Meet the Committee
Yumemi Hiraki
PROJECT SUPPORT
Yumemi is a local artist and youth/community worker who loves connecting with people. She takes food and eating very seriously, loves a dance floor and thrives in warmth (sun, bath, sauna, fireplace, fluffy socks). Recently, in true Tassie spirit, she is learning to embrace being cold and uncomfortable! To more cold water dips and dancing in the rain!
Chloe Baigent
PROJECT SUPPORT
Chloe is a green thumb, nature-loving ceramic artist, youth worker, and proud former member of the YARC team. She is deeply passionate about building resilience in communities through creative challenges and believes that dreams really can come true if you stick with them.
Julia Jean
PROJECT SUPPORT
Julia is a nostalgic and chronically online Cancerian who loves op shopping and her cat, Goose. She is passionate about writing, trinket collecting, content creation and the colour pink.
Bri Cassidy GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Bri is an artist with big dreams and a little dog! In her spare time, you can find her thinking about otters, attempting to sew a whole new outfit or on the hunt for her new favourite trinket.
Moanie Zier Williams
EDITOR
Moanie is a cat-loving, tea-drinking bibliophile. With a love of anything that can be learned, Moanie feels like there isn’t enough time in the day to read and learn it all, but she is sure giving it a go.
Phoebe Akerman
ARTIST/WRITER
Phoebe is a liiiiiiit artist who likes walking. uhhh her dog…. her grandma aesthetic bedroom. Obsessed with music, her dog and art. She has this plastic pet squirrel that she and her friend have shared custody of (pictured).
Suckers is an emerging three-piece based in nipaluna/Hobart. They play a mix of heavy psych and prog-inspired rock music. The group is comprised of guitarist Ryan Chilcott, drummer Thomas Winspear and bassist Tyler Reid. They originally used YARC as a rehearsal space and as their involvement with YARC grew, they helped start up YARC Yarns – a podcast supported by YARC and hosted by local young people.
Crinkle Cut Puck Suckers have the responsibility of arranging and cutting footage, as well as mixing audio from YARC Live performances. YARC has facilities like an art studio and a Wacom monitor equipped with Adobe software, which Crinkle Cut uses to edit the episodes. The group also likes to use the rehearsal room and music studio when they play as a band.
I asked the team about any inspirations they drew on for the inaugural episode in which they featured, and they named “the visuals – mostly the title sequence
purposefully very 90s and inspired by music shows like Recovery and Rage”. The jingle for this episode was an idea from Max, one of the youth officers at Youth ARC, which the band adopted so they could “inject a bit more of [their] love for music into the project.” Using a phone as a microphone, Crinkle Cut recorded Ryan’s guitar riff and the drum and bass parts separately, then edited and mixed the tracks in Premiere Pro.
YARC supports young people by providing facilities and resources they can access to pursue their interests. Crinkle Cut Puck Suckers mention the significance of the “several computers and Wacom monitor that have all the essential software needed for digital art, editing, etc, [and] the open-to-use band room and studio for people interested in music and monthly performances from young local musicians”.
“The three of us are all super grateful for the space and the opportunity that Youth ARC has provided us with. We’re really thankful to everyone in the YARC team who has helped us out in the last 6 months.”
Interview by Phoebe Akerman
How did you first come across Youth Arc? I first came across Youth Arc last year when my mother saw an advertisement for a watercolour workshop on Facebook and asked if I was interested in going. This was at the beginning of last year when I first started getting into watercolour and I was intrigued and excited to attend my first ever workshop. Although I had a great experience, it was unfortunately the only time I went to Youth Arc that year. It was not until the start of 2024 that we heard about the YARC Gallery exhibition program and came in to check it out. I then got chatting to a lovely staff member who informed us about what Youth ARC and YARC gallery was all about. They even invited me to hold my very own exhibition in March that year, which was such an amazing offer! After that I signed up to any workshops that sparked interest, which then made me feel comfortable enough to go there every school holiday and sometimes after school.
When did you first start to identify as an artist? I started to identify as an artist when I began painting with watercolours, before that I only used coloured pencils. Back then,
I did occasionally see myself as an artist, but often I wasn’t happy with my work. It wasn’t until early 2023 [when] I decided to grab my cheap, chalky watercolour paint set I’d had for years and started practicing with them. Not only have I learnt to use watercolour, but also charcoal and graphite pencils. Once I gained confidence working in new art mediums, I felt proud of myself as an artist. Over time, I have greatly improved with a variety of materials, and I feel now that my art is unique, and it is truly special to me.
Tell us about your experience holding a solo exhibition at YARC Gallery. The whole experience was truly amazing, and it felt like a dream come true! As a very introverted and anxious person, it actually wasn’t as scary as I assumed. It was so much fun creating larger artworks for the event, and I was keen to be taught how to display all my pieces to a professional standard. Being a part of the exhibition opening itself was incredible, and I loved seeing my dear friends, teachers, and family there. Although very exciting, I did feel quite overwhelmed during the event (just like the name of my exhibition). I remember after I performed my emotional speech, I felt very overstimulated and uneasy, and for some reason it felt like everything was a dream. Thankfully, I calmed down a little bit, and I was back to socialising with everyone and having a great time. For my first ever exhibition, it was fantastic! I’m already prepared to do a thousand more exhibitions in the future!
Explain the meaning behind your artwork. The main subject I explore through my artwork is venting my feelings and past difficult experiences through painting and drawing. My paintings depict male subjects going through various types of physical and psychological pain to show how my feelings would hurt if they were physical. I started expressing myself through art in 2023, when I was going through an extremely hard time in my life. I was incredibly depressed and anxious, and I really struggled to talk about my feelings. Every time I tried to speak out, I just couldn’t find the right words, which made things harder for me. One day, I decided to try to visually draw those feelings and it felt so good to finally put everything onto paper, and it made it easier to communicate with therapists and other people. I am very fascinated by the idea of turning something negative into a beautiful piece of art, and it has been a great way for me to free my mind of negative thoughts.
What advice would you give to your 13-year-old self? I would tell her to keep practicing and try new things! I know it’s incredibly basic advice, but it speaks true to me. When I was 14, I wasn’t that happy with my art, and I started to not like drawing as much. But all of that changed when I experimented with an entirely new style and new mediums. I started practicing different eye shapes, noses, facial structures, and used references of real people, which was a huge step out of my comfort zone! All this practice eventually led to my current style, which I'm proud of. I had big dreams of becoming a great artist when I was younger, and although I'm in a great place with my art currently, I am still working hard to evolve my work as I get older. “Don’t dream what you’re destined to be, become it.”
