Pyramid Rock

Not Hard Enough

For the sixth year in a row, the Pyramid Rock Festival returns to Victoria to bring in the New Year, from the 29^th of December 2009 until the 1^st of January 2010.

Set on a private coastal farm in Phillip Island, roughly two hours drive from Melbourne; Pyramid Rock is a camping music festival that caters for over 12,000 festival-goers from across Australia and will be showcasing over 50 musical acts, including Empire of the Sun, Van She, Architecture in Helsinki and Grinspoon.

The festival is an all ages event. Property is searched for alcohol, glass bottles, fireworks, flares and dangerous weapons. Alcohol is to be purchased and consumed in the designated licensed area only. According to the terms and conditions of entry, breach of these conditions ‘may’ lead to the confiscation of such offending articles and the removal of the patron from the venue.

It is hard to take these terms and conditions seriously when year after year thousands of patrons manage to smuggle copious amounts of alcohol into the event. Nathan Llewellyn, a 21year old apprentice electrician, who has attended the event for the past 4 years said it is easy to get alcohol into the festival because the people searching the cars are of similar age and can relate to everyone. “If you are nice and just talk to them they don’t really care, they are just people doing it for a free ticket,” he said.

“We didn’t even get checked last year, we just drove through one of the isles that no one was checking, so everyone got heaps of piss in,” Llewellyn said.

“The year before that, we bought a blue 78’ Gemini station wagon for 500 dollars just for the trip, then cut a hole in a fake LPG gas cylinder and filled it with grog.

“The girl searching the car even said to me ‘Give me a couple and I can say that you have given up all your grog.”

A regular volunteer at music festivals Claire Warden said the checks are done fairly briefly over the cars and people are asked if they have alcohol. “There are random thorough checks done,” Claire said.

“ There are no real consequences for us if we let someone through with alcohol because there is no real way of detecting that, ” she said.

“They just have to have faith that you are doing your job properly.”

Claire said a lot of the time many people just don’t hide their alcohol very well, therefore it is easy to confiscate it.

Bass Coast Shire Council Planning Department Manager Antony Duffel said he was not aware that a large amount of alcohol was getting into the festival. “The last festival was regarded as one of the best,” Mr. Duffel said.

“There were not as many complaints about various issues such as over consumption of alcohol,” he said.

“From a council point of view I think the organisers have done a good job.”

Festival Director Angus Cameron started the Pyramid Rock Festival in 2004 as a reaction to the massive party crowds that flock to Phillip Island every year to bring in the New Year. The main street        CLICK FOR PHOTO ALBUM in Cowes on New Years Eve used to be out of control; there was heaps of violence and lots of drunken bored teenagers trying to make their own entertainment.

Inspector Brian Curley of the Bass Coast Service Area said the Police supported the go ahead of the festival because it could be managed by paid security and promoted less of an impact on the Police and the community. “It is more open, well lit and secure,” Inspector Curley said.

“In terms of drugs and alcohol, we are not saying it is better to take it there more than in town, however it is easier to manage in a controlled environment,” he said.

“In town there are lane ways and dark streets.”

Currently people who get their alcohol confiscated are still allowed into the festival. Inspector Curley said the organisers should put in place some sort of penalty.

“There is not much of a deterrent,” Inspector Curley said.

“ People will just buy less to offset the risk.

“If it gets taken then it is just a loss of 40 dollars and they still get to go into the festival.”

Victoria University student Mitch Yeats said he wouldn’t go if there was the possibility that he wouldn’t be allowed into the festival. “ It would ruin it…it would be so much more expensive if we had to buy alcohol there,” Yeats said.

“ It wouldn’t have the same relaxed atmosphere,” he said.

“We go so we can sit around and drink with our friends at our campsites, when there are bad bands on and nothing to do.

“A whole part of the experience is sneaking in the alcohol and deciding a way to smuggle it in.”

The Festival Song by Pez, filmed at The Pyramid Rock Festival 08/09

Time- and money-poor tertiary students are opting for fast food rather than preparing healthy meals. With the end of year exam period on the horizon, though, it is more important than ever for students to find lifestyle balance.

“There is a perception that a lot of healthier options are more expensive,” said Sophie Lewis, a PhD student at Monash University’s Notting Hill Primary Care Research Unit who is currently researching obesity.

• Ms Lewis said that this perception is “probably one of the biggest factors for students who often had very limited resources.”

It is an opinion shared by Tony Fernando, sports consultant with Monash Sport, who said that “most healthy food was expensive – for students to eat a balanced diet, it’s too expensive.”

First year Monash University student Meg Haycox said that a lack of time and money impacts on physical health of students “quite a bit.”

“The price of stuff impacts a lot on what I eat.”

“I eat KFC, because if I’ve only got five dollars, I can get a meal and know that I’m going to like it.”

