Australia Today Magazine Issue 8

issue 8 DEC/Jan 2011 | $3.50

ideas

 i n s i g h t s  i n s p i r at i o n

the great housework WORKout

get fit while you clean!

business in the bush

“Now I think

wow, that was pretty amazing

Success stories from beyond the city limits

holidays for heroes travelling as a voluntourist

and I realise what I would have missed out on if I’d walked away.

”

LAYNE BEACHLEY ON GUTS AND GLORY

over

100

mas christto buy gifts make and

yours free

with any transaction

CBANK-712G

to fix your problems quickly because we know you have more important things to get back to.

i s s u e 8 a u s t r a l i a to day

F A M I L Y issue 8 DeC/Jan 2011 | $3.50

ideas

 i n s i g h t s  i n s p i r at i o n

the great housework workout

get fit while you Clean!

business in the bush

“Now I think

wow, that was pretty amazing

suCCess stories from beyonD the City limits

and I realise what I would have missed out on if I’d walked away.

”

layne beaChley on guts anD glory

holidays for heroes travelling as a voluntourist

over

100

as christm to buy gifts make and

with any yours free transaction

F O O D

on the cover “There’s a female movement in the water now,” says surfing champion Layne Beachley on a visit to her home beach, Manly. “Women are a lot more confident and relaxed in the line-up but, because it’s always been a maledominated environment, we’ll always feel the necessity to prove ourselves.”

Photo: Tim Bauer

contents december catch up 05 It’s your turn Old-fashioned boardgames are back in favour.

06 Good news Be educated for free … and plenty more.

08 The great housework workout Clean up … and tone up!

10 Get up to speed on … online auctions Everything you ever wanted to know about selling online.

12 The school of life Who won the 2010 Banksia People’s Choice Award?

13 Australia Post directory Your cut-out and keep guide.

15 Christmas gift guide Great gifts at Australia Post.

share stories 19 The young ones The clever Generation Y entrepreneurs doing good.

24 Changing Layne Layne Beachley takes us to Manly, where she caught her first wave.

january 2011

make plans  37 On the same page All it takes to start a book club is a novel and a few talkative friends.

42 A clever country How businesses are heading bush and thriving.

46 Great gifts unwrapped Forget the clutter this Christmas! Post your loved one the experience of a lifetime instead.

42 8

kick back  53 Gifts from your kitchen Fill a hamper with sweet and tasty gourmet goodies, made by you.

60 19

53

60 Helping holidays Join the “voluntourism” travel trend and return with memories to last a lifetime.

69 Puzzle time Quiz questions, puzzles and a giant crossword.

74 Letters of a nation A daring daughter tries to prise some spending money out of her “Dear Daddy”.

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28 Baritones in the bush Oz Opera sets up camp in the NSW town of Cowra.

32 History in the making A volunteer writes a new history in Cairns.

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What’s new at Australia Post Australia Post in your pocket

EDITORIAL Editor J u l i a R i c har d s o n Art director B ruc e Da ly Chief subeditor Jo M c K i n n o n

Australia Post now provides access to popular services via your smartphone.

Download the Australia Post app onto your smartphone and you’ll be able to:

    

Production services manager P e t e r Wo o dwar d Production controller R ac h e l Wa l s h Digital reproduction specialist K lau s M u l l e r

calculate postage costs via the postage assessment calculator tool search for a postcode view and track parcel items locate any Australia Post retail outlet find a nearby street posting box

Stories by M i c ha e l B lay n e y, A n na - L o u i s e B ou v i e r , B ruc e Da ly, H e l e n H aw ke s , Je n F l e m i n g, K r i st i e Ke l lahan, F ran L aw r e n c e , M i k e S a f e , K at i e S u t h e r lan d , A l l i s o n Ta i t Photography by Ti m Baue r , N i c k C u b b i n, B ruc e Da ly, S ean Dav e y, Steve n F r e n c h , Rob e rt F ri th , E am on G a l lag h e r , S t e ve G on sa lv e s , R andy L arc om b e, Jo h n L au r i e, Dam i e n P l e m i ng

Visit auspost.com.au/smartphones to get more information.

AC P C O R P O R AT E PBL Media chief executive officer I an L aw Publishing director P h i l S c o t t AC P C U S T O M M E D I A Deputy group publishing director G e r ry R e y n o l d s General manager, Custom Media S a l ly W r i g h t Publishing manager N i c o la O ’ H an lo n Researcher Jam e s Ye e Enquiries K r i st i n e You n g 02 9282 8521 A DV E RT I S I N G E N Q U I R I E S AT M e d i a www.atmedia.com.au Ti m I rv i n g, A n d r e w Tay lo r 0 2 9 9 7 9 7 3 2 2 AU S T R A L I A P O S T Magazine project director A n n e B ru n Magazine project manager Jac k i e O t t e r Published for Th e Au st ra l i an Po sta l C o r p o rat i o n ABN 28 864 970 579 111 Bourke Street Melbourne VIC 3000

Good news for sending parcels!

Australia Post’s online lodgement system Click and Send makes it easy to send your parcels across the country or overseas. You can log on to a single website that allows you to select from a range of cost-effective delivery services and print your address labels.

You can pay online and have a courier pick up your parcels, or lodge and pay over the counter at your local Australia Post retail outlet. For parcels sent within Australia, and for express international items, you’ll also be able to go online and track your parcel as it travels to its destination.

Anyone trading on eBay will appreciate that registered users of Click and Send can link the service to their eBay account and automatically import sold item details.

Registered users can also generate proof of shipment online through Click and Send for all domestic and express international parcels.

Produced by AC P M agaz i n e s Lt d ACN 053 273 546 54 Park Street Sydney NSW 2000 www.acpmagazines.com.au Printed by We b star 83 Derby Street Silverwater NSW 2128 © 2010 All rights reserved This magazine is brought to you by

Everything we do has an impact on the environment – and that includes the impact of producing this publication.

To minimise this impact we have selected Uno Web White paper stock for the internal pages of the magazine and Alpine Gloss for the cover. We choose to use paper certified by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). This means that material used to make this magazine comes from sustainably managed forests.

Visit auspost.com.au/clickandsend for more information.

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stoc k u p on good news , sma r t t i ps and f r esh ad v i ce Boardgame fan Melissa Rogerson plays Ticket To Ride with daughter Claudia (at left), partner Fraser and daughter Eleanor.

catch up.

Photo: Eamon Gallagher Words: Katie Sutherland

IT’S your turn

Looking for a good way to kick-start healthy conversation?

Maybe it’s time to dust off the old boardgames …

If ever Melissa Rogerson’s young family needs to lift the mood at home, they whip out a boardgame. The difficult part is knowing which game to choose, as there are some 350 on the shelves.

Melissa is the co-chair of Boardgames Australia, a non-profit organisation set up to promote boardgames. The benefits of game playing, she says, are far-reaching. Many games are educational, of course, but possibly the greatest spin-off is the improvement in a person’s social skills.

“It’s about sitting and talking with the people you’re playing with on a range of levels. Many games are used for peer mentoring, with 11 and 12 year olds building links with 5 and 6

year olds,” Melissa explains. “When you’re playing a boardgame you have to have a conversation. And it doesn’t just have to be with family or friends. There are game clubs all over Australia.”

If you’re looking for a game to play, then go to the Boardgames Australia website (w w w.boardgamesaustralia.org.au ) where you’ll find information on the past and current winners of the Australian Game of the Year award, the only independent award of its type in Australia.

And if you’re looking for someone to play with, the website has details on gaming clubs in every Australian state (click on Play games > Game groups).

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catch up

good news

smart people, great ideas, big hearts

bookmark blog www.somewhereelse.com.au Keith and Susan Hall describe themselves as Perth-based writerphotographers, but they spend a great deal of their time on the road, travelling largely for the sake of it. Their blog, Somewhere Else (www.somewhereelse.com.au ), documents their meandering in words and pictures that will captivate anyone with a touch of wanderlust. Click on “Time Machines” to delve into the nostalgic world of one of the couple’s passions: vintage caravans.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

THANK YOU …

Switch off for the holidays and make the most of every moment!

Many people talk about the benefits of living a compassionate life. Ronnie Burns and his wife Maggie (above) are actually doing it. In 1998 the couple started work on Appin Hall (www.appinhall.com ), a purpose-built safe haven for children and their carers. Children who are disabled, seriously ill or disadvantaged are invited to stay at Appin Hall, near Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain, and breathe the fresh, clean air.

Add in some home-grown vegetables, pure water, music, love and respect, and it’s starting to sound like a recipe for healing and relaxation.

A beloved pop star in the 1960s and 70s, Ronnie has always had a social conscience, but he says he has found his true calling in Appin Hall. “Children are our most treasured resource,” he says. “If the human race is to survive … we must protect our children and their future.”

UNPLUG, UNWIND Remove the temptation of working on your holiday by leaving your laptop and / or your BlackBerry behind, says psychologist Tim Sharp, director of the Happiness Institute. “Ask yourself what’s really important,” he says.

“Work can be considered to be important but so should family, friends and recreational pursuits.”

Absolutely have to take your mobile phone? “The off button is not made of Kryptonite!” says Melbournebased motivational speaker Mark McKeon (www.mckeon. com.au). If switching it off makes you a bit nervous, try it for two hours during the day at first and build up to a full day, he suggests.

to Ronnie and Maggie Burns and the Appin Hall Children’s Foundation.

Making it work

Helping vulnerable people to regain a sense of security and comfort isn’t easy. Ronnie’s advice is to be prepared to listen.

“People suffering trauma usually have a story they wish to convey, so it is wise to shut up and allow them to speak,” he says.

He has found that it’s important to go “into” their journey without an invasive approach. “It’s vital we listen, rather than be full of our own importance – ‘yabbering’ away with non-beneficial small-talk.”

And a final tip? “It’s imperative that you take your hands off the situation and let it evolve naturally,” he says.

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TAKE AN EMAIL DIET Many hotels have computer access so you can check on emails. And if you have a smartphone, the temptation of email-checking is sitting right there in your pocket.

Limit yourself to a maximum of two checks of your email

a day. “If you are continually checking your mobile inbox you are setting yourself up as a human ATM – an ‘automatic time machine’: you’re giving away precious time to others,” says Mark.

WAVE OFF WORRIES Don’t sweat on the stuff you didn’t get done in the office before going on leave.

“Set realistic time frames and do as much as you can,” says corporate trainer Stephen Dale, author of Bouncing Back When You Hit Rock Bottom ($39.90 inc. postage, www.smilingtiger.com.au).

To combat worry, Mark McKeon urges focusing on the moment at hand. “Practise the mantra: ‘If it’s not a problem today, it’s not a problem’.”

BE GOOD TO YOURSELF Feeling bad about not working can ruin your holiday. Remind yourself that it’s hard to be good at work if you’re sick and tired all the time, says Tim Sharp. That should help kick the guilt.

Get your LEARNING for free

Brush up your skills and broaden your mind with educational opportunities that won’t cost you a single cent.

Be an online student: Since 2006, The Open University in the UK has been operating OpenLearn (openlearn.open.ac.uk), a website offering hundreds of free study units in subjects as diverse as Palaeozoic era evolution and conversational French.

If you’re looking for more choices, go to the Online Education Database at www.oedb.org > Library > Beginning Online Learning > 200 Free Online Classes to Learn Anything, where you’ll find links to many online courses including one on modern poetry and another on astrophysical “controversies”, both delivered by professors from Yale University.

words: Helen Hawkes, Katie Sutherland, Mary o’Connor PhotoS: Getty Images, Supplied

Learn other skills: Before you tackle a home DIY project, join in one of Bunnings’ free workshops. Courses on offer around Australia in the coming weeks include “How to install garden lighting” and “How to build a timber deck”. Go to www.bunnings.com.au > Learn how to DIY > DIY Workshops for details on what’s on near you.

Before you pick up your craft scissors, check out the free classes available at Spotlight (www.spotlight.com.au > Creative classes / events). Classes on scrapbooking for Christmas, embossing and die-cutting are among those on offer in the next few weeks.

Before you take on the stockmarket, do some online courses with the Australian Securities Exchange (www.asx.com.au > Education & Resources > Online Courses). Subjects include shares, options and futures.

And before you start entertaining, see if you can’t find some free local cooking classes. In Brisbane, head to Chinatown Mall every Tuesday at 6pm to see Chinatown chefs demonstrating how to cook their signature dishes.

Take a front row seat: Webcasts and podcasts mean you can see and hear talks by some of the world’s greatest thinkers and educators. For talks on subjects ranging from Australian political history to the preservation of traditional Italian cuisine, visit the webcast archive of the State Library of Queensland (www.slq.qld.gov.au > Find > Webcasts). Or try the webcasts from the University of Sydney museums (www.sydney.edu.au/ museums > What’s On > Webcasts), which include filmed talks on the archaeology of The Rocks in Sydney and married life in the ancient city of Petra. You can also go to the National Gallery of Australia’s archive of podcasts (www.nga.gov.au > What’s on >

Podcasts) for downloadable talks, including the 98 interviews with the greats of Australian art (Lloyd Rees and Rosalie Gascoigne included) recorded in the 1970s by surrealist artist Dr James Gleeson. And for oral histories of a different sort, look at Macquarie University’s collection of interviews with World War II veterans (www.austhistmuseum.mq.edu.au > Oral histories).

Revisit a great exhibition: The National Library of Australia is an online storehouse of some very fine exhibitions, including Treasures from the World’s Great Libraries and In a New Light, a look at Australian photography from the 1930s to 2000.

Go to www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/online.html to explore the possibilities in a world of knowledge.

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STACKING (and unstacking) the dishwasher becomes an exercise routine that targets your legs, bottom and stomach when you bend your knees and move from your hips.

How to do it PUT YOUR LEGS IN A WIDE STANCE, bend at your knees and hips, switch on your core muscles and lean into the dishwasher. Move your weight backwards and forwards through your feet. Let your shoulders relax, but keep your tummy muscles switched on. You should feel the power in your upper leg muscles, bottom and stomach. Maintain stability in your mid-back by keeping your head up (don’t let it drop).

DO IT THE RIGHT WAY and even a simple chore like wiping the kitchen benchtops can help tone your upper body, particularly shoulders, arms and stomach.

MAKING A BED means lots of lifting and tucking and that involves muscles from your thighs, bottom, stomach and arms. But remember to engage your core to protect your back.

PUT ONE LEG SLIGHTLY IN FRONT of the other and lightly bend from your hips. Relax the shoulder and elbow of your wiping arm as you make circular movements with your hand. Move your weight forwards and backwards through your feet while keeping your chest lifted. This allows you to generate force from your mid-back and core.

TAKE UP A LUNGE POSITION (in other words, put one foot in front of the other) and drop to the level of the mattress. When tucking in sheets, switch on your core muscles and keep your elbows bent. Shift your weight onto your heels and keep your shoulders relaxed and away from your ears.

How not to do it BEND OVER DOUBLE and you’ll end up in trouble. If your legs are straight and your back is bent, it will cause pain and you won’t use any muscles.

DON’T LEAN against the bench because it switches off your stomach muscles.

Don’t slump your back or hunch your shoulders because you’ll use the wrong muscles and miss a great workout.

IF YOU LOCK YOUR LEGS STRAIGHT and keep your back bent, you may feel pain, especially if you need to lift a heavy mattress. Take the load through your hips and knees rather than your back. This engages your core, works your buttock muscles and firms your thighs.

PHOTOs: getty imageS

Dishwasher stack

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Wiping benchtops

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Target areas

Making the bed

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great Housework workout The

Follow these hints from writer Jen Fleming and physiotherapist Anna-Louise Bouvier and you can clean your home and tone your body at the same time. Just remember to get the basics right. Engage your core muscles for stability ( just imagine you’re pulling in your tummy to zip up a pair of jeans). Keep your upper body lengthened (picture a spotlight shining forward from your chest). And keep your shoulders relaxed and away from your ears.

