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SPRING/SUMMER 2015
The Afends Hemp Revolution. Welcome to the Hemp Fields of Afends Country.
issue 004 - SPRING 2015
Cool Things............................................................................................. 10 C'mon Aussie C'mon............................................................................... 12 Rob Birchall............................................................................................ 16 Alusive Culture....................................................................................... 20 In The Ghetto.......................................................................................... 26 Snap! Japan............................................................................................. 34 Timberwolf.............................................................................................. 44 D.I.Y........................................................................................................ 46 City Dwellers.......................................................................................... 54 Enough is Enough................................................................................... 66 Max Longhurst ....................................................................................... 70
Cover Photo by Rob Birchall Back cover photo by Baxter William Back cover artwork, contents and follow page by Jake Holmes. Yewth would like to thank the City of Port Adelaide Enfield Council for their sponsorship & helping to keep this issue free. Print is Alive! Talk to us: www.yewthmag.com ig - @yewthmag fb.com/yewthmag enquire - yewthmag@gmail.com
CALEB SWEETING (Editor/Founder) @lobby_sweet_thing When Caleb isn’t editing and stressing over this magazine, he likes to kick back with a chai latte and read the latest issue of Monster Children. In Spring he likes to roll around on his skateboard after a few Coopers Pale Ales in the sun. Favourite song... “Praise You” - Fat Boy Slim. DAVE COURT (Designer/Art Director) @foolsandtrolls When Dave isn’t designing Yewth he’s usually found running local clothing store Created Range and drawing pictures for his clothing label foolsandtrolls. In Spring he likes to make things. Favourite song... ‘‘Good Vibrations” - Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
ALEXIS TEHEL (Fashion Editorial) @lexlutherr When Alexis isn’t on shoots, she’s drinking beer in the front yard. In spring she likes to eat/drink at Parsec Cafe. Favorite song... “Start me up” - Salt-N-Pepa.
CONTRIBUTORS: Baxter William - @baxter.william Daniel Purvis - @stolen_projects Dominic Smith - @andorwith_ Ethan Allen - @ethanallennn Willis - @yeohaus Zezette Lindqvist - @ zezettelindqvist
AND OR WITH. Summer collection ‘TOGETHER’ in selected stores and online NOW
www.andorwith.com
You know those things you need to start your car with, and attempt to open your front door with after a big night out? Yeah, your keys… Well Adelaide’s MORRIE & CO produce fine products that are designed to make your key carrying life a whole lot easier, and stylish. morrieandco.com. @morrieandco
LUNA WOLF VINTAGE began as an online boutique store run by brother/sister duo Scott and Ali. The store may be small, but it’s a matter of quantity versus quality - if you want to find that denim jacket, Harley Davidson tee or a pair of leather boots that are as unique as you, look no further. Shop 25 Regent Arcade @lunawolfvintage
AVERAGE CAT X PIRATE LIFE - two Adelaide businesses from different industries are teaming up for a crazy collaboration. Combining the ethos of quality brewed beer and dope threads this collab is not one to miss. Coming in November, follow Pirate Life & Average Cat on social media for more info. @piratelifebeer @averagecatclothing.
