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Subject is exactly
Social Distance
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2020-04-11
Jewish Melbourne: Solidarity Seder
On Saturday 11 April 2020, a group of Jews from across Australia gathered together on zoom for a 'Solidarity seder'. Organised by people from Here, Queer, and Jewish Australia, Sydney Left Jews, Australian Jewish Democratic Society (AJDS), Fully Automated Luxury Kosher Space Kibbutz and Jews against Fascism, this seder raised money for undocumented migrants as well as Grandmothers Against Removals. Approximately 60 people gathered together, reading through the haggadah together, sharing a meal, and sharing ideas about what Jewish life and possibility looked like in that moment. Everyone agreed that this was a unique and special Jewish space. -
2020-06-23
Jewish Melbourne: Jewish Holocaust Centre's AGM
On 23 June 2020 the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Melbourne held their AGM. In their announcement of the AGM they told members "In light of the COVID restrictions, admission to the AGM is by registration only to ensure we comply with Government restrictions and maintain safe distancing." The photos from the AGM show people gathered together, but sitting at a safe distance from each other. -
2020-09-10
keep our grandma safe
While some of my relatives live in Australia, most of my family is in Israel, which is doing really bad covid-wise. We keep in touch via a What'sApp family groupchat. However, over the last few weeks, the groupchat had become a site of conflict. We in Australia, on one hand, take the virus very seriously and have favourable attitudes towards lockdown and face masks. My relatives in Israel, on the other hand, see it as a prelude to dictatorship. They also subscribe to all sorts of covid conspiracy theories that undermine their faith in public action. Although usually their opinions are tolerated, covid has really fleshed out our ideological differences to an irreconcilable point. The other week, my cousin in Israel showed up to my grandmother’s house with her friends. This caused a backlash here in Australia among relatives who were concerned for my grandmother’s safety. After quite a public and vicious argument on the What’sApp groupchat my grandmother eventually stepped in to defuse the tensions. As absurd as it sounds, I hope my relatives stay away from my grandmother. Their alternative views, which were once endearing and funny, can now claim her life. Ultimately, I would be powerless to stop them from here. -
2020-06-04
Jewish Melbourne: JHC staff supporting each other in a zoom environment
Staff at the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Melbourne are continuing to meet via zoom. This photo was taken at a meeting in June 2020, showing them all supporting each other. -
2020-05-13
Melbourne Jewish Book Week and COVID - 19, part 3
MJBW shifted to regular online events that are now occurring on the second Tuesday of each Month -
2020-03-18
Melbourne Jewish Book Week and COVID - 19, part 2
MJBW email newsletters announcing cancellation of 2020 Festival -
2020-03-18
Melbourne Jewish Book Week and COVID - 19
Melbourne Jewish Book Week was raring to go with its 2020 Festival, scheduled for 2-7 May. International and local writers were booked – more than 80 in total. Almost two years in the planning, the festival was going to include two full days of panels and workshops; opening and closing night galas; a performance at fortyfivedownstairs; a literary brunch with two leading writers from New York; and a keynote address. As coronavirus spread, and governments started imposing restrictions, including the closure of borders, we held several meetings and on 12 March we decided that a live festival was not in the interests of our supporters – and we pulled the plug, with tears and heartache. We were one of the first festivals to do so, but in the days and weeks that followed, no-one had any other option. We felt an obligation to our supporters, sponsors and writers to provide an alternative. We opted for regular on-line events using available technology, and decided not to commit to a live event until the heath risks were well and truly passed. Six months later, we are delighted and proud of what we have achieved in the CoVid world. Starting with no knowledge of the technology, we are now familiar with all aspects of Zoom. We have established the second Tuesday of the month as Melbourne Jewish Book Week evening. Our offerings (to March 2021) have been: • May 2020 Philippe Sands and Mark Baker • June 2020 David Isaacs and Elizabeth Finkel • June 2020 (extra) Colum McCann and Mark Baker • July 2020 Ben Lewi and Jan Epstein • August 2020 Juliet Rieden and Bram Presser • September 2020 Paul Valent and Rachel Kohn • October 2020 Shais Rishon (MaNishtana) and Claire Coleman – moderated by Isabelle Oderberg. • November 2020 Summer Reading Guide with Tali Lavi, Elissa Goldstein and Bram Presser • February 2020 Arnold Zable and Tali Levi • March 2020 Open mic -
2020-08-29
MELBOURNE’S TRADITIONAL JEWS’ NEW YEAR CORONA TEST: ZOOM SHUL OR NOT?
