Ruby Winter 2015

Winter 2015 the thinking women’s magazine

Naturally Beautiful Homes

A beautiful home starts with a co Offering advice without expectation Engaging the industries best architects Making dream homes a reality Creating lifestyles through quality homes Inspirational designs for more than 25 years That’s the Derbyshire Difference.

a conversation . . .

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contents

Ageing is inevitable...

Growing old is optional

06

40

Ruby Psychology

Ruby Health

08

34

Ruby Tuesday

Ruby Arts

49

10

Ruby Food

Ruby Loves

12

56

Ruby Musings

Ruby Business

20

58

Ruby Insight

Ruby Kids

30

66

Ruby Fashion

Ruby Book Club

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PUBLISHER Maureen Tayler ISSN: 1838-1456 MANAGER Caroline Tayler EDITOR Davina Montgomery davina@adcellgroup.com.au DESIGN Gillian Brew ADVERTISE IN RUBY MAGAZINE Abbey Sherwell M 0418 991 203 abbey@adcellgroup.com.au --Tanya Carroll M 0418 302 869 tanya@adcellgroup.com.au

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rubymagazine.com.au 04 Ruby Winter

ruby editor

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING CAN BE

WONDERFUL There isn’t a whole lot to love about the depths of winter, but there is something deliciously comforting about being snugly wrapped up in bed or curled up on the couch while the weather rages outside.

I can’t blame the weather for venting some fury. Winter is when the weather year is old; gone are the days of carefree zephyrs ruffling the green grass and making the world shiver with delight; gone too is the golden summer, when the world revels in warmth and the sheer power of glowing energy can be almost overwhelming in its intensity; even the glories of autumn have been and gone, and with it that crispness and sharpness that brings a surfeit of clarity and bags of style. In winter, the weather year has only its fury to sustain it, pausing only to take a breath before the next storm. The weather year rarely goes out quietly. And why should it? There are places in the world when the winter is when the land is at its most spectacular, and shows off with breathtaking displays of ice and snow. It can be a grand old lady. Here in Geelong however, it tends to be mainly damp, cold and with an abundance of wind, not unlike a few old men I’ve known.

For me, winter is a time of slowing down, which tends to mean running behind, because like all sensible people I want to spend winter with a blanket over my head watching old movies or moving to Cairns.

And this issue of Ruby, in honour of the season, we have built a loose focus around ageing, and as we have mentioned this theme while putting put our cheeky little lady together, we've found it has elicited either eye rolling (as in, ‘Don’t get me started…’) or excitement (as in, ‘There’s so much to talk about, I don’t where to start…’) – there are, it seems, that are enjoying their passing years and those who just want to turn the years back.

Across the past few months I’ve found myself thinking about the women I’ve known who have charged into old age, not only seizing the day, but also seizing every chance for adventure, fun and cocktails that comes their way. They were the Betty Whites of my life.

Firstly, there was a lady in the very latter part of her life who was so vivacious that on one occasion when Mum was visiting (she told me this story later, it was not a tale for young ears at the time) this old family friend disappeared into her room while Mum and the very proper and quietly dapper man of the house chatted over a cuppa. The cuppa was upended when the lady

of the house emerged at the kitchen door, absolutely starkers, threw her decade-younger husband a wink and said, ‘How about it, big boy?’

The second was a woman I met when hubby and I were on our honeymoon in Fiji. We were cruising around the unbelievably blue waters of the Pacific nation’s northern islands on a small cruise boat and, amongst a seriously motley assortment of guests was an older American couple. I can’t remember the gent’s name, but Elma was pretty unforgettable. They told us about the amazing places they had travelled together – and they had hiked, sailed, trekked, kayaked and generally lived it up around most of the globe. While the rest of us were sunning ourselves on the pool deck and waving for our next cocktail, Elma was in the pool, getting her diving certificate because after Fiji she was off to scuba dive in Mexico. It was hard to believe she was in her 80s, and when we asked her what her secret was she pointed to the cigarette she was rolling, and said unfiltered cigarettes, but not too many, not drinking (whoops, there was the rest of us gone) and keeping active.

I love women that show you rather than tell you how to make the most of your life by living theirs to the fullest. So, in this brief respite from under the blanket and contemplating a move north, I want to say thank you to the women who get better with age.

Thank you to the women that hold themselves with absolute style and shove those neuroses down the plughole where they belong. To the women with a twinkle in their eyes that gets brighter with age. To the women who rage against the closing of the day because there is so much still to do (like Elma, skydiving, scuba diving, adventure-junkie Elma). And to all the women everywhere who, like Mae West, believe that too much of a good thing can be wonderful.

To all the women who refuse to be afraid of saying, doing and being what they want at any age, I ask only this, do it as loudly, as passionately and as fiercely as you can, not only for yourself, but for those who have no voice or no choice.

As for me, I hope I’ll dance my way into old age until my knees give out then and have flames painted on my super-charged assisted mobility device.

words davina montgomery

05 Ruby Winter

OLD AGE

ruby psychology

06 Ruby Winter

Should

RAGE

ruby psychology None of us can escape the passing of time – more’s the pity.

I GOT TO WONDER IF THERE WERE AT LEAST SOME BENEFITS OF AGING THAT I AM BLISSFULLY UNAWARE OF.

T

he initial knee jerk response is – duh, well no. What advantages could there possible be running in parallel with being saggy, baggy, wrinkly and slow? The sad part of aging is that you don’t go to bed a youngie and wake up as an oldie; age has a habit of creeping up on you. Interestingly, you feel the same. You feel like a thirtysomething until, one day, you look into the mirror and there’s a strange woman peering back.

Perhaps I’m sounding a little too image obsessed. Maybe there are other positive aspects of aging that I’m overlooking.

Ah yes, you have buckets of wisdom evidently and maybe, just maybe, this wisdom will help you weather the storm of inevitability. However, if you choose to resist the inevitable you could quite easily choose to develop Grumpy Old Woman Syndrome instead and drive everyone around you nuts. This could help immensely with the transition into old age and be so much fun.

So, if you take the grumpy old woman route, you’d have the opportunity to say all the stuff you have always wanted to say to all and sundry without any of the consequences. It could be tremendously liberating – everyone would sit up and take notice. You would exude the sense of entitlement that you had only ever dreamt of in the past. Oops, spoiler alert: they tell me that when you get older you somehow become invisible to the all and sundry in question. Ah well, there are other ways to make yourself visible. Let’s see, if you were once considered to be a shy, quiet, polite, well-mannered type, here’s your opportunity to be the loud, unrestrained, talkative, wildly extroverted woman you have always wanted to be.

And, you can even say the f-word out loud. Yes, people will talk about you and tut-tut behind your back, but do you really care? Could that be another advantage of growing older - not really caring about what others say about you?

I dare say that once you would have cared, or perhaps you still do care waaaay too much what others think about you. You may worry incessantly about this. Alas, you are not alone.

Welcome to the world of self-doubt.

This is our internal world where low self-esteem rules and often manifests

in stress and anxiety. Your day-today happiness may depend on the opinions of others. This in itself leaves us vulnerable to the incoming info that we are continually bombarded with - much of which we have little control over.

This brings to mind the world of social media, which can enhance positive feelings around the self or demoralise the poor unsuspecting vulnerable self in an instant. Unlike looking in the mirror, which presents the stark shocking truth, on Facebook we can present the positive version of ourselves, and inturn, enhance our self-esteem. In fact, a person’s amount of self-promotion and unrelenting status updates may be indicative of a low self-esteem. Now that makes you look at it in different way, doesn’t it? And you thought these people where just bursting at the seams with an over abundance of that elusive self-esteem stuff.

many of life’s unfair dealings. Here are a couple of theories for you to consider, one current and one not so current.

First off is the extolled Acceptance and Commitment Therapy way of maximising your potential. The core message here is to accept what is out of your personal control and commit to action that improves and enriches your life. In other words, learning to deal with the painful thoughts and feelings you have effectively so they have less impact on you. So you’d be trying to stop struggling against the fear of saggy, baggy, and wrinkly and commit to getting what you can out what you’ve got left! Oh dear, I don’t think I’m in with a chance on that one!

Secondly, one who comes to mind is Erik Erikson who developed the Psychosocial Stages of Development - antiquated and has probably been well and truly discredited by now, but here goes. He

YES, PEOPLE WILL TALK ABOUT YOU AND TUT-TUT BEHIND YOUR BACK, BUT DO YOU REALLY CARE? So, back to aging, are you going to grow old gracefully (what ever that means) and adhere to your use by date, or grow old disgracefully? Does growing old gracefully mean using what is at your disposal to push back the years? We have: Botox and collagen injectables; we have procedures; we can colour our hair – no greys allowed; we can diet obsessively; we can have liposuction to suck out the unwanted fat; and implants to stick it back in again in all the right places; or we can take the plunge and have a full-on facelift. Or is it the alternative, go with our chronological age and slip quietly into the world of twin-sets and pearls like our grandmothers did?

Well, it’s no good asking me – I think I’ll take Dylan Thomas’ advice – ‘old age should rage, rage against the closing of the day!’ Or perhaps he meant it to be about dying, after all, it was back in the 1950s. Oh well, whatever. Obviously, I am of the opinion that growing old gracefully is a misnomer! I dare say that there is an in-between grey area (no pun intended) allocated to the acceptance of the golden years. And therein lies the operative term - acceptance.

Acceptance seems to be the key to

theorised that life had eight phases of development and it’s the last two we’d be interested in here. At Stage 7, which is middle adulthood (40-65) he preposes that our basic conflict in life focuses around generativity versus stagnation. In other words, have we contributed to the world (family/friends/career) or have we been unproductive and uninvolved with the world? So he seems to be saying that I’ll be really good with the steady decline if I’ve been a busy little bee. At Stage 8, maturity (65 to death) he proposes integrity versus despair. This is about reflecting back on life and feeling a sense of fulfilment. Success at this stage leads to feelings of satisfaction, acceptance and wisdom. There’s that acceptance word again! Well if not, horror of horrors, we are headed for regrets, bitterness, despair, and a feeling that our life has been wasted! Oh dear me - looks like it could be a bit late for me again - it’s been quite a while since I left the starting gate to fix that one.

It seems acceptance is the way to go, but in saying that it could be a tough and bumpy road to navigate. So good luck in your endeavours, and let me know if you find a shortcut and I’ll be on board.

words charmaine morse, psychologist, charmainemorse.com.au 07 Ruby Winter

M I HAVE MORE PATIENCE WITH MY AGEING CAT THAN I HAVE WITH MY AGEING PARENTS – PERHAPS BECAUSE AS I WRITE THIS HE’S CURLED UP NEXT TO ME WITH HIS HEAD TWISTED UPSIDE DOWN AND STARING AT ME WITH HIS TONGUE POKING OUT OF HIS MOUTH. IF MY PARENTS DID THAT I’D PROBABLY GIVE THEM A PAT TOO, BEFORE CALLING 000.

08 Ruby Winter

G

ruby tuesday

MY PUSSY IS POORLY :(

W

e had a hairy little emergency in the Jones household recently.

We have a big old tom cat that adopted us 13 years ago and when he wasn’t subduing the local feline population – he instituted himself as The Godfather pretty quickly and spent the next decade or so raping and pillaging his way around the neighbourhood – he made friends with our friends, would guard the kids like a dog until they were big enough to pull out handfuls of fur, after which he kept a wary distance through the toddler years before resuming his place on the ends of beds, the middle of the couch, on top of the paper we were trying to read and on the keyboard of my laptop while I was trying to type. Then he went missing.

This wasn’t our first kitty’s gone AWOL experience and we dreaded the side of the road discovery, but a few days later he was at the front door, dragging his back legs.

We raced him off to the vets to find he hadn’t been hit by a car but had probably got stuck in a hole somewhere and had ripped both ligaments of one knee getting out. We shouldn’t have been surprised, the cat had been exhibiting grumpy old man behaviour for some time and, like most blokes as they age, clearly was experiencing the mind being younger than the body.

The vet was new to us, but even so we were pretty gob smacked when he suggested surgery. A knee reco on a fastageing moggy seemed a bizarre idea. Do they even make kitty moonboots? And were we prepared to extend the mortgage to pay for it? We had the weekend to think about it, but it really didn’t need a lot of thought. We went with powerful anti-inflammatories over surgery (Google research on best practice treatment of this type of injury suggested minimal difference in outcomes) and, before we knew it, he was bounding onto the couch/bed and flattening himself out on to inconvenient surfaces once again.

A few weeks ago he became listless and meowing pitifully to be carried to food/ water/litter/couch/bed, and really thought it was time to pull the pin. The vet thought

it was a heart issue (I was waiting for him to suggest bypass surgery) and ordered tests - $450 later only to find there was nothing significantly wrong, I walked out with my poorly pussy, some kitty pain killers and enveloped in the potent perfume of cat urine. Honestly, Mondays are bad enough without this sort of crap to deal with.

The funny thing was that I realised through this that I have more patience with my ageing cat than I have with my ageing parents – perhaps because as I write this he’s curled up next to me with his head twisted upside down and staring at me with his tongue poking out of his mouth. If my parents did that I’d probably give them a pat too, before calling 000. My furry friend is quite, quite mad of course, but then so are my parents; but I love them anyway.

The advancing years are fraught with frustrations and I started to wonder about when that definition of ‘ageing’ really comes into effect. My brother and I have joked for years that it starts from when you take a book to the loo; chuckling as the other would head down the hall, paperback in hand.

But no, the book is a mere early indicator.

You really know you’ve begun a new chapter in the grand journey of life when you open up the fridge in search of milk and are confronted by a biohazard sign indicating there is poop in the fridge – and it’s yours.

Because at some point a trip to the doctors for a once over results in the need for disposable gloves, sterile zip lock bags and a request for walnut-sized samples.

I miss the days when, having used all of my favourite expletives in new and interesting combinations all the way to the doctor’s with my neck frozen on a severelyuncomfortable 90-degree angle just above my right shoulder my trusted family GP burst out laughing and, in between snorts, managed to choke out, “I don’t want to know how THAT happened.” Rude? Yes, but in a good way.

Another sign that times have changed is when a trip out with a girlfriend takes you to an information session with a gynaecologist

who is there to impart the lessons of loving our lady parts as we get older. My friend has had breast cancer and after reading about the vag gadge in the last edition of Ruby was keen to find out what it's all about.

While I was intrigued by how things like vaginal rejuvenation and corrective surgery for prolapse worked – you never know when you might need it - it was the enthusiastic urging by this fiercely intelligent and passionate female surgeon for women to have regular sex in order to keep their vaginas healthy that had me wondering if I’d nodded off and was having an alarming dream.

‘He’s right there next to you and he’s free!’ she said, gesturing vehemently. Free? She’s obviously never seen my dearly beloved near a golf store or JB Hi Fi. ‘We should ideally be having sex three time a week,’ was the next shocker. Three times? Each week? I can barely wash my hair three times a week.

When I told dearly beloved all about it later he didn’t do a Tom Cruise on Oprah’s couch as I expected, but merely raised an eyebrow and said, ‘Told you so.’ I told him smug bastardry is far from attractive.

Sure, having sex three times a week might be good for my vagina but what about the havoc being wreaked on my face by years of sleep deprivation? Crawling into bed after 24 hours of children vomiting, at one point all over the same bed, with under eye bags extending to my chin is not my idea of foreplay. There’s no aphrodisiac like yawning in your partner’s face; and I mean that, there’s really nothing like it… for good reason.

I have full and unfettered admiration for anyone who manages to find ‘mummy and daddy time’ three times a week during the kid years, but at the moment I’ll happily spend any time out reveling in the joys of doing nothing - not quite napping on the couch and surfing through the recorded backlog.

Oh, and my puss is looking a bit brighter, albeit in an obviously aged, slightly dilapidated state; but hey, who isn’t?

words tuesday jones 09 Ruby Winter

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DEAR RUBY LADIES, We love putting Ruby together. It makes us feel like we have a special little non-argumentative girl child that holds all our hopes, our beliefs, and yes, a few of our foibles as well. She is the very best version of ourselves and when you tell us that you love her too, well, we melt a little.

We also know she’s a popular little minx, never where she should be and running off with, let’s face it, anyone who’ll have her. So, we sat her down, gave her a good talking to about why she needs to be certain places, so that the fabulous women who like her can find her.

From now on, our Ruby bloke, Ronnie, will be out around town dropping off more copies of Ruby and filling up Ruby baskets (for distribution points, see the list below). We won’t be posting out as many copies but if you’re business is missing out, just get in touch with the gorgeous Abbey: abbey@adcellgroup.com.au Someone snaffling your office copy, or keep finding empty Ruby baskets (told you she’s a minx!)? Don't worry, we've got a new low subscription fee of $14.50 per year. I know, she’s cheap too – but in a good way!

Here are 30 + places you can pick up a copy of Ruby Magazine in and around Geelong.

More locations are coming soon so keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates.

BELLARINE PENINSULA: Flying Brick Cider Co Jack Rabbit Leura Park Estate Oakdene Restaurant, Vineyard & Café BELMONT/GROVEDALE/ WAURN PONDS Blu Living Kardinia Health Soft Coffee Lounge (Spotlight Centre) The Cottage Medical Clinic The Grovedale Community Hub Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre EAST GEELONG/ NEWCOMB/BREAKWATER: Bellarine Shopping Centre Buckleys Entertainment Centre Buxton East Geelong Kings Funerals Newcomb Central Medical Centre Pink Elm Bellarine Café The Ebony Forest

GEELONG CBD: Australian Skin Face & Body Baveras City of Greater Geelong Geelong City Medical Clinic Geelong Laser Tatoo Removal GPAC Dennys Kitchen Deakin Waterfront Kitchen Market Square Shopping Centre Myer St Medical Clinic Royal Geelong Yacht Club Speakys Surf, Skate and Snow Venus Flytrap The Firm Slimming Clinic GEELONG WEST/ NEWTOWN Artworks Jewellers Brax Windows & Blinds Eclectica Jovic Accounting Newtown Medical Centre Pakington Bakery Ts 14+ West End Real Estate HIGHTON: Darriwill Farm Café SOUTH GEELONG: Byars Packaging

SURFCOAST: We’re currently organising some permanent pick up’s!

But you will find us kicking about in all good Café’s, Hairdressers and other girlie hangouts as with all suburbs and regions around Geelong 

11 Ruby Winter

ruby musings

A CertainAge AS YOU GET OLDER, THREE THINGS HAPPEN: A) YOUR ABILITY TO REMEMBER THINGS DIMINISHES, B) YOUR… I CAN’T REMEMBER THE OTHER TWO THINGS.

G

rowing older is the weirdest thing.

I thought Mum was pretty weird when she told me how sometimes she would look in a mirror and be surprised to see an old lady looking back at her. In her mind, she still felt like she did when she was 18. At the time I smiled and nodded – ‘Yes Mum … of course Mum…’ – as I backed away and avoided eye contact with her, but boy, do I understand her now!