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PIRATE LIFE BEER and Aussie hip hop record label GOLDEN ERA RECORDS (Hilltop Hoods, Funkoars, K21 etc) are coming together to meld two of our favourite things; beer and music. The collab has resulted in a Golden Era beer, the ‘Golden Ale’ specifically brewed for summer. piratelife.com.au - @piratelifebeer goldenerarecords.com.au - @goldenerarecords
LANEWAY IV gin garden has recently re-opened for the summer with a freshpaint job courtesy of friend of Yewth, Lucas Croall. Get down and check out their selection of premium gin cocktails on offer alongside local beer and wine. lanewaybar.com.au - @lanewaybar
FILTH is a recurring night of dirty tunes and dirty filth cups filled with mysterious liquor. These events are the work of Adelaide Trap Rats and the Hotbox Collective coming together to bring world class trap and bass acts from around the globe to perform alongside local DJs. keep up with their social media for upcoming events. facebook.com/filthwarehouse
PARSEC CAFE is a quirky joint on Hindley Street that serves good coffee and a delicious all day breakfast. Sharing the cafe is Phase Space - selling unique pieces of jewellery that you won’t find anywhere else. Also, upstairs you’ll find the latest iteration of Format collective/gallery - Format inc. @parsec_cafe_adelaide, @phase_space_adelaice @format_inc
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Interview by Sweeting Photos by Baxter William
If the beginning of high school wasn’t a confusing enough stage of life – Adelaide street artist Jake Holmes had to come to accept the reality that his mother was gay. His life undoubtedly changed when his parents split, and his mum began a relationship with another woman. Take a second to process this and consider what you would have done in the same situation. Holmes could’ve shunned his mum and never spoke to her again, but instead he chose to accept her for the person she was – regardless of her sexuality. Now his mums have been together for 13 years and he believes they should be given the choice to get married. After launching a Pozible campaign and rasising over $7000, he with the help of fellow street artist, Peter Drew, are screenprinting a thousand posters emblazoned with the message, ‘C’mon Aussie C’mon’, and sending them to anyone who wants to stick them up in a public place. He hopes the campaign will help to legalise gay marriage in Australia and prove to his mum that it’s a positive thing to be true to yourself. Jake in his own words: “After the US legalising same-sex marriage nation-wide, I was thinking of ways to respond to it in some way. I kind of thought it would have been interesting to respond to it in a way that relates to Australia because so many other countries have started this process, and we are kind of lagging behind with it. Just sort of thinking a little bit about I want to make some sort of response, I have an interest in making political work and it’s something close to home you know with my mum being gay, so though it’s something that doesn’t affect me directly, it’s part of my life, it affects people I care about.
“So yeah wanting to do some sort of response and just sort of came up with the idea, that song sort of popped into me head (“C’mon Aussie C’mon”) - it’s pretty iconic - and I also like the idea of kind of like subverting something nationalistic and it has this sort of gross-kind-of-bogan idea. It’s not initially super obvious what it’s about, but it takes a moment for it to click and so I think that’s using that, then you get people who are opposed to it to sort of think a bit about it – you know if it was super direct – you know said, “Legalise Gay Marriage,” then anyone who is opposed to that, they’re just going to switch off straight away, whereas if you kind of do this, hopefully people will think about it a little more. “With my mum coming out what’s interesting for me, I felt like that actually made that easier for me and my brother and sister too. I think it was easier to sort of deal with my mum coming out, than if my mum had came out and left my dad for another man, because like as opposed to it being this thing of like replacing my dad, it was more about my mum finding what she really was and finding her sexuality and kind of realising that. “You know this is something that affects my mum, and my mum’s girlfriend, who I love and is an important part of any life – just that thing of this is bullshit, that the people I care about can’t get married. And you know whether they want to get married or not, it’s just more about that thing of like, because that’s what our law says, it automatically devalues their relationship – and makes people think, ‘this is different’, ‘this isn’t the same as someone else’s relationship’, and it’s really kind of unfair… “People can have a civil service and union, but it should be the same (gay marriage) – and that’s part of the issue, that by not 13
allowing gay people to do the same thing, it creates that difference and creates that divide, and therefore that’s why you get people struggling. They feel it’s ‘othering’ – they’re different – therefore not the same. I think that’s a problem. “Initially when we actually considered the idea of doing the project, I considered being totally anonymous, because I didn’t want it to be about me… But you know, talking with people and my mum and realising that actually a personal story can help people who maybe don’t fully understand, it can maybe help them realise… Because it is easy to be against something or a group of people if you don’t really know anyone, or anyone’s story, because you don’t see them in the same way. But when you actually realise this affects people like me and affects their lives, it’s 14
harder to just say, ‘ah, fuck ‘em!’ You may think, ‘this actually affects another human’. That was part of the reason why we thought, ‘oh actually, it might be a good idea’, to attach that personal story. “So I sort of made the posters and was just going to put a few up around Adelaide… But Peter (Drew) sort of saw the idea and thought, ‘hey this might be something good’, and said, ‘do you want to maybe look at turning it into a bigger project?’ He thought it was something that could connect with people – and he’d done that with the ‘Real Australians Say Welcome.’ He said do you want to do a similar sort of thing and he was like ‘I’ll help!’ So we teamed up and talked a bit about it and sending the posters to people around Australia, and it’s sort of gone from there!
