Enter the young journo awards!

There's only one week left and it's free if you are a member of the Alliance. Free membership for final year students - no excuses...

Julia Medew, The Age reporter who won last year’s Young Australian Journalist of the Year Award for her fantastic work on Victoria’s flawed health system, is getting ready to pack her bags for a three-week tour of newsrooms in the UK and US, with a cool $5,000 in her pocket.

This year, you can follow in her footsteps, jetting off to New York or London as the winner of the Walkley Foundation’s prestigious Young Australian Journalist of the Year Award.

As the old saying goes, you have to be in it to win it. But remember, it’s not to be confused with the Media Super Student Journalist of the Year Awards…

Awards will be made in five categories: print, television, radio, online and photography. The overall winner will receive an opportunity to visit media organisations in London and or New York and A$5,000 spending money.

Entries for the 2010 Young Australian Journalist of the Year Awards are open at www.walkleys.com and will close at 5pm on Friday March 19.

For more information, contact Alison Larsen at alison.larsen@alliance.org.au or go to http://www.youngjournalistawards.org.au/.

This symposium is being held to coincide with the launch of a Sports Journalism Strategic Initiative at La Trobe  that will develop new curriculum to be offered in 2011.

The one-day event will feature panel discussions on sports curriculum, sports media research trends, and the sports media industry.

The symposium will be held in the Council Chambers at the John Scott Meeting House (see G5 on this map). Speakers and guests will include Australian and international-based academics from the journalism, media, sociology and sports management disciplines; students, sports professionals, sports journalists, and media editors and executives.

Speaker details can be found below. Here is the latest symposium schedule.

If you wish to attend this event, please send an RSVP to Lucy O'Connor on lucy.o'connor@latrobe.edu.au by Monday, 29 March. For any other questions about the conference, please email Lawrie Zion at l.zion@latrobe.edu.au

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS AND PANELLISTS

Professor Catharine Lumby is the Director of the Journalism and Media Research Centre (JMRC). The JMRC is a recent initiative of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at The University of New South Wales. The Centre undertakes research of high quality and impact across the fields of journalism, communication, and media and makes significant contribution to public debate and policy. The Centre offers rigorous and relevant education for postgraduate coursework and research students.

Nicole Livingstone is one of the greatest backstrokers in Australian swimming history, Nicole was a member of the Australian swimming team for twelve consecutive years from 1985 - 1996. Nicole’s career achievements include a silver medal and 2 bronze medals from three Olympic appearances; 6 gold, 2 silver and a bronze from three Commonwealth Games and competing in six Pan Pacific Championships winning 4 gold 2 silver and 1 bronze medals.  She also broke a world record in the 200m backstroke (short course) in 1992. Following the 1996 Olympic Games Nicole began a career with the  Nine Network. This saw her in a variety of roles; from the host’s chair of their flagship sports programs Wide World of Sports and Sports Saturday, to hosting the Commonwealth Games and as an expert commentator/host with Nine’s Logie award winning swimming coverage. In 2009 Nicole joined Channel Ten, working on their new 24-hour digital sports channel ONE as a host and commentator on their swimming broadcast.

Associate Professor Matthew Nicholson (Sport and Leisure Management, La Trobe University). Matthew Nicholson's research and teaching interests focus on policy development and practice, the relationship between sport and the media and the contribution of sport and volunteering to social capital. His most recent publications include Sport and Policy: Issues and Analysis (2009), Sport Management: Principles and Applications (2009), Sport and Social Capital (2008), A National Game (2008) and Sport and the Media: Managing the Nexus (2007). Matthew is currently working on a range of research projects funded by the ARC, VicHealth, DPCD and Reclink.

Professor Joseph Maguire is former President of the International Sociology of Sport Association and RC27 of the ISA and currently an executive board member of the International Council for Sports Science and Physical Education. He has published extensively in the area of sport, culture and society. Areas examined include violence, pain and injury, sport and the body/emotions, sport and the media. Currently his work focuses on the area of sport and social theory and sport and globalisation. His research has examined the area of globalisation with reference to identity, the media, migration and political economy.