The curious history of Melbourne's Jewish community means that it has a significant population of traditional Jews who align with orthodox synagogues but are not observant. Will they access alternative community events this New Year as the pandemic keeps shuls closed? -
2020-08-30
Elwood Shule Shabbat Virtual Services
Jewish Melbourne -
2020-05-26
Reflections on staying at home with a child with special needs
As schools closed, a more unique kind of panic that kept me up at night during those first few weeks, being the mother of a child with special needs. -
2020-04-30
Looking for new ways to imagine our community
The absence of a physical shul community has reinforced my love of that community. -
2020-05-11
New days, ancient words
Saying Shehecheyanu as a thanks to all that we regard precious in life -
2020-03-23
Barmitzvah in the time of Corona
Article about celebrating a barmitzvah during the Covid19 restrictions -
2020-04-23
Jewish Melbourne: AJN article 'A unique remembrance'
This article, written by Rebecca Davis and published on 23 April 2020, reports on the Yom Hashoah events held the previous day, all online because of the lockdown. Three events are reported on: "special 45-minute broadcast to radio and online ‘Together We Remember’ [which] was produced by the Jewish Holocaust Centre (JHC) and commenced a unique array of Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorations as coronavirus isolation measures continue to prohibit physical gatherings"; "Immediately following the J-Air broadcast, the interactive Zoom event ‘Turning Memory into Action’ was hosted by LaunchPad in partnership with the JHC"; and "Later in the evening, the Jewish Community Council of Victoria together with the JHC screened 13 survivor testimonies on YouTube." -
2020-04-20
Jewish Melbourne: LaunchPad Yom Hashoah event materials
Due to the pandemic, Yom Hashoah commemoration events, which would normally be held in person, needed to go online. On April 20, 2020, LaunchPad hosted an online, zoom-based, Yom Hashoah event which "consisted of an intergenerational conversation exploring the preservation of memory and the ways in which we can each be custodians of our family's stories." At the event there were three speakers: Phillip Maisel (Holocaust survivor), Suzy Zail (2nd Gen) and Julia Sussman (3rd Gen), moderated by Jennifer Levitt Maxwell. The event (which went for 45 minutes) also involved candle lighting. Everyone was encouraged to light a candle at home, and then six people were nominated to light 6 candles for the event, namely: Pauline Rockman OAM - co-president of the Jewish Holocaust Centre, Simone Szalmuk-Singer - co-chair of Australian Jewish Funders, Phil and Sue Lewis and their family - co-chair of the Jewish Holocaust Centres capital campaign, Helen Mahemoff - Board Director of the Jewish Holocaust Centre, Arek dybel - filmmaker and creative director at museum POLIN in Warsaw, and Andrea Lipshutz - representing LaunchPad’s ‘Regeneration Melbourne’ Committee. -
2020-08-19
Jewish Melbourne: writings by Child Survivors of the Holocaust during Covid times
This collection of writings was assembled by Viv Parry (Chairperson for the Child Survivors of the Holocaust Melbourne Group) for submission to the archive. It contains the following: 'A Point in Time', a recent article that Viv Parry was asked to write for the New Year Magazine for The Ark Synagogue, Hawthorn Connections (August 2020) is a newsletter edited by Viv Parry for the Child Survivors of the Holocaust (CSH) Melbourne Group. In this newsletter there are 9 individual contributions from CSH in answer to her personal request to "tell us how you are travelling at the moment during this unprecedented time?" Viv made no suggestions, asking only that they addressed the group (265 CSH members) and shared their thoughts at whatever level they found personally relevant to themselves. 'Child Survivors, Corona' is an article written by Dr Paul Valant's for Connections, published in April 2020. A second article on the topic appears in the August edition of the newsletter. An email from Stefanie Selzer, dated 31.7.2020. Stefanie is the World Federation Of Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust & Descendants N.Y, President and Claims Conference representative. Stefanie forwarded our Connections Newsletter to the other CSH groups in the US including Canada where Mark Elster felt compelled to reply (also included in the same document). These documents together create a story of a unique group of people who are supporting each other at this difficult time, with a remarkably positive attitude. -
2020-04-01
Caring Mums - Powered by NCJWA Vic
The Caring Mums program is a service providing emotional support to mothers of babies and pregnant women. The program matches trained volunteers, all of whom are mothers themselves, to new mums with the goal of developing a secure trusting relationship. Through regular weekly meetings for up to a period of 12 months, mums’ feelings of isolation, anxiety and depression decrease, while their parenting confidence and sense of belonging grow significantly. Caring Mums adapted its program so that its aims and values can still be upheld during the current pandemic. We continue to see mums in our current catchment whilst growing our service into new areas, using technology, as we understand the impact this reality has on vulnerable and isolated populations, including mums already facing many new challenges. -
2020-07-14
Decal with social distancing message, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
This floor decal in the hospital forecourt was introduced in June 2020, one of many communications produced for both internal and external hospital audiences in response to the course of the pandemic and evolving government public health guidelines and restrictions. -
2020-04-12
Jewish Melbourne - The Year Without A Garden
