Well Liv, here we go again… I guess it’s time Jazz, to shake off the dust and pick up our rusty pens to (maybe for the last time) write an article, together, for the student body and wider WCC community; for the audience of We Are.  

What an extraordinary 12 months it has been! As we watched our newborn baby mature, at an almost alarming rate, to a rambunctious toddler! With its first steps perhaps being the seasonal logo change on the homepage. Hats off (only indoors) to our successors there, never in 100 years could we have imagined such an aesthetic adaptation of our Canva logo, especially Jazz, who doesn’t have an artistic bone in his body…  

With toddlers of course comes many challenges and difficulties, but also glimmers of hope and wonder at what’s to come. To mention a few, one mustn’t look past the absolutely scathing article tearing the Year 12s behaviour apart, written no less by one of their own we hear… Seeing as we’re no longer Captains or Eds in Chief, we of course would not recommend that this ‘Banwhite’ trend become a tradition with the inheritance of the Year 12 Common Area… Every now and then toddlers also say some outrageous things, sometimes even delusional, like Mr Carr, barely a month after his team had suffered a 7-0 thrashing, proclaiming his manager ‘the best in the world’, that is if you reduce the world to 1 city in England, and only half of that city at that. Enjoy the Cabbage Cup, Ben 🙂  

Speaking of Teachers Takeover, what a fantastic initiative that has furthered the rich dialogue of articles, and their authors. Particularly the ongoing feud regarding burnout, and ways to understand and address this phenomenon. How could we not also mention Ms Moon’s riveting short fantasy piece? Is it too much to ask for a sequel, maybe even a full-length book? A trilogy? Sadly we’ve noticed in particular the creative side of We Are hasn’t entirely flourished as much as we hoped yet. Since our initial mandate to the future JK Rowlings we haven’t seen many short stories, poems, or comics. We all know how contrived English creative writing can be sometimes (sorry Mrs Kroll), so why not unshackle yourself and publish your creation here? Invoke the spirit of Wordsworth or Milton, or just Google who those people are, and have a shot at writing something truly timeless.  

Really that’s why we even started We Are, not to create a Murdoch-esque monopoly on WCC news, but rather enable students the platform to express themselves, to hand a microphone to each and every one of you like our old Dr always used to do. To help you find your Voice. In the end, it helped us find our own Voice (albeit at the cost of our HSC results), our Team poured countless hours, as the current Editorial Team is currently, into We Are, to sustain this living breathing conduit of student expression, Student Voice.  

This goes beyond the boundaries of Morris Grove and Green Road, that’s only the beginning. In history, whole movements were founded, predicated on this one premise. The United States saw it fit to draft a whole document with this notion at its central precept. Most of the world signed onto the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 which had this idea embedded within its articles (although slightly lower down the list than America’s). In the Marketplace of Ideas, we need people to stand up and speak, we need Salmon Rushdies, we need controversial opinions, and we need to hear worldviews whether that be Atheism or Hinduism. Yes, it is risky, yes, we will risk offending people, and yes, there will be times when we wish we could take the microphone away from someone. But the Marketplace of Ideas is predicated on faith, faith in the fact that ‘truth will out’ or, as Milton wisely worded, ‘in a free and open encounter truth will prevail.’ Does truth always prevail? Not even a toddler would say yes, but we have to give it the opportunity to. What’s the alternative? 1984?  

People who vocalise their thoughts and opinions, in considered, conscientious and thought-provoking ways, are crucial in all domains of society. Whether at Church, in Parliament, in the workplace or in a sporting club, these individuals are essential to the well-being of society. They’re the ventilator of a free society and the litmus test for a functional democracy. Unlike most of our political dialogue today, which has become a shouting competition constantly trying to one-up our ideological adversaries. Rather those who are intentional and passionate with their speech truly are the ones who shape the world and leave it marked by their presence. We should be grateful that they chose the courageous avenue, the narrow path, selflessly, so that the world would not be left at the bottom of Plato’s cave, and they have paved the way for the rest of us to venture up and see the Sun.  

While we may be frustrated over the lack of Year 12 jerseys, the overinflated canteen prices (will the cookies ever be $2 again?), or the bland new/old bell. We are engaging in something far greater than any individual article.  

In that sense, we are supremely grateful to our successors and their tireless effort. Like an Obama to Trump (sorry) Biden, or Moses to Joshua, or Tony Stark to… does anyone still enjoy Marvel? We are grateful that the new Editorial Team have shouldered their responsibility as hermit crabs so nobly. And that they have given you the opportunity to find…  

Your Voice.