The Australian Women's Weekly September 2023

Welcome to this very special issue celebrating 90 years of The Weekly. It’s been such a joy for the team and I to dive into the archives and catch up with so many women who played a part in creating and nurturing this beloved brand. One such woman is our enigmatic cover star, Maggie Tabberer – or Maggie T as she is fondly known. She sat down with Editor-at-large Juliet Rieden to reminisce about everything, from her early modelling days to her recruitment to The Weekly by a “daunting but sweet” Kerry Packer (page 20). It was, of course, Kerry’s father, Sir Frank Packer, who first launched The Australian Women’s Weekly back in 1933. It felt like a full-circle moment watching our current Style Director, Mattie Cronan, work her magic…

Blast from the past I was 16 when I started work at The Weekly. My weekly wage was £4, the first money I’d ever earnt. My co-worker, Jan, and I both met two lovely boys who worked in the printing factory (both named Brian) and we eventually married them. Every week we would get our free copy of The Weekly which was as large as the morning paper. Later, the magazine was reduced to the size it is now and the colour photos were a delight to behold. Now, dear readers, you have a beautiful monthly magazine still called The Women’s Weekly (because Women’s Monthly was not to be!). J. Griggs née Fail, Padstow Heights, NSW. A matter of faith I was disheartened to read of the Hillsong fiasco (Lifestyles…

World CUP Miraculous marvellous Matildas The Matildas’ dreams of World Cup glory were dealt a blow when it was announced top scorer Sam Kerr would be out for the first games with an injury. A convincing win followed by a crushing loss had the entire nation on tenterhooks as the Matildas began game three knowing it could be their last. But diamonds are made under pressure, and the team stunned the world by obliterating Canada 4-0, their largest-ever World Cup win. It was a legacy-defining victory. Veteran Chloe Logarzo summed up the mood: “You can say we’ve inspired a nation.” Women we love Our Emmy hopes Australian actresses Sarah Snook (above left), Elizabeth Debicki and Anna Torv (above right) are all in contention for an Emmy this year. Turn to…

Every morning without fail Maggie Tabberer fixes her make-up, dons her favourite jewels – currently the lush string of pearls with a boulder citrine clasp and matching citrine earrings that she is wearing in one of the poses for our photo shoot – and dresses for the day. The latter, she admits, comes with a little help from one of the two beloved carers who are with her for a couple of hours each day, and she accepts as a necessity in her autumn years. But at 86, while not as spritely as she once was, Maggie T still radiates the glamour, beauty and luminous presence that made her a household star for decades from the mid-1960s. Indeed, as those pools of blue captivate the camera lens once more, high…

Column As The Weekly goes to press, The House of Windsor is heading off on its first summer break since the death of the late Queen. King Charles and Camilla will follow tradition, holidaying in Scotland, with various members of the family expected to join the couple for informal get-togethers at Balmoral Castle in the second half of August. But the King will first visit the Castle of Mey in Caithness, on the northern tip of Scotland. The 16th Century castle was purchased by his grandmother, the late Queen Mother, in 1952 after the death of her husband, King George VI. She spotted it while staying with friends and was immediately smitten. It was in pretty poor condition but became a welcome renovation project for Her Majesty, who loved this…

Stephanie Browitt has her mother’s luminous smile and her father’s sense of humour. Three and a half years after the darkest day of her life, she’s beginning to rediscover both. She says it’s the love of her family that has helped her endure. “We’ve always wanted to bring each other joy,” Stephanie says. “My favourite moments were when we were together, eating dinner at a restaurant, laughing.” “There was never a silent moment in our house,” adds mum Marie – who, while declining to be part of today’s photo shoot, has agreed to speak publicly for the first time about the disaster and its aftermath. “Our house was full of laughter, it was full of food, it was full of smells, it was full of music. It was a noisy…