I love to garden. And especially our community garden. We started small and watched it grow year by year. The friendships grew too. It was also a place where neighbor's walking their dogs or just out for a stroll could pause, admire the colors and aromas - a bit of peace in an increasingly stressful world. This year, restrictions governing social distancing and community gatherings prohibited us from working on our garden. The pandemic had taken yet another joy from our lives. -
2020-07-02
Social distancing measures on a train in Sydney, Australia
A photograph demonstrating how public transport authorities have attempted to mitigate the risk of passengers contracting COVID-19. -
2020-05-09
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Bobo Matjila
“My social life has become non-existent, but my relationships are still quite strong. Isolation has forced me to be a better friend because it has required me to check up on people in ways that I never did before. For me this feels a bit like a break from the constant rat-race of life (but not a vacation). Everything feels slower, which I kind of like. I’m no longer forced to go to events or go out. I'm an introvert, so I love spending time at home. Life feels simple, and slow, and more intentional now. I’ve been able to catch up on lots of reading. I am also enjoying being able to walk down the street and not be harassed. I expected something like this to happen sooner or later. I always had the sense that the pace at which this city runs is not sustainable, so pretty soon it will collapse. I've been mentally and emotionally prepared for this to happen. Everyday people are dying, suffering, and in the depths of misery, which I feel is the norm of the human condition. Peace is the exception. I think that’s why I’m mentally not so affected by the pandemic, because I don't have hopeful expectations for humanity. If we all agreed on the basics that homelessness and suffering is unnecessary, then we could get rid of all of this in a couple of months and save the future of humanity. There’s a lot we can do to prevent this, I just don't think we will do it.” Instagram post on Bobo Matjila, podcast host & writer, and her experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-05-01
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Kate
“Tutoring online is kind of bizarre. I'm used to having lots of two-way communication, and using body language to gauge students’ interests, and that's all very different on zoom. Cameras are often turned off and muted, so you just have to assume that people are alive and with you. I’ve really had to back myself and keep going. And you can’t crack jokes because there’s no one to laugh along with you, or you have to laugh at your own jokes Many tutors are certainly feeling disconnected towards students, university and the faculty as a whole. It is making us realise how important physical presence is in terms of forging purpose. Although we assume we are superior to the natural world, COVID19 is forcing people to realise the fragility of our systems. The shut down of certain supply chains has revealed how interconnected everything is. It has also forced us to understand what we need to live, rather than what we want to live - it has made us all question what our actual basic necessities are versus our learned needs. People's behaviour has become more environmental by accident. We just need to hope that there is not a slingshot back to old habits.” Instagram post on Kate, university tutor, and her experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-04-30
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Hugo Ling
“It’s strange having all this time to myself at home. I'm not necessarily someone who spends a lot of time at home alone doing my own thing in normal circumstances. The first few weeks were very funny to sit back and think ‘What are my interests? What am I into?’ I’ve been trying to do things that keep my brain active, like Boggle, practising my French, and learning some Spanish. Coming back a few months ago from exchange in France has given me some perspective on COVID19. I’ve got a few friends over there who are completely locked in their apartment. Here, we’re lucky to still have the freedom to walk and bike ride at our leisure. I’ve been doing both of them a lot. Earlier in the pandemic, everyone was talking about ‘social distancing’. My mum pointed out that the better term is ‘physical distancing’. You don't want to be socially distant, you want to be socially connected, with a distance - something that me and my friends have maintained. I’ve been feeding off the creativity of some of my friends: weekly Zoom live music; a home-made magazine; a friend is making Vino Quarantino. So there are a few things that have been happening amongst my close circle that keep us all talking, interested and connected. We’ll definitely carry the habit of diligent handwashing into the future, and a greater consideration for general hygiene. The pandemic has definitely sparked that in my house. I get bouts of cabin fever from time to time, but am trying to keep busy and active.” Instagram post on Hugo Ling, student, and his experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-04-30
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Hayley Katzen
