The Voice: Issue 2, March 2017

THE

VOICE U SI N G M I N E; S H A R I NG YOURS

The

Artistry Edition

ISSUE #02 MARCH 2017

Editorial I talked a bit about my love for writing in the last editorial. You may or may not have noticed the omission of any comments on my love for painting and it’s not because I don’t appreciate it, it’s because I just can’t do it. I’ll be the first to admit my writing is far from perfect but trust me, I’ll get a lot further with a pen in my hand than a 2B pencil, so to speak.

Editor Sharna Kosmeier Assistant Kayla Carter

If you don’t believe me, a quick tour of my house will reveal cutely coordinated decorations by my mum; a vase here, matching cushions there, and as is often traditional in the family home, a wall of sentimental artworks by “the kids”. You’ll see though, that next to the nifty paintings my brothers did in primary school, there is a segment of wall bereft of any signed by me. But before you think my parents show offspring favouritism, I know exactly where my childhood paintings are - I hid them. In an obscure, top shelf cupboard. They’re gathering dust, and I think things are better that way.

Graphic Designer Minah Bocchino

So why then, would I produce an entire edition centered on artistry? Because even though some of us aren’t particularly gifted in this area, I know that many are, and the following pages are a celebration and appreciation of those gifts. In our quest to find the aesthetes of Avondale, we’ve sourced hand and digitally drawn artworks, spoken word poetry, an emerging musician and discussions ranging from coffee to artistic insecurity.

No Thanks: Temperamental weather Lost earphones Low key insomnia

In light of this, I’m proud of the talent that has conglomerated into little Cooranbong and so glad that we could siphon just a sliver of it into our magazine.

We hope it provides a feast for your eyes and encouragement for your soul as you admire the creativity in the world around you.

Stay classy (and artsy), Sharna

Cover Art/Photo Jessica Mattner Thanks: Sunrise sessions Approachable lecturers Floor worship food

Contents regulars 5 7 9 15 17 21 23 29

Contributors S A M : T h e C o n v e r s at i o n WO/MAN #avondalexp All About Aid with Ashley Competition Interview WYWS

features D i g w h at ’ s h a p p e n i n g t o yo u I struggle i’m going to fail Gathering dust or garnering wisdom? art

11 13 19 25 27

contributors Sharna Kosmeier Sharna is acutely aware of her inability to harmonise properly and very jealous of those who can. She still hasn’t finished Oliver Twist and probably won’t pick it up again until around July.

Kayla Carter

Matthew Dupla

Newlywed who has a thing for Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, chatting with God, and annoying her husband.

Hey, I’m Matt and I’m a third year Bachelor of Arts/Teaching student!

I enjoy reading books and heaps of comics, Netflix is great, and I love listening to metal and seeing live shows! Little known fact about me is that I am a below average swimmer!

Bethany Morrow

Alex Groves

Likes skateboarding (slowly, on flat surfaces), yellow raincoats and new places.

Do you like that Alex guy? Nah, me neither. All jokes aside, I am single.

Nah I like to chase life and enjoy every second of it.

Ashley Steele

Kira-leigh Josey

When she’s not absorbed in the lives of fictional characters, Ashley has a crack at making a life of her own by convincing others to go adventuring with her.

A 2nd year Education student with a major in History and minor in Religion, Kira-leigh loves haystacks and learning about the past.

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sam The

Conversation Roasting Coffee…

What do Christians think about the drink?

Ahh, coffee. When we aren’t drinking it, we love to talk about it. Though it’s not an issue of grace or salvation, it is a polarising subject.

Let’s see what some people had to say when asked: “Should Christians drink coffee?”

@kaitlann I love the smell of coffee but not so keen on the taste. I believe that everything in moderation is key but I think some coffee drinkers become so reliant on that hit of caffeine to keep them going. I don’t know what you think, but how can something be healthy for you if you’re addicted to it?

@belinda_amy The Bible states: “Man shall not live on bread alone…” (Deuteronomy 8:3). I, personally, believe the modern add-on should also stipulate: “but also on coffee”. The Bible instructs us to “Taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalms 34:8). Every time that silky smooth, warm, golden delight tingles my taste buds I experience nothing but God’s goodness. Some may argue that coffee is ‘my master’; I disagree. It’s a relationship in which the give and take occurs on both sides. This relationship is not one that detracts or negatively impacts my relationship with God but rather enhances it – they co-exist together. My motto? “All I need is a little bit of coffee and a whole lot of Jesus.”