Every Memory Leaves Its Mark
Did you miss out on the incredible YARC Fest? Or were you lucky enough to find yourself in the crowd on April 13? Either way, I am going to help you relive the day that will go down in Youth ARC history.
It was an average day in the small quiet town of Hobart, until the gates of the Youth Arts and Recreation Centre swung open and YARC Fest began. The building was packed to the brim with the talents and handmade goods of over twenty young stallholders. Everywhere you looked was something spectacular. Handmade jewellery, clothing, ceramics, artwork and more filled the previously empty space. Circling around the tables like hawks were the entranced marketgoers, looking to snatch up some handcrafted goodies.
When walking around the space, there were plenty of things that caught your eye, such as a live art mural painting, a yo-yo workshop, or even an interactive video installation which let you change the visuals just by moving your hand! The vibe was high. The room echoed with the laughter and voices of the coolest Hobartians around. The festivities ran for most of the afternoon, until the clock struck five, announcing the markets’ end.
Before you could blink, the room had changed into a nightclub, filled with neon lights, smoke and thumping tunes. The fabulously dressed clubgoers were lining up outside, eager to showcase their best dance moves. The colourful setting was beaming with talent, as some of Hobart’s best young musicians were in the house. We had Bea &
Nina, Cyberswitch, Deli, Grace Chia, Legal Noise and Off-Put ready to perform, so needless to say, we were in for a treat.
The night was filled with room-shaking sounds, from the bands jamming on the main stage to the DJ’s spinning decks on the second. From Grace dropping the sickest flow, to Legal Noise playing ear-blasting shreds, you could not deny the talent on display. To finish the night, Cyberswitch showcased her world-renowned skills, giving the day a fitting end, and inviting all in attendance to dance the night away as the gates swung closed and YARC Fest concluded.
It was an incredible day, leaving longlasting memories in the minds of those who
attended. Without the incredible dedication of the Youth Advisory Squad and the Youth ARC crew, the event could never have happened, so a special thanks to them all! If you missed out on all YARC Fest had to offer, do not fear, there is always next time! Keep an eye on the Youth ARC Instagram (@youthartsandrec) or the website (youthartsandrec.org) to make sure you can make it to their next event!
This poem is about the romanticisation I put on mundane things while bedridden in recovery from surgery. This time of forced reflection made me realise how I worry so much about losing the memories of day to day activities and relationships in my life that I notice myself being shut out of actually experiencing stuff so as to ‘capture the memory’ better.
I yearn to dance.
I yearn to dance
Put a song on and feel the music moving through my body
by Bianca Holley
Lightning strikes with every drum beat and warm water through melody lines.
I want to drive
Through tree lined roads with the windows down and the sun on my face, the warmth waking up every hair on my body.
I want to get coffee and a pastry and walk to the park
Talk to people in line and make stupid small talk about the rain.
I want to feel grass on my feet and sand between my toes.
Pick flowers and tie them together with brown string to give a friend on their birthday.
I want to buy bread and cheese and eat them with an ocean view.
I want to swim in icy water and feel my fingers prune up and joints freeze together, expelling shrill shrieks of shock.
I want to wander. Aimlessly.
Trace spines in a bookstore and clothes on hangers.
I want to sit around a burning fire and watch the smoke drift up and melt
into the moonlight, knowing the smell will be embedded in every fibre of my jumper.
I want to see the twinkle of stars and draw maps among them.
I want to buy fruit and have the sticky sweet juice run down my fingers and arms, smiling a red stained smile.
I want to experience life like the movies
A saturation of colour, a swell of music.
I want to walk and browse and be a part of life instead of watching it pass me by.
I’m stuck behind glass
Anticipating the painful tinge of nostalgia before the moment is even over.
I’m debilitatingly aware of the fact that nothing lasts
And I’ll look back on these memories and won’t remember them quite right.
I make notes of the things that happen to me, failing desperately to find the words to describe my friend’s laugh
My mother’s sweet smile
My sibling’s presence.
I make playlists of every song I’ve ever enjoyed
Just in case one day I forget them.
I buy DVDs of every movie I’ve ever loved.
I collect receipts and gum wrappers and trinkets. Trying to grasp onto the past as it slinks through my fingers.
I yearn to dance.
Freely.
I wish I could tell people about my finished works, but I have none. I start something, then get distracted by another idea. Everything is inspiring. Everything is joyful. Every stitch, every snip, every rag that I’ve rescued from oblivion is lost again to my never-ending scrap stash. Every piece represents my inspiration, boredom, ambition and delusion. My taste evolves alongside each work, which doesn’t help.
As I’m writing this, I glance at my desk, the space currently occupied by my abandoned painting mission, vermillion underpainting smeared over previous attempts, destined to meet the same fate.
This is the lovechild of indecisiveness and impulse – no plan.
by Phoebe Akerman
To some degree this is about passing the time. Creating something new is only the byproduct.
That day my inspiration came from my walk to the beach. A pink letterbox with a plastic facade caught my eye. Three rectangular impressions and a brass five tacked in the middle. The image played on my mind. What kind of art could I create with this? I picked up my paintbrush and started working. But just as quickly as the sun waned, so did my faith in the project. I spot my vermillion canvases every now and then, once green and brown. They lie on my desk not looking so bad after all.
The process of creating art is meditative, and it’s my surroundings, new techniques or fascinating concepts that inspire me. It’s not always about having a plan or refining and rendering until perfection is achieved. All of my past works are bundled up in my cupboard, to be unravelled and recycled or squirrelled away forever. Maybe I’ll get around to finishing them.
Progress is perfect or however the saying goes…
You know the outfits you look back on and think “How did I even leave the house?” Yeah, so do I. Recently, I’ve been reflecting on those fashion choices from the past that make me cringe and, I’ve come to realise cringe is just a temporary vibe. The real gold? $WAG! That’s “$WAG 4EVA,” – stylish confidence – and it’s a core part of my style journey and personal growth.