“I live on a cattle farm in the bush, so isolation is nothing new for me. I swore that I would never live here, but then I fell in love with a beautiful woman. The big thing for me at the moment is that I'm about to publish my memoir, Untethered. It's a very exciting time. COVID-19 has had very little impact on us. We live quite isolated lives; I could go for weeks without seeing anyone. So it’s kind of funny to see city friends who are usually very busy suddenly wanting to do Zooms and Whatsapps. It’s nice, but I’ve lived like this for so long. The biggest difference for me is actually positive. I feel a sense of being accompanied at this time, as everyone is now living as I have been living. Often, over the years, I have felt quite lonely and struggled with the isolation, as do so many people. Now we are all in this. Adjusting to isolation is a deeply personal process. We all need to find what delights us and add it to our days. As I have compromised immunity, I have to wear a mask when going out. It feels very strange going to the supermarket and not being able to connect with anyone. I’ve been dealing with ovarian cancer treatment, so there is an uncertainty to my future. At this time, when the whole world is dealing with anxiety and uncertainty, there’s a universality to this shared experience. I find this intriguing at one level, and also feel incredibly lucky to be where I am. What most interests me is what we will put back into the world after this. My life won't change significantly. But in terms of our fragile planet, what will people do to take care of it?” Instagram post on Hayley Katzen, author, and their experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-04-28
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Suzy Suzet
“My life was so different to how it is now. I had a very good hourly job and social life. I really want it back like that. The distance is so hard and awkward. I miss my lovely clients whose house I clean. It has totally changed my life. I do a lot of charity work with the Singapore community to occupy my time without work. We help each other with whatever we can. We give food to people who need it on a continuous basis. Many people aren’t earning money right now, but a way to survive is by helping each other. I hope that my family is safe over in Indonesia. Indonesia is one of the worst Asian countries for COVID19. It is very serious. I really want to shout out to my people “this is the worst thing and listen to the government’s warnings!”. I always remind my family: stay at home. Don't worry about food or money, I will provide. Just don’t step outside the house. I really appreciate the Australian Government, they are doing the best. The cases have slowed down, and there has been a good response and togetherness from all of the people. We must always be aware of what the government is saying. Always listen and do it, it’s not that hard. This is not a holiday, lock down is lock down. I have to go outside to make money. The rest are very lucky to work from home.” Instagram post on Suzy Suzet, cleaner, and her experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-04-27
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Gersh Lazarow
“Pretty early we shutdown the synagogue, and my family and I made the decision to go into isolation, as I am immune-compromised due to recovering from cancer. Since then we have been lucky to be able to launch a virtual congregation, and that’s been quite amazing. We have daily activities, prayer services and events. We are finding that people are engaging in our program now more than ever before because they are looking for content and, in isolation, are recognising the beauty that community brings to their lives. Things have been brought from the periphery to the centre of our consciousness, including the importance of relationships, value of community, sense of connectedness - many things that we take for granted until they are taken away. As a rabbi, my tradition is a great source of comfort to me, inspiring me to find paths to continue, rather than to stop Jewish life, just as past leaders have done over our long 4,000 year history. The synagogue may be shut, but our community never closes. We accept the need for social distancing but reject any possibility for social isolation. This year we added a paper clip to the Passover seder plate as a symbol of life right now. COVID-19 has required from us immense flexibility: the ability to bend and turn, but like the paper clip, the capacity to hold us together. The colour of the traditional paper clip, silver, is also symbolic, representing that even in this chaos there are silver linings, such as time, awakenings, valuable lessons, great blessings.” Instagram post on Gersh Lazarow, Rabbi, and his experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-04-22
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Adam Yip
“At the moment, the news industries are scraping just to find stuff! There isn’t much happening. A lot of my shifts have been ‘Go down to Bondi and see if there’s social distancing happening’, which isn’t really an inventive role, and I stand there scratching my head. I wonder when people will stop wanting to see those images. On the other hand, if we didn’t have the media the pandemic could have been a lot worse, they scared a lot of people into staying home (but also scared a lot of people into panic buying). I’d like to think that next pandemic we have, because there will certainly be more, the government will be more active in the beginning, and have everything ready to go. Also, I hope that people will stop panic buying and being so selfish. The scenes of people fighting over toilet paper are horrible. I’m lucky to be in photojournalism though because a lot of other freelance photographers are really suffering at the moment. I used to do lots of portrait shots, but haven’t done one in a while.” Instagram post on Adam Yip, photojournalist, and his experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-04-21
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Alice Diffey
