Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2024 i The Australian Women's Weekly

PG 110 Elaine George and her daughter, Taylor, star in our fashion shoot. You might look at this issue and wonder: Why do we have a man on the cover of The Australian Women’s Weekly? Robert Irwin is no ordinary young man. He first came to fame as a baby in the arms of his dad, the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, and has grown up in the public eye. The Weekly has had a long-standing relationship with the Irwins, including Robert’s mother Terri and sister Bindi, celebrating their milestones. But now it’s Robert’s turn to shine. The bowl-haired boy has grown into an extraordinary wildlife conservationist and is embarking on a new chapter. In an exclusive interview with Deputy Editor Tiffany Dunk, he tells tales of growing up at…

‘I wish I could ask Dad for advice’ Eating your cereal in front of cartoons packed with superheroes is a rite of passage for young Aussies across the nation. Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, The Incredible Hulk … kids glued to the set watching the action unfold over breakfast. But three-year-old Robert Irwin’s favourite superhero was far closer to home. Bounding out of bed each morning, he would beg his mum, Terri, to put on an episode of his own favourite show – to “play a daddy doco”. “That was with breakfast, every morning,” he says now, aged 20 and about to start a new chapter in his life. “I remember studying it and watching everything he did. Mum made sure he was in the living room. Dad was part of everything.”…

It’s a sunny morning at Athelle Homestead and a group of kids, aged one to 10, are excitedly playing shop in the shade. They pretend to serve hot coffee and dunk make-believe bikkies into cups of tea. Their smiles are wide and giggles contagious. This could be an average morning in any playgroup, except it’s not. It’s a rare occasion and a muchneeded moment of connection. The last time this playgroup was held was seven months previously. The facilitator, Kylie Jones from RAISEducation, has driven seven hours to be here, and a number of families couldn’t make it because a fire in the region needed fighting. This is the reality of living in the bush: Fires, floods and far-reaching distances. Athelle Homestead, at Anmatjere in the Central Desert Region of…

Sixty years after Carlotta ignited Sydney’s Kings Cross in the legendary Les Girls cabaret extravaganza, Australia’s most beloved showgirl is back with what’s being billed as her final curtain. The show is called Carlotta: The Party’s Over, a fabulous farewell as the Emerald City bathes in Mardi Gras Festival pizzazz. But fear not ... Carlotta has announced her swansong before, and as we sit down to chat I sense she’s not ready to hang up her sequins just yet. “Retirement is for people who’ve given up. As long as I can do something, I’ll do it,” she confesses with a cheeky smile. “I can’t do the big shows anymore, but I’ve just signed on with my mate Craig Bennett for a run of stand-up comedy gigs in RSL and Leagues…

They were a resilient and diligent bunch, the 179 female convicts who were herded aboard the HMS Rajah and set sail from the port of Woolwich for Van Diemen’s Land in April 1841. Alongside their meagre personal belongings, they carried nine metres of fabric, seven balls of cotton, sewing tape, black wool, 24 hanks of coloured embroidery thread, 100 needles, almost 10 metres of patchwork pieces, miscellaneous pins and scissors, and a thimble. All this had been donated by the British Ladies’ Society for Promoting the Reformation of Female Prisoners, founded by English advocate and Quaker Elizabeth Fry. Three months later, when the women disembarked in what would become Tasmania, they carried not bundles of haberdashery, but the now famous 2815-piece, medallion-style Rajah Quilt. No one can be certain which…

I’m sitting in the back of a pick-up truck with three Maya women and, although it’s so hot Mexico’s Yucatán jungle appears to be steaming, that isn’t the reason blushing. They are telling some of the dirtiest jokes I’ve ever heard …and because I’m a fledgling Spanish speaker, they’re illustrating them with the help of the heritage vegetables piled under and around us. The women are on their daily commute from the petite pueblo (village) of Espita to Mestiza de Indias, an agriculture project that supplies restaurants and hotels with rare fruit and vegetables, some so rare they are in danger of dying out. The project combines ancestral knowledge such as the ‘Three Sisters’ companion planting method – beans act as a natural fertiliser, squash maintains soil humidity and keeps…

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Author William Somerset Maugham once noted “to acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life”. Though he died over 50 years ago, research indicates he was right. During the pandemic, our appetite for books surged. In a crisis we turn to stories for escape, and science says it comes with benefits beyond simple pleasure – it’s good for your health. Mental health Research shows a gripping novel can lower stress levels faster than other relaxation methods such as going for a walk or listening to music. Emotional health Psychotherapists sometimes use books to help clients develop a deeper understanding of what they are working through, but Australian bibliotherapist Lucy Pearson says books can help everybody. Bibliotherapy “originates from the…