I remember some fashion decisions that seemed like a great idea at the time: the last-minute wonky false lashes or the “joint-destroyer 9000” heels I thought were going to be my signature look. Looking back now, it’s easy to laugh and shake my head. I always seem to have uneven eyebrows and I always have a glasses line on my face and my hair will point the wrong way. It’s okay. I’m always going to have a little bit of insecurity about my appearance, because I am a human being. Those moments aren’t the fashion missteps I thought they were: they’re part of my growth. Fashion is always evolving, and each choice, each experiment, has helped me understand myself better.
I’ve learned to see those embarrassing and painful moments in a new light. They’re not cringe, they’re part of my journey toward not caring so much about the people who judge my style before my soul, because they would never respect me anyway.
I’ve been living and dressing as a Gyaru since 2022. Gyaru is more than just a fashion statement; it’s a bold, rebellious lifestyle that developed as a reaction to harsh beauty standards. It first appeared in Japan when groups of schoolgirls and young women refused to conform.
They changed their uniforms, wore bright makeup, bleached their hair, tanned their skin, and most of all, embraced a confidence that defied societal expectations – even with the risk of homelessness, unemployment, and ostracization. Through Gyaru clubs or “Gyarusas” they found the friendship and support that society often denied. Gyaru vowed to stay confident and fun celebrating even in hard times, and I strive to do the same. I embrace dancing and singing when before I used to flinch if anyone saw me. Now, I know it doesn’t matter if you’re a rock star or not, just have fun!
Most of the things that made me cringe were actually my insecurities, created by society and bullying, but with each bold choice, and each fashion experiment, I’ve explored my identity and become a bit more myself. Fashion is the playground, where I get to be unapologetically me. What might make me cringe now could be tomorrow’s standout look. It’s all about embracing the power I have to be something, someone to myself before others.
As I navigate the fashion world and my own personal journey, Gyaru remains my constant source of strength. It’s not just a fleeting trend, it’s a reflection of my self-love and acceptance. It’s about being unapologetically fabulous, taking risks, and celebrating my style. So, when I look at a past outfit and think, “What on earth?” I’ll smile and remember, “Cringe is temporary, but $WAG is forever.”
$WAG is my eternal fashion flex and a celebration of my journey through self-acceptance, personal growth, and the vibrant world of Gyaru. So, here’s to embracing my quirks, flaunting my bold choices, and letting my Gyaru-inspired $WAG shine brightly.
We interviewed Jack (19) and Oscar (19) to find out more about Sly Recordz, which has been rapidly growing momentum this year in the Hobart underground music scene.
What is Sly Recordz and what are your roles in it?
Oscar: So, in professional terms, it’s a record label. But it’s bigger than a record label in my head. It’s a record label, slash community where anyone can be sly. I’m the label’s producer. I run the page, send emails, set up the shows.
Jack: And I just make music. I’m a rapper. And sly, it sounds like a bad name but [he laughs] but sometimes you gotta be, you know? There’s 11 of us right now, but we are looking for more. So, Sly’s like a big team, just to push peace I guess, with everybody.
O: I want it to eventually be like, we’re that big that I could just see someone that’s dedicated like a young Tassie rapper and then just be able to put them on stage.
What is everyone’s rap style and do you mostly freestyle or write?
O: There’s so many different genres of people and styles within the group, like Afro beats, sad boy rap, drill, RnB, Trap. Everyone is different. It’s sort of kicked off a bit recently and we’re planning our
songs more now. Each song has a story and we are working on them for days, weeks even.
J: I normally just write my songs. I used to freestyle a bit, but not as much now. Rap is really just my therapy. It’s an outlet and a way to express myself. I rap about what I’m going through at the moment.
O: It goes pretty deep…
Tell us a bit more about you two. What’s your history and how did this come about?
J: We’ve known each other for a long time, since like kindergarten. Then we split ways, went to another school and then met back up in high school. Our friend Noah in our first studio was just like, we should start a group. We weren’t even trying to start a label. We were just trying to come up with a group name for Snapchat. It was called Sly Soldiers [he laughs]. And then Oscar one day just said let’s start a label and then we said Sly.
O: And then I just got a burning passion as soon as it started. Like, I wanted to take this so far. Manifesting is a crazy thing. That shit’s real.
For people that have never seen Sly Recordz, can you describe what your shows look like?
O: The whole performance is kind of an experiment every time. But we don’t want to give away too much. Just wait till you see the show and you’ll know.
Are there a lot of people that are looking for rap and hip-hop culture here? What’s the local scene like, especially in comparison to bigger cities like Melbourne?
O: It’s dead! It is hard to find community in Hobart. But it is happening. We’re seeing it before our eyes, really. I feel like rap is big everywhere, but the culture is not everywhere. And the culture is not here in Hobart. For example, there’s a lot of support for rap music coming from overseas like America and the UK, but not really any support for local hip-hop artists here. I think, locally, the younger generation in Tassie is heavily influenced by current American rappers coming out of Atlanta and stuff like that.
J: There is a distinctive style of hip hop
that is identifiable as Australian rap… It’s hard to describe. One of our goals is to broaden the understanding of what that can be. My music has a lot of American influences. That stuff really pushed me to make a whole other style of music. And I’ve noticed a lot of our supporters are a lot younger. We were just doing our own thing, but people have told me that because of me, it’s changed the way they want to make their music too. And hearing that, from my point of view… it’s a really crazy and amazing feeling.
O: So, it’s slow, but it’s changing. It’s a growing underground subculture in Hobart and our group is currently at the forefront of kickstarting it. We like to think that through Sly Recordz, we are changing the industry and the understanding of rap coming out of Australia and Tasmania. We are trying to go to the big leagues, just trying to get our sound out to the rest of the world.
Can you tell me a little bit more about some barriers and challenges that make it hard for young musicians like you to be able to perform or express themselves.
O: In my eyes, I feel like people and venues are not taking young people seriously. They are not going to expect a group of 18–19-year-olds to be able to put on a professional show, so they don’t give us the chance. There is no opportunity to actually show them that we can do this. I’ve probably emailed every venue in Hobart and I’ve only heard back from four or five. It’s starting to happen to us now though. We’re getting more connections. But starting out… it’s gonna be hard for a lot of people. We’ve been so lucky so far. The first show we had was at Altar, which is a top venue, then the second show happened at The Founders Room, then we got asked to perform at an event in The Grand Poobah. I’m not sure if I’ll always want to be based here. Eventually, we would probably want to move to the mainland, but I would always wanna come back and continue to do shows. Because we know we’re gonna be at the top, not to sound cocky or anything, but it’s true. And we always want to bring Tassie up with us and make a name for Tassie in the rap industry!