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Sweeping outdoors

GET INTO POSITION by placing one foot in front of the other, bend your knees, switch on your core and keep your chest and head up. Adjust the height of the vacuum tube until it is slightly above your hip height, then push the vacuum by bending and straightening your elbow. Generate power from your legs and hips and move your weight backwards and forwards as though you are dancing.

DON’T LOCK YOUR knees or bend your back. Don’t have the vacuum tube too low – it needs to be slightly above your hip height.

STRENGTHEN your core and shoulders the next time you’re giving the bath a good scrub.

KNEEL ON ONE KNEE and rest the other knee against the edge of the bath. Rest one hand against the edge of the bath to support you as you make circular motions with the other hand. Switch on your core and keep your chest lifted as you work.

SQUATS and stretches mean a solid workout for your legs, bottom, stomach and arms when you’re hanging out the washing.

LIFTING A BASKET OF WET WASHING is just like doing weights at the gym. When lifting or lowering the basket, bend your knees, hips and elbows. Keep your chest straight and shoulders down. When hanging out the washing, squat as you pick the washing out of the basket then, as you stand up, switch on your core. As you reach up to peg out the clothes, keep your shoulders away from your ears and bend and straighten through your elbows.

DON’T BEND and straighten from your back with your legs locked − it will give you back pain and do nothing for your strength. When your arms are overhead, remember to keep your shoulders away from your ears.

WIPING, STRETCHING, lunging, polishing … washing the car is a bit like doing an aerobics class at the gym. You’ll get a whole-body workout.

USE YOUR LEGS to help position you around the car.

Bend your knees, keep your back straight and lengthen your chest. Maintain stability in your mid-back by switching on your core. Float your arm in circles as you wash and polish, and swap arms when they become tired (and they will!). Clean the top section of the car when you need a break from all that lunging.

IF YOU STRAIGHTEN YOUR KNEES and bend from your back, you’ll cause strain and possibly pain. If you stretch your shoulder too far, it could also cause problems. To really activate your muscles, keep your elbow bent and shoulder relaxed.

FANCY GIVING YOUR legs, bottom, stomach and shoulders a workout?

Just grab a broom and sweep your way to a well-toned body.

PRETEND YOU ARE BALLROOM DANCING with the broom. Bring the broom parallel to your body, bend your legs slightly, lift your chest, engage your core muscles and move by rotating from your hips.

The lighter your grip on the broom, the more you’ll engage your core.

BE SURE NOT TO lock your knees against the bath and don’t do a banana bend with your back. If you do, you may soon be visiting your local physiotherapist.

TRY NOT TO hold the broom too far from you. Don’t lock your knees; keep them slightly bent. Don’t rotate from your waist.

catch up

Dec/Jan 2011 australia todaY

Washing the car

Hanging out washing

Cleaning the bath

Vacuuming

GET YOUR BODY moving the next time you grab the vacuum cleaner and you’ll discover you’re using muscles in your legs, bottom, stomach, shoulders and chest.

catch up

money

ma k ing

Words: Allison Tait

Get up to speed on … online auctions Selling goods online might be easier than you think. Start with small, inexpensive items in good condition from around the house, then spread your wings.

Need some extra dollars in the run-up to Christmas? Well take a look around your home and see what you could sell online. A survey by Galaxy Research has found that Australian households are hoarding 120 million unwanted items, worth more than $5 billion – that’s $785 per household. The survey also revealed that people living in regional areas could have the most to make, with an average of 17 unwanted valuables per household.

How does it work?

Most online auction sites offer two ways of selling. The set price or “buy it now” option is definitely the easiest and often the fastest. The idea is you list your item with a set price and sell it to the first interested buyer. But if you’re selling by auction, your item will be on display for a set period (usually between one and 10 days). During that time potential buyers will visit your item and, hopefully, make a bid. When the listing period ends, the buyer with the highest bid gets the goods.

WHAT WILL IT COST? Different sites have different fees (the best known is www.eBay.com.au but there are others, including www.oztion.com.au).

At eBay, you’ll pay an “insertion fee” of up to $3.50 to list the item plus a “final value fee” of around 5 per cent of the sale price. At Oztion, basic listings are free but you’ll still pay a “sale fee” based on the final sale price, starting at 4.5 per cent for anything under $100.

HOW do I make a listing?

For starters, you’ll need to register with the site. Then you’ll need to give your listing a title. Try to be simple but specific and use keywords that a potential buyer might use in a search. For example, don’t just say “sofa” if you could say “red leather sofa”. Next, type in a description, including as much detail as possible.

Remember to list any flaws as well.

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Finally, take some digital photos of the item and upload them to the site. Some sites require you to list postage and handling costs and, even if they don’t, it can be a good way to put your buyers at ease. Go to auspost.com.au/calculator to estimate your costs using Australia Post’s online postage costs calculator.

What price will I get?

Before you start selling, spend some time on online auction sites and get a feel for how much an item like yours could sell for. If you’re using the set price option, you can then simply nominate a price for your item. If you’re selling by auction, you’ll have less control. Usually you can’t set a reserve price for your item so you’re obliged to sell to the highest bidder, regardless of the price offered. With that in mind, make sure you give your item a starting price that isn’t too far away from your minimum selling price.

How do I get the money?

As soon as you’ve made a sale, it’s your responsibility to contact the buyer, inform them of postage costs and details and advise them of what payment options you’ll accept. Those options can include direct bank deposit, credit card payments, cheques, money orders and online payment services.

How do I send the item?

That’s up to you and, to a lesser extent, the buyer. If it’s a bulky item like a ping pong table and the buyer lives within a short drive of your place, then it might be easiest to have them collect it. Otherwise, wait until you’ve received payment, then bundle up the item securely and send it off by mail or courier, as agreed.

What if a buyer doesn’t pay?

According to Jenny Thomas from eBay: “Non-payment is really not a big issue, and eBay has really good systems to

WE’VE GOT IT COVERED! Need to send an item to a buyer?

Australia Post’s Click and Send online lodgment system makes it easy to get purchased items to your buyers, whether they live across town, across the country – or on the other side of the world. Go to the website listed below to select from a range of services, print off your address label, pay online (for a courier pick-up), or you can lodge and pay at an Australia Post retail outlet. Registered users can also email shipping information to their customers while online.

Find out more at auspost.com. au/clickandsend.

help you follow up with bidders.” For regular sellers, she suggests setting clear guidelines for when you post items – say twice a week – so you’re not dropping in to an Australia Post retail outlet every day.

Anything else I need to know?

When you’re trading via the internet, communication needs to be clear. Make sure potential buyers know exactly what they’re getting, and keep them up to date so they know when you’ve posted their item and when they can expect it to arrive. It saves anxiety all round.



Awards

Arron Wood (left), co-founder of the Kids Teaching Kids program, believes winning the People’s Choice Award will give his organisation the boost it needs to expand internationally.

2010

People’s Choice Award

The winner of the 2010 Banksia People’s Choice Award is Kids Teaching Kids, a wildly successful environmental learning program that reaches into thousands of classrooms, right around Australia.

The school

of life Nine inspiring contenders were

named, many thousands of votes were cast and then, finally, at a black-tie event at Sydney Town Hall in October, the 2010 Banksia Environmental Awards People’s Choice winner was announced. This year the award goes to Kids Teaching Kids, a program of school-based environmental learning projects that’s changing the way children look at the world around them.

The program dates back to 1999 when Arron Wood, then working for a water management body in Victoria, teamed up with his school principal dad, Richard, to run an environmental learning program at Richard’s rural school. The approach they devised is now used in around 2,000 locations Australia-wide.

Arron and Richard maintain that one of the keys to the program’s huge

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success is that students are encouraged to work on an issue that has an immediate impact on their local community. As a result, the loosely understood notion of “environmental responsibility” is superseded by something practical and personal for the children involved.

“It’s clear people see Kids Teaching Kids as an innovative program that has education at its core and which reaches thousands of students across Australia,” says Graz van Egmond, executive director of the Banksia Environmental Foundation. “After 11 years this program remains relevant and continues to expand because it stays true to its core principle: ‘The passion of kids promoting passion in other kids’.”

This is the fourth time the Banksia Foundation has hosted the People’s Choice

Award, proudly sponsored by Australia Post, giving the Australian public the opportunity to decide which individuals and organisations deserve special recognition for their environmental work.

In 2007 the award went to The Falls Festival, a multi-day music festival run in Victoria and Tasmania, which promotes water-efficiency and waste-efficiency through a range of innovations, including its famous composting toilet facilities.

A year later, in 2008, the People’s Choice was Rouse Hill Town Centre, a “green” shopping centre development on the western edge of Sydney that boasts a massive rainwater harvesting system, a “zero waste to landfill” waste reduction plan and extensive cycle paths and bicycle parking areas for the benefit of cyclists.

And last year the award went to Food Connect, the fresh food distribution network that fosters both sustainable farming practices and healthy eating by putting produce grown by farmers just outside Brisbane direct into the kitchens of south-east Queensland households.

Arron is thrilled that Kids Teaching Kids now joins this list of popular, environmentally progressive organisations, not least because there are plans to expand into Asia and the United States next year.

“I was lucky enough to win the Prime Minister’s Environmentalist of the Year Award in the 2007 Banksia Awards and that elevated my standing in both the environmental sector and the business sector beyond belief. It gave Kids Teaching Kids a degree of credibility we just couldn’t have got any other way,” says Arron.

“This is a crucial time for us as we begin to expand and the prestige of the People’s Choice Award will help open doors for us.

It’s great to get that recognition.”

Go to www.kidsteachingkids.com.au to find out more about the organisation and how it works.



Congratulations also go to the other category winners of the 2010 Banksia Environmental Awards. Visit www.banksiafdn.com to find out more about who they are and what they do.

✂ cut out and keep

AUSTRALIA POST DIRECTORY

Products and services are available at participating Australia Post retail outlets.

For further information go online at auspost.com.au.

Banking

Click and send

Your local post office can help with both your personal and business banking.

Click and Send, Australia Post’s online lodgment system, makes it easy to send parcels across the country or overseas. You can prepare documentation, pay postage, book a courier and track parcels online, all from your own desk. auspost.com.au/clickandsend

Do your personal banking Australia Post provides banking services on behalf of more than 70 banks and financial institutions. Bank@Post™ allows you to do your banking at the same time as you pay your bills, organise your mail or pick up home office supplies. auspost.com.au/banking Do your business banking Using Bank@Post™, you can do most of your day-to-day business banking. auspost.com.au/businessbanking

Bill paying Pay your bills quickly, easily and securely through Australia Post. With Postbillpay® you can pay your bills in person, by phone or online. postbillpay.com.au

Calculate postage costs Get estimates for the cost of sending your letters and parcels across the country or around the world using the quick and easy calculator on the homepage of the Australia Post website. auspost.com.au/calculator

Computer supplies Australia Post stocks a wide selection of big brand printers, printer cartridges and storage products, including portable hard drives and USB drives. You’ll also find a range of related accessories, including digital cameras, memory cards for cameras, LCD screens, blank CDs and blank DVDs. auspost.com.au/personal/ computer-and-digital-products.html

Couriers Australia Post runs courier services to deliver your documents, packages or parcels across the country or around the world, quickly and securely.

Local couriers Messenger Post Couriers provides a range of reliable and customised regular courier services in CBD and metropolitan areas of major capital cities. auspost.com.au/messengerpost International couriers Express Courier International is a reliable, cost-effective, international courier service. When you send letters and parcels with Express Courier International you enjoy the benefits of priority handling, basic tracking and, where available, a signature on delivery. auspost.com.au/internationalpost

Document witnessing Staff at Australia Post retail outlets can witness your signature on a document. auspost.com.au/personal/ witnessing-documents.html

Foreign currency You can buy many types of foreign currency at more than 3,200 Australia Post retail outlets.

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Moving services Moving house? Need your mail held or redirected? Moving Services will help ease the process of moving home. auspost.com.au/movingservices

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Instant passport photos Get passport-quality photos taken and printed while you wait. auspost.com.au/instantpassport Passport applications Apply for a new passport or renew your passport. auspost.com.au/personal/ travel-and-passport-services.html UK/British passport applications Apply for a new British passport or renew your existing one. auspost.com.au/personal/ travel-and-passport-services.html

Post office locator Using Australia Post’s handy online tool, you can find out important details about Australia Post retail outlets right around the country – including their address, opening hours and available services. auspost.com.au/locator

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Prepaid mobile phones Choose a prepaid mobile from our range of big brands. auspost.com.au/personal/ telecommunications.html

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Smartphone applications Access popular Australia Post tools and services via your smartphone.

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Stationery online Australia Post now offers a new stationery range. Choose from 10,000 home and office solutions from the comfort of your own desk. auspost.com.au/stationery

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Australia Post Christmas Gift Guide

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For kids under 10 …

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JOURNAL GIFT SET Get tweens ready for the year ahead with a set that contains a journal with photo frame, an address book and a gel pen. Exclusive to Australia Post. $12.99

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Assorted designs available. $14.99 each

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Choose from two different three-book packs. Exclusive to Australia Post. $24.99 per pack of three

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PICNIC / SHOPPING BASKET AND PICNIC / outdoor dining SET Fill this collapsible basket with some delicious treats then grab a matching dining set and enjoy the feast.

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From $24.99 each * Due to state laws not available to persons under the age of 16 in NSW or ACT.

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Box set exclusive to Australia Post. Classified M for mature audiences. $34.99

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Exclusive to Australia Post. $16.99

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A great last-minute solution – and easy to mail, too!

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Over 10,000 home and ofďŹ ce products delivered nationally From traditional stationery to the latest in technology, consumables, furniture and cleaning items, we’ve got it covered.

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the

u pl i ft i ng

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THE YOUNG ONES Meet the young Australians at the helm of a new breed of businesses that blend commerce and compassion in equal measure. When these enterprises succeed, they do a whole world of good.

What were you doing when you were in your

Simon Griffiths is setting up the Shebeen bar to sell beer and wine from developing countries, then send the profits back there.

twenties? Helping refugees get the skills they need for a new job in a new land? Supporting young women, at home and abroad, to gain financial independence? Seeking out trade opportunities to benefit communities in developing nations?

These are the sort of altruistic endeavours in which the current crop of twentysomethings is involved, and in quite some number.

Despite having a reputation for being financially irresponsible and socially ignorant, Generation Y is emerging as a force for good. And a very effective force at that.

Benny Callaghan (a Generation Xer himself ) has daily contact with the best and brightest of Gen Y in his role as CEO of the Australian branch of the School for Social Entrepreneurs (www.sse.org.au ).

“Outside of the traditional workplace, Generation Y is highly engaged in community.

They have these big passions and they’re hell-bent on getting things up and running,” Benny says.

The School launched in Sydney in 2009, then in Melbourne, with a brief to provide focused support and structured programs for social entrepreneurs. Put simply, social entrepreneurs are people who develop an innovative solution to a social problem – and a growing number of young Australian social entrepreneurs are making significant contributions in all kinds of areas.

“The work ethic is just extraordinary,” says Benny. “There are some pretty inspiring young people out there doing amazing things.” >

Photos: John Laurie, Damien Pleming Words: michael blayney

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change

Zoe Lamont and 10thousandgirl When Zoe Lamont came back to Australia in 2007 after volunteering stints in Africa, Fiji, India and on the Thai-Burmese border, she became unsettled about her life’s direction. “In Australia, we have everything in the material world, but I felt like I’d been hanging out with happier people in refugee camps. I got quite down about it all.”

She was set to pack her bags for Thailand again when a conversation with her father changed everything. He suggested that Zoe could have more impact on communities in developing countries by using resources in Australia than by being a volunteer on the ground. “He asked me if I was going to do something about it, or just complain about it. I decided that I’d do something about it!”

A country girl from Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, Zoe got to work. She spent time getting experience on a number of schemes before laying the foundations of her own ambitious “social project” called 10thousandgirl. The aim is to encourage and educate 10,000 Australian girls to take active responsibility for their finances. For a small fee, participants have access to regular seminars, workshops and feedback sessions covering subjects including goal-setting, share trading, compound interest, tax issues and superannuation.

