the voice may 2024
acknowledgement of country
Avondale University acknowledges our Sovereign God as Creator and Provider of all things. We respectfully acknowledge the Awabakal and Darramuragal people as the traditional custodians of the lands on which we live, work, study and worship across our Lake Macquarie and Sydney campuses. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and extend that respect to all First Nations People.
DISCLAIMER
Our aim is to provide a platform for students and staff to share their thoughts, ideas, and their experiences in the world through their own Christian perspective; everyone's Christian experience is different, and we want to acknowledge that. 'The Voice' is an extension of the minds of the student body at present, not the views of the institution.
get in get in contact contact
ASL Publications
Zoe Cochrane - s20068404@student.avondale.edu.au
Taelon Steele - s14126382@student.avondale.edu.au
Bailee McLeod - Bailee.Mcleod@avondale.edu.au
Security
Phone: (02) 4980 2333
Extension: #333
Email: security@avondale.edu.au
Avondale University Church
Pr Norman Hurlow - Norman. Hurlow@avondale.edu.au
Pr Morgan Vincent - Morgan. Vincent@avondale.edu.au
Phone: (02) 4980 2272
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The Voice @thevoiceavondale
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Extension: #272
Email: universitychurch@avondale.edu.au
Located in the main foyer of University Church
Open: Monday - Thursday from 9am - 5pm, Fridays 9am - 12pm
Wellbeing Centre
Phone: 0403 478 994 (SMS preferred)
Email: counselling@avondale.edu.au
(appointment queries only)
The counsellor's office is situated in the Wellbeing Centre
Counsellors
Lana Hibbard, Jon Gould, Lynette Moodley, Eva Chan (Sydney campus)
Avondale University @avondale_uni
Watson Hall @wearewatson
Ella Boyd and Andre Hall @weareellaandre
Salt Ministries @saltavondaleuni
Avondale University Church @avondaleunichurch
Our counsellors offer confidential counselling to students experiencing a range of academic, mental health and personal concerns.
contributors
Hi everyone! My name is Zoe Cochrane and I’m study secondary teaching with a major in English and Modern History and a minor of Ancient history. If you hadn’t already guessed by my teaching subjects, I am commonly found digging through piles of books at the Op Shop or sketching (badly) while listening to BBC history podcasts. Besides being a total nerd, my happy place is walking out in nature with my labrador retriever, Louie, appreciating the incredible, colourful world that God has created.
zoe
Hi everyone! My name is Samara and I am in my third year of Secondary Teaching here at Avondale. I’m majoring in English and Biology which is a really random mix but I love both of them for their own reasons. I love running (and Strava), basketball, cooking, music and my dogs (or any dogs tbh)! I’ve been with the Voice since late 2022, publishing my first article in the first issue of 2023. I mainly write create stuff but I’m willing to give anything a crack. I’m really excited to see what the rest of the year brings!
Hi, I’m Bella, I am a thirdyear BA Secondary teaching student. I am doing a double major in Business and English, and I am one of the writers on the voice team. Hobbies feel like a stretch, but I love reading and spending time surrounded by my people; I also really enjoy baking and swimming, specifically in the ocean. I am from Goldy, and I have a younger sister and a little King Charles Cavelier called Indy. I hope you love this issue of The Voice
bella
Hi, I’m Taelon. I’m a Secondary Education student majoring in English and Business. I like collecting power moves, call movies 'films' (and watch ones you've never heard of), have a subconscious habit of taking photos of every bit of light and shadow I see, am a casual surf addict, and will take you to the beach at every opportunity. If I’m not doing any of the above I’m adding to my growing list of hobbies and interests.
samara
contributors
hadassah
I first found myself in the world of creativity as a young child personifying Hot Wheels cars and Schleich horses, so it’s no surprise years later I’m obsessed with all thing’s storytelling. My favourite franchise by far is Marvel (but Infinity Saga – the more recent stuff is so bad), as is demonstrated by the 21 Funko Pops that guard my desk. I’m also a theatre lover; I love collecting the programs even though they’re so expensive! With all this creative infiltration, I’m super excited to join the Voice team and share my creative perspective with you all <3
Hi, I’m Tia, and I’m a fan of writing, reading, movies and naan bread. I study a Bachelor of Arts. It has been my lifelong dream to live in a spooky Transylvanian castle with an extensive library and sunroom of carnivorous plants. If I achieve this, I will become a hermit with the mission of creating an in-depth scavenger hunt for my future will. On the 25th month following my passing, my pool will be dyed purple and the goats will be freed. Once this transpires, I recommend closely examining both the paintings and candelabras for various codes. This is the only clue you will be given.
isaiah
Hi, I’m Isaiah! I’m a first year Bachelor of Arts student studying in comms, marketing and visual arts. I’ve been taking photos since the ripe age of four (2009), and still continuing the legacy on fifteen years later. I’m a sucker for trip hop and alt rock, I’ve got a unique top movie list, and New York is a dream location to visit. I’ve come right over from leading as school captain at the sister school, so essentially, it really is the little fish in the big sea scenario all over again! I hope to bring my love for cameras , film and photography over to this magazine and other student-related releases.