It seems like being part of a community is a big part of Sly. I want to unpack that a little bit more. What does community mean to you and do you feel that there is a lack of this in the Hobart music scene?
J: I’m really passionate about it. It plays a big part, because I wish I had something like this earlier. It’s just support. In a way also, I grew up rough. It’s important to do stuff for yourself too but how I was brought up, I was taught you also have to do stuff for other people, because you just never know how they’re doing, do you know what I mean? Having community, it’s just big things that people need to be able to fill up their cup in ways, to get to where they want with what they can do.
O: Yeah, say like our Sly community. We want our community to be supportive of each other. When we have shows, there’s a huge sense of belonging. Everyone can have a go and express themselves. Having community means feeling supported and comfortable to do that. We want to eventually be like there’s hundreds of rappers coming out of Tassie. That would also make Tassie more interesting for people coming down. There’ll be a concert on every weekend.
J: I want to put on more stuff for the community in the future too. Like all this stuff, I guess, coming here [Youth ARC]. It helped us do things after school as well, instead of doing stupid stuff.
O: Because we’ll be in the studio most days after school, just us. We would just come in here and not take it too seriously, but just have fun.
What do you think we can provide at YouthARC that would be beneficial to Sly or other young people that use the space?
O: You’ve already got the 2 studios, FL
Studio and Reaper. That’s really all you need to make tracks. Maybe just talk about it more, tell more people that it’s available. More beat making classes and workshops would be good too.
J: I feel like they should do that in schools more. There’s music and music theory class, obviously, but they don’t really push rapping or engineering and that’s what you really need. What you need to tell a new artist is, if you start now, it’s the biggest start for your future. The biggest start.... Because I never thought the first time I made stuff that it would turn into what we’re doing now.
If you could wave a magic wand and go bam! What can Hobart do to make things better?
O: Just put in like 10 more venues in the CBD! We just need help with promotions, push it out to the rest of Tasmania, get the word out about Sly and rapping more. And we want people in the roles up top to provide this support to us.
If you could collab with your top artists, who would they be?
J: Lucki [aka Tuneski].
O: If I could get one person to perform with us, I feel like what would make the most sense right now would be someone like Chillinit
Would you ever reach out to people like that and just send them a message?
O: The funny thing is, he sent me a message like 2 days ago. He has 350K followers or something. I want to reach out to him eventually for sure. There’s no point holding back, we’re just coming out now.
Where do you see yourselves in the future? What can we expect from Oscar and Jack?
J: I’m just doing good. Keep doing what we’re doing. As a rapper, your goal is to be performing shows like this. I never really thought it would get to the point it’s at right now and it’s super crazy.
O: I could almost say I promise that you’ll see us at the top. I know that’s kinda like yeah… but I believe that.
What are you working on at the moment?
O: We’re just working on evolving our sound. After our last show, we felt like we can’t just keep making the same music and staying the same as we did before. So, we want to evolve now and have this time period for just making new music, finding our new sound and bettering ourselves. We’ll be ready with the right songs and then have a show at the end of the year. 2025 is gonna be a big one.
A seat at the dining table
by Snehashree Sapkota
Every month as I bleed, I curl up on my couch with my heat pack and my dinner and I watch a sloppy tv show.
This is a typical evening for women on their menstrual cycle. This is ordinary. So, why am I telling you this?
Because I am reminded of my times at home, in Nepal, every month, when I was seated on the concrete floor in the dining room, away from my family members, during the 4 days of my period.
A letter to my feminist friends that come from Nepal
by Snehashree Sapkota
I think about how a ‘pure male’ wrote all sacred Hindu scriptures and interpreted the female body as ‘impure’ during their menstrual cycle. I take to Instagram to write about how our patriarchal society has managed to hide behind the name of religion and oppress us women. My words reject the patriarchal gender order that uses social norms and rituals to maintain a rigid gender binary and justifies the seclusion of women. As feminists, this is how you and I fight for a seat at the dining table during menstruation, for equal pay with upper-class Brahmin men; we fight against this system that structurally places impure women beneath pure men. This is how we fight against the oppression of us women.
As always, as my impure self argues to sit at the dining table to eat my meal during my menstrual cycle, “
” (You are fortunate enough to not have been born in a Raute’s house!), my mother exclaims! I strive against that statement and say, “How am I fortunate? I am just less oppressed than a Raute (lower caste) woman”. “But is that true?” I think to myself. “Am I, a Brahmin (upper caste) woman, even oppressed?”
As I ponder upon how oppressed I am as a woman, I forget, or rather overlook, my prerogative as a middle-class Brahmin. I forget about the privileges that
come along with my upper-caste and social class. And I suspect so do you. We fail to observe our history: how Brahmins created a monopoly in education and only allowed their caste to study; how we had access to primary education because we belong to the ruling elites who controlled the distribution of knowledge by creating language hegemony in their favour. We forget that we can fight for a seat at the table during menstruation because we belong to one of the most privileged groups in the country.
So, I ask, how dare we claim that we, who belong to the highest stratum of the caste hierarchy, are oppressed? Oppressed are those women who are powerless to change their condition in life, who accept their life without visible question, women who do not have a choice. Oppressed are lower-class Raute women who, during menstruation, are banished from their home into a Chhaupadi (a small hut made up of mud and stones without windows and locks), who are denied nutritious food, who engage in intense laborious work that results in a prolapsed uterus. Oppressed are those women who are illiterate, because they are buried under lower-class, -caste, and gender roles.
In a country where women are suffocated to death because of a sexist tradition that violates human rights, can we actually use our problems as an acceptable reference point to assess the impact of sexist and/or casteist oppression? The
Hello, my name is Otto and this is why I like mountain biking in Hobart, Tasmania.
Riding and mountain biking have been part of my life for over 10 years. I started out with a green balance bike and moved on to my first pedal bike when I was three. Thanks to my balance bike, I never needed training wheels.
My pedal bike, which we got from the local tip shop, was called a Scott Queen Bee and I used to ride this everywhere. When I turned four, we moved from Deloraine (which is up north of Tasmania near Launceston) to Hobart and that’s when I got my orange BMX from the New Town Op-shop. I loved to shred that bike and started hitting jumps and going to Derby. That’s when real mountain biking came into my life, and I was hooked.