Dr Nick Richardson Nick Richardson is group news editor at Leader Community Newspapers and a senior associate in the RMIT University Journalism program. He has covered a range of sports during a long career in journalism. He has a PhD in sport history from the University of Melbourne.

Dr Ramón Spaaij (Research Fellow, La Trobe University and University of Amsterdam). Ramón worked as a lecturer in Sociology at the Universities of Melbourne, Amsterdam and Seville. He was a Visiting Professor at the State University of Campinas, Brazil. Ramón has published widely on social and cultural aspects of sport, including violence, hooliganism, racism, identity politics and social development. He is the author or co-author of six books, including Understanding Football Hooliganism (Amsterdam University Press, 2006). He is the editor of The Social Impact of Sport (Routledge, 2009). Ramón is a regular contributor to international media on issues such as soccer hooliganism and sport fan cultures.

Dr Emma Sherry is a sport management academic at La Trobe University, teaching in the Bachelor of Business (Sport and Leisure Management). Emma’s research focus is sport development and social capital, with a particular focus on marginalised groups and the Homeless World Cup. Emma has undertaken research with a variety of sport organisations such as: the AFL, Victorian Women’s Cricket Association, Cricket Victoria, Football Federation Victoria and Bowls Australia. In addition to her role as an academic, Emma is a committee member of the Vicsport women’s advisory group and Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand (SMAANZ).

Roy Hay  is an Honorary Fellow of Deakin University, where he taught for 25 years.  He is a partner in Sports and Editorial Services Australia and author or joint author/editor of The World Game Downunder, with Bill Murray, and histories of Deakin University, the Geelong Chamber of Commerce and St Joseph’s College, Geelong. He is a member and former President of the Australian Society for Sports History. He was football (soccer) writer for the Geelong Advertiser from 1991 to 2002 and since has had a regular (non-football) column there. He contributes to Goal Weekly and other football papers.

Francis Leach is a broadcaster and journalist with one of the most diverse CV’s in the country. These days he hosts “The Run Home" drive program on 1116 SEN sports radio in Melbourne as well as being part of the stations live coverage of Soccer and AFL Football. Francis is also a regular panelist on the ABC’s TV’s Sunday morning sports show “The Offsiders”. He started his career as rocking the nation at the ABC’s youth radio network Triple J, where he also hosted the networks’ morning current affairs program. Throw in a stint at ABC Radio National where he hosted a daily art program for a year and you have the only broadcaster in the country who can lay claim to having worked with Phillip Adams and Dermott Brereton! 

Paul Kennedy is a presenter for ABC News Breakfast on ABC2.  He started his career as a copy boy for the Herald and Weekly Times in 1994, before completing a cadetship at Leader Community Newspapers.  He has worked as a television and current affairs journalist in Queensland and Melbourne for Channels 10, 9 and the ABC.  Paul produced and wrote an award-winning short film ‘Drug Game’, examining the issue of drugs in sport.  He has also contributed sports features to Inside Sports, The Australian and The Sunday Age.  In his personal time he is a football coach and married father of two.

Michael Visontay is a former Managing Editor at the Sydney Morning Herald and Deputy Editor of the Sun-Herald. During 25 years as a writer and editor in newspapers and magazines, he has reported at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games, and the World Cup. In 2000 he was the Olympics Editor for Good Weekend magazine. In 2007 he won the Qantas-EU Journalism Award to research the impact of football on European integration. Michael has lectured in journalism at several universities over the past 20 years. In 2009 he developed a subject on Media, Sport and Culture at UNSW.

Ashley Browne is a former Age sportswriter who specialised in AFL football, tennis and golf. He was a co-founder of digital sports publisher Sportal Australia and a former editor of afl.com.au. After nearly three years as national editor of The Australian Jewish News, he is now a freelance sports journalist and editor of BackPageLead, a new online sports analysis and opinion website.

