Ruby - Issue 5

All he needs is love...

A tale of two women and a baby.

EDITOR inter is finally over, dear readers, and I can’t remember ever wanting a winter to end more.

It seems that just about everyone I speak to says the same thing, that after a decade of drought, we had just forgotten what winter is really all about. But those cold, dark days have made the return of blue skies and sunny days all the more welcome.

So when we sat down to talk about this spring edition of Ruby magazine, we found ourselves torn between two topics – change, new ways of thinking and new life on one hand, and on the other, the modern take on the old seasonal idea of spring cleaning, creating a new interior for a new time of year through interior design. In the end, and because this is a magazine for passionate, empowered women – the kind of women that when faced with a choice between two things they really want decide not to compromise – we did both.

As a state, Victoria was considered to be at the forefront of the gay rights movement in the 1960s and 70s. However, gay sex between men only became legalised here in 1980, and it wasn’t until the year 2000 that it became illegal to discriminate against someone based on their sexual orientation. Same sex couples cannot be legally married here, but they can sign on to the Domestic Partnership Register that was launched in December 2008. And when it comes to same sex couples becoming parents, the law has been very slow in keeping up with modern standards of equality.

RUBY, an Adcell Print Group publication, is mailed to more than 5000 businesses in the G21 region.

If you would like to be added to the Ruby mailing list please contact us.

PUBLISHER - Maureen Tayler ISSN: 1838-1456 MANAGER - Caroline Tayler EDITOR - Davina Montgomery davina@adcellgroup.com.au FOR ADVERTISING Vinnie Kerr M 0409 427 473 vinnie@adcellgroup.com.au Trina Currie M 0402 268 624 trina@adcellgroup.com.au Adcell Print Group T (03) 5221 4408 F (03) 5221 3322 203 Malop Street, PO Box 491, Geelong, VIC 3220

2 | Ruby

The debate over the emotive and divisive issue of opening up access to assisted reproductive treatments has been heated, but in January 2010, the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Bill 2008 came into effect in Victoria. In this issue, we speak to two women who were watching the progression of this legislation very closely as they sought to start their own family.

Families come in all shapes, colours, genders and sizes, with ‘good’ families sharing one simple common denominator - they are based on love. And with so much that is negative, sad, heart breaking and appalling in our world, we can always do with a bit more love.

From the big changes to the everyday changes, spring is also the time that, like the Mole in the Wind in the Willows, we roll up our sleeves and get to work to freshen up our homes. Here in Geelong, we about with style savvy and furniture forward businesses that have everything you need to spruce up your home sweet home, and you will find many of them, and heaps of tips and great decorating ideas, in our Ruby Living section.

It has been twelve months since we brought you our first issue, and from everyone here at Ruby we say thank you, dear readers, for embracing us, for bringing us into your workplaces and homes, and sharing just a few of the amazing stories of the women who live, love and work in Geelong. There are plenty more to come…

Davina Montgomery

CONTENTS

Ruby Tuesday

4

Money 12

What’s Hot

24

Psychology

6

A Bloke’s View

Fashion

27

News

7

On Show 15

Food 33

Spotlight 8

Children’s Entertainment

20

On Page

Fitness

Andy Griffiths

22

9

14

54

35.

16.

All he needs is love...

A tale of two women and a baby.

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RUBY TUESDAY

“Hello Marge...”

Have you ever seen that episode of The Simpsons where Marge – fed up with doing everything around the house and having no time for herself (sound familiar?) - buys a home automation computer to take care of all those frustrating domestic duties?

Choosing the Pierce Brosnan setting (because it reminds her of ‘television’s Remington Steele’), the computer does take over the house – literally – doing all the tidying, cooking, cleaning, washing, sorting, folding, ironing, and organising, then greets the lady of the house with a bit of “Hello Marge” at the door, having run her a hot, deep bath and poured her a glass of bubbly. Sure, the Brosnan house computer becomes obsessed with Marge and tries to kill Homer, but did I mention it did the vacuuming and dusting as well?

The message might be a bit on the heavy-handed side, but does an excess of technology really always have to end badly? Just because we have brought the world into our living room via our laptops, iPads and smart phones, does that really mean that our laptops, iPads and smart phones are going to end up kicking us in the pants (presumably with those designer stiletto boots that we just had to have because the high Aussie dollar has made shoe buying from the USA more of an investment decision than an expensive hobby)?

Apparently, yes, it does. But not in the sci-fi ‘the washing machine has turned homicidal’ kind of way … it is much, much more terrifying. A seemingly happy afternoon chat with a group of mums of varying experience (that is, from the pregnant, to the mums of many kids, right through to those most hardened examples of motherhood, the mothers of teenagers) raised the topic of the current generation of tech kids. Have we really been so short sighted as to have happily skipped down a path where our children are more advanced than us by the time they can tie their own shoelaces?

It all started innocently enough, with tales of the ‘You won’t believe what my toddler was up to on my iPad the other day’. But when the talk turned to how our kids are increasingly not talking, I found myself thinking that if I want to talk to my munchkins when they hit the teen years (and yes, I know enough about teenagers to seriously doubt that I will want to) then I will seriously need to get on the technology band(width)wagon.

One of the ‘you can’t scare me, I’ve got a teenager’ mums was telling us how, on a recent trip to the snow, her only child – a typically shrugging and grunting example of teenhood – had been found in a lounge sitting with a young lady teen. They were apparently not saying a word to each other, or even looking at each other, but were very busily Facebooking each other. HUH??

Then another of the toughened by experience mums joined in, telling us that she had walked into her sister-in-law’s house and found the mum and her two kids all at home and all having a conversation on Facebook – one on the laptop, one on their iPhone and one on the iPad. HUH and DOUBLE HUH???? She did ask why they couldn’t just physically talk to each other, but apparently that just wasn’t going to happen.

Is this what I have to look forward to? Years and years of digital

4 | Ruby

RUBY TUESDAY

communication with people that once upon a time used to suck on my ears and call me ‘Mama’? Is this what modern parenting is all about?? Will I really mind??? (Oops, that would be one of the Freudian slips, revealing my cunning plan to build a ‘panic room’ style situation over the garage to lock myself in during the teen years!)

Of course I’m joking – well, almost completely joking anyway… As modern families go, we are actually pretty lowtech; we don’t even have a Facebook account! So after giving it some thought, I decided that there was nothing to worry about on the technology invasion front.

Then, as I was washing the dishes (yep, that’s right, physically washing the dishes, in the sink, with soap and sponge – old school style!) my phone rang. I was my beloved, light of my life, mower of lawns and reacher of things from the high shelves. He was calling to let me know that he had just told the car he was driving to call me, and it did!

Cue the menacing music… Did I detect a hint of Pierce Brosnan in the background?

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PSYCHOLOGY

ATTRACTION & reaction I have been sitting and contemplating sexuality. After much rumination, I came to the conclusion that human sexuality encompasses so much more than I could ever recount here.

It takes in cultural, political, legal, psychological and philosophical aspects. But the most commonly accepted perspective usually distils down to the way an individual is sexually attracted to another person.

So, if it is the opposite sex to whom you are attracted, then you are classed as the garden-variety heterosexual. If it’s that you are attracted to the same sex, then let’s call you a lesbian or homosexual. Or, if there is an attraction to both sexes, we will pop you into the bisexual basket. I love it that the incorrigible Samantha from Sex and the City added another dimension – the trisexual – “I’m trisexual, I’ll try anything once!” Amusing, yes, but applicable here, I think not.

I am rather partial to what I call my continuum theory, and to date it has always served me well. That is, sexuality - like most human conditions - falls on a continuum, and each of us sits somewhere along that band. And hey, sometimes we can shift position and that’s okay. Yes, you are right there is a great deal of bunching up at one end of the continuum - the hetero end - and herein lies the controversy. The majority usually rules and therefore everything outside of that realm may not be considered normal for many folks. You may recall my viewpoint on normal in our last edition. Normal is best regarded as a setting on your washing machine and little else; well, maybe the same applies here. So with that said, everyone has an opinion and when the subject matter isn’t considered mainstream, attitudes can be particularly polarised and defended to the death.

We all have social attitudes, whether they are overt or covert. It comes down to our own personal beliefs and values. Some folks keep their opinions to themselves and others just have to put them out there! Some readers may recall the good old days when it was considered impolite to speak of religion, politics or … darn, I can’t recall the third thing! I’m pretty sure it wasn’t sexuality, or was it? Anyway, who really listens to their parents?

Maybe that’s why attitudes do change over time, because we get so resistant to parents’ words of wisdom. This is perhaps a tiny bit irrational in itself, when you consider that it is our parents who are usually influential in forming our values and beliefs in the first place…

Whilst I’m standing on the attitudinal soapbox, emotion is a commonly used component of persuasion. Emotion is very often used in manipulating people’s attitudes. As you would be painfully aware, attitude manipulation is with us every day in advertising, health campaigns and political messages. Who can really dismiss the bloke coughing up phlegmy blood into his hankie after his ciggie? Yuk, please go away, I’m having my

6 | Ruby

dinner. Do you think you can be manipulated into changing your attitude through advertising? Seriously though, attitudes do change over time, and particularly through exposure as opposed to manipulation. Speaking for people harking from the baby boomer generation, I have my doubts as to whether our parents and families had the opportunity to view other sexual orientations through anything other than stereotypical eyes.

How times have changed, particularly around what constitutes a nuclear family. The institutionalised scripts that once characterised a family are being redefined. Families now come in all shapes and sizes: including single parent households; racially mixed households; blended step-families; and same-sex parents.

Even with alternative family forms becoming more prominent within society, gay and lesbian folk who are choosing to become parents remain undoubtedly in the minority.

At the risk of boring you into unconsciousness, I am able to speak with some authority on same-sex parenting. Some time back I chose this very topic for my thesis, which was published in the USA in 2007 - just blowing my own trumpet here! Anyway, I was interested in the attitudes of my counterparts – those of us who reside at the hetero end of the continuum - and examining their attitudes toward same-sex parenting. It turns out levels of sexual prejudice or homophobia were the key predictors of attitudes toward gay and lesbian parents – surprise, surprise. It was evident that, at the time of my study, Australian heterosexuals appeared not to be supportive of gay male and lesbian same-sex parents, and did not see positive outcomes resulting for their children.

The results, although not unexpected, stand in stark contrast to the empirical evidence showing same-sex parents raise welladjusted children. It was apparent that if same-sex parents and their children were to be accepted within society, substantial education and exposure was required. More currently, it’s people like Senator Penny Wong and her partner, as expectant parents, who may tip the balance for some.

On a completely ridiculous note, I read there is a rumour afoot that Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street may tie the knot. Samesex marriage, now there’s a controversial topic. I’m being frivolous here, but see what just happened for you? As you were reading you would have automatically formulated an opinion based on your attitudinal beliefs. And hello, we are talking about two fictional puppets getting married. Just wanting to demonstrate how our attitudes can kick in. It’s just what we do.

You have your opinions and I have mine. Sometimes we can also be ambivalent and hold both positive and negative attitudes simultaneously. We can also take on additional information and our attitudes can change as a function of our experience. And I thought they were just good friends…

by Charmaine Morse Psychologist

NEWS

DOING it for the kids It was one year ago, in our very first edition of Ruby magazine, that we talked to the inspiring founder of Bravehearts, Hetty Johnston, about her mission to end the silence around the sexual abuse of children in Australia.

Hetty, who was raised in Geelong and now lives in Queensland, was raising awareness of the difference already being made by Bravehearts across Australia and hoping to establish a Geelong branch of the organisation.

Now, twelve months on, there is not only a Geelong branch for Bravehearts, but Geelong has become the home for Victoria’s State office of Bravehearts, with Frank Costa lending his support as Patron. This October, the Geelong branch of Bravehearts will begin rolling out the Ditto education program to schools and kindergartens across the greater Geelong region – with the sizeable aim of bringing to program to kids aged 3 to 8 years-old at every primary school and kinder in the region over the next two years.

Jon Mamonski, Deputy Chair of Bravehearts Victoria, says it’s a shocking fact that 1 in 5 children will be sexually assaulted before they turn 18, and when the statistics are broken down into gender, it becomes 1 in 4 girls who will assaulted as children, and 1 in 7 boys.

“I think people struggle with that knowledge and wonder how that could be, but the thing is that in the past it’s just been swept under the carpet. So, by teaching children to understand what inappropriate behaviour is and to go and tell someone that they trust is really important. In the Ditto education program, if they take those two things away with them, then we’ve done our job.”

Here at Ruby magazine, we are asking all of our wonderful readers to lend their support to this wonderful program and send the

message out loud and clear that here in Geelong we are not going to put up with the sexual abuse of our children.

You can become a member of Bravehearts in Geelong for only $10 via the website at www.bravehearts.org.au or you can access the membership form at our website at www.adcellgroup.com.au.

Here at Ruby, we believe every child in Geelong should see the Ditto program, so if you would like to join with us in a Ruby readers sponsorship of Bravehearts in Geelong, send me an email at davina@adcellgroup.com.au and pledge whatever amount you are comfortable with. Bravehearts sponsorship costs $1000, and we want to help Bravehearts reach their goals of 100 sponsors across the region. Pass the message on to others at work, and mums and dads at your local schools, kinders, sporting clubs or social groups, because together, I know we can make a huge difference in the lives of our kids.

by Davina Montgomery

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SPOTLIGHT

It’s about how you play Champion Australian Netballer and Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist, Eloise Southby-Halbish, is lending her support to Glastonbury Community Services as champion for their early year’s programs.

