Thank you to everyone who contributed to this edition of The Aviso. During the last fortnight, students in all year levels returned to school after around two months of remote learning, and the transition is reflected in this edition’s contributions. If you would like to contribute to a future edition of The Aviso, please email your submissions to theaviso@mgc.vic.edu.au

Xara Hudson

Humanities Captain

The Coronavirus Journal: A Bird Trapped Inside a Cage – Dorace Cheung, 8C

The brand new decade has woefully been demolished by the recent contagious disease. The strange kind of reality where the world has kindly switched itself to sleep mode almost at the speed of light. Perhaps most of us were imprisoned inside the specific cage, the awareness of confinement and the desire towards liberty. We are essentially known as the caged birds whilst it symbolises the lack of freedom. For the birds who cannot afford to soar broadly under the blinding sun with the gentle breeze underneath its flappy wings. Its misplaced feather exists of a prosperous lifestyle in the absence of contentment and pleasure. And WE are isolated from the outer world as the Australian government declared publicly that certain restrictions are implemented.

The history of our present is forming its shape today, concerns about the present and queries for the future. Digits are increasing incessantly going from hundreds to thousands and thousands to millions. Staring straight at the monitor, scrolling steadily through each city and country on Worldometer. Only ups, no downs. Cases have only been rising expeditiously, and I was staggered by the abundance of cases reached for what seems like an ongoing tournament. A ranked leaderboard that consists of different countries, displaying the leading competitors. Not knowing whether Australia will become one of the top three that might deteriorate sharply. That’s the impact of the current pandemic. People hoarding for supplies around the globe, producing chaotic scenes while disregarding social distancing. Overcrowded supermarkets with long queues, the only place where people are permitted. Elsewhere, penalties will be delivered shortly.

Us isolating is a challenge that we’ve all accepted, a challenge that we all have to overcome eventually. The entire term was devoted to Microsoft Teams, restraining ourselves from beyond our front gates. The inside view of the outside world, it’s no longer a journey outside. The roads are not congested with traffic anymore, even the clamorous city appears to slow down and remain serene. The empty streets, longing to be jam-packed. Everything seems so surreal. Connections can still be found through internet access, but simply just a locked-up window is disconnecting us from the beautiful landscape. The window shuts and the world can only be observed through its transparent surface. Perhaps it might be time for a break? Or possibly a lesson to learn from?

People attempting to live their ordinary lives in their tiny balconies, daydreaming and suffering from boredom. There’s more time to realise, observe and appreciate. To become aware of the changes outside that particular window, to use that time and acknowledge appreciation. Valuing the world in high regard. Learning more through precise observations… the evolution of the cloudless sky, from chalky white to sky-blue, sky-blue to dusky pink. The transformation from autumn to winter, when the crisp cold air has officially landed in Melbourne. When the duration of sunbeam becomes shorter, whilst the pitch-black darkness becomes longer. When the temperature has cooled immensely that leaves are falling swiftly to a great extent. When the frosty wind gently blows against the trees that have caused the branches to shift slightly. The patience required for a deep observation, and the changes that are occurring. The world is making immediate progress.

We were the caged bird once, encountering the negative aspect of life. Difficulties operate just like the washing machines, it rotates around, it moves and it makes a difference... but in conclusion, we become stronger and we develop into a better character.

Storm the Pug – Arabella Rowlands-Copley, Year 10

Life is tough, but guess what, you are tougher: Great Victorian Bike Ride – Lily Bartram, 7M1

