Togatus Issue #3 2010

Togatus.

July 2010 FREE!

My Life With Chi . Wife Carrying . Martin Hawes

Showcasing Hobart’s finest Djs

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6224 4444 www.themetz.com.au

Weekend Breakfast from 8am.

Wednesday night Uni Specials from 6pm.

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Published by the State Council on behalf of the Tasmania University Union Inc. (hf. “the publishers�).

The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of Togatus staff or the publishers. The copyright in each piece of work remains with the contributor; however, the publishers reserve the right to reproduce material on the Togatus website (www.togatus.com.au).

The copyright in this magazine remains with the publishers.

Editor:

Alexandra Gibson editor.togatus@utas.edu.au

Sub-editor: Jessica Lyndon

Design Supervisor: Pete Saunders

Design and Layout:

Jacky Ho, Emma Ismawi, Sam Lyne, Anneke Van de Vusse

Cover:

Amy Reid

Advertising:

Please contact editor.togatus@utas.edu.au

Contributors:

Rowena Atkins, Saleh Bintalib, Grant Bourne, Tom Friend, Jenny Davson-Galle, Megan Hancock, Jessica Hancock, Thomas Hyland, Warrick Jordan, Ella Kearney, Simon Lee, Hannah McConnell, Adam Nebbs, Anneke Van de Vusse, Michael Voss, Anita Whittle, Ben Waterworth.

Printed on HannoArt Silk (FSC Certified: Mixed Sources; EMAS and OHSAS 18001 Accredited) by Print Directions.

Togatus PO Box 5055 Sandy Bay, Tas 7006 Email: editor.togatus@utas.edu.au

www.togatus.com.au Togatus welcomes all contributions. Please email your work or ideas to editor.togatus@utas.edu.au.

It is understood that any contribution sent to Togatus may be used for publication in either the magazine or the website, and that the final decision on whether to publish resides with the editor and the publishers. The editor reserves the right to make changes to submitted material as required.

Photo by Corey Rondeau

Togatus is published quarterly.

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From the

Editor Firstly, a warm welcome to this issue of Togatus! This is my first issue in the position of editor and I feel extremely honoured to have been chosen to continue and develop the legacy that is Togatus.

This magazine has been part of UTas student life since 1932; it has been the one constant comment on life at the University of Tasmania for almost eight decades. Togatus has been a major part of my uni experience, as a writer and reader, and I’m thrilled to continue to bring it to the students of today.

This issue of Togatus is themed around the development of students during their time at University, and so I thought I would introduce it with a reflection on my own University journey and how studying at UTas has influenced my future. My university journey has helped me to navigate through subjects I’ve loved, subjects I’ve struggled with and it has exposed me to a subject I imagine I will be happy spending the rest of my life doing. But most importantly, my four and a half years of university (and counting) has helped me develop the kind of person I’m going to be in the world from now on — what I stand for, believe in, support, tolerate and respect.

And for my first issue of Togatus, I wanted to explore these concepts; what is important to you, what is different and new, what you may have missed along the way…

Here are some of the articles you will find in Tog this issue: We are invited to peek into Anita Whittle’s life with Chi. We are so fortunate that Anita has shared her story about 2

Illustrations by Sam Lyne falling in love with a Thai Muslim man while she travelled around Asia after completing her first Uni degree.

Here she openly discusses the ongoing cultural issues she has had to face living in a cross-cultural relationship.

Ben Waterworth gives us his best pitch for an Olympics in Hobart, Michael Voss helps us become more studious with a merciless drinking game for exam time, and Grant Bourne is helping us suit up with the big players for your first gig out of uni.

Our supervising designer at Togatus, Pete Saunders, has rounded up some of Fine Arts finest, with a four-page spread dedicated to showing off some of their creations.

The Fine Arts campus produces such a rich and diverse body of work, and we are excited to be showcasing some of it in this issue!

Warrick Jordan has delved into the diverse nature of what it means to be an Australian, with his exposé on the competitive world of wife carrying in Singleton, N.S.W. He describes his gladiator-esque experiences in the dusty colosseum of the largest town in Australia’s Hunter Valley.

So what do I mean by the diverse nature of the Australian?

‘Australian’ is a term impossible to define, due to the plethora of personalities, backgrounds, personal stories of people from all corners of the world; but at the same time it is something all Australians seem to have a view about.

So being Australian may be something to celebrate in terms of our diversity, but somehow also an agent of unity.

This should give Australia a huge advantage in terms of acceptance and understanding.

However, in the last few months university campuses around Australia have been rocked by the racially motivated attacks on overseas students. Three issues occur to me about this.

One concerns the challenge that these attacks have on our comfortable rhetoric that Australia is a country that celebrates diversity and is tolerant of difference.

Two, it raises the practical issue of safety for all students on campuses throughout Australia, and in Tasmania.

And thirdly, it is indicative of what could be perceived as a growing suspicion of difference globally. It is ironic that while our world becomes more global, more connected, we are starting to characterize and distinguish who we are culturally more stridently.

All of a sudden our politicians and the public are able to define what it means to be Australian — what we all simultaneously believe in; it seems the underlying core values of ‘Australian’ are suddenly shared.

So, as you all make your own journeys through University, remember that these years are a time for questioning.

Uni is not only a time for academic learning, but also a chance to develop what kind of person you want to become. Hopefully Togatus can play a part in this.

Be heard, be involved.

Alexandra Gibson: was 11 when she found $1150 of drug money in the car park across the street from her house. Nobody claimed it from the Police, so she bought a plane ticket to LA and went to Disney Land. True story.

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Photo by Alison Gunn

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FIRSTLY 8 State of the Union 9 Multiculturalism PROFILES 10 Martin Hawes FEATURES 14 My Life with Chi 18 Arranged Marriage in Tasmania 20 Infection Roulette 23 Study: The Drinking Game 24 That Other Campus 28 Wife Carrying 32 Suit Up 33 The Forestry Roundtable 36 The Olympic Dream for Hobart 38 The Hobart Art Scene REVIEWS 42 Movie Review 44 Music Review 45 Theatre Review 46 Book Review 47 Game Review END NOTES 48 Leaving Home

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Design Supervisor Pete Saunders wrote out his blurb, translated it into Russian and back into English but the outcome wasn’t very funny.

[Saunders, 2010, p. 1, 24–27, 32, 33–35]

Design Team Jacky Ho is a self-confessed geek, nerd or whatever stereotype you would like to label him as. He is currently not dating the Eleventh Doctor.

Reviewers Rowena Atkins is a first year Arts student and theatre junkie who likes to have an opinion on anything, so she figured she’d combine the three and somehow pulled off writing a theatre review for Togatus. In the future, Ro hopes that her friends from the Uni Revue will still be speaking to her.

Thomas Friend likes Wayne Wiedemann, ‘Milky Joe’ and armchairs — make an assessment?

[Ho, 2010, p. 6–7, 14–17, 18–19, 36–37, 48]

Emma Ismawi is “direct from the secret garden, next to my hovering castle, I break it down fresh like the crunch of an apple.

With my satchel, my lasso, I jumped on my camel, set forth with my pallet and my colouring pastels.” — Bliss n Eso [Ismawi, 2010, p. 4–5, 28–31, 38–41]

Sam Lyne comes from a time future historians will most likely call the past.

He draws until the wee hours of the morning, and does the dishes when no one else will. These are but some of his magical powers.

[Lyne, 2010, p. 2–3, 10–13, 44–47]

Megan Hancock works at Ellison Hawker Bookshop and has run out of room on the bookshelves.

Simon Lee is a 22 year old Arts student who loves books almost as much as gaming. If he’s not whittling the hours away by playing Oblivion again or any number of 64-bit adventure game, then he’s reading through an Alastair Reynolds novel. He believes his cat Jasper wants to rule the world, but of course, doesn’t like bacon being taped to his person.

Anneke Van de Vusse has her best ideas while pedaling around on her bike. A combination of steep hills and workaholism keep this graphic design and journalism student warm in winter.

[Van de Vusse, 2010, p. 8, 9, 20–22, 23, 42–43]

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Firstly.

Featured Writers Jenny Davson-Galle loves her backpack, camera and notebook.

She writes about things that interest, fascinate and frustrate her. She hopes to educate herself while educating the world.

Ella Kearney This is a message to the guy sitting on 4th floor of Morris Miller last Tuesday. You were quite tall, ruggedly handsome, seemed to be reading something very complex and lengthy and you kept making hilarious remarks which made me wet my pants. Oh wait, that never happened!

Bourne Milano is a former commerce student, who has settled into a top four accounting firm.

Bourne’s bone structure should prevent him from a life in accounting, but his work with numbers is as beautiful as the Sistine Chapel.

Michael Voss is the living epitome of why studying law is the worst decision you will ever make. He is also, contrary to bathroom stall rumour, an unselfish lover.

Photo by Trent Binning

CON TRIBU TORS 7

Saleh BinTalib Despite all the positivity surrounding Australia being a country rich in multiculturalism, the negativity of the word ‘racism’ often lingers.

In my time as a student representative, I have often been asked “Saleh, do you think Australia is a racist country?”

My answer has always been that unfortunately, racism exists in every society today. But do I feel Australia as a whole is racist? Not at all. In fact I feel Australia is a welcoming country in general.

In the past few weeks, the issue of racism in Australia has popped up over and over again. Most recently the issue of racism showed it ugly self in State of Origin rugby when Rugby League star Timana Tahu walked out of the NSW training camp just days before the second series game due to racist comments made by NSW Assistant coach Andrew Johns. Tahu said that such comments have no place in Australia, and he made his decision to show his kids and the rest of the country that racism is simply unacceptable.

Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Also, it’s a shame to see that a government parliamentary secretary rather than a Cabinet Minister now manages issues relating to multiculturalism.

The Tasmania University Union has always been and will continue to be a strong campaigner for a culturally vibrant community. This August we will be having a Multicultural Week to celebrate all things multicultural. The week will be capped off with the increasingly popular Multicultural Night on August 7.