The local Geelong mother of two is partnering with the local community service organisation to raise awareness about early childhood development. Eloise will become the face for the Early Years program, which focuses on creating positive and developmentally appropriate learning environments for children aged up to six years. The former Australian netball champion said being a mother of two young boys, twoyear-old Finn and 10-month-old Angus, made her realise the importance of a child’s early years of development.

“The part of the program that resonated with me the most is the research conducted around the important link between play and brain development in the early years,” she said. “It’s really crucial research and explains just how important the first three years of child’s life really are and how the simple use of fun games, reading and play not only encourages brain development but it also helps parents bond with their children,” she said.

Early years researchers now stress the influences of early experiences on children’s mental and emotional development. Children are born with a billion brain cells and no more are created after birth. However, the way those cells are linked together is controlled by the environment the infant experiences during the first three years of life.

Using to new technologies, recent scientific research has revealed that the development of a child’s brain is greatest between birth and three years of age. During these critical years the majority of a child’s brain is formed and it is during this process that the brain is set up for future capacity in the areas of language, intelligence and response to their environment.

It has been proven that by repetitive play and being read to from birth helps children to develop the essential pre-literacy skills needed to learn to read, and learning to read is the single most important factor in school success.

Eloise said that every mother and parent should be given the opportunity to be the best mum they can be.

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“Every parent sets out to be a good Mum or Dad, but really it’s all about being a better parent and knowing what you can do for your child’s early year’s development,” she said. “This is where Glastonbury’s services become so important, because they are all about educating both the child and the parent and giving them the tools they need to continue to play with their child at home.”

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CEO of Glastonbury Community Services, Gabrielle Nagle, said the organisation is honoured to have Eloise involved in the program.

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“Eloise is a champion in own her own right and it’s fantastic that we have her assistance in raising awareness and advocating for young children,” she said.

“We hope that she will help us to raise awareness of our service across the Barwon and South West Region so we can reach and assist more children and families who may not have been aware of our service.”

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fitness

10 fit facts So, you’re exercise savvy. You can keep up with Zumba moves, track your heart rate and negotiate the gym equipment.

But are you really getting the most out of your workout? To ensure your exercise regimen helps you tone up, maximise fat burning and avoid injury, it helps to understand some important exercise truths. Here, the fitness experts at Fernwood Women’s Health Clubs separate the fitness facts from the fitness fiction.

1. Does weight training make women bulk up like men?

NO In general, women don’t have enough testosterone to create big, bulky muscles. In fact, weight training builds lean muscle, which will help you burn more kilojoules, even at rest. Doing two one-hour sessions of weight training every week can help blitz belly fat and prevent middle-age spread.

2. If I push myself until I’m out of breath will I burn more fat? NO Intense exercise, such as sprinting, which leaves you gasping for breath, burns glycogen (the body’s main form of stored energy, made from carbohydrates). Fat is only burnt in the presence of oxygen, and once you get to gasping point, you’re not getting enough. If you can speak in sentences during a workout, that’s a good sign.

3. Is doing 100 sit-ups every day the best way to flatten my stomach? NO Spot reduction is a myth. If you want a flatter tummy, do some cardio work for all-over fat burning.

4. Does pushing to feel muscle burn mean I’m giving my muscles the best workout? NO Anything more than a mild burning sensation in your muscles as you’re exercising means you could be injuring yourself or risking strain by pushing too hard too soon. Ease back and you will get more benefit from exercise.

5. Is It True Stretching Before A Workout Can Cause An Injury? YES If you stretch a cold muscle, this can put you at risk of a painful strain, do some low level exercise before stretching.

6. Is Drinking Water During A Workout The Main Cause Of Muscle Cramps? NO Your water bottle should always be close at hand before, during and after exercise. You should, however, make sure you take small sips not huge gulps.

Moderation is the key.

7. If i perspire during exercise, does that mean i’m unfit? NO. In fact, perspiring is a sign your body is coping more efficiently with the temperature change. For this reason, a fitter woman may get signs of perspiration sooner.

8. Is there anything i can do to reduce the ache of sore muscles after exercise? YES. Pain after exercise often occurs due to muscles contracting. This can be alleviated by gentle massage and stretches that will help elongate and realign the muscle fibres. Soaking in a hot bath or applying an ice pack can also provide some relief.

9. Is jogging better exercise than walking? NO. If you jog for 5km and walk for 5km, you’ll burn the same amount of kilojoules. The important thing is to know which one better suits your lifestyle, commitments and ability to stay motivated.

10. Does exercise decrease appetite? YES. As well as burning kilojoules, working out regularly helps cut cravings and hunger pangs. How? By helping restore the sensitivity of important hormone receptors that control appetite. This means that as well as looking toned and terrific, staying fit will help you eat less, feel full and find it easier to maintain a healthy weight.

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fitness

Corporate Golf – not the usual ‘boys club’ What do contemporary corporate women, teenage boys and golf and have in common?

A more eclectic mix is surely hard to find with these three individual ingredients at extremes on the sociological spectrum.

But recently, a wonderful and heartwarming story unfolded in Geelong with surprising results.

Over recent years a steady decline in junior golf numbers prompted an imaginative and innovative approach to introduce the game to more juniors. Within the Greater Geelong region, golf is administered principally by Golf Geelong and under the enthusiastic and pioneering direction of district representative, Graeme Welsh, a new way of creating golfing partnerships ensued. Graeme has been highly visual and outspoken throughout the Geelong golfing community for many years and his vision of involving a junior golf development program with a corporate sponsor is not necessarily new. But adding corporate mentors to participate alongside the teenagers certainly is.

Mark Russell is the Principal of Western Heights College and loved the potential of the program. Golf is an excellent additive into young people’s lives as the game requires many principles and disciplines of self regulation which are valuable life teachings for young people. The College has faced its own very public troubles a couple of ago with a string of student suicides. The problems behind these situations are always complicated but to the credit of the College and its community, they have shown great resolve in many important areas. For a group of twenty year 9 boys, golf was to be their lesson.

St John of God Pathology (PathCare) and the City of Greater Geelong also saw the wisdom of Graeme’s idea and respectively backed the program with the important corporate funding. The funding allowed for three PGA professionals to provide teaching, a set of golf clubs for each participant to keep, one year access to Queens Park golf course and a fantastic graduation party held in The Captain’s room at Skilled Stadium. But the corporate funding came also with the real gem in the program.

Participation! Through its social outreach program, PathCare called for staff members to act as mentors and join the golfing youngsters and a brave group of volunteer women headed out to

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The program began in April at Queens Park under the coaching guidance of club professional, Aaron Rayson and his team. At first, the ten weeks began with the usual nervousness, with each group slightly suspicious of each other. The boys all looked reserved, shy and even slightly menacing. To the boys, no doubt, the mentors also presented a great challenge of cultural uncertainty. However, as the weeks passed by, there was a steady warming in relations. The women broke through the collective cold mistrust shown to them. The boys allowed the warm candle of friendship to light their world of teenage perception. The effort needed to look “cool” eventually melted into a genuine joy in sharing companionship with a group of successful modern women. The women too treasured “their” boys and unlikely friendships flourished. As Mark Russell stated at the graduation, “Most people are scared stiff of teenagers, but really, they’re just young people who are just trying to fit in”.

The program was a great success for the College and for the twenty lucky boys. PathCare used the program to get their staff involved as mentors and their social outreach program objectives were achieved. The mentors had a great time and their comments about their new friendships are heartwarming. By using golf as the vehicle, two very different social grouping found a commonality where much has been learned. Refreshingly new levels of understanding and acceptance have been found.

Teenage boys, corporate life and golf! Just imagine if that cocktail arrived at your workplace? Would you be game?

by Martin Stolz

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Ruby | 11

MONEY

WHAT choices do you have?

This year’s Equal Pay Day is 1 September 2011 (only four days earlier in the new financial year than last year).

This means that in the 2010/11 financial year, women had to work an average of 61 more days than their male colleagues doing the same job to earn the same amount. Put another way, women working full-time in Australia are paid only about 83 cents for every dollar earned by men .

Pay inequity exists across all industries and at all levels, and reveals systemic discrimination and continued undervaluation of women’s work. Fair Work Australia have launched a case that recognises that there are over 150,000 workers in community services, nearly all women, who are undervalued for the work they do . As the gap between levels of Government funding and the need for services grows, this sector is under more pressure to cut wages while expecting more of their (mostly women) workers.

The AMWU’s 2010 Breaking the Perspex Ceiling Report found that more than 70% of women in Australia’s manufacturing industry have never been promoted and 74% see no opportunity for promotion in the next five years . Underlying this figure, 63% say they don’t receive workplace training.

So, what is the cost of pay inequity? A NATSEM report (2010) revealed the economic impact of the gender wage gap of 17% costs the Australian economy $93 billion each year – equating to 8.5% of GDP . And a McKinsey study in 2007 demonstrated that companies with three or more women in top management roles did better in operating results, share price and return on equity than male dominated companies .

But the day to day downside of pay inequity comes because of its impact on workforce participation. It is increasingly recognised that today’s workforce culture is still based on a male breadwinner whose requirements are expected not to change

throughout his life. Yet we’re still trying to fit the lifecycle of women, and of men who want to take part in their family’s growth, into this culture.

This impacts the choices women can make throughout their lives.

President of BPW Geelong, Jenny Gretgrix believes that many younger women don’t believe that equal pay is an issue that affects them. “Many women don’t recognise the impact of pay inequity until they start their family. But the consequences are many and real and affect a number of the most important decisions women and families make during their lifetime”.

Ms Gretgrix is optimistic the conversation is changing as we realise that pay inequality isn’t solely a women’s issue; it affects families and the options available for balancing work and family commitments. “If the pay system assumes that men will be the breadwinner, then it actually forces men to be the breadwinner” says Ms Gretgrix. “Often the choice is removed for men wanting to have a greater role in the upbringing of their children as their partner is potentially on a much lower wage. The lower wage also means that many couples have to both work just to be able to continue to pay the mortgage and living costs.”

Choice again becomes an issue when women retire. Based on current pay rates, the average superannuation payout to a woman is projected to be $150,000, which is half of the average payout to a man in 2010/11 . This means that women are more likely to become dependent on a Government pension or risk poverty in their retirement.

So, even if you think you can afford to stay or leave for reasons other than pay, this issue may already be impacting the choices you and your family can make. In considering your own position, think about the organisation you work for, how you value yourself, and what choices you’ve already made.

Is the culture of the organisation you work for a ‘one size fits all’ culture or does it cater for the changing needs and circumstances of a variety of workers? How confident are you at negotiating pay increases for yourself, or do you feel this is an area you could improve? What choices have you already made, and what can you now do to redress the inequity of one or many years?

But possibly even more importantly, what choices will our sons and daughters have and what can we do now to ensure they have the options and equality that we should already have?

Equal Pay Day in Australia is brought alive by BPW Australia.

You can find out more information at www.equalpayday.com.au.

BPW Australia is part of an international organisation that informs and lobbies government at all levels, including the United Nations where it holds Special Category Status, on current and emerging issues of importance to women. BPW Australia works to achieve equal pay, equal representation, equal rights and equal opportunities for Australian women.

12 | Ruby

MONEY

WOMEN in the workplace Are you supporting the women in your organisation to reach their potential so your company can reach its full potential?

Women today make up over half of the population. There are more women than men being educated at secondary schools and universities, and more woman than men graduate with bachelor degrees. Companies worldwide are beginning to realise the importance of having a gender balance in their workplace. Despite this however, women are still not supported enough at work to reach senior positions and businesses are missing out on the opportunities that come with a balance of gender in senior leadership teams.

Studies show significant improvements in decision-making quality in more gender balanced leadership teams, as women bring new perspectives and skills to the table. Having women on your senior team brings a more holistic approach to decision-making and success and can result in greater financial turnovers for your business.

So how can you, as an employer, help your female workers achieve their full potential? Take time to understand the factors which women consider important in feeling successful. Women often want management skills training, coaching and flexible working environments, and these are the sort of things employers should consider.

Understand how women like to be remunerated. Recognition, acknowledgement and flexibility tend to be the preferred currencies over money. Identify the talented women in your organisation and the roles in which they currently work. Provide opportunities that enable women to continue to develop their leadership skills. Ensure that the culture of your organisation is one in which both men and women are encouraged equally.

Provide senior mentors both internally and externally and take time to understand what drives and motivates the women in your company.

We live in a new day, an age where women are seeking to achieve their potential at work. It is time that we embrace gender equality in the workplace and open the doors to equal opportunity, so that everyone can succeed together.

by Renée Jovic Owner & Managing Accountant, Jovic Bantacs Accountants Pty Ltd DISCLAIMER: This article is for guidance only, and professional advice should be obtained before acting on any information contained herein. Neither the writer, publishers nor the distributors can accept any responsibility for loss occasioned to any person as a result of action taken or refrained from in consequence of the contents of this article.