Hi, I’m Ben. Normally I take the photos instead of being in them. I’m the graphic designer for the voice, starting at the end of last year. I am a first year primary education student, specialising in PE, but I completed a Cert IV in Outdoor Rec last year. Unsurprisingly, I enjoy photography, but my other hobbies include running, listening to music and screenwriting. My family lives in Gladstone, Queensland, but we lived in New Zealand for 10 years and are from Jersey originally (the island in the English Channel, not the American state.) So, fun fact, I’m a tri-citizen.
from the editor
In year 6, our much-anticipated Canberra trip brought me to my first trip to the National Gallery of Australia. I’d love to say that at 12 years old I was a prodigy art connoisseur, but in truth, the only emotion those paintings inspired in me was boredom.
Fast forward a decade and I can spend hours in an art gallery awed and inspired by the incredible pieces on display.
It turns out that famous artists are also aware of how people react to their pieces. Reflecting on his illustrious art career, Andy Warhol simply stated,
“An artist is somebody who produces things that people don’t need to have but that he – for some reason – thinks it would be a good idea to give them”.
In contrast, Magdalena Abakanowicz claims,
“Art will remain the most astonishing activity of mankind born out of struggle between wisdom and madness, between dream and reality in our mind”.
Whatever your opinion on the subject, whether it’s a useless thing or an astonishing activity, each and every one of us is a work of art in the eyes of the Lord. And whether you admit it or not, all of us are artists of a kind.
For some, your art is a literal thing. An oil painting, and sculpture of found things, a masterpiece of clay, a watercolour or gouache portrait. But for others, your art might be an intangible thing, the way your surfboard carves through ocean waves, a dish only you can make perfectly, or a melody you stumbled across while playing around on your guitar.
We are all artists.
If you haven’t already guessed, our second issue of the Voice for 2024 is themed ‘The Artist’ and celebrates the creative passion of Avondale’s student body. We invite you to relax, have a read, and explore the amazing world of creativity.
avondale’s pioneering graduates
By Zoe Cochrane Hubert Leonard & Pearl Tolhurst
Avondale has an incredible history of famous faces, and many graduates have gone on to make an incredible difference in their field. Today, we chose to highlight three of these pioneering figures.
How motivated are you by a love of adventure? For the Tolhursts, their interest in the tales of foreign mission saw them commit their lives to working on new frontiers.
Having met whilst working their respective ways through college, Hubert and Pearl graduated on the 12th of October, 1914 and were married shortly after. Less than a month after their marriage, they set sail for the Tongan islands, and after a rough voyage, they arrived at Nukualofa.
Moving out to Faleloa, they established a school amidst trying conditions, having to quickly learn to build all furniture required for the school, plant and cultivate gardens to feed students, and learn the local language.
In less than a year, Hubert was preaching sermons in Tongan, however, his mastery of the language was not perfect, and mistaking the word kneel, he prayed “Lord, let us leap in your presence today”.
The congregation were kind enough not to laugh.
When the mail ship arrived in November 1918, it brought with it the Spanish influenza which decimated the island’s inhabitants. With no medical knowledge between them, Hubert and Pearl used A Practical Guide to Health to nurse the sick. Eventually, both caught the illness, with Hubert struggling to nurse his wife in the absence of medical professionals. Writing later, Hubert recalls,
“At last the tired heart ceased working, and hearing a gasping sound, I hurried to the room just in time to have my dear one pass away in my arms. Can the scene of that awful hour ever be forgotten? I thank the dear Lord that I was so near at hand when the call came, for had I been a few feet further from the room, I would not have been with her at her last…” (H.L. Tolhurst, 1927)
Pearl was the first missionary from Australia to die in the South Pacific mission service. But upon news of her death, the local chiefs built her a casket and hundreds flocked to remember the woman who had given her all to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Edwin Malcolm Abbott
As I write this article, Anzac Day is approaching, and I know many of you have family who were or are presently touched by war.
Edwin Abbott was one who became well acquainted with war. Born in Waverly in 1909, Edwin’s family desperately wanted him to attend Avondale college. In the early 1930s, he enrolled in a 3-year Business course and became an accountant for the Sanitarium Health Food Company.
In September, 1939, he received his ordination and was immediately posted to the New Guinea Mission. In Rabaul, Edwin worked hard as superintendent, having to unify and communicate with the many small mission outposts across the island. By 1941, the work was only growing, but rumours soon circulated that their mission would be interrupted by the imminent invasion of the Japanese.