“These are the fundamental basics to get your life going forward.

It’s all about maximising our lives and taking control,” says the

“In Australia, we have all the basics, so what’s the next step?

It’s about creating a better environment for humanity.”

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27 year old. “Creating some time to talk about a few things other than boys – although they get some airtime too!”

A portion of the fee paid to 10thousandgirl is directed to Opportunity International Australia, a micro-finance venture that provides small loans to women in developing countries to help them set up their own businesses.

“So the message is that helping yourself helps other people. With very small amounts, you can help women in other communities.”

Zoe says we’re now witnessing a strong surge of young people who are focused on social change and positive impact. “In Australia, we have all the basics, so what’s the next step? It’s about creating a better environment for humanity. That’s how we’re going to progress as a society. There’s definitely change in the air. I can feel it.”

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FIND OUT MORE www.10thousandgirl.com

“I wanted to do something productive and positive with my frustration, rather than become cynical and depressed and give up.”

Grace McQuilten and The Social Studio Grace McQuilten’s start-up enterprise, The Social Studio (TSS), was launched less than a year ago but her organisation is already providing plenty of opportunities for refugee communities in Melbourne’s inner suburbs.

“I can still remember the day when everything clicked,” says 29-year-old Grace. “It was Labour Day 2009, and I’d been doing a lot of thinking about the current marketplace, how it works, who it benefits, and how much waste there is in the fashion industry.”

Grace was inspired by Melbourne’s SecondBite, an organisation that collects surplus fruit and vegetables from supermarkets and distributes it to charities to feed those in need. Similarly, TSS refashions samples, remnants, faulty garments and end-of-roll fabrics from fashion producers. Its studio of trainees, many of them newly arrived refugees, transforms these offcuts into original designs sold under the Remixed Design label.

Operating on Smith Street in Collingwood, TSS incorporates retail and manufacturing in the one small shopfront. There’s even a cafe at the rear of the premises (which provides accredited hospitality training). More than 60 young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are involved, most from Horn of Africa countries including Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia. Their training in clothing production and fashion design is accredited by RMIT University, and students receive 40 per cent of the purchase price when the clothes are sold. Three trainees have already been “poached” to work full-time at leading bridal fashion house (and TSS patron) Mariana Hardwick.

“It’s been seven days a week, 12 hours a day,” says Grace. “Initially I didn’t draw a wage and worked another job part-time while I got it up and running, but this year I was lucky to win the Vodafone World of Difference competition. It basically pays you to work for one year on the charity of your choice.”

Even so, a whopping salary is not high on Grace’s list of priorities.

“I find it hard to motivate myself for personal gain. I was an artist before taking on this challenge, so I understand poverty,” she says with a laugh.

The project has room for expansion into different locations and communities, and Grace is looking to explore all the options in the coming years – at her own pace. “I’m happy with what we’ve achieved so far. I wanted to do something productive and positive with my frustration, rather than become cynical and depressed and give up. In that respect, we’re doing well.” >

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FIND OUT MORE www.thesocialstudio.org Call 03 9417 2143.

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generational

change

Charity’s new kids on the block Thankyou Water www.thankyouwater.org Thankyou Water is the brainchild of five Melbourne students aged between 18 and 22. The industrious quintet sells bottled H 2O, with 100 per cent of their profits going back into water projects in Asia and Africa. Established this year, the venture has hit the ground running, with stockists including selected Australia Post outlets and Ritchies IGA supermarkets.

FIND OUT MORE www.shebeen.com.au

KereKere www.kerekere.org KereKere sells coffee (organic, sustainable, Fair Trade) from carts inside the University of Melbourne precinct. The business provides employment opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and customers have the opportunity to choose where profits are distributed. Founder James Murphy named the business “KereKere” after the Fijian custom of sharing without expecting anything in return.

Left Right Think Tank www.leftright.org.au Rick Newnham, co-founder of the Left Right Think Tank, has packed more into his 22 years than most will in a lifetime. The non-aligned organisation endeavours to involve and empower young people in public debate. Already 70 volunteers are involved, all under the age of 25.

Simon Griffiths

Youth Tree

and Shebeen Failing to secure a prestigious Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University at the final hurdle was a blessing in disguise for sparky young Simon Griffiths. The setback forced the Melburnian to discover and explore his true passions in life. Two of them – beer and philanthropy – led to his latest enterprise: a watering hole with a humanitarian mission.

“We hope to sell beers and wines from the developing world at a centrally located bar. We essentially take the profit from each drink sale to support a development project in that drink’s country of origin,” he says.

The concept for Shebeen (a South African term for a township bar) was born in 2007. “I travelled for three months on public transport through Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa. I looked at a whole bunch of development programs along the way, and I started writing the business plan at night on my laptop.”

For the past few months, Simon and a team of 20 volunteers have been beating the Shebeen drum, raising capital for the venture. The bar is expected to open early next year.

“Shebeen is about innovation, problem solving and development.

It’s about how you change the audience of philanthropy away from your more traditional audience to the opposite,” says Simon, who has a day job teaching economics.

Simon believes his generation is willing to engage with issues in different ways. “If we want something great, we have to create it. Don’t leave it up to someone else. If I could change the way people look at philanthropy, it would far exceed any salary I could ever earn.”

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www.youthtree.org.au Founded by Perth-based Tim Kenworthy, Youth Tree is on a mission to make volunteering “as mainstream as cheeseburgers” for young people. Goals for the future include developing the “Big Help Mob”, a rent-a-crowd of young people ready and willing to give local communities a boost of people power.

Project Eight www.projecteight.com.au “Educate a girl and you educate a nation” is more than a slogan, it’s a fact. But in developing nations, girls can miss out on up to one week of school each month simply because of a lack of sanitary pads. LaunchPad is Chantelle Baxter’s initiative to raise funds for women’s sanitary products in Sierra Leone. Two years ago Chantelle worked in an orphanage there and witnessed first-hand the risk of disease in the female population due to the lack of affordable hygiene options. “A packet of pads costs $2 when most earn $1.25 a day. We’re hoping to source local materials for lowcost alternatives,” she says.

Green Light Movement greenlightmovement@bya.org.au The Green Light Movement, conceived by 22-year-old Jenni Iloski, helps young learner drivers in New South Wales build up their behind-the-wheel hours before tackling the driving test. Targeting disadvantaged 16 to 25 year olds who do not have access to supervised driving instruction, the program provides volunteer mentoring and subsidised lessons. The program should be up and running by the end of this year, targeted at children who don’t have the support of a parent or guardian and are living in youth services accommodation.

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CHANGING LAYNE Layne Beachley could easily have been swamped by life’s currents. Instead, she fought on to become the world’s best woman surfer, seven times over.

When Layne began surfing at Manly, she was one of just a handful of female board riders. She started down at South Steyne (pictured), then tackled the bigger waves up at North Steyne (a division marked by the sewer pipe), copping a ribbing from surf’s macho territorial types for her efforts.

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inspiration comes to layne beachley, seven timES

Photos: Tim Bauer Words: mike safe

world surfing champion, in all sorts of situations. It comes when she’s catching an early morning wave at Manly, her long-time training ground on Sydney’s glorious northern beaches. It comes when she’s working on her new surfwear range, Blue Kiss, now appearing in Myer and Rebel Sport stores across the country. And it comes when she’s watching movies like Kung Fu Panda.

Hold on a second … Kung Fu Panda? Isn’t that an animated popcorn flick for kids? Yes, it is, but it turns out that Layne, aged 38 and still very much in touch with her inner child, loves the fun, the drama and – you guessed it – the inspirational message of the animated Hollywood blockbuster.

Elite athletes often look to a legendary sporting achiever or perhaps a great writer or philosopher when in need of a few uplifting words to help them through the day. Layne, on the other hand, happily quotes Master Oogway, Kung Fu Panda’s elderly tortoise and martial arts hero known for his deep wisdom and knowledge: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why they call it the present.”

Laughing, Layne explains, “I try to maintain that creed as often as I can. That’s Kung Fu Panda for you, very profound.”

Layne finds a lot to laugh about these days. She’s recently married her beau of eight years, Kirk Pengilly, sax and guitar player with Australian rock giants INXS. Together, they share a beautiful home tucked away on the cliffs at the northern end of Manly.

As well as sweeping views along the coast, there’s a trophy room dominated by Layne’s seven world title cups, although one cup has gone missing and Layne can’t remember who she lent it to. From her home office, Layne plots the next chapter of her life after what were 20 years on the professional surfing trail, easily the longest career of any female surfer.

Her Girl’s Own adventure began on the nearby pine tree-fringed sands at Manly. Given up as a baby in May 1972 by her 17-year-old mother, Maggie, Layne had the good fortune to be adopted by Neil and Val Beachley, who lived near the beach that inevitably became their new daughter’s playground.

Blonde and with startling blue eyes, young Layne took to the surf and was immediately nicknamed Gidget, after Sandra Dee’s surfer girl in the cheesy 1959 movie of the same name.

Back in the 1970s and even the 80s, the surf beach was an aggressively male domain and not a welcoming place for girls >

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“I was pretty motivated and driven and that came from what was my need to prove my worth to the world and myself.”

who wanted to do more than sun themselves on the sand. About the only other female who did much surfing around Manly was Pam Burridge. Pam would win her own world title in 1990, the same year 18-year-old Layne qualified to join the surfing world tour.

Success didn’t come immediately. It was three years before Layne won her first international contest and eight years before she gained her first world title in 1998.

Along the way, there was a constant battle just to

get by. In between surfing contests and travelling, she worked at delivering pizzas and sweeping surf shop floors to scrounge enough money to keep going. Then there were the bouts of self-doubt and depression and the devastating brushes with chronic fatigue syndrome in 1993 and again in 1996. She admits she was on the verge of quitting more than once.

At the same time Layne was struggling to come to terms with her adoption – or, as she then saw it, her abandonment by her birth mother. In characteristic fashion, she managed to use that lifechanging drama to spur her on even more.

“I was pretty motivated and driven and that came from what was my need to prove my worth to the world and myself,” she says.

“Looking back on those experiences, there I was telling the world I was going to be a world champion and then it took me eight years to get there when I’d only given myself five years to do it – and so I almost walked away. But then I ended up winning seven titles.

Now I think, wow, that’s pretty amazing and I realise what I would

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have missed out on if I’d walked away.”

Today, Layne has reconciled with her birth mother, who has made a new life for herself in the United States, but she admits the relationship still has a way to go.

“I know I’m going to commit the time to get to know her more, but right now I’m putting other things in front of that.”

She confides that her ambivalence may have a lot to do with the loss of the other mother figures in her life. Her adoptive mum, Val, died from a post-operative brain haemorrhage when Layne was just 6 years old. Her stepmother, Christina, died of cancer in 2003.

She says it’s the strong males in her life who have pushed her on.

Initially it was her adoptive dad, Neil. Then it was Hawaiian big wave surfer Ken Bradshaw, a hard task master who trained and guided her to the first of her string of world titles. Now it’s Kirk, helping her adjust to this next phase of her life.

Layne, the surfer girl, and Kirk, the bespectacled rocker, met on a date arranged by rock singer Jon Stevens. They were like “chalk and cheese” says Layne. “But we’ve grown together because we continue to find things we have in common while maintaining our independence and individuality.

“I’ve shown him a healthier way to live and brought him over to the beach. Then he’s taught me about getting structure in my life.

So we balance one another out. It works.”

Layne is justif iably proud of the massive boost her deeds have given to the public profile of women’s surfing, both here and internationally.

additional photos: Getty Images

Layne gained her seventh surfing world title at the Billabong Pro Maui (left) in December 2006. She was world champion for six years straight from 1998 to 2003. Now she’s proving herself as a businesswoman.

She’s giving back with her involvement in Sport For Good and other charities. Her own foundation, Aim for the Stars, helps talented young women.

“There’s a female movement in the water now. Women are a lot more confident and relaxed in the line-up but, because it’s always been a male-dominated environment, we’ll always feel the necessity to prove ourselves. And there’s also the recreational side where girls go surfing together just for fun.”

She reckons women bring calmness, a better vibe, to surfing. “It’s called oestrogen,” she says. “That balances everything out.”

Her annual surfing contest, the Layne Beachley Classic, held at Manly as part of the world tour, now has a long-term sponsor in the Commonwealth Bank. Her charity, Aim for the Stars, continues to provide funding for dozens of motivated young women pursuing a range of activities from speed skating to environmental science.

Indeed Layne is pleased to report that six Australian female athletes at the Beijing Olympics were assisted early in their careers by Aim for the Stars.

And speaking of the Olympics, Layne has been appointed as an athlete liaison officer to the Australian team for the 2012 London games. Describing herself as “the random surfie chick”, she will join cricketer Steve Waugh, rugby great John Eales and basketballer Andrew Gaze in helping our athletes focus and maximise their performance.

“I hope they let me look after sports that are fun and outdoors, like beach volleyball and tennis. I’m really excited about it,” she admits. Always the over-achiever, Layne can’t help but dream out loud. “The thing missing from my trophy cabinet is an Olympic gold medal. So maybe I can earn one vicariously.”

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Coming off the lip during the 2008 Rip Curl Pro at Torquay’s famous Bells Beach.

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road

Mud, microwaves and mountains of make-up are among the essentials when the stars of Opera Australia take their shows on the road.

BARITONES in the BUSH Words & Photos: Bruce daly

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T

he Oz Opera tour bus has just arrived in Cowra in the central west of New South Wales and the first glimpse the locals have of the company is the incongruous sight of tour manager Jade Whiteley alighting with a large microwave oven in her arms.

“We never go anywhere without it – it’s a vital piece of equipment.

We need to provide meals and drinks at all hours,” she explains.

The singers and stagehands of the opera company are at the start of what will be two days of intense work in the rural town. There are cases to be lugged, staging to be set up and pulled down, costumes and props to be handled, volunteers to be marshalled – and worldclass opera to be staged. It’s easy to see why a person might need a comforting cup of cocoa at three in the morning ...

This performance of La Traviata in Cowra was part of a 12-week tour through regional NSW, Victoria and Tasmania which ended in Canberra in September.

Oz Opera is the touring arm of Opera Australia and performs in communities both large and small across Australia, giving rural and regional folk of all ages their first experience of opera.

On the day of arrival, it’s all go. After a brief rest for the artists in their motel rooms, it was back on the bus for the short drive to Farleigh, a historic property belonging to Peter and Christine Delaney, for a cocktail party and photos.

Oz Opera’s administrator, Erin Matheson, explains: “It’s a chance for the locals to meet members of the company and for us to say thank you to the many organisations and businesses in Cowra who assist in staging the event. Without the Cowra Arts Council helping out with staging, ushers, ticket sales, marketing, etc, these big productions would not be possible.”

Looking at the roll call of more than 40 local businesses, organisations and individuals who assisted in bringing La Traviata to the town, it certainly seems Cowra isn’t lacking opera fans.

The next day the crew take on the mammoth task of turning the utilitarian local high-school hall into the setting for a full-blown opera performance.

With more than 12 tonnes of equipment, it takes five hours for the stage crew and half a dozen burly helpers from the local rugby club to unload the semi-trailer and rig the purpose-built touring stage.

Ben Van Dillen, the head lighting technician, is well versed in the logistics.

“Setting up the stage with the lighting rig is very labour intensive.

Over 75 lights have to be rigged and linked to the main console and, on the night, everything has to work perfectly. The last thing we want is a bunch of singers stumbling around on a dark stage,” he says.

While this is going on Jennifer Kerr, Oz Opera’s manager, hosts a Q&A session with music students in a room off the main hall, which is by now filled with Oz Opera’s fabulous costumes and props. Dresses spill out of boxes and there’s an intriguing line-up of elaborate wigs, all piled-up white hair with tight curls. >

Tenor Jason Wasley and soprano Annabelle Chaffey (opposite) as Alfredo and Violetta, the lovers in La Traviata.

Tour manager Jade Whiteley (above left) unloads the essential microwave. Baritone Tom Hamilton (left) has a cup of tea while he waits to make his entrance as the Baron.