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@matt_wilson96 Drinking coffee is an expensive habit. The active ingredient in coffee is caffeine, the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance/ legalised drug. People do get addicted to the caffeine, and for me, that is the biggest problem with drinking coffee. Many coffee drinkers who try to stop suffer from withdrawals, which proves that coffee does influence the brain. However, to answer the question, I don’t know. I don’t have a problem with Christians drinking coffee, but I don’t like the Church using free coffee as advertising to try and draw people to events. I believe that is promoting a drug-like substance.

@bianca_maggs “Coffee is far more than a beverage. It is an invitation to life, disguised as a cup of warm liquid. It’s a trumpet wake-up call, or a gentle rousing hand on your shoulder... Coffee is an experience, an offer, a rite of passage, a good excuse to get together.” — Nicole Johnson, Fresh Brewed Life

@joshuasethkross I don’t think anyone should drink coffee unless they’re cool.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t be a hipster if everyone drank coffee too, right?

So please. Don’t drink coffee unless I think you’re cool enough to be a part of the hipster clique.

@rc_classy Personally, if it doesn’t taste pleasant, why drink it? Some would argue, ‘well it’s what I need to do to be a hipster.’ Well, allow me to give you some enlightenment. According to ausfoodnews.com.au the average Australian consumes 8.8 cups a week at around $3.50 a cup (Café Rejuve price). Thus, one is spending over $1500 a year, just aspiring to become a hipster. Essentially, a OneMission trip would be free if you refrained from drinking coffee. Do yourself a favour; don’t waste money on the upkeep of your hipster reputation. Aspire to do more than drink coffee at Avondale, save your taste buds, do something worthwhile. #avondalexp

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WO / M Orrani Fatnowna What are a few of your favourite Aussie things?

Wombats, Heath Ledger, thong tans and seatbelt irons.

If you could be any musician who would you be?

Beyoncé. She’s hot.

What do you wish you’d been taught at school?

How to get out of the friend zone.

What do you do to relax?

Sleep/music/food.

In a few words describe what artistry means to you.

Anything done with passion that benefits yourself or the people around you.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve done at College so far?

I put my dessert on the same plate as my salad.

What is the most recent photo in your phone of?

A collage of Savannah Seeley’s face.

When you were a kid what did you want to be?

Play for Matilda’s.

Who do you admire?

Naomi Henson, for her style & wit.

What is the last thing you were inspired by?

Jade got smashed by a wave at Cathos a couple of sabbaths ago. It was awesome.

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MAN Jym Bocala What are a few of your favourite Aussie things?

Snags on the barbie, Australian Survivor and the Charleson brothers.

If you could be any musician who would you be?

Mac Miller, because he’s a lucky man.

What do you wish you’d been taught at school?

How to deal with pests - especially the half Chinese half Solomon Islander ones.

What do you do to relax?

I have my Cool as a Cucumber iced tea and watch travel vlogs. Or just nap.

In a few words describe what artistry means to you.

Artistry refers to a creative skill or ability. So for me that would be nothing.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve done at college this year/past years?

Not doing enough push ups before an undie run.

What is the most recent photo in your phone of?

Me chilling on a small wooden canoe with my friend King David at Vanuatu. (insta: @jymbocala) When you were a kid what did you want to be?

I wanted to be famous, wanted to be a star, wanted to be in movies, see the world, drive nice cars.

Who do you admire?

Carnley Scotter, he’s my go-to for any Korean language help and he makes a great Jeff Probst. 고마워 친구 What is the last thing you were inspired by?

“Learn to appreciate what you have, before time makes you appreciate what you had.”

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FEATURE

Dig what’s happening Matthew Dupla

“Open at your own speed, but open.

Dig what’s happening to you.

By “dig” I mean get into it. There are lessons for you there. And when it gets uncomfortable, that’s an important time to open and dig. There’s treasure in them thar hills.”

- Jeff Bridges I found this quote the other day and thought it to be remarkable. How can someone achieve this kind of enlightenment? This quote was a response to “If you could give us all some wisdom, what would it be?” on an “Ask Me Anything” section on a website called “reddit”, and Bridges answered as if he had that bit of wisdom just up his sleeve. I can’t help but wonder how he’d come to know this, or how he’d come to think this way, but I guess the answer to it lies within the original quote - he just “opened” and “dug”, and in a way found himself.

The idea of personal enlightenment is something that has had me transfixed since my first day of college in 2015. To me it’s a very spiritual thing and to clear up any misconceptions, I am not trying to find myself without God; I think that the only way for one to find oneself is through God. * * * Metanoia – noun “Change in one’s way of life resulting from spiritual conversion.”

