Welcome!
Embedded Files
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land, the Awabakal and Worimi people, we also pay our respects to elders past and present.
-Acknowledgement by Lincoln.
Editor's Welcome
Hello, Bonjour, Ciao, and Kia Ora; welcome to this week's TGIF! As you may have noticed, this week has a massive focus on harmony, culture, and all things diversity. Take the time out of your day anytime this week to really admire all the different traditions and heritage this world has to offer.
- Words by Josh
Harmony Day and IDERD
Harmony Day and IDERD
An important day in the Australian Calender, Harmony Day takes place on the 21st of March. This orange-themed day celebrates the cultural diversity of Australia and its populace; most Australians choose to wear orange or dress up in something that is close to their culture for the occasion.
Other ways people typically celebrate include: reading books that promote diversity, making multicultural paper chain dolls, inviting other families to share their culture, and appreciating their own heritage and traditions.
It's also worth noting that every year, Harmony Day has a different theme. For 2025, the theme is: "Harmony - we all have a role to play!"
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Harmony day is the same day as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The day is observed annually on the day of the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960, where police opened fire on a peaceful demonstration against apartheid laws made to separate black and white people living in South Africa. 69 people were killed and 180 were injured. The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is a day to combat racism and xenophobia, acknowledge our racist history and move forward and make change for a more inclusive, anti-racist society.
- Words by Josh and Ripley.
Pictured left: Town Hall Challenge set by Advisory 5. Create a poster, infographic or creative response to illustrate Harmony Day, what it means and the contributions multiculturalism has made to Australia.
Photos from the week
Photos from Town Hall led by Advisory 6, Peer Support, Breakfast Club and out in the playground.
SAPG Spotlight: Bikes!
SAPG Spotlight: Bikes!
For TGIF this week we have included a feature on the the Bike SAPG!
What is the aim this term?
The aim for the bike SAPG this term is to help anybody in the community with their bikes and hopefully encourage them to ride to school more often with their peers.
Favourite part?
Being able to bring in their own bikes and working on them in school hours, being with friends and learning new things together. Learning about how to properly take care of a bike so that it will last much longer is another great part of the bike SAPG.
What is your community impact?
Helping people fix their bikes or ‘gorilla maintenance’ as they call it. This includes lubing bike chains, so they don't rust as quickly and last so much longer, they pump peoples tires and check for any problems that could interfere with riding.
If you could do anything in this SAPG, what would it be?
More group rides would be nice as well as helping the broader community and teaching them more about how to care for your bike.
How do you work well together as a group?
We work together as a team and solve problems, if we don’t know something we all learn together, supporting each other whilst broadening our perspectives.
What is Ride to School Day?
Ride to school day is exactly how it sounds, where the Cooks Hill Community ride to school together. It's a great way to build a bond in the community and to encourage those who don't ride often to have a go and expand their horizons.
The prize for participating in this event is quite a great one, it includes a cool fluro-orange vest for safety when riding, plenty of lollies, a bag to hold your things and a drink bottle! All great useful things for those who travel on bikes.
If ever you feel like your bike is in need of a quick tire pump or you are unsure of something bike related, remember never hesitate to ask the Bike SAPG, who are more than willing to help out. Don’t be afraid everyone is lovely!
Art by James
Student Spotlight - with James
Student Spotlight - with James
Who are you?
I'm James, a Year 10 student in Advisory 7. I like all forms of art, I love history and film.
What is your cause?
My cause is trying to represent artists who feel under-represented and create a place for young artists to show their work.
What is the idea behind your project?
The idea behind my project is to plan and host an exhibition to help young creative people in Newcastle who are frustrated with creating and putting their art out there.
What are you currently working on at CHC?
Currently this term has been about planning. I've had to change my project a lot, because originally it was more research heavy which didn't work for me because I bit off more than I could chew and became frustrated with what I was doing. What I'm working on now is prioritising what I want to create and how I want to make that happen. In this case that is things like gathering potential subjects, interviewing local artists, working out finances, making a sample artwork and writing an artist statement.
I have interviewed a number of local and one less local artists. I have spoken to Trevor Dickinson, Andrew Forrer (who you may already know), Bridie Watts, Patrick Mavety, and Ellie Kaufman who is not a Newcastle resident but it is a huge inspiration of mine and I was lucky enough to go to one of her shows here and meet her in person.
I believe that you have to know what other people are doing to get a better idea of your doing. That could be either because they're inspirational to you or you hate them and they are the antithesis of what you want.
What are you most excited about for your upcoming project?
I'm most excited about getting to develop my art further and meet a lot of different people along the way. I am excited about the prospect of finding other young people who are similar to me about art and Newcastle.
Tell me about your exhibition ‘art block’?
I chose the name ‘Art Block’ because I feel like personally for me it's very easy to be creatively blocked when you have doubts about your own work and I know many other people feel the same way. It's inspired by how frustrated I felt making this project and I want to be able to turn that around by embracing those feelings.
What LTI’s are you looking into?
I have actually been in contact with the Creator Incubator in the hopes to get an internship next term. It's a really great space for locals and I have been to many exhibitions, openings and other events there in the past. Creator Incubator is at the top of my list in terms of potential host spaces for my exhibition. I would really love it if I would be able to put something on there because I have long looked up to the purpose it serves and what the people there are doing.
Art by James
Art by James
How can CHC help?
CHC can support me by helping me find more people who are interested in my project and either are interested in sharing their experiences and volunteering to be drawn or helping by finding places to host the exhibition.
When someone comes to get their portrait done what happens?
In Friday Session 5, people who feel like the description of the project fits them or are interested in the premises can come up to Advisory 7 can come up and put their names down. I need a range of subjects for the long term project but for now one subject is enough for the sample.
Thanks for reading!
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