The Australian Women's Weekly May 2019

I was always someone others would describe as stoic. Even during my hormone-charged teen years, I was never prone to emotional outbursts or spontaneous fits of weeping. Then I had a baby. Now I’m that person who carries a mini-pack of tissues with them at all times. So much as a stirring song, a come-from-behind victory or a simple kind word is enough to have me welling up. So I feel I must warn any other “criers” out there, that the office Kleenex supply got a particularly vigorous work-out this month. Just try to read about the indomitable spirit of three young children battling serious illness, and the special people bringing much-needed light to their journey (Everyday Superheroes, see page 36) without shedding a tear. Elsewhere, the story of a…

While my husband and I had lunch at a seaside hotel, I noticed a frail elderly gentleman drinking a wine on his own. I couldn’t stop thinking how alone he looked. I was at first hesitant – he may have wanted to be alone – but we decided to ask him if he’d like to join us. After chatting between tables, he came to sit with us. He explained he had lost his wife two years ago and they always went out on a Friday for lunch. He was keeping up their tradition. He fascinated us with his life story of high corporate positions and extensive world travel, and we shared some of our stories with him. This lovely man gave us a most beautiful experience in our lives. Congratulations…

CODE CRACKER UNVEILED Thank you to Jessie Flanders for your service to our country (St Kilda Spy, AWW, April). She kept her secret for so long! Women play a vital role at home and abroad during times of conflict, and deserve to be recognised. P. Harvey, Hammondville, NSW. KINDNESS OF STRANGERS Visiting from Switzerland I picked up your April issue featuring the Kindness Project and I thought I’d share my experiences of how kind and nice Australians have been to me. From the driver who stopped his bus to give me detailed directions, to the lady in Broome who held my hand while I was seasick (who does that to someone who’s not a very close loved one?). Food offered and phones lent, a free ride when I couldn’t recharge…

If only I’d been able to read an interview like Jessica Rowe’s (“Petey Loves Me As I Am”, AWW, April) 18 years ago I might have been able to recognise and seek treatment for my post-natal depression much sooner. I felt like an utter failure struggling with one of the most fundamental aspects of being human - motherhood. Today I’m half-way through a psychology degree and looking forward to helping others navigate this path. Thank you Jessica, for being so open, authentic and wonderfully human. It will encourage others to seek help. K. Armytage, Toowoomba, QLD…

NOTRE DAME ‘The whole story of Paris’ The Weekly contributor William Langley marvelled at the cathedral’s beauty just one day before it burned. ON THE COOL, sunny evening of April 14, I walked along the Quai de Montebello on the Left Bank of Paris, looking, with a familiar sense of wonderment, across the river to the great cathedral of Notre Dame, where the main Sunday mass was being held. Nowhere could offer up a mass like Notre Dame. From the soaring descants of the choir to the stupendous rumble of its 8000-pipe organ to the incomparable flourishes of filigree stonework, this was a place where religion, art, history and an entire nation’s sense of being converged. Less than 24 hours later, the 850-year-old cathedral was a burned-out shell. The blaze…

CASTING DI Fans of TV’s The Crown are eager to see who’ll play Diana. The role has gone to UK actress Emma Corrin, who bears a striking resemblance to the late Diana. MAN OF THE MOMENT Thai cave rescue hero and joint 2019 Australian of the Year, Dr Craig Challen, is the new ambassador for children’s charity The Smith Family. TEST YOUR BREASTS Wanted star Rebecca Gibney turned a chore into an important message, posting about her mammogram. “If you haven’t been checked out, please do. It could save your life!” she wrote.…