Matt de Neef is co-editor of upstart and edits the publication's sport section. Matt, who has a Bachelor of Arts (Communications/Philosophy) from Monash under his belt, is also completing his Graduate Diploma in Journalism at La Trobe. He blogs at both A Cursory Glance, which is a compendium of his opinion pieces, and The Climbing Cyclist, which details his encounters with some of Victoria's most popular climbs. He has had two features published recently in The Age, the most recent of which was a LiveWire cover story about time shift viewing.

Ron Bongetti (Director, Australian Sporting Connections). Ron Bongetti has worked in the sports industry since the 1980’s. He is a Director at vicsport and Chairman of the Northern Football League (NFL). He recently completed marketing roles at Myrtha Pools and TigerTurf and had previously held executive positions at Swimming Victoria, Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne Giants and Brisbane Bullets (in the NBL). He has presented and been a panel member at a number of forums and believes that sport is relying on current sports journalism students to fix its communication issues.

Niall Seewang is a journalist at The Border Mail in Albury-Wodonga. After completing a Graduate Diploma in Journalism at La Trobe in 2006, Niall joined the Border Mail, spending a year in news reporting, sub editing and the sports team. He recently spent two weeks at The Age on a work placement, working at the paper's sports section during a break from Border Mail duties. Niall also co-hosts a sports chat show on 2AY every Saturday. A sports tragic, he also plies his fare on the cricket and football fields, with varying success.

Ben Waterworth is a second year Bachelor of Journalism student at La Trobe University. Ben reguarly contributes to the sport section of La Trobe's online publication upstart. He has had numerous experiences in the media sector, including being a member of the Eastern Football League media team, a member of the Infostrada Sports media team covering the 2009 Champion's Trophy hockey tournament and writing for a Salvation Army publication on fire. Ben has just taken up a job with Fox Sports for a new TV Show that will premiere during the 2010 AFL season.

Further details of the symposium will be updated at http://www.upstart.net.au/sports-journalism-symposium-at-la-trobe/.

Love them or hate them, Collingwood have and always will be a powerhouse of the AFL. From a financial perspective, every team wants to play the Pies because they always seem to draw a large audience. With a packed and deafening MCG behind them, they are near impossible to combat.

However, the one thing that continues to elude them is a premiership. Since 1959, the Pies have only won a single premiership, back in 1990. Two decades later, they need to perform on the big stage in order to regain the full respect of the football public.

2009 review: Collingwood started last season in unconvincing fashion, slumping to 11^th position after eight rounds. But in typical Collingwood style, they fought back.

With their backs against the wall, they went on to win 12 of the next 13 games finishing 4^th at the conclusion of the home-and-away season. Notable wins included a 23-point win over Sydney at ANZ Stadium and a gutsy one-point win over the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.

In the finals, they lost to eventual grand finalists St.Kilda in the first week but were able to bounce back against Adelaide the following week in a last-gasp semi-final win. Even though they were blown away by eventual premiers Geelong in the preliminary final, fans would’ve been elated with an appearance in the penultimate week of the finals.

The appointment of Nick Maxwell as captain at the beginning of last season was the best decision the club had made for quite some time. The captain of a sporting team shouldn’t necessarily be the best player on the team. It should be someone who will lead by example both on and off the field and Maxwell didn’t disappoint.

He was the fairytale story for Collingwood last year and his leadership both on and off the field was nothing short of outstanding. Maxwell’s courage to go back with the flight of the ball, his ability to read the play and his aggressive tackling earned him All-Australian selection for the first time.

The continued improvement of Dane Swan, Scott Pendlebury and Leon Davis was also an encouraging sign for the Pies. Swan averaged a career-high 31 possessions per game while Pendlebury averaged 29. Davis enjoyed more time through the midfield but was criticised heavily for his poor output during Collingwood’s finals campaign.

Player to watch in 2010: It never seemed to click for Luke Ball under Ross Lyon at St. Kilda. It seemed as if he was out of favour with the coach because he didn’t suit Lyon’s game plan. He was dropped a number of times last season due to poor form or injury but eventually forced his way back into the side for the Grand Final and was one of his side’s best - 22 possessions in only half a game.

