Crush IT Mag June 2019

CRUSH IT ISSUE 3: JUN 2019

Magazine TIALI ELIZA

HER SOUND WILL TOUCH YOUR SOUL

MINDSET MAGIC GET THIS ONE THING RIGHT & YOU’RE SET

FRIENDSHIPS

“CAN YOU TELL IF THEY’RE THE REAL DEAL?” Real People Real Content Relatable Issues

MOLLY PICKLUM A SURFER ON THE RISE

Crush It Magazine ABN 58 166 926 905

PHOTO CREDIT-Tom Hackett / Tiali Eliza PUBLISHER-Leanne Taylor GRAPHIC DESIGNER-Sophie Pauli ISBN 9780648385912

ENQUIRIES for Advertising or Editorial crushitmag@gmail.com EMAIL US FOR POSTAL ADDRESS

We are published under copyright laws. Please do not reproduce any part of the magazine without permission as you will be breaching the law. If we feature articles from contributors, advertisers, interviews or editorials these are no necessarily the opinions or views of Crush It Magazine.

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Team Talk :) W

ell, they say third time lucky and we are definitely that. We have amazing Crushers in this issue from our cover the extremely talented Tiali Eliza. Her original songs are some of the best I have ever heard and her voice will captivate you. Watch this space as she is on the rise!

Molly Picklum is also featured with her crushing surfing talent to how she juggles school, training, travelling and her social life.

Molly is a talent and a down to earth girl who we love.

Our new team crusher Aymie from New Life Fitness shows us some daily exercises that get the blood pumping and the mind and body ready for the day.

Cooking is one thing that brings the whole family together so Louisa and her grandma Val will show us some simple delicious recipes that you can make at home. Believe me they were delicious!

Last, but not least I want to thank our sponsors East Coast Surfboards, Blue Lagoon and Shelly Beach Holiday Park…You rock. They Have you heard of Hal Cumpston? Well, I’m are huge community supporters so go and sure you will be hearing a lot more about him check them out! in the future. He just wrote and produced his own film about the coming of age of Aussie Now, get stuck into this issue! teens. I particularly loved it as growing up American culture is all we had and, in some We love to hear from you so follow us on cases, still do. We need to celebrate and nurture Insta @crushitmag our Aussieness and support local talent.

Facebook @crushitmagazine or hit us up at the website We chat about friendships with Soly, Mindset www.crushitmag.com.au with Ela and Delta’s back with her life travelling around Australia with her family and how she Your Dreams Start Here X is coping with studying via distance education.

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CONTENTS

LIVE & LEARN

FOOD

HEALTH & WELLNESS

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TIALI ELIZA

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Photo credit: Hollie Lean

Tiali Eliza is a 24 year old singer/songwriter from the Central Coast.

Tiali has a soul-striking, alternative rock sound, also toying with elements of blues and jazz. With her raw, resonant lyrics, she accompanies a rich and versatile voice with grungy guitar.

Her music has been described as “alluring” and “powerful”, with a youtube fan quoting “I’m kind of obsessed with your voice - like it’s very very cool and the tone is super unique”.

Tiali has had quite an eclectic upbringing. From ages two until five, she travelled with her family around Australia in a caravan, only to finally return to her coastal hometown right before beginning kindergarten.

Naturally she has acquired the laid-back knack for life, due to a lot of time in nature and listening to 90s grunge with her dad. This is where the roots of her sound began, along with the natural feel for jazz and soul. Some of the main artists that have influenced Tiali are Jeff Buckley, Nirvana, Portishead and Radiohead, and listeners have compared her sound to that of Mazzy Star and Cat Power. Tiali’s favourite artists at the moment are Wolf Alice, King Krule, Massive attack and Hiatus Kaiyote.

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In contrast to the first few years of her life, Tiali began dancing at age 5 and was captivated by the theatrics and glamour of theatre. This continued on throughout her teenage years until she reached a rebellious tom-boy stage and decided she didn’t want to wear makeup and do ballet anymore.

Since then, these conflicting personalities counteract each other creating an unusual balance of the backpacking hippie drama queen who wants to do nothing but lay on the beach while also show ponying around in theatrical dance costumes.

Being involved in performing arts most of her life, Tiali began writing songs at 13 and soon progressed to playing live gigs at 16 years old. Starting off playing folk and jazz covers at clubs and pubs around the Central Coast, Newcastle and the Hunter, Tiali has now moved on as an original artist.

For the last year, Tiali has been writing and recording new material at Artist Studios in Randwick, Sydney. After a journey of sound sculpting, she will be releasing her Debut single “Twisted Tales” in June and this will be available on all platforms. A music video for this track will be following its release shortly after.

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Photo credit: Josh Williams

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Tiali has performed at numerous venues during her career so far. Appearing on stage at Lizottes, Marble Bar, Crowne Plaza (Terrigal, Newcastle & the Hunter) and The Entrance Leagues Club, a local common ground for well-known touring bands. The Central Coast artist has played supports for acts such as Sea Gypsies, Sheppard and Ross Wilson, plus supporting local artists Mick Hart and Israel Cannan.

Tiali Eliza has also performed live in collaboration with members from fellow coast bands Nelipot, Grizzlee Train and Moondogs, and has been featured live on three Central Coast radio stations, being Sea FM 104.5 Star FM and Lake Macquarie FM.

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1. What motivates you to crush your dreams?

That’s a hard one, I have waves of motivation and waves of lulling. I think what always pulls me out of the lull is that lightbulb moment of how much happier I am when I’m being productive, and how lucky I am to have options 2. Who is your biggest inspiration in life and why?

I would have to say both of my parents. I’ve seen them go through some real heavy times and always come out okay on the other end. A lot of kids are messed up from their parents’ divorce, but even while battling their own issues, they’ve always been so present for my brother and I. They always hold it together for our sake 3. How old were you when you started your love for music?

Tiny! I used to pull the covers out of CDs and learn the words to my favourite songs with dad. I remember vividly this one Christmas where I sang “Whatever makes you happy” by Powderfinger, I would’ve been about five 4. What music did you listen to as a child?