At the end of the day we need to ask ourselves what are the reasons behind racially motivated attacks or inappropriate comments? Is it because we turn a blind eye to racial vilification, or because police cannot legally intervene before racial vilification becomes racial violence?

Or perhaps we need a system where our Aussie kids are taught tolerance at a young age? The beauty and benefits of cultural difference must celebrated, and that is something we should think about as a country.

Australia has a huge number of migrants coming from all over the world, making it a more complex and hybrid society. This constant evolution of the community landscape makes it necessary for Australia’s policy makers to confront the social reality.

However, in the past few years there have been policies that appear to put multiculturalism on the backburner.

For example, the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs was renamed

Photo by Amy Reid 8

Firstly.

STATE OF THE UNION Hello UTas! Welcome back to campus. This is generally a tough time of year, not quite enough holidays to have recovered sufficiently from Semester One, and the knowledge that there are 13 long weeks of study stretching off ahead into the sunset. But never fear, with the trusty TUU by your side providing adequate relief from your study commitments, Semester Two will breeze by.

We are now almost a decade through this Millennia, and I am feeling a little nostalgic. I am going to take this opportunity to look back on our achievements, and on all the glory that was the noughties.

We began the Millennia crawling out of our little bomb shelters, tightly clenched fists still held anxiously in fear of the desktop machines that had come so close to destroying life as we knew it. But as time passed, and stress levels began to reside, the world began to prepare for an American presidential election that had the potential to change the world. And oh boy did it ever!

The result, while still regarded as highly suspicious by many Michael Moore fans, left America and the world with a monkey at the helm.

Needless to say, 2001 followed with a bang… or two. We enjoyed the musical genius that is the Gorillaz, sighed over the short comings in Stanley Kubricks predictions, and celebrated the tenth annual Targa Tasmania rally. A year later, as Bush started fisty cuffs with Afghanistan, we were introduced to a concept that is today, sadly well known to us — ‘War on Terror’ or ‘project Grand Theft Oil’. As the fighting continued into 2003, Canberra was partially barbecued and the world was gripped with fear as SARS went from strength to strength.

We lost our Bacon in 2004, and in an act of insanity, Australia elected John Howard for his fourth term. As we all enjoyed the fifth season of Big Brother (don’t lie, I know you watched it) in 2005, Schapelle casually strolled into the international airport of Bali, blissfully unaware that she was carrying her body weight in grass. A tragic mining accident trapping three men underground in Beaconsfield in 2006 lead to a hit single for the Foo Fighters and after a misunderstanding with a manta ray, we said goodbye to our crocodile hunter.

2007 saw the return of David Hicks, possible terrorist/victim of American bureaucracy, and a Nobel Peace prize for Al Gore — beat that Bush. In 2008 the world as we knew it was once again in serious danger as the perilous Global Financial Crisis moved ever closer to our shores, but courageous Kevin saved the day, by splashing cash. Bring it on. In 2009 the world witnessed the longest solar eclipse of the 21st Century, and the plastic man Michael Jackson passed away without performing any of his ‘This is it’ shows — selfish.

And finally, this brings me to 2010. So far we have lost a saviour with the death of Jack Herer, scientists have created a synthetic genome (this is just the beginning people), and the Tasmanian Labour party has extended a tentative hand of friendship to the Greens. Sadly, in 2010 we are losing our great UTas leader, a visionary who has inspired so many students, Vice Chancellor Daryl Le Grew. But perhaps the most exciting events of 2010 are yet to come; The Tasmania University Union is this year celebrating its 111th birthday, which officially makes us the oldest consecutively running student union in Australia!

I for one am looking forward to more milestones in the year to come!

Photo by Anneke van de Vusse

Clare Rutherford State President, Tasmanian University Union 9

Martin Hawes Light the Flame

Jessica Hancock Several days hike from the nearest road or settlement, the dawn greets the rugged Tasmanian wilderness with an almost primordial purity.

Though the colours are so rich they defy human categorisation, and it may be many years before human eyes touch this landscape again, wilderness photographer Martin Hawes is sparing with his camera’s shutter. For in this state, in one of the earth’s last temperate hinterlands, are more than aweinspiring sights: here is a precious, fast-disappearing connection to our distant past. And for many, visiting these areas is the greatest inspiration for life.

My fears of being unable to recognise Martin disappeared as soon as I laid eyes on the wilderness photographer-turned-writer. Hiking socks, Leunig “Dreaming” T-shirt and the mane of greying hair were impossible to miss among the crowd of city-dressed tourists at Salamanca Square; we quickly made our introductions over coffee orders. The unobtrusive blend of English and Australian accents easily spun out tales of his past, but what really excited Martin were his present, philosophical interests — particularly with the publication of his non-fiction work Twelve Principles.

“Twelve Principles is a timely reminder that the global crisis is at root a crisis in values, and that, by our thoughts and actions, each of us has an impact on what is happening in the world around us,” writes Bob Brown in the foreword of Martin’s book. Such an endorsement is appropriate, given that the Greens Leader helped to inspire the idea.

“I’ve known Bob Brown for many years, since the Franklin days, and he and I get together once in a blue moon. We had this long chat about what’s wrong in the world, and he said he thought we needed to re-write the 10 Commandments,” Martin chuckles.

Martin wasn’t initially taken by the prospect of writing a list of ‘thou shalts’, but Brown insisted that they should attempt to draw up a list of principles that were relevant to modern society. The ultimate result was the publication of his book, though not without some difficulty along the way.

“Well, we both failed our homework,” Martin admits with a grin. “Neither of us came up with a list of principles. But it sat in my head for about three years, and I actually went away on a bushwalk and got inspired. There were several fundamental breakthroughs that I had when writing that book and one of them was realising that principles don’t need to be dos and don’ts at all; they can be insights or challenges or just observations.”

Photos by Martin Hawes

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Profile.

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“So I took a year off, and I’m still taking that year off.”

Philosophy, especially if inspired by the natural world, has always been a part of Martin’s life. As a 12-year-old, he and his family were some of the last ‘ten-pound-poms’ to move from England to begin a new life in Tasmania, and for Martin that meant discovering the Tasmanian wilderness for the first time. However, it wasn’t always easy to haunt the spectacular peaks and wind-swept coast of the Tasmanian wilds, especially when Martin moved to Canberra to study pure mathematics at the Australian National University. Fascination for the subject and dreams of a future in academia kept him going, but by his third year he began to have doubts.

“I’d be sitting around after dinner with a bunch of mathematicians talking maths or computing or something like that, and even then in my naivety I thought: ‘there’s got to be more to life than this’” he recalls.

There was also the fear of following the footsteps of one of his lecturers, whose whole passion in life was to get himself frozen when he died so that he could be resuscitated and have another chance.

Martin managed to keep himself sane by flying to Tasmania on holidays to bushwalk. “It was literally

like commuting between planets,” he said, juxtaposing the lecture rooms where he studied pure mathematics to the off-track expeditions into the middle of nowhere.

Something had to change. Martin was aware that he wasn’t where he wanted to be, and was shocked to find that the idea of leaving university now that he’d finished his degree was greeted with incredulity by some of his lectures and fellow students.

“There was a lack of comprehension about why anyone would want to expose themself to another field of life other than simply filling their head up with a load of ones and zeros,” he says. Discussions with some friends led in a very different direction — of life as an opportunity.

The realisation that a person could do whatever they wanted with their lives changed Martin’s life forever.

“There was this extraordinary freedom and excitement, and challenge, that was associated with that realisation.”

“So I took a year off, and I’m still taking that year off.”

Since then, Martin has had various jobs, but he has no interest in working full time. A passion for bushwalking led naturally to wilderness photography.

“I never made any money out of the bloody thing; God only knows how much I spent on it…” Martin laughs, though he is now nationally recognised for his work, having been published in the magazines Wild and 40° 12

Profile.

“I never made any money out of the bloody thing; God only knows how much I spent on it…”

South, and the book Endangered: Tasmania’s Wild Places.

As time passed, Martin turned more seriously to philosophical issues. His first return to England after thirty-two years was to work at Brockwood Park, a whole-of-life school founded by the Indian thinker J. Krishnamurti. There he saw the power of both dialogue and communal quietness, and was influenced by the idea of developing philosophy. “Because, whether you like it or not, that’s what you’re already doing,” Martin explains with a smile.

exhibition showed photos with corresponding haikus by poet Ron Moss, while The Island was a multimedia production with a duo of Tasmanian musicians called Alchemy. It was in response to this presentation that Martin received an email from an audience member, who explained that after seeing the production she would sit on her veranda, feeling and sensing nature differently.

“And all that twenty years’ of work was worth it just to read that one email,” Martin muses.

“Because that’s what it’s all about, apart from being a good excuse to go bushwalking. It’s about touching someone. The whole process of changing perspective might take a lifetime or God knows how long, but just to give somebody that spark… to me that’s the most important thing in art.”

“It’s to light that flame for somebody.”

Since then, Martin has been developing his philosophy through dialogue with Steve Ruben — a hitchhiking he picked up near Huonville. They have written the short non-fiction pieces Declaration of Freedom and FAQs of Life for their website, both of which deal with the way people live in, and think about, the world.

Martin still works with his photography, reinterpreting it through projects with other artists. The imperfections

Jessica Hancock: believes in five things: The Oxford English Dictionary, The Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory, Eric Partridge, the subjunctive, and badgers. All else is irrelevant.

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“There is such a clash of culture in relation to marriage. In western culture we expect a couple to be together for years before marriage.”

Chi and I met when I was holidaying in Tonsai; a place famous for beaches, rock climbing and mushroom shakes.

I went to a bar called Peace and Love to make a batik. My art teacher’s name was Aussie and we shared a joint while he told me I was a batik natural.

A man eerily akin to Jim Morrison came up to me. He was wearing worn, flared jeans and his broad brown chest was adorned with the biggest silver and turquoise necklace I had ever seen.

