The Australian Women's Weekly December 2017

This month saw us celebrate one of the most exciting days in The Weekly’s calendar, our Women of the Future luncheon, where we presented our worthy young winners with scholarship funds and Qantas travel bursaries to help them take the next steps in pursuing their dreams (see page 16). The buzz of the event lingered in the office for weeks as we pored over the photos and shared stories from the day. There was the delight we felt at watching actress Miranda Tapsell warmly congratulating and embracing our inspirational finalists, urging them on in their passionate pursuits. Or seeing Crown Prosecutor Margaret Cunneen, SC, share a belly laugh with actress Marta Dusseldorp, particularly since Janet King, the character Marta stars as, is said to be loosely based on Margaret’s illustrious…

Genevieve Gannon Our investigative journalist probed into the cosmetic medicine industry after the tragic death of a Sydney woman following a breast procedure (see page 64). Genevieve spent a week on tour with Opera Australia in the Northern Territory, leaving the bustle of The Weekly offices behind for the music of Mozart – and enjoying a swim with the off-duty opera stars in a natural spring (see page 58). In her spare time, she moonlights as a rom-com author. Juliet Rieden The Weekly’s Editor swapped her royal reporting to go behind the scenes in London on the second series of The Crown, the TV hit about them (see page 28). Back in Sydney, Juliet interviewed cover star Kerri-Anne Kennerley (see page 20) and fell in love with her golden retriever,…

Letter of the month The article about Heather Hawkins was truly inspiring (Running For Her Life, AWW, September). I am also a survivor of ovarian cancer, a most insidious disease that “sneaks up” on women. In my case, it was picked up fairly early – I assumed the challenges I was experiencing might be menopause until my chiropractor felt the firm lump on my left side. It is imperative for women to have regular health checks – better to get an all-clear than regret not seeing someone early on. F. White, Croydon North, Vic. Care for women in outback I am not surprised at Dark Side Of The Outback (AWW, November). Once again, serial rapists are given small sentences for huge crimes. As a senior citizen who has done lots…

The Duchess takes a spin with Paddington After a quiet spell recovering from morning sickness, the Duchess of Cambridge has returned to the public eye, dancing with Paddington Bear. In her first appearance since announcing her third pregnancy, with the baby due in April 2018, Kate joined Princes William and Harry, and the famous marmalade-loving bear at London’s Paddington Station. Wearing a rose dress, Kate twirled on the platform before waving off a group of children taking a train ride through the countryside. DOLLY’S LATEST ALBUM JUST FOR THE KIDS Fifty years after a bright-eyed, big-haired country singer released her first album, Hello, I’m Dolly, Dolly Parton is still singing. Her 44th solo album – and first album for children – I Believe In You, out now, will raise funds…

It was ironic and rather apt that as Lisa Wilkinson was on stage hosting The Weekly’s discussion on gender equality, behind the scenes she was fighting for her own equal pay rights with then employer the Nine Network. In a show of strength, she quit Nine just days after our event, when her request for pay equal to co-host Karl Stefanovic was denied and, in a move that shocked the male-driven TV industry, moved to Network Ten. At the Women of the Future luncheon’s panel discussion, Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop said it’s vital that women support each other, as she revealed the discrimination she faced in Parliament. “It was pretty lonely,” she said of her time as the only female member of Tony Abbott’s first Cabinet in 2013.…

“ I’m pretty good at erasing what I don’t choose to remember. ” He was very tall, six foot one, not particularly attractive, but full of swagger … I was drawn to him from first sight,” says Kerri-Anne Kennerley, who is casting her mind back to a period in her life she buried, long, long ago. Until now, the 64-year-old star has never spoken about her horrific first marriage. Even her own family knows scant detail of what really went on when a “naïve and bushy-tailed” Kerri-Anne followed her heart and the bright lights for an exciting dream life in New York. She was 21 and Jimmy Miller, who owned recording studios in Manhattan and lived in a penthouse above the studios, was 20 years older. “He was so incredibly…