Sometimes you don’t just want to take a plate, you want to take the whole shebang – an entire meal that cheers, comforts and delights. And this one does all three. It comes a little from me, but mostly from Mudgee-based winemaker Jean-François Esnault (above), who calls his chicken, ratatouille and crêpe menu “a love poem to my wife”, baker extraordinaire Rebecca Sutton (above). These two entertain with such style – always good wine and bread (of course) and a table outside crammed with friends. Travel advice You can cook the crêpes up to a day in advance. Wrap them in paper towel and transport in an airtight container. Enjoy cold, or reheat them in a frying pan with a little butter and a sprinkle of sugar. For MORE This…

A family affair For over 75 years, Robert Gordon Pottery has been crafting beautiful ceramics. Its new collection features stunning vessels to serve home-cooked meals. robertgordonaustralia.com FIND of the MONTH Aussie CLASSIC Shake up your seasoning Chicken salt can be a polarising ingredient as it usually contains loads of preservatives and MSG. Regional Victorian culinary innovators Rich Glen Olive Estate have created a chicken salt free from all the nasties. It adds a tasty, guilt-free salt burst to almost everything! richglenoliveoil.com BBQ grill pan High-performing HexClad hybrid cookware combines the performance of stainless steel with the convenience of non-stick. We’re loving their BBQ Grill Pan as its perforations ensure that delicate ingredients such as vegetables and seafood get that mouth-watering smoke and char flavour, without anything falling through the grate.…

1. Small planter, $35. 2. Medium planter, $45. 3. Cushion, $89. 4. Pet bowl, from $19. New beginnings Want to bump up your bank balance this year? According to feng shui master Jane Langof, it could all start at your own front door. “Your front entrance symbolises the ability to attract wealth and new opportunities,” Jane – who has partnered with Luxo Living – advises. Here are her top tips. Do: Place a cabinet or console table with beautiful artwork or flowers opposite your front entrance to attract a lush, positive energy inside your home. This will also keep your entrance organised, which is crucial to success. Do: Ensure your front door is visible and free of obstacles. Don’t: Place mirrors opposite your door as this is said to reflect…

How to help … other women Learn from locals Joining a women-only tour is an excellent way to explore the world while empowering women in other countries, particularly in places where they’re traditionally restricted from entering the workforce. Intrepid Travel’s Women’s Expeditions are a prime example of Girl Power-fuelled adventures with tours led by female guides (intrepidtravel.com). On my eight-day tour of Morocco, we venture from Marrakech (left) into remote regions of the North African nation, visiting women-run co-ops along the way. Our encounter with the Tawesna Association in Aït Benhaddou, in the High Atlas Mountains, is a highlight. This co-op supports more than 30 women, upskilling them and improving livelihoods. We feast on colourful tagines at their outdoor teahouse and restaurant before touring the astonishing World Heritage-listed town on…

In Spain, time can be measured by life unfolding in the local plaza. Mornings begin slowly, the clink of coffee cups and buttery waft of sugar-dusted doughnuts welcoming the day. By the time the sun is high the squares are abuzz with laughter as children play on the stone paving, weaving around impromptu games of mini football. When the evening lights flicker on, the thrum of multigenerational chatter spills beyond the pillars and arches, tumbling down the narrow cobblestone streets that twist around the old town, flooding the walkways with a tangible vibrance. “We live our life in the street,” explains one Bilbao local. “We don’t stay in our homes. We just walk out and see who is there. Here in the street, we are all equals. It is our…

Pisces Feb 20 -Mar 20 The celestial symphony of Saturn, Neptune, the sun and this year’s new moon all in Pisces on March 10 to celebrate the beginning of your astrological year offers a personal portal for downloading specific life guidance. Make quiet time and space around this date to tune in and receive the rich gifts of your inner wisdom. From mid-month onwards, as magical creator Venus flows into your compassionate sign, followed by energetic Mars in the last week of March, your words and work can encourage others to feel valued, supported and inspired. Aries Mar 21 -Apr 21 If the steamy astrology of early March has you too fired-up to deal with emotionally charged challenges diplomatically, then step away from situations with inflammatory potential until you can…