“Nice art,” he said, looking at my emerging batik fish.

“You too,” I said, looking at the composition of his bare skin and bold necklace.

Damned pot, I thought, instantly incredulous at my boldness. Thankfully, I don’t think he got it. And anyway, I was leaving for Malaysia. I was travelling through South East Asia on my own; a welcome trip after five years of university which had left me with many questions about life still unanswered.

After one month of travelling through Malaysia, I missed the reggae energy of Thailand so I went back. I had enough Thai baht to stay one week in Koh Lipe, which had no cash machines but plenty of bars on the beach to spend money drinking. After the week I was going to a ten day silent meditation camp on the east coast of southern Thailand. So I thought…

On the first evening that I arrived on Koh Lipe, I met Chi again. He was playing soccer and I was walking to enjoy the sunset.

“What are you doing here?”

“I came here to work. Two days ago.”

“I just got here.”

“Come to my bar tonight. Come and see me.”

“Okay.”

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Feature.

Anita Whittle Four days later and I had spent the last four days with Chi. When I explained to him that I was running out of money, he said “Come and stay at the bar with me. You can help out; everyone likes you.”

We stayed together for one month, sleeping in whichever bungalow or tent was free and, if none were, under the stars. We fire twirled, jammed, danced on the beach, got drunk with our friends and customers, fought about differences of culture; Chi was an untraveled Muslim and I am an educated Australian selfconfessed feminist. Our perspectives on men and women’s roles, and for that matter life in general, did not always match.

But energy drew us together. And he was giving and accepting; he decided to love me, and he just did.

At the end of the month I went back to Malaysia to fulfill four weeks volunteer work. Chi was silent the morning I left. I called him from Penang, and he said “I need you.”

“For Chi and I, much understanding has come from fighting, from the struggle to see eye to eye from such different cultural viewpoints.”

We met again in Had Yai, in southern Thailand. He wanted to take me to his village to meet his family. “I never bring any woman back to my village before.”

I was one Farang (westerner) in a tide of Muslim men and women. The women wore hijabs and gossiped about me blatantly. The men stared and told Chi immediately if they ever saw me walking by myself.

“Everybody’s talking,” said Chi. “My mother worries. She wants us to Nikah.”

Turns out it was not really done for Chi and I to stay under the same roof within this village. In fact, the town was thinking I was a bit of a slut; and a white slut at that!

“What is Nikah?”

“Oh,” Chi’s sister answered nonchalantly, “It’s where Allah sanctions your love and then you can have sex without sin. You pronounce the Shahada and you become a Muslim.”

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“What does that entail?”

“Do you eat pork?”

“No…”

When Chi and I hit a rough patch Mum called me one day and said, “Your father and I think you and Chi should break up.” I realised she had been hiding her true feelings, but if I had a daughter who left the freedom of western society to marry a Muslim man in a foreign country and enter the realm of Islam, how would I feel?

“Ah, Muslim already.”

One week later, on a hot still night in Nong Tong, I was forced to decide. I went outside and looked at the tropical fruit trees, lit up by the roadside light.

I saw God. I saw God in the forest, God in the man-made lamp that shed light on the glossy green leaves.

I knew that if I said no my relationship with Chi would finish. I felt that we had more to explore together. I had more to explore about him, and about myself.

“Ash hadu an la ilaha illa Allah — the Shahada: there is no true god but God (Allah).” God is in everything: this was already the spiritual basis of my life. Okay, I was in.

Nikah was a beautiful experience, although I hadn’t expected there to be raspberry Fanta. We went to a stunning mosque on the outskirts of Bangkok, we gave the imam milk and prunes, and we recited our Arabic lines nervously.

On the train back to the village I worried every time Chi went between the carriages for a cigarette. If something happened, what would my life be without him? This was love.

I delayed telling my parents for a few months. It wasn’t lying… exactly. I just chose to release the details very gradually. They were discrete in their reactions.

When I emailed my Tassie friends to tell them about my new love, I sparked a Facebook debate. Half of them jumped into the “that’s awesome” camp and half were thinking more along the lines of “hang on a minute, shouldn’t you stop and think about this?”

There is such a clash of culture in relation to marriage.

In western culture we expect a couple to be together for years before marriage. For other cultures this kind of irresponsible courting and bedding is frowned upon.

Marriage is encouraged within months. It highlights the vast realm of cultural disparity, which I came to know well after nine months in Thailand.

There are so many double standards in place in Thai culture — on the surface a free-thinking country that worships Bob Marley and the Lizard King. Where pot is honoured and magic mushrooms are taken in fruit shakes.

Where you can buy bamboo tattoos, an evening with a lady boy and any kind of surgery you want, from breast enlargement to sexual transitions.

But as women lounge on their beaches in bikinis, they love to label women who bare too much skin or have tattoos in the wrong spot as tarts.

Dirty men won’t look at you once they know they’re not in with a chance of a hook up. Respectful men won’t look 16

Feature.

at you once they know you are a taken woman. And try being friends with a local Muslim woman — no matter how much Thai I spoke, I could not get a single word out of the women my age, let alone a smile. Call your country the land of smiles!

I wanted my friends, I wanted to share jokes about the Mighty Boosh. I wanted a goddamn drink at the pub!

I had to come home.

When I told Chi, he wanted to come with me. So I made him a visa. He came (cold), I worked (to support us both), he learnt a bit more English, met my friends and family, but lit up when his friends from Thailand called him. He came to understand how it felt to be standing in the shoes of a strange culture.

“Why do people here frown when they talk to each other?

They’re always arguing.”

“We’re not frowning! We were planning where to go for dinner.”

I stayed in Tasmania to finish my semester at university.

I want to pursue a career in journalism. I want to keep studying. I know Australia; the people, the places — they are part of me. I also know that Chi feels the same way about Thailand, and we both know the social isolation that you feel when you are away from the places and people you know and love. There came a point where we realised neither would be happy living in each others’ country at this stage of our lives.

Now that Chi is back in Thailand indefinitely and I have immersed myself back into Uni life, I don’t know what will become of us. Chi will always be a part of my life, but in what capacity — I’m not sure.

I will go to visit him for three weeks before my course starts up again next semester. But three weeks is only really a holiday.

But perhaps in light of our increasingly disparate aspirations that’s all it ever was — a holiday that I didn’t want to end.

Batik by Melinda Mappasempe and Ivan Adhitya Wijatno

Alas, even our facial expressions are different.

In two years, I have learnt a lot about bridging cultural gaps. For Chi and I, much understanding has come from fighting, from the struggle to see eye to eye from such different cultural viewpoints.

Chi’s visa ran out in May. His mother is old and frail and he has gone back to Thailand to spend time with her while he still can. He is impatient for a family, for his mother to see our children before she dies.

Anita Whittle bumbled through a Bachelor of Arts before heading to warmer climates in 2007. She is now finishing her Masters in Journalism and enjoying ugg-boots, toasted sandwiches, working heaters and video cameras whilst in Hobart.

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Arranged

Marriages

Reflection.

Jenny Davson-Galle Painstakingly drawn over many hours, a myriad of intricate pattern covers her hands and feet.

To go to bed, they are covered with plastic bags to let the henna set. It is late. She must sleep.

The small weatherboard house has a backyard, a vegetable patch, a hills hoist clothes line and a veranda set toward the street. On the front porch, ladies have been cooking sweet donut breads since three in the morning. One bedside lamp — its lacy cover a pure white — casts a dim light for them to see by. In the backyard, a huge wok is set up to cook curry.

The air is crisp. There are many stars. By daylight, the gas will be off, the food prepared and everyone ready.

When she wakes and the bags are removed, the deep burnt orange of the Mehandi patterns stain her skin like a tattoo.

She holds out her hands and laughs; that the Mehandi is strong and clear is a good sign for her future. Her laughter tells both of relief and of a self-conscious joking at the superstitious custom. Even though her boyfriend has told her of his love, it is now confirmed by the Mehandi.

Today is Bishnu Bhattrai’s wedding day; an arranged marriage, decided by her parents. These happen in Tasmania.

She may live in Tasmania now, but as the Mehandi reflects, culture still matters. And why shouldn’t it?

To practise her culture is not only to continue it, but to express her identity.

The wedding is a series of carefully staged ceremonies. Rings are exchanged, gifts given, promises made. A father passes his daughter over to her husband. A new future begins.

A Hindu arranged marriage can be joyous in some circumstances, but it can also be complacently fearful; a wife awaiting a husband that evening and then over time, getting to know and maybe even love him.

However, sacred traditions, such as arranged marriages, are being challenged by the new generation of Naplia refugees. Menuka Koirala, 24, came to Australia with her husband and his family as a refugee from Bhutan. She married traditionally, but also likes the Australian way.

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“I can see many differences but the way is the same.

It is just making a girl and a boy married. From that day, the girl’s name will be with the husband,” she says.

Recently, two young couples have married with a Christian priest, demonstrating the adaptability of the younger generation. There is now a Hindu priest in Tasmania.

“Some old people, they say [of the younger generations] that recently we come and change a lot. Maybe they need to preserve [our culture], they are not supposed to forget in such a short time. But the younger generation, they say it was their choice,” says Menuka.

“If the older ones forget, then younger will also forget.”

Menuka’s mother-in-law has one young daughter. “If she marries with Nepali that will be better, but we have to think about her desire also, we need to understand this as well. This is changing,” she says.

Riya Rimal, a 23 year old Bhutanese refugee, says “this will be the main reason why many will marry arranged with Nepali”. However, Devi Bhattrai, 27, another Bhutanese refugee, believes this is not the preferred option for the community today. “Mainly they want to arrange love marriages. They want to have boyfriend first, this is better,” she says.

Practical factors are also affecting cultural change.

There is no shortage of Australians to marry but many, like Buhdiman Dahal, Devi’s husband, would not consider marrying an Australian woman.