90s grunge is a large portion of my memory, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Silverchair. I also remember a lot of Jeff Buckley and Jewel. My parents always had music playing, constantly

Photo credit: Tom Hackett

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5. When did you start writing?

I wrote my first full song at 13, I can still remember how it went. I think I started writing regularly around 15 6. Your song writing is absolutely amazing. It really touches my heart and soul when I listen. Where does this sense of inner self and emotion come from?

I always do my best writing when I’m upset about something. Like, I will literally be sitting in my room, post break-up, writing a song and sobbing profusely as I sing through my hysterics ha ha ha. It’s great, I love it. My boyfriend jokes about starting a fight if I have a writer’s block, because even if it’s petty, I will make it into an emotional, dramatic song 7. Favourite place you’ve travelled to for your music?

I’m yet to go further than Sydney for a gig, but London is a dream of mine. The music coming out of the UK really appeals to me, I’d love to get over there and suss the music scene 8. How do you deal with pre show nerves?

Plenty of practise leading up to the gig 13

Photo credit: Jake Brennan @Locus Productions

9. What is a standard studio day for you?

Drive 2hrs in peak traffic, arrive with a half-baked song prepared and a vibe in mind, come out with something completely different 10. Who would you like to collaborate with?

Oh lord! Thom Yorke would have to be top of the list. He is a being of divinity 11. What’s your favourite music/artist at the moment?

Currently, Wolf Alice and King Krule 12. What do you like to do when you’re not making music?

Travel…I had a period where I was seriously struggling with the pull between nomad-ing around the world and staying put to focus on music. I’ve managed to do a bit of both but I definitely still have the travel bug. I also love to dance, surf, attend gigs or watch a good doco 13. If you had to do anything other than music what would it be?

There are so many issues in the world that really need attending to, I’d like to think I would be working to improve some part of it. It’s a daunting thing though, there’s too much that needs to be fixed. Plastic pollution and overseas sex trafficking are two major concerns

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14. Where are you off to next for your music?

I have a few gigs coming up with my band during June which I’m excited for; 20th Waywards Newtown, 21st The Gladstone Chippendale, 28th Parkhouse Mona Vale.

We’ll also be doing a more intimate set at Lizottes, Newcastle on July 3rd 15. So what’s next for Tiali Eliza?

I have a single coming out in a couple of weeks! It’s called Twisted Tales and it will be released on all platforms. There are a few more tracks poking at the surface too which I’m excited about

Upcoming Gigs in June - 20th Waywards Newtown - 21st The Gladstone Chippendale - 28th Parkhouse Mona Vale.

Photo credit: Jake Brennan @Locus Productions

Tiali Eliza

Instagram: @tialieliza

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FRIENDSHIP M LIVE & LEARN

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MATTERS Have you ever felt lonely emotionally or isolated from the group?

Have you experienced rejection or felt unworthy?

I

have found that often these questions that we ask ourselves are left unanswered.

When you concentrate on why it’s happening to you, you are putting yourself in a vulnerable position that can lead to an overwhelm, creating reality that doesn’t exist. To avoid this overwhelm, you need to ask yourself better questions, because good quality questions lead to better answers.

Research tells us that our friendships play a big part in our lives and especially in the way we feel about ourselves and see ourselves both internally and externally. Friendships first develop during childhood, when youngsters learn to interact with others; they learn how to agree and disagree, to exchange meaningful words and gestures. Therefore having supportive friends helps you feel loved, be productive at school and boost your happiness.

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Friendships are unique relationships that no one teaches you about, it’s like a science class where the experiment may or may not work. For example, let’s look at some common questions that often can feel too awkward to ask…

How do you make new friends?

Are you just a virtual friend?

When is the right time to end a friendship that is hurting you?

Are you in a toxic friendship?

In my opinion, friendships have to be cultivated and nurtured to be meaningful over years.

Social media platforms supposedly enable people to make friends, but unfortunately some of these online friendships are more “virtual” than real.

So, does social media strengthen friendships or make them more shallow?

According to many studies done over the years by prestige universities like Harvard and Stanford, “virtual friendships” can never replace the magic of face to face interactions.

Today I am answering all these questions and Therefore having a healthy perception and a also giving you some bonus tips on how to clear understanding of how much time you build genuine friendships so stay tuned. need to spend online and offline with your friends can ironically lead to stronger friendships and better bonds in a real life.

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Making new friends is one of the most exciting things when you are in your teens. You don’t have as many responsibilities as the adults do, life is a piece of cake and you can’t wait to see someone you know to talk about the new episode of this exciting show on Netflix. The real challenge occurs when you don’t have as many friends as you thought that would actually be interested in your story. It’s completely fine because it’s a great opportunity for you to go and make new BFF’s and share your stories with them. How? It’s a very good question. Let me give you a few tips…

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1.

Be yourself - when you pursue activities and hobbies you enjoy, you have a great chance of meeting people with similar interests.

It can be sports; dancing classes; cooking; reading books and the list goes on.

2.

Be interested to be interesting – listen to what your new friend has to say and don’t interrupt them. Share something meaningful about yourself and ask your new friend if they want to share the same with you. You can also offer your help with homework or whatever they need or ask them for help with your stuff.

3.

Show your pearly whites – your smile is a very powerful tool. People who smile are perceived as more attractive, kinder, happier and more approachable.

4.

Rejection is your friend – never take anything personally. Not everyone has to like you it’s simply impossible. Choose your own tribe because they are the ones who will be genuinely interested in your friendship. Always wish people well, even when you don’t feel like it. It will serve you in the future.

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Moving forward, I would like to talk about toxic friends and toxic friendships.

First thing is to recognise the signs. Toxic people gossip about others and you, they criticise you or your appearance, they demand too much without giving back.

Don’t hesitate to ask yourself how you feel when you are with that person. Do you feel drained of energy or feel worse when you hang out with them?