“Big social change requires the general populous to be on board and this is a way, hopefully for the people to show that support. We send them out to community groups or businesses and they are able to use them, because they know their communities best and how they can be used most effectively. You can find Jake on Instagram (@jaketoothandnail) or email him (jaketoothandnail@gmail. com) and ask him about sending you a poster.
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Birchall
Rob Birchall can take some mean-looking photos - in the surf, at the park, at a gig – anywhere really. He shoots digital, but has a clear passion for film and the true art of photography. Earlier this year the 19-year -old was given the opportunity to take photos of the pro Converse skate team in Sydney, and while his work is yet to pay the bills, it’s obvious he has the skills to make it a possibility.
Sweeting: When did you begin photographing? What made you pick up the camera? Birchall: I started photographing around 2011 with a mate while surfing. We surfed every day and I always wanted to document what the waves were like and how good it was. Also my mum bought an SLR and got a free lesson with it. She said she didn’t have the attention span to sit there for 3 hours, so I sat there and learnt it and tried to teach her, but instead I just ended up never putting it down. So you like to capture surfing, skateboarding and music – are you a surfer, skater or musician yourself? What’s the most exciting thing about photographing someone on a board/ at a gig? Yeah I love the ocean, I’ve surfed since I was 6 and progressed onto any craft in the water. Pretty much I love anything with a board, whether it be on land or water. It’s an art form in itself, I love cruising around on my longboard in the sea or cruising around on a skateboard too. Shooting gigs is always a sick time, I love the atmosphere of live shows and the energy the artists give, anyone that’s seen a live show would know the feeling. Speaking of skateboarding, can you tell us about how you were involved in the Cons Project in Sydney? Well I saw a banner come up on my Facebook one day and thought shit yeah that would be sick! But I thought everyone just
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got a spot to go along and it would be more of a big workshop with a heap of people. So I filled out the 25 words or less of why I love shooting film (which wasn’t hard, I could have written a 1000 word essay haha). So a few weeks went by and I got a call from the people at Converse and they were like ‘congrats you got a spot!’ I was a bit confused, I said ‘wait isn’t it a big workshop with shitloads of people?’ She was like, ‘no only 10 people were selected from hundreds of applications,’ and I was stoked! So we met in Redfern Park, met the pro’s and searched for some spots. We were given only 1 roll of film so only had 36 shots for the day which was a sick challenge. We got some sick shots and all the guys from that day were awesome people and sick photographers. The next day we met at AIP (Australian Institute of Photography) and developed and printed one shot that we liked the most, was a sick process in the dark room and just seeing everyone froth on their shots. We had an exhibition in Surry Hills which was sick, but all round, it was the best experience I’ve had to just hang with some other awesome creative people and some amazing skaters. That’s sweet man. Even with experience like that, how hard is it to make a career out of photography? It’s pretty hard simply because there are so many people out there with cameras, but that also makes the industry easier to disconnect yourself from the amateurs. But meeting the right people and getting to know
industry professionals, you can make a name for yourself. Also, if you have an eye for framing and things, your photos will speak for themselves. Has the beautiful environment (the central coast of NSW) encouraged you to become a better photographer? Yeah we have some amazing areas around us here. There’s always something around to shoot and so many interesting things to see. Especially being so close to the ocean, you go from cityscapes to the coast in a flash and back to country style surroundings so quick! But there’s so many lookouts, bush tracks and places to see. Where’s the most pristine place you have been with your camera? By far it would have to be Elizabeth Reef, NSW. I lived on Lord Howe Island for a year and got the chance to head up there (90 miles north in the middle of the ocean) with a few of the people I worked with (only 200 people have been there in the existence of time). The photos do no justice to what I saw on those 3 days, it was incredible. The water clarity was 40m+ easy, it was filled with sharks, turtles, fish you name it! We swam around and even got to go over to the sand quay (50m of sand that appears for 4 hrs a day). I stood there and I was literally standing in the middle of the ocean with some friends surrounded by sharks, turtles, fish, razor sharp reef and it was incredible. Still is my favourite memory ever.
