“The HSC had spent the whole year consuming everything so the idea of the last exam was a relief. I was thinking about a lot of things, some things were very blas?and seem trivial such as ‘jeez a drink would be good right now.’ But even that seemed important as if it was the last part of the ritual or something. Then there were other thoughts, like relief. Fear didn’t exist, which is what you’d think would be prevalent after all this. Fear would take up to much energy at this stage, energy which we didn’t have. That night was the last night I saw a lot of people. The circle of people round me got smaller. Only the important people stay close, the ones that you find out mean to you more than just members of a school. However that night everyone was important, we all shared a bond. But even though this bond, this togetherness existed I still had to get away from it all. I had to escape from everyone for a while, live like a hermit, meet new people, get a change of scenery. With all this spinning around it was a shock to finish, an emotion that I wasn’t really sure about. It was nice just seeing everyone. We had all gone through it together and we were now ending it together.”
Participant – Philip Riley, 2002
“The last exam on the last day of exams in 2001. Philip was quiet although you knew there was far more going on inside. We had hardly spoken about the shoot or the reasons for it. A year later, I asked him to write how he felt. I left him alone to write his text on my laptop in the kitchen at home saying “come and get me when you have finished, take your time.” This text is only an excerpt from a long essay he wrote on how he felt.”
Photographer – Belinda Mason, 2004