If this friendship doesn’t serve your mental health and your wellbeing then you should think about letting it go.

Your wellbeing is one of the most important things in your life. Nothing can replace a healthy and happy mind filled with exciting memories and adventures that will be a stepping-stone for your success as you approach your adulthood.

Always remember to love yourself and celebrate your small and big wins because the world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.

Love with Passion!

Soly Aharonson Insta: @solyaharonson Facebook: Soly Aharonson Website: solyaharonsoncoaching.com.au

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

ELA’S MINDSET

M

y name is Ela Staniak, I am a Weight Loss, Wellness & Mindset Coach.

I help people who struggle with weight loss and want to boost their body confidence and feel good in their own skin by helping them in removing toxic patterns or behaviours. By setting up simple daily healthy habits in areas of improvement like healthy eating, exercise and also mindset. I empower them to achieve long term results by taking small daily steps to improvement. The starting point is finding our true purpose for being healthy in body and mind. We must know our WHY before we figure out HOW to get there.

I believe everybody deserves to thrive in health and happiness.

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MAGIC

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As I sit down to write this article, excited about being a part of this fantastic movement I ask myself one question: “What is the best value I can provide for some of our readers to help them improve their mindset towards success?” I want to share my story with you.

This is a story of me, a polish girl who has grown up not having much in an industrial part of Poland and achieved everything she ever wanted and more in Australia before she turned 30.

I grew up with an alcoholic father. I had watched how for 15 years my father’s drinking problem was not only ruining our family but also ruining my mother’s health. Unfortunately, both of my parents passed away a few years after their divorce when I was a teenager, father of alcohol, mother of stress related heart attack.

I quickly learned that we cannot take our physical or mental health for granted. Our body and mind work together and affect I like to say that my life has been preparing each other more than we can realize. What me to do my job since I was born. This mindset I learned from my mum was to always have helps me to remember that all the pain, a positive outlook on life and always keep difficulties and struggle I have gone through hope. She was such a positive person even as a child and then a teenager had its purpose, when things at home weren’t good. Whenever and I serve that purpose today in the coaching I think of my mum, I see her smiley face. My work that I do every day. mum struggled with losing weight since I can remember, even though she was never a big eater. I always wondered how could that be possible?

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I developed stress induced psychosomatic disorder as a child- battled stomach aches and headaches for years. My body weight fluctuated throughout my whole life. I remember seeking better energy levels, better eating habits, more happiness in life and less stress.

In a way choosing happiness became my coping mechanism for all the unhappy that I would experience. Here’s the thing …

Happy thoughts bring more happiness into our life.

After my parents passed away my brother looked after me for 3 years. I am so grateful for that. This difficult experience of losing parents was traumatic and later on in my life I had to take steps and actions to resolve it emotionally, but today I am able to look back at it and see the good in what happened.

This situation allowed me to became curious, adventurous and it gave me an open mind to seek more in life.

I became such a Life Enthusiast, an Experience-Junky and a Negative thoughts bring Total Dreamer more negativity into our life.

There was no one to set boundaries for me, Sounds simple? Well, it is simple in theory but so I set them myself. That of course came requires regular practise. with making a series of not the smartest decisions, but that was my journey (haha) They key is to not only wait for happy moments to be happy. They key is to find strategies that help us find happiness in whatever situation we are. Have you heard of “finding happiness within”? It’s possible! We want to choose happiness every day, especially when difficult things happen to us, we want to be able to eventually find our happy place again.

I find beauty in its imperfection.

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After I finished high school in Poland, it was simply the sense of adventure which took me to Ireland first, and then Australia. In Sydney I studied Fitness, Sports Coaching and Wellness Coaching. Living in such a multicultural place allowed me to get to know traditions, food and culture from all over the world. My closest friends come from everywhere but from Sydney (so we laugh when we see each other) Today I am happily married to my beautiful Samoan husband, having the business of my dreams, feeling great about how I feel, look and feeling content with who I am and where I am heading. My purpose is clear, my plan is set and I am looking forward to experiencing life in all of its aspects.

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Throughout my journey of self-discovery, I learned that our mindset determines the level of our success and failures and the best thing about it is that we can fully train it and control it. Whoop whoop!

There are a few tips I want to give you that I hope will help you create a healthy mindset that you can apply not only to your health and fitness but also to other areas of your life. Like future success with career, relationships, money, spirituality and anything that you will desire more of.

1. Invest your energy only into things that you can control, let go of what you cannot control.

See my friends, things happen in our life sometimes that we cannot control. We cannot control the weather, politics, street traffic or some of the rules that we need to comply with. We cannot control other peoples’ behaviours, what other people say, what other people think of us and that’s ok- everyone is on their own path and we need to respect that. When You focus on You and what YOU CAN DO - you claim your power back. Don’t hand your power to someone else, or external conditions that you cannot change. Don’t wear the victim’s hat. Don’t waste your precious time blaming other’s or other situations for your unhappiness. YOU GOT THIS! What we can always control is how we respond to certain situations. We can control our attitude. We can control what we say. How do we respond to negativity? How we respond to lack of kindness, lack of respect or anger?

Our attitude is totally in our control.

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What we can also control is what we do when we don’t like where we are at right now. WE TAKE ACTION! Examples?

Exercise A.

-

Great exercise to retrain what you think of Do you not do well at English or Biology? yourself and drop words of self-criticism is Take tutoring or ask your classmates having a Self-Love Diary or Journal where for help. Do more or what you think every day (YEP! EVERYDAY!) for 60 days you you are not good at! will write

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Do you not like some of your friends?

Spend more time with people who make you happy.

“10 things you like about yourself and then you will recite those things looking in the mirror”.

- Do you self-criticize? STOP! We need

to retrain your self-talk. And we CAN!

Focus on everything you like about

yourself and everything you are good at.

Talk about your talents, character, smile, humour

or things that your friends say you are good at. This might seem difficult at first but you will get in the groove. The more you do it, the easier it gets!

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2. Choose happy thoughts.

Choose gratitude.

