# Schoolies Week - why, why, why?



## roland (10 November 2008)

News tonight talking about the Government's suggesting regarding not going to Bali had school leavers saying they would have nothing to do ....

What's wrong with going out and getting a job???

Do we need a Schoolies Week - seems like a drunken debauched waste of time.

From www.schoolies.org.au



> Schoolies Problems:
> 
> Alcohol - Widely considered a week long alcohol binge, schoolies week is most criticized for excessive drinking and problems that flow from this. In 1995, 75% of male schoolies and 53% of female schoolies report being drink most or every day or night of Schoolies Week (see below: Research, and Diversionary Programs).
> 
> ...


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## prawn_86 (10 November 2008)

roland said:


> What's wrong with going out and getting a job???
> 
> Do we need a Schoolies Week - seems like a drunken debauched waste of time.




Twas one of the best, drunken debauched wasted weeks of my life. Wouldnt swap it for anything 

Im sure a week not looking isnt going to affect thier job prospects. Completing high school is a big milestone, especially for those who did a lot of study during their final year. Its a major event in most peoples lives and has a right to be celebrated imo...


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## Prospector (10 November 2008)

It has now become a rite of passage.  Thank god my son finished year 12 last year. In my day we had to go back to school after exams to practise for Speech night and Carol's night.  Wouldn't want to go back to those days though!  It never even occurred to use we could just not go and nothing would happen!


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## agro (10 November 2008)

prawn_86 said:


> Twas one of the best, drunken debauched wasted weeks of my life. Wouldnt swap it for anything
> 
> Im sure a week not looking isnt going to affect thier job prospects. Completing high school is a big milestone, especially for those who did a lot of study during their final year. Its a major event in most peoples lives and has a right to be celebrated imo...




true, but celebration does not mean going out and getting wasted

i know for sure that many students see getting 'drunk' as a socially desirable trait

no wonder girls today are being left vulnerable 

one thing which is in its favour though is that it is heavily policed, but i could bet my bottom dollar there are likely to be fights 


did they have schoolies back in the 50s and 60s??


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## fordxbt (10 November 2008)

relate back to the baby boomers, real well done


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## Prospector (10 November 2008)

agro said:


> no wonder girls today are being left vulnerable




Um, the girls are as bad as the guys.....



agro said:


> did they have schoolies back in the 50s and 60s??




I think schoolies emerged in the mid 90's.....certainly not the 50s and 60s


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## M34N (10 November 2008)

Well, no doubt the drinking culture that exists in this country has a lot to do with the whole schoolies thing. Personally I don't see a problem with it, it's only one week. So long as it's all responsible and no-one gets hurt, what's the problem?

No-one is forcing anyone into doing anything, it's a choice people make. I drank on my schoolies back in 2001, but never got to the point where the people I was with got into fights. It's always the minority that ruin it for those who are just out to have a good time and celebrate their achievements.


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## disarray (10 November 2008)

martraci said:


> relate back to the baby boomers, real well done




monkey see, monkey do


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## Smurf1976 (10 November 2008)

agro said:


> true, but celebration does not mean going out and getting wasted
> 
> i know for sure that many students see getting 'drunk' as a socially desirable trait
> 
> no wonder girls today are being left vulnerable



For a great many Australians celebrating anything does indeed mean getting wasted. Sad maybe, but true.

If everyone does it then, wrong or right, it's fair to say it's socially acceptable. Society's views on what is acceptable change radically. Remember when mobile phones were a real no-no socially? If you had one then either you really were a doctor on-call, in which case it was acceptable, or you were a complete ****** for owning such a contraption. It was within the lifetime of just about everyone on this forum and most would remember the not so polite term used to describe mobiles and their owners at the time. That was still around 10 years ago.

As for alcohol, it's anyone's guess as to whether or not getting drunk will still be socially acceptable in 10 years time. Maybe it will, maybe it will be viewed harshly and make you an outcast. 

As for the girls, well they're the ones causing much of the trouble...


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## sam76 (11 November 2008)

M34N said:


> Well, no doubt the drinking culture that exists in this country has a lot to do with the whole schoolies thing. Personally I don't see a problem with it, it's only one week. So long as it's all responsible and no-one gets hurt, what's the problem?
> 
> No-one is forcing anyone into doing anything, it's a choice people make. I drank on my schoolies back in 2001, but never got to the point where the people I was with got into fights. It's always the minority that ruin it for those who are just out to have a good time and celebrate their achievements.




However it the ****head minority that grows and grows each year.

It used to be a couple now it seems it's more.

IMHO and no facts to back it up.


