The Hard News
Embedded Files
Ready for all the big happenings in our area? This is where you'll want to be. We've got info on everything from Education to Housing to Yachting. Only the biggest and the best here!
Small Changes, Big Impact
Written by Oliver Gardner
Food organics and garden organics (FOGO) is a relatively new system that has the focus of having a positive impact on the BVS environment by composting food and reducing the amount of food waste placed into landfill.
FOGO has been introduced and distributed to more than a third of NSW Councils and is continuing to be introduced to more. The BVSC have played an important role in funding FOGO and helping to implement it in many areas and councils.
FOGO is a simple way of making a positive impact on the environment and creating a use for the wasted food. This is achieved by transforming garden and food waste into compost so it can be used for more things and have less of an impact than if it was placed in landfill. This saves money and makes sure that food that would usually unnecessarily be put into landfill gets composted. When food waste is in landfill it creates methane which is then released into our atmosphere and damages our environment and ozone layer. The less food waste that is put in landfill the less methane that is generated.
Generally around 40% of the contents of red bins is food that can be composted but instead make its way into landfill. FOGO utilises a green lidded bin for a place to put your food scraps into which are then collected along with the rest of your bins, around 12,000 households/properties have and use these bins.
The FOGO service will also be available for businesses and this includes almost all businesses, not just ones that are food based or produce a lot of food waste.
Many items can be placed into the green lidded FOGO bin such as food waste that includes fruit and vegetables, meat and bones, seafood, dairy items, takeaway, animal droppings, as well as cardboard containers like pizza boxes as long as they are not plastic.
Items that cannot be put in FOGO bins include plastic, glass, wood, concrete or bricks, metal, medical waste.
A popular tv series called War on Waste has featured FOGO to help it gain more recognition and spread the message to kids and parents about creating a more sustainable environment by using FOGO.
If FOGO continues to grow and becomes more widespread and can make a large enough impact it's goal of creating a more sustainable environment will most likely be achieved.
EMHS: Wrecked Tech!
Written by Oliver Gardner
Recently the school's technology has not been very reliable because of slow start-up times and regular incidents of computers being broken, needing to install new updates or not starting at all due to being out of charge. These events limit the overall usefulness of the technology this, along with the slow internet, greatly impacts how much utility it has.
As the computers and laptops get older and used more they slowly deteriorate and break, and when being subject to damaging behaviour their lifespan will be shortened causing them to break or malfunction earlier than they should. When students don't replace the laptops properly or forget to plug them in, the next people who use them are unable to, due to the computers being out of charge. When this happens the laptop basically becomes obsolete as the laptop has to be charged before it can be used again and this will generally take longer than a period.
Sometimes disrespectful or careless behaviour is the cause of the technology having problems working or not lasting for as long as it should. Other times it is just because of the technology getting old and slowing down after lots of use. In a time when technology and the internet provide so many uses, having a good quantity of tech that works is important for learning when certain information can’t just be obtained from a textbook.
An anonymous student stated that you can’t get a decent amount of work done in a 50 minute period when a computer takes almost half an hour to load and a few minutes to load a single page. When a computer refuses to load other distractions also may arise and cause students to get off task. You need to have steady and reliable technology to maintain students’ attention and their learning and for them to be productive when using tech. Slow technology does not influence productivity and it is very hard to get work done when progress is stalled by computers that don’t load.
When considering our small quantity of technology available compared to more urban/city schools we may be at a disadvantage when it comes to how much we learn when using tech and how much we learn altogether.
While some aspects of the technology working are out of our control such as the slow internet.
Other aspects can be improved such as the treatment of the technology and possibly an upgrade/improvement to it. Although the computers are a problem it may still be better to spend money on other areas of the school that would be more beneficial.
Learning Through a Lense
Journalists: Erin Koenigkamp and Hannah Methven
During the 2021 pandemic, the education system went completely virtual. Many students state-wide faced drastic changes to their daily lives as they were placed into quarantine conditions.
