Contents
- Year 8 Alpine Walk
- WOMAD
- Egg tempera workshop
- Alice Miller Kitchen Garden
- Mount Monument Winery Gig
- Lucas Taylor Top Arts opening at NGV
- Sport at Alice Miller
- Club fun
- Community notices
Year 8 Alpine Walk
Our journey begins in the picturesque alpine valleys of the Kiewa and Ovens Rivers. While we have come to walk among Victoria’s highest mountains, the surrounding valleys are also special places with plenty to offer. For two hike groups, this includes a swim in the Kiewa River, while marvelling at the distant mountains and acknowledging their Traditional Owners. For the other, it includes views of Mount Feathertop and a shady campsite beside the Ovens River. We enjoy this leisurely start to the trip.
The next day we head for the mountains, first in vehicles, and then by foot. Our backpacks include everything we need for four days of walking and camping, including tents, warm and waterproof layers, cooking equipment, and food. Not surprisingly, our backpacks are heavy, but there are plenty of other things to think about as we set off that morning.
For a start, the trail is spectacular, and conditions are perfect for walking. There is more than one ‘I can’t imagine a better place to be right now’ moment. Puffy white clouds drift across a blue sky. The air is cool. The sun is shining. We are surrounded by mountains. We are also surrounded by people - some who we know well, and some who we will get to know better over the following days. We are Candlebark and Alice Miller rolled into one, and the possibilities are infinite.
Scenic lunch spots abound on the Razorback Track to Mount Feathertop, and on the Bogong High Plains. We are relatively close to Mount Hotham and Falls Creek, yet we are also many miles away. We appreciate the food because we have carried it ourselves. For a fortunate few, the wraps, biscuits, cheese, and fresh vegetables are carried no further. There is a good case for eating the chocolate and trail mix too, but we decide to save these items for when we really need them.
On our first evening, we camp beside three iconic mountain huts - Federation, Fitzgerald, and Cope. At Federation, we camp with a Candlebark group - a meeting in the mountains that brings joy to many faces. However, this delightful catch up is soon overshadowed by the irresistibility of the Mount Feathertop summit ridge at sunset. We scramble to the peak and enjoy a few precious moments on top of the world, while clouds tower around us, and the temperature suddenly drops.
Lightning and rain showers come and go overnight. One small group embraces these conditions wholeheartedly, sleeping under a low tarp and carefully positioning their backpacks for protection from the wind. In the morning, there is sunshine once again, and we continue to other water sources. Along an aqueduct trail from Fitzgerald to Cope Hut. Around Rocky Valley Dam on the Australian Alpine Walking Track. And to the West Kiewa River, via Diamantina Spur.
Diamantina Spur is infamously steep in places. So steep that short stretches of down climbing are required. An incredibly capable bunch of students confidently lead this section, stopping after the steepest part for a break in the shade. We cross paths with one of many snakes we see throughout the week. Before long, we meet a wide 4WD track that leads to a peaceful campsite beside secluded horse yards.
The nearby mountain stream is an ideal place to hang out on a warm afternoon. We soak our feet and splash our faces, before returning to lush green grass and a conveniently located picnic table.
Thursday is a day for ascending, descending, and for one group, both. One group walks so fast that they make it to camp by lunchtime. In the afternoon, they make a side trip to nearby Mount Jaithmathang (1852m). Another group climbs steeply via Westons Hut, picking wild raspberries and demolishing an entire bag of trail mix in a single break along the way. And in a remarkable feat, a third group plummets to picturesque Dibbins Hut, before scampering up Swindlers Spur to Derrick Hut.
Two groups spend the final afternoon at Tawonga Huts, where the scene is festive. To a backdrop of blue and yellow tents and the Mount Bogong skyline, a series of sumo wrestling bouts draw a crowd of enthusiastic supporters. At dinner, we eat udon noodles with rehydrated vegetables. As light fades, the clouds build steadily. Thunder, lightning, and sheets of rain pass over in the early hours of the morning. Fortunately for us, we remain dry and comfortable in our sleeping bags and tents.
We wake on Friday knowing that the end is near. For some, this is a long awaited moment. For others, this brings mixed feelings - happiness to be going home, satisfaction for having achieved so much, and maybe a little sadness that the adventure is coming to an end. Any initial doubts we may have had about reaching the end have now vanished. The final five kilometres are a walk in the park.
Two groups finish at Pretty Valley, while a third reaches the Mount Hotham Road. All enjoy panoramic mountain vistas, where it is possible to trace a line over the routes we have followed over the past few days. We have come a long way, and the country that we have traversed is spectacular. There is a lifetime of exploring to be done here. With a bit of luck, this particular end is really just the beginning.
Congratulations to the students for embracing the challenges and making the most of our time in the mountains, and a massive thanks to the awesome staff team who supported these adventures. It was an absolute pleasure to share these mountains with such an outstanding bunch of people.
By Sam Ford, Outdoor Education Coordinator.
WOMAD
Alice Miller students Charlie Grobler, Poppy Taylor, Leo Crawshaw and Eli Spencer, in the band Alter Egos, had the fortunate opportunity to hit the stage at WOMAD; see the video below.