Then when I was six and a half, I got my first bike that had front suspension. It was an old blue and white Giant XTC. I rode that bike flat out ‘til it was old and rusty and the chain came off every time I hit a jump.
For my seventh birthday, I got the sickest bike a kid my age could have: a Spawn Yama Jama. I am so thankful for my Dad who saved up the money to get me that sick bike.
I rode so many trails and jumps on that bike. That’s when I started hitting the South Hobart trails and life, and my riding, got heaps better. I feel that I have progressed so much on trails in Tasmania, and especially in Hobart, riding the Soho tracks.
I still love hitting the big jumps and trails in Hobart now, feeling the cool breeze across my face and the adrenaline rush through my body. I like to hit crazy tricks on huge jumps, ride with friends and most importantly have fun.
My favourite track is the Drops Track in South Hobart. For me, it’s the best track to progress on and it has all the things I like as
Otto as a child
a rider. It starts off with some decent-sized jumps and has a rocky downhill track, then ends with berms and some little jumps. My other favourite track is Air Ya Garn in Derby, which is just pure jumps all the way down to the bottom: big five- to six-ish gap jumps, drops, hips, and flow.
I crave mountain biking. That’s my safe place. If something hard happens, I just go for a ride, go hit the trails. I try and ride safely but sometimes you got to send big.
Once when I was riding my bike down Drops Track going pretty fast with a mate, I hit a rock and that made me hit a tree and land onto a bank on the side of the track. I walked away fine, but it was pretty freaky in the moment. Helmets and pads are a must for mountain biking!
One of the favourite riders and someone who I look up to and learn from is Jackson Goldstone, a nine-time World Cup winner in downhill riding races who rides for Red Bull and Santa Cruz Syndicate. He is so fast, has a really good style, and is a nice guy, super friendly and humble. I really look up to him and want to be like him in the future.
I like making videos to share. My YouTube channel is called HappyMTB, because mountain biking to me is a place to feel happy and free. Please go like and subscribe!
Ride safely and have fun! Might see you out there shredding trails :)
She sits on the grey carpeted floor of the bank. Voices hum above her head and PA announcements sound, “Ticket 121A, Ticket 121A”, but she remains undisturbed, knees drawn up, neck craned, head deep in the pages of her book. Her face is intense and absorbed, and if you happen to be in the same bank, at the same time, you might turn around to look again at this unusual sight and see she’s now turning the page, smiling to herself. You would likely return to your own thoughts as the line moves up. But seconds later, her smothered giggles might interrupt you. Soon, her laughter would peal out: loud and unrestrained.
A woman standing a few paces away would turn and shush her. And you’d probably smile, despite the bureaucratic nightmare that faces you at the end of the queue.
This is not a common occurrence today. A child staring blankly at an iPad, face awash with blue, might be more easily envisioned. It becomes even more uncommon if you shuffle closer and surreptitiously glance at the cover of the book she’s reading: Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island2 .
If you spoke to her, which many of you did, you would find an eloquent child, not afraid of, but intrigued by what she did not understand. You may wonder why this child is so unusually well-spoken.
The answer? Literature. Other than simply being enjoyable,
literature offers the opportunity for intellectual and moral advancement. I see you inwardly wince as you recall traumatic memories of high school Shakespeare, but I ask you to pause. Withhold your judgment, because you might soon find yourself slowly, surprisingly, unwittingly, agreeing. Before I begin to explore the importance of literature, one has to first consider the question: “What is literature?”
After three days of research, much chocolate, and a Word doc full of rambling notes (where Eureka! moments were infallibly followed by “Oh but wait, what about…”), I believe I have a vague definition of literature, or a checklist rather.
In the introduction to his novel on literary theory, Terry Eagleton explains literature as “language [that] draws attention to itself… language ‘made strange’”3, based somewhat on the Formalists’ idea of literature as “a set of deviations from a norm”4. He views this definition as lacking, saying that advertisements, headlines, jokes are all “verbally flamboyant”, but are not literature5. However, while advertisements and the likes do certainly draw attention to themselves, by their very nature, they generally don’t differ from ordinary speech. Therefore, my first criterion for literature will be:
1. It must contain flamboyant language that differs from ordinary speech and is therefore an effort to understand.
This brings us to my second criterion. To my mind, the defining feature of literature: the outcome.
2. It must enable moral, intellectual or societal growth.
Further consultation with one of the lovely English teachers dotted around our school like helpful houseplants revealed that these two points more accurately describe the literary canon, a collection of works that present “a recognized standard of stylistic quality, cultural or social significance, and intellectual value”6, from the Greek word kanon, meaning “measuring stick”7.
After coming across Harold Bloom’s literal list of every work he considers to be in the canon, I flipped through the 40-something pages, counting the books I’d read, which amounted to maybe 10%8. For the next few hours, I was floating, overjoyed, and overwhelmed by the sheer number of amazing books I still had to read.
Literature is so delightfully enjoyable, so rejuvenating. A good classic is like sinking into a
hot bath. The water envelops you and encompasses you, tickling your toes with its gentle motion, scouring away the troubles of the day and making you glow with its warmth.
This is the simplest reason to read literature and the most difficult to convince anyone of, but I believe it from the bottom of my gleefully biased heart. The mole I planted in the audience will now obediently ask, “Isn’t the content a little out-dated? Can these books really still entertain modern audiences?” Yes, they can. And the reason, my dear mole, Humanism! The issues in these texts are universally human feelings everyone can relate to. Romeo and Juliet9, for instance. Bar the archaic words and iambic pentameter, this could be anyone’s story; we’ve all experienced the all-consuming nature of first love… and the all-consuming heartbreak when it ends10.
For this very reason, references to canonical works are everywhere and once familiar with the source material, your eyes will finally be open to them. I remember the strange joy of finally understanding the Shakespearean subtext in life; everything from comics to movies and even real-life conversations seemed to contain an allusion to the Bard. Life was so much more connected than I ever realised.