We interviewed 3 different people around Eden Marine High School to see how lockdown impacted their education and wellbeing, year 11 student Jake Hansen, year 12 student Michael Adams and a music teacher Sam Martin..
Eden Marine High School’s students and teachers seemed to lack the motivation to accomplish their daily tasks, and this showed through their commitment to learning, with Sam Martin stating “I find that laughing helps a lot when it comes to digging deep and searching for motivation”, Year 12 student Michael Adams quotes “My only form of motivation was not failing year 12” Michael also stated that “It changed my routine as I would be waking up to do something to wake up my brain at about 7.30 - 10.00. Then I would do school work until 2 and go to work” It seems that online learning doesn’t grant the same motivation and self satisfaction as learning in person did.
Year 12 students were greatly impacted by the pandemic. Michael states “I have missed multiple syllabus dot points across all subjects” With lockdown conditions, studying for the upcoming HSC exams became increasingly difficult. As year 12 is such an important year of education, adding the virtual aspect to the mix clearly impacted the individual's learning.
Based off of our interviewees experience, I can tell students have struggled a lot with keeping up their learning for year 11 exams while also having to manage their own mental health alone for so long, this could pose as a great disadvantage to their exams next year as it’s been shown that at home learning is making it much harder for students to retain the information. “Missing out on the year 11 exams has stripped me of any idea as to what the HSC will be like” said Jake Hansen.
Issues surrounding mental health have risen during lockdown with many students and young people around NSW. Jake Hansen quotes “I felt lonely and heavily depressed”. Young people thrive off of human interaction, so suddenly retracting all in person interaction caused many to experience intense feelings of isolation and depression.
Councillors and year advisors are available for those in need of support.
Bega Valley Shire Housing Crisis
Written by Tyler Kennedy
In recent years affordable housing in the Bega Valley Shire has gone from being a scarcity to an impossibility due to two particular reasons, the economic impacts of the black summer bushfires and the recent influx of metropolitans moving to the surrounding area as a result of work at home precautions caused by COVID-19.
The Bega Valley Shire Council has released an affordable housing strategy draft which reveals the multifactored cause of the current housing crisis. Initially the draft states that a large portion of the market is being utilised by unoccupied private dwellings which are used for holiday accommodation approximately 19 percent while the rest of regional NSW is only 9 percent. The median household income is much lower than average, particularly low within and around the Eden and Wallaga Lake areas which paired with rising rental prices by 35% results in a key factor of the current housing crisis. Median rent for 2 bedroom houses in the Bega Valley Shire is $330 which on average is $20 more expensive than the Greater Metro Region and for 3 bedroom houses is $380 which is $10 more expensive.
The affordable housing draft has stated their projected need of 2,500 affordable dwellings by 2036 67% of which would be provided for renters and 33% for purchasers; these dwellings will be primarily aimed towards very low income households and 70% of which will be suited for 1 to 2 person households.
The council has made many strategies to accomplish this goal some examples include:
Increasing the supply of small studios and one to two bedroom apartments near town centres
Developing New Generation Boarding Houses
Amend Bega Valley Local Environment Plan and Bega Valley Development Control Plan to allow for smaller strata dwellings and allow for multi dwelling housing in R2 zoning
Identify potential sites for additional private caravan parks and manufactured housing estates
Developing an affordable housing contributions scheme
Redevelop older and under occupied social housing on larger lots closer to town centres
Provide Aboriginal organisations with an interest in progressing demonstration projects
Include adequate budgetary provisions to maintain facilities
Mandate housing diversity in well located areas including Bega, Eden and Merimbula
The Bega Valley Shire Council’s Affordable Housing Strategy provides an extensive and detailed plan to counteract our current housing crisis which if accomplished will help many impoverished residents of The Bega Valley Shire.
