Human Interest
Embedded Files
The quieter slice of life. The stories here are about the individuals that make up our community, or the issues that affect people like you.
The Sapphire of Eden
Written by Tai Uili
Eden has always been a small, quiet, tourist location but it’s about to undergo a dramatic change! The Bega Valley Shire has been a quiet tourist location for the longest time, specifically Eden. With all the new buildings, hotels, and renovations happening in Eden, the town is becoming more urban and less rural. Do you think this change will be better or worse for the overall community? This is the question I will be answering today.
The 'Sapphire of Eden' is the first step towards Eden becoming a major draw-card in NSW. Eden, as most people know, hasn't always been the most popular town. Even though Eden doesn’t have much to do entertainment wise, other reasons to visit are the large number of tourist attractions and plenty of historical sites to see. Whale watching is one of Eden’s main attractions among the hotels and motels. Eden also has some of the best seafood in Australia, well at least some of the best seafood I've had!
The CAD (Core Asset Development) organisation have planned for new and bigger buildings to be developed in Eden. The CAD decided that, after the bush fires and the Covid crisis, it's time for a change, and began planning for a huge apartment complex called ‘The Sapphire of Eden.' Mark Toma said, “We are excited by this project, that will give the South Coast a much needed, private sector shot in the arm, providing tourist and residential accommodation.” The main reason for the 'Sapphire of Eden' being built is to re-shape and revitalise Eden as a major regional centre. This new apartment complex/hotel alongside the upgrade on the cruise terminal and the Merimbula airport will help grow Eden as a whole, and open up and bring new jobs.
The Sapphire of Eden will contain approximately 82 rooms as well as a 5 star hotel, restaurants, bars, a wedding centre and a wellness centre. The complex will cost around $100m and is intended to have a great effect on the overall feel of the town along with the people of Eden. If this goes according to plan, it is likely that we will be seeing more and more suburban-oriented constructions in the coming years.
Are your children safe?
Written by Phoebe Clunie
Child safety in rural areas has always been a concerning issue. As a community, are we really doing enough for the youth of our town to keep them safe, or do we need to do better for our future generations?
With the recent abduction and rescue of four year old Cleo Smith, missing for two and a half weeks, and the 10 year anniversary of the disappearance of Daniel Morcombe, people are reminded of the importance of educating and informing young people of how to protect themselves when out alone. Most importantly, what to do when confronted with an uncomfortable situation.
It’s been proven that more abductions happen on the sides of streets or, surprisingly, in busy public places. Although youth can access information on the Internet regarding this topic, and it is part of the school curriculum, not everyone knows how to handle themselves in dangerous situations. It is the parents responsibility to teach and help their children access this necessary information and embed an understanding of simple concepts such as ‘stranger danger.’
There have been many ways children have been able to alert adults around them in public settings when feeling unsafe. I was informed by member for the Eden Monaro Labor Party, Kristy McBain that, ``Recently a 16 year old girl was able to alert passing motorists of her situation when she had been taken against her will through using hand signals that had been widely advertised through TikTok and YouTube. Talking with parents and with other kids about these issues is also key.” These techniques are incredibly useful.
Another way to distance yourself from being followed by a possible dangerous stranger is to find the closest family or large group of people and start a conversation or pretend to be associated with them. You are much less likely to be a target if you are talking with others or in a close group.
Self-defense classes are a great way to keep yourself and your peers safe, whilst also being an engaging and fun activity that can be shared between adults and younger people. You don’t need to climb your way to being a black-belt, the basics of self-defense could make a huge difference in yours or someone else's life.
When I was young, I knew of many programs in Eden with the primary purpose of giving children options when it comes to getting out of scary situations. For example, Neighbour -Hood Watch, with its recognisable logo placed on buildings deemed as safe housing for children to escape dangerous situations. Another program dedicated to child safety is Bravehearts, it provides ways to teach and learn all about child safety and how to avoid abductions. I would highly recommend it.
