Colosoul Magazine Issue 3 // Sneak Peak

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Artwork by: Simon Lafranchi

COMMITTED TO CHANGE _04

Felicity Groom

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The Silence of a Drug Mule

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My Op Shop

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The Little Black Dress

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EXPOSED: Albert Gunawan

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Hot Wheels Driven By Heels

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We Are All Major Fans of Cake - The Kill Bills

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Comedy & Limes: Mission Improbable

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Where Are You Dad?

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Feminine Punk & Elegance: Designs By Birgitta Helmersson

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Dan Bull: Legally Music

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Josh Pyke: Memories & Dust

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Crazy In Japan

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Australian Life, Arabian Dreams

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Colosoul Street Talk: Terrorism

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A Political View of Terrorism in the 21st Century

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Share Houses: Is it Really A Good Idea?

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Too Much To Bear

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The Penguin Empire

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Like Killer Pictionary: Chris Bolton

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How Ridiculous

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Che’Nelle No.1

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WA Young Achiever in Squash: Tim Curall

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Checking Out Sydney

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Taking Time to Look Outside the Box: Show A Little Kindness

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Waking Up to the Sounds of Asia

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Fat Freddy’s Drop: A True Story

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Five Days Without Marijuana, Can An Addict Do It?

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Catching Up With Petrina Neufeld

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Endurance At Another Level

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Grab Your Boards with Calum Macaulay

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Competitions & Giveaways

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Reality Bites

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Red Jezebel

Part proceeds from the sale of Colosoul Magazine will go towards The Esther Foundation - A young womens health and development program. www.estherfoundation.org.au

Photography by Natalie Houston

FROM THE EDITOR I’m so grateful to all those who have been sticking this crazy venture out with me. I guess that is the exciting thing about being so passionate about something, you just can’t stop. Your head goes hundred miles per hour, your heart’s trying to keep up with your head and you’re left wondering why. Yet somehow being reminded of your purpose, the reasoning behind all the pushing to get to where you need to be. That’s life and that’s how it happens. “Never give up” is my motto and I’m sticking with it; a huge thank to all who have supported us through letters and emails. Keep sending them in and don’t forget to tell us what and who it is that you want us to talk about.

Colosoul is designed with you in mind, so stay in touch.

It’s been a busy few months with everything that has been going on round here. In between gigs, events in support of our own local talent, we have been beginning to feel as stretched as Western Australia’s gas supply. Nevertheless, we too have all been pulling in and you can be rest assured that the Colosoul is not only going to have more vitality but will continue to be filled with the unexpected surprises, only Colosoul can deliver.

Keep living and we’ll keep creating,

| Front cover courtesy of Simon Lafranchi &

photographed by Ben Sullivan

| Special thanks to - Deccy Leahy, Michael Quinn,

Jess Sullivan, Julia Hay, Roseanne Marwick & Cara Sutcliffe. | Photographers - Grant Currall, David Chong

Shehan Abrahams Creative Director

Tenille Jermaine Fashion Editor

and assistant Belinda Watson, Tenille Jermaine, Glen Stringberg, Katherine Sprigg, Tomasz Machnik, Karen Leavy, Justine Crowther, Natalie Houston & Lisa Businovski | Sub Editors - Lorraine Mighty and Tricia Hopton | Models - Jessica Walters, Luke Ray, Amber Maxwell, Simon Ray, Justine Willis, Alex Jenkins | Contributing writers include - Holly Mac Neil, Grant Currall, Jessica Brown, Julia Hay, Christina Ballico, Marziya Mohammedali, Nick Pendergrast, Rochelle Blackman, Tricia Ray, Gretta Lowe, Katie Wadham, Tomasz Macjnik, Seshanka Samarajiwa, Marziya Mohammedali

Christina Ballico Music Journalist

Grant Currall Assistant Editor

| Make up artist – Naomi Flintoff (Op Shop)

| Stylist - Andrew Pickering (Fashionate) Op-Shop

FELICITY GROOM

By Christina Ballico

Photography by Lisa Businovski

SOLO SONGSTRESS FELICITY GROOM ONLY STARTED PERFORMING HER MUSIC A FEW YEARS AGO WHICH I FOUND HARD TO BELIEVE WHILE WATCHING HER PERFORM AN ACOUSTIC SET (COMPLETE WITH A CHROMA HARP!) ONE NIGHT IN THE TRANSIT LOUNGE AT THE FLY

BY NIGHT MUSICIANS CLUB IN FREMANTLE.

do. But, of course when I started playing it, because I was so slow on the guitar, the song turned out really slow and I really like the version so I kept it in my set for ages.”

Her voice is deep, dark and powerful and her stage presence exudes confidence years beyond that of someone who only started playing solo gigs about four years ago.

When Felicity first started writing her own music she says she would carry a Dictaphone around with her to record the melodies that would come into her head. “I feel like ASIO or something when I’m walking around and duck around the corner and record the little bit of melody. I’ve been caught in situations where I’ve had a melody in my head and pulled the Dictaphone in public and looked like a real freak!”

Felicity always had a passion for music even taking singing lessons when she was young along with piano lessons which she gave up as what she was learning didn’t relate to the music she listened to. For years, she also dated a musician but, always thought it was ‘their thing’ so didn’t pursue it. She says: “Then my partner and I broke up and during that time that was when I picked up the guitar and started to get right into it.”

Three chords is what set Felicity on her way, she says: “I had this three-chord song book which I nicked from my housemate’s room and I took that down south and there was minutes between each chord for ages. In fact the first song I learnt to play on the guitar was ABBA’s Take a Chance on Me. I thought it was really funny reading that ABBA’s Take a Chance on Me so I thought that would be really funny to

Felicity spent time at the CD shop she worked at practicing her guitar instead of working. The joke goes she was paid $10 an hour to learn how to play guitar. Her former boss Robbo says, “I remember saying to her one day ‘You better be good at this one day because I don’t mind if you’re not doing your work but just be good at it.”

Felicity says she spends a lot of time on the lyrics for her songs. “I like all sorts of methods of story telling and it’s nice to play with them all a bit.”

Oddly enough, Felicity’s first solo show didn’t happen in Australia though, it happened in London of all places.

