhi-ye to az man, ” meaning “May my paleness be yours, and may your redness be mine.” This ancient tradition symbolises casting away sickness and troubles, and receiving health and strength from the fire—like a symbolic cleansing before the new year.
Our RMC family is like a mini world tour, with nearly 200 international students from 35 countries how amazing is that? Each person brings a piece of their culture with them, making our community vibrant and diverse When we celebrate festivals like Nowruz together, we ’ re not just having fun we ’ re building a home away from home, where everyone belongs
MID-SEM BREAK STORIESS
BY ADRIANA
Mid-sem break means different things for everyone. Some people travel, some stick around, and some end up doing fieldwork in the middle of nowhere.
We asked a few Menzies what they got up to:
“IT FELT LIKE UP, BUT REAL”
Shirley spent the break floating above Camden Valley in a hot air balloon, something she’d been trying to do since June last year.
“It got cancelled three times because of the weather. So when it finally happened, it felt a bit unreal,” she said
The experience wasn’t just about ticking something off a list, it became something much more calming than she expected. “When the balloon went up, everything got quiet No engines, no noise Just floating. It was peaceful, almost too peaceful.”
Shirley had hoped to see kangaroos hopping through the fields, but instead spotted horses, cows, and a few early morning runners Not quite the wildlife moment she imagined, but still unforgettable
“The whole thing felt like a dream Definitely one of the best things I’ve done in a while.”
Rating: 5/5
“A
LOT OF ICE CREAM AND NOT MUCH SLEEP”
Sebastián hit the road with a group of RMC friends, driving through the Blue Mountains and ending up in Bathurst. The trip wasn’t planned down to the last detail and that was kind of the point
“We just hung out. Walked around, cooked meals together, watched movies, visited a few museums,” he said “It wasn’t about doing big things. It was just nice to be with people and get to know them better ”
They stayed up late most nights, ate “ way too much ice cream, ” and took turns choosing movies “I didn’t expect it to be that fun, honestly. It was simple, but we laughed a lot.”
One of his favourite moments was learning more about Bathurst’s history through the local museums.
“FIELD TRIP DISGUISED AS A SURVIVAL CAMP”
Maz didn’t go on holiday, she went digging. Literally.
As part of her Earth Science unit, she joined a five-day field trip in southern NSW that involved crawling through caves, mapping stalagmites and stalactites, and digging trenches in ancient riverbeds.
“It was exhausting,” she said “There were moments where I thought: is this really my life right now? But at the same time, it was amazing ”
Maz described it as a full-on hands-on experience the kind that throws you into situations you’d never expect from a uni subject. “We were working with stuff from the Last Glacial Maximum twenty thousand years ago. That kind of thing really puts things in perspective ”
There was mud, sore muscles, and a lot of dirt under fingernails. But also, according to Maz, “ a weird sense of wonder.”
Rating: 5/5
Rating: no stars just fossils, dirt, and the occasional existential thought.