Specialised Services

Renée Jovic

• Property Investment • Accounting • Taxation • Business Solutions

Level 1, 80 Pakington Street, Geelong West E: admin@jovicaccounting.com.au P: 03 5222 6962

“Providing Solutions to Businesses, Individuals and Property Investors.

With a Personal Approach”

Web: www.jovicaccounting.com.au and www.bantacs.com.au

Ruby | 13

A BLOKE’S VIEW

PERSPECTIVE is a beautiful thing When I was walking down Malop Street on a recent sunny day without a care, I found it was easy to forget about my troubles.

Whistling is not de rigueur in this millennium, but I kind of felt like a note or two was building up behind my teeth. At the southern opening of Westfield, I met the usual crew of Craig and Matt and Tina – the conclave of unofficial greeters for the shopping centre.

You can never pass Tina without getting the biggest, brightest hello. Tina mostly sits slightly askew in her wheelchair; that is just how she is – a little bit bent. Bent in a good way that is, because her mischievous smile is instantly on her face showing grace and an almost Da Vinci-esque sense of humour. I can’t figure it; Tina is one of the happiest people I know.

If I imagine me in her place I would be less happy, far less. If I was in a wheelchair or living with Cerebral Palsy I would not expect to be happy at all. I would be angry and yelling at the world and its blatant cruelty. I am such a wuss that to be confined in a motel room for a week is a pain that thrusts me onto the threshold of despair; but to be locked into a wheelchair for life is beyond comprehension, yet when you raise the issue with Tina she just shrugs her shoulders and says at least she can get around by herself, “It’s a good life”.

I met Tina Gulino thirty years ago when she got a job as a receptionist at the Gordon. She was a tiny tadpole of a girl who lived life large. Darting here and there to get a message - always armed with a smile and good word. She had all the tracks worked out. The Gordon was one of the first places to be wheelchairfriendly, but the term was relative because, at times, to get from one building to another, you had to bypass the stairs by heading off in the opposite direction and cut through the garden and launch down a perilous ramp. It might have be a fine adventurous path in the summer, but it turned into something that resembled a wet and slimy section of the Kokoda track in winter. The return journey was steep and you could see Tina having to take multiple bites on the wheels trying to gain a few centimetres at a time. Sometimes there would be a devoted friend braving the weather beside her as she made the incremental climb back to the office. Tina would be chatting away to her companion without a concern. It was just how things were.

She was a traveller - always off to some destination on the weekends, or maybe a nightclub. She didn’t notice the wheelchair and, as long as you didn’t mind a few bruises on your shins, it just wasn’t an issue. One year Tina helped raise funds for, and organise, a bus trip for people with disabilities who had never been outside of Geelong. It was to be a simple affair. The plan was to journey towards Mildura and camp and then across the Barossa to Adelaide and back along the coast. Government sponsorship didn’t go far, so we made do with a bit of rough

14 | Ruby

accommodation. The first night somebody had skipped their medication, so I left Tina in charge and spent the night in a hospital waiting room. The next night we didn’t make our planned destination, but we found a camping ground that was sufficient; but sure enough, it ended up as another night with Tina in charge and me camping out on the plastic chairs of another hospital waiting room. You can imagine that I wasn’t the most attentive when we arrived at our interim destination of the Kesbrook camping grounds.

We were originally told that the accommodation was situated on a flat, lightly treed park and was definitely wheelchair friendly.

Well, it might have been wheelchair friendly - apart from the massive bollards at the front entrance that is. It was hard enough for someone who had eaten more than two helpings of cornflakes for breakfast to get between the towering barriers. We were baffled. How we were to get Tina through? Someone suggested that we should throw her… Hey, I’m not looking for excuses, but I had spent long tiring hours driving the bus and the two previous nights in hospital waiting rooms, so in that moment it did seem like the only plausible idea. So Tina was soon parted from her trusty chair and the chair was airborne over the bollards. Then we turned to Tina and realised that we couldn’t fit between the poles using a fireman’s carry or any of the more dignified lifts.

Someone said we could throw her as well… In the end the best we could come up with was to drag her by the arms backwards until we could reunite her with her chair. All she could say was the view of the valley and the tall trees was quite nice.

These days Tina has a tinge of grey in her hair and some dignified smile lines. She works hard at getting a better deal for people living with disabilities, and with the new government concept of a disability insurance scheme, there is finally some real hope on the horizon. Tina works selflessly trying to make the world a better place. Living in a caring community is a dream that will help us all.

I know she does great work, but my reason for liking Tina is selfish: I appreciate her because I get a better outlook on life just from sharing a simple conversation with her.

The other day I was walking passed a hairdressing salon and could hear an argument about the disappointment of one of the clients over her new hair colour. It was an [expletive], [expletive] and [EXPLETIVE] kind of bluster, then a middle aged woman stormed out, obviously furious. She looked slim and as stunningly beautiful as a magazine cover. After listening to this tirade, I went for a walk to see if Tina was hanging around Westfield, as I was thinking that a good dose of serenity would be just the thing.

I thought maybe the salon lady should have come along to see what real beauty is like - it emanates from the inside and glows for all to see and never relies on the colour of hair or functional legs.

by Clint Jennings

ON SHOW

Often I find that I am naked Are you in need of a seriously fun girls night out?

If you are (and let’s face it, who isn’t!), then dust off the stilettos, gather the ladies together and trip along to Often I Find That I Am Naked this September – presented as part of the Shaken & Stirred @ GPAC season.

Dating in the 21st century is complicated. With so many possible avenues to meet Mr Right, how many disastrous speed dates, mobile games and online fabrications must the modern woman endure?

Jezebel is career-focused and ‘unlucky-in-love’ and has tried almost anything in her endless quest for love. Sex and the City meets Bridget Jones’ Diary in this madcap cabaret that takes a hilariously honest look at the ups and downs of single life.

Often I Find That I Am Naked is an outrageous comedy with pop songs for anyone who has ever dreamed of perfect love but woken up, hung over and naked in a stranger’s bed… or bathtub. “ This well crafted black comedic piece of genius theatre has everything you could think of, from live music to cheesy pick-up lines and a guide to the dos and don’ts of the dating world, it’s one that will have you both in fits of laughter and cringing in horror. The performances by Jo Thomas and Sam Clark are outstanding…”

– Rip It Up, Adelaide “ a polished black comedy… plenty of (strictly adult) humour and some – theatreguide.com.au great “theme music” … 4 stars” “impeccable delivery and undeniable humour”

– Scene Magazine

Visit www.gpac.org.au for show bookings and information

Ruby | 15

NEWS

All he needs is love...

A tale of two women and a baby.

16 | Ruby

ALL HE NEEDS IS LOVE Sam’s parents have been together for seven years. Theirs is a committed relationship – they both have good jobs in Melbourne, and they share a house in inner-Melbourne and one in Geelong.

As a couple they are a lot of fun and their home is always been filled with laughter. When they decided they wanted to start a family, there were a few hurdles to overcome, but through assisted reproductive technology, they have a beautiful little boy.

Now the couple are planning a little brother or sister for Sam. It sounds like a fairly everyday story, and in a lot of ways it is, except that in this family, there are two female parents. Through donor insemination and IVF, Anna became pregnant and had Sam a little over six months ago. Now Rebecca is also starting IVF, and will hopefully be able to have a baby through the same donor.

Anna invited us into their Geelong home to talk about what it means to be a family with a bit of a difference.

“My cousin was in the same situation as me, and when her and her partner wanted to have a baby they went through IVF in Queensland. We went up to visit her after she had her baby and we got talking about it, and we found out that the laws around IVF in Victoria were changing. We started looking into it and got a referral to Melbourne IVF and it all went from there.

“At the time, we were thinking that we could both have a baby at the same time, but when we went in for our first appointment we were told that wasn’t going to work and that one of us would have to go first. We decided that I would go first, because I was probably a bit healthier at the time and more likely be successful earlier with the IVF. We were both getting close to 40 years old, so time was of the essence as well.

“I think at the time we thought it was all going to happen fairly quickly, but then we had to wait until the end of that year for the law to come into effect before we could start the IVF. In Victoria, same sex couples cannot jointly adopt a child – although a gay woman or man can become an adoptive parent, and the state began allowing stepparent adoptions in 2008. In September 2008, legislation was introduced into Victorian Parliament that would open up access to assisted reproductive technologies to same sex couples. The bill was always going to be highly contentious, as the issue of same sex parents remained both emotive and divisive. Despite all lower house Coalition members voting against it, the bill made it to the upper house,

where it was passed by a mere 2 votes. The Assisted Reproductive Treatment Bill 2008 came into effect in January of 2010, allowing same sex couples and single people legal access to assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF), artificial insemination and altruistic surrogacy.

The change of the law in 2010 did not mean that gay couples were able to access IVF in Victoria for the first time, because IVF had already been available for gay women in this state if they were deemed to be medically infertile. What that meant was whether you were a married heterosexual couple, a single woman or a lesbian, if you were deemed to be medically infertile, you were legally allowed to access IVF in this state. And all women aged over the age 40 are classified as medically infertile. The change in the law meant that from this point on, all women, regardless of whether or not they were technically infertile and regardless of their relationship status or sexuality, were legally able undergo IVF treatment in Victoria. For Anna, who at the time had not yet turned 40, it meant waiting for the new law to come in to effect before even beginning the long process of IVF. Everyone who requests access to IVF treatment in this state must, along with any relevant partner, undergo a number of legal checks, including a National Police Record Check and a Child Protection Order Check. The individual or couple must also undergo at least one mandatory counselling session. Then the potential IVF patient must undergo a mandatory two rounds of intrauterine insemination (IUI), and if those two procedures fail to result in a pregnancy, then they can move on to IVF treatment.

For many lesbian couples in Victoria, the introduction of the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act 2008 meant that they could now seriously pursue the opportunity to start a family. And while Anna and Bec were among the first couples to take advantage of the changed legal landscape, they were not the only ones.

The journey for the couple began in January 2009, when they saw their doctor to gain a referral to Melbourne IVF. They had their first appointment at the fertility clinic in May, after which they underwent the required counselling, organised the legal checks and gained all the necessary approvals. Then they waited for the Act to come into effect, which it did in January 2010.

In March Anna underwent two IUI treatments, which were unsuccessful. In June it was back to Melbourne IVF for egg collection, which is done under general anaesthetic, and five of

Ruby | 17

ALL HE NEEDS IS LOVE

“ The first round of IVF worked for us with Sam when we had a fresh embryo, but there is a lower chance of it working with a frozen embryo that’s been defrosted.

That sounds terrible doesn’t it - like you’re talking about something out of the freezer at home. Microwave express baby! ” Anna’s eggs were fertilised. Two out of the five eggs were successfully fertilised, one was implanted and the other embryo was frozen. The implanted embryo developed into a successful pregnancy, and earlier this year, baby Sam entered the world.

“It was amazing to see them actually doing the transfer, they put it up on a screen so you can see it, and Bec actually bonded with Sam in that moment, when he was just four little cells. As soon as she saw it she said she got a big gush of emotion, that she was seeing her baby. She immediately started calling him Four Cells while I was still worried it might not work. Then when he was born I pretty much went into shock because it all happened so quickly, and Bec had to take him, so she had that first contact with him and really bonded straight away. I think it took me until later that day until it all seemed real to me, that he was my baby,” Anna said.

The change in legislated access to IVF last year opened the doors for more gay couples and single people to undergo the treatment, and while the couple didn’t actually know anyone else going through the program at the same time as them, Anna said they noticed other gay couples going to appointments as well, and would joke that it must be Gay Day that day.

“We had quite a bit of counselling, around four appointments over an eight-week period, and they were always pretty intense.

You have it in your mind how everything would work, but then you would go and see this counsellor – and she was fantastic – but she would throw up all of these scenarios that we hadn’t really considered.

“There are many options. You can bring your own donor or you can use an anonymous donor and there are a lot of potential consequences that you have to consider with both options. But really, a lot of those choices and consequences that you go over in the counselling sessions are the same whether you are a gay or a straight couple; it doesn’t really make any difference. I thought they were very, very thorough and I think the counselling was really beneficial,” Anna said.

It was at this stage that the couple decided to use an anonymous donor. Anna showed me the donor profiles that were sent to the couple to choose from. The information contained in these profiles is pretty basic stuff – there are the obvious things like eye colour, hair colour, height and build, along with personal and family medical history, education, profession and interests. There is also a section that donors can fill in, if they want, providing some of their thoughts on why they have chosen to donate (remembering that it is illegal to be paid to donate sperm or eggs here). In Sam’s donor’s profile, there are some nice insights in to what he was like as a child.

“The profiles you get are pretty basic. The guy we chose was honest about why he was donating, saying that he hadn’t had any children of his own and wanted to pass on his genes. This donor was also open to meeting the child before he turned 18 and we think it’s important – if he wants to – for Sam to have the option of finding out genetically where he comes from.

“In the beginning Bec wanted the donor to be part of the baby’s life, part of our life, but the counsellor recommended that we think very carefully about it, as it raised a lot of legal issues in terms of access and custody rights – it can become really messy.

It also became a time issue, because whoever you brought into the process as a donor also had to go through counselling and all the tests and checks. That takes around six months and at any time throughout that period they could change their mind.

