The Australian Women's Weekly November 2025

Maggie Beer has shown optimism and determination throughout her long career as one of Australia’s favourite cooks and beloved personalities. Yet never more so than when she had a serious accident last year that left her in hospital for several weeks, followed by months of rehabilitation. “I’m a very optimistic person,” the long-time friend of The Weekly tells our News & Features Editor, Samantha Trenoweth, in our cover story on page 22. “After each surgery, I would say to the doctors, ‘I’m going to make a full recovery’. I always knew I would.” Maggie’s resilience and boundless optimism is inspirational for us all, as is her 55-year marriage with husband Colin, whose love and support helped fuel her recovery. Whether she’s inspiring us in the kitchen or championing better meals…

Sophie Tedmanson EDITOR DEPUTY EDITOR Tiffany Dunk CREATIVE DIRECTOR Joshua Beggs FEATURES News & Features Editor Samantha Trenoweth Senior Writer Genevieve Gannon HEALTH & BEAUTY Health & Beauty Editor Ashleigh Austen STYLE Style Director Mattie Cronan Market Editor Lilly Veitch TRAVEL Travel Editor & Chief Copy Editor Bernard O’Shea COPY Deputy Copy Editor Bronwyn Phillips Deputy Copy Editor Nicole Hickson Copy Editor Georgia Moore FOOD – WOMENSWEEKLYFOOD.COM.AU Food Director Frances Abdallaoui Food Digital Managing Editor Sarah McInerney Digital Content Producer Chanel Gellin DIGITAL – WOMENSWEEKLY.COM.AU Digital Editor Orlaith Costello Senior Content Producer Tia Thomas Social Content Producer Jessica Parker Social Content Producer Lizzie Wilson ART & PHOTOS Shoot & Photo Director Jane Vincent Senior Designer Madeleine Wright Senior Designer Jennifer Mullins REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Alley Pascoe (Books), Amanda Blair (Columnist), Chrissie…

As I read the heartbreaking account of the catastrophic drought that has devastated the close-knit folks that call Burra home (The long dry, AWW, October), I was reminded of Dorothea Mackellar’s poem My Country, where she writes about this “sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains, of ragged mountain ranges, of drought and flooding rains”. This was a wonderful story of resilience and community strength in the face of the most dire conditions. I wish them rain in abundance, and bright hope for their futures. Donvale, Vic. Happy customer I recently attended the AWW Health Summit in Melbourne and wanted to express how much I enjoyed it. Thank you for organising such a fun and informative event. I learnt a lot about perimenopause and it was so good to be…

November 2025 Danish ROYALS Summer sojourn King Frederik and Queen Mary enjoyed a four-day tour of Denmark aboard the royal yacht Dannebrog, visiting townships and the sand dunes of Råbjerg Mile. “We are deeply touched by the beautiful and warm reception we have received,” they said. Women we love Health advocate Edwina Bartholomew is The Leukaemia Foundation’s newest ambassador. Following her own blood cancer diagnosis, she’s eager to help “people feel supported”. Making waves NSW surfer Molly Picklum, 22, is the new women’s surfing world champion. “I’m grateful I let go, had fun and just went after it Molly’s way because that’s what made it so damn sweet,” she said on Instagram. Young politician In her first speech to parliament, Charlotte Walker, 21, pledged to focus on healthcare, housing, regional…

The Netherlands Seeing red The city of Tilburg hosted the annual Redhead Days Festival, where thousands of natural redheads from all over the world gathered to celebrate their flaming locks. The event included camping, music, workshops, food stalls and a massed group photo. Lithuania Gone to the dogs Corgis from across Europe gathered in Vilnius for the fourth annual Corgi Race. Over 100 teams competed in the solo sprint, the “mightiest voice” contest, costume challenges and group racing. The US Friday night flights A group of Osprey built a nest in the lights of a Minnesota high-school football stadium. As the birds are protected, the school was unable to turn the lights on and all their night games had to be rescheduled. Venezuela Trash into treasure To help promote recycling,…

The other week, the enormity of parenting came at me via a carton of Big M flavoured milk. My 14-year-old had ripped the carton open at the top, straw jammed in the flaps like some kind of milk vampire. As we pulled out of the servo, I casually enquired as to why he hadn’t used the little straw-sized hole under the cardboard latch. He blinked. “What straw hole? What latch?” And suddenly I was winded again by the endlessness of it all. As I breathed deeply into a brown paper bag (metaphorically, not literally), I wailed at him, “How could I have not told you this before now?” AND WHAT ELSE HAVE I FORGOTTEN TO MENTION?!? At first, parenting is all about survival. Instinctively swinging out your arm like a…