Imagine Five

PROPERT Y Making the most of the downturn

TRAVEL Sicily’s hidden treasures

BOATING

Hail Hugh King of Hearts

Multihulls make their mark

WINE It’s ok to Rosé

FINANCIAL PLANNING Advice for a Lifestyle and a Lifetime

MOTORING BMW 1 Series shines

AUS $6.95 NZ $8.95 ISSN 1838-0514

EVENT&BOOKGUIDE imagine five • summer 2012

WINNER

AUTO EUROPA 2011 TITLE Motoring journalists are a cynical mob at best, and the Italian ones are probably the most cynical of all.

Yet when it comes to the all-new Alfa Romeo Giulietta, they go weak at the knees. They awarded it the Auto Europa title for 2011 ahead of 40 other vehicles, including the BMW 5-Series Saloon and Peugeot RCZ. It was for a combination of many things: its exhilarating _ yet environmentally friendly _ performance and 6-speed gearbox; the fact that it’s the safest compact car ever tested; plus its ergonomic and luxurious interior equipped with state-of-the-art technology. It’s another step in Alfa Romeo’s on-going romance with motoring.

BWMALF5026/IMAGINE

YOU CAN FALL IN LOVE WITH GIULIET TA AT YOUR NEAREST DEALER TODAY.

ALFAROMEO.COM . AU

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To book your European river cruise, see your Travel Agent today.

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*Terms and Conditions: Price and promotions are correct at time of production (06/07/11) and are subject to availability. Advertised cruise price of $6169pp does not include discount and is per person twin share based on category P cabin and includes gratuities and port charges for Magnificent Europe cruise departing 24/10/12. Deposit of $500 per person/per cruise and $250 per person per airfare required within 14 days. Offers can be withdrawn or modified at any time without notice. SAVE $750 – applies to ANY 2012 Europe river cruise booked with an airfare. Passengers are subject to airline restrictions, terms and conditions. Offer valid to 30/09/11 or until sold out. Further restrictions apply see brochure or website for full terms and conditions. License No: 2TA000637

Imagine

PUBLISHERS DESK

ISSN 1838-0514 Imagine Your Lifestyle Pty Ltd ABN 27 120 725 073 ACN 120 725 073 Publisher Nicholas Reid publisher@imagineyourlifestyle.com.au nick@reidmedia.com.au Group Executive Editor Jeni Bone editor@imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

The publisher’s desk

A

s the year draws to a close, we traditionally reflect on the highlights and look ahead with optimism for an even brighter year to come. Anybody in business will know that there have been challenges and uncertainty worldwide, but we have the benefit of knowing that as a country, still “Lucky”, we have weathered much of the storm and have plenty of resilience in our economic pillars.

Much of Australia’s luck has come from its capable, clever and resourceful population. So too at Imagine. Our people make the publication what it is today – which we would hope is a useful, entertaining and informative resource for our readers. As publisher, I would like to thank my team and also our advertisers who have come on board to support the Imagine concept – unique in a competitive market.

National Sales & Marketing Director John Blondin {Media Titles Pty Ltd} advertising@imagineyourlifestyle.com.au National Advertising Manager Virginia Shirley virginia@imagineyourlifestyle.com.au Creative / Art Direction / Production Reid Media info@reidmedia.com.au www.reidmedia.com.au Printed in Australia by Caxton Web www.caxtonweb.com.au Distributed by Future Sources www.futuresources.com.au Imagine Five Team:

Carol Yip

Andrew Winter

Ken Swan

Sam Tannous

Jon Thomson

Geoff Edwards

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

Chinese Proverb Thanks for your contribution too. Each issue, we are thrilled to receive your comments – praise, suggestions and requests for topics of interest. In 2012, we plan to cover them and more as Imagine flourishes in response to your feedback.

This issue will provide a selection of great summer reading – from the hot titles, latest films and suggestions for events and festivals over the holidays, to ways to boost your resilience, fitness, emotional IQ, culinary skills and your portfolio!

Our cover story focuses on the diverse and daring roles of the charming and talented, Hugh Jackman. Not only is he a multi-skilled performer, he walks the talk when it comes to his dedication to charities.

Until next year, from all of us at Imagine: “Merry Christmas and a very prosperous, happy and above all healthy New Year.”

Sydney Level 29, Chifley Tower, 2 Chifley Square, Sydney NSW 2000

Nicholas Reid Publisher

Head Office +61 (0)2 9375 2143 www.reidmedia.com.au

www.imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

Join us for all the latest news.

@imagine_mag

6

imagineyourlifestyle

A big thank you to Hugh Jackman for taking the time to talk with us.

Queensland Level 1, 36 Francis Street, Mermaid Beach QLD 4218

Disclaimer No part of this publication may be reproduced or copied in any form by any means without prior written permission from the Publisher. Opinions expressed in the magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Imagine Your Lifestyle Pty Ltd. Every issue of Imagine Your Lifestyle is prepared with careful attention to accuracy. Please use this magazine as general guide. It is important to consult a professional before making decisions relating to your own financial investment. Imagine Your Lifestyle expresses the views of the authors and is based on the information available at the time of publication and it is not to be taken as advice. All editorial material is accepted in good faith.

We welcome editorial and photographic contributions.

Imagine Five

| freelancer collection raymond-weil.com

RAYMOND WEIL ENQUIRIES T: (02) 9363 1088 E: INFO@AVSTEV.COM.AU

Imagine

CONTENTS

104 22

66

92

Contents Imagine Five • Summer 2012

Regulars

Features

06 Publisher’s Desk 10 Your Say

22 Cover Story

Tell us what you think and what you want to see

12 Events Guide

A rundown of the festivals, events and attractions around the country

14 Kids Events

Summer holiday activities

16 Foreword

The latest books to amuse and inform

18 Silverscreen

Flicks for the whole family

20 Galleria

Gadgets, gizmos & gear

8

Hugh Jackman Entertainer, philanthropist and dad, this all-rounder makes choices that confront his fears

50 Quality of Life over Consumption Dick Smith targets population growth and consumerism

40 Aged care

Working with an expert can save heart ache and money

44 Case Study

Mining or marinas, whatever your field, expert advice is vital to achieving ambitions

48 Self Managed Super Funds What’s in it for me?

Imagine Profiles 30 Sam Cawthorn

Bouncing Forward – the secret to making positive progress

52 Fair Trading

78 Tarj Mavi

Financial Planning

82 Gayle Heron

Comparison sites – do you know how to use them?

28 Long-term Investment

BT’s Michael Bailey sheds some light on the realities and benefits

Science and personal need inspired ‘La Mav’ organic skincare

Delving into the Dreamtime created Li’Tya, the brand, the spa experience and the guiding ethos

Imagine Five

CONTENTS

62

Imagine

30

86

58

98

86 Andrew Darbyshire

From entrepreneur to advocate, highlighting the plight of special needs children and their families

Family Matters 34 Learning for Life

Ken Swan of The Wealth Academy reveals how neuroscience sheds light on learning

38 Credit card-free Christmas

Carol Yip pleads ‘go easy on the plastic’

Home 54 Property

Andrew Winter discusses how to make the most of the downturn

56 Home is where the heart is Cute and colourful interiors

Cuisine 57 M arket News 58 Hot Plate

Sizzling summer selections

62 Coming up Rosés

The rosé wine revolution

64 Review

Ocean Room, Sydney

w w w.imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

Imagine Fashion 66 Country Road sets the

tone for a vibrant summer

110

72 Key Pieces

Trenery key styles

73 Fashion Justice

for the groovy girl

74

74 Jewellery & Gems

Ann Middleton – from ping pong to pearls

Health & Well-being 76 Beauty

Golden Glow – summer skin savers

81 Health

Coping with uncertainty

Destination 90 Travel News 91 GIfts for the Jetsetter 92 International Bella Isola, Sicily

98 Local

Do try this at home Tropical Queensland will satisfy your appetite for adventure

Detour 102 Motoring News 104 Test Drive

Jon Thomson takes the new BMW 1 Series through its paces and is more than impressed

110 Boating

Seawind unveils the simply sensational 1000XL2

Bookend 114 David Pocock

Just 23, he is the Wallaby Captain in waiting and active in Africa on humanitarian projects

9

Imagine

YOUR SAY

wi n

your say

Li’Tya Sea Dreaming pack

Email your letters, questions or comments to: letters@imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

Bravo Ita!

I

received by mail yesterday the latest copy of your magazine. It was sent to me by our financial adviser. Imagine my surprise and delight when I realised how interesting and full of really great articles it was as I had expected something dreary and boring like all matters of a financial nature seem to be?

I particularly enjoyed the cover article on Ita Buttrose. I share with her an upbringing where I was the only girl after three boys. Like her, I have never experienced problems in the workforce with men, because as she so rightly says: “It really helped to have had three brothers. I learned how to outsmart men, and get along with them. To be a lady, but to think like a man.”

I couldn’t have put it better myself!

Many thanks and I will look forward to your next issue.

N. Watson South Melbourne, VIC

Saving Savvy

H

aving read your magazine for the first time, may I congratulate you on your informative articles.

I thought I could give our ideas of teaching children to handle money in a sensible way. When our daughters were small, it was a non-negotiable rule that half of any money received from gifts or pocket money had to be saved. We opened a bank account for them and 10

For the Letter of the Iss ue, we have a heavenly Li’Tya Sea Dreaming pack . It contains Pearl & Peppermint Skin Re fining Cream 125ml, Mother of Pearl Body Polish 100ml, Ocean Dreaming Massage Oi l 200ml and sublime Ocean Dreaming CD . www.litya.com

would accompany them to the bank to make the deposit. In 1979, our elder daughter realised she had saved $100 and so we made an appointment with the bank manager to discuss the best way of investing it. Half the money from part time jobs in their teenage years was also saved. Fast forward 32 years. Both girls, now married, own their homes and cars, have share portfolios, have travelled extensively overseas and are currently buying an investment property each.

They have no credit card debt. It was easy to organise and they have never had the experience of spending every cent of their money.

Valued at $185

Share and share alike

I

have to admit your magazine was meant for a work colleague’s desk, as it was not my name on the front. I had a quick flick through which became a long slow read and quite unfortunate for the original owner as I was reluctant to give it back. What a lovely and interesting array of topics and advice you offer your readers and I am so pleased I found you. Can’t put my finger on one article because I like them all. I “IMAGINE” this to have my name on next time. Thank you.

K. McIntyre Hurstville Grove, NSW

J. Schelle Clifton Beach, QLD

Just Imagine...

J

ust imagine being introduced to your magazine at midday on Friday while waiting for an X-ray and scan in a rather

busy waiting room. How bizarre. I got hooked almost immediately and an hour later I was not only more aware of how to deal with financial stress and lots of other little things like slimming safflower, I agreed with Ken Swan’s ideas “Learning for Life” as well as dreamt about Cruising the Rivers of Europe (Destination). Imagine is a great magazine and is most likely going to make it into our home regularly.

Congratulations to the letters published in th is issue of Imag ine.

A jar of Crèm e Pa valued at $11 radoxe 4.9 on its way to 9 is you .

H. Oliveri Ayr, QLD

Imagine Five

Which pays better, cash or shares?

On the question of cash versus shares, many people think cash is the better option.

And it’s fair to say that a cash investment will generally maintain its value over time — while steadily earning interest.

If you had invested $100,000 in cash on 1 January, 1990 and reinvested the interest, by the end of 2010 it could have grown to around $376,500. If you had invested the same amount in a diverse range of Australian shares and reinvested the dividends — even with varying ups and downs, including the global financial crisis — by the end of 2010 your investment could have reached over $679,000. That’s quite a difference.

So it pays to consider shares in your long term investment plans.

Speak to your financial adviser about the benefits of having shares work alongside your other investments.

$679,000 SharES

$376,500 caSh

1990 $100,000 INVESTED

2010

Things you should know: Accumulated returns based on $100,000 invested on 1 January 1990. Shares index is the S&PASX 300 Accumulation Index. Cash returns based on the UBS Bank Bill index. Calculations do not take into account fees or taxes. The value of a cash investment over time will be subject to inflation. You should consider your personal objectives, financial situation and needs before acting on this information. Past returns are no guarantee of future performance.

Imagine

Events&Festivals

04

08

06

Events guide 01

A Day on the Green National, October - March The popular winery concert series a day on the green celebrated its 10th anniversary in January 2011.

A day on the green is an “experience” combining the best Australian and International artists with carefully selected wineries, offering a day of good food & wine, good company and of course great music.

A Sydney newspaper coined the phrase which still remains true - it is ‘the Big Day Out for grown-ups’.