I was born in 1959 along with Simon Cowell, Marie Osmond and Weird Al Yankovic. What a weird alignment of planets that must have been. Can you imagine what mini-Simon, mini-Marie and a-little-bit-weird-Al would have been like as kids? I’m guessing that the dire Simon’s first words have been something along the lines of, ‘Well, Mummy, what am I meant to say?

I think these booties are utterly horrible and that horrible lullaby you’re singing, well, oh my God, it’s off-key and awful and it’s just horrible. That’s a no from me…’

But I digress; yeah, you do that when you get older. There’s so much to say and

12 Ruby Winter

never enough time in which to say it. That is because there is only a short timeframe before you a) forget what you were saying or b) need to have a wee or c) both. And note I say ‘wee’ not ‘pee’; we adopted the Americanism only a decade or so ago when our offspring, the house-bound Gen Xs and Yers, rebelled by suddenly announcing that they needed to ‘pee’ and that they were ‘going to the bathroom’ to do it. Even now, i torment my darling daughter whenever she says that by calling out to her, ‘Don’t you wee in my sink!’ She backs away and doesn’t make eye contact with me either.

So, where was I? That’s right, I was busy digressing and now I have to go back to the beginning to remember why I was talking about weeing and Weird Al Yankovic. And while I do, it might also offer some insight into why I regularly find my cup of coffee in the freezer and the cat dry food in the washing machine (no, Friskies definitely do not whiten whites). I need lists and electronic calendars to tell me what I need to do and where I need to do it.

I was trying to explain to a friend recently how being the youngest of five sisters has meant that I haven’t completed a sentence ever in my life. If you’ve ever watched that US panel show, ‘The View’ with all those shouty ladies talking over the top of one another to offer their ‘views’, that’s what it is like. So, when I talk, I make sure to cram in as many words as possible and not breathe too often so that I can convey the main bits of whatever flash of brilliance has popped into my frontal lobe because I know it won’t stay there for long – not only am I likely to forget what I was saying, I actually wait for the other ‘interjections’ to take over. A silent and astute listener will throw me off track completely. ‘Mum, finish the sentence…’ says aforementioned darling daughter when I’m telling her something and the words have drifted off like family at a post-party clean up.

So, Simon, Marie, Weird Al and I are all 56 years old and we ain’t none of us getting any younger; and yet I will speak for them and say that we honestly don’t have the

KILLER STYLE FOR

time for getting old. I’m busier now than I have ever been before, in my work, my social life, my hobbies and interests.

And I am only a youngster compared to many of my fabulously vital, feisty friends who are in their seventies and eighties and who still don the false eyelashes and sequined outfits to sing on stage with me in Geelong Harmony Chorus along with the lovely young things in their twenties and thirties – now that’s a group of women who will grow old both gracefully and disgracefully, all at the same time – or who demonstrate against social injustices or who learn how to use Facebook and Instagram so that they can share some of the fascinating things that they do, and places they travel to, with the world at large. (I still can’t work out what a hashtag actually does though.)

I know we’re all living longer, and now we’re all going to have to work longer and suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune because our superannuation is going to run out quicker than the good champagne at a big birthday bash. But maybe that’s something we need to forget about and continue to be surprised at how weird it is that we young things might be getting older, but with a bit of luck and some selective forgetfulness, we will never have to grow up.

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STYLISH • COMFORTABLE • AFFORDABLE words anna-marie hughes

13 Ruby Winter

Pearls may be pretty

but diamonds are Artworks Jewellers are always on the search for the finest gemstones and materials to create custom made pieces for their customers; after all, that is what they’re known for.

It was with this in mind that made their most recent discovery all the more exciting: CANADIAN DIAMONDS The Canadian ideal2 (that’s ideal squared) diamonds are sourced from diamond mines in the North West Territories of Canada and Northern Ontario. Unbeknownst to most, Canada is in fact now the second largest producer of diamonds by value.

A reliable and loyal supplier of twenty-six years to Artworks Jewellers approached the Wood family about the new cut and, according to Brett and Linda, “it was an opportunity not to be missed”.

The ideal2 cut is a result of seven years of development, and its unique shape fills the gap in the market between the traditional round cut and the square cut diamond shapes. Each of the diamonds is also cut and polished in Canada, meaning that even though each one is unique, they are always cut to the same proportions using the

same formula to ensure the perfect cut and polish every time.

“We are often asked about ‘Conflict Diamonds’ (blood diamonds) and although it is easy to avoid buying and supplying Conflict Diamonds by dealing with reputable diamond merchants, using the ideal2 diamonds sourced from Canada is just an added comfort and reassurance,” says jeweller Brett Wood.

The passion the Wood family has for creating one of kind pieces is stronger than ever, and they’ve already begun designing and crafting pieces featuring the new Canadian diamonds.

If ever there was a place to go for a truly unique piece that reflects who you are, it’s Artworks Jewellers.

For those that want to learn more head to www.idealsquared.com or pop into the store where you can gaze upon them yourself. As always, if they don’t have exactly what you’re looking for, they are more than happy to source the ideal diamond, just for you.

words montana agustin

14 Ruby Winter

ruby fashion

AGE GRACEFULLY THEY SAY - bugger that, I’ve got other ideas!

Lately I’ve been feeling a bit vanilla - know what I mean? Mediocre … Mrs Joe Average … even nanna-ish. Amongst my busy life with work, kids, running the household and trying to squeeze in a little time for myself I’ve somewhere along the way lost my style mojo! I can see my girlfriends reading this and rolling their eyes (you can’t lose what you never had!). Thanks, ladies, I can always rely on you lovelies to bring me down to earth.

I’m not quite sure which shops to shop at and questioning where do I fit in? I’m too old for Sportsgirl but not old enough for Millers.

To say that I’ve fallen into a fashion rut is an understatement. But how do I pull myself out of it? I think it’s time to get some professional help - styling help that is, not the psychiatric kind - although on second thoughts…

So I’ve made a list. I’m going to start at the top and work my way down – and, selfishly, it’s all about me. I’m only up to No. 5 at the moment but it’s a work in progress. Bear with me.

1. New Hairstyle (this is on the back burner while I continue to search Google for hairstyles that suit faces with pointy chins, wide forehead, etc. etc.) Next!

2. New Glasses - ok this is a no brainer.

Straight to Eyewear on Pako. How good is the range in there? How much fun is it trying on new frames? I just look to owner Chris Benning for inspiration - I don’t think I’ve ever seen Chris wear the same glasses twice and he always looks fabulous, if not a tad out there!

Don’t be afraid to make a statement - he says. Age shouldn’t restrict what glasses you wear - he says. There’s no rules, simply wear what you like and feel good in - he says. And he’s right!

Look at Iris Apfel, Meryl Streep, Whoopi Goldberg, Diane Keaton - all ladies of immense talent, class and style and none of them afraid to push the boundaries.

So I ended up with something a bit bolder than I would normally choose and whilst I didn’t go with the hexagon shaped multicoloured wooden frames I did push my boundaries just a smidgen more than usual

- and decided on a heavier black & silver Burberry frame. I know - out there right?

Well, baby steps to start. Maybe the older I get the more senior starlet I’ll become.

Back to the list...

3. Personal Styling Session - done and dusted - tick. More on that in the spring edition of the Ruby where I’ll fill you in on the details of my session.

4. Get body into shape - I’ve taken up Pilates - tick.

5. Take a break - holiday booked - tick.

And the list goes on ...

Growing older is a wonderful thing. I feel so much more confident than I did when I was in my 20s and 30s. I don’t sweat the small stuff anymore - if people don’t like me, that’s their problem. I have a very blessed life - a wonderful family, great friends and my health. Who could ask for more? Bring on the golden years - I can’t wait!

words tanya carroll

15 Ruby Winter

A WONDERFUL WAY TO HONOUR ALLI

I

t was a uniquely Geelong evening on June 10 when guests from across the local business community gathered for the Allison (Alli) Murphy Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Alli, who we profiled in our very first edition of Ruby, was a communications powerhouse who cut her teeth working as a federal parliamentary media advisor to former Senator Judith Troeth and then began working across the private, pubic and not-for-profit sector.

And it was another power woman, the Hon Julie Bishop MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party that introduced the inaugural recipient of the Allison Murphy Memorial Scholarship

16 Ruby Winter

to Deakin University journalism student and young mum from Geelong’s northern suburbs, Coral Reeve.

When Alli returned home to Geelong, she founded Redstick Strategic Communications in 2004 and together with her team worked in the background to drive key local projects including the Simonds Stadium Redevelopment, relocating the TAC, the Geelong Ring Road, Princess Highway duplication, the expansion of Avalon Airport and Deakin University’s Medical School as well as giving her time and expertise to a number of local community organisations.

And while she shined at work, it was her family that made her glow, as wife to Peter

(Stevo), mum to twins Charlie and Lucy and step mum to Tom. Alli passed away suddenly in February last year, and the combined efforts of a group of Alli’s friends and colleagues established a memorial scholarship that will see not only Coral supported in her studies at Deakin, but thanks an extraordinary fundraising effort capped off with the June 10 dinner to reach the $100,000 goal, Alli Murphy Memorial Scholarships will support young women to follow in Alli’s footsteps and study in the areas of politics, media and marketing at Deakin.

Photos Alan Barber, Barefoot Media Photography

LESSONS LEARNT OVER TEA & BISCUITS

A

s somebody on the younger end of the spectrum, it may seem presumptuous of me to profess an opinion on this edition’s theme of ageing.

Although, in the words of the Coodabeens, I’m the oldest I’ve ever been.

I spent my 20s living and working almost exclusively with people between the ages of 18 and 45. My friends, colleagues, clients, neighbours and chance encounters were conducted in spaces dominated by young people. I was conscious that I rarely encountered small children while pursuing a career managing festivals and performance spaces, but didn’t stop to reflect that equally absent from my orbit were several generations of people older than me.

When I returned to live in Geelong, I was able to spend more time with my grandmothers, both of whom were in the final years of their lives. The shift from a high intensity environment to slowing

my pace to match my grandmother as we attended medical appointments and returned home to tea and biscuits was significant and beneficial. I will forever be grateful that I spent a year working parttime, visiting my grandmothers and caring for our geriatric dog. As I consider my life today, I find that in some areas I have returned to my less beneficial habits and hope that I will be able to refocus on the lessons I learnt during that period.

While I was rediscovering the joy of spending time with my older relatives, I was also starting to work for my family’s business. There are few sectors that involve such richness of experience as funeral service. I moved from the arts, in which I was starting to graduate to the realm of wise and experienced, to a company in which I was the youngest employee by several years. It has been humbling to realise how much I have to

learn and I have been privileged to work with brilliant colleagues of all ages across the past five years, each of whom brings a unique perspective through their own life experiences.

The majority of people who come into our care are from older generations and their funeral is frequently arranged by their spouse who may be in their 70s, 80s or 90s. It is a privilege to be invited into people’s lives at a time of heightened emotion and to be able to assist people to commence grieving for the person they have lost. The stories and heritage shared at the time of funerals are so important and powerful. I am grateful that our society values taking the time to reflect at the end of a life lived and that we are granted the opportunity to provide a final service to people who have contributed so much to their families and our community.

words beth king, bking@kingsfunerals.com.au

17 Ruby Winter

o ! l t l r a He e h t e e w S L

exi DeRock knows an awful lot about rockabilly styling. In fact, her repertoire of vintage and retro styles is nothing short of exhaustive. She’s professionally trained and self-taught to set hair and apply make-up from a range of eras: Edwardian, Victorian, the roaring twenties, war and post-war, fifties, sixties and seventies, to name a few.

It is little wonder she recently opened Geelong’s most unique hair and beauty parlour, Yankee Sweetheart, so named for her American roots and love of retro.

Renovated in just two weeks, the salon is a sensory step back in time, complete with chequerboard floor, powder blue walls, pink couch, a 1960s ladies’ vanity and goldenframed portraits dedicated to timeless icons of style.

Lexi moved to Australia to live with her Geelong-based husband last year and started looking for a place to set up shop.

Initially discouraged by the lack of activity and vacant leases in the CBD, she found West Geelong to be more her fine-boned china cup of tea.

“The vibe and hive of activity around nearby Pakington Street makes it the ideal location,” Lexi explains. “As a sole operator, I offer a one-on-one pampering experience and don’t allow bookings to overlap. This means my clients never wait for their appointments and always get my full attention. Originally, I wanted to open a vintage caravan mobile parlour, but with my current operation I can close up shop and hit the road if I have to do a bridal party out of town.”

If you’re not in the market for Marilyn Monroe’s mane or Veronica Lake’s waves, that’s just fine. Lexi is professionally trained in modern cutting, colour, styling and make-up for all men and women. Her services also include men’s grooming, hen’s night parties and lessons for those

wanting to learn the styles of yesteryear.

So, how did vintage hair and beauty become her signature trademark? Lexi studied cosmetology at the Aveda Institute in Minneapolis.

“The curriculum was about 50 years out of date,” she remembers. “We still had to master finger waves, pin curls, rag curls, hot rollers and setting lotions.”

An accomplished Jazz and Blues singer, Lexi did a stint in Paris to explore the underground city music scene and further her beauty education. It was there she gained a reputation in the Parisian parlours for recreating vintage looks.

“I just find it to be more of a challenge,” she says. “There is sculptural art and patience to it. If the setting isn’t just right, you can’t simply fix up the mistakes at the finish.”

Asked how to maintain an authentic vintage haircut in the modern day, Lexi suggests a little caution.

“In days gone by, women would get their hair set once or twice a week and then use a headscarf to hold the look as they slept. words abbey jane

18 Ruby Winter

These were women who would do this during the day with other housewives or go to the salon.

Unless you have a lot of time to commit to your hair, I’d suggest something more modern. A cute fringe can look very retro and needs very little styling.”

She’s even penned and published a book based on her experience called ‘Decades of Style – A Step-by-Step Hair and Makeup Guide 60s & 70s’. This comprehensive guide to recreating retro styles can be purchased at the salon. You can also browse original vintage clothing, kitsch décor and Victorian retro designers including My Mother Once Told Me, Maxx

by Makayla and Lush Cherry.

Yankee Sweetheart is the newest addition to Geelong’s thriving vintage scene and, not surprisingly, has already welcomed a steady flow of clients.

You don’t have to make an appointment to check out Yankee Sweetheart. As Lexi assures, “If I’m open, just come in to have a lookyloo and say howdy. I’m a friendly gal and I’d love to meet more of the locals.”

ruby business As I stepped in for my Vintage make-over, the second my foot hit the black and white chequered floor I felt like I had walked straight into the set of a 50’s movie.

Every aspect of this salon has been created with high attention to detail; furniture, reading material, ornaments and music leave you sitting in the only chair of the salon imagining the gorgeous ladies of our yesteryears.

Lexi’s high attention to detail continues the second you’re seated and covered with a retro style smock to keep your clothes protected.

As there is only 1 chair in the salon; you have Lexi’s full devotion.

The makeup feels light and fresh, the lipstick doesn’t budge and rolled top curls are created by Lexi’s steady and experienced hand.

Whether you’re in need of your standard cut and colour, make-up or looking for a full vintage makeover Lexi is one super talented lady with a wealth of experience behind her.

Thanks Lexi – I loved the look! X

0407 137 699 17 Church Street, Geelong West

Yankee Sweetheart Salon Yankee Sweetheart

www.YankeeSweetheart.com 19 Ruby Winter

ruby insight

DON’T AGE GRACEFULLY,

Age however You Like T

here’s a notion that ageing gracefully should be executed by following a set of guidelines, and all the symptoms of age can be categorically put into little boxes, and, as we move through life, we simply just tick them off.

Financial security, number of children, wearing appropriate clothing, going to age appropriate places, and being regular and wearing beige pants. I’d like to just say that, if ageing gracefully is the sum of that perception and all of those things, I don’t want any part of it. I choose to age very disgracefully, taking heed from characters like Patsy and Edina from Absolutely Fabulous; a little extreme, I know, but at least those sisters know how to have fun.

40s Adrienne Photographer

As a woman in my twenties, I have my own viewpoint of ageing gracefully; however, I was interested to talk to other women in varying stages of their lives to see what they thought on the subject. I asked five pretty amazing and inspiring women, all at different stages of their lives, about what ageing gracefully meant to them. Here’s what they had to say:

30s

20s

On a physical level, it means to be in the best health as possible, including eating a healthy balanced diet, regular exercise, looking after my appearance (but not obsessively) and making sure there is some degree of relaxation and enjoyment in my life.

Joanne Product Developer It means being confident in myself and not being afraid of imperfections, but also looking after my skin at the same time. I’ve taken looking after my skin more seriously in the last couple of years after seeing some changes.

I don’t think [my perception of ageing gracefully] has changed that much for me, I have become more comfortable in my skin though.

Ageing gracefully is a really powerful thing.

Obviously, when I get older, I’m going to get more wrinkles and lines. Instead of freaking out I can embrace those lines and exude confidence. I do look after my skin, but I think lines and wrinkles can be totally sexy and they can tell a story about that person.

20 Ruby Winter

Suzannah Policy and Research Officer (public/not-for-profit sector)

I see ageing gracefully as a holistic concept, I believe it means ageing well in one’s own body, mind and life.

On a personal level, it means embracing myself for all that I am today, but also being mindful that I am always able to change and improve. I think accepting that I am not and will never be perfect and to be happy to work with what I have is important also.

In my broader life, it means taking a step back to recognise and appreciate how all my life experience has formed me into the person I am today. It means feeling proud of my hard work and life achievements, but also being enriched by all the struggles and challenges that I have encountered along the way. Finally, it means being able to enjoy and share life with others, especially those nearest and dearest to us.

Ageing gracefully feels more like a restriction as I get older - a rule to try and make me behave in a certain way - but as I age I want to be more me than ever! Then again, I suppose it comes down to what your definition of graceful is, I do want to be elegant and graceful, but my own version.

Though I have started doing a few daily things that help with the ageing process, like drinking more water, drinking less alcohol and going to bed early because I want to wake up feeling good everyday.

When you are young you can take that for granted, as regardless of what you do to your body you still feel good. Sadly, that skill leaves you and I had no idea that was going to happen, it was a shock.

I don’t think I could really give someone younger advice as everyone’s path is so different; the things I am feeling, others won’t. I suppose the one thing I would say is be your self and don’t second-guess what feels natural, there is no time to waste.

Oh, and enjoy your flawless skin whilst you have it.

I think there are more pressures on women than men, at all ages, for so many things.

Often this pressure is from women themselves; we are so good at being hard on ourselves. It may be a cliché, but we need to live and let live.

STREET FASHION HELEN I AM: Helen I AM WEARING: Dress by French connection, jacket and shoes by Topshop, scarf by Sportsgirl, leggings by Gorman.