Costumes designed for the rigours of touring around the country (above).

Cowra’s main street (below).

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opera

on the

road

Oz Opera on tour l Since 1996 Oz Opera has travelled more than 160,000 kilometres by road, air and sea around Australia – that’s four times the circumference of the Earth. l The company has performed to more than 180,000 people across Australia, giving over 400 performances in 101 different regional and rural communities. l Thanks to partners including Australia Post, Playing Australia, the Opera Conference and state governments, regional audiences have been able to enjoy Oz Opera performances for as little as $30 a ticket. l The company has performed in almost every venue imaginable, from theatres to aircraft hangars, circus tents, hay sheds, basketball courts, school quadrangles and town halls.

Wardrobe / wigs master David Hansen (top) explains to Cowra High School students the intricacies of creating a wig. Mechanist Cliff Bothwell (above) inspects the top of the huge travelling set.

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l Along the way, Oz Opera has generated more than 8,300 weeks’ work for artists and technicians, and has been associated with numerous commissions of new Australian works. l All Oz Opera shows are sung in English.

“Each wig has to be styled and fitted, and there’s a lot of wear and tear because of heat and perspiration.”

“Part of the touring program involves education workshops which let kids see first-hand the nuts and bolts of what the opera is about and to talk to the people who work in it,” Jennifer explains.

The kids seem particularly interested in the work of David Hansen, who is at the back of the room preparing the elaborate wigs for the night’s performance. His hands work quickly, teasing the hair ever higher.

“Each wig is handmade from human hair and takes from seven to 10 working days to construct,” David explains to the students.

“Each wig has to be styled and fitted, and there’s a lot of wear and tear because of heat and perspiration.”

performance Photo: Jeff Busby

As it comes close to the time for the audience to

arrive, tour manager Jade attends to the less glamorous aspects of the night. These include preparing the box office and organising the many locals who have turned up to assist. Among them is a group of young students who have volunteered to be ushers but who seem a little confused about what that might involve. They look nervously at Jade for direction but she reassures them, “Just collect the tickets as people go through the doors.” They nod earnestly.

Although it’s a cold, wet night the locals begin arriving early – around 7pm for a performance that starts at eight. Before long the hall is filled to capacity with groups standing and chatting; after all, this is a community event, not just an opera performance.

In a room at the side of the stage, some of the performers are having a cup of tea and a biscuit. It could be any work kitchen except the “workers” are in full costume and limiting conversation to a whisper.

In the wardrobe area backstage the camaraderie among the performers is obvious. There are jokes and gentle ribbing and even an impromptu competition to recite lewd tongue twisters along the lines of Peter Piper picked … let’s just say that the verbal dexterity was impressive. Clearly, if you’ve spent much of your professional life singing at full belt in Italian this comes very easily.

At nine the next morning the company is scheduled to be packing up and leaving town for the next destination on the tour – but there’s been a disaster. The semi-trailer laden with all their equipment has become bogged. A local with a tractor is on his way to help drag the truck out of the mud, and tour manager Jade is on her way from the motel to the high school to supervise. What time did she finish up last night?

“Oh, about three,” she says. “I’ve had a couple of hours’ sleep.” And presumably a nice cup of cocoa warmed in the trusty microwave.

The hall cum basketball court at Cowra High School (top) fills with locals ready for the performance.

Sarah Sweeting, as Flora (above), takes to the table in La Traviata while Annabelle Chaffey (Violetta) looks on.

Soprano Leah Thomas (left) is fitted with her wig and mask backstage.

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vo l u n t e e r i n g

History in the Making A simple enquiry to the Cairns Historical Society put George Skeene on an unexpected path. Years later he is a recognised historian, a published writer and a very satisfied heritage volunteer.

Photos: Sean Davey Words: mike safe

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George on the banks of the Barron River at Redden Island (Dungarra), just north of Cairns, where his family often went fishing and camping.

George’s stories of life in the town camps of Cairns in the 1950s have salvaged an important part of the city’s history.

I

t was in the 1990s that George Skeene contacted the Cairns Historical Society, looking for information on his own cultural heritage: the story of the Yirrganydji people. But the Society – founded in the 1950s – had very little information about the people who had occupied the surrounding land for generations.

Undeterred, George joined the Society and began recovering that vulnerable social history for himself.

Fourteen years on, he has finally written his family’s story, telling a tale of North Queensland life that otherwise would have been lost. Now 62, George grew up in the 1950s in the small settlements on the outskirts of Cairns that were known as “the town camps”.

An Aborigine with English, Scottish, South Sea Islander and Chinese blood, George says the story was almost too personal at times. “But someone had to write it. Otherwise, it would have been forgotten – as have a lot of indigenous stories. So I’m glad I did it.

But it took me many years to be able to write about the deaths of my mother and father.

“It was like I was holding back on something that was very personal and I needed to free my mind, my spirit, if you like, to do that. So one morning I sat down at the keyboard and just started typing. And in the end it felt good – to write the truth as it had happened.”

His book – Two Cultures: Children from the Aboriginal Camps and Reserves in Cairns City – recalls life on the margins of what was becoming a thriving regional centre, growing wealthy on agriculture, grazing and a fledgling tourism trade.

“I had to make my mind go back so I could visualise the people and what happened,” George says. “I found that I repeated myself a lot and I might even have written the same story maybe four times and then my editor looked through it all to work out the best and most complete version.”

He gives great credit to his editor, Dr Sandra Kostner, a visiting cultural historian from Germany, who kept him on track when putting the final draft of the book together.

“It got to the stage where I’d written so much that I felt like I’d come to a dead end. It was as if I couldn’t think any more.”

He laughs as he recalls Dr Kostner laying down the law to him.

“She’d say ‘I can help you, George, but you’ve got to help yourself as well’. So she was a great support and kept me going.”

George wrote Two Cultures with the aid of the Cairns Historical Society which operates the Cairns Museum. He is a member of the society and also volunteers at the museum, where he has put together an exhibit on daily life in the town camps.

His friend Onisivoro Vuniyaro, from Far North Queensland Volun­teers (www.fnqvolunteers.org), says George is a perfect example of what a passionate person can put back into their community.

“It’s important that people like George get involved because they’re part of the community and, in this case, part of its history,” says Oni, as the locals know him. “Without the involvement of people like George this knowledge would be lost forever.”

Fijian-born and raised, Oni is a former diplomat who helped establish the Fiji Community association in Cairns. He points out that Far North Queensland has always been a cultural melting pot and that its people have many stories to tell. Today, more than 60 nationalities make the region their home.

Cairns has also developed a strong volunteering culture, says Oni. Right now he has close to 100 welfare and community groups on >

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vo l u n t e e r i n g

George (top) talks his friend Oni through part of the display at Cairns Museum. Checking out a set of shark jaws (above) with fellow volunteer Cliff Marsden. An undated photo (right) of a traditional group from the rainforest area near Cairns.

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his books, including the Cairns Historical Society, and has assigned “hundreds and hundreds” of volunteers – from youngsters to seniors – to work for them.

For George Skeene, Two Cultures was never meant to be a political statement and definitely not a “looking back in anger” memoir.

“We were segregated and so we were discriminated against and it could be a hard life in many ways, but compared with some [Aborigines who then lived on controlled reserves away from white population centres] it could have been much worse.”

Still, he accepts that readers will interpret his stories as they see fit. “I can only tell it as it happened to me and those who read it will have to make up their own minds about the politics of what happened back then … but, for me, the anger is gone if you like. It’s not in my body any more – it’s been let out.”

An elder of the local Yirrganydji people, George has also helped establish a 4-hectare bush tucker reserve on the Barron River, just north of Cairns. It’s where his family often went fishing and camping – a place of memories – and he writes about it with great affection.

George loved history as a child, enjoying both the stories of the early European explorers and the tales of his own forebears that he heard from his parents and grandparents. Ironically it was his interest in history that landed him in trouble at school. In the classroom he was taught that no-one had lived in Australia before Europeans arrived and when he protested, explaining that his people had lived on the land for thousands of years, he was given the cane.

“That was the 1950s and I laugh about it now, but it was no laughing matter back then. It hurt! But I had to speak the truth.”

At the time, George and his family were living at the Lyons Street camp on the southern outskirts of Cairns. The occupants of the house included his mother Joyce, father George senior, siblings Mick, Warren and Leslie, and grandparents Harry and Topsy.

Earlier, they had lived at the English Street camp, on the town’s northern edge. George recalls that there weren’t a lot of Aborigines in Cairns at the time, largely because the Aboriginals Preservation and Protection Act (1939) restricted their movement. The act was finally repealed in 1965.

The rudimentary houses at the Lyons Street camp had galvanised iron roofs and timber or packed earth floors. Cooking and washing were done outside in smaller shelters and showering and toilet facilities were also separate. Some of the men worked at a nearby sawmill where they earned reasonable pay compared with those on the outlying Aboriginal reserves, who were largely unemployed.

“We were caught between different ways of life – and that’s why I called the book Two Cultures,” George says. “I started school in 1955 and that was pretty much the first time I played with white kids. My grandfather had his own vegetable garden and we had a chook pen and fruit trees. Much of our diet back then was fish, especially shellfish. There were still three wild creeks in Cairns back then and the saltwater estuaries teemed with fish.”

ARCHIVAL IMAGES Courtesy OF THE Cairns Historical Society

“Without the involvement of people like George this knowledge would be lost forever.”

Want to join the history crowd?

George in the 4-hectare bush tucker reserve he helped establish on the Barron River. His grandfather Harry Skeene (below) in the 1950s.

*

Steve Fowler (below), president of the Cairns Historical Society, calls the hundreds of historical societies scattered across Australia the “quiet achievers” when it comes to documenting stories and collecting artefacts from the too easily forgotten past. “Every town has stories to tell and benefits from having such a group,” he says. After 20 years with the Cairns Historical Society, the last seven as its president, Steve believes historical societies are more important than ever.

FIND OUT MORE Cairns Historical Society Call 07 4051 5582

www.cairnsmuseum.org.au Meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month at the Cairns Museum, on the corner of Lake and Shield Streets, Cairns, beginning at 7.30pm.

His family also gathered bush tucker, including native plums and blue quandongs among a vast array of berries and fruits. “So we had a pretty good diet. We were isolated from the main part of town, but there was scrub and rainforest across from where we lived and we had bandicoot traps and there were plenty of bush birds.”

George remembers the police coming around and accusing his mother of cooking a stolen chicken which turned out to be a trapped bandicoot. Apparently, the taste is quite similar.

“We made our own fun,” he says. “We’d go into the scrub to build cubby houses and we’d swim in the creeks. There were no crocodile warning signs back then. Then we’d hear them bellowing away at night – and we’d been swimming in there during the day!”

When he’s volunteering at the museum or going out to schools, George can talk for hours about his childhood caught between two worlds – and that’s before he moves on to the 30 years he spent working for Queensland Rail on its railway line gangs. For the latter part of his time on the line, George kept a diary of his working days and he’s now looking at turning that into a second book.

“I enjoy the writing, although my spelling could be better,” he says with a quiet smile. “And I like the volunteering with the historical society and museum and passing these stories on to the next generation, black and white.”

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Can anyone join?

Yes, says Steve. You don’t need particular researching or writing skills to join a historical society as there are plenty of tasks where volunteers are invaluable, from cataloguing to putting together exhibits. “For instance, we also look after the Cairns Museum and at the moment we need a webmaster for our internet site,” he says. “So there are all sorts of jobs for all sorts of people and once they’re involved they often find projects that take on a special interest for them.”

Must I have a long-time connection to my area?

No, not at all. Indeed, historical societies are a good way to get to know people in a new community. Steve says volunteers often form lasting friendships. The Cairns society has more than 300 members, with some having been involved for 40 years or more.

I’ve researched and written my family’s history.

Would they be interested in that?

Maybe, but not necessarily. Many bigger regional centres have other groups that specialise in documenting family histories. But if your family had significant or unique input into the early days of your town or district, the local historical society may well be interested.

So how do I join?

Start with your local council; many councils have strong links to the historical societies in their region.

Steve points out that while the older generation provides the bulk of volunteers – many are retired and use their time to pursue subjects that are of particular interest to them – all societies are keen to attract younger people so they can build for the future.

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i nsp i r i ng i deas and p r act i cal ways to get ahead

Andrew McGahan’s 2005 novel The White Earth was this month’s choice for Robyn Ellepola’s book club. According to its publisher, it’s a “haunting, powerful novel about the power of the land”. But what did the book group think?

make plans. on the same page Enjoying a darn good read need not be a solitary pleasure. At book clubs you can chat about the latest mystery, laugh over a pot-boiler, read the classics or just have a great excuse to get together.

Words: FRAN LAWRENCE and Helen Hawkes Photos: ROBERT FRITH / acorn photo

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boo k

clubs

It’s 7.30pm on a Tuesday and there’s a steady stream

of arrivals ringing the doorbell of a home on a quiet street in Perth’s Dianella. It’s an eclectic group of women: a child health nurse, an occupational therapist, two public relations consultants, a photographer, a part-time university student and a stay-at-home mum. But they’re all keen readers and arrive clutching the same paperback in their hands.

Book clubs have been around almost as long as popular fiction and in recent years they’ve had a resurgence. Australians are getting together in ever-increasing numbers to talk authors, plot lines, characters and themes, in structured or casual meetings, face-toface get-togethers or even online formats.

In Dianella the members are settling in with a glass of wine to tackle the latest title – an Australian novel that, as it turns out, wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Robyn Ellepola, who started this particular book club four years ago, says that’s not unusual.

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“There are very few books that everyone loves, although we have had one or two that have cracked it,” she says. “Love it or hate it though, there’s always plenty of opinions and plenty of discussion!” she adds with a smile.

It’s not a bad result for an enterprise that Robyn says she was hesitant about starting up.

“I had never wanted to join a book club, as I always enjoyed reading for pleasure and thought book clubs would put me under too much pressure,” she admits.

But like many mums, she found that when her children arrived her reading habit was swamped. “When I had kids I realised I wasn’t reading novels at all after the night feed was over,” she says. She needed an excuse to read a good book.

“So I sent an email out – to people I knew from play group, old school friends, my husband’s friends’ wives, and so on – and got a great response. And a new book club was born.”

*

Robyn Ellepola started her book club four years ago simply by emailing people she knew.

It has stabilised at about eight members, including (opposite, from left) Robyn herself, Karen Robson, Bonnie Bullock and Fran Spencer.

Discussing books is only part of the appeal. It’s also an excuse to socialise once a month.

“It is actually a great support network … It has definitely built and strengthened friendships over the years.”

The club has eight members, although not all make it to every session, and the total number has ebbed and flowed over the years.

“Our first group met at my house and only two others turned up.

It took a while to get up and running and it was hard to find a night that worked for everyone. But once off the ground it was, and is, great,” Robyn says.

“We’ve found eight or nine is about the maximum number for us, as any more than that and people start breaking off into separate groups and talking, and it gets hard to cater for.”

The group now meets “as close as possible” to the first Tuesday night in every month. Members take turns hosting and it’s the host’s duty to select the book and supply the wine and cheese.

Although she did ask other people in other book clubs for tips on how they ran their groups, Robyn says her club found its niche mainly by trial and error. The formula that works for this particular group – any book is fair game, meetings are informal, discussions

are unstructured – has proved a winner, with a core group of members remaining constant throughout.

“We’ve had members who have gone overseas for periods of time and still remained part of the club by emailing in their opinions on the book each month, and then they’ve just slotted back in when they have returned to Perth.

“Other members have come and gone for various reasons – other hobbies, work changes, pregnancies and births. Some have come back after short breaks, some never read the books but still come along to each session.”

And that constancy, says Robyn, could come down to the fact that her book club is really only partly about the books.

“It is actually a great support network – we usually end up talking about someone’s crisis, whether it’s work, the in-laws, builders or the kids. It has definitely built and strengthened friendships over the years,” she says. >

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clubs Robyn, Karen and Jenny Crampton discuss Andrew McGahan’s The White Earth.

