QCWA Ruth magazine #42 - Autumn 2023

Welcome!

Can you believe it’s autumn already? It seems just yesterday that we were coming home from summer holidays, waiting with bated breath for the day the kids finally went back to school while fervently wishing we didn’t have to go back to work so soon.

Autumn has it’s own delights, however: the trees changing to a bright riot of colour, crisp mornings, and curling up on the couch with a light blanket. And what better to curl up with than the current edition of Ruth magazine?

We’ve got a jam-packed issue for you, with an incredible variety of stories. For the main feature, we spoke to

some women in the science, technology, engineering and mathmatics (STEM) industry (p6-11). These three incredible ladies have a wide variety of experience in their chosen fields and are knocking back stereotypes in STEM one step at a time.

For our food section, Country Kitchens have provided some recipes using dragon fruit (p14-23). With a bright colour perfect for autumn, we had no idea this tropical fruit was so versatile until now! Keeping with QCWA’s product of the year, you can also sew your own super-cute felt dragon fruit (p36) — or learn more about how this unique cactus fruit grows firsthand from a Queensland farmer on page 63.

Ruth has also continued the ‘short getaways’ article series, and this season we feature the Scenic Rim region which is just inland from the Gold Coast. If you’re keen to get away from holiday crowds during your next vacation, on the other hand, why not explore Outback Queensland? There are so many beautiful places to see (p58).

Finally, we have another new crossword for you on page 74, so I’ll leave you to get stuck in! The Ruth team is still stumped on 24 Down.

Enjoy reading, and have a colourful autumn!

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QCWA news Toowoomba mayor Paul Antonio, QCWA State President Sheila Campbell, Toowoomba Region town crier Kevin Howarth, and QCWA exhibition convenor Phoebe Mitchell.

Historic photography convenors Wendy Groves, Gemma Murray, Frances Tilly, Rosemary Peterson, and first chairperson Marjorie Shannen.

Leanne Fitzgerald admiring the Colonial Woodcrafts created by David and Julie Harriman.

St Andrews Hospital Blush Breast Care nurses Gaye Fool and Mary Kelsey with QCWA’s Lesa Bradshaw.

The QCWA Conference last year was held in Toowoomba (about 1.5 hours west of Brisbane) and included the very successful Expo in celebration of the Association’s 100th year. Sarah Coulton of Coulton’s Country Photography shares some snaps from the event.

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LOOK WHAT WE FOUND Special finds to brighten your life and home this autumn

What is the QCWA? A gathering of incredible ladies, the Queensland Country Women’s Association was founded by Ruth Fairfax OBE (after whom this magazine is named) in 1922. So much more than a ladies’ chat and scones, the Association advocates and raises funds for vulnerable people, towns and important causes as well as providing a social outlet for members across the branches in regional areas, towns, and cities across the state.

Quirky glass Brisbane-based artist Finn O’Sullivan makes each piece of glasswork by hand for her small business Lawn Bowls. The reasoning behind the quirky forms and features of each peice is the conceptual questioning of how decor enriches our lives and our homes, and each item is purposely imperfect while being useful. These small irregularities and differences make Lawn Bowls a great talking point in your dining or living room.

lawnbowlsglass.com

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Beautiful bags A partnership made in heaven, Australia’s Shari Bhutan not only makes these beautiful bags, but also celebrates the rich textile history of Bhutan. Created by best friends Carolyn and Sarah, the duo wanted to share the country’s progressive stance on topics such as environmental conversation with Aussies.

sharibhutan.com

Riot of colour With the start of autumn comes that awkward period of the year where it’s too warm for thick woollen scarves and coats, but too cool to not wear any outerclothes. Enter: silk scarves. These gorgeous silk scarves are designed by Aussie girl Jasmin Douglas in a celebration of our sunburnt land. They’re perfect for wearing on your head, around the neck, or simply tied to your handbag for a chic accessory.

daisydee.com.au

Jewellry for your skin If you’re tired of low-quality plated jewellry that leaves green marks on your skin, you’re not alone. Australian Chi Mai was so frustrated by this and having to pay through the nose for quality jewellry, that she created her own brand, S-kin Studio.

After extensive research and experimentation, she discovered gold fill, which is affordable and durable — Chi Mai even wears her resulting jewellry to sleep or in the shower.

s-kin.com.au 2023 Autumn

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Feature

WOMEN IN STEM For almost as long as it’s existed, the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) industry has been a male-dominated arena. But over the past few decades, Australian women have been challenging that perception and excelling in STEM careers. Ruth magazine chats to three such women — biologist and artist Marcelle Stirling; aerospace engineer Greta Stephensen; and entomologist Judy King.

Words by Jessica Kramer and Alice Williams Pictures Contributed

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MARCELLE STIRLING

MARCELLE STIRLING, BIOLOGIST AND BOTANICAL ARTIST — QCWA MOGGILL BRANCH

F

or Dr Marcelle Stirling, a move to Australia meant being able to realise her lifelong dream to study and become a botanist. At the time, civil riots in her home country of Sri Lanka made going to university impossible. Schools would open and close at a moment’s notice, leaving nothing but empty lecture halls and a backlog of desperate students. So in 1967, Marcelle made the move Down Under to join her sister, who had come a few years earlier.

“It was just that we felt we’d have a better chance, coming to Australia, and I would do it all over again, even though it was tough,” she says.

She openly credits childhood in Sri Lanka for her love for nature and agriculture. Raised on a coconut plantation, which also grew bananas, coffee and various other crops, Marcelle describes an idyllic lifestyle.

“Our playground was the coconut plantation. We grew our own food, and had our own animals and milk — it was just a beautiful way of life,” she says. “Even after moving to Adelaide, I chose that kind of life.”

In the two years Marcelle worked for a large rubber manufacturing company, she attended night school at the SA Institute of Technology and began studying biology.

“Part-time study was unusual in those days, but I needed money to live so I had to work full time. I just had to be positive, work hard, and hope that eventually I would be able to get to university.”

In 1969, Marcelle did get to university, but not as a student.

Instead, she became a laboratory technician at the University of Adelaide and worked with a world-famous plant pathologist who was studying a bacterium that causes crown gall disease on stone-fruit trees and grapevines.

“It was quite amazing working with this pathologist, as he had only just come back from a 12-month sabbatical in Sri Lanka. He was a quiet, unassuming, and very clever man. We got on really well and I was grateful for the opportunity to work with him.”

1969 was also the year Marcelle met her husband Graham, who was studying nematodes in the same department.

“We married in late 1970, and that meant a move to Loxton, a citrus, grape, stone-fruit, and vegetable-growing area on the river Murray. As it was 250 km from Adelaide, there was no chance to start my studies, so I worked on insect pests of stone-fruit with an entomologist.”

The oriental fruit moth that Marcelle studied damaged the young shoots of peach trees, and eventually burrowed into the fruit — making it unfit for sale.

“Our aim was to understand the biology of the pest with a view to developing a management program where natural enemies would largely keep it under control,” she explains. “We also assessed the capacity of predacious mites to control two spotted mites, another important pest. At the time, growers were using insecticides that affected their nervous system so our aim was to find non-chemical methods of controlling these pests.”

The next move was in 1975, when Marcelle and Graham went to the University of California, Riverside, for three years.

Graham obtained a scholarship from CSIRO and did his PhD on biological control of nematodes, while Marcelle took a job in the same department.

“I worked on a nematode parasite of mosquitoes and contributed to a second project on the biological control of pest nematodes by fungi. I also did some fungal taxonomy, learnt how to identify nematodes, and was able to audit some classes while working at the university. However, we could not afford the out of state university enrolment fee, so I couldn’t start my degree.”

When the couple returned to Loxton in 1978, Marcelle discovered that Charles Sturt University at Wagga Wagga had an external studies facility, so she enrolled to do a science degree.

“I’d have to go twice a year on the bus from Loxton — a 1200 km return trip — to do exams and practical classes. That worked out okay, except that smoking was allowed on bus trips in those days”.

“Excellent notes were provided, but obviously we didn’t have internet access in the 1970s. It makes you very self-motivated, and I quickly became skilled at solving problems on my own,” she says.

In 1982, Graham took a job in Brisbane. This meant an even

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longer 2500 km return trip to Wagga Wagga so that Marcelle could finally finish her Bachelor of Science degree.

“I was working fulltime in the botany department at the University of Queensland. We worked on diseases of pastures, but I was also able to help postgraduate students complete their research projects and show them new techniques.”

A few years later she completed a Master’s of Science in Microbiology at UQ, while also working full time. Finally, Marcelle managed to get a scholarship to study full time and completed her PhD on a fungal disease of avocado fruit in 1995.

At about the time Marcelle completed her PhD, Graham left his government job and they decided to establish their own company: Biological Crop Protection. Their aim was to provide research and diagnostic services that would help Australian farmers.

“We worked Australia-wide with many different industries, including apples, pineapples, ginger, vegetables, pastures, cereals, and sugarcane. I also processed a lot of diagnostic samples from turfgrass. It was a very busy but exciting 25 years, as there was always something new on the horizon.”

The couple wound down the company last year and embarked on a philanthropic venture in which they are running masterclasses in nematology and soil biology at universities in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth.

“Although Graham and I are both in our mid-seventies, we are still enjoying life. We have had a great partnership for a long time, have been able to work together for many years, and support each other really well”.

In semi-retirement Marcelle is focussing on her artistic talents and volunteering. She attended a botanical art class in 2006 and initially found it quite difficult.

“I drew quite well and was able to develop those skills, but when it came to painting with watercolour, I found it really challenging,” Marcelle explains. “I kept trying and thought I would never make it. I was always adding too much or too little water. I’d come home from classes very frustrated.”

Nevertheless, being a persistent person, she kept practising and gradually started to produce paintings that she was proud of.

“Being a scientist helped, because if you find you can’t do something one way, then you work out another way.”

These days, Marcelle spends a lot of her time painting eucalypts and other plants, but she also paints birds, butterflies, mushrooms, and microscopic organisms and has held a couple of solo exhibitions in the last ten years.

The second, in Brisbane, raised funds for the QCWA Rural Crisis Fund. She also donates her paintings to the CWA for fund-raising and raffles. At time of writing, she is preparing for her third exhibition: ‘A glimpse of Natural History’ to be held at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens from May 19-21 2023.

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GRETA STEPHENSEN

GRETA STEPHENSEN, AEROSPACE ENGINEER — QCWA HOWARD BRANCH

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reta Stephensen is a young woman kicking serious goals in STEM. At only 23, she has worked with corporations such as Boeing and GHD Engineering, and won awards with CSIRO and BHP Billiton, Zonta, and more.

As a student, she participated in CSIRO’s Aboriginal Summer School for Excellence in Technology and Science, and made her way up the ranks to deputy state leader in QCWA’s Young Leaders program.

A deep love for maths and physics — and a dream of becoming an astronaut — was what led Greta to the path she is on today.

“Back in grade 10, I went on my first engineering camp – a program set up by UQ where Indigenous students could go and could see if engineering was suited for them,” Greta says.

She immediately fell in love with engineering, especially the humanitarian side of it, by being introduced to Engineers without Borders.

“I always really loved maths and physics at school, so engineering was a perfect combination of that. I went to several other engineering programs in the following years across the country, further developing my connections.”

In grade 11 Greta entered the CSIRO STEM award and won a full scholarship to attend the International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles during her final year of high school.

Attending a small high school meant studying STEM — especially as a female — was challenging.

“There were only two girls in my highest maths and physics course, and the class was so small, we had to take it before and after school at 7am and 4pm so we all had to be super dedicated to attend the classes.”

However, she had a female maths teacher and a female physics teacher, who proved to be excellent mentors when it came to STEM subjects.

“I find even in university there’s a lot I have to overcome as a woman and sometimes even work harder than other people,” she says.

But Greta has fought the stereotypes and has proven that gender and youth is no barrier to achievement.

After completing high school, she started her first

engineering internship with GHD Engineering, writing reports and documenting work as well as designing and 3D modelling engineering drawings.

From there, she moved to university — UQ in Brisbane where she’s been studying since 2018, majoring in mechanical and aerospace engineering.

“In my first year I was awarded the Pekol Family Scholarship for Women in Engineering, which would provide me with a scholarship for the rest of uni.”

Greta was also offered an engineering scholarship through the Confucius Institute where she went on exchange to China, learning the language and culture whilst also working in the engineering workshop there at Tianjin University. Always on the lookout for new opportunities, she was also on the executive for the Women in Science Club.

Greta attributes some of her academic success to having a great study group.

“It’s really good, we work as a group and I think the environment really gets me grounded and ready to study,” she says.

Last year Greta finished her full year of thesis research, based around fluid flow and pressure in baby bottles,research that will be critical in helping at-risk and prematurely-born infants.

Never one to indulge in downtime, Greta has also been interning with Boeing as a mechanical engineer since 2019 where she worked on the DHFCS program, AIR6500, and is now working in the Currawong team full-time over the holiday break and part-time during full-time study periods.

“I’ve worked across three different projects and have gained a lot of experience,” Greta says. “Boeing was one of my stepping stone goals in becoming an astronaut and I’m so lucky to have achieved it so young.”

Greta has big goals for the future. She would like to keep working with Boeing, and going to space as an astronaut is still her dream — she even got to meet one of her heroes, NASA deputy administrator Pamela Melroy, at a CSIRO event held for the US Embassy in Perth.

There Greta, along with other STEM professionals and the CSIRO Young Indigenous Women’s STEM Academy, discussed ways in which Australia is supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in STEM. “NASA astronauts are definitely my role models, something that I aspire to achieve,” she says. “But even just being able to send something to space, like work on a project that gets sent to space, would be super exciting as well.”

JUDY KING, ENTOMOLOGIST — QCWA MOGGILL BRANCH

Q

CWA member Dr Judith King originally thought she may become a psychologist or perhaps a mathematician but in the end, it was the humble Australian native bee which captured her attention and drew her into a lifelong career in entomology.

It’s a career of which she’s immensely proud and one she’s keen to encourage other women to pursue, not just entomology but STEM roles in general.

“I thoroughly enjoyed it — I had a marvellous job, I found a wonderful group of people to work with, and I found it very satisfying,” she says.

Originally from the UK, and moving to Australia in 1970 for husband Chris’s job, STEM was something Judy always had an interest in. Doing her core education in England, her last two years of grammar school focused on physics, chemistry, biology and maths.

Keen for further study but as a mum to three young children, she knew that only night classes would work for her. One of the evening subjects the University of Queensland was offering happened to be entomology, and from that first course she was enthralled.

Balancing part-time study with young kids was a challenge but thankfully, Judy says, there were other women around in a similar position to help share the burden.

“I had a friend who was doing subjects as well, art instead of science, so she and I used to swap children and that helped because it gave each of us a bit of time each during the day.

And my husband was very supportive”.

“I would do everything with the children; meals, baths, homework until 8:30, and after that was my time.”

Graduating in 1979 with first class honours and awarded the University Medal, Judy went on to complete her PhD over six years.