MY STYLE IS: Hipster x boho I ADMIRE THE STYLE OF: Florence Welch (Florence and the Machine) MY FAVOURITE PLACE TO SHOP: Gorman MY BIGGEST FASHION MISTAKE WAS: It’s a tie between a mullet haircut and my black Lycra sparkly Mytikos. (*Mytiko is a cult Melbourne street wear brand from the 1990s)

50s Trish Personal Trainer (also my Mum) For me, ageing gracefully means being comfortable and proud of who I am in my own skin. It’s also about being authentic in not only my words, but my actions also. I look after myself physically and mentally too. I do things that make me happy like spending time with my husband and my family.

My perspective of ageing gracefully has certainly changed, as I’ve gotten older and within the last decade especially. I’m in a different place and things in my life that have happened have forced me to make changes in how I view and live my life.

MY FAVOURITE PIECE IN MY WARDROBE IS: My Zimmerman bridesmaid’s dress.

WHAT I LOVE TO WEAR TO COMPLIMENT MY GORGEOUS FIGURE: High-waisted short shorts.

I WOULD NEVER BE CAUGHT DEAD IN: Jeans and sneakers

Life is truly wonderful at any age; each age has its struggles, its up and downs, but at the end of the day if you can wake up every morning look in the mirror and be truly happy with who you are, how you treat people and have family who love you no matter what then you should give gratitude.

Something else women have trouble with is loving themselves - it’s okay to love yourself.

60s Marie - Aged Care Cook & Kitchen Assistant Ageing gracefully at this point in my life is to be able to do all the physical things I want to and to be able to travel. To be able to accomplish this I’m always at the gym, bike riding walking, hiking and swimming.

I thought that after I’d turned fifty I wouldn’t need to exercise as much, however working in aged care has made me aware that you can’t stop exercising as your brain and muscles deteriorate.

Ageing gracefully isn’t overrated, if I can reach the ripe old age of 90 and still be able to walk independently without any walking aid and dance in my room it will all have been worth it.

So, there you have it, there are certainly varying views on the subject of ageing gracefully, however, the reoccurring messages that really shone through from each answer is that you have to be comfortable in your own skin, be true to yourself and love yourself. It seems that this is the core belief no matter what age you are, and that’s a really positive thing.

For me personally, ageing gracefully simply means being okay with the fact that you are ageing and not compromising who you are because of your age. There certainly shouldn’t be any rules on the topic… with the exception of wearing beige pants; no one should ever wear beige pants. words montana agustin 21 Ruby Winter

GEELONG’S OWN WHOLESALE HAVEN! If you haven’t yet discovered this virtual treasure trove of surprises, it’s well worth a visit to discover what can only be described as an extraordinary haven of giftware, homewares and décor for true wholesale prices.

After opening its doors just over 12 months ago, wholesale direct to public outlet Past Last and Present is continuing on its humble yet trail blazing path of eradicating inflated retail costs.

Located at 51 Leather Street, Breakwater, Past Last and Present boasts easy parking and an entire warehouse full of stock onsite and ready to tantalise, inspire and load into your car.

With more than 400 items on display, Past Last and Present has everything from funky retro furniture to children’s furniture and feature pieces, garden décor, a fantastic array of clocks – big and small, a multitude of frames to suit all purposes and colour schemes, an abundance of rustic and shabby chic as well as a huge range of general décor items.

The hundreds of items available ensure there really is something for everyone comprising samples, surprises and seconds of all forms and sizes with prices ranging from $1 to $400.

Store Manager Sue di Sciascio says new stock is arriving every week in varying quantities so it was well worth popping in regularly to see what’s in store.

“We often get customers coming back to purchase a particular item and it has already sold out because we only receive limited quantities of some items,” Sue says.

“More and more Geelong locals – and out of towners - are discovering us and that’s both exciting and really gratifying – it confirms that we are doing something right. People are realising they are purchasing retail products at less than 60% standard retail price – that’s got to be a winner! We love seeing the surprised look on people’s faces when they realise what a bargain they are getting.”

Sue went on to say that the innovative outlet was gaining an increasing number of followers on Facebook with regulars keen to see what is new as well as the ongoing array of specials.

“We are finding that people enjoy being prompted about new releases and specials – we are happy we are making a difference to shoppers.”

PAST LAST AND PRESENT IS OPEN MONDAY – FRIDAY FROM 10AM – 3PM 23 Ruby Winter

Tea

ruby spotlight

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF

Tea is one of life’s great comforts at any time, but in the blast chiller of a Victorian winter a good cuppa can make your day.

W

hile it’s caffeine cousin, coffee, can be chic and trendy and a heady experience at its best, tea is soothing, calming and an experience with both delicacy and length; tea is the long warm bath to coffee’s hot shower.

Those of us who treasure their tea share a love of the leaf infusion, but Australia’s first Tea Master, Sharyn Johnston, not only loves tea but has developed an extraordinary depth of understanding to her passion, and she has poured quite a bit of that passion and knowledge into organising the inaugural Australian International Tea Expo to be held on the Geelong Waterfront in October.

The Tea Expo will be hosted across a number of venues, from The Pier, to the first floating tea training rooms at The Boathouse, to the Black Tea Dinner at the Novotel, with tea training courses, cultural activities and lots and lots of tea.

And behind it all is Sharyn of Cartel Tea. For six and a half years Sharyn was the training manager for a global company with a spread of twenty-four countries.

Wherever she was working around the world the groups would always break down the sessions over cups of tea – many, many cups of tea, of many varying styles and quality.

“When I came back from that really busy life I decided I wanted something much quieter and had this idea of opening up a quiet

café. It never quite worked out like that,” Sharyn said with a laugh.

Within five minutes of talking to Sharyn and I got the overwhelming impression that slow and quiet would run away from her screaming – she is incredibly vibrant and sharp and her enthusiasm has a kind of kinetic energy of its own. The ‘quiet café’ that she opened with her son, Nathan – Nathan does the coffee and Sharyn the tea, was Coffee Cartel. When Nathan began roasting his own coffee the business took off and he needed more space for roasting.

Sharyn had wanted a tearoom, so they moved into the Leather Street site.

“It’s been interesting because the specialty roasting side with the coffee side has, along the way, incorporated specialty tea. We supply eighty cafes from here and specialty coffee roasters are also interested in specialty teas.”

When Sharyn had wanted to learn more about tea, she was surprised to find there was nowhere for her to study. She eventually found a course in America, but it wasn’t the quality in depth experience she was looking for. So she took a year off to travel around different tea-producing countries, visited plantations, learned the manufacturing processes and talked to lots of people about tea manufacturing and the science of the plant. Armed with this knowledge she spent the next ten months developing a series of training modules to deliver the kind of tea training she had been seeking. words davina montgomery

24 Ruby Winter

The result was the Australian Tea Masters and last year the Tea Sommelier course gained government accreditation.

That course can now be included into accredited hospitality training and has already produced around 70 tea sommeliers. There are also tea Masterclasses, tea appreciation classes, Tea 101 and certified tea blending, all of which is testament to just how serious people can be about their daily brew.

“I’ve taught tea farmers in Korea how to blend tea and I’ve just come back from teaching in Indonesia. There are a lot of people interested in tea training. I’ve been invited to the World Tea Forum in Korea and we’ve just joined the Tea Masters Cup and the World Championships are being held next year in Korea as well.

All of this as well as quite possibly being Australia’s biggest tea blenders, blending more than 200 teas and tisanes both for their own Cartel Tea label as well as blending for international companies and around 30 private Australian labels. Sharyn has been invited to judge at tea expos around the world, and since Australia doesn’t have a tea expo she decided to have one here in her hometown of Geelong.

As for that quiet café, well, that has gone by the by.

For more information on the Australian Tea Expo and Australian Tea Masters visit www.australianteaexpo.com.au

Winter…

Advertorial

a time to REST, RELAX, RESTORE

When the winter days get shorter and colder our natural inclination is to bunker down, stay inside where it’s warm and cosy and do less physical activity. We’re inclined to move slower in this season and, to some degree, we probably should.

But most of us in this fast-paced world that is our lives today Resist this inclination. Instead we continue to move at the same frantic speed, ignoring what our body needs most; the time to… rest, relax and restore.

This can cover many aspects of our lives and doesn’t mean just relaxing the mind. Think mind, body and soul. Remember how important you are? If you aren’t functioning at your full capacity it can make the simplest of tasks much more difficult – especially when it’s a mere 5-degrees and your alarm is screeching at you to get out of bed.

Rejuvenating the body, mind, and soul isn’t just a task of thought, but also a task of action. Make the time this winter to care for yourself and your body is sure to thank and Reward you for putting in that extra effort.

The team at Re Skin and Body are masters in the art of Relaxation and offer you the perfect place to Rest and Restore while looking after your skin and body’s needs.

Rest: Relax: Restore:

in the Pedi-spa chairs while your tired legs and feet are eased with a Deluxe Pedicure (including divine foot and leg massage and warming paraffin wax treatment). in a warm candle lit room while your stresses (be they physical, mental or emotional) are massaged away.

your skin’s health and integrity with Re Skins results orientated facials. Winter is the time of year where we get the opportunity to focus on turning over our tired skin with peels to maximise its integrity by Returning your skin to glowing health.

What more could you want?

A special offer? Well, OK then!

To reward you for Reflecting and taking the step to improved health and wellbeing, Re Skin and Body are offering Ruby readers a very generous deal – 50% off your first treatment! See the below advert.

Start your journey and visit the team at Re Skin and Body for an appointment today.

25 Ruby Winter

PREPARE FOR LIFE'S

UPS

AND

LIFE IS A MIXTURE OF BOTH CERTAINTIES AND SURPRISES THAT WE NEED TO BE EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH AS WE GO ABOUT OUR JOURNEY.

by Deborah Anderson - Whyte, Just & Moore Lawyers Life is a mixture of both certainties and surprises that we need to be equipped to deal with as we go about our journey.

Some things we can anticipate in the knowledge that inevitably it will come to each of us. Dying is one of those things. Whilst many people shy away from the subject, being prepared in a legal sense can, in fact, bring many people greater comfort and security. We are seeing an increase in people leaving estates of significant value.

Property prices and compulsory superannuation have contributed to the growth in the value of people’s estates. An additional consideration is that children from different relationships can impact upon estate administration and family relationships. Having a valid Will is now more important than ever.

In addition to a Will, Enduring Powers of Attorney are important legal documents, which allow you to give another person the power to make certain decisions for you, or to enter into transactions on your behalf. These powers continue in the event of an accident or disability or in circumstances where you may lose capacity to make those decisions yourself.

DOWNS

and Aaron Jolly, a long-term WJM lawyer and newly appointed firm Principal. In addition to these experienced lawyers, we have a number of other professionals, including lawyers and law clerks that are well equipped to assist you in this specialised area of the law.

Having spoken about the certainties and things we can plan for, we acknowledge that life is not always so predictable. Nowhere is this more evident than when talking with our Family Lawyers, who recognise the breakdown of a relationship (be it a marriage, de facto or same sex union) can be a traumatic and stressful time.

We have seen that relationship breakdowns are not limited to a particular age bracket but happen across all ages and at all stages of life, and sometimes quite unexpectedly.

Whyte Just & Moore Lawyers (WJM) can assist you with all of your Will making enquiries and can draft a Will that best suits your needs. We can also provide you with effective advice as to which Powers of Attorney might be appropriate for you to have in different circumstances and advice on who would be the most appropriate person to entrust those powers to. Further, superannuation can be one of your biggest assets and this makes it an important consideration in your succession planning. Many clients are surprised to learn that superannuation does not necessarily form part of their estate and that additional strategic advice can be particularly helpful in this area, including information concerning binding death nomination benefits.

At WJM we have an experienced Family Law team including one of our Principals, John Butler, and two female lawyers with decades of experience between them. Kasey Warner has practised exclusively in Family Law for the past decade and been at WJM since 2006.

She is the mother of two young children and is well equipped to understand the pressures and demands of a relationship breakdown, particularly when children are involved. Lorraine Clarke joined our Family Law team in March this year, after working at a Melbourne CBD firm in the Family Law section for more than a decade. Both Kasey and Lorraine are very experienced and able to assist in all aspects of a relationship breakdown, including parenting disputes, property settlements, divorce, child support, family violence, contravention and intervention order matters to name but a few.

They recognise and can advise you on the importance of reviewing your Will, Powers of Attorney and binding superannuation death benefit nominations upon separation (and the often unwanted ramifications if you fail to do so).

Our Wills and Estates Team includes Deb Anderson, a successful lawyer who has been accredited by the Law Institute as being a Specialist in Wills and Estates. We also have Geoff Reeve a long time Principal of the firm

Should you be in the process of separating or contemplating separation, we would recommend you make an appointment to meet with Kasey or Lorraine to assist you with this often confusing and frequently emotional time.

26 Ruby Winter

Deborah Anderson deborah.anderson@wjmlawyers.com.au Lorraine Clarke lorraine.clarke@wjmlawyers.com.au Kasey Warner kasey.warner@wjmlawyers.com.au

m.au

u

GREEN TEA HELPS BEAT NASTY COLDS AND COUGHS

G

reen tea, apples, blueberries, cocoa, red wine and onions – all of these foods are rich in flavonoids – and according to research presented at the Dietitians Association of Australia National Conference, foods that are rich in flavonoids can significantly reduce the risk of catching a cold.

Researcher Andrea Braakhuis from the University of Auckland said people who eat flavonoids also have fewer sick days. In fact, the research shows adults are 33 per cent more protected from upper respiratory tract infections if they eat foods rich in flavonoids or take flavonoid supplements, compared with those who don’t.

“These findings show that if you’re generally healthy, eating flavonoids – found in lots of fruits and vegetables – can help stave off the bugs over winter,” said Dr Braakhuis.

As adults, we can expect to have two or three colds each year, while kids can have up to five colds, and sometimes those long nights of coughing, the endlessly running noses, sore throats, headaches and fevers can feel like they’ll never end.

“We’d all love to make it through winter without one of these nasty colds. They’re a leading cause of visits to a doctor, yet antibiotics don’t help, so it’s worth giving flavonoids a go as part of a healthy diet,” said Dr Braakhuis.

Nutrition scientists are learning more about components in foods, like flavonoids, which are thought to have anti-viral, antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties and can help to boost immune function.

And while researchers are finding out more about the benefits of components such as flavonoids found in fresh foods, the science around whether foods or supplements, or how much of it we should ideally have, remains sketchy. So, for now, a common sense approach is recommended.

“Eating five serves of veggies and two serves of fruit each day in a variety of colours will put you well on the path to getting enough flavonoids. Make sure your dinner plate is at least half full of vegetables, sip green tea over winter, and enjoy the occasional red wine,” said Dr Braakhuis.

So, put on the kettle and pass me the chocolate…

Samantha Webb T: 03 5221 9310 M: 0419 775 584

Email: sam@thefirmslimming.com.au Address: Shop C, 87 Little Malop Street, Geelong, VIC, 3220

www.thefirmslimming.com.au 27 Ruby Winter

ruby business

TREATING EMPLOYEES AS CONTRACTORS The structure of the workforce is transforming, and many business owners are struggling to make sense of the rapid changes.

T

he problem is that regulation, especially from the tax office, will always be a few steps behind changes that are happening in the real world. Sadly, this often means that compliance requirements are not meeting current business practices. An area where this is glaringly apparent is the tax treatment of independent contractors versus employees.

The option to hire independent contractors increases flexibility, expertise and access to equipment, making it attractive to small business owners. Furthermore, many Australian workers are increasingly opting to work freelance instead of seeking permanent employment.

Unfortunately, business owners are often surprised to find out that there can be some severe penalties for incorrectly treating an employee as an independent contractor for tax purposes. The ATO’s definitions of an employee and an

independent contractor are fairly strict, and tend to come down on the side of classifying people as employees.

Businesses that incorrectly treat employees as contractors can face a set of heavy financial penalties, including missed PAYG payments and super guarantee charges for missed superannuation payments. The super guarantee charges will include the actual super guarantee amounts (currently 9.5% of the employee’s gross pay) and penalties.

to their superannuation accounts.

The ATO uses a combination of compliance and education to help employers ensure that they are correct in their tax treatment of workers.

In the event that you are unsure as to whether or not your tax treatment of employees and independent contractors is compliant, seek advice from your accountant.

Generally, an independent contractor will have a high degree of flexibility over their work, provide their own equipment, and will accept risk and liability for poor work.

Independent contractors are required to pay their own taxes and make decisions in regards to how much income to contribute

Employees that perform work under the direct supervision of their employer should not take on risk for their own work and have their superannuation paid by their employer.

Employees have their taxes paid through the PAYG system.

Employers should note that even if a person has been treated as an independent contractor, they may still be eligible to file for unfair dismissal claims.

While there are many financial advantages to having independent contractors in place of employees, for example avoiding the super guarantee and payroll tax, you will likely suffer in the long run if you continue to be non-compliant.

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. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

words renée jovic, owner & managing accountant, jovic accounting pty ltd

words author’s name 28 Ruby Winter

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s e .

ruby real estate

HOW TO AGE GRACEFULLY Property can be a bit like people, you can be aging gracefully and overnight, BOOM, you can look a hundred years old.

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o, like us mere mortals, we need to keep up with the maintenance and ensure the foundations of our property are in good order.

Give your home an annual check up.

Starting from the top, avoid gutter growth and possible leakage issues by cleaning gutters on an annual basis.

This may also prevent decay of guttering and spouts and internal leakage.

Ensure timberwork is maintained; peeling paint can lead to rotting boards and expensive repair bills. Prune the roses and trees on an annual basis so that they remain healthy and produce lovely blooms and fruit.

Like our own bodies, we need to care for the insides.

Don’t wait for the paint to get in such a condition that even the spakfila won’t fix the lines. Consider freshening up the walls at least every five years, and replace the worn carpet that has had to endure a lot of weight, it serves us well.

Catch the drips before they turn into full on streams.

Service heaters and smoke detectors.

Be kind to your property and your property will reward you with healthy returns. words gina tobolov, westendrealestate.com.au

29 Ruby Winter

ruby fashion

INTRODUCING

M

y name is Amber Gwynn. I am the director of Nyata designs, a Geelong based boutique fashion label. My background is in nursing, though turning the big 30 last year, it was time to start a new life path and chase my dreams.

And so Nyata was born.

Nyata is much more than a fashion label. It is a combination of my life and all that I love which has inspired this label.

Through my nursing background, I understand the importance of living well, and that to feel amazing on the outside we must first feel amazing on the inside. Our inner beauty is projected externally, so to feel confident in what we are wearing, we must feel confident about how we feel about ourselves first. Fashion is just the finishing touch.

As a curve model for BELLA Model Management, I understood the limited options for curvier women in finding beautiful boutique wear which compliment and enhance their gorgeous curves. I also became aware of the strong compartmentalisation between plus and regular sizing.

My nursing background, modelling experience, as well as my creativity and love for fashion saw the creation of Nyata which is a label which strongly promotes fashion confidence, positive body image and beauty at all sizes. Nyata means ‘real’ in Indonesian where the label is manufactured, understanding that all women are real women and all women deserve to feel as beautiful as one another.