She moved there, three years ago, at age 23 with a friend. She landed the show during the first two weeks of being there through a chance meeting at a bar. She says, “This guy asked me ‘What do you do?’ and I said ‘I’m a musician’ and he goes ‘I’m a promoter’ and I was like ‘Whatever!’ and he just pulls out his diary and goes ‘When do you want your first gig?’ and I went ‘Yeah right!’ so he booked me

in for this little place called the Twelve Bar… I remember he booked me in two months before the gig and it got to two days before the gig and I gave him a call and said ‘Are you still serious about that show?’ and he said ‘Yeah, you’re booked in. There’s posters up.’ And then from then on I got gigs through him.”

Felicity says starting her music career in London was really good as no-one knew who she was. “It was a lot more comfortable because I was a stranger in the town and I could just cut my teeth.”

Upon her return to our shores in 2006, Felicity started getting booked for shows around Perth and Fremantle through Andrew Ryan who now plays in her recently formed backing band the Black Black Smoke along with Vanessa Thornton, Alex Archer and Ian Chater.

Felicity is really enjoying playing with the band and says: “It’s nice to look around and go ‘Oh yeah there’s people on stage with me’. It’s really cool; it’s big. “ Last year Felicity entered the studio with the band to record her debut EP which will be released this year. She says: “They’ve bought so much more into the picture than just being a backing band. It’s amazing those guys; they’re all really enthusiastic about it. They’re a bunch of outlaws really and they bring their personalities in which is amazing!” www.myspace.com/felicitygroom

THE SILENCE OF A DRUG MULE

By Holly MacNeil

The lives of dozens of young Australians are in shambles as they spend what will be the majority of their youth in foreign prisons. For many it will be decades before they see the outside of the jail walls that they now call home. For others, the possibility of setting foot outside of their new homes, let alone returning to their home country does not exist. They are drug mules - accused of trying to smuggle illegal substances into other countries.

For a variety of reasons it seems that young Australians are being swept into the dangerous world of drug trafficking. Three young Australians have just been sentenced in Hong Kong for attempting to swallow millions of dollars worth of heroin for transportation to Australia. This is hot on the heels of the sentencing of nine Australians in Bali, arrested for strapping kilos of heroin to their bodies in an attempt to bring them into Australia.

The young ages of the Hong Kong trio

are astounding. The youngest, Chris Vo was just 15 at the time of the drug bust, while his accomplices, Rachel Ann Diaz and Hutchinson Tran were only 17 and 21 respectively. The Aussies involved in the Bali 9 were also young at the time of their arrest, with Matthew Norman aged only 18 and the eldest being 29-year-old Martin Stephens.

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THE QUESTION REMAINS, WHY ARE THESE YOUNG AUSSIES RISKING THEIR LIVES TO SMUGGLE ILLEGAL DRUGS? YOUTHFUL NAIVETE AND TROUBLED PASTS APPEAR TO BE THE COMMON LINK BETWEEN MOST OF THE AUSTRALIAN DRUG MULES THAT ARE CURRENTLY IMPRISONED.

Kay Danes has helped to run the Foreign Prisoners Support Service, since 2002. The service supports travellers who are now prisoners in foreign jails. Danes believes that a variety of reasons contribute to young Australians becoming involved in drug trafficking. “There are so many factors that lead people to this place of despair. To understand, one has to have an open mind.

Many do it to feed their addiction. I knew of someone who was very caring, had a beautiful family and every opportunity in the world to be successful. [They] came from a good education, good background, and good community. But something was there inside them that eventually took hold - they lost themselves and ended up in a situation they couldn’t get out of. They became desperate as their addiction grew. But they made the choice to stick the needle in their arm,” Danes explains. “Sadly, there are some who just want to sell the stuff for profit and don’t care who they hurt. They are driven by greed

idea of the extreme penalties in some foreign countries. The Bali 9 were liable for the death penalty for their crimes, while the Hong Kong three all faced a possible 20 years behind bars.

Danes believes that most drug mules are aware of the penalties in foreign countries.

“I think most people are aware that the death penalty is imposed in most Asian countries.

They will always think they are smarter and can get away with it,” she says.

“The death penalty is not a deterrent because most people who drug traffic either do not expect to be caught or do not carefully weigh the differences between a possible execution and life in prison before they act. Many cases, not all, show that a large number of drug mules act under the influence of drug addiction and/or claim they are acting under the threat of harm to either self and/ or family. There is no conclusive proof that the death penalty acts as a better deterrent than the threat of life imprisonment. A survey conducted by top American academic criminological societies found that 84% of these experts rejected the notion that research had demonstrated any deterrent effect from the death penalty,” Danes explains

FOR SIMILAR CRIMES IN AUSTRALIA, ALL OF THE DRUG TRAFFICKERS WOULD FACE A MAXIMUM FINE OF $825,000 AND/ OR A MAXIMUM PENALTY OF LIFE IMPRISONMENT.

and not addiction. They recruit the already vulnerable and/or those looking to get out of their helplessness. Some do it to pay off debts, mostly money owed to credit cards, or to drug dealers. Mostly all become desperate.”

At only 15, an adolescent Chris Vo crumbled at the idea of an all expenses paid holiday to Hong Kong and a $6000 pay cheque upon his return. According to the AAP, Chris Vo’s lawyer John McNamara said, “This is a situation where a young, impressionable, silly boy, has been used by older, cynical, careless criminals.” For Rachel Ann Diaz, it may have been a history of sexual abuse and a troubled family life that led her to cry out for help.

Hutchinson Tran was heavily in debt due to a gambling addiction. As for the four mules in the Bali 9 case, it seems that pressure from a drug syndicate who threatened the lives of loved ones was all it took.

It seems that even though the mules may have been aware that the penalties for drug smuggling in Australia are hard, they had no

In Australia, a life term generally ranges from 14 to 18 years, with the exception of Western Australia where a life term is a mandatory 20 years. In some foreign countries however, a life term actually means that the offender will spend the rest of their life in jail..

Of the four mules in the Bali 9 case, Renae Lawrence and Michael Czugai are serving 20year sentences, while Scott Rush and Martin Stephens received life imprisonment. Rush’s sentence was recently upgraded to the death penalty.

It was thought that because Diaz and Vo were minors at the time of their crime, leniency might have been practised. However, Rachel Ann Diaz received 10 years and eight months of jail time, while Chris Vo the youngest of the mules received nine years. Hutchinson Tran received 13 years and four months.

In May 2006, two US sailors and a Canadian accomplice were sentenced to jail time in Australia for trying to bring 11kg of methamphetamine or ‘ice’ into the country.

Andrew Labanon was sentenced to six years, with a non-parole period of three years.