While I was overwhelmed with joy at the discovery of the canon, not everyone shares my euphoria. Critics of the canon argue it is dominated by Dead White Males and their outdated views, which could lead to the perpetuation of these ideas11 And although the canon has diversified slightly in recent
years, it is not by any means a celebration of multiculturalism. But this is due to the historical oppression which prohibited these brilliant literary minds from writing and being published in the first place, not any contemporary bias. Those who argue we should throw out the canon and begin completely anew with modern and diverse authors are forgetting Shakespeare, Austen, Homer, the Brontë sisters! No sane person would exclude these authors if given the job of rewriting the canon. Unfortunately, as Oscar Wilde acknowledges, there is an “intimate connection between madness and the literary and artistic temperament”12.
For many centuries, this literature was inaccessible to the “everyman”, due to the lack of the printing press13 and the nearly non-existent literacy levels among the middle and lower classes14, as well as the fact that everything was in Latin, the official language among the Church and the upper-class15. Today, the classics are in every op-shop, or free online, yet there is an overwhelming sense of perceived inaccessibility: too long, too hard, too boring. But should you dip your toes into the lake of canonical works available to you, or preferably, jump in without apprehension, I firmly believe literature will enrich your mind and soul and open your eyes to new worlds.
When asked why one should read literature, most people would pause, unwilling to say their first thought out loud. I have no such qualms: In my mind, literature enables intellectual advancement. As all the studies have proven, reading
makes you smarter 16 , and reading literature must have an even greater effect. The classics aren’t easy to understand with their long convoluted sentences, “flamboyant” language, bespoke style, chapters of essentially useless information modern editors would ruthlessly slash, and allusions to obscure people and unpopular poems. In Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, I counted a 148-word sentence about the different rare musical instruments Dorian owned17. No matter who you are, there will be words, sayings, people, or places these books will reference that you will not know. You will have to put your general knowledge to the test and inference the meaning. And this is one of the most valuable skills literature can give you: how to ponder. The things you do not understand, as well as those you do, will swirl around your mind long after you have closed the book. Today, an interest that persists more than thirty seconds is unfortunately rare, due largely to the popularisation of mindless scrolling.
Reading classics, you’ll have to think critically, and be sceptical. A lot of what you read, in all books, is true. And a lot is not. For example, contrary to what Shakespeare instructs, it is not a good idea to use cobwebs to stem bleeding18. Being able to sift through fact and fiction using your prior knowledge and logical deduction is a useful skill. In fact, Robert Sternberg’s 1988 triarchic theory of intelligence is based on exactly this: the ability to adapt previously learned knowledge to solve your new problem19 These books can also enable not only intellectual advancement,
but moral and societal improvements, likely not the first thing to come to mind when thinking of racist classics written by Dead White Males, the likes of John Steinbeck20 and Dante Alighieri21 (and some females, including the beloved Louisa May Alcott22). Although the bigoted ideas in these canonical works are often used to devalue them23 , they bring up incredibly important questions and conversations.
Whenever my mother read us the Brother Grimm’s Fairytales24 , she would mention how unrealistic it was that the girls were always the victims needing to be saved by the strong men, saying in a sing-song voice, “That’s silly, isn’t it. Girls can do everything boys can do.”
When I was three, the conversation ended there, but as I grew, the conversation grew too. We moved on to historical gender inequality and the fight that still needs to be fought. Under the guise of acceptance, we are sanitising the classics by omitting these offensive slurs or stereotypical characters, effectively whitewashing the past. We shouldn’t hide our history; we should learn from it. Every girl should know how not long ago, they were considered inferior to boys – I say “were”, optimistically. Texts that are considered offensive by modern standards show how far society has come, and the corollary, how far we still have to go.
I was shocked by Oscar Wilde’s prison letters to the Home Secretary, where he begs for early release on the grounds that he needs medical attention as the victim of a “revolting” “sexual madness”: homosexuality25.
Researching conversion therapy afterwards, I discovered it is still legal in the hometowns of 25% of Australians26. Reading historical texts can bring you back to your own context and open your eyes to both our advancements as a society and our still very present shortcomings, because as Eagleton says, we read texts “in the light of our own concerns”27; we’re inept at doing anything else.
Intellectual and social advancement are all well and good, but they are not the reasons you pick up a classic, they are the outcome. The more abstract intrinsic reason many people still read these works, is the feeling, the overwhelming ethereal sensation of having read something incredible. This feeling can be found in almost every canonical work for at least a passage. You might look at the fat paperback edition of Little Dorrit28 and wonder if that one page is worth the 1,023 others. Yes. Yes, it is. Certain quotes, moments, characters, descriptions will stay with you forever, sneaking up quietly in the most unexpected moments and lifting you up, out of sorrow or joy, into another plane, where you float for a moment on the wings of their brilliance.
So, if you’re a romance fan, why not read Jane Austen’s Persuasion29, gloriously sweet and full of romantic longing. If you love horror, don’t re-read Stephen King, pick up Bram Stoker, meet the very first Count Dracula30. Broaden your horizons, open your mind, read a classic!
Soon, you could be that person in a lifeless, twisting line in some bank, endlessly waiting, surrounded by irritable bored people, with faces illuminated by blue. But you would barely notice your surroundings, absorbed instead in the paperback copy of Silas Marner 31 you pulled out of your bag, read and re-read until the spine is cracked and the pages are stained with wine and chocolate and goodness knows what else. Your neck is craned, and your face is intense. A moment later, you might laugh aloud, then look up sharply, startled by your own noise. You would notice the strange looks and the widening gap in the line in front of you. You would hasten forwards, eager to keep your place in the queue. Anyone still looking at this unusual sight a few seconds later would likely see you grinning widely as you find your place and disappear once more.
Scan for references
“I’m not telling you this twice,” Her voice goes from a scream to a growl as she leans in toward the old man. “I. Am. Not. A. Fool.” The woman’s face looks as red as the phytokin’s face is green.
Without missing a beat, he says, “It seems you are, because you’ve no idea how tarot readings work, young lady.” His hands move toward the ceramics on the table, meaning to realign them after the quake they received. “Now, I’m going to have to ask–”
In a fraction of a second, the woman throws a punch so violent and rapid it would rival a speeding bullet, but one of the houseplants resting nearby shifts its leaves in the path of the punch and manages to catch the woman’s hand!
As if his head wasn’t nearly violently married with the woman’s fist, he speaks once again, “Very bold move to attack a phytokin with anything more than a flower nearby.” Somehow, the tent remains perfectly still despite the commotion.