18 | Ruby

ALL HE NEEDS IS LOVE “As time went on Bec changed her mind, although I think for her, not knowing what [the donor] is like is really hard. It was always easier for me, and now that Sam’s here, it’s even easier because he looks so much like me.”

New babies are exciting not only for their parents, but also for the families of the parents, and it was no different for Anna and Bec. “At first I didn’t really tell my family. I didn’t want to build up the expectation and excitement that it could happen and then it doesn’t happen. I did tell my sister, and she was really excited.

Bec told her family and mostly they were really excited, although one her sisters was a bit concerned about how to explain it to their kids, but it’s all worked out fine. I don’t think kids really question it when all they know is seeing us together,” Anna said.

“Bec’s sister and her little boy, Will, used to live with us, and one day when my other sister and her kids came to visit, her son Eamon was complaining, saying, “It’s not fair Mum, Will’s got three mums and I’ve only got one. It’s not fair.” That’s just the way that kids think. For one of Bec’s sister’s kids, they have another Aunty on their dad’s side who also has a female partner, so they just accept it as well.”

Sitting there, talking to Anna about this part of her story, it occurred to me over the years since we were kids a lot has changed in the acceptance of same sex relationships.

“I think it is different now. There is still the whole marriage thing, but really, that wouldn’t make any difference to us. If people want to do it, then I believe they should be able to, but I don’t think that many people would do it to be honest. When people talk about marriage, they talk about what a big commitment it is, but we’ve got a baby together, and that’s as big as anything I can think of, and hopefully soon we’ll have two. It’s really nice to think that Sam might have a brother or a sister, and that they would always have each other.”

So now the process begins again for Anna and Bec, but this time the process is familiar and the same people that were there during the journey last year will be there again.

“It’s always good to work with the same people, and we said all along that it would be Bec next. They were all fantastic, from the counsellor to the gynaecologist, to the obstetrician, and the hospital is right next door, so we had the chance to get familiar with everybody, which was really good. When I was there, I couldn’t wait to get started, and now Sam’s here and it’s Bec’s turn. It’s just amazing.

“But because we know how it works now, we know it can take six cycles or even more before it works, and even then you’re not guaranteed that it will work. I was 39 and even then we were told I only had a 20 per cent chance of it working, but we were lucky and it worked that first time. You just Becr know, that’s the way it goes, but I still have an embryo in storage. Just after Sam was born I said I was Becr going to do that again, but the option is there, and if the IVF didn’t work for Bec, I think we’d think about it,” Anna said.

“There is always a lot of things to think about. The first round of IVF worked for us with Sam when we had a fresh embryo, but there is a lower chance of it working with a frozen embryo that’s been defrosted. That sounds terrible doesn’t it - like you’re talking about something out of the freezer at home. Microwave express baby! But I do think Bec has got the raw end of the deal. I went first, so if she is going to be staying home with a baby, she’s going to have a toddler to look after as well.”

In many ways Anna and Bec face some unique dilemmas, unique to the fact of raising a family with same sex parents, but in many other ways, the challenges in front of them are the same as those faced by all parents. We no longer just expect that when it comes to splitting the at-home parenting and working roles in a household that having children automatically means Dad goes to work and Mum stays home with the kids. Stay at home mums are now far from the norm with most parents balancing both work and family responsibilities. Many kids grow up with only one parent at home that isn’t necessarily the mother, or splitting their time between two homes, and even two blended families, after a parental separation. When it comes to families, they really do come in all shapes and sizes.

One very unique and special aspect of this relationship is that if Bec can have a baby through IVF, then both parents in this family will experience first-hand what it is to be pregnant, to give birth and to stay at home with a baby. Imagine all the arguments that would solve!

“It’s definitely cool in that way, but there are obviously some things that are harder. I didn’t feel comfortable going to Mother’s Group for example, especially here in Geelong, where I don’t think it would be as common to have same sex parents as it would be in Melbourne. And it was the same when we chose an IVF clinic, we knew they had clinics in Geelong but we just felt it would be a bit more accepted in Melbourne, or maybe that was just our interpretation. I think a lot of that comes from your own doubts more so than what you see in other people.

But when it comes their child, and potentially their children, Anna and Bec share many of the same hopes and anxieties as other parents – some they can control, but many they can’t. One of the aspects of the childhood they want for Sam and any potential siblings, is to have some strong male influences close at hand. Anna said the couple are lucky that they have a very supportive family network, with the uncles more than happy to provide bear hugs, wrestling matches, a bit of a kick around in the park, and those all-important tips on everything from shaving through to understanding girls – although young Sam might have a bit of an advantage over other lads there!

As for the future, the couple are now focused on Bec’s IVF treatment, and on cherishing their gorgeous son as he continues to grow and learn.

by Davina Montgomery (In the interests of privacy, all names have been changed in this article).

Ruby | 19

CHILDREN’S ENTERTAINMENT

THE BUSINESS of magic Walking home from Pako Fest this year, we passed a magician in his driveway. “Mum,” my five year old whispered urgently. “That’s Dan the Magic Man. He said hello to me at Poppykettle!”

He said hello this time, too, and she all but melted into the footpath. Clearly, Dan had cast some sort of spell on my notoriously bad-at-remembering-names daughter, but she would not be the only child to remember him from one busy festival to the next. Some children may even have been fortunate enough to have Dazzling Dan the Magic Man appear at their own birthday party.

The increasing presence of entertainers in the guise of magicians, fairies, pirates and clowns at children’s birthday parties and events has been well documented. From a parent’s point of view, the attraction is obvious. Having a professional to run the games, perform magic and keep the children enthralled while you deal with the sausage rolls and birthday cake makes the whole idea of holding a party at home much less daunting.

But what’s the attraction for the fairies and magicians? What drives someone to spend an afternoon keeping a bunch of kids happy while dressed in a quirky costume? Is it really possible to make a viable business of it?

Dazzling Dan is proof that you can, but you need to rely more on hard work and business sense than magic. Dan’s been practicing

his magic since he was six and his mother cleverly channelled his love of practical jokes into a more constructive interest. His first magic show was held for his brother’s birthday while he was still at primary school and led to a part time job with a difference at high school.

“I was exploring acting as a career when I befriended the Incredible Roy Maloy, who told me I could make pocket money out of performing magic at children’s parties,” Dan says. “So I printed up some business cards at school and began promoting myself.”

Various useful contacts saw the budding entertainer booked for the Geelong Show, Poppykettle and other fairs around Geelong.

The public performances led to birthday parties, and word of mouth kept Dan busy enough through high school that he didn’t need to find a “real” job like his friends.

Now magic is his real job. After completing a course in television production at RMIT, Dan and his then girlfriend (now wife), Lisa, who was studying PR at the time, decided he could build on his clientele of repeat bookers, agents and festivals and make a living out of it. After ten years of networking and brand building, being Dazzling Dan the Magic Man is now his main source of income, but, like any small business it’s hard work behind the scenes.

“It has taken quite some time to build it to what it is today.

Everything happened one step at a time, learning as we grew,” Dan says. “It takes a lot of extra hours to ensure the paper work is kept up to date and all my legal requirements are covered.

“One of the toughest challenges is the hours of administration work in my home-office. Working from home means I get to spend quality time with my family, but it also means some very long hours on the phone and in emails, especially in the lead up to Christmas and other seasonal times of the year. At times it can be hard to clock off.”

For Chantelle Fava (aka Fairy Shanni) of Shanni’s Parties, entertaining children is an ideal small business to operate while raising her son, J.T. A professional musical theatre performer, Chantelle began working for the Starlight Children’s Foundation after J.T., now almost six, was born. Then she was hired by a large company to fill in for some children’s birthday parties.

“As a mother, I wasn’t happy with the service they were providing,” she says. “I decided to start my own small business, with my point of difference being that I’m a Mum. I know how much is put into getting a party together. I honour the magic of a child’s birthday and I know how important it is.

“To be a children’s entertainer you need to love your job and you need to love children or it would just be too hard. I really understand the amount of effort and money that goes into a child’s birthday and I don’t take it for granted. I really push that

20 | Ruby

CHILDREN’S ENTERTAINMENT to all my employees. That’s also why I choose to keep it as a small business: I don’t want to lose the personal aspect of it. It’s not just a job, it’s a part of someone’s special day, and they will have memories of that day forever.”

Competition for the party dollar is high. Both Chantelle and Dan work hard on promoting and marketing their businesses and rely on happy clients to spread the word. Both have websites, Dan’s at dazzlingdan.com.au and Chantelle’s at shannisparties.com.au, where potential clients can find out more and contact the performers. Other children’s entertainers have Facebook pages or advertise in the Yellow Pages or parenting magazines.

“I started by creating my website and getting my name out to my potential market,” Chantelle says. “Knowing who your market is and where to find them is most important. If your clients don’t know who you are they can’t find you.”

As with many businesses whose brand awareness and success relies solely on the image of the business owner, Chantelle and Dan both have to deal with what happens if it all gets too busy for one person. At Shanni’s Parties, the answer lies in handpicking professional performers and colleagues Chantelle knows personally and can trust.

“They are all trained singers, dancers and actors,” she says. “I have to rely on them to not let me down and trust that they always perform to my standards and I also have to take a lot more time to organise each party and make sure they have all the details prior to the booking.”

For Dan, who also performs at festivals, schools, kindergartens, day care centres, corporate events and, on the odd occasion, prisons, cruise ships and steam trains, time management and timing are the keys to keeping all his clients satisfied.

“I spend a lot of time creating templates and business processes to ensure that when something is up and running it runs efficiently and effectively,” he says. “I have lots of fantastic ideas but I have to prioritise to ensure that when something is implemented, it works.”

Children can be the harshest of critics and, according to Chantelle and Dan, they are also experts at picking up when people don’t actually like children, or don’t want to be there.

The trick is to keep performances fresh and age appropriate.

Chantelle tries out new acts on J.T., her personal quality control supervisor: “If he likes it and or laughs, it goes in.”

“Most of my entertainers also work with children day in and day out and this means we’re ‘in’ with what’s cool at the time,” she adds. “It’s important to stay current. I try to make sure parties are streamlined so the kids are never waiting around for too long.

We perform for their attention span so that they have the best time possible.”

That also includes children with special needs; something Chantelle has first-hand knowledge of, as J.T. suffers from autism. “Like myself, all my employees have experience working with ASD children,” she says. “I’m happy to take bookings for ASD families and they can be sure they’re getting an entertainer who understands the complications that may arise during the party.”

Working with children is not the only occupational hazard of this type of business. Ever tried putting petrol in your car while dressed as a fairy? Or getting airport customs officers to believe you when you fill in your occupation as “magician”?

Nevertheless, the downsides are not enough to deter Dazzling Dan, Fairy Shanni or their counterparts.

“It doesn’t feel like work,” Dan says. “I love seeing people’s reactions to magic and making children and adults laugh. It’s a wonderful workplace, too. Who else gets to attend parties and festivals when they go to work every day?”

by Judy Baulch

Adams Court, Eastern Park Gardens East Geelong, VIC P: (03) 5226 2121 E: gcc.functions@aus.salvationarmy.org

www.gcc.net.au

Ruby | 21

ANDY GRIFFITHS

Just Hilarious: Andy Griffiths Andy Griffiths says that in his imagination he wants a marshmallow machine that follows him around shooting marshmallows into his mouth, but as an adult writer, he was actually a little worried about that part of his latest children’s book, The 13-Storey Treehouse.

He says he caught himself wondering if that was the kind of dietary choice he should be promoting, then stopped all that wondering and worrying to remind himself that he was writing for kids – that children’s literature is all about escapism, it’s meant to be the place where you can do whatever you want.

“All those good messages are important and there is a place for it, but a children’s book is not the place for it. Wherever you’re going to put a message, it’s not there.”

And that sums up the Andy Griffiths that I shared a sunny, funny conversation with when he visited Geelong late last month.

Andy Griffiths is Australia’s most popular writer for children, having sold over 4 million books, with titles including the Just books (Just Tricking, Just Crazy, Just Disgusting, Just Shocking, etc.) in collaboration with illustrator Terry Denton, the award-winning The Bad Book and the early readers hit The Cat on the Mat is Flat.

But he is probably best known for the hugely successful and internationally bestselling Bum books – The Day My Bum Went Psycho, Zombi Bums from Uranus, and Bumageddon: The Final Pongflict.

And when it comes to tapping into the childhood imagination, to making kids laugh (and, just as a side point, making them want to read!) Andy has given the matter some serious thought over his career. When it comes to pushing the limits in kids’ books, he believes you can get away with a lot, and he even wrote a couple of books about that very subject, with The Bad Book and The Very Bad Book.

Andy is an ambassador with The Indigenous Literacy Foundation and a regular visitor to remote areas of New South Wales, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, where he runs writing workshops with Indigenous children. The Naked Boy & The Crocodile – a collection of 13 of these stories – is new out in bookstores now, published by Pan Macmillan. A Melbourne local, Andy is also an ambassador for the Victorian Premier’s Reading Challenge and the Pyjama Foundation, which provides literacy-based mentoring programs to children in foster care.

While in Geelong, Andy visited the Geelong West Town Hall and Newcomb Library to talk to kids and their parents about his books, books in general, and stuff that kids find funny.

