Volume 37
May 2011
POINTS OF INTEREST
A whole new game with a whole new feel
JAPAN FUNDRAISER
role is that I am responsible for overseeing the Duker‟s experiences. I am
the one who helps others propel themselves ahead by giving them ideas and
offering them support when they need
it. It is a pleasure to be the springboard
to those who are actively improving
themselves on a weekly basis.
A COMMITMENT TO
CANBERRA
Iain Murray, Award Coordinator, Australian
Catholic University
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
A whole new game
with a whole new
feel
1
My Australian trip:
Queen Victoria Market
- Melbourne
2
Dealing with
depression: Part 2 strategies
4
A commitment to
Canberra and my
journey at ACU
6
Melbourne campus
Japan fundraiser
8
Anti-social media
10
World Refugee Day
11
When I heard at the beginning of 2010
that I could do the Duke of Edinburgh‟s
Gold Award at my uni, my heart began
to race. My mind leaped eagerly at all
the activities I could try out while studying my postgraduate degree. I could feel
my motivation stirring. I imagined with
pride how the completed Award would
look on my CV. But when I tried to sign
up at the Dukes desk, I was told that I
had to be under 25 years old. I was 26.
Luckily for me, six months later I managed to become the coordinator of the
Duke of Edinburgh‟s Award at my uni,
the Australian Catholic University.
While being the coordinator does not
afford the same series of experiences as
being a Dukes participant, I found that
the position offers something else.
The best part about the coordinator‟s
Ultimately, it doesn‟t faze me that I can‟t
be a Duker. With or without the
Award, I will still love learning new
things, acquiring new skills and diving
headfirst into the next adventure. The
benefits of being a coordinator for the
Duke of Edinburgh‟s Award seem to me
more about ensuring that others are
getting the most out of life, rather than
focussing on yourself. It‟s a whole new
game with a whole new feel.
For more information about the Duke
of Edinburgh Award please visit: http://
www.acu.edu.au/154144 and see the
article on page 2.
My Australian trip: Queen Victoria
Camille Favard
Study Abroad
Melbourne
This famous place is a big
market, a very well-known
and touristic place in Melbourne city. It is not so far
from where I live
and I love it, so I
wanted to speak
about it since a
long time. However I waited to
know more
about it to describe the best as
possible! Indeed,
today I can say
that I know this
place very well as
I am lucky to
work here! Firstly, the
Queen Victoria Market is
also called the Queen Vic
Market or even simpler
Queen Vic. Australians
shorten every word, so why
not this one!
This is Melbourne‟s only
outdoor market nowadays.
It exists since 1878; around
the 50‟s it was only a small
market and it gradually expanded to become a seven
hectares market. It is the
largest open air market in
the Southern Hemisphere.
Volume 37
Let‟s begin to describe this
unique place as a tourist,
because I discovered it
firstly as a tourist!
It is a wonderful place
where I like to go because
of its incredible ambience!
The market is divided in different parts: stalls of fishmongers and butchers, delicatessen called the “deli”
section. Then you have the
groceries, pharmacies, bakeries… The stalls of vegetables, and finally the clothes,
souvenirs… Each area has a
different ambience.
from what we know as you
can see in the photos. It is
quite the same ambience in
the fruit and vegetables areas, but also different as it is
outdoor. Moreover, these
stalls offer a wide variety of
products, most of
them from Australia. They are
sold at a lower
price than in the
supermarkets,
sometimes even
half the price! The
last area, but not
the least, is the
Deli section,
Dairy products or
Delicatessen,
whatever you call
it, just go and discover all
cultures in this section! There is also a night
market during summer on
Wednesday nights. It is from
5.30 pm until 10 pm. It is
more like a fair with all
types of stalls: clothes, perfumes, massages, hammocks… And also food or
In the stalls of fishmongers
and butchers, the sellers are
shouting out, each one more
loudly than the other, speaking highly of their products
and prices. The butchers‟
stalls are quite different
Page 2
Market - Melbourne
cocktails! There is a band playing
music with a dance floor outside. It
is a really friendly atmosphere!