I feel that in recent years less and less people are aware of these programs, which needs to be changed. By advertising them more and creating more of these types of housing we could decrease the rates of abductions in rural Eden.
Prepare to save your children.
The Wellbeing Hub
Written by Grace Wassink
Eden High School is supporting the Wellbeing of students in many ways. The Wellbeing HUB is an important part of this endeavour. Many parents and the community want to know what the local high school of Eden is doing to increase students' wellbeing. I’ve interviewed two teachers from Eden Marine High School, Ms Guzel and Ms Polach. Why those teachers? Well they play a big role in supporting the wellbeing of students. Here’s what they have to say.
Deputy Principal, Ms Guzel, explained how one of her many roles is to support students who are struggling with school work, behaviour or other such manners.
The Student Support Officer Ms Polach explained that she works as a student support officer within the school community to improve student wellbeing, along with elaborating that the Wellbeing Hub is accessible to everyone if they are willing to partake in the program.
Ms Polach added that participation in the programs provided can be arranged through the wellbeing staff directly. She also said that students can visit the Wellbeing Hub during lunch times. Ms Guzel stated that, “Students can access the Wellbeing Hub during their scheduled program or session times (organised via the SSO).”
Where is the Wellbeing Hub and what sort of activities run outside of school to participate in?
Ms Guzel detailed that the Wellbeing Hub is on the school grounds of Eden Marine High School. There are some activities that run outside of the school (e.g. PCYC Boxing, on a Thursday morning).
Ms Polach explained that the Hub is located in front of the school near the Hall, and that programs such as the PCYC and other organisations come on to the school grounds
When asked how Eden Marine High School aims to achieve their goal to see a rise in the students' wellbeing, Ms Guzel responded, “The aim would be to have as many opportunities and programs running from the wellbeing hub to support the range of student needs. The services run throughout the Hub will need constant evaluation so that tweaks or changes can be made to improve achievement of positive outcomes for student wellbeing.”
Ms Polach explained that evaluation is very important and the school is working on ways that it can evaluate what it does in the Hub.
The roles of the SSO and Wellbeing Nurse are new to EMHS. Ms Polach stated that evaluation for the Hub, “needs to be multifaceted as we need to look not only at the benefits of the programs, but at the different services the staff at the Wellbeing Hub can provide.”
Along with that I also asked “How does the Wellbeing Hub cater for the community?”
Ms Guzel responded with ,“The Hub enables community services to cater for student needs within Eden Marine High School.” Which is very interesting! Ms Polach replied with,
“The wellbeing hub is a conduit for students to access community services. It also can be a community space, where services can use the facility to provide their services/program to the community." So basically the Wellbeing Hub ensures that students get the support they need and provides a safe space for the students who partake in the program.
(I’d like to thank Ms Polach and Ms Guzel for taking part in my article.)
An Expert in our Midst
Written by Harry Stevens
Eden Marine High School’s General Assistant, Mr. Shayne Hackett, is an experienced viticulturalist. Mr Hackett’s role here at Eden Marine is to maintain the buildings and school grounds. Prior to joining the Eden Marine High School team, Mr. Hackett studied viticulture which he defines as, “viticulture relates to the cultivation (growing) of both wine grapes and table grapes.” Mr. Hackett was introduced to the viticulture industry after moving back to Victoria where his parents owned a vineyard in the 1980’s. This was when the Australian wine industry was just starting to grow. Here he worked in a vineyard nursery for about 6 years and studied a Bachelor of Applied Science (Viticulture) in 1992.
After he completed his degree, he obtained work as a Viticulturist in the Southern part of New South Wales and then as an Extension Viticulturist. He was called on to share and teach his skills to
others in vineyards all over Australia. In the year 2000 he was paid to run two workshops at the University of Washington in the USA.
In 2013 Mr. Hackett moved to Eden and obtained employment as the school’s farm assistant in which he used his skills from working on vineyards in repairing and constructing a lot of the fences that we have surrounding our school grounds today. In 2021 Mr. Hackett continues to support our school by keeping are grounds in shape and an enjoyable place to be.
