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- THE HORROR GENRE
- Active Voices
- Genre Writing
- What it means to be Australian
- Australian Identity (The Bushfire Starters)
- Creative Writing
- A Tribute
- Free Writing
- WELCOME TO “STUDENT VOICES”
Senior Voices
April 20th, 2009 by christo
The Bushfire Starters
By Tamsyn Sharrock
Her eyes lids shut tight as booted feet carry her onward down the hill, lithe fingers gracing each bark clothed tree only briefly; her heart racing. Thoughts seem muddled in her mind and she struggles to concentrate- her instincts are telling her to run, and to run fast. The footsteps behind the young girl cease and for a moment as her back is firmly pressed against the foundation of a large gumtree she can feel her shoulders relax. Small beads of sweat have formed on her forehead, but she is content to wipe them away with a shaking pale hand; brushing the stray strands of hair that had slipped from her ponytail hold.
She wonders if they have given up looking for her, but she knows deep down this mustn’t be so, she understands they demand justice. The eerie silence continues, and though her instincts are telling her to keep running, she is frozen; her feet refuse her request to move, to flee; to run.
A hand from the impending darkness of the shrub reaches out to grasp her arm and in reaction the girl parts her lips to scream as another hand from the side lifts to cup her mouth; muffling it. Her eyes are wide, a green hue that upon looking on the presumed attacker’s face return to normal; she recognizes this person. Riley Daugherly is pale, like his friend Shannon, though the cover of his hood casts a shadow on his face.
“Did they see you?” he demands, his voice rasps as if his vocal cords were smothered with ash.
“N-no”, She replies hesitantly, for the silence had not been penetrated by anyone else but her, Riley and the occasional gust from the south northward; the fire was heading in that direction and the two teenagers knew they were safe for now.
The sun is descending; this they can sense clearly as the air begins to cool and the light through the treetops draw back like a stage curtain to welcome the brilliant actor moon. However this realisation comes with a more frightening recognition- a wind change.
“Do you feel that?” Shannon inquires of her apparent friend as they slowly make their way down the mountain side; she has noticed the inevitable.
“What?” Responds Riley impatiently, but then he feels it too and both fall silent to the rustling of leaves dancing across the earthly floor.
A moment passes in this silence, and then a bolt. The two have broken into a sprint and Shannon wonders through the scatters of images flashing through her mind if this is what they call retribution; the stiff aroma of smoke begins to advance on them as their travels continue southward.
“Where are we going!?” hallows the frightened girl and her glasses slip off the bridge of her nose, her eyes have become watery from the strain yet she sustains her speed; leaving them behind. The figure in front of her has become blurred in her sight, and she squints in the darkness, his silhouette becoming less and less discernable.
“Riley!” She yells again, the girl’s voice has a weakened tone; the fear evident in her slitted green eyes.
“Just keep running.” is the only response the boy can give, showing little evidence of slowing his pace.
The clock continues to tick, time has no patience for a pair of juvenile delinquents and Shannon struggles to carry not only her physical weight, but the impending weight of guilt twisting in her stomach; she feels faint and sick. Her feet feel moist within the warm confines of her boots and the distinct sting of a forming blister becomes evident on her heel. She wants to stop, to give up, to turn herself in, but her mind conflicts with her heart and she presses on.
The sound of rubber against gravel alerts Riley to a sudden halt, Shannon nearly crashing into the youth from behind and she lightly places her hand upon his shoulder- tilting her head to look at a smudged expression of anger and fear. The reflections of blue and red lights in his eyes create two brilliant pools of colour and as two gentlemen in uniform emerge from the police vehicle. They know the game is over, that in the morning they won’t walk to the bus stop together, they won’t see their friends; they have altered their own future in an unforgettable and unforgivable way; for yesterday they were known as a daughter, a son, just two regular teenagers; but from today, they will be known as the bushfire starters.
What it means to be Australian
By Angelo Hastings
What does it mean to be Australian? How is the Australian spirit any different to any other country’s spirit? Why are we so respected amongst other nations and cultures? It is hard to define exactly what it takes to be Australian, but our culture and values are different to other bigger and wealthier countries.
Australia has always been seen as the land of equal opportunity. We have taken many migrants from diverse backgrounds (from poor countries like Vietnam to richer first-world countries as Canada). But what makes us a target for migrants? I believe that we have a unique culture and “spirit” that separates us from other privileged countries. We are known for our tolerance, mateship and laid-back lifestyle. We have a growing yet powerful economy that is perfect for immigrants to set up business. We are also very diverse in cultures, which helps immigrants settle down here.
Australians have always shown that we can band together in times of need. From the “Birth of our Nation” in Gallipoli in World War 1 to the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, Australians have always been there to help each other out in situations of need. We have also helped others countries as well as our own, in such instances as the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 and peace keeping in East Timor.
Australians also pride themselves in their sporting achievements. We may not have big populations like countries such as the USA, China and Russia, but we regularly come close to them in the Olympic medal tally, sometimes even beating them. We also pride ourselves on having our own football code (which is the most popular sport in our country) that isn’t played anywhere else in the world.
There is so much that we take for granted in Australia that isn’t available anywhere else in the world. We have unique flora and fauna, such as kangaroos, koalas and emus. But its not just trivial things such as these; we are a very peaceful country, with a politically stable government. We are free to express our views and practice any religion. We provide great services such as healthcare, education and social security to anyone who needs it regardless of their race, religion or gender.
While other countries such as the Great Britain and North America better resources for earning a living (bigger economies, bigger markets etc.), working in these types of countries often involves living in a big city, often with high pollution and higher crime rates. Australian life is not like that at all. We have a very laid-back attitude when it comes to life, but we are still able to work hard when we need to. Our cities are safe; we enjoy very low crime rates (Australia has one of the lowest crime and murder rates in the world, much lower than the bigger countries mentioned before) and very low pollution.
Australians have a unique attitude towards life; we are relaxed, yet hard working; generous and fun-loving people. We are part of a very privileged country – we have a non-corrupt government that treats its people well; we have a very diverse palette of cultures and races and we have a very pleasant climate. These reasons make me proud to say that I am an Australian.
Statement of Explanation
Audience: Immigrants, people looking to come to Australia
Purpose: To inform others (particularly those who know very little about us) on Australian life & culture
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