But after limited opportunities and a heartbreaking Grand Final loss, Ball’s wish of playing for the Pies was granted at the end of last year. It was, however, an anxious wait for him after Collingwood and St. Kilda failed to reach an agreement during the trade period. But Collingwood gave him a second chance, taking him at pick number 30 in the NAB AFL draft.

Ball comes to the Pies with plenty to offer. Originally taken by the Saints at pick two in the 2001 ‘super’ draft, he is a tough inside midfielder whose prime focus is to win the contested ball. Swan and Pendlebury are classy outside midfielders and Ball’s role will compliment them well.

However, the question on everyone’s lips will be - can Ball’s body hold up? During his time with the Saints he endured serious groin problems and a hamstring tear. St. Kilda always denied that Ball had succumbed to osteitis pubis and he probably never did. But it was clear that at times he could not accelerate properly during a game.

If Ball can stay fit, he could be that x-factor that Collingwood need. He’s an experienced campaigner and his leadership will be invaluable.

What to expect in 2010: The biggest positive to come out of the Pies’ pre-season was that they were able to secure two vital recruits while still holding onto their key personnel.

Ball is one of those recruits, but the other is former Sydney player Darren Jolly. Regarded by many as one of the best tap ruckman in the competition, Jolly will relieve a lot of pressure and will allow Josh Fraser to play more as a key forward. Jolly is the key ingredient in the Pies’ midfield success this season.

On paper, the Pies have an outstanding list and their fans are entitled to get excited about their 2010 potential. They still don’t have the star power that top-four-contenders Hawthorn or Brisbane possess but I’ve got this funny feeling that Collingwood are ready to perform on the big stage.

Their performances during September will define their season and they have the potential to cause some serious damage to teams who finish higher than them in the home-and-away season. The next step - a grand final appearance - is something they are certainly capable of.

Final ladder position: 6th

Ben Waterworth is in his second year of a Bachelor of Journalism. The previous instalment in Ben's look at the 2010 AFL season was a piece about the Carlton Blues. You can read more of his work at A short sport thought.

The premise behind Chatroulette seems to be a combination of existing Internet tools like chat rooms and webcam streaming. It’s simple really; once you’re on the site, you simply have to click “Go” and you are randomly slotted with another user and your webcam is activated. You see your own webcam picture on the screen as well as the stranger’s, so it’s just like meeting someone new as you see their face, and they see you. Except that you could be five thousand kilometres away. Then, you are free to type to your new companion or simply stare at each other. If you aren’t interested in chatting to the person presented to you on the screen, simply click ‘Next’, the screen tells you that it’s “Looking for a random stranger” while it loads and then you are connected with a new user. If your chatting companion doesn’t like the look of you, they are free to ‘Next’ you as well.

Be warned; as is the nature of chat rooms, the content can sometimes be unpredictable and confronting. For every great conversation you have with a lovely 20 year old student from Sweden, or a guitair playing Canadian, there’s the high possibility you will come across gentlemen behaving in an unsavoury manner, and often missing their pants. Or women missing their tops. I have also heard of exhibitionist couples doing the ‘horizontal mambo’ together for the camera. This is why using Chatroulette with your grandparents in the room is not advisable. Whenever confronted with unwelcome nudity, a quick click on the “next” button easily resolves the situation, and hopefully brings you on to a better chatter.

It can be slightly rejecting, however, when you come across someone you think you would like to chat to, only for them to take one look at you and then across your screen flashes “Your partner disconnected. Reconnecting...” This happened repeatedly on one occasion, with around ten different chatters all jumping to ‘next’ me before I could even type a word.  If it wasn’t my witty banter that failed to keep people around, then it must have been my looks. I left that chat session feeling rather deflated.

As with most Internet trends, Chatroulette gained momentum quickly. It was created only a few months ago in November 2009 and now boasts around 500,000 hits per day. The site was reportedly created in Moscow by 17-year-old Andrey Ternovski, who originally created the site for fun. “I myself enjoyed talking to friends with Skype using a microphone and webcam. But we got tired of talking to each other eventually. So I decided to create a little site for me and my friends where we could connect randomly with other people” he told The New York Times.

