On Monday, yet another young driver appeared in yet another court room to be punished for his role in the death of yet another innocent teenager. The victim in this case was 16 year old T.J. Hutchesson of Bathurst.
The name of the accused can’t be reported. In a sense the names don’t matter: for those of us looking on, this is just another episode in a long and tragic storybook of life destroyed far too young.
In a statement appearing in The Sydney Morning Herald, mother Rachael Hutchesson did not shy away from identifying the problem: boredom and booze. This is a known issue in regional Australia, and yet there is a real paucity of frankness when it comes to solutions.
Because that would involve telling parents a hard truth: that kids just shouldn’t be brought up in the country. They need the stimulus and energy of the city. Boredom kills.
Australia is the most urbanised country in the world based on the percentage of the population who live in cities. The necessary flip side of that arrangement is that our regional centres and towns are often sparse, isolated and disappointing. They just don’t have the density to justify the sorts of easily accessible services and entertainment options which the city provides. And by definition, they ought to offer less diversity, less excitement, less choice.
Consider the effort and planning required just to hang out with mates after school: the parks are bleak, the shopping malls underwhelming, and friends’ houses may be logistically too difficult to get there and back. In the city, such destinations can be reached easily by public transport or on foot.
When it comes to entertainment for teenagers, regional towns have little to offer. Weekend sport is possible but not always viable due to the distances involved. There are very few opportunities to see live music or entertainment: something many city teens enjoy. Nobody wants to sit around with their parents at night playing board games – at least not all the time – but the only real nightlife available is the local pub, a place where teens are excluded by law.
So they are forced to create their own fun at house parties, where alcohol in large doses is the star attraction. Don’t get me wrong: this is an activity beloved by city teenagers too. But the drinking and drug abuse in regional and rural communities is worse due to two factors: it is driven primarily by boredom, and it is often necessarily combined with driving.
Surprisingly, the incidence of risky drinking in rural areas is only 2-3% higher than in capital cities, according to ABS data from 2005. But that sort of statistical reduction often masks serious differences, because it only asks respondents whether they have consumed at risky levels in the last week or fortnight. It would not take account of the full number of drinks consumed, or the regularity of such sessions.
Beyond that, it doesn’t measure the context of the drinking: was it at a large gathering to celebrate an event, was it just with a few friends, or was it alone – drinking because there was nothing else to do. If boredom doesn’t kill, it suffocates.
Living in such a place is a valid lifestyle choice for any adult to make. But children born in to a regional community have no input in to that decision whatsoever – they must simply endure the consequences of starting life at a handicap.
Some may believe that a regional lifestyle will benefit their kids: cleaner air, greater space, more time spent together as a family. Such an outlook should be discarded immediately because it is derived entirely from fallacies.
The air in our cities is fine. There is plenty of room to run around: our dwellings are already among the biggest in the world. And family time is, like everything else, best doled out only in moderation. There are many things the family is good for, but entertainment, socialisation and cultural enlightenment are not among them. Nor are these made easy by regional living.
While it will inevitably be at their discretion, parents should think twice before opting to raise their kids outside of the city. It is not just about alcohol, or drugs, or the elevated risk of self-harm and suicide especially among young men discovering they are gay. All children, and particularly teens, need the excitement, distraction and diversity of urban life.
Every year I travel to regional NSW high schools to assist in the Department of Education’s debating and public speaking program. We select a handful of year 10 students to form a representative team from their region and travel to Sydney to compete in the state championships.
For some, it is the first time they have seen the big city in the flesh: a brief glimpse at the colourful world outside their beige cocoon. The packed corridors and endless activity of Sydney University, where the camp is held, have inspired many to return and pursue an education and a life beyond what they initially thought possible.
There is very little homesickness at this camp. Indeed, the often forlorn faces of those leaving the city are heartbreaking. For we know where it is they are returning: the country, a place manifestly not for the young or young at heart.
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