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22 | Ruby

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ANDY GRIFFITHS

“I think the main job of children’s books is to unlock the kids’ imaginations and their delight in a fantasy world. Then you are giving them to power to do whatever they want and you’ve just got to trust that they know to have a vegetable every now and again with their marshmallows…”

Andy says it was a very deliberate decision to focus his writing to subjects that would appeal to young boys, as they tended to be more reluctant readers and have lower levels of literacy, than girls.

“I know girls do read the books and enjoy them a lot, but boys are much more fussy, and also books tend to be associated with being quiet and girls tend to be more passive. I knew that when I started out writing, so I thought I would make my characters and my subject matter something that is worthy of an action hero. My character, Andy, in the Just series is a rebel – he’s not going to be told what to do by The Man, and you put revolting, gross things on the cover, and then it’s not a question of your manhood anymore. So boys are able to pick my books up and not be classified as being too girly,” he said.

As a children’s writer, Andy has spent a considerable amount of time over the past 15 years meeting with kids who read his books and talking to them about what they like and don’t like to read and putting that into practice with his stories.

“The overwhelming message is that they love to see the character get in as much trouble as possible – life threatening or embarrassing situations – and the more extreme and dark you can make it, the more they love to go there. The first book [Terry and I] did, Just Tricking, was a comparatively gentle book, except for the first story where Andy pretends to be dead to get out of going to school, and the parents, to teach him a lesson, dig a hole, drop him in it and start filling it in.”

Now that’s what I call ‘following through with it’ as a parent!

“Yeah, so it’s not only the kids doing the opposition of what they’re supposed to, but the parents are doing the opposite, and kids just delight in that because it’s turning the world upside down and seeing what happens when you disregard the rules of common sense, good dietary practices – everything goes in that world. So the people that liked that book told me that they particularly really loved that story, so I thought, ‘Okay, I’ve got permission to go further with the next one’.

“I love the challenge of writing for kids. I had the title of The Day My Bum Went Psycho for a long time before I wrote the story, and I used to make kids laugh just be telling them that I was going to write a book called The Day My Bum Went Psycho – and then I thought ‘Shoot, I better actually the write the book, but how do you make that joke go beyond one page?’ Then I thought I could write it as a serious story, a serious action thriller that just happened to have Bums as the bad guys.”

I don’t think you can successfully write for children unless you read a lot as a child, and for Andy, books by Enid Blyton were a staple for many years, to the point that he wouldn’t touch anything that wasn’t hers for a long time, with favourites including The Faraway Tree, The Magic Wishing Chair, The Famous Five and The Secret Seven, with a little bit of Dr Seuss and classics like Alice in Wonderland thrown in as well. As a kid, Andy said he was also a huge fan of Mad Magazine and 1970s horror comic.

“I loved the parody, and again, they respected the reader, they gave you credit for intelligence and what you didn’t get you just let go through to the keeper.”

But as for having a career writing books for kids, he didn’t know there was such a thing, so he tried a few other things first, like being the lead singer/lyricist for a few crazy punk bands (The Unborn Babies, Gothic Farmyard, Skippy the Butcher and The Horns of Doom), a hotel worker, a taxi driver and an English teacher.

“I was fired up by Alice Cooper and David Bowie and the big concept albums of the 70s – that’s what I wanted to do. Then punk came along and made it possible, so I formed a punk band with my friends where I was the chief lyricist. We did pretty well, playing around the Melbourne underground scene in the early 80s, and we were the next big thing for a few weeks.”

Figuring his real strength lay in the writing rather than singing, he became an English teacher and discovered to his astonishment that there were no funny books written for kids… and a new career was born.

by Davina Montgomery To find out more about Andy Griffiths books, visit www.panmacmillan.com.au or www.andygriffiths.com.au

Ruby | 23

Aura bra & brief (new range). Dedicated to the young women. Providing the total fashion look. Can be worn 4 different ways.

Romance as the name implies Romance is a beautiful style, which appeals to all age groups. Trimmed with high quality imported lace.

AURA

ROMANCE

24 | Ruby

Available from: Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre

Novo Shoes Clutch (blue) 85401 $39.95

Femme Connection Coral Dress #D89133 $39.99

Novo Shoes Lido (coral) $79.95

Jamaca 2 Piece Bolera Jacket and stretch fabric dress with fine pin spot detail. Available mid December.

BJC by Lovers Dark gold stretch taffy self pressed fabric. Arriving early December.

Available from: ToniaT Boutique & Gifts 107 Ryrie Street, Geelong Phone: 5221 6550

Ziera shoes and sandals were previously known as Kumfs. Whilst the name has changed the essence of the brand has not - to make blissfully comfortable footwear and thus their catch cry of beautiful inside and beautiful outside.

The Ziera team spend months ensuring they present the most up to date ranges and use the latest fashion styles and colours for their inspiration. They then work those trends in to making footware that fits all feet and makes wearing them a pleasure.

Hades Red Snake. Also available in black.

Tripoli Silver. Also available in black.

Available from: Kumfs 177 Moorabool St, Geelong Phone: 5229 5866

Ruby | 25

sass & bide is one of Australia’s most loved fashion brands, recognized globally for exclusive, distinct and quality designs. sass & bide is currently stocked in over 30 countries and available in more 300 premium boutiques and department stores worldwide.

Available from: Eyegallery 87 Barrabool Rd, Highton Phone: 5243 5600

Skin Medica TNS Recovery Complex This unparalled patented treatment gel using the highest level of a combination of growth factors (TNS) is clinically proven to enhance skin tone and texture, and improve wrinkles and elasticity.

Suitable for all skin types. $186 - 18g Pure Fiji Coconut Sugar Rub This two-in-one treatment gently buffs away dull skin cells and unclogs pores while a nourishing blend of exotic oils restores your skin to a fresh, healthy glow. $50 for 457ml Available from: Secretskin Shop 3/ 344 Pakington Street Newtown Phone: 52217404

Masquerade Tiffany Basque: The European label Masquarade has outdone is self once again by styling this gorgeous Bridal Basque. Combining luxurious Italian satin with the simplicity of smooth lines creates the perfect silhouette to complement any Bridal Gown perfectly.

This Basque is available with French boyshorts or a Available from: Secret Kiss thong, and is available in Ivory and Black from a Size Shop 48, Upper Level, 8-16 D-G cups, sizes to fit the curves of all women.

Market Square Geelong Phone: 5221 3007

26 | Ruby

FASHION

THE FASHION spectacular of spring racing 48 years gone and more to come...

Forty-eight years on and Myer Fashions on the Field at Flemington is not only an undisputed institution of Melbourne Cup Carnival week and a pinnacle event of the Spring Racing Carnival, it has established its place as Australia’s largest and most prestigious outdoor fashion event.

During its colourful history, Fashions on the Field has undergone many developments – while categories may have been modified over the years and celebrity judges and sponsors have come and gone, the basic premise of the Fashions on the Field at Flemington competition remains the same – an opportunity for the fashion industry to showcase its wares and for women and now men to indulge in their ‘passion for fashion’.

A brief history of Fashions on the Field at Flemington The Victoria Racing Club’s (VRC) Fashions on the Field was first held in 1962 as part of a VRC attempt to ‘woo more women to the races’. The competition was launched with a generous prize pool of goods and cash to the value of almost £7000. First Prize was a return sea trip for two to the UK, valued at £1400.

Fashions on the Field captured the imagination of the public. It was covered extensively in the press and grew rapidly in popularity. Little did the VRC organising committee realise that its new marketing initiative would change the nature of racing forever….

1970s / Just as Fashions on the Field was finding its niche, the poor economic climate of the early 70s saw the competition almost fold. As an event so dependent on sponsorship, the final Fashions on the Field contest, as it was known in the 60s, was held in 1971. However, the concept didn’t fizzle entirely. In 1972, Fashions on the Field was replaced by the Race Club’s Fashion Contest, a competition on Final Day for ‘girls who had won contests at race meetings throughout Australia during the year.’ In 1972 and 1975-77, the VRC hosted the ‘Ten Elegant Ladies’ contest while in 1976 The Sun newspaper ran a ‘Pick a Fashion Double’ competition for the most stylish couple. The decade also saw a number of sponsored ‘days’ such as the ‘Polaroid Photo Finish Stakes’, the Bruck Pony Contest (where the prize was a pony or one of 20 pairs of jeans) and in 1979, the Myer Girl of the Day. 1980s / 1981 saw the re-instatement of the fully fledged ‘Fashions on the Field’ competition and the 80s proved to be an era of immense prosperity for this event – sponsorship increased, the prize pool expanded, media coverage grew, the caliber of judges and celebrities augmented and contestants flocked to Flemington for the fashions. The 80s saw the competition open to people in both the public and members’ areas with a prize pool

1960s / Throughout the 1960s, the competition continued to evolve – new sections were added, celebrity judges provided additional glamour and prestige, and thanks to the generosity of sponsors including Myer, a very rich prize pool was on offer. In 1965 a new form of controversy came in the form of Jean Shrimpton to set all critics tongues wagging. Often referred to as the Melbourne Cup Carnival’s most famous fashion spectacle – English model Jean Shrimpton, attended the Cup wearing a onepiece shift four inches above the knee, with no hat, gloves or stockings. Despite causing outrage among fashion traditionalists, Shrimpton instantly turned the world fashion spotlight on to Flemington. And, when it comes to spring racing, it has remained there ever since!

Ruby | 27

FASHION of more than $20,000. Two years later Myer became the major sponsor of the event, an occurrence that was to mark the beginning of a long association. Celebrity judges and a prize pool of more than $30,000 worth of prizes raised the competition’s profile and in the three years following Myer’s involvement, the number of entrants quadrupled from 50 a day in each of the two categories to more than 200 per day.

1990s / From its initial beginnings as a promotional activity to attract more women to the races at Flemington, by the 90s Fashions on the Field had carved a niche for itself in the ritual and pageantry of Australian racing. The 90s saw the competition simplified to two sections – Classic Racewear and Classic Hats and a sponsor hand-over in 1993 from Myer to Crown. Crown held the naming rights until 1997 (in association with David Lawrence in 1998) and for the first time the prize pool exceeded $100,000. By the late 90s prizes included a trip for two to Hong Kong, Paris and Tahiti with a $10,000 fashion wardrobe and $5000 in spending money. The event attracted immense media attention, celebrity judges including Freddie Fox, Milliner to the Queen, and a new wave of contestants and with it a new wave of controversies as the fashion world, designers and milliners alike, began to turn their attention to this fashion phenomenon each spring.

2000s / Myer Fashions on the Field at Flemington continued to

grow in prestige and stature in the present day, and the successful introduction of a men’s competition in 2001 brought a new facet to the competition. Contestants and crowd numbers continued to claim records each year and the judging positions became some of the hottest tickets of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

The 21st century not only saw local and international celebrities as a regular item in the Fashions on the Field enclosure, the event now attracts the attention of the fashion and social media across the globe. In a Fashions on the Field first, the VRC introduced a National Competition bringing the excitement of the Melbourne Cup Carnival to the rest of Australia. Women from around the nation were invited to show off their Women’s Classic Racewear finest at competitions in the state’s capitals. In 2005 an exciting new category, the Design Award, was created and in 2006 an invitation-only Millinery Award saw the creation of some breathtaking masterpieces.

In 2010, Myer Fashions on the Field was hosted in a brand-new two-story enclosure inspired by fashion runways around the world, offering an enhanced contestant and VIP experience and much greater public viewing access. This impressive structure will return for the 2011 competition.

2012 will mark the 50th Anniversary of the Fashions on the Field Competition.

FREE goal setting consultation with me -Nikki

Come in and visit our boutique style personal training studio.

Our professional highly trained experts will assist in your personal health and fitness goals.

Owner & Personal Trainer Nikki

28 | Ruby

47 Malop Street, Geelong Call us on 1300 NEW LEVEL E: geelongcity@newlevelpersonaltraining.com

Ph: 5298 1258 Mob: 0450 699 800 Visit: www.joinnewlevel.com.au

FASHION

WAURN PONDs is spring fashion Conveniently located between Geelong and the Surf Coast, Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre is home to over 80 stores, located all on one level including retail giants Target, Coles, Woolworths, Priceline, The Reject Shop and Dick Smith Electronics.

Lifestyle Bags & Luggage

The Centre is open 7 days a week with Target Waurn Ponds now trading Monday to Friday 9am to 9pm. The Centre also boasts 1200 FREE all day and 3 hour car spaces including disabled car parking near key Centre entrances.

Young families can feel right at home in the dedicated Parents Room complete with private feeding booths, enclosed play area, change tables & wash basin.

Beverley Hills Collection “Serenade” (Black/Ivory), $49.95 Beverley Hills Collection “Serenade” (Beige),

$39.95

Ladies ruffle evening clutch (Silver),

$39.95

Beverley Hills Collection “Serenade” Quilted Boxes patent leather handbag (Magneta),

$149.95

Beverley Hills Collection “Serenade” Quilted Boxes patent leather Wallet (Magneta),

$69.95

This An That Paris Design hat box (assorted sizes), from

$4.50each

What’s more, the Centre is also features an 8-screen Reading Cinema complex with stadium style seating, wall to wall screens, and digital sound, to enjoy the latest blockbusters in luxury armchair comfort.