Egg tempera workshop
This term the VCE Art Creative Practice students attended a workshop with artist Sandra Tobias and explored the use of egg-tempera medium. Egg tempera is a traditional painting process that uses egg yolk to bind pigments. Seen in the 4th Century Byzantine and Greek icons, it was the main painting medium until the invention of oil painting in approximately the 14th Century.
Sandra has worked with the egg tempera medium for more than 20 years. She prepared the surface of the boards, to be used by the students, by coating it with a mixture of rabbit skin glue and plaster beforehand.
During the workshop, the students got to create their own egg-tempera medium by mixing the fresh egg yolk with varnish and oil. Then they used this mixture as a binder for pigments to make paints. Students then created their artworks on the boards working in layers, using very small strokes. The egg-tempera paint gets absorbed very quickly by the coating on the board, allowing the students to apply multiple layers within a short span of time. But this quick drying also makes it a challenging medium to work with too.
The workshop was successful in giving students exposure to one of the oldest painting medium and led to meaningful discussions as well as interesting artworks.
By Manan Walia, Art.
Alice Miller Kitchen Garden
Check out the Alice Miller Kitchen Garden blog by teacher John Collins, documenting the journey taken by students as they work out how to transform the garden beds over at the house into a productive new space at the school.
Mount Monument Winery Gig
The hills were alive with the sound of rock as students from Alice Miller and Candlebark came together to perform at Mount Monument Winery on Friday the 22nd of March. The weather was stunning, the food was incredible and the bands and performers were polished, professional, and a joy to listen to.
A huge congratulations to the following performers:
Alter Ego, Chai Cat, Sliced Diamonds, 9/10 Diamonds, Elo and the Shin-Kicks, The Mods, The Combined Candlebark and Alice Miller Choirs and Rhys Blume.
Elo & the Shin-Kicks - From left to right: Malarky, Milo Waterhouse, Eloise Furze & Gus Burgess.
Charlie Grobler
Alter Egos - From left to right: Eli Spencer, Poppy Taylor, Charlie Grobler & Leo Crawshaw.
Chai Cat - From left to right: Stella Lu Zantop, Liv Jacobson, Nina Marsh & Scarlet Anderson.
Instrumental music teacher (voice): Emily Bennett.
Music teachers from left to right: Taran Carter, James Cecil & Rohan Sherlock.
Xander Brown
Eloise Furze
Lucas Taylor
Top Screen 2024 at ACMI and Top Designs 2024 at the Melbourne Museum
Congratulations to Lucas Taylor, who was selected to screen their VCE Media film, Don't Burn the Toast, as part of Top Screen 2024 at ACMI and Top Designs 2024 at Melbourne Museum.
Top Screen and Top Designs are annual events coordinated by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) in partnership with ACMI and Museums Victoria respectively. These events display outstanding film and design works made by VCE and VCE VET students from schools across the state.
This year, only 14 VCE Media films were selected for the Top Screen program from over 350 applications. Selected works exemplify the innovation, skill and creativity that can be achieved within VCE Media.
Don’t Burn the Toast
Director: Lucas A. Taylor | Genre: Absurdist/Comedy | Duration: 4 min
In order to make breakfast, a teenager must confront the absurd fantasies of the kitchen. ‘Boy’ sees visions when preparing toast in a battle against his own imagination. Don’t Burn the Toast uses an absurdist, comedic lens to investigate young people’s relationships with their imaginary inner-worlds.
Top Screen will run from Friday 15 March until Wednesday 8 May at ACMI, Fed Square. Bookings are now available via ACMI’s website.
Top Designs will run from Saturday 23 March until Sunday 14 July at the Melbourne Museum, 11 Nicholson St, Carlton.
Sport at Alice Miller
I won’t sugar-coat it: Term 1 got off to a rocky start. Our first scheduled tournament, intermediate cricket, fell on a Total Fire Ban Day, meaning we had to pull stumps on the entire operation. Still, it was fantastic to see the enthusiasm and camaraderie from both the boys’ and girls’ teams, who were utterly dismayed at the development. Considering the groups were coached by the Don Bradman of Alice Miller: the great Marty Sharples, I’m happy to assume that, had we played, we would have won all our games convincingly across both divisions and that perhaps the fire rating was all a ploy curated by the CFA and other schools to keep us out of the competition.
The official first cab off the rank was junior boys’ cricket. Word must have gotten around town about our potential—I’m not sure if our team list was leaked or what, but two schools pulled out days before the tournament, leaving us to face a lone, brave opponent on a hot summer day in Sunbury. We fought valiantly until the final wicket and narrowly missed out on the win. However, as our team was quick to point out, our opponent supplied the umpires and scorers, so conspiracy and collusion are not out of the question. Henry House top-scored with a swashbuckling style, and contributions came across the board in the field and with the ball, including a hair-raising wicket from Ziggy. The team also found time to conduct critical research, looking in depth at the protective qualities of cricket equipment, with studies such as “What happens if I wear two helmets?” and “Do I really need a box?”. For their contributions in and to the field of cricket, the team remain winners in my eyes.