This takes everyday action too! I say choose, because we can fully train our brain to eventually have happiness as a default. See, the sooner you build an awareness of your thoughts and recognize that “happiness brings more happiness, and negativity brings more anxiety” the sooner you will become absolutely unstoppable at whatever you want to achieve.

The researches in Harvard University tested our brain and chemistry and proved that mindfulness for example- meditation, gratitude, conscious breathing boost the production of our illness-fighting genes. That means that In the same Self-love journal, you will write feeling happy, relaxed and positive allows us to “10 things every day that you are grateful be physically healthy too. As I said earlier, body for.” We can appreciate the smallest things and mind work together :) like sunny day, clean bedsheets, food in the fridge through to some more significant like our family, friends, relationships, feeling good, feeling healthy or simply having a chance to go to school.

Exercise B.

This will raise your everyday happiness level and remind you of all the greatness that surrounds you. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how lucky we are.

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3. Everything in nature is in balance.

What I mean by that is that we want to accept all that is opposite in nature and that it creates balance. How would we appreciate all the good without experiencing the opposite to that? There are:

See I appreciate everything I have got today so much more because I experienced the absence of it in the past: - I love that I live by the beach now

because I grew up in such a concrete

jungle -

I tell my husband I love him every day because I experienced heart break and loneliness in the past

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I love my body shape today because I invested countless hours into my fitness, healthy eating and mindfulness especially at the times when I didn’t feel good in my own skin

- good and bad – hot and cold – wet and dry – feminine and masculine – easy and - difficult – water and fire – happiness and sadness – success and failure – winning and losing – patience and impatience – quick - and slow – and more

I feel healthy today because I practise mindfulness everyday I am grateful for my happy life today because I overcame real difficulties in the past

You get it right? :) The contrast is there for a reason.

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4. Find your purpose, set the plan, take action.

One of the most important things you can do for yourself is to find your purpose. Do you realize how exciting this time of your life is now?

You can choose whoever you want to be in the future, whatever you want to do, whatever you want to be good at. Please, be excited about this! Be brave to explore different disciplines: music, art, sports, academics, reading? Do you dream of being a baker, a nurse, a dentist, a beautician? You have got time now to be curious. Use it well.

I am so excited for you, to be writing this and encouraging you to JUST BE YOU! Find something that you enjoy doing that gives you butterflies and pursue it!

Once you find that out, dream about it. What is your big vision? What do you see yourself doing in 2 or 5 years? Set your plan and follow your steps.

Exercise C Write your big vision in your Self-love diary and call it “My Life Script” or whatever you want to call it. Who you want to be or what you want to do? Who is going to be there with you to support you? Describe it in detail. Why do you want to pursue that?

What are some necessary steps to get there?

Extra education? Someone’s help? How will you feel when you achieve it? Dive into the world of imagination and don’t hold back :)

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5. Fall in love with overcoming obstacles. There are no failures, just lessons learnt.

“If you can see it in your mind, you can hold it in your hand” –Bob Proctor

Every achievement requires work, effort and consistency. Don’t avoid obstacles. Every time you do something outside of your comfort zone especially when you face your fears you learn some of the most powerful lessons in life. You grow! You improve! You get closer to your dreams!

Once you have got your vision set, your mindset tools in place and plan of action ready, get ready for consistent work and effort to get there.

I feel that one of the biggest challenges which teenagers face today is the fact that the expectations often outweigh the reality, or that the reality doesn’t meet the expectations.

What often happens is that our goals require much more work, energy and time to achieve them than what we anticipated and then we get discouraged. Be persistent! It’s worth it!

Listen my friends, the human brain continues to develop pretty much until the age of 25!

If you really what to maximize your future success and health you want to feed your 36

body and mind right and avoid everything that can poison your health and that means focusing on: fresh nutritious food, regular exercise, stress management (mindfulness), positive thoughts, positive people, and seek happy healthy experiences. You have got some work ahead of you, but I am here to tell you that it doesn’t matter where you are or who you are right now, when you really work on your goals you can achieve anything you want. When I was a teenager, I could have never imagined how happy, healthy, grateful and excited I would feel later on in my life, yet here I am writing this article. The Sky is the limit.

Ela Staniak

Wellness Transformation Coach Personal Trainer Owner, Wellness Training Group

www.ElaStaniak.com www.WellnessTrainingGroup.com 37

DINO HIRA My Why? O

ne size does not fit all. In the same way I always believe one must continue to do what works for them!

In 2014, my mental health was in a poor state and I was left with no hope but to contemplate my own next breath.

A change in mindset, a change in heart and a way to connect to my soul is what I found as a path way to get my mental health back on track and I have never looked back since.

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The natural habits and tools that I have incorporated into my lifestyle has been life changing for the better. If these have worked for me, I believe in sharing it in a hope that it may work for someone else who may be struggling with their mental health. The book is narrated as a story through fictional characters, based on true life events.

One value that I have learnt from working in the mines is being of My Brother and Sister’s Keeper and this is one way I hope to do just that.

Why Buy This Book?

A Miner Who Wins Inner Peace will assist you in; Overcoming self doubt, stress, fear, worry, anger, nervousness.

Promoting peace of mind.

Connecting with your heart and following your passion and purpose.

Staying calm, focused, and mindful of the present moment no matter what the situation around you is revealing.

Improving all areas of your life by providing effective and practical methods as listed in the Wisdom and Action sections at end of each chapter.

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About The Author

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Dino Hira was born and raised in Hong Kong and moved to Perth, Western Australia at age 16, on his own, to complete university studies. He started working in the mining industry in 2012, first as a dump truck operator and then transitioned to the mine controller role, which is central to the operations of a mine site. In this role, he would communicate to hundreds of people daily, while also remaining alert to all operations happening at the mine site.

To do this without accumulating stress, Dino knew the importance of maintaining his inner wellbeing. His mood had the potential to affect an entire mine site, because the tone of voice over the two-way radio could be heard and felt by every person working at the mine site.