An alarm rises you suddenly on a different Saturday in November, and the sound of the people you dread the most ring in your ears to tell you to wake up. You feel around for your warm bed, and comfortable pillow and nice mattress, but you can’t find them. You are lying on a lump on the hard ground, a sleeping bag three sizes too small and your older brother’s pillow.
You slowly wrap up your tiny sleeping bag, uncomfortable blow up mattress and pillow into your bag and dump them under the bucketing rain and freezing cold. A foot appears out of nowhere and then you meet the mud on the ground and fall face first where the laughs, tests, reports, sniggers, cheers, mocks, judgements and sneers surround you and your head explodes with emotions. You blink back tears but you are holding back a crashing wave of anger, sadness and embarrassment when comments are thrashed around onto the shore.
Get your crockery and go to the Great Big Catering Marquee. You feel like a great big something too. Like a great big loser. All the girls are walking with each other, arms in arms, whispering in hushed voices, but they’re not doing a very good job of keeping it quiet. “What an idiot. Total loser. Tripped over her own feet. Cry baby! Haha. And she even landed in a cow pat and her $5 top from her older brother got dirty. That was better for her, it drew away attention from her hideous, ugly, fat face.”
Go and load your bags onto the truck where you wait in line for forty minutes, then get shouted at by your teachers for “not being organised and lazy. Hurry up” they say.
Finally go get your bicycle from the truck and pull on the backpack that your oldest brother he had when he was on this trip. There has been a desire to beat him and your other siblings at everything ever since you were born but who knows that because you are overlooked by everyone and everything everywhere. This is the GREATEST GREAT VIC EVER though. You finally beat them, but would they ever know that? Probably not. They don’t listen to you, they won’t care. You miss home so much and you get a feeling by the tone of voice from your mum dad and brothers that they won't miss you, they are glad to have you out of their hair (that is now knotted and tangled because of you) for ten days.
Today is the day, the first day of riding, 85km of pushing your already drained legs on a seat up down up and down. Big hills, Lavers Hill, the most formidable hill of them all. You have been told that you can do it, but can you really do it? You are always left behind, and you feel super slow and have to get off your bike. You were too scared to go because of all the bad stuff but that didn’t work out well now you’re here you can’t get out of it.

Nearly 5,000 people, including me, and Clifton Hill Primary School climbed from Robe, South Australia to Torquay, Victoria in a bit over a week, on day 8 of the trip we conquered the hardest of hard Lavers Hill. No relief, no rest, just keep pedalling. You know that thing from Finding Dory? Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming. Well, for us it was Just keep pedalling, just keep climbing, just keep going. And when you miss your family but you know they don’t miss you life is tough. And when everyday people walk away from you and turn their backs on you life is tough. Life is hard when you camp outdoors and have never done it before and you fall off your bike and badly injure your shoulder and you’re scared of what comes next and being told off and being unorganised and the toilets and showers are portable and the food is gross. It’s hard to live in a world where you aren’t right. You need to change. That’s not correct. You are out of place. You don’t belong here. And through that time you are trying so hard to fit in, to be noticed, to only cross the finish line on day ten that life seems harder than it ever has before.

When you ride and ride and keep riding keep pedalling until you have a sore butt and stomach cramps and cover 683km in 10 days you are tough. But when you live in a world where you have no one who wants to go watch that movie with you, no one that will eat dinner eat with you, you are the last person picked for a tent, you are the last person picked for bus partner and you are thrown into a hectic world of mayhem and sadness and tiredness and emotions and crazy life the voice in your head that tells you that you can't do it goes off like the school bell and you can’t control it. Those soul sucking happiness thefts and life ruining comments take every ounce of control and positivity in your life and take them and throw them away into the dark depths of sadness, embarrassment and empty holes where no one ever goes because they don’t want to help you, or be your friend, or lend a shoulder or lend some silence and some listening.

There is something about the Great Vic that brought a small part inside of myself out of its little insecure shell and realised that when other kids dropped out left right and centre for the fair, and ten days away from a clean shower and toilet and delicious food and a warm bed, and more and a lot more and even more kilometres dawned in the sensible and mature part of me that I realised that even when life gets tough, I am tougher. Even when life is hard, I work harder. I proved that to myself and all of you when I left and participated in the 2019 longest EVER GVBR. That is hard, but 5000 people worked harder. That was tough, but we were tougher. You are tougher and you work harder too. You passed that test, you climbed that hill, you did that challenge, you stood up for yourself in the playground, you did the hard, you did the harder and you did the hardest. Maybe we should stop seeking the compliments and approval from others and start finding the evidence of our actions and accomplishments. So when that little voice in your head tells you that you can't do something, think of the nine words that helped me get through a 683km bike ride. Life is tough, but guess what, you are tougher.

Untitled – Prisca Eunike, Year 10

Quote of the Watch

“I was reading the dictionary. I thought it was a poem about everything.” – Stephen Wright

“What is it, then, between us?

What is the count of the scores or hundreds of years between us?

Whatever it is, it avails not – distance avails not, and place avails not.” – Walt Whitman

Humanities News

Acknowledgements

Thank you to all of the staff who have supported and assisted with The Aviso.

Beth Barrass: Publication

Carolina Trujillo: Review of Submissions

Terry Donnelly: Editorial Advice

Nunu Bisogni and Emily Miller: Promotional Support

Anthony Keen: IT Support

Visual Arts

Student Artwork