“For [Bhutanese] girls it is hard to get a [Bhutanese] boy and for boy it is hard to get a girl in Launceston,” says Menuka.

Even so, Devi says “many of the community people will be mixed in one to two years. I like it. I hope that in a few years the community will be totally mixed. This is maybe one way we have to adapt our culture”.

“If I get children, I will give to them whatever they like.

I will give to them freedom”, says Devi.

Riya says that already she has this freedom. “It is my choice for my life, my parents accept my choice”, says Riya. At this stage her mind is still set.

“I hope I will marry Bhutanese, but nobody knows tomorrow.”

Photo by Magdalena Smee 19

Infection roulette Anneke van de Vusse

Chlamydia is a highly contagious sexually transmitted infection. Often the disease has no symptoms, but if left untreated it can lead to infertility. In less than a decade, the number of reported cases of Chlamydia in Tasmania has tripled and the state now has one of the highest rates of Chlamydia in the country.

A serious figure, with serious consequences, with some young Tasmanians relying solely on the protection of chance.

Chlamydia is most common in people under the age of 25, and up to 70 per cent of women and 50 per cent of men who have the infection experience no symptoms. For those who do, men often complain of pain passing urine or penis discharge, and some women experience spot bleeding and pelvic pain. If left untreated Chlamydia can cause pelvic

inflammatory disease, which can be very painful and lead to infertility in both males and females. It can also cause life threatening ectopic pregnancies, where embryos develop inside the fallopian tubes rather than the womb, and also miscarriage.

Chlamydia is caused by bacteria passed from person to person during unprotected sex, and is highly infectious.

People diagnosed must notify all recent sexual partners and encourage them to have a urine sample test. Notifying previous and current partners is essential for reducing the rates of infection.

Dr Joan Isherwood, a GP at the Unidoctors, diagnoses on average one or two Chlamydia infection cases per month.

Dr Isherwood sees more females coming in for tests then males, often students who study at the uni. This could be because young women are more likely to get tested 20

Feature.

while they are visiting a doctor for other reasons, such as contraception prescriptions or Pap smears.

“Chlamydia is highly contagious and the most common STI we see, but it is easily treated. Treatment for both males and females is a single dose of antibiotics, which is two tablets of Azithromycin,” she said. “As well as this they need to abstain from sex for a week, notify their partners and come back for another test in 6 weeks time to make sure they haven’t been reinfected,” said Dr Isherwood.

Chlamydia infection rates in Tasmania are reaching near epidemic proportions and continue to rise. At time of publication, 1036 new cases have been identified in 2010 with 86% of these in people under the age of 25. This figure doesn’t include those who haven’t been tested or are unaware they are infected.

A recent study by the Tasmanian Department of Health found that Chlamydia rates had tripled in the state between 2001 and 2007. The increased rates in Tasmania were larger than the increase observed nationally. These findings were published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. The study found that Chlamydia is affecting Tasmanians aged between 15–24 more than any other age group. At the time of the study this age group represented 15% of the total population but accounted for 74% of the Chlamydia notifications.

Dr Maree O’Sullivan, director of the Tasmanian Department of Sexual Health and Human Services was one of the authors of the study.

“…this is purely the tip of the iceberg and the real number is much higher, especially in the male population.”

“Alcohol and numbers of sexual partners are the major risks [attributed to Chlamydia], particularly among young people. Having a great time at a party or club with a few drinks on board can lead to sexual liaisons that probably wouldn’t happen if you were sober,” Dr O’Sullivan said.

Susan Williams is the Executive Director of Family Planning Tasmania. “They think, like most young people, they are bullet-proof and that it’s never going to happen to them”, said Williams. “But we know that the majority of Chlamydia infections are in young people. If people are to engage in risky behaviour, then the chance of an infection is very high.”

Williams acknowledges that it is unclear whether the increase in rates is due to people actually getting infected or just more people getting tested for the disease. “But officials believe it is a real increase” said Williams.

These beliefs are shared by Dr O’Sullivan. “We know that there will be a lot of people in the community that have not been tested, I think this is purely the tip of the iceberg and the real number is much higher, especially in the male population.”

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Photos by Anneke van de Vusse This year marked 50 years since the contraceptive pill became available in Australia. When taken correctly, the pill has a 99 per cent success rate in terms of pregnancy prevention, making it the most effective form of birth control available. It is estimated about 100 million women worldwide now use an oral contraceptive pill, and Australian women have one of the highest rates of contraceptive pill usage in the world.

Williams believes that the wide spread use of the pill could be a contributing factor in the Chlamydia infection epidemic, as an “excuse” to forgo barrier methods. Some couples may not fully comprehend the distinction between prevention of pregnancy and prevention of STIs. She says condoms are the most effective way to stop the transmission of STIs. Sonja Dercksen is the Sexual Health Educator at the Tasmanian Department of Sexual Health and Human Services. “For peace of mind, and to protect your body and your partner’s body, the safest and easiest method is to use condoms all the time,” she said.

“We recommended that sexually active people have a sexual health test every year and also every time they change partners.”

“We recommended that sexually active people have a sexual health test every year and also every time they change partners”, said Dercksen. Screening is available, free of charge, at the Sexual Health Service. Tests can also be done by a GP, Family Planning and at Youth Health Centres like the Link.

Williams reiterates a message of safety first.

“If a couple is in a monogamous relationship and wants to give condoms a rest, they should both have a sexual health check-up first and make sure they are using reliable contraception such as the pill to prevent pregnancy.”

If you are having sex with multiple partners, Williams is adamant there is only one way to avoid playing infection roulette with yourself and your partners.

“If you’re having casual sex with more than one partner then you need to know that your only option is sex with a condom or no sex at all.”

Anneke van de Vusse has her best ideas while pedaling around on her bike.

A combination of steep hills and workaholism keep this Graphic Design/ Journalism student warm in winter.

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Reflection.

Michael Voss Swotvac. That time of your academic career when your wardrobe gets colour coded, your hairbrushes get scrubbed and your stationary arranged in such a way that would bring Michelangelo himself to tears. And if you’re lucky, between the first season of Glee and the third time you watch the Mighty Ducks, you might even get a chance to do some study. The only problem? It is the most boring and least fun thing since volunteer work.

So, if like me, study puts you into a depression spiral akin to that inspired by the fourth season of Skins, then I have the solution.

What you need: 1) Yourself and anyone else foolish enough to participate.

2) Study materials (including textbooks, pads, a myriad of highlighters and cool annotating tabs that serve no real purpose but make your summaries look AMAZING); and, most importantly 3) Enough alcohol to literally kill a Shetland Pony.

The Basic Rules: 1) If you tidy your desk. Drink.

2) If you highlight more than 1/3 of the page of the textbook/handout you are reading. Drink.

3) If you read about a concept and have to ask yourself ‘what the f*ck’. Drink.

4) If you have to use Wikipedia/Google/a dictionary. Drink.

5) Every time you check Facebook. Drink.

6) Every time you update your status with a cry for sympathy. Drink twice.

7) If you try to lock yourself out of Facebook and fail. Drink.

8) Every time you feel the urge to procrasturbate. Drink.

9) When you want a tea break. Drink while the kettle boils.

10) If you have to go to the bathroom. Have two drinks.

Otherwise you’ll get dehydrated.

11) For every episode of a TV show that you watch, a drink must be consumed every five minutes. Failure to adhere to this rule imposes a penalty of a drink for every two minutes over the deadline.

12) Every time you use a post-it note. Drink.

13) Every time someone proposes impending failure. Drink.

14) Every time you berate yourself for not starting studying earlier. Drink.

15) Every time you tell yourself that next semester will be different. Drink twice. Liar.

16) If you email your tutor and or lecturer. Drink.

17) Every 15 minutes, as a reward for studying, have a shot. And remember, if you chase it with juice, it’s actually good for you.

And, for those occasions where you find yourself with other likeminded individuals, perhaps in the Morris Miller library rooms, there are also additional bonus group rules.

1) Every time you have to rifle through your notes to find an answer, the last person to stop has to drink.

2) If someone mentions that they have someone else’s notes from a previous year, or they ask you if you have someone else’s notes, the entire group has to do a boatrace. Keep a tally of how many drinks you consume in study session and pin it up above you desk to show how good you are at studying. Try to beat it next time.

Before you know it you’ll be studying longer, concentrating harder, and most importantly, come the end of exams, will have the liver of Superman.

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Bert Aperloo — Printmaking Carl Ross — Painting

Trent Binning — Photography

The Tasmanian School of Art down at Hunter St. is full of surprises. The oft-forgotten campus features many talented artists and designers, studying and creating work in everything from painting and illustration to sculpture, video and graphic design. There are always exhibitions of student work for people to come along and look at.

Here is a quick sample of some of the talented students.

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Jess Macleod — Graphic Design

Jess Norton — Installation

Magdalena Smee — Photography

Brett Littleton — Printmaking

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Tia Candlett — Digital Imaging

Robyn Silk — Printmaking

Priya Singh — Illustration

Zach Sonstegaard — Furntire

Joey Gracia — Painting

Neil Holmstrom — Printmaking

Jack Dinsmoor — Digital Imaging

Alex Dalvern — Graphic Design

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wife carrying Warrick Jordan The last time I ventured to the showgrounds of Singleton, the largest town in Australia’s largest coal mining region, I was 17, half-cut, and beset by agitated cowboys-with-training-spurs.

Countryfest 2010, an extravaganza of all things rural, offered a fine opportunity to get to know the place on friendlier terms.

Sheep-dog trials, post-splitting and fencing comps, horseback cattle-penning and bull riding competitions showcased the impressive skills and fine headwear of some the best stockmen in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley. The Countryfest ute muster also showcased some of the finest feral and working utes ever to be graced by a confederate flag, a few tonne of Bundy stickers and — in one tasteful case — a desiccated pig’s head.