“My PhD was on systematics of some Australian native bees, but not the little black bees — my bees were resin bees and leafcutter bees, which many people have never heard of or seen, but there are many species in Australia,” she says.

“Systematics is the classification of anything into groups based on similarity, shared characteristics and behaviours.

I looked at collections from all over Australia, at the types of bees and characteristics, and divided them into groups.

Illustrations, field collecting, it was all part of trying to get all the Australian fauna and flora identified and named, and I named a lot of new species.”

“But it’s a fairly specialised discipline, and there aren’t many of us left now.”

After doing post-doctoral work on tree-crop pollination, as well as tutoring at UQ, Judy landed a job with the Queensland Department of Forestry in October 1989 as the department’s first female scientist.

“They had a lot of foresters, obviously, and a lot of technicians, but they didn’t have a lot of scientists. And the area I was working in, my job interview was done by the entomologists who were working there. It was nice to work with a small group of scientists.”

One part of her job was to do inspections and provide information and advice to the timber industry.

“There was some, shall we say, surprise when I went to a sawmill, often by myself, but as soon as they realised I knew what I was talking about, I was fine.”

Later Judy became a member and also chair of the National Sirex Coordination Committee, travelling around Australia and researching the destructive Sirex wasp, which attacks pine trees.

“It’s a major pest and we were monitoring it — at the time it mostly concentrated in the southern states but it was moving into Queensland, so I used to do field work on that as well,” she says.

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She then had the opportunity to travel overseas to facilitate training courses where she worked in Vietnam at the Vietnamese Forest Science Institute helping the Entomologists sort and care for their insect collections.

Among what she describes as a “hotchpotch” of other roles, she’s also helped train quarantine officers in Fiji and spent time in Canada examining insect problems in pine plantations, and identifying problems that might come to Australia.

“I was on call, and used to advise the minister occasionally as well,” she says. “It was quite an interesting area.”

In 2010 Judy retired from Forestry and for a couple of years worked part time at the Queensland Museum where she is now an Honorary Research Fellow.

“I usually go in one day a week and work on native bees.”

Looking back at it all, Dr King says of her career, “It was just a really nice place to work, and I did things I never ever thought - like standing on the top of log piles and travelling around pine forests in North Queensland and all sorts of things,” she recalls.

“You get a great deal of satisfaction out of that and you meet new people and make new friends. So, all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

JUDY KING

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Dream big. That is certainly what Professor Rachel Allavena did right from the beginning, which has helped her carve out a brilliant career in the veterinary science field and establish herself as a leading multidisciplinary research scientist.

“I always really loved animals and liked the science and medicine side of things. Veterinary science seemed to fit and was a vocation that really interested me.”

Rachel is the Deputy Head of School at the University of Queensland’s School of Veterinary Science at Gatton, and her passion for science coupled with an inquisitive drive to find the answers to some of the most complex questions in her field has taken her to all corners of the globe.

From the small country town of Warwick, Queensland, Rachel’s long list of achievements are a true testament that passion combined with hard work and the drive to achieve can help fulfill any goal you set your mind to.

“We moved to Warwick when I was in high school, so I started Year 9 at SCOTS PGC College. I took the maths, science pathway in my senior years to get all the prerequisites for university entry to study vet science.”

An animal lover with a curiosity to learn, Rachel knew from the very beginning that the veterinary science field was for her. At school, she immersed herself in the maths and science subjects, cared for the College’s animals in the Agriculture department, and absorbed information from a supportive group of staff. But it wasn’t all about science all of the time.

The College empowered and encouraged Rachel to fulfil her creative side too. A keen artist, member of the Pipes and Drums band and College Captain in her graduating year, Rachel enjoyed a wholistic education that supported her academics while feeding other interests that shaped her as a person.

“I had great teachers. I studied art lessons with Mr Simpson in my own time because it was timetabled at the same time as one of the maths subjects. When I look back now, I am grateful that the school was quite flexible and provided me with a wholistic education – that’s something that I now value too as a mum.”

“We’ve just taken a trip to Europe. While visiting the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, I was telling my daughter all about art history, how art has evolved and what techniques artists had used. It was great to be able to talk about some of the things that Mr Simpson had taught me. Architectural art never made much sense in Warwick, but it certainly did in Paris!”

Art aside, one of Rachel’s most recent engagements has involved taking on the role as a ‘Flying Scientist’ with the Office of the Chief Scientist of Queensland’s ‘Wonder of Science’ - an initiative designed to foster a STEM culture in Queensland’s rural and remote schools, where UQ’s top scientists trade the science lab for the classroom.

The road trip has taken Rachel all around country Queensland, visiting schools and small communities to share her learnings with young, inquisitive minds about a variety of scientific topics.

A recent trip allowed Rachel to stop by her old school, SCOTS PGC College, where she was able to spend time and talk to students about the animal research she has conducted on cancer in pet dogs and its close connection to the cancers found in humans. Students were astounded to learn about Rachel’s research but were equally captivated that she too was once a SCOTS PGC student like them and is now a leader in her field.

Professor Rachel Allavena is a distinguished veterinary pathologist and multidisciplinary researcher who serves as the Deputy Head of School at the School of Veterinary Science, Gatton.

With over 20 years of experience in the field, she has made significant contributions to the development of innovative cancer treatments called immunotherapies. Her unique approach involves using pet dogs with natural cancer to conduct her research, which not only advances the development of veterinary treatments but also progresses human medicine. Her work is an excellent example of how veterinary medicine can benefit both animals and humans.

As a multi-award-winning teacher, Professor Allavena is highly regarded for her expertise in veterinary pathology, toxicology, animal welfare, and laboratory animal science. She is a nationally and internationally recognised expert in forensics, animal cruelty, and toxicology, where she serves as an expert witness in criminal and civil legal cases.

Her advocacy for racing animal welfare has led her to investigate racing animal injury and deaths, as well as conduct research on how to improve animal welfare in sports, society, and research.

Professor Allavena is a prominent figure in the media and has been featured by national and international media outlets. She is a Flying Scientist for Queensland's Office of the Chief Scientist and enjoys presenting to school students and teachers, as well as public outreach events to promote science to the general public. Her TEDx talk on how dogs can help us cure cancer is an excellent example of her ability to communicate complex scientific concepts to a broader audience.

Exotic Autumn Why dragon fruit?

Each year the QCWA select a Primary Product of the Year.

For 2023, the product is dragon fruit. The Country Kitchens team develop a suite of resources to promote the QCWA Primary Product of the Year and these delicious, nutritious and colourful recipes are part of the resources.

Dragon fruit is the tropical fruit produced by several species of cactus that are native to Mexico, Central and South America. These climbing cactus plants love warm, humid climates, making tropical Queensland an optimal production location.

There are five major varieties of dragon fruit, including white, red, pink, yellow and sour, and up to 80 sub varieties.

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All recipes courtesy of the Country Kitchens 2023 Primary Product of the Year recipe collection – dragon fruit

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Asian Dragon Fruit Salad Serves: 6 Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 0 minutes Fruit & Veg: 1 ½ serves per portion Ingredients Salad:

4 cups mixed salad leaves 1 avocado, cubed 1 pink dragon fruit, sliced into wedges ½ red onion, finely sliced 1 bunch coriander, stems and leaves roughly chopped 1 red apple, julienned 1 carrot, peeled into julienne strips 3 tablespoons peanuts, finely chopped

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Dressing:

3 tablespoons plum sauce 3 teaspoons sesame oil 2 teaspoons salt-reduced soy sauce 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ginger, grated 1 lime, juiced

Method ADD all salad ingredients except peanuts to a large bowl.

COMBINE all dressing ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake well to combine.

POUR dressing over salad just before serving. Sprinkle with peanuts and toss to combine.

Recipe courtesy of the Country Kitchens 2023 Product of the Year Recipe Collection – Dragon Fruit

Dragon Fruit and Strawberry Tart Serves: 12 Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes + overnight chill time Fruit & Veg: ½ serve per portion Ingredients Base:

1 cup rolled oats ½ cup sultanas ½ cup macadamias ¼ cup seeds (pepitas or sunflower) 2 tablespoons margarine

Custard Filling:

¼ cup cornflour 8 egg yolks ¼ cup sugar 3 cups low fat milk 2 teaspoons lemon rind ½ cup lemon juice

Dragon Fruit and Strawberry Topping: 1 pink dragon fruit 2 cup strawberries

Method PREHEAT oven to 180°C. ADD base ingredients to a food processor and blend until combined.

PRESS oat mixture into the bottom of a loose-base tart tin (approximately 20-25 cm).

BAKE in oven for 15 minutes or until base is golden brown.

Set aside.

WHISK cornflour, eggs and sugar in a small bowl.

HEAT milk in a saucepan over low heat until gently simmering. Turn heat down further.

WHISK egg mixture into the milk slowly, making sure to constantly stir as the egg mix is added to prevent lumps forming. Continue stirring until custard has thickened.

ADD lemon rind and juice to custard and stir to combine.

Remove custard from heat.

POUR custard mix into tart tin over the cooked base. Allow to cool slightly and place in the fridge for 15 minutes.

BLEND ½ of the dragon fruit and 1 cup of strawberries in a food processor until smooth.

POUR fruit mix on top of the tart. Place in the fridge overnight to set.

SERVE tart with remaining dragon fruit and strawberries, sliced or chopped.

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Dragon Fruit Fried Rice Serves: 4 Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Fruit & Veg: 2 serves per portion Ingredients

1 tablespoon peanut oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 3cm piece fresh ginger, minced 300g chicken breast, sliced into small pieces 1 small brown onion, finely diced ½ cup corn kernels 1 carrot, finely diced 1 cup green beans, finely chopped ½ red capsicum, finely diced ½ small head broccoli, cut into small florets ¼ cup sweet chilli sauce ¼ cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped Black pepper, to taste

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2 cups cooked white rice ⅓ cup pink dragon fruit, diced (fresh or frozen) ¼ cup roasted cashews

Method HEAT half the oil in a large fry pan or wok over high heat.

ADD garlic and ginger. Stir fry for a minute or so until fragrant.

ADD chicken and stir fry until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

HEAT remaining oil in pan. Add onion, corn, carrot, beans, capsicum and broccoli and stir fry over high heat until tender, around 3-4 minutes.

RETURN chicken with ginger and garlic back to pan. Add sweet chilli, coriander and pepper and continue to stir fry until chicken and vegetables are cooked through. Remove chicken and vegetables from pan and set aside.

ADD rice to pan and stir fry for a couple of minutes until heated through and lightly toasted. Add dragon fruit to rice and toss until the rice is well coated in colour.

RETURN the chicken and vegetables to the pan with the rice and toss to combine.

TOP with cashews and serve immediately.

Dragon Fruit Guacamole Serves: 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Fruit & Veg: 1 serve per portion Ingredients

2 wholemeal Lebanese or pita breads Extra virgin olive oil 2 avocados ½ white dragon fruit, peeled and diced 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters ½ cup fresh coriander, finely chopped ¼ cup red onion, finely diced 1 long red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped ½ lime, juiced Pinch of salt and pepper

Method PREHEAT oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

CUT bread into triangles and place on lined tray. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden and crispy.

CUT avocados in half and discard the pit. Scoop avocado flesh into a bowl and mash with a fork until chunky.

ADD dragon fruit, tomatoes, coriander, onion, chilli, lime juice, salt and pepper to bowl. Fold into the avocado.

TASTE and adjust with more lime juice if desired.

SERVE with homemade pita chips.

What’s great about It? This exotic guacamole provides a fun twist to the world famous Mexican dip! The chunks of fresh dragon fruit add a subtle sweetness, which is complemented by the fresh lime, coriander and chilli. Try serving this dish inside the skin of the dragon fruit for that extra wow factor, and to make cleaning up a breeze! This dip also pairs well with fresh veggie sticks, or try dolloping it on top of your favourite taco recipe.

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Dragon Fruit Smoothie Serves: 3 Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 0 minutes Fruit & Veg: 1 serve per portion Ingredients

1 cup frozen pink dragon fruit chunks 1 medium banana 1 cup frozen blueberries ¾ cup reduced fat milk 1 tablespoon instant skim milk powder (optional) ½ lime, juiced

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Method ADD all ingredients to a blender.

BLEND on high speed until very smooth.

ADD more milk as necessary to thin to desired texture.

POUR into glasses and serve immediately.

What’s great about it?

This refreshing smoothie is a great way to increase your fruit intake. Feel free to swap the frozen fruit and use other berries or mango instead. The addition of lime adds a zesty twist to this recipe but can also be left out.

Dragon Fruit Summer Pudding Serves: 12 Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes + overnight chill time Fruit & Veg: ½ serve per portion Ingredients

1 loaf sliced wholemeal bread 2 cups frozen pink dragon fruit chunks 1 cup strawberries 1 cup blueberries 1 can white dragon fruit chunks in syrup Reduced fat yoghurt, to serve

Method LINE a bowl or pudding tin with plastic wrap.

REMOVE crusts from bread and cut into triangles.

ADD fruit to saucepan and gently simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

DIP bread triangles in fruit mixture until lightly coated.

ARRANGE bread inside the bowl, lining the bottom and sides.

FILL with fruit mixture and top with remaining bread triangles.

PLACE saucer on top of the bowl and weigh down with a tin or can.

REFRIGERATE overnight.

TIP the pudding out of the bowl onto a serving plate when set. Serve with low fat vanilla or Greek yoghurt.

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Prawn Tacos with Dragon Fruit Salsa Serves: 6 Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes Fruit & Veg: 2 serves per portion Ingredients

1 tablespoon smoked paprika 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground cumin 400g uncooked prawns, peeled 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 12 small flour OR corn tortillas ½ cup natural yoghurt, reduced fat ½ red cabbage, finely shredded

Dragon Fruit Salsa: 1 dragon fruit, peeled and diced 1 capsicum, finely diced

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1 tomato, finely diced 1 red onion, finely diced ½ bunch fresh coriander, chopped 2 tablespoons pickled jalapenos, chopped (optional) 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 lime, juiced

Method COMBINE salsa ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

COMBINE smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, ground coriander and ground cumin in a small bowl.

ADD prawns and lightly coat in spices.

HEAT oil in a frypan over medium heat. When hot, fry prawns for a couple of minutes each side, or until just opaque.

WARM tortillas in a frypan or oven until soft.

LOAD each tortilla with a teaspoon of yoghurt, cabbage and prawns, and top with dragon fruit salsa.

Dragon Fruit Vinaigrette Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 0 minutes Ingredients ½ pink dragon fruit 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

What’s great about it?

The pink coloured flesh of dragon fruit provides a characteristically bright fuchsia colour to this dressing which is sure to make any salad pop! It can be made in a matter of minutes and pairs well with many types of salad. If you are unable to find fresh pink dragon fruit, frozen dragon fruit works just as well.

Method ADD all ingredients to a blender.

BLEND on high speed until well combined.

POUR over salad of choice when ready to serve.

