The Australian Women's Weekly December 2015

TARTING ANY MAJOR project before Christmas is never a good idea. In my case, the project is a full-scale renovation of my small inner-city apartment. Four months ago, I was with Sarah, the unflappable interior architect, as the builder not unreasonably insisted the finish date would be in the middle of December. As anyone over the age of 20 knows, if you have any project, big or small, that involves tradesmen in December, you should think February. For months, I have been camping on spare beds and pullout mattresses, and making a nuisance of myself by hogging the bathroom or arriving home late and making a racket. My wardrobe has been in storage and my sanity at breaking point, although Sarah and her team of competent young women (why are…

Letter of the month I was very moved by the story of The Farmer Who Killed His Family (WW, Nov). I think I can understand better than most why such a tragedy could happen. Dad suffered a frontal lobe injury at 21. He married and had children some years later. People say my dad was kind, caring, yet the brain injury caused Dad to suffer from unpredictable rages. He lacked impulse control and could behave in a sexually inappropriate way. It was totally impossible to reason with my dad and though a hard worker, he was completely unable to manage money. He would get into debt and Mum was left trying to pay the bills and feed the family. I just feel so sad that this man ended up killing…

You came to us for NEWS “After five rounds of IVF, I’m finally pregnant!” You were thrilled to read netball star Liz Ellis was expecting her second child after five rounds of IVF and three miscarriages. The story reached 1.1 million people on Facebook, with 65,000 clicking through to read the story. What a wonderful story to read. As someone who had 11 rounds of IVF and suffered miscarriages on the journey to get my beautiful family, I get really emotional hearing these feel good news articles. Wonderful, wonderful news. POSTED BY MICHELLE COVEY It’s always nice to hear the success stories. Thanks to the amazing world of IVF, my husband and I are expecting our first little miracle next month. How lucky we are to be born in an…

ANDREW OLLE LECTURE The worlds of media, big business and the arts collided when The Weekly’s Editor-In-Chief Helen McCabe delivered the Andrew Olle Media Lecture. Cate Blanchett upped the star wattage at the event held to honour the late TV journalist Andrew Olle, with a “state of the union” address on the Australian media. Citing The Weekly’s reports on domestic violence, adoption and family law – as well as noting its emergence as an agenda-setter – Helen spoke of an erosion of trust between the media and the public. A full transcript of her speech is at aww.com.au . Guests included ABC Chairman Jim Spigelman, The Australian Editor Clive Mathieson, DMG Radio’s Cathy O’Connor and…

IT IS BEGINNING to feel a lot like Christmas, and for some people, that’s great. Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy. Yet it’s not for everyone, at least not all the time. This year’s Gold Logie winner and The Weekly’s December cover star, Carrie Bickmore, 34, is one woman brave enough to acknowledge that Christmas is, for many people, a time of mixed feelings. Yes, it’s joyful, especially if you have small children, but it’s quite okay to feel some sadness, too, particularly when those you hold dear aren’t near. On any measure, Carrie has been blessed this year. In March, she welcomed a new daughter, Evie, into the world, and the little girl has proved to be the perfect playmate for her young son, Ollie. In…

CRICKETING LEGEND Glenn McGrath glanced up at the face of the doctor attending to his wife, Sara. What he saw sent a chill through him. Glenn, whose first wife, Jane, died in 2008 after an 11-year battle with breast, brain and bone cancer, had seen worried looks on doctors’ faces before. He also knew that when it comes to medical emergencies, there are no guarantees. “I remember seeing the doctor’s face,” recalls Glenn, 45. “I saw in his eyes that he was deeply concerned, not just for Sara, but for the baby, too. I couldn’t help but be worried as they wheeled Sara off to the operating room to deliver the baby by caesarean section. I didn’t know how Sara was going to be. I didn’t know how our baby…