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Switch written by young people for young people
COVER
PHOTOGRAPHER NATALIE EVANS
ISSUE 8
Production Managers
Alastair McGibbon, Adrian Aloi
Photographer
Natalie Evans
Designer
Julian Grant
Editorial Committee
Adrian Aloi, Natalie Evans, Zac Fernandez, Julian Grant, Finn Levelt, Alastair McGibbon, Amanda Sherring,
Kim Sinnott and Hannah Teesdale
Contributors
Adrian Aloi, Sarah Davies, Zac Fernandez, Finn Levelt, Alastair McGibbon, Ruby McEvoy, Ruby
Mangelsdorf, Skye Mangelsdorf, Amanda Sherring, Kim Sinnott, Jorja Storrar, Tara Sweeney and Hannah
Teesdale
Production Services
Adcell Media
Thanks
City of Greater Geelong & Adcell Media
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the young people writing the articles ans
do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the City of Greater Geelong.
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Content
Page 3 Editorial
Page 4 Piracy
Page 6 Satan’s end
Page 8 Gymnastics in the Seventies
Page 10 Bad Perception of Charities
Page 12 Vintage Crop
Page 13 Marimbas
Page 14 Career Choice
Page 15 Australia
Page 16 Violent Soho
Page 17 Social media
Page 18 Travel Geelong
Page 19 Project Make Good
Page 20 The Beach Life
Page 21 Who am I? Air
Page 22 Battle of Faith
Page 26 H.P. Lovecraft
Page 27 California by Blink-182
Page 28 Overwatch
Page 29 Be part of Switch
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Well hey there gang! It’s been a while!
We’ve been on the down-low for a while now, but we were just lulling you into a false sense of security
before busting heads with our work like some kind of literary Batman. I may have gotten a little
carried away there, but the thing to take away is that we’re back, and we’ve got a brand spankin’ new
issue for you to feast your eyes on!
This time around, we’ve gathered together some of Geelong’s best and brightest writers to fill our
pages – we’ve got a cross-section of the best things to visit in the Geelong region, some excellent
creative writing, and a breakdown of the ins and outs of one of the true masters of horror literature:
H.P. Lovecraft, master of all things Cthulhu.
If this sounds like your sort of thing, read on – we’ve got all that and more, and there’s still more to
come! We’re not done yet, so expect to hear from us again in future! One thing to keep in mind is
that we’re always looking for fresh faces and new content, so hit us up on Facebook (facebook.com/
switchmagazinegeelong) or shoot us an email at [email protected] if you want to get in
touch!
Until next time, folks!
The Switch Editorial Committee
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THE PIRACY PROBLEM
WORDS ALASTAIR MCGIBBON
So, here’s the thing: I guarantee you, at some time in your life, you’ve been a pirate. Either
that, or you’ve known one, if you’re one of the few pure souls among us. Unfortunately, I’m not talking
about your Captain Jack Sparrowesque swashbucklers; no, I’m talking about those supposedly hardened
career criminals that steal from hard working, hard done by multinational corporations every time a new
episode of Game of Thrones comes out, because they’re just so damn evil. If it wasn’t already obvious, I’m
invested in this story; like Kotaku’s Mark Serrels, I torrent Game of Thrones and I refuse to feel bad about
it. Any time a new season of Game of Thrones begins in the US, we’re bombarded with stories from the
usual suspects (looking at you, News Limited) about how Australians are the world’s worst pirates
when it comes to the fantasy epic and told that we should feel bad for stealing from the creative folks that
make Westeros come to life. Now, this is a repetitive discussion; more eloquent journos around the
country have made the arguments much better than me, but for clarity’s sake, I’ll do my best to sum up
their points:
We’re pirates because a certain, litigation-happy media conglomerate sucks.
Come to think of it, it’s not all that complicated. As Mr Serrels discovered, actually trying to pay to watch
Game of Thrones legally is a messy, frustrating process. From the very beginning, you’re pretty much
railroaded into giving your money to the aforementioned media giant courtesy of their exclusive
distribution deal with HBO, who are no doubt regretting that deal immensely. While you can bypass HBO
GO’s geoblocking with a handy VPN service (which, for security’s sake, you should also be paying for), you
still need to pay for an account. Assuming you can access the service, HBO may cancel your access if you
use an Australian credit card, or may block access from known VPN servers altogether. This is without
going into the legal issues relating to accessing a geoblocked service; technically, they’re geoblocked for a
reason, usually relating to distribution deals. If you’re not technically adept or aren’t confident enough to
pay for and/or configure a VPN service, you’re left with one option: paying Foxtel for access.
Now, the vast majority of people I’ve spoken to on the issue – both tech heads and show fans alike – have
expressed disdain for the world’s shittiest cable company, and there’s a good reason. To their credit, they
have tried to appease the Netflix crowd; they developed an online streaming service designed to allow
the general public to watch Game of Thrones (and other shows) online without purchasing their
ludicrously expensive cable package. The problem? The service is crap compared to their competitors.
Since the writing of this article, they have redeemed themselves with a price shakeup, but they’re still
more expensive than most other streaming services out there. Sure, they’ve got a huge selection of
content, but the service just lacks quality, and is divided up into packages, much like the cable service, so
even if you sign up, you’re not getting the full range of content without paying through the nose for it.
While the company have finally caught up and given us access as soon as it’s aired in the US, there’s still
one big problem: it doesn’t stream in HD. Yeah, you read that right; even after forking out for the package,
you can’t even get your Game of Thrones fix in high quality on every device; you need to have a Telstra TV
device, which just adds to the cost.
Now, technical gripes aside, this shows us that we’ve got a massive problem. What we’re talking about
here is a company that has monopolised what is arguably the most popular television show in the entire
world, and is exercising all of its legal rights – all the while complaining bitterly through its media
affiliates – to force people to pay up. While I’m not one to begrudge a business for trying to make money,
the main issue here is the way in which this particular business is going about it, and how they throw a
tantrum every time piracy is even alluded to. Railroading consumers is never going to work in your
favour; hell, just look at the backlash Apple received when they gave out free copies of U2’s album Songs
of Innocence by automatically downloading it to users’ devices back in 2014. A lack of choice is never a
good thing, and the big, bad litigator’s laisse faire approach to providing consumers viable alternatives to
their services – or at the very least improving their overall quality and value for money – means that for
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at least the next little while, I’m still going to have to sail the dark waters of the Pirate Bay (yes, despite
the ISPenforced ban).
While this is something of an ethical minefield, my personal justification for downloading the show is that
as long as I support the show through other means – buying the books (love me some GRRM),
merchandise and, most importantly, buying the DVDs/Blu-rays – then my conscience is appeased, and I’m
still supporting the folks who devote their time to making one of my favourite things. The meteoric rise of
Netflix in Australia is proof that having a good quality, affordable service will attract customers, and a few
distributors have caught on; while Stan and Quickflix are less popular, they’re still attracting customers.
Realistically, companies like the subject of this article (hell, we all know who I mean) need to stop taking
their customers for granted and assuming they’ll blindly do whatever they want – this is the digital age,
where content is everywhere, and if you piss us off you won’t see a cent.
Disclaimer: This article has been sarcastically redacted by the author so no one gets sued.