Inform Uniform
Written by Jade Van Landeghem
Uniforms are believed to give a sense of belonging and to enhance school pride. They encourage student unity and identity. Uniforms are good discipline for preparing students for the workforce. Although this is true, one of the main arguments against wearing school uniforms is that students will lose their individuality and self expression if they are made to wear the same clothes as everyone else.
Beau Whitford, a Year 10 student at Eden Marine High School when asked his view on the importance of school uniform said, “I believe that uniform is unnecessary and if we were to have free dress I could express myself in the best way possible.” Ms Guzel, the deputy principal of Eden Marine High School also stated that, “I believe that it is important to wear school uniform for the following reasons:
- Safety – it is clear who should be on school grounds and who shouldn’t be on school grounds if everyone is wearing a school uniform.
- Promotes inclusiveness and equality. (No matter what your background, family situation, etc, we are all part of the Eden Marine High School team).
- Develops a sense of belonging within the school community. The wearing of school uniform helps to build self-confidence and a sense of connection with the school community and the Eden Marine High School team.”
When we asked student Jayde Adam what they would change about our school uniform they stated, “If I had the power to change uniform I would make it more diverse and less expensive”. We then also asked Ms Guzel to explain Eden Marine High School's goals in regards to improving school uniforms, she quoted “The goal is to improve school uniforms for the reasons identified above. The school wants to work with staff, parents and students to improve this and establish any supports that are needed, for example, survey information was sent to parents to collect and consider their input regarding uniform, student data has been collected to develop supports for students who do not have the correct uniform, information from school captains has been collected.”
In conclusion, the points stated verifies valid reasons as to why uniforms should stay maintained but also be more suitable for the comfort of the people wearing them.
Booting out the Boutique
Written by Zoe Chapple
How would you feel if everything you had worked for your entire life was instantly ripped from your hands because a multimillion dollar corporation took over?
Pretty bad right? For many shops in Merimbula, this possibility looms closer to reality each day. With the impact of Covid, the rise in online shopping, and a decrease in the number of visiting tourists, sales over the past 4 years have dropped. This has resulted in many independent retail businesses struggling to stay afloat.
One of the biggest threats facing Merimbula, Pambula and Eden over the past 4 years has been the impact that both the fires and Covid-19 has posed on retailers in the Bega Valley area. The devastating loss of many houses and shops meant that people had less money to spare on rents and businesses, forcing many owners to close their doors.
During this period of disruption, small businesses all over the globe closed down whilst large corporations thrived, with significant increases to online sales.
Locally, we can all see the direct impact with many empty shop spaces remaining vacant over a long period of time. It is not surprising then that rent prices have decreased due to oversupply and we are now only seeing empty spaces begin to be leased.
Merimbula Chamber of Commerce president, Nigel Ayling, commented on this saying, “It’s (been) a pretty impressive turnaround during the past 2 years considering the effects of the fires, Covid and border closures.”
Aside from the side effects of companies such as Aldi, the Reject Shop and Total Tools have had on Merimbula, the feel of the town has also started shifting over the past 3 years. This growth in a wider array of available stores means that the access to products for locals and tourists alike has increased. Mr Ayling, believes that the growth is not just about providing for tourists, but also about providing more services for locals. Mr Ayling stated, “A town like Merimbula services a lot more people than Tourism. Any shopping district needs a variety of stores including larger chain stores and smaller independent niche stores.”
Overall the introduction of these new large corporate businesses has changed the feel of the town drastically. From the increase in traffic and foot traffic, to the many opportunities in jobs and services, these businesses provide a new identity that appeals to both tourists and locals alike. These changes have altered Merimbula and the surroundings massively over the past 4 years, and this is only the beginning.
Cutting Off Covid
Written by Hannah Waller
Covid’s impact on our day to day lives has been catastrophic. How did this worldwide virus affect our local community?