From fashion, accessories, technology solutions, homewares, giftware, hair & beauty salons, everyday services, cafes/ restaurants and fresh food galore – they have all your essential family needs covered under one roof!

You’ll be spoiled for choice at Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre!

Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre

173-199 Pioneer Road, Waurn Ponds Tel: (03) 5244 2580

www.waurnpondssc.com.au DISCLAIMER: Price and product availability accurate at time of printing and subject to change without notice.

Ruby | 29

Target, Waurn Ponds

Flower necklace #50032211, Gorgeous Fashionsta, Waurn Ponds

Bella Bleu Dress #6305 (Pink, Green & Brown), Nu by Neo handbag (Burgundy with floral lining), NOVO, Waurn Ponds Gem (Nude),

$20 $149 $119 $89.95

The look for spring/summer this year is very vintage-inspired...The styling is very feminine and ladylike and very reminiscent of 1960s fashions, even extending through to that early 1970s bohemian look.

Victoria Henderson, Gorgeous Fashionista

30 | Ruby

We are seeing an explosion of gorgeous colours...

There are beautiful turquoises, fushcias, corals and cobalt blues set to bring racing fashion alive this year...

Victoria Henderson, Gorgeous Fashionista

Gorgeous Fashionsta, Waurn Ponds

Ruby & Leo fasinator (Bronze headband with OPSM, Prada #314717 (Polarized brown), Target, Waurn Ponds

Gold Bangles #49856446, Gorgeous Fashionsta, Waurn Ponds

Ruby & Leo fasinator (Pink flower, pheasant feather and striped ribbon) Morgan & Taylor satin clutch, (Pink) Femme connection, Waurn Ponds Dress #D45232 (Black/CrĂŠme print),

NOVO, Waurn Ponds Marbella (Blush),

$59

apricot flowers, mesh with brown spots)

$360

Femme connection, Waurn Ponds

$20

NOVO, Waurn Ponds

$149

Dress #D72905 (Blue/Peach print),

Nadia, (Pink/Orange), Clutch #85398 (Tan),

$29.99 $79.95 $49.95

$36 $29.99 $99.95

Victoria Henderson, whose sharp sense of style gets a daily workout as the owner and operator of the local chain of Gorgeous Fashionista stores, says Fashions on the Field 2011 will be all about bringing back feminine elegance, so put away the micro minis ladies and bring on the glamour!

Ruby | 31

NOVO, Waurn Ponds Prarie (Blue),

Handbag #85404 (Coral),

Target, Waurn Ponds

Gold and white design drop earring #50030927, Gorgeous Fashionsta, Waurn Ponds

Bella Bleu Blue Dress #6628 (Cobalt and Coral available), Ruby & Leo fascinator (Purple and orange flower), Kirstin Ash butterfly necklace,

Ruby Favourites PRICELINE, Waurn Ponds

Aussie sox, Waurn Ponds

$14.99 Lipstick $9.99 Quad Eyeshadow $9.99 Powder Brush (MPP104) $21.99 Fan Brush (MPP101) $14.99 Nail Enamel $5.99

Modelsprefer Cosmetics, Liquid Foundation

Peacock Brooch,

$69.95 $49.95 $10 $175 $65 $99

$15

DICK SMITH, Waurn Ponds Nikon Coolpix S3100, (Assorted colours)

32 | Ruby

$148

MAKE your kitchen rule Owners Bernard and Elizabeth Hooley spent two years working on and developing the eclectic concept of Oakdene Vineyards before opening in 2003.

Award Winning Executive Chef, Marty Chichester, has transformed Oakdene Vineyards restaurant into a fine dining venue boasting a modern Australian/ European cuisine with an array of fresh local produce. A Welshman, Marty has extensive experience in the UK and Europe in Michelin Star venues and also in Sydney.

He has crafted a menu based on showcasing quality local and Victorian produce.

With Marty at the helm in 2007 and 2008, Oakdene was presented the prestigious Golden Plate Award by world-renowned Herald Sun food critic, Stephen Downes. In 2010, Oakdene added to their showcase of awards by winning both the State and National Restaurant and Caterers award for best restaurant in a winery.

Oakdene also now harvests some of the best Shiraz, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir in the region and has established itself as a must-stop destination for lovers of fine food and wine Australia wide.

Oakdene also has an extensive olive grove, producing Oakdene Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus the farm is now also growing lavender and orchids and farming alpacas.

Food

with Marty Chichester Oakdene Vineyards Restaurant - Cellar Door Accommodation - Events - Functions BELLARINE PENINSULA, GEELONG 255 Grubb Road ,Wallington Phone 03 5255 1255 | Fax 03 5256 3881 Email: info@oakdene.com.au

Marty is about to hot things up in the kitchen by introducing his next series of Master classes for home entertainment… so if you want your kitchen to rule, get the perfect 10 from your guests and learn how to create dishes such as Duck a la Orange, Tempura zucchini flowers or the perfect soft centered choc pud, now is time to take advantage of the opportunity to learn from a master in the kitchen.

“At a time where food is hot and rating its pants off, the timing couldn’t be better and more chefs should be thinking about doing this type of thing. The X and Y gen can’t get enough. Even the Baby boomers - a generation where girls who refused to fit the stereotype of their mothers (where a woman’s place is in the kitchen) were out burning bra’s, taking Wood Work in place of Home Ec at school and making sure they earned top dollar so they could eat out and never worry about kitchen duties - these same women are now stocking the fridge, buying the latest gadgets, thinking fresh and learning the long lost art of home cooking to recreate that superb home dinner party,” Marty says.

Here in Ruby magazine, Marty will share some of his favourite recipes and a few tips to help you prepare restaurant quality food in your own kitchen.

Tip: Do not use oil in the water when boiling pasta: it will keep the sauce from sticking to the cooked pasta.

Tip: When making mashed potatoes, after you drain the potatoes, return them to the hot pan, cover tightly and steam for 5 minutes.

This allows the potatoes to dry out so they’ll mash to a beautiful texture and soak up the butter and cream more easily.

Tip: When you deep-fry, hold each piece of food with long tongs as you add it to the oil. Hold it just below the oil’s surface for five seconds before releasing it. This will seal the exterior and stop it from sticking to the pot or the other food.

Ruby | 33

Cured Sashimi Kingfish, BBQ octopus, Avocado, Daikon & Radish Salad (Serves 6) The fish / 300g sashimi grade kingfish fillet (skin, bones and blood line removed) 100g octopus legs cleaned dressed with oil and barbequed and sliced thinly For the cure / 100g sea salt 40g sugar Coat the fillets of fish in the cure mix, wrap in glad wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours. Wash off the cure mix and dry with chux cloth or absorbent paper. Dice into 1 cm cubes and refrigerate till ready to use.

For the salad / 25g yellow pickled daikon diced small (Asian supermarket) 3 red radishes finely sliced ½ white daikon finely sliced 2 spring onions cut into 2cm lengths 6 teaspoons puffed rice 3 teaspoons Sesame oil 1 teaspoon sesame seeds toasted Avocado puree / 2 small ripe avocados 25ml rice wine vinegar Squeeze lemon juice Pinch salt Blend together and transfer to a small plastic piping bag

Dressing / 3 tablespoons mirin 3 tablespoons light soy sauce Mix together To assemble / Dress the diced king fish in the sesame oil and sesame seeds and arrange about 5 or 6 pieces per plate. Arrange the sliced octopus on top of the kingfish pieces. Pipe the avocado into small even blobs in between the diced fish. Arrange approximately 6 pieces of the daikon, radish and spring onion pieces around the dish. Scatter some of the puffed rice. Drizzle with a little of the dressing and serve.

Red Wine Ice Cream 6 large egg yolks 2 cups heavy cream 1 cup milk ½ cup sugar ½ tsp. vanilla ¾ cup Cabernet or Shiraz In a heatproof bowl, mix the egg yolks. In a saucepan, combine the cream, milk and sugar and bring to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar and vanilla, about 4 minutes.

Gradually whisk the hot cream into the eggs yolks; return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes; do not let the custard boil or it will curdle.

Strain the custard into a bowl. Stir in the red wine. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 1 hour. Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Cover and store in the freezer until serving time.

Bianca White.

34 | Ruby

Classes will be held from 6.30 till 9.30 pm on Monday or Thursday nights and will include a master class apron and all ingredients for a 3-course dinner plus wine and the chance to sit down and enjoy your creation.

“Love where you live”

Image courtesy of OZ Design.

RUBY LIVING

IS THAT A Le Corbusier I see before me?

I find that in my 30s I have the same passion for interiors that I had for shoes in my 20s.

Where I was once notorious for not being able to walk past a shoe store without going in, now I will walk past (barely) without giving the window display a glance. Of course, that might have something to do with having spotted a red sale sign out the front of a home wares store up ahead!

On a quiet night in, I love nothing more than curling up with a stack of home mags and looking at how clever designers have balanced colour, texture and design. And the best part is that as hubby and I are in the midst of planning a new home build I can claim these happy hours as research … well, sort of.

For us, the hard work is done. We know what the house will look like, we know how big the rooms will be, where the light comes from in each room, we know what the flooring, the kitchen and the bathrooms will look like. But now that the long dark days of winter are over, it’s time to start putting all that ‘research’ to good use and making some decorating decisions. Thanks to those home mags, we know about balancing the scale of the room, of building the look of each part of the home around a ‘hero’ piece, we know about layering lighting, arranging accent pieces in clusters and we know to work from the floors up. But do we go for the sisal hemp rug or a luxurious wool? Will the hero piece be a super squishy sofa, a bright piece of art or a wow factor occasional chair? Do we go for a large ottoman with a tray or a coffee table? I love the Le Corbusier chaise, while hubby thinks it looks like a dentist’s chair … All of a sudden it doesn’t seem so easy. How on earth did the brave, brave couples survive a complete house renovation in 8 weeks on The Block?

36 | Ruby living

When all the choices become just too much I tend to retreat back to my happy place as a lounge chair designer – flicking through mags or trawling around the net for inspiration. And it was while I was surfing around that I came across some art prints that set off the spark of inspiration.

Have you seen the old ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ British war posters? The story goes that these posters that once littered London as the government hoped to stiffen the resolve of the public during the blitz years of World War II were all but forgotten for half a century. A rare original was found in an old box of books and the bookshop owners put the poster on display in the shop. After receiving an enormous amount of interest in it, they began selling prints. Ten years later, and the colourful posters have become iconic images recognised around the world.

I started out looking for Keep Calm posters, but found some outrageously kitsch – and for mine, therefore fabulous – prints, cards and, being British, tea towels! I could feel all the excitement of a new project building again, so it was off to the shops to do a bit of serious browsing. While it was some best of Brit products that set me off and running, there has never been a better time to shop locally – and it has been amazing and inspiring discovering just how much serious style there is to be found around town.

So whether you are planning a full house project, a cosy nook for relaxing in, a few new season updates or you just love to browse, we hope you too enjoy this celebration of the design inspiration Geelong has to offer.

by Davina Montgomery All products available from www.keepcalmgallery.com

Trading Hours Mon-Fri 9.00am – 5.30pm Sat: 9:00am – 4:00pm Corner High Street & Mount Pleasant Road, Belmont Phone: 5241 2664 www.livingetc.com.au

RUBY LIVING

STORAGE, storage, storage

ASK T

Are you lacking storage at home? I love an uncluttered look; so a few years ago building a new home meant having the opportunity to create a wall of concealed cupboards floor to ceiling in a passage.

Trunks and baskets can also be placed on the floor under hall tables or sofa tables. Don’t have an item of furniture in your entry with a drawer? Try a bowl on a table to throw your car keys in.

Now my clutter is hidden behind these doors. I would advise anyone building to consider this storage solution if you have an otherwise less than useful passage area.

A unique solution for those with lots of books and little space is the “Sapien” bookcase. By holding books horizontally in a vertical stack, these clever shelves can accommodate up to 70 books on a very compact footprint. When fully loaded, the bookcase virtually disappears behind the books. Leaning bookcases and desks take up minimal room, but allow workspace and storage for a small study or nook.

Modern and minimal does not have to mean cold and uninviting, it does mean less but larger pieces of furniture and careful placement of decorator objects. Ancient Feng Shui recommends getting rid of clutter, and creating a light and more spacious room, enabling a flow of positive energy.

There are so many choices for your storage solutions. I love leather and cow hide trunks, these can be used as side tables, coffee tables or as a seat against a wall.

Consider using empty wall spaces for shelves to display photos, personal artefacts and objects. Floating shelves stacked or in staggered layering are suitable for any room. And remember, regardless of your style, displays are an expression of your family and lifestyle.

38 | Ruby living

Storage solutions about these day, but for the best solution, on your next build or renovation, insist on including plenty of flushfitting, contemporary storage cupboards, well designed with drawers and adjustable shelves - perfect for clutter!

by Susanne Anthony Susanne is the lady behind the fabulous furniture and home living accessories at livingetc.

K THE WIZARDS OF

RUBY LIVING

WHERE do you find your inspiration?

When you’re thinking about redecorating or renovating do you find inspiration in all the usual places?

