This was published 4 years ago
Daphne's formal dress hung on her wall while she self-isolated. This month she finally got to wear it
The Class of 2020 endured a year of uncertainty – now, they've celebrated at COVID-safe formals across Sydney.
The 14 days Daphne Fong spent quarantined in her bedroom earlier this year were among the most challenging she has ever endured. A small coronavirus outbreak in August at her school, Our Lady of Mercy College in Parramatta, forced all students into self-isolation just days out from trial HSC exams.
"It was quite draining, emotionally and physically, not being able to leave the room except to go to the bathroom," she says. "We were stuck within those four walls all day."
Hanging on her bedroom wall the whole time was her year 12 formal dress: a black frock with a corset that billowed out at the bottom. Daphne and her mother had driven half-an-hour to Fairfield from their Winston Hills home to purchase it just weeks prior. "I knew it was the one. I wanted to get it ASAP, because you don’t want double-ups," she says.
But whether she would ever wear the gown became a touch-and-go topic, when new COVID-19 cases led the government to tighten restrictions on school events. "I could see it hanging up there, it kind of gave me something to look forward to," Daphne says. She also feared the flipside: that formals, which were cancelled state-wide for term three, would not eventuate at all.
So it was "quite stress relieving" when thousands of HSC students learned the events could proceed from November 11, Daphne says. "It was meaningful to have those final moments together. I think they're memories that are going to stay with us for years to come."
This month's celebrations have been particularly sentimental for the Class of 2020, who have endured a year of global uncertainty and cancelled milestone events. Students pre-emptively mourned the loss of formals in term three, and their parents mourned with them.
Then 200 school captains joined forces in August to launch a COVID-safe formal campaign, and the government gave them the green light in September. Events would proceed with safety plans as soon as HSC exams finished, to ensure no tests were jeopardised.
Dancing was permitted despite early signs it would be off the agenda, although it came with caveats: dance floors had to be outdoors or in well-ventilated areas, and students' partners had to have an established relationship with the year group.
Dancing off the year's stresses to a student-made playlist topped the night for Rose Bay Secondary College student Elsie Gillezeau. Hits from Queen and ABBA through to Come On Eileen and Cardi B's WAP blasted through their Darling Harbour venue for hours.
"The dance floor was so much fun," Elsie says. "We went in with no expectations, but a lot of us were allowed to dance at once. I hadn’t danced in quite a long time, because you can't have parties. This was my first experience of that [since COVID-19], which gives me hope."
Her day stretched from 8am until 5am the next morning: starting with a last-minute dash to Bondi Junction to buy high-heel shoes and finishing with a 10-person sleepover in lieu of an after-party.
The pre-formal drinks were as much for her parents as Elsie. "They wanted to get dressed up too. I’m their only child and this was my first formal," she says. "They’re both filmmakers, glamorous events are in their blood, so they were very excited."
Students at the co-ed school paired up so the girls still received corsages and their year director had a surprise for them when they arrived. "He had set up a red carpet with balloons near the entrance, and there was a big board saying 'Congratulations class of 2020'," Elsie says.
"You could see the Harbour Bridge and new Barangaroo building, and it was sunset when we got there. Being on the red carpet in the sunset with my peers, not just my friends – that was the best part of the night."
For Strathfield Girls High student Sela Deng, the photo booth was an easy highlight. "Being with my friends, taking funny photos. [The printer] broke down after 10 minutes, but everyone still kept going," she says.
Mercoria Farhoud, from St George Girls High School, spent the day after the formal looking back at her photo booth pictures "about every five minutes". Her night had begun with pre-drinks at her Penshurst apartment: she set the tables, laid decorations, made sure the food platters looked aesthetic and that all her friends had the right address.
When they finally showed up, there was chaos. "Everyone was screaming: you look so beautiful! Show me your hair and nails!" she says. "We'd seen photos of the dresses but hadn't seen them on each other. Everyone looked so beautiful, like princesses, you know? It was just really nice."
The girls' fears they would rip their dress or snap a heel while getting into their hired hummer disappeared when they arrived unscathed at Curzon Hall and joined everyone else. "Seeing it: wow," Mercoria says. "We were all in this moment, it was a good happy energetic vibe, and it was the best feeling."
The night ended to the tune of Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You and, when the lights came on, the girls burst into a spontaneous round of cheers for their school prefect Sarah Khan, who had organised the event.
Mercoria had sat next to Sarah in class throughout the year and watched the formal's financial account gradually deplete as students requested refunds for their tickets when restrictions set in. Without their usual fundraising options, they sold pre-wrapped ice-creams and took money out of their yearbook fund to hold the venue deposit.
"To see it come alive last night, and for Sarah to have a good time, that justified everything in the long run," Mercoria says.
But restrictions and uncertainty around the formal were too much hassle for students at Blacktown Girls High School. Instead, groups of friends organised their own smaller outings and the school's official sit-down dinner was cancelled.
School captain Nashita Chowdhury combined a few friendship groups from her school and Blacktown Boys for a harbour cruise. "It was really lively and I feel like there was this nostalgic vibe to it – because we were craving something like this for so long," she says.
The cramped space and wind posed a challenge, however. "Girls were falling in their heels all the time which was quite funny – 15 people would rush to help them," Nashita says.
And she also made a personal discovery. "I didn’t realise I got seasick, so after a slice of pizza I was hurling over the edge of the boat," she says. "My dress was safe because I knew it was coming. But after I vomited twice I just sat outside. I got up every now and then, but mostly just enjoyed the view."
Days later, Daphne remembers blasting Fergalicious in the limousine with her friends after waving goodbye to their parents from behind darkened windows. It joins memories from her final weeks of school - taking photos on disposal cameras, playing Connect Four over lunch and running onto the playground through a guard of honour - as one of her fondest from the year.
"Year 11 and 12 have been the most stressful years of high school," she says. "It’s been really special to have those final moments together."
Did you attend your formal this year? Send us your photos and anecdotes to scoop@smh.com.au