Plans were made to evacuate the missionaries, but unwilling to leave the island leaderless, Edwin delayed, and upon the arrival of the Japanese, was captured along with 1052 others. Army records describe what happened next:
“In June and July 1942, the Japanese naval authorities made two attempts to transfer these prisoners to Japan. The first group arrived safely, but the second, thought to include 845 POWs and 208 civillian internees, left on the 22nd of June for Hainan on the Montevideo Maru, a freighter requisitioned by the navy. It was not marked as a POW carrier, and on
the 1st of July it was torpedoed by a US submarine, the USS Sturgeon, resulting in the deaths of all on board”.
For months, his wife, Una, did not know of his death. But today, Edwin Malcolm Abbott’s sacrifice and contribution to the pioneer work are still remembered.
Frances Waugh
Frances Ngahuia Lucy Nicholas (later Waugh) was born in New Zealand in December, 1872. Having an English father ad Māori mother of the Nagti Maru clan, Frances quickly learnt both languages.
Her talent for language only grew, as she moved to Rarotonga, conversed with Tahitians, and later was convinced to study at Avondale. Arriving in Cooranbong, Ellen White offered her lodgings for two years and paid for her tuition.
While at Avondale, Frances read fascinating Adventist tracts, and recognised that people on the islands she had lived on needed this information.
Unfortunately, the only resources which existed were in English. Immediately, Frances set about translating her class resources into all the Polynesian languages she knew, and convinced lecturers to have them printed by the Avondale press.
Though she was a woman in a man’s world, her talents were recognised, and she was employed as a church translator. In her time, Frances translated vital resources into Tahitian, Rarotongan, Tongan, Samoan, and Māori. Today, there is no way to estimate just how many churches across the Pacific exist because of her ability to translate the word for all to hear.
Frances is credited as one of the most important pioneers to have come out of Avondale.
To the students who read this today, take inspiration from these incredible stories of the sacrifices and challenges former students have overcome in the service of others. Who knows? Maybe you too will one day make your mark in history.
messy media a review of dune: part two
By Tia Abel
A few years ago, I decided to read Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi novel Dune. Shortly after picking it up, I put it down again because it contained significantly fewer lightsabers than anticipated.
A few weeks ago, I decided to watch Denis Villeneuve’s adaptations of Dune. I spent most of Part 1 repeating the word ‘ornithopter’ because it’s quite a neat sounding word and I didn’t want to forget it. Despite being told I ‘wasn’t watching it properly’, I thoroughly enjoyed the shots and the colours and people staring off into the distance. Then, I watched Part 2.
It possessed a sense of life that the first film lacked. The story finally moved past world-building to convey deeper themes about religious extremism, political power dynamics, and free will vs. control. I finally saw humanity through the character’s interactions. But I will not be writing about Dune’s story or characters, shots or message. Instead, I want to focus on the music.
It sounded to me both familiar and unfamiliar at once. The score crafted the planet Arrakis in the far future where Dune is primarily set. The music is beautiful.
Hans Zimmer first read Dune at age 13. He crafted a soundtrack in his head to accompany his mind’s manifestation of Herbert’s words. He imagined the world of Arrakis, the sounds and the colours and the images of this distant and foreign future. Zimmer protected this world from corruption, never watching the early TV and film adaptations. Years later, as an accomplished film composer at age 60, he was approached by his friend, Denis Villeneuve, about a project.
I listened to Zimmer’s 2021 interview on the podcast Song Exploder. He spoke a lot about how he composed Dune Part 1’s score, and if you’re interested, I recommend giving it a listen.
The music of both Dune movies plays a huge part in creating the world of the films. Zimmer used ancient instruments and sounds because he believes they are what will hold their value in the future. He uses the ancient Armenian Duduk, Indian bamboo flutes, Irish whistles, a violent electric cello, and distorted guitar. He fuses the old with the modern to create a believably futuristic sound perfect for a desert planet.
One of these timeless instruments is the human voice. Zimmer notes that Dune seems ‘on a surface level to be about all these very masculine heroes, [but] it’s really the women that are the power that drives the story forward and that drive fate and destiny’. The Bene Gesserit are powerful sisterhood orchestrating their own motives and influencing the story of Dune. One of their powers is the ‘Voice’, used to manipulate. His score reflects this through the whispers and yells of women
throughout. If Jessica, one of the film’s central characters, is not present in a scene, there are whispers. It feels as if she’s there, as if during it all there are women behind the scenes, just out of reach. The presence of a female voice through the soundtrack highlights the power and inescapable influence of the Bene Gesserit.