“Hospitality was one of the first industries to be affected by the pandemic. Outside of financial pressures, what has been challenging is overcoming the hurdle of being stationary. Whether you are a chef or sommelier, we are used to working really long hours, then staying out late going for drinks. I'm not at home for long - ever. Most of us from the company have been stood down, but we have been given the option of JobKeeper. I’m trying to keep mentally stimulated, positive and active during this time. We don't know how long it will be. All my colleagues and I have kept in touch. I love our team, and we love our industry. We are all missing it alot. In hospitality, you form very tight friendships and bonds, you go out with these people, work with these people - they become your family. It’s a massive blow because our whole industry is about bringing people together, creating culture and stories that will last forever. You can’t do that when you’re by yourself at home.” Instagram post on Alice Diffey, restaurant manager, and her experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-04-20
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Zev
“I’m excited to do everything that I can’t do now because of corona. I hate coronavirus, it’s annoying. School on the computer is boring. I can’t see my friends. Now that I think of it, I do miss school. People need to stop doing what the police tell them not to do. I saw two teenagers get told off by police for kissing in the park, and also people sunbaking. I'm going to appreciate seeing my friends more once this is over.” Instagram post on Zev, a student, and their experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-04-20
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Gemma Gringlas
“The hardest part of this pandemic has been that I have had to put on hold many initial psychological assessments of kids, as they cannot be done online. Families wait a long time to get into see a psychologist and get an assessment, so it leaves a lot of parents worried about what might be going on for their child, which is really tricky. Some of the kids that I see have social anxiety or are on the autism spectrum, and I have found that telehealth actually removes a lot of the anxiety for them. These kids have difficulty being one on one with someone else, and therapeutic environments can be stressful. They’re a bit more relaxed when on screen because they’re slightly removed from me, which is really interesting. Everyone is being responsive to the difficulty of working at home. I'm trying to see my clients in the time when Teddy is sleeping. We’ve all had to learn to adapt. I am very concerned about the general mental health of people in society. People have lost connection, their social interaction, their daily scheduling, and also financial stress and uncertainty. As a society, it’s important to reach out. We need to take care of one another during this time.” Instagram post on Gemma Gringlas, clinical psychologist, and her experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-04-19
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Ron Taft
“I’ve never experienced anything like this before. I remember the atmosphere of war time, but that was not the same. And we had the polio epidemic seventy years ago, which had dire consequences for children. That caused some panic but nothing like the widespread shut downs and health controls we are seeing today. Of course, the role of the media was completely different then. I live in an aged-care nursing home. We are completely shut down from physical contact with the outside world. We can arrange to talk through the fence. COVID doesn’t really make as much as a difference to my life as it does to younger people, who are used to being out and about. I’m actually having more communication now with family and friends than I had previously. Maybe the exceptional circumstances mean people want to reach out; could be having more time on one’s hands. Mobile phones are having a huge impact on people’s lives. I feel quite healthy. I survived a haematoma a couple of years ago. All going well, I turn 100 in about six weeks. The world has changed so very greatly over the century of my life.” Instagram post on Ron Taft, retired Professor of Social Psychology & nearly centenarian, and his experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-06-23
Tragedy or Fortune
This is important because this tells my true feelings about what is happening in the world currently. -
2020-04-16
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Felix
“It’s strange that as days go by, I'm reminded very much of the time when I was a young boy in Shanghai, under the Japanese troops, and we had ration books. I was about 8 and I would have to wake up at 4.30 or 5.00 in the morning for sugar or rice. So there's the same kind of feelings of stress, with tension in the air. Instead of Japanese troops around, there's a deadly virus menacing us. I don’t really have to adjust to this life; it’s the young people that have to. We don’t go out that much anyway in non-corona conditions. I listened to Bill Gate’s Ted Talk given in 2015, where he spoke about precisely this, and how we were not ready to handle a pandemic. In that sense, some knowledgeable people could have predicted this. In terms of immensity, this is probably one of the biggest possible events imaginable.” Instagram post on Felix, a facilitator, and his experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-04-16
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Jemma Katz
“In November, I was diagnosed with a cancer of the immune system. I've been undergoing chemo ever since. I finished three weeks ago, but the chemo is really intense and makes you very vulnerable to catching everything, so I can’t leave the house at all. My sister caught a tiny cold and it gave me a really intense chest infection. I have nothing in my body to fight off infection. My life was meant to go back to normal after chemo, but it hasn’t. Very much the opposite. The whole experience of cancer and then corona all around has made me realise how much I took for granted in my life, like being independent. I pretty much can’t do anything alone. I'm 23, and not really living the life of a 23 year old. I've found it helpful to establish a routine. I’m looking forward to being able to do the simple things once this is over, like going for a drive or a walk alone, being able to look after myself.” Instagram post on Jemma, a university student, and her experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