The label accommodates sizes 8-30 and does not have standard size labels rather words which are size specific as we are so much more than a number or a size. We are currently stocked in Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia and I am so proud to see the label grow as much as it is.

Since I created my label, I have had amazing opportunities presented to me that I would never have dreamed of. This is one of them. I hope that you find inspiration from my fashion segment, and may you understand how unique and gorgeous you are.

Enjoy.

words amber gwynn 30 Ruby Winter

y

ruby fashion

WINTER TREND At last, the best season of all (in my opinion) is upon us once again and that can only mean one thing – it’s time to update your wardrobe.

Winter is by far my favourite time of year. The weather is cooler, the clothes are funkier and the nights are cosier – what’s not to love?

WELCOME TO WINTER ‘15.

Here, we talk about what is hot this season, and what to keep an eye out for in giving that wardrobe of yours a bit of a revamp.

And remember ladies, it is always important to wear what you feel makes you feel confident and amazing, what feels right for you. If there are trends that don’t represent who you are then walk on by. Always choose your own fashion pieces that bring out your inner sparkle, whether they are “in” or not.

70S It is a sad time, in a way; summer is over, but the party is not with this winter having a strong 70’s influence, giving us plenty of opportunities for fun and excitement. Think suede, fringing and burgundy tones. Most of all think flares. Flares are back in a big way!

High waisted flairs are really the way to go, given they elongate your legs. The length of flares is also important - ensure they are ankle length. Classic denim dark indigo shades, black or tan trousers with a jumper and shirt, as well as bold accessories look fab.

SPORTS LUXE This is a trend that has become popular due to the healthy lifestyle trend we are seeing more of in society. Workin’ out has become the new workin’ it. Many labels are introducing gorg’ sports-inspired gear which would be a shame to just save for the gym, or lazing around the couch. Think tapered tracksuit pants, bomber jackets, boxing-inspired culottes, denim joggers, and tank dresses, slimline tees, teamed with sneakers.

MAN STYLE It’s about the ultimate style contrast – a female body in a male silhouette. Tailoring is critical, with a variety of cuts and colours, as texture and fabric selection is important to ensure a flattering fit. Suits with high waisted pants and broad shoulders are a good way to accentuate a small waist and elongate the body. Rock this look with confidence.

MONOCHROME Winter is all about keeping it basic with neutral tones of blacks, whites and greys.

Classic pieces like these are great because they can take you from season to season and you can use your favourites pieces from summer to layer it up this winter – you savvy shopper, you!

If you are a colour lover then there are options coming through too. The strongest colour trends are burgundy, maroon and navy.

Pastels are also popular and are a great way to add a pop of colour into your favourite outfit and still feel like you. Pastel tones are feminine and sexy, but add a leather jacket or pair of leather tights and you’ve instantly got an edgier outfit with a twist.

MID-LENGTH & PLEATED SKIRTS I know how we all love to throw on our favourite pair of boyfriend jeans, but this winter it will be all about embracing the midi skirt. Pleated long flowing skirts, fitted knit tube skirts and, of course, my personal favourite, the leather pencil skirt, will be a great way to dress up for a night out on the town. In my opinion, these skirts are much more flattering than a too-tight mini skirt, its all about effortless glamour.

CARDIGANS AND KNITS This season it’s all about comfort (all hail the fashion gods) and effortless style.

Wraps, slick knits and long line cardigans are everywhere this season with plain and printed versions available. These are perfect for those rainy days where you want to be comfortable, yet still want to look good on your sneaky trip to the shops for chocolate.

Who doesn’t love the idea of just being able to throw on an oversized knit and still look effortlessly glam?

COATS Last but certainly not least, the winter coat.

By far my favourite winter item, the coat can take your outfit from drab to fab in a matter of seconds. Whatever your day is like, good or bad, the coat can instantly make you look and feel super glam! I will always choose to invest in a great statement coat and be a smart shopper when it comes to my basics. A good coat will last years and you really can’t go wrong with a classic black or grey. Mind you though, oversized pastel pod coats are the “it” item for winter, so be sure to keep your eye out. I purchased my own pastel blue as my treat to me for this winter.

Each edition, Amber will be out and about spotting fabulous women across Geelong who are rocking their street style. Look out for Brylie, Lauren and Helen in this issue.

photographer Sweet Melody Photos makeup Makeupbybelinda 31 Ruby Winter

ruby spotlight

BUSTING OUT A WHOLE NEW FUTURE

J

ulie Brand is an enterprising woman. I first met Julie when she was nominated for the Women in Community Life Award earlier this year. In the space of a few minutes in a bustling room of women wielding Friday night drinks I had heard about why she had created a new individually shaped and light breast form that she was producing here in Geelong, and was asked if I could spot the difference between the breast form and the real thing. She sparkled with energy and had no trace of embarrassment; I liked her immediately.

awry because I lucked out. It happens; it’s not a given that plastic surgery is going to go beautifully, it just doesn’t work for everyone,” she said.

it’s a bit scary on occasions – so it’s normal – but I knew that if I wasn’t happy with the breast forms on offer, a gazillion women out there wouldn’t be happy either,” Julie said.

A naturally thin woman, Julie didn’t have any excess flesh that could be taken to make a breast. Typically, a back flap, or latissimus dorsi flap procedure is undertaken to remove flesh from just behind the underarm on the back and used to form a new breast. In Julie’s case, there just wasn’t enough there to make a new breast, leaving her with a patchwork of scarring.

A battle with breast cancer and a mastectomy led Julie to develop a new type of breast form – a lightweight prosthesis that was moulded to the shape of a woman’s post-surgery chest and was comfortable to wear – that didn’t pull, sag or swing out like an errant pendulum when she bent over.

That first prosthesis was not a breast form of refinement or beauty, but it was light and it was more or less the shape of her chest. Anyone who has seen a few nonreconstructed chest walls after mastectomy knows the profile, or chest landscape, can vary significantly. There is no standard. The idea that you would make a prosthesis that is shaped to that chest wall doesn’t sound revolutionary; it sounds simple. But it would be years before Julie would decide to turn her personal solution into a business.

She began testing the casting process with other post-mastectomy women. The resulting breast forms were very lightweight – at about 75 per cent of others on the market; however, they were also a virulent shade of green that cancer survivors particularly would recognise as the same colour as the kidney dish they might have vomited into during chemotherapy. The negative association was obvious. So the forms were covered in white organic bamboo cotton; it was a big improvement from the heavy prosthesis Julie was faced with when her reconstruction was unsuccessful, but it still wasn’t right.

Julie describes her first experience with a breast form and mastectomy bra as awful; she spoke of going into a specialist bra shop where she was told, emphatically, that her only options were ugly old bras and a heavy, pendulous sack of silicon. She put up with it for around three days before in disgust she decided she could make something better.

A glass artist by trade, she had worked out of a small space in the back blocks of Fitzroy throughout the heady artistic days of the 80s, and used her understanding of form and design to create plaster casts of her post-operative chest landscape and her breast in a bra to create a lightweight latex breast form.

“There was nothing else out on the market for me. I’d had a mastectomy and had a reconstruction started at the same time, and the reconstruction went very badly 32 1 Ruby Winter

It was a chance meeting with Franco, an Italian shipwright, at the then new harbour in Queescliffe that would be the catalyst for a whole new future. That first meeting quickly led to a new relationship. Many cancer survivors develop a ‘live for the day’ attitude, and Julie’s saw her go back to Italy with Franco, to live on a yacht and sail around the Mediterranean coast.

Over those years, the couple talked about the idea of producing Julie’s lightweight breast forms as a business, and a little less than two years ago, they decided to sell the boat, move back to Australia and start the business in Portarlington.

“We’ve had to learn everything but it’s really going along quite well. It’s a bit exciting and

Franco comes from the Italian city of Viareggio, a port city near the university town of Piza. The city is famous for building superyachts and it was through his craft of shipbuilding around these floating wonders that Franco knew of technology that could utilise 3-dimensional scanning to create exact moulds with extraordinary precision.

Buying in this technology was a big investment, a very big investment, but it meant that simply by using a handheld scanner Julie could take an exact reading of both a woman’s post-operative chest landscape and the breast profile in a bra. This non-invasive technology was a breakthrough in the design process.

The machine was developed to create prosthetic body parts such as noses and ears, but it had never been used to make breast prostheses, so new software had to be commissioned. From the inner and outer profile scans, the final shape that will fill the void is developed and carved into a mould

ruby spotlight by an articulated robotic drill; an impressive piece of industrial equipment that is basically the opposite of a 3D printer.

The material used to make the moulds is the same material used in Viareggio to make furniture for superyachts; it looks like wood but is much lighter and forms a smooth surface when carved.

It is a curious melting pot of personalities and experience that has gone into the launch of Perfect Again; but there is also a shared focus on the work and what it means to women looking to move forward after cancer.

There is Julie, the artist and the company’s front of house, a breast cancer survivor who likes to talk; Franco, the shipwright, who doesn’t speak English, makes clever things and treasures his quiet spaces.

It has been the role of Colin Groom - an industrial chemist - to make the polyurethane breast forms feel as much like a real breast as possible. Julie chuckled as she recalled asking him to feel the difference between the breast form and a real breast – her breast in this case. For her it was just logical; for Colin, it was a touch too much, but so much of this business is about feel and honesty.

“It’s never going to be like the breast we’ve lost, but it’s as good as we can do at the moment,” Julie said. And holding a lightweight breast form in one hand and a weighted breast form in the other, the difference was alarming – 731 grams compared to 198 grams for a largish breast size. I was trying to find the words as I weighed them up.

“I feel like I’m holding …” but it needed Julie to finish the thought with “a reminder of your breast cancer for the rest of your life.” That heavy sack of silicon didn’t feel as much like the proverbial chicken fillet as it did a turkey fillet. To have that hanging in a bra made my back and shoulders ache just thinking about it.

“I don’t feel it,” Julie said of her own prosthesis. “Our breasts are attached to us with a whole lot of connective tissue, so we don’t feel them. This thing they gave me (referring to the weighted breast form) has been designed to weigh the same as a natural breast, but it just hangs in the bra, pulling on the strap and the back. When a woman is big, they swing forward like a pendulum. It’s cruel. And who do you think came up with that idea? I mean, I can design many things, but I could never design a prosthetic testicle for a man because I have no idea how it’s supposed to feel.”

And understanding how the postcancer journey feels, Julie also drove the development of a Perfect Now breast form.

It is the ready-to-wear option to the haute couture of the customized breast form – an off the rack rack - for women who are waiting for a reconstruction, who have a smooth post-operative chest landscape or just want a ready to go option.

There are left and right breast forms in all sizes with two different contoured backs, one flatter and one deeper in the ready to wear range. At $400 dollars, compared to $750 for the customized Perfect Again breast form, they are an instant solution that is fully funded by the Federal Government’s

External Breast Prostheses Reimbursement Program, which allows $400 per breast every two years. The Perfect Now range has the team very excited.

“We had a lovely woman in recently,” Julie said. “She was 45 and came in with her husband and daughter. She’d had to have a bilateral mastectomy and she’d been left with a lovely smooth post-operative chest landscape. She came here ostensibly looking to buy two customized breast forms, but when I saw her chest I suggested she try the ready to wears. She left here with her perfect future bust, and she wanted to go up a size, and all she had to pay was the cost of the bras because the government refund covered the cost of the breast forms. She was really thrilled, but not as thrilled as me, it was just so encouraging.”

Despondent with the choice of plain and boring mastectomy bras on offer, Julie started talking to Australian lingerie company, Intimo quite early on in the development of the business. They found three designs that would accommodate the breast forms and that are available in a range of colours and patterned fabrics.

While the company motto is ‘slowly, slowly’ or ‘piano, piano’ in Italian – to keep focus on the work and getting it right before pushing out into the world - many women in need of a breast form that can be more than just a reminder of their cancer will be hoping that Perfect Again can take their revolutionary products far and wide.

For more information, visit www.perfect-again.com.au

words davina montgomery

33 Ruby Winter

ruby arts

31 JULY 2015 – 8 NOVEMBER 2015

Over 500 works from the personal collection of one of history’s most ballsy babes, Catherine the Great, has winged its way from St Petersberg to Melbourne as part of the 2015 Winter Masterpieces. For those of us who haven’t been to the Hermitage – the extraordinary museum founded by the art-loving Czarina – the opportunity to revel in the splendor of this unparalleled collection, and maybe to get a bit of a royal strut on, is one not to be missed.

C

atherine the Great was a famously prolific collector of art (she’s famous for a few other things as well) with superb taste. The foundation of her private collection represented in this stunning exhibition includes works by Rembrandt, Velasquez, Rubens and Titian, Van Dyck, Snyders, Teniers and Hals.

Interestingly, Catherine was neither Russian (she was German) nor was she a Catherine.

She was born Sophie von Anhalt-Zerbst and became Ekaterina (Catherine in English) Alekseyevna upon converting to Orthodox Christianity in order to marry Peter, the chosen heir of then Czarina Elizabeth.

Catherine the Great’s reign from 1762 to 1796 was known as the golden age and is remembered for her renaissance patronage of the arts, literature and education.

Catherine had impressed her betrothed’s aunt, the Empress, but Catherine and Peter’s was not a happy union. They both had affairs and the rumour persists that the

34 Ruby Winter

eventual heir, Paul, was the son of Catherine’s lover, a Russian military officer, and not of her royal husband. Catherine later had three other children, none of them with Peter. After the death of Empress Elizabeth, Peter succeeded to the throne and ruled for six months before his disastrous military policies saw Catherine lead a bloodless coup. Peter III abdicated and Catherine began her reign. Peter was later murdered by the brother of Catherine’s then lover – scandal!

T u e b c a m a H m s

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The feisty Empress faced down more than a dozen uprisings during her reign and orchestrated a vast expansion of Russian territory. She also kept quite busy in between military campaigns and wrote books, composed opera, was a fierce advocate of education and the arts, kept up a lively correspondence with great minds of the day and built up a stunning art collection at the Winter Palace in St. Petersberg that became the Hermitage Museum. But perhaps what Catherine is most remembered for is her passion for passion and she had many lovers in her life.

Oh, if only these paintings could talk ‌

Masterpieces from the Hermitage: The Legacy of Catherine the Great will be at NGV International from 31 July – 8 November 2015 and will be presented alongside the David Bowie is exhibition at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image as part of the 2015 Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series. Tickets on sale now: ngv.vic.gov.au

35 Ruby Winter

ruby fashion

STREET FASHION BRYLIE I AM: Brylie I AM WEARING: Decujba top, a Tokito work skirt and Wittner shoes (oldies but goodies).

MY STYLE IS: I guess you would say relaxed classic with an edge.

I ADMIRE THE STYLE OF: Nicole Richie MY FAVOURITE PLACE TO SHOP: Decujba is my go to, I always find something comfortable yet stylish to wear there.

MY BIGGEST FASHION MISTAKE WAS: Hmmm, probably going with the fashions like tencel jeans, which so didn’t suit my figure.

MY FAVOURITE PIECE IN MY WARDROBE IS: My leather jacket from Mr Zimi.

WHAT I LOVE TO WEAR TO COMPLIMENT MY GORGEOUS FIGURE: Dresses of any type – I’m obsessed with dresses, especially with long sleeves, they are easy to throw on with some black stockings and a pair of ankle boots.

I WOULD NEVER BE CAUGHT DEAD IN: Oh, I don’t know… maybe lycra? But I’m happy to give most styles a go really!

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ruby fashion

STREET FASHION LAUREN I AM: Lauren I AM WEARING: A TS14+ tulip dress, ASOS Curve jacket, Ray-Ban specs and boots I picked up in London a few years ago.

MY STYLE IS: Feminine, with quirky touches. I'm more comfortable in skirts and dresses than I am in pants, and I like to mix relatively conservative outfits with bold accessories like chunky costume jewellery, unusual shoes or a colourful scarf.

I ADMIRE THE STYLE OF: Adele - her modern take on classic, vintage looks proves you can light up a stage with any figure.

MY FAVOURITE PLACE TO SHOP: Is online, because I can get more variety in my size. Favourites are ASOS, Macy’s and Evans. I also love the A+ Markets around Melbourne for vintage pieces and local designer gear.

MY BIGGEST FASHION MISTAKE WAS: Jeggings.

MY FAVOURITE PIECE IN MY WARDROBE IS: My cowboy boots - stolen from my husband, sometimes it can be handy wearing the same size shoe!

WHAT I LOVE TO WEAR TO COMPLIMENT MY GORGEOUS CURVY FIGURE: Anything tailored and form fitting. I really dislike floaty, diaphanous clothes designed to “hide” my shape.

I WOULD NEVER BE CAUGHT DEAD IN: anything with bows.

FIVE MINUTES WITH MARGARET MCPHERSON, MODEL FOR BELLA MODEL MANAGEMENT How long have you been a curvy model and who have you modelled for?

I have been modelling for about three or four years now... Hard to recall exactly... It’s been a beautiful blur. I have been extremely lucky to work with amazing Australian and International brands like 17Sundays, Playtex, Myer, Target, Gok Wan, Dita Von Tesse, City Chic, Simone Perele, Eve Hunter, Brands Exclusive, Evedon, Virtu, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Best and Less, MySize and Intimo to name a few.

What do you enjoy most about representing curvy beauty?

I love the message it sends to women. Real beauty is about loving yourself and being comfortable in your own skin. I come from a family of tall curvy women and was a late developer, so it took me a while to accept and love my body.

Once I embraced it I saw an immediate change and am so thankful for where that has taken me today.

What is the best advice you can give young girls about how they view their bodies?

Don’t look at magazines or fashion campaigns and compare yourself to models and celebrities. Be happy with who you are and love your insecurities, because as you grow up that’s what’s going to make you really you and differentiate you from the group. It takes time, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself.

What is your favourite piece in your wardrobe that compliments your curvy figure?

The wrap dress, it’s perfect for a curvy figure and makes up about fifty per cent of my wardrobe. Every woman should have at least one!

37 Ruby Winter

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ruby living

CAN AN OBSESSION BE HEALTHY? I have an obsession...well ok, maybe there is more than one, but the most recent one I’ve recognised is that I’ve become obsessed with Florence Broadhurst - not her personally, but her designs - her wallpapers and fabrics.

T

here, I’ve admitted it, and now I’m feeling a better - but truly, I have developed more than a little ‘crush’ on her designs and they are beginning to feature in more rooms than one in my home.

Do you have any decorating obsessions?

Have you ever copied a particular designer or their style to a point where it would be difficult to determine your copy from their original?

Many of us have all followed a particular design style at some point – it’s really nothing new. Trends do come and go. You find a brand you like, a decorator whose style you can relate to or an architect whose designs all make you swoon and secretly wish you could build a new home every year - yes, OK, my obsessions do begin and end with home design - both interior and exterior.

The trick though, is to do it with subtly and try to put your own spin on it, to make it look your own.