In early 2014, after a relationship breakdown and a build-up of dealing with a phase of darkness, stress, and depression, Dino faced a night of intense contemplation— did he want to take his next breath? His thoughts of his loving family back in Hong Kong compelled him to hold on for one more day, but what happened during his sleep that night changed his life forever.

Dino’s possibly “one last dream” opened up a door for him. That evening, he experienced a vivid and meaningful dream and awoke to tears of emotions, an enriching feeling he had never experienced before. The entryway to his spiritual journey awaited him and he just had to walk through to begin an amazing transition that connected him to his inner self in the form of self-love.

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Today, Dino’s mindset is one that embraces positivity, greater passion, purpose, and a will to maintain a sense of calmness. This is essential for having the best possible mental health and Inner Peace. His desire to help others is now a part of his daily actions and intentions. He is a qualified Reiki / Energy Healer and a Nutritional Therapist.

With Dino’s new way of life, his awareness of the importance of believing in your inner self and embracing a healthy mind has become essential to all that he does. With a connection to his heart and intuition, a beautiful story has emerged. He has been given experiences to help him reach out to more people with his important message, including being a male pageant winner, Mr. Australasia 2016, a successful international model, having starred in Australian reality television shows, volunteering time and energy to support various charity organisations, running guided mindfulness meditation workshops for groups, including those in drug and alcohol rehab centres and a maximum security prison.

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One of the most important parts of Dino’s journey has been to compile all his experiences into a book titled, A Miner Who Wins Inner Peace. Through thoughtful sharing and insights to help all, Dino inspires to touch reader’s hearts and help them find the keys to improving all aspects of their life, while finding and maintaining a sense of Inner Peace.

Links: www.dinohira.com Instagram: @dino_hira Facebook: Dino Hira Credit: Justine from Million Dollar Branders for the Book Design and Website.

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BLUE LAGOON

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BEACH RESORT Blue Lagoon Beach Resort is located right on the shores of Shelly Beach on the NSW Central Coast, halfway between Sydney and Newcastle and has been in operation since the 1960s. The resort started off as a humble family owned business and has been managed by the current owners since the 1980s.

Photo Credit: Doug Wiggin 47

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These days, the resort looks considerably different, having recently undergone a full renovation to the cabins, an amenities block, reception area and gardens. The resort continues to attract new and returning holiday makers, with one guest aged 106 coming to the resort with his family for his 60th year in a row!

Photo Credit: Doug Wiggin 49

Photo Credit: Doug Wiggin 50

Photo credit (cabin shots): Victoria from Essence Photography

Photo credit (pool shots): Doug

Wiggin

The Blue Lagoon Beach Resort is the ideal getaway for families, couples and camping enthusiasts who enjoy a healthy lifestyle.

With a huge range of onsite facilities such as a pool, tennis court, playground and games room, you can do as much or as little as you like.

Insta: @bluelagoonbeachresortau Fb: @ bluelagoonbeachresort www.bluelagoonbeachresort.com.au 51

MOLLY PICKLUM 1. What is your favourite cake?

The Cadbury Freddo’s ice cream cake 2. Who is your favourite sports person?

Rodger Federer and Mick Fanning 3. Who is your favourite relative, and why?

I don’t know but maybe my mum because she organises and does ridiculous amount of work for me to make my life easier.

4. What is your favourite piece of sporting equipment?

Haha a surfboard and a wetsuit 5. If you were President of the world, what would you do first?

Make sure everyone knows they can have a voice and freedom, world peace and everyone to accept and teach each other 52

Credits to : @ripcurl_women @edsloanephoto 53

Credits to : @ripcurl_women @edsloanephoto

Credits to : @ripcurl_women @edsloanephoto 54

6. If you were a dog, what would your name be?

Can’t put a name to it but I know I’d be entertaining at times and annoying at others 7. What is your favourite animal?

A dog 8. What is your earliest memory as a child?

I remember boogie boarding as a kid, while dad pushed my brother. I sat on the beach freezing until it was my turn to go out. Also playing soccer with my school friends and mum standing on the side with a really close family friend, she couldn’t stop herself from screaming.

9. What do you hate doing the most at home?

Chores, especially cooking dinner by myself, if someone is there to have a chat I’m happy to cook 10. Who has been the biggest influence so far in your life?

Definitely my coach, my school teachers, Kate and Jason from HPC, my mum, dad and brother. I could name a lot of people actually, I kind of pick and choose what I want to be influenced by off all the people who surround me.

11. Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?

Unfortunately, I have no boyfriend at the moment 12. What has been your best adventure and why?

Best adventure definitely Bali with Rip Curl because it was a whole bunch of laughs, good waves, fun times, good people and memories made.

Credits to : @ripcurl_women @edsloanephoto @margharitasalyak @tedgrambeau 55

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Credits to : @ripcurl_women @margharitasalyak 57

BURLEIGH WAGON B

urleigh Wagon provides family adventure which is expressed through our slogan “Adventure Is Out There, Enjoy The Ride!� We have created an innovative beach wagon with accessories catered towards a day of fun in the sun with the family. An alternative to a stroller, Burleigh Wagon has created an effective and enjoyable way for the family to cruise around the beach, parks, markets, theme parks and more.

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Who are we?

My husband and I moved from Southern California and now live on the sunny Gold Coast of Australia with our two young daughters.

We love the lifestyle Burleigh offers, from the beautiful beaches to the variety of markets and parks. Like a lot of mum’s, I find getting out of the house can be a challenge. We’ve outgrown our pram, but we still need an efficient and safe way to get everyone from point A to point B without multiple trips to and from the car.

We tried many different wagons. The fold up wagons felt unstable and once it was folded, I needed to find somewhere to put all the stuff that was now scattered all over the boot of my car.

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The other wagons were so hard to steer. I couldn’t easily get through the crowds at the markets and there were so many extra things I needed. Every trip to the park was constantly interrupted with whining and requests for snacks. I was cutting our outdoor time short because we didn’t have everything we needed. The whole experience was becoming unpleasant.