The thing that makes Chatroulette exciting and entertaining is that you never know who, or what, you’re going to be faced with when you hit that ‘next’ button. One of the most popular screen shots floating around the net is of a man dressed head to toe in a leopard print leotard, or else there’s an abundance of other fruity people with decorative hats, face paint, costumes, pets, instruments and hand written signs. You might even be lucky enough to come across a famous face like Paris Hilton, Ashton Kutcher, and Hollywood gossip blogger Perez Hilton, who have all been screen snapped by their surprised chat partners. Other celebrities such as Kelly Osbourne, Joel Madden and his fiancé Nicole Ritchie have taken to their Twitter accounts to comment on their experiences on Chatroulette.

There’s a good chance that in a few more months, every internet user will have heard of the Chatroulette craze sweeping the world. Or else, it might have been shut down due to the moral panics of parents or the politically correct grumblings of politicians. Either way, everyone should jump into the Chatroulette world, if only just once.

Laura Carroll is a Bachelor of Journalism student at La Trobe University.

However, sailing hasn’t been so smooth for the Blues in the last decade. They spent a good seven years at the bottom end of the ladder as they went through a frustrating rebuilding stage. After urging fans to be patient for what seemed like an eternity, the Blues bounced back last year and surprised many with some impressive results. But the loss of Brendan Fevola to Brisbane during the pre-season could be the club’s biggest downfall and they must learn to function without him.

2009 review: Carlton’s goal before the 2009 season was to make the finals for the first time in eight years. They achieved that goal in fine style, finishing 7^th at the end of the home-and-away season.

However, they would probably be disappointed with the way their finals campaign ended. After leading by 30 points in the last quarter of their final against Brisbane, Carlton allowed the Lions back into the game and lost an unlosable match. Coaches, players and supporters were devastated. However, it’s important to remember that they are still a young side and a side that will benefit enormously from the experience of having played in a final.

The Blues have gradually been building a formidable midfield over the last few seasons and in 2009 they certainly came to the party. Led by classy captain Chris Judd, the midfield took to new heights with Bryce Gibbs, Marc Murphy and Kade Simpson having career-best seasons. Former Essendon champion James Hird even went as far as to say that the Carlton midfield had the potential to be greater than the famous Brisbane midfield of the early 2000s.

However, the loss of promising key defenders Jarrad Waite and Michael Jamision to injury was a big blow for the Blues as they struggled to control opposition key forwards.

Player to watch in 2010: The forgotten figure amongst the Blues’ top-quality midfield is the number two draft pick from 2003, Andrew Walker.

The 23 year-old has endured a frustrating run with injuries throughout his seven years with the Blues and has only managed 87 games. A shoulder injury during last year’s pre-season meant he missed the first 19 weeks of the home-and-away season. Walker wasn’t able to hit his straps when he returned in Round 20 and would be disappointed that he failed to have a major impact, especially in the final against Brisbane.

When fit, Walker is a terrifically exciting player to watch. His versatility and excellent aerobic capacity makes him one of the most difficult players in the competition to match up on. Walker has a great vertical leap, making him capable of taking an exceptional mark. Ideally, Carlton would love to play him on a wing so that he can be that connection between the half-back and half-forward lines.

You may ask why I’ve decided not to highlight the likes of Judd, Murphy or Gibbs, who have taken enormous steps in the last few years. However, it is now Walker’s time and he is ready to explode. Everyone at Carlton is excited about what he has done over the pre-season and if he stays fit, expect Walker to take his game to new heights.

What to expect in 2010: For the Blues to get anywhere near the top eight this year, their defence must lift. With Jamision and Waite both having had solid pre-seasons, Carlton will be able to build their defence around those two. This will allow them to develop a backline that restricts opposition teams to low scores and provide lots of drive out of the defensive 50.

There is no doubting the class of the Blues’ midfield - it now becomes a case of experience. The more they play together the more they will grow in confidence as a unit. Brock McLean is a welcome addition to the midfield and will bring toughness and leadership to the group.