Art by Emily Shaw in response to Silver Desert
Going by the stage name brm (for Blake Reid-Morris), Blake’s roots date back to infancy, sworn to Dizzee Rascal and drum and bass, as well as the How To Train Your Dragon soundtrack.
brm says that her albums are “also a big reflection of what I’m listening to,” and she’s always listening to something, whether it’s for work or fun. She enjoys an endless selection of indie icons like Big Thief, Adrianne Lenker, Elliott Smith, Xiu Xiu and Maxine Funke, which she has stashed on her classic 6th gen iPod. She says that “every time someone hears my music I think that’s the immediate [reaction]: ‘Oh! That’s very Adrianne,’ which is pretty cool”.
Blake writes a song almost every night, so the brm albums are an intimate glimpse into her life, acting as a digitalised musical journal.
“And I have a lot of ideas for the next one. They just don’t stop [...] Each album being in each different month. It’s kind of like how I’m feeling in that month and in that time.”
brm talks about the difference between live sound and studio recording sounds, and how it can define the entire atmosphere of the album, as well as the image of the band. Although there has been a release of a live album on Bandcamp for the indie folk band raspberry terrapin – a three-piece
comprised of Blake Reid-Morris, Anneke Poortenaar and Frankie Masterman –she admits that she wants to release something more polished for Spotify. The trio “recorded the entire album live” using the facilities at Hobart College, however “scrapped it all” because they weren’t satisfied with how it sounded. Since the loss, they have been slowly recording the tracks at her house. She compares it to her solo pieces, where she feels there is less pressure to “get that [live sound] onto a recording” since she doesn’t have a “preconceived idea of [her] sound”, which
Photo by Jemina Hunt
brm singing and playing guitar at Rock Challenge 2024
explains brm’s ever-expanding sound library.
She also unravels that the two bands are like “yin and yang, sun and moon”, as raspberry terrapin is much warmer in contrast to the colder brm, saying, “They complement each other quite nicely I think.”
As a soloist, brm writes and records a lot of her tracks in her bedroom. Blake uses her solo music as an outlet for her emotions, “lots of built-up frustration and not really knowing how to convey it properly so feeling more frustrated”. The artist’s approach to her brm music is fluid, however she often begins by strumming on her acoustic guitar. brm says this helps her get inspired. She then tinkers with these new ideas by adding standard rock instrumentation and “weirder stuff if necessary”.
brm makes an effort to use different
techniques — “maybe I’ll start a different song and instead of playing the guitar I’ll play the synth. I’ll play a synth lead and sing over that”. On her latest album, brm has a song that she was “umming and ahhing over, because [she] wrote a chord progression and then did it A Capella, so [she] sung every note in the guitar chord”. Since she hasn’t had much singing experience, brm confesses her “voice is a bit… a lot of the time nervous sounding or just slightly out of key half the time. So, making an A Capella track was a funny idea. [She feels] for the most part apart from the melody it sounds pretty in key it all sounds pretty good. And then the melody was kind of all over the place, but it is what it is”.
“It was a fun little process. Trying to switch it up all the time. So, the creative process kind of changes”
Photo by Caleb O’neal raspberry terrapin playing a gig at TMAG
The creative process of her ambient tracks are a way to pass the time. She sits in the song, looping it for hours, tweaking everything. brm usually does the recording and mixing as she goes.
“It might end up being six minutes, ten minutes, but to me that song is four hours, five hours.”
Blake utilises her environment to create intertwining layers that frolic together. She defines this as texture, which is a significant element in these ambient pieces.
“On the side of my desk I have this whole pile of jewellery, so I pick it up and play with it and that’s a cool texture. Or a really soft chime or a really reverbed guitar or the really cheap sound of my synth. Yeah, I mess around with that for a few hours until it feels good and it feels done. Then I slap a name on it”
Although Blake is always working on something, she says that her brm and raspberry terrapin songs require different conditions.
“I find it hard to write brm music during the daytime. It’s very much a nighttime activity. raspberry terrapin is the opposite and I think it really reflects in the music.”
The raspberries like to write their songs on Bruny Island in lunawanna. They “camp and write music because [they] feel inspired by nature”. Blake notes the importance of not being too busy so the music can flow.
“For raspberry terrapin I don’t really write the lyrics, it’s mostly Frankie and Anneke. I might add a line or so, but I really just focus on the music for that. It’s just one guitar so that’s a lot of fun ‘cause I get to play the guitar as if it is the bass, the and the drums... We sing the chords. It creates a nice full sound.”
Photo by Sanne Kok-Drouhin brm performing with her raspberries at live@5
Blake reminisces on her roots, starting her musical journey in a primary school rap group. Performances at assemblies were their thing and they rocked the house! She later joined the Kingston High School contemporary band as one of the four piano players and performed alongside five guitarists. In Grade 8, Blake picked up guitar and started learning rock songs with Anneke and the rest of her friends, and on the side dabbled in Elliott Smith covers with Anneke. Recently she formed a band known as dog failure with guitarist Iggy Mooney, bassist Caleb O’neal and drummer Sebie Price, where they have been writing their own original alternative rock/experimental noise music. Blake continues to rock the house down with her ever expanding library of songs and jingles.
Interview by Phoebe Akerman
Photo by Ruby Fox brm performing at live@5
Not sure who took this brm sitting in a swinging chair in a friend’s backyard
Bobby Curtis
During September, to celebrate Welcoming Week, we brought together students from the Young Migrant Education Program (YMEP), International Student Ambassadors (ISA), and City of Hobart (CoH) elected members & staff for a day of connection and conversation aimed at making Hobart more inclusive. The event went beyond celebrating diversity, focusing on actions to make Hobart a safer, more welcoming city.
Participants engaged in discussions about the challenges of inclusivity and explored tangible steps toward change. It also served as a valuable networking opportunity for YMEP students to connect with ISA representatives, city officials and peers, fostering a sense of belonging and mutual understanding.
What do you think Hobart can do to make the city more welcoming? Send us an email to tell us! youthartsrec@hobartcity.com.au
Reflections from Omid: When we met on the 19th of September, we didn’t know each other well. But after answering the questions, it showed us that what we want for Hobart and what makes it a welcoming city looked similar. We all have the same mindset for the future. Everyone wants a good city to live in; somewhere safe, without any racism, with good education and supportive people.