The high point of proceedings, however, was the event Countryfest is famed for — the Australian Wife Carrying Championships. With a wife on the back and a fire in the soul, triathletes, rugby players and unfit narcissists take on 220 metres of steeplechasing pain for the chance to wear the green and gold at the World Championships in Finland. I was sorely disappointed to discover that this was now the prize — in the past tradition held that the rules of wife carrying, which may or may not be inscribed on a lone spruce on a summit in the wild mountains of Estonia, mandated the winner be awarded his wife’s weight in beer; a pure handicap if ever there was one.

Added to the mix this year was the world’s first Husband Dragging Competition. The winds of gender equality, warped and scented as they are by the smell of carcass remnants from last weekend’s piggin’ trip,

have wafted down the Hunter River and engulfed the Singo showgrounds.

The format runs as follows: happily drinking hubby dragged from bar; picks up untended garbage bag; races it to bin; and piss-bolts back to the bar to throwdown a tinnie and crush the empty can on his noggin. Good old, clean-living, country fun.

The best way I could describe Countryfest is that he’s 5’5”, nearly 8 decades young, and could charm the pants off Tipper Gore. Forget Lee Kernighan and his seppo twang. Forget McLeod’s Daughters. You could probably even forget Kevin ‘Bloody’ Wilson. Charlie Shearer is the real rural Australia. Born in the depression, Charlie won his first cattle prize at the Singleton Show at age 10. He has exhibited at the last 64 Sydney Royal Easter Shows and staffed the gate at the local show for the best part of 50 years. Charlie is equal parts sparkling-eyed humour, quietly commanding presence and all round good bloke.

He’s the best of country, but that country’s changing.

Traditional rural life in places like the Hunter Valley, the neighbouring Liverpool Plains, and Queensland’s Bowen Basin is often beset by challenges such as lack of services and drought. The tough realities of farming provide reasons as to why modern country life isn’t as solid as the people it breeds. And in Singleton, in the Upper Hunter Valley, there is another big reason — coal.

Any conversation with a local that turned to the coal mining industry, as most did, was focused on the negative changes, and the lack of a fair share to the town. A mate’s old man, a sheep dog breeder who delivers gear to mines, had no kind words to say. The middle aged lady at the Rescue Helicopter fundraising 28

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“The Countryfest ute muster also showcased some of the finest feral and working utes ever to be graced by a confederate flag, a few tonne of Bundy stickers and — in one tasteful case — a desiccated pig’s head.”

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“The heats were head-to-head, no-holds-barred excursions into realms of hurt that no number of cups of toughen-the-fuck-up could hope to surpass for sheer granite hardness.” stall felt the same. An ex-miner, concerned about climate change, asked me what I thought about clean coal; his thoughts were that the premise is a scam.

Although an agricultural show is probably the best place in town if you want to hear bad words about coal, the frequency of complaints intimates that something is surely amiss.

The coherence of rural life, however, has maintained itself despite being swallowed by the coal industry and facing threats from markets, water scarcity, and city lights. But it’s not immune to communications technologies and consumptive distractions.

Steve from Tamworth is a great example of modern country life. He posts photos of hunted pigs on Facebook and tracks down ute musters online. There’s a difference, though, between Steve and the technology usage of his city mouse brethren: He’s still out there, rifle in hand, not sitting on the lounge playing “Piggin’ Hero” on Wii. While many young people leave the country, some stay on or return to a life that offers shelter from the tyranny of choice and mindless spending that rules the brick-veneerial disease-afflicted suburbs. I met a few at Countryfest who had tried-on town and didn’t like the way it fit. The day-to-day realities of decent, square-shouldered youngsters contains an assuredness that is perhaps unjustified after decades of continual wrenching change.

Whatever the uncertainties, however, a country upbringing is likely preferable to the experience of those of us who apparently became adults on the suburban fringe, where the only certainty was that stacking shelves or flipping burgers was layering us with filth that couldn’t be washed off with cheap beer or bong water.

Countryfest 2010, however, was not about coal, or rural decline, or pipedream technologies. It wasn’t really about utes, or sheep dogs, or even bull riding. It was about one thing and one thing only — Wife Carrying. Well, it was about all those things, and some others, but the chance to take out the title, represent Australia at the world

championships in Finland, and tick a box on my “things to do before I cash in my chips” list was definitely top billing.

The competition looked pretty tough in the sheds: second rowers from the Singleton Bulls rugby team, triathletes, and a gym instructor. Even the contingent of grey nomads looked pretty sharp. While I recovered from the shock that hill-climb training regimes, weight reducing diets, big, fit blokes and taut, lithe women were standard fare in wife carrying circles, someone dragged us onto utes and we entered the cauldron. It was pandemonium — the closest I’ll ever get to the MCG on Granny Day or a Lang Park Origin game. A warm up lap allowed us to suss out the depth of the water trap, size up the hurdles and soak up the adulation of a couple of thousand raucous Singletonians.

The heats were head-to-head, no-holds-barred excursions into realms of hurt that no number of cups of toughen-thefuck-up could hope to surpass for sheer granite hardness.

The poetry of muscle and technique, man and woman, was breathtaking. For some anyway: for the rest of us, a few minutes of wondering what the hell we were doing in the middle of Singleton Showground rapidly gave way to the realisation that we were piss-bolting along a slippery grassed paddock and about to collapse into a pond with 50 plus kilos of wife around our necks.

There is something to be said, however, for the pure, slow motion unfolding of a wife carrying duel. Nearing the finish line, I heard the crowd rise as our pursuing opponents pulled out all the stops. As I slipped in the sand trap, a few steps from the finish, the Singo Coliseum roared with disappointment, and our opponents strolled/stumbled past.

All flailing pain was salved, however, as they collapsed right beside us. Picked up by cheers, carried on horns of feral utes, we fell over the line, grateful to have tasted the sand-flecked flavour of wife-carrying victory just this once.

And Singleton? Despite drought, coal, and changing times, any town with bumper stickers that read “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” must have something going for it. And surely a town that comes to a standstill to fill a grandstand with people and scream for a short bloke in a skirt stumbling along with his partner’s legs wrapped around his head… well, she’s certainly a bit different.

Warrick Jordan: is currently writing an Honours thesis about loss of place in coal-affected communities in NSW. He is also working on a “Blue Day Book”—inspired photographic collection featuring kids working in majority world sweatshop abattoirs. It’s called “Cement Pills”.

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Photo by Angus Ashton 31

Reflection.

By Bourne Milano

If, like me, you spent the entire duration of your uni degree wearing thongs, jeans and printed tees, and the longest period of time you had been in an office was in the queue to collect your youth allowance, your knowledge of the finer details of office dress etiquette is grossly limited.

With pending job interviews and full time employment just around the corner there is no better time to begin your transformation into the land of paper jams, progress meetings and coffee runs — and there is no better place to start than buying a new suit.

A good suit is the foundation of the businessman’s wardrobe. The wrong suit can have you looking like a used car dealer, whereas the right suit can make you look like the leader of men. Getting it right is imperative, so here are a few tips to get you started:

SUIT UP!

Tip 1: A common problem in buying your first suit is knowing how much to outlay. The $100 suit, shirt and tie package you wore to your leavers’ dinner is simply not going to cut it. Anyone who has been in an office environment for any reasonable period of time will spot your tacky attempt a mile away and you will spend your first six months manning the photocopier.

You don’t need to overdo it either; you are not going to impress anyone wearing a $2000 Armani suit while you fetch coffee for the whole office.

A reasonable investment for a good first suit is between $400 to $600, which is a lot of beer money, but when you consider how often you will wear it (and the fact that you will be in full time paid employment for perhaps the first time in your life) the expenditure is easily justified.

Tip 2: The next point you need to consider is colour. The colour of a suit is often associated with personality traits, for example: colours like charcoal and black can convey integrity, navy blue suggests authority, and brown shows that you are down to earth and easily approachable. Generally if you go for neutral colours you can’t go wrong and a modest pin stripe is always a winner. Be sure to stay clear of the plain black suit or you will look like you are attending a funeral, and unless you control a Columbian drug cartel there is absolutely no reason to own a white suit.

Tip 3: When picking out your suit, know that double button jackets are the general trend, and if you want to sweep the gorgeous secretary off her feet in a whirlwind of desire, you might want to go with something that is a little more tapered with a snug fit.

The most important point when mulling over price, colour and cut is to consider what fits within your role. More creative marketing and design roles will require you to show a bit more personality in your suit, whereas an accounting role will require you to show…well, less personality.

Either way, nothing demands respect like suiting up.

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Feature.

FORESTRY IN TASMANIA

By Adam Nebbs

Photo by Peter Maarseveen

The past thirty years has seen the forestry debate in Tasmania constantly in the spotlight but last month was the beginning of some exciting developments.

Premier David Bartlett announced on Friday May 14 that a roundtable meeting would be set up in order to secure the forest industry that is facing economic difficulties.

This is due to such factors as the global financial crisis, the collapse of Managed Investment Schemes and most importantly the downturn of woodchips into the Japanese market.

The roundtable will include representatives from the timber industry, conservation groups and unions in the hope that the industry can be reshaped and made financially secure.

In weeks after this on Thursday May 27 the chairman of Gunns, John Gay, announced he was retiring after a 37 year career in the forest industry.

This could be due to such factors as Mr. Gay’s stock hitting an all time low of 39.5 cents and investors showing their strong disapproval of his plan to move the pulp mill to Gunns subsidiary Southern Star.

The forestry roundtable is still in the development phase due to such delays as a rejection of nominated chairman Rob Woolley of the Forests and Forest Industry Council due to his lack of independence.

Former Victorian Premier and President of the Hawthorn Football Club, Jeff Kennett, did put himself forward for the role of chair but this was not taken up.

Further delays came about with infighting within factions of conservation groups who stated that they needed time and space to sort out issues before entering into the roundtable.

This was still the case after Mr. Bartlett held preliminary discussions with Paul Oosting of The Wilderness Society and Phil Pullinger of Environment Tasmania.

