The annual end of year week long party for Western Australian high school graduates. Very similar to the American Spring Break (and is called schoolies week in the East) except leavers is usually comprised of students finishing year twelve and a few older kids (particularly the ones at uni and want a break at the end of their exams) who remember how cool it was. Seen as the end of the long hard slog for the year 12 TEE students. Leavers usually begins in late November and is officially the week after all the TEE exams are over. However, quite often the situation arises where a group of mates have all finished their TEE (as the last week is for weird subjects like Modern Greek or Malay: Advanced) their leavers break can start on the final week of the TEE.

Students on leavers usually go for a week but some with stricter parents (or parents who know what goes on at leavers) only allow their child to go for a few days. Since school leavers in Western Australia are only 17 (assuming they haven't skipped a year or stayed down) there is the big problem of trying to sneak alcohol (or other assorted goodies) away. Usually the leavers group is then accompanied by an 18 year old who becomes one of the most popular people in the group since he has ID. Bottle shops are a hell of a lot more strict on selling to underage people when leavers is on.

Most students head either to Rotto or down south to places like Dunsborough, Margaret River or Busselton. Rotto is always a very good location to go because there are no cars so there is no need for designated drivers. Add that to the huge masses of people there and a good time can only prevail. Two years ago the leavers in Dunsborough trashed the small town big time so the local pigs are quite tough on that area. On the drive down south during the start of leavers there is usually many police stop points where they do random checks of the car (although there is always reported to be more than what there always is).


I was a graduating year twelve last year and went to a place south of Mandurah for leavers. We had stacks of fun; breaking lights, breaking doors, having a sleeping cycle of 6am to 2pm. Luckily we had an 18 year old with us, a necessity on leavers as without him we would have finished all the alcohol within 4 hours. Leavers is the lifestyle we all dream of and have, but only for a week.

Yay! this is my 25th writeup.

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