Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue#21.1 January 2018 i Australian Country

ONE OF THE MANY PRIVILEGES OF EDITING AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY IS THAT I GET TO TRAVEL ALL OVER THE COUNTRY MEETING FASCINATING PEOPLE WHO GENEROUSLY welcome us into their homes and lives. As regular readers know, I grew up in country Queensland and never for a minute take for granted the opportunity that this job affords me to keep one foot in the bush. Wherever theACteam travels we are always impressed by the resilience of people from rural and regional areas and their energy to constantly reinvent themselves and try new ways to keep their businesses viable. Quite frequently we find ourselves in communities that have a particular energy: the people behind the tiny, remote towns that won’t give up in the face of droughts, floods, fires and uncertain commodity markets. Winton…

Peter Allen’s emotive anthem about this beloved land we call home is an apt theme for the life shared by Brisbane couple, Riza and Cam Taylor. “Together we have lived in Malaysia, Tanzania, India, Vietnam and Ethiopia,” says Riza, who was born and raised overseas where her father took on different roles for the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation. “Cam and I met in Hyderabad, India. I was visiting my family from boarding school in Canberra, and Cam was working with my Dad — scandalous! He was already well-liked by my younger siblings who were living in India with Mum and Dad. I remember Mum telling me he was coming over for dinner and saying he was really nice, to which I replied in the sass only a teenager can manage,…

KIRBY’S AT RICKETY GATE (WA) Until recently Jacqueline and Frederick Kirby ran an acclaimed restaurant at Rickety Gate Wines, a boutique winery and weekend cellar door in Denmark’s Scotsdale Valley. But now they have closed that business to concentrate on the catering and events side of their business. You can still enjoy the delights of Frederick’s menu however, as he shares his recipes and professional expertise with regular cooking classes in the former restaurant’s kitchen. Weekend cooking retreats, corporate workshops and private classes are also available. ricketygateestate.com.au REAL FOOD COOKING CLASSES (NT) Expat Kiwis Stu Todd (a finalist in the 2011 MasterChef NZ) and nutritionist, health specialist and lifestyle coach Matt Straight have joined forces in Alice Springs to run cooking classes presenting affordable, achievable, nutritionally balanced recipes for entertaining.…

GILLY STEPHENSON The Gilly Stephenson Food Safe Wax is a rich, soft wax perfect for a natural finish on a variety of raw timber/bamboo surfaces. Made from a blend of beeswax, EcoSoya and carnauba waxes, it penetrates deeply. gillystephenson.com CANNARD HATS If you love being outdoors then a Cannard hat is the perfect protection. Certified UPF50, you can enjoy a day at the races or a day in the garden. Create a custom look from the huge range of hat styles and trims. cannardhats.com.au MOOGOO The Anti-Ageing Face Cream from MooGoo is a natural moisturiser designed to improve sun-damaged skin. The base is made using olive squalene, which mimics the oil younger skin naturally produces. moogoo.com.au JSALA SOY CANDLES With more than 45 fragrances to choose from, Jsala Soy Candles…

Thanks for being in touch. We welcome your feedback. We appreciate your thoughts and in each issue, one correspondent wins a prize. Simply email Kirsty at kmckenzie@ universalmagazines.com.au  or write to us at Australian Country, Locked Bag 154, North Ryde NSW 1670. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters before publication. Our favourite correspondent next issue will win a fun and fabulous FUJIFILM instax Mini 9 camera valued at $99. Just tell us about your favourite story or feature to be in the running to win this wonderful prize.…

TAMARA SIMONEAU WRITER & STYLIST Tamara is falling in love with her homeland again after almost a decade living in Canada where she worked in TV, running the prime-time program, Entertainment Tonight Canada. She’s produced live shows, been on the red carpet for the Academy Awards, and travelled the globe . These days, she’d like to say she’s living a quieter life as a writer, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, but with three young kids, it’s anything but. JOHN DOWNS PHOTOGRAPHER Four generations of John Downs’ family have been photographers, starting with his great, great grandfather in Wales in 1868. John started as a staff photographer at London’s Natural History Museum and his varied career has seen him shoot everything from fluffy cushions in the studio to Formula 1 cars screaming…

Chance has been kind to Paul and Bonnie Atlan. It brought them together in the first place after Bonnie set off for Paris as a young American model in search of success in the City of Lights. She found it, and also added a dashing Parisian to her portfolio. “I was on the metro heading home from a modelling job,” Bonnie recalls. “Suddenly the train came to a halt and all the passengers frantically exited the underground seeking transport on buses or from passing cars. It was a strike, and I was left not knowing how I would get home to my little studio apartment. Buses were jammed and, too scared to ask for a ride, I stood helplessly until I spotted a red motorcycle that had stopped with a…