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SATAN’S END
WORDS ADRIAN ALOI
I was there, at the beginning
I saw Carthage be sowed with salt
Gorged myself with food at Holodomor,
Inhaled fresh air at the Holocaust,
Bathed in napalm at Vietnam;
I Shook George Bush’s hands as tanks rolled into Iraq
You ask me who I am.
I am hunger I am thirst, I am the end
And the end is nigh, now allow me to tell you my tale
Abandoned, deserted, cast aside,
Forsaken, branded a Misanthrope,
Eons alone, without a home,
Enough, enough,
Hades welcomes me, as heaven never could,
The end is nigh, Lucifer is dead,
Call me Satan, don’t forget my name.
The world shall see, the world shall know,
Nothing will be the same, everything will change,
But how, how do I get back at you,
How to punish the creator of worlds,
The creator of humans,
The creator of me,
Destroy, annihilate, consume.
The end is nigh,
Deprived of my Father,
The misanthrope shall deny him his children,
Death shall come, death shall consume them all,
Death, destroy, annihilation, no,
No, more would simply take their place,
Death is too easy, too quick,
The end is nigh,
Father told us to bow,
Their souls, dwarfed our existence,
Their souls, their souls, they shall be mine,
Punished, perverted, unravelled,
Their souls shall be twisted, they shall be remade,
Once pure, now no more,
Their very fabric’s unravelled,
The end is nigh,
Forever changed, pure now corrupted,
Souls taken, repurposed,
Soldiers, now unwavering, without emotion,
Giving names and propelled into his world,
Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin,
My warriors, my kinsmen, my destroyers of worlds,
Destroy, annihilate, and conquer,
The end is nigh,
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Eternities spent apart, an existence lived in ignorance,
Ages have past, the world has changed
No longer apes with sticks, no longer afraid of the dark,
Oppenheimer even harnessed the power of the gods,
My combatants failed again like all before them,
Was I wrong?
Were humans more? Were humans superior?
No
Unwearying, in my watch I have learnt one thing,
Humans do not need me to destroy them, they will do it themselves,
If time has taught me one thing, it is that humans were never pure to begin with,
God’s greatest gift to the world was as flawed as everything else.
They will fail and their failure will be my triumph, their demise my conclusion.
The end is nigh – call me Satan, hope you forget my name
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GYMNASTICS IN THE SEVENTIES
WORDS ZAC FERNANDEZ
Have you ever been in a situation where a piece of music comes from out of nowhere.
Like a smack in the face, you are left in an questionable awe, as you hopelessly wonder what the hell just
hit you? I have. The story takes place in the Barwon Club bandroom (plenty of good times have been had
here: one of the best live music venues in Geelong, I reckon). I showed up hours early to see another band
play later on in the night, but the worry of losing a good spot became completely irrelevant as I walked in
and joined the other 7 people in the audience at the time. To kick off the show, a local Geelong indie rock
band called Gymnastics In the Seventies took to the stage and, as they blasted into their first song, I was
blown away.
With a singer, two guitarists, a bassist and a drummer, I was taken away by how smooth it sounded. The
combination of jangly chords, sweet solos, warm bass, crisp drums and soothing vocals caressed my
ringing ears as I couldn’t help but tap my foot and groove along with the band. The music eerily reminded
me of the likes of other Australian acts such as San Cisco and Sticky Fingers.
Their debut EP Daylessness, has been on constant repeat ever since, as well as their sweet single Turn
and Tremble. I now find myself craving for more new music and I’m proud to say that I got the chance to
talk online to the four boys behind this musical mastery.
Here’s some of the things we got ‘round to talking about, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Q: How did you guys get together as a band? Did you know each other personally beforehand?
A: Basically through school, Dom came to the same high school in year 10 and we knew Campbell from
good ol’ CCG Middle School.
Q: What band/s would you love to play alongside on a “dream tour?”
A: I reckon someone like Bombay Bicycle Club or Sticky Fingers would be sick. Obviously Zeppelin would
be rad too, but after Bonham kicked the bucket, I doubt it’d happen.
Q: How do you guys approach songwriting?
A: Pretty much Frase will bring some chords and lyrics he has put together and we just jam it out until we
have all our separate parts. We have a few jams that have appeared out of nowhere but majority is
Frase’s beautiful mind.
Q: What is it like for you to head into the studio to the record music as opposed to heading out and
touring?
A: I think our parts are a bit more toned down and more ‘surfy’ on record whereas live it’s a little more
rocky so you can dance to it, plus Dom loses it when we play live; listen to that guy’s playing, he’s a beast.
Q: Are there any favourite songs to perform live, if so, why?
A: We used to do Four Eyes into Hotline Bling by Drake which had a stanky bass line but we don’t do it
much anymore because Dom hates it. At the moment it’d probably be Turn and Tremble because of the
phat octave bass pedal I get to use.
Q: Do you have any favourite pastimes besides music?
A: Apart from binge watching Netflix, Dom and I surf a lot together. I have a little point and shoot film
camera which is fun to use. We also are all aspiring Sommeliers so we drink lots of wine like the
pretentious tools that we are.
Q: Where do you see yourselves, as a band, in a few years? Potential new music/album?
A: Hopefully we’ll have an album out if we ever get our sh*t together. An East Coast tour is also on the list
too.
Q: Coming from Geelong, would you say that the city has an influence on or serves as an inspiration for
your music?
A: Not really, it’s a bit of a sh*t hole to be honest. The majority of bands that are coming out of G-town are
pretty punk rock so we don’t exactly fit the music scene.
Q: What are your views on the current state of the Australian music industry? How do you feel music will
evolve in the future?
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A: Melbourne’s music scene is blooming with fresh talent, but the lockout laws have really f**ked over
Sydney’s live music scene. I think Aussie artists are some of the best in the world, so we’re pretty lucky to
be included in that.
Q: Is there any advice that you would give aspiring musicians who are looking to start
a band?
A: Play as many live shows as you can. Don’t let yourself get screwed around by
venues because you’re young or don’t have a following. Play what you like, and don’t try and conform to
what you think people will like. Make what you think sounds cool. Drink loads of beers; if you can play
well smashed that’s how you know you’re good - not that we have ever pulled it off! Be sure to check out
their music and catch them live if you’re in town or hit them up on social media.
www.facebook.com/gymnasticsintheseventies
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BAD PERCEPTIONS OF CHARITY DAMAGING CHANCES OF REAL CHANGE
WORDS KIM SINNOTT
Oh my God, another one. I just got away from that guy and his clipboard and now here’s a
girl trying to make eye contact. Do I look at my phone? No, that won’t do it.
They know these things…
Ooh maybe I’ll pretend I’m talking. It’s not like they’d be able to see the screen.
Okay that worked. I wonder what they’re trying to get people into…
Put your hand up if you’ve ever escaped one of those people on the street that tries to sign
you up to charitable causes.
Identifiable 10 meters away from their actual stall, these charity muggers (a term I didn’t realize existed
until I searched Urban dictionary) must have a hard time reaching their target of signing up 10 people a
shift.
I’ll admit, if I don’t use the phone trick, I’ll often wave a hand and say that I’m under 21 because I heard
that they cannot sign anyone up below that age.
If I happen to be interested in the facts they rattle off in the 20 seconds it takes for me to pass them, I’ll
still say that I’ll look them up online later. Then I’ll forget it ever happened.