For the uninitiated amongst us, Florence Broadhurst was a pioneer in Australian Design. In 1961, at the age of 60, she launched herself as a designer - with a high class, hand printed design studio -where her designs were printed on wallpaper and were vibrant, diverse and full of colour. Over 530 designs, many of which were uniquely ‘Australian’ despite being produced at a

time when our country was still developing its own heritage and sense of style.

Broadhurst lived her life with flourish, she had a varied past and travelled extensively, which is evident in many of the designs. My personal favourite is the cockatoo range another of my obsessions is definitely good Australian designs.

They say good design will stand the test of time - and Broadhurst’s designs are certainly testament to that - with her designs being resurrected and reproduced not only in wallpapers, but can also be found gracing our homes in linen, cushions and even drapery fabrics - all now being reproduced under licence arrangements.

My self-proclaimed obsession with Broadhurst’s work actually began when I was introduced to the work of Adelaide based artist, Emma Hack. Hack has a rather unorthodox manner of reproducing Broadhurst - she actually paints the designs across nude models and then photographs them. These spectacular pieces are highly sort after - and most of her collections sell out fairly quickly, not to mention they come with a hefty price ticket - so for now I might just have to settle for another cushion, or two...

They say that copying is the greatest form of flattery...and the individual decorating styles of good designers are frequently followed or copied - I think that any good designer could only feel validated by knowing their work has been replicated in someone’s home.

words cal stewart 39 Ruby Winter

VampON

GET YOUR

ruby health

S

ometimes it feels like we never stop pushing the boundaries when it comes to looking good as we age.

Some of us are absolutely comfortable in our ageing bodies and happily wear our years with pride. Some of us want our skin to be glowing and healthy, but have our limits in how far we’ll go. And some of us cannot reconcile what we see in the mirror with the person we are inside.

Genetics plays a critical role in how we look as we age, but deep wrinkles, sunken hollows under our eyes, adult acne and skin tone can see that person in the mirror become a stranger. And while once upon a time any effort to do something about this meant surgical facelifts, these days, surgery is the last resort in a whole raft of medical grade skin treatments.

Dermal fillers and injectables took over from scalpels, and now the shift is on again towards autologous (taken from the person’s own body) treatments. Platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections has become fashionably known as the Vampire Facial as it uses the patient’s own blood, spun in a centrifuge to separate the stem cell rich platelets. Stem cells stimulate the surrounding tissue to go into repair mode, producing collagen and elastin and effectively plumping up the skin. There is nothing new about PRP injections;

they have been used in the recovery of sports injuries, for instance, for years.

Yet PRP facial treatments have made headlines around the world, and when Kim Kardashian – who attracts headlines and social media posts the way that small children attract colds in winter – began posting about her regular Vampire Facials, well, like the small children, it went viral.

The treatment is used to target deep lines, wrinkles, around the lips and is particularly well suited to plumping those under eye hollows (or in my case under eye canyons – book me in).

Patients thinking about PRP injections should take care to choose a specialist medical clinic and at present, Dr Ian Holten and Dr Fariba Willison are the only specialists performing PRP facial injections in Geelong. The patient’s blood is tested before treatment commences and patients usually would have three treatments, four weeks apart, and then yearly, and may experience some mild swelling or bruising as is the case with pretty much all injectables.

Another autologous aesthetic treatment that is becoming more and more popular is fat injection or fat transfer. Like platelet rich plasma, fat is also rich in stem cells, and for those of us with decent pockets of it, the idea of having it sucked out where we don’t want it, having it processed and then

reinjecting it where it can do us some good (i.e. where my breasts used to be, instead of where they are now) has obvious appeal.

As the lovely team at Australian Skin Face Body explained, this procedure, performed by a specialist plastic surgeon, fat is harvested using a cannula either under local or general anaesthesia.

The fat is then spun in a centrifuge to remove impurities and can be injected into areas that need a bit of additional volume.

Some post-procedure swelling is to be expected and patients may develop bruising around the donor and treatment area.

These procedures aren’t for everyone and specialist advice from trained medical professionals is always advised.

As with all aesthetic treatments, these procedures can deliver some very good results, but those results will always be better when treatments are undergone as part of a broader regime of skin care.

And, regardless of who you are, what you do, what you think you look like or how old you are, good quality skin care with active ingredients is the one defence against ageing we can all do. Cosmaceuticals like Australian-produced Rationale range that are rich in active ingredients can do wonders for the health of your skin – and remember, wear sunscreen.

words davina montgomery

41 Ruby Winter

ruby insight

FINDING

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or Liz Leist, who does not have ‘normal’ memories of the terrible abuse she suffered – only beginning to experience terrifying flashes, images seen from outside herself, from a place of dissociation – when she was an adult.

There was no movie reel of memory from her childhood and adolescent years, the years of horrific abuse – and her struggle to be heard and to be understood saw her childhood family dismiss her, saw her marriage breakdown and her struggle with parenting, and brought decades of battles with mental health professionals that at the time didn’t even have a name for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and were hopelessly incapable of helping Liz. We are getting better at this as a society; yet we still have so far to go. Royal Commissions into Institutional Childhood Sexual Abuse and Domestic Violence are providing a voice to many who had their voices muted and ignored for decades. Yet for every voice that is heard, thousands will remain silent.

Research into the underlying factors of mental illness, eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse and imprisonment is beginning to join the dots into what is a complex web of causes and effects. We are beginning to understand that what doesn’t kill you most often does not make you stronger, it just manifests later.

For many survivors of traumatic abuse there is no light bulb moment of recovery, no sudden awareness that seals the horror in a box and opens a door to a brighter future, but there can be a process of recovery built around understanding. For Liz, or ‘Mary’ her ‘Emotional Personality’, writing of her experiences was something she needed to do so she could tell her story to her sons and the people close to her, in the hope they would gain some understanding of her torment – why she was the way she was.

It doesn’t make for easy reading but it is a story that deserves to be heard and one that we can, and we must, learn from.

42 Ruby Winter

MARY

Over seven years, Liz, who lives in Geelong, turned the outpourings of words about her experiences into a book, Finding Mary, with the help of her friend Trish. I asked Liz what this process has meant to her.

Jan recognised that Liz was experiencing a complex form of post-traumatic stress disorder and recommended a psychological reference book on dissociation titled ‘The Haunted Self’.

...AT AGE 22, I DISAPPEARED, EMERGING IN A HOSPITAL FOUR DAYS LATER NOT KNOWING WHO I WAS AND TO EVENTUALLY DISCOVER THAT I HAD VIRTUALLY NO MEMORY OF MY EARLY LIFE.

“While reading has always been a challenge, I devoured that book. This is the first I learnt of Apparently Normal Personalities and Emotional Personalities.

The authors wrote: ‘Survivors as ANP are fixated in trying to go on with normal life, thus are directed by action systems for daily life (e.g. exploration, caretaking, attachment) while avoiding traumatic memories. As EP, they are fixated in the action system (e.g. defense, sexuality) or subsystems (e.g. hypervigilance, flight, fight) that were activated at the time of traumatisation.”

She said about her book: “One month after the birth of my second child, at age 22, I disappeared, emerging in a hospital four days later not knowing who I was and to eventually discover that I had virtually no memory of my early life. Almost eleven of the next twelve months were spent in Lakeside Psychiatric Hospital. A forty-year quest followed in search of the truth of my life - my ‘Finding Mary’.

“Once diagnosed with Structural Dissociation in January 2010, I defined what I considered my two predominant personalities, my ANP (Apparently Normal Personality) and my EP (Emotional Personality), ‘me’ and ‘she’. For the purpose of the book they became Liz and Mary [Mary is Liz’s middle name] and I rewrote my introduction. It became ‘Finding Mary’ to acknowledge what Mary experienced and my, Liz’s, final awareness and understanding.”

After decades of misdiagnosis and at times brutal treatment under psychiatrists and psychologists, Liz finally found an empathetic and understanding psychologist, Jan. Together they began to validate Liz’s past. This was a far cry from Liz’s first experience with the mental health profession, when at 22, she was written off as a depressed patient with a passive aggressive personality thought to be struggling to adjust to motherhood and marriage, and was subjected to a regime of Electro Convulsive Therapy.

Equally horrified and relieved Liz recognised herself within the pages of the book.

During her therapy, Jan was unable to access the reality of the images and sensations Liz experienced, but a picture emerged over time of years of sadistic abuse at the hands of Liz’s brother and others. Liz’s parents had ignored and dismissed their daughter, and instead focused on their son, absolving him of blame for the little of his increasingly sociopathic behaviour they acknowledged, because he suffered from haemophilia.

Liz would later endure having to support her sister-in-law, who also experienced appalling physical and sexual abuse, while suppressing her own horrific story.

‘Mary’ was never a separate personality; it was simply a way for Liz to define these separate emotional experiences in a way that was quite different to what most would understand of Dissociative Identity Disorder, previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder.

Finding Mary takes us through a painstaking effort to work out what is true and what is false, what happened and what didn’t – throughout which Liz’s mind would repeatedly break down under

ruby insight

“THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE.” IT’S SUCH A PRETTY LIE. FOR SURVIVORS OF TRAUMATIC ABUSE, INCLUDING CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE, THE NEED FOR SOMEONE TO BEAR WITNESS TO THEIR EXPERIENCE AND FOR THEIR STORY TO BE HEARD AND ACKNOWLEDGED IS JUST PART OF A LIFELONG PROCESS.

I asked Liz what she thought was happening to her when her symptoms first emerged.

“All I ever knew was that I experienced something other people didn’t. Something horrific, something I had no control over, something that terrified me but which I could never find the words to describe.”

Even today Liz’s eventual diagnosis may not be an eventual diagnosis, having recently been told by two psychiatrists and a psychology PhD that they had not heard of Structural Dissociation. Two of those have since determined the diagnosis is Dissociative Identity Disorder – the diagnosis that for so many years had been denied – along with long standing Complex PTSD and now Somatic Symptom Disorder.

“I attributed the horrendous emotional responses to’ Mary’. While I, Liz, knows that no one will ever understand and is shut down and denying just to survive, ‘Mary’ only wanted to die but couldn’t without explaining why she was the way she was, mainly to her sons and to those close to her. She also felt so horrendously different and separate to the rest of the world she just wanted to thrust a ‘book’ at everyone and say ‘read that’ in the hope they would understand and accept her.”

‘Mary’ was compelled to pour out her emotion in words, more than 150,000 words of raw grief and anger. With the help of her friend Trish, Liz started to compile facts and historical information that built the structure around those words. ‘Mary’ left in 2010, but for a multitude of reasons Liz continued working on the book until its completion.

“For me, Liz, it was challenging and painful.

I had no writing experience and could not express emotion. I seriously doubted my ability to turn those 150,000 plus words into

a readable book, so it was both exhausting and gratifying.”

Finding Mary, by Liz Leist, is a moving, compelling

Finding Mary

the bewildering pressure of unbearable fragments of memory that had no feelings attached to them.

riveting account of one woman’s struggle to Lizand says first saw her book overcome athat legacywhen of sexual she abuse in childhood.

Engaging interest from the first moment, it opens in print she was stillofquestioning with the terrifying experience finding herself in a why she psychiatric hospital for ‘depression,’ where she is had written it. “Iafterfelt was story that most given repeated ECT, the it birth of her a second child. The author is written off as a depressed patient with a ‘passive aggressive’ personality and people would not believe and needed to be problems adjusting to motherhood. told, while paradoxically filled with horror It is a story of a painstaking struggle to find a coherent self, cogent memories and a truthful and shame at Atthe ofaware people I had narrative of her life. first, thought Leist is not even she has been sexually abused, only having access to toface actually knowing was my story.” terrifying images of shocking abuse it flickering across her mind when she is in the persona of ‘Mary,’ her ‘Emotional Personality’.

Finding Mary

Intensely personal and powerfully honest, As the story unfolds, each tautly paced chapter bringsare a newmany revelation, it becomes clear that Leist’s there lessons to be learnt from family of origin was swept up in a distorted and dysfunctional a narcissistic older she would Liz’s story system and Iaround asked her how brother. want people whoas haven’t experienced Overall it comes across a truthful account which does not give easy answers. Her ‘Finding severe trauma, perhaps also for those Mary’, who gives voiceor to what has happened, illuminates and deeply moves us. that have, to understand?

Anne Manne

“My story has been rejected and denied by family, mental health professionals and almost everyone.

As recently as a couple ISBN 978-1-326-18556-5 90000 of years ago a psychiatrist told me all I had to do was, ‘Talk about the abuse and then I could put it in9 a781326 box’,185565 after I had spent 15 years saying I had no memory of my childhood – let alone the ‘abuse’…

ID: 16175876 www.lulu.com

“When explaining to an acquaintance that I had PTSD I was asked, ‘Can’t you just forget it?’ A male friend for over 30 years has not contacted me since I disclosed my truth. As recently as after publication I was told I must ‘remember’ the abuse or I couldn’t have written about it – Finding Mary is not about the ‘abuse’ – it is about the repercussions.

“So, I would hope to educate people to be more understanding, less judgemental and more tolerant. I would hope it can be used to bring change to psychiatric diagnosis and treatment.”

A compelling story of both the destruction and resilience of the human mind and body in the wake of incomprehensible trauma.

E M Leist If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 000 immediately.

If you feel you need help, Crisis & Counselling Helplines are available: LifeLine: 13 11 14 Sexual Assault Crisis Line: 1800 806 292 (24 Hours) SANE Helpline: 1800 18 7263 Suicideline: 1300 651 251 Grief Line: 03 9935-7400 Kids Help Line: 1800 55 1800 OCD & Anxiety HelpLine: 1300 269 438

Finding Mary is available in paperback and eBook on Liz’s website: emleist. wordpress.com. Both are also available at several online retailers and the book is available at some local book stores and Geelong Regional Library Corporation.

ParentLine: 1300 30 1300 Victorian Government Mental Health Advice Line: 1300 60 60 24 (Nurse-On-Call) http://www.health.vic.gov.au/ mentalhealthadvice/

words davina montgomery 43 Ruby Winter

LIFE’S A

ZOO

When I grow up, I want to be… a zookeeper! How often have we heard that before? It is a rarified few who grow up and live that dream, and Geelong mum Kathy Scanlon is one of them.

K

athy is the Gorilla Keeper at Werribee Open Range Zoo, in charge of three Western Lowland Gorilla bachelor males, Motaba, Ganyeka and Yakini.

“When I was little I wanted to be an astronaut, but my maths was too bad,” Kathy said. “After that I wanted to be either a zookeeper or a park ranger; I wanted to work with wildlife and work outdoors.”

Studying natural resource management was the first step and during that course Kathy worked at a children’s farm, teaching city kids who had never seen a calf before about farm animals. It was this experience that convinced Kathy that she belonged in a zoo. She worked as a Safari Guide at Werribee for a year, getting to know the organisation’s managers and, as she put it, figure out how she could stop driving buses. She got a contract at Melbourne Zoo and then a permanent role at Werribee Open Range Zoo. Over the past seventeen years, Kathy has worked with Australian native mammals, reptiles, and the Werribee population of vervet monkeys and lions, but her passion was the great apes.

“As soon as there was the remotest conversation about us possibly getting gorillas, I wanted that job.” The three male gorillas were moved from Melbourne Zoo to Werribee three years ago and the day they brought the boys down by truck, with Kathy and the other keepers driving alongside, and released them into their new home is a day Kathy says she will never forget.

44 Ruby Winter

MOTABA

“Melbourne had a different silverback and they were going to get a new silverback, so Motaba, who had been breeding with those girls, had to move away from that area because they knew he was still around he knew the girls were still around. Genetically, he was already well represented, so he couldn’t breed any more and he was getting too old.

to the dynamics of a bachelor group, as the young boys grow older and feel their way in the family and how Motaba reacts to various situations – it’s constant learning. Watching their conversations out there is unbelievable,” she said. Gorilla conversations are quite subtle, consisting of looks, body language, positioning within an area, sounds and touch.

“Motaba formed the bachelor group with the two sons and there was a real need to get them into a new, challenging environment, so the decision was made to bring them out here to Werribee. In theory, Yakini could be called upon to be a breeding male somewhere else; Ganyeka probably wouldn’t and Motaba will see his days out here at Werribee.”

Since moving to Werribee, Motaba’s place as the dominant male has been taken by Yakini.

Gorilla breeding is carefully controlled across zoo populations, with all breeding programs approved through a studbook keeper who manages the breeding of the species throughout Australasia. Each breeding animal is carefully selected with the aim of ensuring strong genetic profiles and diversity amongst the breeding population in zoos. Motaba was part of this international breeding program and fathered five young gorillas, including Ganyeka and Yakini.

Science and biology is integral to working as a zookeeper, but Kathy pointed out that there is no amount of education and training that can really prepare you for working with gorillas. It’s a job you learn from the animals.

“They teach us things every day. The dynamics of a family group are so different

“It started with Yakini moving into Motaba’s personal space, and then he’d get cheeky with him and make contact with him every now and then. But he was quite passive until about fifteen months ago when he pushed Motaba out of the dens. They used to have access to come and go at night from their heated dens into the enclosure and Yakini took over Motaba’s den, which is the den of the dominant gorilla. They decided that, not us, and that was official.”

The gorillas are family to Kathy and you can hear that when she talks about them; and because of the nature of this incredible job, she spends more time with the gorillas than she does with her own children – and much more than with her extended family.

“It’s definitely important that as gorilla keepers we form a strong bond with the boys so that we can see if there’s anything going on with them. At the first sign of them getting sick, we know; and if there are any injuries we can treat them because they trust us.

YAKINI “We’ve watched the boys since they first came over and were quite playful. I was lucky enough to have run up and down the dens with Ganyeka – on the other side of the wire – and play chasey with him and he was laughing [gorillas giggle in much the same way that people do].

We would come in and Yakini would be spinning in the middle of the floor holding his head, and we would all spin with him.

We used to have so much fun with them.

We still have fun but it’s much more serious because life is more serious for them now.”

And outside of the zoo, Kathy has a human family at home with two daughters and says she manages the juggle with the help of a great husband.

“We work very well as a strong team.

We made the decision that I would come back to work full-time after having both kids because I didn’t want to miss out on the gorilla’s lives either. Rose is in Prep and Summer is eighteen months old and my husband and I both have two days off, we just juggle it. Teamwork – that’s how you get through.”

An average working day for Kathy begins at 5.30am and the family has animals on their Connewarre property that need to be cared for, as well as the hominids.

The zoo day begins at 8am with a team meeting and then it’s off to say good morning to Yakini, Ganyeka and Motaba and give them their breakfast. There are the basic jobs to do, like making up food and cleaning, but also setting up the

enclosure in different ways to keep the gorillas challenged.

“A lot of a gorilla keeper’s job is enriching your animals’ lives because they’re so smart. We’ve always got to be changing things up and thinking ahead about what we can do for them,” Kathy said.