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## Glen48 (11 November 2008)

Wonder how many young blokes have a one night/day/avo stand and then get a letter in the Mail 9+ mths later say you now owe Sindy ( don't know her last name) child support we will take 18% of your pay for the next 18 years?
This will stop you wanting to find a job , getting into a permanent relationship and could cost you your life.
have a nice day.


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## imajica (11 November 2008)

they shouldnt tell people to avoid bali, just the bogan areas like Kuta which are horrible vile places full of touts and peasants and people on package jet star holidays - seminyak and ubud are beautiful areas


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## Calliope (22 November 2008)

Queensland Health midwife;



> Every September we see teenage mums giving birth to babies conceived during Schoolies. They go out and have their week of fun away from home and then nine months later their lives change for ever




Obviously these girls are not very bright. I would be helpful if they could remember the names of their sexual partners. These boys (or their parents)should share the cost of raising their kids with the taxpayer.


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## numbercruncher (22 November 2008)

To help stimulate the economy maybe the Government should supply the booze and snacks ?


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## white_goodman (22 November 2008)

geez u oldies, dont be jealous!!

ill be going to bali with 35 mates, 10 of which just finished school over xmas... yes we will get drunk but not like losers, that just makes for a **** night


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## numbercruncher (22 November 2008)

white_goodman said:


> geez u oldies, dont be jealous!!
> 
> ill be going to bali with 35 mates, 10 of which just finished school over xmas... yes we will get drunk but not like losers, that just makes for a **** night




Go get a Job you freeloadin' hippy !! and borrow hundreds of thousands to support the Realestate ponzi scheme ...




Hope you enjoy Bali, had a blast when I went as a young fella


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## jackson8 (22 November 2008)

i live in victor harbor sa
we have all the schoolies down here this weekend and for the local residents it is a nightmare
they come down here for a couple of days trash the place then just get up and leave with no responsibilty at all
i have seen rows of cars with windows smashed , graffiti everywhere and the amount of rubbish they leave behind is obscene

the organisers of these events in my own opinion show no respect for the locals and under the guise of " its an organised event " show no accountability

the only people to benefit are the local grog shops and fast food services

overnight has been pissing down with rain so hopefully they will all pack their bags and go home !!!!!!!


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## numbercruncher (22 November 2008)

On the Gold Coast we have coppers to throw them in the slammer for such behaviour ... Victor harbour doesnt increase the police numbers over schoolies ?


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## prawn_86 (22 November 2008)

Victor Harbour was fantastic when we were there. Stayed at a mates 5 bedrom "shack".

Thanks to all the residents for putting up with us


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## jackson8 (22 November 2008)

numbercruncher said:


> On the Gold Coast we have coppers to throw them in the slammer for such behaviour ... Victor harbour doesnt increase the police numbers over schoolies ?




last two years they have brought quite a few more coppers down here for the event 
this year especially extra booze buses and  even a  few sniffer dogs

excuse my whingeing probably just jealous that i am not 18 anymore


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## mayk (22 November 2008)

jackson8 said:


> probably just jealous that i am not 18 anymore




This thread's existence and leading discussion is because we are not 18  anymore, and you are the first to admit it. Good onya!


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## professor_frink (22 November 2008)

geez, it's been 10 years since I was at schoolies. Starting to feel pretty old

The parts of it that I was sober enough to remember(the long walk from my bed to the fridge first thing each morning) were great

According to the media and the whinging oldies, apparently I was going to get beaten up by violent gangs every night, who would then drug my female friends and rape them. We must have been the few fortunate ones that missed out on that!

And as for the old timers quoted below, why don't you chill out and take your meds, you don't want to give yourselves a heart attack now do you?



roland said:


> What's wrong with going out and getting a job???




You never taken a holiday? What on earth is wrong with a holiday with your friends after working hard all year

I suppose they must all be wearing "hoodies" too, and loitering around looking suspicious!



agro said:


> did they have schoolies back in the 50s and 60s??




Who cares

They have it now so it might be time to learn how to deal with the fact that the young hooligans today act differently to the young hooligans back in the 50's.


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## MRC & Co (22 November 2008)

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Good post Professor.

Times change, look back at the binge drinking Romans living in Rome at the time, visiting hookers every weekend after a night absolutely gassed.


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## Prospector (22 November 2008)

It is freezing in Adelaide today which means it must almost be snowing in Victor Harbor  (AKA Schoolies ville!)  Normally we hear what is happening on the Gold Coast by now - we have had nothing on the media.  Maybe it is a deliberate move?

If they are wearing hoodies, then maybe they might just be warm!


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## chops_a_must (22 November 2008)

MRC & Co said:


> Times change, look back at the binge drinking Romans living in Rome at the time, visiting hookers every weekend after a night absolutely gassed.



Ha ha...