However, without Brendan Fevola in the forward line, Carlton will struggle to replicate their achievements of last year. In 2009 Fevola  kicked 89 goals and when Carlton went inside their forward 50, he was the target over 50% of the time. Indeed Fevola has been Carlton’s focal point up forward for many seasons, kicking 575 goals in 187 games with the Blues.

In exchange for Fevola, the Blues picked up 20 year-old Lachie Henderson, a highly rated junior who has great athleticism for his size. However don’t expect too much out of him this year and in the long run it’s doubtful whether he’ll ever reach the heights of Fevola.

For a team to succeed, they must be able to kick goals when it matters and for Carlton this year, that could be a struggle. I’m not saying that they don’t have the talent to accomplish that but it might take the Blues a while to adapt to a Fevola-less forward structure.

Don’t expect too much from the Blues this year, but in two years time they could be a serious top four contender.

Final ladder position: 10th

Ben Waterworth is in his second year of a Bachelor of Journalism. The previous instalment in Ben's look at the 2010 AFL season was a piece about the Brisbane Lions. You can read more of his work at A short sport thought.

There was a periodic table of sorts blue tacked to the wall describing the sensory elements involved in the drug. I looked through familiar terms and stumbled across ones I would never associate with coffee.

Balsamic rice, apricot and beef. Who knew you could detect such distinct flavours from a little green bean shipped in from all parts of the world?

The roasting equipment was flown in from Italy, Bologna to be exact. It had been carefully picked to ensure that this new batch became a big seller on the market. I couldn’t wait to taste it; my glands were growing weak from salivating.

Then the cupping began. It was a slow process consisting of careful measurements and perfect water temperature. I was told the coffee had just been roasted, a 10-13 minute event that turns tiny green beans into brown, aromatic ingredients.

The grounds were at the bottom of the glass when the water was poured on top. They floated throughout the cup resembling a snow globe then finally settled on the surface.

The next step was to smell. I grabbed a large soup spoon and pushed the coffee that had settled away from me three times while trying to grab every scent the cup let off.

It was heaven. Freshly brewed, caffeinated goodness.

The grounds, by now, had fallen towards the bottom so it was time to taste. I submerged the spoon just enough to get a mouthful of the Kenyan blend that had been testing my patience.

In order to properly taste, to get the full experience, the coffee needs to be slurped hastily past the teeth and directly onto the tongue. This method is supposed to make a high pitched sound as you breathe in fast. The more experienced cuppers had mastered the sound, mine came out rather gurgly.

I spit my mouthful out into the complimentary spit cup that comes with the ceremony.  I almost kept it in but didn’t want to look any more like an amateur after the gurgling. Then it was over.

My palate was obviously not developed enough to notice the apricot that made a Kenyan blend distinct. But I enjoyed the coffee and was refined enough to acknowledge it's fruity characteristic.

The left over beans were packed up into a blank paper bag, scribbled on, then left to taste later. Cupping is something you do over and over again to the same blend to see how it ages and develops.

I had met up with Andrew Kelly, owner of Auction Rooms and roaster of Small Batch Coffee. Kelly was a cupping professional and kind enough to show me his red roaster and of course, the process. After all these years of distributing it was nice to finally meet a supplier.

Meghan Lodwick is doing her Masters of Global Communications at La Trobe University. This caffeine induced entry was originally published in her blog: For the Love of Beans!

So, the question we must ask is this: Am I simply a fat person trapped inside a much smaller frame or is my appreciation for all that is consumed at morning-time the result of something larger – an early-rising, jammie-wearing societal trend, perhaps?

The Answer is probably a bit of both.

Nutritionists have long promoted the merits of eating breakfast. Literally meaning “break the fast”, breakfast is the key to speeding up that beautiful thing called metabolism – a fact made all the more striking by scientists at Harvard Medical School who found that those who eat breakfast are up to three times less likely to become obese. Therefore, in an age obsessed with weight-loss, it comes as no surprise that such a mundane act has become somewhat of a phenomenon. Pancake days and breakfasts on the Bridge are now filling our tummies and colouring the nation’s cultural landscape.

