Rite of Passage !

Schoolie's Week  !    There must be hundreds of thousands of parent's suffering everything from mild apprehension to almost total panic at the thought of what their children are getting up to on that annual youth extravaganza that celebrates the transition from child to adult.   The very term "Schoolie's Week " strikes fear into the heart of many.

There is an absolute certainty that most will over indulge in alcohol.  The pictures that appear on news programmes are not pretty.   Legless youngsters staggering about the streets in a drunken frenzy and many people freeze at the prospect of wild parties held on the balconies of high rise hotels.   Last year these were firmly locked to prevent death falls.   This year the rules have been relaxed - and balconies are again open slather !

Then there is the drug danger.  Western society is rife with drugs and despite the best efforts of police you can be sure that Ecstacy, Ice, Marijuana - and probably the entire spectrum of hard drugs will be circulating amongst the celebrating crowd.   It is quite possible we will see screaming headlines reporting a drug death.   It will be almost  a miracle if an event of this magnitude escapes entirely unscathed.

Of course the vast majority will come home in a weeks time and say very little to their parent's about the excesses and indulgences that were part of their "rite of passage " !   Some may have a few regrets which they wish to erase from memory.   Parents would be wise to not push enquiries to extreme - and remember that in their youth the age of maturity was twenty-one - and now it is eighteen.   These young people are legally adults.

Unfortunately the "Schoolies" phenomenon can be very divisive in our multicultural society. Many young people see no need to ask permission to attend.  They regard it  as a "right " and expect a contribution to the cost from their parents.   Some families even load them up with crates of booze and send them on their way, but not all families are so inclined.


Pity the young person living in a household where parental authority is paramount.  They are absolutely denied even the thought of attending Schoolies and this widens a great gulf between them and their peers.   Sometimes it is on account of social mores - and in others it comes down to a matter of religion.   It can foster a deep resentment - that they are living in a country with a lifestyle rejected by their parents - and this making them feel "different "!

At least Schoolies on the Gold Coast or other Australian locations has the benefit of fitting in with local laws.  The rite is extending overseas and Bali has become a newly popular  destination.  That introduces the laws and jurisdiction of another country, and what may be a minor infraction here in Australia can bring serious punishment - and even the death penalty - in other regimes.

Each year Schoolies gains added strength and the numbers increase.  It is fast becoming a commercial bonanza - similar to Christmas, Easter and Mother's Day.   Regional authorities bring in more security people, relax council by-laws - and let the tills deliver wealth to the owners of local businesses.

Perhaps the major miracle is that despite this excess and the mixing of huge numbers of both genders in what can only be described as a national wild party, the majority manage to evade permanent harm and come away with mixed memories.   Usually - a happy experience, with perhaps a few incidents they would prefer to forget.   Such is the folly of youth !

Many worried parents are hiding a feeling of envy.   Their own passage from child to adult was much more subdued, but if they are being truly honest - they will remember a few incidents that would have made their parents swoon !    The passage of time diminishes such memories !