The Australian Women's Weekly February 2019

I grew up in your typical suburban cul-de-sac street and was lucky enough to back onto a national park. As a kid this meant trips into our bush backyard to pick wild blackberries, search for tadpoles or collect silkworms to nurture in shoeboxes punctured with tiny holes. I have memories of running under sprinklers on stiflingly hot summer days and cicada noise that rose to the sort of decibels that made conversation impossible. I also remember a lot of wildlife. The kookaburras we fed bacon rind to on the back fence, the constant fear of spiders – we always jumped on our shoes before putting our feet in them after a ghastly huntsman-in-ugg-boot incident. And then there were the snakes – I still have a vivid image of my grandmother…

Back by popular demand is the annual City of Stonnington High Tea, supported by The Australian Women’s Weekly . Enjoy a high tea menu from Tommy Collins by Atlantic Group while admiring collections on the runway. Expect the latest creations from iconic Australian designers that you can shop in the streets of Stonnington right after the show. Hosted by Nicole Byers, Editor-in Chief of The Australian Women’s Weekly, with a special presentation by Thurley. Sittings at 11am and 2.30pm, Saturday, March 9. Tickets are $99 from vamff.com.au…

LETTER of the MONTH I was thrilled to read The Milk of Human Kindness ( AWW , January). My daughters were born over 40 years ago and I was fortunate I had an abundant supply of breast milk. After leaving hospital, I would be woken during the night with excess milk. I soon found I could express my excess milk and freeze it in ice block trays. My husband would then deliver large sealed plastic bags full of frozen breast milk to the hospital’s nursery wing on his way to work! How simple life was. It’s heart-warming to think these methods are again being sought for these precious babies. R. Watson, Wynnum North, Qld BORN FIGHTER I fought back tears reading Jelena Dokic’s horrific…

Globe trotting WOMEN DOMINATE AWARDS Olivia Colman won scores of fans when she accepted her Golden Globe with a very British “Cor blimey” but it was Glenn Close who stole the show when she called for women to follow their dreams. Glenn said playing a woman whose talent took a back seat to her husband’s taught her that women are expected to nurture others, but they need to find fulfilment. “We have to say, ‘I can do that,’ and ‘I should be allowed to do that’,” she said. ROYAL TWINS TURN EIGHT The youngest members of the Danish royal family, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, have celebrated their eighth birthday. To mark the occasion, the family released some intimate snaps that Crown Princess Mary took herself. MIRANDA’S TAPPILY EVER AFTER…

OTTER UPDATE Three tiny Asian small-clawed otter pups were born at Perth Zoo over the summer. Parents Paddy and Cerdik are reportedly “otter-ly thrilled”. ZOO TREATS ROO Most three-year-olds would be pretty annoyed if they were given a fruit and carrot birthday cake. But at Melbourne Zoo, the cake was a huge hit. BILBIES ARE BACK Six species of bilby have been released into a predator-free fenced area of NSW in a bid to reintroduce the species, which has not been seen in NSW for almost 100 years.…

SA Australian of the Year Dr Richard Harris BEFORE HE PLUNGED into the cold, dirty water that had filled the now-infamous Tham Luang cave, Australian anaesthetist Richard “Harry” Harris could think of 100 reasons why the rescue mission he was about to embark on wasn’t going to work. The kids could drown, he says, counting them off. “The mask would fill with water or they’d drown in their own saliva, or they’d die of cold. They were very thin and the wetsuits didn’t fit them property. There was nothing good about it.” Yet the Wild Boars soccer team and their devoted coach Ekkapol “Ek” Chantawong had already defied the odds, surviving for nine days on nothing but water and prayers inside a cave with dwindling oxygen. Around them flood waters…