yet? I’m so envious of the photographers behind the lens who shoot the beautiful creatures for Monster Children... Haha, yeah I have, but I haven’t ventured too much into modelling photography yet, not to say I don’t want to (winky face).... But I do have a few shoots underway for the future. Speaking of MC... What’s your favourite magazine? I think the photos make you want to read the stories, so without them magazines would be nothing but kindling for a fire? My favourites would have to be Paper Sea mag, Riptide and MC. They all have a fair amount of influence on what I shoot and I always get inspiration from all of them. I love seeing what other people are doing around the world and seeing what others see through their cameras. Lastly, what makes a bad photographer? It’s hard to say... we all start somewhere and people progress in time, but one thing that gets me is over editing, it’s a fine line between too little (none is good too) and too much but sometimes it ruins a great shot. See more from Rob on Instagram at @robbirchallphoto.
Have you photographed beautiful women
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lusive ure
Cul-
words by Sweeting 20
I think we have come to a stage where we don’t need to attach roller blade wheels to planks of wood and roll down hills hoping we don’t eat shit/die. However, local lifestyle brand Alusive Culture is throwing us back to a time when riding on four wheels was all about the fun and less about what brand of skateboard you had under your feet. Each deck is hand crafted with locally sourced timber and made to be one of a kind pieces of art. This means no board is the same, and imperfections in the wood are a reminder that the skateboard went through a labour of love from a human, not a machine. With nostalgic features like Gullwing trucks inspired by the 60s and polyurethane wheels that look like the original clay wheels used by the Z-Boys, you’ll feel like you’re riding a piece of skateboarding history. These boards are beautiful, it almost seems a shame to ride them. They would look good on a wall where they could be admired as the pieces of art they are, but I think it would be disrespectful to not kick and push the hell out of these bad boys. If you have a couple hundred aside for a new skateboard, check out Alusive Culture first before you waste your money on a mass produced Santa Cruz that every Tom, Dick and Harry is rolling around on. And don’t forget to shred from A to B every chance you get! (Remember cars are for old men, are you an old man? Is your name Dick?)
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The
Ghetto
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Elvis once sang a song; the song to which I am referring is “In The Ghetto”, he sang about a poor little boy with a runny nose; by the end of the song that same child has been shot and dies (there is more to the song). Although this song has a lot of references to struggle and hardship, the song does contain the reference ‘in the ghetto’. We as skaters/ bmxers often build ramps, rails and other rideable objects within these ghetto like places. Though Adelaide is a smaller city these DIY/ghetto spots are pretty popular, with skaters making outdoor spots on any piece of concrete in sight and bike riders going for the easier alternative of an indoor ramp shack. Either way, doing it yourself will get you what you want when you want it. These spots have popped up more since the closure of city skate. Personally, I think it gives riders more options for what they want, whether it be a setup of rails and ledges or big juicy quarters.
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See more from Ethan on instagram at @ethanallennn 33
Travelling anywhere causes a strange sense of time-distortion and my 17 days in Japan felt like months, and only days, and now a distant memory. I’ve always wanted to visit Japan and even studied the language for a little while. Japan is an experience. Everything seems just a little better there, and a little more odd, a lot more ‘Japanese’, but also better. Cities are clean—there’s no solution in the air and the streets are devoid of rubbish. People wear uniforms and take pride more pride in their work. Food is fresh, cheap and delicious. It’s safe and welcoming and people are courteous on a street level (though I’m told this isn’t always the case I don’t have any contradictory experience). The countryside is beautiful. You don’t have to wear helmets while cycling and it feels damn safe to cycle anywhere. Japan was filled with chance meetings with people that I just should have known. From Tokyo, to Kyoto, Osaka and the Nikko. In a small artist bar called Mura-ya in Kyoto I’d meet the DJ and music producer Baiyon, responsible for the tunes in the videogame PixelJunk Eden on Playstation 3. In Osaka I become friends with illustrators connected to my favourite NYC-based illustrators Yuko Shimizu, James Jean and Tomer Hanuka. In Tokyo, DJ Ocky (from South Australia) introduced me to the loveliest, happiest, hippest cool-kids on all Hokkaido—BigMummaFunk took us to the cool parties and fed us ridiculous food, and Kengo threw us a big bbq and then proceeded to stick his dick into a freshly cooked shellfish. Tomo, my host in Nikko, introduced me to hot springs and monkeys that serve beer in a bar. I’m home now but all I want to do is drink Asahi, eat ramen, and find my way back to Nippon.