As of the 14th August 2021, regional NSW went into covid lockdown. With this lockdown came the shutting of many businesses and jobs lost. Local business ‘Archuthi Hair and Body’ was one of the businesses that was closed with the lockdown. Having a store in Merimbula and one in Mallacoota, Merimbula opened up from lockdown on the 16th September 2021.
After the reopening of the town, the effects of covid are still lingering around. I interviewed the owner Claire Simonson who said `We were closed for 5 weeks… Initially after lockdown we had five clients at a time cap” since then the cap has been lifted.
With Covid, the majority of stores that you may usually spend time in have had to adapt a double vaccination policy. Arcuthi has had to update their Covid safety plan and check each client for their vaccination certificate, this was instructed by the NSW government. They have also had to update how they clean and disinfect their store since they have many people coming in and using their facilities for longer amounts of time.
Over the lockdown period, the Australian Hairdressing Council surveyed 360 of its member businesses about the impact of the pandemic. 87.1% of workers met the requirements for the Jobkeeper payment at the start of the lockdown however, by the time the Jobkeeper extension became introduced in September, only 22.4% were eligible. This made living and supporting families more difficult for those in need. As for wellbeing, job security has made many worried, with more than ⅓ of people surveyed saying they experienced mental health issues.
With the new double vaccination rule, clients and staff both have to have had their Covid vaccine and show evidence. “We have lost 1 staff member due to not being fully vaccinated but have gained two more employees” Claire said.
When asked about how covid has affected staff's work Claire said “ It put extra strain on staff and business with making sure we adhere to cleaning and safety requirements”. This could lead to being late with clients or missing calls from potential customers. Luckily, after the Covid lockdown, business has been able to almost return to normal as the population of the Bega Valley Shire has a high double vaccination rate.
Overall, lockdown in our regional shire wasn’t as extreme as lockdowns across the country. With support from the government and a community that is willing to help out where they can, lockdown ended fairly quickly with lesser impact than expected. Now as the state has started to re-open, and the new double vaccination rules are in place, most of us are able to return to our life as usual.
However, without being double vaccinated, getting a funky new hairstyle may be quite difficult, unless you are daring enough to attempt it yourself at home.
JIGAMY ROAD HAS TO CHANGE NOW!
Written by Jasmin Brunette
There are far too many crashes along the Jigamy bends and it should not be happening in the first place. It's time to make a change and bring a stop to the crashes.
The road from Eden to Pambula is known for crashes and the biggest hotspot is the bends between Jigamy and Haycock road Ben Boyd. I have lived in the Bega Valley my whole life and I personally have seen the road deteriorate and I have seen the impact it has made on the community. The road is a windy bend that is on a slight slope, it is very worn and is a horrible stretch of road that needs to be fixed.
Last month there were three serious crashes in the span of three weeks, a truck crashed and fell down the steep slope side, a car flipped and rolled, but the most serious one involved a car spinning out of control and crashing into two other cars and a driver involved had to be airlifted to Canberra with broken bones and other injuries, luckily after these crashes there were no fatal injuries.
I recently interviewed two teachers at Eden Marine High School and one of them was the first on the scene when the crash involving three cars happened. She spoke about the traumatic impact it had on her personally, the Bystanders, and especially the drivers of the cars. She had much to say about the bends and how the road should be assessed and changed such as; the speed limit needs to change, more warning signs to slow down, she also included how it affected her. She spoke about what happened as she approached and helped the participants in the crash and how she had to administer first aid to the drivers and that the damage to the drivers was horrific. One of the ladies had badly injured her leg and one of the other ladies was dropping in and out of consciousness, she stated after the crash she was very shaken up and it made her reflect on how she dives in the area and how easy it is to lose control and what she witnessed can happen so quickly.