The end of May also saw Tasmanian farmers asking to take part in the roundtable talks due their claim that 40% of forest products are coming off their own private lands.

The forestry sector has also been given a $3.6 million emergency assistance package to tide the industry over before long term goals can be put in place.

But this has also caused controversy with fears that high conservation value forests will be sacrificed in order to help out the ailing forest industry.

The big issue of high conservation forests will be discussed at the roundtable and the Forest Stewardship Council plan to use an independent auditor when deciding which forests are of this value.

The conservationist groups, however, have already sent a list to the Forestry Stewardship Council and deem 600 of the 900 Tasmanian forests to be of this high conservation value.

Togatus decided to delve further into these issues by interviewing Greens Leader Nick McKim about the possibilities of this roundtable meeting.

“This is a unique opportunity to bring about an end to this divisive debate in Tasmania and to deliver a forest industry that each and every Tasmanian can be proud of,” Mr. McKim said.

The downturn was a result of Japan, who makes up 80% of woodchip exportation in Tasmania, not approving of a forest industry that did not have Forest Stewardship Certification.

“The market expectations are now that timber products should be sourced from sustainably managed operations and that currently is not the case in Tasmania and that’s 33

one of the reasons why we are struggling to sell some of our products,” Mr. McKim said.

This has been affirmed by the Greens and environmental groups with the problems that came about with the Australian Forestry Standard.

“For a long time Forestry Tasmania tried to work around Forest Stewardship Certification by in effect inventing the Australian Forestry Standard, which was a standard that basically allowed for business as usual in the timber industry.”

Mr. McKim also maintains the necessity of having an independent chairman.

“The talks will have to be facilitated by someone who is not only independent but perceived to be independent” Togatus also spoke with Vica Bayley, campaign manager of the Tasmanian Wilderness Society about the Forest industry.

“They [Forestry Tasmania] have tried to instil confidence, in the market place, of the sustainability of their products and clearly because the Australian Forestry Standard sets such a low bar it hasn’t washed with international customers” Mr. Bayley also discussed the overall global significance of protecting high conservation forests in Tasmania.

“It’s really clear that the global community, let alone the Tasmanian and Australian community, want to see those forests protected. It’s what science demands in terms of climate science, in terms of biodiversity, in terms of water catchments; it’s what the science shows and it’s what needs to happen.”

However, Mr. Bayley did stress the importance of having a timber industry in Tasmania.

“We do need a timber industry in Tasmania it’s a really important cultural, economic activity with massive contributions but we obviously need that to be something that all Tasmanians can live with, that all Tasmanians can be happy with.”

Since the initial announcement of the forestry roundtable the Bartlett government has yet to set a date but some interesting media reports have looked at the environmental meetings of the past.

Angus Livingston of the Examiner discussed how the last time an allencompassing discussion was attempted was at the Salamanca Inn in 1989.

This resulted in the Salamanca Agreement, which had the backing of all sides of the debate, but eventuated in the deal being broken after the Labor cabinet removed the cap on woodchip quotas.

However, in 2010 both sides of the forestry debate have an opportunity to fix the mistakes of the past and to finally close this issue and restore security to the timber industry, while being environmentally conscious.

The photos in this article have been made with a homemade pinhole camera — no digital manipulation has been done to them.

Kiwi Adam Nebbs is coming to grips with the Australian accent but still pronounces his name as “Edam” 34

Photo by

by Peter Peter Maarseveen Maarseveen Photo

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Ben Waterworth

“…daring to dream about what an Olympics in Hobart would be like in ten years: The stunning opening ceremony at the exceptional David Foster Stadium…”

Every four years the eyes of the world fixate on a single city as they host the biggest peacetime event this planet knows: The Olympic Games.

Cities such as London, Paris, Los Angeles, and Australia’s own Melbourne and Sydney have had the honour of hosting the greatest athletes in the world on at least one occasion over the last 114 years. And while the honour roll of cities may display some of the biggest cities in the world, it does not include one city that many people believe have a significant chance of becoming the capital of Australia than hosting an Olympic Games. That city is Hobart.

Yes, Hobart, the capital of our beautiful State. Population 219, 287. The second oldest city in the Australia and home to some of the most pristine and untouched landscapes in the world. And while you may scoff at Hobart bidding for an Olympic games as nothing more than delusions of grandeur, the support for such a campaign may actually surprise, and even more, please you.

It was recently featured in the May issue of Tasmanian Life magazine, with editor Jonathan Mathys daring to dream about what an Olympics in Hobart would be like in ten years: The stunning opening ceremony at the exceptional David Foster Stadium, surrounded by some of the most architecturally unique stadiums in history (all carbon neutral in their design) and all reached by environmentally friendly roads and bypasses.

Over the last couple of months similar articles have appeared in The Mercury, The Examiner, The Age, The Australian and on some of the leading online news websites such as Ninemsn and Yahoo7.

The coverage doesn’t just stop at newspapers, with leading radio stations in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane all scrambling to interview the people behind the bid, as well as invite their listeners to call in and discuss it, and it was even a topic of interest on Channel Nine’s national Sunday Morning sports show Wide World of Sports. It is clear that the bid is getting Tasmania, and Australia, talking.

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Feature.

They’re also talking online, with a key driving factor being social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. At time of publication, the Hobart 2020 Olympics support page on Facebook had a staggering 8565 fans, which had been achieved in less than four months. A phenomenal effort considering the lack of advertising taken up by the group through the site.

What is even more interesting to note is that out of that 8565 fans, only 10% of them come from Hobart. In fact, Hobart ranks fourth on the list of cities that have fans on the support page, behind Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, with 17% coming from the nation’s capital.

In all a total of 19 cities are represented on the Facebook support page, spreading out as far as Mumbai and New Delhi in India, Sunbury in Canada, Washington and San Jose in the United States and, the home of the next Summer Olympics in 2012, London.

not put down this magazine, turn on your computer, pick up a pen or the phone and spread the word, because even you could help bring the greatest show on earth to the greatest city on earth.

As Abraham Lincoln famously said: “With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed”. The Hobart 2020 Olympic bid has the public sentiment, now it remains to be seen whether it will come out on top.

For more information on the Hobart 2020 Olympic Bid and to lend your support, visit www.hobart2020.org or email admin@hobart2020.org. You can also become a follower of the bid on either Facebook.com or Twitter.com by searching for “Hobart 2020” on either site.

It is clear to see that a bid for the Hobart Olympics has wide reaching support from all over the globe. A simple Google search for “2020 Olympics” brings three of the top 10 searches up relating to the Hobart bid. The bid has far reaching levels of support, as comments like this show: Donald Hagenwald from Chicago proudly declares: “Hobart could have — no, will have the best Olympics EVER!” Stephen Bryant-Hiscock from Southampton in England also boasts: “Good luck Hobart! Can’t think of a more beautiful destination to host the games!”

The leading online news site for Olympic Games bidding information, Gamesbids.com, has featured the bid in their news section and several related topics in their forums.

One of the threads relates to possible hosts for the Commonwealth Games in Australia after the Gold Coast games in 2018: Hobart leads the poll with 56.25% of the total vote. However, support alone, no matter how large it is, will not win Hobart the Olympics. Far from it. The bid itself will not go anywhere without any formal backing from the State and Federal government. From there, official support from the Australian Olympic Committee is needed, even before an official application can be lodged to the International Olympic Committee for consideration.

What the support will do, however, is show the powers that be that the community highly supports a Hobart bid for the Olympic Games, be it in 2020 or even in the future.

But it’s still a pipe dream at best. So, dear readers, why

“…you could help bring the greatest show on earth to the greatest city on earth.”

Ben Waterworth once ate cat food. True story. But that’s not why his picture is here and why you should be reading this blurb.

To be honest we should be telling you about his 2 shows on Edge Radio, his University studies in Journalism or his campaign to get the Olympics to Hobart in 2020. Oh, we just did. So there’s not really anything else to talk about. Except about Ben’s letterbox fetish.

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A glimpse into the Hobart art scene Hannah McConnell 38

Feature.

The art scene in Hobart is a thriving and dynamic one. A wander through the wellknown Salamanca Arts Centre and surrounding galleries is enough to show the casual observer that there is an abundance of local artistic talent. From print making, to painting, to wooden and resin jewellery design, there is enough variety here to whet the appetite of any art enthusiast. In addition to the galleries and stores that are scattered around Hobart, there are various other outlets in which up and coming artists may choose to expose their work.

Salamanca is one of Tasmania’s best known areas, and is a vibrant and inspiring hub for artists and art lovers alike. The Salamanca Arts Centre (SAC) is a not-for-profit organisation and comprises a community of galleries, retail outlets, art organisations and artists’ studios. It may be a surprise to some to learn that there are around 75 arts related and individual artists based in the Arts Centre.

SAC’s support for major projects comes from various sponsors and the community.

In January 2009, SAC established MONA FOMA, the new music and art festival which holds enormous potential for the state. Just last year there were some international acts featured at MONA FOMA such as hip-hop great, Grandmaster Flash. Other partners include Ten Days on the Island, The Taste Festival, and the University of Tasmania’s School of Art. The newest addition to the Salamanca Arts Centre is Cube Art and Design, which opened on the first of March 2010.

This compact space is the result of a collaboration between noted resin jewellery designer Rebecca Roth and wooden jewellery designer Jemima Boyer. The two designers coown the space which doubles as an art and design gallery, as well as a retail space. It showcases both Boyer’s wooden jewellery and Roth’s resin pieces, and also features an array of Tasmanian produced artwork, design, and jewellery products for purchase. Boyer says that the store took “many months to nut out over pots of tea and biscuits.”

These skulls are eye catching and beautiful, and draw a lot of attention, “It’s been fascinating watching the different reactions on people’s faces as they look in the window at them!” says Boyer.