I also would like to add that this
market represents Melbourne‟s
population: that means the ethnic
mix but also the dress styles, the
languages and life‟s attitude! Everybody goes to the Queen Vic: the
tourists of course, but also the deliverers, students, the workers and
even the
suburban family on a
Sunday! In this place, we forgot the
“right” way to do things that we can
encounter in the Central Business
District. We just do, as we do at
home. When you‟re served, even if
there is a huge queue behind you,
they take the time to call you
“Darl”, to ask for some news, speak
about the last or next footy
matches, and do some forecasts.
Now let‟s describe this place as a
worker!
Since two months I am working at
this market in the delicatessen area.
The Bratwurst Shop is selling some
German sandwiches. It is an institu-
tion for Melburnians who some of
them come every day or every
week! This shop has existed for
many many years. We make-toorder the sandwiches with 5 different sorts of sausages available and
15 sauces or mustards (at the beginning it was really hard to remember
them!). Then we can add some
cheese, fried onions and some sauerkraut.
deliverers or other workers. From
6am to 9am, we serve mainly coffees then the sandwiches gain the
upper hand. The busy time is of
course the lunch time from 12.30
to 2pm.
The ambience I described earlier is
also on the other side, when you
work, you know the name of the
everyday customers, you don‟t even
ask what they want, you just say
“Chris‟ order” and everybody
knows what to do.
This place is a major landmark in
Melbourne, a place to visit as a
tourist and a nice place to work!
We also make coffees. In Australia,
there are a lot of different coffees:
flat white, latte, cappuccino, short/
long black, short/long macchiato,
mocha… and what is more skinny,
soy or normal milk and also weak,
strong, long, large… I began as a
sandwich-hand and waitress, now I
am also making coffees, which is
really good and interesting! It
permits me to know more
about Australian culture!
(More blogs from Camille: http://
australiantrip.cf.over-blog.com/)
As I am working there, I can mix
with the other workers from the
other shops and that is really nice!
Moreover, I discovered that this
place is lively very early in the morning. From 6am we are open, as we
make some coffee for customers,
Volume 37
Page 3
Dealing with depression:
Rosemary Williams
Counselling Psychologist
Counselling Service
Melbourne
The desolation of depression
is a constant companion to
the depressed person. As
Samuel Johnson (1783) complained: „When I rise my
breakfast is solitary, the
black dog (of depression)
waits to share it, from
breakfast to dinner, he continues barking…‟
Strategy 1: Physical Exercise
mones, such as cortisol, and
increases endorphins, hormone-like substances that
that are produced in the
brain and function as the
body‟s natural painkillers.
During exercise, these endorphins are released and
this can produce feelings of
euphoria and a general state
of well-being. Endorphins
are the body‟s natural feel
good chemicals. As well as
endorphins, exercise also
releases adrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine. These
chemicals work together to
make us feel good.
Someone once said that a
vigorous 10-kilometre walk
will do more good for an
unhappy but otherwise
healthy adult than all the
medicine and psychology in
the world. In this heresy, as
in all heresies, there exists a
kernel of truth. Going for a
walk for at least 30 minutes
a day or riding our bikes will
make us all feel a whole lot
better. The rhythmic nature
of walking, running, swimming and cycling calms and
contains the chaos of our
mental lives.
Strategy 2: Structure
your day
Any exercise though decreases our stress hor-
Most of us need structure in
our lives and we need it
Volume 37
even more when we‟re depressed. Ignatius Loyola, the
Basque founder of the Jesuits, insisted that in times of
desolation we should hold
faithfully to our usual routines and defer major
changes in our lives. This is
not a time for moving house
or changing jobs. Structure
provides containing boundaries to unruly thoughts and
feelings.
Strategy 3: Do the one
percenters
In Australian Rules Football,
doing the one percenters
means running and chasing
your opponent even if he‟s
metres ahead of you; smothering his kick; or praising a
team-mate who kicks a goal
or lays a tackle. These small
things can make a big difference to the outcome of a
footy match. In depression,
doing the one percenters,
means opening the blinds
first thing to see the sun, the
sky, the trees; listening to
your favourite music as you
get dressed; reading a paragraph from an encouraging
book; making your own special breakfast; or smelling
the flowers in your garden
or in a neighbour‟s as you
Page 4
Part 2 - Strategies
leave home. It is surprising how
small efforts can „slant a laser
through common day‟ and alleviate
the intolerable weight of depression.