A day on the green runs over summer months from October – March with more than 40 concerts per season.

Four years ago the event launched successfully in New Zealand, which hosted 8 shows last season. The concerts feature three or four artists performing from late afternoon to evening.

02

Australian Open Melbourne, 16 - 29 January Play ball! Victoria will serve up some hot event action over Summer with the annual Australian Open Tennis Tournament to take place late January 2012 with a grand slam prize money record of $26 million.

12

03

Boxing Day Test Melbourne, 26 - 30 December The Boxing Day Test is one of the hallmark events on the MCG sporting calendar and this year’s AustraliaEngland match from December 26-30, 2011 is sure to be one to remember.

Huge crowds are expected on all days, with the possibility of the record highest ever crowd for a single day of Test cricket (90,800) being achieved on Boxing Day. In the days before the match, visitors can go behind the scenes on an MCG Tour or visit the world-renowned National Sports Museum – where you can come face-toface with Shane Warne! There is nothing like being at the MCG on Boxing Day!

04

Melbourne Summer Boat Show Melbourne, 3 - 5 February The Melbourne Summer Boat Show is Melbourne’s only on-water event featuring a colourful display of yachts, power vessels, trailerable boats, personal water craft (PWCs) and more.

Also on offer both on and off the water is a myriad of family oriented activities, demonstrations and come and try sessions.

With the Show celebrating its 16th year of operation, the public can enjoy a wide range of events such as waterskiing and wake boarding, PWC demonstrations, Imagine Five

Events&Festivals

Imagine

05

08

03 01

<< Dragon Boat races, the Yamaha Supertank Fishing Show and the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard and Westpac helicopter rescue demos.

05

Picasso Sydney, 12 November - 25 March

<< 1.15pm, other events include Fashions on the Field, Live band, Full Sky Channel, Bookmaking Facilities, Day & Night Canteen & Bar Facilities. www.texasqld4385.com.au

08

The Art Gallery of New South Wales will host the most significant exhibition of Picasso’s art ever held in Australia. 150 important paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings created by Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) have come from the artist’s personal collection – works he was determined never to relinquish.

06

07

The Taste Festival, Tasmania’s largest annual event, is undergoing a facelift to celebrate its 23rd year. Not only will the iconic waterfront shed be well on the way to its full transformation into a multi-purpose event venue, but the event itself is undergoing some major changes in the promotion of Tasmania’s fine produce.

A new program of activities has been introduced to entice festival participants to not only sample some of the best food, wine, beer and beverages in Tasmania but also provides the opportunity to learn about the journey from paddock to plate.

Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race Sydney, 26 - 30 December The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is one of the most prestigious races on the world yachting calendar and attracts boats and crews from all over the world. Sailing from the 26th – 30th of December.

Jeff Hannaford Texas Cup Texas Racecourse, Queensland, 10 December Held on the second Saturday in December each year, the Texas Races has a 5 Race Program featuring the Texas Cup. This is Texas Queensland’s social event of the year with the population increasing four-fold. Starting at

w w w.imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

Tasmania Taste Festival 28 December – 3 January

09

The Illusionists Sydney Opera House, 12 January The Illusionists is a world first. Seven of the greatest magicians on the planet are coming together for the first time, bringing with them the very best of their individual acts and a whole team of magical assistants. The result is a brand new show packed with thrilling and sophisticated magic of unprecedented proportions.

13

Imagine

KIDS Events

3

2 1

Kids

summer holiday activities 1 2

Circus Oz

Sydney, 4-29 January

See the amazing action of Circus Oz as they steamroll into Sydney with their special brand of madness, fooling around in the unconventional and fantastical world of Steampunk. Steampowered is their latest show, under the Big Top at Tumbalong Park.

In true Circus Oz style, Steampowered presents the beautiful and the absurd, the downright kooky and the breathtakingly brilliant. Sydneysiders and tourists will be wowed with dangerous trapeze, stuntjumping acrobatics, explosive tumbling, ridiculous juggling, precision hoop diving, unbelievable human pyramids, unlikely in-line skating and even a touch of accidental magic.

VENUE Under the air-conditioned Big Top, Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour Ticket Prices Adults: $48-$109, Concession: $37-$71 Kids: $27-$56, Family: $123-$234 14

Sing-A-Long Sound of Music

Sydney, 24 - 27 February Back by popular demand, Sing-A-Long Sound of Music returns to its spiritual home the State Theatre for three performances only.

Lovers of The Sound of Music (and what’s not to love?) join in an unforgettable interactive experience and tribute to the film that continues to have millions of hearts swelling.

See the classic movie on the big screen, re-mastered to its original cinematic glory. Admit it, you know the words – and if you don’t there are song-sub-titles so everyone can sing a-long!

VENUE State Theatre, Sydney DATES Friday 24th February 7.30pm Saturday 25th February 7.30pm Sunday 26th February 1.00pm PRICES Adults $52 (Group 8 or over) $47 Concession $45 / Family $150 Child (under 15) $35

South Bank Streets Beach

3

Brisbane Amid the hustle and bustle

of a lively CBD is one of the last places you would expect to discover a vibrant beachside setting. Australia’s only beach in the middle of the city, Streets Beach is one of South Bank’s most popular attractions during Summer school holidays. A unique, man-made swimming beach, Streets Beach overlooks the brilliant Brisbane River and the expansive city skyline. Explore the spacious Streets Beach and discover a playful world where clever design seamlessly blends with natural beauty.

Imagine Five

KIDS Events

Toys Galore! www.hasbro.com.au

The holidays are here and the kids, well the good ones, are hoping they made ‘The List’ for the top toys of the season. And here they are! Thanks to the experts at Hasbro, these amazing toys could be yours (if you can bear to share them with your kids!)

Web wonder

Marvel’s Spider-Man continues to be one of the most popular Super Heroes in the world — and a favourite among mums. New innovative Spider-Man toys have swung into the toy aisle in 2011, which features the Spider-Man All Mission Racer, a vehicle that features racer, hovercraft, motorcycle, jet, and glider modes, and the Spider-Man Web String Shooter, which has a motorized string reload function for hours of play.

Berry Sweet

Strawberry Shortcake is a spirited, adventurous and optimistic girl who makes things better for everyone she meets! Her hometown Berry Bitty City expands this year with new playsets where Strawberry Shortcake and her friends can gather, including a fun-filled market and smoothie stand. In the fall, girls can experience sweet fashion play with customizable playsets and dolls, just in time for the city’s Berry Big Talent Show.

The Wiggles Dorothy the Dinosaur’s Rockin’ Christmas

4

National Dorothy the Dinosaur meets Santa Claus in

this delightful show that’s enthralled tens of thousands of children! Written by Blue Wiggle Anthony Field, Dorothy’s Rockin’ Christmas has all your favourite Christmas songs, when Santa himself sings Jingle Bells and Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer! Dorothy enchants with her singing One, Two Three, Four, Five and Sing With Me. In a Christmas surprise, she is joined in the festivities by some of Santa’s elves, Fernie and Poppie, as well as Elfis, the rock and roll elf! Elfis rocks with Captain Feathersword, Wags the Dog and Henry the Octopus, singing Go Santa Go!

Imagine

win Some great prizes from Hasbro, specialising in fun, educational toys. To be in with a chance, simply email competition@ imagineyourlifestyle.com.au with Hasbro Toys in the subject box and specify your preference, and you could win one of the following: There are 5 Strawberry Shortcake prize packs to be won. $115.97 each Strawberry Shortcake Berry Bitty Market Playset, Strawberry Shortcake Deluxe Doll and Strawberry Shortcake Mini Doll.

There are 5 Spiderman prize packs to be won. $74.97 each Spiderman String Web Shooter, Spiderman Mask and Spiderman Web Battler.

There are 10 Play-Doh prize packs to be won. $38.98 each Magic Treat Shoppe $29.99 and Four pack Play-Doh $8.99

Win1of 3

family passes to Dreamworld

For fun that the whole family will enjoy, head to Tiger Island to catch the rare Bengal and Sumatran tigers, or take a walk on the wild side at the Australian Wildlife Experience, home to over 500 native animals. There is also worlds of fun for the family at Wiggles World or over at Nick Central which is bursting with 14 different rides and attractions based on the hit Nickelodeon cartoon characters. Once it’s time to cool off simply splash straight into WhiteWater World! Find all the fun at Dream World on the Gold Coast.

To enter simply tell us why your family dreams of Dreamworld in 25 words or less and email your entry to competition@ imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

Imagine

Foreword

$34.99

$32 .95

$59.95

Turn over a new leaf Summer standouts, from the sublime to the simply delectable, here is the Imagine guide to feeding your mind, body and soul over the holiday season. iSteve Walter Isaacson The authorised biography of Apple founder and figurehead, written by Walter Isaacson has hit the best seller list, just weeks after its release. It’s the result of two years and more than 40 interviews the author conducted with Jobs, as well as the views of more than 150 family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues. Isaacson has written a riveting story of the rollercoaster life and intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished 16

view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.

This tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values. The movie of the book and Jobs’ incredible life and legacy, is also in the pipeline.

Simon & Schuster.

Black Ties, Red Carpets, Green Rooms Richard Wilkins As the Nine Network’s Entertainment Editor and with more than 17 years on the Today Show, Richard Wilkins has interviewed the cream of the international entertainment industry — from Madonna to the Rolling Stones, Andrea Bocelli to Nigel Kennedy. In this compelling

autobiography, Wilkins shares many facets of his life, from struggling to support his wife and Down Syndrome son in rural New Zealand, to hobnobbing with the world’s hottest celebrities at the Oscars. Black Ties Red Carpets Green Rooms is a collection of Richard Wilkins’ favourite, most interesting, strangest and most embarrassing star encounters. New Holland.

Enigma Geoffrey Edelsten Business entrepreneur and innovator, celebrity and medico, Professor Geoffrey Edelsten reveals all in this long-awaited biography. It covers his life as a musical entrepreneur with Festival Records, Glenn Shorrock and his company Hit Productions to his medical career as a country doctor, city businessman and night club owner.

Imagine Five

Foreword

Imagine

Win 1of 5

copies of Enigma

$24.95

To be in with a chance, email editor@imagineyourlifestyle.com.au with ENIGMA in the subject box and your postal address in the body $32 .95 of the email.

For the littlies The LEGO® Ideas Book

$39.95

The LEGO Ideas Book is packed full of tips from expert LEGO builders on how to make jet planes reach new heights, create fantastic fortresses, swing through lush jungles, have fun on the farm and send space shuttles out of this world! The book is perfect for any young LEGO fans who want to make their models cool, fun and imaginative. Dorling Kindersley

His ground-breaking medical clinics introduced computerised records to Australia, revolutionised pathology sampling processes and stayed open for 24-hours; a model that has been copied all over the world. When he bought the Sydney Swans in 1985, he was on top of the world. But it all came crashing down, in a case involving innuendo and interpretation, and phone tapping in which Edelsten was jailed for a year supposedly for bribing a hit man.

After a 12 month stint in jail and despite everything he has been through, Edelsten continues to fight to clear his name. Against all odds, his high profile wedding to Brynne Gordon has been a major step on his road to recovery, as his super clinics thrive once again. New Holland.

1000 Places to See Before You Die Patricia Schultz Discerning world traveller Patricia Schultz hand picks the 1,000 most astonishing destinations in the world and brings them to life in lively, evocative prose that reveals why the place is so wonderful.

What’s different about the new edition? w w w.imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

Every entry has been reviewed and assessed to make sure it’s still worthy of inclusion in the book. Updated with brand new information, including restaurants, hotels, museums, and festivals, have been woven into entries from the previous book. Imprint Workman.

Women’s Stuff Kaz Cooke Whether you’re starting or ending a relationship, a friend has found a lump in her breast, you’re in debt, your partner’s lost interest in sex or you don’t know whether to believe the moisturiser label, Women’s Stuff is your must-have guide – from leaving school to menopause and beyond. It’s also the ultimate fib detector! Kaz has sifted the facts and tested the claims, exposing the lies women are told about cosmetics, other products and their health, and explaining which info you can trust and how to find the truth about everything. It covers the practical side of life, including work, money and homemaking, as well as getting to know and make friends with your body, family, mental and physical health, and sex and relationships.

Penguin Australia.

Peter Rabbit: A Very Naughty Rabbit Beatrix Potter

$39.95

A Very Naughty Rabbit: Tales of Mayhem and Mischief is a unique collection of specially selected classic tales following some of Beatrix Potter’s naughtiest characters. Each tale is followed by reproductions of humorous letters written by Beatrix in the style of the characters in each tale. But most important of all are the ‘Take Heed’ sections, where we find out if the naughty characters really have learned their lesson.

