Students on a mission to collect TALL tales

A GROUP of Lorne P-12 students has taken on the ambitious task of creating a time capsule to document people’s lives during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Tales of A Local Lockdown” – also known as TALL – is the work of nine Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) students at the coastal school.
The teenagers have worked in partnership with the Lorne Historical Society to collect poems, drawings and survey answers from locals of all ages.
They have also set up a website survey to gather data from people all around Australia.
Year 12 student Bailley O’Connor said the project would document how isolation and restrictions had affected people from all walks of life during this significant time in our history.
Bailley said the responses varied a lot but also showed that there were some silver linings.
“Overall, people seem to be spending more time with their families and connecting with their communities,” the 17-year-old said.
“People are looking out for each other and I think it’s really positive.”
Sam Dragovitch, a Year 11 VCAL student, said a couple of anecdotes they uncovered had really stood out.
“One Lorne community member has practically written a book,” Sam said.
“His reflections on this time in history will give people a deeper understanding on what it really means to live in a small coastal tourist town during a pandemic.”
Another story passed onto the students was of a 95-year-old man who had been waving at his wife, who has Alzheimer’s, through the window at the aged care centre although he knew she did not recognise him.
Lorne P-12 VCAL co-ordinator, Cherie Osta, said the TALL time capsule would hopefully inform future generations of what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said it was also helping the students themselves to navigate their way through an uncertain time.
“TALL has given the students, as well as the wider community, an opportunity to share their feelings about the situation that we are all in,” Cherie said.
“It has been wonderful to get the feedback that they are not alone and that many others have had struggles as well as positive experiences from this.”
Cherie said John Agar and Peter Spring from the Lorne Historical Society had been a fabulous support for the students and Bendigo Bank had come on board as sponsors.
“The students feel like they are doing a worthwhile thing and that they and their project matter,” she said.
“They have learnt a lot about why we record history for future generations and the importance of community connection.”
It is hoped the project will culminate with an exhibition of stories and artworks at the Lorne Historical Society Centre later this year, if restrictions allow.
To share your TALL tales with the students, head to locallockdown.weebly.com.