2023 Autumn | 23

Country Kitchens Facilitator Spotlight

Meet Fiona Owens from QCWA Longreach Branch in Central Western Division

F

iona Owens has been a QCWA Country Kitchens facilitator for five years now, joining the health promotion program back in 2017.

“I registered to learn more about healthy eating and nutrition myself, with the goal to then be able to pass on the knowledge in my community,” said Fiona.

Fiona has worked to form partnerships with a range of organisations and groups in Longreach, such as schools, the local library and Council. Through these partnerships she has facilitated a number of activities, including showcase displays at community events and cooking workshops.

As a Tour Guide for the School of Distance Education in Longreach, Fiona is passionate about maximising the impact of her Country Kitchens activities.

“Earlier this year, I delivered two handson nutrition workshops with a total of 30 students as part of the Longreach School of Distance Education’s cluster week.

The students enjoyed learning about the 5 key messages, as well as how to make healthy sausage rolls and apple crumble,” said Fiona.

Longreach has a Mums and Bubs group organised through the local Council. The group meet weekly in the library, so Fiona created a wonderful and informative display about healthy lunchboxes, in the library where the group meet.

“I really like doing showcase displays and including a taste testing and recipe cards from the Country Kitchens recipe bank,” added Fiona.

In May last year, Fiona also organised another showcase for the Queensland Chamber Orchestra’s Camerata event.

Outside of Country Kitchens, Fiona is an avid gardener, who also enjoys crafts, sewing and poetry writing.

“Everyone should get involved with Country Kitchens as it is a great way to learn skills for a healthier lifestyle, and to positively influence the health of others in your community.”

If you or someone you know is keen to work with the QCWA Country Kitchens program, we are always looking to increase our volunteer workforce.

To learn about what we do, please get in touch with the team on 0417 539 663, or head to our website: www.qcwacountrykitchens.com.au

24 | Autumn 2023

Healthier support for women from Country Kitchens Empowering women through education and health is a priority for the Queensland Country Women’s Association (QCWA).

The QCWA Country Kitchens program, funded by the Queensland Government through Health and Wellbeing Queensland, supports Queenslanders to adopt healthier lifestyles.

Advertising feature

Dalby cafe kicking goals Urban Paddock Cafe is a destination people will travel hours to enjoy a meal for, so it’s no surprise they’re beating city institutions in awards for eateries.

Images by Urban Paddock Cafe and Lachlan Berlin

I

f you haven’t heard of Urban Paddock Cafe yet, you’re in for a treat.

This Dalby-based cafe — roughly three hours north-west from Brisbane — was opened in 2017 by Melissa Harms and her two sisters with the aim to give the town a family-friendly place to have coffee and relax.

It revitalised the historic Quambi House, an old Queenslander in Cunningham Street which has stood for more than a century, making the atmosphere part of the experience at Urban Paddock.

The owners and cafe staff pride themselves on an innovative menu that changes with the seasons and uses local ingredients, sometimes fusing different cuisines into dishes.

Melissa attributes this to Urban Paddock’s creative chef, Caleb McKinnon.

“He’s the backbone of it all, it’s his ideas and creations, and the staff — they make it what it is as well,” she said after an award-winning year.

In 2019, the cafe was a finalist for Best Breakfast in the Queensland and Northern Territory Restaurant and Catering

Awards for Excellence (winning the category the year prior in 2018) and they also won the category for Best Cafe Dining.

Even more impressive was that they won Cafe of the Year 2019, against more than 130 restaurants across the state — including high-end city eateries.

Then, in 2020, it was nominated in the Best Breakfast and Best Cafe Dining categories again, in addition to Caleb McKinnon being nominated for Queensland Chef of the Year.

The cafe was also crowned Dalby’s best brunch through a contest run by local newspaper, The Dalby Herald, in partnership with celebrity chef Matt Preston.

Beloved by locals and out-of-towners alike, Melissa says the staff often hear stories from locals about what the old Queenslander used to be and when they used to visit.

“It’s probably more of a destination than just a coffee shop...

It’s always nice to hear those stories,” she said.

Urban Paddock offers all-day dining and fantastic coffee and other beverages, as well as a playground for the kids.

Visit Urban Paddock Cafe at 138 Cunningham Street, Dalby.

To book a table, call (07) 4662 2628.

QUAMBI HOUSE 138 Cunningham Street, Dalby 07 4662 2628 OPEN FOR BREAKFAST & LUNCH

Trading hours Monday 7am – 3pm, Tues – Fri 7am – 5pm, Sat/Sun – 7am – 2pm

urbanpaddockcafe

26 | Autumn 2023

Inspiring People

QCWA’s driving force in Biloela

A member since 1956, Elva Wilson has been behind many a worthwhile cause in Queensland

Words by Heather Jensen, President of QCWA Gladstone

A

s a young wife, only married for a year, Elva Wilson OAM joined the Jambin Branch of QCWA after moving from Biloela to this rural town in the Banana Shire in

1956.

With two small children in tow, Elva took on the position of treasurer for a three-year term. Since then, she has held many positions in the Branch numerous times: vice president, president, secretary, and international officer.

Elva has also held the position of vice president and president of the Port Curtis Division, going on to the position of state vice president and then state president from 1996 to 1999.

Elva has been the driving force in having four cottages erected in Biloela and two duplex units in Thangool, with two more to follow this year. Elva and her committee are supported by the Division and members in the project.

In 1984, Elva was part of the Tui Tai Cruise, organised by an older member Jean Bradley, to the outer islands of Fiji.

This was where Elva met kindergarten teacher Asenaca

Pictures Contributed

Bainivalu, and the pair developed a lifelong friendship alongside members of the division and other members of the Association. Port Curtis Division still willingly supports the island and So-So Village on the island Naveta of the Yasawa group.

Elva has led many delegations to the South Pacific, in addition to the Associated Country Women of the World and Country Women’s Association of Australia conferences.

For a quietly spoken lady, Elva is well respected by all and expects the same from the members. She was described to me as a very fair but determined lady, and if she is pursuing a worthwhile issue, she will see it through to the end.

Now in her 67th year in the Association, Elva has again been elected branch president and is well-supported by her branch.

She is a very supportive member of the division and will always let us know if we do the wrong thing. We do all hope we have Mrs Elva Wilson OAM in our division for many years to come.

2023 Autumn | 27

Fashion

Loving local Buying locally-made products has never been so chic

Words by Melanie Collins

T

he global pandemic has impacted our views on many things. The way we interact with each other, our health and hygiene habits, how we work, where we work… Every aspect of our lives has been affected in some way or another.

And that includes the way we shop.

Before COVID-19 turned the world upside down, the Black Summer bushfires also had a notable impact on the way we shopped and what we put in our wardrobes. A passion for shopping locally was ignited in many Australians, as we all did our best to ‘buy from the bush’.

As we all slowly recover from the past few years of change, a focus on the importance of supporting local businesses and Australian-made products remains. Now more than ever we are educating ourselves on how and where our clothes are made — and what impact that has on our planet.

Here, we spotlight a few fashion brands bringing manufacturing back home to Australian shores.

COUNTRY ROAD

Founded in 1974, Country Road began as a specialty shirt business with a single store in Hawthorn, in Melbourne’s inner east. Today, this iconic Australian brand has made a commitment to sourcing more local materials. The brand is supporting responsible cotton farming by sourcing Australian, recycled, organically grown cotton in their selected ranges.

Country Road says Australian cotton growers are recognised as leaders in responsible farming practices, both in their water efficiency and in their use of cotton varieties. By strengthening their commitment to local farmers and responsible sourcing,

28 | Autumn 2023

Pictures Contributed the much-loved Australian brand can trace their verified ranges back to local farms. It’s a step forward in both supporting local industry and reducing our carbon footprint.

CUE

Another favourite Aussie brand endeavouring to bring manufacturing back to Australia is Cue. Launched in 1968

by Rod Levis, and still owned and operated by him and his family, the brand was inspired by the youth culture of swinging London.

Every Cue style is designed in their Sydney studio, with the brand still delivering modern, design-driven styles for the contemporary woman. While some styles are made overseas, the fashion brand does manufacture many styles locally.

R.M. WILLIAMS

This year, Australian retailer R.M.Williams launched its most locally sourced collection to date, with a new seasonal campaign that highlights life in rural Australia. The new range includes footwear, apparel and accessories, with an impressive 61% of the product range made on Australian shores.

Over half of the products are made by teams in the R.M.Williams workshop in Adelaide, South Australia, with the remaining products made in partnership with artisanal manufacturers in Sydney and Melbourne. An increasing number of shirts, denim pieces and other apparel styles have buoyed this growth in local manufacturing, joining R.M.Williams’ core range of leather boots and accessories.

ARNSDORF

Modern womenswear brand Arnsdorf is based on a foundation of transparency, ethical manufacturing and sustainability. All Arnsdorf garments are designed, cut, sewn and finished in their offices in Melbourne. The brand balances design with responsibility to create garments that have a lasting positive impact on the women who wear them, and the world around them. Arnsdorf says they are committed to being transparent about who they are, what they believe and how they operate — a truly forward-thinking company.

NOBLE LABEL

Just as the name suggests, Noble Label aims to be noble in both design and method. The cool Sydney brand creates clothes that reflect a relaxed, versatile and timeless style. The brand is committed to local manufacturing, which not only drastically reduces their carbon footprint, but also allows them to build relationships with their manufacturers, ensuring that any hand that helps in the making of Noble is properly paid and working conditions are not compromised.

Adding to this brand’s appeal is their environmental responsibility. Packaging from Noble is made mostly from plants and is entirely compostable with no toxic residues.

Embracing the ease and vitality of Australian beach life, the range is available in more than 80 retailers worldwide, as well as boutiques in NSW, Victoria and Queensland. Bassike collections are designed locally, with more than 95% of their garments made in Australia. The short supply chains mean a reduced carbon footprint and total transparency for wearers of this chic, contemporary brand.

BASSIKE

NOBODY DENIM

Pronounced “basic”, this brand has been ahead of the pack since day one. The label was founded by Deborah Sams and Mary Lou Ryann in 2006 to create what they couldn’t find: high quality, sustainably sourced wardrobe essentials. And the clever pair chose to work with organic cotton, Australian makers and responsible business practices right from the beginning.

The talented team at ultra-cool denim brand Nobody Denim are committed to manufacturing the majority of their clothes in Melbourne. The brand says that not only does designing and producing in-house keep jobs and dollars in the country, it enables them to stay at the raw edge of contemporary fashion — responding to trends and street style in real-time. All the while minimising our carbon footprint.

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| 29

WORKSHIRTS

Just Country Workshirts are designed for hard work.

Made of 100% cotton, the lightweight breathable fabric won’t hold you back.

To view the range or find a local stockist visit

justcountry.com.au

Health

Seven steps to staying healthy after menopause Words by Rhonda Anderson Pictures Contributed

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| 31

Health

The years after menopause have the potential to be some of the richest and most satisfying years of our lives.

F

or most women, menopause comes at about the twothirds mark in our lives, which means we still have a lot of living to do.

Since these can be some of the richest, most satisfying years of our lives, it’s worth investing in our health to make the best of them. Here are seven important ways to do that.

1: UNDERSTAND THE TRANSITION

RHONDA ANDERSON

Technically, menopause is just one day — the day 12 months after our last period. Beyond that we’re postmenopausal. But the transition leading to it lasts for several years.

Mostly what we hear about is difficult symptoms: hot flushes and night sweats, anxiety, brain fog, poor sleep, mood swings and so on. These can be debilitating and there’s an array of treatments, including hormone therapy, that can help.

What’s often overlooked though, is that even if we have no symptoms, the loss of estrogen that occurs during these years affects many aspects of our bodies and potentially, our long-term health.

Estrogen is anti-inflammatory and plays a role in almost all of our cells and tissues. So less estrogen means, for example, that we’re at greater risk of developing fat around our belly, losing muscle and bone, and developing inflammatory conditions of our organs and joints.

32 | Autumn 2023

This is where lifestyle comes to the fore. A good foundation of diet, exercise, sleep and managing stress can make a huge difference.

It also makes sense to get a thorough check-up within a year or two of menopause to assess key health markers such as our bone density and cardiovascular risk factors.

2: CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE

Some of us worry that passing through menopause means we’re ‘old’. At the same time, we might notice that we’re not seen the way we once were and start feeling invisible.

We live in an ageist culture.

Ageism is discrimination based on age. It goes hand in hand with stereotyping, which is the assumption that all members of a group are the same.

In fact, the older we get, the more different we become from each other. Despite that, we unconsciously absorb age stereotypes from the world around us from the time we’re children.

We can’t change that, but we can be aware of it and take responsibility for our own attitudes and beliefs. There’s plenty of evidence that a positive mindset has a positive impact on our health.

One researcher in this area is Yale University Professor Becca

Levy, who has shown that people with positive views of ageing have better memories and live on average 7.5 years longer than people with negative views. Our view of ageing has more bearing on our health than cholesterol, blood pressure, weight or smoking, she says.

3: EAT REAL FOOD

If we were to change one thing in our diets that would make an overwhelming difference to our health, it would be to avoid ultra-processed food.

While there’s no one perfect diet and not all foods suit everyone, the formula for healthy ageing is to eat real or whole food. This means vegetables, salads, fruit, meats, seafood, eggs, dairy, legumes, nuts, seeds and grains.

Around 90% of Australian women don’t meet the recommendation of five serves of vegetables a day, suggesting that a lot of us aren’t looking after ourselves nutritionally as well as we could.

If that applies to you, now is a great time to start building your diet around a broad range of unprocessed foods, to help your body function at its best.

4: MOVE

As we get older most of us move less. We sit more. We adopt a narrower range of movement. We stop getting down on the floor.

Yet, movement is another vital way to counter the effects of ageing and estrogen loss. Strength, balance and mobility are considered critical to healthy ageing, so find a way to develop them.

The beauty of movement is that we have lots of options.

Strength, for example, can be improved in a gym, but we can also do exercises at home using our own bodyweight or resistance bands or dumbbells. Housework and gardening help too. Pilates could be another way.

In recent times many of us have discovered the convenience of being able to join an online class from our loungerooms.

We can practise balance by, say, standing on one leg to brush our teeth or waiting for the jug to boil. I know a woman who keeps her saucepans on high and low shelves, so she has to bend down and reach up for them each day.

It’s also important to move in different ways to keep challenging our bodies. For example, if you go walking, vary it. Include hills or stairs and different terrain — keeping safe, of course.

Importantly, stay active. Everything counts, including dancing, playing with your grandkids or splashing about in the backyard pool.

But no matter what you choose to do, ease into it. Doing too much too quickly sets us up for injury.

5: VALUE RELATIONSHIPS

A long-running Harvard study on men showed that the biggest predictor of how well they aged was the quality of their relationships. Relationships are clearly central to women’s lives too. Moreover, loneliness kills. So keep reaching out and making an effort to connect with others. And treasure the people around you; they may well become your lifeline.

6: FIND POSITIVE ROLE MODELS

In a youth-focused culture such as ours we can find inspiration for the way we grow older by identifying role models who demonstrate qualities we’d like to take on. We can look to famous women, friends, relatives or women we come across in the course of our lives, including on social media. They don’t even have to be women.