Strategy 4: Break tasks down
into small portions
In depression everything becomes a
burden and ordinary routines call
for more effort than can be mustered. The smallest task defies commencement or completion. Getting
out of bed, having a shower,
emailing a lecturer, attending a
class, cooking dinner can all seem
insurmountable. Break tasks down
into manageable portions. For example, reading the recipe might be
the first step towards cooking the
dinner. Aim for that. Searching the
cupboards for the ingredients might
be the second step. Aim for that.
And so on until the entire task is
completed. Similarly, striving for 15
uninterrupted minutes on exam
preparation or on an assignment is
likely to be more effective than aiming to learn all the course content
or striving to complete the whole
paper.
Strategy 5: Reduce alcohol and
other drugs
though, people use alcohol, cigarettes, and other drugs to deal with
their problems and feelings. The side
effects or withdrawal effects of alcohol and other drugs often include
depression, anxiety, irritability and
agitation.
Strategy 6: Get out of bed the
same time each day
Depression can lead to difficulty in
getting to sleep; poor quality sleep;
less sleep, frequently waking during
the night; waking very early in the
morning and being unable to get
back to sleep. The single biggest determinant of how we sleep on any
given night is the time we got up
that day. Rise at the same time each
day.
Strategy 7: Keep in touch with
friends and family
When depressed, we tend to withdraw from friends and family but we
need their warmth and companionship at this time.
Strategy 8: Professional Help
Depression is a troublesome summons to seek the way to our true
selves, notwithstanding our own
resistance to discovering the rich
and compelling ingredients of our
own psychological lives. Sometimes
we need a helper, who can assist us
with the therapeutic expression of
unarticulated painful feelings and
with the psychological insight that
we need to resolve our depression.
There are many resources for depression available in Australian society. Go to Beyond Blue, the national depression initiative on
www.beyondblue.org.au or to its
information line on 1300 22 4636.
Or consult your university counselling service.
Rosemary Williams
Alcohol is a depressant and any relief from psychological pain that it
brings does not last. Sometimes,
Volume 37
Page 5
A commitment to Canberra and
Henna Chhabra
Bachelor of Social Work
Canberra
The following article in my
own words demonstrates
my commitment to living in
Canberra. It throws light on
some aspects like Why I want to continue living in Canberra;
How I have personally experienced and enjoyed being
a student at ACU and experienced Canberra‟s unique
lifestyle, employment opportunities and attractions;
And;
How Canberra‟s wonderful
lifestyle suits my way of life
more than any other city in
Australia.
I came to Canberra in February 2008 to begin my studies in Bachelor of Social
Work at the Australian
Catholic University. Being an
international student, I was
wanting to come to a place
where the living expenses
Volume 37
were low. My research suggested Canberra. Plus, my
Social Work course was
only available at a few other
campuses. So I decided to
come to Canberra and pursue higher studies there.
From the day I landed in
Canberra until now when I
have finished my studies and
have been in the state for a
little over 3 years, I have
enjoyed every bit of being a
part of the Canberra community. Since the time I
landed, I never felt like I was
away from home. A big reason for this is that Canberra
is very much like my home
town- „Chandigarh‟ in India.
Some of the striking similarities such as being small, easy
to get around, well planned,
organized, quiet, peaceful
and less traffic have always
made me feel at home.
I worked with an organization for people with intellectual disabilities for almost
the whole time I have been
in Canberra. The community
organisation has given me
the opportunity to participate in the Australian way of
life by taking me to different
celebrations, Church and
prayer experiences, and also
sightseeing. I have found a
deep satisfaction by the love
and warmth the community
has offered me. The greatest
joy has been them coming
to support me as a family
during my graduation and
other times of hardship. The
connections I have formed
with them would certainly
be hard to let go of. For this
very reason, I am so much
committed to staying in
Canberra and not anywhere
else.