As well as not having enough money to afford nutritional food, Ms Lewis said that another contributing factor to poor student diets was that “students were often time poor, so they did not have the time to prepare their own meals and so relied on fast food and other convenience food options.”

Lucy Kouch, also a university student at Monash Caulfield, said she often eats fast food with her friends it saves time and is more convenient.

“Anywhere my friends go, I go…it’s usually fast food. We usually choose cheaper food, maybe because it’s more convenient, it saves more time,” she said.

Click here to see some other fast, cheap and tasty food options around the Monash University Caufield campus.

But Ms Lewis warned against a diet of convenience, and said that, “fast food is often energy dense but nutrient poor. An over-consumption of this kind of food, along with sedentary lifestyles, may lead to a host of physical health problems.”

A lack of money and time should not prevent students from seeking balance in their diet and lifestyle. According to Mr Fernando it is particularly important leading up to exams and final assignments.

“The big emphasis this time of year is to educate students about achieving a study/exercise balance. Balance is very beneficial through the exam period,” he says.

“Things like fruit, grain bread and tuna are all cheap – and you can make your own salads. If you really want to eat a balanced diet, you don’t have to spend a lot of money. It’s a matter of educating students to eat healthy.”

Click here to see a list of dinner recipes from the Coles website.

Mr Fernando said that, as well as eating healthily, it was also “important for students to exercise because of stress.”

“When a student in stressed out, exercising the cardio system burns out anxiety rather than relying on coffee or medication,” he said.

While financial strain could prevent a student from joining a university gym, Mr Fernando said that there were other less costly ways of exercising and achieving a balanced lifestyle.

Click here to go to the Monash University Sport website.

“You don’t need to join the gym to stay healthy, going for walks or downloading exercise programs from the internet are good ways of staying healthy without spending much money.”

Organised by writers’ group Paradise Anthology, on August 30, the glass amphitheatre of Federation Square’s BMW Edge saw twenty-eight finalists fire 60-second poetic salvos into an audience 350 strong. Judged by a three-person panel, the poems performed were serious and absurd, ranging from racial prejudice to the ever-reliable, ever-forgiving “twenty-four fucks” of a slab of VB.

According to Poetry Idol’s organiser and emcee, Michael Crane, the short, ‘slam’ style made sure audiences got just as much value from the event as those competing for the top prize, $2,000 and a publishing contract:

“[By imposing a time limit] we are trying to make poetry accessible and entertaining … so that the audiences get to hear and see a variety of poets in a short time.”

(Click here to see a full photo gallery from the night)

Poetry slams began in the United States in the 1980s, and according to 2009 champion Marian Spires, are becoming increasingly popular in Melbourne. “It’s like the Olympics of language. You only have that limited time to get your message across, so you must work your language hard.”

Ms Spires said her entry at Poetry Idol, ‘Aphrodite on Love’, “explored the relationship we all have with love.”

“I wanted to write a dramatic monologue where Aphrodite persuades us to accept the idea of ‘falling in love’ and, in doing so, we make an everlasting contract [with her].”

(Click here to listen to ‘Aphrodite on Love’ from Poetry Idol)

Mr Crane says incorporating music into his events helps attract a wider audience, with Idol heats drawing familiar identities such as Brian Nankervis, emcee for music trivia quiz show Rockwiz on SBS, as well as celebrated musician Rebecca Barnard.

The Idol also included music and songs performed as interludes by Mr Crane and Trish Anderson, also part of Melbourne band Mrs. Wainwright.

Both Ms Spires and Mr Crane encourage those interested to try out performing on stage. Ms Spires had written poetry all her life, but didn’t start performing until 2001. Actively participating was a different and exciting feeling: “By its nature, writing is a solitary experience, so it was great to hook up with other local poets and writers.”

It’s not just annual events like Poetry Idol and the Australian Poetry Slam where audiences can see and hear slam poetry. Seven nights a week, inner-city suburbs like Carlton, Brunswick, Northcote and Prahran play host to a variety of events, including open mics. The Facebook group Spoken Word, Melbourne lists locations for regular gigs, as well as launches and competitions.

According to the Head of Journalism at Monash University, Chris Nash, the loss of community television will be a great disadvantage. “Community television presents news and issues not covered by commercial or government-funded stations. Rural areas enjoy localised news through commercial television, while cities and suburbs are exposed to a more generalised version of the news because of the vast area covered.”

Community television enjoys an audience of 1.4 million each month, says Nash. “If the same support that was shown thirty years ago when digital television was established doesn’t continue now, then the community is effectively being pushed off air and that would be a bad thing. Not funding the switch would be an active policy to stop support.”

Channel 31 raises revenue from seven minutes of sponsorship announcements per hour, and by charging airtime fees for some programs. This means without the digital licence, they will lose sponsors. As TV Manager for SYN Media, Simon Love encourages people to write to the government and support Channel 31′s appeal for space on the digital spectrum. “We are very worried. For each person that goes out and buys a digital television we lose them as a viewer and in turn come closer to losing our ability to broadcast”.