One, two Rudie Nudie, Rudie Nudie in the bath...’

$24.99

From CBCA award-winning author-illustrator Emma Quay comes a delightful new picture book that celebrates those nudie moments between bath and bedtime. Emma captures all the joy and energy of childhood in this irresistible rhyming tale. With its charming illustrations and lively text, Rudie Nudie is destined to become an instant family favourite.

Harper Collins ABC Books.

17

Imagine

SILVER SCREEN

Release Date February 9

The Vow

T

he story of a newlywed couple whose life is struck by tragedy when a car crash puts the wife in a coma.

When she comes to, without any memory of her husband or their marriage, the husband must woo her and ultimately win her heart once again.

Silver Screen

Festive Flicks – plenty to see at the cinema over the summer!

Release Date Boxing Day

Tower Heist

B

en Stiller and Eddie Murphy lead an all-star cast in Tower Heist, a comedy caper about workers who seek revenge on the Wall Street swindler who stiffed them.

Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) had managed one of the most luxurious and well-secured residences in New York City for more than a decade. In the swankiest until atop Josh’s building, Wall Street titan Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) is under house arrest after being caught stealing $2 billion from his investors.

The hardest hit among those he defrauded?

The tower staffers whose pensions he was entrusted to manage. With only days before Arthur gets away with the perfect crime, Josh’s crew turns to petty crook Slide (Eddie Murphy) to plan the nearly impossible – steal what they are sure is hidden in Arthur’s guarded condo. Also starring Matthew Broderick, Tea Leoni and Casey Affleck.

18

Imagine Five

SILVER SCREEN

Imagine

Release Date January 19

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

G

ary Oldman, Colin Firth and Tom Hardy lead an all-star cast in this gripping spy thriller adapted from John Le Carré’s cult bestseller.

George Smiley, a recently retired MI6 agent, is doing his best to adjust to a life outside the secret service.

However, when a disgraced agent reappears with information concerning a mole at the heart of the Circus, Smiley is drawn back into the murky field of espionage. Tasked with investigating which of his trusted former colleagues has chosen to betray him and their country, Smiley narrows his search to four suspects – all experienced, urbane, successful agents – but past histories, rivalries and friendships make it far from easy to pinpoint the man who is eating away at the heart of the British establishment.

Release Date January 26

Underworld Awakening

U

nderworld Awakening brings a stunning new dimension to the epic battle between Vampires and Lycans, as the first film in the franchise to shoot in 3D. Kate Beckinsale, star of the first two films, returns in her lead role as the vampire warrioress, Selene, who escapes imprisonment to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans, and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species.

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Release Date December 1

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he Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first film in Columbia Pictures’ three-picture adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s literary blockbuster ‘The Millennium Trilogy’. Directed by David Fincher and starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, the film is based on the first novel in the trilogy, which altogether have sold 50 million copies in 46 countries and become a worldwide phenomenon. The screenplay is by Steven Zaillian.

Release Date January 12

Restless

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powerful and emotional coming of age story, told with honesty and originality that will leave audiences moved. In the film, two outsiders, both shaped by the circumstances that have brought them together, forge a deep and lasting love. From director Gus Van Sant, one of the most astute observers of people living life on the edge, comes a take on friendship and young love as engaging and true as it is provocative and stirring.

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Imagine

GALLERIA

$99 95 Edifier Tick Tock Dock Waking up has never been easier, with 5 pre-set alarms, time synchronization with your iPhone, a selection of media options and day selective alarm for your weekend sleep in. www.edifierinternational.com

$195 Bang & Olufsen Form 2 earphones These award-winning earphones celebrate their 25th anniversary this year with four new colours. www.bang-olufsen.com

Gifts, gadgets & gizmos This little beauty allows you to change the colours by touching the colour ring and mixing the shades. You can adjust the speed of the automatic colour setting with the remote control and even link multiple LivingColors lamps to decorate an entire room. www.lightsforyou.com.au

Philips LivingColors LED Lamp

Whatever your wish list this Christmas, glean inspiration from our feast of finds â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both quirky and practical â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for entertaining and amusing the whole year round!

$199 95

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Imagine Five

GALLERIA

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Too darn hot The Airstream Fan is a turbo wall or ceiling fan which features a black frame, black blades and silver protection shield. Remote Included. The Airstream is available in two sizes; 40cm in diameter $179 (pictured) and 50cm in diameter $199. www.beaconlighting.com.au

$179

$132

$92 40 Throw a Party!

Wired for Sound

Here, for the dedicated quoits enthusiast, is a set comprising a quality heavy duty 30mm thick base and hardwood peg with a set of six match grade wire-centred quoits. Comes complete with instructions. www.remogeneralstore.com

The Lexon Tykho rubber radio is a modern design classic. Simple yet ingeniously designed, it is splash proof, shatter proof and lacking any unnecessary features.

The antenna doubles as the channel tuner (perfect for wet hands). Strikingly cool and brilliantly practical it is battery powered and robust enough to take on your travels even if you are just heading in to the garden! www.remogeneralstore.com

Porta Couture The riotously colourful Giacomo beach bag by Missoni is ideal for the beach, lake, or park. www.top3.com.au

$265

$167 Pop up Grill The Notebook stainless-steel Grill is a super-slim, portable charcoal grill that weighs less than 4kgs.

The cut-out handles make it a cinch to carry, and the stainless steel surface has a waterproof finish. www.remogeneralstore.com

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Imagine

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HUGH JACKMAN

Imagine Five

HUGH JACKMAN

Imagine

Imagine Exclusive

Hugh Jackman Down to earth super star

Story Jeni Bone

You would be hard pressed to find an actor (or any professional) with the breadth of work Hugh Jackman has under his belt. Who else, particularly in the rarefied realm of Hollywood, has to his credit award-winning roles in cabaret, film, TV series, telemovies, short films, animation, science fiction and even video games?

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HUGH JACKMAN

In ‘Real Steel’, Jackman plays a washed up boxer, turned robot promoter.

H

e has played colonial heart throb, pioneer, farmer, cop, armed robber, evil genius, vigilante, vampire slayer, feral mutant, host of the Academy Awards, and most recently, a washed up boxer turned robot promoter.

In Australia to launch this year’s blockbuster, “Real Steel”, Jackman again cemented his reputation as an amiable, boy next door who made the big time, with banter on the red carpet, interviews galore, and plenty of normal family stuff, like hanging out at the beach.

Despite his rugged good looks, and buttonpopping torso (thanks to vigorous training sessions in the lead up to the next X-Men film), Hugh is accessible, jovial, wholesome.

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No wonder the ladies swoon and the men just want to be Hugh.

In fact, so universally adored is Jackman that he has scooped the People Magazine “Sexiest Man Alive” several years in a row, and become a fixture on its “50 Most Beautiful People List” – accolades that he humbly and humorously down plays, attributing his 2008 win to a strategic campaign to “bring down Clooney, Pitt, Damon, and McConaughey”.

“I was prepared to do absolutely anything,” he joked at the time. And he has over the course of his career, including clown at children’s parties and a stint for a National Park in a koala suit, handing out brochures.

That wit and self-deprecating style, which no doubt save him from the Australian penchant for lopping tall poppies and endear him to global audiences, are his calling card.

Jackman himself is somewhat amazed at his own career success. Armed with a degree in journalism from his hometown of Sydney, Jackman chose to pursue drama at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Imagine Five

HUGH JACKMAN

Arts, after a taste of the stage during a High School production of “My Fair Lady”. On graduation, he was offered a starring role in the ABC-TV prison drama, “Corelli” (1995) – during which he met and married co-star Deborra-Lee Furness.

An accomplished singer, Jackman starred as Gaston in the Australian production of “Beauty and the Beast” and appeared as Joe Gillis in the Australian production of “Sunset Boulevard”, for which he won a Variety Club, a Mo and a Green Room Award as best male actor in a musical. In 1998, he was cast as Curly in the Royal National Theatre’s production of “Oklahoma”.

And who can forget Jackman’s shimmying and maraca expertise in his portrayal of fellow Aussie, Peter Allen, which took Broadway by storm in 2003 and won him a Tony Award for his exuberant, all singing, all dancing incarnation of Allen.

“I did ‘Van Helsing’ in between ‘X Men’ and starting on this,” Jackman said while rehearsing the part on 42nd St. “It’s great to just melt into Peter Allen’s effervescence. He had all this positive energy. And it’s a relief to do a project in America where I don’t have to put on an accent.”

An actor who well and truly deserves the mantle “all-rounder”, Jackman said he decided very early on to do whatever it took to stay in the industry and fortuitously predicted his own career path.

“When I came out of drama school I was like, ‘I’m going to do anything I can just to keep working’. In drama school you go

Imagine

from Shakespeare, to movement, to circus skills, singing all in one morning. I know a lot of people hated it but I revelled in it. I loved it. It’s weird how it evolved.”

Work ethic is a trait Jackman inherited from his dad. His mum and dad separated when he was just eight years old, and he and his four brothers and sisters were raised by their father.

“He never took one day off in his life,” Jackman recalls of his Accountant father. “He had five kids he was bringing up on his own. If anyone deserved a day off it was my old man, but he never did. I learned that from him.”

In a tell-all interview with Oprah four years ago, Jackman was forthcoming with details about his childhood and what he had learnt from his dad.

“He was a chartered accountant for Price Waterhouse. He was strict, and we had a very ordered life. To this day, I am the least materialistic person I know, because my father didn’t raise me to just go out and buy this or that car.

“The only reason I wanted to make money as an actor was because I’m passionate about food! But as disciplined as my father was with money, he would never try to save a dime on education. He loved being an accountant. He’d tell me ‘You’ve got to love what you do because it’s going to take a lot of your effort and time’. He had only one reservation about my being an actor. He said ‘I think you’re too thin-skinned’. And I am fairly thin-skinned.”

Another edict that has stayed with him to this day pertains

When I came out of drama school I was like, ‘I’m going to do anything I can just to keep working’.

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HUGH JACKMAN

I’ve always felt that if you back down from a fear, the ghost of that fear never goes away. to the value of education. “He used to say ‘education is the one cure-all for insecurity. If you feel insecure about something, prepare for it’. So I studied acting for four years.”

After acquiring his drama qualifications, he made two local feature films, the second of which, Erskineville Kings (1999), garnered him an Australian Film Institute nomination for Best Actor in 1999. Then, Jackman’s US breakthrough, chosen for the part of Logan/Wolverine in the Bryan Singer- directed comic-book movie “X-Men” (2000).

He was a last-minute addition to the “X-Men” (2000) cast. Dougray Scott was originally cast as Wolverine, but he was still engaged in the filming of “Mission: Impossible II.” 26

Despite inevitable nerves and fear of failure, Jackman said of that break, and the many others that have charter his course: “I can look back on my life where there have been moments where things might have gone the other way.

Everything is like stepping stones, and I’ve seen people I admire falter. We’re all vulnerable.

“I’ve always felt that if you back down from a fear, the ghost of that fear never goes away. It diminishes people. So I’ve always said yes to the thing I’m most scared about. The fear of letting myself down, of saying no to something that I was afraid of and then sitting in my room later going, ‘I wish I’d had the guts to say this or that’, that galvanizes me more than anything.”

Of course, “X-Men” was a cult and mainstream hit, notable for its phenomenal special effects and a lot of gouging, and Jackman’s stature and salary rocketed. But he was wary of being typecast as the action hero, and from there he took on a diversity of films, including “Someone Like You”, “Swordfish” (in which co-star Halle Berry bares her breasts) and feel-good flick, “Kate & Leopold”, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination – each step, while unconventionally raised his profile and cemented his place in US entertainment hierarchy.

Capping of his 40th year in 2009, Jackman co-hosted the Oscars and had his hand and foot prints immortalised on Hollywood Boulevard Walk Of Fame.

For “Real Steel”, he is rumoured to have earned a cool US$9m, reflecting his pulling power and ranking him among Australia’s top earning actors.

In 2000, “X-Men” was released to rave reviews and was a financial megasuccess, spawning the “X-Men” film series – with Jackman striking a chord as the menacing yet benevolent mutant with superhuman healing abilities, heightened senses, and claws that extend from his knuckles – and a resurgence in the superhero genre.

With characteristic aplomb, Jackman marvels at the impact of his role as Wolverine on fans and popular culture.

“I meet people with full-colour Wolverine tattoos on their backs. Thank God I did okay, because I think if I hadn’t, they’d spit on me in the street.”