5-osaka-0634 Not even half way through a long night. Started with a Tinder date with a girl called Reylia at a magazine anniversary party, then to the Bistro New Orleans for some soul and salted pork, I met Ruben and bailed for Space Station videogame bar, on to the three-story club Triangle for hard trance, and a great walk and conversation with a girl called Miwa I hope to see again.
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7-8-9-tokyo-0949.jpg Shibuya—it’s so safe that people will just fold up their jacket, lay down and kip before catching the train home because they couldn’t hold their after-work liquor.
7-8-9-tokyo-1039.jpg The Sukiji markets were an interesting experience, not least because of all the sushimi (raw) food. Another Tinder date and I watched Noa from Tel-Aviv in Israel chow-down on some fresh oysters. Snot in a shell, I’ll never be convinced otherwise. 36
7-8-9-tokyo-1455.jpg - 1456.jpg Meet Kay and Laura and the cool kids off in the background. Kay is my cho kawaii fold-up bicycle bought for 짜5000 in Osaka and carried back to Tokyo. Laura is the smoking hot Italian-chick making Kay look way better than I ever could.
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11-tokyo-1999.jpg Chillin’ outside Rhythm Café in Shibuya, Tokyo.
11-tokyo-2036.jpg At Shibuya Crossing, outside Tsutaya book store and Starbucks on the corner. Rainy season is fuckin’ rainy. Umbrellas are fuckin’ useful.
11-tokyo-2788.jpg Kengo, Japan’s friendly house-painter and local Jackass, with his tiny penis in a tiny shell.
15-nikko-3078.jpg House fire in Nikko. Driving by we watched this come crashing down while the old lady that owns it (pictured left) looked on. So hot. So many firefighters.
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15-nikko-3655.jpg Looking back on Nikko on the way to Lake Chuzenji. 39
15-nikko-3907.jpg Fisherman on Yuno Lake high in the mountains in an area renowned for their hot springs.
15-nikko-3975.jpg It’s a monkey bar people. A bar with monkeys that serve beer and hand you towels. Hamish and Andy went there. I held a People’s Choice Award. It was… weird.
kyoto-day4-0032.jpg Noodle bar in Kyoto run by a son and his pirate father. Super-nice people with huge combo meals for just ¥780. This was on the way to Mura-ya where I’d eventually meet Baiyon and drink till sunrise.
kyoto-day4-0114.jpg In the bar Mura-ya in Kyoto, I met one of my favourite electronic musicians and game developers Baiyon and his fantastic friends, including that crazy lady Minami featured here in close-up.
kyoto-day4-0142.jpg All drivers wear gloves and hats and cabs are sleek as hell. It’s like a personal limousine. I was very drunk taking this photo.
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tokyo-day1-8642.jpg Tall torii gate in Yoyogi Park, Tokyo. Featuring the wonderful Hamish for size-comparison.
tokyo-day1-9059.jpg The cool kids.
tokyo-day1-9113.jpg This dude own’s Ace’s Bar in the small bar district of Golden Gai in Shinjuku, Tokyo. I’m told his glasses mean something very funny in Japanese dialect but can’t remember what that means exactly. He was a champ.
