♥Sophie’s Blog♥

Early Life

Mary Helen MacKillop was born in Fitzory, Victoria, Australian on the 15th January, 1842. She grew up in Australia, but her parents migrated from Scotland. Mary’s mother and father, Alexander MacKillop and Flora MacDonald, married in Melbourne in 1940.

Mary was the oldest of Alexander and Flora’s children. Mary had three sisters; Margret, Annie and Alexandrina, and four brothers; John, Donald, Alick and Peter. Sadly, Alick died when he was only eleven months old. Alexandrina followed through to be a nun and Donald was to be the Jesuit for the Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory.

Mary was enrolled in a private school when she was eight, courtesy of her father. When she was 14, Mary got her first job as a clerk and then later went on to be a teacher, a govereness at her aunt and uncles house, teaching children whenever she could, helping them to learn, no matter what thier wealth.

After working there for a few years, Mary moved and taught at two other schools brfore decideing that she would open her own schools.

Buliding the Schools

Father Julian Tenison Woods approached Mary MacKillop and her sisters in 1866 to bulid Catholic schools, with him. Father Woods was very concered about the low number of Catholic schools for the poor, and invited Mary to help him open one in Panolla. Father Woods was made the Headmaster and Mary began teching atlest fifty children. They built the first school out of an old stable. From there Mary went on to build 21 schools over the state of South Australia, and the country, by the end of 1869.

Becoming a Nun

After building a few schools she decided to show her loyal1ty to God by wearing black. In 1867 Mary joined the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, which was only newly formed at the time, as the first sister and mother superior. She gained the nickname ‘Saint Mary of the Cross’, for all the good work she put into the schools.

Mary was the leader, so Bishop Sheil targeted her, saying that she ‘incited disobedence’. She was there for excommunicated from her church. Sheil revoked this claim shortly before her death, claiming she had done no wrong. From there Mary went to Rome.

Rome

Mary was suddenly aware that all she had worked for might be slipping through her fingers, when the Comission went against all her work. So, in desperation, Mary wrote a letter Bishop Sheil, noting her concerns. After this, she was sent to Rome, March 1873, to establish foundations for the Congregation. Mary had to wait in Europe, before she went home, so she decided to visit her relatives in Scotland. With a few complications, Mary was sent home again in December, 1874.

Death

In 1866 Mary’s mother, Flora died in a sudden and unexpected shipwreck. Then in1889, Father Woods died. He suffered from Mary straying from his side, and his ideas, in Rome and he never really healed from this. In memory of Father Woods, Mary dedicated the St. Joseph’s Chapel to him.

Mary’s health started to deteriate, but that never ended. In 1901, she went to New Zealand to try and get some medical treatment, but while she was there, Mary suffered from a stroke and that left her permenatly disabled. From there she still tried to continue working, for God and for her Sisters. Occasionally she would visit the orphanages and schools, just to see the children, but she was very sick.

Mary died on the 18th August, 1909, in North Sydney, New South Wales. By the time she died there was an astonishing 117 schools which helped to teach over 12,400 students, there were 12 instutuions that helped shelter the poor, 750 women had joined the Institute and there was 106 houses that were home to the Sisters.

Throughtout Mary’s life of 67 years, she lived every single moment of it caring for the poor, the needy and the misfortunate. She lived by “Never see a need without doing something about it“, and thousands of people live by that same messgae today. She was a big part of history and is still a big part of thousands of Australian’s lives.

Saint Mary

Saint Mary Mary MacKillop was canonised as a saint on the 17th October, 2010. Pope Benedict XVI leaded the procedure in Vatican City, Rome with over 8000 people there to welcome her as Australia’s first saint.

Cannonisation is where a Catholic Church, or another religion, claims a passed person to be a Saint. It takes a lot of research and consideration to be sure that the nominee has dedecated his or her life to God, the whole time. The procedure can never make someone be a saint, but recognises them as one, to know that they are loyal and generous, and owrthy of such a prestigious label.

Bibliography: Wikipedia contributors, “Mary MacKillop,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_MacKillop&oldid=396114506 (accessed November 14, 2010).

