Mascot draws them in
THEY might be in their final years of secondary school but that hasn’t stopped Miami High students from picking up coloured pencils and getting into the Commonwealth Games spirit.
More than 80 of the school’s Year 10-12 students have entered the national competition to create the official mascot for the 2018 Games.
Design teacher Marco Berton is confident the next Games mascot could be the brainchild of one of the city’s school students and will also enter the competition.
“This task is about teaching the students to do their own research instead of being fed the information and thinking about what animals and even plants they can incorporate,” he said.
“We discovered the Gold Coast’s official flower is the Wallum Banksia and have spoken about how using a seagull or an ibis could be relevant to showing what the Gold Coast is about.
“We have students who have designed rainbow lorikeets through to snakes and even drink cans and stubby bottles, which they think aptly represents Australia.”
Students are more accustomed to using the computer for designing but each entry has to be hand-drawn. The potential to win something has been a great incentive.
“By the time the Games comes, these students will be adults, so they can already really appreciate the Games and what they bring to the city,” Mr Berton said.
Year 11 student Kate Saunders, 16, designed a koala mascot and made him “as Aussie as possible”.
“He has an Australian flag as a cape and the Commonwealth Games logo on his stomach, and wears thongs to represent the Gold Coast and holds boomerangs to show his heritage,” she said.
“I play netball and I love watching it, so hopefully I will be able to watch it live in 2018.”
Brodie Ulbrand, 16, designed a bunyip called Ballun and said a mythological creature from Aboriginal stories would be a great way to incorporate traditions of native Australia into the mascot.
“This mascot is a great way to show people about our history and show that we respect our country’s origins and culture,” she said.
“The perfect mascot will show the world that the Gold Coast is fun, friendly and a great place to be.”
International student Luca Giacardi, 16, arrived on the Gold Coast this month from Italy and has already learnt a lot about the Commonwealth.
“It’s like one big community that’s spread out into countries all over the world,” he said.
“I think the mascot should be a kangaroo on the beach to represent the sand and the sun of the Gold Coast.”
Games chairman Nigel Chamier said Australians of any age were invited to submit mascot ideas.
“We need a mascot that will represent the Gold Coast, Queensland and Australia on the world stage in a truly unique way,” he said.
“There are 23 million people who can be a part of helping us unearth that character.”
Games Minister Kate Jones said the winning design would be used on merchandise, including toys and clothing.
The winner would receive four tickets to the Games’ opening ceremony, along with flights and accommodation.
To enter, visit gc2018.com/ mascot before Monday night.