0020-06-01T07:00:00
Diary of a Quarantinee
I was ordered into enforced quarantine on arriving in the NT on 25 March 2020. It felt somewhat like being in a police state, especially when two burly police officers came to my place of quarantine to check on me. After railing against my 14 day imprisonment, I gradually saw some advantages in isolation, and finally wanted to stay in quarantine forever! #Covid19 -
2020-06-19
A pandemic love story
I was only a month into dating a British guy here in Australia on a working holiday visa when the pandemic started affecting countries outside of China. The battle that China was facing at the time seemed far, far away, as if it could never reach us all the way here in Australia. For a lot of young people like myself, we continued our daily lives, a little anxious, alert but otherwise content with our circumstances. So far, we were free. At university, a friend once proclaimed, ‘it’s okay, even if we were to get it, for young people, it’s just like the common cold, which is another form of coronavirus anyway.’ Things progressed extremely fast of course. From announcement of the first identified case in Australia, it was a matter of people frantically tuning in to the news every single day and night, talking with neighbours and phoning relatives overseas as we eagerly awaited the next steps of prime minister Scott Morrison. At first, Australia was hesitant to respond, with Morrison and health officials calmly addressing the nation on news. But surely, as the number of cases in Australia grew from 1 to 30 to 150 by March 19, the borders shut, shops closed and we became housebound. Stage 1 restrictions had begun. It’s hard to believe that since then, I’ve completed an entire semester, 9 weeks of university, online. Just a few days before these restrictions began on March 19-20, my boyfriend and I, having only been dating 1 month, went through a rough patch causing me to break off the relationship. Then, once lockdown began, his workplace closed and he realised he had insufficient savings to last more than a month of rent and expenses in Melbourne. Being a UK citizen, he was also not entitled to the stream of government financial benefits that had recently initiated. He didn’t even have Medicare so if he were to suddenly fall ill, he wouldn't be able to afford basic medical care. After pouring his heart out to me about all this, I knew that the best thing for him was to fly back to the UK. In my mind, we were over and there was no reason for him to stay and suffer in Australia. However, stubbornly and against my advice, he insisted on staying if I gave him another chance because he wanted to resolve our issues and continue the relationship. He wanted to show me that he’s not the type of guy to leave when things get tough (bit dramatic, yes). He also knew that if he left, he wouldn’t be able to return to Australia, because of his type of visa. For him, there was literally no advantage in staying: no work, no savings, no family. All he had was me, and the prospect of our relationship. For whatever reason, he decided that that was worth fighting for, amid a global pandemic and financial hardship. After many long conversations back and forth, he convinced me that it was indeed possible for him to stay because he was willing to do whatever it took, even borrowing money from family, an idea that normally revolts him. Meanwhile, I realised I didn't want to give up on our relationship. I wanted him beside me, especially during this uncertainty. I knew that a guy willing to stay in a country for you, is a guy you only meet once in a lifetime. So, I gave him another chance and we fought to get through. For 2 months, this is what our lives looked like: - Him, cooped up in his apartment with his flatmates, playing videogames, applying for jobs here and there, checking for updates and praying that the government would offer any help to temporary visa holders - Me, cooped up in my suburban home, watching online lectures, bonding with my family, exercising, baking - Me, buying him food and groceries when I could - Us, Facetiming, every night, making each other laugh, planning all the things we’d do when restrictions lifted and addressing uncomfortable topics with a pandemic sense of urgency - Us, meeting up twice a week, spending the entire day together just driving around in my car, taking away food and coffee, feeding off each other’s presence in this lonely time - Us, without the hussle and bustle of ‘normal’ life, getting to know each other deeply and authentically. You can’t hide behind your work mask or your social mask during lockdown. Where we are now, 4 months later. We are going strong. Our issues are past us, and he has been nothing but amazing and supportive. He managed to find work again and received a rent grant. Financially, he has survived. Restrictions in Australia have lifted, restaurants are open for dine-in, sports matches are re-opening and groups of up to 20 can now gather in a home. Things are finally looking up. He is hoping to find farm work soon, which everyone on a working holiday visa must do in order to stay a second year. This whole experience has been surreal. This isn’t the first time the world has witnessed a pandemic but it’s certainly the first time entire countries have gone into lockdown. At the age of 22, I never thought my relationship would develop alongside a pandemic. I’m so grateful I’ve had someone to share this experience with. More importantly, I’ve learned that when an amazing thing or person comes into your life, to hold on and fight for it because at the end of the day, all we have is our health, and our love for people. -