“Mary MacKillop.” Mary MacKillop. www.marymackillop.org.au/ (accessed November 14, 2010).

Photo Attribution: Original image: ‘Faith‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61035342@N00/3165261246
by: Ross Beckley

Released under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License

Sophie ’10

It all happened on one night, that one terrible night. It was sad; no,not sad, horrific, devastating, depressing, dreary, distressing, pitiful, agonizingly painful, torturous even. It was the night that began with a stupid disco party and ended in death; a cold death and big suprises. It was the scariest night of my life.

 “Come on! Hurry up, April!” Lily, my best friend screamed at me, about to get in the taxi that we had hired to drive us downtown. My parents had gone away for the week and I had the house to myself. I turned around and locked the door.
I smoothed down the bottom of my sparkley, purple party dress. I was so excited about the night to come. It was Dylan Broacher’s 17th birthday party and my friends and I had organized to meet up and enjoy ourselves, seeing it was the last day of term two. We all had a great year so far and wanted to finish it off the same way. I was happy with the way I looked; blonde hair straightened, nails manicured, legs waxed, make up on, and dazzling diamond jewelery. Lily looked spectacular with her usually dull brown hair curled into ringlets and her eyes shining with excitement as she stepped into the taxi, her periwinkle blue dress shimmering in the moonlight.
I took a deep breath, preparing for what I thought would be a night to remember, little did I know just how right I would be…

 “Oh My Gosh! You guys look so sexy tonight!” Anabelle, another of my friends exclaimed when we walked into the massive, water-front club. There was blue, purple and black balloons all around the room, with some out the front, a big table in the middle, a DJ in the corner and bodies moving, twisting and turning to the beat of the music.
“Wow,” I exclaimed, breathing out slowly. Adam appeared behind Anabelle. His eyes widened when he saw me, his mouth going into a little ‘o’ shape. I laughed, pulling him in for a hug. I grinned to myself, knowing he liked the way I had dressed up.
Adam had been my boyfriend for about a year and nine months and we had a great relationship as best friends, as well as being boyfriend and girlfriend. He was always there for me, as was I for him, and we had so many things in common. He knew me from top to bottom, inside to out, all my little secrets and I swear he could almost read my mind.
“You look beautiful, baby girl,” He smiled down at me. I grinned and said:
“Thanks, you don’t clean up too bad either,” He laughed and leaned in to kiss me.
“Guys! Get a room!” Came a voice from behind me, and a tinkle of laughter. Laura appeared with her usually cheery face and a very, very colourful dress. It was fluorescent pink, electric blue, lime green and bright orange, striped, the very typical Laura. She’s a hippy at the best of times.
“Hey Lenny!” I exclaimed, laughing as I motioned to her dress.
“Yeah, I found at Tiara’s last night! How good is it?!” She looked genuinely happy with it, so I played along. After all, her older sister Tessa, doesn’t usually give her much. It was a joke calling her Tiara, because she acted so much like a princess.
“Cool! I love the colours! So, you ready to party?” I grinned at her and then looked up at Adam. They both grinned back.
“Yes! Let’s dance the night away!” She yelled over the music and then shimmied over to the dance floor. I laughed and so did Adam.
“Now, where were we?” He said and I laughed as he leaned in again.