Rebecca Roth is a Tasmanian based resin jewellery designer, and now has 25 stockists across Australia and New Zealand. “I’ve been designing resin jewellery for five years, it started as a small hobby,” she says. Roth’s jewellery resembles beautifully coloured pebbles. Roth says that she often finds inspiration on Tasmanian coastal beaches; she explains “looking down at a pebble in the sand. I prefer the raw look to the high gloss look, although I do both.” Inspiration comes quite differently to Roth’s business partner Boyer. “I find inspiration from my son’s building blocks and toys. I love the primary colours! I picked up a piece of Lego the other day and thought, could I wear this somehow?” she laughs.

According to Boyer, there is an ample amount of talent within Hobart’s art scene. “There is heaps and heaps of Tasmanian talent around. The Market at the Sandy Bay Masonic Temple which is held on the first Sunday of every month is an excellent outlet and means of exposure for Tasmanian artists,” she says. The Market showcases independent art and design, and was established by three local designers, one of whom is Rebecca Roth. The Market features things like locally made jewellery, candles and random crafty pieces such as notebooks made from vintage wallpaper. The Market provides a snapshot of the ever-evolving art and design scene in Hobart.

Cube Art and Design will be holding an exhibition in July 2010; Boyer and Roth will be curating half each. “We’ve contacted quite a lot of Tasmanian artists and jewellers who will contribute one piece to the show each,” says Roth. “There will be around eighty or ninety artists exhibiting in here. It is a fairly limited space.”

Cube Art and Design is notable in that most of the art work and designs shown in the store are Tasmanian made and produced. “Working within the Salamanca Arts Centre, we’re obliged to have 85 to 90 per cent Tasmanian work. In here we only stock two artist’s work that aren’t Tasmanian,” says Boyer.

Among the jewellery and drawings are a series of colourful ceramic skulls by Marion Abraham and Alex Gouldthorpe.

39

I wouldn’t have any problem at all going anywhere in the world now and saying I paint here. It’s a privilege to work somewhere like this…

David Nash is a local painter who was one of the pioneers of Hobart’s art scene in the 1980s. He has been a full time painter since he graduated from the Tasmanian School of Art just over thirty years ago. Nash describes his work as “fairly large scale oil painting, and it primarily comes under the heading of abstract expressionism using strong tonal contrast, strong colours and bold structures. It cuts across varied subject matter, from depiction of the human figure into landscape and our connectedness to the cosmos and the universe.” Nash initially painted in the Long Gallery in the Salamanca Arts Centre in the 1980s, and was part of a group consisting of a “very strong core of painters.”

Nash now works in the Salamanca precinct above Despard Gallery. “I’m working in Salamanca above the gallery, upstairs in a very large loft. It’s great because I can get on with my work, but if someone comes into the gallery who’s interested, I’m there on hand to talk to them,” he says.

Nash says that a big part of his job is talking to artists and members of the public who are inquisitive. “[It’s] a wonderful experience. Standing in front of a work and talking about it, and they’ve got a different perspective on it even than me. Sometimes it results in them acquiring the work, and sometimes it’s just an exchange of words,” says Nash.

As an artist who has lived in Tasmania for over 30 years, Nash has witnessed the art scene change over time. He says that today he sees the art scene as being “a little bit too conservative — compared to what it was. I don’t think there’s enough dialogue. Part of that is there’s no one who really writes about art anymore.” Nash has a point; there does not appear to be a great deal of commentary in the media on the art scene within Hobart. Nash also raises the idea that “contemporary art is too sheltered from the general public.”

Unlike the design and craft aspect of the art world, for the mode of painting there exists fewer outlets for up and coming artists to expose their work. Nash thinks that “it’s difficult, because the commercial galleries are showing a lot of work that’ll sell, so often the best art is the stuff that is just a little bit too advanced for the general public who want to buy now. Maybe in twenty years they would see the value, but that’s just been the nature of good art for centuries and it’s proven over and over again.” The market for paintings is something that must be considered by gallery owners, that is to say how well something is going to sell. “I see it over and over again, you see work and noone’s buying it but it’s just fantastic. That’s the nature of 40

Feature.

progressive art, that it is often just a bit in front of the mass audience,” Nash says.

Magda Pakulski is the manager at Handmark Gallery in Salamanca. Since 1980, Handmark Gallery has helped to support and encourage a range of talented artists from the Tasmanian art and craft movements. In addition to the gallery in Salamanca, Handmark now has a gallery in the historical town of Evandale in the state’s north.

“We only sell Tasmanian art,” says Pakulski. Works by new and established artists are exhibited throughout the year. “We have a stable of about one hundred artists.

Their work is not all in here at once, and that number is in Evandale as well.” On the art scene in Hobart, Pakulski says that it’s “really vibrant and strong. At the moment there is a flourish in print making. Being on an island makes artists very creative.”

Tasmania seems to be an idyllic place for artists. “It’s so good to work in Tasmania, it’s really dramatic, we’ve got the water, mountains, light changing,” says Nash.

“Hobart’s become a lot groovier place. I wouldn’t have any problem at all going anywhere in the world now and saying I paint here. It’s a privilege to work somewhere like this … an ideal place to make art. There’s always a feeling of drama around, it’s never dull.”

Hannah Mac would rather be in Byron Bay, sipping lemongrass and ginger tea.

41

Thomas Hyland Given that Animal Kingdom is essentially a tight family-based crime drama; it is likely to draw inevitable comparisons to the 9 Networks contemptuous telly-drama.

However, these comparisons can only go genre deep.

Animal Kingdom is a film free from restrictions and succeeds in everything it sets out to do; resulting in a modern piece of cinema that does so much whilst simultaneously exercising restraint.

Animal Kingdom, a work of fiction, violently kicks and spurs out shards of truth far more genuine than Underbelly’s most senior fact-riddled episodes could ever possibly imagine. Ultimately, to reference Underbelly when approaching Animal Kingdom is to say that a red capsicum will taste like a red apple, because after all, they’re both red. To that I say: A piece of shit might have a similar shade to that of a chocolate bar, but that doesn’t mean it’ll taste the same. Both are crime dramas, but unlike Underbelly, Animal Kingdom tastes astonishingly good.

Animal Kingdom is the first feature film by talented young writer/director David Michod, after a string of successful shorts and a powerful documentary in Solo. The film tells 42

Review.

the story of Joshua ‘J’ Cody (played by newcomer James Frecheville) as he enters into a world of armed robbery, drugs and murder after his mother’s fatal overdose.

The adolescent Josh ends up living with his estranged relatives. We soon find out Josh’s mother had deliberately shielded him from this side of the family due to their corrupt and dangerous nature.

In his new surroundings, Josh falls into the care of his uncles Darren (Luke Ford), Craig (Sullivan Stapleton), and the eldest of the three, Andrew ‘Pope’ Cody (Ben Mendelsohn), who has been in hiding. Melbourne suburbia sets the scene as an overtly corrupt armed robbery squad tightens around this desperate family of criminals, teetering on the edge of coming undone. David Michod evokes a powerful world in conflict and has combined with Jo Ford to deliver a truly superb soundtrack.

The difference between Animal Kingdom and other crime dramas of a similar volition lies in authenticity of the screenplay. Ultimately, the narrative becomes secondary to the world presented, as the characters struggle to either identify what they want, or how to achieve it.

Animal Kingdom is beautify shot and riddled with outstanding performances from the entire cast, with Ben Mendelsohn’s creepy performance as Pope sure to stay with you long past the film’s conclusion. This evocative film manages to take something we’ve all seen before and make it beautiful and new. If only works likes Animal Kingdom were as readily pumped out and available out as Underbelly.

The film’s character and narrative synopsis initially read more like a homage to its class. Grandmother Janine ‘Smurf’ Cody (played by Jacki Weaver) resembles the classic criminal matriarch as she works in direct opposition to the sole, wholesome police chief Nathan Leckie (played

by Guy Pearce).

This is a moral compass story and the audience, like Josh, are tested to find out where we all fit. Quirky Australian references fly in and out, but as incidental realism rather than the token colloquial jabs that are so painfully thrown around some Australian film and cinema.

Thomas Hyland is a freelance writer and musician although he actually wishes he was a filmmaker. He lives on the internet at clonesandclones.com and myspace.com/ivyst 43

Music. Reviews.

This is Happening LCD Soundsystem The electro/electronica movement has developed immensely since Gary Numan, musical inception.

LCD Soundsystem’s third album This is Happening is a good example of jubilant beats that cause lawful mental stimulation.

Dance Yrself Clean is another marvelous opening track, similar to Get Innocuous off their second album Sound of Silver. Both are around nine minutes in length and have climaxes to match anything produced by Numan.

The trickery in hearing Flight of the Concords and Regurgitator on track three was a surprise, considering the band are originally from New York.

Thomas Friend The music may inspire dancing, but unfortunately the album cover won’t inspire purchasing the record for a wall hanging. In saying that, you don’t buy music for the artwork, and with the standard of this album you won’t need any artistic bonuses.

LCD Soundsystem are playing this year’s Splendour in the Grass festival, although their sideshows with Hot Chip would be my choice to invigorate the soul. The sideshows are in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, so travel as north as your pennies will allow.

Pity Hobart can’t haul these kinds of acts to town, but in the meantime, console yourself by grabbing this album — you won’t be disappointed.

James Murphy (producer/creator) may suffer a mild case of rig-tight-us, but it doesn’t affect his voice and instrumental skills, which are superior sensual attributes.

Murphy is quite a nonchalant man and at a recent gig in New York he personified his own stigma. He closed the set at Terminal with New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down accompanied by hundreds of white balloons falling on the crowd.

The last two songs Pow Pow and Somebody’s Calling Me could potentially send you into a negative spiral on a Sunday morning if you were still wearing Saturday night’s clothes. But the last song Home brings back the bouncy beats and scintillating vocal depiction.

44

Theatre. Reviews.

Inglorious Bartletts 2010 Uni Revue A night of Nazis, naughties and nudity, and what more could you expect from an Old Nick Company Uni Revue?