But really, how bad are these street fundraisers? Sure, they can hassle you. If you’re a pushover like me,
you’re probably going to sign up on the spot, and agree to a monthly deducton from your bank account.
Later, you realise how stupid you are and then have to go to the trouble of making that cancellation
phone call. I get anxious just thinking about it.
But they’re not all bad right? In some instances, people will associate charities with negative
connotations. To work for one means that you are either a hippy that preaches far-fetched ideas or
that you’re dishonest - because surely the donations collected don’t make a difference,
right?
Maybe the aggressive approach has made people forget about the real reason they exist in the first place
– to help those in a vulnerable, disadvantaged situation.
According to the 2014 Australian Charities Report, in that year Australian charities had a total income of
$103 billion. Of that, $6.8 billion of their income was sourced through donations and bequests.
While this figure is extraordinarily high, there is in fact no shortage of disadvantage. After all, there is a
reason that charities continue to exist; there is always a need to be addressed.
After finding myself working in the not-forprofit sector, I began to realize that the ideas I used to be
passionate about had gone by the wayside. I had been too concerned going about my day to stop and take
notice of those charity muggers or to roll down my window to give away my spare 20 and 50 cent coins.
However, from working for a small grassroots charity selling socks to raise funds for poverty stricken
Kenyans and then to working for an internationally recognized charity, being behind the scenes gives you
a new perspective.
Once you become exposed to the needs of the community, you often begin to recognise those who are in
need and do receive support - whether they are living on the streets and need a hot meal or if they need
someone to talk through their problems.
Not-for-Profit organisations work hard to help these people and part of that is to ask for money. That in
itself is not easy but it is necessary. Donations are sourced so that services and programs can be delivered
to vulnerable people at little or no cost. Moreover, this requires a lot of passion and empathy from people
behind the scenes of these charitable organisations.
Another perception of charities is that not enough of actual donations are actually passed down to the
person in need. The percentage of donations that are sent down to the individual level is dependent on
the charity – there are often administration and other costs associated with the running of most services
and programs. Nevertheless, there are charities that attempt as best as possible to ensure that the most
difference can be made with a single dollar.
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Perhaps the problem with street fundraising is thinking that there is always someone else better
equipped to help. That maybe the next person can spare $5 instead of the $1 in your pocket. In reality,
statistics show that only 33.5% of Australians gives to charity.
But there is still hope : more people are looking to make their donations online. The process is easy you
use your card, you select the amount you want to donate and you’re done. Plus you have your donation
receipt immediately sent to you, which is handy at tax time.
In a community like Geelong, typically people are generous and kind. And once you stop thinking
selfishly, most people do want to make real change in this world.
The problem isn’t giving to charity – it’s how it’s all comes down to the approach.
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VINTAGE CROP
WORDS HANNAH TEESDALE
I sat down with local lad, Jack Cherry to have a yarn about his band, Vintage Crop, their upcoming album,
and Jack’s record label ‘Weather Vane Records’.
Jack (pictured top right), has been making music under the name Vintage Crop for about 5 years. Back in
school, every day he’d come home, tuck himself away in his room and according to Jack, record “the most
terrible music you’ve ever heard”. Since beginning to record his own music, Jack dreamed of playing at
least one live show in his life – but with the use of 2 guitars, bass, and drums to record his music,
performing it all live as a one-manband wasn’t really on the cards.
For years Jack asked around to get people on board for a live gig and didn’t have much luck. Until finally,
in early 2016, Jack got mates Jack Massey, Tyler O’Brien and Tyson Harper to help him out in playing his
long awaited live show … in his backyard. Turns out the boys loved their time practising more than
anticipated and decided this wasn’t just a temporary thing, they were there to stay. Since their first show,
Vintage Crop have have made several appearances at the local Barwon Club, and have made several trips
up the freeway to play at multiple Melbourne venues.
Now, you must be wondering where the name comes from? Next to Jack’s home computer his dad kept a
list of all of the Melbourne cup winners. One day, Jack’s eye caught the name of the 1993 winner, Vintage
Crop. From there on in, the name of the 93’ Melbourne Cup winner would live on through the musical
talent of this up-and-coming Geelong band.
With influences artists such Eddy Current Suppression Ring, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Parquet
Courts, and UV Race, Jack describes Vintage Crop’s own sound as garage music “it’s not rock music, but
it’s not, not rock music”. Call it what you will, Vintage Crop’s laid back, hearty tunes have you singing
along from the first listen.
To add to Jack Cherry’s many talents, he’s started up his very own record label ‘Weather Vane Records’,
with the name deriving from one of Vintage Crop’s songs.
In November of last year, Vintage Crop released EP ‘Coming Up’ (hit up their Spotify, Soundcloud iTunes,
etc., you know what you’ve gotta do) and they’ve since been busy recording their debut album with Billy
Gardner (of Living Eyes and Ausmuteants) due to be released in April. If ‘Coming Up’ is anything to go off
for what to expect from their upcoming album, we’ll all be in for a real treat.
Hit up their socials and keep your eyes peeled – these boys are set for big things!
www.facebook.com/vintagecropband/
@vintagecropband
www.facebook.com/WeatherVaneRecords/
@weathervanerecords
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MARIMBAS
WORDS JORJA STORRAR
When someone says “marimba” to me I get excited, but when they say the same word to someone else,
they don’t know what to say. Many people explain it as a giant xylophone, but really, the two items have
many differences. The marimba’s bars are made of wood and are various sizes, whereas the xylophone
has metal bars of the same size. A xylophone is also small and mobile and the marimba needs to be
reassembled on moving and with its fold up leg joints into a hollow box.
Another fact about these amazing instruments. A marimba is a Zimbabwean musical instrument which
uses only the movement of your wrist and fore arm. It is played sharply and doesn’t allow any extended
notation unless you choose to roll. A roll is when you chose to extend a note by using a fast movement
from your wrist for a longer time. The mallets are the equivalent to drumsticks and are utensils used to
hit the bars from the musical range of a to g. The bigger the bar the lower the sound, the smaller the bar
the higher the sound. On the bottom of the bar there is a curved dent indicating the sound wave between
the mallet and the bar this is what allows the sound to be heard.
There are a few different types of marimbas - a box marimba, a resonator and a big bass. The box
marimba is a type that I have already explained in the first paragraph but a resonator is a marimba that
has only four strips of wood forming the outline of our regular frame, to make the buzz sound we use
pipe tubes cut to size. On the end we attach some blue tack and a bit of a plastic bag. The big bass is a
rather bigger version of the resonator. It uses a different type of mallet. We use a stick of wood and carve
it into a cylinder and then attach either a down ball or a tennis ball to the end to cause the bounce as well
as the sound.
At Tate.St.PS the school of which I attend, we build our own marimbas and have formed around four
different marimba bands. I myself am a part of the elite band called Marimbataters. We travel the suburb
attending concerts and fun performances playing original and some familiar pieces for the locals of
Victoria. We have had visitors ourselves. A Zimbabwean school group called St Johns showed and taught
us a complex piece of which uses dynamics and tempo. Our music teacher Ms Rocca is a well-known
musician. She got our school into a program called ‘Just Brass’ run by the Salvation Army but back to
the marimbas.
Her husband Adam Burke is also a teacher working at Clonard College and also teaches marimba.
Between the two they have formed a talented bunch of musical students that enjoy this amazing program.
