Receiving the Torch
A Ubiquitous Legacy
E. Y. Nam
ARE THE MAIN CHARACTER. That you are the hero to save the child from the burning house, that you are at the centre of the universe, and everyone is merely a subplot to your life. And to some extent, you’re right! You are the protagonist of your own story, your own coming-of-age, and nobody is of more value to you than yourself. Yet, in the grand scheme of things, it seems like you are just another being who comes and goes through the passages of life, and time seems to fly by without a drop of concern for the ups, downs, dilemmas, celebrations within your short stay here. These existential tangents are what bring you right to me and my meditation.
With this, it is my greatest pleasure to present to you the 86th edition of the Shore Weekly Record.
You see, becoming a successor to a grand legacy calls for introspection. On one hand, I am brimming with excitement to be appointed Editor of the prestigious SWR. However, with the role comes heavy shoulders and profound pressures to match, even exceed the precedent that has been set by decades of student committees. This same introduction has probably been written 85 times – so who am I, amongst the previous 85 Editors, to take on this role? What will my publication be remembered for? Will it be remembered at all?
Before going anywhere, I want to acknowledge the unfathomable work produced by my predecessors of the 2023-2024 SWR Committee: Editor Michael Kwak and Secretary Braden Dent. As vertically challenged as you two are, the articles you produced and the standards you maintained were nothing short of exceptional. I would also like
to call out Graphics Designers Jamie D’Arcy and Ramon Zhang for the incredibly creative covers they have produced over the past year.
So, what do I want this SWR’s legacy to be? To become ubiquitous.
I came to the realization that I’ve been asking the wrong questions this entire time. Instead of a futile endeavour to make this edition’s publications flashy or starkly different, the better question to ask was “What can I do to keep the authenticity of a student-organised paper… alive?”
In my opinion, the reason the SWR has been so revered and active throughout all these decades is due to the connection it builds with every boy who reads or writes the paper. A publication by a student, for a student. Yes the phrase has been repeated many times, but there’s a reason for that. Every article that has been published from a boy, from any genre and any form, has been open and authentic. Whether it’s a satirical discursive about the transition from Socrates to Sigmas, or witty journalism regarding the HELP needed for college students, each boy wrote about what they were passionate about, exposing the conversation to the wider Shore community and bathing in poetic freedom. That was it. Freedom. Autonomy. The ability to articulate and experiment with their stream of consciousness in a distinguished, written matter for boys who indulged in similar discourses. For the reader, it opened up a world of humour, sarcasm, insight into a topic they might’ve never known they were interested in, until they read the uncensored, authentic article by another peer.
That is why I, alongside my Secretary Callum Zhu and the Senior Committee, am committed to providing a publication that carries on a tradition of distinguished articles as well as daring to let the autonomy and passions of boys be expressed.
We are not reinventing the wheel – this is the same determination induced by many previous committees. However, there is no despair in being mundane, but rather it is a distinct privilege to receive the torch from them – to be ingrained into a movement of setting up future writers for success and maximum expressive capacity. And yes, our office will eventually have a bittersweet end. Maybe this edition is forgotten in the grand scheme of things. But, that’s what passing on is all about. The end is only so great as it comes to an end, and the fact that someone is waiting to carry it on again.
And so, the responsibility now falls onto you all. Anybody can write for the SWR. As avid readers, I persuade any boy to read, take inspiration and open up your own creative space. Feel free to send feedback regarding the SWR publications too. Articles can be of any topic and any medium, simply email or teams them to EN.188623@student.shore.nsw.edu.au or CZ.159545@student.shore.nsw.edu.au.
Hence, I encourage you all to push yourselves, through the thrills of a sporting or co-curricular endeavour and the rock bottom of high-stress exams. The SWR team will guide you, support your journey with some attempted form of humour and insight.
This is only the beginning.
Start of the SWR Journey