7: START EARLY

It’s never too early to start investing in our long-term health.

In addition to diet and exercise, this includes prioritising sleep and having effective ways to reduce stress.

Some of us have spent many years putting ourselves last, but the sooner we interrupt that pattern and start taking care of ourselves the better.

Many women look to this phase of their lives as ‘their’ time, when they can seek fresh challenges, redefine who they are, and even find a new sense of purpose. It’s a time when we can be justly proud of where we’ve come and what we’ve learned along the way.

Menopause used to be referred to as ‘the change’. And it is. The good news is we can make it a healthy change for the better by following these seven steps.

And while it’s never too early to start, it’s also never too late.

2023 Autumn

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Health

Stop

chronic aches

in their tracks

Top tips to stay mobile if you sit down all day at work Words by Kirrily Schwarz

T

he human body is not designed to sit still for long periods of time.

The average Australian sits for eight to 10 hours per day. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, we spend one month a year sitting still and watching TV — and that’s in addition to work.

Research shows that sitting is closely linked to a number of chronic health concerns, such as obesity and metabolic issues.

These can include high blood pressure, high blood sugar and

34 | Autumn 2023

high cholesterol.

However, it can also cause acute aches and pains, especially in the neck, back and hips.

“Our bodies are designed to move and change positions, so many people struggle to stay pain-free when they’re doing sedentary work,” says Jaquelin Goldsack, a senior physiotherapist at Physionorth in Townsville.

“Research shows that people who move and change positions as much as possible are much less likely to suffer from pain than those who stay in one position for prolonged periods.”

So what can we do about it? According to Ms Goldsack, the more movement, the better.

“Sit/stand desks are a great way to vary positions,” she says.

“The best way to use one is to alternate between the two every 30-60 minutes. Also, frequent short breaks to walk to

the printer, grab a drink or water, or just stand and change position are great for preventing pain.”

She also recommends seated rotation stretches to promote spinal mobility.

“Sit with your feet flat on the floor and your hands across your chest,” she says.

“Imagine a string lengthening your spine, then rotate to one side as far as possible, then repeat in the other direction.

JAQUELIN GOLDSACK Make sure you keep nice and relaxed and don’t try to use your arms to pull yourself around further.”

Stretching your arms above your head, linking hands behind your lower back and sticking your chest out, looking over each of your shoulders, and putting your ear to each of your shoulders and holding it for a few seconds can also help prevent injury. Take some deep breaths during each stretch.

Connor Bloss is an exercise physiologist at The Banyans Healthcare in Bowen Hills.

“We know that people who are active tend to feel better physically and mentally, with higher energy levels and improved brain function, which can increase performance at work and lead to better outcomes,” he says.

“It’s also really beneficial when it comes to preventing chronic disease.”

His philosophy is that any movement is better than none. Everyone is unique, he CONNOR BLOSS explains, and everyone’s situations are a little bit different, so his goal is to help people move in any way.

“My experience is that a lot of people who sit behind the desk can get quite tight and weak around their hips and lower back,” he says. “A lot of people want to treat the symptoms, not always the cause, but I try to do both. Getting up every half an hour can help to ward it off — it’s quite simple.”

From an exercise perspective, he says there KAITLYN are lots of easy ways to STEINHARDT

increase movement at work.

For example, if you have an adjustable desk, you can march on the spot during meetings to increase blood flow, or do a few squats between tasks to keep your hips mobile and your glutes strong.

“It’s also important to eliminate the source of the pain if possible,” he says. “Things like adjusting your desk, adjusting your seat position, adjusting your chair height and your screen, trying to make things a bit more ergonomic.

It’s not everyone’s favourite word, but it’s really important.”

So what are the key takeaways?

Physiotherapist Kaitlyn Steinhardt, who is based at Robina on the Gold Coast, sums it up nicely. She currently specialises in women’s health, but she spent many years working in a spinal rehabilitation centre and says five tips can help even when you’re sitting down and facing a mountain of work.

• Stretch your upper back and neck every few hours when you’re at the desk.

• Swap your chair for a fit ball or standing desk to encourage more movement.

• Walk to work, park slightly further away, or take the stairs to increase activity.

• Conduct walking meetings, especially for phone calls, to increase your step count.

• Try ‘exercise snacking’ and break activity into blocks of a few minutes at a time.

2023 Autumn

| 35

Art & Craft

Make a stuffed felt dragon fruit Stitch up a storm with this adorable pitaya — why not change up the colours of felt a little and create a whole bunch?

Words and images by QCWA Country Kitchens

MATERIALS

36 | Autumn 2023

Baking paper Pen Felt in pink, green, and white Fabric scissors Pins Embroidery needle Embroidery thread in pink, green, white, and black Polyester fill/stuffing

Stuffed Felt Dragon Fruit Pattern

DRAGON FRUIT BRACT A GREEN FELT CUT 3

DRAGON FRUIT SKIN B PINK FELT

DRAGON FRUIT SKIN A

CUT 1

PINK FELT CUT 3

DRAGON FRUIT BRACT B GREEN FELT CUT 3

DRAGON FRUIT FLESH WHITE FELT

DRAGON FRUIT

CUT 1

BRACT C GREEN FELT CUT 1

2023 Autumn

| 37

Art & Craft

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cutting the dragon fruit felt pieces: 1. Lay a sheet of baking paper over the dragon fruit pattern on the previous page and trace each piece. Cut out each piece from the baking paper.

2. Use the baking paper templates and pins to pin and cut each shape from the felt. Cut the following pieces:

3 x ‘Dragon Fruit Skin A’ from pink felt 1 x ‘Dragon Fruit Skin B’ from pink felt 1 x ‘Dragon Fruit Flesh’ from white felt 3 x ‘Dragon Fruit Bract A’ from green felt 3 x ‘Dragon Fruit Bract B’ from green felt 1 x ‘Dragon Fruit Bract C’ from green felt

Attaching the dragon fruit flesh to the skin: 4. Attach the ‘Dragon Fruit Flesh’ piece with seeds to ‘Dragon Fruit Skin B’. Thread the needle with white thread. Line up and centre the two felt pieces together and sew along the border of the flesh to secure it into place.

Adding the dragon fruit seeds:

Making the dragon fruit skin:

3. Add seeds to the white ‘Dragon Fruit Flesh’ felt piece using a small french knot. Thread the needle with black thread. Bring the needle up through the felt, wrap the thread around the needle once and feed the needle back down through the felt.

Repeat until the felt piece is covered in seeds.

5. Attach two pieces of ‘Dragon Fruit Skin A’ together with a blanket stitch. Thread the needle with pink thread and sew along the length of the felt until secure.

6. Repeat with the remaining piece of ‘Dragon Fruit Skin A’ to attach all three pieces of pink felt together.

38 | Autumn 2023

Attaching the dragon fruit bracts to the skin:

Final steps:

7. Attach the green dragon fruit bracts to the outside of the skin. Thread the needle with green thread. Sew one piece of ‘Dragon Fruit Bract B’ to the centre of the skin near one of the points. This will be the bottom of the dragon fruit.

Ensure you attach the bract to the outside of the dragon fruit skin so the blanket stitch is shown.

8. Continue to attach the bracts and sew one piece of ‘Dragon Fruit Bract A’ to the centre of the skin, above ‘Dragon Fruit Bract B’. Attach the remaining two pieces of ‘Dragon Fruit Bract B’ to the sides of the skin.

10. Fill the dragon fruit with stuffing. Finish the blanket stitch around the edge of the skin, leaving a small gap at the top to attach the final bracts.

11. Attach ‘Dragon Fruit Bract C’ to the top of the dragon fruit.

Thread the needle with green thread and sew until secure.

12. Attach the remaining two pieces of ‘Dragon Fruit Bract A’ to the top, on either side of ‘Dragon Fruit Bract C’.

12. Thread the needle with pink thread and close the top of the skin. Secure with a double knot.

You now have a completed dragon fruit!

Attaching the dragon fruit skin: 9. Attach the dragon fruit skin piece with flesh and seeds to the rest of the skin with a blanket stitch. Thread the needle with pink thread and sew around the edge of the felt pieces, leaving a gap for stuffing. Ensure the flesh piece is orientated in the correct direction, so the bracts are facing upwards.

2023 Autumn

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Art & Craft

Capturing time

Blackall photographer Lisa Alexander says her work is about preserving moments Words by Kirrily Schwarz Images by Lisa Alexander

L

isa Alexander isn’t opposed to being in exactly the wrong spot.

“You do what you have to do to capture a good shot — a unique shot — and you have to experiment,” she explains. “I’m more than happy to stand in the middle of the draft. You’ve got to be careful, or you’ll get flattened, but I’ve been working with stock my whole life and I know my limitations.”

That means knowing when to pick your moment, and when to get out of the way in a hurry.

Lisa lives on a merino property about 90km south-west of Blackall, in Western Queensland.

The town has a population of just over 900 people and a reputation for being the “Arts Capital of the West”. She has played

40 | Autumn 2023

a key role — she and a former neighbour are responsible for the spectacular signs welcoming visitors to her hometown.

At one end, the letters ‘B-L-A-C-K-A-L-L’ are spelt out in seven-metre-tall letters spanning a distance of 120m. At the other is a 12m letter ‘B’ covered in contributed photos of local life with the town’s name spelt out in smaller letters along the side.

She’s the kind of person who is always switching between different hats. She runs her own business, capturing the people, lifestyle and industry of outback Queensland. She’s a wife and a mother of two. She runs online courses. She markets a local gallery. She helps on her family’s property. She also recently published a book with nine other rural photographers for the Beauty in the Bush collective.

As if that wasn’t enough, she also won the Queensland Rural Press Club Photo of the Year award in February and was category winner for Best Landscape photo, with a stunning series documenting the Channel Country, in the state’s southwest. It captured an explosion of growth at Windorah that followed recent flooding rains at Cooper Creek.

But photography isn’t something she got into until her second child was in grade six.

“I’ve always taken photos, but it really came to a head when I was teaching my second child through distance education,” she says.

“I wanted to learn to use my camera properly. I was actually asked to photograph a wedding — that’s not the way I recommend getting into photography! [The bride] was pretty independent, so I spent every minute memorising new settings and learning new things.”

There’s nothing quite like jumping in the deep end, she laughs, but the wedding turned out well.

Things started picking up momentum, and she began collecting camera gear, until she realised she was in a position to do it properly. She invested in a business course and never looked back.

Lisa’s photography style is largely documentary, making the most of Queensland’s stunning natural light to capture authentic and emotive images. She’s always keeping an eye out for the little things that happen in between bigger things – a hug, a smile, a knowing look, a cheeky glint in the eye.

Agriculture is at the heart and soul of almost every shot.

While poets use ink, painters use oils, and sculptors use clay, photographers specialise in a much more slippery medium: time.

“To me it’s about capturing a moment that will never be repeated — it’s about capturing life, and capturing people on the land,” she says.

“Because you know things will change in the future.”

Lisa describes her work as “authentically Australian”. She’s the fifth generation of her family to live in the Blackall area and her connection to the region is a constant inspiration.

“In my opinion, there’s nowhere better to live,” she says.

“We obviously haven’t got everything you’d have in the city, but we have the essential services, and you always feel safe — you know there’s always someone who will have your back.

The older I get, the more I appreciate living here.”

Her portfolio has diversified a lot since that first wedding.

She’s been doing photography professionally since 2019 — in the last few years, she has taken all the tourism shots for Carpentaria Shire Council, she’s done a number of big commercial jobs for Elders, she’s captured countless families, and she’s been to endless events. She’s photographed horses, sheep, cattle, dogs, birds and copped a heck of a lot of outback dust along the way.

“I’ve always been more drawn towards going west than going east,” she says.

“The more isolated, the better. I don’t know why that is,

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Art & Craft

whether it’s the people or the scenery, or just that way of life.”

In that sense, she immediately has something in common with most of her subjects.

“The ag industry is a small one, everyone knows someone, or at least they know of someone,” she says.

“Having grown up in it, that helps. I can relate to stock issues, to droughts, to rain, or whatever it is that’s going on in people’s lives. I love it here, I love being out in the middle of nowhere.”

More than that, she’s found herself part of a vibrant community of talented women.

The photographers behind Beauty in the Bush come from all over Australia, and while most of them have never met face-to-face, distance is no longer a barrier. They have a WhatsApp group and they chat every day about life, work, and their shared passion for rural industries. They teamed up during lockdown and Lisa says it’s been an amazing support and a great way to share ideas.

“We’re all at different stages in our lives. Some have newborns, some have no kids, my kids have grown up and moved on, but we’ve all found something really special in sharing the parts of Australia we are all so passionate about,” she explains.

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Her advice to others looking to embrace a creative pursuit, or a new business, is simply to try. No-one wants to get to the age of 80, she says, and wish they had tried something earlier in life.

“Believe in yourself and just have a go,” she says.

“Don’t be afraid to ask people for help. What’s the worst answer you can get? If it’s going to be no, and if you can cope with that, you can cope with anything. The only thing holding people back is a lack of belief in themselves. No regrets.”

lisaalexanderphotography.com.au

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Advertising feature

30 years

of childhood friends Tambo Teddies started as a cottage business in the Queensland Outback, and this year they celebrate 30 years of fighting adversity to make cuddly toys

T

ambo Teddies are the special cuddly partners that Aussie kids cherish for life. Each bear is handmade with love by a member of the small team, making the teddies as individual as their makers.

“Each Tambo Teddy is individually handcrafted and has a unique number which is located on a woven tag sewn into their leg,” part-owner Alison Shaw says.

This year, Tambo Teddies is celebrating 30 years in business — but it hasn’t all been easy.

It was during a brain-storming session during a government workshop that aimed to uncover new industries in regional communities in 1992 that the idea of creating teddy bears from sheepskin was born. It was also in the midst of a crippling drought and stockpile of wool, which had driven the price of wool and sheep down to virtually nothing. Reliant on the wool industry with towns full of shearing teams, the Outback was suffering with properties and people leaving the sheep and shearing industry en masse — leading to dying towns and lack of work.

“The government came through the west holding seminars to identify new economic development opportunities,” Alison says.

“Three ladies in Tambo came up with the idea of creating sheepskin teddy bears to help the farmers, the wool industry and create some

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tourism interest for Tambo.”

After almost a year of extensive planning, designing, and trial and error, Helen Sargood, Charm Ryrie and Mary Sutherland had the first bears available for sale at a Charleville market in February 1993.

Tambo Teddies was the original outback ‘start-up’.

Well before the days of the internet and ‘Googling’ were commonplace, these three local entrepreneurs gave the yellow pages and the phone a workout sourcing supplies and raw materials. Promotion was similarly challenging: Helen Sargood’s main role in the business was the marketing of the bears and she travelled many miles carting bears to shows and exhibitions, remarking “I wore out at least one car promoting those bears around the countryside”.

Fast-forward to 2014, and Alison took over the business with partner Tammy Johnson.