Most of us stock up on European and local home decorator magazines and create our own file with clippings and ‘notes to self ’. Some of us even do the rounds of all the display centres each weekend collecting ideas. There’s an easier way. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out the vast amount of decorative solutions from The Laminex Group at their Corio showroom.

with a choice of edge profiles. Laminex Vinyl doors can be used with Laminex Silk Finish™ gloss panels to stylish solution and Laminex ColourTech® painted doors are coated in an advanced 2 Pac polyurethane paint in a variety of finishes.

But it doesn’t just stop there. The Laminex Group offers even more choice with other industry leading decorative surfaces such as their Essastone range. Bringing the latest in taste & design from Europe this range of 24 options is perfect for giving you that premium stone look. Or Metaline Splashbacks. A versatile Starting with the famous (and huge!) Laminex Colour Palette splashback that gives the looks of glass but can be installed there are 200 design leading decors constantly being updated. immediately at a more affordable rate. Or Freestyle solid All are fully integrated across the entire range. So we’re just inspiration and ideas Fornot design surfaces for that sleek, seamless look that can also feature talking kitchen, bathroom and laundry benchtops. We’re talking for your kitchen, curves. bathroom, a range of doors and decorative surfaces for virtually any room laundryThen or wardrobes, of the house including the wardrobes. There are so many there is the Formica range also. A range that caters for a Laminex Group innovative – even unexpected – ways and places Laminex visit can betheslightly different colour palette taste in comparison to the used. In fact, Laminex is incredibly versatile. You can wrap itGeelong Laminex range – but allows you to create a modern look that showroom. around curved walls. You can use decorative panels on feature like Laminex is fully integrated across the entire range of walls to continue a theme throughout the house. You can create Opening laminates, doors: and Formica Kit Solutions.

Hours living room furniture, from coffee tables to shelving, even Monday - Friday 8.30am Just added to the- 5.00pm range is the new and exciting Formica dining tables.

Wardrobes Solutions. You can view this quality offer at the Laminex Group Corio, Geelong showroom. It features 6 Formica With Laminex, every surface – vertical or horizontal – can colours in an easy do it yourself flat pack system that can match or complement one another. Laminex surfaces can also definitely enhance your wardrobe space (either walk in or built in) offer almost any finish from super glossy to metallic and everything in between; they’re all highly practical. Laminex Exciting So you see, The Laminex Group can create grandNew style in the DiamondGloss® surfaces are high-gloss laminates with kitchen that translates easily into every room of the house.

Wardrobe Offer exceptional scuff resistance and brilliant lustre while Laminex Food for thought, no?

Squareform® benchtops give you the modern appeal of a stone slab with the practicality of laminate.

When it comes to doors, Geelong Showroom Laminex 70 Schooloffers Roada huge range of style options from Laminex Contour® Finedge™ doors, made from hardwearing melamine Corio, Victoria

For design inspiration and ideas for your kitchen, bathroom, laundry or wardrobes, visit the Laminex Group Geelong showroom.

Opening Hours : Monday - Friday 8.30am - 5.00pm

Exciting New Wardrobe Offer Geelong Showroom 70 School Road Corio, Victoria

40 | Ruby living

RUBY LIVING The Laminex Group Geelong Showroom, 70 School Road Corio, Mon – Fri 8:30am – 5pm or visit www.laminex.com.au

Ruby Living | 41

RUBY LIVING Award winning leading ladies in Real Estate.

Professional, Dynamic, Passionate

DE-cluttering for sale One of the easiest and most cost effective ways to showcase your home in the best possible light is to declutter and reduce excess.

Not only will it make your home look fabulous, it will give you a sense of accomplishment and empowerment just in time for those open houses.

The first thing you will need are boxes and, depending on your spending habits, lots of them! Set out to do one room at a time - if you look at the big picture it can become quite overwhelming.

Start by asking yourself these simple questions: Do you like it? Do you use it?

Will you miss it? If you answer NO to these questions, start packing!

Michelle Winckle 0416 117 978

This could be a good time to have a garage sale or sell online to recoup some of the money you will now realise you have spent. Donations to charities are always welcome, as are magazines to doctor’s surgeries. Check with your local playgroup if they are in need of well-loved toys.

There is no shortage of people wanting your stuff; as they say, one (wo)man’s trash is another (wo)man’s treasure. There will also be things that you can’t bear to be without, and these treasures can be packed in boxes and hidden in cupboards or drawers, or, even better, at your friend’s house.

Remember, the cleaner and more organised your home is, the more spacious it looks and the easier it will be to sell. So, what are you waiting for?

by Michelle Winckle

Laura Berry 0401 609 904

Sarah Stanford 0420 584 216

79 Barrabool Road, Highton Ph: 5241 1488 www.hayeswinkle.com

42 | Ruby living

RUBY LIVING

LET’S talk about monthlies!

I find that in my 30s I have the same passion for interiors that I had for shoes in my 20s.

(some insurers charge extra for this service). However, most agents or brokers have options that do not cost you extra.

Every girl still needs protection in these tough economic times.

Instead of dropping or reducing your cover here are some tips on alternative payment methods: monthlies!

If you do take up the option of monthly payments, it’s important to be careful that you do have enough money in your account/s each month to cover payments. Note from your payment schedule the dates and amounts due (a good way to remember when payments are due is to mark them in your calendar, diary, iPod, iPad, PDA or smart phone).

Instead of paying in a lump sum, ask your insurer about paying by instalments. Most insurers allow you to pay your premiums via instalments [monthly, quarterly] either from your bank account or credit card.

Direct debit is fast becoming one of the most popular payment methods. Paying by direct debit allows you to budget. Increases are easier to deal with as they are spread over more payments.

Remember: though the policy is still renewed every year, the payments are just monthly. Monthlies can be suitable for all types of policies including house, car, business trucks etc.

Things to note: If you cancel your policy mid-term there may be cancellation fees.

Payment can be taken from either a credit card or bank account.

Add up the total cost to be sure how much it is really costing you

Avoid missing two payments in a row, as most insurers would request full payment or they can cancel the policy. Read the ‘T’s and ‘C’s of your agreement.

If you have a car write off [total loss] you will still need to pay the outstanding premium (usually taken out of your settlement amount).

Monthlies help you keep a little spare in your purse!

by Melissa Vella Agent of Allsure Insurance Agencies Pty Ltd. DISCLAIMER: This article is for guidance only, and professional advice should be obtained before acting on any information contained herein. Neither the writer, publishers nor the distributors can accept any responsibility for loss occasioned to any person as a result of action taken or refrained from in consequence of the contents of this article.

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Your Local Insurance Specialists Shop 1/125 Melbourne Rd Rippleside PO Box 1086 Geelong VIC 3220

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Aaron & Melissa

P: 5278 6808

Ruby Living | 43

RUBY LIVING

OZ Design Furniture At OZ Design Furniture, our new Summer 11/12 collection focuses on four key themes that our panel of experts have produced sourcing inspiration from both within Australia and trends abroad.

Key colours in our Global theme include mist blues, sage greens and greys, accented with neutrals. The theme features natural fibres, such as cotton and linen, as well as glass and cool metals.

Simplistic patterns with muted florals and classic stripes all combine to give a casual Scandinavian feel.

Our Contemporary theme is a little bolder - featuring a fresh and vibrant palette of apple, teal, yellow, fuchsia and taupe accents with chocolate and white. Again, using cotton and linen fabrics,

but featuring bold and angular patterns with saturated colour points and clean lines.

If you prefer using neutral tones such as stone, ochre and chocolates, the Casual theme is what you’re after. The emphasis is on creating interest with textures and using layers of decorator items with a handmade element. Tribal and animal-based motifs are also present.

Our final theme, the Classic theme, is as what its name suggest timeless. Warm tones of metal, bronze and coppers are featured, and those willing to venture into bolder territory can use crimson and deep purple accents. The look is made contemporary with geometric shapes and patterns.

Specialised furniture MADE TO ORDER Contemporary & Traditional

4 Gordon Avenue, Geelong West | Phone 5229 8605

44 | Ruby living

RUBY LIVING Within each theme, there are various styles of pieces that you can choose to put together your look. At the moment, Australia is seeing a resurgence of retro, with the 50’s and 60’s look becoming increasingly popular using, with the style reinvented through modern materials.

We’re also seeing people moving away from matching sets and instead embracing a more eclectic approach to putting together their room. This trend extends to mixing the old with the new,

such as featuring a vintage leather arm chair with contemporary, clean-lined sofas or glass and chrome coffee tables. Nothing is off limits!

When it comes to fabric selection, though cottons and linens remain popular, rich velvets that are soft to the touch and strong synthetic fibres are gaining momentum. The incredible diversity in textile construction techniques of today makes our options virtually endless.

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5229 2167 www.banksialounges.com.au

11-13 gordon avenue geelong west sales@banskialounges.com.au

Ruby Living | 45

RUBY LIVING

For more information on any of these trends, visit www.ozdesignfurniture.com.au or go to our Geelong showroom, 358 Melbourne Road. (03) 5272 2744.

46 | Ruby living

RUBY LIVING

RUBY loves...

Here at Ruby, we love it when sustainability meets style, and these new products have bags of both!

Earth Bags Earth Bags Australia has launched a new stylish, ethical bag that is free from chemical toxins, unlike the standard ‘green’ polypropylene bags, but what really sets them apart in the green stakes is that they are one hundred per cent biodegradable.

Earth Bags Australia Director, Reg Ferguson said, “There are millions of reusable bags currently in use in Australia. I don’t think people are aware that the majority of these bags contain lead and petroleum products and are as harmful to the environment as plastic bags.”

Developed in Western Australia, Earth Bags can be used for up to two years and research from Murdoch University in WA has shown that these nifty enviro bags become compost 45 days after disposal, without any negative impact to the environment. Earth Bags Australia also say that their bags are also less carbon-intensive, with production and disposal of the bags producing around 20 per cent less emissions than polypropylene bags. The bags even act as a soil booster once biodegraded!

Earth Bags are made entirely from paper sourced from sustainable forests and spun using a complex weaving process, recycled water and a natural beeswax coating that solidifies the paper into the long-lasting Earth Bag. Versatile and practical – Earth Bags

are available in a variety of styles and designs which can be tailor-made for the general public and business community.

To find out more about Earth Bags Australia and the Earth Bag visit www.earthbagsaustralia.com.au.

Lunchskins These funky alternatives to zip-lock plastic bags have taken the US by storm, and now they are available here in Australia too. Lunch Skins snack and sandwich bags are the brainchild of three green-focused mums from America. Having heard the staggering statistic that every day in the US more than 20 million disposable plastic school lunch bags were going into landfill, these resourceful mums started researching a better way to pack the kids’ lunches. They found a food-safe fabric used in patisseries and bakeries in Europe, which not only could be safely reused, but also put in the dishwasher. They added some cool modern designs, and Lunch Skins were born!

These eco-friendly bags are made from high-quality thick cotton fabric coated in a thin layer of food-safe polyurethane – free from lead, BPA and phthalates. Long-lasting, they are perfect for messy lunch foods and snacks, and when the kids bring them home (you can write your child’s name on the packs with permanent marker or iron on a name label) simply wipe them out, turn inside out and pop them in the dishwasher ready for the next day at school. Too easy!

To find out more about Lunch Skins, visit lunchskinsaustralia.com.au

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Ruby Living | 47

RUBY LIVING

RUBY noticeboard Girls Night In / According to Cancer Council Australia, 46 Australian women are diagnosed with a gynaecological or breast cancer every day. Last year, 9000 Girls Night In hosts raised $4.4 million by inspiring 180,000 Australian women to take time out and connect with girlfriends in support of Cancer Council’s mission to defeat cancer. Why not get together with your girlfriends this year and join the cause?

The Cancer Council’s national Girls Night In campaign runs throughout September and October, but you can hold your event whenever suits you and your girlfriends best. Whatever it is you and your girlfriends do to enjoy each other’s company counts as a Girls Night In, but the Cancer Council has some suggestions: Invite the girls over for a home-cooked meal and ask them to donate the appropriate “going-out-for-dinner” amount to Girls Night In. If cooking is not your thing, order take away, split the bill and then match your spend as a donation. Arrange a caterer, then nominate a suitable ‘ticket price’ and ask your guests to donate that amount. Watch a chick flick on DVD and donate the cost of a ‘Gold Class’ movie ticket.

You can visit www.girlsnightin.com.au for more ideas, but the possibilities for fundraising while enjoying a fun night in are only as limited as your imagination. To register as a host (this legally authorises you to fundraise for the Cancer Council and ensures you’re eligible for host prizes) or to donate, visit www. girlsnightin.com.au or call 1300 65 65 85. All registered hosts receive an information kit with tips, promotional materials and donation forms.

Markets / The warmer weather means that once again it’s market season, and with so many fantastic markets across our region this spring, there is no better time than to pack the family in the car and have a hunt for new treasures for your home. Here are just a few of the wonderful markets open to treasure hunters of all ages this spring: Artefact Market / Artefact Market (Formerly the Artists market) is a unique market showcasing original handmade treasures by local artists, designers

and makers of beautiful things. Head along and discover a wonderful selection of quality goods including homewares, art, clothing, accessories, flowers, jewellery, gourmet food, sculpture, porcelain and ceramics. Cash sales and orders taken on the day.