One role Jackman is more than content to call his own is fatherhood. After many years of trying for children, Jackman and Furness resolved to adopt, a process that inspired them to establish Orphan Angels, a lobby group that encourages international adoption.

Jackman revealed he believes fate brought Oscar, now 11, and six-year-old Ava into their lives.

Speaking about the couple’s road to parenthood, he said: “It was painful. It’s not easy. You put a lot of time and effort into it, so it’s emotional. I think any parent can relate. Trying to have children is wonderful and when you feel as though that’s not going to happen, there’s a certain anxiety that goes with it.

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HUGH JACKMAN

REAL STEEL It’s 2020. In the gritty, white-knuckle action ride “Real Steel,” Hugh Jackman stars as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up boxer in the near future who, because his sport has been taken over by 8-foot steel robots, now lives in a world where he doesn’t fit in.

With no fights and no prospects, Charlie is forced to hustle as a small-time robot fight promoter. He earns just enough money to survive by piecing together low-end “bots” and traveling from one seamy underground boxing venue to the next for whatever prizefight he can wrangle for his automatons. Just when things can’t become any more desperate and complicated, his estranged, tough-beyond-his-years son Max (Dakota Goyo) suddenly and unwillingly comes back into his life.

The alienated duo reluctantly team up to rebuild and train a scrap-heap robot and turn it into a boxing contender. As stakes

“We thought we’d have a kid or two biologically and then adopt. But when we decided we’d had enough of IVF, we went ahead with adoption.

“From the moment we started the adoption process, all the anxiety went away. I don’t think of them as adopted, they’re our children. Deb and I are believers in I suppose you could call it destiny. We feel things happened the way they are meant to.”

An indefatigable worker for charities as diverse as HIV/AIDS, Jackman famously donated $100,000 via a competition held on Twitter to the winner’s charity of choice.

This year, from his own experience planting trees in Ethiopia with World Vision and a pledge he made to a farmer there, Jackman was inspired to opening a fair-trade coffee and tea establishment with 100% of proceeds going to a charity called Laughing Man Worldwide.

With a phalanx of like-minded partners w w w.imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

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in the brutal, no-holds-barred fighting arenas are raised, against all odds Charlie gets one last shot at a comeback.

“Real Steel” is an underdog story with cinematic scope and a unique premise that offers surprises along the way. The film combines the best of grand spectacle with relatable, grounded storytelling. “Real Steel” Director Shawn Levy experienced the story as a tale of redemption for three lost and forgotten souls.

“The main characters––a father, his son and a machine––are each abandoned beings,” Levy says. “All three of them have been cast aside and forgotten. The substance of the story is about how this trinity has a chance of returning to grace.”

“Real Steel” is based in part on legendary sci-fi master Richard Matheson’s short story titled “Steel,” which was adapted for a 1963 “Twilight Zone” episode, starring Lee Marvin. “Real Steel” also stars Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie, Kevin Durand, Hope Davis and James Rebhorn. www.steelgetsreal.com

in the foundation, Jackman said the plan is to create partnerships around the world and donate profits to charity, focus initially on aid for education.

As a family, and on his 43rd Birthday, Hugh and the Jackman-Furness clan opened their own coffee shop on Dune St in Tibeca NYC, stocked with an array of products made with crops from farms in Ethiopia, Peru, Guatemala, and Papua New Guinea and beyond.

Jackman says that he had his light bulb moment for the company when he met and understood the life and livelihood of coffee farmer, Dukale.

“As Dukale and I planted coffee trees together, I began to see the potential for one man’s hard work to transform an entire community. While working with Dukale that day, I was so inspired by what I learned from him and his community I made Dukale a promise to do my bit to help. Laughing Man Worldwide is the fulfilment of that promise.”

The first company incubated by Laughing Man Worldwide is Laughing Man Coffee and Tea. In terms of charity, the company plans to first focus on education, believing that it is “the essential foundation for ensuring a peaceful, healthy and prosperous worldwide community”.

But philanthropist, top dad and covetable husband roles aside, the stage and silver screen are Jackman’s stock in trade.

In 2012, audiences will be thrilled to learn Jackman will be larger than life and possibly in 3D, starring in in “Les Miserables” and “The Wolverine” – you could say the sublime to the ridiculously popular spin off, but for our Hugh Jackman, it’s just another day at the office. iyl

Imagine @...

www.livelaughingman.com

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Investing

BT

Successful investing For the long term. Whatever your age!

As a voice of reason among the flurry of news headlines about stock market uncertainty, BT’s Michael Bailey sheds some light on the realities of long term investment and urges people not to wait until retirement looms to obtain financial planning advice whilst also saying it’s never too early to start investing.

T

he first necessary steps are to gain an understanding about what is reasonable to expect from stock market based investments and how long our long term really is.

Many of us state that we’re long term investors whilst in reality we’re merely giving lip service to the words – we need to really embrace the words “long term”.

A good long term investor might reasonably expect returns of about 3% or 4% above inflation. This may seem a disappointing goal for some, but it’s realistic and can probably be achieved without undue difficulty.

There is a common belief amongst non-advised investors that everything changes from an investment perspective when we retire. From a financial planning perspective and from a social security and tax strategy perspective, lots may change in the few years prior to retirement. Our underlying investments however may not change much if at all. The key understanding here is that our investment funds will ideally to provide us with sufficient income to live on for the rest of our lives.

To illustrate how long or long term may be, take for example the case of a 67 year old man with a 55 year old wife. The life expectancy of 67 year old males is 19 years. When the man in this example is 86, his wife will still have 13 years of life expectancy. As a couple, they can be considered therefore to be a

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32 year investor (i.e. 19 + 13). That’s long term by any standards!

One great benefit of understanding ‘long term’ is that scary newspaper headlines which sensationalise daily movement of shares can be ignored. Newspaper editors are in the business of selling newspapers!

A common cry is that shares are too risky and that cash is a safe investment. Cash investors who want to own stock market based investments typically worry about picking the right day to invest.

As short term share prices are almost impossible to predict accurately even for professionals, it is wise to cease trying to pick the best day to buy and adopt an alternative buying strategy which will substantially reduce the risk of making a bad mistake.

This alternative method is to invest a small proportion of an available sum on a monthly basis. The key is discipline. Good advice might suggest investing 5% or 10% of a lump sum on a fixed day of every month. The wrong way is to attempt to time an entry into or exit from the market.

The Australian stock market has provided long term investors with incredibly good returns during the last 100+ years despite it being a period which includes world wars, the great depression, Vietnam, the Asian melt down, several recessions (including Paul Keating’s recession ‘the one we had to have’), the recent global financial crisis and many other ‘negative’ events. Long term investors who have stuck to their long term strategy have benefitted greatly.

Despite economic slow-downs, business doesn’t stop completely Imagine Five

BT

Investing

Saving or investing?

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• ASX float

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• Berlin Wall torn down

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• Commonwealth Bank float

• Capital Gains Tax introduced • Banking industry • Stock Market deregulated crash

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• Global Financial • Hurricane Crisis begins Katrina hits the US • Barack Obama inaugurated • Mumbai • London train bombings • Swine Flu terrorist pandemic • Kevin Rudd bombings elected as PM • Haiti of Australia Earthquake

• “a recession we had to have” AUSTRALIAN SHARES

• Fringe Benefits Tax introduced

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INTERNATIONAL SHARES CASH LISTED PROPERTY

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This chart shows the growth of $1000 invested since the start of 1986 in cash, Australian bonds, listed property, Australian and international shares Over time, the lower risk investments of cash and bonds have delivered a steady rate of growth, whereas the higher risk investments have experienced the ups and downs of several share market cycles. In the case of Australian shares, the market movements have been extreme, but the value of the original $1000 investment has far outgrown the cash rate.

Choosing where you invest, and understanding how you feel about investment risk, are two of the fundamentals of investing — and sometimes the difference between being a saver or an investor. Talk to your financial adviser about the right investment strategy for you.

1_Accumulated returns based on $1,000 invested in December 1984. Source: S&P/ASX 300 Accumulation Index, MSCI World ex-Australia (net dividends) Index in A$, S&P/ASX 300 Property Index, UBS Composite 0+ years index, UBS Bank Bill 0+ years. Returns calculated at the end of September 2011. BT12857-1011jj

and this is a point which is often ignored. There will still be companies making good profits and by investing in a very well diversified spread of shares (as distinct from trying to pick the best ones), investors will likely gain substantial reward. Bad times for one industry can often create opportunities for others.

Diversification is key – the good average investor will recognise the difficulty of picking the best shares and stop trying to do it.

Financial planning has a terrible reputation in Australia due mainly to the dreadful behaviour of a very, very small minority of rogue advisers, unfortunately there seem to be a few rogues in all businesses. The value of good advice nevertheless cannot be understated and as long as those needing advice know where to find the right advice, the benefits will be considerable.

12857-1011jj BT Brand Campaign wall chart D2.indd 1

Financial planning advice involves very much more than merely investment advice, in fact investment advice is only a minor component of a total plan.

Other components might include (depending on individual circumstances) life insurance, superannuation, borrowing to invest, whether it is better to pay the mortgage or to buy other investments, salary sacrificing, transitioning to retirement strategies, the most tax effective ways of leaving money to future generations, general estate planning, business insurance and many more. Financial planning covers a far wider range of topics than merely investment. iyl Imagine @ www.bt.com.au

9/11/11 5:06 PM

Michael Bailey Investment Specialist, Wrap & Investment Solutions - BT Financial Group.

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ichael started his career in a stockbroking office London in 1961 and became a member of the London Stock Exchange and a partner in a stockbroking firm in London in 1971. Emigrating to Australia in 1985, he was employed by MLC for 15 years prior to joining Westpac/BT in 2003.

Says Michael: “My real qualification though for talking about long term investment is my experience including learning from making

mistakes in my earlier career. I notice younger investment ‘experts’ making exactly the same mistakes today as I made in yesteryear.”

A seasoned presenter for BT, Michael says his presentation is “product agnostic”.

“I simply endeavour to convey to others some of the basic truths as I see them of successful long term investment. I implore my audiences to stop trying to be the best investor in the world (or Warren Buffet).

“My purpose is to convey what I consider is reasonable to expect from a diversified portfolio of stock market based investment.

My proposition is that it is relatively simple to be a good investor as long a series of basic rules is followed.”

He says audiences respond to the clarity of his message and the fact that there is no product featured. “People remark that this is the only seminar they have understood from start to finish. Many investors who have been worried by the stock market volatility of recent years have claimed enormous reassurance regarding their financial future – there is hope after all!”

For more information Phone 0412 212 427

This article is to be viewed as general advice only. It is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as specific personal investment advice. Your financial circumstances, needs or objectives have not been taken into account and you should seek the assistance of a qualified professional such as a financial planner, lawyer or accountant before you make any decision based upon the content of this article. While all care has been taken in the preparation of this article, no warranty is given in respect of the information provided and accordingly neither Imagine Your Lifestyle Pty Ltd, its affiliates, employees or agents shall be liable on any ground whatsoever with respect to decisions or actions taken as a result of you acting upon such information. w w w.imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

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Sam Cawthorn

Bouncing forward The secret to making positive progress

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am Cawthorn marks the time before his accident and the time post as “the half time point of my life”.

“In 2006, I was 26-years old, not a care in the world, chasing the better car, fatter wallet, like a lot of people. Then I hit a semi-trailer at 206km an hour. It was my fault. I was dead for three minutes.

I was on life support for a week and my family was told I was not likely to wake up. Then when I did, for the next five months I was told ‘you won’t walk again, you’ll be in a wheel chair for the rest of your life’.”

From that horrific incident, Sam was left with an amputated right arm and a permanent disability in his right leg. A year after his accident, Sam defied all odds taking his first steps into a new life, where his story and journey would change the lives of people all over the world.

It was Sam’s difficult journey that enabled him

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to develop a mental resilience and strength that gave him the tools to recover from an accident that could have taken his life and crushed his spirit.

Sam’s story is a simple one and perhaps a familiar experience for far too many families. Yet what makes Sam unique is his message that the human spirit can overcome obstacles and when faced with the choice of continuing to live as a victim of a tragic accident, or to make a choice to seize the opportunity of life, he chose a remarkable life. He is now a successful keynote speaker, in demand on the corporate circuit and presenting his perspective on life, living and successfully changing to suit the challenges to companies as diverse as GE, Google, Myer, Roche, Telstra, McDonald’s, CBA and many more.

