Grammar Gazette- Issue 2, 2006

COMMUNI TY SERV I CE

Kathryn Talbot (10M) Kathryn was prompted to help at the Queensland Cancer Fund after her Grandmother’s illness: A personal experience brought me to completing my Year 10 Service at the Queensland Cancer Fund or QCF. Admittedly, I did not know what I was expected to do, because anyone who has met me knows I have a distinct lack of tact and people skills! Luckily, I was placed in administration, which basically meant I packed and unpacked envelopes. Lots of envelopes. At first I wondered if I was even making a difference. What could a few envelopes do to help people with cancer? Well then I actually decided to read what people were sending back. They weren’t just letters with donations, (although those are always much appreciated). There were messages from people who had either had cancer, or had a relative who had it, and they were thanking QCF for all they had done. The looks on the faces of the people who worked with me really made my day. The way I figure it, if these people are happier — they volunteer more. If they volunteer more, there is more chance that cancer won’t be around for the next generation. So, even if all I did was pack and unpack envelopes, I know I made a difference. And let me tell you, it feels really, really good. If you want to volunteer at QCF, I strongly recommend it. Sabina Myers (10M) When the time came for me to choose my Service, I spent a lot of time deliberating. Originally I had planned to go to my old primary school, to ‘give back to a place I got a lot from’ or something equally poetic. But after ringing the wrong number twice, being put on hold three times, then being told to ring back at the same time the next week, ringing back at the specified time and getting a computer message stating that ‘sorry, the office is closed now’ I ended up ditching that particular pursuit. I’m now glad that my initial idea went so badly, because otherwise I never would have ended up as a volunteer at the Abbey Museum Medieval Tournament and Re-enactment Festival, an experience that I feel I not only gave a lot to, but gained a lot from personally as well.

material ready for the children to “sew” and many, many holes were punched in cardboard trees ready to decorate the room. We read them a story when they got up about a little bear who didn’t want to go to school so he tried lots of jobs he couldn’t do. Thinking of my efforts cutting out the cats I know how he felt. How could looking after small children be so exhausting? It was a real surprise. Lilian and I finished our 15 hours in three days but returned for an extra day. It seemed so little to give a Centre that gives so much. I had to go back for another reason, too. When I was a naughty four year old pretending to sleep on Tuesday afternoons I used to watch for the tall girls in the navy blue pleated skirts, white blouses and blue ties coming into help from the School up the road. They were so much fun. “They’re Grammar Girls,” Mum told me. We both liked them, and they made such a good impression it was part of the reason I’m now part of “the School up the road”. Ten years on, where are those girls now at the age of 25? Working in the CBD, overseas, bringing up littlies who’ll soon join in the morning songs at Holy Family about “Little eyes, be careful what you see, little ears, be careful what you hear...?” That’s a scary and exciting thought.

Giving Back The 2006 Year 10 cohort have brought a fresh approach to Community Service this year, imbued with energy and innovation. Some have sought out novel and interesting ways of making a difference and helping others while nearly all of them have found the experience to be worthwhile and satisfying. At a recent Year 10 Assembly some of the girls shared their experiences and edited versions of their talks are included in this article.

Mrs Stubbington with Jacinta and Sabina.

accurate down to the fine details so it was great to be able to help interested people to understand what things were, who was who, and what the whole thing was really all about. Day two was in a very similar vein to day one: just me being helpful and informative and looking kind and approachable — the only difference being that instead of surveys this time I was selling the magazines/programs for the tournament. I’d have to say that the biggest thing I got out of it, simple though it sounds, was extending my people skills, which is something I believe is invaluable to everyone really. We aren’t always going to be working with, or finding ourselves around people, who are our perfect personality matches, because the world is a pretty diverse place, so it was a great opportunity in the sense that I interacted with all sorts of people, with whom I otherwise may never have even spoken under normal circumstances.

The festival is a two day annual event featuring re-enactments of many aspects of medieval culture, markets, food, activities and a popular mock tournament complete with archery, jousting and big men in armor beating each other up with pointed sticks. On day one my job was to convince as many people as possible to fill out surveys. So there I was, dressed up as a medieval peasant woman, curtsying to patrons and offering an innocent ‘would you spare five minutes for a survey, my Lord/Lady?’ My other job was to be a well of medieval information, which had been drilled into my head at the volunteer training day. It actually felt really nice to be able to answer people’s queries because a lot of people show up merely out of curiosity, or because they have a semi-twisted princesses and dragons view of the Middle Ages. There is a massive amount of detail and planning which goes into setting up the whole fair and most of it is historically

Jacinta Livingstone (10R) The poinciana still spreads over the sandpit like a giant umbrella while the cubby house and red climbing frame still swarm with toddlers. Ten years ago I graduated from the Holy Family Child Care Centre, Gregory Terrace as part of the preschool group of 1996 and this year I returned in the mid-year holidays to complete my 15 hours of Year 10 Community Service. Doing this at a Centre where I had spent so many happy hours long ago was a privilege. It was also a bigger challenge than I had expected and I was glad that my friend, Lilian Zhou (10R), joined me in the adventure. In many ways it was a lesson in patience. The youngest children in Classroom C were three, or about to turn three, and contrary to the idea that toddlers are noisy, I found that this group took a long time to thaw out with a newcomer. At first, no matter what I said, they just looked at me. Then they kept on looking, giving a good imitation of a monastic order on vows of silence. As for the odd accident, well…. that was all part of it too. From my point of view, the middle group of children, in Classroom B where I started out, were a lot more talkative and the bigger ones, in Classroom A, who will start school next year, were more fun again. They were eager to play games, hear stories and tell me about their favourite movies. Lunchtime was a healthy revelation. Out came the sandwiches, fruit, yoghurt and

water. It was as though crisps, chocolate milk and lollies did not exist. Helping out meant taking lids off boxes and drink bottles and spooning yoghurt into the smallest children and joining in the Grace before and after meals. Naptime, when very few of them actually seemed to sleep – some things don’t change in 10 years – meant Lilian and I got down to picking up puzzles, one of which we couldn’t put back together, and preparing handicrafts for the next few days. Cats materialised from white, fluffy material; squares were cut from pieces of

Year 10s involved in The Smith Family Community Service Programme.

Lilian Zhou at Holy Family Child Care Centre.

12 grammar gazette spring 2006

grammar gazette spring 2006 13