Schoolies site: Wild times ahead

Alex de Vos
Schoolies on the way to Torquay and Lorne are using an online social network to organise sexual liaisons and plan hi-jinks.
On a Facebook Schoolies 2008 group, a member posted a comment suggesting members “pre-arrange r…ts” in the lead-up to the annual celebration.
“Yea let’s all pre arrange r…ts yahhh?’ the member wrote.
Another member also asked the groups’ 3212 members if anyone was interested in a sexual liaison.
“Does any1 wanna pre arrange a r..t?” The member posted on the website.
Members also used the group to post comments about proposed alcohol consumption methods and behaviour during the two-week celebration.
A member who planned to celebrate Schoolies Week in Lorne said he was going to drink from a “fire extinguisher filled with Goon (an alcoholic drink)”.
A female schoolie, also bound for Lorne, said she would get her “t..s out for the boys”.
Geelong’s Centre Against Sexual Assault counsellor Rachael Moore urged schoolies to exercise caution when arranging sexual liaisons
“Do it safely,” she said.
“It’s about having a plan and knowing what they want, what to do and who to turn to if they feel uncomfortable.
“People have a right to party but it’s good to have some plans in place.”
Ms Moore urged school leavers to look out for their friends.
“Make sure you stay in a group and know where your friends are at all times,” she said.
Another Facebook group, Step Back Think, has formed to warn schoolies about the dangers of alcohol-fuelled violence.
The group, which has attracted more than 3000 members, asks users to “step back and remind yourself of all the young people who never recovered…before you throw a punch”.
The formation of the group followed a 2006 Lorne assault on Ballarat schoolie Jon Hucker.
Mr Hucker left the Lorne hotel to answer his mobile phone when he was bashed and fell heavily to the ground. He was taken to The Alfred Hospital with life-threatening head injuries.
Earlier this year a jury found Geelong’s Alexander James Kennedy guilty of recklessly causing serious injury over the assault.