♥                     ♥                    ♥

I danced all night. I wished Dylan a happy birthday, talked to my friends, compared outfits, danced and just enjoyed my self. We were all having such a good time that no-one realized what the weather was getting up to, outside. No body knew that it was starting to rain and a thunder storm was brewing. The club was over the water, the pylons that held the building up were in the water, and there was a lot of water in the ocean, being in Queensland, it could be dangerous. I didn’t know how easy it was to zone out, forget the world and live for a while with just a few certain people, without realizing what was happening outside. It was supposed to be one of the best and safest clubs in the state, but that night proved it wasn’t.
We went down like the Titanic.
“I love this song!” Lily screeched in my ear, as she wandered past, following a tall, blonde guy. I laughed and kept dancing with Adam.
“Follow me, I want to show you something,” He whispered to me and lead me out the door.
We wandered along the jetty, looking out at the ocean that stretched on for miles and miles. We were under the cover of a veranda above. It was raining pretty heavily and the temperature was descending quickly. Adam wrapped his jacket around my shoulders as we continued to walk along.
“The ocean is so mysterious,” Adam commented, looking thoughtful.
“What do you mean?” I asked, looking up at him.
“It had no rules, is as free as a bird. If it gets messed up it will always meet up again, somewhere down the track. It holds so many creatures, provides life, and supports people. It’s almost indestructible. Why can’t people be like that?”
“Wow, I don’t know. It’s not fair though. I mean, water will be here forever, but what about people, who will look after this planet when we all go? Will everything disappear?” I commented.
I don’t know, but I don’t mind. I’ll find out when I’m in my next life, and for now, I’ve got you.” Adam grinned at me.
“ I love y-” I got cut off by a noise that I will never forget. It shattered my whole world, my life broke up and crumbled like the pylons of that building. I would run around the world and back a billion times, just to have stopped that noise. That is the noise I hear in my nightmares every night, the noise that reminds me of death, the noise that I hate with every inch of my body.
There was a very loud, very long, roll of thunder and then a sickening bang as a monumental strike of lightening hit the clock tower behind the club. There were rooms in front of that, you could stay in them if you were too drunk to go home, and then there was the club, underneath.
I felt Adam’s strong grip on my arm as he pulled me along the jetty. I was so stunned I could barely move. He sprinted as fast as he could, to get me to safety. Once we were a good 70 meters away from the club there was a monstrous crunch of the pylons falling out from underneath the club, followed by a series of blood-curdling screams. Only then I realized that all my friends, the people who I grew up with, loved and cared for, were inside that building and they were all in a lot of trouble.
I stepped forwards and tried to run towards the building, that was slowly slipping away, down into the mysterious depths of the ocean, tried to reach for it, to save my friends, but Adam pulled me back.
“NO! No!” I screamed, trying to wriggle out of Adam’s grip.
“April, baby, you can’t do anything, they’ll be all right, it’ll be okay,” He tried to soothe me. I caught a glimpse of his face. It was twisted in pain, remorse and fear, he was close to tears and obviously as worried as I was. I screamed and screamed, screamed to the building, to the ocean, to the Heavens, asking for a little sympathy, to save my friends. The building was still sinking, there were now people in the water, and it was so cold, so cold that it would almost freeze them to death. I heard a set of sirens and saw the flashing lights, there were now people everywhere, but I had lost all sense, all feeling to body. I collapsed on the ground and sobbed, and moaned. Adam sat with me and we both cried on each other.
We were so totally crushed with the burden of worry, that we couldn’t move, couldn’t find a part in our body that would function correctly. I think we sobbed for over an hour, until I saw a blue colour flash in front of me. I recognized it straight away. It was Lily’s dress. I got up and raced towards it, my tears blinding me, it almost surprised me the way I had found the energy to react so fast. A tall man in uniform was tending to her trying to dry her off. She was a sickly blue colour, all over. I tried to hug her to make sure she was breathing, but the man gently pushed me off.
“I don’t think she will make it, sweetheart. I think she’s too far gone,” He told me and then ushered me towards another man, who put me in a car. All the while I screamed and moaned and sobbed and I think I only half realized that Adam was with me. I was only half conscious by the time I was put into a bed, couldn’t really come to terms that I may have lost all my friends, all my life. As Adam lied with me on that horrible night we both cried our selves to sleep.

♥                     ♥                   ♥

The next day, I woke up, after only a few hours sleep, sleep that was twisted with horrible memories and nightmares, I received a phone call from the Police Department.
“Good Morning, this is April Lester, am I correct?” The policeman had a gruff voice, but seemed friendly enough.
“Yes, sir,” I answered, still dopey from lack of sleep and fear of my losses.
“Well, I have some good news and some bad news for you,” he said.
“Yes…”
“Well we have a casualty count from the collapsing club, Wild Nightz, and you were there last night, correct?” I gulped when he said ‘casualty’ and that made me burst into a fresh set of tears.
“Y-y-yes, sir” I tried to control my quavering voice.
“Well there was a total of 27 bodies found, 4 were drowned and another three were found underneath the pylons. Sorry to have to inform you, miss,” he told me in his matter-of-fact voice.
“So, can you tell me the names of those who are…” I choked out the words, but couldn’t manage to say ‘dead’. I was sobbing wildly now and Adam had his arms around me.
“Well, I was hoping you could come down to the Station and help us to identify some of the deceased, but only if you are up for it,” he asked. I was shocked.
‘What’s my answer? Could I handle this? What if it’s all my friends? Oh, God. Why me?’ Were the thoughts running through my head as I stood in my kitchen.
“Ok, I’ll be there in 15 minutes,” I gulped and told Adam what the policeman had said.