“I care about decency and humanity and kindness. Kindness today is an act of rebellion.” Australian-born Queen Well done on your articles on Queen Mary of Denmark (The Making of an Aussie Queen, AWW, February), which included some beautiful photos of her wedding in 2004. I still have the wedding, as well as interviews and other TV specials, on video tape. I have enjoyed seeing her grow from a Tasmanian-born commoner to Crown Princess and now Her Majesty Queen Mary of Denmark. I wish her and King Frederik X all the best and hope they continue to reign together for a very long time. L. Morrissey, Strathdale, Vic. Heroes of the Kindertransport Being the child of a postwar immigrant, heroic stories like The forgotten Kindertransport (AWW, February) always draw me…

When she was young, Tiarna Herczeg loved to draw and paint. She was also fussy about what she wore, and wanted “creative control”. But with nobody in her life working as an artist, Tiarna didn’t believe it was a viable career. “Even the art teachers at school were …teachers,” she says. So she pursued a double degree in law and arts and got a job in child protection. “It was very, very intense,” she says. She finally left the law behind to study at the National Art School. Tiarna’s vibrant work evokes the land of the Kuku Yalanji Country, which runs along the tropical east coast of Far North Queensland. “I draw inspiration from the land. It’s almost like I have this out-of-body experience when I’m painting,” she says. Tiarna…

Slug “We need to urge corporations to take greater care.” Her first nickname was Topsy because she had quite a full head of hair when she was born, Julie Forster says of her younger sister, Elizabeth. She remembers standing on her tippy toes, aged six, and peering into the maternity hospital viewing room to see Lizzie’s small pink head poking out of the swaddled bundle. Elizabeth was the baby of the family and for as long as Julie can remember, she and her sister were close. “No day or year or month was boring with Elizabeth. She was full of adventure. She gets that from Mum,” Julie says. As they grew, the sisters’ intrepid mother would gamely lead them on mystery bus rides and insect observation walks. When it rained,…

Anne Summers remembers exactly the moment she dreamed up Elsie. It was the night of Tuesday, September 4, 1973. The feisty young journalist and academic was lying alone in her bed in a share house in Balmain. It was the heyday of the women’s liberation movement. Earlier that evening a friend, Jennifer Dakers, had mentioned reading about a “shelter for battered women” in England, and had wondered whether a similar enterprise was needed here. Over the years, Anne had inadvertently found herself helping more than one woman escape domestic violence. She remembers a young mother scaling her two-metre-high back fence with a baby in her arms to escape a knife-wielding husband. So right away she knew the need was real, and once the idea had been planted, she couldn’t let…

Love. Love. Love. That’s what defines J.Lo. It’s undone her so many times, yet she still believes in love even when it doesn’t believe in her, and that’s what makes her one of us. She’s vulnerable, yes. She thinks that’s what makes her real, and it does of course. But in fact we don’t like her to be too vulnerable, we like her to experience the highs and lows of her love rollercoaster but for her to always make it through. We like her as a survivor. It helps that J.Lo is shimmeringly gorgeous at 54. Her fashion sense has never been to follow trends but just to look hot, while maybe having the latest Gucci or Versace in her wardrobe. It means she’s aspirational, yet able to connect with.…

Food and cooking have been woven through the fabric of my life. From getting creative in the kitchen with my family in the UK as a child, to undergoing formal training at 18, and later moving to Australia where I was one of the Jamie Oliver Group’s training chefs. After many years working in kitchens, I opted to shift away from commercial cooking though, as the lifestyle began to take its toll. Additionally, after being diagnosed with severe endometriosis, it was recommended that I follow a gluten free diet. I went on to launch MessySpoon in 2019, and this Original Good Gut Loaf (GGL) recipe is ultimately what started it all. I knew that mainstream gluten free bread often has little to no nutritional value and it’s filled with all…

Like Fire-Hearted Suns by Melanie Joosten, Ultimo Press Most of us recall stories of the suffragettes from school – the horrors endured, the courage summoned in the battle for women to win the vote. We take that right for granted now, but like author Melanie Joosten I was captivated by these fearless warriors. Her new novel, Like Fire-Hearted Suns, is essential reading, an extraordinary tale that takes us right into the heart of that vital period in history. Melanie says her inspiration was “a picture I saw in a high-school history class of women prison warders forcibly feeding a suffragette – I wondered how something so brutal could come of demanding the vote and knew there was more of a story there.” The novel opens in 1908 in London. Catherine…