2020-03-23
Article for The Foundation for Young Australians: Social Distancing in a Share House
'Social Distancing in a Share House' is an article I wrote for The Foundation for Young Australians about how to minimise the risk of contagion while living in a shared house and be thoughtful about sharing space with others during these stressful times. The article followed discussions with my housemates where we were unclear on how to keep everyone safe while maintaining autonomy and/or continuing with essential work. -
2020-05
Zoom Fatigue
With the pandemic came online learning and being forced into a class room situation where everything was mediated through our screens. I found this learning style to be mentally draining and had felt that I was alone in my experience when all I saw online was people celebrating the wonders of connecting through zoom. Seeing this infographic which acknowledges zoom exhaustion and breaks down why it happens and ways to overcome it was really nice. It shows that my experience is felt by many and while technology has allowed many of us to stay connected it isn't with negatives. HUM402 -
2020-03-21
Socially Distanced Birthday
My birthday fell just before the height of the pandemic. While staying at home was not yet mandatory, social distancing was starting to be brought in. Luckily, some of my amazing friends dropped off this birthday present and left it outside my door. -
2020-05-09
Window
I am including this selection of two photos of my bedroom window, as this has been the dominant view and my sole saving grace throughout lockdown. The photo on the left was taken in my first week of lockdown on the twenty third of March, which was the first week that I began to stay at home as I am asthmatic and was very concerned about my own health making me more vulnerable. The second photo was taken on the first of June, and marks ten weeks since my own ‘lockdown’ began, I have somewhat lost track of the various stages of lightening of restrictions as I was still mostly avoiding going out up until the point when the second photo was taken. In many ways my asthma and anxiety made this experience pretty traumatising, I stopped walking my dog because I people kept patting her and I had too much anxiety about the conflict of constantly asking people not too, and I was worried about the contact risk to myself from people touching my dog. After the rate of community transmission stabilised, I felt safer going out to places, but then I found the secondary anxiety of people behaving in rude and hostile ways towards me in public due to my obvious coughing or wheezing from asthma after I had an obvious asthma attack in Officeworks. My isolation has thus been pretty intense and long lasting compared to some others and combined with anxiety has induced an intense sensation of feeling trapped in my bedroom. The access to sunlight and fresh air through this window, as well as my beautiful view has been a literal visual lifeline, I found myself taking lots of photos of the window and my view. In many ways I feel like this has made me far more attentive than I have ever had the opportunity to be to the changes between night and day, and the slow seasonal change into winter. -
2020-04-17
Second Adolescence
This photo is of my little brother, who is sixteen this year, as we were spending time together on the balcony of our house. This was out of sheer desperation in terms of getting out of the house, even though it is freezing outside at this time of year in the afternoons. For two months during lockdown my brother and I spent more time together than we probably have in the last three years combined, given that I am ten years older than him and have lived out of home up until last year our relationship was always a bit like ships passing in the night. In addition to that our relationship has always been vaguely parental due to the age difference (and possibly my own gendered conditioning to adopt a caregiver role), yet in this period I have had such a strange feeling of emotionally revisiting my adolescence due to the amount of time I am spending with my brother and cousin who is eighteen, which has been such a strange and disorienting experience. I feel like this has been such a pointed sensation for me as someone who doesn’t drive, and with public transport it is just bearable as I have some access to independent travel. But when I could no longer go anywhere at all without my mother driving me, I felt like my identity as a capable adult essentially crumbled overnight. There are elements to this that are positive, I feel like my brother understands me much better now and my relationship with my cousin borders more on the side of best friends than cousins in a way that would probably not have happened if I hadn’t been forced to put aside the cloak of adulthood which made me essentially relate to my cousin from a caregiver perspective. -
2020-04-06
Hopper Life Filter
I have included this photo as it reminded me so strongly, on the night I took that photo, of Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks (1942). For some reason I have always found the colour palette and story of that particular painting to be really soothing and calming, and it has always been one of my favourite painting for that reason even though by genre and artist it falls well outside my usual area of interest. I remember reading something years ago which described the scenes depicted in Hopper’s artworks in this period as depicting liminal social spaces, characterised by public spaces designed for crowds (cafes, hotels lobbies, restaurants etc.) which are nearly empty and in between phases of activity, and this whole year has felt like one giant Hopper painting that I can’t escape from. I looked at a bunch of his paintings again whilst deciding what to say about this moment, and the painting Automat (1927) is one I have always identified with in a really positive way being both rather introverted and a ritual tea drinker. When I was looking at his paintings again and saw it however, I felt such a strange rush of both sadness and anxiety and I can’t help but feel like my enjoyment of Hopper’s paintings in this period has been ruined forever, though hopefully my feelings about the paintings will swing in the opposite direction again as I age and change myself, as great art is wont to do. -