See more from Daniel Purvis at @stolen_projects and danielpurvis.com 43
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I think we try extra hard to like an artist when they’re from Adelaide because we’re the kind of people who like to support local acts, but with Timberwolf frontman Christopher Panousakis we don’t need to try hard at all. This year the Adelaidian has been busy with a stint at Groovin the Moo, Pineapple Festival, Big Sound as well as a launching his second EP ‘Flux’ at Adelaide UniBar. “It was warmest welcome home any man could ever ask for... I’ve never ever played a show like that before in my life,” Panousakis says. ‘Flux’ packs a powerful melody with smooth-as-silk vocals, and more than anything Timberwolf wanted to produce something that would sound better the more you listen to it. “For this EP I wanted to make textured, moody soundscapes and I wanted it to be eerie and I wanted it to be the kind of record where you could listen to it in two years’ time and still not have discovered all the instruments in it.” This year he hosted Triple J’s ‘Roots N All’ program, proving he has the knack for both playing and presenting music, which he says was “definitely a buzz” and “quite nerve racking.” “It’s one thing to be interviewed, it’s one thing to have your song played on there… But to actually host a show is just a totally different kettle of fish. The producer was good reminding me to say things like ‘You’re on Triple J,’ he laughs. “I think the strangest thing about something like that is you’re effectively having a conversation with yourself for three hours.” Now it seems Timberwolf is left with only one thing to do and that’s release his debut album, but he says it’s definitely something that will take some time. “I can’t say when the debut is coming - I’ve got a lot of writing to do and I can’t wait to do it, but it’s definitely something I don’t want to rush.” Follow @timberwolfmusic on Instagram to stay up to date with his songwriting, recording and on fleek fashion sense.
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D.I.Y
As humans we are inexplicably drawn to process. We like things to have a beginning, middle and an end. It soothes our anxieties and allows us to feel safe within our environment. The do-it-yourself experience is a great example of this. It begins with the planning, the middle is the construction and the end, well, the end is getting to rip the spot. This process feels natural and as a result the rewards are much greater and more thoroughly enjoyed. The Mile End DIY began with a couple of skaters wanting to build a unique type obstacle that didn’t exist in Adelaide. From there a couple of nice ledges were added because, although one of the most simple combinations, 2 good ledges in a row are actually quite hard to find. Next, plans were made, facebook groups formed and an “official” build day was planned with many members of the skateboard community coming along to contribute materials, money and time. I guess the other important factor that makes DIY so rewarding is the risk. Almost always DIY is constructed on land that is owned by someone else and permission is seldom sought. There is the risk of getting “caught” and also the risk of losing your investment of time and money. Most DIY spots also have a limited lifetime and therefore every moment spent enjoying them is much sweeter. Deep down you always know that tomorrow you may return to find all your efforts crushed to rubble. I suppose ultimately this is the true end of the process but in its demise a new process starts as your mind changes and your eyes become sharp, always on the scout for the next DIY location.
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See more from Jarrod on instagram at @theillustriouspocket 53
photo editorial FEATURING:
wellers AFENDS afends.com AVERAGE CAT CLOTHING averagecatclothing.com FOOLSANDTROLLS foolsandtrolls.com JUNGLES junglesjungles.com LRDP SUPPLY COM lrdpsupplyco.com SUPA SUNDAYS supasundays.com SWOP VINTAGE swop.net.au UNEMPIRE unempire.bigcartel.com YEOHAUS yeohaus.com ZERO BOUTIQUE zeroboutique.com.au
PHOTOGRAPHY ZEZETTE LINDQVIST MODELS JAMES BALLAH, RIKI WOOD STYLING & DIRECTION ALEXIS TEHEL HELPING HAND CALEB SWEETING
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jungles created range afends yeo haus
photo editorial
yeo haus swop vintage sly guild (zero) unempire
raised by wolves (zero) foolsandtrolls supa sundays yeo haus sly guild (zero)
swop vintage afends 61
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is
Words by Dominic Smith Paintings by Amanda Radomi, 2015, acrylic on canvas Over the last few months I have been reading various media reports about bullying and race vilification. Historically, such concerns have been met with a response that suggested we take the ‘sticks and stones my break my bones but words shall never hurt me’ approach. In hindsight it seems so obvious how messed up that saying truly is. I cannot think of anything worse than being bullied or vilified and then told to take it on the chin. Most of us can recover fairly easily from a few broken bones or scratches, but in contrary to the wise old saying, words, they cut deeper, words, repeated over and over, they sink in and cannot be easily healed. For much of our adolescence we have been told to ignore the insults and move on, ‘be the bigger person’, ‘eat a teaspoon of cement and harden the fuck up’ or my all-time favourite sexist remark, ‘grow a pair’, as if to say ‘be a man, not a woman and move on’. But now, in today’s context it is more obvious than ever that it’s no longer the appropriate reaction and suggestion to teach the next generation of young people. You would have had to be living under a rock not to hear all that went on about Adam Goodes in the weeks leading up to his retirement and the treatment he was receiving on and off the football field. It was during this time I read and heard so many people from the media and from indeed my own ‘friends’ on Facebook saying that Adam and his supporters needed to ‘grow a pair and move on’, ‘it’s not racism, we just don’t like him’. What they mean - which they try to hide is the fact they don’t like the way this Aboriginal man on a national stage from a minority culture has finally said enough is enough. When Adam Goodes won the Australian of The Year last year, he made some historically accurate comments which, for the most part, the majority of loud mouth Australians did not support or did not