♥                     ♥                     ♥

Walking down that cold, bleak corridor was so scary that Adam had to support me all the way down. I was shaking and shuddering, crying and sobbing. I was so nervous about my friends that I could hardly walk, but I suppose that I needed to see who they were.
“I’ll be here for you, always,” Adam whispered to me as we met with the police officers. Earlier in the morning I had sent a text to Lily, Lenny and Anabelle’s phone, but I didn’t get a reply. I was worried sick. It felt like a semi-trailer full of bricks were loaded on my shoulders, and with that kind of weight it was difficult to think straight.
No body said anything, we just walked further down the corridor. It seemed like there was no end to the corridor, but soon enough we turned right and stepped out into the sunlight and walked across a lawn to a large building. I shuddered. It was the morgue. We walked in and it was freezing. I was lucky to have a large coat on.
The policemen started to open draws. I took a deep breath and stepped forward to the first drawer. The body was that of a man, about 40 or so, with graying hair. I breathed out slowly, knowing that it wasn’t one of my friends. He was probably a worker. The next three drawers were people that I didn’t know, but made me cry to think that their job had cost them their life. None of the others had anybody I knew, either. I was elated that none of my friends were in this horrible place, dead or alive.
That night I received a phone call from Lenny:
“Hello?”
“April!” Lenny screamed.
“Lenny!”
“You’re alive!”
“You’re alive! I have been so worried!”
“Me too!”
“Do you know anything about Lily, Anabelle or the others?” I was straight to the point.
“Yeah, they’re all fine. I was talking to them a while ago, actually,”
“Really? That’s awesome! Do you know if anyone, um, died?” Still couldn’t say that word.
“Yeah a few, but no one who was actually at the party. Mostly workers and stuff,” Lenny filled me in and I went silent, remembering my morning at the morgue.
“Okay, do you want to meet up or something?” I suggested.
“Sure, I’ll call the others. We’ll meet up at the cafe in half an hour?”
“Sounds good! Can’t wait to see you all!” I said and then we hung up. I started to search through my room for something to wear. I must have been making a bit of noise because Adam came in and looked at me, quizzically.
“What happened to you?”He almost laughed.
“Lenny called me and everyone is okay!” I exclaimed running at him and hugging him. I laughed and kissed him.
“That’s great news, April!” He grinned.
“Yeah. We’re all going downtown to the cafe to meet up! Oh, I’m so excited,” I grinned.
“Oh, cool. Well the boys wanted me to go to a footy game. Is that okay with you, ‘cos before you seemed heaps blue, but if your going out too…” He trailed off.
“Sure! I’ll see you when we get home,” I threw on a tee-shirt and an old pair of jeans. I kissed him and then left, heart racing, and walked down to the cafe.

 My walk down to the cafe gave me time to clear my head and sort out my thoughts. I was so excited that I didn’t have any of my close friends funerals coming in the foreseeable future, but still felt horribly sad for those who did die.
I walked into the cafe and saw the three girls who I loved the most and burst into a series of tears, happy, relieved ones this time though. It felt like that huge weight had been lifted and made me feel like a cloud. We all embraced, laughing and crying, and danced around the small room. We probably got a lot of very weird looks from the other people in the cafe, but we were rejoicing, so we didn’t care.
After that we ordered chocolate milkshakes, the same as when we were only kids. We talked and talked for over two hours, just the way we used to, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

We used a brainstorming site called the Brainstormer and that gave me ideas.

Sophie ’10

Literary Devices are different ways of describing words and their term is important to learn and helps your literacy and writing abilities.

