The Australian Women's Weekly December 2025

I can’t believe it’s nearly the end of 2025! It’s been a particularly busy year for The Weekly, one in which we connected with our beloved community in many ways. We’ve welcomed new and familiar faces – Julie Goodwin returned to share her favourite family recipes, and Chrissie Swan has kept us entertained with her funny and insightful “Life Lessons” column. Chrissie also graces our cover this month to celebrate her debut cookbook, The Shortcut Queen. Turn to page 32 to read her wonderful interview with Deputy Editor Tiffany Dunk. This year also marks 45 years of our iconic Children’s Birthday Cake Cookbook, and our celebrations included limited-edition collectable coins from the Royal Australian Mint. We also reconnected with the original Test Kitchen team of cake bakers, and held a…

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 REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Alley Pascoe (Books), Amanda Blair (Columnist), Chrissie Swan (Columnist), Effie Zahos (Money), Eva-Maria Bobbert (Beauty), Georgina Bitcon (Home Hints), Jessica Howard (Rural Correspondent), Julie Goodwin (Food), Lilith Rocha (Horoscopes), Maggie Beer (Food), Paola Totaro (Royal Correspondent), William Langley (Europe Correspondent) General Manager Homes & Lifestyle Jocelin Abbey  Head of Lifestyle Jayde Malifa  Editorial Assistant Lilli Atkins ARE MEDIA  Chief Executive Officer Jane Huxley  Director…

What a special person Maggie Beer is (“I feel very lucky”, AWW, November). She has achieved so much and now also with the Maggie Beer Foundation which is doing wonders in aged-care homes. Maggie’s books are a delight, and her philosophy after her horrid fall and recovery shows her amazing optimism and that “there’s life to be lived right to the end of life if you look after yourself and if you are engaged mentally and physically”. I have pinned her words “there is always joy in every day in some way” up on my fridge. Thank you, Maggie, for all you have given us and for enriching our lives. Sale, Vic. An incredible legacy The latest issue has so many powerful stories about things that have changed the course…

Diane Keaton 1946-2025 In MEMORIAM Hollywood mourns “What words can come to mind when your heart is broken?” wrote Goldie Hawn following the death of Diane Keaton, aged 78. The star of Annie Hall, Baby Boom and Reds leaves behind a legacy of tender drama and divine comedy. Women we love A wing & a paw Jennifer Hunt, 15, is attempting to become the youngest female to circumnavigate Australia by plane. Her puppy, Bella, is her co-pilot. Banking on Anna New Zealand has appointed its first female Reserve Bank governor, Dr Anna Breman. “Young women and girls can see there’s no office that can’t be occupied by a woman,” said MP Nicola Willis. Church’s new era Sarah Mullaly has become the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Church…

Chile Seeds from more than 200 flower species sit in the rocky soil of the Atacama Desert, bursting into bloom after the rare rainfalls. Luxembourg A new reign The people of Luxembourg have welcomed a new Grand Duke, Guillaume, 43, following the abdication of Grand Duke Henri, 70, who reigned for 25 years. Guillaume will occupy the mostly symbolic role in the tiny nation, with his wife, Belgian-born Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy, by his side. They have two sons, Charles and François. The US Greener pastures Goats have been unleashed on the slopes of Vermont in an experiment to reduce reliance on gas-powered mowers. “Goatscaping” costs about the same as traditional mowing. Austria Emil’s adventure Emil the elk, who wandered more than 500km across Europe, has been safely returned to…

Palace ADVOCATES Royals rally for change While Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, was speaking with peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Princess Eugenie launched a campaign to fight slavery in the lucrative, criminal world of fake fashion. The pretty Dutch village of Zaanse Schans has become the latest destination to impose an entry fee to try to limit visitor traffic. The town has a population of just 100 people, who say there are overrun by tourists eager for selfies with the traditional windmills. AAP. ALAMY. GETTY IMAGES. INSTAGRAM. JEFF BUSBY. OTHER IMAGES SUPPLIED AND USED WITH PERMISSION.…