The business had historically been a small scale operation, the processes were manual and slow, and the pair had to find ways to increase production and encourage staff to stick around in a small town.

In 2019, they turned to Toowoomba, a bigger town and major migrant resettlement community 800km down the road, where they set up a regional sewing hub employing Syrian refugees.

Made from the softest Australian and New Zealand sheepskins that the owners can find, the bear patterns are drawn up and cut out by hand, and then sewn on a machine called a cup seam overlocker. Each seamstress sews the complete bear, turns them out and stuffs them and then sews the neck up by hand.

“It’s been a lovely win-win story, actually,” Alison says.

“Tambo Teddies started during a time of adversity, and [the

employees at the regional sewing hub] have been displaced, but they’ve got the skills we need.”

Scaling up a cottage industry without losing its essence has been a challenge. However, to this day, each bear is still made by one person from start to finish and no two look exactly the same — and there have been more than 68,000 made during the business’s lifetime. Every Tambo Teddy is special, they all have their own personality, are soft, cuddly, and totally unique.

“The bears are given a name which consists of a Tambo property alliterated with a Christian name,” Alison says.

“The bears’ numbers and names are all recorded plus who they go to live with, the town and the postcode. The bear records go back to 1992 and are handwritten in old exercise books; these days we record the bears in a digital online register.”

Tambo Teddies take pride of place in homes all over the world, including royal palaces in England and Denmark, and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the business, a limited edition bear — the Banjo — was released in February.

Two hundred special edition Banjos — a small, jointed bear created with the softest camel coloured sheepskins with the logo embroidered on his paw — were made before Banjo joins the crew as an ‘on-the-shelf’ teddy bear.

Other new releases planned for the beginning of the year include a new bear family, the Stewart Bear, created in the likeness of a very old heirloom bear called ‘John’, and owned by the Stewart family from New Zealand.

A line of branded bears, small, medium, and large, will also be available together with the largest Tambo Ted, a shaggy Goliath, crafted from long, fluffy sheepskins and the size of a small child.

Find the perfect bear for the little one in your life at tamboteddies.com.au

Childhood Friends for Life Made from Australian sheepskins.

Order online at www.tamboteddies.com.au Email: info@tamboteddies.com.au

@tamboteddies @tamboteddies

g n i t a r b e Cel s r a e y 0 3 of s! r a e B y Tedd 2023 Autumn

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Garden

The beauty of compost

Composting is undoubtedly the way of the future — investigate the benefits of home composting and the impact it has not only on your gardens, but also on the environment

46 | Autumn 2023

G

oing green has never been so important,” Nadia Steele from Aussie-owned biodegradable and compostable products small business, Biotuff, says.

“As the world struggles with the impact of climate change, many homes are now searching for greener alternatives to help reduce their carbon emissions.

“Composting is certainly forging the way towards a greener environment while reducing landfills and creating a more sustainable future.”

The great news is that many councils have also noted the

council-run commercial composting facility.

“That’s a huge amount of waste that is not going into landfills,” Nadia says.

“Not to mention, when food scraps and garden waste are put into landfills, they create methane gas, the highest carbon emitter, 84 more times toxic than Co2 over a 20-year span.”

Plus, composting is the golden ingredient for soils. So, our rubbish can be transformed into nutrients that can help us grow bigger, better trees and delicious, nutritious vegetables.

“It’s as simple as starting your composting regime or getting savvier with what you add to your FOGO (Food Organics Garden Organics) bins,” Nadia says.

“If consumers understood how easy it is to start their compost buckets or garden piles, or pressure their local councils or apartment stratas for compostable collection options, we could save an enormous amount of landfill waste.”

HOW TO MAKE COMPOST

vast benefits of composting facilities, with many now offering kerbside collections for green garden waste and kitchen waste to transform into golden soil.

The trend is also continuing, with many food-related businesses now opting to use compostable bioplastics, allowing consumers to make a more eco-friendly choice when disposing of their rubbish.

The benefits are enormous when you consider that the typical household can reuse more than 300kg of waste each year if they choose to compost — either at home or through a

There are many ways to turn your waste into compost, from tumblers and specially designed benchtop buckets, to a small garden compost pile, among others. Of course, the size of your composting abilities will be determined by your available space. The great news is that if you don’t have the area, you can still easily ensure your kitchen waste is disposed of correctly by contacting your local council.

“When it comes to creating compost, there are three main components,” Nadia says.

First, for your compost to develop, it must contain the correct amount of moisture and water to allow the breakdown of your organic material. Brown material is also essential – think dead leaves, sticks, small branches, and the important green material. This is your kitchen waste, fruit and vegetables, and food scraps.

Don’t forget your grass clippings also. Greens provide nitrogen to your compost pile. Your green and brown organic material should be about the same amount in your compost bin or pile.

“The compost is ready when the organic matter at the bottom is rich and dark,” Nadia says. “The advantages this has for your garden are massive!”

Using compost in your garden can protect against plant diseases and pests while encouraging good bacteria in your soil. It also reduces the chemicals you add to your garden to enable it to grow. A win-win for the garden and the earth!

“If you want to help the environment, but you do not have the time or garden for composting, there are many ways you can help the environment and ensure you reduce your emissions,” Nadia suggests.

“Looking out for biodegradable and compostable bioplastics is a great way to ensure you are helping keep the planet green and reducing your environmental impact.”

Bags made from bioplastics can also be great for lining your organic kitchen waste bins. Contact your local council to ask about composting facilities in your area and if they offer FOGO collections. More importantly, ensure you follow the rules and regulations for council composting and only put the correct waste into the FOGO collection.

“And don’t forget to get the kids involved! Creating compost and teaching the next generation the importance of reducing kitchen waste is vital for ensuring their green future.”

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Your guide to seasonal gardening Ruth magazine has partnered with Searles Gardening to bring you this handy and accessible guide to best gardening practices in preparation for — and during — winter.

Words by Searles Gardening

WINTER HARVEST

F

or a long harvest throughout the cooler months, it pays to prepare your soil and get your crop in early. Here’s how to grow some of your favourite cool-season crops with a minimum of fuss.

Brussels sprouts Plant sprouts in late autumn and early winter to ensure that the plants mature during the coldest months of the year.

Brussels sprouts are unsuitable to grow in frost-free areas.

Drainage and sunshine are the prerequisites for these useful and delicious winter vegetables. They need plenty of space around each plant to enable the sprouts to ripen, so do not crowd them in with other vegetables. They also enjoy a touch of frost, so they can be planted in low lying areas that receive regular winter chill, providing these are well drained.

Brussels sprouts prefer a slightly alkaline soil, so if yours is

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Pictures Contributed

more acid than pH 6.5, apply lime. Dig in organic fertiliser to feed their large appetites.

Feed developing plants with SeaMax Fish & Kelp on a fortnightly basis. Keep the soil weed free and consistently moist. Mature plants can grow to over one metre and need to be well anchored in the soil. If necessary, hill the soil up gently around each stem to provide additional support as they grow.

Remove some of the lower foliage to concentrate the plants’ growth energy into the budding sprouts and to enable air and light to reach them as they develop.

Caterpillars of the cabbage white butterfly and aphids are the main pests of Brussels sprouts. Spray them with Searles Bug Beater. Fungal disease can be avoided by growing the plants in a very well drained and sunny position, and spacing them generously to allow for ample air circulation.

Sprouts taste sweetest once they have been frosted. They are ready to harvest when they are slightly smaller than a golf ball and firm to the touch, and should be gathered before they get too large and burst. Most varieties ripen from the bottom upwards and should be picked accordingly. The fresh, young leaves can also be harvested and eaten like cabbage.

Silverbeet Of course, colour doesn’t always stop with flowers. Colour can be found in the most unexpected of places and this is where some heritage vegetable cultivars such as rainbow chard (silverbeet) can be enjoyed. Rainbow chard is a nutritious

source of vitamins and minerals and with an evergrowing interest in productive gardens, this will lighten up your veggie patch.

Rainbow chard is a fun way of growing healthy, edible plants that both children and adults alike can literally sink their teeth into and make a nice change from the usual green and white forms commonly used.

Most silverbeet enjoy a well-tilled soil that has been enriched with cow manure and a little dolomite. Compact varieties can be grown in large containers. Regular watering is needed for thick leaves to be produced and a sweeter taste. They can be grown equally well from seed or seedlings. The outside leaves can be harvested for many months while allowing for the younger leaves to come through in the centre of the plants.

Leeks and spring onions Plant leeks and spring onions in winter to ensure that they grow during cold weather and mature as the temperature heats up. In cooler and temperate climates, spring onions, scallions and shallots can also be planted in early spring.

Leeks and spring onion can tolerate fairly poor soils but develop better if they are planted in soil which has been heavily fertilised and well composted the season before. They prefer a neutral soil with a pH of around 6.5, so acidic soils should be sweetened with lime, a fortnight before planting. When preparing the bed, dig in organic fertiliser throughout the soil three weeks before and remove any lumps or weeds. For both pots and gardens, plant in Searles Herb & Vegetable Specialty Mix. Germinating shoots should be protected from hot sun for a couple of days after emerging, and thinned out once they are large enough to handle. The thinnings can either be transplanted elsewhere or used in cooking immediately.

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Hand weed between the plants as they grow, taking care not to distub the delicate roots. Do not cover roots with extra soil as they break through the surface, because this will rot them.

Maintain even soil moisture levels but do not over water.

Thrips cause white spotting of the foliage and can be combated with companion planting or spraying with an organic spray.

Harvest when they reach their desired width. When harvesting pull each individual plants from the roots gently so as to not disturb the roots of the other plants left in the ground for later use.

Broccoli Broccoli loves the cold season. It needs good drainage and plenty of sunlight, although late maturing varieties may prefer some shade to protect them from sudden heat in late spring.

The harvest period can be extended by planting a few different varieties that mature at different times. Prepare the soil to a depth of at least 30cm, digging in plenty of organic fertiliser. Sweeten with garden lime if your soil is acidic.

If planting seed, thin out the two weakest seedlings later.

Each seedling should have a centre bud or growing tip — discard any without.

Keep broccoli moist and weed-free. Harvest when the heads are still green and compact (they’re too old once they turn yellowish with flowers starting to open). To harvest, cut off the head along with about 10cm of stalk and a few leaves.

Two smaller but more tender heads will grow in its place.

Remove cabbage white caterpillar and spray aphids with Searles Bug Beater.

Rhubarb Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable, so once you plant it

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correctly in your garden you will be able to harvest its stems year after year. Rhubarb may take up to three years to reach maturity if grown from seed, so it is best grown from young fleshy crowns available from garden centres. Plant rhubarb crowns into well-drained soil, late autumn and early winter.

Sufficient air flow around the plants will also keep diseases and fungus at bay. They love well composted soil. Dig organic fertiliser into the soil two weeks prior to planting for a rich healthy soil base.

Rhubarb need a period of frost to make the stems juicy and bring on stem maturity, so they grow well in temperate and cooler regions of Australia. They can be grown in warmer climates in a shadier spot. To keep the stems juicy all year round, water rhubarb regularly with long deep watering once a week and more often during summer. Infrequent watering will make the stems dry and tasteless. Always cook the stems before consuming. Leaves are not edible.

WINTER PLANTING AND CARE GUIDE Flowers

Prune most spring-flowering ornamentals early in winter.

As Camellia sasanqua finish flowering, the Camellia japonica make their debut in the winter garden.

Like other camellias, the japonica is long-lived, versatile and easy-care. Plant in acidloving mix, Searles Azalea and Camellia Specialty Mix, for pot or garden applications.

Many grevilleas are in bloom during winter. Visit your local gardening outlet for the best varieties for your area.

Plant hippeastrum bulbs for spring flowering.

Look out for winter-flowering salvias. Salvia leucantha ‘Velour White’, Salvia ‘Black and Blue’, red salvia (Salvia splendens) and Salvia purpurea are the top choices for winter colour. They are happiest in full sun or semi-shade with moisture retentive soil and some tolerate cold temperatures and frost.

Plant winter-flowering annuals such as pansies, violas, cyclamens, primroses and kalanchoe. Pansies and violas need good nutrition to support their profuse flowering habit, so feed them fortnightly with soluble plant food.

Winter sunlight is reduced so move indoor plants to a brighter, warmer position in the house. Let the potting mix dry out before watering to reduce fungus gnat infestations and root rot diseases. Keep plants away from heaters.

Add some sweet smelling fragrance to the winter gardens by planting sweet peas, boronias, magnolias, michelias, rondeletia and jasmine. For cooler climates, plant wintersweet, Hamamelis mollis, hyacinth, jonquil and daphne.

Why not add a colourful moth orchid to your indoor sanctuary during this winter? Their distinctively arching single stem is adorned with large blooms lasting for many months with minimal care. Place them in a warm bright spot away from direct sunlight and cold winter nights. Let the soil mix dry out before watering and liquid feed during flowering with orchid booster every few weeks.

Try these winter-flowering natives in your garden: Lechenaultia formosa, wattles, banksias, croweas and correas, Leptospermum ‘Cardwell’, grevilleas, Geraldton wax and Chrysocephalum apiculatum.

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Edibles Treat citrus for white louse scale using lime sulphur.

Peas grow well in winter all throughout Australia. Whether you pick a climbing or bush variety, support their growing habit by installing a trellis. Plant in compost enriched soil. Water bushes regularly at the base of the plant to promote consistent pod production and to reduce the risk of powdery mildew.

Pick young and often to encourage more flowers.

Keep healthy during the winter months by planting winter salad vegetables. Cabbage can be shredded raw with other vegetables in a tangy dressing. Grate carrots for salads or dice them to add to hearty casseroles. Celery is surprisingly delicious in casseroles too. They keep crisp and add another taste dimension. Fresh, raw beetroot can be grated in much the same way as carrot. Don’t forget lettuce, kale and winter herbs such as rosemary, chives, rocket and sorrel, which are in abundance now. Liquid feed every fortnight to keep leafy growth strong.

Plant a lemon tree during winter. For cool climates, plant ‘Meyer’ lemon variety.

Prune gall wasp off citrus trees and burn or bin the prunings to stop the breeding cycle.

Fig trees fruit in autumn and spring, so winter is the ideal time to prune branches to restrict their size for better handling and netting. Keep watch for any pests and diseases and treat promptly.

HOW TO PROTECT PLANTS FROM FROST DAMAGE

The threat of frost as winter approaches can play havoc in the mind of gardeners. The first frost of the season can be a real litmus test to see what new plants will survive. Some plants can tolerate some light frosts but not frequent and subsequent frosts. Most gardeners have chosen what plants grow well in their climatic zone and weather conditions, but some plants can still be surprisingly sensitive.

Firstly, a quick description of how frost can damage plants. Frost forms when the moisture in the air dips below freezing point (0 degrees Celsius).

Frost damage on plants and lawns occurs when water

in the plant’s cell freezes and expands causing the plant cell to burst, appearing as browning or blackening on the leaves.

Here are a few methods to protect plants from frost damage.

