So it’s that time of year again. You know, the one where kids of around 17 years of age finish their, depending on state, 12th or 13th year at school and descend on Surfers Paradise to go batshit.
As I am clearly insane, I have booked a week in a lovely high rise, smack bang in the middle of the action, 2nd week in. The week where all the NSW and Victorian school kids take their turn at vomiting in bushes and pashing randoms.
In my defence, I didn't do my research and I "won" this particular holiday on eBay for only $255. Cheap! Cheap until I find a log floating in the ginormous communal pool.
But has it really changed since we were school leavers? Um, irrevocably – yes.
As I am clearly insane, I have booked a week in a lovely high rise, smack bang in the middle of the action, 2nd week in. The week where all the NSW and Victorian school kids take their turn at vomiting in bushes and pashing randoms.
In my defence, I didn't do my research and I "won" this particular holiday on eBay for only $255. Cheap! Cheap until I find a log floating in the ginormous communal pool.
But has it really changed since we were school leavers? Um, irrevocably – yes.
I, *clears throat* went on schoolies nearly 20 years ago but like all good women in their thirties, I still consider myself to be pretty hip and with it. Ok, so saying hip and with it is probably sending the Gen Y’ers into flurry of "ZOMG’s she’s so old", but let me say this, we still remember what goes on. And it’s changed, and not for the better.
Myself and two girlfriends who are still my best girlfriends to this day, went off to Byron Bay where we stayed in a backpackers, took roughly 15 casks of the world renowned $6 St Bernadinos goon, $150 and had the time of our lives. And to be honest, during that week, I hadn’t given much thought to my future or what I would do once that week ended (which coincidentaly coincided with me having zero cash and a block of cheese to my name).
Myself and two girlfriends who are still my best girlfriends to this day, went off to Byron Bay where we stayed in a backpackers, took roughly 15 casks of the world renowned $6 St Bernadinos goon, $150 and had the time of our lives. And to be honest, during that week, I hadn’t given much thought to my future or what I would do once that week ended (which coincidentaly coincided with me having zero cash and a block of cheese to my name).
Sure we drank. Sure we got very loose with some French, German and American backpackers (no - not that loose) and sure, we lit illegal bonfires down the beach, but we went for the sole purpose of celebration. To celebrate the end of a very significant era. The era that in hindsight, were the easiest days of our lives. We just didn’t know that yet.
Schoolies still happened in Surfers, but it wasn’t the event it is now. Houseboats were hired, people took off to Noosa or Byron or they simply stayed home and went into Surfers at night. And it wasn’t a shambles. Hey it wasn’t perfect, and the same amount of underage drinking and debauchery still went on, but we weren’t just being ratbags in general society because it was almost expected.
The government is in full lock down on underage drinking and there are massive ad campaigns which air constantly showing the effects of getting blind, yet this 2 week event is staged and partially funded by that same government.
Schoolies still happened in Surfers, but it wasn’t the event it is now. Houseboats were hired, people took off to Noosa or Byron or they simply stayed home and went into Surfers at night. And it wasn’t a shambles. Hey it wasn’t perfect, and the same amount of underage drinking and debauchery still went on, but we weren’t just being ratbags in general society because it was almost expected.
The government is in full lock down on underage drinking and there are massive ad campaigns which air constantly showing the effects of getting blind, yet this 2 week event is staged and partially funded by that same government.
Hey, perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised and these kids will be singing kumbaya in a circle whilst drinking diet cokes and regaling stories about their volunteer job bathing the elderly. I'll be sure to update.
I’m not saying there should no schoolies week, but changes need to be made. Preferably before my daughter hits the golden age of 17.
I’m not saying there should no schoolies week, but changes need to be made. Preferably before my daughter hits the golden age of 17.
13 comments:
My younger brother is down there somewhere using empty goon bags as pillows.