Starting your own book club 1. It’s much easier to start a book club with two or three people who already have some connection.

Ask around the office, at play groups, or even at your local book store.

2. Set a regular meeting time. An ideal size for a book club is from eight to 11 people; any more than this and the group is inclined to break up into two or three separate conversations. It can be difficult to coordinate the schedules of a group of this size, so be realistic about attendance. Stick to your date and accept that not everyone can attend every time.

Book clubs anyone can join

✱ Jennifer Byrne’s First Tuesday Book Club is ABC TV’s nationally televised book club. Selected titles are announced ahead of time so the audience has a chance to read the book and allow First Tuesday Book Club to lead their discussions. Visit the show’s website to see which book is being read and then you can tune in to the discussion or join in by email. You’ll receive updates about book club events and competitions. Go to www.abc.net.au/tv/firsttuesday. ✱ In Sydney, you can tune in to ABC Radio’s 702 Book Club once a month. If you can’t listen in, make use of the podcasts. Just go to www.abc.net.au/local/podcasts/sydneybookclub.xml and click on a title to hear an instant replay, download the mp3 files to enjoy at your leisure, or subscribe by clicking on “Subscribe to this feed”. ✱ Other local ABC radio stations also host book clubs. If you’re on the Gold Coast, you can join in The Coast FM Book Club ( www.abc.net.au/goldcoast ). On the first Friday of the month the book is announced by 91.7FM morning presenter, Nicole Dyer. Throughout the month, listeners get the chance to tune in to reviews and an author interview and then contribute to public discussions of the book on ABC message boards. To find out if your local ABC has a book club running, go to www.abc.net.au and do a search for your local radio station. ✱ Readers in even the most remote areas of the country can be part of The Big Book Club, an initiative that grew out of an idea first raised at the Adelaide Writers’ Week some years ago. Head to the website at www.thebigbookclub.com.au to find out about this month’s selection, read it, and then be part of the discussion either at a book club hosted by your local library or online through Facebook and Twitter. ✱ The Literature Network (www.online-literature.com/forums ) is another online book club. Membership is free and members who contribute to discussions on the nominated book throughout the month are invited to participate in the live chat session, held online at the end of the month. A couple of recently discussed books include the classic Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice and John Steinbeck’s East of Eden.

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3. Get together with your potential book club members and set the group’s ground rules. These should include how books are chosen, who hosts, where you meet, how often – and who brings the Tim Tams!

4. Put together a list of books you’d like to tackle.

For suggestions, go to www.bestsellers.about.com and click on the Reviews & Reading Lists tag.

5. Teaming up with a local independent bookshop could be a good idea. The staff there may be able to advise you on some lesser known books and might even offer your book club members a discount on the book you’re reading.

6. Some publishers support book clubs by offering discussion notes for their novels. Random House has “Reading group discussion questions” on dozens of titles, including Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and Umberto Eco’s The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana (www.randomhouse.com.au > Books > Reading Groups). HarperCollins offers a similar service (www.harpercollins.com.au > Readers > Reading Groups). So too does Hachette, which publishes works

by Bernhard Schlink and Jostein Gaarder, among others (www.hachette.com.au/reading-group-guides).

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make plans

country

business

Luv-a-Duck’s John Millington believes the promise of a satisfying career path helps attract staff to his rural enterprise. He also says community involvement is the big plus in running a business in the country.

Photos: Nick Cubbin, STEVE Gonsalves, Randy Larcombe Words: Allison Tait

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A clever country

What’s the country got to offer small business? Well, there’s the fresh air, the wide horizons, the friendly folk – and a barrel-load of opportunity. Here’s how bold business people are heading bush and thriving.

These days, being based in a small town doesn’t

mean you’re restricted to having a small business. Once upon a time, anyone setting up a business in the country had to think very carefully about the limitations of the local market.

But the arrival of the internet, the expansion of the broadband network and the huge growth in online activity have changed the landscape for country businesses. No longer is the prospective market limited by the local population figures. Instead, any business that’s tech-savvy has the potential to service a national, even an international market.

“Adding an online element to your business is a great way to overcome any location difficulties you might face,” says Margie Sheedy, author of The Small Business Success Guide (Wiley, $27.95).

“It immediately broadens your market.”

All of the clients on Annalisa Holmes’s books come to her through the internet. Her business, The Transcription People, is based on the Central Coast of New South Wales, north of Sydney, but it offers administration and transcription services to a much wider area.

“It doesn’t matter where we are located geographically as we are an online transcription service,” she explains. Occasionally she gets enquiries from clients asking for on-site support, in which case she refers them to a transcription business within their local area, but in general all the work is handled by phone and email.

Annalisa set up her business in Sydney in 2001, but in 2005 she headed north to escape the city’s fiercely expensive housing market.

She wasn’t worried about how the move would affect her business, but she was concerned about being so far away from family. >

Annalisa Holmes left the city but kept her clients when she shifted her transcription business to the NSW Central Coast. She says having a good website is essential for success.

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business

“I grew up in Sydney and the distance worried me initially, but it’s not an issue now.”

Annalisa believes that her success has a lot to do with having a high-quality website – indeed, she says an effective online presence is a “must have” for business people thinking of relocating outside a metropolitan area. A 1300 phone number also helps to open up the business to a broader client base.

Annalisa has found that going to local networking events is a great way to make connections. “And I attend networking events outside of the Central Coast as a way to keep in touch with a wider geographical area,” she adds.

Development coach Kerrie Phipps says that it’s negative percep­ tions about doing business in the bush, rather than the realities, that trip up many would-be success stories. “Some people will see what’s impossible and go for it and make it possible,” she points out.

“Others see it as too hard.”

A coach for regional entrepreneurs and author of Lifting the Lid on Quiet Achievers: Success Stories of Regional Entrepreneurs (Global Publishing Group, $29.95), Kerrie believes people put unnecessary restrictions on what they can achieve outside of the big city.

Take staffing problems – specifically retaining good staff – which is often quoted as a problem in managing a successful rural business.

“I encourage business owners to look for solutions,” says Kerrie.

“Staffing problems are an external problem, but you can resolve it by looking internally. If you are the best employer in your area, you won’t have a problem retaining your staff.”

“Appreciating the differences in a small community is so important. It’s a privilege working and living here.”

John Millington at Luv-a-Duck in Nhill, in western

Victoria’s Wimmera region, counters this staffing “problem” by putting a focus on training.

“You have to be innovative,” says John, Luv-a-Duck’s general manager of production. “We employ more than 200 people in a town of 2,300 – we don’t get all our staff from here and neither do we expect to. The majority are from here and surrounding areas, but when it comes to professional staff and tradespeople, it can be difficult to attract them out of the city and into the country.

“We spend a lot of time training and have spent years and years developing a culture of training in the company. People working for us can see a career path.”

Luv-a-Duck sprang from humble beginnings 40 years ago when Arthur Shoppee turned his attention from dry-cleaning to duck farming, raising 20 ducklings in his back shed. Today the company is still owned by the Shoppee family and processes around 75,000 ducks a week, transporting them nationally and internationally.

For John, one of the most overlooked benefits of running a business in a country town is the community. “You embrace the

A helping hand If you have an idea for an enterprise in a regional area, it’s worth seeing what assistance might be on offer.

AUS

The Regional Entry Point website lists government services and programs for people and businesses in regional Australia: www.regionalaustralia.gov.au GRANTSLink details funding programs from all levels of government: www.grantslink.gov.au or call 1800 026 222

QLD Government Business Information Service (GOBiS),

go to www.business.qld.gov.au or call 1300 363 711 NSW Small Business NSW, go to www.smallbiz.nsw.gov.au

or call 1300 134 359 ACT Business & Industry Development, go to

www.business.act.gov.au or call 1800 244 650 VIC Regional Development Victoria, go to www.rdv.vic.gov.au

or call 13 22 15 or for your nearest office TAS Business Point, go to www.development.tas.gov.au/

business/business_development or call 1800 440 026 SA Regional Development Australia, go to

www.southaustralia.biz > Regional SA or call 1300 123 232 Country life is very “3D” says Tamworth-based public relations specialist Robbie Sefton. Lifestyle benefits are a big plus on the balance sheet.

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NT

Department of Business and Employment, go to www.nt.gov.au/business or call 1800 193 111

WA Small Business Development Corporation, go to

www.smallbusiness.wa.gov.au or call 131 249

people and they embrace you,” he says. “They’re so supportive of what we do and why we’re here.”

He also points out that local government likes to get behind local business people. “The state government has also been enormously supportive of our operation, right from day one, and certainly in the last 10 years,” he adds. “As you grow and mature, they see that you’re doing a good job and get behind you.”

But your business will only flourish if you’ve done your homework and know your market.

“Often if people are starting a business in their home town they forget that they need to research their idea,” says Margie Sheedy. “They tend to think they know their town and they like the product so everyone else will. Instead, they need to analyse the market. Is there a market for their product – and is it enough to make it worthwhile?

“That’s even more important for people who move to a country town from a city. What works in the city doesn’t necessarily work in the country. Take a coffee shop, for instance. Country people are prepared to pay a certain price for a cup of coffee, no matter what brand it is, so price point is really important.”

One way to do great business in the country is

to specialise in rural affairs. Robbie Sefton, from Tamworth-based Sefton & Associates, was born in Deniliquin in south-west New South Wales on a rice, cattle and sheep property and travelled around the outback before starting her communications and public relations business in Western Australia around 20 years ago.

When she and husband Alistair Yencken trucked 4,000 sheep across the Nullarbor 13 years ago to a larger property in northern NSW, Robbie took her business with her. Today, she and her team advise government, international business and even the Australian Taxation Office about getting their message to regional Australia.

“I’ve always specialised in agribusiness,” she says. “If you specialise in an area, whatever that might be, you can be big in that area.

Our business is national, but we work locally as well.”

Not surprisingly, her business relies on technology. “We have 16 people across the country, with nine based in Tamworth [in northern NSW]. A lot of our senior people are external and we rely on electronic access. My message is that you can run any business you want from anywhere in Australia if you have the right attitude, have done the right research and have the technology to support that.”

She points out that it’s not even that expensive, thanks to Skype and broadband. “We use Skype more than landlines,” she says. “I’ve got a farm office, around 30 kilometres out of Tamworth, and I can work from there on the weekends.”

Robbie is a huge fan of country life. “Our lives are very 3D – everyone in the company is expected to do community engagement work, such as volunteering. Appreciating the differences in a small community is so important. It’s a privilege working and living here.”

Margie Sheedy agrees the lifestyle benefits attached to country living are a persuasive part of the argument for anyone thinking of doing business in the bush. “You can make a real difference to people’s lives,” says Margie, who shifted from Sydney to central western NSW with her young family. “If you’re making the move to the bush, the connections, the fun you can have, the work / life balance are bigger motivators than cold, hard cash.”

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Could you go bush?

The idea of enjoying rolling fields and a healthy work / life balance is attractive, but there’s more to business in the bush than pretty pastoral views and a big backyard.

Do your research – and make it fun. “Don’t do all your research on the internet,” says development coach Kerrie Phipps. “Get out and meet some people.”

Make connections with other business people.

“Visit farmers’ markets and the like. You’ll meet lots of locally based small-business people there,” Kerrie advises.

Be really clear about why you want to move. And write it down! “You need a personal and professional audit,” says Tamworth-based Robbie Sefton. In other words, take a long hard look at your reasons – home and work – for seeking out a country business.

Fully participate in the community. “It’s the people that make a difference to doing business in regional areas,” says Robbie. “Be courageous. Really communicate. Appreciate the differences.”

Don’t just dream, be practical. “Make sure that your location has adequate power, water, road infrastructure,” Luv-a-Duck’s John Millington advises.

“And be aware of the natural attributes of your area – growing a business is like planting a garden and you don’t want to put a plant in the wrong environment.”

WE’VE GOT IT COVERED! Australia Post offers over-the-counter services for personal and business banking. If your business has an account with one of our seven business banking partners, then you can use Australia Post retail outlets as an extension of your bank or financial institution: you can withdraw cash, deposit cheques, deposit up to $3,000 cash and check your account balance. While you’re there you can also pay your personal bills, send your mail and do your personal banking. Call 13 76 78 or visit auspost.com.au/businessbanking to find out if your financial institution participates.

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Stuck for a present? Here are dozens of imaginative gift ideas your family and friends will never forget. (And they don’t need wrapping!)

Words: Katie Sutherland

ROAR & SNORE Does someone you know crave camping in a safari tent and waking to the sound of lions roaring and elephants trumpeting?

Well, you don’t have to send them to Africa. A night visit to Melbourne Zoo is $195 per adult, including dinner and drinks. Visit www.zoo.org.au > Melbourne Zoo > Unique Zoo Experiences, or call 1300 966 784.

Roar & Snore at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo costs $240 and you can purchase gift vouchers by calling 02 9978 4791.

More details at www.taronga.org.au.

SEABOUND Kayaking lessons would be a great gift for either first-time paddlers or more experienced adventure seekers looking to master an eskimo roll. In Melbourne, go

Great gifts unwrapped A surefire way to make Christmas less stressful is to avoid “stuff ”. Instead of loading up family and friends with gifts that will clutter their closets, splash out on an experience that’s really suited to the person.

Pop the details on a card then put the card in an envelope. It’s simple … and it’s special.

FANCY PANTS Enjoy the delicate china, cucumber sandwiches and Russian Caravan at a traditional high tea. The Stamford Hotel does it well. Visit www.stamford.com.au for details about high teas in Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane, starting from just $19.50 per person.

JAILHOUSE ROCK A tour of one of Australia’s old prisons could hit the spot with a history buff.

Fremantle Prison in Western Australia has a range of spooky and fascinating tours (starting at $18.50), including one that takes you 20 metres below the ground through the labyrinth of old tunnels – not for the claustrophobic. Details at www.fremantleprison.com.au. The Old Melbourne Gaol is also full of stories, having despatched 135 criminals – including Ned Kelly – in its nearly 90 years of operation.

Admission is $21 for an adult. See www.oldmelbournegaol.com.au for all the details.

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Babysitting Do you know someone who just needs a night off from the kids?

Give them babysitting vouchers and they’ll love you forever.

Make a little book of IOUs or write a simple card.

You’ll spend some quality time with their children – and the best part is it’s free!

to www.seakayakaustralia.com.

Prices start at $55 for two hours on Docklands / Victoria Harbour.

In Tasmania, Roaring 40s Kayaking offers eco tours and sea kayaking lessons about half an hour from Hobart. A four-hour class on the basics is $90. For details see www. roaring40skayaking.com.au.

Gift vouchers start at $55 for 30 minutes. Mankind in Sydney’s Surry Hills specialises in men’s therapies, although women are welcome, too. Massages range from $85 for 45 minutes to $145 for 90 minutes. Buy gift vouchers online at www.mankind.com.au or call 02 9081 0222.

HANDS ON For many of us, a massage is the ultimate way to de-stress. Give a loved one an excuse to unwind in Perth with Massageworks in Fremantle: call 08 9431 7975 or go to www.massageworks.net.au.

SKIN DEEP A professional beauty treatment at home is a real luxury and something most people would not get for themselves. In Sydney, you can buy gift vouchers from Gabrielle at All Ways Be. You.tiful

INTO THE DEEP Know a fishing fan?

Send them to the great blue yonder for a day of deep-sea fishing and maybe you’ll enjoy the catch for dinner. If you’re on the Gold Coast, try www.truebluefishing.com.au (from $120 for a half-day of deepsea fishing). In Perth, check out www.bluejuicecharters.com.au (from $185 for a deep-sea fishing charter).

on 0424 512 761 (www.beyoutiful mobilebeauty.com). A deluxe manicure is $32, a deluxe pedicure is $38, and a revitalising facial is $100.

Home Beauty Care by Kate, based in Adelaide, also has gift vouchers.

Details at www.mobilebeauty.biz or call 0438 445 805. For at-home services right around Australia, go to www.mobiletherapists.com.au.