Performing is fun yet challenging, it teaches you resilience and let’s you see that you are human if you
make a mistake, on top of all that it teaches you leadership and confidence. This gave us an outcome of
the highest academic scores in the region that didn’t just depend on our music program but it did take a
big part of the win. I suppose it’s actually true about what they say; extra curriculum activities are good
for you.
That is all the information you need to know to become an all-round marimba star and for you to succeed
in life further.
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CAREER CHOICE
WORDS SARAH DAVIES
Career choices are importnat, the outcome of these choices will change your life. I go to Sacred Heart
College Geelong and I’m in year 10. I can already feel the pressure of choosing between VCE, VCAL and
VET, but most of all my subjects. I’m finding this quite difficult to to keep up with, especially when I feel
the mounting pressure of upholding the amazing standards of my school.
It’s not only me being made to choose; every senior student is being made to pick their future, but unlike
most of my confident classmates I have no clue about the person I want to be when I’m older. Yet it’s very
common for teenagers to try to avoid answering that question when asked. Many people don’t even know
the answer to this question once they leave high school, and this can even continue to university.
You always hear about the students with the highest ATARs, though I’ve never heard much about the
effect that your ATAR once you go to university. It doesn’t matter if you got the highest ATAR out of all
the people in your course or if you got the lowest. However, it’s becoming more and more relevant that
you need to have a satisfactory ATAR score to go your desired university, let alone any university. Even
then, you still haven’t made it through the selection process. Thinking about trying to overcome that in
the future just gives me a headache.
After going over the important choices with your ATAR and university, it is easy to see that this is only
the tip of the iceberg.
The burden of career choice follows me home, too. I have quite a lot of stress coming from
my family who are suggesting and pointing out the best subjects for me, when I want to do different ones.
When I think it over, I can hear my teachers saying “Choose what you want to choose” and honestly, I’m
having a hard time deciding.
Telling people that I’m starting to think seriously about career choice is also hard. Some think it’s too
early for me to think about that type of stuff, but among all of the pressure to choose, Im grateful for the
amazing support of my teachers, family and friends. Some of them have seen nearly every outcome of
these choices and would have experienced plenty of them themselves.
Overall this daunting task doesn’t seem so big with enough help and in the end you will be getting
somewhere - even if it doesn’t seem to be the right place at the time.
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AUSTRALIA
WORDS RUBY MANGELSDOR
Australia’s landscape is as diverse as its community, from the snowy caps of Mt Kosciusko, to the depths
of the Great Barrier Reef. Its landscape is filled with hidden gems such as the world’s largest fringing reef,
Ningaloo.
I recently had the opportunity to travel around our beautiful country with my family. I had weeks of
freedom from social media, phones, computers – you name it! We set out on our journey with our camper
trailer across the Nullarbor Plain, over to Perth. From there we travelled up the west coast until we
reached the Ningaloo Reef National park.
Not many people know about the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ningaloo Reef, as it is secluded, which
makes it all the more special. It is home to over 250 species of coral, 500 species of fish, as well as
dugongs, manta rays, sharks, and six of the world’s seven marine turtle species.
When we visited, we could simply take a few steps into the water and we would be in an underwater
wonderland. A breathtaking array of fish, coral and turtles were waiting to be explored. We put on our
snorkels and flippers and swam with Green Sea turtles, admired the vibrant colours of coral, took in the
patterns on fish’s scales and tried not to panic when we saw sharks. One of Ningaloo Reef’s greatest
attractions is the world’s largest fish - the Whale Shark. These gentle giants spend the months of March –
July in the outer reefs of Ningaloo. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see them up close, but we spotted one
from a distance. We travelled to Monkey Mia to see Bottlenose dolphins swim around our feet. I thought I
was going to be the lucky one to feed them but sadly another kid got chosen. She got to hand feed the
dolphins, although a sneaky pelican stole the fish right out of the girl’s hand! To go from the turquoise
beaches and bright coral of Ningaloo to the red dirt and rock art at Kakadu was a bit of a shock. Sharks
were replaced with crocodiles, coral replaced with water lilies, and brolgas instead of sting rays. We went
on a croc spotting cruise and spotted the 6 metre “Mr Waters.”
After a lot of red dirt roads and river crossings, we arrived at Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park. The largest
rock in the world stood tall over the endless desert plains. It took us six hours to walk around the base of
Uluru. We watched the sun transform the colour of the rock from an early morning yellow into fiery red
at mid-day and then into a stunning purple as the sun set.
One of my most memorable trips in Australia was to Mt Kosciusko, Australia’s highest mountain. It rises
2228 metres into the sky and I will never forget the feeling of standing on the rock at the summit and
being the tallest person in Australia for a few minutes! Last year, I travelled to the tropics of Far North
Queensland. I lost count of the number of waterfalls we swam in amongst luscious green vines, ferns and
palm trees in the Daintree Rainforest and the number of different fishes we swam with in the Great
Barrier Reef.
These trips have shown me the incredible beauty and diversity in landscapes, wildlife and cultures in
Australia. So don’t hesitate to explore our beautiful country a little more.
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VIOLENT SOHO
WORDS ZAC FERNANDEZ
The 90s – a generation like no other. It was one that was crucial in manipulating in influencing modern
culture and how we live our lives today, especially in relation to what is arguably the biggest product of
the decade: the music. In theory, there were two main movements during the 90s: the “pop movement”
and the “hip-hop” movement. However, at the same time, there was only one genre of music that is
synonymous with the 90s and that started not only a movement, but a revolution. I’m talking about
alternative rock. Led by mammoth acts such as Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and Red Hot Chili Peppers,
alternative rock took the world by storm during the 90s and, no matter where you went, you simply
couldn’t escape it.
However, since the suicide of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain in 1994, the flame has been slowly
dwindling and the world has been in dire need of a band capable of and willing to stand up to the
talentless and boring likes of Kanye West and Justin Bieber. Funnily enough, if you fast forward 20 years,
you’ll find there is a band out there who is amongst many Australian alternative acts bringing back the
90s nostalgia. The band? Violent Soho.
Luke Boredam (vocals, guitars), James Tidswell (guitars), Luke Henery (bass) and Michael Richards
(drums) have been together as a band for 12 years and have since released one EP and four albums, with
their third album, “Hungry Ghost”, being certified gold in Australia and their most recent effort, “WACO”,
having topped the Australian music charts.
Violent Soho deliver thick and heavy riffs, booming drums, angsty vocals and the retrospective lyrics, as
well as staying relevant their referencing their roots in Australia, despite finding themselves playing in
venues across the world. Their song “Like Soda” is a perfect example of this and is the epitome of typical
Australian culture, referencing pubs, the pokies and beer.
Whilst the studio material holds up very well, you cannot truly experience the magic that is Violent Soho
without seeing them live. A concert staple, “Covered In Chrome”, is definitely a crowd pleaser and there’s
nothing more exciting than screaming “HELL F**K YEAH!” at the top of your lungs.
There is something here for everyone. Songs such as “Jesus Stole My Girlfriend”, “In the Aisle” and “Love
Is A Heavy Word” are sure to get you thrashing and chanting away, whilst songs such as “Dope Calypso”,
“Outsider” and “So Sentimental” will bring you back down to a mellow and dreary daze. There is simply
nothing to fault about this band as they take charge to bring Australian music back to the forefront and
make music great again.