Through Hans Zimmer’s composition, he conveys the world of Dune he envisioned as a teenager. It’s epic, interesting, and uniquely Arrakis. It’s past and it’s future, it’s human and it’s alien. Looking back on his work, Zimmer says “we had the recklessness and the sense of experimentation and fearlessness… this is the score I would’ve written as a 13-yearold.”
If you’re not a sci-fi fan and your friends drag you along to watch Dune: Part 2, just close your eyes and listen instead.
Photos from IMDb and Warner Bros. Pictures
in defence of prometheus by zoe cochrane
When did “You can be anything” become “You must be everything!”
A student, a teacher, an itinerant preacher Of hopes and dreams for millennial babies.
My mother and her mother carved dynasties with wooden spoons. Aprons for armour, eyes of flint, convening court on paisley lounges.
Their legacy is mine now.
And so I stand with a legacy which is obsolete, shackled with expectations I am unprepared to meet.
In the end, ‘choice’ isn’t really mine, but if it was, I’d rip my country’s expectations into tiny little wads.
Prometheus was right. It’s fun to defy the gods.
my indignation by isabella ebens
It stings my soul
Inaccessibility of the past
Building pressure of the fleeting It is stubborn
Without exceptions
It is final, no second guesses
An eldest sister at the airport
No turning back
An experience morphing to memory
Burns like Red Bull and milk
Rising like acid in my stomach
It is judgemental
It knows the power held
In the word “yesterday”
It mocks and taunts the young
As they rush ahead
Life is a competition against time And I feel cheated.
the terrarium by samara bentley
When we’re young
The heart is a terrarium
All impressions validated Every affection met with warmth The lessons we learn polish the glass Of that little terrarium
Every inch of growth transparent, like children’s art hung on the fridge.
When we’re old And rooted in gravity The heart is sutured up
The mind screams But the mouth is stitched
Reflections on a glassy lake Form an abyss of Perception and what is known my shadow runs from me unfamiliar Like I’ve kidnapped it Moss covers the terrarium
I don’t know the sound of my Heartbeat Anymore.
this life
by hadassah liebke
This life should be spoken Its existence unbroken Its movement a breeze, This life should feel at ease.
But yet in the circle
Where the blue blends to purple Where everything is meant to be timeless I hear a ticking Tick, tick, tick
It nags relentless Its timing pretentious It messes with the Tenses, it’s constant like rain falling Pitter, patter, pitter, patter
There’s no break to take No action to make I sit and wait It ticks.
This life should be spoken Its existence unbroken
But what happens When the ticking Stops.
by isaiah fergo
call for call for submissions submissions
Avondale
University Creative Avondale University Creative Writing Anthology 2024 Writing Anthology 2024
We're looking for poems and stories (fiction or creative non-fiction) inspired by that title. This anthology will emphasise the work produced by Avondale University English & Communications students but is open to all students at the University as well as our guest partners and selected invitees.
Submission Guidelines
We are looking for:
1 story of up to 2000 words long. These can be fiction or creative non-fiction. 1-3 Poems. Up to 50 lines in total, including the poem title. Both stories and poems? Yes, but no more than 1 of each per writer. Your original, previously unpublished work. You must have copyright of the work you submit.
Submission requirements:
a cover page with your name, email address, postal address, and a short bio of 50-100 words. email submissions as a Word document only (.doc or .docx) to lynnette.lounsbury@avondale.edu.au with Your Name and “Anthology Submission” in the subject line.
You will hear back from us, with a yes or a no, by 31st July 2024. Your work may be edited for the publication, but writers will be given final approvals before publication.
Contributor Copies
We are a not-for-profit publication so writers are not paid for submissions, but all accepted writers will receive a free copy of the anthology and the ability to purchase further copies at cost.
COMPETITION!
As our issue is themed ‘The Artist’, we’ve assembled some artthemed trivia questions for you! Be among the first 2 students (or lecturers) to send through the correct answers to this quiz to thevoice@avondale.edu.au and win a custom journal!
1. Which famous artist painted “The Scream”?
6. What is the oldest pottery collection known as?
2. Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica” was a response to which war?
The Korean War a. The Spanish Civil War b. World War 1 c. American War of Independence d.
3. What is the most expensive painting bought in history?
7. Which photographer is credited with the famous image, “Falling Man”, 2001?
8. Which war is the photograph “VJ Day in Times Square” celebrating the close of?
4. What facial feature is Freda Karlo famous for?
9. In which museum does Claude Monet’s Stary Night reside?
5. What newsworthy plot twist occurred during a Banksy auction in 2018?
10. Claude Monet is famous for his paintings of what?
join the team
The Voice is always looking for student content to publish. Whether that be: creative writing, opinion pieces, arts/media, photography, student life and reviews. If you’re interested in joining the team in 2024, we’d love to have you! Contact us to express your interest at thevoice@avondale.edu.au