ONE FROM THE ART Street art tours in Melbourne lead art lovers down laneways and arcades to where the real gritty stuff happens. They’re $69 at www.melbournestreettours.com.

A very low-cost alternative option is a guided audio tour to the design precincts of Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, courtesy of the Audio Design Museum. The free podcast downloads, including supporting maps and images, can be found at www.audiodesignmuseum.com.

Photos: Getty Images, supplied

CLEVER COOKIES There is a huge variety of cooking classes suitable as a gift for a would-be masterchef.

Classes generally start at $85 for two hours. The Sydney Seafood School has a great reputation (www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au).

In Adelaide, try the Rosa Matto Cooking School (www.rosamatto.com).

The Electrolux Cooking School is run through the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne (www.qvm.com.au).

BRANCH OUT Gardeners and greenies alike will appreciate having an Australian native tree adopted in their name for $97. They can even go and visit their tree at Ganngjalah Cultural Gardens in Mount Burrell, an hour inland from Byron Bay in northern New South Wales. Each tree is individually numbered for easy identification. For all the details go to www.treelovers.org.au.

CLEANING WIZARD A cleaner is the ultimate gift for a busy parent – or anyone who doesn’t have the time, inclination or ability to do housework. In fact, who wouldn’t appreciate this present? There are plenty of cleaning agencies around the country. Dial-An-Angel provides services in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sydney and Melbourne. A voucher for a minimum of three hours costs $118.50 in NSW (prices may vary in other states). You can buy gift vouchers by calling 1300 721 111 or visiting www.dialanangel.com.

HANG OUT WITH SHARKS Coming face to face with sharks, stingrays and other ocean creatures will give your loved one plenty to talk about. Melbourne Aquarium has a Shark Walker experience in its Oceanarium for $150. Details at www.melbourneaquarium.com.au.

Oceanworld Manly in Sydney offers Shark Dive Xtreme gift vouchers with prices ranging from $185 to $250, depending on the participant’s diving experience. See www.oceanworld. myfun.com.au for more information.

ALL ABOARD For train lovers, climbing aboard a vintage locomotive is a pleasure like no other. The old Puffing Billy that chugs through the Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne has a Devonshire Journey, a service that comes complete with afternoon tea, for $60 ($54 concession).

To organise a gift voucher, go to www.puffingbilly.com.au or call 03 9757 0700. Heritage Express in Sydney runs trips from Central Station to a number of destinations, including the Southern Highlands, South Coast and Hunter Valley. Prices from $75 for a full-day adventure. See www.heritageexpress.com.au or call 02 9379 1110.

BOOGIE NIGHTS Do you know someone whose happy feet would love to make it to a dance class? If you’re in Brisbane, the Two Ballerinas dance studio (www.2ballerinas.com) has a 10-week introduction to ballet course for adults, priced at $130.

In Sydney, Latin Dance Australia (www.latindance.com.au) offers a range of gift vouchers, including $20 for a group class or $100 for a private class. In Adelaide, Hyperdance (www.hyperdance.com.au) specialises in hip hop, jazz / funk and freestyle classes for adult beginners. A 10-week course is $180. >

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THE SOPRANOS The drama, the costumes and the intoxicating music make a night at the opera a truly memorable experience.

Tickets for performances in Sydney or Melbourne start from $65 for a seat with a partial view. Oz Opera is the touring arm of Opera Australia and performs across the country, including at regional centres, for as little as $30 a ticket. Call 03 9685 3700 or 02 9318 8200 or visit the Opera Australia website at www.opera-australia.org.au.

SADDLE UP It’s not only little girls who love ponies! There are plenty of adults who hanker to get on horseback and go for a ride. The Morphettville Riding Centre in Adelaide sells gift vouchers for a

one-hour ride for $55. For more details call 0404 864 036 or go to www.saddleup.net.au. In Sydney, several riding schools operate in Centennial Park. Try Centennial Stables on 02 9360 5650, www.centennialstables.com.au, which has gift vouchers for a one-hour ride for $85 or a onehour private lesson for $100.

FOR CURIOUS CATS A museum membership is certainly a gift that keeps giving all year round.

Many gift memberships also include a magazine subscription and discounts at the museum’s shop or cafe. The Australian Museum in Sydney has a year’s membership for $70 (www.australianmuseum.net.au).

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CATCH A BREAK Know someone who’s always dreamed of riding the waves? Make those dreams come true with a surfing lesson. Private and group lessons start from about $55 for a couple of hours. There are plenty of surf schools around the country. For a comprehensive list check out Surfing Australia’s site at www.sasurfschools.com.au.

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D J mixing Know a music lover who’s always fancied themselves as a DJ? A two–hour DJ Mixing Taster Course at a studio in inner Sydney will teach them the basics of beat mixing, blending and track selection.

A $150 gift voucher is available from www. redballoon. com.au.

A Friend of the Western Australian Museum, $25 a year, is entitled to offers, events and discounts at all six of WA’s museums (www. museum.wa.gov.au). Museum Victoria membership, $46 a year, gives access to Melbourne museums and others around Australia (www.museumvictoria.com.au).

SPORTS NUTS Whether they’re into basketball, cricket, NRL or AFL, you couldn’t go wrong with season tickets or a club membership for a sports-mad friend. Ticketek is a good place to start (www.ticketek. com.au) or visit the website of your friend’s favourite team, say www.sydneyswans.com.au or www. melbournevictory.com.au. Prices range from $30 for one game to more than $300 for full membership, depending on the team.

FLOWER ARRANGING If you know someone with a knack for arranging flowers, help them take it a step further with a lesson from a professional. A class in Victoria costs $59.50 from www.redballoon.com.au.

In Perth, Flowers Design School has a range of courses; its gift certificates start from $50. Go to www.floristry.com.au or call 08 9321 0222 for details.

SHUTTERBUG A family photo shoot is a gift twice over: first there’s the fun of the shoot, and then there’s the resulting portrait to be treasured. You can purchase a gift voucher for a weekday location shoot from $100 at Absolute Photography in Sydney, www.absolutephotography.com.au or call 02 9386 5887. Viva Photography has studios in Western Australia and Victoria and packages starting from $50 for a two-hour session (web special). Go to www.vivaphotography.com.au or call 1300 008 482.

GARDEN GNOME Not all of us are green thumbs – so getting some advice can be a huge help, whether it’s tips on garden design or instructions on simple maintenance chores. Extend a hand to a friend by buying them a session with an expert. In Perth, call John Mossop from Waldecks on 0433 914 954 or visit www.waldecks.com.au.

He offers a one-off garden consultation (front or back garden) for $120, or for $220 you can get a full hour on-site, including a sketch plan. Dirtscape Dreaming operates in the greater Melbourne area, offering a one-hour consultancy visit, including design, for $253 or a garden coaching visit (for black thumbs) for the same price. Call Wendy on 0419 881 431 or visit www.dirtscapedreaming.com.au.

ARTISTIC BENT Help nurture someone’s creativity with the gift of an art class. Contempo at the Art Gallery of NSW offers lessons in everything from photography to collage. Two-hour drawing classes on a Saturday are priced at $50.

See www.contempo.org.au or call 02 9225 1878. Fremantle Arts Centre in Perth runs night classes in weaving, sculpture, ceramics and loads more, priced from $95 to $188. For details go to www.fac.org.au or call 08 9432 9555.

FOOD SAFARI TOUR One of the best things about Australia’s multicultural mix is the variety of cuisine. And what better way to explore it than on a food safari tour? Gourmet Safaris in Sydney offers gift vouchers from $100, enough to cover one of its famed walking tours. Call 02 8969 6555 or see www.gourmetsafaris.com.au.

Food Trail Tours in Cairns visits Far North Queensland’s gourmet food producers by bus, $154 for the day.

Book at www.foodtrailtours.com.au or call 07 4041 1522.

PLAY THE BLUES Know someone who loves the sound of a wailing blues harmonica? This could be the gift for them. Go to www. bluetongueharmonica.com.au, where you can buy gift vouchers for a private lesson in Sydney for $60 or a “Play in a Day” workshop at venues across Australia from $135.

FIND YOUR INNER YOGI Private yoga classes are a treat for both beginners and yoga masters.

Mandy Kopcho in Sydney is an accredited yoga teacher who gives a 75-minute private class for $150.

She also does private workshops for small groups at $65 per person.

Email mhkyoga@optusnet.com.au or call 0409 411 070 for details. The Fremantle Yoga Centre in Perth sells $160 gift vouchers for a 10-class pass, which could also be used for two private lessons. Call 1300 881 046 or go to www.fremantleyoga.com.

SPOOKY STORIES Who doesn’t love a good ghost story? If one of your friends enjoys chills up the spine, treat them to a real-life ghost tour.

The Rocks area in Sydney is rich with dark tales and The Rocks Ghost Tours (www.ghosttours.com.au) runs two-hour tours every evening for $39. But apparently it’s Ballarat that has the title of Australia’s most haunted city. Eerie Tours has a variety of creepy Ballarat experiences, priced from $25 (www.eerietours.com.au). There are also plenty of hair-raising experiences to be had with Ghost Tours in Brisbane, from $35. Details at www.ghost-tours.com.au.

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Picnic in the park For a DIY outdoor present, pack a hamper with champagne and some gourmet nibbles and head to a park with a picnic rug and your nearest and dearest.

Cost: however much you want to spend .

QUAD BIKE ADVENTURE If you have ever ridden a quad bike you’ll know exactly how much fun it can be. Extend the fun to family or friends as a gift. At Quadmania, 20 minutes from Grafton in northern NSW, it’s $77 for a 90-minute session.

Details at www.quadmania.com.au, call 02 6649 3702. A one-hour tour at Victorian Quad Bike Tours in Daylesford costs $85. Details at www.ballarat.com/quadbikes or call 03 5348 6707.

WORTHWHILE CAUSES While we’re stressing about buying the perfect gift, many people around the world are struggling to simply get by. Oxfam has a wonderful selection of gifts you can donate in a friend’s name that help people in developing countries. Prices start at $10 for a gift of a chicken, $22 for a mozzie net or $25 to help save the Mekong River. See www.oxfamunwrapped.com.au.

World Vision’s Smiles catalogue is another option, with gifts from $5 (school pencils). Click on the Smiles link at www.worldvision.com.au. >

SUNSET CAMEL RIDE It’s not the most conventional way to get from A to B, but a camel ride sure is memorable, especially at Cable Beach in Broome. If someone you know is lucky enough to be going on a Kimberley holiday, put the icing on their cake with a onehour sunset camel ride, $60. Book online at www.broomevisitorcentre. com.au. In NSW, the camels are getting a suntan at Port Macquarie’s Lighthouse Beach. Rides are $25 for 20 minutes. Call 0437 672 080, www.portmacquariecamels.com.au.

PRESTIGE CAR RIDE Not all of us can enjoy the luxury of owning a BMW, Porsche or Alfa Romeo, but a day’s hire is a little more accessible.

Luxury Car Hire in Sydney has gift vouchers priced from $150 a day (midweek); call 1800 775 577 or go to www.luxurycarhire.com.au.

In Melbourne, Sports Car Rentals has gift vouchers starting from $250.

Call 1300 747 785 or go to www. sportscarrentalsaustralia.com.au.

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CIRCUS SKILLS Hands up all those who have thought about running away with the circus. Or flying through the air with the greatest of ease, courtesy of some fancy aerobatic tricks. A flying trapeze circus skills workshop for two in Queensland costs $120 and in Sydney it’s $110. Buy a lesson for a friend and they won’t mind if you come along too! Both are available from www.redballoon.com.au.

REV HEAD AT HEART? Let a friend live the dream with a highspeed lap of a racetrack in a V8 car. Rides are offered at venues around Australia. Back-seat rides start at $99 or you can put them in the front passenger seat for $149.

Details at www.v8race.com.

IN THE WILD A wilderness adventure could be the perfect antidote for a nature-starved city dweller. You could give them a bushwalk in the Blue Mountains

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D inner party You could do the cooking, or grab some takeaway, or organise a top-ofthe-range catering company to come to your place … however you manage it, giving a dinner party can be a wonderful gift for your guests. The cost and how far you want to take it is entirely up to you.

west of Sydney at $125 for a half day on www.adrenalin.com.au, or a mountain-bike tour of the rainforest areas outside Byron Bay for $99 (www.mountainbiketours.com.au).

Then there’s the ultimate bushwalking experience in Tasmania, from $250 for a full day. See www. wildernessadventuretasmania.com.

SPACE CLEARING Many people would love to reorganise or revitalise their home but don’t know where to start. If physical clutter is the bugbear, Organise for Life in Sydney could be a perfect present.

Standard consultations are $300, but a gift voucher for any amount can go towards the total. Call Angela on 0425 200 665 or visit www. organiseforlife.com.au. If someone is concerned that bad energy is causing problems, Nadia from Living Energy in Melbourne could help.

She dispels bad vibes in a 90-minute “space clearing” session for $220.

A full two-hour Feng Shui makeover is $330. Call 03 9437 0043 or visit www.living-energy.com.au.

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Available at participating Australia Post outlets. For your nearest participating Australia Post outlet call: All states 13 13 18. Visit our website: auspost.com.au On sale 19 July 2010 unless otherwise indicated or unless sold out. All prices are GST inclusive and are recommended. While stocks last. The Australia Post trademarks and their associated device marks are trademarks (registered or otherwise) of the Australian Postal Corporation. All rights reserved. Please read gift card terms (on packaging or on the card) carefully before purchasing a card. Please take note of any expiry date applicable to the card. Gift cards are not normally redeemable for cash. Cards may not be redeemable for up to 24 hours after purchase.

Trademarks on any card shown are the property of the owners, used with their permission. Not all cards available in all Australia Post outlets. For full terms and conditions see in-store for details or visit: www.blackhawknetwork.com/australianterms

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Gifts from your kitchen

Make and bake these gorgeous gourmet goodies and pass them around as gifts to family and friends.

Recipes: Jennene Plummer Photos: Rob Shaw Styling: Saskia Hay

Chocolate Christmas cake.

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Shortbread twists and shapes.

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chocolate Christmas cake

Shortbread twists and shapes

TAKES 2 hours (plus soaking) MAKES 1 cake

Takes 40 minutes Makes about 48

1½ cups chopped dates ½ c u p brandy, plus 2 tablespoons extra 1 cup self-raising flour ¾ teaspoon ground allspice 1 cup almond meal 185g butter, chopped 1 cup caster sugar 3 eggs, at room temperature 200 g block dark chocolate, roughly chopped 1 cu p roughly chopped macadamias 1 cu p slivered almonds, toasted icing sugar, to dust

1¼ cups plain flour ¾ cup rice flour 1 cup icing sugar 185g cold butter, chopped 1 egg 1–2 tablespoons milk 2 tablespoons cocoa powder icing, to decorate

Combine dates and brandy.

Cover with plastic wrap, set aside for 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease a round 20cm cake pan and line with baking paper.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of the flour and sift remaining flour with allspice into a medium bowl. Stir in almond meal.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in half the flour mixture until just combined. Repeat with remaining flour.

Fold dates, chocolate, macadamias, almonds and reserved flour into mixture.

Spoon into pan, smoothing the top. Bake for 1½ hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Brush with extra brandy. Dust with icing sugar and decorate with chocolate stars (see tip).

TOP TIP To make the stars, spread melted chocolate in a thin layer on a tray to set, then cut out shapes with a star biscuit cutter. The easy way to melt chocolate is to put chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in a microwave oven, then heat on HIGH (100%) in 30-second bursts, stirring a little each time.

Preheat oven to moderately slow, 160°C. Line two oven trays with baking paper. Sift flours and icing sugar together into a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add combined egg and milk. Mix until dough comes together.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently.

Divide mixture in half. Knead cocoa powder into one portion.

Take a heaped teaspoon of plain dough and roll it out to a 10cm log. Repeat with a heaped teaspoon of chocolate dough.

Twist the two doughs together and place onto a prepared tray in a candy cane shape. Repeat to make 15–16 candy canes.

Bake for 15–20 minutes, until firm. Let cool on the trays.