Daniel Maio was sentenced to 12 years and six months with a non-parole period of six years and Mehdi Mohammadi was sentenced to 14 years with a non-parole period of seven years.

In comparison to the sentences that the Bali 9 and the Hong Kong three received, the US sailors and the Canadian convicted in Australia have received top American punishment. Not to mention that they will be able to serve out their sentences in comparative comfort, although not in their home countries.

Presently, the Australian and Indonesian Governments are in the midst of signing a

COLOSOUL// _ISSUES/ENVIRONMENT/POLITICS

prisoner transfer treaty. Although this would mean that Australians stranded in foreign prisons would be able to return home to serve out their sentences, it would not mean that their sentences would be decreased. Danes, who is in close contact with some of the young Australians in foreign prisons believes that a treaty would be beneficial for a number of reasons. “The general principle of a Prisoner Transfer Treaty is that a person sentenced in one country may apply to be transferred to the other country in order to serve the balance of the sentence imposed. It’s good for Australian prisoners who - if eligible - can seek to serve part of their sentences in Australia where they will have better access to family and other support which contributes to rehabilitation.

Transfers also reduce the burden on Australian Consular Officials. Transferring foreign nationals in Australian jails to their countries of origin also benefits Australia because our tax payers will no longer have to pay the ongoing costs of their incarceration.

Transfers are not generally automatic because each case has to be considered on its merits,” Danes says.

Although the coverage in the media has been huge of late, Danes still believes that in order to reduce the number of young Australians succumbing to the drug-mule trade, education on the dangers needs to be improved at a high school level. “I think we need to become better educated [and have] more drug awareness campaigns in high school. [To] show our high school students what can happen to you if you are detained in a foreign prison and to develop greater awareness of our processes… Many Australians think that if they travel overseas they are automatically protected by the Government in the event they fall foul of the law. The reality is that the Government cannot interfere in the judicial process of another country. I think we are slowly becoming more aware of this with greater exposure of the Australians detained abroad.”

In society today it is not possible for anyone to claim naivete or to say they were unaware of the consequences of being involved in the high-risk world of drug trafficking. The amount of media coverage given to those imprisoned for being involved in foreign smuggling cases makes it so. Although Kay Danes aims to help those in foreign jails and to make them feel as though they have allies, she warns that it can happen to anyone. “I would simply say that you should never take your freedom for granted. It can so easily be taken from you. Bad things do happen to good people. There are plenty of innocent people in jail and on death row and plenty who are guilty [who] made mistakes and are being punished accordingly.”

To find out more about the Foreign Prisoners Support Service visit www.foreignprisoners. com

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HOT WHEELS DRIVEN BY HEELS

By Tomasz Machnik

SHORT WITH FIERY RED HAIR AND SPARKLING BLUE EYES IS ONE OF PERTH’S MOST SUCCESSFUL FEMALE CAR CLUB ORGANIZERS. One wouldn’t come close to guessing it when meeting her especially since so many stereotypes surrounding car lovers float around. She doesn’t own a big mean Holden or a space ship-like modified car, but yet she has managed to muster up enough females who love all things automotive to create Perth’s first female car club.

Her name is Eve Boase and the club is called ‘Drivn by Heels’.

Drivn by Heels was created by Eve and her friend Heidy in 2003 after the two friends felt tired of attending car club events which were flooded with testosterone. They felt like a minority in a social network ruled by the opposite sex.

they want when attending car shows.”

Eve said many girls felt intimidated at car shows as the number of males often outweighed the females. Girls in our club can feel comfortable speaking their thoughts because there are no guys around to make them feel as if they don’t know what they’re talking about. “This way girls can have just as much fun as the guys and not have to feel intimidated,” said Eve.

soon modified the Civic which now has pink neon lights which make the car glow like a space ship and tinted windows to give it that slick finish.

Eve believes Drivn by Heels is a club which stands to highlight that women can love cars and know just as much about them as men. “Some of the girls in the club are quite mechanically minded and so we all help one another when certain mechanical problems are discovered when showing off our cars,” said Eve proudly.

Members of the club meet up regularly to talk shop and show off their latest car enhancements made to their cars. They also go for cruises, which is when the group members meet up at a special location in their cars and then follow each other in a chain to a desired location.

“There were too many guys and too much testosterone,” said Eve. “Having a club just for girls gives girls the chance to say and do what

Eve’s passion for cars started when she came across her brother’s car lovers magazines.

Her first car was a canary yellow Toyota Corolla and her second a Honda Civic which had been turned into a little turbo rocket. Eve regrettably had to sell the turbo Civic but had bought another one not long after, although this time in a more standard form. Not settling for a car which doesn’t attract attention, Eve

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Drivn by Heels has won awards such as ‘Best new crew’ and ‘Best Club Attitude’ but Eve hopes the club will achieve bigger and better things as it builds in numbers inter-state and eventually internationally.

PARTIES ARE ALSO ON THE MENU AS AFTER ALL, IT IS A SOCIAL CLUB AND FUN IS ON THE TOP OF THE LIST, ALTHOUGH BOYS ARE NOT ALLOWED UNLESS THEY ARE PHOTOGRAPHERS OR DJ’S.

Photography courtesy of Driven By Heels Driver training days are also organized where the girls get to learn how to control their cars in wet weather or in emergency braking situations. They also learn how to drift which is when the car’s back wheels are sliding out but the car’s front tyres are still straight. All driver training days are carried out in a safe and legal environment.

Eve is always seeking girls who have a passion for cars and will gladly help out with any queries on how to go about joining the club.

“Instead of having girls walking around in mini skirts and tight white shirts promoting a car club, we want boys wearing muscle shirts with our club name printed on them and therefore promoting our club,” boasts Eve. The club has two brother clubs which are Team Integrated and V-Technique. On some occasions the clubs may decide to meet up for joint cruises where the girls get a chance to compete with the boys in terms of car knowledge and style.

Eve spoke of how the club promotes responsible driving and how members were always reminded to keep their passion under control. “Dragging each other is to be kept on the drag strip where it is legal and safe…

Drink driving is something we don’t tolerate and the girls are always reminded of that,” said Eve.

COLOSOUL// _STORY OF INTEREST

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WE ARE ALL MAJOR FANS OF CAKE - THE KILL DEVIL HILLS

By Tricia Ray

The who’s who of music was striding around waiting in eager anticipation of the night ahead, with the likes of Eskimo Joe, The Panics, Karnivool and Red Jezabel out in force. The atmosphere was electric, with each band respectively keen to see what different Perth bands had been up to.