Sounds like crashing at my mates place in Highgate after a night out.

Seriously though... Office workers have christmas piss ups where the married man sexually assaults the young secretary before forcing her into sex on the photocopier.

Year 12's have sex with everything that moves, and if they can't, they drug them and get them drunk to be able to do so.

FIFO workers buy mountains of meth, start fights and glass people each time they're back in Perth.

And first year uni students celebrate the end of year with buying cough syrup because they can't afford better drugs. 

Every sector of society has an unsavoury celebrating procedure when you look at it in the extreme.

I don't see the difference between schoolies week and what a lot of us uni students do at the end of year - go out every night for a week and sleep on each others couches, whilst doing nothing.

I'd rather schoolies week than them hitting the nightclubs for the first time, and it be much more dangerous for them in those circumstances, which will undoubtedly be witnessed again tonight.


But geez... you can't half tell the people in this thread that no longer have the young girls put out for them.

Nothing like aging ungraciously though I suppose.


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## Smurf1976 (22 November 2008)

Prospector said:


> It is freezing in Adelaide today which means it must almost be snowing in Victor Harbor  (AKA Schoolies ville!)  Normally we hear what is happening on the Gold Coast by now - we have had nothing on the media.  Maybe it is a deliberate move?
> 
> If they are wearing hoodies, then maybe they might just be warm!



The severe storms in SE Queensland would presmably have had some effect (assuming they are affecting the Gold Coast?). 

As for not hearing anything yet... http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24689345-29277,00.html


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## Smurf1976 (22 November 2008)

chops_a_must said:


> I'd rather schoolies week than them hitting the nightclubs for the first time, and it be much more dangerous for them in those circumstances, which will undoubtedly be witnessed again tonight.



Do the clubs on the Gold Coast all remain shut for the duration of schoolies? I'd have thought quite a lot of them would be out clubbing all night. As for whether that's a problem or not, that one comes down to how the place is run.


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## chops_a_must (22 November 2008)

Smurf1976 said:


> Do the clubs on the Gold Coast all remain shut for the duration of schoolies? I'd have thought quite a lot of them would be out clubbing all night. As for whether that's a problem or not, that one comes down to how the place is run.




Don't know about the GC Smurf.

But I was referring to here, where the leavers are still only 17.


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## gav (22 November 2008)

chops_a_must said:


> But geez... you can't half tell the people in this thread that no longer have the young girls put out for them.
> 
> Nothing like aging ungraciously though I suppose.




ROFL!!!

Has anyone seen the 1993 film "Dazed And Confused"?  Its set on the last day of school in a typical small country town in 1976.  Geez, the stuff they got away with back then!  Makes the year 12's of that private school in Kew look like angels...

Looks like you oldies werent as well behaved as you let on! :


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## beerwm (22 November 2008)

i went last year.

drunk every night. partyed hard, it was great [no drugs]

the beach party and cavill was lame, too many wierdos [sorry but there are]
hotel parties was the real fun.

police presence was good.

its a shame the image of schoolies is wrecked by the few who get pregnant, alcohol poisoned or in fights.


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## Judd (22 November 2008)

Daughter didn't go to schoolies week.  Why?  Because she hadn't bothered to get a part time job and save for it and, despite her pleading buggered if my wife and I are going to pay for her indulgence after the amount of funds we have already spent on her education.

She not happy with us but tough.  Told her enough times that we will fund her secondary schooling but after that she, and her siblings, are on their own.


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## chops_a_must (22 November 2008)

Judd said:


> buggered if my wife and I are going to pay for her indulgence after the amount of funds we have already spent on her education.



Yes, how dare she be born and then expect to be put through school. How selfish are kids these days?

Girls that are angry at their dads are the most fun though. So thankyou.


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## Wysiwyg (22 November 2008)

chops_a_must said:


> Yes, how dare she be born and then expect to be put through school. How selfish are kids these days?





Compared to other animals we do spend many more years taking care of offspring.Mainly because a human mind takes longer to get smart than all other brains on Earth.

Some never.


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## Nyden (22 November 2008)

chops_a_must said:


> Yes, how dare she be born and then expect to be put through school. How selfish are kids these days?
> 
> Girls that are angry at their dads are the most fun though. So thankyou.




Chops, I don't think he was upset about paying her tuition; but rather her wanting an all expenses paid vacation just for finishing. Perhaps there's a good lesson there - you have to work and save in order to get what you want


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## chops_a_must (22 November 2008)

Nyden said:


> Chops, I don't think he was upset about paying her tuition; but rather her wanting an all expenses paid vacation just for finishing. Perhaps there's a good lesson there - you have to work and save in order to get what you want




I just hope Judd's bed is big enough to fit his daughter and her male friends.