Fertiliser Liquid, to promote healthy and strong roots and stem health, which will defend against some frosts. Apply SeaMax Organic Fertiliser Liquid every couple of weeks to strengthen their defence.

1. Cover plants the night before a frost is likely

4. Raised garden beds can help

The quickest way to protect valuable plants from frost is to cover the plants the night before with a breathable cloth, sheet or blanket. Some sturdy plants can tolerate heavier covering.

For more delicate leaf plants, use a lighter cloth. If wind is likely to come with the frost, secure covering with string, rocks, bricks or wire. Ensure the covering is removed the next day once the frost has occurred. It is important the plant receives their normal day light and air ventilation.

Protect young seedlings by covering them with an empty inverted pot or a cloche. Light mulching around the seedlings may also create a protective barrier against frost damage.

2. Move sensitive potted plants indoors or to a protected patio until the risk of frost has passed An added benefit is you get to enjoy the plant inside.

3. Liquid feed with an organic Fish & Kelp solution Use a combined tonic and fertiliser, such as SeaMax Organic

Cold air sits in lower areas of the garden. Plant frost sensitive plants in higher areas of the garden. Raised garden beds will help keep plants off the ground.

5. Plant frost resistant varieties Many modern hybrids are bred to be more frost resistant. Look out for these varieties at your local gardening outlet. Also remember, if a plant suffers from severe frost every year and doesn’t recover, maybe plant something else more suitable in its place.

6. Remember: Some plants can bounce back quite well from frost damage once spring arrives New spring growth will quickly cover the damaged areas.

Ensure you prune affected leaves and branches only when the frost has passed for the season. Liquid feed with Searles Flourish range of soluble plant foods to promote faster healthy growth.

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Events April - July 2023

April 2023

DON MCLEAN April 1 Fortitude Music Hall Don McLean is one of the most revered and respected songwriters in American history, most recognised for his song, ‘American Pie’ which has been named as one of the top five songs of the 20th Century.

FAR-A-WAY EASTER ENDURANCE CARNIVAL April 7-9 Imbil Showgrounds In 2023, Far-A-Way are pleased to be hosting their Easter Endurance Carnival at the Imbil Showgrounds.

The Far-A-Way 320km will run Friday to Monday and there will be the option to elevate on the final day and complete a shorter 250km Marathon. Multiple supporting events such as the Mini Marathon, Micro Marathon, Endurance, Training and Social rides will be run across the weekend. The traditional Far-A-Way dinner will also be on the Monday evening.

SIR SIMON RATTLE CONDUCTS THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA April 28-29 QPAC Among the world’s finest orchestras, the LSO commences its highly anticipated Australian tour at QPAC at the baton of internationally revered conductor Sir Simon Rattle, performing Adams, Debussy, Ravel, and Mahler’s Seventh.

HAMILTON ISLAND HILLY HALF MARATHON April 30 Hamilton Island, Whitsundays Hamilton Island is best known as a place to relax.

But it is also the perfect

52 | Autumn 2023

place to push yourself in paradise. The Hamilton Island Endurance Series spans four endurance events from May through to November each year. The Hamilton Island Hilly Half Marathon is a challenging 21km route that takes participants along roads, fire trails and walking tracks through Hamilton Island’s undulating interior.

May

2023 MORETON BAY TRIATHLON May 14 Clontarf Join in at the Pelican Park on the beautiful Moreton Bay foreshore — this is such a great location for a triathlon and a race not to be missed. This event features a safe swim in the protected bay, followed by a fast ride over the Ted Smout Bridge and a flat foreshore run.

FESTIVAL OF OUTBACK OPERA May 19-22 Winton and Longreach Set in Queensland’s iconic Outback, the festival celebrates the wonder of opera. Let the dazzling night skies, fresh country air and glorious music ignite your senses in this oncein-a-lifetime concert.

BIG PINEAPPLE MUSIC FESTIVAL May 20-22 Woombye This annual festival is held at the Big Pineapple in Woombye and features a range of artists from a variety of genres.

HAMPTON FESTIVAL May 21 Hampton A celebration of local food, art and culture in the beautiful High Country region of the Darling Downs, just north of Toowoomba. In 2023 the festival is celebrating 20 years.

Events April - July 2023

1770 FESTIVAL May 24

1770 More than 250 years ago, Lt (later Captain) James Cook and his crew of the HMS Endeavour landed on the East Coast shore at the point now named 1770, experiencing their first Encounters in Country with the local Gooreng Gooreng people before sailing away on further historic global explorations. Every May, locals and visitors reflect on Cook’s legacy of exploration; his incredible cartography skills and documented observations of Country and First Peoples. Traditional custodians, the Gooreng Gooreng have participated in the organisation of the 1770 Festival, presented and shared their culture with Festival attendees since the festival’s inception in 1992, which has become a collaborative platform increasing the involvement of the traditional custodians and promoting global cultural unity while celebrating historic local “Encounters in Country” together.

June 2023 SCENIC RIM EAT LOCAL MONTH June Scenic Rim region Australia’s most authentic food and farming festival — from Canungra to The Lost World, Beaudesert to Boonah and Tamborine Mountain to Kalbar, Scenic Rim Eat Local Month is the ultimate backstage pass to the farms, wineries and food stories of the region.

It’s the opportunity to meet the people behind the produce and the flavours in a celebration that features festivals, farm-gate events and culinary experiences for foodies of all ages.

RELISH FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL June 3 Portside Precinct and Queen’s Park, Maryborough The 10th annual Relish Food & Wine Festival will be returning to Portside Precinct and Queen’s Park in 2023. Enjoy local food, regional wines, beers and fabulous music in Portside Precinct and Queens Park.

Maryborough’s heritage streetscapes and riverside parks are

the perfect setting for a feast of local cuisine, serving up celebrity and local chefs, gourmet tastings, cooking demonstrations, live music and more. Drop in on local regional wineries for a delightful tasting experience and sample the finest seasonal produce grown in the Fraser Coast and surrounding idyllic natural environment.

AUSTRALIAN ITALIAN FESTIVAL June 3-4 Ingham The Australian Italian Festival is one of Queensland’s leading cultural festivals. It is an exciting celebration of all things Italian — food, wine and world-class entertainment on two large stages. There is loads of fun to be had with cooking demonstrations, market and craft stalls and a historical display showcasing the influence of Italian immigrants on the district. Take the challenge with spaghetti and pizza eating competitions, grape stomping or even attempt climbing the greasy pole.

MICHAEL BUBLE: HIGHER TOUR June 20-21 Brisbane Entertainment Centre Multi-award winning, multi-Platinum selling global superstar Michael Bublé will perform selections from his hotly anticipated 11th studio album, Higher, and a selection of his original smash hits alongside his trademark innovative takes on the great classics.

July 2023 SCENIC RIM’S WINTER HARVEST FESTIVAL July 1 Aratula The Winter Harvest Festival is a fabulous, relaxed day out for families and food lovers. Taste the food, meet the producers, watch the cooking demonstrations and feast from the Scenic Rim’s smorgasbord of fresh produce.

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Events April - July 2023 April - July 2023 Events

MARY POPPINS FESTIVAL July 2

Portside Precinct and Queen’s Park, Maryborough The 15th annual Mary Poppins Festival will be returning to Portside Precinct and Queen’s Park in 2023. Celebrate the art of storytelling and be transported into a world full of play and imagination. Maryborough’s heritage streetscapes and riverside parks are transformed through a storytelling program that transcends genres and presents a mix of art, culture, music and literature. The festival is guaranteed to delight both young and the young at heart, with festival favourites, chimney sweeping, nanny races and the grand parade plus street food vendors, market stalls, rides, pavement art and live entertainment.

BIRDSVILLE BIG RED BASH July 4-6 Birdsville Have the experience of a lifetime at the world’s most remote music festival, the Birdsville Big Red Bash in the heart of Australia’s outback. The three-day festival returns at the Big Red desert dune near Birdsville, Queensland.

JUMPERS AND JAZZ IN JULY July 20-30 Warwick Established in 2004, this event is Queensland’s quirkiest yarnbombing and jazz winter festival. Enjoy live music, stalls, and of course, lots of yarn.

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THE CURATED PLATE July 28 - August 6

Sunshine Coast The Curated Plate is the premier culinary festival of the Sunshine Coast in beautiful Queensland, Australia.

The home-grown festival is a delicious 10-day celebration of the region’s local produce, producers and chefs, and unique natural assets from the sea to the hinterland. Locals and visitors are invited to immerse themselves in the flavours of the region and connect with growers, producers, and chefs through memorable experiences.

THE SUNSHINE COAST ASIAN FOOD FESTIVAL During The Curated Plate Maleny Spicers Tamarind features this fantastic celebration of Asian food at their Maleny restaurant during The Curated Plate festival, in partnership with Sum Yung Guys, Spirit House and Rice Boi.

AUSTRALIAN FESTIVAL OF CHAMBER MUSIC July 28 - August 6 Townsville A unique 10-day event that entertains and moves audiences with its variety of concerts, stunning line-up of international and Australian musicians and friendly atmosphere.

Travel

Short getaways:

Scenic Rim

Words by Jessica Kramer Pictures Contributed

W

hile the region has become more well-known over the past couple of years, the Scenic Rim is still much of a secret to a lot of Australia. This pocket of south-east Queensland can be found roughly an hour’s drive from Brisbane and an hour inland from the Gold Coast.

Featuring the towns and villages of Beaudesert, Boonah, Tamborine Mountain, Kooralbyn, Beechmont, Kalbar, Aratula, Canungra, Rathdowey, Harrisville, Peak Crossing, and more, the region is a foodie and wine lover’s paradise.

WHERE TO STAY

There are plenty of picturesque places to stay in the luxury pavilions and 16 eco-friendly cabins to its Scenic Rim, with views across rainforest, plains, 30ha of prime fertile farmland. Or there’s mountains and more.

O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat, a four-star Binna Burra Eco Lodge is one of the rainforest resort complete with pool most well-known accommodation and spa. options, situated in Lamington Beechmont isn’t the only place National Park at Beechmont. to stay, however — Tamborine The lodge experienced features options with lush devastating damage from the Ruth magazine rainforest surrounds such as bushfires in 2019, but in a is doing a series of travel Cedar Creek Lodges with show of amazing resilience, pieces on getaways around glamping and adventure reopened a year later.

Queensland that you can easily park; romantic Witches Down the road is complete over a weekend or Falls Cottages; or the working Wagyu farm, as a day trip from the closest upper-class Songbirds Hazelwood Estate, major town.

Rainforest Retreat. which doubles as a polo This edition, playground and luxe WHERE TO EAT we look at foodie destination country retreat. The Whether you want farm Scenic Rim property has added three gate paddock-to-plate

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Travel

produce, destination dining, the home comforts of the local pub, or cellar doors, the Scenic Rim has something for you.

The township of Boonah is well-known to frequent visitors for its excellent pubs, with The Australian Hotel, Simon’s Tavern, and Dugandan Hotel to choose from; while around the corner on Church Street is the renowned Blume Restaurant.

Blume features a menu “based on the principle of ‘time and place’” and serves only local suppliers’ produce.

The region produces anything from shiraz to honey, beef and pork to goat’s milk, carrots to olives, thanks to the rich soils of the area. The best way to sample all of this is to visit during Scenic Rim Eat Local Month, held this year in June.

Any other day, sidle up to the bar in the old homestead for a wine tasting at Canungra Valley Vineyards, and stop for a chat with the farmers at Tommerup Dairy Farm and buy sausages like your grandparents used to eat. There’s craft beer to be sampled at Scenic Rim Brewery as well as a European-inspired menu at the adjoining cafe, and Homestead Cafe at Summer Land Camels to sample camel-milk gelato.

WHAT TO DO

There’s so much to do in the Scenic Rim region! Witness old techniques mastered by technology at Scenic Rim 4Real Milk and Robotic Dairy in Tamrookum, join a Sunday afternoon farm tour and sample goat’s milk gelato at Naughty Little Kids in Peak Crossing, fossick for your own thunder eggs at Thunderbird Park in Tamborine Mountain, or visit Tamborine Mountain Coffee Plantation to see how coffee is grown and produced.

For contemporary art featuring local landscapes, make an appointment to visit the Beechmont studio of Dave Groom, the grandson of pioneering conservationist Arthur Groom, who cofounded the nearby Binna Burra Lodge in 1933.

Get back to nature by exploring the national parks — Lamington, Main Range, Tamborine, and Mount Barney

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National Parks — or stroll through the stunning grounds of Elderflower Farm near Kents Lagoon. Classic heirloom blooms are grown on-site and are for sale in a rustic, heritage shed full of floral curios.

Then, of course, there’s the wineries and cellar doors that the region is famous for. Explore Witches Falls Winery at Tamborine Mountain, a family- and pet-friendly cellar door that boasts vegan-friendly red wines and ciders, as well as white wines and a selection of cheeses, chutneys and crackers to purchase.

Kooroomba Vineyard at Mount Alford blends winery with flower farm, making it a must stop for anyone who loves to lunch in a pretty spot. Pop by the lavender shop at the end to sniff that sweet French and Italian lavender, as well as Kooroomba’s open art studio. Stopping by the cellar door and its fantastical glass chapel is a must as well.

One last example is O’Reilly’s Vineyards in Canungra Valley which also features the Mountview Alpaca Farm where you can feed the adorable alpacas. O’Reilly’s Vineyards has gourmet picnic baskets (with options for children), as well as cheese boards, stone-baked pizza or fisherman’s baskets from its Vintage Restaurant. Kids will love exploring around Canungra Creek, keeping their eyes peeled for platypuses or turtles.

Soften hard water for decades on $10 power yearly Clear out scaled pipes, increase flows More effective than magnets by design Activate Your Grow healthy plants using saline water Soil to Activate Healthy stock using hard water Your Fertiliser!

No waste streams or decreases in flow Used by farmers, stations, councils, mining companies Scientifically tested and proven technology Australian Made and Owned for 23 years

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Outback Romance

Travel

Four places that will make you fall in love with North West Queensland TREK WEST HIKING TOURS Pic: Tourism and Events Queensland

Words by Kirrily Schwarz

L

ove is in the air the entire way along the Flinders Highway.

Cruising west from Townsville towards Mt Isa, you see couples everywhere. Most of them pull over at about 4pm, set up the caravan or roll out the swags, pour some drinks, and enjoy the sunset.

It’s simple but magnificent — the kind of experience you’d never be able to get at a luxury city hotel. Who needs five stars, you tell yourself, when you have a billion peeking over the horizon?

However, North West Queensland isn’t just a camper’s playground. There’s much more here than meets the eye, whether you’re into boutique accommodation or you share a love for adventure.

Here are four unexpected experiences perfect to share with your partner.

ARTESIAN BATHS

Julia Creek is a charming town, population 549, but for many years it was the kind of place you’d visit, soak up a bit of history, pick up a few groceries, and continue on your way to somewhere else.

That’s changed thanks to Julia Creek Artesian Baths, which are a destination in their own right.

