PHOTOGRAPHY
Essence of nature
These three images capture the essence of nature. A small spark, to a huge wondrous thing, and then death. I’ve taken the last image to compare to the other two, showing us how if we don’t care for our environment, and plant more plants, our world will reduce to nothing.
– Shaun D’Almeida, Year 8, Thomas Carr College, Tarneit VIC
INTERMEDIATE
ARTICLE
Light in the World
For me, faith means using kind words and the voice given to us by God to make a difference. I have faith that God has a purpose for me; if something unplanned and disastrous happens, I know that it is part of God s plan for me to grow, learn and become a better person. As Pope Francis tells us, The worst enemy of a fragile faith is fear. Do not be afraid! My faith in God helps me to face challenges with confidence and determination.
On 28 February, extreme weather caused unprecedented flooding in Northern NSW and left thousands of people homeless. As I began to research this, I was introduced to a man named Steve. He lives in a small NSW town located 300m from the Tweed River on the border of Queensland. Steve was strongly affected by the devastating flooding and kindly let me interview him about his experience and faith.
Steve told me that as water began to rise, he and his neighbours moved their cars to higher ground at 4am as they thought they would experience minor flooding. However, the water rose faster than expected and later that day Steve and his neighbours had to evacuate.
‘My wife and I packed a bag for what we thought would be three or four days before we would return to our home. Then we waded through the water to our neighbour s house,’ he explained.
The water eventually rose to extraordinary levels, and the flooding caused devastating damage to his newly renovated home. It swept away Steve’s possessions and damaged 90% of everything he owned. Steve told me that at the time, he felt a great sense of loss; however, he felt a duty to fulfill in his community through looking after his elderly neighbours and being there for others to listen and be a friend.
When I asked Steve about his faith in God, he told me that the Bible tells us to be a light in the world. Every day, I simply be the person I know Jesus would want me to be. I try to get to know others, care for them, and always believe that there are people worse off than I am. I try to be a friend, Steve told me.
Steve has a loving relationship with his wife and family. He added that he finds great strength in his relationship and connection with God, and he told me that his faith strongly helped him through this difficult chapter in life.
For me, it’s trust that God will be there to listen when you pray; and confidence that through his power, he will look after you. I understand my role in the world is to serve, and this led me to my work in charity, he added.
Steve’s story inspired me. We have our lives and that’s what matters. We have lost our material possessions and although we will not return to the home we had, we have each other. We will rebuild, which means new opportunities for myself and my wife. I’m looking forward to being together in our home, going on holidays, and getting out and meeting new people, he exclaimed.
After this interview, I learned from Steve that connection to your faith is different for everyone – yet it is so important. Steve taught me that we don t need a badge of honour or special attention to spread the Word of God – if we are connected to him in our heart, we will be the light in the world.
– Makayla Lawrence, Year 9, St Pius X, Adamstown NSW
DIGITAL MEDIA
The drink of knowledge
You’ve probably heard of Adam and Eve, the Bible story. I’m going to presume you do because I’m going to talk about it and how that old narrative relates to our current environmental crisis.
If you’re unfamiliar with the narrative of Adam and Eve, it goes like this: when God created the earth and then built man and woman, they were given a lovely garden to care for, a paradise to live in, and only one rule to follow: Don’t Eat. The.?Apple. So, what exactly did they do? They put their faith in a serpent and broke the one and only rule they weren’t allowed to break. I suppose the same is true here. On a hot day, the tasty soft drink that most ordinary people like is alluring. But, like the apple, there’s a catch. When Adam and Eve ate the apple, they displeased God. They tried to hide their vulnerability and dressed up. They were thrown out of the garden, to spend the final few days in a... less than ideal location. Similarly, our actions have consequences.
But the drink is tempting, so, we buy it.
‘JUST A LITTLE DRINK WOULDN’T HARM ME!’ You will be unaffected when you kick that bucket. But YOU have an impact on me, your children, and their children’s, children, We have to live with your mistakes.
Since the industrial revolution, humanity has had a significant impact on the world’s delicate equilibrium. But it’s not just the medium Sprite from Maccas. Clothes can be included, with Australians dumping about 800,000 tonnes of clothing and textiles per year, some of which have yet to be used.
Every year, pollution kills about one million seabirds and 100,000 sea animals.
People who live in areas with high levels of air pollution have a 20% higher chance of lung cancer than those who live in less polluted areas. This pollution is created so that we can get our Maccas medium sprite and our skinny jeans. What happens after that?
St Frances of Assisi inspires us to respect and protect all the beautiful things which God has created. How do we respect and protect our environment?
There is change coming. Paper straws, electric cars, reduce and reusing plastics, solar power. We are more conscious. We have a better understanding of what is good and bad when it comes to our environment. We just need to STOP and THINK and resist temptation.
– Phoebe McClory, Year 9, St Pius X High School, Adamstown NSW