Another important role zookeepers undertake is to educate the public about the animals they care for, and in the case of the gorillas, there is a strong focus on conservation.

The Western Lowland Gorilla is critically endangered. Native to the tropical forests and lowlands of Angola, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, the natural habitat of the Western Lowland Gorillas has been and continues to be destroyed by widespread logging and mining.

Gorillas are also susceptible to the Ebola virus and despite it being illegal gorillas are hunted still. There is no clear number on how many gorillas remain in the wild, but what we do know is that their numbers are continuing to decline.

Zoos Victoria run a mobile phone recycling campaign, They’re Calling on You, asking people to donate their old mobile phones to help support Gorilla Doctors preserve primate habitat. There is a rare mineral, coltan, that is used in mobile phones and this mineral is found right in areas of gorilla habitat.

Find out more about the amazing gorilla boys at www.zoos.org.au/werribee

GANYEKA

words davina montgomery 45 Ruby Winter

ruby spotlight

F

rom Melbourne’s outer north to the Northern Territory Legal Aid Service and remote bush courts, working with the Stolen Generation, arguing for the cultural rights of aboriginal children, learning and practicing Indonesian Law, training the then newly emerging East Timorese legal profession and judiciary, to representing at the Royal Commission into Domestic Violence, Robyn Davis is a very normal and immensely likeable woman with an extraordinary career history.

A working class girl from Melbourne’s outer northern suburbs Robyn, as a young idealist, strongly believed the law was a profession that provided the opportunity to improve people’s lives and effect social change. These are beliefs she still holds.

“1987 was a life-changing year for me.

I was admitted to practice law in the Supreme Court of Victoria in May. Standing beside me moving my admission was a Barrister who later became my husband,” she says.

Robyn’s work has been all about people and she says she has always been drawn to areas of the law that involve people and where the law directly affects or impacts upon their lives. She practiced as a solicitor for two years and then signed the Victorian Bar Roll in 1990, going on to work as a Barrister in Victoria for six years.

A WOMAN OF THE

LAW

“During this time I appeared for many people in the Family Court, Children’s Court, Magistrates Court and Accident Compensation Tribunal. I often met women and children in crisis situations that resulted in legal interventions. Providing legal help to people at times of great crisis in their lives is very important and rewarding work.”

In 1996 she accepted a one-year contract position with the North Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service to manage the Family and Children’s’ Division of the Legal Service.

It would prove to be a pivotal move, both personally and professionally.

“Fortunately, my husband agreed to move to Darwin with me. We stayed in the Northern Territory for eleven years and our lives changed greatly during this time. We went from living in the inner city of Melbourne to a rural acreage forty kilometres from Darwin.

“The Legal Service was underfunded and had more work than it could cope with. The pace was frenetic and the work was totally engaging. The service was managed by Theresa Francis, an aboriginal lady committed to improving the lives of Indigenous people throughout the Northern Territory.

“Shortly before I arrived, the Family Law Act had been amended to enable the Court to

46 Ruby Winter

specifically consider Aboriginal children’s culture and identity. I am very proud of the fact that the Legal Service with the full support of Theresa Francis ran several test cases in the Family Court and before the Full Court of the Family Court. These cases defined how the court should consider an aboriginal child’s cultural heritage and future needs. This was ground breaking work that affected all aboriginal children by defining their rights.

“Working at the Aboriginal Legal Aid Service changed my view of the world. It is one thing to try and understand and explain racial prejudice, yet it is another thing to experience it closely with Indigenous clients. There were times at the Legal Service when I felt a deep sense of injustice for my client that could only be explained on the basis of race.”

From time to time Robyn represented clients at bush courts in remote areas of the Territory like the Tiwi Islands and Port Keats. This opportunity to visit and experience first-hand life in these communities were experiences she says she will never forget. The Stolen Generation Unit also worked at the Legal Service and Robyn says that learning about this dark period of our country’s history and working with people from the stolen generation was profoundly moving.

“I worked with wonderful people at the Legal Aid Service, many of whom were Aboriginal women who taught me a great deal about their people and about life. Old Auntie Katie was a field officer at the Service. Every time I travelled to the Tiwi Islands she would tell me to get on the swing under the huge banyan tree in the town centre and “make a wish”.

These women were dedicated to improving the lives of aboriginal people and I respected them greatly for their work, their kindness and for their support. Funding was always found, despite it being in short supply, for cases and programs to assist women and children.

“Three years later I worked in the Native Title Unit for the Northern Territory Government Solicitors Office. During this time I worked on Native Title and Aboriginal Land Rights Claims. I attended the Federal Court Native Title hearings in Alice Springs and Borrooloola. This was fascinating work that involved extensive historical and anthropological evidence. I was fortunate to travel to very remote parts of the Northern Territory and visited many sacred sites and heard many accounts of Indigenous people’s long held spiritual beliefs and connections with the land.”

When the Territory government began outsourcing this work Robyn joined her husband in his private legal practice on the outskirts of Darwin. While other parts of the practice were focused on Commercial Law and Personal Injuries Law, Robyn

ruby spotlight established a large family law, children’s law, migration and Indonesian law practice.

“I was referred work from many aboriginal organisations in remote areas in the Northern Territory. I also received a large number of referrals from the women’s refuge and from the non-English speaking women’s refuge. Many people in Darwin marry people from Kupang and other areas in Asia because of its proximity to Darwin.

I represented a lot of Asian women who had Family Law and migration problems when their relationships broke down.

Because of this I learnt Migration Law and became a Migration Agent. During this time I continued to represent many Indigenous women and appeared before the full court of the Family Court of Australia again in a matter involving competing Aboriginal family cultural matters.”

When East Timor became an independent nation Robyn was invited by Charles Darwin University and the United Nations to help train the newly emerging East Timorese legal profession and judiciary. Fluent in Bahasa Indonesia she was registered to provide interpreting services; and as a family law lecturer at Charles Darwin University mentored several women who had completed their law degree, including a young woman who was the first Indonesian person to become a law graduate in Darwin.

“In my legal practice I always looked for opportunities to employ and train young women in all aspects of the business. My personal assistant of many years previously worked at a local supermarket. We were able to improve the skills and lives of many young women through our practice, many of whom we remain in touch with today.

“My work in the Northern Territory expanded my world view. I learned a lot first hand about our first people and had many experiences I could not have had if I had remained working in Williams Street, Melbourne. I learned about the importance of giving and of supporting others.”

When living in the Northern Territory Robyn came back to Victoria during holidays and regularly visited a University friend who lived in Clifton Springs. When her husband retired the couple decided to return to Victoria and brought a home on the Bellarine Peninsula.

“I cannot imagine living anywhere else. It is so beautiful here.”

While her husband had retired, Robyn spent six years working for a government corporation in Geelong and has only recently established her own legal firm, Greater Geelong Legal. The firm offers legal services in Family Law, TAC, Personal Injuries and Small Business Law. For her, she says, no one is ever a file and stresses the importance of communicating in plain language and being accessible.

“I established my own legal firm because I want to be able to determine the type of work that I do. I also had a conversation with a young woman who could not find a legal position after completing her law degree. I hope to build my practice again to the point where I can provide opportunities to law graduates as I have always done in the past,” she says.

These days, Robyn says she has lots of reasons to smile, listing her husband, two wonderful stepchildren and daughter in law, her friends, her menagerie of rambunctious dogs and miniature ponies, travelling the world, cycling (she is presently trying to organise a weekly women’s ride with the Geelong Cycling Club) and doing work that is meaningful.

That meaningful work also includes five years sitting on the board of Barwon Centre Against Sexual Assault (CASA), a recent appointment to the board of Minerva Women’s Service, joining the City of Greater Geelong’s Women in Community Life Advisory Committee to Council, volunteering at the Barwon Community Legal Service, and Robyn has previously sat on many boards and committees that involve the advancement of women’s interests.

I asked her if she could make just one change to society or the law as a positive change for women, what that would be.

“If I could make one change to the law or society it would focus upon the cessation of women in Australia dying everyday because of violence. I am outraged by the statistics. I would like to see the promotion of greater public awareness of this issue and much tougher penalties imposed upon perpetrators of violence against women.

These types of offences degrade not only women but our society as a whole.”

And when I told Robyn that the loose theme of our winter edition of ageing she rolled her eyes and said, ‘Don’t get me starting on what women in the workforce have to deal with as they get older.’ But, of course, we did get her started, because we love it.

“I often feel perplexed about people’s attitudes towards women over 40 who remain in the workforce,” she says.

“Despite falling far short of retirement age I am often asked about my retirement plans. There are none. I intend to work until retirement age. I enjoy working and I find it fulfilling and I feel annoyed that this question is not asked of men. I am often asked why I am not ‘at home’ with my husband who has retired.

“I do not see many women over 40 years in my workforce and I question why men with grey hair in my profession are valued and yet why there appears to be such under-representation of my cohort in the workplace. I am very pleased with the Andrews Government promise to appoint an equal number of women to Boards and to Judicial positions but it disappoints me to see only two women in our Federal Government’s Cabinet. How can this be happening in 2015? How can women be so dismissed and so devalued? I will always advocate gender equality and seek to improve the lives of women whilst this inequality exists.”

words davina montgomery

GGL

Small Business Law, TAC, Personal Injuries & Family Law.

Ph: 5222 8986 | Mob: 0447089763 Suite 1 Level 1, 27-31 Myers Street, Geelong Vic 3220. e: robyn@greatergeelonglegal.com.au greatergeelonglegal.com.au

47 Ruby Winter

ruby food

MEAT THE NEW BUTCHER SHOP IN HIGHTON

H

ighton Valley Meats are the new kids on the block. Supporting local free range producers and offering up an attractive product that is affordable for the whole family. The passion for quality can be clearly seen in the young owner’s products that he puts on display. Traditional family favourites such as Chicken Kiev’s and the humble Thick Sausage are sure to please and make sure you ask about the dry aged meats when you pop in. The shop also has a range of local gourmet foods such as olive oils, sauces and wines.

They are also exclusive suppliers of Otway pork in Highton. Customer service is a focus, if you can’t find what you’re after in the sizable meat display make sure you ask and the staff will go out of their way to help.

A QUICK 5 MINUTES WITH THE OWNER LINDSAY

What are you offering that is different to other butcher shops?

We have free range product and source from local farmers and we are offering it at a price that is affordable for everyone. Grass Fed Beef and Lamb, Free range chicken and Otway pork. It’s some great produce and I am really happy with the quality that our region has to offer. We also stock local Brown Magpie wines and olive oils from Lethbridge, our sauces and chutneys are made in Clifton Springs.

Why free range and organic?

People are becoming more aware of where their meat is coming from and want to be able to make a choice about the meat they eat. Organic produce is very popular now and it is hard to get at a good price that is affordable for everyone. We are in contract with local farmers and are always interested to hear from more that have organic certification to supply their produce.

When are you open?

7am- 6pm Monday to Friday and 8am- 2pm Saturday and Sunday.

What other services can you offer?

We have a spit for hire and are happy to prepare the meat for it so it is all ready to go.

Do you deliver?

Yes, we have a free delivery service within Geelong if you spend over $100.00, we are also happy to deliver smaller amounts but a $15 delivery fee would apply.

What about wholesale?

Yes we can do wholesale, this would be great for restaurants and cafes who want to have certified free range and grass fed meats.

48 Ruby Winter

RUBY

FOOD

DARIUS SARKIS

DAVID HALL

Head Chef, Baveras Brasserie

Executive Chef Jack Rabbit Vineyard

After commencing his career at Mietta’s in Queenscliff, Darius has worked at Harry’s, Finnigans Place, and Riviera on Yarra before starting with Baveras Brasserie in 2012.

Passionate, talented and all round good bloke, David‘s life-long love affair with food officially commenced 22 years ago as an apprentice at award winning Sails Beach Café Restaurant in Noosa. Since 2008, David has been the creative force behind the menu masterpieces at Jack Rabbit Vineyard.

With 19 years’ experience now under his belt, passion continues to drive Darius to evolve in the craft of cooking as he inspires his team and customers at Baveras Brasserie.

Committed to sourcing and showcasing local producers and ingredients, David’s signature is one of contemporary Australian cuisine.

Originally trained in French cuisine, Darius enjoys the lighter side of Asian cuisine and tries to combine a blend of both in his cooking.

RUBY WINTER TOP PICKS: GET HERBACEOUS IN WINTER WITH: Bay leaf Parsley Rosemary Thyme Oregano Marjoram

FRUIT

VEG

Apples

Asian Greens

Bananas

Fennel

Lemons

Kale

Oranges

Pumpkin

Pears

Silverbeet

Winter is of course, the classical time of year to get your soups, stews, braises and bone broths firing away.

So when it comes to flavouring your creations – why not have a go at putting your own Bouquet Garni together?

All you need to do is grab a few sprigs of each of your favourite herbs, tie them all together with some kitchen string, attach to your pot handle so you can easily remove later and voila!

Alternatively if you feel like getting adventurous by including other whole spices, peppercorns, lemon zest or garlic simply tie it all up in some muslin cloth.

HAPPY COOKING!

49 Ruby Winter

ruby food

SEARED SCALLOP AND LYCHEE SALAD WITH A YELLOW BEAN DRESSING 4 Scallops, cleaned ¼ bunch Vietnamese Mint, leaves picked

YELLOW BEAN SOY DRESSING 3 Garlic Cloves

¼ bunch Coriander, leaves picked and washed

2 Long Red Chillies

6 Lychees, sliced

125ml Yellow Bean Soy

2 Tbs Sesame Seeds toasted

125ml Kecap Manis

1 Lebanese Cucumber, deseeded and thinly sliced

125ml Rice Wine Vinegar

2 Asian Shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

115g Caster Sugar

50 Ruby Winter

2cm piece Ginger, peeled

60ml Thick Yellow Bean Sauce

TO MAKE THE DRESSING, pound garlic, ginger and chillies in a mortar and pestle into a uniform paste. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle use a food processor until all ingredients are combined into a smooth paste. Put the paste and the remaining ingredients for the dressing into a heavy based saucepan, bring to the boil and then turn down to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the sauce to cool before putting away for later use.

TO MAKE THE SALAD, combine all ingredients apart from the scallops into a small bowl and lightly dress with the yellow bean soy dressing. Set aside for when you have cooked your scallops.

Heat a small non-stick pan over a high heat until the pan starts smoking, add a little bit of vegetable oil and carefully place your scallops in the pan. Allow the scallops to cook for about 1 minute or until they are golden brown in colour. Turn the scallop over and repeat the process. After 1 minute on the second side remove the pan from the heat and let the scallops sit in the pan for a further minute before serving.

ruby food

CRAY TAIL, ASPARAGUS, CAPERS, NASTURTIUMS, RICE WINE CREAM 2 cooked Cray tails

METHOD

12 asparagus spears

Remove meat from Cray tails and cut into bite size pieces. Cut off or snap asparagus to remove inedible bottom part. Lightly fry capers until nice and crispy and place on paper towel to soak up any excess oil.

½ cup capers ½ cup thickened cream ½ tablespoon rice wine vinegar Salt and pepper 250g unsalted butter – melted Nasturtium flowers and leaves to garnish

For the rice wine cream, whip cream to firm peak, fold in rice wine vinegar and season with a little salt.

Cook asparagus spears in a little of the melted butter for about 2 minutes or until tender but

still has a little bite to it. Place on paper towel to remove any excess butter, keep warm.

Heat the remaining butter and warm the Cray tail, season and keep warm.

TO ASSEMBLE Place 3 asparagus spears on to plates, top with Cray tail and capers, place a quenelle of the rice wine cream to the side and garnish with the nasturtium leaves and flowers.

Serves 4

51 Ruby Winter

ruby wines

EVERYDAY WINES: THE TRUTH ABOUT SECOND LABELS

H

ave you noticed how many wine brands have two or more different labels these days? Price is a pretty good indicator that there is a difference between these labels, but are they like home brand foods and just the same product repackaged, or is it like ‘cheaper brand’ pharmaceuticals with the same active ingredient (a.k.a. wine)?

I didn’t know, but I did know someone who would, so I asked Steve Paul from Oakdene to give us the skinny on second label wines.

In the wine world, second label wines sit under the premium labels. So, at Oakdene, there is the premium Peta’s Pinot Noir and the blue label 2014 Pinot Noir, the premium William Shiraz and the blue label Shiraz, etc. The second labels are not budget wines – the pot luck bottles blended from the cheapest grapes available and produced at the lowest possible price point. These are a good quality wines made to drink now. The premiums tend to be cellared away and their finite production makes them a rare commodity (hence the astronomical prices people will pay for a bottle of Grange).

“Many successful wineries with strong branding in the current wine market are looking to produce products for various segments of the market,” Steve says.

“Here at Oakdene, wines like our Peta’s Pinot Noir, Bernard’s Cabernet, William Shiraz and Liz’s Chardonnay are single 52 Ruby Winter

vineyard offerings that are representative of that vintage.

“Second labels are a way of giving consumers the same good value as anything under your brand but they are produced for early consumption with loads of early drinking appeal. Their price point is aimed at weeknights rather than special occasions and you will see them in licensed bistros and cafes.

“In terms of quality they are a similar ilk to the top wines but they’re made to drink now or cellared for two to four years rather than being cellared for 20 years.”

There are some differences in production with these early drinking wines. Premium high-end single vineyard wines are fermented using wild yeast, which can be risky, and produced with up to 30 per cent of whole bunches of grapes. This adds natural tannin to the profile and a stemmy perfume. This extra dimension takes time to integrate into the wine, which is why these wines tend to get better with age and, before they are released, are also aged for 12 to 16 months in 30 per cent new and some seasoned French Oak barriques (225 litre barrels). The new oak adds more complexity and natural tannin that softens and integrates into the wine with bottle age.

These are the wines that sit at the top of the tree, are sourced from a single side of the property and come with subtle differences

between vintages that are influenced by the conditions of that growing year. These wines are unique, produced from very low cropping vines and the smaller amount of fruit gives greater intensity.

Second labels like Oakdene’s blue label is made with fruit sourced from local – in this case Bellarine - vineyards, the fruit is cropped slightly higher than the estate-grown wines and fermented using cultured yeast rather than wild yeast. All the fruit is de-stemmed and then aged in predominantly second-use barriques for 11 months. This method of production costs less than the high intensity, higher risk premiums (according to Steve, things can go a bit crazy with wild yeast and these wines need to be closely watched). The labour costs are lower, there is a saving on oak and that saving is passed on to consumers with a lower price point.

“The funny thing with wine is that the blends can offer better drinking than the single vineyard because you can blend out some of the issues. But with the estate grown wines you are getting an experience that is unique, they are small volume wines and that is why people are so passionate about them.”

