WEEKLY WYVERN NO. 22/15 09 OCTOBER 2015

King's College Upland Rd, ST Lucia, QLD, 4067, AUSTRALIA Ph: 61 7 3871 9600 Fax: 61 7 3871 9666

DATES 

24/10 QUT SWOTVAC



31/10 QUT EXAMS



6/11 UQ SWOTVAC



14/11 QUT END OF YEAR



21/11 UQ END OF YEAR

THIS ISSUE Master

1

Deputy Master

2

Tutorials

3

Trevor Heath

4

KCBC

8

Sevens Rugby

10

From the Master I am surprised each year by the sheer numbers of men willing to stand for positions on the KCSC Executive and for RA roles. This year has been no exception. Extraordinary numbers stood for election at the KCSC AGM on Tuesday evening – I would like to thank you all for your willingness to give so much to the College and to your Club. Congratulations to Liam Spannenburg on his election as President and all others elected to the Executive. I look forward to working with you in 2016. Congratulations also to those appointed to positions as RA in 2016. These names will be made public early next week. It is a very able group of men appointed to these important roles. There seems to be not enough time between now and the end of the academic year. Some will say it is too late to start studying – my personal view is that it is never too late. Just start soon!! Best wishes to everyone involved in Dancefest – and congratulations to all members of College involved in this year’s Cup. Please note that the College issues a Statement of Service for those leaving the College. If you would like one prepared for you, please ask for the form from Reception. Some entering the College in Semester II missed out on the O Week experience – if you wish to join next year’s O Week you must apply to the Deputy Master by Email – [email protected] NEXT YEAR A Flat will be alcohol free again next year. Reapplication forms have been distributed and should be returned by now. STAYING OVER THE SUMMER MONTHS There are limited spaces for Kingsmen to stay in College over the summer months – please see Sue at Reception for the relevant form. Apply NOW. Greg Eddy

PAGE

2

From the Deputy Master

Welcome back for the last few weeks before SWOTVAC and examinations. The Jacaranda is blooming which traditionally means that you should all be well into your revision for end of semester exams. Many thanks and congratulations to our rugby side who played in the Callaway & Daubney Cup match against St Paul’s College Sydney. It was a fantastic weekend culminating with the game on Saturday afternoon. The lads went down in a very tight match 24-17 however it was still anyone's game up until the final whistle. We travel to Sydney next year where we will try to win the trophy back! 2016 Intention forms are due back today. I will start the room allocation process shortly which usually takes me around 3-4 weeks to complete. The selection criteria is as follows…    

Academic performance Behavioural record Contribution to the life of College Date of submission

Please note that I reserve the right to allocate rooms based on any of those criteria as I see fit. Over the last 4 years I have been able to help most Kingsmen with their choice of Flat/room. Have a great weekend Jamie

PAGE

3

Tutorial Timetable - Semester 2 2015

PAGE

4

From the Academic Consultant—Trevor Heath

Pondering on events of the week When I cranked up the iMac this morning I intended to focus only on the health of our minds. We know that many young men - and older ones including me - are afflicted by gremlins of depression or something similar – but that most are reluctant to divulge that info to others, or to seek help. This is a great pity as so many suffer alone, acting as if they are positive, cheery and in control, while hurting inside. It is now known that (a) virtually all of them would benefit greatly from treatments now available, (b) treatments are generally more effective if started early in life, and (c) most older people with mental health issues have been afflicted since early in life, at a time when they could have been treated more effectively. These messages are being highlighted by the designation of Mental Health Month – and Week - and tomorrow (Saturday, 10.10) as World Mental Health Day, and major efforts are being made to encourage those afflicted to seek professional help. That is something that we at Kings are passionate about. We know that a population of 280+ young men must include some who are living with – and hiding – head-based problems that are causing pain and hurt, and which are amenable to professional help. We have access to excellent professional help, and are very, very keen to help afflicted Kingsmen get access to such help. So PLEASE let one of us – Greg, Jamie, Louise, your RA or me – know about your affliction, and we will do our very best to make sure that you get appropriate help. I do have the ‘advantage’ of being able to view clinical depression from the inside, and spent part of every week doing what I can to help Kingsmen with comparable problems. I’ll be delighted (even if saddened) to add to that list… and would welcome contact either in person while at King’s, or on [email protected] or 0438 702 022. Earlier in the year I did a Letter to Peter Doobes on this topic, and will ask Jamie to copy that into this issue if he has space. **** The iMac reminded me of significant events that occurred this week: recognition of products of some amazing minds - those selected as the winners of Nobel Prizes in three fields: physics, chemistry and medicine. Those awarded the prize for Physiology or Medicine developed treatments for malaria and some devastating diseases caused by roundworm parasites. These diseases are rife in many developing countries, and the work of the three prize-winners – from Canada, Japan and China (The China Academy of Traditional Medicine) – has had an immeasurable effect on the lives of millions of disadvantaged people.