WENDY MOORE is a co-host and designer on Selling Houses Australia. Watch it on Foxtel On Demand. Follow Wendy on Instagram, @wendymooreedit The style There was so much to love about the interiors of the late-1960s and ’70s, when vibrant, often clashing colours and patterns defined our homes, and design features centred around connection – like the sunken living room or ‘conversation pit’. I love this modern take fitted out by interior designers Arent&Pyke. It’s a lighter, laid-back version that encourages interaction and a sense of flow. They used artwork, sculptural lighting and oversized lounges, along with shades reminiscent of shoreline blues, gentle terracotta and creamy clay tones, to bring the owners’ vision to life. Key elements Embracing a retro renaissance means looking at colours and materials that speak to…

Kylie’s GRAMMY She won in a heartbeat Aussie pop icon Kylie Minogue has won her second Grammy (the first was 20 years ago for Come Into My World). This year’s award was for her global pop dance hit Padam Padam, named onomatopoeically to sound like a heartbeat. The secret to her current renaissance? “I like change,” she said.“Not changing is more weird to me than evolving with the times ... I’m thankful I’ve had so many opportunities over the years to keep going.” For more Grammys news turn to page 19. Women we love Serving kindness Ash Barty has launched a foundation to help “young girls and boys through sport and education ... It’s a passion I’ve had for a long time,” the tennis champ said. Voice for freedom Founder…

Rod and Monica have been married for more than 60 years. So long, Rod jokes, he’s lost count. After their wedding, the Sydney couple set off on a workingadventure around Australia before settling in Darwin, where they spent their weekends fishing, waterskiing and dancing. In the late 1960s they decided it was time to return home to Sydney with their two children. They bought a block of land in North Curl Curl and built their two-storey dream home. Half a century later, they’re still there. It’s where they raised their children and celebrated milestones, but as they aged Rod and Monica found their house near the sea increasingly difficult to navigate. Simple household tasks became “a real chore”, Rod says. “As you get old you just don’t move as well.…

The second day in a row that Michelle Bridges “forgot” to exercise, she knew something was wrong. For months, she’d been feeling lethargic and unmotivated. While others might be tempted to brush this feeling off, for Michelle, a high-energy and intensely motivated woman whose body was her business, this was unfamiliar territory. Michelle, 53, first found fame as the tough yet compassionate trainer on the reality weight loss series, The Biggest Loser, in 2007 and has since built a fitness empire aimed at helping women feel their best selves. She launched her popular 12WBT (12 Week Body Transformation) program of customisable diet and exercise routines in 2010, building a community of hundreds of thousands of eager subscribers who sing Michelle’s praises while sharing photos of their progress in online groups.…

King Charles III was a shy child and still suffers when meeting large numbers of people, but he is courteous. He never passes a footman in a palace corridor or a stranger while walking in the countryside without acknowledgement, whatever his mood. While others of a lesser social standing might ignore the staff – he loathes the word “servants” – he is meticulous about saying thank you. Charles is more like his mother than he would admit. The late Queen was painfully shy, and never comfortable with strangers, but she was very gentle and always listened to what they had to say. When she’d had enough, she would say “Reaaaally” as a signal to her ladies-in-waiting to move her on. The Queen’s former press secretary, the late, enigmatic Martin Charteris…

“Can it be that in 1990, people will remember the ’60s as so sweet? When Stockholm’s inner city was being torn down? When we lived with oldfashioned morality?” The song was Ljuva Sextital (Sweet Sixties), a hit in 1969 for Brita Borg, a Swedish songstress with a deep voice. Composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, it was their first hit together. The lyrics were written by Stikkan Anderson, a record company boss who had recently become their manager. ‘Sweet Sixties’ was at once happy and sad, lightweight and serious. Andersson/Ulvaeus would write many more complex and multi-layered hits in the coming decade. The 1960s could be characterised as both fun and laborious for the four ABBA-members-to-be. Each of them slaved away making music, seven days a week, year-round. The…

If you go down to the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise. It could be the sight of a group of naked billionaires drinking gin fizz out of a fire bucket, or a line-up of world leaders singing showtunes in drag. And look out for when everyone gets together for the ritual sacrifice to the great owl god. The problem is that going down to these particular woods is extremely difficult. Held among the drifting shadows of a giant redwood forest, the annual July gathering of the ultra-secretive Bohemian Club is one of the more hotly debated but little observed events on Earth. Carried to northern California in fleets of private jets and blacked-out limousines, hundreds of powerful, wealthy and eminent men vanish into a 10-square kilometre chunk…

Just after I turned 21, I planned my own funeral. Not because I was curious about what it might look like, but because I had to. End-stage cystic fibrosis (CF) had forced my hand into making choices I did not want to make, and my remaining hope for survival was in receiving a double lung transplant, the likelihood of which was growing slimmer by the day. Then, with just days to live, I got “the call”. From a young age I became an expert in the art of adaptation. While being born with a life-limiting (and life-ending) illness may have coloured my life with an underbelly of darkness, I could always trust myself to grasp onto splinters of light in the inky mire of hopelessness. These were key to my…