Metanoia is a word that changed the way I view myself, view God, and view sin, and is 11 | The Voice Issue 02 March 2017

Photo source: Pexel.com

something that I try to be mindful of every day. I found that the first time I really became mindful of how I felt, why I was feeling the way I felt, and how God would use what ever happens to me as an opportunity to improve myself, was the day that I experienced metanoia.

Keeping an open mind about anything and everything that would happen to me, to the best of my ability, constantly trying to chat to God, and just saying thanks here and there, has helped me learn a lot about myself. I found that I really love learning, I enjoy reading, and I am terribly unorganised. By keeping an eye on what made me happy and what didn’t, I was able to figure out that I actually did want to get into teaching, into crappy photography (I’m not great but I love it), and journal writing.

So, what I am trying to bring across to you is that I believe people should stop, look, and listen. Keep an eye on what makes you tick, what makes you happy -what makes you feel at peace. If you have a passion, open and dig. If you find yourself wanting to improve on something then pay attention to it and work on it. Above all, pray. Talk to God about what moves you and what hurts you, and thank Him. Live and learn.

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FEATURE

I Struggle

Alex Groves

I have been baptised; I have accepted Christ.

But the road of Christianity does not mean it is an easy path to follow, life is filled with unpleasant sorrows But Christ came down magnificent: to eradicate sin with His omnipotence, so that we can be innocent, to be an instrument of His intricate plan I saw His benevolent behaviour when He traded my imprisonment for His indiscriminate love Staring into the eyes of my friend who displayed the love of Jesus that night, His might ignited the questions that I desired, prior to this situation I ignored His calling, thinking he was a liar, but He was quick to bust my tires, exalting His love higher than I could ever imagine.

I struggle not because His love surrounds me like a cabin, but because Satan knows that I chosen to be lavished in Him.

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#avondalexp

All About Aid International Women’s Day

Be bold for change

Ashley Steele

March 8 was a wonderful day, even though it probably felt like any other Wednesday. I know I slept in and was in denial that I was sick. So why was it so wonderful? Because it was International Women’s Day (IWD).

Men, before you disregard this article as being irrelevant to you, I want to ask you if you have any women in your life. Do you have a mum? A sister? A girlfriend, or maybe that cute first year that you wish was your girlfriend? If you answered yes, IWD is relevant for you, too.

Many people believe that IWD only applies to developing countries. Countries where violence against your wife is socially acceptable, where women don’t have a say, or the right to vote. But despite how far we have come in gender equality, being a woman in Australia does not come without its own struggles.

The IWD ‘About’ page explains that “many feminists from the 1970’s know only too well the longevity and ingrained complexity of patriarchy”, so much so that we may not even be aware of its effect on our lives. The gender gap is

evident in everything from women being afraid to walk alone at night to (unknowingly) believing that men are the superior gender.

Before you start rolling your eyes, let me clarify: IWD is not about bringing down men. It’s about bringing women up to men. No, not all men think less of women, but enough do that it’s a problem.

I was stoked to discover women’s AFL is now being televised. Yet pursuing a career in women’s AFL is still not a viable option. The women who play AFL professionally train still hold down regular jobs as their season only runs for 8 weeks and the average player is compensated $5000 for that period. Men, on the other hand, have a 23-week season and an average salary of $302,104. When broken down to an hourly rate, male players receive $152.89 per hour while women players receive $59.52 per hour. IWD defines justice as “being afforded the same equal rights and opportunities as men.”1 We still have a long way to go.

So what does IWD mean for women in a first world country? I’m not asking every

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Photo from Pexel.com

woman to dream of holding a traditionally male role. Gender stereotypes exist because many people in each gender group prefer doing one thing over another.

What I am asking is that if a female wants to be a professional sports star, a politician, a firefighter, an engineer, an astronaut, a doctor or even a garbage collector, she is not ridiculed for that desire but rather it is available to her. We need to change our expectations so that if employers were given a resume with no name or gender, the best person for the job was hired, regardless of their gender.

My dream is that one day there won’t be a need for IWD because true gender parity has been achieved. That women will no longer fear men and men no longer view women as a threat. But to get there, every

single one of us needs to embrace change and have an open mind. Reset your thinking of what women can do as opposed to what they ‘should’ do. You don’t have to be a woman to stand up for women.

1. http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-11-10/newminimum-set-as-womens-pay-deal-is-signed-off 2. https://www.internationalwomensday.com

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FEATURE

i’m going to fail

Bethany Morrow

Photo from Pexel.com

“Be patient towards all that is unsolved in your heart. And try to love the questions themselves.” —Rainer Maria Rilke There’s one thing that constantly frustrates me: Writing. Or more specifically, my own.