A self-described “thought leader”, Sam is CEO of Empowering Enterprises and has a background of working with young people as a “youth futurist” for the Australian government. In 2009, he was honoured for his current work and chosen as Young Australian of the Year for Tasmania.

On the speaking circuit, Sam concentrates on encouraging individuals and corporations to consider the reality of their times, financial climate or changed conditions to embrace new parameters and move on – in his terms “bouncing forward”.

“In crisis, or tough times, we are all taught to ‘bounce back’, but that is impossible. We need to change with conditions and bounce forward.

From any major challenge, whether that be cancer, financial trouble, divorce, illness or injury you can never expect to ‘bounce back’. You could wait Imagine Five

Sam Cawthorn

Imagine

In crisis, or tough times, we are all taught to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bounce backâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, but that is impossible.

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Sam Cawthorn

forever for normal to return, but it won’t. What we need to seek is innovation through creating new techniques, new responses to our current situation – ‘bouncing forward’.

To site an example, Sam refers to speaking to a manager of a large retail chain. As he recounts: “He told me ‘retail is very poor at the moment, but we are weathering the storm as it will return to how it was’. He thought he was being positive and optimistic.

I hear it all the time, how we are waiting for our customers to return to their previous spending behaviour.

“But this approach is irresponsible. I show people how to create proactive, innovative practices through Thought Leadership, which is the secret ingredient for growth and staying ahead of competitors.”

The effects of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) are continuing to impact home owners, investors and small businesses as they take a more conservative and even pessimistic view of the economy and financial markets.

“The reality is that things will NEVER be the same,” explains Sam. “We need to stop looking at ‘bouncing back’ to where we have been before the crisis hit. We cannot expect that things will be how they were before the GFC, and we need to change with the times and bounce forward.

“The first thing to realise is that the opportunities are still there and business growth is still very possible. We need to continue to inspire and motivate our teams to re-engage existing clients and look for new business opportunities proactively. We need 32

to be on the front foot of innovation and create environments of differentiation to ensure our survival. The secret ingredient for Adversarial Growth is not waiting but innovating.”

According to Sam, innovation through tough times can lead to successful growth. “The fastest growing company in business history was founded in the middle of the worst financial crisis ever. We need to be more optimistic and be a positive force moving forward. Through adversary comes growth and we need to be the catalysts in having an optimistic mindset for the future.”

Sam certainly walks the talk. He is one of the only people in the world to play the guitar with an above elbow amputation.

“My core message is to show people not to take things for granted. My accident made me value my family even more, the basics – life, freedom, sunshine, speaking with people and seeing them respond. At the end of my presentation, I play the guitar and we all sing ‘We Are Australian’. I feel blessed to be able to share this perspective with so many people.”

Another, equally important message Sam imparts is the crucial role insurance plays in the highs and inevitable lows of normal life.

“I was covered by Workers Compensation after the accident, as it was a work vehicle involved during work time, however, just a few weeks before my accident, a friend of mine who recently started work for an insurance company told me that I should take some body cover and income protection insurance out, since I was a husband and dad to a young family.

“I told him that I was indestructible and nothing would ever happen to me. Yet, he convinced me and I took some extra cover out. This was the best decision I have ever made and I’m so grateful that I did.”

As Sam explains, the extra cover on top of the normal Workers Compensation was a reassurance for his wife and two children at the time. “One thing that was a blessing was that we did not have to worry about money and could focus on recovery and keeping my mental state positive and together.”

To this day, following years of rehabilitation and treatment, insurance has been a blessing for Sam and his family. “Insurance is an underrated necessity,” he asserts. “It gives peace of mind to you and your family and clears the way for rehabilitation to be as effective as it can be. I cannot begin to describe how important it is for every person and family to get cover and live with peace of mind to enjoy life and live with fewer worries.

“In order to move towards having a healthy mental attitude and living a positive lifestyle, it is imperative to have a good insurance policy for your family’s sake.”

Sam is committed to passing on the benefits of his own experiences, not just to the corporate sector, but to the world’s most disadvantaged. Through the Cawthorn Foundation, Sam hopes to help young people with a disability gain access to basic human rights such as education. “One in 10 people live with a disability and 65% of those people are living in extreme poverty.

We partner with like-minded organisations and bring messages of hope and awareness to businesses and schools across the world, predominantly in India.” iyl

Imagine @...

www.ovations.com.au www.samcawthorn.com www.cawthornfoundation.org Imagine Five

Family Matters

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Neuroscience

Imagine Five

Neuroscience

Family Matters

Neuroscience and learning Something to think about As parents we may often ask ourselves “What is going on in the head of my child?” Neuroscience research reinforces the idea that especially with teenagers, it is a construction zone, still in development. That doesn’t help us too much as we support our children through their studies, adolescence and life in general.

Story Ken Swan

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owever if we did understand more about how brains work and learn, then perhaps we could give more support to our children especially during the teenage years.

One of the buzzwords in education at the moment is neuroscience. Increasingly we see it mentioned in educational and more recently business literature as a new lens for understanding learning. While still in its infancy, neuroscience research is starting to raise questions about many of the practices that we have taken for granted in educational settings.

Many universities in Australia and overseas have recently established science of learning centres to further investigate the relationship between neuroscience and learning. It is hoped that such research will help school teachers, lecturers and trainers across industries to better understand how the brain learns and stores memories.

As a parent some of the findings seem obvious.

For example, it seems obvious that we have deeper

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learning when there is practice, repetition and rehearsal. Whether it be learning to speak, riding a bicycle, playing a musical instrument (well) to driving a car the more we practice the skills associated with activities the better we are at performing those activities.

This is supported by the brain mapping technologies like Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), that show neural activity and growth. A well-documented example of this is a study of the hippocampus of London taxi drivers.

The hippocampus is a part of the brain that is heavily involved in learning routes and spatial awareness. This study in 2000 discovered that London taxi drivers have a larger hippocampus than London bus drivers. The study found that the size of the hippocampus correlated with the length of time being a taxi driver, suggesting that driving taxis may develop and change the hippocampus.

In other words, synapses in a part of the brains of London taxi drivers became more developed the longer they were exposed to driving through the streets and alleys of London. This compared to bus drivers who followed the same route which didn’t require as much cognitive stimulation. Such 35

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Neuroscience

The more the brain is exposed to something to be learnt, the greater the opportunity for deep learning. findings have been replicated across many fields. The message seems to be that the more we practice or rehearse something the more likely we are to commit learning to deep memory.

For parents with children in school, this is an important reminder of the need for children to study and go over previously taught materials. The more the brain is exposed to something to be learnt, the greater the opportunity for deep learning.

Neuroscience: Attention, memory and environments

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eachers are constantly trying to focus the attention of students to foster deep learning. Obviously, if students are attentive then they have a better chance to learn. Attention however comes in different forms and is a constant challenge for teachers.

Visual attention and auditory attention are two forms that constantly challenge teachers. Within any lesson and across any day or week there is so much happening visually and aurally in and outside any given classroom that it is difficult for children to maintain attention and therefore concentration for learning. Children laughing in the next room, mowers growling on the oval, unnecessary announcements, charts flapping in a room are all examples of everyday distractions that redirect attention away from learning.

Additionally there has been recent research that suggests providing a constant rich stimulating environment for children in the form of lots of resources in and around the room, can actually work to distract children and is not helpful to learning. Neuroscience research internationally includes a focus on the relationship between learning, memory and attention within classroom environments. The findings have the potential to change classroom practice.

The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is one method that educators are increasingly using to provide lessons.

Such technologies can potentially focus a

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child’s attention by controlling the visual and auditory information on the screen or within the device. Learning in such a controlled environment can certainly be effective although there are limitations.

If the child uses the learning technology while they are also on Facebook or listening to their iPod then attention is not focussed and the potential learning benefit is compromised. The other major limitation is the lack of interaction and real-world response within most of these types of computer programs. Parents or educators need to be able to respond to the child to help them with their understanding when necessary.

The use of ICTs is however an increasing area of research by neuroscientists. One reason for optimism is the capacity for repetition and rehearsal which research seems to support as necessary for deep learning.

What does this mean for parents, employers and employees

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hether you are a parent, an employer or an employee, learning will be part of your life. As a parent you will want your children to learn as much as possible as easily as possible. As an employer you will want any training you set up for employees to be as effective as possible.

That is, if you are going to invest $10,000 in training programs for employees you would prefer deep learning over shortterm learning. If you are an employee seeking new knowledge and skills you hope the educator will have the skills necessary to help you develop a deep understanding so that you can apply your learning successfully. Your promotion may depend on it.

Common to all scenarios is the need for repetition, rehearsal and practice if the aim is to have deep learning. If the aim is to just pass a test then the need for repetition, rehearsal and practice may not be as urgent; however for those committed to quality assurance and effective decision-making, more is better.

Financial learning

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he same messages apply with regard financial learning.

For teenagers there is a need during the brain’s construction zone phase to repeatedly expose them to appropriate and ethical financial decision-making procedures and information. This should be a shared responsibility for parents and their financial advisers, accountants and educators, just as exposing teenagers to good health advice is a shared responsibility of parents and medical practitioners.

The longer it takes to introduce financial concepts to young people and to get them to rehearse and practice financial decision making in safe educational settings the less secure they will feel as young adults.

As suggested in previous editions good financial habits are based on the practice and repetition of good messages, information and learning experiences.

A learning plan can facilitate the development of good habits.

Unfortunately unless good habits are practiced and rehearsed the brain’s synapses associated with those habits are pruned and replaced by learning associated with other activities. As they say in the industry, “use it or lose it”.

More importantly, if children grow up practising poor financial habits then these practices are reinforced in the brain’s synapses, making it a greater challenge to change later in life.

As parents, we have a responsibility to inform “What is going on in the heads of our children?” The challenge for many parents is overcoming our own synaptic development which often reflects no prior experience in financial education.

Neuroscience in education is something that we should all think about – for our children and ourselves. iyl

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www.thewealthacademy.com.au Ken Swan is Director of The Wealth Academy. The Wealth Academy is a registered education provider with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission and is publisher of TeenfincaTM Imagine Five

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CAROL YIP

e e r F d r a C t i C r ed

Happy Christmas Christmas is the best of times for celebrations and having fun, but it is the worst of times for spenders’ and shoppers’ wallets. The pressure to spend comes from all sides. Advertisers tantalize us with images of a fun Christmas, kids demand the latest of everything and the “spirit of giving” surrounds us.

Story Carol Yip

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o, is it possible to get through your Christmas celebrations without overspending and accumulating excessive credit card debts? Financial experts often suggest ideas such as setting a budget or spending only within your financial means. Or, just don’t use credit cards for your gift purchases. Or “stop shopping impulsively”.

Have you ever successfully implemented these ideas? Though we are often reminded to be rational with our spending, and be wise with our credit cards, many of us still go overboard. It is a common struggle. Understanding some of our human weaknesses and the way our brains work might help us stay afloat money-wise this Christmas.

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Credit cards weaken your self-control

Credit cards are a ‘spendingfacilitating stimuli’

Credit cards actually inhibit self-control in many ways. Clever marketing tempts us to use our credit card to make a purchase. One study by Drazen Prelec and Duncan Simister found that people were willing to pay twice as much to bid on tickets to a Boston Celtics basketball game if they could pay with their credit card.

A credit card is extra cash in hand (so to speak). The more cards you have the more money you can spend – this is how your brain is thinking. And credit card limits allow us to spend more than our monthly salary or more than our savings in the bank, so we go ahead and spend. The little voice in our head tells us that we can “pay off that credit card debt later,” “No problem…”

Research suggests that credit cards and credit card symbols act as “spendingfacilitating stimuli”. Richard A. Feinberg studied the effects of credit card presence versus absence on the perceived value of consumer items. Feinberg found that participants presented with the MasterCard symbol placed consistently higher value on items compared to those without the symbol. Feinberg replicated this effect in a second experiment and also demonstrated that participants’ decision times were faster in the presence of the credit card symbol.

In two further experiments, Feinberg investigated how much people were willing to donate to charity in the presence or absence of a credit card symbol. He found that participants estimated greater Imagine Five

CAROL YIP

donation values and donated more money when a credit card symbol was present. This phenomenon of increased expenditure (or likelihood to spend) in the presence of credit card symbols has become known as the “credit card effect.”

Other researchers, Raghubir and Srivastava, replicated Feinberg’s original credit card effect when they asked participants how much they were willing to spend on various menu items for a hypothetical restaurant either in the presence or in the absence of a credit card symbol. They found that the participants are willing to spend on items that are more expensive on the menu in the presence of credit card symbol. In another laboratory-based experiment, Monger and Feinberg found that participants estimated higher fair and maximum prices that they would pay for products when they were informed that the mode of payment was credit card compared to participants who were told that the mode of payment was cash or cheque.