17
SOCIAL MEDIA
WORDS TARA SWEENEY
I know it sounds very clichéd, but I think it’s true: social media really is taking over our lives. We don’t
realise it, but we are throwing away hours of our lives in exchange for the intangible social media
commodities instead of interacting with real people. Likes and comments start to take the place of actual
conversations, and even though your parents constantly tell you off about it, statistics have proven it to
be true. Social media is becoming used so frequently that it is becoming relied on in our everyday lives.
Sitting with a group of friends out for dinner the other week - only about three minutes after we had
finished our meal - I looked around and noticed that four people out of the five of us had been drawn back
to the screens of our phones. This is not uncommon, as the 2015 Sensis Social Media Report shows that
52% of Australians access the internet more than five times a day, with 79% accessing it daily.
Presumably, social media’s constant presence plays a significant role in our need to keep ourselves up to
date with everything that’s going on. It’s even starting to affect us psychologically. FOMO, or Fear Of
Missing Out, is a term that is now being used to describe the constant need that we feel to check our
social media accounts. Facebook’s own statisticians have estimated that people check their news feeds on
an average of 14 times a day. That figure is even more impressive when you consider that 93% of the
Sensis survey respondents have Facebook accounts.
That’s just Facebook, not including the myriad of alternate platforms such as Twitter, Instagram,
Snapchat and Tumblr. Social media has become so integrated into our lives that it’s not uncommon for
people to spend their time with real people talking about the trivialities of the online world.
Nothing irritates me more than people spending whole conversations about ‘someone’s comment on
someone else’s post’ or ‘how someone liked someone’s photo’. All these things are completely
disconnected from our tangible lives and make no difference to the physical world that we actually live in.
Interacting with each other face to face has almost become a lost art thanks to our reliance on the
convenience and constant presence of social media.
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TRAVEL GEELONG
WORDS KIM SINNOTT
Thinking of somewhere to visit doesn’t always have to mean travelling overseas, interstate or even into
Melbourne. Sometimes the best places are right on your doorstep and yes, are often taken for granted.
After all, lots of people flock to our town for a holiday.
Here are some spots around Geelong perfect for a day trip on your weekend off (and don’t worry because
they all are great locations for your Instagram too!)
Geelong Waterfront
While the Pokemon Go crazy may be over by the time of publishing, in the meantime hunters are being
reawakened to the beautiful Geelong Waterfront.
Walking distance from the Geelong CBD, we’re pretty damn lucky to live in a town
on the beachfront and it really does offer something for everyone.
Ideal day: Start walking! Begin at the Carousel at Western Beach and east. Stop in at restaurants, eat
paella served from a boat and continue until you get to the Promenade – especially great on sunny days.
The You Yangs
The You Yangs should be familiar to all locals, sitting in the distance as you look across Corio Bay and the
You Yangs Regional Park continues to impress as an attraction for both locals and tourists. Choice of
activities are endless at the You Yangs – climb to the summit Flinder’s Peak and take in the amazing
views, bring your mountain bikes and try out 50km of trails, go rock climbing or horseback riding or
simply enjoy a picnic amongst the wildlife.
Ideal activity: Climbing to Flinders Peak may be difficult for some but the view is definitely worth it! Try
going late in the afternoon but be sure to check out the You Yang Regional Park’s website for opening
hours. During daylight savings, the Park is open from 7:00am until 6:00pm.
The Bellarine Peninsula
For beach lovers, there are plenty of great spots along the Bellarine Peninsula. Head to St Leonards or
Clifton Springs for more a secluded stretch of beach or Ocean Grove in the Summer for the surf and a busy
vibe. For something in between, Portarlington is perfect. All are easy to get to by public transport if you
need.
Ideal day (weather permitting): The locals of Portarlington are pretty welcoming and there is an endless
supply of great cafes and restaurants. It’s a great spot for swimming and fishing and over Summer a
carnival is usually put on.
Lorne
If you insist on leaving Geelong, make sure it’s to take a mini road trip to Lorne with a car full of your
friends or your family, yummy snacks and good old fashioned games like ‘I Spy’. It only takes about an
hour from the Geelong CBD and on the way be treated with some gorgeous coastal views and lush green
forests. When you get to Lorne, make sure you grab a bite at Bottle of Milk but on a sunny day you may
need to share a table with other tourists. Alternatively take some fish and chips to the beach as the main
shopping district the water is close by.
Ideal activity: One of the best things about Lorne is its proximity to Eskine Falls. Only around 15-20
minutes from the town itself, the falls plunge 30 meters into Erskine River. There are two lookouts - the
first an easy 5 minute walk and the second a bit tougher with about 240 steps (but the view of the falls
from here is worth the strenuous climb back up).
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PROJECT MAKE GOOD
WORDS HANNAH TEESDALE
When I first saw the ridiculously adorable pins by Project Make Good, not only did I want to buy every
single one of them, I was incredibly intrigued by the name. Project Make Good – what exactly are they
making good? Well, when I discovered exactly what was behind this inspiring name, I knew that I most
definitely had to buy every single one of the pins.
Project make good describes themselves as a little business initiative supporting local organisations and
the community via cute hand crafted goods.
Genius, kind soul and all round great chick, Fi Foster, aged 20, is the brains and beauty who brought this
amazing idea to life. Fi, a student who has a lot of passion for people and for justice, decided to put her
super creative brain to (VERY) good use. She put her passions together and began reaching out to others
in her own unique way. Fi selects a Geelong based charity, which alternates every few months, then
makes these (did I mention ADORABLE) little pins and gives 20% of all profits straight to the charities!
Since it’s birth in January of ’16, Project Make Good has raised awareness for and donated money to Hope
Movement, Geelong Mums, Foundation 61 and the Geelong Food Relief Centre and they plan to reach out
to many other charities and organisations around the region.
More recently, Project Make Good has begun selling more than just those super cute little pins. Fi makes a
mean coconut and coffee body scrub which she began packaging into delightful little jars and bags, and
ever since they’ve been flying out the door.
Fi is a woman of many talents and I can’t wait to see what her creative genius brain comes up with next
for Project Make Good to sell. So do yourself (and those in need) a favour and treatyo- self to some
delectable body scrub and a pretty little pin (or many). Those gorgeous darn pins are guaranteed to help
others in need while making your outfit look fabulous!
Instagram @projectmakegood
Facebook facebook.com/projectmakegood
20
THE BEACH LIFE
WORDS SKYE MANGELSDORF
Who doesn’t love the beach? Australia is full of beautiful beaches; they are fun, exciting and it’s actually
super healthy to visit them! There is a huge range of reasons to go to the many magical beaches along
Australia’s coastline, like fitness and relaxation.
When you go to the beach, it’s not all about sunbathing or sitting around, there’s plenty of things to do,
from surfing to beach cricket. Of course there are so many more sports to do at this heathy haven.
Running and walking on the sand can require 1.6 to 2.5 times the energy than it takes to run on the
footpath or roads. Using this extra energy, you are burning more calories and it’s healthier for your body
and mind.
Yes, lying in the sun for hours with no protection is very dangerous and bad for you, but the sun can be
very beneficial for your skin. The sun gives you a healthy dose of vitamin D and your body can produce
just over 10,000 to 25,000 IU (International Units) of vitamin D in just under the amount of time it takes
you to start going a little pink. When you surf in the salty seawater the water produces a heap of minerals
which help fight infection, offer therapeutic effects and will help the body heal cuts and open wounds.
