The society that convict-era Governor Lachlan Macquarie hoped for and what Australia has become in the past 200 years has been starkly portrayed in a new poem by a group of Sydney high school students.

The work, Nine Visions For Citizens and Soldiers, draws from and provides a 21st century interpretation on the famous speech the Governor made after landing in Sydney to take up his post on 30 January 1810. One key paragraph in that speech urged the following:

"I am sanguine in my Hopes, that all those Dissentions and Jealousies which have unfortunately existed in this Colony, for some time past, will now terminate forever, and give way to a more becoming Spirit of Conciliation, Harmony, and Unanimity, among all Classes and Descriptions of the Inhabitants of it.”

The Year 10 students from Macquarie Fields High reveal a mix of positives and negatives on what has become of that grand vision – from botox on a yacht to our communion of beer and watching the footy, glimpses of faith, brown bricks, “echoes of your wisdom in chardonnay, manicured lawns and a newsreader’s plastic smile.”

The poetic response, six weeks in the making as a collaborative classroom assignment, was read for the first time today in the presence of the NSW Governor Professor Marie Bashir as part of The Con’s annual Open Day festival.

It was one of two special performances to mark the Bicentenary of Macquarie’s seminal stint in the Colony. The other was the first public playing in more than 190 years of Mrs Macquarie’s 1814 cello.

The Con has historic links with Macquarie and his wife Elizabeth. The institution’s main building, located on the edge of the Royal Botanic Gardens, was once their official stables and staff quarters.

“The students have done a marvellous and inspiring job in reflecting on the aspirations of Macquarie, and providing their own thoughtful and quirky take on what has been achieved since,” commented Dean and Principal, Professor Kim Walker.

“There is no doubt that Macquarie and his wife were a very special couple and made a deep and meaningful impression on this country then, and with a legacy that resonates in many ways today.

“The Macquarie Fields students’ poem eloquently captures their various views of the challenges Macquarie was evoking in 1810 and how they look and are represented 200 years on.”

The poetry project was conceived by The Red Room Company, a Sydney-based not-for-profit firm dedicated to promoting new Australian poetry and Australian poets.

It was coordinated by Macquarie Fields High Head of English John Wilkie and English teacher Imelda Judge, along with Red Room’s Artistic Director Johanna Featherstone, professional poet Dr Lachlan Brown and Sydney Conservatorium staff.

The students involved are: Sean So, Natalie Kambouris, Molica Ly, Aashna Rampal, Brendan Hellyer,
Aidan Powell,Lauren Pearce, Ayon Bhakta, Nabhan Khan and Michelle Zhang.

Lachlan Brown, who lives in Campbelltown, completed a PhD on the poetry and prose of internationally acclaimed Australian poet Kevin Hart at the University of Sydney last year. He is a winner of the University poetry prize and the Henry Lawson prize.

The Open Day festival, held this year on Sunday March 28, was the biggest array of concerts, displays and lectures involving a mix of students, faculty and guest artists on record.

The festival is predicated on welcoming people of all ages and from all walks of life to one of the world’s leading music institutions.

You can read the full poem online at http://redroomcompany.org, and check out more pretty pictures from the day here.