The Winter Shiraz weekend in early July hailed the release of some wonderful winter reds, and fruit-forward everyday drinking local Pinot, Shiraz and Chardonnay are now on offer.

ruby wines 2013 PETA’S SINGLE VINEYARD PINOT NOIR

2013 WILLIAM SINGLE VINEYARD SHIRAZ

$35.00 bottle

$35.00 bottle

Deep garnet in colour, with a perfumed bouquet of sweet raspberry, cherry and clove-like spice. The mid palate offers earthy cherry, ripe plum, spice and savoury whole bunch notes, firm acidity and fine ripe tannins and a long finish.

Full-red purple. Highly perfumed red and dark plum notes and spicy bouquet, lifted by whole bunch characters. Medium to full bodied palate, with savoury red fruit characters, delicate spice and pepper notes. Firm but fine tannins and well integrated French oak. Balanced acidity, and a long savoury finish.

15% whole bunches, wild yeast fermented then matured in French oak barriques (30% new) for 11 months.

Enjoy now with food or cellar for 5 to 9 years.

15% whole bunches, wild yeast and matured in new (30%) and seasoned French oak barriques for 16 months.

Enjoy now with food or cellar for 5 to 15 years.

2014 BELLARINE PENINSULA PINOT NOIR

2014 BELLARINE PENINSULA SHIRAZ

$24.00 bottle

$24.00 bottle

Pale garnet in colour with bright rose petal, floral, cherry complexities on the nose leading to a soft, mid- palate dominated by red fruits and light cherry notes. Balanced acidity and fine tannins on the finish. Fermented in small open top pots, then matured in new and seasoned French oak barriques for 11 months.

Deep garnet in colour with lifted red/dark fruits and spice (clove/ white pepper) on the nose leading to a soft, medium bodied mid- palate fine tannin and balanced acidity.

Enjoy now or over the next 2 to 8 years.

Fermented in small open top pots, then matured in new and seasoned French oak barriques for 11 months.

Enjoy now or over the next 2 to 8 years.

53 Ruby Winter

ruby wines

JAMES HALLIDAY

on how to taste wine

Who will claim the coveted 2015 James Halliday Wine Companion Awards will be revealed on July 28 at the Melbourne Museum, closely followed by the 1 August release of Australia’s wine bible, the James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2016. But before we scurry off to check the ratings of our favourite drop or local spot, or to score the

contents of your wine collection, we asked the doyen himself about the right way to taste wine. And, while travelling through the Greece, in and out of internet reception areas, James took the time to give us his insights.

Q: Often the first thing wine drinkers do when we taste a new wine is to hold it up and look at it. What can the appearance of a wine tell us or is it really all in the nose and palate?

All good wines, white or red, should be clear, without any fine particles in suspension. The technical term for this is turbidity, and can be measured to exact numbers. It can be removed by extended time at low temperatures in stainless steel tanks. The principal methods are fining with egg whites (1 to a 225 litre barrel would be typical) or by cross flow filtration, a particularly gentle process. So when you read “neither fined or filtered” on a back label of a red wine bottle it says nothing whatsoever about the quality of the wine.

Next, if it is a white wine, there should be a slow progression from very pale to more positive colour. Moving from pale straw, thence pale yellow suffused with green (the more the better) and finally golden green. If there are any signs of brown, you (and the wine) are in trouble regardless of age.

Red wines must always be clear and bright in their youth, and head in the opposite direction to white wines. They may indeed be vivid in the first few years of their life, crimson-purple the key, depth depending on variety, with Pinot Noir the lightest, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon at the deeper end. Since red wines are typically given more time in the cellar there is a vast number of permutations and combinations for the speed and nature of change, the one certainty is the replacement of crimson by brick and ultimately tawny hues 40 to 50 years down the track.

Q: How do you go about recognising those aromas and are they always the same for every person who tastes the wine?

There is no magic in starting the process.

Swirl the glass several times, and while the 54 Ruby Winter

wine is still moving, bring it up to your nose and inhale deeply. This may be repeated several times before the wine is tasted.

While this is an outrageously general observation, the aromas and flavours should reflect each other.

Next, the fruit descriptors which will be at their zenith while the wine is young, fall into some broad groups: - Lemon lime for Riesling - White fleshed stone fruits, notably white peach for Chardonnay - Tropical fruits for Sauvignon Blanc - Apricot for Viognier - Honeysuckle for Marsanne - Nashi pear for Pinot Gris The list really does go on, except for white or pink grapefruit, endemic with cool grown Chardonnay but bobbing up in many cool regions.

Red wines follow a different fruit flavour path. Pinot Noir clasps small red fruits to its breast, both forest and cultivated, cherries, predominantly red, but also black.

In temperate climates Shiraz stet a mix of blackberry and plum of many persuasions, albeit with liquorice connecting cooler regions where cracked pepper and a multitude of spices appear- all this with less alcohol and tannins to deal with. Cabernet Sauvignon offers blackcurrant/cassis as its signpost, with contrasting notes of herb earth and bay leaf.

If only life were more simple, because in red wine there is a vast array of fermentation techniques, choice of oak both in the forest and the way the barrels are made, their size, the percentage of new and old, and how long the wine pends in oak.

Q: How much difference does the glass itself make? And what of stemless glasses?

The importance of good glassware cannot

be over emphasised. Since the late 1980s, the Riedel revolution has penetrated homes, wine shows, retailers with in-store tastings, and at cellar doors. It’s all about fine thin glass, particularly on the rim, and the thick glasses still found in rough and tumble Chinese and other fast food restaurants.

The shape and size are also important, but not as that of the glass. If all this doesn’t make sense, simply taste the same wine from the two types, or better still go to the Riedel website for information on the right shape and size for the wine in question. If you haven’t done this before, you will be astounded at the difference.

The O series have the same bowl configuration other than a flat bottom, are easier to wash and polish. The one difference is that people with small hands may find the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay glasses difficult to pick up because Los the large size of the bowl.

It›s worth the effort, because these two varieties reveal their fragrance and flavour with greater intensity in these glasses.

Q: How have your own wine preferences changed over the years, if it all?

I’ve had a radical shift away from Cabernet Sauvignon to Pinot Noir, particularly in the context of Bordeaux and Burgundy. Of the many thousands of bottles in my cellar, there are zero bottles of Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris. On the other hand, my love of very good-great Grenache has blossomed over the past 30 years.

Q: How often are you surprised by a wine – perhaps because of the region it is produced in, or how established the winery is, or its price point?

On untold occasions, mostly good; it is why wine continues to fascinate all who know it. The magic of wine has been a constant companion for over 60 years, and will continue for whatever years remain of my life.

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t c C J a e g a f i

S d s b S b S

U e a n – – t

“ p s t H

T J C

ruby upstart challenge

WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO OFFER? The call is out for female entrepreneurs and mentors to share their expertise with the next generation of budding entrepreneurs in the Upstart Challenge. And while boys and men have been quick to take part, it is women with expert knowledge and high school girls with fantastic business ideas that the organisers of this enterprising competition want to see more of.

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he Upstart Challenge is a unique business ideas competition for high school students in the Geelong region that is helping to build an entrepreneurial culture and skills in young people. The Challenge began as an initiative of the St Joseph’s College Foundation four years ago, and since then the program has expanded, with the added support of government, local businesses, educators and organisations and three years of funding from Skilling the Bay, to become an independent not for profit organisation.

creative thinking to develop their big idea, identify target markets, carry out some product and market research, and identify the strengths of their team members as well as the resources they would require to take their idea to the next level. While some schools were able to include elements of the program into their school timetable, most of this activity was completed outside of school hours - all on top of the usual teenage demands of school work, sport, work, family commitments and a social life.”

Students taking part work in teams to develop their initial ideas and a shortlisted selection of teams are intensively mentored before presenting their ideas at a Pitching Showdown in front of a big crowd and while being grilled by a panel of judges. It’s like Shark Tank for teens.

Some of the ideas out of this year’s Challenge include a heated swag utilising new technologies for the homeless and campers, a modular robot that adapts to its environment and reforms without touch, an anti-bullying App that alerts contacts/ emergency services that the person is under threat and in need of urgent assistance, and a community garden to provide a variety of seasonal fresh and healthy produce to the Corio/Norlane community to support those who need it most.

Upstart Challenge Director, Heather Kelly, explained that it isn’t an invention test; it’s about challenging students to come up with new ideas and new ways of doing things – to be the next generation of disrupters – and respond to gaps in the market by thinking outside of square.

“We are getting more young women participating but we’d love to have more still. Girls generally aren’t great at putting themselves forward, especially in business,” Heather said.

The other Director of the Upstart Challenge, Jen Perks, said of the latest crop of Challenge participants, “Teams used

Other ideas included a medical wristband that would provide essential medical information to emergency services/medical teams, an up-cycling business to transform ‘junk’ into one of a kind creative pieces or furniture for those looking for something unique, and a lightweight foldable school backpack with wheels and extendable handle to provide a safer and more comfortable school bag.

These are just some of the great ideas that the competition has generated, and they are just the beginning. But one of the big challenges for the Upstart Challenge is to get more women, and particularly more young female entrepreneurs and mentors involved – because younger women at the beginning of their business or career journey have a unique perspective that high school-aged girls can more easily relate to.

For more information visit www.upstartchallenge.com.au 55 Ruby Winter

ruby business

SUSTAINABILITY IN ITS

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t h t b n h

B M l b d t R i

T S t t v e b

M w m t t p i b t

R c t o r I a b w t

56 Ruby Winter

ruby business

U

pcycling has never looked so cute or been so rewarding. Playful Child Dolls are two Torquay mums’ answer to sustainability, in the form of unique handmade dolls for little girls. The company transforms pre-loved dolls into upcycled beauties by hand-painting them with new natural-looking faces and dressing them in handmade clothing and shoes.

Business partners Rochelle Griffith and Michelle Conn met four years ago at their local Torquay mother’s group. Michelle’s background is in art, illustration and graphic design and is a primary school teacher by trade, so when her skills complemented Rochelle’s interest and experience in crafts, it was a creative match made in heaven.

Tasmanian artist and fellow doll upcycler, Sonia Singh, was the inspiration behind the business, so the ladies reached out to Sonia and received her blessing on the venture. By March 2015, their fun hobby evolved into Playful Child Dolls, a successful business that sells both locally and on Etsy.

Michelle is behind the doll face illustrations, while Rochelle makes the clothing to match each doll’s personality. They love the idea of rediscovering the beauty of the dolls, which aligns with their shared passion for sustainability. “There’s power in transforming something that could have been just discarded into something that has this new life,” says Michelle.

Rochelle often finds the dolls without clothes and shoes in OpShops. “They’re tossed in a bag with mattered hair, and often they’ve got Texta on them, but the rehabilitation process is really fun to see.

It’s like a new little person every time,” she adds. There’s a large element of nurturing behind the restoration of these dolls, from washing and brushing their hair to dressing them in fresh clean clothes and shoes.

The ladies control the complete development of the dolls, from obtaining them second-hand to the final product. To begin they take a ‘before’ photo, and then remove the factory paint so they can wash the hair and clean the face. Michelle then starts painting the face, beginning with the eye colour. Here the doll’s new personality is born, through the different shapes and sizes of her features, along with the particular expression on her face.

There’s power in transforming something that could have been just discarded into something that has this new life “I get some sort of feeling when I start with the eyes, whether they’ve got red hair, a fringe, a short bob or a teeth smile. I feel their personality as I go, it’s a very organic approach,” Michelle says.

Once the illustration is done, the face is varnished and the doll is dressed. Clothing fabrics are selected and outfits are created to mix and match. Once the dolls are dressed, the ladies share the boot making process together, with the boots made from a formula of silicone and cornflour. Rochelle then styles the hair in anything from plaits to a ponytail and their upcycling work is done. To complete the process, Michelle photographs the finished product (the ‘after’ shot) in her garden.

Customers receive their doll in a colour

coordinated bag with a card designed by Michelle, including a handwritten message and the before and after shots. This unique and friendly aspect of the business shows the passion and dedication that goes into recreating the dolls. “It all comes down to the fine details,” says Rochelle.

And this loving recreation of what was once a discernibly adult – albeit with some less than realistic dimensions – into a beautiful doll with a natural face has resonated with many people so far.

“People are really supportive of taking something that’s already had one life and giving it a new one,” says Rochelle. They haven’t just upcycled for children either.

They’ve recreated dolls for teenage girls and one mum had her own doll upcycled as a gift for her daughter’s university graduation.

Rochelle and Michelle have exciting plans to expand the design and look of the dolls to resonate more with the local Torquay community. They’re looking to incorporate coastal-inspired clothing such as rash shirts, board shorts and surfboards, to explore an earthy theme and tap into the natural elements of their surroundings.

“We’d like to keep going with that feeling of play, exploring the environment and part of that is being in nature and the ocean,” says Michelle.

There’s something incredibly thoughtful about restoring the beauty of an old ragged doll for someone new to cherish. Especially when the element of one person’s trash becoming another person’s treasure is evident.

Playful Child Dolls are on Facebook so you can keep up to date with their latest upcycled creations and they have a shop on Etsy for purchasing the dolls.

words ally mcmanus 57 Ruby Winter

ruby kids

TAKING THE

Week OUT OF THE Weekend So, I’ve got a new strategy for this parenting caper I keep finding myself obligated to. You see the Wild Child has started school. And in true first-born style, he is thriving. He loves every bit of the learning, the responsibility, the challenge, the expectation and a bit of the mucking about in the yard too.

I

’m still in shock. Sure, I knew the competitive, high-achiever in him would be sucked in by that clever Prep talk that makes them think the sun does actually shine out of their favourite and noisiest orifice, but he has taken it to the next level. Don’t get me wrong; I fully appreciate having a child that loves school. The morning battlefield is tough enough without having to negotiate getting him to go somewhere he doesn’t like.

School is great. It’s home that’s the tough part, and that’s the bit no one told me about.

The Wild Child is happily learning to read, to do science experiments, and share with me the many facts about the world he has learnt that day, but it seems any learned skill he already possesses is completely impossible.

Who knew that if you ask a boisterous little boy to spend hours of his day sitting, listening, concentrating, trying, absorbing, socialising and being as good as he possibly can, that being asked to sit at the table to eat dinner would illicit screams normally reserved for those faced with Tony Abbott in speedos?

How dare I ask him to put on shoes, have a bath, eat, or god forbid, go to bed! And so, after a term and half of school and what already feels like thousands of conversations where my voice is even annoying me, (no wonder no one in this house listens to me), I wanted to spend some time with the Wild Child that wasn’t filled with nagging. I wanted to take the crappy week we had out of the weekend that was about to begin.

My husband was busy at a work function; it was a dark, cold, rainy Friday afternoon and I wanted to spend some time with these beautiful little boys, and my baby girl, that resembled some kind of baby wipes commercial. For once school pick-up did not involve me asking the boys to leave twenty times, then turning on the car, then tooting the horn, then slowly driving the car away before they start running from the playground. Instead, I just waited until the rain started.

I surprised them by letting them pick movies and ice creams for later, eat whatever they wanted for dinner, and then turned the couch into a bed.

Sure, it was only 5.30 and they had

eaten, bathed and were wrapped in warm jammies. Sure, Michael J Fox isn’t at his best in Stuart Little 3 and a banana Paddle Pop has nothing on a glass of red, but the boys loved it.

And the best part was that at 7pm, when the movie was finished, they happily trotted off to bed and turned off the light after their books. There was no argument, no procrastination, no tempers lost, no tantrums thrown, and the boys were really good too.

The angst of the week was gone. We were looking forward to going to the indoor skate park in the morning and I thoroughly enjoyed my glass of red without my usual side of guilt.

I can’t guarantee Monday will be infused with the same calm, happy, obliging children. Or that the nagging voice of their crazy mother won’t echo up the street as we desperately try to get to school on time, wearing the correct clothing, or any clothing really.

But at least I know that we do all really like each other. We might have years ahead of us of doing lots of stuff we don’t like, but when we stop and find something that we do, we realise it actually is each other… even if it is only on the weekends.

words laura gordon

Laura writes the hilariously honest parenting blog, Poo, Spew and Superglue on Aussie Blogs, poospewandsuperglue.wordpress.com. She is raising two small hell raisers, with the third, and final, and scariest, having just arrived to really make things interesting. She lives in Jan Juc and will be a regular commentator on the beauty of parenting (snort) in Ruby magazine.

58 Ruby Winter

RUBY KIDS READS

ZOMBIE MCCROMBIE

THE CAT WHO CAME IN OFF THE ROOF

THE FLYING BATH

WATCH THIS SPACE: OUT TO LAUNCH

Michael Ward & Gypsy Taylor

Annie M.G. Schmidt

Julia Donaldson

Colin Thompson

There are books that you buy because you like them, and books that you buy for kids because they like them, and then there are kids books that you buy because you want kids to like them but don’t really care if they don’t because you do and you’re paying.

Zombie McCrombie from an overturned Kombie is one of the latter; it’s a wickedly witty and screamingly funny satire of the classic Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy.

The likeable Mr Tibble is a good and kind man, but seems to lack the killer instinct to succeed at his job as a reporter on the town newspaper, where the editor is growing dissatisfied with his endless articles about the local cat population.

Zombie McCrombie (from an overturned Kombi) and his zombie dog pals, roam the empty streets, sniffing the wind for bones they might gnaw ... There’s Montague Klutz trailing his guts, Benedict Wise enshrouded with flies, Lorelai Lisp cooked to a crisp, Vladimir Smog walking the (dead) dog and Ichabod Grout minus a snout; all the zombie dog gang lurch and drag their way around town, until …

Minou is a cat... or at least she was until some freak of chance changed her into a young woman, albeit a young woman who loves purring, scratching, tree climbing and other typically catlike pursuits.

When Tibble rescues Minou from an angry dog, and invites her in for a saucer of milk, both their lives are transformed. Minou exploits the feline grapevine to provide Tibble with inside information on the town’s goings-on, and his career begins to take off. But when he decides to confront a powerful local businessman on behalf of the cat community his newfound confidence and determination is put to the test.

From the author of The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom comes The Flying Bath, another delicious bedtime, bath time, cuddle time or just anytime read.

When everyone has left the house in the morning, the bath toys spring into action and head off on exciting adventures in their magical flying bath. From giving a muddy piglet a shower to putting out a fire for a frightened baboon, they have water at the ready for any emergency - but they’re always home for the children’s bath time at the end of the day..

With Donaldson’s signature lilting rhyme this is a simple, happy little tale, and quick to read to boot, making it the perfect answer for those ‘just one more book’ pleas.

With beautiful illustrations and speech bubble text it’s also a nice one for early readers to follow, is packed with gentle humour and is sure to become a dogeared favourite.

Radius Limpfast is one of the world’s richest men. His reality TV show has made him billions. The next series is always greater than the one before and yet he is never satisfied. Then one night, after a particularly creative bacon curry, Radius dreams up the ultimate reality show.

No matter what anyone else comes up with, they will never be able to top it.

Radius is going to send a family to the moon. Limpfast TV will pick an ordinary family, just like yours, build a rocket and a big glass dome and put them all together on the moon and the whole world will be able to tune in and watch them whenever they like. This will be reality TV at its finest. What could possible go wrong?