We couldn’t find anything that worked well; so we got inventive and we created it!

We’ve poured all our wants and needs into the Burleigh Wagon. A practical, easy to manoeuvre wagon that fits right into our busy outdoor lifestyle.

Most importantly, the kids absolutely love it and can’t wait to get in it.

Thanks to our Burleigh Wagon, I’m finally confident that the girls are safe and happy. They love the freedom the wagon gives them. We are now spending more time enjoying the outdoors with ease and making the most of all that this beautiful country has to offer.

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Our Wagon Designed as an alternative to a stroller, the Burleigh Wagon incorporates everything you wish a standard wagon had. The Burleigh Wagon makes getting out of the house with your family easy and stress-free.

Featuring a unique 5th wheel steering system and able to be both pushed or pulled, manoeuvering through market crowds and to the beach has never been easier.

Bursting with features to help you make the most of your time outdoors, your wagon quickly converts to a bench seat or a table.

Imagine enjoying a picnic on the beach without annoying sand getting in the snacks you packed into the built-in ice chest. Pop open your removable umbrella for an instant picnic spot in the shade.

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Transform your wagon into a makeshift bed for naptime or even use it as a discrete, sand free change-table.

The unique separate rear boot storage is ideal for wet sandy swimmers, or any item that you want to keep from the reach of curious little hands.

Unlike a canvas-folding wagon, the Burleigh Wagon doesn’t need repeated packing and unpacking. All of your outing essentials will be easily contained within your wagon. Simply fold the handle over the top of the wagon. The whole unit fits neatly into the boot of a standard SUV eliminating the need to find somewhere else in the car to store your belongings.

Packed with functional accessories, the Burleigh Wagon is so much more than just a way to avoid multiple trips to the car. Burleigh Wagon is the most practical and versatile wagon on the market.

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Website: www.burleighwagon.com.au Instagram: @burleighwagon Facebook: BurleighWagon

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EASTCOAST

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SURFBOARDS Based on the beautiful Central Coast of NSW ideally situated half way between Sydney and Newcastle smack bang on the coast, we live, breathe and love the surf.

It’s our passion and we want you to experience the feeling of being one with the ocean. Whether sitting on your board surrounded by mother nature’s vast sky, crystal blue sea and sand or riding the wave, it’s pure bliss and a feeling like no other. Just you and the ocean-it’s your time to just be you.

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The ECS team grew up in the water with a love for the sport. It’s this devotion and attention to detail that has seen us grow from humble beginnings shaping just a few boards to where we are today. Our Founder Ryan Briggs-is head shaper and constantly evolving with new techniques and technology providing quality shapes using only the best materials sourced locally and abroad.

Our CEO Clint Ledden is also hands on doing R&D, working the showroom and connecting with the local community to share his excitement for surfing with families from around the Central Coast. Remember, surfing is a family sport that everyone can enjoy and there is nothing better than spending a few hours down the beach with your tribe.

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e have affordable options for everyone at ECS and we won’t be satisfied till you are on the right board. Our range includes high performance short boards, summer boards, classic mals and beginner soft boards. They are sold and surfed worldwide and team riders live locally on the Central Coast, USA and several riders based internationally.

Harry Maskell is one of our local legends and team riders. He also does R&D and makes sure our customers are satisfied with their board choice. That’s why we love you to drop in to our showroom so you can see and feel the boards first hand. We aren’t happy till you are, so come on in or give us a call so we can get you on the best affordable board. Let’s start your affection for the ocean and surfing today as it’s a life long love you can’t shake!

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ECS showroom: https://ecsboards-australia.com.au/pages/ showroom Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 9:00am to 4:00pm Other times by appointment.

Address: 2/87 Gavenlock Road, Tuggerah, New South Wales 2259 Just off the M1, only 1 hour from both Sydney and Newcastle

Web: https://ecsboards-australia.com.au/ Insta: @ecsboards_australia Harry Maskell @harrymaskell Ikit Agudo @ikit_agudo John Mark Tokong @maramatokong Philmar Alipayo @chepoxz Hannah Finlay-Jones @hannnahf_j Facebook: @ecsboards1

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DELTA’S TRAVEL

Hey Guys! So, this time I thought I ‘d give you an insight into home school.

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’ve been doing Distant Education for nearly four years while we have been travelling and I love it!

I’m enrolled in a high school in Port Macquarie who post or email work out to travelling students or students who can’t get to school because of their remote location.

I have a teacher for each subject which I like as they are all different. They have their styles of teaching and some of them call each week, others just email.

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Now, most people think home schoolers do less work, if any, but I do the same amount of work and follow the same curriculum as everyone else in year 9 in Australia. It is audited by the government and a lot of it is assignment-based work. The difference is, I can get it done whenever is best for me then go out for a surf or learn guitar. Without distractions in the classroom to slow me down I can get it done faster and have longer holidays.

DIARIES

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It is hard sometimes to motivate myself to sit down and focus but writing a time schedule the night before of what I want to achieve in my day and when, really helps me stay on track and get it done.

People and even some of my close friends have talked about home schoolers, saying they are socially awkward, before remembering I was there. Hahahaha!

I don’t blame them for thinking that because how would they know anything about it? I still don’t think people should judge anything without knowing the facts. Yes, they go to school every day and hang out with people their own age but I feel like I’ve gotten better at meeting new people. We are always on the move so are constantly introducing ourselves to different people from all walks of life.

I do miss hanging with friends everyday but I’d rather focus on school work, get it done, and hang with my friends on weekends.

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With travel, I feel like I’ve grown so far and had space to find myself without the influence of school friends who can sometimes lead you in the wrong direction. I’ve met some really amazing people who are crushing it in life and learnt useful life skills.

I will probably continue with Distant Ed even when we have more of a base and travel less because it works best for me. I’ve never been to a high school though and I think it would be cool to go for a week just to see what it’s like. My friends say it’s not as fun as the movies and TV shows make it look.

I think learning online and at home will be the future norm because there is so much information out there from all different people.

