So it’s that time of year again. You know, the one where kids of around 17 years of age finish their, depending on state, 12th or 13th year at school and descend on Surfers Paradise to go batshit.

As I am clearly insane, I have booked a week in a lovely high rise, smack bang in the middle of the action, 2nd week in. The week where all the NSW and Victorian school kids take their turn at vomiting in bushes and pashing randoms.

In my defence, I didn't do my research and I "won" this particular holiday on eBay for only $255. Cheap! Cheap until I find a log floating in the ginormous communal pool.

But has it really changed since we were school leavers? Um, irrevocably – yes.
I, *clears throat* went on schoolies nearly 20 years ago but like all good women in their thirties, I still consider myself to be pretty hip and with it. Ok, so saying hip and with it is probably sending the Gen Y’ers into flurry of "ZOMG’s she’s so old", but let me say this, we still remember what goes on. And it’s changed, and not for the better.

Myself and two girlfriends who are still my best girlfriends to this day, went off to Byron Bay where we stayed in a backpackers, took roughly 15 casks of the world renowned $6 St Bernadinos goon, $150 and had the time of our lives. And to be honest, during that week, I hadn’t given much thought to my future or what I would do once that week ended (which coincidentaly coincided with me having zero cash and a block of cheese to my name).
Sure we drank. Sure we got very loose with some French, German and American backpackers (no - not that loose) and sure, we lit illegal bonfires down the beach, but we went for the sole purpose of celebration. To celebrate the end of a very significant era. The era that in hindsight, were the easiest days of our lives. We just didn’t know that yet.

Schoolies still happened in Surfers, but it wasn’t the event it is now. Houseboats were hired, people took off to Noosa or Byron or they simply stayed home and went into Surfers at night. And it wasn’t a shambles. Hey it wasn’t perfect, and the same amount of underage drinking and debauchery still went on, but we weren’t just being ratbags in general society because it was almost expected.

The government is in full lock down on underage drinking and there are massive ad campaigns which air constantly showing the effects of getting blind, yet this 2 week event is staged and partially funded by that same government.

Hey, perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised and these kids will be singing kumbaya in a circle whilst drinking diet cokes and regaling stories about their volunteer job bathing the elderly. I'll be sure to update.

I’m not saying there should no schoolies week, but changes need to be made. Preferably before my daughter hits the golden age of 17.