1) Allusion: A reference to something famous.

She was as graceful as the swan in Swan Lake.

2) Analogy: Comparison of two things.

Rain is to the clouds, the way grass is to the field.

3) Metaphor: The Comparison of one thing said to another.

The water shimmered like a party dress, glimmering in the light.

4) Onomatopoeia: To describe sounds.

The water lapped, almost silently, against the rocks.

5) Simile: A figure of speech.

He ambled in like a rhinoceros.

Photo Attribution: Original image: ‘books in a stack (a stack of books)‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19762676@N00/1225274637
by: Evan Bench

Sophie ’10

Crossing the Line

Dianne Bates

Crossing the Line is a great read that entwines an adventure style story and a romance story. It is all about how Sophie, a typical Australian kid watches her life turn upside down from an early age and then try to build it up again, on her own. It defines the need for a teenager to have a mum, no matter how old or self-efficient they are.

Sophie has lived in foster homes almost all her life and when sshe is moved into a flat to share with two other teenagers that are also orphans, she realises that this change is just what she needs. Unexpectantly, Sophie’s case worker goes ona trip overseas and leaves Sophie to fend for herself against the courts and case managers.

After that Sophie goes downhill. She is admitted into a mental health hospital and finds that her nurse, Helen, is meant to be part of her life, instead of just being her physiatrist. Sophie tries to tell Helen about her feelings, but is knocked back. Sophie is crushed and results in hurting herself.

It takes all of her and her friends will power to convince Sophie that there is a way to enjoy life again, even if you haven’t been able to for many years of your life.

 
 My favourite part in the book was when Matt, her housemate tried to do everything he could to help Sophie better time after time, no matter how much she cried or screamed, he was there for her.

I think the message in this book was “In order to move forward, you have to let go of the past.”

I loved this book because I was interested all the way, with the little twists and turns of Sophie’s life, the good times and the bad.

Croosing the Line is a book for teenagers and young  adults, I would recommend this to all my friends.

To see my Glog, click here.

 Sophie ’10

Murry-Darling Basin

The farmers of Australia are arguing about what the best plan for the Murry-Darling Basin.

One side thinks it would be good to reduce the amount of water that comes out of the Basin, while the other side, which is mostly farmers, need more water then is available.

Back in the 1920′s Australian farmers were extracting about 2000 gigalitres each year and now we are taking over eight times as much.

The Murry-Darling Basin is home to around 95 different threatened species of animals, birds and fish. There are 23 small rivulets that make up the Basin, but only three of them are healthy.

The Basin supports 40% of Australia’s farms, and if we loose this major water supply, we could loose all of that, resulting in a massive drop in economy. 95, 000 of the people that live and work around the Basin could lose their jobs and lifestyles, because of the lack of water.

In result of drought and over-consumption the Murry-Darling Basin has deteriorated and we will need a lot of rain and nourishment to replenish this major supplier, in the Australian eco-system.

This map shows the rate that we would have to cut down on water if we were to keep this extremely important river alive.

We have to reduce the amount of water that is taken out, but it will be difficult to say how much, because different farms have different needs. It will take a lot of arguing and organising to come up with the best solution.

Photo Attribution: Original image: ‘Goose Family (and camouflage shopping cart) in the Fens‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40092103@N00/2469151685
by: Mick T.

Map: http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2010/10/08/243481_latest-news.html

Sophie ’10

This week in skills for life we focused on feeling good about yourself.

We had to see what your parents, teachers and friends think of you.

I think I am fun, outgoing, have a good sense of humour and love to have a good time with my friends.

I think my friends would say I was fun, adventurous and that I’m always there when they need me most.

My parents would say that I am loud, annoying and a whinger.

My teacher would say I’m a good worker, but get a bit chatty.

I am proud to be Sophie.

Photo Attribution: Original image: ‘She Was Completely Transparent With Me‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46042146@N00/1436168760
by: Randy Robertson

Sophie ’10

This morning three of my 6 different 6/7 classes had guest speaker. His name was Jason Bongers and he came from the A.C.T.. He worked in Parliament House. While he was at our school, he ran a role play, teaching us what it was like to be in the House of Representatives. We learnt about the order things happened and the different places we could be in. Some of us were in the Government, others were in the Opposition. I was in the Independence, which ment I could say what I thought.