Paul Bodiovich, the Executive Director of Wami, certainly made a very loud statement when posed the question. “Could Perth be the live music capital of Australia?” Well, after all, we are pumping out some pretty cool tunes and Perth is definitely leaving its mark in the music industry. With or without support, local muso’s just keep on coming out of the woodwork, proving to have some very original sounds.

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Dave Parkin, was the winner of best producer and his comment was laced in humility something quite unique to the most isolated city in the world. “We’re all doing the same thing cause we are all community.” That’s probably the reason why Perth is doing so well because everyone has learnt to stick together and stick it out with one another. As Red Jezebel adds their piece “ …a good pat on the back for everyone..”

Colosoul was out and about doing its bit for the Wami’s and met some extra cool people who came to support their fav’ bands; check out some of the pics on the Colosoul website and if you weren’t there this year try for your piece of the cake next time round.

COLOSOUL// _MUSIC

White Jumper: $20 White SInglet: $6 Cap: $7

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_12 Photography courtesy of Andrew Mc Clelland

COMEDY AND LIMES: MISSION IMPROBABLE

By Julia Hay

IT’S BEEN 10 YEARS SINCE ANDREW MCCLELLAND STARTED COMEDY AT SCHOOL WITH FRIEND LAWRENCE LEUNG. NOW THEY HAVE RETURNED FROM PERFORMING THEIR HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL 2005 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL SHOW, ‘SOMEWHAT SECRET SOCIETY’, AT EDINBURGH’S COMEDY FESTIVAL. HAVING AN ARTS AND EDUCATION DEGREE, ANDREW WAS PREPARED TO START TEACHING HISTORY, DRAMA AND ENGLISH BUT HIS LOVE FOR COMEDY HAS SEEN HIM PUT HIS TEACHING CAREER ON HOLD INDEFINITELY.

What’s been going on with your career lately?

For a while I tried to do emergency teaching.

It’s such a romantic name emergency teaching, I feel like I should have a costume for that. I tried doing that for a while but you get called at 6 am on the day, and you might have had a gig the night before and have not got home until 3 am! It was really hard to keep up with the comedy. Every other year I’ve worked in a bookshop over the summer and I love doing that because I love books and that was a lot easier to handle. But comedy always comes first!

Is it because you are trained in teaching that your comedy shows are educational?

I would say it’s partially because I am a teacher and I am really passionate about education.

But also because I like doing shows which are a bit different. I have a lot of friends who think they don’t like stand-up comedy, but in the end it’s more likely they don’t like what little they’ve seen. Perhaps all they’ve seen is the chart toppers like Dave Hughes or Carl Barron (who I think are very talented) but that’s not all that comedy is. There are a lot of different forms of comedy out there and in the end everyone can find something that appeals to them.

I’d use to go a bit crazy when I was teaching.

I remember I would jump up on desks when the kids wouldn’t be quiet. It’s not unlike a performance comedy and teaching, they’re both performances, but teaching is far less rewarding because people aren’t cheering for you. I try to make my comedy a bit educational. I don’t dumb it down because people can find a joke no matter what.

Why do you believe your shows sell out?

I think the sell outs are now driven by reputation. Lawrence and I have done it for so long now- ten years is a long time! We both started an improvisation group back when I was at university in 1998. We’ve done the comedy festival each year since then. Lawrence and I have been building and building on our show.

The first year we had absolutely no idea of how to do anything. We would do a season of one week and we would be exhausted.

The group was called the Improbables. But back in those early days we’d have special guests such as Rove and Ross Noble before either of them were household names.

What makes you go on stage?

I do comedy in the end because I love comedy.

There is no greater honour (or indeed stress) than people trusting you with their night’s entertainment. Seeing people smile and hearing them laugh because I’ve just talked about how sexy my cat is or Henry Morgan’s 1671 attack on Panama excites me to bursting.

That’s why I find it so hard to slow down on stage. I freakin’ love it.

I did a show about pirates. I had a little quiz about how to be a pirate and at the end I would give whoever participated in it a lime. I had some friends come up to me afterwards and say, “I love the lime thing, that was hilarious!”

And I said, “Yeah, that’s so you don’t get scurvy.” And they replied, “We didn’t know it was about scurvy, we thought you just gave out limes.”

People can always find a joke or reference to something funny even if what they find funny isn’t quite what I necessarily intended.

If the crowd is behind you can have a wonderful time. Luckily in Melbourne I’m at the point now where I know the rooms where I want to perform, because the crowds already know me and are a little kinder. That said, I should probably do tougher rooms more often, it’s a challenge that’s difficult but necessary to improve. You’ve gotta fail and look like an idiot sometimes to improve.

What is your greatest life achievement?

I would say writing and performing my first show. That sounds so egotistical, I wish there was something grander and more beautiful.

But I’m really proud of my first show. I forced myself to do it. I am still really proud of the theatre group I formed with Lawrence back all those years ago. I am also proud of all the charity gigs I’ve done. I’m really happy that I’m in a position where people ask me to do charity gigs. It feels wonderful that I can help whilst doing something that I love.

What’s your favourite flavour icecream?

I like all the brown, autumnal flavours - nothing fruity. I like caramel, coffee, chocolate, tiramisu, mocha…and honeycomb too!’ Interestingly these are the colours of the fried foods I like as well. Oh, I’m a dietary vortex.

How much time do you spend a week on comedy?

It’s really hard to be precise. I write comedy every week. For a few months of the year I would perform every day and during the Melbourne Comedy Festival I was performing three times a day every day for a month. But then sometimes I can go three weeks without doing a gig. That’s when I’m just home in Melbourne and there’s not much happening.

COLOSOUL// _ART/FILM/PHOTOGRAPHY

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AUSTRALIAN LIFE, ARABIAN DREAMS

By Marziya Mohammedali

MENTIONING THE ARAB WORLD CAN EVOKE A NUMBER OF NEGATIVE IMAGES: COUNTRIES IN TURMOIL, FAMILIES SHATTERED BY WAR AND WOMEN VOICELESS AND SUPPRESSED. THE VIEW OF OCCUPIED IRAQ HAS BECOME A STAPLE OF DAILY NEWS AND THE ONGOING WAR HAS TRIGGERED INTENSE INTEREST IN THE REGION, MAKING IT A HOTBED OF ISSUES. But for Hayley, Iraq is not just another faraway place seen only on television and read about in the papers. Barely two years ago, this 21-year-old Western Australian was on an aeroplane heading for Baghdad, following her husband after he was deported. For her, Iraq is almost a second home. Even though she currently lives in Australia it is with nostalgia that she recalls her time amongst the Arabs, living as one of them.