want to hear. He called out Australia on its racist past, present and unfortunately it would seem, its inevitable racist future. He alluded to the fact that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are the oldest living cultures in the world. Historians and anthropologists have repeatedly proven that Aboriginal cultures date back between forty and one hundred thousand years. For a culture to be living for up to one hundred thousand years, it must have been incredibly strong and adaptive to survive the change in environment that the land mass of Australia has been through in that time. Which when you put into the perspective of what has happened over the past 230 years since white ‘settlement’, it is quite confronting and overwhelming to try and understand what has happened to the oldest living cultures in the world in such a minute period of their histories. According to some ‘history’ books, prior to European invasion, Australia was an empty, barren land ripe for the taking and was founded on mateship, hardship and with a ‘have a go attitude’. Which was and still is ingrained into ‘Australian’ culture via our education and political system and of course by our mass media. No wonder the ‘majority’ of mainstream Australians took offence when Adam Goodes stood up against this entrenched false reality and said that Australia was in fact founded on theft, rape and murder. He alluded to a violent history which was backed by the Eurocentric understandings that Europeans were hierarchically greater and civilised compared to Aboriginal peoples, who were ‘scientifically’ seen as the missing link between apes and humans - something that was later proved to have no historical or biological support. When Adam stood up and said enough is enough after weeks of constant booing, he was ridiculed for ‘playing the race card’. As if somehow his race had nothing to do with the 67
direct booing because of what he stood up for. Yet in Australia, and I would argue around most of the western world, Adam is not alone, there are millions of people who are vilified on a daily basis, based on no other fact than the colour of their skin. Take the asylum seeker debate. There is a very strong resentment, in Australia particularly, shown towards people who arrive in this country, by boat or other means - none of which are breaking any law - that are vilified based on the colour of their skin, by the clothes on their back or on the religion they follow. For a majority of loud mouth Australians they see these peoples as queue jumpers, as if there is an actual queue to even jump, and country shoppers looking solely for a better life. Like the racism that was inflicted upon Adam and many other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on a daily basis; asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants are victims of a similar brand of racism, based on nothing more than a fear of difference. We are bombarded by the so called ‘differences’ in everyday media, over-hyped by sensationalist journalism designed for nothing other than to keep a large stick between ‘us’ and ‘them’, the ‘west’ and the ‘rest’, the ‘rich’ and the ‘poor’, the ‘white’ and the ‘black’. We are told ‘those’ people will ‘steal our jobs’, ‘convert us to Islam’ and ‘destroy our rich Aussie culture’, as if getting pissed on the 26th of January every year was somehow ‘cultural’ and at risk of being tarnished by anyone else other than those ‘celebrating’ it themselves. Asylum seekers, refugees and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are too often represented and treated as ‘inferior’, as ‘different’ and
as threats to the ‘Aussie’ way of life. Yet the reality is, they are just like everyone else. They are people, looking for a chance to have what most of ‘us’ in the west take for granted; peace, freedom, security, self-determination and most importantly, a future. All these things should be a right for all people, not just the lucky. Who gives anyone the right to say certain people can’t strive for the very same things they themselves are striving for? The fact Adam Goodes had to retire on such a low is an embarrassment to our so called ‘National game’. For years he was considered one of the greatest players to ever take to the field, winning the league’s highest accolade not once but twice and walking away with two premierships and four all Australian selections, but as soon as he spoke out about the truth, he suddenly became ‘scum’, a ‘dirty player’, a ‘show off’, which gave supporters the right to boo him, but of course ‘it wasn’t racist’. Vilifying or harassing someone based on the colour of their skin, on the clothes on their back, on the religion they believe in or on the culture they follow will never be anything other than pure racism. All of us, as Australians, no matter if you’re black, white or brown, Catholic, Muslim or Jewish, need to break down the barriers set by those in high positions. Deep down I know there is a silent majority who believe in the same things I do, who know that we are all equal, who know that we all deserve to be treated fairly and who know that we can and need to live in harmony. But this silent majority needs to support people like Adam and stand up together, to silence the loud racist minority and say ‘enough is enough’.
