Tuesday, November 29, 2005
One schoolie in 22 arrests
The Advertiser - 29nov05
ANOTHER two people were arrested at the weekend Schoolies celebrations in Victor Harbor early yesterday morning.
This takes the total number of arrests to 22 in three days - 21 being adults rather than schoolies.
The arrests were mainly for disorderly behaviour and assaults.
A few isolated incidents of property damage have been reported including the slashing of several car tyres at the South Coast Hospital on Sunday.
One Festival tent, The BankSA Live and Loud tent, was also broken into and property damaged. Police have said they were generally happy with the crowd behaviour in the coastal town over the weekend.
About 4000 people attended the supervised Schoolies 2005 festival in Warland Reserve on Sunday night.
A huge crowd flocked to the Telstra Big tent to see the popular beat boxer Joel Turner and the Modern Day poets.
The Schoolies Festival finished last night and most young people are expected to return home today.
ANOTHER two people were arrested at the weekend Schoolies celebrations in Victor Harbor early yesterday morning.
This takes the total number of arrests to 22 in three days - 21 being adults rather than schoolies.
The arrests were mainly for disorderly behaviour and assaults.
A few isolated incidents of property damage have been reported including the slashing of several car tyres at the South Coast Hospital on Sunday.
One Festival tent, The BankSA Live and Loud tent, was also broken into and property damaged. Police have said they were generally happy with the crowd behaviour in the coastal town over the weekend.
About 4000 people attended the supervised Schoolies 2005 festival in Warland Reserve on Sunday night.
A huge crowd flocked to the Telstra Big tent to see the popular beat boxer Joel Turner and the Modern Day poets.
The Schoolies Festival finished last night and most young people are expected to return home today.
Day-after pill is schoolies 'safe' choice
Herald Sun - 29nov05
HUNDREDS of young women are risking disease by unprotected sex during schoolies' week.
And they are flocking to chemists for the over-the-counter morning-after pill.
More than 20,000 schoolies from Victoria and NSW are celebrating in Surfers Paradise, and some pharmacists are fed up with the dozens of 17 and 18-year-olds walking through their doors every day.
One said some schoolies were only concerned about potential pregnancies, not about contracting a sexually transmitted infection.
Research by Victorian hospitals has shown the rate of STIs in Australia has tripled over the past five years.
Centro Chemist, in the heart of the schoolies precinct, has been handing out morning-after pills regularly since celebrations began on the Gold Coast 11 days ago.
"It goes with the territory," pharmacist Jane said.
"Now that it is so accessible, the schoolies are just treating it like another contraceptive."
Before Australia-wide laws allowing over-the-counter sale of the emergency contraception were passed in January last year, only doctors were able to prescribe it.
Today schoolies pay $31.95 for the pill, which is at least $20 less than the cost of seeing a doctor.
Jane said many of the young women had already taken the pill at least once before.
"It is amazing how many of them are using it as a constant contraceptive," she said.
Jane said it was frustrating for health professionals to see teenagers putting themselves at risk of catching an STI.
"All we can do is advise them to use condoms," she said.
A Day and Night Pharmacy employee said more than 150 schoolies had asked for the morning-after pill from its central Surfers Paradise chemist in the past week.
"It really annoys me when I tell them that they should be using condoms and they just shrug their shoulders," the woman said.
Director of the Centre for Adolescent Health at the Royal Children's Hospital, Prof Susan Sawyer, said she was not surprised by the widespread use of the pill.
"We know that one in four young people having sex are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, so we understand that schoolies' week is a challenging time for them and there will be a lot of unplanned sex," Prof Sawyer said.
But she said the popularity of the morning-after pill among schoolies was a positive sign teenagers were looking after themselves.
"It is a good thing that the schoolies are seeking emergency contraception in terms of reducing the risk of unplanned pregnancy.
"But we hope that taking the morning-after pill is a step towards more reliable contraception, especially condoms."
HUNDREDS of young women are risking disease by unprotected sex during schoolies' week.
And they are flocking to chemists for the over-the-counter morning-after pill.
More than 20,000 schoolies from Victoria and NSW are celebrating in Surfers Paradise, and some pharmacists are fed up with the dozens of 17 and 18-year-olds walking through their doors every day.
One said some schoolies were only concerned about potential pregnancies, not about contracting a sexually transmitted infection.
Research by Victorian hospitals has shown the rate of STIs in Australia has tripled over the past five years.
Centro Chemist, in the heart of the schoolies precinct, has been handing out morning-after pills regularly since celebrations began on the Gold Coast 11 days ago.
"It goes with the territory," pharmacist Jane said.
"Now that it is so accessible, the schoolies are just treating it like another contraceptive."
Before Australia-wide laws allowing over-the-counter sale of the emergency contraception were passed in January last year, only doctors were able to prescribe it.
Today schoolies pay $31.95 for the pill, which is at least $20 less than the cost of seeing a doctor.
Jane said many of the young women had already taken the pill at least once before.
"It is amazing how many of them are using it as a constant contraceptive," she said.