How your brain decides In Jonah Lehrer’s book, “How We Decide”, he described an experiment designed by researchers Brian Knutson and George Loewenstein. The researchers wanted to investigate what happens inside the brain when a person makes consumer choices, such as choosing prior to buying an item. This experiment was designed to realistically simulate the experience of a shopper. When the participant was deciding whether or not to buy the product on display, the researchers were imaging the participant’s brain activity. Prior brain imaging research had found that the brain has “rational” areas – principally the prefrontal cortex, and “emotional” areas – the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and the insula.

Knutson and Loewenstein discovered that when a study participant was first exposed to an item, their nucleus accumbens (NAcc) was “turned on”. The NAcc is a crucial part of the dopamine reward pathway, and the intensity of its activation was a reflection of the desire w w w.imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

for the item. If the participant was not excited about buying the particular item, the NAcc would be less excited.

Then, when the participant was exposed to the price tag that indicated the cost of the product, the insula and prefrontal cortex were activated. The prefrontal cortex was activated, researchers speculated, because this rational area of the brain was needed to compute the numbers; trying to figure out if the product was actually a good deal. If the insula’s negativity exceeded the positive feelings generated by the NAcc, then the participant always chose not to buy. If the prefrontal cortex was convinced that it had found a good deal, the item would prove irresistible.

Of course, the result of this research directly contradicts the rational models of microeconomics. If we were pure “economic agents”, we would make our spending decisions based on a cost-benefits analysis of the prices and not on levels of satisfaction or our base emotions. Instead, what really is happening is that the “rational” brain outsources much of the comparison task to the “emotional” brain, i.e. the NAcc and insula, to estimate the amount of potential pleasure and pain the purchase will bring. The innocent and rational prefrontal cortex, however, often ends up being overwhelmed by the emotional tug of war between the emotional NAcc and insula. The research found that the intensity of those emotions often dictated whether there was a buying decision.

Family Matters

Our brains are responsible for making sure we don’t get ripped off. But when it’s repeatedly assured by retail stores that the prices are “special offer”, the insula stops worrying so much about the price tag.

In fact, researcher found out that if there is a promotional sticker next to the price tag like “Xmas Special”, “Best Buy”, “Limited Edition”, “New Launch” or “Hot Deal” – but no lowering of the price, sales of that item still dramatically increased. These attractions lull the brain into buying since the insula is pacified.

Paying with the “plastic money” that a card offers will also inhibit the insula, making the person less sensitive to the cost of the item, compared to the somewhat painful experience of handing over that “hard cash”. As a result, the activity of NAcc, our pleasure pump of the cortex, always wins in every Christmas shopping experience.

The dilemma is how to reconcile the disagreement between your insula, NAcc and prefrontal cortex. If your brain is always disagreeing, how can you make a decision? At a glance, the answer seems obvious: force a settlement. The prefrontal cortex should intervene and put an end to the emotional tussle. If you want a “credit card free” shopping, help your prefrontal cortex to intervene without hassle by leaving your credit cards at home and use cash instead. By doing so, it will be easier for your rational brain to dictate what a good buy is and whether it is within your cash limit.

Now that you understand the “credit card effect”, you may find it easier to manage your irrational thoughts and emotional urges when you go Christmas shopping. Otherwise, you must control your mischievous inner voice that keeps suggesting you to use the credit card if you decide to bring it along!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! iyl

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www.abacusformoney.com

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Family Matters

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AGED CARE

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Aged Care Considerations Moving into an aged care home can be a complicated and emotional process. There are many issues to consider and good financial advice can make the transition easier and minimise costs.

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ustralia’s ageing population is steadily increasing, with many of the baby boomer generation born between 1947 to 1964 entering the age care bracket between 2011 and 2050. With a bulge in the demand for aged care over the period 2030 to 2050.

At present, 1.65% of the population (approximately 365 thousand people) are aged 85 years or over and this is expected to increase to 5.06% over the next 40 years*.

For some of these baby boomers, it may mean looking into alternative accommodation such as aged care homes and other care arrangements. “The decision as to which type of accommodation or care arrangements you require may be based on lifestyle choice or a need for assistance with daily living activities if it becomes harder to manage on your own,” says Kayleigh Patmore of South Coast Wealth Management.

If you require assistance with daily living activities, one of the hardest decisions you may have to make is whether to remain in your home or move to a low care (hostel) or high care (nursing home). If you remain in your home, there are various community programs available which can help you. On the other hand, if you require accommodation in an aged care facility, you will need to take into account a variety of financial, legal and social security issues.

“Looking into the different types of aged

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care accommodation available and the associated costs can be quite complex and requires careful consideration. This is where financial planning can help to alleviate these concerns and help potential residents achieve the kind of retirement lifestyle they desire,” says Kayleigh.

Some important aspects you need to consider include payment of accommodation bonds, fees and charges, arranging aged care assessments, tax implications and estate planning.

With the help of a professional, whose job it is to remain at the forefront of new legislation and industry changes, you or your family member can save significant amounts on fees, possibly increase the amount of age pension you’re eligible to receive, and ensure estate preservation, meaning you could ensure you have something you can pass on.

“Professional advice takes away the strain,” says Kayleigh, aware that placing a much-loved family member in aged care can be fraught with emotional and logistical complexities. “The family is relieved that legislation and fees are taken care of. An adviser can look at negotiating accommodation bonds and associated fees, potentially leaving more money for the family.”

Low and High Level (Hostel and Nursing Home) care Aged care facilities are commonly referred to as hostels and nursing homes. The main difference between the two lies in the level of

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Kayleigh Patmore from South Coast Wealth Management.

care provided.

“People who require some help with daily living activities may require low level care such as hostel accommodation.

On the other hand, people who require 24-hour nursing care may be more suited to high level care such as nursing home accommodation provides,” says Kayleigh.

To enter low or high care (hostel or a nursing home), you need to be assessed by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT).

The ACAT will make a determination whether low care or high care is required.

A financial adviser can help organise an assessment for you.

How much will care cost?

Although aged care accommodation is subsidised by the Government, a resident will generally be required to contribute towards their own care by paying various fees and charges.

Kayleigh says, “Aged care fees and charges can often be complex and can vary according to your circumstances. The fees and charges are generally calculated in relation to your level of income and assets.”

Residents of hostels and nursing homes are required to pay a daily care fee and income tested fee depending on their level of income, plus an accommodation bond or charge.

“A financial adviser can work out what fees and charges you need to pay for the type of accommodation you require. In some cases, an adviser may be able to put a strategy in place to reduce the fees,” says Kayleigh.

The family home and social security entitlements “One of the main considerations when entering an aged care facility is deciding whether you should keep or sell your home. Whichever you decide on will have implications for any social security benefits you receive and your estate planning needs,” says Kayleigh.

Many people want to keep their family home to pass onto their children and loved ones. There are a few strategies an adviser can suggest which could enable this to happen, help you maintain your Age Pension and ensure that your family home is not counted as an asset.

If you wish to leave your home to your children or other loved ones, it is vital that you have an up-to-date Will stating your wishes.

Getting assistance There are many complex factors to consider when considering aged care accommodation and services, so it is essential that you obtain quality financial advice.

A financial adviser can work through the options with you and help put you in the best financial position. The difference between no advice and good advice can be the difference between the family needing to subsidise the costs or not.

One very relieved and satisfied family had Kayleigh’s help to find suitable age care for their mum/mother in law. Jack and his wife, Helen had been clients of South

Coast Wealth Management (SCWM) for a number of years and with the decision to find an option for their family member, sought Kayleigh’s advice.

“Kayleigh was more than happy to meet with us and provided valuable assistance in understanding the aged care legislation and how the fees and charges work, specifically regarding the requirement to pay an accommodation bond. I believe had my family not sought assistance from Kayleigh, our family would be in a different financial situation, as we believed that we would need to pay an accommodation bond which was greater than my mother in law’s assets and felt the only option we had would be to draw on our own personal retirement savings to assist her.”

Fortunately, Kayleigh was quick to point out the requirement of aged care facilities to leave a resident with a certain level of assets. “With this knowledge we were able to negotiate an appropriate accommodation bond with the aged care home and she has now moved in and settled into her new home.

“It is wonderful to see a Financial Adviser specialise in a niche market such as aged care, where she can make a tremendous difference to the elderly and their families by ensuring their financial assets are protected for their needs and those of their dependents.” iyl Kayleigh Patmore from South Coast Wealth Management is an Authorised Representative of South Coast Wealth Management Pty Ltd.

*Source: ‘Caring for Older Australians’ 8 August 2011, Australian Government Productivity Commission.

This article is to be viewed as general advice only. It is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as specific personal investment advice. Your financial circumstances, needs or objectives have not been taken into account and you should seek the assistance of a qualified professional such as a financial planner, lawyer or accountant before you make any decision based upon the content of this article. While all care has been taken in the preparation of this article, no warranty is given in respect of the information provided and accordingly neither Imagine Your Lifestyle Pty Ltd, its affiliates, employees or agents shall be liable on any ground whatsoever with respect to decisions or actions taken as a result of you acting upon such information. w w w.imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

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FINANCIAL PLANNING

Kimberly and Ben - at Mackay Marina.

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Star Performance When it comes to achieving your dreams in business and in life, there’s no substitute for quality financial advice.

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imberly Hoile is a force of nature, so say her many clients, dotted around Australia and the world. Based in Mackay, Queensland, she describes herself as a “coal miner’s daughter” who grew up in Collinsville, west of Bowen.

From a background in banking and finance, Kimberly made the leap to establishing her own business, 5 Star Finance, in 2004 looking for something more flexible around which she could accommodate the bliss and burden of motherhood.

Married to boilermaker, Shaun, and mum to four – Frank, Katie, Shaun Jnr and Ellie May – Kimberly has a hectic lifestyle.

“Frank is 14 with Down Syndrome, so he does home and integrated schooling. Katie is 12 and very helpful, Shaun Jnr is four and Ellie May is 16 months, so we have babies in the office! It’s busy, a lot of fun and they really motivate me in my work.

My Personal Assistant, Denise Ryder, has been a very welcome addition to the 5 Star family. She supports me well and without her, I could not do what I do.”

On the work front, Kimberly counts clients from Singapore to Norway, and plenty in the local region as well. “Five four-drawer roneos full of them and I need another one!”

Handling both finance and since 2009, insurance as well, she is committed to contacting clients quarterly, as well as working with a handful of clients on current projects such applications for finance for establishing, expanding or planning for growth of a business.

Friendly, jovial and known for her big personality, Kimberly has developed a forthright manner, a byproduct of dealing with no-nonsense businesses in

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Mackay and the mining regions beyond.

“With clients, I am very frank. I can ask the right questions and within five minutes, tell whether or not a deal can be done. I tell them upfront, no mucking about.”

According to her colleague, contact and client since 2004, Chartered Accountant, Rob Rasmussen, Kimberly achieves her aims and more, every day with each client she encounters.

“I refer all my clients to her,” he attests. “They all know her and love her.”

Three of those highly satisfied clients are Darryl Nock, Duncan Comelli and Daryl Kynaston of 3D Engineering, having been led through the formalities, legislation and labyrinthine paperwork of establishing their own business.

All three of them boilermakers, they had worked together for several years and their families enjoyed a convivial social relationship beyond the job. They had a great working rapport and sound heads for business. They had also had a gutful of working for other companies in the mining industry and believed that starting from scratch, they could do it their way from the get-go.

“They realised they had to do it the right way – identify risks and come up with mitigants, so we worked together to pre-empt some of the questions a lender would require. My 26 years in banking gave me insight in to exactly how to prepare loan applications, and all the other requirements associated with setting up a business.”

In March 2010, 3D submitted their application and

by June they had settled. In May 2011, the fledgling company needed additional finance to purchase a mobile crane, a vital piece of equipment in the mining game.

“We applied for equipment finance, rather than an increase in business loan, which made a lot of difference to rates and capital investment.”

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We worked with Kimberly on fine-tuning our business plan, then relied on her for guidance on what the banks would be looking for.

Kimberly with the team from 3D Engineering.

Kimberly’s astute understanding of the processes of lending was just one factor in choosing to work with her, according to Duncan.

“Our accountant recommended her since he said it would make things easier for us, and mean less running around. And we are glad we did.”

As he explains: “We worked with Kimberly on fine-tuning our business plan, then relied on her for guidance on what the banks would be looking for.