 Methodical is practically Doug Rawlinson’s middle name. So the irony of the fact that his life was framed by a five-second encounter is not lost on the former electronics technician turned nurseryman. “At different times the Kentgrove homestead has been the residence of three of Goulburn’s mayors so the house became grander through the years.” As Doug tells his story, in the early 1950s his father was living in Cootamundra and desperately in need of work. An offer came up, but he had to go to Sydney to apply for it. “So he rode his pushbike the 400-odd kilometres,” Doug explains. “It took him a week, and when he eventually got to the agency, it just happened that he was standing in line beside Ernie Hyles, who was a prominent…

HOMECAMP DORON & STEPHANIE FRANCIS, HARDIE GRANT TRAVEL, $59.99 We can’t keep our hands off this handsome tome, in particular the cover, which features a photograph of a tent on a beach with a cliff in the background and a spectacular night sky above. It’s cleverly embossed with a dotted pathway that just begs a finger trace and communicates the endless potential of the journeys and adventures that the everyday people profiled in the book have experienced. Homecampis about the bold souls who have dared to do what others dream of: quit their jobs, packed up and moved to the bush, or another country, or a beach far away from all that is familiar. In the process of reconnecting with nature they’ve found new meaning in life … and their…

JAN 12-22 (TAS) MONA FOMA A highlight on Tasmania’s summer calendar is the Museum of Old and New Art’s (MONA) Festival of Music and Art (FOMA) curated by Brian Ritchie, the bass guitarist for the Violent Femmes. FOMA brings a beguiling mixed bag of music and art to various locations around Launceston (Jan 12-14) and Hobart (Jan 15-22). From post-punk bands to avant-garde orchestras, inflatables, installations and performance art, MOFO sprawls unconventionally across the island state. Launceston highlights include Gotye joining the Ondioline Orchestra to pay homage to renowned French electronic composer Jean-Jacques Perrey and rock legends Godspeed You! Black Emperor from Canada providing the live score for The Holy Body Dance Tattoo’s Monumentalin Launceston. They’ll also perform live at MONA, playing tracks from their latest album, Luciferian Towers. MONA’s…

It’s the opening night of the Vision Splendid Film Festival and the host town of Winton, 1350 kilometres north-west of Brisbane, has turned on a typical western Queensland winter welcome. In other words it’s as cold as charity in the Royal Open Air Theatre and the popcorn sellers are doing a roaring trade hiring out fleecy blankets to the patrons who are hunkering down in the canvas deck chairs for the screening of David Stratton: A Cinematic Life. David’s not there, but his partner in film of almost 30 years, Margaret Pomeranz is, along with actor Roy Billing, director Sally Aitkin, producer Bill Leimbach, a host of local dignitaries, visiting film buffs, and curious grey nomads from the caravan park across the road, who’ve been attracted by the action in…

Classic Monkey Mule Makes1 60ml Ocean Spray® Low Sugar Cranberry Juice Drink 45ml gin 15ml lime juice 3 dashes orange bitters Honey, to taste Spicy ginger beer (or diet spicy ginger beer), for topping up Mint sprig, to serve Add Low Sugar Cranberry Juice Drink, gin, lime juice, bitters and honey to a glass and stir. Top with spicy ginger beer, garnish with mint and serve cold. Lucky Tom Cocktail Makes1 30ml Ocean Spray® Low Sugar Cranberry Juice Drink 20ml gin Add all ingredients except wine to a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with lemon twist. Cranberry Lime Spritzer Makes1 3 sprigs fresh mint 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 100ml Ocean Spray® Cranberry Classic™ Fruit Drink Sparkling water or sparkling white…

RASF SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS There were plenty of proud moments as the Royal Agricultural Society Foundation (RASF) hosted its rural scholarship presentations in a series of events at Armidale, Wagga Wagga and the Sydney Showground. Each year the RASF provides scholarships for country students to help them with their studies. There is no limit on the types of courses that qualify or the age of the students. They could be studying anything from physiotherapy, engineering, teaching, agricultural science, horticulture, medicine, nursing, wool classing and commerce … and almost everything in between. The scholars can be at university, TAFE or doing VET courses, studying on campus or online. However they all have one thing in common — a desire to play an active part in the future of rural NSW. Since 2011…

POCKET-SIZED PARADISE I couldn’t resist writing to you regarding your wonderful magazine and in particular, the September/October issue. I love most of the homes you feature, but must confess I drooled over every page of Jodie & Andrew’s home. While this is a home a pensioner like me can only dream about, I wanted to say that with a little planning and working with a small budget it is possible to create an attractive environment. I am very happy with my small retirement unit. I revamped my courtyard, which I finished at the age of 86. I’ve created a delightful place for morning coffee or a glass of wine at night when the shrubs are lit with green floodlights. I bought the occasional tables very cheaply from the many op…