Located at the Julia Creek Caravan Park, the six bathhouses present the perfect way to unwind after a long day on the road. Each one has two large and comfortable claw-footed tubs where you and your love can soak in the therapeutic minerals, enjoy some bubbly, and nibble at a grazing platter.

There’s a lot to like about the caravan park too, with more than 40 powered sites, as well as five self-contained air-

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JULIA CREEK ARTESIAN BATHS Pic: Tourism and Events Queensland conditioned cabins, and plenty of space to pitch a tent. Guests are also welcome to the free cruiser bikes to explore the town and there’s free Wi-Fi so you can share the experience.

If you plan your trip between June and September, you can enjoy the Monday Night Bush Dinners, enjoying a two-course meal, a few tall tales around a campfire, and of course, a breathtaking sunset. atthecreek.com.au

OUTBACK RETREAT

They say time stops when you visit Gilberton Outback Retreat, and it’s easy to see why. The understated luxury of this lodge is so exquisite that it will feel like nothing else matters.

It’s perched on a bluff overlooking an 88,000-acre working cattle station in the goldfields country of North West

There’s a special kind of magic out here and it’s a wonderful thing to share with your special someone. It will refresh your minds, your bodies, and your connection with each other. trekwesthiking.com.au

HOT AIR BALLOONING

GILBERTON OUTBACK RETREAT

Pic: Justin Read

Queensland, about six hours west of Townsville. The remote property has been run by the same family for eight generations and their passion for this remarkable country is contagious.

The accommodation is built from local timber and stone, with a pillow-topped four-poster king bed and an outdoor bath with uninterrupted views of the rugged landscape. You’ll be treated to a bottle of champagne on arrival and invited to enjoy a wholesome family dinner at the homestead.

You can choose your own adventure while you’re here, whether you want to learn about station life, immerse yourself in the beautiful nature, or enjoy the intimacy of the gorgeous retreat. gilbertonoutbackretreat.com

Burketown, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, isn’t the kind of place you visit every day — so while you’re here, you owe it to yourself (and your spouse) to make the most of every minute. Naturally, that includes seeing it from the air, so you can appreciate the unique terrain from every angle.

Yagurli Tours offers lots of incredible experiences, including stargazing, sunset cruises, 4WD cultural tours, fishing charters, and hotair ballooning. You should try all of them while you’re in town, but ballooning is an absolute must.

This experience offers extraordinary views over Australia’s largest salt pan, as well as the chance to learn about the local flora and fauna from Gangalidda and Garawa crew.

Flights last for 30-40 minutes and include champagne on landing, so you can celebrate the moment, as well as digital photos you and your partner can take home to preserve that feeling forever. yagurlitours.com.au

HIKING TOURS

One of the best ways to reconnect with your significant other is to leave the distractions of modern life behind and embark on an adventure. Rather than waking up to a phone alarm, you’ll wake up to songbirds; rather than answering emails, you’ll walk through fields of native wildflowers.

Trek West, which is based 451km north of Cloncurry at Herbertville Station, offers exactly that. The company offers tailored hiking tours through some of Australia’s most ruggedly beautiful scenery. They can be arranged to suit special interests, for example, you could do a low-key bird-watching walk, or an intense long-distance hike into the heart of this unforgettable corner of Australia.

One of its most popular itineraries is the Stock Camp Hike, which is a five-day trip that includes transfers from Mt Isa and three day hikes through untouched landscapes. It has touches of rustic luxury, including gourmet food, spacious bell-style glamping tents, and showers each night.

YAGURLI TOURS HOT AIR BALLOON FLIGHTS

WANT TO BREAK FREE? ESCAPE TO POTTSVILLE BEACH MOTEL

Perfect for an affordable family holiday or a relaxing gataway for couples, the Pottsville Beach Motel will be your home away from home.

Our rooms range from Queen/Twin Room, to large self-contained family units that would suit up to 6 people Swimming Pool and BBQ Area also available for guest.

For bookings call (02) 6676 1107 or go online at www.pottsvillebeachmotel.com 30 Tweed Coast Road, Pottsville, NSW 2489 2023 Autumn

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Books

AUTUMN READING Curl up in a warm patch of sun and enjoy a great book

Words by Debbie Phillips, Jessica Kramer, and Alison Alexander

Five Bush Weddings

CLARE FLETCHER MICHAEL JOSEPH — PENGUIN BOOKS AUSTRALIA If there is one job Stevie is good at, it is capturing the unguarded moments that happen at weddings; the times when people are caught beautifully. She is in hot demand on the bush wedding scene: she knows how to get the right shot, but in the background her life is sadly lacking romance. It seems that every wedding she attends rams that point home, with her mother hitting the dating scene, an ex-boyfriend getting married and, to make matters worse, her best friend settling down with the

Gluten-Free Baking Made Simple CHERIE LYDEN MURDOCH BOOKS

There is nothing like necessity being a motivator to find a way around a problem. When well-known Sydney owner of Wholegrain Bakery Cherie Lyden and her daughter were diagnosed with coeliac disease, she set about developing recipes that

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Images Contributed

most boring man alive.

It seems she is great with the shutter but sadly can find no one to make her heart flutter. To make it even more evident, up turns old school flame Johnno West, who reminds Stevie that their pact of marrying each other still stands if they are single and dateless.

Then it happens: all of sudden her life has meaning, as a gorgeous hunk of a man called Charlie Jones walks into her life. Would he be the one to make her heart leap? Or would it crumble down like all of her other relationships?

A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that I really enjoyed, this book is full of the characters that are at home in the country pub or line dancing set. Just don’t get in the way of taking their spot in the bouquet toss, otherwise you could just lose your footing; these country girls are tough.

had great flavour and were easy to create. Gluten-free cooking is more than just substituting gluten-free flour, and Gluten-Free Baking Made Simple gives excellent information on pantry essentials and instructions on how to make your own plain and selfraising flour and shortcrust pastry, all free of gluten.

From gingerbread biscuits to carrot and orange cake with cream cheese icing to corn, green chilli and coriander buttermilk pancakes, the range of sweet and savoury recipes is clearly set out and each recipe has useful tips.

Runt

CRAIG SILVEY ALLEN & UNWIN This gorgeous book is perfect for the young and young-at-heart alike. Accompanied with beautiful illustrations, Craig Silvey’s story follows country girl Annie Shearer and her adopted stray dog, Runt.

Runt is a speed demon thanks to years of evading capture in the country town of Upson Downs, making him perfect for herding sheep and being trained to win the Agility Course Grand

Championship at highbrow Krumpets Dog Show in London — which is exactly what Annie sets out to do when a greedy local landowner puts her family’s home at risk. The problem is, Runt only obeys Annie’s commands when it’s just the two of them and no one’s watching.

Ultimately, Runt is a sweet story about friendships and hurdles, bringing out the best in other and showing kindness. With Silvey’s tell-tale humour, this book makes the perfect gift for young ones and families in your life.

Sincerely, Me

JULIETTE HENDERSON BANTAM AUSTRALIA — PENGUIN BOOKS AUSTRALIA The author of The Funny Thing about Norman Foreman is back with a heartwarming story about the power of forgiveness and reunited family.

Danny Mulberry hasn’t spoken to his sister in almost two decades, lives in the garden shed of his best friend, and spends most of his free time at the local pub.

But when the consequences of one drunken evening draw the attention of the press, a misleading article appears that depicts Danny’s less-than-perfect

The Stolen Heir HOLLY BLACK ALLEN & UNWIN

Those in the fantasy novel scene will recognise Holly Black’s name as the queen of faerie who rose to prominence with the Folk of the Air trilogy from 2018 to 2020. Though Black had several books published beforehand, it was this series that made her novels a household name, so it only fits that her next published work would tie into the Folk of the Air somehow.

Set eight years after the events of Queen of Nothing, The Stolen Heir follows child queen of the Court of Teeth, Suren — better known as Wren — and the heir to Elfhame, Oak, who is now 17 years old and on a mission of his own. When Oak finds Wren, she’s been living feral in the woods for years in the

lifestyle as something covetable and wise. People start to think this apparently enlightened man could be the one with all the answers, and letters begin to flood in from strangers seeking his guidance.

Wolfie is the teenage daughter of Danny’s estranged sister, Lou, who’s never met her uncle. But her mother needs help, so when Wolfie sees Danny’s picture in the paper she sets out to find him. Within a week, Danny goes from being responsibility-free to a big brother, an uncle and an unwitting existential “guru” to some very lost souls.

Sincerely, Me is a fun and heartwarming ride with some valuable messaging around second changes.

human world, and the pair reluctantly team up to take down Wren’s mother, Lady Nore, who has reclaimed the Court of Teeth’s citadel and is creating monsters of sticks and snow to enact her revenge.

One main thing to note about this novel is it doesn’t flag any trigger warnings, however there is extensive and graphic depictions of child abuse and trauma. However, if you can stomach Wren’s flashbacks throughout the novel, and enjoy books with morally grey fey characters and twisting politics, The Stolen Heir will be a hit. It’s not completely essential to have read the original trilogy, but it is strongly advised because of all the references and nuances that would be otherwise missed to the detriment of the reading experience.

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Books The Sun Walks Down FIONA MCFARLANE ALLEN & UNWIN

Every once in a while a story rich in characters and spirit comes along, and The Sun Walks Down is such a novel.

Set in Australia in colonial times, young boy Denny Wallace goes missing; he had never wandered off before but with the red dust storm moving in quickly it is so easy to be turned around and lose your way.

The Sun Walks Down paints a visual image of how one community will come together in hope of finding this young boy in such harsh conditions.

As each day unfolds in the search, the community is noisy with opinions,

arguments, longings, and terrors. It’s haunted by many fearful images — both in Christianity and Indigenous culture — with the sun among them, rising and falling on each day in which Denny could be found, or lost forever.

What I loved most about The Sun Walks Down is not only an insight to a different time, told in many ways and by many voices, but its ability to bring you into the story. You are no longer a bystander but involved in the storyline.

Fiona McFarlane’s new novel pulses with love, art, and the unbearable divine. It arrives like a vision: mythic, vivid, and bright with meaning. Life is full of surprises and some of them stand out proudly while others remain hidden only to reveal their true calling when the time is right.

Taking to the Field JANE CAREY MONASH UNIVERSITY PUBLISHING

This book looks at the role of Australian women in science, including Elizabeth Blackburn, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine with her colleagues in 2009.

The Trivia Night ALI LOWE

HACHETTE AUSTRALIA We have all had that one night where the world throws you a spanner, not a lifeline.

Trivia nights are the best fun you can have, with a group of friends madly challenging you to give the right answer to the questions being asked so they can hold their trophy on high. But trivia nights can also be deadly serious when Darley Heights Primary School hosts the night to end all trivia nights.

Northern Beaches is a lush suburb of Sydney where everybody knows your

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This is a much overlooked part of Australian history — let alone science in this country. Who of us has heard of botanist Georgiana Molloy or research zoologist Georgina Sweet?

While women accounted for 55 percent of the science graduates from the University of Sydney in 1943, we rarely get the chance to read their stories, and thus this book is a true gem.

name and your secrets — so when the date approaches for the fundraiser, it seems there is more to play for than a boring trophy. Unless you are a trophy wife: then it is one-in-all-in, making for a very reckless night that one team may regret. Swapping partners might have seemed like a fun way to make a boring night go quicker, however it leads to consequences that no one saw coming.

Lose yourself for a weekend and enjoy this slightly racy novel and shocking secrets that come to surface. It is more scandalous than any trivia question and the players are all out for themselves.

Business

From

cactus to plate

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Since the QCWA’s primary product of the year for 2023 is dragon fruit, Country Kitchens visited a working dragon fruit plantation and sat down for a chat with the owners

Words and images by Country Kitchens

D

ragon fruit is a tropical fruit produced by several species of cactus native to Mexico, Central America and South America; they are also grown in southeast Asia.

While pitaya is the name given to the fruit produced by the cactus, it is more commonly known as dragon fruit because the oval-shaped fruit and green pointy external ‘scales’ are thought to look like a dragon egg or dragon. The fruit comes in a variety of types, most noticeable from the colour (white, yellow, red, and purple-pink) and is rich in fibre, vitamin C and antioxidants.

For Sue and Gary Lee of Lee’s Dragonfruit Plantation, based just outside of Rockhampton, Queensland, dragon fruit farming is a relatively new venture.

“We went to Vietnam and saw the fruit there and we loved it,” Sue says.

“We decided to start growing them [dragon fruit] from cuttings just for ourselves as a hobby. We realised that there was a lot of interest, so we started selling them at markets. As community interest and sales increased, we grew more plants.”

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Although dragon fruit is their main production, they are also increasing their crops of other tropical fruits including guava, passionfruit, finger lime and jackfruit.

Sue and Gary are quite the busy duo. While working the farm, Gary also works in mining and Sue runs a daycare from home. When it comes to the farm work, Sue loves being able to work outside, while Gary elaborates: “I like working outside with no real distractions.

I find it relaxing.

“Work is only that because you don’t really enjoy it. Our farm work is an interest, and we find it satisfying and very enjoyable for most parts. Sue and I enjoy doing things together in the business, working outside together in particular.

“I enjoy the reward of seeing really good quality large fruit as it shows the results of our hard work.”

Dragon fruit has increased in popularity since the 1970s when it was first reportedly grown in Australia. Australia

now has around 40,000 dragon fruit plants.

“Dragon fruit farming is very labour intense,” Sue explains, adding that there is always something to do.

From planting, trimming, pollinating and protecting from pests, it keeps the couple very busy.

“We also have to put up nets to protect the plants from fruitfly, foxes, and birds.”

Outlining the farming process, Sue shares: “Cuttings are dried out for seven days in a cardboard box, so they start to root.

“We plant them straight into the ground with a hardwood or concrete post to prop them up.”

Sue and Gary wait for around nine months until the cuttings start to produce flowers. Sue explains that once the plants are in flower, the pollination begins.

“You need a red and white dragon fruit plant for cross pollination. We have some self-pollinating plants, but we manually pollinate to get them across the line. Bees also help with pollination.”

Gary has been creative with techniques to improve production of fruit.

“We use a small Ryobi vacuum with a special home-made nozzle to suction the pollen out. We put it in the freezer to brush on [the dragon fruit flowers] later.”

The dragon fruit flowers open in the evening until early morning. Gary uses this time to brush the pollen into the open flowers. The couple estimate that it takes around 30-40 days to produce fruit from the flower before they hand pick it.

The work doesn’t stop there: “Each year we trim all the plants because they are very fast growing. We use a chainsaw to go along each row and manually prune all the dragon fruit plants.”

Gary loves to eat the yellow dragon fruit straight from the skin. Sue loves the vibrant American Beauty, Lemonade, and yellow dragon fruit — which has the sweetest flavour.

When asked about her favourite dragon fruit recipe, Sue had one word: smoothies.

“The standard white and yellow are better for tropical type smoothies,” she says.