If he was worried about funding her indulgence or debauchery, how about rewarding a pretty monumental achievement together. There's an idea hey! Go on holidays or something together instead. Sounds like the sort of stubborn attitude that gets teenagers really pissed off. The "No you can't do that, but I'm not going to allow or suggest an alternative" type attitude.


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## Nyden (22 November 2008)

chops_a_must said:


> I just hope Judd's bed is big enough to fit his daughter and her male friends.
> 
> If he was worried about funding her indulgence or debauchery, how about rewarding a pretty monumental achievement together. There's an idea hey! Go on holidays or something together instead. Sounds like the sort of stubborn attitude that gets teenagers really pissed off. The "No you can't do that, but I'm not going to allow or suggest an alternative" type attitude.




Yes, but he had already informed her in the past that he would not fund this; and that she would have to pay for it herself.

By that logic, I should be terribly upset that I wasn't given a car for my completion of VCE (as many students apparently are), or $2000 for a schoolies week.

If a teenage girl suddenly becomes a slut because she couldn't wrongfully have her way as an *adult* (most end of year 12 students are 17-18) - then that girl has some very serious issues; and perhaps the $2000 would be better spent on therapy. Note to Judd; I am not referencing to your daughter here, but rather the notion that Chops seems to be making.

Oh, and to what alternative? _"No, you can't have a Ferrari sweetheart, but as a compromise - how about a merc?_


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## chops_a_must (22 November 2008)

That's hardly a normal request though...


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## Prospector (23 November 2008)

I didnt have any problem paying for sons to go to schoolies week, not that it cost that much in SA.  After all, I much preferred them to study hard in Year12 and get a good TER, than be having to worry about working instead of study, just so that they could fund their schoolies week.  Doesnt make a lot of sense to me!

Cant believe I am agreeing with Chops! :

I also think it a child's right that we educate them.


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## numbercruncher (23 November 2008)

I read 124 arrested last night on Gold Caost .....

24 schoolies and 100 toolies.


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## MRC & Co (23 November 2008)

I agree Prospector.

My parents always encouraged me and my brother to do what we love and concentrate on it with their support (oh and we were not rich either).  

My brother now runs his own company and I'm doing what I love.  So so far, it seems to be working out.


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## michael_t_f (23 November 2008)

I love schoolies it's my fav time of the year as my business gets a nice 15K cash for the 2 weeks


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## prawn_86 (23 November 2008)

michael_t_f said:


> I love schoolies it's my fav time of the year as my business gets a nice 15K cash for the 2 weeks




Liquor or accomodation business?


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## agro (23 November 2008)

michael_t_f said:


> I love schoolies it's my fav time of the year as my business gets a nice 15K cash for the 2 weeks




let me guess - your business is Ansell?


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## chops_a_must (23 November 2008)

agro said:


> let me guess - your business is Ansell?



Home pregnancy test distributor.

STD pathology service provider.


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## xoa (24 November 2008)

GenY must surely be the most irresponsible generation ever. Kids never drank alcohol or had sex in the 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s.

When I was a teenager, we spent our free time doing calculus, knitting with our mothers, and tending to our stamp collections.


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## Junior (24 November 2008)

Nyden said:


> Chops, I don't think he was upset about paying her tuition; but rather her wanting an all expenses paid vacation just for finishing. Perhaps there's a good lesson there - you have to work and save in order to get what you want




Agreed.  Working say 5-12 hours a week in year 12 isn't going to be much disruption to study, but should be easily enough to save $1-2k for schoolies.


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## Judd (24 November 2008)

xoa said:


> GenY must surely be the most irresponsible generation ever. Kids never drank alcohol or had sex in the 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s.
> 
> When I was a teenager, we spent our free time doing calculus, knitting with our mothers, and tending to our stamp collections.





Hmm a touch sarcasm of there.  How not true really as I and my peers did all of those things, with one slight variation.  I didn't expect or ask my parents to fund those activities.

And to clarify, my wife and I have willingly have foregone one business class round the world trip each year to fund the education of our children at the educational facility of *their *choice to afford them the best opportunity in life we could afford.  But it has been made perfectly clear to them that, on that basis, the Bank of Mum and Dad is closed.


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## prawn_86 (24 November 2008)

Judd said:


> Bank of Mum and Dad is closed.




That happened to me a few yrs ago now 

I still try and make withdrawals occasionally (still at uni), but the bank seems to be suffering similar financial problems to others in the world and is now demanding repayments for any new outgoings as opposed to re-negotiating increased funding...


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## michael_t_f (24 November 2008)

Body piercing and beauty salon actually. They line up out the door to get needles shoved through them. Also I wouldnt make my kid work during high school either.


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