1995 School Magazine

@irls' Grammsr ScbooI l8risbsne 1995

Phoning Antarctica

Creating and presenting games dt tbe Amctzonian Youtb SLtmmit

\Work stations really taught us a lot, but the phone call to Antarctica's "Mawson Base" was definitely the highlight of the week. Many students received answers to questions which gave us all an insight into the wonders of Antarctica. It was mind boggling to think that we were talking to real people living under such awesome and cruel conditions. The people we talked to were not tourists; they were very skilled people, selected because of their areas of expertise and also their mental and physical attributes. Another major topic of the week was the beautiful and sometimes dangerous animals of Antarctica. Penguins, seals, birds and whales were all viewed on the television and many people said that they wished they cor-rld see these animals in their natural environment, in Antarctica, not in a zoo or on television. \Thether young or o1d, people will always gasp at the beaury and rarity ol Antarcticr. KATE MCCROSSIN (8 GIBSON) Facts from a member of the AmazonianYouth Summit: Today I felt that humans are totally cold-hearted in what they are doing to destroy our environment and our animals. Several things I experienced today really disgusted me. One of them was a picture of a hundred leopard skins jr-rst lying in a heap. Another was that two-thirds of Central America's tropical rainforests have been cleared due to cattie farming. The Amazon accounts for thirry percent of the wor'ld's rainforest and even thollgh I've never been there I feel I know the place well and I think it rea1ly "stinks" that people are cutting down trees just for their stomachs. A11 ol Central American shoulcl get together for a summit, with other nations as wel1, to try to work out a way to stop this ridiculous business. I am yet again disgusted at what people will do for personal benefit - kil1ing, for example. There needs to be some serious discussion about the environment surrounding the Amazon River. ALISON LONIE (8 O'CONNOR)

Working in the Chinese rice Jields

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