PAGE

5

The Prize for Chemistry recognised brilliant and hugely significant work on how cells in our bodies repair DNA. That might sound a bit mundane until we realize that, although our DNA is attacked continuously by such things as UV radiation and free radicals, it retains its exact structure through the millions of cell divisions that occur each day. These scientists, one American, one English and one Turkish/American, in an amazing series of super-clever studies, unravelled the mechanisms by which our DNA is repaired after each insult. Given that many cancers result from changes to DNA it is not surprising that these discoveries are forming the basis for new treatments for cancer. The third prize announced this week – that for Physics – went to a Japanese and an American "for the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which shows that neutrinos have mass” apparently of fundamental importance in the continuing quest to find out how we, the world and the universe, function. These prizes represent the pinnacle of achievement - or recognition of achievement – in their fields, and collectively over the years have provided much of the ‘information’ taught in our various courses. The Nobel Prize website - https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=www.nobelprize.org/ nobel_prizes/&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 contains a huge amount of really engaging information about how that ‘information’ was discovered, and I commend it to you. Some…a few perhaps…might find a Prize something to aspire to. Don’t despair…one UQ graduate has already had his work recognized in this way. He is Peter Doherty, a graduate in my field of veterinary science who was recognized in 1996 for fundamental work on how our cells recognized viral invaders. Most of you will be aiming a bit lower than the Nobel heights, but you all have my strongest support and encouragement as you seek to achieve your own objectives.

PAGE

6

Hello Peter Looking after your head I’ve been getting a bit worried about you Peter. I’ve tried to contact you several times recently but have not been able to get a response. Then one of your friends mentioned that you’ve become a bit of a recluse, staying in your room in the dark, not going to classes, and missing meals. That made me anxious because a number of times over the years I’ve found that a friend showing that behaviour is feeling especially low, fighting gremlins in his head but not knowing what to do. On of those friends had recently shifted into a flat but was not answering his phone or responding to messages for several weeks. When I did eventually make contact it was clear that his head was really misbehaving, and this was affecting his ability to study or to face the world. When he first admitted that something was wrong, he found it impossible to put into words what was happening. After a while though he was able to write about how it was affecting him, and to accept help – for clinical depression from a psychiatrist and for social anxiety from a clinical psychologist, and is recovering. This episode troubled me, especially when it became evident that he had been hurting for the several years of our friendship and I had not noticed. I should have as I have been fighting the gremlins of depression myself for many moons, and try hard to identify and help those similarly afflicted. Those of us who are keen to help young people like you realize that most are reluctant to talk about issues of greatest importance to them, whether these are family traumas, difficulties in relationships, sexual orientation - or mental health and ill-health. Some do not seek help because they are unsure about what is happening, or do not know how or where to seek help. Some are embarrassed to seek help because they are concerned about what other people - even family and close friends - will think. Nowadays the stigmas surrounding most of these issues including mental illness are receding, but it is understandable that so many are not prepared to take the risk. Some young men are worried about such things, but are not sure whether the problem is real, or they are just imagining it. There are now a couple of websites that will help there. They give answers to many questions about heads, and even provide a self-test as a guide to whether to seek professional help. One http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au - is from the Black Dog Institute, a highly reputable research-based organization associated with the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Another credible and informative site that you might find helpful is http://www.beyondblue-men.org.au, and, on the world stage, the World Federation for Mental Health on http://wfmh.com. The Black Dog Institute website has, among other useful things, a description of Mindfulness, an approach involving meditation and self-awareness apparently derived from Buddhist practices. This seems to have helped people with depressive conditions, and could be worth a try.

PAGE

7

If you have been feeling low for a couple of weeks or more, have lowered self-esteem, or low motivation or an inability to enjoy life, check these websites, especially the Black Dog one. If this convinces you that the gremlins have moved in, consult one of the leaders at your college, or go directly to your University Health Service or family doctor, and they will help you find appropriate treatment. They will also be concerned about your general health, and how well you are looking after yourself: diet, sleeping, stressors, and exercise. Though a bit too lazy to be naturally attracted to exercise routines, I can attest to the value of exercise in promoting a feeling of well-being even when feeling depressed. But that is but a supplement to the ministrations of my psychiatrist. If you are unfortunate to be afflicted by depression, it is a small consolation to know that you are in the company of some of the most eminent and creative people in history. You don’t believe me? Well, just type in ‘famous depressives’ or something similar into your search engine, and you’ll be surprised at the list. Some include moon-walking astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Harry Potter author JK Rowling, musicians Sting, Billy Joel and Elton John, and composers Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, and Princess Diana. And if you check out the website of the World Federation for Mental Health, you will learn that (to quote) Treatment of depression is much more successful when the condition is diagnosed and treated early… Adequate treatment is a critical factor in reducing symptoms… half of people with depression do not get access to treatment either because they are not aware of the symptoms or because they are afraid to seek help due to stigma…. I understand this well because of a long experience with depression. I now realize that for years I ignored the symptoms and would not admit even to myself that treatment was needed. But then circumstances forced me to accept help, and since then have been able to keep those pesky gremlins (of depression) at least partially under control. I know that it can be hard to admit to oneself that things are not right in the head. But it is easier to accept if that step is seen as one along a path of effective treatment, and this will lead to removal of at least some (and I hope all) those troubling symptoms. So, Peter, I urge you to seek help if you feel that there’s any chance that the gremlins of depression have taken up residence in that magnificent head of yours. Your worrier-in-chief - Godfather

PAGE

10

Sevens Rugby

All images by Trevor Heath