Roll out remaining dough to 5mm thickness. Use a variety of Christmas biscuit cutters to cut out biscuits. Place on trays and bake for 8–10 minutes.

Decorate by piping icing along biscuit edges or spreading over.

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g ood to know Add bags of salted nuts to a homemade hamper. Sauté a crushed garlic clove, 2 teaspoons of mild curry powder and half a teaspoon of chilli powder until fragrant, then add 3 cups of raw nuts and salt to taste, tossing for a few minutes until golden. When cool, package up in paper bags. If you’re pressed for time, buy some prepared nuts and simply tuck them in with your other goodies (try www.morish.com.au for delicious gourmet nuts).

Spice mix (at left) and marinated olives.

TOP TIP To make the icing, combine 1 cup sifted icing sugar with a knob of butter and a little hot water until mixture is smooth.

Spice mix Takes 7 minutes Makes 1½ cups

1 cup fennel seeds ½ cup coriander seeds ½ cup black peppercorns 1½ cups rock salt 36 dried bay leaves Toast the combined seeds and peppercorns in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Let cool. >

Friends and family will appreciate a custom-blended spice mix. The one here works well as a dry marinade for fish.

Making a personal garam masala blend or cajun seasoning mix is also a fine gift idea.

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Grind the toasted spice mixture with rock salt and bay leaves, in batches, to a rough powder.

Remove any stalks. Package the mix and add labels.

TOP TIP Use either a mortar and pestle or an electric spice grinder to grind up the spices.

Marinated olives Takes 40 minutes Makes about 7 cups

6 c u ps large, firm whole kalamata olives 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup olive oil 4 long red chillies 6 sprigs rosemary 8 m e dium garlic cloves, peeled 8 st r ips lemon rind (use a peeler so there’s no pith) 1 teaspoon black peppercorns Preheat oven to slow, 150°C. Combine all ingredients in a medium baking dish. Bake for 25–30 minutes. Let cool in the dish then divide between sterilised jars. Seal and label.

Shortbread Takes 1 hour Makes 2 rounds

25 0 g butter, chopped, at room temperature ¹⁄ ³ cup caster sugar 1 cup plain flour ½ cup rice flour ¼ teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons caster sugar Preheat oven to slow, 150°C. Line two oven trays with baking paper. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Sift flours and salt together.

Using a butter knife, mix flour into butter mixture until well combined. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Gather dough into a ball.

Divide dough in half and shape an 18cm round on each tray. Pinch edges into a scallop shape. Sprinkle sugar over.

Bake 35–40 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Leave to cool completely on trays. Cut or break into wedges.

Store in an airtight container.

Shortbread.

TOP TIP Use a knife to mark out 8 segments on each round before baking so the shortbread will be easier to cut.

Raspberry and rose dessert topping Takes 20 minutes Makes 6 cups

6 c u ps raspberries, frozen or fresh 1½ cups caster sugar 1 cup water 3 teaspoons rose water 3 teaspoons lemon juice In a medium saucepan, combine raspberries, sugar and water. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil on high.

Reduce heat to low and simmer 4–5 minutes, until syrup thickens.

Remove from heat and stir in rose water and lemon juice.

Strain through a sieve to remove most of the seeds. Pour into sterilised bottles. Seal and label.

TOP TIP Use as a topping on ice-cream, waffles and sundaes.

Once opened, store topping in the fridge. It keeps for a month.

Fruit mince tarts Takes 55 minutes (plus chilling time) Makes 24

Sift flour and custard powder into a bowl. Stir in sugar. Rub in butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add yolk and water to make a firm dough.

Knead lightly. Wrap in plastic wrap then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Roll pastry between sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick. Using a 6.5cm cutter, cut 24 rounds from the pastry.

Ease rounds into prepared patty pans. Chill for 15 minutes.

Cut long thin strips from the remaining pastry.

Spoon 1 heaped tablespoon of fruit mince into each pastry shell. Brush pastry edges with eggwhite. Top with 6 strips of pastry, making a lattice pattern.

Press to seal and trim ends.

Brush tops with eggwhite and sprinkle with extra sugar.

Bake 30–35 minutes, until golden. Leave to cool in pans for 5 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in airtight containers.

TOP TIP For added flavour, make the fruit mince several weeks in advance and keep in an airtight container.

Orange, saffron and smoked paprika ham glaze

2 cups plain flour 2 tablespoons custard powder ¹⁄ ³ c u p caster sugar, plus extra to sprinkle 185g cold butter, chopped 1 egg yolk 1–2 tablespoons ice-cold water 1 eggwhite FRUIT MINCE 400g mixed dried fruit 1 green apple, peeled, grated ¼ c u p glacé orange, finely chopped ¼ c u p glacé apricots, chopped 2 tablespoons brandy 1 tablespoon plum jam 1 tablespoon brown sugar finely grated zest 1 orange

Takes 30 minutes Makes 2 cups

To make the fruit mince, combine all the ingredients and set aside.

Preheat oven to moderate, 180°C. Grease two 12-hole shallow patty pans.

TOP TIP Use this glaze to brush over skinned and scored ham. Bake ham in a moderate oven, 180°C, for 20–30 minutes, basting occasionally.

2 cups fresh orange juice 1 cup brown sugar 2 ta b lespoons finely grated orange zest 5 teaspoons smoked paprika 2 red banana chillies, chopped ½ teaspoon saffron threads Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil on a high heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Transfer to sterilised jars, label and keep refrigerated.

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Cranberry paste Takes 50 minutes Makes 4 cups

Good to know

4 cups dried cranberries 2 cups cranberry juice 1½ cups caster sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground ginger 2 teaspoons brandy

To sterilise jars One method is to heat freshly washed glass jars in a 120°C oven for 20 minutes. Alternatively, place clean glass jars on their sides in a large saucepan of cold water. Pop on the pan’s lid, bring the water to the boil, then boil, covered, for 20 minutes.

Remove jars using tongs, drain away any water, then stand upright to dry.

In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, juice, sugar and spices. Stir over a low heat until sugar dissolves.

Bring to the boil on a high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 35–40 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture has thickened. Stir in brandy.

Spoon half the mixture into a food processor or blender. Process until smooth.

Stir processed paste into the remaining mixture. Pour into sterilised jars. Seal and label.

TOP TIP Use this paste with baked poultry or meats, on sandwiches or with cheese.

Store paste in the fridge, where it will last for up to 2 months.

Little fruit, nut and rum cakes Takes 1 hour 10 minutes Makes 12

500g mixed dried fruit 125g butter, chopped ¾ cup brown sugar ¹⁄ ³ cup dark rum ¼ t e aspoon bicarbonate of soda 1 cup plain flour 1 teaspoon mixed spice 2 eggs, lightly beaten ½ cup halved pecans ½ cup macadamias ¹⁄ ³ cup slivered almonds TOFFEE 1 cup sugar ²⁄ ³ cup water

Fruit mince tarts (at left) and raspberry and rose dessert topping.

Preheat oven to slow, 150°C. Lightly grease two 6-hole Christmas-tree shaped mini cake pans (see tip).

In a medium saucepan, combine fruit, butter, sugar and rum. Stir over low heat, without boiling, until melted and sugar has dissolved. >

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of

Simmer for 4–5 minutes, without stirring, until thickened slightly. Remove from heat.

Stir in bicarbonate of soda.

Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Allow to cool.

Sift flour and spice together and fold into fruit mixture with eggs. Divide among cake pans.

Top with combined nuts.

Bake for 30–35 minutes or until cooked. Test by inserting a skewer into the centre of one of the cakes. If it comes out clean, the cakes are ready.

Leave cakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack. Place rack over an oven tray lined with baking paper, then leave cakes to cool completely.

TOFFEE. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan.

Stir over a low heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves.

Bring to the boil over a high heat. Boil without stirring for 8–10 minutes, until golden.

Drizzle toffee over cakes.

Allow to cool completely.

love delight, flour and orange zest.

In a medium saucepan, combine honey and sugar.

Cook over low heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves.

Bring to the boil on medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 2–3 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Working quickly, add the chocolate mixture, stirring until combined.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake 40–45 minutes, until firm. Leave panforte to cool in the pan.

Once cooled, lift the panforte out of the pan using the baking paper. Cut into squares and dust with icing sugar. Store in an airtight container.

Orange, saffron and smoked paprika ham glaze (at top) and cranberry paste.

Irish Cream and hazelnut truffles

TOP TIP Christmas-tree cake pans come in a tray like a muffin pan and are available from specialty kitchenware shops. You can use a 12-hole medium muffin pan instead.

Takes 30 minutes (plus chilling time) Makes 24

1½ d ark chocolate melts, melted ¹⁄ ³ cup Irish Cream liqueur ¼ cup icing sugar mixture 180 g white chocolate melts, melted 1 cu p hazelnuts, toasted, skins removed, finely chopped

White chocolate panforte Takes 1 hour 10 minutes Makes 36 squares

1½ c ups whole macadamias, roasted 1 cu p semi-dried figs, roughly chopped 200g Turkish delight, chopped ²⁄ ³ cup plain flour, sifted finely grated zest 1 orange ²⁄ ³ cup honey ¹⁄ ³ cup caster sugar 180 g white chocolate, chopped icing sugar, to dust Preheat oven to slow, 150°C. Lightly grease and line a 20cm square cake pan with baking paper, extending the paper beyond the pan’s top edges on opposite sides.

In a large bowl, combine macadamias, figs, Turkish

TOP TIP You could use dark or milk chocolate in place of white if you prefer. You can also change the fruit and nuts to suit your tastes.

Line a tray with baking paper.

In a large bowl, combine melted dark chocolate, Irish Cream and icing sugar mixture. Mix well.

Let cool until thickened.

Roll mixture into balls, using 2 teaspoonsful for each ball.

Place on tray. Chill for 15 minutes, until semi-firm.

Using two forks, dip truffles into melted white chocolate.

Toss in nuts. Return to tray.

Cover and chill until firm.

Little fruit, nut and rum cakes.

TOP TIP These truffles can be made up to a week in advance.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

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Irish Cream and hazelnut truffles (at top) and white chocolate panforte.

Make and deliver your home-baked Christmas gifts early in December.

That way your friends and family can make use of them during the festive season ‌ and you’ll avoid a last-minute rush!

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Helping holidays Want to make the world a better place during your next holiday? Here’s how.

Words: KRISTIE KELLAHAN School children on Tonlé Sap lake (above), near Siem Reap in Cambodia. Volunteer Michelle Foyle (opposite) gives a V for victory sign during her holiday with Habitat for Humanity in Cambodia.

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Fifteen years ago, the term “voluntourism” was

yet to be coined, but today it’s one of the fastest growing trends in travel. From saving turtles in Costa Rica to building orphanages in South Africa and helping communities become self-sufficient in East Timor, there are many opportunities for combining good deeds with travel to some of the most interesting places in the world.

As well as seeing fascinating destinations and giving something back to the world, you’ll also very likely boost your CV with the new skills you learn and life-expanding challenges you encounter.

In the Lonely Planet book Volunteer: A Traveller’s Guide to Making a Difference Around the World (Lonely Planet, $24.99), the authors point out that while “… buying wristbands and donating money from the comfort of your lounge room to send abroad is one thing, actually giving up your time and going to a poorer part of the world to contribute your knowledge, skills or labour is quite another.”

So come on, join the thousands of travellers who are teaching, building, coaching, planting, researching, caring and sharing around the world. It could be the best holiday you’ve ever had.

Photos: Getty Images, supplied

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The program: Habitat for Humanity The task: Volunteers work with home owners and local communities in countries including Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Nepal, India – and even Australia – to build homes for families living in challenging conditions.

Time commitment: A building project typically lasts one to two weeks, usually with one week of building and one week of travel and local sightseeing.

Skills needed: No construction experience is required.

Volunteers dig foundations, plaster brick walls, sift sand, hammer, saw and paint under supervision. You must be aged 14 or over.

Cost: The cost of each project varies according to where it’s located. In general, volunteers are asked to cover travel costs, including flights, plus pay $500 a week to cover transportation to and from the site, accommodation and meals. Volunteers are also asked to make a donation of approximately $1,000.

Contact: A full list of current builds is available on www.habitat.org.au. For more information call 1800 885 599 or email info@habitat.org.au.

Something to build on In March 2010, Michelle Foyle, a 30-year-old volunteer from Western Australia, travelled to Cambodia with Habitat for Humanity to help build a house for a local family.

“The highlights of my Cambodian experience included the daily trip into the village where we played ‘monster chase’ with the kids (I was the monster!) …”

“Our team of nine volunteers met in Siem Reap [near Angkor Wat in Cambodia] with the next two weeks of building ahead of us. We were excited, full of questions and eager to get started.

“The three-hour round trip to the build site and the days spent working in 35–40 degree heat were a pleasure because we knew we were helping the Chorn family achieve their lifelong dream of becoming home owners. [Their new home will] improve their living conditions substantially, which in turn improves their physical health.

“The highlights of my Cambodian experience included the daily trip into the village where we played ‘monster chase’ with the kids (I was the monster!), passing the symbolic key to the Chorns on the house dedication day and seeing the kids at the local school play on the two swing sets I had donated.

“If you’re looking for a holiday with a twist, where you can meet and play with the locals, consider a Habitat for Humanity Global Village trip. They’re available right now all over the world.” >

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T R AV E L

Helping at the grassroots For their honeymoon in November 2007, Laura and Tim Brown, now both 31, volunteered with Peru’s Challenge.

“We’d been living in London and spending our weekends jetsetting to Europe, but we wanted to give back during our honeymoon. The community we worked in was Pumamarca, a village with 200 houses and a school that the government had previously closed. Pumamarca is up a mountain and [with that school closed] the kids would have had to walk for three hours to get to school and back, leaving no time to work in the fields. This meant many kids didn’t get an education.

“We spent our time teaching English, art, sport, music and dance, implementing health programs and painting. It’s the everyday skills that we take for granted that make the world of difference. Washing hands and blowing noses were just two skills we taught them.

“When we weren’t at school, we were in the community.

Accompanied by a local social worker, we visited houses, built chimneys, connected houses to drinking water and worked in the fields. The house visits were confronting but rewarding.

“Included in our program was a trip to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, a Cuzco tour and the Inca Trail. Before volunteering, we thought Machu Picchu would be the highlight of our trip but, while it’s a wonderful place, our most enjoyable and memorable moments came from spending time with the villagers of Pumamarca. Helping to improve someone’s future is an incredible and unforgettable experience. It was an amazing way to start married life.” > The program: Peru’s Challenge The task: Peru’s Challenge runs a variety of projects in the rural communities around the mountain city of Cuzco in Peru. The organisation works to improve the quality of life in some of the poorest, most disadvantaged villages.

Their work focuses on rural schools, including rebuilding classrooms, employing teachers and recruiting students.

Time commitment: Volunteers can opt to join a four-week or an eight-week program. Programs run for 11 months of the year, with none operating in February.

Skills needed: No specific qualifications are required and any skills are appreciated. Volunteer tasks include teaching, construction, traditional craft workshops with teenagers and adults, local house visits, social work and gardening.

There are no age restrictions.

Cost: From US$2,550. This covers the volunteer experience and all project and development expenses, accommodation, daily transport to and from the project, one internal flight (Lima to Cuzco), some sightseeing tours, Spanish lessons, a traditional Peruvian cooking class and salsa class. You’ll need to organise your own international flight and your return from your volunteer holiday.

The village of Pumamarca (above) in the Peruvian Andes was an unusual honeymoon destination for Laura and Tim Brown (inset right, with one of the village children).

Their time teaching at the local school and connecting houses to drinking water was something they’ll never forget.

Contact: Go to www.peruschallenge.com or email volunteer@peruschallenge.com.

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“Before volunteering, we thought Machu Picchu would be the highlight of our trip but … our most enjoyable and memorable moments came from spending time with the villagers of Pumamarca.”

*

good to know Even if you don’t have a lot of time to spare, you can be part of the voluntourism trend. It could be as simple as visiting an orphanage one afternoon to drop off donated clothes and baby bottles.