Breakfast Out, a website devoted to critiquing the efforts of Sydney and Melbourne’s growing breakfast scene, goes to further explain our toasty inclinations. The site, which recently expanded to cover both cities, tells of how cafés and restaurants across the country are banishing bed hair and smelly breath and instead transforming brekky-time into a stimulating social experience.

Take Brother Buba Budan, for instance. This quirky Melbourne eatery enables breakfast-goers to munch on tasty pastries under a blanket of chairs that are eccentrically attached to the ceiling. From the café’s communal table, one may immerse themselves in the simple pleasures of good food and good company.

Sydney’s Single Origin, on the other hand, illuminates the relevancy of the inner-child in sophisticated dining. Reviewer Jane de Graaff confesses she “died and went to heaven” after being served a Nutella, banana and toasted almond breakfast sandwich. “It takes the sweet-tooth breakfast toastie”, she says, “to the next level of childlike bliss.”

In such a way, breakfast, as a social experience, is a time when formality and familiarity can collide – in which the comfort and cosiness of a living room, or even childhood, can be yet again felt as we hit the busy city streets. This is where the success of breakfast, in its changing shape and form, really lies.

Brother Baba Budan

359 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

Open Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 7.30am to 5pm.

Single Origin

60-64 Reservoir Street, Surry Hills, Sydney

Open for breakfast Monday to Friday 7.00am to 3.00pm

Lee Tobin is a Bachelor of Communications student at the University of Newcastle. She never skips breakfast.

Marianne Webb, who works for Inspire Foundation, says “It’s a really exciting opportunity to develop an innovative and much-needed resource for young people that does not take a zero-tolerance approach.” The target audience is  18 to 25-year-old “recreational” drug takers who don’t perceive their drug use as a problem (ie those who hold jobs, go to uni, have relationships but also regularly take illicit drugs as part of their socialising.)

Between the Lines features a blogging platform and Marianne is looking for written and video pieces on news, culture, policy and law. This is a great opportunity for students to get experience in producing words and images and getting published online.

For more information, contact Marianne Webb at marianne@inspire.org.au

Every year, as April 25 approaches, someone somewhere will initiate the debate of the significance and relevance of Anzac Day.

Perhaps one of the most influential debates was that initiated by former Prime Minister Paul Keating, who claimed that the celebrations around Anzac Day were ill-conceived.

'The truth is that Gallipoli was shocking for us,' he said. 'Dragged into service by the imperial government in an ill-conceived and poorly executed campaign, we were cut to ribbons and dispatched and none if it in the defence of Australia.'

If only that quote appeared in history books! 

This year, the debate has begun relatively early. In today’s edition of The Punch, an article by Louise Markus argues that Anzac Day would die without a generation of new marchers. Markus says that Anzac Day was so special to her growing up, that she wants to see the same values taught to today’s younger generations.

But what was most striking about her article was that she claimed Anzac Day signified 'remembering those who gave us the freedom we enjoy today'.

Sorry, the freedom that we enjoy today?

Let’s rewind to the events of 1915 for a second. Still under huge influence and control of the British empire, Australia teamed up with New Zealand to form the army corps which set out on an expedition to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula. The objective was to capture Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, which was the then ally of Germany.

Why?  The plan was devised by the mastermind of the war in the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill, who wanted to open up the Black Sea for the Allied navies. 

Why?  While the Ottoman Turks weren’t the enemy, its advancement was a threat to Russia, who subsequently appealed to its allies for help. The attack on Gallipoli was a way to end a stalemate on the Western front. 

Plus it would be a decisive blow to the Germans and give the upper hand to the Allies.

Or perhaps, put more simply, the whole campaign could be underlined by a common theme: the spread of Western imperialism.

It had nothing to do with defending the freedoms we enjoy today, nor did it lay the foundations for building such freedoms.

To quote again from Keating, 'we still go on though the nation was born again or even, redeemed there. An utter and complete nonsense.'

It’s nonsense indeed. 

Our servicemen were sent to invade another country for entirely self-serving purposes of an empire which still had control over young Australia’s foreign policy.

While there’s no denying the 10,000-strong Anzacs sacrificed their lives in the name of service to their country, they didn’t necessarily contribute to our 'freedoms'. 