EMHS Uniform Crackdown
Written by Tianna Web
The issue of uniform has been the main focal point for Eden Marine High School for the past 3 weeks. The crackdown started as a response to students increasingly wearing items outside of the uniform code. The focus of getting students into the required items is being done to ensure fairness for those who wear full uniform.
During an interview Mr Lamb, Head Teacher of Administration stated “We need people to be able to be easily identified at this school and also give students a sense of belonging and are a part of the school community.” General comments on the uniform by the student body include that of items being faulty, easily ripped and not holding up to long term wear.
Currently, the school uniform consists of a dark blue skirt, white shirt, blue shorts, pants/slacks and the senior’s uniform consists of a light blue skirt, blue shirt and senior class jerseys. An accepted alternative to wear could be a long sleeved shirt under the school polo t-shirt. Another alternative would be plain navy pants or shorts. To access uniforms, students are able to purchase this from the school uniform shop located at the end of the canteen which is open every Thursday morning from 8am-12pm. Students having trouble accessing the uniform due to financial problems, can seek assistance from the school.
A Bridge to the Future
Written by Zane Holmes
A new replacement footbridge was installed in Merimbula, located behind Aldi and Woolworths. The original Berrambool footbridge was constructed in 1989 by the Merimbula Lions Club with some assistance from Council staff. Its primary function was to allow users of the Berrambool Oval to gain pedestrian access to the Merimbula town centre.
On completion, the bridge was gifted to the Council and has been maintained by staff, which also included some major structural work around 2014 to make it safe. However, over time, the bridge deteriorated to the point where it became unserviceable and needed more major structural intervention; this was further exacerbated by damage following flood events. As such, it was determined that replacing the bridge would be the best solution rather than trying to repair the existing one.
The total project budget of $500,000 which was funded by a Federal Government grant under the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program (LRZIP) – the budget included design, project management, fabrication, delivery, supply and installation of the prefabricated bridge, and the construction of the piles, abutments for the bridge to sit upon along with the connecting paths.
The bridge is a single span, 28m long, 1800mm wide prefabricated bridge supplied by Wagners and made with a composite fibre technology, this was an alternative solution provided by the successful tenderer, Zauner as part of the tender process. Council determined that this option provided a value for money outcome for Council and the community which met the budget and project constraints. Precast concrete and steel options were also considered during the tender process.
As a single span bridge, as opposed to the original multi-span bridge, the new bridge does not impact the waterway which has positive environmental outcomes.
The fabricated bridge allowed for a quicker installation process which took just a single day once the piers and abutments were completed.
‘The Patch’ EMHS Garden
Written by Jessie Wallace
2020 Year 11 Hospitality students have recently inspired the building and planting of a sustainability garden at Eden Marine High School. This occurred after careful studying principles of waste management and safe/quality food supply.
Over 100 staff, students and community members have collaborated together with experts to conceive, build and plant the garden, which is located in front of the quadrangle in the middle of the school.
The garden has been named ‘The Patch’, and features, along with others, the following products:
Finger Lime
Lemon and Cinnamon Myrtle
Warrigal Greens
Red Guava
Murrnong (Yam Daisy)
Fig Face
Seabrite
Saltbrush
Lomandra
Lilli Pilli
Gymea Lily
Westringia
Ms Jasmine Lefel, teacher and project coordinator discussed the goals held for the garden;
Harvest, store and use rainwater
Manage organic waste in order to regenerate soil condition
Grow food to use for the school community
Increase biodiversity after the effects of the 2020 bushfires.
First Nations Bush Tucker organisation Black Duck Foods came on site in Term 3 to assist First Nations students as well as Aboriginal Studies students to plant a variety of Australian natives and bush tucker plants.
The project was funded largely by a NSW Sustainable Schools grant, as well as the generous donation of time and skills of parents, past students and community members in the form of concreting, plumbing etc.
Ms Lefel said the intention of the garden is that it will be a key feature of Eden Marine High School for future generations to enjoy.