Go to carryforkids.org for details of orphanages

around the world and their wish lists of donations.

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Vida Redoblado (below) says Buwaiswa in Uganda had her completely out of her element, but she had an incredible time with the orphans (left), who pitched in to help paint the new kitchen (below left).

Family transport near Buwaiswa (opposite).

“These children are angels.

They taught me so much about happiness and life.”

The program: World Youth International The task: World Youth International Australia is a not-for-profit, non-religious and non-political international development organisation that offers people the opportunity to volunteer in a range of programs and placements to developing countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Nepal, Cambodia, India and Peru.

Time commitment: Programs run for one to six months.

Skills needed: No specific qualifications are required. Volunteers are needed for roles in teaching, medical work, social work, micro-finance development and orphanage care. You must be aged 18 or over.

Cost: Depending on how long you stay, your program will cost from around $3,000 to $6,000. International flights are not included.

Contact: Call 08 8340 1266, go to www.worldyouth.org.au or email admin@worldyouth.org.au.

Doing it for the kids Vida Redoblado, 25, a marketing communications manager from Sydney, volunteered for two months in Uganda.

“For a long time, I had been curious about joining a volunteer program somewhere completely out of my element. In July 2009, after months of planning, I embarked on a two-month trip to a small village called Buwaiswa in the African nation of Uganda.

I was based at an orphanage that housed about 30 orphans.

“Adjacent to the orphanage is a school that caters for the younger village children, many of whom are also orphans. Older children have to walk many kilometres to attend their classes. There is no electricity or running water.

“We spent our time constructing a new kitchen, renovating the pre-primary classroom / church and building a basketball court, all with the help of local labourers.

“My friend and I love basketball so to really leave our ‘personal touch’ we decided to build a court for the kids. It was great. The kids got in and started helping us, too.

“With a donation from my colleagues in Sydney, I bought balloons, Frisbees, blow whistles, mini footballs, crayons and toy cars which I brought along with me. The kids loved everything.

“We held a movie night and played Sister Act 2 and bought the kids popcorn, soft drink and ice-cream. This was a fantastic night. They had never seen a movie before, so very much enjoyed watching it.

“While leaving behind something tangible for the community to use was my original aim, what I treasured most about the experience was my time with the children. These children are angels. They taught me so much about happiness and life. They introduced me to a new perspective on life and, for that, I am forever thankful.” >

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T R AV E L

Before you go Do your research: Check the credentials of an organisation to make sure they have a well-established volunteer program that can support its volunteers. In most cases, it’s safer to go with a registered charity than with a smaller, independent venture.

Have a look at Lonely Planet’s excellent guide Volunteer: A Traveller’s Guide to Making a Difference Around the World (Lonely Planet, $24.99) for advice, recommendations and referrals to reputable volunteer organisations.

It’s also a good idea to check out volunteering blogs for feedback from others who have gone before you. Finally, check the travel advice for the country you intend visiting at www.smartraveller.gov.au, the Australian government’s travel advisory website.

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Pack a first-aid kit and make sure your vaccinations are up to date. For advice on which vaccinations you’ll need, go to www.travelvax.com.au.

Let authorities know where you are: Australian travellers should register with the Australian embassy or consulate in the country where they’re volunteering. This makes it a lot easier for a consular representative to assist you in an emergency. Go to a u s 0 5 1 www.smartraveller.gov.au 0 _ s e n t i n e l _ Tfor P details.

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Puzzle time

Time to give your body a break and your brain cells a workout with these puzzles.

You’ll find all the solutions and answers on page 73.

TRIVIA quiz EASY 1. Which ancient people built Machu Picchu?

2. Jessica Watson unofficially became the youngest person to sail non-stop and unassisted around the world on what vessel?

3. Who founded the Playboy empire?

4. Which herb is a symbol of remembrance?

5. Name the passenger train that makes the epic 2,979-kilometre journey across the outback between Adelaide and Darwin?

6. What was gangster Al Capone’s nickname?

7. “Old West Action” is an anagram of which famous actor’s name?

8. The infamous shower scene in Hitchcock’s Psycho takes place in which establishment?

9. What is the name of the flag flown by pirates, often depicting a skull and crossbones?

10. Where is the Sea of Tranquillity?

MODERATE 1. Shane Warne has launched his own range of men’s underwear. What is it called?

2. In Billy Joel’s Piano Man, the old man is makin’ love to what?

3. In Where the Wild Roses Grow, who sang with Kylie Minogue?

4. What colour is the gemstone lapis lazuli?

5. Made famous by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, what were the Blues Brothers’ given names?

6. Who is the Greek goddess of victory?

7. Name the French actress (pictured) who plays the lead role in Coco Avant Chanel.

8. The musical industry accolades in Australia are called the ARIAs; what is the UK equivalent?

9. “Madame Butterfly” was the nickname of which Australian Olympic swimmer?

10. What was Don Diego de la Vega’s secret identity?

CHALLENGING 1. Timbuktu is located in which West African nation?

2. The world’s largest geoglyph (a work of art made by arranging rocks or carving into stone), the Marree Man, is found in which country?

3. Which dinosaur’s name loosely translates as “swift thief”?

4. In 2001, who became the first sitting head of state to be indicted for war crimes?

5. “Ophidiophobia” is a fear of what?

6. How many times did Layne Beachley win the World Surfing Championship?

7. What is the traditional Aboriginal name for the Olgas, a rock formation in central Australia?

8. In golf, if one shot under par is a birdie, two shots under par is an eagle, and three under par is an albatross, what is a four under par called?

9. The Sahul shelf connects which two countries?

10. Uganda’s only cultural World Heritage Site was destroyed by fire in March 2010. What was it?

sudoku

PHOTO: Getty Images

RATING

To solve the Sudoku puzzle, every number from 1 to 9 must appear in: • each vertical row • each horizontal row • each of the 3 x 3 boxes Remember, no number can occur more than once in any row, column or box.

we’ve got it covered!

Your local Australia Post retail outlet has a variety of books and games for puzzle lovers.

Kids Tin Games, including Chess, are $9.99 each. The Mini IQ Test Kits (great for long car trips!) are $4.99 each.

For availability see page 72.

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giant crossword Keep this crossword on your coffee table – or better yet, in your bag – and tackle a few questions whenever you feel you need a bit of mental exercise. The solutions are on page 73.

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ACROSS 1. Extravagant 6. Branch out 12. Explorer, Christopher ...

17. Nude 18. Liquid rubber 19. H2O-filled mattress (5,3) 20. Height gauge 21. Legendary US baseballer, Joe ...

22. Throwaway line 24. Counted up 26. Ballet 29. Feels indignant about 33. Perfect 36. Features 39. Republish 41. Behave in reply 42. Subtle difference 43. Months in a year 44. South American parrot 46. Dusk to dawn 48. Narrative songs 50. Cosmonaut, ... Gagarin 52. Make (profit) 54. In any case 56. ... whiz!

58. Look after 60. Large jars 61. Walk stealthily 62. Shabbiest 66. Opposed to 67. Rigorous 70. Answer 71. Immediately (2,4) 72. Glass fragment 73. Mars, the ... Planet 75. City growth, urban ...

76. Elastic 77. Partly cover 78. Loses hold of (4,2)

80. ... he’s a jolly good fellow!

81. Relics gallery 82. Waning 85. Trend 88. Putting in 90. Actress, ... Dietrich 93. Entourage (7-2) 95. Commercial breaks 96. Serene 97. Dog, Great ...

99. Oxlike antelope 100. First Bible book 102. Offensive 104. Operates 105. Sleighs 108. Boulders 110. Skewer of meat 112. Most prudent 114. Lives 117. Pixie-like 118. Poisonous 119. Put into bondage 120. Body sacs 122. Procedures 126. Trimmed 129. Heavily loaded 132. From Havana 135. Unspoken 136. Alteration 137. Umpired 138. Yellow shade 139. Increases 140. Hearing membranes 141. Repulsive 142. Cigarette receptacles DOWN 1. Impressed and excited 2. Shiny fabric 3. Sincere 4. Unconsumed

5. ... and lasses 6. Cul-de-sac, ... end 7. Lazier 8. Utters 9. Back of ship 10. Jumping parasites 11. Paved enclosure 12. Relinquish (land) 13. Rust 14. Radioactive element 15. Army horn 16. Bobbin 23. Jot 25. Fight of honour 27. Sports stadium 28. Laughed like witch 30. Venus, the ... star 31. Sad poem 32. Rags 34. Distributing (cards) 35. In the know 37. Young bear 38. Animal nose 39. Stands on hind legs 40. Climbing vine 45. Nervier 47. Military health orderlies 48. Blockbusting (novel) 49. Witnesses 51. Gas meter recording 53. Tiny insect 54. Farm shed 55. Colonies 57. Clairvoyance (1,1,1) 59. Milk production property (5,4) 60. Without decoration 61. See next page (1,1,1) 63. Narcotic drugs 64. Silt-removing boat 65. Travelling

67. Chic 68. Sea god 69. Income cheats, tax ...

74. Overwhelms by sound 79. Get 81. Media barons 83. Auction offers 84. Details, ... and outs 86. Crone 87. Pubs 89. Graceful 90. BSE, ... cow disease 91. Vigilantly 92. Excessively, ad ...

94. Peppered (with holes) 96. Heals 98. Spooky 101. Each 103. Perfume 106. Send abroad in disgrace 107. City, ... de Janeiro 109. Belonging to that 111. More domineering 112. Bard, ... Shakespeare 113. Prosecuted 115. Social bigot 116. Wiliness 117. Giant Himalayan peak 120. Santiago is there 121. Fabulous 122. Trap 123. Ooze 124. Praise lavishly 125. Disdain 127. Actress, ... Garbo 128. Extinct birds 130. Cash points (1,1,2) 131. At all times 133. Component 134. Sector

© lovatts puz zles www.lovatts.com. au

Bull’s eye Your aim is to create as many words as you can consisting of four letters or more using the given letters once only but always including the centre letter. Finding 12 words is a good result, 15 words is better – 20 or more is sensational! Don’t use proper nouns or plurals. And see if you can find the nine-letter word that uses all the letters. The solutions are on page 73.

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competition winners

AVAILABILITY: Products and services featured in this publication are available at selected retail outlets only. To find your nearest participating Australia Post retail outlet visit auspost.com.au or call 13 13 18 (all states).

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The retail outlet does not issue or endorse the product. This advertisement has been approved by the issuer but any advice in it does not take into account your financial needs. It is important for you to consider these matters and read the Product Disclosure Statement (“PDS”) at the product website before acquiring the product or activating a card (www.only1visa.com.au). Visa Prepaid Cards are not credit cards. Activation is subject to successful identity verification – you will be required to provide personal identification for activation. The card issuer is generally responsible for the conduct of the retailer in relation to the cards except in some circumstances. If you have a complaint about the retailer in relation to the cards, see the PDS for details of how to make a complaint under Heritage’s dispute resolution system. Fees apply to various aspects of these cards, including their purchase and reload – please see the PDS for details of all fees payable.

The following readers are the winners of the Aug / Sep issue Good News competition and will each receive a $50 gift card from their choice of Dymocks, Hoyts, Myer, Sussan or Westfield: Andrew Edmonds, Maddington, WA; Annette White, Skye, Vic; Karen Cunningham, Basin View, NSW; David Roberts, Cooloongup, WA; Denise Willis, Upper Lansdowne, NSW. The following reader is the first prize winner of the Aug / Sep issue Dream Holiday competition and will receive a $500 Travelex ATM Cash Passport: Caroline Dolby, Rockingham, WA. The following readers are the runner-ups in the Aug / Sep issue Dream Holiday competition and will each receive a travel pack containing an international calling card ($19.95); a Lonely Planet Encounter guide (minimum value $14.95, maximum value $19.99); a cabin bottle travel set ($19.95); travel pillow and Travel Sentry luggage lock ($12.99 each); and Glo luggage ID twin pack and a money belt ($9.95 each). (Total value of each travel pack is between $100.73 and $105.77.): Brenda Kelly, Everton Hills, QLD; Debra Wheeler, Nerang, QLD; Lucy Hordern, Keperra, QLD; Paula Xiberras, West Hobart, Tas; Sally Beggs, Glenthompson, Vic. The following readers are the prize winners of the Aug / Sep issue Reader Survey promotion and will each receive a $200 Only1 Prepaid Visa Gift Card: Renee Dunnicliff, Bedford, WA; Kate Peacock, North Parramatta, NSW; Celeste Brignac, Sunshine Coast, QLD; Jenny Milton, Fern Tree Gully, Vic; Genevieve Pratt, Launceston, Tas. SPECIAL NOTE: Winners from the Oct / Nov 2010 issue will be published on the Australia Post website at http://auspost.com.au/personal/australia-today-magazine.html from 19 November 2010.

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australia todaY

Dec/Jan 2011

rules and

conditions

WE’VE GOT IT COVERED! If you’re after puzzles and games, take a look at what’s on offer at your local Australia Post retail outlet. The Playing Card Gift Box, $12.99, is a stylish box containing two packs of cards. Puzzle Master packs, each containing two books, are $12.99 per pack.

The Touch Screen Sudoku is $19.99, and Big Nails brain teasers and Bamboo Puzzles in assorted designs are $9.99 each.

For availability see page 72.

solutions and Answers GIANT CROSSWORD

bull’s eye

TRIVIA QUIZ

Ache, Arch, Char, Chat, Chic, Chit, Each, Etch, Hair, Hare, Hart, Hate, Hear, Heat, Heir, Hire, Itch, Rhea, Rich, That, Aitch, Cache, Catch, Chair, Chart, Cheat, Earth, Ethic, Hater, Heart, Rathe, Reach, Retch, Tache, Teach, Theca, Their, Theta, Tithe, Cachet, Hatter, Hectic, Hitter, Thetic, Threat, Thrice, Catcher, Chatter, Ratchet, Catchier, Chattier, Theatric.

Nine-letter word: ARCHITECT

EASY: 1. The Incas 2. Ella’s Pink Lady 3. Hugh Hefner 4. Rosemary 5. The Ghan 6. Scarface 7. Clint Eastwood 8. Bates Motel 9. Jolly Roger 10. On the moon MODERATE: 1. Spinners 2. His tonic and gin 3. Nick Cave 4.

Blue 5. Jake and Elwood 6. Nike 7. Audrey Tautou 8. The BRITs 9. Susie O’Neill 10. Zorro CHALLENGING: 1. Mali 2. Australia 3. The velociraptor 4. Slobodan Milosevic 5. Snakes 6. Seven 7. Kata Tjuta 8. A condor 9. Australia and New Guinea 10. Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi

sudoku

Dec/Jan 2011 australia todaY

73

kick back

letters

of a

nation

Dear Daddy

Twelve-year-old Ann Kemp kept her soldier father entertained with letters from home while he was serving in World War II. In this very special “secret” letter Ann asks him to send her some money so she can buy her mother a Christmas present.

new stamp e releas

Christmas stamps from Australia Post On sale from 1 November 2010, this year’s Christmas stamps feature both traditional, religious designs and other more whimsical images.

During the Christmas season, all cards can be posted with the specially priced 55 cent stamps. The Christmas stamp range will be available from participating Australia Post retail outlets while stocks last.

TO READ MORE LETTERS from Australia Post’s Letters of a Nation archive, go to: auspost.com.au/200years > Letters of a Nation > Letter Archive 74

australia todaY Dec/Jan 2011

For availability see page 72.

Going away?

We’ll help you get ready.

$0 Commission Travelex Cash Passport*^

Instant Passport Photos

$0 Commission American Express Travellers Cheques*†

Money Orders for Travel Documents^

$0 Commission Foreign Currency* Passport Applications For more information visit www.auspost.com.au/travel or call 13 13 18.

Some products and services not available in all Australia Post outlets.

Part of every day.

Mail Holding Service^ Travel Accessories Overseas Calling Cards * Exchange rates include a service charge. ^ For fees, terms and conditions see product brochure. † Fees may apply on encashment.