I have learnt so much about life, people and places and we all learn differently so this is the way that suits me the best.

Remember, knowledge is power! Learn what you can so you can Crush your goals!

Delta xx Credit images: ST Images Insta: @delta.skye.woods Insta: @stimages

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AUSTRALIAN TEEN WRITES AND STARS IN NEW FEATURE FILM

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Sydney teenager has broken “every conceivable rule in film production” to make a new Australian feature film – a comedy dotted with Aussie acting greats – and chosen to premiere the film in regional and remote areas of Australia before any metro release.

Bilched, a coming-of-age comedy written by and starring 19-year-old Hal Cumpston, will be first shown to the “Australian-content starved” youths of regional Australia via a three-month road trip, which kicked off in Dubbo in mid March.

Hal says Bilched is ”an is irreverent, funny and relatable movie – hopefully the perfect antidote to the Australian film industry’s preoccupation with earnest adult drama.”

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High profile Australian actors such as Jeremy Sims, Alan Dukes and Rhys Muldoon have thrown their support behind the film and provided cameos, but the bulk of the cast and crew comprise teenagers with varying degrees of professional experience. It’s Australian teenagers being themselves, which turns out to be funnier than pure fiction.

Bilched

The title “ ” is a slang term for a “life changing adventure that defies logic”; the film is an honest and humorous look at life in the final days of high school. The film follows anti-hero Hal on his mishapladen journey at a penultimate end of school house party, after which it becomes glaringly obvious that Hal needs to stop cruising through life and face a few fears.

“I wrote Bilched after complaining to my dad about the lack of quality Australian teen films around.

There was this golden era in the 80s and after that, the seminal coming of age films - the really great ones like Dazed and Confused and Superbad – have only come from the US and UK. Aussie teens are pretty funny, I wanted to capture that,” he said.

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Hal also confesses he started writing because he had finished highschool and “felt like a bit of a dropkick and wanted to do something productive.” He disappeared into his room with the idea to open a 10-minute comedy short film and emerged 10 sleep deprived days later with an 88 page first draft of his first feature film script.

His dad, actor and director, Dr Jeremy Cumpston, thought it was so funny he offered to help back the project and direct it himself – to Hal’s delight and horror, respectively.

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“We’ve essentially broken every conceivable rule in film production - the whole family is involved in every facet of the film, over 80 per cent of the cast are teenagers and some have never acted professionally, and we’ve funded it ourselves—so that’s a no-no trifecta!”

Jeremy said.

Jeremy said Bilched was produced on a budget that wouldn’t cover the catering on most films, but through a network of talented and passionate experts willing to take a gamble – work for peanuts for a slice of any future profits – a high quality feature film was birthed.

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Jeremy said the crew will be kicking off the premier in Dubbo on March 11 then travelling to every regional centre in Australia they can get to in three months . They are also running a film festival and inviting submissions from young people who would like their short film aired at Bilched screenings in each town.

“We are really hoping to build a grassroots

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film fan base along the way,” he said of the decision to start in the regions.

“Once we have the backing of Australia’s regional teens we will gun for a major metro release,”Jeremy said. “It’s an inversion on the usual film distribution model; how successful it is will be something to watch.”

Successful short films submissions will be shown at local screenings and the best ones will be eligible for wider distribution and cash prizes. To find a Bilched screening or submit a film to the Bilched Film Festival, visit www.bilched.com Kim Smee from Dani Lombard Public Relations kim@danilombard.com.au 93

LOUISA COO FOOD

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i, my name is Louisa I am 11 and I have been cooking since I was, well since I can remember.

My grandmother (GMA), would sit me in my high chair and pass me pieces of pastry to play with, which she would bake (UGH) and spoons of cake batter to lick (YUM) and I guess I haven’t stopped cooking since. But enough about me…

Let’s cook!

This is a great breaky dish for the whole family and doesn’t take long to prepare

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OOKS

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Breaky Nest Serves 6 (2 nests each)

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Pre-heat oven 160-180°C 12 cup Muffin pan. (optional line with patty pan papers) OR 12 cup Muffin pan. lightly sprayed with oil 12 eggs 1 cup grated tasty cheese 1 peeled and grated sweet potato 1 large carrot, grated Pepper/Salt Oil to combine (MAKE SURE AN ADULT HELPS YOU WITH THE OVEN TAKING THE NESTS IN AND OUT)

Place grated sweet potato, carrot, oil salt/pepper in a bowl mix well Spoon mixture into Muffin pan, press with back of a spoon to make a cup Bake 15 minutes Take out of oven Then crack an egg into each veggie cup and return to oven bake until egg is set.

Serve hot and the Breakie Nest is great to reheat in the microwave for snacks the next day or to place in your lunchbox TIP-Clean up as you go! Have a sink with hot soapy water to wash utensils as you use them set on draining board to dry.

HISTORY-Sweet potato is not a potato at all it’s a member of the morning glory family and it is believed to originate in the South Americas and brought back to Europe by the Spaniards.

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Louisa’s Meringue Magic Makes 3

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1. Whisk egg white until stiff Gradually add sugar whisking to retain stiffness Pre-heat oven 180°C Oven tray lined with baking paper, lightly oiled 1 egg white 1 tablespoon caster sugar

2. Spoon three mounds of meringue onto tray 3.Place in oven then turn oven off.

DO NOT open oven door for 20 mins PRESENTATION-Chocolate dipping sauce Strawberry Jam Fresh flowers

Photo Credit: Insta : @lilyymatthews_

Draw chocolate heart on plate Fill with Strawberry jam Place meringue on side of plate Arrange fresh flowers 99

NEW LIFE FITNESS FITNESS

Too thin, too fat, too tall, too short, too boring..

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hese are many of the “toos” we face daily and many of the “toos” that influence how to we see ourselves. Have you ever wished you could change something about your body? I know I have, almost daily – those “toos” affect everyone. But did you know that you don’t need to have a perfect body to feel good about yourself.

