Year 12
Geography
What a privilege it was to take up the reins to help guide the class of 2009 in Semester 2. I never underestimate the trust, care and commitment required to work with young men during their final years of school. It was a unique opportunity to continue the association with this year level, which began for me as their Year 8 Coordinator in 2005. As we know, personalities are apparent at a young age, and it has been wonderful to witness the growth, maturity, dedication and creativity this group has demonstrated in pursuit of their academic and extra-curricular activities. I would like to thank the dedicated team of teachers who have worked tirelessly to guide and teach them. Special thanks to the Homeroom teachers, specialist teachers, career counsellors, administration and maintenance staff for the dedication and care they gave our students in this demanding final year. They have worked tirelessly to ensure this year level have had the opportunity to achieve their best. Like a trainer who legs up the jockeys to send them out to battle, we feel our job is done; we have taught you to the best of our abilities, guided you through the tough times, encouraged, persisted and demanded your very best, pulled you back into line when needed. It’s now up to you to follow your star and make every post a winner. I wish every single one of you good luck, good health and happiness. God Bless. Mr Tim Ford Year 12 Coordinator
This year has once again seen geographical phenomena at the forefront of our day-to-day lives and, therefore, a regular key item in the daily news bulletins. The fact of the matter is that we live with geography every day. The year began, of course, with the horrendous ‘Black Saturday’ bushfires which were the result of a number of factors, including record drought conditions, a heat wave with record temperatures, years of inadequate forest management, and questionable policies for managing population growth in forested regions. Geographers seeking to understand the intricacies of our natural and built environments, including biogeographers and hydrologists, are particularly interested in such events, as it is through this understanding that we can strive to live in harmony with the environment. The recent earthquakes in Indonesia and the Pacific region again focused our attention on the might of the earth’s plate tectonic processes, which occasionally and unpredictably release enormous amounts of energy stored in the rocks of the earth’s crust. Tsunamis, which may result from the earthquakes, add a further dimension to their destructive power. Geographers specializing in earthquakes (known as seismologists) can now use satellite technology to measure precisely crustal movements, and enhance our understanding of tectonics. Global warming has also been in the news over the past few years. With resultant sea level rise, many of the world’s low-lying islands are under threat of inundation, while agricultural practices, urban and rural water supplies, ice caps and snow fields — and human health — may be negatively affected. Geographers studying the atmosphere (known as climatologists and meteorologists) are at the forefront of predicting and managing future climates change. 77
Just recently predictions have been made that Melbourne’s population will reach 7 million by 2050. Some people believe this is a good thing, but geographers who study cities (known as urban geographers), question the ability of organizations to cater for such growth, in terms of water supply, housing construction, transport networks, waste disposal and pollution The enthusiastic young geographers at De La Salle have learned about many of these fascinating aspects of the earth’s character. By studying geography for several years they are learning how to be good custodians of the earth and its natural resources, how to live sustainably in a world subjected to more and more demands from growing populations. In the coming years, there will be greater demand for people to work in the field of environmental management, and geographers will be at the forefront of this trend. Long live Geography!! Mr Doug Esler