(And my even younger sister just got back to school after having her own schoolies celebration during assembly--with vomit and all)
My schoolies trip was supposed to be to ... ... Charleville (but I got ditched in the last minute) so I spent it cleaning textbooks... Maybe I'll go down as a toolie next year and have my schoolies experience ;)
You should be ok, you'll be asleep when they're partying and they'll sleep all day while you're out and about :-)
Im a Gen-Y! :)
Hehe....I graduated last year and decided not to go to schoolies; Instead, my mates and I went up to the mornington peninsula after all the crazy Rye celebrations. We had innocent fun, none of us got hurt - we celebrated (my parents were proud of my 'responsible' decision...haha)
Schoolies is getting WAY too out of hand.
I grew up in Perth, and we all headed "down south". Meaning, Margaret River, Augusta, anywhere coastal really. My friend's family owned a house in Augusta, and we stayed there. Had party after party and spent many a day sleeping in and nursing hangovers at the beach.
There weren't hoards of people around though. It was pretty quiet. M River was a bit busier, but nothing at all like I imagine schoolies would be.
I have 3 boys, and to be honest, it scares me senseless the idea of them at schoolies. By then, who knows what it'll be like?
Keep us posted and I hope you're pleasantly surprised!
sorry cant help you. i didnt go to schoolies. my friends did though and some of them had some very adventurous nights..
{i come from the coast. so why would i travel to another coast to get drunk?}
have fun..?
When I finished last year, 2 friends and I spent a few days in Sawtell, in a flat like, 2 blocks from the beach, which was kindly lent to us free of charge by my friend's grandmother. One of my friends was trying to convince us we needed to buy alcohol to drink with dinner (just, you know, 3 bottles of wine for the 3 nights we were there, between the 3 of us, 2 of whom are pretty much non-drinkers), but when the other two of us went "You want alcohol, you pay for it, cause we're not gonna be drinking it", she changed her mind rather quickly. The closest we got to getting drunk was the night we went to the pub, when we all got carded buying soft drink at the bar, cause they were carding anyone under about 30 who went near the bar to cover their asses during schoolies. It may have been the highlight of the trip for the other two, cause they'd both turned 18 in the last couple of weeks, and it was the first time they'd been carded since.
They didn't have schoolies when I was at school, least not that I can remember but then I'm that old the Old timers disease may be starting to hit, you never know...
As to my daughter (she's 11) I've already told her she won't be allowed to go. I'll send her on a holiday to Bali or something with a friend even if I have to pay for both but I can't in all good conscience let my daughter put herself into the trainwreck that is Schoolies. (LizK_is)
Hey Bern,
My schoolies was a similar number of years ago and we hired caravans at palm beach! It was far less organised - the broadie was still standing and was the main target. I remember walking home from there to palm beach one night - classic! Have fun on your holiday... look forward to the blog on that!
The thought of my kids at Schoolies sends me into a mild state of panic. Instead of Schoolies I went on a family trip to Fiji, initially I was somewhat bummed but I ended up having an absolute blast.
It's too late to can it now, the kids expect it and it's a 'Better the Schools Party you Know' kind of scenario. Government funds it to keep the kids safe because they know it will happen. Kind of like safe heroin injecting rooms which almost stopped AIDs in its tracks when it burst onto the scene in Australia in the 80s. America didn't legalise safe needle practices and had a lot harder time of it.
Anyhow, if I was a parent, I'd want it toned down too! You poor thing :P
I finished year 12 20 years ago. I was in Tassie. Schoolies consisted of my bestie (who still is) and me heading to the big smoke of Hobart for a week staying with her sister in her 1 bedroom flat! It was fun, drunken, night club fun.
The thought of my kids going to schoolies makes me feel sick, and I'm a fairly relaxed mama. I have simply decided they will not be going. They may hate me forever, but their not going.
So looks like we all did Schoolies, but have no desire for our kids to go. Our parents were probably the same. Guess we've got some years left yet to worry. :)
What is it with idiots of the age of 16-17 thinking they can go off somewhere and get high on alcohol and drugs and that nothing bad will happen to them.
Teenagers are idiots, and adults are idiots for putting up with it at the end of the year.
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