The Australian Women's Weekly December 2021

I have always been obsessed with stories. Some of my earliest memories are of Mum sitting on my bed patiently and passionately working through the pile of books I’d selected for our nightly ritual. When I was old enough she encouraged me to write my own stories and helped my sister Jo and I set up our own magazine production outfit on the kitchen table. When I left home at 19 to see the world, armed only with a backpack – which I later discovered Mum had covertly filled with sensible clothing and care packages – she swallowed her maternal fears and waved me off with a smile. We wrote often over those years. Long, detailed letters that told the stories of our lives at the time. This month it…

“Try to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.” – MAYA ANGELOU An important bond It gave me a happy feeling reading about the friendship between Rachel Griffiths and Deb Mailman (When Rachel met Deborah, AWW, November) and also Annabel Crabb and Leigh Sales (Our happy place, AWW, November). Even though family is precious, it is important to keep our friends close. It is said “friends make you laugh a little louder, your smile a little brighter and your life a little better”. Thank you for your lovely issue about such delightful women and the bond they have with one another. F. Rooney, Sale, Vic. Patchwork of love What a beautiful story honouring veterans with A Patchwork of Love (AWW, November). It moved me to tears hearing about the selfless…

Sarah’s secret After falling in love in lockdown, Succession star Sarah Snook quietly wed her best friend, comic Dave Lawson, at their Brooklyn home in February. Nobel journalism Journalist Maria Ressa has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for exposing abuse of power and growing authoritarianism in the Philippines. Farewell Fran ABC Radio National Breakfast host Fran Kelly has announced she is leaving radio after 17 years. Fran said, “It’s been a privilege and an absolute joy.”…

The cascading gown of sequins the Duchess of Cambridge wore to the premiere of the new Bond film, No Time To Die, has invited comparisons to the silver number her late mother-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales, wore to the premiere of 007’s A View to a Kill, in 1985. Whether Kate deliberately channelled Diana is unknown, but it is indisputable they both looked regal and utterly spectacular in their gowns.…

If I could go back to the ’90s I would tell myself ... Don’t wear crop tops sometimes ... wear them ALL the time, as your stomach will not always look like a washboard! My friends would say I am ... Always late! I run on what we call ‘Minogue-Time’. My motto is ... Just because someone else says something, doesn’t mean it is true. Over the years many things have been said about me, and a fair chunk of them were untrue – so I have had to remind myself of this mantra many times to stay focused. The one thing that makes my blood boil is ... People parking in my parking spot. It always has and always WILL! If I could choose a costume on The Masked…

RUSSIA Lake of love Balashikha in Moscow is home to a heart-shaped lake, seen surrounded by trees covered in autumn leaves. UNITED STATES Real-life RoboCop Salt Lake Park in California has a new sheriff in town and he’s not quite what you would expect. The HP Robocop stands about 1.5 metres tall, carries qr#zhdsrqv#dqg#xvhv#DL#wr#ghwhfw#›jkwv# and vandalism. It even features a button to alert human police. Gree ce She is one of the most renowned opera singers in the world, and yet a statue erected in Maria Callas’ honour has hit a flat note. The 1.8 metre statue was unveiled at the foot of the ancient Acropolis, with many remarking on how it bore no resemblance to the famous soprano. Some even likened it to “Gandhi in heels.” Africa History in…