It was very smooth. Kimberly was our one point of contact.”

In the 18 months the company has been in operation, they have acquired customers and clients at around “a dozen different mines”. “Our main customers number around eight or ten. We have spent this initial phase establishing systems, fitting out our workshop, buying equipment, getting new customers.”

The bulk of their work is steel fabrication and manufacture, repair and maintenance of earth moving equipment, as well as onsite repairs and maintenance, travelling from Mackay to Collinsville, Emerald and Blackwater.

Currently, 3D employs 20 people, but as Duncan says “the only way is up”.

“There’s a lot of mining activity going on in north Queensland, and plans for expansion in the next six to 12 months. We hope to grow the business with that industry growth.”

There’s a lot of pride in starting a company from scratch, he adds. “Everything is up to us. We can make all the decisions and take the company where we want 46

to take it. The pride comes from building it up, gaining a reputation for good quality work and ethics.”

Kimberly has been crucial to their success and smooth running so far. “She is very easy to get along with and always available to answer questions as they come up.

It’s great to have that reliable source of advice.”

And it’s not just business finance that the 3D lads rely on Kimberly for. “We have all our home loans, personal finance, business and life insurance with her as well.

One point of contact.”

Ben and Sally Anderson, Kimberly’s first clients, were new to Mackay back in 2003, moving from Nelson Bay with just a car and a trailer with all their worldly goods.

“We had nothing,” recalls Ben. “When we arrived, we rented a room in the Junior Surf Club while we looked around for a house.”

Ben took up a position as Assistant Manager at the Mackay Marina while Sally started working in retail.

“We sought Kimberly’s help because the first time we applied for a loan, we were knocked back,” explains Ben. “With Kimberly’s help, and her background in banking, we were able to supply everything the bank needed to get a loan for a two-bedroom house. Then we sold that and built our second house, with Kimberly’s help to secure finance, then we sold that one and built our next house. Now we have a couple of acres out of town, which is just perfect.”

Their adviser’s background and knowledge of how to get things “across the line”, were invaluable.

“Now, eight years on, I call her with any crazy idea and she tells me if there’s a chance it could work.

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Other people had put us in the too hard basket. You need to work with a financial adviser who has good instincts and determination.”

Recently, one of Ben’s “crazy ideas” came to fruition. With two small children, Lily, 1 and Chloe, 4, Ben and Sally wanted to progress their business inclinations and establish foundations for their family.

“I had worked for eight years at the marina with Peter Hansen, and when he decided he wanted to relocate back to Brisbane, it was the natural progression for me to take on the management rights.”

In 2009, Ben and Sally worked with Kimberly to buy the marina businesses from Peter – management rights, yacht brokerage, marina berths, chandlery, gift shop and real estate agency.

Short of capital, but not ambition, Sally and Ben approached Sally’s mum, Meredith, for help with their application.

“She offered the title on her property as security for our loan, which we were very grateful for, and working with Kimberly, we managed to get the finance together.”

In 18 months, with a lot of hard work and solely focusing on growing the various facets of the business, the Andersons have accumulated the capital to remove Meredith’s house deeds from the equation.

“We made a lot of positive changes in the businesses,” says Ben. “We added value with a hire car option, that is very popular, as well as sub-leasing unused space, growing occupancy at the marina and focusing on boat and property sales, particularly in a depressed market.”

Key to their approach, says Ben, is “being connected to the vendor”.

“They’re the people paying us, so we work closely with them to keep them informed, help them keep in touch with the market. It’s a case of tough love – being honest about buyer feedback, values and the state of the market.”

The Mackay Marina – a world-class 500-berth facility at the tail end of The Whitsundays – has just snared the prestigious and internationally significant Oyster World Rally 2013-14. As many as 30 yacht owners will enter Australia at Mackay after cruising from Europe through the South Pacific.

Conceived as an event to celebrate Oyster’s 40th Anniversary, the 2013 w w w.imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

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Olga Tenan from ANZ with Kimberly.

Oyster World Rally will set out from Antigua in January 2013 and return to the Caribbean in April 2014 and for owners, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to complete a circumnavigation as a large fleet.

“Oyster representatives were here two weeks ago inspecting our facilities, which include a 65 tonne travel lift with 9.2m beam so we can lift catamarans as well, skilled labour, fuel and plenty of on-shore recreation.”

Mackay is a “boom town”, says Ben, “mostly a spin off from the mining activity nearby”. “We have a wonderful hinterland just an hour from the city, incredible islands just offshore, like

Brampton, Keswick and Hamilton not too far away.”

“Mackay will be their first point of entry in to Australia. We have Customs and Quarantine on site and they are experienced in handling yachts and crews, from the ARC, Blue Water Rally and other regattas.”

Ben is confident there is plenty of growth and development ahead for the marina, but for the meantime, he and Sally are focused on its primary business. “We want to extend the brokerage and add multiple offices. In time, I would like to develop the business to the point that I can step back a little and enjoy the lifestyle more, but for the meantime...” iyl 47

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Self-managed super funds Are they right for me?

It is arguable that no aspect of superannuation, other than perhaps the decline in retirement savings as a result of the global financial crisis, has received quite as much media attention in recent years as self-managed super funds (SMSF), and perhaps rightly so given that self-managed super funds are now the largest type of superannuation structure in Australia.

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Story Peter Kelly

o help set the scene, it is important to understand where self-managed super fits in the world of Australian superannuation.

Australians’ collectively have more $1.34 trillion dollars invested in the superannuation system. Of this, self-managed superannuation accounts for in excess of $415 billion.

Over three quarters of a million Australians are members of a self-managed fund. In the last financial year alone, over 30,000 new self-managed super funds were established.

So, why do so many Australians choose to abandon traditional superannuation funds and take on the responsibilities of running their own fund?

There are a number of reasons that might cause someone to embark on such a journey including: • the recommendation from an accountant to financial planner to establish a self-managed fund, • dissatisfaction with established superannuation funds - particularly evident following the GFC, • the desire to take personal control of what is becoming

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a significantly large personal asset, and for some, • the status and “barbeque bragging rights” that come with having a self-managed super fund.

But running your own self-managed fund brings with it certain responsibilities and obligations.

A self-managed super fund can have no more than four members and each member, except in some very limited circumstances, must also act as a trustee of the fund – or a director where the fund has a company acting as trustee.

Self-managed superannuation funds are governed by a number of important instruments including legislation (covering superannuation, taxation, family, and corporations law), the trust deed and various other rules and nominations. As superannuation is highly regulated, trustees are not free to simply treat their superannuation in any way they see fit.

The Australian Taxation Office is charged with the responsibility of regulating self-managed super funds but in this role, they are supported by thousands of independent auditors, operating in cities and towns throughout Australia.

One of the areas that trustees typically fall foul of the Regulator is the early access of superannuation benefits. As the purpose of superannuation is to provide for retirement, most superannuation benefits are “preserved”.

A preserved superannuation benefit cannot be accessed until a certain event occurs. Such events include retirement after reaching preservation age. Preservation age is currently 55 but is progressively increasing to 60 for people born after 30 June 1960. Other conditions of release include turning 65, becoming permanently disabled, death of the member, and in limited circumstances, in cases of severe financial hardship and on compassionate grounds. Given the strict rules surrounding preservation, members of self-managed super funds need to ensure they don’t access benefits before a release condition has been met.

The temptation to draw money from super to meet current spending needs must be resisted at all cost, as should the temptation to borrow money, even on a short-term basis, from a selfmanaged super fund.

People who establish a self-managed super fund often do so in order to access to investments that are not generally available through other types of superannuation funds.

However, an analysis of information released by the Australian Taxation Office reveals that 74% of all the money held within self -managed super funds is invested in three main investment types; Australian shares ($139bn), cash term deposits ($114bn), and commercial and residential property ($58bn).

In addition to the types of investments mentioned above, self-

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managed funds invest in a range of other investments including shares in unlisted public and private companies, mortgages, units in listed and unlisted unit trusts, managed funds, and even collectibles including works of art, wine collections, etc. Having said that, the Government has recently tightened up the rules surrounding investments by self-managed funds in collectibles.

Whilst legislation does not specifically restrict the types of investments that can be made by a self-managed super fund, there are strict rules around self-managed funds acquiring assets from member’s and related parties, and making investments in, or loans to, member’s, their relatives, and related trusts and companies.

The trustees of each self-managed superannuation fund must prepare an investment strategy for their fund. The investment strategy takes into account a number of investment related considerations including the ability of the fund to meet its financial obligations as they arise, and the diversification of the fund’s assets over a range of investments. Whilst there is nothing to prevent a self-managed super fund holding only one or two assets, the investment strategy needs to consider the risks the fund may encounter in not diversifying its investments.

Running you own self-managed super fund can deliver control, flexibility and potential cost savings, but is does carry responsibilities and obligations. The trustees must ensure that the self-managed fund is being maintained for the sole purpose of providing retirement benefits to its members. Most importantly, the trustees must ensure the fund is not allowing members to use the assets of the fund for their own purposes, or to provide financial assistance to members prior to the said members being able to access benefits.

For the right person, a self-managed super fund can be a useful and effective structure for building wealth for retirement however, willingness to invest time in the day-to-day management of the fund is equally important.

If you think a self-managed fund is the structure for you, it is worth spending some time with an accountant or financial planner to understand the ramifications of taking this step. iyl

Peter Kelly is the technical services manager for Professional Investment Services ABN 11 074 608 558, AFSL 234951 and Associated Advisory Practices.

His areas of expertise cover all aspects of superannuation and retirement planning, including self-managed super funds. Peter is a SMSF Specialist Advisor.

This article is to be viewed as general advice only. It is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as specific personal investment advice. Your financial circumstances, needs or objectives have not been taken into account and you should seek the assistance of a qualified professional such as a financial planner, lawyer or accountant before you make any decision based upon the content of this article. While all care has been taken in the preparation of this article, no warranty is given in respect of the information provided and accordingly neither Imagine Your Lifestyle Pty Ltd, its affiliates, employees or agents shall be liable on any ground whatsoever with respect to decisions or actions taken as a result of you acting upon such information. w w w.imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

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SUSTAINABILITY

Consumption, Population and Sustainability Worldwide, there are now more than 1.7 billion members of “the consumer class”, a fact that will impact on resources, the environment and our collective quality of life.

Story Geoff Edwards

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ccording to Worldwatch, by virtually any measure, household expenditures, number of consumers, extraction of raw materials, consumption of goods and services has risen steadily in industrial nations for decades, and it is growing rapidly in many developing countries.

There is little evidence that the consumption locomotive is braking and, there are implications.

The economies of mass consumption that produced a world of abundance for many in the twentieth century face a different challenge in the twenty-first: to focus not on the indefinite accumulation of goods but instead on a better quality of life for all, with minimal environmental harm.

Australia will not be immune from the challenges of managing consumption, economic growth and sustainable development.

One of the drivers of consumption is population growth, and Dick Smith, one of Australia’s most recognised individuals, has recently involved himself in this contentious issue.

After a successful business career, Dick Smith has become well

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known as an adventurer. He has also been active in public service and is a passionate supporter of environmental and conservation efforts, a supporter of many charities and individuals in need. In recognition of this he was honoured as Australian of the Year in 1986.

Dick Smith believes he can take on the world and win. Never shy to take on controversial issues, Smith is concerned about our expected rapid population increase.

He is convinced that we are causing serious damage to the earth and its climate, imperiling the lives of our grandchildren. He believes that our relentless focus on growth is largely to blame and alternatives need to be found. He’s sure that the world, and Australia, should not increase its population. “The world’s resources are finite and therefore at some stage we have to stop growing.”

That, in essence, is Dick Smith’s goal: To cap the use of resources and to halt population growth.

Previous statements from key political figures have blurted out that a “Big Australia” of 36 million by 2050 would be “good for the country”, however a most important point is left out. Even Imagine Five

SUSTAINABILITY

though we may be able to grow to 100 million people in Australia, Dick Smith asks what would be the advantage in doing this?

To wealthy people, population growth will generally increase their prosperity and wealth, so the wealthy will get more.

But what about the average wage and salary earner and retiree, who represent possibly over 80% of our population?

Dick Smith thinks that unrestrained population growth will make virtually every problem more difficult.

Dick Smith believes that in Australia we are currently at a very “efficient” number of 22 million and at this number we have the potential to share in the wealth of this country. By increasing the population to

the limits of what our planet can sustain and the evidence is everywhere to see.