The other teacher I interviewed had a few things to say on what she believes should happen she quoted,
“I believe that they need to cut the bends out and make it a straight road, also maybe look at lowering the speed limit in that area”
To do this she said that this offer is being consulted with the Eden Aboriginal Land Council and The elders due to the significant Aboriginal Sites.
To conclude everything I have covered in this article and what I hope for everyone to take from it is that the stretch of road along this area needs a dramatic and immediate change to insure the safety of visitors and most importantly our community and our families.
Pictured below, one of the many treacherous parts of the road.
Vape Awareness
Written by Keanu Searston
Vaping has a very common presence in modern day schools. It has had a vast increase in popularity over the past few years, and it is likely to only increase in use.
For the people that don’t know what vaping is, it is a substance/item either known as a vape or E-cigarette with nicotine oils inside that are turned into vapour and inhaled. Vaping puts nicotine into the body which can be highly addictive.
While there has been little research on its growth in popularity from where I am standing, it has only just recently had a spike in usage. Many youth have taken the lifestyle upon themselves.
Vapes are an easy substance/item to acquire which brings it back to the fact that the youth have gotten a hold of them easily.
Health effects of vaping can include serious lung damage, and some deaths have even occurred but it can not be completely related because it has not been around long enough for experts to know for sure, or of other long term effects. It can also include effects such as slow brain development in kids and teenagers and affect memory, concentration, learning, self control, attention, and mood.
It can also include effects such as slow brain development in kids and teenagers and affect memory, concentration, learning, self control, attention, and mood.
Student Perspectives
The Orca Times decided to gain the insights of students at EMHS regarding their views on vaping. What follows is statistical data on the responses students provided as well as an interview with a person at the school..
How easy do you think it is for underage students to acquire a vape?
Anonymous: It is super easy. I can find the supplier and it's as simple as choosing the flavour and hitting the order button.
The peer group asked about this statement had a complete 100% agreement rate.
Given you are underage, do you know where to obtain a vape?
Anonymous: It's pretty simple to be honest, same as i said, find a supplier and just hit the order button, no questions asked.
Once again I interviewed the same peer base for their opinion. The responses of 93% of students know where to acquire a vape.
Why do you think vaping has become popular in youth?
Anonymous: My belief on the matter is because they think it makes them look cool or they can fit in via vapes.
The following peer base was questioned once again, 100% agreeing with this claim.
Is there a demand at all for vapes?
Anonymous: Yes, there is a very high demand for vapes, especially within the youth.
Once again I asked the same peer group for their opinion, 87% of the peer base agree there is a high demand.
So, therefore after my following research I have found that a lot of people are aware of the whole problem and have their own knowledge of it themselves. However, even with the given understanding, will it have an affect on the rate that vapes are distributed/used? Only time will tell.
Profiling ‘Peter Perfect’
Written by Benjamin Topping
Peter Geoffrey Brock, known as peter perfect, the king of the mountain, or simply brocky was an Australian motor racing driver. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other manufacturers including BMW, ford, Volvo, Porsche and Peugeot. He won the Bathurst 1000 endurance race nine times, the Sandown 500 touring car race nine times, the Australian touring car champion three times, the Bathurst 24h once and was inducted into the V8 supercar hall of fame in 2001. Brock's business activities included the Holden dealer team (HDT) that produced Brock's racing machines as well as a number of modified high- performance road versions of his racing cars.
Early life.
Peter Brock was born at the Epworth hospital in Richmond Victoria, the son of Geoff and Ruth Brock the family lived in the country town of Hurstbridge (now an outer suburb of Melbourne) and Brock continued to live there throughout his life. He attended Eltman high school in Eltham, Victoria. His first car was an Austin 7 that he bought for £5 ($10) He claimed that his driving skill improved at this point of his life because the car did not have brakes (or a body, which was removed with his mother's axe). Peter in his Austin 7. Racing career.
Brock made his debut at Bathurst in the 1969 Hardie-ferodo 500 in a Holden HT Monaro GTS 350 alongside Des West, with the pair finishing third behind their winning HDT teammates Collen Bond and tony Roberts. He won the Bathurst 500 for the first time in 1972 (the last year the race was run over 500 miles and the last year in which driving solo was permitted).