During our teen years we experience such a radical change in our bodies that our self-esteem becomes self-conscious and we start comparing ourselves to others.

Photoshopping, actors, models, computerenhanced images often filter their way into our lives and start to dictate how we should look, act, and who we should become. What they say, do, think and feel

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towards their own bodies filters down and becomes the norm when it comes to our own body beliefs. We forget that every-body is different in its size, shape, marks, and beauty. You see everything around us targets us to feel negative towards ourselves and highlights what it is we should change (and most times will pressure you into purchasing something to achieve this). But when you like your body just as it is, you actually boost your body image and your self-esteem.

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My favourite way to boost my body image and self-esteem is to feel good inside and out. For me this means exercise, and not exercise to become skinny, muscular or to look a certain way. This is exercise to help clear my head, move the body, and get the blood pumping to help the body produce “happy hormones” (cortisol). You see, when you add activity into your daily life you actually tell your body to make positive changes to the way you think. All the extra heart beats you have when you exercise increases the amount of blood flow. This in time increases the blood flow

to your brain and helps create new brain cells – which will help improve your memory and develop your learning capability.

Exercise will also help reduce your stress and anxiety (through those happy hormones) and when you are facing less stress you can help increase and improve your social skills. Lastly, adding daily exercise to your routine can also help improve your sleep which allows your body to recover, grow, develop and repair – this means your body will be preforming at its best daily and you will be feeling your best a well.

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Some Daily Exercise I recommend: -30min walk

This can be to and from school, with your parents or friends, or even indoors. We want to focus on getting the body moving and increase the heart rate to something that is higher than usual (ideally around 120-140BPM.

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-30min Bike Ride, Swimming, Dancing.

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-30min Body weight exercises These can be Lunges, Burpees, Push-ups, crunches. Anything to get your body going! My favourite is T28 Fitness

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Aymie Comins

Human Performance Engineer Owner of New Life Fitness – Queensland Creator of T28 Fitness 107

JUNIOR RUGBY LEAGUE FITNESS

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Photo credit: Kristy McVay

This year the Penrith Junior Rugby League has hit an all time high for participation numbers throughout it’s grassroots competitions since Penrith Panthers have entered the competition way back in 1967. That includes over 9000 players which makes up 580 team and out of those 580 team there is 54 girls/womens teams.

The game maybe struggling in other areas throughout the country for plenty of different reasons, but out at Penrith they are doing something right and with all these rule changes coming into place that is being enforced by the governing body at a junior level, maybe the NRL and NSWRL need to find out what is Penrith doing right that has the game growing out in the Greater West of Sydney.

As a child growing up and playing the game of rugby league on a Saturday morning, the things I remember the most is the fresh cut grass on the field, the smell of the bbq, the mothers and their coffee urns, making life time friends and being taught life lessons.

Most competitions have started already around Australia, don’t worry you can still register your child to play the great game up until June 30th. To find your local club you can go to www.playnrl. com and the game is for everyone to play. It doesn’t matter if you’re a boy or a girl, if you have a disability there is different formats of the game to suit everyone.

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Trev Smith Facebook: BlacktownWorkersSeaEaglesOfficial Facebook: seriousaboutrl

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LIFE IN L PLATES

BY KAYLA

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hen you learn to drive, you attach L Plates to the front and back of the car, so that everyone around you knows to take it easy and be a little more caring while you learn. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could have L Plates when going through a rough patch, grieving a loss, when everything feels as if it’s becoming too much or you’re facing other challenges? Then everyone would know that we needed support.

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Years ago I found myself battling depression, anxiety, panic attacks and self-hate, when my relationship suddenly ended. After hitting rock bottom, I set out on a journey of recovery: to try to understand mental illness, what causes it and how it can be improved. What I didn’t expect to find was how many others were also suffering in silence.

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I realised that it is okay to not have life completely figured out—that it is okay to be a learner. I used the idea of living life in L Plates as a way to get through the dark times. As a way to wake up, get up and show up.

We are all learners at some stage of our lives. At some point we will face setbacks and overwhelm. That’s when we can put on our L Plates and know we are not alone. We can give the day, and life, another shot.

Life in L Plates offers a fresh perspective on mental wellness. It is a guide for those going through a tough time, or for those who know someone who is doing so.

AVAILABLE NOW, Click here: https://www.booktopia.com. au/life-in-l-plates-kayla-bauer/ prod9781401958015.html

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SHELLY BEACH HOLIDAY PARK

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NOW OPEN

at Shelly Beach Holiday Park is our new waterpark and swimming pool‌ including waterslides, spray zones and a tipping bucket it is the perfect spot to beat the summer heat. Our waterpark is themed on the beach including surfboards and beach balls; and suitable for all ages!

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Located just one hour north of Sydney, Shelly Beach is a mecca for surfers, beach lovers and holiday makers alike.

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Along with this we have also commenced the updating of our ocean view and beach walk cabins, with new staircases, some new furniture, air conditioning and flat screen TVs – you seriously won’t want to leave!

Nestled on the spectacular Shelly Beach, the Shelly Beach Holiday Park is one of the few holiday destinations on the NSW Central Coast where you can enjoy your own piece of paradise right near the beach.

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Shelly Beach Holiday Park offers affordable holiday rental accommodation as well as permanent caravan sites.

With a range of different holiday cabins and well-positioned caravan and tent sites to choose from, we have accommodation options to suit everyone. The fully self-contained Ocean View Cabins have a magnificent outlook and are nestled along

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pathways of tropical palms and flowering natives. Guests can enjoy a leisurely stroll to the beach, a 5 minute walk to the adjoining golf course, or visit any of the local clubs, restaurants, shopping centres and tourist attractions.

Shelly Beach is clean, calm and fully patrolled from October to April each year. The quiet location of the park makes it a safe place for kids to play and families to take a break and reconnect with each other. Set away from busy roads and fully enclosed with fencing, it’s a secure place for kids to have some fun! www.shellybeachholidaypark.com.au/ Photo Credit: Insta : @lilyymatthews_ 123