Next up was division swimming at Melton Waves. Unfortunately, the event was NOT held in the actual wave pool. I sent a strongly worded email to the organisers about this oversight. While most schools had upwards of thirty competitors, we rolled in with an elite task force of six students. They thought the water was their ally, but they merely adopted it. Our crew was born in it—moulded by it. And they proved as much by barely leaving the pool all day. They swam in every race they could. They even swam in races they weren’t allowed in. A highlight was watching our patchwork team of Jimmy, Eliza, Leo, and Essie come second in the 16-year-old boys’ medley. I also have to shout out Essie for competing in the 400m freestyle, which comprises eight laps of the pool. That’s essentially the same as crossing the English Channel. Personal bests and a few world records were also set outside the water in the Chupa Chups-eating events.
That same week, Conan accompanied a group of students to interschool tennis. The day was a roaring success from all reports—and hot enough to fry an egg on the service line. Backward sports caps sat atop competitors' heads like crowns, and roars of the Lleyton Hewitt-trademarked “C’MON” could be heard echoing through the Macedon Ranges. Hats off to Marigold, who jumped up two age divisions to compete in the Year 10 singles competition, reminiscent of a young Ash Barty. At the other end of the courts, Lachie and Henry put on a Kokkinakis/Kyrgios-like showing in senior doubles. I have no proof of this, but I also haven’t heard anything to the contrary. And I have officially exhausted my tennis references.
More recently, the senior boys’ volleyball team competed for the coveted divisional title, propped up by some keen Year 10s, Ethan and Red, who both received Rookie of the Year nominations for their work on the front line. With a narrow loss and a commanding victory, the team faced a simple equation in the last match: win and advance. After losing the first set, the group rallied, inspired by some invigorating words of wisdom from Coach Hartley. With their backs against the wall, the boys evened the score at one set each, forcing a tie-breaker. Unfortunately, things didn’t go our way in those final moments. But I commend the group for their tenacity, teamwork, competitive spirit, and respect for each other, their opponents, and the officials. It was telling that students from multiple other schools cheered us on during our matches and spoke to our team members with high regard.
As I write this, the intermediate volleyball teams are returning from the final and most attended sports event of Term 1. Twenty-two students from Years 9 and 10 made the pilgrimage to Melton, led by some of our most dynamic Alice Miller coaching tree alums, Donna and John, to pull off a coupe de maître in setting, digging, and spiking. I am happy to report that both teams saw success on the day, with the girls’ team winning two games, including a nail-biting three-setter to finish their campaign on the podium. The group has been labelled “next up” by experts and fans alike, who eagerly await their participation in the 2025 competition. On the other hand, the boys had a historic victory against the hometown favourites, akin to beating someone in Fortnite 1v1 at their own house—or so I’m told. Congratulations to all involved for ending the sports itinerary for the term on a high note.
I would be remiss not to mention the sporting successes of our students outside of Alice Miller’s walls, although I cannot claim contribution for my coaching efforts. In February, Claire Melville won the Victorian Cross Country Mountain Bike Championships, becoming State Champion in the under-fifteen-year-old division. What a ripper! Claire followed this milestone with an impressive showing on the national stage, competing at the Australian Championships in March and finishing seventh. Poppy Taylor is locked and loaded for the National Youth Championships in Sport Climbing in April on the Gold Coast, leading on from her peak performance at last year’s Victorian State Titles, where she took home a silver medal in bouldering. Competing against the top performers in your state and country is a massive milestone and compliment, so well done to both Claire and Poppy.
Meanwhile, Sasha Kennedy, Eva Hurst and Essie Faust have their own mountain to climb. Over the holidays, they are raising money and awareness for youth mental health in Australia by running nineteen kilometres up and down (and up and down, and up and down) MacKenzie Falls in Gariwerd National Park. You can donate to their worthy cause through link. There are no doubt other extraordinary endeavours that I have missed. Whatever your preference: if you are an anonymous athlete or a social sportsperson, I would love to hear about your journey (and share it with the wider Alice Miller community), so please come and speak with me.
Lastly, I want to give a big hearty thank you to the kitchen staff, led by Sally and Vee, for ensuring our teams were constantly fueled for competition. I received countless looks of awe and envy in the direction of their famous spreads and ate more than enough sandwiches to vouch for their deliciousness. Thank you to the teachers, James, Conan, Donna, Hartley and John, who helped drive the buses and coach the groups this term—these days wouldn’t have got off the ground without your help. The many parents and caregivers who made early morning treks to campus and cheered us on at the various venues—your support doesn’t go unrecognised. And to the students who set up training sessions, shared sporting gear from home, and convinced their peers to give it a go, and to those who gave it a go, well done on continually displaying inclusivity, integrity, persistence, and positivity throughout the tournaments. It was a pleasure to be a part of it.
I look forward to sharing details of the many escapades to follow next term, including potential participation in AFL, soccer, badminton, netball, cross-country, and basketball.
Club fun
Rockets and fire twirling club
Community Notices
The Ghostlight League
Shakespeare Ghostbusters
See the custom-built puppets and props by award-winning designer and Alice Miller staff member Donna Prince.