Swimming is a non-impact sport so it offers anyone suffering or recovering from injuries the chance to
strengthen the injured part of the body and help them to recover. In fact if you go for a casual swim it
burns about 200 calories, if you go for a surf or play Frisbee you can burn roughly 100 calories and if you
play beach volleyball you burn nearly 300 calories! All of these sports are fun, interesting and you can
burn hundreds of calories while playing them. Have you ever noticed how much yoga is done on the
beach? Well that’s because the beach decreases your level of stress. The air itself is full of negative ions
that help you increase your mood and helps you sleep soundly at night.
The beach is also healthy for your pets. If you have a dog and you live near the beach and you haven’t
done so already maybe try walking your dog at the beach. You will be walking on the sand, breathing the
air and doing almost all the healthy things the beach has to offer. Your pet can stay healthy and you can
both enjoy it.
If you weren’t convinced already the beach is the perfect place to relax, have fun and improve your fitness
level. I spend a lot of time there and it is one of my favourite places. Everyone should experience their
local beach!
21
WHO AM I?
WORDS RUBY MCEVOY
I don’t know who I am,
Anymore.
I look in the mirror and see,
A stranger.
A stranger who looks like me,
I think,
And then I think,
Who am I though?
My masked emotions,
Seem real enough,
For when I’m laughing,
I’m screaming inside,
When I’m smiling,
I’m crying on the inside.
No one really knows me,
Hell! Even I don’t know me!
I’m just a girl,
Searching for herself.
AIR
WORDS RUBY MCEVOY
Don’t pretend you like me,
Don’t pretend you care.
I know what you think of me,
Oh yes, I dare.
Your jokes are like bullets,
Your laugh a knife,
And all are aimed at me,
Preparing to put me in strife.
Your eyes are like fire,
Your insults gasoline,
Burning holes through me.
Why do you hate me?
What did I do?
Because never did I ever,
Do anything to you.
I know I am not innocent,
I know I am not pure.
But I have never murdered,
That I am sure.
So don’t pretend you like me,
Don’t pretend you care.
For I now know that your words are meaningless,
Like air.
22
BATTLE OF FAITH
WORDS ADRIAN ALOI
“Are you ready to start, my child?”
“Start what, Father?”
I watched as the priest stepped out of the shadows and into the light produced by my lone bedside lamp.
He removed his coat and placed it on the back of the chair, and taking a seat next to my bed, removed his
hat and placed it on his knee. His grey eyes settled on me. A grim smile spread across his face; the kind of
smile you see upon the faces of veteran police officers, or men returning from war. It’s the smile that
shows that they have seen too much, and that they know too much about the horrors of the world.
“Your last rites,” the Father said. “Your family called me here to perform them. They said it might not be
the... easiest of jobs. They said you seem to have conflicted feelings about it.”
“Did they now? How nice of them,” I replied.
“You don’t think so? Is it wrong of them to want to take care of you?”
“They don’t want to take care of me, Father. That’s why they sent you here,” I replied.
“Even though they knew I didn’t want a priest.”
“So they were right, then? About those conflicted feelings?” The priest smirked. “Is it an issue of non
belief?”
“All issues stem from non-belief, Father. Not believing in yourself or others – that’s where problems
start.”
“True, but that’s not really an answer to my question, is it?”
“No. No, it is not.”
The priest watched me intently. The moment of silence allowed me the chance to look around, to take in
my surroundings and look upon the thing I have seen every day over the last six months: my hospital
room. It was dark — the only lighting came from my bedside lamp and those damn machines, which
seemed to do nothing but annoy me with their constant beeping. Even with the lack of light, I could still
make out my room in almost perfect detail; prolonged exposure will do that to you. The room was small
and bare filled with the smell of bleach and other antiseptics; the chair the priest sat on was one of two.
The other was pushed away into the far corner of the room, next to the door of the toilet. That base need
was once my only source of exercise, though even that liberty had been taken away from me. I was unable
to make it the ten steps from my bed to the door without running out of breath and fainting. My lungs
were unable to properly greet their oldest friend: oxygen. I was stuck in bed, always trying to avoid
exerting myself.
“Did they tell you what it was that put me in here?” I asked.
“No. Your family would only say that you didn’t have long left.”
“It’s cancer. It started off in my lungs, then spread.”
‘I’m sorry,” said the priest.
“Don’t be, it’s my punishment.”
“For what?”
“Seeing the true face of humanity.”
“I’m sorry? I don’t follow.”
“Do you know what Omarska camp is?”
“No, I can’t say that I do.”
“Typical. You people say that you’re there for us, yet you hide yourselves away. You’re completely
unaware of everything that goes on in the world around you.”
I raised myself up in the bed. Blast that IV drip, and that stupid heart monitor. Uncomfortable damn
things, I thought to myself. The grey eyes of the priest seemed to see straight through me. Piecing into my
soul. If there was any of it left.
“Omarska was a death camp in northern Bosnia. In 1992, during the war, it was set up by Serb forces, to
hold Bosniak survivors after the bombings of their villages. I was in the army. My squad was one of the
23
first to go in, dropped nearly 10 clicks away from where the camp was set up. We were to make our way
over and, if possible, liberate the camp.”
I stopped, unsure if I should go on. As my chest tightened at the thought of reliving the memories. I let out
a sigh, and decided that I should get it all out in the open — deathbed confession, and all that.
“About an hour after being dropped off, we came over this hill and saw an abandoned train station.
Looking ahead, we saw what looked like piles of clothes. As we got closer, though, we saw it was
something else entirely. It wasn’t just clothes; it was people. They no longer looked like people, though.
Their skin was pulled tight across their faces, pale and translucent; you could see the tendons
underneath. Worst of all, in some you could see the maggots under the skin; moving, feeding, consuming
them.”
“My God!” the priest exclaimed.
“That’s blasphemy, Father,” I said.
That wasn’t even the worst part of the day. We continued on, after we were done vomiting. After another
hour or so, a smell came to us on the air. It was like fatty pork cooking on a grill, but there was something
different about it — something that made me uneasy, and sick in my stomach. After hours of walking,
some of the men had become hungry and even commented on how good it smelled.”
My mouth twisted, contorting into a harsh grimace.
“As we got closer it changed; the smell of burning rubber mingled with it and something else… something
metallic. Knowing what it is now, I don’t think we would’ve even considered what it actually was. But I
can tell you, Father, that I will never forget that smell. It was the smell of burning blood.”
I started coughing. My long winded story was using up what little oxygen I could get into my lungs. The
priest jumped to his feet and grabbed my breathing apparatus, pushing it to my face. His eyes reflected
his concern, but also betrayed a hint of relief. He was happy I stopped, I thought to myself. The story was
getting to him.
“Are you ok?” he asked.
“Yeah, just got a little too excited.”
“You can stop if you like. You don’t have to finish the story.” His eyes darting towards the door.
“No. No, you’re wrong. I do.”
Looking even more concerned than before, he sat back down and nodded.
“Tell me what happened next.”
“As we got closer, we saw the flames. They were reaching high into the air, reaching stories above us.