There were a few scripts given out and I got one. Our debate was about “Should Animals Be Kept in Circuses?”. I was independent and said “Maybe we could only have dogs and horses, because they are easy to train and care for.” I thought it was generally a good answer and tied in with my opinion.

I had a good time and I hope he comes back another year.

Photo Attribution: Original image: ‘New Parliment House‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/99306141@N00/3501119828
by: Brodie Botto

Sophie ’10

Out On The Edge

Anna Mackenzie

Out on the Edge is an interesting twist between a love story and an adventure story, set in the gorgeous country side of New Zealand.  It is about learning about understanding yourself and accepting who you are, as well as others. It is for teenagers.

This book had me entwined the whole way, with it’s twists and turn, interesting surprises and unexpected events. The main characters, Alison and Garry, haven’t been friends, or even talked much in general, until Alison finds Garry hiding in her shed, with a bloody face and badly beaten body, purpley-blue bruises covering it. Alison instantly feels like she has to do something so lets him stay at their family’s holiday house, until he can pick himself, and his messed up life, again. Alison didn’t realise how horrible his past is, and what will she have to do to keep him by her side?

My favourite part would have to be where they find out that they love each other and can’t be apart. Also when Alison and her mum does everything in their power to save Garry from foster care.

I think the message in this book would have to be “Learn to love and love with everything you have, because if you don;t it could be taken from underneath you, when you least expect it” and I think you have to read this book to understand my reasoning.

I loved this book because I really felt for the characters, like they were my own friends, in their own way. It was a great read and would recommend it to anyone looking for a captivating read.

Sophie ’10

Bookmark Days is an interesting adventure book for teenagers. This book is about a teenage girl and how her life in the outback of Australia, the way she lives and how she works.

The story was interesting all the way through the book, because there was always action, like finding crocodiles, or losing cattle or fellow campers. The main character, Avril, was elected as boss of the annual cattle drive, as her brother was away and her dad had a broken leg. She had to take on a lot of responsibility, looking after inexperienced drovers, many horses and a few hundred head of cattle.

Half way through the book Avril rides out at night looking for her friend,who came on the trip, to help, and they rise over a small cliff. The horse breaks his leg and has to be put down. It was very sad.

I think the massage from this book is “When times get tough, brace it and try to enjoy yourself.” I agree with that totally.

I really enjoyed Bookmark Days because I could sort of relate to the characters. It also interested me because of the way she lived, I would love to love the way she did, even when times get tough.

This book was a fabulous read, very engaging, and I would recommend this to any teenager who is interested in the way of the outback.

Photo Attribution: Original image: ‘The evening sun touched gently on. The eyes of Lucy Jordan.‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38834306@N00/4843029685
by: John Goodridge

Sophie ’10

This week we have been focusing on Dealing with Anger.

Three things that I get angry about is:

 1)Lieing 

2)People annoying and threatening my friends

 3)Being Underestimated

When I’m angry I either cry and get the shakes or yell and scream and shout, or sometimes I want someone to hold me, because when I’m angry I get scared that people around me will get angry as well, and hurt me.   

Some experiences with my anger:

I was told that someone had made a sick joke about one of my firiends, but I didn’t know that it was a joke then.

I cried and I shook, then I strated to yell andscream and threten the person who had hurt so many of my firneds, even though they weren’t there. I found out it was a lie and lied down and cried some more, because I was relieved, but also I had been so scared.

I don’t ever want that to happen again.

Another time would have to be when I was working with Dad, fencing. It is known to be a guy’s job, but I knew what I was doing and like to give a hand. The man he was working for totally underestimated me and basically took me for a stupid girl who couldn’t work with men. I got angry, but I kept it under control and showed that I could work fast and efficiently. It took him a little whil;e but ended the day believing I could work just as well as he could.

Photo Attribution: Original image: ‘scream and shout‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/91883096@N00/3766009204
by: Mindaugas Danys

Sophie ’10