When hair stylist Lauren Mackellar first began looking for natural solutions to hair thinning, she had no inkling of the cruel twist of fate that was to come. In her twenties with a flourishing career in Sydney and Los Angeles, she put her own hair loss down to stress. “It was something that really affected my confidence. I laugh when I think about it now, but I tried so hard to hide it from everyone because I was so worried about what people thought about me losing my hair at that age. We associate thick hair with health, vitality and attractiveness, even if it is a subconscious thought.” In hindsight, Lauren sees her initial hair loss as a blessing as it prompted her to experiment with natural herbs and supplements.…

This is what happens the second you get emotional: Adrenaline and cortisol flood your body, your heart begins to race, arteries constrict and your blood pressure rises. You are physically pumped to flee. What’s interesting, though, is that your brain doesn’t really distinguish between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ excitement – the same fight or flight response is triggered regardless of whether you’re caught up in a thrilling grand final or whether you’re fleeing a fire. Sudden stress “Unequivocally yes, acute stress is a factor in heart attacks,” says Professor Jason Kovacic, Director and CEO of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and practising cardiologist. “We see an uptick in heart attacks after sporting events or natural disasters. It’s also well documented in stressful family events.” This is confirmed by clinical cardiologist…

Note The regular beef mince from the supermarket, which is generally 80 per cent lean and 20 per cent fat, is best for the patties. Leftovers Refrigerate cooked patties for up to 3 days. Reheat or eat them cold. Make ahead Freeze uncooked patties for up to 2 months (without salt); thaw completely in fridge overnight prior to cooking. All you need is beef, salt and pepper and around 15 minutes (if that) to make these incredible smashed burgers. They are made with 100 per cent beef and no fillers – just huge amounts of flavour, especially when served with special burger sauce. I love the experience of eating burgers at home. We eat outside, then the kids play in the backyard while we finish our drinks and chat. It’s…

You can easily adapt this cake’s flavours by using hazelnut meal instead of almond meal and changing the syrup. Use the citrus syrup as we have here or try a different flavour. the Test Kitchen Bundt cakes are baked in a partiulcar type of cake pan called bundt pans, the signature fluted round pan with a hole in the middle. Due to their decorative shape, they need very little adornment. This cake is best made on the day of serving but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Four syrup variations PHOTOGRAHY: JOHN PAUL URIZAR. STYLING: OLIVIA BLACKMORE. PHOTOCHEFS: REBECCA LYALL AND CLARE MAGUIRE.…

For MORE Read our exclusive interview with author Kemper Donovan now at womensweekly.com.au I tell other people’s stories for a living. You can call me a ghostwriter, though usually I just say I “freelance”, which is vague and boring enough to put an end to strangers’ polite inquiries. Among friends I call myself a “lady Cyrano”, which is meant to be self-deprecating. (I have an unusually large nose.) That’s a lie, actually. Not about my unusually large nose, but about my supposed friends. I have lots of acquaintances, and colleagues, and associates – an assortment of people who pepper my existence so that if you saw me from the outside, you’d think my life was perfectly full. There are times it seems full even to me. But the truth is…

“You can still get the vibe without installing a full conversation pit by bringing curves to all the right places, like couches and coffee tables, which add softness to gathering spaces.” Texture TOUCH Add warmth to furniture with stone or timber finishes. Soft SPOT Lots of cushions in different shapes add a hit of colour and pattern. From top: Chelon travertine coffee table, $2100. Adairs cushion, $59.95. IKEA table lamp, $39. Gigi & Tom cushion, $39.95. Few & Far ‘Azure’ artwork, $1620. Sarah Ellison three-seat sofa, $4149. Bremworth Australia wool rug, from $800.…

As we waved summer goodbye, the demand for ice-cream, noted The Weekly, was only growing. Australians were now consuming 15 million gallons of it each year, staff reporter Joyce Bowden wrote on page 16, as she revisited the history of the frozen treat in the country before adding her top tips for nailing the perfect Baked Alaska. Following on from a slew of short stories and serials, this was a light start to some decidedly heavier fare. The last of a series of articles on divorce highlighted the problems many faced in courts over alimony as well as the fluctuating grounds for filing state by state. No wonder there was also a focus on headaches, and our medical expert declared that every “tenth person who consults a doctor does so…