The Australian Women's Weekly December 2023

Be it wine or what’s in my wardrobe, my general default is quality over quantity. So, the revelation that we’re having less sex, but enjoying it more than previous generations sounds like a win to me. This is just one of the findings from our 2023 Voice of Australian Women Survey. We’ve compared responses from Aussie women, on topics like sex, health and work, to results from a similar survey undertaken by The Weekly over 40 years ago (page 74). While there are some positive changes, others are sobering. We’re still shouldering more of the domestic duties, with 38 per cent of Aussie women today responsible for all ‘life admin’ in their house and 21 per cent doing all the cleaning. Also concerning is the fact 78 per cent of…

“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.” A mother’s strength My heart goes out to Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton (“You never forget …”, AWW, November). You would think nothing could be worse than losing your precious little baby. That is, until you get charged with her murder. I’m sure Lindy believed justice would prevail and her innocence would be proclaimed. Instead she was found guilty – condemned by rumour and public opinion. I’ve read Lindy’s book and am so sorry about what she’s had to endure. She’s a very strong lady, and I’m so glad she was finally vindicated. K. Simpson, Woodvale, WA. Good Aussie bloke My husband and I met Bryan Brown in a coastal town. He was welcoming and friendly, and came across as…

Royal MILESTONE Christian comes of age Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik’s firstborn, Prince Christian, has turned 18, amid lavish palace celebrations attended by royals from across Europe. The second-in-line to the Danish throne gave a speech at his party, thanking his parents for their warmth and support. “Everyone in our family knows we can turn to each other and find strength right there,” Prince Christian said. “We count on each other because we’ve always been able to count on you.” Women we love Kylie tops the charts Kylie Minogue has celebrated her ninth UK number-one album, Tension. It puts her on the list of artists with the most number-one albums along with Bob Dylan and Coldplay. Cheng Lei freed Hot chocolate, oysters and blood oranges were some of…

VATICAN CITY Women get a say For the first time in history, nuns and laywomen will contribute to the consultations, and be able to vote at the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican. The four-week gathering of Catholic leaders opened with a mass lead by Pope Francis. USA: Goats are the latest weapon against wildfires in California, where they are released on hard-to-access terrain to clear grass. TURKIYE Ancient make-up Red and pink lip pigments were among the treasures archaeologists uncovered in the remains of a 2000-year-old make-up shop in modern Turkiye. The discovery was made in the ancient city of Aizonoi, which was an important centre in Roman times. Greece Oily criminals Greek olive oil producers are being robbed amid rising olive oil prices. Thirty-seven…

Thirty years after his death, Fred Hollows’ widow, Gabi, is continuing his work and saving the vision of thousands in the process. The beating heart behind The Fred Hollows Foundation, Gabi Hollows recently travelled to Cambodia, where The Foundation has been working to combat avoidable blindness and vision impairment since 1998. There, Gabi met with local doctors, teachers and patients who had been trained or treated by The Foundation. Among them were Cambodia’s first two female ophthalmologists, Dr Ouk Soleaphy and Dr Sok Kheng, who were trained by a residency program established by The Fred Hollows Foundation in 2007. Now, both Dr Soleaphy and Dr Kheng treat more than 1000 patients each a year, and educate other eye-care workers. Dr Soleaphy says the work is life-changing for many. “It’s incredibly…

“Today I am at war with myself.” Back in 2021, The Weekly first met Roni Keidar when she was working with a young Palestinian man, Rami Aman, to create greater understanding between Gaza and Israel. That inspired hope. Now she has a tragic story to share – about the morning of October 7 this year, when Hamas attacked her village. Roni was just waking up in the rural village of Netiv Haasara when she received the first phone alert about rocket fire from Gaza. As her village backs onto the border, the 79-year-old knew she had just 15 seconds to get into her safe room, a reinforced bunker. Roni didn’t realise that this attack would be more violent than anything she had ever known – that it would take the…