She presents a curious mix of Australian and Arabic culture, dressing up her typically Western outfits with exotic scarves and silver bangles. As the strains of some rock song float in through the window, she hums a distinctly Arabic tune. “I just love Arabic culture,” she says, toying with a scimitarshaped pendant that hangs around her neck like a talisman. It is a testament to her deepseated attachment to Islam: a miniature version of Zulfiqar, the legendary weapon of the Holy Prophet Muhammad passed down to the Shi’ite Imams.

Hayley’s love affair with the Arabic world began with a chance encounter on a Bunbury street. She was returning home from a Tai Chi class when she ran into Ali Kadem, a young Iraqi refugee. “I saw this boy with long black hair, and he asked for a lighter, and I had one.

Then he was lost, so I helped him get to where he was going and then he invited me to have

dinner with him and his friends as a thank you and it went from there,” she says, smiling as she recalls that first meeting. It was an event that would alter the course of her life.

Intrigued, she began to spend time with Ali and his family, observing their customs and learning about the way they lived.

Never having been outside Australia, everything the Kadems did was mysterious and new. However, it was not just the novelty of the culture that fascinated her. She was deeply drawn to the simplistic beauty of the relationships between the Iraqi people. The loyalty and wholehearted acceptance that Ali’s family gave her immediately put her at ease and gave her a sense of belonging. “It was the little things that made me feel like I wanted to be a part of them. You don’t see that here… we have families but it’s different. You look out for yourself, only. With the Iraqis, everyone would help out and not even expect to be paid back or anything. Everyone looked out for each other. It was beautiful,” she says.

Beautiful. That’s a word she uses often when describing the Kadems, who became her surrogate family after she entered into a relationship with Ali. And it’s a word that keeps on popping up as she begins to explain her views on Islam. Coming from a nonreligious background, one thing that struck Hayley was the role religion plays in Arabic

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life. “Seeing Ali’s mum praying and things like that was all new. But when I started showing an interest, he made an effort to show me the Mosque and how it all works, and why they have this religion and how it helps people… It’s a part of their culture, a big part,” she recalls.

The discipline of Islam appealed to her and she enjoyed being a part of it even before she made a conscious decision to convert. As a symbol of her new faith, she adopted the name ‘Zahara’, after one of the names of the daughter of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

At 18, she married Ali in a small ceremony in Melbourne, cementing her place in the Iraqi community. She also took up the hijaab, the traditional Islamic headscarf, and began reading the Qur’an. However, living with the Kadem family also brought Hayley into contact with some of the less pleasant aspects of life for refugees in Australia. She recalls with disgust the treatment of the family as they were shunted between detention centres, and the absolute apathy she encountered when trying to help them. It is in a clipped, carefully controlled voice that she talks about being torn from the life she had only just begun to live – the people she valued locked away and her contact with them limited to such an extent that she could not even see her husband without a security guard present. The worst was to come when Ali and his family were

denied asylum and had to leave Australia. She was suddenly faced with the decision of either abandoning her husband, or following him to Iraq. Disillusioned by the opposition she encountered, she chose to leave.

She still believes it was the easiest decision she made. “Watching how they were treated, I was embarrassed to say that I was Australian.

The way I saw it then was that they were the good guys and Australia was the bad guy and so it was easy for me to go to Iraq and try to live with them, a normal life as silly as that sounds being Baghdad with bombs and stuff,” she says.

Arriving in Baghdad itself was something of an eye-opener. She says she approached her journey with an “open mind”, hoping to discover for herself what was going on rather than depend on others’ accounts and media reports. Sadly, she found a city almost ruined by the ongoing war, and the stories she had heard about the soldiers turned out to be disturbingly accurate.

SHE RECALLS HER VERY FIRST NIGHT, WHEN SHE CAME FACE-TO-FACE WITH A GROUP OF AMERICAN SOLDIERS WHO HAD PARKED THEIR TANKS AROUND THE CAR SHE WAS WAITING IN. “The first thing I saw was them swearing and spitting everywhere with their tobacco and just talking shit about everything… so straight away I said no, these people are crap, everything’s right what I’ve heard,” she says, the disappointment evident on her face as she relives that particular memory. She also remembers a bomb raid taking place on the very same night, scaring her senseless even though it was over on the other side of the city.

She reluctantly admits that moving to Iraq came with its fair share of difficulties. One of the major problems she faced was the language. Her Arabic was basic at best, and she was forbidden to speak English in public in case she came under suspicion. Even though she found herself generally being accepted, especially since she had actually taken the initiative to convert to Islam, there was always the fear that as a foreigner she was a target.

But despite the challenges she faced, she believes that she was truly happy. She shares one of her most poignant memories that shaped her view of Iraq. “Hearing the Azaan in the morning and all the houses around and the water running and the kids all getting up to pray and all that, and they were all happy… all the families living together and working together and supporting each other… seeing that was a good thing,” she says.

She also recalls the strength she drew from her mother-in-law, Ban. Even when in Australia, Ban had always worn the hijaab, but there was nothing in her manner that conformed to the stereotypical image of a suppressed Muslim

woman. In Iraq, Hayley discovered that it was just that – a stereotype – and the truth was far from what she was used to hearing.

“She [Ban] was a very strong woman, and she never once appeared suppressed or anything wearing the headscarf. She was proud to wear it. She wasn’t being ordered to wear it by anyone. She saw it as being positive for herself. So when I went over there, everyone was wearing it, there wasn’t anything… it was just their lives. It wasn’t strange. They were happy to wear it.”

While moving to Iraq had been a conscious decision, Hayley was not prepared for the second part of her journey. A visit to Ali’s grandfather in Qum, Iran, went awry when Iraq’s borders were sealed off by the occupying forces. The Kadem family were now stranded, illegal immigrants, barely able to survive off the meagre savings they had.

Iran offered a different view, a different set of experiences. It was in Iran that Hayley was finally able to appreciate the development of Islamic art, especially in the Mosques.

The pride that Iranians had in their religion was plain to see, and she found the beauty of the place mesmerising. With the war in Iraq, she had been unable to appreciate this particular aspect of the culture, especially since half the city had already been destroyed, a fact that still saddens her. But it was also in Iran that she began to feel the first pangs of homesickness. Still finding her way with the culture and language, she found herself clutching at the few reminders of home, even with ‘silly little things like toilets.’

