1994 School Magazine

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Girls' Grailiiiinr School3Brisbaiic 1994

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WRITER IN RESIDENCE n Semester Two, the Fac ulty of English was privileged and pleased to welcome SIIvana Gardner as our Writer in Residence for 1994. She enjoys a fine and richly- deserved national and international reputation as a poet, artist, and writer of stories, and I}as published six highly-acclaimed books of verse. in her most recent collection, The P"i"tor offcoins, Silvana explores multicultural themes and climensions in an evocative and imaginative nilx of magic,

VISIT BY BRUCE DAWE n October, students and staff of the EnglislT Faculty were privileged to welcome Dr Bruce Dawe, one of Australia's leading, and IT}OSI popular poets, to the school As Lisual, students and staff alike were captivated by the personable warmth, wit, and wisdom that is as much a part of the ITTan as of ITis writing Dr Dawe worked willT small oroups of studeiTi poets at Senior andJtinior levels, enabling ThenT to share in, and benefit from, ITis advice and expertise in the art and craft of creating good poems As part of their Unit on Contemporary AListralian Poetry, the Year Twelves spent a nTemorable afternoon willT Bruce Dawe in the Gehrmann Theatre, enjoying nor only the readinos of

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SIIvana Gardnei's art- work is represented in several prestigious per- maneni collections in- cluding the Queensland Art Gallery, the National Galleiy of Victoria, and numerous pri\, ale conec- lions, and she I}as just completed a Government In the two weeks spent willT the English Faculty in July, Silvana worked willT a wide cross- section of students, all of WIToiTT benefited irumeas- coiTTinission

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works of one of their favourite po- GIS, but also the ITU- mour and human- icy of the person behind those po- Grus. The students' reception left no doubt that this was an experience that most will cany with then} throughout their lives

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ui'ajily trolli experiences ranging froilT workshops to seminars 10 I)u1,11caiioit and public presentation of their own creative Iiicrai'y cfforis Silv;Inn's involvement as \Kiriier in Residence included pluscnting seminars 10 Year 10, and to Year 12 sitidents in the Gulli'nunit 'fileatre, as part of their study of 11Todern At1stralian pouti'y. SIIc also condticted a series of creative writing work- shops \\, jin 51Lidents froiiT Years 810 12, which aave all students wilt) cxpi'CSSed interest 11}e opportunity to work with, learn hulli. tintl I)c inspired by, Silvana's arts and talents 011 tile final Saltirday afiei'noon, workshop participants and 111cii' paneliis shaled with Ms Gardner in aiT informal but IlIghly civil)y;1111c pieseniaiion of then CTeaii\, e efforts, drawing to a CIOsc \\, 11:11 was certainly one of the Ilighlights of the year for yoling \\, ritci's, their parents and teachers, and all those who had 111.1)ICJSLii'c and privilege of shallrig slices of boil}literalLire and 111c willI ()111 1994 Writer in Residence

I^^NG RinL 11^GES s the final Unit of the Senior Media Studies Program centres on the formulaiioiT of a television documentary film-making in real-life situations, all Year' 12 students partici- pared in a seminar session conducted by David Parmiter, who now ITas a video prodtiction consultancy specialismg in the making of documentaries and television programs but was formerly Senior Edtication Producer with the ABC. His teaclTino in\, o1\, ement includes the formtilation of courses for the At1stral- ian FilliT and Television School and Universities. TITe OPPoriti- nity to gain from the expel'lise of David Farmiter proved invaluable in the subsequent nTapping, devising, and scripting of the students' own documeniaries BRISBANE WORDFEST AT B. G. G. S. Faculty, Mrs Colwill and M^s Rhodes, joined ITlembers of the wider Brisbane writing community 10 participate in Brisbane Wordfest 1994, ITelcl in the Communications Centre of the School. Workshops caterecl for all tastes and Genres, ranging froin those on Investigative Journalism, conducted by Phil Dickie, 10 those on Biography and At110biography, led by Jacki Higgins. By taking advantage of the OPPorttinity to work with such recognised writers, students and staff involved benefited froiTt in, 0 \, eiy sriinulating and productive days of immersion in the art and craft of effective writino for. real-world contexts and audiences n the seventlT and the fourteentlT May, twenty-three Senior' students and two nTembers of the Enolish

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