Inglorious Bartletts left the audience wanting more, with its high energy dance numbers, politically incorrect humour and of course, an array of naked actors. Almost conceived in the theatre, Ben Paine’s role in the uni revue is well established. In his directorial debut, Paine lived up to his predecessor and gave the audience a show well worth their money. The talented cast of both newcomers and familiar faces provided a night of entertainment for anyone to enjoy, assuming that you are not offended by cracks at Muslims, homosexuals, women, the disabled and Will Hodgman.

Whether you love or hate them, it was almost impossible not to laugh at the Liberals’ expense. In an almost spooky resemblance, David Bartlett (Jarred Goldsmith) and his Inglorious Bartletts set out to destroy the Liberal-Nasty party with a series of dances, songs and skits that you would never find in a Tarantino film. The humour was intelligent, the actors comical and the nudity was cleverly placed. Bouncing genitalia always goes down well… and then comes back up again.

With a fresh young director and a high energy cast taking the piss out of the recent state election, was there any letdown in this year’s revue? Unfortunately, yes. The only letdown of the night was the hit and miss

Rowena Atkins comedy that featured in a number of skits. Inappropriate and offensive jokes always seem more acceptable when they are shrouded in wit. Though Inglorious Bartletts had a number of fantastic one-liners, some skits seemed to lack a certain intelligence that is characteristic of previous revues. I was left feeling as if the offensive one-liners about Muslim women and 12-year-old prostitutes were thrown into the show for the sake of offending people rather than for the quality humour that the revue is famous for.

That being said, the title feature of the revue was a witty and appropriately inappropriate stab at our state politicians and was the highlight of the performance.

The audience were in stitches at the clever and comical portrayal of Western popular culture. It was an educational experience for many, being taught that a ShamWow can clear up those pesky sexually transmitted infections. Some of our most loved advertisements were mocked mercilessly, particularly a well crafted parody of the Check your Breasts advertisement which stressed the importance of checking your rectum while buttering your toast.

If you’re a revue virgin, you will love the show. Like its predecessors, the 2011 Uni Revue is sure to be a fantastic night, especially if Ben Paine sits in the directors chair.

Despite a few comical struggles, the 2010 Uni Revue was highly entertaining and a great night out.

45

Books. Reviews.

Perdido Street Station China Miéville “The river twists and turns to face the city.

It looms suddenly, massive, stamped on the landscape. Its light wells up around the surrounds, the rock hills, like bruise blood.

Its dirty towers glow.”

To describe Perdido Street Station as a classic science fiction or fantasy novel would be incorrect; it is a novel written by a literary mastermind who constructs a world of power and fear. It is worth noting, however, that China Miéville does not create such a piece of work in few words.

At 800-odd pages it’s no mean feat. Wordy descriptions full of adjectives both complete Miéville’s picture and result in a lengthy novel.

Miéville is a stunning author. His debut book King Rat astounded the science fiction market. Yet his work is not aimed purely at this readership. His latest novel The City and the City is crime fiction, and he also dabbled in young adult and children’s writing with Un Lun Dun and Looking for Jake respectively.

Miéville’s three part series set in the world of Bas-Lag starts with Perdido Street Station. The story takes place in New Crobuzon, an immense city with corruption at its core. The book’s title alludes to a towering structure at the heart of the city, where the train lines meet and depart.

Megan Hancock of Crisis Energy are interrupted by a bird-like creature arriving at his door. The troubled creature is removed of his flight and resorts to science to restore it.

In the story that follows, Isaac unwittingly unlocks a secret of the city; a terrifying secret that threatens the populations’ existence. Plunged into the darkness, Isaac and his accrued team of outcasts attempt to restore salvation to the population.

Perdido Street Station is a must read. You very easily slip into the character’s lives; their misfortunes as well as their celebrations. Written in both first and third person, the transition between the two is seamless and fits perfectly.

The only criticism that I had with the book was the abstract nature that appeared throughout; it is sometimes not easy to grasp but the unanswered questions leave room for the reader’s imagination to diverge.

Regardless of its flaws, Perdido Street Station ranks high within its genre and supports a writing standard worth following in the future — starting with the next books in the series, The Scar and Iron Council.

Humans and alien races exist side by side in a breeding ground for disease and parasites. A human citizen, Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin, is a troubled scientist whose studies 46

Games. Reviews.

Red Dead Redemption (PS3, Xbox 360) Rockstar Games Most people know Rockstar games for pioneering the Grand Theft Auto series, Max Payne and even the 3d version of Earthworm Jim. But, there was a game produced back in 2004 that received less than favourable reviews called Red Dead Revolver.

Set in the ol’ Wild West it followed a cliché plot centered around (you guessed it) gold mines, bounty-hunting, Hollywood-style quick draw competitions and some nasty Wild West betrayal. Perhaps if they had included a bank robbery and some wenches it would have been snapped up off the shelves. But the game quickly settled into the dark corner of the gaming library and went about its own personal mission of gathering dust.

There was a lot of speculation surrounding the arrival of a new Wild West game from Rockstar. Most notably, some footage of a Wild West rider being rendered through the Play Station 3 which caused much excitement. And so, after 6 years of fighting dust-bunnies the Red Dead game became the Red Dead series. On May 18 2010 Red Dead Redemption was released to the throngs of eager GTA fans (having been two years since the release of GTA4).

The game platformed on the PS3 supports a beautiful and rich game world, immersing the player into the world of the Wild West set around the early 1900s. Grown-up kids everywhere rejoice as playing cowboys is now available in glorious 1080p High-Def. The many gameplay aspects in RDR are refreshingly accurate to the era (excepting, of course, the fast-draw gunfights). Jump on your steed and

Simon Lee gallop into the sunset, then, with shotgun poised over your left arm, blast away the enemy. And if the person you happen to be shooting at has a bounty on their head you can lasso them and drag them back to the sheriff. For those less adventurous, there is an opportunity to enjoy a quick drink in the local saloon and holler at bar-wenches, play a game of cards or even see how fast you can jump a knife between your fingertips. Don’t worry, it is all historically accurate!

There are one or two niggles I had with RDR, the first one being the subtle change in the primary view. The leap from constantly seeing a beautiful car racing around streets to that of a horses’ backside was a hard adjustment. This of course includes the speed differences. The physics of the RDR world are a bit heavy: Don’t play RDR and expect to leap about the place as if it were Counter-Strike world.

You’re a cowboy. You have bowed legs. And finally, the extra mini-games like the card-playing and knife-jabbing are borderline mundane. Come on, who needs to power up a special black box and stare at a screen to play a game of cards…unless you have no friends. Touché.

The simplest sales pitch for Red Dead Redemption would have to be “Think Grand Theft Auto, but in the Wild West.”

And it is exactly that, even down to trivial things like the mini-map, the functions of which remain more or less the same. So don’t worry about having to adjust yourself to a new gaming experience. RDR offers a vast and volatile world set in a familiar gaming environment.

I highly recommend dusting off your saddle and cowboy boots, and giving it a go!

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End Notes. to include everything I needed: Cucumber facial wipes, choccie supplies in the third drawer down, bamboo plant feature — the list goes on.

There were about 20 girls on my floor with names like Brandy, Kelsey, Meredith and Heather. I was the oldest at 21, living with freshman who weren’t legally able to drink.

I was like an ol’ drug lord, hiding their cherry vodka and Malibu in my room. Every now and again I’d hit the college town bars and creep home late, falling against the corridor walls, knocking on my neighbours doors, only to slump into my humble abode — no questions asked.

Ella Kearney When I was eight years old, I told my mum that I wasn’t going to move out until I was at least 28.

What was the point? I had everything I needed: home was warm and full of food. I’m talking juice, not “cordie”, and mint slices as opposed to cheap minty yum yums or whatever they’re called.

However, mum assured me that I wouldn’t want to live at home for this long. Sure enough, once I became a teenager and had a slightly more developed understanding of what was normal (I say this tentatively), I realised that living at home until I was 28 would not only be undesirable, but a form of social suicide: “Hey there, wanna come back to my parents place?

We can stay up as late as we like!” The ensuing silence would be deafening.

As explained in a previous Togatus article, halfway through last year I left home to go on an exchange to Ithaca, New York. I was newly 21, so I missed my earlier estimate by 7 years, thank god. While on exchange I lived on campus in a single dorm room in a 14-storey tower. There were two identical towers on a hill next to each other, and I soon realised that calling them the twin towers was not original or particularly funny to my American colleagues…(or maybe anyone).

At the end of semester I was broke, with only a twinkie bar and 500 cucumber wipes to my name. Foreseeing these fiscal circumstances, I had organised to go to London and stay with family. I was to move in with grandma, a.k.a Kiki. At this point I hadn’t really considered how hard the transition from dorm life to living with Kiki in London would be.

Meal times were the most pressing issue for ol’ Kikster.

What time would you like to have dinner tonight? What time do you think you’d like to have lunch tomorrow? Do you think we should have dinner at 6 or 7? Hmm…let me think…I don’t want to miss Antiques Roadshow so let’s say 7? (Jesus Christ, I don’t give a shit when we have dinner).

Living at Kiki’s also meant feeling permanently guilty about using my laptop. Grandmas generally think technology is shit and that if you use a computer more than once a day you’re addicted. The truth was I needed that god damn laptop. There’s only so much of talking about birds, playing scrabble and being forced to drink wine that this kid can take.

Ok, so I enjoyed the wine most of the time, but getting drunk with your grandma every night for 30 days straight loses its novelty quite quickly. When I got home from overseas I could have dinner whenever I wanted and didn’t have to hide sweet liquors under my bed. It was bliss.

But, as everyone knows, when you fly the coop, no matter what luxuries you left behind (juice and aforementioned minty-choc biccies), in spirit, once you gon’: You gon’.

This was my first time living out of home and as Soulja Boy might say “Hopped up outta bed, turned my swag on, took a look in the mirror and said what’s up?” I had my own self-contained pad. I customized my little dorm room 48

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