“IT WAS INTERESTING TO GO TO ALL THESE HOUSES AND SEE A NORMAL TOILET. A LITTLE BIT LIKE ME GOING TO THE RADIO AND THINKING I’D FOUND BRITNEY SPEARS FOR A SPLIT SECOND AND THEN SPENDING THE REST OF THE DAY JUST TO FIND HER AGAIN… EVEN THOUGH I CAN’T STAND HER, JUST TO LISTEN TO THE WESTERN MUSIC FOR A LITTLE WHILE.”

FOR HIS ANGER. TO COME HALFWAY ACROSS THE WORLD, ONLY TO DEAL WITH THIS, WAS TOO MUCH FOR HER. She had already witnessed her own mother’s struggles with domestic violence and she refused to follow the same cycle. “I didn’t want to risk having to live with that for the rest of my life. So I came home… I loved him, I forgave him…” she says, and for a second her voice cracks, the first time she has openly shown regret. But she quickly composes herself and moves on. “It sort of opened my eyes a bit to the fact it could happen again.

And no, I didn’t want it to happen again, so I said ‘we’re finished’.”

If moving to Iraq had been a challenge, coming back to Australia was just as difficult.

Although she was glad to be home, she found herself mocked by others who heard her story.

“Crazy” was just one of the words bandied around. Others would tell her, “I told you so,” regarding Ali’s behaviour, without taking time to listen to her explanation.

Despite what she went through, she says she does not feel bitter in the slightest. She believes that she was simply unfortunate and that she will return to Iraq. It is a dream she carefully nurtures along with her ambition to become a professional photographer. “I want to go back, and I want to show people the side of Arab culture and Islam and everything that doesn’t get shown… I want to show the side that’s from in the culture, not from outside.

I’m an outsider, but I want to show it from inside, rather than pictures of women looking far off into the sky with their scarves on and looking all sad ‘cause it’s rubbish!”

Her experiences have also left her with a completely different outlook on life. She describes herself as being “young” and “ignorant” at first, but would not change anything she went through since it has taught her the value of life and the choices she has.

She has seen both sides, the fortunate and the not-so-fortunate, and she has made a decision to live life as it comes. For Hayley, taking chances is what life is all about, because who knows where they might lead.

It was a rough time. Her grandfather passed away, triggering feelings of guilt as she was not able to make it back to Australia for his funeral.

The family’s savings were running out, and Ali was under pressure to return to Iraq to find a job. But doing so would have meant leaving Hayley behind in Iran, which he adamantly refused to do. Ironically, it was this last reason that led to the breakdown of their marriage.

Frustrated by his inability to deal with family expectations and the continuous fighting with them, Ali was unable to control himself.

HAYLEY BECAME A TARGET

COLOSOUL// _STORY OF INTEREST

_15

LIKE KILLER PICTIONARY – CHRIS BOLTON

By Grant Currall

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COLOSOUL// _TITLE

It seems Chris Bolton was in such a hurry to draw, growing up he barely gave his hands time to grab a pen - his father still has the finger paintings to prove it. He kept himself occupied through school scribbling away at the back of class, enjoying the escapism it provided. As his interests grew he began integrating film characters into his imagined universe of pictures and from there, comic book illustrating seemed the natural progression. Now, aged 30, he’s escaped the confines of Perth’s geographical isolation by showing his work to the world via the web.

“COMPUTERS, INTERNET AND ALL THAT STUFF, BROADBAND, IT JUST TOTALLY OPENS UP THE WHOLE WORLD TO YOU. EVERYTHING IS INTERNET-BASED SO YOU CAN HAVE YOUR WORK ON THE COMPUTER AND JUST SEND IT OFF. THAT’S HOW I’VE FACILITATED MY CAREER FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, JUST BY BEING ABLE TO CONTACT PEOPLE.” Chris knows only too well the benefits of meeting the right people and taking opportunities when they’re presented. For the past year and a half he’s been freelancing as an illustrator for a San Diego based company called Idea & Design Works, or IDW. For a guy working in a comic store half a world away, his day job wound up providing the door for opportunity to come knocking. Ashley Wood, a professional illustrator with a client list including Dreamworks, Warner Bros., and Marvel comics, worked with IDW and thought Chris’ work might fit perfectly.

“He comes into Quality Comics sometimes, he lives in Perth too. He saw my work and said send it to IDW. I sent it off and within the week I got a reply. It was slightly off-putting because it just seemed a little too easy.”

Since then time has been limited but the benefits have allowed him to indulge his fascination for all things zombie.

With the Hollywood remake of Dawn of the Dead, a parody in Shaun of the Dead, and the recent release of Land of the Dead, there is a horror/zombie revival that has Chris’ work in high demand. On top of artwork for the comic book crossovers of that film, he designed the comic poster inserts, or pin-ups, for the Shaun of the Dead comics. Combining this with past work on covers for Angel comic books, based on the popular television series, means Chris has carved out a sizeable niche for himself in the comic book world. But stylistically he’s trying not to limit himself to any one genre or way of illustrating.

“I’ve done design work for bands and flyers, t-shirt designs, concepts for films and animation with backgrounds. I kind of like that Renaissance man thing that some people have where they can paint, draw, and do digital stuff. I try not to limit myself.”

Chris looks to hand draw a majority of his work and add colour before scanning it into

the computer for touch ups and lighting effects. He also likes to air-brush his work, a tradition rarely seen in the digital age but one that impressed local artists at a comic convention in San Diego, who remarked, “You must be the only dude that does that now!”

These days anyone who is anyone in the entertainment industry congregates at Comicon to network and promote their latest comics, games and movies, with San Diego being one of the biggest hubs.

“I think they had a hundred odd thousand people go through…it’s just amazing. I mean there are all types of working professionals that I grew up with just sitting there. It’s daunting. I spoke to Lucasfilm and Dark Horse comics and pretty much said here’s my work. Hopefully you get a business card or something. I managed to get heaps actually.”

During the event luminaries like Charlize Theron and Lord of the Rings workshop whiz Richard Taylor were seen mingling but it was an encounter with cult horror icon Bruce Campbell, of Evil Dead fame, that brought out the fanboy in Chris.

“It was like touching the hand of God. He signed a comic for me he’d just done. All these people are making their forays into the comic world because it’s so lucrative at the moment.”

With the quality of films perceived to be getting worse it seems people are going elsewhere for escapist entertainment and comic books and computer games are providing just that.