Before we saw the people, we heard the screaming. As we got closer, we saw the Serbs. They were
standing around the fire all yelling in delight. We couldn’t see at first, but on the fire… on the fire were…”
I paused, taking another deep breath with the aid of the breathing apparatus.
“There were people on the fire. I can’t say bodies; they were people, and they were still alive. They were
screaming in pain, trying to get out of the giant pyre, while the Serbs laughed and cheered. We watched in
horror as three of them grabbed another person, and with a heave threw them on to the fire.”
My vision started to become blurry as tears started to run down my cheeks. Looking away, I wiped my
eyes. “There was nothing we could do. There were just too many Serbs to go down there. We would have
all died, so we just sat there and watched them burn… breathing in the fumes.” I looked at the father.
“Later that night, reinforcements arrived. We stormed the camp and by morning every Serb was either
captured or dead. We freed what was left of the Bosnian people and helped them return to their village.”
I paused, letting the silence hang for a moment.
“Do you see now, Father?” I asked.
“See what?”
“This is my punishment. I sat there and watched as those people were burnt alive and did nothing but
breathe in their fumes. I saw the true face of humanity in me and my comrades; it was survival of the
fittest.”
“You think that’s what gave you cancer? Those people’s fumes?” the priest asked.
24
“What else could it be?”
“You did nothing wrong,” the father said.
“I did nothing right, either.”
“God will forgive you.”
“Here we were having a serious conversation, Father, and now you’ve gone and said something like that.
There is no God, Father.”
“How can you believe that there is no God?” he asked.
“How can you believe in one, after everything I just told you?
“I have to.”
“You could argue that all issues came from belief.”
“Ah, now I understand. When your family said that you had mixed feelings, they really meant that you
have lost your faith.”
“To be honest, Father, these days I can’t be sure that I ever even had faith. No, it’s easier this way. It’s
easier to not have faith. When I die, that’s it; I’m gone, goodbye. ‘Do not pass go’, ‘the end’; it’s easier to
believe in that.”
“You find it easier to believe in nothing? Is it easier to have your whole world — your whole life — boil
down to a few years, and then have nothing? No paradise, just rotten flesh? Do you think those people on
the pyre would be happy with that? The last moments of their lives spent in agony, as every nerve in their
body was set alight?”
“It’s better than the alternative.”
“What, that there is a paradise, that there’s a ‘happily ever after’?” the priest said, his voice starting to
echo loudly in the small room.
“It’s better than thinking that God doesn’t care; he left them there to suffer, to die in the worst
way possible. If God was real, how could he let things like that happen? No, there is no God. Even if he
exists, he clearly lost interest in us a long time ago. If he exists, your God is like a child with an ant farm;
he was amused at first, but he grew bored as the years passed. That is the only way it can make sense.”
“Maybe it was a test?” the priest said, regaining his composure.
“Ha!” I exclaimed. “Is that meant to make me feel better, Father? ‘God only tests us to see our faith’? Well,
clearly I failed, didn’t I?”
“Not yet, you haven’t,” he said.
“Let me perform the last rites, and everything will be forgiven.”
“Do you truly believe that, Father? After everything I’ve told you?”
The Father remained silent.
“I think the worst thing possible that could happen to us upon death would be to find out that everything
we do in life — everything we are — is just a test, a test for some old man’s entertainment; a test we are
destined to lose. That, Father, is why I can’t believe. That’s what scares me.”
I watched as the Father started to respond, as whatever reply he had died on his lips. I
watched as he fiddled with his rosary beads, as if deep in thought. I smiled to myself.
“Thank you, Father,” I said.
“For what? I did nothing.”
“You did more than you think.”
I let the breathing apparatus fall from my hand on to the bed. I took one last look around the
room, and then closed my eyes. I listened to
the rhythm of my breathing, feeling my chest
rise and fall.
∞
I sat there in silence and watched his chest rise up and down for nearly two hours until, finally, it stopped
rising. Taking his hand, I gave it a squeeze before the door burst open and the doctors ran in. Rising from
my chair, I collected my coat, threw it over my arm, put my hat back upon my head and left the room.
25
“What happened?”
I raised my head to look at the people standing in the waiting room; three men and one woman. His
mother and father, and two brothers. I looked at his parents.
“I’m sorry, he’s gone.”
“Did you do it? Did you give him his last rites?” asked his mother, almost pleading with me.
Looking at her, I could see the sadness in her eyes. Should I tell her that he had refused? They had
desperately wanted him to have them performed. My eyes fixed the cross around her neck. I looked at his
mother, meeting her gaze.
“Yes,” I lied. “Your son told me to tell you that he died believing.”
“Thank you Father,” his mother said, pulling me into a tight embrace.
“You’re welcome — he was hero, even if he didn’t believe it.”
Pulling away from the mother, I smiled in a final good bye, and turned away from his family. I walked
down the corridor to the front entrance. My body shivered as a stepped out into the crisp air, unfolding
my jacket I put it on. I headed towards my car, as I grew nearing I saw a man standing about fifteen
meters away — smiling to myself I walked over to him.
“Excuse me,” I said. The man looked up at the sound of my voice. Upon seeing me he quickly threw his
cigarette on to the ground and pushed his foot down on it to put it out.
“Shit sorry Father,” He said. “I didn’t see you there, and now I just swore in front of you, Christ ben I
mean, sorry, sorry father.”
“It’s ok, I said. “Ben is it?”
“Yes.”
“I was going to ask you if it’s ok if I get a smoke.”
“Yeah sure — wait, what really?”
“Yeah”
Ben reached into his pocket and grabbed out the packet, taking a smoke out for me he passed it over, than
light it for me.
“I didn’t think priests smoked.”
“We don’t”
We stood there in silence as I inhaled the smoke — smoke it wasn’t quite the same, but it was close
enough. With one last breath I threw the cigarette on to the ground and squashed it out. Smiling back up
at Ben I said “Thank you Ben.”
“You’re welcome.”
Turning away I walked back to my car, as I put my key into the lock, I smiled at myself and said.
“Forgive me Father for I have sinned.”
If you or someone you know is in need of immediate assistance or support call Lifeline on 13 11 14 for
confidential 24 hour counselling and referrals. You can access one-on-one crisis support online through the
website between 8pm and 4pm, seven days a week. Visit the Lifeline website for more information.
26
H.P. LOVECRAFT
WORDS FINN LEVELT
H.P Lovecraft is one of the most wellknown authors, having written over 40 short stories. His work was
so popular, he had his own subgenre of writing named after him - Lovecraftian horror. It’s a subgenre of
horror fiction that focuses on the fear of the unknown. Today, I am going to be writing the top 5 short
stories written by Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
5. Cool Air
Cool Air is about a man who lives in an apartment with a strange doctor above him. After helping him
with some things, he can tell that something strange is afoot. What I liked about this story was that fact
that from the start, I could tell something strange was happening, but couldn’t quite figure it out. But as
the story drew to a close, everything connected up and made sense in a strange and creepy ending.
4. Call of Cthulhu
Although Call of Cthulhu isn’t the best Lovecraft story, it is definitely the most wellknown of his tales. In
this horrifying tragedy, a man investigates some strange occurrences, all connected to one ancient deity.
This story was a bit longer than most of the other stories, so by the end it seemed to drag on a bit, but
apart from that it was a good story.