Brock would win the event a total of nine times between 1972 and 1987, a feat that has not been equalled. His 1979 win was remarkable in that he and co- driver Jim Richards claimed victory by six laps, a record that, due to changes in race regulations introduced in the mid- to late 1980s, most notably the introduction of the Safety Car in 1987, may never be broken, and broke the circuit lap record for touring cars on the 163rd and final lap of the race (the record would stand until Brock himself broke it in 1982). Brock had tried to set the lap record on the final lap of the 1978 race, but he was inadvertently baulked by the Alfa Romeo of Ray Golson through The Dipper. In 32 starts at Bathurst he claimed pole position a record six times (1974,1977,1978, 1979, 1983 and 1989), with all bar his 1989 pole in a Ford Sierra being for Holden. Brock also sat on pole for the 1997 V8 Supercars race, but the time was set by his co-driver Mark Skaife. His record at this race earned him the popular nickname king of the mountain.
Peter Brock also won the second (and last) Bathurst 24-hour race in 2003 driving a 7.0l V8 -powered Holden Monaro 427C for Garry roger’s motorsport. Brock won the race, which although not the Bathurst 1000, he regarded as his tenth Bathurst win driving alongside V8 Supercar drivers Greg Murphy, Jason Bright and Todd Kelly. The #05 Monaro won the race by less than half a second from the 2002 race winning GRM Monaro 427C driven by Nathan Pretty, Garth Tinder, Steven Richards and Cameron McCallie. The two Monaro’s finished 12 laps in front of the third-placed Porsche 996 GT3 RC of Peter Fitzgerald, Paul Morris, John Toulan and Scott Shearman.
Life style
Brock, who lived hard in his early years, changed his lifestyle considerably after the failed 1984 Le Mans attempt. left him physically and emotionally drained. After his return from Le Mans, Brock began to consult Melbourne-based chiropractor Eric Dowker. He gave up alcohol and smokes and became a vegetarian, 5 years after that he became a vegan. Eventually he returned to being a vegetarian.
Best tips to protect your personal information online
Written by Dylan Medlicott
In this world of growing technology hackers and scams are finding more methods to get access to your information so it has never been this more important to protect your personal information.
Most effective tips for staying safe on social media; Set your profiles to private, Do not share your personal information, Block suspicious people, Check to make sure privacy settings are up to date
https://staysafeonline.org/stay-safe-online/securing-key-accounts-devices/social-media/
Most effective tips for staying safe online; Use a virtual private network (VPN), Do not disclose personal information on websites, Make sure your passwords are strong, Make sure your privacy settings are up to date
A word from the Editors
An Editorial by Beau Whitford, Chris Gordon, and Jayde Adams
As editors of the human interest section, Chris Gordon, Beau Whitford and Jayde Adams have decided to write a piece highlighting the troubles and our experiences as editors.
During our time working as editors for the human interest news section, we have to overcome and face many challenges such as, dealing with deadlines, conflict between edits students and editors alike, power dynamics and having to take charge.
Beau Whifors says - “In the short time we have had together as editors we found that it was difficult to work with both journalists and editors alike, who have different ways of learning or applying their skills.”
Jayde Adams says - “As said before, we had to face many challenges as editors of the human interest team, this was my first time teaching and taking charge of a class which was the biggest challenge for me. Discovering different ways to make learning easier for kids is something I think is really important, but after doing so I found it to be quite challenging.”
Chris Gordon says - “With all the time and work put into both teaching and learning about writing articles, I was amazed to see what came from every section, but especially our own. Seeing the final project it really shows all the work that went into it."
After our time working as editors, we collectively agree that while difficult, this project has been a great learning experience where we have learnt more about teaching and each other. This was an unforgettable experience that has taught us a large variety of skills applicable in both life and our schooling.
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