Jane said it was frustrating for health professionals to see teenagers putting themselves at risk of catching an STI.
"All we can do is advise them to use condoms," she said.
A Day and Night Pharmacy employee said more than 150 schoolies had asked for the morning-after pill from its central Surfers Paradise chemist in the past week.
"It really annoys me when I tell them that they should be using condoms and they just shrug their shoulders," the woman said.
Director of the Centre for Adolescent Health at the Royal Children's Hospital, Prof Susan Sawyer, said she was not surprised by the widespread use of the pill.
"We know that one in four young people having sex are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, so we understand that schoolies' week is a challenging time for them and there will be a lot of unplanned sex," Prof Sawyer said.
But she said the popularity of the morning-after pill among schoolies was a positive sign teenagers were looking after themselves.
"It is a good thing that the schoolies are seeking emergency contraception in terms of reducing the risk of unplanned pregnancy.
"But we hope that taking the morning-after pill is a step towards more reliable contraception, especially condoms."
Schoolies 'brawler' banned
Courier Mail - 29nov05
AN alleged serial Schoolies brawler has been banned from returning to Surfers Paradise after being arrested for the third night in a row.
Southport magistrate Catherine Pirie yesterday ordered 17-year-old Adam James Pluta to stay away from Schoolies celebrations for the rest of the event.
Pluta was charged with causing a public nuisance after allegedly attempting to start a fight with a fellow Schoolies reveller who was dancing with his estranged girlfriend.
It was Pluta's second Schoolies-related court appearance in three days. On Saturday he pleaded guilty to charges of common assault and assault occasioning bodily harm and was fined $2050.
That same evening television crews filmed Pluta being arrested on the beach for further alleged offences.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Jim Pedlow said Pluta was a repeat offender who should not be allowed back into Surfers Paradise.
"He was arrested every night for three nights, and was previously warned by police," Sgt Pedlow said.
"He was seen with his fists raised . . . he constantly stated that he wanted to smash the other person."
Ms Pirie released Pluta on bail until December 9 on the condition that he "not attend Surfers Paradise".
However, Pluta loudly objected to the condition and insisted he had a right to continue partying.
"It's my Schoolies year. I was trying to have a good time," said Pluta, an apprentice renderer from Southport.
School leavers from southern states will continue to celebrate their Schoolies Week until Friday night.
The official 10-day beachfront entertainment program ended on Sunday night, and schoolies are now expected to retreat to nightclubs to find entertainment.
Police have been kept far busier in the second week of Schoolies, with a higher number of arrests of both school leavers and gatecrashers at the weekend.
AN alleged serial Schoolies brawler has been banned from returning to Surfers Paradise after being arrested for the third night in a row.
Southport magistrate Catherine Pirie yesterday ordered 17-year-old Adam James Pluta to stay away from Schoolies celebrations for the rest of the event.
Pluta was charged with causing a public nuisance after allegedly attempting to start a fight with a fellow Schoolies reveller who was dancing with his estranged girlfriend.
It was Pluta's second Schoolies-related court appearance in three days. On Saturday he pleaded guilty to charges of common assault and assault occasioning bodily harm and was fined $2050.
That same evening television crews filmed Pluta being arrested on the beach for further alleged offences.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Jim Pedlow said Pluta was a repeat offender who should not be allowed back into Surfers Paradise.
"He was arrested every night for three nights, and was previously warned by police," Sgt Pedlow said.
"He was seen with his fists raised . . . he constantly stated that he wanted to smash the other person."
Ms Pirie released Pluta on bail until December 9 on the condition that he "not attend Surfers Paradise".
However, Pluta loudly objected to the condition and insisted he had a right to continue partying.
"It's my Schoolies year. I was trying to have a good time," said Pluta, an apprentice renderer from Southport.
School leavers from southern states will continue to celebrate their Schoolies Week until Friday night.
The official 10-day beachfront entertainment program ended on Sunday night, and schoolies are now expected to retreat to nightclubs to find entertainment.
Police have been kept far busier in the second week of Schoolies, with a higher number of arrests of both school leavers and gatecrashers at the weekend.
Late schoolies put faith in power of three
The Age - November 29, 2005
GOOD things come in threes for this group of Victorian teenagers, who have made a schoolies' week pledge to play it safe during their Gold Coast celebrations.
Under their self-imposed rules, these graduates of Eltham's Catholic Ladies College have decided they will only go out in groups of three to minimise the risk of danger.
"We know the risks, it's an issue that we've thought about," said Emma Lanza, 18. "But this (schoolies week) is something we've been looking forward to for ages … and we're just going to stay together and be careful."
The group's arrival in Queensland on Sunday came as the official Gold Coast Schoolies' Week Festival wound up. Queensland police reported that arrests had risen over the 10-day period but congratulated schoolies for their overall behaviour.
There were 466 arrests, of which 122 were schoolies revellers, up from 418 last year when 103 of them were schoolies.
In the Victorian hot spots along the surf coast, police said there had been a number of assaults in Lorne, including one in which a victim suffered a broken jaw, but that Torquay had been relatively crime-free.
