The Australian Women's Weekly November 2016

Everyone loves a love story, right? Well, stick with me because this one is more special than most. It’s about a beautiful friend of mine, Gillian. I’ve known her since she was a kind, thoughtful, slightly dreamy seven-year-old who had a knack for losing her shoes. A long time ago, I was her nanny. The story starts predictably enough: teen girl meets boy hanging out in carpark, they become friends and, a few years later, become a couple and eventually marry. So far, so lovely, if unremarkable. Three years after their wedding, her husband told her he was a woman in a male body. With Gillian’s support, they told friends and family in rapid succession that he was going to transition to being a woman called Emily. It wasn’t easy,…

Letter of the month Thank you for shedding light on our dairy industry (Our Dairy Farmers In Crisis, AWW, October). If the big supermarkets say to their suppliers they will be retailing their product at $1 per litre, the processor is then forced to decrease their offering price to the farmer accordingly. It’s as simple as that. So the middle man must, in turn, decrease the price at the farm gate and the farmer who does the hard work gets done over. Stand up for our farmers, Australia! If it is at all possible to buy from the farm gate, let’s do it. V. Dodson, via email. Inspiring Maggie The article on beautiful Maggie Tabberer (80 Years Young, AWW, October) was wonderful. I’m 68 and a long-time fan of Maggie,…

In a room packed with Australia’s most influential women, the Women of the Future winners’ lunch in Sydney was lively, inspired and often moving. Hosted by Lisa Wilkinson, the event celebrated seven outstanding young women.…

It’s the romantic bond between Mary and Frederik that make this royal couple so magical. In Denmark, it’s called a copper anniversary and is the first of the three wedding landmarks that the nation holds dear. Gold is 50 years, silver is 25 years, so copper is – of course –12½ years. The tradition dates back to the 1800s and while it may sound strange to throw a party for such a strange number, the Danes adore this celebration, which involves not just the couple, but family, friends and neighbours. So here at The Weekly, we are popping corks for Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, who celebrate their copper anniversary on November 14. If the couple follows tradition, friends and family will erect a beautiful garland of winding…

One is the First Lady of the United States, perhaps the most famous and influential political spouse on the planet. The other is the first lady of Hollywood and one of the world’s most revered actors. Even so, Michelle Obama’s unlikely friendship with Meryl Streep runs far deeper than shared fame. Their friendship began last year, when the First Lady took up the challenge to be guest editor for a US magazine. As part of her duties, Michelle invited Meryl to the White House for an intimate and heart-to-heart discussion about gender equality and a raft of other issues. The pair had met before – Meryl received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2014 and, in 2015, campaigned for an equal rights amendment to be enshrined in…

When US First Lady Michelle Obama invited Meryl Streep to Morocco, in June this year, to help young women in developing countries get an education, the three-time Oscar winner packed her toothbrush. “If Mrs Obama asked me to road-trip anywhere to help further the cause of girls’ education,” said Meryl, “I’d say, ‘I’m there in five minutes'.’” So Meryl became part of Michelle's “special girl power unit”, which included Michelle’s daughters Malia, 18, Sasha, 15, and her 79-year-old mother, Marion Robinson – the White House’s first live-in grandmother. They arrived in Marrakesh, the Moroccan capital, on a six-day mission to promote the benefits of education in a country where only 14 per cent of poor rural girls attend high school and where, in the wider population, around 40 per cent…