BGS Writing Prize

In his entry to the BGS Writing Prize, Year 12 student Benhao Gu brings the reader into his world, making for a deeply personal account of 2020 and his final year of secondary school.

2020 is the final year of my VCE journey, I expected I would have so much, so much fun in this second decade of 2000. I dreamt about my first formal, I even prepared a new suit for this occasion. But what I hear is the event is continuously being postponed, again and again, from April to June, from June to September, and seems it will never happen.

I open my laptop, wanting to pour out all my resentment and misfortunate experience on the internet. But what I see on the navigation page shocked me. It is an article that details how a brave Sydney nurse neglects her own wedding to help Victoria combat COVID-19. I am astounded for her action to come to Melbourne, the centre of the pandemic, as I know there aren’t many cases in NSW, and it is much safer of course.

There are more suggestions after I finish reading the article, I unconsciously click the next one. This is story after story about how local people help each other and share the love during the pandemic.

I think deeply about myself during the lockdown periods this year, I suddenly realise I have actually received huge support from people around me all the time: when I want to play football, my father, who never touches the ball, has practised for a whole night; when I want to eat sushi from my favourite canteen, but I forget the name for it, my mother has tried so hard to get in contact with the shop, and ordered a full plate on my birthday.

Once I wondered why they worked so hard for me, and now, I understand, they just want to give some hope, something I can look forward to.

Benhao Gu
Year 12