Is anyone really surprised when a bunch of priviledged schoolboys from a toffy private school go on a bit of a bender at the end of their Year 12 exams? I’m not. Not even a little surprised. It’s been going on for years. It’s the same old shit every year… just a slightly different colour really.
My Dad and his mates (raging hoons that they were) went off on Schoolies when he finished his senior studies must have been about ’65 or so and back then they used to go round toilet papering people’s lawns/trees and putting penny bungers in people’s letter boxes. Ooer… rebels without a cause! When I was finishing Senior in ’88, in our last week there was a gaggle of boys from our ‘Brother school’ that came creeping though the park behind our school armed with water bombs and flour bombs. They struck at lunch time for maximum damage and plenty of girls copped a water bomb quickly followed by a random flouring. I have a vague recollection there were dozens of rotten eggs being thrown around the quad that day too….
A few years after I finished high school I heard that kids from same ‘Brother school’ had some very expensive damage bills from end of year hijinks when some of their Senior students pulled a couple of rather stupid pranks. The first one involved placing some firehoses running full bore through smashing windows into the school library and the second prank saw every loo in three of the schools toilet blocks filled with quick setting cement.
So are we surprised at school leavers racing around being half drunk, half nekkid and acting half witted in 2008? Nup. I am a little surprised at some of the reactions though… talk about one extreme to t’other.
What ever happened to a good wallop across the head! That’s what these boys are lacking! When I went to Catholic School (graduate of 1995) we were taught respect, and were disciplined accordingly if having stepped out of line. The problem is these little rich kids have never learnt respect for others, never learnt how to take responsibility for their actions and certainly have no idea on social etiquette. Bring back the cane! 🙂
CR, Melbourne, Australia
Glad to see not much has changed since my departure from Xavier in 1968. Now, if only the Jesuits would bring back the 15-inch strap (with the two inlaid Aussie pennies at one end), all would be right with life. Well done boys . . . you’ve made some of us old timers proud.
TL, Los Angeles, CA USA
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