“An important feature of the design of the garden is that it can be changed over time to suit different needs. For example, the kitchen garden beds are made from corten which can be moved so that if the space needs a freshen up in the future, that can easily happen or can be completely changed - who knows!”
Letter to the Editor
Written by Learnah Lilley
Dear Editor,
As a new student at Eden Marine High School, I have to say that it has been quite a nice experience so far. The students are relatively welcoming, and the teachers are wonderful. Although it is much smaller than my old school, it has quite a few things to offer. This includes a variety of work opportunities for those who are going into year 11, a canteen that is PACKED with goodies, lively students and teachers and so many more activities like swimming during sport and even surfing in marine studies! Although I feel as though I still have a lot more to experience, I’m happy with what this school has to offer so far.
Having moved from a town close to Newcastle, Eden has been a bit different. One of the biggest differences is in housing. My family has not at this stage been able to secure a home – living in temporary accommodation for the past four months.
Living in Eden has been pretty good – there is an abundance of scenery and greater choices in shopping venues. On the plus side, school is now just a five minute drive from where we are – no longer stuck on the bus for an hour...sleeping in on a morning has been great. Though I do realise there are still a number of students who spend this much time if not longer on the bus too. I’m keen to start looking for an after school job – something I had in the past.
With a view to travelling around Australia after finishing year 12, I’m looking forward to engaging in as many opportunities as I can in the local area – including finding a pathway to getting my L’s.
Yours in future schooling,
Learnah Lilley
A coin for our time
An Editorial by Euan Osten
A major problem experienced by youth and teachers in rural and regional Australia attending public schools is the lack of funding by the Coalition government. This resource loss has led to lack of technology, equipment and written resources in the local area. RMIT ABC fact check stated that Labor’s claims of $14 billion budget cuts for schools during 2019 by Tanya Plibersek were false as they were measuring the difference in resources given to schools, this fact may be a bit flimsy though as the spending difference would only measure estimated costs from Labor, but it reduced spending to a sector in need. The source also stated that The Coalition said there was no difference in funding while facts about private schools getting an increase in funding of $3.2 billion dollars and how Tony Abbott's Government planned to reduce funding growth to all school sectors by $30 billion between 2018 and 2025. This lack of funding during a time of low education ratings for Australian schools will change this nation into an unequal country.The disparity between rural and metropolitan schools or public and private schools can be easily shown through figures such as “More than 91 percent of Catholic schools receive 90 to 99 per cent of the funding for public schools at the same ICSEA level; and 79 per cent of independent schools receive 80 to 95 per cent of the funding for public schools at the same ICSEA level.”* These figures show the amount of money given out to private schools even though they educate students that have a high socio-economic status meaning they need less access to some technology because of portable technology from home.
These student’s families have to pay for education in private schools, funding most of the school’s resources but the amount of money given out is higher than needed for these schools as they get nearly equivalent funding from the government. Australia has yet to catch up with its western counterparts, “The OECD socio-educational gradient, which relates educational performance to socio-economic status, is much steeper for Australia than other Western countries, reflecting the stark impact of disadvantage on educational achievement in this country.”* This information shows the difference between private and public schools but for rural and metropolitan schools, I have quotes from Kristy mcbain stating differences between education resources provided: "Far too often we have less choices in the rural and regional areas than our city counterparts do, and we really need to find ways to make sure that we are offered a whole range of subjects to all of us regardless of where we live", problems arising from access to classes wanted and resources provided will lead an unequal system. Another quote from Kristy Mcbain states "I'm not sure that learning outcomes are substantially lower than anywhere else, But we do need to make sure that there is equity of access to courses and subjects which i don't think that there is at this point in time" there is not a major problem at the moment but without correct oversight equity between the majority and minority will lose balance. More funding, higher focus on education and an appreciation for youth problems will build an equal nation.
Page updated
Report abuse