When: 18 November, 11:00 AM - 7:30 PM Where: All Saints Hall, 113 Noble Street, Newtown Costs: Free Redox Jewellery Market / Redox Jewellery Market is a jewellery only market featuring the work of 11 regional contemporary jewellers and metal artists.

The market will offer ten stalls and one informal exhibition space and hopes to encourage regional artists to present and develop their artistic concepts amidst the busy and creative atmosphere of a market environment. All items of sculpture and jewellery are designed and handcrafted by the artist to produce both high quality and distinctive pieces.

When: 23 October, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM & 11 December, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Where: The Wintergarden 51 McKillop Street, Geelong Costs: Free Baby & Kids Market / The Baby & Kids Market offers quality pre loved and new, boys and girls ware from birth to seven years old. You will also find a great range of childrens goods!

When: 10 September, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM & 19 November, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM Where: Barwon Valley Activity Centre, Barwon Heads Roads, Belmont Costs: $3 for Adults, children are free.

Piccadilly Market / The Piccadilly Market is a unique indoor design market showcasing local and Victorian artisans wares. Including exquisite and original jewellery, clothing, home wares, food, wine, music and much more.

When: 20 November, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Where: Deakin University Waterfront Campus Costs: Free

D 48 | Ruby living

READYKITCABINETS

• KITCHENS • BATHROOMS • WARDROBES

• LAUNDRIES • OFFICES • BENCHTOPS & DOORS

• BOARD CUT & EDGING CUT TO SIZE • CONCEPT DESIGN CUTTING

Affordable Customised DIY Kitform Cabinets

DO IT YOURSELF & SAVE Supplied Locally by Geelong Owned Company p: 03 5222 2288 | f: 03 5221 2688 | a: 108 Barwon Terrace, South Geelong | e: info@readykitcabinets.com.au

/ Style with Personality

Livingetc / Corner of High Street & Mt Pleasant Rd, Belmont Ph: 5241 2664

Scandi / Hat and coat rack.

Moreland Chair / Finest Australian upholstering in your choice of fabric.

Rhumba “Dahlia” / Floor lamp available in black or white.

Colarado /

/ Retro Living

New to OZ Design Furniture’s Summer 11/12 collection is the Colorado range made from recycled New Zealand pine giving a rustic timber look. The design features a criss-cross design on the sides and comes in a coffee table, side table, console, entertainment unit.

The storage unit pictured is $799.

Tatler / With retro furniture making a grand comeback, the Tatler gives you the look without compromising on comfort. Buttoning on the back cushions and piping around the edges add interesting detail to this popular style. The 3 seater in Park Wheat fabric as pictured is $1699.

A 2 seater and chair are also available in the range as well as a leather option.

OZ Design / 358 Melbourne Road, Geelong Ph: 5272 2744

50 | Ruby living

TARGET, Waurn Ponds Grandeur Cushion, 43x43cm (Pug & Fluffy), $25 each Como Chenille Cushion, 43x43cm (Green),

$10 Zucco Embroidered Cushion, 45x45cm (Green),

$25

Helios Chenille Cushion, 45x45cm $25 (Green),

HOUSE, Waurn Ponds

/ Accessorise at Waurn Ponds

DLINE Colonial Coffee & Sugar canister and Utensil holder, $13.99-19.99

BODUM Bean Coffee Maker, $44.95 (3 cup, assorted colours), HOUSE 200mL Espresso cup, $2.95 each (Green dot),

Dream Bedrooms /

Aztec Cabin / The Aztec Cabin bed features a pull out desk which attaches to the underside of the bunk with a two door, two shelf cupboard making any childs bedroom a great sanctuary for fun and study time.

This bed is a great space saver and at a height that enable younger children to feel safe in. All features are ready and easy to assemble. Available in single or king single.

Ariel / The Ariel furniture range is contemporary, sophisticated and very individual.

The angled headboard features a beautiful black glass strip and available with or without extension panels.

Available in Queen or King size with matching bedsides, tallboy and dresser, this suite is sure to create a true sense of tranquility in your sleeping space.

Forty Winks / 118 Gheringhap Street, Geelong Ph: 5221 4399

Ruby Living | 51

DISCLAIMER: Price and product availability accurate at time of printing and subject to change without notice.

Smart Storage /

Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.

Pull Out Pantry / Available with a variety of shelf sizes under bench or full sized units.

Enquire at Ready Kit Cabinets.

Ready Kit Cabinets / 108 Barwon Terrace, South Geelong Ph: 5222 2288

William Morris

/ Ultimate Relaxation

Nelson Suite / Comfort and Style.

Brunswick Suite / Spacious. Available in a wide variety of fabrics and leather.

Banksia Lounges / 11-13 Gordon Avenue, Geelong West Ph: 5229 2167

52 | Ruby living

Timeless Timber / Made to order designs.

Recycles Messmate Timber Range / Custom made to any size and colour required.

Furniture by design / 4 Gordon Avenue, Geelong West Ph: 5229 8605

Light & Shade / Luxaflex Pirouette Shadings – soft & sheer, with the ability to control light & privacy in an entirely unique way – Luxaflex Pirouette Shadings are the latest innovation in window furnishings that are not only functional, but also extremely fashionable.

European designed, but built for our harsh Australian climate, the new contemporary range of Folding Arm Awnings, are designed to extend your outdoor living space this summer.

Available in range of options - including fully automated with remote control –simply touch a button for sun control.

Brax / 332 Pakington Street, Newtown, Geelong Ph: 5221 5533

Ruby Living | 53

On Page

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh In The Language of Flowers, Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s powerful first novel, a damaged young woman, Victoria Jones, who can only communicate through the Victorian language of flowers, goes from being homeless to a sought after wedding floral designer.

Now eighteen, Victoria has nowhere to go, and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. When her talent is discovered by a local florist, Victoria discovers her gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But it takes meeting a mysterious vendor at The Victorian language of flowers was used to the flower market for her to realise what’s been express emotions: honeysuckle for devotion, azaleas missing in her own life, and as she starts to fall for for passion, and red roses for love. But for Victoria him, she must decide whether it’s worth risking Jones, it has been more useful in conveying feelings everything for a second chance at happiness. like grief, mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster care system, she is unable to get The Language of Flowers is a beautiful, original close to anybody, and her only connection to the novel about the meaning of flowers, the meaning of world is through flowers and their meanings. family, and the meaning of love.

Pacific Heights

by Paul Harper

In Pacific Heights, San Francisco, psychiatrist Vera List discovers two of her clients are having an affair with the same man. It soon becomes clear that there is much to this than a strange coincidence. The man, who carefully hides his identity, has found a way into the most intimate secrets of these women and is using that knowledge to push them to their mental limit. Recognising that it is going to take a lot more than just therapy to get to the bottom of the situation, Vera seeks out Marten Fane – intelligence

operative for hire. Fane and his team must find this mystery man, and stop him. Yet as Fane delves deeper into the world of his target, his gut instinct is confirmed: this is not just some creepy Lothario.

Fast-paced, intense and atmospheric, Pacific Heights will keep you glued to its pages as the mystery unravels. Paul Harper is the pen name for a highly regarded New York Times bestselling author. Pacific Heights is the first in a new series of novels centering round the characters of Fane and Company.

The Briny Café

by Susan Dutton

Susan Dutton won the hearts of Australians with her beautiful memoir of how life in Sydney’s Pittwater helped her move on from the deaths of her husband and brother and her own battle with cancer.

Set in a fictional Pittwater, The Briny Café a story about ordinary people, living ordinary lives in an extraordinary place. But for Ettie Brookbank, life in this beautiful place hasn’t turned out to be what she had hoped for. Ettie finds a new dream, however, when a lopsided little café on the water’s edge comes

up for sale.But she can’t get The Briny up and running without some help – she needs a business partner. Like Ettie, Kate Jackson is also looking for a new start. Having left the city, Kate knows what it’s like to be lonely and disillusioned, but as the people of Cook’s Basin gravitate to the run down little café, Kate finds herself drawn into the lives of the town’s quirky cast of characters. But it’s not all smooth sailing for these two women on the path of friendship, love and belonging.

The Cat’s Table

by Michael Ondaatje

In the early 1950s, an eleven-year-old boy boards a huge liner bound for England – a ‘castle that was to cross the sea’. At mealtimes, he is placed at the lowly ‘Cat’s Table’ with an eccentric group of grown-ups and two other boys, Cassius and Ramadhin. As the ship makes its way across the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal, into the Mediterranean, the boys become involved in the worlds and stories of the adults around them, tumbling from one adventure and delicious discovery to another, ‘bursting all over

54 | Ruby

the place like freed mercury’. And at night, the boys spy on a shackled prisoner – his crime and fate a galvanizing mystery that will haunt them forever.

As the narrative moves from the decks and holds of the ship and the boy’s adult years, it tells a spellbinding story about the difference between the magical openness of childhood and the burdens of earned understanding. From the author of The English Patient, The Cat’s Table is another vivid, poignant and thrilling read.

On Page

The Sixth Key

by Adriana Koulias In late 2011 a cryptic invitation leads a crime novelist to Venice’s Island of the Dead. Once there he is captivated by his host’s tale, which spans the centuries - but seemingly begins and ends in the dark days of the 1930s.

In 1936, a similarly cryptic invitation brings Grail historian Otto Rahn to an apartment in Berlin.

Waiting for him inside is Hitler’s right-hand man, Heinrich Himmler, and Rahn’s life is turned upside down. For Himmler wants Rahn to locate Les

Serpent Rouge, a notorious book of black magic written by Pope Honorius in the 14th century.

Following a trail from Paris down to Carcassone in the South of France, Rahn discovers a web of deceit and murder. Clearly Himmler is not the only powerful figure in search of the grimoire. A shadowy circle of men are watching Rahn’s every move, and they will stop at nothing to possess both the book and the legendary Sixth Key that will unlock its terrifying power…

African Dawn

by Tony Park

The once proud nation of Zimbabwe has been crushed by corruption and greed in the aftermath of President Mugabe’s violent program of land reform.

government minister Emmerson Ngwenya. Twin brothers, ex-soldier Braedan and environmentalist Tate Quilter-Phipps join the fight.

Three families – the Bryants, the Quilter-Phipps and Tony Park has worked as a journalist, a government the Ngwenyas – share a history as complex and press secretary and served with the Australian Army bloody as the country itself. in Afghanistan in 2002.

Dedicated conservationists Paul and Philippa Bryant face an enormous struggle: to save their farm and small herd of endangered black rhinos from corrupt

The author of seven sagas, Park reflects the beauty and savagery of Africa not as it once was, but as it is today.

Solace

by Belinda McKeon Mark Casey has left home, the rural community where his family has farmed for generations, to study for a doctorate in Dublin, a vibrant, contemporary city full of possibility.

To his father, Tom, who needs help baling the hay and ploughing the fields, Mark’s pursuit isn’t work at all and indeed he finds himself whiling away his time with pubs and parties.

His is a life without focus or responsibility, until he meets Joanne Lynch, a trainee solicitor whom he finds irresistible.

Joanne too has a past to escape and for a brief time they share the chaos and rapture of a new love affair, until the lightning strike of tragedy changes everything.

The 13-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton Andy and Terry live in the most amazing house in the world, well, the most amazing house if you would like a lemonade fountain, a bowling alley, a man-eating shark tank, swinging vines, a secret underground laboratory and a machine that follows you around shooting marshmallows into your mouth. And who wouldn’t?

they will have to leave the 13-Storey Treehouse and go back to where they used to work at the monkey house, back to cleaning the monkeys, grooming the monkeys and worst of all, dressing up in monkey suits and filling in for the monkeys.

It was the worst job ever! But getting the book done is not going to be easy – nothing messes up the creative process more than a monster masquerading as a mermaid, unless it’s an invasion of monkeys or a huge gorilla after the giant banana … it could happen to anyone really!

Life in the 13-Storey Treehouse is pretty awesome, right up until Mr Bignose – the publisher who pays them to write really cool books so they can keep living the sweet life – reminds them, very loudly, that their next book is Incredibly cool and very, very funny, The already overdue and has to be on his desk by 5 13-Storey Treehouse is great fun for kids of all o’clock or else. Or else what, you say? Or else ages (even the really, really old ones!)

Ruby | 55

WAURN PONDS SHOPPING CENTRE

YOU’LL FEEL RIGHT AT HOME 80 of your favourite stores all on one level

Coles & Woolworths supermarkets

Over 1,100 FREE all day & 3 hour car parking spaces

Fashion, fresh food & cafes

Easy access from Princes Hwy & minutes off the Geelong Ring Road 8-screen Reading Cinema complex

Parents Room – young families will enjoy this dedicated space, with private feeding booths, enclosed play area, change tables & wash basin

Visit www.waurnpondssc.com.au to become an on-line member and receiVe adVance notice of store offers, competitions, eVents and school holiday actiVity.

FREE FAMILY FUN THESE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS WITH:

Cars 2 DOC HUDON’S - DRIvER TRAINING INTERACTIvE PEDAL CAR ARENA Monday 26 – Friday 30 September 2011

MATER’S PITSTOP ACTIvITY CRAFT WORkSHOP Monday 3 – Friday 7 October 2011

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Open 7 days • 03 5244 2580 173 - 199 pioneer road, waurn ponds 3216