I was the only international
student on campus at ACU
in my course because of
which I always got extended
support from my lecturers
and tutors to assist me with
my studies. I am quite fascinated with the teacherstudent relationship here. It
is poles apart from what we
have in India. My teachers to
me are not just someone
from whom I have learnt so
much but also my friends
with whom I have shared so
much. They still keep offering me their support and
trust which has been a very
important factor to help me
survive here. They form one
of the few but very vital social networks I have in Can-
Page 6
my journey at ACU
berra. Because Canberra is such a
small community, you get to know a
lot of people very quickly which has
helped me in extending my social
circle. My 1000 hours on-placement
experience in government and nongovernment agencies as part of my
Social Work course in Canberra
also extended my professional networks which definitely assisted me
with full time work opportunities.
I live on one side of town and work
on the other, and I don‟t drive. But
that‟s very little kilometres to get
across, it is very convenient for me
to travel around. I come from a
town where hot weather dominates
9 months of the year. For this very
reason I love cold weather. From
my experience of being here, I love
the long and very cold winters Canberra has. The quiet suburbs made
it the perfect place for me to study
and have my own space away from
the hustle and bustle of the busy
lifestyles of Sydney, Melbourne or
any other state. In saying this I do
not mean that I never like partying
or night life. Canberra does have its
Volume 37
own charm when it comes to night
life. You can experience the beauty
of Canberra by going for a drive and
lookouts at some of the tourist
spots like Mount Ainslie, Lake Burley Griffin, the Telstra Tower and of
course the National Museum and
Art Gallery being my favorites. The
multicultural festivals and support
groups are some of my other interests which Canberra fulfills best.
I have recently started working as an
International Student Advisor at the
University of Canberra and I am seriously loving it. My role model for
this job is my own student advisor
Emily Leite from ACU. It‟s quite
remarkable to look back and realize
how much I have accomplished with
the support and guidance of my education system. In so many ways, I
can say that it would not be possible
without the support from my teach-
ers and my advisor at ACU. Cheers
to ACU.
Coming from another culture,
speaking a different language and at
times having limited access to employment opportunities, it is quite
difficult sometimes to leave a place
where one has established their
roots to understand and survive in
the community better. I have a secure job, a good circle of friends,
good employment contacts, references, and possibly everything that I
can imagine I would need to lead a
happy life. And I can undoubtedly
say that it is because of ACU and
the Canberra community. Thank
you ACU and to the Canberra
community to help me establish
myself so well.
Page 7
Melbourne campus Japan disaster
Zoe Banna
ISA
Melbourne/Ballarat
On April 6 the Melbourne
Campus Market looked and
felt more like the famous
Tsukiji Fish Market! The
market was filled with lots of
noise, colour and excitement.
Many of ACU Melbourne‟s
Japanese students had
worked hard creating decorating and creating Origami
pieces for a special stall at
the Market. The stall was
dedicated to raising awareness and funds for the Red
Cross Japan and Pacific Disaster Appeal 2011 – which
aims to provide fast and effective assistance to those
affected by the magnitude 9
earthquake and the subsequent devastating tsunami
waves, which hit north east
Japan in March 2011.
Though it took me a lot of
practice I was finally able to
master folding the fish and
the crane, but nowhere near
as quickly as the students.
At the fundraiser, the Japanese students wore traditional outfits while inviting
students and staff to choose
some origami pieces to take
home in exchange for a
small donation. The stall was
also selling traditional Japanese items (such as bags and
chopsticks) and origami
demonstrations were being
conducted, encouraging others to choose a design and
“have a go” using some of
the beautifully decorative
paper.
The day was a lot of fun and
we raised over $1000 for
the Red Cross Fund, but
best of all we were able to
show how much students
and staff at ACU care and
want to help those in need.
Well done to everyone involved and who supported
us on the day.
If you would like to try creating some of the Origami
pieces we made during the
fundraiser please visit: http://
en.origami-club.com/
(below: Japanese students
decorating the stall and
demonstrating their fantastic
origami skills to other
students)
In the week leading up to
the event my office became
an origami folding station,
with many demonstrations,
much practicing and some
frustration (mostly mine!) as
our fantastic students created paper cranes, balloons,
fish, hearts, Shuriken, paper
chains and much more.
