Bon Voyage Newy, you’ve been… Something…
In 2016, a 17-year-old girl moved 397km from her country town to the beachy Newcastle, with a dream of completing her Bachelor of Communication at good old UON. Since then, she finished that degree, and her Bachelor of Arts, and started her Bachelor of Law. She helped found the UON Writers’ Club, was a committee member with UON Cheerleading for many years, took on the new UNLSA role of Director of Publications, was SRC for NUSA, was Women’s Collective Convenor for UNSA, and even brought back from the brink of collapse our very own Opus.
But then, tragedy struck… She fell in love.
Love with a person in the defence force, who has been posted in another city.
So here it is, my goodbye to Newy and UON: Having not finished the law degree (yet! Hello CSU), nor all of the UNSA projects pending (thank you UNSA team for taking on my weird and big plans). But, it is what it is.
In Newcastle, I have done all the things: Caught the tram and the train, accessed the NuSpace building to pee after a night out, fallen down the King Street stairs, fallen down the Honeysuckle stairs, seen dolphins at Redhead Beach, lived with friends, lived in a share house, done a scavenger hunt, been to the break wall, been to the ‘Penis Tower’ (RIP), read a book in Civic Park, played Pokémon Go at Callaghan, done the ANZAC walk (a LOT), seen dolphins at the dog beach, been to some Knights games, and probably more I cannot remember.
Newcastle has made me cry (a lot), but it has also made me happy, and helped me meet some of the most important people in my life – which I am forever grateful for.
But, it is time for a new chapter. Time for a change.
Through all the ups and downs, Newcastle has been my home. I never felt like the country town I grew up in was home. When I came to Newcastle it was big, but not too big, it was fun, and it helped me to grow more as a person, and to recover from the damages of my youth. Most people who live in Newcastle always say they hold a soft spot for this place. Maybe it’s the beaches, maybe it’s the people, maybe it’s the coffee. Something about this place screams home, screams safe. You get comfortable, you get complacent, adventure slows, no matter where you live. It is time for me to get out of my comfort zone and perhaps find a new home.
I will forever be a Knights girl, forever be a Newy girl.