2020-04-17T19:30
Isolation and Illumination
I included this video because in my own time practicing social distancing and social isolation, I noticed that my days and nights became dominated by two distinctive scenes, which is a rather harsh contrast to the variety of settings available to me normally. The first being the windows to freedom I had driving in the car to and from the grocery store, or occasionally to go through the drive through. The second is my home, or more specifically the bedroom from within which I have to sleep, study, eat and entertain myself. Whilst I had access to several peripheral liminal zones between these two, such as the balcony outside my bedroom and my local walking track when walking my dog. The neon lights and empty spaces of the outside world through the car window, or through the layer of social distancing in the grocery store exemplify so much of the feeling I have experienced in isolation. I can’t quite pin down this feeling with a pithy phrase yet, but I found that the physical confinement to settings which became routine was so much more traumatising than the lack of social connection which was for me almost an over surplus rather than a lack as I am constantly surrounded by family with both my mother, brother and occasionally cousin being confined to a small cottage house. I feel like the whole world became this strange liminal space in which daily communal expectations were suspended without being overturned with new expectations, I never really got the sense of ‘the new normal’ that others have mentioned. -
2020-05-28
Paper Bag Extravaganza (creativity in quarantine)
I was working as a dancer on the Cruise Ship MS Zaandam when the Covid-19 Pandemic hit. Countries began to close their borders and passengers and crew began presenting with flu-like symptoms. The entire ship went into lockdown to prevent the spread of this illness which was later confirmed to be Covid-19. We were denied entry to Chile, Peru and the Panama Canal. At this time we had 4 deaths onboard. The MS Rotterdam came to our aid with medical staff, test kits and supplies. Eventually we were granted entry through the Panama Canal to disembark passengers and sick crew in Florida. The ship then left port and sailed to the Bahamas were all crew had to undergo a 14 day CDC ordered quarantine. Repatriation plans were made and I was transferred to the Nieuw Statendam and sailed across the Atlantic to disembark in Rotterdam on May 13th. This ended up being a total of 60 days stranded at sea. After flying home to Perth I faced another 14 days away from family in mandatory Hotel Isolation . We were delivered meals 3 times a day that came in paper bags and other biodegradable containers. I wanted to do something creative and a little bit quirky to pass the time. This packaging became my inspiration to create a range of outfits constructed from these recycled materials. I posted a video of these creations and it went viral on Facebook. I have kept these costumes as memorabilia. -
2020-05-27
Cat Playing in a Box
My girlfriend was housesitting for a man who was unfortunately on a cruiseship when coronavirus hit, and he had to be quarantined on Rottnest island. This box was ironically holding toilet paper, but we repurposed it to be a cat café and wrote that he was only serving us takeaway due to COVID-19 restrictions. -
2020-05-27
Charades Virtual Edition
Over the course of the pandemic student resident committees and the student living staff at the UTAS Sandy Bay Student Accommodation have come up with many online activities to keep residents connected with each other. This example is an invitation from the John Fisher College resident committee. -
2020-03-20
Sports Cancelled Due to Covid-19 Risk
Sailing, as well as all other sports, have been cancelled or postponed due to the Covid-19 crisis. This sailing club, like many others is therefore shut for the foreseeable future. I chose this image because through all the years that I have been sailing (17 years) nothing like this has ever occurred before. -
2020-05-26
Australian school library COVID-19 information desk
Mentone Girls' Grammar School Kerferd Library information desk during the COVID-19 return to campus (Phase 1) 26 May 2020. For student and staff safety the library stopped lending headphones and chess sets. In phase 1 junior school students in Prep to year 2, as well as senior school students in years 10, 11 and 12, returned to campus. Students in years 3 to 9 remained off campus and continued with online learning until phase 2 which commenced on 9 June 2020. -
2020-05-26
Pepperz Safety Poster
A safety poster on the window of Pepperz, the restaurant of the UTAS College Road student accommodation. Pepperz became a vital source of cheap cooked meals for many residents who relied on communal kitchens prior to the lock down. Access to those kitchens was restricted due to social distancing measures. -
26/05/20
A Victorian-Inspired Reticule
This item was the first thing I created once entering isolation. A project that I have been putting off for several months, it created an outlet for me to channel the initial nervous energy of the isolation situation. In this I contributed to a larger trend on Instagram in the sewing community, #sewcialdistancing, in which cosplayers, embroiderers, historical costumers, and other sewers began channeling their own excess energy into projects.