Surely we cannot claim that it had not been for the Anzacs, we would have been a less free Australia? 

The renewed debate of the relevance of Anzac Day in today’s Australia is always welcome. After all, freedom of speech and opinion are core values in our society.

But let’s not forget that they probably would have been embedded in our culture anyway – with or without the Anzacs.

Erdem Koc is a news journalist with SBS Radio and the founding editor of upstart.

Their team between 2001 and 2004 is regarded as one of the greatest and most dominant teams in the AFL’s history. During that time, they won three out of four flags, making the grand final on each occasion. Their team was faultless and if a team did beat them, it usually meant that the Lions were down 50% on their usual output. With a midfield that included Voss, Black, Lappin and Akermanis, they were virtually unbeatable.

Now, six years on, they are once again a threat and will be challenging for another premiership.

2009 review: The appointment of Michael Voss as senior coach before the season began was greeted with mixed emotions. It was a big risk because he had barely done an ‘apprenticeship’ with another club; therefore he lacked experience in the coach’s box. However, Voss was a great of the game and his knowledge of the game was undeniable.

By the end of the season, Brisbane fans would’ve been thrilled with the rookie coach’s achievements. The Lions finished sixth at the end of the home-and-away season and earned themselves a home final. Even more impressively, Brisbane came from 30 points down in the last quarter in that final to defeat Carlton in a gutsy and determined victory. Their 51 point loss against the Western Bulldogs the following week was disappointing and at odds with their performance  throughout the season.

Two players stood out for the Lions in 2009. They unveiled a star of the future in Daniel Rich who played 24 games for the season and won the NAB AFL Rising Star award. His hardness at the ball and long kicking into the forward 50 was crucial to the Lions’ success throughout the year.

But the emergence of Mitch Clark in the ruck cannot go underestimated. His outstanding aerobic capacity and athleticism added a unique dimension to the Lions’ midfield and he was extremely unlucky to miss out on All-Australian selection.

Player to watch in 2010: Very few players will receive as much media scrutiny as what Brendan Fevola will this season.

His time with Carlton had its fair share of ups and downs and despite his talent and achievements on the field, the Blues had had enough by season’s end. Years of controversial off-field incidents, such as a fight in an Irish Pub, a short affair with Lara Bingle and that infamous drunk Brownlow Medal parade led to his eventual sacking.

However, Fevola’s talent on the field is unquestionable. During his 187-game career with Carlton, he booted 575 goals with very little support from his teammates in the forward line. Opposition teams even tried triple-teaming the big full forward in an attempt to cage his impact. But Fevola’s class shone through, out-marking multiple opponents in contests and finding space to lead into when it seemed like there was none.

Fevola is incredibly lucky that Brisbane have granted him a second chance and now that he has joined a club with potential to win a flag, Fevola has the chance to take his game to a new level. If he is kicking goals, applying relentless defensive pressure and communicating well with his midfield and fellow forward Jonathan Brown, we can expect the Lions to be a threat when September rolls around.

What to expect in 2010: Big things!

Never before has a side recruited so aggressively during AFL trade week. Along with Fevola, the Lions welcomed versatile key position player Brent Staker (West Coast), hard-bodied midfielder/small forward Amon Buchanan (Sydney) and rebounding defenders Xavier Clarke (St.Kilda) and Andrew Raines (Richmond) to its already impressive list. Voss’ intentions are clear. He wants a premiership sooner rather than later.

It will be fascinating to see how Brown and Fevola will work in tandem. They are both big guys who like to make their presence felt on a football field. If they can work well together, opposition defences are bound to struggle.

For Brisbane to take the next step, they need to be able to defeat the likes of St.Kilda, Geelong and the Western Bulldogs and, with the list they’ve got this year, they are more than capable of doing that. Expect the Lions to surprise many throughout the home-and-away season but it will be September before we find out if the Lions are the real deal.

Final ladder position: 4th

Ben Waterworth is in his second year of a Bachelor of Journalism. He has already previewed the Adelaide Crows' 2010 AFL season and you can read more of his work at A short sport thought.