The Australian Women's Weekly March 2019

Reflecting on my first year in this job, I realised something many of you probably figured out long ago. The Weekly is much more than just a magazine. This month our pages have sparked a new lead in murder cold case, led a reader to diagnose a long-running health issue, helped two husbands romance their wives and resurrected a family tradition dormant for 22 years. Imagine our surprise when journalist Genevieve Gannon was contacted by the Federal Police, alerting her to a press release about to be issued. It read: An unexplained note in a copy of a magazine has sparked fresh calls for information about missing Canberra teenager Megan Mulquiney. Police are trying to locate the person who wrote the name ‘Inge Quitt’ under a photo of Megan which…

KIWI IMPORT I, along with lots of Aussies, have been very impressed with the New Zealand PM Jacinda Adern (Our new life with Neve, AWW, February). Can we import her? She presents a lesson in advocacy for our planet, motherhood and leadership. She is calm, tuned in and down to earth. Thank you for the interview with a woman who is managing an amazing balancing act, and may I add my blessings for their family and baby Neve. J.Esots, Willunga, SA. FIND YOUR VOICE Thank you, Vanessa Fowler (Allison Baden-Clay’s Legacy of Hope, AWW, February) for sharing your sister’s story despite your grief and pain. My story mirrors that of Allison – unless you’ve been there, you can’t understand how an abusive partner can systematically destroy your confidence to the…

Thank you for your lovely interview with the Irwin family (“ We’re stronger now” , AWW , February). As well known as they are for their devotion to the environment and the animals that call it home, they also raise the bar in family values. I was touched that Terri and Bindi hold hands as a close-knit mother and daughter while spending so much of their day together. It’s also endearing that Robert and Chandler have such a great friendship and have such love and respect for the women in their lives.…

BAFTA ROYALTY Two “Queens” and a Duchess stole the show at the BAFTAs. Margot Robbie (above, centre), nominated for Mary Queen of Scots, chose Chanel, while Cate Blanchett (left), who won in 1999 for Elizabeth 1, was bejewelled. The Duchess of Cambridge (right) was a vision in McQueen. Tower of glory SONGBIRD Kate Miller-Heidke is on her way to Eurovision to represent Australia in the song competition in Tel Aviv. Kate’s operatic performance of Zero Gravity in a towering, silver, ice-queen costume beat out nine other finalists, including Electric Fields and Ella Hooper. Kate has long been a fan of the contest. “What I love about Eurovision is the permission to go a bit bonkers. I love how theatrical it is,” she told SBS. The finals will be held in…

GOODES NEWS AFL great and 2014 Australian of the Year Adam Goodes is set to add “father” to his list of honourable titles. He and wife Natalie Crocker will become parents in the winter. FRIEND TURNS FIFTY Jennifer Aniston celebrated her 50th birthday with her best friends, including Kate Hudson and Gwyneth Paltrow, who gushed Jen was her, “ray of sunshine”. FAREWELL DOLLY Carol Channing was Dolly before Barbara Streisand, and knew diamonds were a girl’s best friend before Marilyn. The star, 97, passed away last month, leaving a glorious legacy.…

RAPE DRAINS THE LIGHT, Sohaila Abdulali (right) wrote in her treatise on the crime, but the actions of women all over the world give her hope that courage will drive the darkness into retreat. Recently, in Sohaila’s birthplace of India, millions of women joined hands to form a “women’s wall” that stretched more than 600km in a powerful demonstration of resistance. “I hope it was a sign of substantial change,” Sohalia says of the latest example of women giving voice to their rage, following the pink-hued women’s marches in cities from Washington to West Java. A writer and survivor, Sohaila saw a hint the winds of change had reached India in 2012 when a decades-old article she had written on her own gang rape went viral. The interest was a…