Omid
Reflections from Masuma: English:
This gathering was a great opportunity to get to know new people and different cultures and to share fresh ideas.
Since we have recently migrated to Australia, it was a perfect chance to connect more with others and talk about this new place.
The questions raised made us think about possible solutions and how to have a better and brighter future.
By looking at all the opinions, it became clear that despite our different backgrounds, we share common values and goals. It sounds like we are closer to each other than we thought.
What is YMEP?
The Youth Migrant Education Program(YMEP) is part of the Adult Migrant Education Program (AMEP) at TasTAFE for 18-25 year olds who are learning English.
To find out more, scan the QR code here:
Dari:
Masuma
Would you mind or would you care?
by Zafira Ariana Ishnine
Would you mind or would you care?
This is the question I always mean to ask It’s always on the tongue, just forgotten
Do you mind the way I am Always untidy and never on time Cheeks flushed as you embarrass me Or how I cry when you humiliate me
Or do you care whenever I am away With unknown maladies and heartbreaking tragedies Your cold demeanour changes when I cry As your warm fingers brush my tear-stained eyes
So, do you really care about me? When you whisper sweet nothings in my ear Or do you really mind when you Look at me with hatred
Art by Rahwa Rahwa Taklay Kahsay is one of the students in the Young Migrant Education Program. She dreams to one day be a famous artist.
This is my graphic novel, Sarimest, I have been working on it for four years, and have two published copies.
Sarimest is a fantasy story about six teenagers staying at a multidimensional school.
The focus of this story is about the characters and their reactions to their surroundings and growth as people, and this story has many mysteries.
Working on this project has improved my art and writing greatly, and it takes my two favourite things, writing and drawing, and mashes them together.
There are already two books in the series out, with two more currently in the works.
If you are interested in purchasing, there are copies at the Kudelka Shop in Salamanca, and on their website www.Kudelkashop.com
Unions Tasmania is the peak union body in Tasmania, representing 22 affiliates and 50,000 members. This year, UT ran their first Young Workers Conference on 19 July with guest speakers, workshops and (free) food.
What’s the deal with unions anyway?
A union is a group of workers in a workplace or industry that organise collectively to make sure that their members’ work is paid fairly, respected and safe.
Each union has different organisational structures, but broadly unions normally look like:
Members paid up members of the union in a workplace
Delegates elected by members to be a representative and go-to for questions in their workplace
Health and safety reps (HSRs) usually elected, similar to a delegate, but they focus solely on WHS issues (including psycho-social hazards)
Member councils elected members that run the union and make top-level decisions about the union’s strategy, growth, campaigns and finances
Union officials staff employed by the union to help members win
Elected officials staff of the union that member councils elect to help steer the union and keep things on track
Members and what they want should be the driving force of the union in workplace issues, campaigns and pay negotiations.
Unions also offer individual help for their members, like if you’re experiencing bullying or harassment, have questions about your contract or pay and they make sure the process is fair if you’ve been accused of doing the wrong thing at work.
But one of the most important things that unions do is campaign for social justice.
The legalisation of same sex marriage, anti-aparthied activism in South Africa and Palestine, abortion rights, Aborginal land rights and more have all been won in part thanks to union members standing up for their colleagues and communities.
Highlights & takeaways - history worth repeating
For the historic YWC Jordan van den Lamb (AKA @purplepingers) gave the keynote talk.
If you’re not familiar, purplepingers is a member of the Rental and Housing Union (RAHU) and the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU). He’s known for his TikTok series Sh*t Rentals of Melbourne, where he reviews and inspects rental properties that are… sh*t to campaign for renter’s rights.
Pingers talked about how union members have fought for a more ethical system of housing, both now and in the past. He also explained the concept of green and pink ‘bans’, which the BLF (now the CFMEU) were famous for in the 70s and 80s.
Bans are a kind of industrial action, and the green and pink bans were a series of actions where the builders union refused to work on knock down buildings due to either their cultural, environmental or community value.
In areas like Redfern, this meant that Aboriginal tenants got to stay put in their flats after the BLF put in place a green ban when a developer tried to kick them out. After they got to stay, the builders, plumbers and electrical trades union members helped Aboriginal tenants fix up their houses where they’d been neglected by the landlords and developers.
In a pink ban in 1973, builders downed tools at Macquarie University after a gay student was kicked out when the uni discovered his sexuality (homosexuality was decriminalised in 1984 in NSW). The builders only resumed work when the student was offered his place back. Later, teacher’s unions would go on to do pink bans when teachers and lecturers were outed and fired from their jobs at unis and schools.
Unions need young workers to drag them to militancy
The biggest theme of the conference was that we need more young people to join unions and make sure they campaign on issues young people care about - because members are the union.
With this in mind, the YWC decided to take to the streets as part of a national campaign to abolish junior rates.
Junior pay rates in Awards mean workers aged from 18 to 20 years old can be paid as low as 68.3 percent of the minimum wage, 16-17 year olds 47.3 percent and those under 16, a shocking 36.8 percent - and it’s
completely legal because of the way big companies use junior rate loopholes.
YWC joined the SDA campaign - Adult Age, Adult Wage. Designing signs, chanting and marching through Hobart.
The SDA’s campaign joins a chorus of other unions and peak union bodies who’ve been fighting for the abolishment of junior wages all together in the fast food, retail and pharmacy Awards, including the Victorian Trades Hall Council and the Retail and Fast Food Workers Union.
If you’re keen to have a say at work, learn about your rights, or make a change in the world, jump onto www.actu.org.au to find your union and sign up.
The Young Workers Movement lutruwita meet frequently to strategize about campaigns for young workers, you can find out more info about meetings and events on their socials@youngworkersmovementlutruwita
You’ll find Unions Tas on Facebook, Instagram and X - or on the picket line winning brand new industrial manslaughter laws for Tassie workers. They have a website toowww.unionstas.com.au
you will need: - clothing item in need of extra love - your design - fabric scraps
- embroidery thread - needle - scissors - a pen - pins
2. using your pen, trace each element of your design onto your fabric scraps & cut out each piece
1. plan out what colour fabric scraps you would like to use for each element of your design
after the main elements are done, add any little details
3. hand stitch on each layer of your design using your embroidery thread & needle. I used a simple straight stitch - don’t worry about it being perfect, it adds character!
enjoy your new up-cycled clothing item!
4.
5.
scan to make your own apple patch