Toby Medhurst, youth services team leader for the Surf Coast Shire, said schoolies numbers had been down. Negative publicity about violence in the past may have deterred visitors. But he said an increased police presence in the region, with extra undercover officers, meant Lorne and Torquay were safer for schoolies than in previous years.
Meanwhile, on the Mornington Peninsula, police said there appeared to be more young people this year, but that bad behaviour had been similar to previous school holidays.
"School holidays are a period when you get deliberate acts of criminal vandalism and wanton crime," said Detective Senior Constable Alan Dickinson of the Rosebud criminal investigation unit.
He said many tended to head for a holiday resort, but they seemed to leave their manners and respect somewhere back in Melbourne.
Incidents at the weekend attributed to young people included setting fire to bins and a fence at Sorrento, under-age drinking in Rye and the vandalising of a tennis court in West Rosebud.
GOOD things come in threes for this group of Victorian teenagers, who have made a schoolies' week pledge to play it safe during their Gold Coast celebrations.
Under their self-imposed rules, these graduates of Eltham's Catholic Ladies College have decided they will only go out in groups of three to minimise the risk of danger.
"We know the risks, it's an issue that we've thought about," said Emma Lanza, 18. "But this (schoolies week) is something we've been looking forward to for ages … and we're just going to stay together and be careful."
The group's arrival in Queensland on Sunday came as the official Gold Coast Schoolies' Week Festival wound up. Queensland police reported that arrests had risen over the 10-day period but congratulated schoolies for their overall behaviour.
There were 466 arrests, of which 122 were schoolies revellers, up from 418 last year when 103 of them were schoolies.
In the Victorian hot spots along the surf coast, police said there had been a number of assaults in Lorne, including one in which a victim suffered a broken jaw, but that Torquay had been relatively crime-free.
Toby Medhurst, youth services team leader for the Surf Coast Shire, said schoolies numbers had been down. Negative publicity about violence in the past may have deterred visitors. But he said an increased police presence in the region, with extra undercover officers, meant Lorne and Torquay were safer for schoolies than in previous years.
Meanwhile, on the Mornington Peninsula, police said there appeared to be more young people this year, but that bad behaviour had been similar to previous school holidays.
"School holidays are a period when you get deliberate acts of criminal vandalism and wanton crime," said Detective Senior Constable Alan Dickinson of the Rosebud criminal investigation unit.
He said many tended to head for a holiday resort, but they seemed to leave their manners and respect somewhere back in Melbourne.
Incidents at the weekend attributed to young people included setting fire to bins and a fence at Sorrento, under-age drinking in Rye and the vandalising of a tennis court in West Rosebud.
Schoolies well behaved, say police
The Age - November 28, 2005
Police are reporting a general drop in the number of arrests and crimes associated with school-leaver celebrations at Victoria's Surf Coast compared to last year.
As the celebrations enter their second week, Sergeant Brian McKiterick said the Surf Coast, the most popular schoolies' destination, was "relatively quiet compared to last year".
The officer-in-charge of the Torquay police station said the overall number of schoolies was down about 30 per cent. The number of arrests and reported crimes were also less than last year.
"Overall I would say that they (schoolies) are generally more mature in their outlook compared to other years."
Official figures on the exact numbers of arrests will not be available until after the schoolies' period.
Sgt McKiterick said while there were a "handful" of assaults reported in Lorne. These were fewer in number and "less severe" than previous years.
"There are groups of schoolies involved in altercations with other groups of schoolies and there are unfortunately non-school leavers also involved."
But he said historically the second week of annual end of school holiday period saw more incidents as a larger number of schoolies descended on the region.
"Certainly if things keep going the way they have then we should have a relatively quiet schoolies period, but we do have another two weeks to go and traditionally we have more incidents during the second week."
He said there would continue to be an increased police presence in the towns of Torquay, Angelsea and Lorne until the official end of the schoolies period on December 9.
Police are reporting a general drop in the number of arrests and crimes associated with school-leaver celebrations at Victoria's Surf Coast compared to last year.
As the celebrations enter their second week, Sergeant Brian McKiterick said the Surf Coast, the most popular schoolies' destination, was "relatively quiet compared to last year".
The officer-in-charge of the Torquay police station said the overall number of schoolies was down about 30 per cent. The number of arrests and reported crimes were also less than last year.
"Overall I would say that they (schoolies) are generally more mature in their outlook compared to other years."
Official figures on the exact numbers of arrests will not be available until after the schoolies' period.
Sgt McKiterick said while there were a "handful" of assaults reported in Lorne. These were fewer in number and "less severe" than previous years.
"There are groups of schoolies involved in altercations with other groups of schoolies and there are unfortunately non-school leavers also involved."
But he said historically the second week of annual end of school holiday period saw more incidents as a larger number of schoolies descended on the region.
"Certainly if things keep going the way they have then we should have a relatively quiet schoolies period, but we do have another two weeks to go and traditionally we have more incidents during the second week."
He said there would continue to be an increased police presence in the towns of Torquay, Angelsea and Lorne until the official end of the schoolies period on December 9.