3. Herbert West-Reanimator
Herbert West-Reanimator was one of H.P Lovecraft’s more comical stories, but it still manages to pull off
some creepy themes, including detached heads speaking and animal-like ‘zombies’. I liked this story, but
at the start of every chapter, there was a long explanation of what had happened in the previous chapters,
which was quite annoying. However, this can be forgiven, considering this story was published one
chapter at a time in the amateur magazine ‘Home Brew’.
2. The Colour Out of Space
The Colour out of Space is a great story, which by the end had me thoroughly creeped out. This story is
about a family, who had a strange rock (presumably an asteroid or meteorite) land on their property, and
how everything begins to go wrong from then on.
1. Shadow Over Innsmouth
Shadow Over Innsmouth is the definitive Lovecraftian horror story, containing heaps of disturbing
notions (such as the strange story told by Zadok Allen, a strange old drunkard), and ties up the Cthulhu
Mythos (All the stories set in the Cthulhu universe, including Dagon and Call of Cthulhu) very well. There
is a very heavy atmosphere, and is explained well at the end. It continues to creep me out to this day, and
is probably the best short horror story I have ever read.
27
CALIFORNIA BY BLINK-182
WORDS ZAC FERNANDEZ
As one of the bands at the forefront of the “pop punk” movement that sprung to life during the mid-90s
and the early 2000s, Blink- 182’s music hasn’t really strayed far from its roots, which is neither a good
nor a bad thing. With original vocalist/guitarist, Tom DeLonge, leaving the band in 2015, the remaining
band members, Mark Hoppus (bass/vocals) and Travis Barker (drums), were suddenly left with a
massive duty: to fill the hole left by DeLonge. His replacement would need to be capable of playing and
singing the old songs whilst also being able to write new songs in the Blink style. Enter Matt Skiba, the
guitarist/ vocalist for another band, the Alkaline Trio. Fans are divided, but the new rendition of the band
still rocks and aren’t showing signs of slowing down.
“California” is the first album to feature the band with Skiba and, needless to say, it sounds like a Blink182 album. It still has the catchy choruses and the intricate musicianship that has been featured on
previous Blink records. The first single, “Bored to Death”, was an acquired taste, as were most of the
songs from this record. It is my favourite song from the album and, to be honest, it’s not even that good.
Personally, I find Skiba does a manageable job in filling DeLonge’s shoes. However, whether or not it’s
because he limits himself to the previous style or because he is uninspired, some of his parts on the
album just seem a bit “eh.” He is a great singer and but his voice doesn’t really suit well with Mark’s, but
in some instances, it gets a bit tedious. There’s only so much high pitched and accented singing I can
endure before I get tired of it. There are 16 songs on this album and whilst there is some contrast, the
album is in dire need of a palate cleanser. Maybe it’s because all of the members are in their 40s, but it’s a
bit weird hearing a bunch of grown ass men singing about partying and scoring with chicks.
Unfortunately, more often than not, the lyrics come across as plain and cliché. “I wanna see some naked
dudes, that’s why I built this pool.” This pretty much sums up the lack of effort put into the lyrics; random
nonsense thrown together to form disjointed rhyming patterns. However, you should feel privileged to
even get lyrics, because, on more than one occasion, entire sections are made up of “na, na, nas” and “oh,
oh, ohs.”
Even Travis Barker, one of the greatest drummers in the world, slips up. It’s not uncommon to hear some
awesome drums fills in Travis’ playing, but I feel that in some of the songs, his drumming is too “fancy.”
Sometimes he just needs to hold back and maintain rhythm. In saying this, though, the first track,
“Cynical”, features some amazing drumming and never ceases to blow my mind. The final track,
“Brohemian Rhapsody”, is the second “joke song” on the album. (The other being “Built This Pool.”) I like
the idea of the song, but I feel like they wasted a really cool riff on a song that only goes for about 30
seconds. It would’ve been better to use that in a proper song and substitute one of the weaker riffs for the
“joke song.” Also, it is a bit jarring having this song close the album. I get the idea, it’s supposed to be
funny and the one thing you remember because it’s at the end of the album, but I think it abruptly and
prematurely ends the album and it leaves me thinking: “Is that it?”
In conclusion, “California”, definitely holds up as a Blink-182 album, but isn’t anything progressive. Had
the original guitarist, Tom DeLonge, stayed in the band, maybe they would’ve continued in their
experimentation, but instead, they resort to the plain pop tune formula. I enjoyed some of the songs on
this album, but, admittedly, I’m glad I didn’t buy it because it’s not the best work the band has put out. In
total, I give this album a 2/5, it kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth and leaves me “bored to
death.”(See what I did there?)
28
OVERWATCH
WORDS ALASTAIR MCGIBBON
Unless you’ve been living under a pop-culture proof rock, chances are that if you’re into video games,
you’ve heard of the juggernaut that is Overwatch. The latest release from hyper-popular developers
Blizzard (makers of such classics as World of Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo) is here, and doesn’t appear
to be going away any time soon. While the game itself is somewhat plot-light, there’s a fairly compelling
backstory to the team-based shooter that sets the scene nicely.
Thirty years in our future, humanity has developed technology to the point of creating artificial
intelligence; sentient robots known as Omnics, which were produced en masse in factories known as
Omniums. Despite being initially used to achieve economic equality, the factories soon began producing
lethal, hostile robots, and the first Omnic Crisis began. In response to the threat, the UN created
Overwatch, an international team of heroes, who fought an triumphed against the Omnics. However,
internal tensions flared, and Overwatch was shut down and banned after the crisis after accusations of
corruption. Years later, corporations have started to take over, a second Omnic Crisis is brewing in Russia
and a terrorist organization called Talon is wreaking havoc. Former members of Overwatch have decided
to reform and take on the threats, despite the ban – and thus begins the second incarnation of Overwatch.
Boy oh boy, Blizzard have put a lot of effort into this one. The way I’ve been describing Overwatch to
people is that it’s much like Valve’s classic Team Fortress 2, except much more finely balanced and
polished. Much like TF2, there’s a number of different game modes – Control points, payload, assaults
(like control points, but with two stages instead of three) and hybrid matches that are a combination of
the assault and escort modes. The interesting difference here is that there’s no team deathmatch or freefor-all modes; all of the emphasis is on teamwork and team composition. Each hero has a role to play –
offense, defense, tank or support – and if your team doesn’t have a good mix, you’re gonna get stomped.
Each hero has a number of abilities that make them somewhat specialised; for example, the pseudo
mascot time-manipulator Tracer can dash around the map in short bursts, spit out a massive burst of
gunfire and then “rewind” back to her previous position. Each hero has an ultimate ability – some more
infuriating than others – that eventually unlocks either through the passing of time or getting
eliminations, and can drastically turn the tide of a match. The game itself is really quite polished, and a
few broken hero mechanics aside, Overwatch proves to be a whole lot of fun. It’s a game best played with
friends; trying to get a team of strangers to coordinate is like herding rabid chimpanzees. My only real
critique is that it’s fairly light on features and thus seems a bit pricey – paying at least $90 for a game
that’s got 3 game modes – let’s face it, Assault and Control are more or less the same thing – seems a bit
steep. Hopefully, the recent addition of a Competitive Mode and upcoming DLC will improve on the
formula – but when all is said and done, Blizzard’s made one hell of a game.
4.5/5
29
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