Ironically, Hollywood has mined this vein for some time in an attempt to regain a chunk of the market. It’s no accident titles like Transformers are making the jump to big screen adaptation.

As Chris admits, “I’ve been doing some Transformers stuff through IDW as well.”

The comic industry itself is transforming to the point that computers and digital imaging are streamlining techniques otherwise exceedingly difficult to do by hand. Coupled with this is the ability to exhibit images on websites for archiving, like deviantart.com and conceptart.org, cater to a ready-andwaiting online community willing to see your work.

“With Perth being so isolated it allows people here to get in contact with anyone. We’re going to see a lot of things changing in the next couple of years with stuff like this. You see a lot of internet based comics now that don’t even go out to print.”

Of course, for diehard readers and fans the tangible quality associated with holding comics and flipping the pages cannot be denied. Even so, comic giants like Marvel are already experimenting online with digital replications that allow the reader to flip pages with the click of a mouse. Whether this form of imitation can replace the joy of reading comic books remains to be seen.

For Chris, drawing has touched his life to the extent that if he lost his hands he’d probably be unable to communicate at all.

COLOSOUL// _ART/FILM/PHOTOGRAPHY

“I explain stuff with drawings. If I want to explain what something looks like to someone I sit down and tell them it’s easier if I just draw it. It’s like killer Pictionary. It’s universal.”

This way of communicating ideas has led to a rise in projects like Event Horizon where artists produce the art for themselves and print it into an anthology of paperback books to make it easier for people to digest.

“I think people can become intimidated by comic books and just the sheer scope of how many there are. I’ve been trying to show people new stuff like Event Horizon.” He believes this is the direction artists need to be heading to get their work out there and connect with future readerships.

With this in mind Chris teamed up with Batman writer Shane McCarthy to produce ‘Ride, Red, Ride’ for Event Horizon #2, a scifi cross between European and Manga styled comics some have labeled ‘Australanga’. But whilst fans get stuck into this new adventure Chris admits he has a few gems of his own he can’t put down. “I’m religiously reading Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead, through Image comics, at the moment. There’s a lot of character work going on in it to keep you interested. It’s a really good read. Another one is The Goon, by Erik Powell.”

His own genre-bending worlds seem to draw influences not only from comics but everywhere be it websites, music, friends, games and books, or simply walking down the street. “My brain doesn’t really turn off.

There’s a lot of detail in everyday life.”

Chris emphasises that attention to detail is important in an industry where characteristics can make or break a story, but for him it’s the enjoyment of doing the work that really keeps him enthusiastic. With icons like Frank Miller still going strong in their later years Chris is keen to follow their lead with a mixture of patience and persistence – but knows it won’t be easy.

“I’d like to think that by the time I’m 40 I’ll be able to say I’m a career artist. That will take some time but it’s tenacity and getting your stuff out there that matters.”

Thanks to his talent and IDW this shouldn’t be a problem and nor should the idea of him escaping into new worlds and events waiting over the horizon.

To see more of Chris’ work check out his website at www.savagezombieart.com or for examples of online art galleries go to www.deviantart.com & www.conceptart.org.

Quality Comics (www.qualitycomicscom.au) are located 872 Hay Street in Perth City.

If you are a budding illustrator you may be able to submit your work to Gestalt comic publishers in Applecross, (www.gestacomics. com) as they are a great source for local comic news and art and also welcome work from local artists.

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HOW RIDICULOUS

By Vincent Pillonel

I first traveled to Australia in 2003 from Switzerland and stayed in Scarborough with home stay parents while doing a crash course in English at a school in the city. After three months I was able to speak probably like a kid, but I could understand most of what people spoke, maybe the Aussie slang took a little to get used to; now ‘mate’ is my every second word.

After my holiday in Australia, I returned back to Switzerland and worked for a year. All I could think about was the awesome time I had while on my holiday and I decided Perth would be a great place to live.

I packed up and ventured on over again, this time to stay. Luckily for me I was sponsored by a plumbing company and being a plumber, there is no shortage of work around!.

I love to travel the outback and since snow boarding was my hobby back home, I needed to replace it with a new one, so I took up fishing.

I remember fly fishing with my dad when I was a kid in the rivers back home but it’s quite different to fishing the vast oceans here. I thought my girlfriend knew all the different types of fish there were since she has lived her whole life here, in the end she got so frustrated with my fish questions she bought me a heap of fishing books, explaining that fishing was not her forte. I then started heading out about once a month, either down south, or up north, which ever seemed to be highly recommended on the internet for the best fishing at the time.

Every time I go fishing I get this really weird sensation through my body. I get that excited I can’t think of anything else I would rather be doing. Quite often I head out the door and I’ve forgotten my car keys or the bait or something. One time I decided to head to Durian Bay for a few days on my own. I spend hours fishing - I’ll start at 3pm in the afternoon and I’ll go until 6am the next morning (I’m a very dedicated fisherman). My girlfriend asked me what I could possibly be thinking about all that time. I would’ve liked to have said I was thinking about her but to tell the truth, all I can think about is that blasted massive fish I’m going to catch with my new U-beaut fishing rod that I just purchased before I left for my trip away to take alongside the other five I already have. I arrive safely to my designated fishing spot about 11pm and honestly I can’t sleep an iota so I quickly unload and set up to fish, throwing my first line in. I catch a glimpse of a sting ray hoping its going to steer left of my line but the bloody mongrel takes a bite as it tries to swing by. So I have to haul it in drag it on the rock and get the hook that’s clawed to its mouth out and flip it over back into the ocean.

Anyway, there I am camping on the rocks with my couple of beers and esky filled with one tin of baked beans, some pasta to boil and a little cheese to add on top. I don’t need to take much food because hopefully I’ll catch a couple of whiting or brim for the evening - a tiny snack to keep me going. I’ve got an $11 fold out chair ready for me to sit on and my rods set up either side and now I’m ready to fish the Aussie way. I crack open a stubbie, check my lines, lean back and relax comfortably in my chair as I watch the sun set. Ah lovely isn’t it?

_18

One thing you should never forget is your sunscreen which I’ve learnt the hard way, from a few red raw noses. The night passes away and morning comes and so far not much luck, but as I said I’m a keen fisherman and my spirits still high, I’m sure anytime soon now I’ll catch that one we all love to boast about. Yeah well it’s the third day and I’m heading home in a few hours and I’ve still caught nothing, but I’m not giving up. This is a huge ocean, there’s plenty of fish for everyone. I was just thinking about packing up my gear because I wanted to get home before dark when something nibbled at my line.

