Prosh is a
satirical
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...
annual
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
written by students at the
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...
to raise funds for nominated charities.
Annual event
The annual tradition is the collaboration of a team of voluntary students who write, design and edit a
spoof
Spoof, spoofs, spoofer, or spoofing may refer to:
* Forgery of goods or documents
* Semen, in Australian slang
* Spoof (game), a guessing game
* Spoofing (finance), a disruptive algorithmic-trading tactic designed to manipulate markets
__NOTOC__ ...
newspaper designed to poke fun at current events and political agendas. Content varies, but often contains elements of
potty humour
Toilet humour, or potty or scatological humour (compare scatology), is a type of off-colour humour dealing with defecation, diarrhea, constipation, urination and flatulence, and to a lesser extent vomiting and other bodily functions. It sees sub ...
,
black humour
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
and social and political commentary. Every April the paper is distributed to the public of
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
's metropolitan area by students dressed in
costume
Costume is the distinctive style of dress or cosmetic of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, profession, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch. In short costume is a cultural visual of the people.
The term also was tradition ...
in exchange for a donation, often a "gold coin" donation. However, most collectors are willing to accept any sort of small change or cash donation. The day is also marked by a procession through the streets of Perth. The event now involves many carefully designed floats, practical jokes and stunts which are played on the public by participating students.
History
In 1931, a small group of students compiled a small, satirical newspaper called the "SRUSS SRUSS Times" as part of graduation celebrations. Later that week, the Perth newspaper ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' berated the creators of the newspaper, calling it trash and filth, and the creators were subsequently penalised, in the form of a fine payable to a local children's charity.
In the 1950s the newspaper reappeared as “Prosh”. The name was derived from the inability of inebriated students to pronounce the word “procession” without slurring.
Over the decades of the Prosh procession through Perth, various floats and vehicles of dubious form and function passed through the centre of the city.
Currently, PROSH (which is now one of the oldest
UWA
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...
traditions) is kept alive by volunteers writing, editing and distributing the newspaper annually in April. Each year a new group of charities are chosen as the beneficiaries of all money raised by Prosh, with more than $100,000 raised each year.
Controversy
In 2013, Prosh published a "dreamtime horoscope" that mocked Indigenous Australians with reference to excessive drinking and disproportional financial support from the government. The incident received national media attention and an apology was issued by the UWA Student Guild who committed to changing policies and guidelines for Prosh publications.
References
{{Reflist
External links
The Prosh homepageThe UWA Student Guild homepage
See also
*
Prosh (University of Adelaide)
*
Melbourne University Prosh Week
*
Rag (student society)
Rags are student-run charitable fundraising organisations that are widespread in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Some are run as student societies whilst others sit with campaigns within their student unions. Most universities in the UK and Irela ...
Satirical newspapers
Culture in Perth, Western Australia
University of Western Australia