Ever since my first diary entry at 7 (“mum and dad have gone to sidney. I’m is sad”) I’ve felt there was something I needed to write. It sounds pretentious and it probably is, but it’s plagued me all the same. When I was a young teen I had a daily blog. Not only did it include diary entries but I wrote poems, stories, book reviews and recipes.

Looking back now I cringe a little, yet I’m grateful for the writing practice that came from that obsession.

However, in-between that childish delight in creativity and the endless stream of university essays I work on now, something happened. I began to wonder if I really was good enough to write. Am I funny? Am I clever? Do I have what it takes? Why didn’t I think of that idea? Will anyone buy this imaginary book that I’ve yet to even begin?

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“I’ve decided to try and I’ve decided to fail” All this loaded on my mind makes a pen feel heavy and paper like mud that soaks up any ideas walking around in my head.

So now, in my cupboard sits a stack of unfinished journals, and on my laptop are saved drafts and unpublished blog posts. After finding myself unable to finish I’m so constantly afraid to start.

Yet, as we so often do, instead of realising what’s holding us back we beat ourselves up, and tell ourselves we are useless. So thus, something we used to love becomes a chore.

However, this year, I’ve decided to try something different.

I’ve decided to try and I’ve decided to fail. I’ve decided to write mediocre poems, silly stories and lame blog posts. Because I’ve realised now that creativity isn’t about being brilliant, it’s about creating. Some random Facebook friend will probably think I use too many metaphors and my lecturer may not understand my pop culture references. But stepping into that process of creating without fear of failure gives freedom and inspiration. Creativity comes from something unfinished and unformed. It’s not just about the finished product; it’s about the process. It’s about the average poem, which after twelve drafts becomes a good poem. It’s about the one person that reads that poem for how it describes the exact state of their heart that they were never able to articulate.

I once heard some advice given to a young girl performing for the first time “You have nothing to prove, and everything to gain”.

So this year, have courage to create and be patient with your failure.

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WINners Kira-leigh Josey & Ania Mitchell prize: Rejuve vouchers

Artwork by Kim Parmenter

interview

Ashlee Bennetts What are you studying?

Secondary teaching: Music Specialisation and Art Minor What music do you personally listen to?

Honestly, anything. I love all types of music!

I love to listen to old school music or music from other countries, but for me, my top genres are R&B, Soul and Jazz and Hip Hop. When did you start writing music?

I started writing songs in years 5/6. It began with just me singing and writing them down and, as I got more confident I added chords on the piano. Initially they were songs about God, and then when I got older they became about my experiences, relationships and spirituality. I’m not going to become a Taylor Swift and write cheesy love songs.

Most memorable musical experience?

First thing that comes to mind are concerts that I’ve been to like Coldplay and Hiatus Kaiyote.

When I saw Nai Palm from Haitus Kaiyote I remember thinking, I just want to be up there. She’s got this incredible presence and being there was probably the point when I thought, I actually really want to do this.

What/who are your biggest inspirations?

Probably my music teacher at school. He sat down with me in year 11, when I didn’t know if I should do music through teaching or as a career. I just didn’t know what to do and he said, “You can do both. Just wait for God to close one door or leave two doors open.” He made it clear to me that I didn’t have to just choose one thing in life.

How would you describe your own musical style?

Something between a Meg Mac and Allen Stones sort of feel You’re releasing an EP this year! Talk us through this project.

The process all kind of started halfway through year 12 when I remember especially just hating Maths, but my dad kept telling me that if I got the study out of the way I could spend my break focusing on music. Then unknowingly to me he actually started talking to a guy who was happy to help with recording. About a week after the HSC finished I met up with this guy, from Little Bear Studios to start the recording process. I showed him the voice memo recordings of my songs and then we met up again where I played through them live.

Then we started tracking – the tempo, key, and outline of the songs and then recorded

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each layer of instruments and vocals. After Christmas we went back to his recording studio and added keys, synths and other instruments and layers for about another month and a half.

They were really long days, sometimes 13 hours and I often wouldn’t get home till between 11pm- 1am. Recording is challenging and really pushes you because you have to give your best every single time. It was hectic work and my voice was shredded by the end of it but it was so much fun, I absolutely loved it!

Where to from here?

I’ve been recently talking to people in Brisbane who can actually produce the CD for me, so hopefully by end of May or early June the CDs will be printed and I’m planning to have an EP launch down on the Central Coast!

