The Australian Women's Weekly September 2017

I am beyond honoured to be writing this, my first letter as Editor-in-Chief of Australia’s most loved magazine for women. I will be honest, though, the enormity of the position and the calibre of women whose legendary footsteps I will be following in did come with a sobering dose of nerves. Did I really have what it takes to bring my vision for this iconic magazine to life and could I do so while balancing my other cherished roles as a mother, wife, daughter and friend? As the chorus of congratulations flowed in, my sense of responsibility only grew. From family in Mudgee and across the country to old school friends and the ladies on my netball team, the message was the same. You are joining an institution cherished by…

Letter of the month We were on holiday in England in 1997 when Princess Diana passed away on my birthday. As we toured, we saw carpets of flowers laid by war memorials and churches. We were surprised when our friend, an unemotional man, suggested we watch the funeral on TV. When we went out later for a meal, we found a nation in hibernation. Every year on my birthday, I think of her with sadness, but also gratitude that she achieved so much. Truly a flash of beauty and brilliance. Norma King, North Lakes, Qld. A sad childhood memory What a beautiful article on Diana (The Power Of Love, AWW, August). I was only 11 when she passed away, but still remember feeling devastated – it’s as if we all…

Photos have emerged of the Dior Haute Couture dress Miranda Kerr wore to wed Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel in Los Angeles. The gown was designed by the first women to run Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri. Miranda says her style has changed, and counts her grandmother among her style icons. “When I was young, my grandmother told me, ‘Miranda, men are very visual. It’s important to look good,” she told Vogue. NEWS BITES ENGAGED Megan Gale will wed Shaun Hampson after he proposed with a ring he designed himself. BABY BLAKE Zoë Foster Blake and hubby Hamish are “gooey love monsters” after the birth of Rudy Hazel. A BLUE CLUE Turia Pitt and Michael Hoskin revealed they are expecting a boy in a fun new balloon-popping video. 19 CANDLES Bindi Irwin…

Late Saturday night. A distressing noise coming from the back alley. It sounded like a woman was being raped. Alone in her home, Justine Damond phoned her fiancé, Don, a casino manager she had first met on a meditation retreat and who was spending the weekend in Las Vegas. Many of their recent chats had focused on their upcoming wedding in Hawaii, a place they had got to know while carrying on their long-distance relationship, Justine from Sydney and Don in Minneapolis. This, however, was an emergency and Don urged her to phone 911. Alerting the police was the sensible – the safe – thing to do. Justine, a sunny 40-year-old who had already taken her fiancé’s name and now lived in America, often greeted people with a cheery “Hello…

Happiness – true happiness – has always been one of life’s most elusive desires. Sometimes, it’s transitory. Just when you think you finally may have it within your grasp, it somehow seems to melt away. Tracy Grimshaw, the long-time host of the Nine Network’s A Current Affair (ACA), has had plenty of joy in her life – and her fair share of sadness, too – but right now, she says, is perhaps the happiest and most satisfied time of her life. At 57, Tracy is at the pinnacle of her professional game. A Walkley Award-winning journalist and widely regarded as perhaps the most incisive and tenacious interviewer on television, she is both a ratings’ winner and a role model for many in the cut-throat broadcast industry. As pleasing as these…

Those who question the point of the monarchy should take a close look at the brilliantly planned tour of Poland and Germany in July by the British government’s most powerful secret diplomatic weapon, the Cambridge family. The five-day visit was pertinently timed to “extend the hand of friendship” and show Britain’s desire to retain strong links with Europe. And at home it has prompted the Cambridges to be dubbed the nation’s “Brexit ambassadors”. More than anything, though, the tour showed how expert both the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have become as senior royals. Prince William has developed a statesmanlike gravitas while still managing to hang on to the warmth and affection of an approachable young dad that has made him so popular. By his side, Duchess Catherine is equally…