Dominic tutors in Aboriginal Studies at University of South Australia, see more from his work with his clothing brand on instagram at @andorwith_ Amanda Radomi is an award winning indigenous painter and also works with University of South Australia in the area of indigenous student services. 68
For those playing at home, Max. Tell us a little about yourself. My name is Max Longhurst, 22 years old from the South Coast of South Australia and I’m a professional Surfer. This year I’m chasing the WQS (World Qualifying series) doing as many events as possible to get as many points as I can. My goal is to build up my seed & crack the top 100.
onghurst
photo by Whitelabel Photography
What seed are you currently? I’m currently 220th but in saying that, coming into the back end of the year & the events coming up I should improve my current seed. You just got home from Japan with a comp there, how was that? Japan’s beautiful. It is an amazing place with super friendly people but the waves were terrible.
Not many people go there for surfing, hey?
Good Plug, got a face book page?
No, more snowboarding in Japan. But on the east coast there’s plenty of good waves and Japan does get good typhoon swells. There’s not many westerners surfing but plenty of Japanese, they’re frothers!
(laughter) No, no, I just mow the lawns, do my rounds once a month which is working for now. Besides that I have some really good sponsors - Yeo Haus, Cheer Wetsuits, DMS surfboards - which takes the strain off. I also had a fund raiser at the start of the year. Which I had amazing support from the local community.
So you’re basically in transit right now. You just got home from Japan and now off to Chile. What does the next leg of the surfing events look like for you? The next leg consists of 1 event in chile, two events in France, 1 event in Spain & 1 in Morocco. Wow, looks like you’ll be collecting a few frequent flyer points! Do you know how many you’ve collected for the year? (laughter) Nah, I wouldn’t have a clue. Might get a free flight to Melbourne one day. With all the different locations, I’m sure that would mean different waves and conditions, do you have to pack a big quiver*? *(different surfboards) Yeah that’s a tough one. The wave in Chile is like Pipeline in Hawaii, so I’ll need a bigger board that’s not going to break. But then I won’t use that board again for other events. So it’s tricky cause I can only fit four boards in my board bag and I hope I don’t snap any of those!
I guess that’s a great thing about South Australia, it’s a big community. Everyone gets behind locals doing great things. Yeah definitely, it feels unreal to have people supporting me. People that don’t even know me giving me their best wishes & ultimate success! Well, I mean it’s impressive what you’re doing. Putting yourself out there, chasing your dream and goal. Yeah, I’m not trying to impress anyone. I just want to do the best for myself and hit some personal goals and results. Which is right now to give the top 100 a crack & hopefully one day qualify for the World Tour. That would be my dream come true. Only one way to go about it though and that’s to give it a shot and that’s what I want to do. Well good luck for the rest of the year and all the best with chasing your dream.
With all this travel, how do you fund it?
Thanks mate.
I pull money out of thin air (laughter) Nah, I have my own Lawn mowing business called ‘Bird’s Lawn Mowing; Cleaning up your nest’
If you wish to follow Max’s journey across the globe, follow his instagram account @maxielonghurst
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