Keep up to date with Ashlee’s music through her Facebook page: Ashrae Music

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FEATURE

gathering dust or Garnering Wisdom?

Kira-leigh Josey

During World War II Winston Churchill powerfully stated, “Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.” It’s a pretty easy statement to laugh off; we’re all smart people here, right? We can make our own intelligent choices. We don’t need to know about the woes of people who lived 2000, 1000 or even 50 years before us to not induce a massive earth-shattering mishap? That mentality couldn’t be more wrong and there is no time in history that learning about the past has been more important. I’m not just saying that because I’m a history major, although that probably does make me just a tad biased. Anyone who knows me half well knows that my number one favourite thing to talk about in the world is history! I love the intrigue, the mystery, the frustratingly incomplete stories, the true tales of heroes and villains and princes and princesses. If you don’t read history you’re missing out on crazy entertaining tales like the Roman Emperor Caligula declaring war on the sea and making a horse a senator (I’m not making this stuff up) and the story of Agrippina the Younger, the mother of the Emperor Nero (yes, that’s the one that burnt the Christians) who managed to become insanely powerful through some slightly questionable marriages (including one to her uncle) and just a tad bit of murder.

If you don’t read history you’re also missing out on things that are a little more relevant to our current world and that particularly resonate with the contemporary political landscape. For example, the tension surrounding the build up to World War I is eerily similar to the tense global political environment we can observe today. I think we can all agree that for World War III to happen, all it would take is one misplaced insult towards a particularly orange, balding president, or one failed negotiation, or one movement of troops over a border. To start World War I, it only took one gunshot into the heart of a man who wasn’t even that important. So many parallels can be seen between history and our world today. If we do not know these how can we ever stop or change the cycle of 25 | The Voice Issue 02 March 2017

Photo from pexel.com

violence, pain and suffering that humanity seems to be so relentlessly stuck in. Yes, even though history may have been boring to you in school and it may still be boring to you now, having a sound knowledge of history has never been more relevant than today. By seeing where we have been we can see where we are going, and we can then change our course accordingly. We can break the cycle and create a world where history does not have to repeat itself, where we learn from the past and actually change our behaviours.

By looking to the past, we can create a better future.

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FEATURE

Art...

Evie Val

Artworks by Natalie Wilson

Artworks by Jessica Mattner

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Sam Krieg

Carolyn Bobongie

Matthew Schimpf

Artworks by Emmerson Grey

while you were

sleeping...

Polly want a meme?

Photo from yahoo.com

A parrot enthusiast in Melbourne decided that Polly no longer wanted a cracker and that it was time to move onto something a little more original. So she taught her parrot Chico the infamous phrase, “Cash me ousside! Howbow da?” The results didn’t last very long though as her other pet parrot responded with what can only be printed as ‘rude expletives.’

(Huffington Post)

You’ve Goat To Be Kidding Me

A cyclist group has recently found their talent for art by designing and completing a cycling track that drew a goat on the GPS tracking app, Strava. Ben Jones, the creator, said that they chose a goat because, “Goats are badass and they’re an easy animal to draw.” I think you mean “cycle” there, Jones.. and as far as being easy, the track took eight hours to complete over the 202 kilometers.

(ABC News)

Photo from watoday.com

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The Perfect Man

A teenage boy has just found the seventh largest diamond ever to be discovered at an Arkansas state park while he was on a family outing. While the value of the find is yet to be estimated the teen has said he plans to keep it for a souvenir and has named the 7.44 carat diamond “Superman’s Diamond.” It shouldn’t be very hard to find Wonder Woman!

(MSN News)

Photo from telegraph.com

Cheese Theives

A crime gang in Italy has been caught stealing thousands of dollars of cheese. The police said that Operation Wine and Cheese had stolen more than $250,000 worth. The cat and mouse game between the gang and the police had been dating back to 2015. Thank goodness things didn’t get too cheesy.

(ABC News) Photo from abc.net.au

Supermum?

The BBC interview with Professor Robert Kelly and his interrupting children has gone viral and Jono and Ben have made a parody of what the situation would have been like if the professor had been a mother. The parody goes a little beyond the normal motherly duties as she cleans the toilet, feeds the baby, makes a roast dinner and to top it off defuses a bomb throughout the interview. While working mothers out there have been applauding the satirical take on the event, several other commenters found it sexist. The professor was mortified and thought his days of being consulted were over, but apparently they are just beginning.

(Variety)

Photo from news.com.au

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“I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else.�

- Pablo Picaso