Off the planet laughs from the hilarious author of The Floods.

59 Ruby Winter

ruby kids

S I B L I N G S, B A B I ES A N D

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BONDS

The Bean

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We first met Madelin when her little bean was on the way. Now that baby Evie is here, we are following her parenting and entrepreneurial journey.

Bible

rowing up, I’m sure my mum kept waiting and waiting for my sister and I to stop fighting and get along.

Don’t get me wrong, we never hated each other nor really fought badly, but I was (and still am) the older, louder, overachieving ‘look at me’ sister, and she was my annoying, clothes stealing, follow me and my best friend around little sister. My mum said she idolised me, and told her that I envied her, but even Mum’s gentle intervention wouldn’t stop a screaming match, especially in the teenage years!

It doesn’t help that we are only 21 months apart either. And everyone knows that as the oldest sibling you have to break through all of the rules, and then the younger ones end up having it much easier - no going to the movies unchaperoned, no mobile phone, no parties and especially no more than one vodka cruiser and just because Danielle’s mum lets her have four does not mean you can, thank you very much! And then the second child comes along and suddenly it’s like, ‘Oh, look at your fake I.D., that you have at 16, isn’t that cute! (Insert angry red emoji here).

But when we get along, we really get along.

Because really, no one understands or gets me more than my sister, not even my own boyfriend!

No one else sings the harmonies and back ups to my main verse, or selflessly pays for lunch, clothes and basically anything else

as soon as she comes into any money. No one comes over and colours my hair with a supermarket pack, even though she is a hairdresser and it kills her to do so. And no one, I mean NO one, can sit and rat on our brother, or tell anecdotes about our hippie mum more than her.

So when I got pregnant, she was excited.

More so when I began to show, and she helped mum plan and run my baby shower.

But she wasn’t overbearing, didn’t call and see how I was going and didn’t show a HUGE amount of understanding to what I was going through - because who can blame her, if you haven’t been pregnant before its a bit hard to get it. But the moment Evie arrived, everything changed.

I’ve never hung out with my sister than now and even though I know it’s really is purely for the chance to cuddle Evie, I’m fine with that, because I have never seen someone take to a newborn like a duck to water the way my sister has.

She calls and comes around most days, changes nappies, lets Evie fall asleep on top of her for hours, poses her for SnapChats to all of her friends, and even floods her own Instagram (I did try telling her she would lose followers … not everyone likes being #babyspammed. Weird, right?) The best thing though is listening to her make up songs for Evie, who at six-weeks is very alert and smiley, but has no idea what Anni is singing. The latest song goes something like this “ Ohhh, da boobies and da babies,

do you want da boobies little chubby bubba,” with hand antics and some sweet mouth percussion. It’s quite impressive, really.

Who looked after my precious baby for my first night out for a drink with the girls? Anni.

She totally indulged me by sending me photos and even a cheeky FaceTime to see my babe while I had a drink with the girls from work for end of month celebrations.

And as we sat around, with me desperately trying not to over mention my baby and ‘be a cool adult drinking espresso martinis’ the conversation turned to babies, and their nieces and nephews. The girls gushed and spoke about how much they adore their own nephews, and really impressed on me how strong a bond is between siblings and then leading on, to their children. You spend your whole life growing up together and then suddenly there is a mini version of them - and if anyone was going to stay home with my baby for my first few hours away, I wouldn’t have picked anyone else but my own sister... Oh, and maybe Evie’s father.

Oh, and Mum, don’t worry I get it. Evie Louise will be locked in some sort of prison tower until she is ‘of age’. Of age being 25. And I do NOT care how many UDLs Stephanie’s Mum allows her to take out, ‘because Stephanie is not my child and I don’t have to worry about her!’

Madelin Baldwin from The Bean Bible and Le Monde Entier 60 Ruby Winter

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ruby loves kids

MAKING OTHERS HAPPY www.makingothershappy.com

0434905140

@makingothershappy

makingothershappy@yahoo.com.au

MAKING OTHERS HAPPY www.makingothershappy.com

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@makingothershappy

makingothershappy@yahoo.com.au

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62 Ruby Winter

ruby kids

SLEEP AND THE PATTER OF LITTLE FEET

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his morning, as on many mornings, I woke to the sound of quick feet coming from the other end of the house towards my bed.

Being awake doesn’t mean my eyes open; I’m not one of those people. So I lay there, eyes closed, waiting for the presence that had stopped beside my side of the bed to announce itself, or lift up the covers and put itself next me. It didn’t, so I dragged my eyes open, expecting my daughter and found my son, using some kind of sign language to indicate his sodden pyjamas.

“Are you wet?” I managed and he nodded.

I put him in the shower, got his dressing gown, got him out of the shower, dried him, tried unsuccessfully to persuade him to come back to bed with me, made him some toast, turned on the television and went back to bed myself (I wonder where that woman who was never going to do such things when SHE had children went – oh, I know, she turned into a MOTHER).

Of course, I wasn’t going back to sleep, so I lay there and listened to the faint sound of Giggle and Hoot (he’s really too old for Giggle and Hoot but I can’t yet bring myself to let them watch ABC3 unsupervised) and thought of something I have often thought of – to wake my mother when I needed her in the night it was necessary only to stand beside her bed and breathe and she would awake and calmly say, “What is it?”

(To wake my father in the night was to put oneself in peril from his startled arms.)

This morning, for the very first time, it occurred to me that Mum was already awake when I got there, that she heard my feet coming up the corridor and waited for me to announce myself when I got to her.

Perhaps, as I do now, she was hoping the child beside her bed would think she was still asleep and leave her alone. I should know this game of possum never works – children are far too smart for that. I have memories from years ago as a teenager, sleeping on a mattress in my sister’s lounge room, pretending at the crack of dawn that it was still night time, while a toddler nephew breathed heavily in my ear and whispered my name, then lifted my eyelid to see if I was still asleep.

Funny how, on the other hand, if children really don’t want to wake you, they won’t – witness those cherubs who can crawl in between their parents in the middle of the night without alerting either of them to their presence and thus avoid being sent back to their own bed. Unfortunately for my children, their mother is a light sleeper and there is very little space between their parents in the middle of the bed.

On the occasions when I have needed to crawl into my son’s bed in the middle of the night, however, I find it convenient that he sleeps right on the edge of his mattress, so it is possible to get in beside him, sleep there the rest of the night and surprise him in the morning. My husband finds this habit of his son’s amusing – says he is already in training for a wife who will take up all the bed and steal the covers. I have only just given up moving my boy into the middle of his bed each night before I turn in myself, because in only a matter of minutes he has burrowed his way back to the edge. It’s surprising that he’s only fallen out once or twice.

While I am lying drowsy and warm thinking these things, there is another set of

footsteps and suddenly today becomes one of those days in parenthood when you realise something has ended and something else has begun, although rarely are you in the moment when this happens – usually hindsight points it out. These footsteps sound like another grown up person in the house, they sound like my husband’s tread, only lighter, they sound nothing like the quick, almost-run of my son’s feet and then, a second later, I realise it’s my daughter and that the footsteps have gone straight to the television and not to my bedside.

When did her feet lose their pitter patter?

Those feet that I used to wonder at – so tiny, so perfect and soft and uncalloused, the subject of many bad and blurry attempts at close up photography? There is nothing more adorable than baby feet (unless it’s baby shoes). The moment I first heard her feet running up the hallway to my bedroom is one I treasure – the first time we heard footsteps in the night other than our own, the first time those feet carried her to my bedside to demand, “Bekfast!”

Now they smell when she wears sneakers all day, they have hard spots on their soles and dirty, too-long toenails. Now the television trumps morning cuddles with Mum. But, I will not be too sad. The dog jumped on her before and banged her chin and, after I comforted her and agreed that yes, he is a jumpy dog who needs to learn manners, I received three hugs and three kisses for being the best mum in the world and she of the grown-up feet informed me that I am the Magic Mummy Godmother who always knows how to make her feel better. May I never lose that talent, no matter how big her feet grow.

words judy baulch 63 Ruby Winter

ruby kids

BANG ON TREND

W

hen it comes to what’s in fashion I’ve always been two steps behind; to the point that as things are going out of fashion they come onto my radar. Most people had big hair and neon tights in the 80s – I gave them a whirl in the 90s. Being a Kiwi didn’t help – episodes of Home and Away were always 6 to 12 months delayed. Angel had moved on and hooked up again while I was still sobbing over Shane’s death…

But 2015 has been my year. For 18 months now I’ve been disguising my morning cup of bone broth as a cup of coffee in my glass Joco cup (Torquay company). It serves 2 purposes – it keeps me warm as I complete the 200-metre dash from my front door to the school gate as well as being my ‘on the go’ breakfast. Most mornings this is completed in my ensemble of Onzie black leopard tights, hoodie and puffer jacket – my clothing choice designed to suck in and support the mad dash, bend to kiss and jog on the spot to keep warm.

And would you know it, I’m on trend. My choice of clothing as well as my choice of beverage is popping up in celebrity magazines all over the country!

Move over green smoothies and Lululemon, there’re some new kids on the block!

Bone broth is popping up in the laneways

of Melbourne and beach bars of Sydney.

The newest organic store and café in Geelong ‘Green Mumma’ is serving broth on it’s menu and can’t keep up with demand for bones and offal from home cooking Mum’s that are keen to try the new/old trend.

It turns out your grandmother was hot and hip too. Bones have been boiling on AGA stove tops for hundreds of years, flavoured with scraps of leftover vegies then simmered down to release the collagen, nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Broths were then used to form the base for your favourite soups and served on their own to boost immune systems in winter.

Here’s why you want to get on trend and swap your old fashioned coffee for a trendy cup of broth: - The gelatin will support healing of your gut and any digestive complaints - The vitamins, minerals and nutrients will boost your immune system this winter - Keeps your hair shiny and your nails strong - Supports joints and eases joint pain - Promotes relaxation and a restful sleep - The calcium, magnesium and phosphorus supports bone growth and repair - It’s a liquid gold multivitamin that is super easy and cheap to make words nicole beardsley

64 Ruby Winter

Want to get started right away? Grab yourself a bag of bones from Green Mumma or ask your butcher for some (try to use organic or hormone/antibiotic free) and try out my favourite chicken broth recipe: 1.5 kg chicken bones or an organic chicken carcass (leftover from a roast) 3 litres cold filtered water 2 Tb apple cider vinegar 10 black peppercorns 2 fresh bay leaves 2 carrots roughly chopped 1 onion roughly chopped 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped Place all of the ingredients into a 5 litre slow cooker Turn to low and leave to simmer for 24-36 hours Place a colander over a large bowl and drain the broth through the colander Discard veg / bones and allow broth to cool Pour broth into glass jars to store in the fridge or freeze into ice cube trays in the freezer Use as a base for soups, add to any recipe that asks for stock (remember to add salt to flavor) or drink on its own as a morning pick me up (don’t forget your Onzie tights!)

Nicole Beardsley is an Occupational Therapist, Certified Health Coach, Author, Speaker and founder of The Happy Parent Project.

The Happy Parent Project promotes awareness and provides education about treatment options for gut health disorders, with the belief that strong gut health is the foundation for health and happiness in our families.

Nicole is passionate about supporting parents to make long-term changes for the health and happiness of themselves and their family.

Nicole works in close conjunction with one of Melbourne’s leading gut health practitioners to provide clients with a comprehensive, tailored gut healing programme including pathology testing, supplementation, full treatment plan, 1:1 education sessions and cooking/ fermenting classes. Tailored programmes allow you to make these changes step-by-step, at your own pace, and with 1:1 support for long-term removal or management of your symptoms.

www.thehappyparentproject.com https://www.facebook.com/thehappyparentproject 65 Ruby Winter

ruby book club

WINTER READS

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN Helen Walmsley-Johnson

Sixty is the new forty, we're constantly told. Or is it that seventy is the new fifty?

Yet fashionable clothes shops cater for little but elfin twentyyear-olds; magazines carry little but articles about appearing younger. Heaven forbid you try to apply for a job...

Older women are permitted to be either part of the slippers and cardigans brigade, or to cling desperately to their youth and insist on being 'young at heart'. The inimitable Bette Davis understood when she quipped that the middle years ‘is no place for sissies’. But it should it have to be a battle or a blanket capitulation? Can't there be a third way? A way to age with grace, security, beauty and adventure, and a way to keep your identity against a growing tide of voices telling you how you'd be happier if only you looked ten years younger.

From the woman behind the Guardian’s much-loved ‘The Vintage Years’ column comes this treatise on ageing in the 21st century, with thoughts on family to finances, career to cosmetics, style and sex; how to enjoy ageing, grow with it and thrive.

66 Ruby Winter

CHINA RICH GIRLFRIEND

HUSH, LITTLE BIRD

Kevin Kwan

Nicole Trope

The bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians serves up another outrageous and hilarious treat sure to brighten up a drab winter day.

Rachel Chu is engaged to Asia’s most eligible bachelor, she has a flawless Asscher-cut diamond from JAR, an extraordinary dress and a fiance willing to sacrifice his entire inheritance in order to marry her, all that’s missing is her birth father to walk her down the aisle. But as anyone with even the slightest insight into soap opera storylines knows, heroines really do need to be more careful what they wish for. Forget Singapore, a whole new world of Shanghai splendor awaits.

With Carlton, a Ferrari-crashing bad boy known for Prince Harrylike antics; Colette, a celebrity girlfriend chased by fevered paparazzi; and the man Rachel has spent her entire life waiting to meet: her father. A romp through Asia's most exclusive clubs, auction houses and estates, China Rich Girlfriend brings us into the elite circles of Mainland China, introducing a captivating cast of characters and offering an inside glimpse at what it's like to be gloriously, crazily, China-rich.

Read it and weep, with laughter.

Stuck inside due to wild weather?

This white-knuckle thriller will have the hours flying by. A celebrity wife. A damaged young woman. How did they both end up in prison and what is the secret they share?

CHARLIE, PRESUMED DEAD

U

Anne Heltzel

In Paris, family and friends gather to mourn the passing of Charlie Price, presumed dead after a horrific accident. Young, handsome and charming, Charlie leaves many of those closest to him distraught at his sudden death and, in the aftermath of the The tale of these two very explosion, all the authorities could different women, the fragile and find of Charlie was his bloodied fraught Birdy – nothing ever came jacket. At the funeral, two young easily to Birdy, nothing except women are at a loss, both are trouble. Then there is Rose, mourning the loss of their love, successful, striving Rose, who fell and for both of them, that love for an aspiring actor almost twice was Charlie. Lena Whitney and her age, dropped out of school Aubrey Boroughs discover they to get married and have children have both been dating the same and soared to the top, until it all man. Charlie wasn’t what he had came tumbling down. seemed, not at all.

Birdy thought she would have Determined the find the truth, to wait until she was free again the girls seek out answers. Who to see Rose, but now Rose has was Charlie? What else was been convicted of a shocking he hiding? Is Charlie still alive? crime and she and Birdy will be Following the trail of Charlie's together. deceptions from London, to This is a story about monsters Mumbai, Kerala and Bangkok, who hide in plain sight and the girls' friendship deepens. about the secrets we keep from The truth is within their grasp ourselves. It is about children when they each come to realise who are betrayed and the adults Charlie wasn’t the only one with who fail them. This is the story secrets. What have they been of Birdy who was hurt and Rose hiding from each other and what who must be made to pay. will it mean when the truth finally comes to light?

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ruby book club

UNSOLVED AUSTRALIA

I LIKE YOU JUST THE WAY I AM

WHOLE FOOD SLOW COOKED

CREATIVE THERAPY

Justine Ford

Jenny Mollen

Olivia Andrews

Michael O’Mara

For armchair detectives young and old comes this true-crime collection of Australia's most baffling homicides and mysterious missing persons' cases.

Featuring 18 infamous cases, Unsolved Australia unearths a host of new evidence via in-depth interviews with police, families and criminals. Along the way you'll meet the 'Unsolved Squad' - the humble heroes and dedicated experts involved in collecting and connecting clues.

Every year in Australia there are around 300 murders and 38,000 missing persons cases. Most of the missing people turn up, many murder cases are solved, but not all. Someone, somewhere, has information that could lead to answers for families of victims of those investigating the cases. Yet many of these cases never make it on to a television screen or newspaper page.

As a journalist, Justine Ford has worked on scores of chilling homicides and missing persons’ cases and this book was written with information offered by the families and loved ones of victims and the policemen and women still searching for those vital pieces of the puzzle to find the murderers, track down the missing and identify the identified.

Meet Jenny Mollen, an actress and writer in La La Land, Jenny has a husband who is more famous than her (American Pie star Jason Biggs), which is annoying because the free clothes he gets never come in size small.

“This is my book, an assortment of stories about not doing the right thing. Yes, it's about me.

But it's also about women, who all come in two types: those that are totally batshit crazy, and those that are liars. It's a book about acting on impulses, plotting elaborate hoaxes, and refusing to acknowledge boundaries in any form. Like hiding in the trunk of a car to get a look at the girl who used to fuck my husband. Or pretending to have a seizure on a red-eye to New York in order to explain why my dog is balls-deep in a bag of Pirates' Booty burrowed in the lap of a sleeping child.

“So let's embrace it. I Like You Just the Way I Am is a book about taking the high road-as long as it intersects with the train tracks my ex-boyfriend is tied to.”

Whole food = healthy. Slow cooked = dinner cooking while I’m at work / running around after the kids / shopping for a new doona cover / lost in facebook.

For Olivia Andrews – food writer and stylist who has worked on Feast magazine, Masterchef, Destination Down Under, etc. this book is all about combining wholesome with comfort food and convenience, and it’s hard not to like that. Each recipe offers cooking methods for both slow cooker and stovetop or oven and is designed to fit in around a busy schedule.

Just fire up the slow cooker in the morning and you can come home to a kitchen filled with the aroma of caramel pork belly, pea and ham soup or the ultimate bolognese ready to toss into a pan of pasta, or curries, seafood, lazy weekend fare and meat-free options.

And, because slow cooking means you can make the most of cheaper cuts of meat by braising them to melting tenderness, it's economical too.

Hmm, now where did I see that doona cover again?

Colouring books for adults – it’s a thing! Finally, for we of the doodling and de-stress scribbling persuasion, we can stop pretending to help the kids / grandkids / small friends and relatives and colour in our own pretty pictures in a cornucopia of cathartic pleasure.

Colour has long been known to hold therapeutic powers, but it’s the increasing popularity of adult colouring as a soothing and stress-relieving activity that has publishers struggling to keep up with demand. The past year has seen the popularity in adult colouring explode in the UK and Europe. France is so taken with adult colouring that they are rumoured to be selling more of these titles than cookery books and 5 of the Top 10 books on Amazon UK are all adult colouring books. Far from the simple images that you remember colouring as a child, these elaborate drawings will have you creating sophisticated pieces of art - all you need is one of these books, some coloured pencils. Bliss!

67 Ruby Winter

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