(Click here to check out Channel 31′s campaign, “Fair Go Kev”).

Because it is the ideal training ground for a career in television, people of all backgrounds and levels of education work with Channel 31 to gain experience. As a Year 10 student, Simon understands youth dismay at the loss of community television. “If we were to lose our ability to broadcast via Channel 31, we would have to move online or pitch to ABC, SBS or subscription television to stay on air”.

According to Nash, who has also worked with Channel 31 Sydney, community television’s ability to cover a vast array of backgrounds is important to Australia’s culture-rich capital cities. “It welcomes program ideas and encourages people with little or no experience to get involved. Students without a show reel and an impressive Curriculum Vitae don’t stand a chance.
“Their only option is to broadcast online but television is and always will be a medium and won’t be replaced entirely by internet; just like television didn’t replace radio.”

So the demographic of your average uni tute goes something like this: the committed and aspiring academics front and centre, on a first name basis with the tutor and definitely on top of the game when it comes to that essay that you’ve just realised is due this Thursday… as in, tomorrow. Then there’s a smattering of trendy types that grace the presence of the dingy window-less room from time to time, always dressed impeccably and radiating pure brilliance…at least, in their opinion. And there’s quite a few in-betweeners who have just about finished that essay, though it’s not the best and are more interested in getting home than spending any more time than necessary at uni.

Now imagine if we all actually were what we ate. That same classroom would consist of a few cigarettes, half spent from the weekend; a couple of takeaway lattes; a Sweet Chilli Chicken twister and a bucket of wedges… there’d be the Tupperware containers full of leftovers, and a few Mars/Kit Kat/Dairy Milk/insert your chocolate vice from Coles. Plus, of course, those oh-so-regular vending machine Red Rock Deli chips and a can of Coke that seemed like such a good idea at the time…

My role in the group is to write about food. Therefore, I intend to research and develop a story about the limitations that uni students face when choosing what to eat. Financially challenged and time-poor are two defining characteristics of the average uni student. These two challenges mean that food choices are often far from ideal. Throw in the stress of assignments, transport, work and socialising and the average uni student could probably do with some help towards making wiser food choices.

I have confirmed an interview with a medical talent from the Monash expertline, and will interview one or two uni students about their daily food lives. I also intend to do a vox pop at the Caulfield campus, which will provide a good illustration of what the challenges of eating well really are. My story will also provide a cross-analysis of a take away meal and a healthy alternative to inform the reader about the contents of what they are eating, so that they can make a more informed choice about the food they consume.

The story is newsworthy because it directly affects our readership, and as the end of semester draws nearer and stressful swot vac and exams loom, it is more important than ever to inform students about the cost of eating unhealthily, and how they can avoid bad food choices when they need something cheap and fast.

By posting notifications on flickr, twitter and delicious, awareness about the story will spread and news readers will be attracted to our blog.

To better reach our blog’s youth target, my interviews will be directed less towards straight news reporting and more identifying what interests and opportunities poetry holds for young people in Melbourne. The Idol competition has provided a ‘jumping off point’, in that it has proximity, currency and human interest values. I will explore the variety of characters that competed, and ask the question: “What makes poetry relevant to the current generation?”

The story is logistically viable, as the event is held in Melbourne’s CBD at a convenient time, and audio recording equipment is permitted in the venue. Because of the story’s context as a blog entry and its intended audience (18-24), its style will be more casual and familiar than a typical news story, with a humorous tone. The story will highlight live poetry’s low cost, its egalitarian nature, and its place in culture-dense Melbourne. I want to show to readers that there is a vibrant, active side to poetry–not just staid academia.

On the ‘net, it’s easy to reuse and recycle. But damnit, we’re journalists, and we want to prove it. Visit our site and you’ll get original stories, interviews and snaps, not whatever the Herald Sun printed last week.

We reckon our city is the culture capital of the country, and aim to prove a starving student can have just as much fun as fashionistas in fascinators. You might be sceptical: after all, entertainment’s a broad gig. That’s why the four of us have split the work, covering our own quadrants and keeping you interested.

• Tim’s proving the poetry scene in Melbourne isn’t just beatniks, turtlenecks and art-farts.

• Say goodbye to baked beans because Amy will let students in on some local secrets, and find out how they can still enjoy great food at a low price. No more Whiskers tuna salads!

• Listen to Liarna, and discover how you can be a TV addict without being a couch potato. With a little effort, you can follow up and even get your own face on the tube!

• Megan’s a serious rock god. Her inside info on Pyramid Rock ’09 will get you in the Combi, through the crowds and right up front!

We want to entertain you, but it’s a two-way street. You can follow and respond to our stories here or our Twitter channel, and we want to add your voice and your views. This way, you can have as much fun reading, listening to and watching our work as we’ll have making it.

Be seeing you,

Megan, Tim, Amy & Liarna!!