Then there was another pull but a lot harder than the first. Crikey, I thought, what is it? I took full throttle of the rod, loosened the line from time to time. It was swinging hard now and I was pulling with all the strength I had in me. This was a beauty and I wasn’t going home without it. If this fish knew I was up for the fight he would have given in earlier.

Suddenly I could see its tail flipping out of the water as it came closer in. “Come on,” I yelled out, “I’ve got you,” My feet were sliding along the waters edge, sweat was dripping of my forehead. There it was right before my eyes it was a stunning Mulloway. It was all mine and I was in for the kill! I grabbed my gaff, stuck it in its gills and yanked it out of the water. I started to shake; the fish was flipping side ways trying to hurl itself back in. I wasn’t letting this one go, I wasn’t going home to talk about the fish that got away. I eventually won the fight and I was done. I had got what I came for and I was one happy chap grinning from ear to ear.

Whistling, I packed my gear into my girlfriend’s Celica, whacked the fish in the back and started heading back to Perth. I was about 150 km away from Perth when I noticed smoke coming from the front of the car. I pulled over but unfortunately it was too late, I had cooked the motor. I was so excited to get home and show off this beauty, that I forgot to check the water in the radiator. Now I thought for a long time as I sat beside the road waiting for the RAC to turn up. I realized how ridiculous I was going to sound but I just couldn’t stop thinking about that Mulloway and I was hoping I wasn’t going to be too long stuck out here in the sun or the fish would go off. As I arrived home on the back of a tow truck, my girlfriend came out with her mouth wide open.

I politely thanked the driver and with my head down walked over to explain the situation. After my long story of what I can’t remember much of now ( although I did apologise) I know I ended the conversation with, “But honey, look at the size of that fish, she’s a beauty huh, can’t wait for my next fishing trip.”

COLOSOUL// _STORY OF INTEREST

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Models: Luke Ray, Jessica Walters, Simon Ray Photographer: Belinda Watson

OP SHOPPING Jess and Amber had a lot fun rummaging through different Op Shops to see what they could find to mix and match with clothes they already had in their wardrobes. They couldn’t believe what they found and how great it all looked once they put it together. Amber even chose a men’s white shirt to wear with her skinny leg jeans. Thanks to Vic Park Vini’s and Good Sammy’s they looked very sassy.

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GRAB YOUR BOARDS WITH CALUM MACAULAY Four years ago Calum took what was a hobby to the next level and decided to make a career out of his passion for the water and for body boarding. “I used to body board myself for a number of years and then I just loved the water so much I decided to start filming. I really enjoy watching surfing and mucking around with other surfers and thought may as well make a quick buck out of it,” said Calum.

TO TRAVEL THE WORLD FILMING PROFESSIONAL SURFERS IS THE DREAM OF CALUM MACAULAY. ONLY FOR HIM IT’S NOT SUCH A DISTANT DREAM, HE IS MAKING IT HAPPEN. _22

Calum films the surfers from in the water so the need for professional equipment was a high priority. “I worked full time for a while and saved up enough money to go out and buy good gear, because if you don’t have good gear you can’t really sell it for top dollar,” he says.

He then filmed on his own for a couple of years and taught himself the tricks of the trade. He picked up casual jobs here and there to make ends meet.

Calum said one of the hardest things is selling your footage. Getting good footage is one thing but to actually sell it is another.

However the hard work paid off when he produced his first body boarding film.

The DVD called ‘Stalk’ was aptly named as apparently Calum is known for stalking all the pros for the best shots at the best waves. The film was a great success and he learned a lot from it saying it was really a big trial.

Since then Calum has traveled all over Australia filming as well as Indonesia which he regards as the highlight. “The best thing I did was probably a trip from Timor to Lazy Peak all through Indonesia. That was pretty rad,” he said.

and it’s only just in the last year and a half that I‘ve started doing a fair bit of stand up stuff so I’m trying to get in there but there’s a fairly big sort of pecking order.”

Every day Calum is waiting for the call to hear that his filming career will take off. He said there are a lot of ups and downs with it and although you get a few trips away and you think it’s all good, it will go quiet for a while.

So he is still holding his breath.

In the mean time Calum is working on his next project, Stalk II which will be released some time next year.

Calum says there is some interest in body boarding but surfing is still a lot more popular.

“Body boarding is good but surfing is better, it’s so much longer and it’s much more valuable to film. I love filming body boarding but then you only really make money in body boarding when it’s really good waves. In stand up you can still make money if the guys are out there in crappy waves because it’s still good to watch so body boarding is a little bit more frustrating that way,” he said.

But Calum doesn’t mind; he just loves filming, “I’m not really fussed if it’s in surfing or body boarding. I’m quite happy to do anything on a pro level.”

Calum has had a few trips away like this but admits it’s not as much as he would like.

“Obviously I do a lot of body boarding surfing

COLOSOUL// _BODYBOARDING/SURFING

© Colosoul Magazine

COMPETITIONS AND GIVE AWAYS THE WHIGS

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If you love BollyWood movies then you will love the drama and hype in this book. Seven years in the making it will keep you going for hours. Sacred Games will draw you into the life of detective Sartaj Singh-and into the blood stained existence of Ga¬nesh Gaitonde, the most wanted gangster in India.

Want a copy? Tell Colosoul your favourite gangster line you ever heard in a movie or a book you’ve read.

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Blank Canvas Chapter 1- Here’s a sneak preview Things I love about the National Gallery: -how on the outside it looks like a public toilet block but inside its full of treasures -how gallery-goers are either looking to get lost or pretending their not Is the underground arts scene everything it’s made out to be? Why not find out for yourself and get your nose into this book. Tell Colosoul who your favourite underground artist is and why in less than 30 words.

Go to www.colosoul.com.au and this could be your book.

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Thanks to Meg Popple in South Perth, we have 5 pairs of glitzy ear¬rings to give away valued at $29.95 ea, tell Colosoul what your best Op Shop find is. www.colosoul.com.au and you could win yourself some glam.

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COLOSOUL// _COMPETITIONS

_23

WELCOME TO A NEW SECTION OF COLOSOUL! Got something you want to talk about, got something you just can’t work out. You never know, venting the load just may release the pressure in your head and a little sound advice never goes astray. Maybe you know something that we just don’t know, so send in them emails and let us know what it is that you want to say. letters@colosoul.com.au

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REALITY BITES SO CHEW HARDER

COLOSOUL// _TITLE

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