She uses the purple dragon fruit for milk- and yoghurt-based smoothies with other fruit such as mulberries, mango, and frozen berries. She also gets the daycare children involved making simple recipes with dragon fruit and serving fruit smoothies.

Touching on food waste, Sue explained “We can’t sell the smaller dragon fruit so that ends up being pig food.”

“Smaller fruit can also be cut, pulp removed and then dried to a soft apricot-type consistency,” Gary adds.

Sue and Gary also freeze some of the extra dragon fruit to use in smoothies.

To learn more about dragon fruit, visit the Country Kitchens website and access the Product of the Year 2023 — Dragon Fruit resources at: qcwacountrykitchens.com.au/qcwa-member-activities

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Business

Rewriting the rules,

one harvest at a time

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As the farming industry in Queensland continues to evolve and grow, we spotlight two women leading the way.

Words by Savaira Ratukula and Melanie Collins Pictures courtesy of Ros Sutton for Sutton’s Farm and Rachel Watkins for Elderflower Farm

F

or many years, farming in Australia has been seen as a man’s world. The picture of a rugged, hard-working, Akubra-wearing male farmer, up at dawn, toiling away on the fields, was deeply ingrained in our culture. And for many years the heavy lifting work of farming was quite literally left to the men, leaving their partners at home to manage the house and family. But, like with most seismic shifts, the wheels of change have moved slowly, allowing more and more capable women to enter the farming fold.

With each passing year, more women are taking the farming industry by storm, breaking down stereotypes, making their mark and challenging the outdated notion of what it means to be a farmer in Australia. By taking their place in a traditionally male-dominated industry, these women are forging a path for future women interested in going into the challenging and rewarding business of farming.

From the intricacies of premium apple growing, to a new and unique farm that’s making serious waves in the flower industry, we’ve found two women who are blazing a trail for women to grab that Akubra hat and place it firmly on their own heads.

Granite Belt area, in the thick of apple country — the region known as the only place in Queensland with just the right climate and growing conditions for premium apple orchards.

Ros and her husband David Sutton started growing apples nearly 30 years ago, after diverse forays in wheat and cattle farming, and prawn trawling, too.

“We’d never seen any apple trees in our lives so we had to learn how to be orchardists,” recalls Ros. “We knew absolutely zero about it.”

It’s hard to believe they started off as novice apple-tree farmers. Their now thriving business features a wide range of products, including award-winning apple cider, apple juice, apple syrup and apple cider vinegar, farmhouse preserves, fruit liqueurs and apple soaps.

A SEED OF CHANGE

“I grew up west of here in a little town – my mother was a great country cook and that’s where I understood that you use what you have and you create what you have,” says Ros Sutton.

Here is Sutton’s Farm in Thulimbah, a rural town in the beautiful Southern Downs Region, just inside the QueenslandNew South Wales border. Sutton’s Farm is about 10 minutes drive from Stanthorpe, in the fertile fruit- and wine-growing

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FROM LITTLE THINGS...

Since 1994, the farm’s main focus has been their apple orchard, sprouting with both dessert and cider apples such as Royal Gala, Granny Smith, Fuji, Mutsu, Jonathan, Pink Lady, Sundowner and Lady William. Quite an incredible achievement considering their amateur beginnings.

“Twice we’ve gone into industries we knew nothing about – prawn trawling and apple orchards,” says Ros. “We weren’t afraid to have a go at something new.”

The orchard itself has a history that dates back over a century; it was one of the original in the district. With some help and training from the previous owner, the couple built the orchard up to the thriving business it is now.

“We learned how to do it and then we grew from there,” says Ros. “We knew nothing about tourism or manufacturing, either.

We just did it bit by bit and let it grow to what it is today.”

Their knack for diversifying, paired with their passion for farm-to-plate produce, is what sets them apart. Any visit to Stanthrope isn’t complete without a stop at their on-site shop and cafe, Sutton’s Juice Factory, Cidery and Shed Cafe.

A welcome addition to the already-successful business back in 2011, the cafe is populated with simple, homemade food, including the now-famous apple pie.

While it might have been David who carried the farming load during the early stages of Sutton’s farm, Ros has been there alongside him every step of the way. It’s examples in farming, like the one Ros sets, that pave the way for other women with an interest in produce. And a career in farming is certainly not limited to apples…

A FLORAL AFFAIR

Nearly two hours north-east of Stanthrope, in the Scenic Rim Region, is a team of creative, hard-working women at the charming Elderflower Farm at Kalbar.

Owned and operated by Rachel Watkins, a qualified horticulturist and florist, and her business partner and husband Fred, Elderflower Farm has been alive and growing for more than two years. Other members of the female-led team include Esther, also a qualified horticulturist; Stacey, a qualified florist; and Jo, the creative behind the shop’s visual merchandising.

The boutique flower farm and florist shop specialises in producing a wide variety of old-fashioned heirloom blooms grown on site. The shopfront, at the Scenic Rim Farm Shop and Cafe, is filled with high-quality, boutique homewares, gardening supplies and garden ornaments, all expertly curated

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by Rachel.

A member of the younger generation of new farmers, Rachel’s interest in flowers started early but flourished during COVID. “I did horticulture when I was young, I’ve always loved flowers,” she says. “We had a horse business, COVID basically shut that down. I decided to do one day a week at flower school just before COVID hit.

And with COVID giving us a lot more time on our hands, we decided to start doing that. I’d always wanted to grow flowers, but I was thinking more as an old lady, when I retired.”

GERMINATED CHANGE

Luckily for the surrounding residents of Kalbar, Rachel didn’t wait for retirement to turn her hand — and her career — to farming flowers. Elderflower Farm grows up to 25 different varieties, with a preference for growing heirloom varieties.

“We like growing all the more old-fashioned, country kind of flowers, that’s just what I love to grow,” says Rachel. “It’s very seasonal, so we basically switch over our plantings per the four seasons.”

Her favourite bloom? It’s not a clear-cut answer.

“If you asked me this, every day I would have a different answer,” she says. “My top three are sweet peas, poppies and stock, but also about 50 others.”

Following sustainable farming principles and philosophies is important to Rachel. She harvests daily and creates stunning bouquets for Scenic Rim Farm Box customers. The farm also offers seasonal flower picking sessions, custom floristry for any occasion using their own blooms, a range of floral workshops to create your own floral designs, as well as sales straight from the farm’s onsite rustic flower and garden shop.

While farming may still be considered a male-led industry, it’s women like Ros and Rachel who are setting an example and inspiring others. Through hard work, determination, and the support of their families and communities, there’s no question we will see more female-led farms popping up in years to come.

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History

ABOVE: Family time at an Indigenous Knowledge Centre in Far North Queensland. Photo by Saltwater People.

RIGHT: Students from Western Cape College at Mapoon’s new Indigenous Knowledge Centre. Photo by Nathan Williams.

Keeping

First Nations languages

alive

Words by Michelle James and Janine Lucas, State Library of Queensland Pictures courtesy of State Library of Queensland

D

id you know the words “yakka” and “kangaroo” have their origins in First Nations languages?

Yakka comes from the Yugarabul (Boonah and Ipswich) and Yuggera (Brisbane) languages and is derived from “yaga”, meaning work. Kangaroo comes from “gangurru” in the Guugu Yimidhirr language of far north Queensland and is believed to be the first Aboriginal loanword to enter the English language.

In 1770, British explorer James Cook made contact with the people of the Guugu Yimidhirr nation when the HMS Endeavour ran aground off (what is now known as) Cooktown.

Words spoken by the local people were recorded, including “gangurru”, the name of an “animal, something less than a greyhound … of a mouse colour, very slender made, and swift

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of foot”. Its mispronunciation endures and remains the name of Australia’s best-known marsupial.

The fascinating history of language helps us understand our story as a nation.

More than 125 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and dialects were once spoken in Queensland. Now only about 50 are spoken daily. The preservation and revitalisation of these languages is a priority for State Library of Queensland, as it provides a pathway to a greater, more nuanced truth about our history.

In Queensland, the Indigenous Knowledge Centre (IKC) network, the only one of its kind in Australia, is pivotal to Indigenous language revival and providing access to library resources.

Poruma IKC Coordinator Niki Mackie.

At the heart of community

O

n a 400-metre-wide coral island in the Torres Strait, Niki Mackie is helping to preserve his ancestors’ traditional language, the Kulkalgau Ya dialect of Kalau Lagau Ya, by introducing it to the youngest residents of Poruma.

Niki, Poruma’s IKC Coordinator, intertwines cultural elements into First 5 Forever children’s literacy activities, singing nursery rhymes in language and bringing in elders to talk about their stories. First 5 Forever is a free program, funded by the state government, for all Queensland children aged up to five years. It encourages families to talk, read, sing and play together every day to build their children’s early literacy foundations.

Poruma is one of the most remote of the 26 IKCs established by the State Library in partnership with Aboriginal Councils and Torres Strait Island Councils over the past 20 years.

Aurukun on the west coast of Cape York is the last Aboriginal community in Queensland to have a First Nations language classed as thriving, with more than 1200 fluent speakers from children to elders. WikMungkan language classes are held at Aurukun’s IKC, drawing

on the linguistic expertise and cultural knowledge of Wik Elders like Perry Yunkaporta.

As well as being meeting and keeping places for local Indigenous cultures, IKCs offer the usual library services. But no two IKCs are the same. They all respond to the unique needs of their communities differently. At Umagico, near the tip of Cape York, the IKC recognised the importance of sport for the locals and opened the first sports library in the network. IKC Administrator Lorraine Young explains: “A lot of kids and families, and most mothers too, enjoy playing volleyball and basketball, but without the equipment, they miss out.

Having sports equipment available to borrow from the IKC allows community activities to happen.”

For some communities, the computer and internet facilities at their IKC may be the only way residents can apply for a driver’s licence, enrol at university, access apprenticeship information, learn digital skills or shop online. Tennis champion Ashleigh Barty has taken a personal interest in IKCs. In 2019, the year Ash reached world number one, the Barty family funded PCs for IKCs. This project, which aims to install a desktop computer in each IKC in the state, is yet another winner.

Torres Strait Islander woman Sharon Phineasa, a descendant of the Ait-Koedal and Dhoeybaw clans of Saibai Island and Dauan Island, created the IKC artwork.

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Carol Toby researching her family history at the Wujal Wujal IKC 2019.

Dalassa Sailor, Bamaga IKC, viewing UQ’s collection of items related to IKC communities at the Fryer Library.

Margaret David, Dauan IKC.

Pauline Lifu, New Mapoon IKC and Magdalene Lifu, Seisia IKC viewing State Library collections. The image is from the 2769 Uniting Church in Australia Photographs. The photographs were taken mainly at Aurukun in the late 1950s.

Truth and Treaty

L

institution working with the Independent Interim Body as part anguage revival is a vital part of truth telling and remains as urgent as ever. Louise Hunter, State Library’s Lead, of Queensland’s Path to Treaty.

Indigenous Services, has connections to the Girramay “For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, truth telling people of Cardwell, Kuku Nyungul people near Wujal Wujal, is a way of healing as well,” she says. “I feel really privileged to and Ambrym Island, Vanuatu. Based in her home region of be on the journey of truth telling and utilising State Library’s Cairns, she has been supporting IKCs for the collections as a part of the process but know past nine years to preserve local knowledge, it’s going to be a difficult one for lots of my culture and history. people.”

“The beauty of it is that we are documenting Look: To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Queensland history now for the future. We are establishment of IKCs, the 20 Years Strong working with IKCs to create a safe space for showcase is on at kuril dhagun, State Library’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples dedicated First Nations space at South Bank, in community,” she says.

Brisbane, until 2 April 2023. You can also “Elders’ oral histories are being recorded find out more about Aboriginal and Torres and stored for community to enable that Strait Islander languages on a virtual tour of history to be told. So not only are they what State Library’s 2019-20 Spoken Exhibition at we understand a library service to be in terms slq.qld.gov.au/spoken of books, DVDs and access to computers, Listen: State Library’s Hi, I’m Eddie podcast, there’s also an element of an IKC’s collection about the life and Native Title legacy of Eddie that’s dedicated to local history.”

Koiki Mabo, won gold at the 2022 Australian Louise is proud to see State Library Podcast Awards. slq.qld.gov.au/discover/ genealogy collections used to help podcasts/hi-im-eddie communities with language revitalisation Learn: Check out First 5 Forever ideas for and to play a part in opening the library’s building the best foundation for your child’s Louise Hunter, Lead, collections so truth telling can occur at a future language and literacy development — Indigenous Services at State local level with advice from community and Library of Queensland. slq.qld.gov.au/first5forever Elders. State Library is also the lead cultural

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QCWA in the community During the QCWA Conference last year, a special Gala Ball Dinner was held at Picnic Point, Toowoomba, in celebration of the Association’s centenary.

Pictures by Sarah Coulton, Coulton’s Country Photography

Ran and Jenny Mitchell with their daughter Phoebe Mitchell, and Berry Freegard.

Maddy Noon, Meg O’Donnell and Jemma McCutcheon of Country Kitchens.

Past QCWA state secretary Eileen Davies with current state secretary Jessica Lopeman.

Tim Fairfax, QCWA state president Sheila Campbell, Agforce Grain president Brendan Taylor, member for Condamine Pat Weir, and Gina Fairfax.

Singer and entertainer Ashleigh Denning.

Paul and Maria Keys.

One of the stunning table decorations from the event.

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P N U M Z U Z T L E U A 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9 10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

19

22

18

20

23

24

25

27

21

26

28

29

Across

Down

1

Insincere expression of sorrow (9,5)

2

Pragmatic (9)

10

One of the five basic tastes (5)

3

Porcelain (5)

11

Redemption (9)

4

Mutilate (9)

12

Cause trouble (7)

5

Idles (5)

13

Dubious, uncertain (7)

6

Fleeting (9)

14

Prank or silly act (5)

7

Bear (5)

16

Apiarist (9)

8

Member of the US legislature (7)

19

Unconventional (9)

9

South American country (6)

20

Snares (5)

15

Many-legged arthropod (9)

22

Christening (7)

17

Filled Mexican corn tortilla (9)

25

Encroach (7)

18

Person taking legal action (9)

27

Group of instrumentalists (9)

19

Drag in, involve (7)

28

Burning (5)

21

Pierce (6)

29

Behaviour that attracts attention (6-4-4)

23

Racehorse (5)

24

Short piece of sacred choral music (5)

26

Lustrous gem (5)

ANSWERS

Across: 1. Crocodile tears, 10. Umami, 11. Salvation, 12. Agitate, 13. Suspect, 14. Antic, 16. Beekeeper, 19. Eccentric, 20. Traps, 22. Baptism, 25. Impinge, 27. Orchestra, 28. Afire, 29. Larger-than-life.

Down: 2. Realistic, 3. China, 4. Dismember, 5. Lolls, 6. Transient, 7. Abide, 8. Senator, 9. Guyana, 15. Centipede, 17. Enchilada, 18. Plaintiff, 19. Embroil, 21. Skewer, 23. Pacer, 24. Motet, 26. Pearl.

74 | Autumn 2023