Volume 37
Page 8
relief fundraiser
(right: My Office became
Origami Central leading up
to the Fundraising event)
(left: Japanese and Vietnamese students offering
Origami in exchange for a
donation)
Volume 37
Page 9
Anti
Anti--social media
Laura Lynch
Bachelor of Media
Communication
Melbourne
Recently I, along with thousands of others encountered
the „Nicole Santos Virus‟
phenomenon on Facebook.
After logging on, I discovered my wall plagued with
bizarre hate declarations,
where underneath each message, I was given the option
to „remove this app.‟
Having seen a few of these
online viruses before I was
fortunate enough to know
not seek out that option.
But unfortunately for those
were unaware, by trying to
remove the post by clicking
the “remove this app” button, thousands unwillingly
passed on and received
variations of “I hate you and
the only way to remove all
these posts is by disabling
this below” to their entire
friend list.
Whilst Facebook may have
cleared the virus moments
later, the virus‟ presence still
resonated in my newsfeed in
the form of hate inspired
groups, ridiculing Nicole
Santos for allegedly creating
the virus.
Volume 37
This event inevitably
prompted me to call into
question the nature of social
networking mediums such
as Facebook, where individuals can band together
and virally defame another
individual.
Much is unknown about the
identity of Nicole Santos,
and whether or not she
bore any responsibility in
creating the virus. Irrespective, publishing slanderous
comments on a public forum
ultimately poises the question- is this just freedom of
speech or is it cyber bullying?
Another virial sensation
sweeping through Facebook
- particularly in Victoria- are
suburb gossip pages; pages
created where individuals
anonymously post to the
admin of the group some
„gossip‟ about another
where it is then publically
posted for all to see.
Perhaps less recently, the
criticism which surrounded
Rebecca Black‟s „Friday‟ also
reflected this. Whilst most
of the world was unanimously united in questioning
her lyrical prowess, the
hateful groups and pages
created were undoubtedly
damaging. Pages such as
“Dear Youtube, I have discovered that there is a glitch
on Rebecca Black's music
video, Friday. There is a
"like" button. Please fix this
ASAP” attracted a following
of 108,770 Facebook members.
Ironically though, Black‟s rise
to „fame‟ has earned her
thousands in record sales.
And for „Nicole Santos?‟ The
creator was able to create a
virus which made a fool of
thousands of Facebook users.
So who‟s the laugh really on,
the artists or us?
Page 10
World Refugee Day 2011
Refugee Week is Australia's peak annual activity to
inform the public about refugees and celebrate positive
contributions made by refugees to Australian society.
Refuge Week 2011 will be celebrated from Sunday,
June 19 to Saturday, June 25, to coincide with World
Refugee Day (June 20).
(Visit www.refugeecouncil.org.au for events in your city)
One family forced to flee is too many;
One refugee without hope is too many;
One refugee returned to danger is too many;
One refugee longing for home is too many;
One child without a nationality is too many;
One family without shelter is too many;
One refugee denied a safe haven is too many;
One child growing up in a camp is too many;
One family torn apart by war is too many;
One girl raped at gunpoint is too many;
One refugee child behind bars is too many;
One refugee without schooling is too many;
(http://www.unhcr.ca/wrd/default.htm)
World Refugee Day - 20 June
The Voice - Your Team
“On World Refugee Day, let us reaffirm the importance of solidarity and burden-sharing by the international community. Refugees have been deprived of their
homes, but they must not be deprived of their futures.”
International Student Advisers
Maria Valastro: Editor and ISA, QLD
Emily Leite: NSW & ACT
Zoe Banna: VIC
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Message for World Refugee Day 2010
Counselling Service, Office of Student
Success: Rosemary Williams - ACU Melbourne
Student Reporters this edition
Laura Lynch - Melbourne
Henna Chhabra - Canberra
Camille Favard - Melbourne
(http://www.un.org/en/events/refugeeday/)
University Dates:
18 June
Examinations end
20 June to 24 July
Vacation
http://my.acu.edu.au/student/support/
international
Volume 37
Page 11