The Wheels on the Shore Bus Go Round and Round
Round and round, Round and round, All through School.
R. Zhang
I’VE NEVER REALLY LOVED BUSES, not because I’m a Shore boy, but because they seem to always be so slow and eternally running late. Personally, I think bikes are pretty cool; you get to break speed limits (no speedo, sorry officer), run reds (oh I couldn’t stop, the brakes are shoddy sir) and whether you get to your destination on time really only depends on your level of fitness. A far superior option to buses.
The only bus I truly love! Source: google search
Yet I seem to spend so much time on buses, mainly because I don’t own a bike, but also because my parents don’t love me enough to fund my Uber addiction. Now, this has left me a plethora of time to watch reels, and even more time to be alone with my thoughts when my terrible phone inevitably dies (Mum, I told you I needed the iPhone 15 pro max with 22 hours of battery). And with all that time spent staring at passing asphalt, I’ve realised that my school life has been very akin to a bus trip… Now, please keep reading and let me cook!
Buses may be slow, they may be unreliable, they may even break down and cause five lane pile-ups but they’ll always be special, because every single fault of the bus system gives it charm. I think it’s a privilege to be able to watch the kilometres disappear beneath the buses’ wheels and in a way, it’s important we watch life progress too.
I want to watch the passing trees, the passing cars, the passing shops with excitement. Truly, I want to cherish every passing moment, every laugh, every stupid skibidi joke, every passing nod at a classmate, every single minute of our limited time. I want to be able to enjoy the company of every passenger; every person who enters life, even if we never talk, even if all that happens is we enjoy the passage of life together, as passengers on the same bus but with different destinations.
I may have got on at St Ives, and some of you may have got on at Northbridge, but we’ll ride the same bus to the city even if I get off at UTS and others go to UNSW or even keep on going to Queensland (we’ll still love you, promise!). No matter what happens, we’ll still have spent that time together; watching the passing cars, fooling around in the same Year 8 classes, hitting the same potholes, locking in together at the library this year, laughing at the same jokes, and honestly, I’m glad I’ve been able to share this bus ride with this cohort, even if we sat in different sections of the bus and never got to have a chat and enjoyed different scenery. I hope you share the same sentiment.
Of course, we’ve had all the other fun related bus metaphors. Great drivers and conductors who we need to press b to thank; an analogue for great teachers who have kept us going until our destination and especially those who put in double time this year, going above and beyond for us. We’ve even had our fair share of reels style catastrophic bus accidents! Some that have even caused great storms on reels and social media. It’s been an honour Year 12, and a real joy making covers for the SWR this past year and I’m not crying, you are (I’m a tough sigma I promise). But for those in younger years, please, look up from your reels every once in a while and watch the passing scenery instead. (That was both a metaphor for getting involved in the School and some friendly literal advice, it’s good for your eye health!) And don’t forget, neither us nor you will be the first nor hopefully the last passengers on this route, so please don’t be afraid to reach out to ex-passengers and don’t forget to help new ones. But yeah, thanks for reading my first and only published rant, and don’t worry Mr. Scobie, I still think bicycles are pretty cool, but a bit more lonely.