Right now Dick Smith believes we could be sleepwalking to catastrophe because we are failing to both acknowledge that there are limits to growth in a finite world and to prepare for a more sustainable way of organising our economy. In the 19th Century, empires were built on the labour of slaves, and it was believed economies would collapse if slavery was abolished. But brave people like William Wilberforce fought to end the slave trade – and economies still flourished. We need brave people like Wilberforce today, and Dick Smith wants to encourage a new generation of clear-thinking and inspiring young leaders.

Dick Smith says more people will equal less food, more pollution and more pressure on frail ecosystems.

44 million each person has the potential to only share in half as much.

He says that the big decision about population increases should be based on, “what’s in it for most Australians?” He believes the answer is “less and less” – by trying to curtail our population increase, we can then concentrate on being truly sustainable – moving away from fossil fuels which are most likely polluting our environment into energy that is coming every day from the sun and other sustainable sources.

The Wilberforce Award

It has become obvious to Dick Smith that his generation has over exploited our wonderful world – and younger people will pay the price. Like many other people of his age, he has benefited from a long period of population and constant economic growth – something that people are addicted to. But sooner or later this consumption growth will have an end.

We appear to be already bumping against

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He has put up $1 million to seek out a champion for his cause with his Wilberforce Award - a young person to rise up and be a powerful advocate for prosperity without growth, in the same way that William Wilberforce drove an end to slavery. “They said capitalism couldn’t survive without slavery,” he says, “It did and it can survive without growth, he is sure of it.

The Wilberforce Award, of $1 million, will go to a young person under 30, anywhere in the world, who can impress Dick Smith by “becoming famous through their ability to show leadership in communicating an alternative to a population growth- and consumption growth-obsessed economy”. Smith is looking for a young Al Gore to take up his cause. He will judge the winner.

See: www.dicksmithpopulation.com/ wilberforce-award On 30 May this year, Dick Smith launched his new book, “Dick Smith’s Population Crisis” .

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His book explains that if birth-rate trends and depletion of our natural resources continue unchecked, the human race will suffer calamity. It’s the hot topic of our times, with Dick Smith arguing that Australian and global population growth carries enormous risks, dangers that none of our political parties is prepared to address.

The author has shown himself to be a cando businessman, who created a personal fortune selling manufactured electronics, magazine and food products. He says he has renounced the flagrant profit ethos that accumulated his wealth and wants to help solve some of the planet’s urgent problems.

Smith believes we should measure economic growth, not purely in monetary terms, but in the context of how it affects our environment and health. In 1900, the world supported about 1.6 billion; now there are close to 7 billion people on earth; and estimates say we will reach 9 billion by 2050.

This 178-page tome is Smith’s crusade and reminds us we only have one viable home.

He is genuinely worried about population growth, climate change and the broader ecological crisis, and wants to find solutions. He says population growth is at the root of the most serious environmental problems. For Smith, more people will equal less food, more pollution and more pressure on frail ecosystems.

In Australia, we often hear the term “the lucky country” and there is no doubt that this is true. To ensure that we retain our excellent quality of life, we may be required to look at population growth, the rise in consumerism and the usage of energy and material resources for industrial growth.

We need to take a visionary, leadership approach that projects us beyond political timeframes and creates a sustainable Australia for generations to come. iyl

Imagine @...

Geoff Edwards is an internationally accredited Life Coach with over 25 years of coaching experience who can support you on your journey to success with results that last. www.geoffedwards.net

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Imagine

WEB WARFARE

Web warfare When it comes to comparison websites, it’s a case of ‘buyer beware’ or better still, buyer understand that in some cases, apples are being compared to oranges and lemons all for a price!

Story Sam Tannous

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f you’re in the market for car insurance, a credit card, a broadband plan or even an electricity supplier, you may have used one of the burgeoning numbers of “comparison sites” to check out your options.

But recent action by the consumer watchdog, ACCC indicates buyer beware, when it gave a warning to energywatch.com. au for misleading or deceptive conduct. The ACCC is claiming that this website, and others like it, are not being transparent enough with consumers about exactly how they operate.

Websites that provide comparisons are not there for altruistic reasons; they are businesses in their own right and exist to make money like any other business.

But there is a distinction between broker sites – which

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only present a set number of operators who are paying commissions – and comparison sites offering a full market comparison.

Even the sites offering full market comparisons are receiving commissions, in what is often referred to as “affiliate marketing”. Take a credit card comparison site, for example. They may present a table of different cards, that on first look appears as being ranked, however the individual card companies would be offering the site a commission on any new card customers that sign up via that site. In this case, a disclaimer should be associated with the table to explain these arrangements.

Whichever model these businesses are using, the ACCC has them in their sights and considers a fair warning to all to be transparent about how they operate.

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WEB WARFARE

Websites that provide comparisons are not there for altruistic reasons; they are businesses in their own right.

For us consumers, both types of service can be useful – many of us have used a mortgage broker fully understanding that they are not representing absolutely every mortgage available. The comparison sites can provide a great tool for comparing complicated offers such a mobile phone plans with a variety of call costs, inclusions and other features.

It’s wise to be aware that the sites do take commissions from many of the companies whose products are promoted – especially if they are highlighted as the “editor’s choice” or “featured product”.

According to John Matthews, general manager of dgmAustralia which helps both the comparison sites and the companies who list their products, it’s a simple ecosystem that in many cases, especially in the heavily regulated financial services sector, that works for all parties – the website publisher, the featured companies and the consumer.

“Comparison sites come about when there is a consumer need to compare a certain product or service – whether that is on price or features, for example – and there are many different providers vying for their business,” Matthews explains.

“The sites often publish comparison tables featuring certain products, which are offering them a commission on sales. But if the offer isn’t right, the consumer won’t buy it and the site publisher will drop that listing from their table. This encourages the product or service provider to come up with a better product, a better price or better features, something that the consumer wants to buy and will make the site its commission. It’s a win-win.”

Matthews says that in Australia, there has been explosive growth in comparison sites in the past three to four years, while these sites have been very popular in the UK for much longer.

“As the comparison sector matures in Australia, we are seeing huge uptake of the services by consumers who have previously had to do laborious work to compare different offers from different companies.

This shows that the sites are providing a great service to the public, as well as making commissions for that service.”

Choice magazine, which reported on the ACCC investigations back in September, also made some recommendations for any consumers using these sites, to make sure you get what you expect.

Check out their fine print or disclaimers to find out if they are a broker or market comparison tool, and how they are paid, and whether this is affecting the independence of the information presented.

The bottom line is that we must still do our homework. In this case, perhaps reviewing more than one comparison site is the way to go.

It’s still much quicker than approaching each individual company. iyl w w w.imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

Imagine

Looking for a new Credit Card?

S

ince the mid-2000s, there has been an explosion in websites comparing the plethora of credit cards available. Sites such as Creditcardfinder.com.au, creditcardcompare. com.au and creditcard.com.au, creditcardoffers.com. au and several more appear in the search results for “credit card comparison”.

And while the ACCC and Choice Magazine may be concerned about the levels of disclosure from the sites themselves, the evidence is strong that consumers know how to use them as tools to research and find the best deals.

“Traffic data shows that the majority of traffic to our sites also visit our competitors’ sites, which means people are shopping around before they make a decision,” says Roland Bleyer, director of Credit World, which owns several credit card comparison sites.

Bleyer was one of the early operators in the comparison space in Australia, after many years in Los Angeles in the 90s learning the ropes at players such as iMall. Back in Australia he started with creditworld. com.au in 2005, and now operates other sites including creditcard.com.au and creditcardoffers.com.au.

In those early days, the banks and financial institutions were very wary, according to Bleyer, and didn’t want to disclose detailed information about their products and features.

“We get a lot of questions from our consumers about how a rewards program works or whether a balance transfer is a good deal, and we get back to them.

It used to be very hard to find the answers, or to understand the information provided by the bank’s website or other documentation - especially for the average consumer.”

Bleyer’s company has just started publishing e-books about banking products, with the first two helping consumers to understand rewards programs and the balance transfer feature, and how to make the most out of them.

“Another point of difference with our sites is that the banks cannot buy a position on our tables, no matter how much commission they offer to pay us,” claims Bleyer. “We only put the best products on our tables, and if a bank asks to be put on the table, we tell them to offer a better product.”

Bleyer’s sites now receive exclusive card offers from some institutions, including Citibank and Virgin - better deals than a consumer can apply for from the banks themselves - which goes to show just how important these sites have become in the consumer decisionmaking process.

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Home&Property

ANDREW WINTER

Doom and Gloom in our housing market Is it really all bad news?

Story Andrew Winter

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s I travel around Australia, always proud to be a Gold Coast resident, quite often the news of my home location is greeted with either a sharp intake of breath, or a sympathetic comment. Yes, the news is out: the Gold Coast housing market is generally perceived right now, certainly by those in our main cities, as no longer the home of the true Aussie lifestyle but the location of mortgage stress, foreclosures, huge house price reductions and desperate sellers!

It is pretty tough out there, but it has been for quite a while, and in most markets around the country. But perception aside, is it really all bad news, or are there any little perks for us as we travel on our way, or are close to the bottom of the Property Cycle?

Considering trading up Perhaps you have reasonable equity in your home, ready to move to the forever family home? This market could be the best time to make that move. The trick is to acknowledge your home value may have decreased, but ensure your new home purchase is discounted to compensate, for example see below: You had a home worth $500,000, you wanted to trade up to a $1,000,000 home that is a price gap of $500,000 upgrade.

Your current home is close to the median values of you suburb and this area is generally showing signs of around 10% decrease in values, quite often the upper end of the market, like the home you plan to buy will exhibit a little more percentage reduction for our example will say 11%.

Now your existing home is worth $450,000, but the new home could be secured for $890,000, the price gap upgrade is now only $440,000 plus you will save around $5,000 on stamp duty and could further save on selling fees too. Total saving to trade up, in this perceived

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Imagine Five

HOME& PROPERTY People used to stay in their houses longer, as they transformed the building into a true home. This tricky housing market can encourage you to do the same. tough market, could be as much as $65,000! Not bad and certainly a positive reason to embrace the current market conditions while they last!

Time to buy a bargain!

An unfortunate side of a declining housing market is the inevitability of many struggling sellers, or those who have no choice but to sell now or maybe are being forced to sell, not a happy place to be as a seller but a great place to be if you are a buyer with funds available.

Whether you are buying a family home or an investment the deals are there right now! Do your research, focus on markets and areas you know well or areas you decide are a good place to buy and get to know the market history and status of the market so you can identify that elusive bargain.

Often the bargains may not start out that way, often homes listed at out of date/inflated prices, sellers then become very motivated to sell and as time goes by the more likely a seller maybe to consider yours a more realistic offer.

Vacant homes, foreclosures or listings that just seem to have been around forever are a great place to start. Talk to local Real Estate Agents, and keep your eye on the internet and property supplements.

Defining a deal is hard, but perhaps you can ascertain you are paying less than the current vendors paid for the home a few years before, or properties very similar recently have sold for more than you can secure your target ‘bargain’ for.

If you do identify one of these elusive deals, get moving quickly, be sensible with your offers – too ridiculously low can just upset both agents and vendors meaning negotiations can come to an abrupt holt in some situations.

It does happen, where vendors feel so aggrieved by the cheek of the offer they take it very personally and are turned off.

Always justify a low offer and be flexible. Consider offering sweeteners, such as flexible buying terms and quick settlements, and never skimp on your research such as valuations and building inspections. Be prepared in advance, select contractors and suppliers so you are ready to go when you find a home and get your lawyer on standby before you start. In my experience very often the best deals are secured thorough the speed a purchaser can act, that speed element can have a real added value to a vendor.

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Finally, stay put!

Recent decades have seen housing value growth becoming the norm and expected. Until the last few years this seemed to have been going on forever. How short are memories can be? Each house move you made, you made a profit. That phenomenon has slowed down completely. Plus the costs of moving alone now can mean any value growth would need to be at least 10-15% or financially you may have gained nothing in real terms. So this could make you reconsider if a move is really that necessary or viable.

Should you not just stay put perhaps? Maybe you need more space, why not extend? The savings on not moving could almost pay for a pool and another room to be added on to your home. You could even fund that new kitchen you dream of and have extra dollars over for redecoration throughout.

People used to stay in their houses longer, as they transformed the building into a true home. This tricky housing market can encourage you to do the same and focus on developing your house into a home, or to meet your changing lifestyle or family needs.

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o there you have it, three very strong reasons to embrace this current doom and gloom and make it more boom and vroom. My one main tip to encourage the future recovery of the market is to avoid placing your home to the market unless you are prepared to sell for the real current market value (that could be a figure a lot less than you feel you want to accept). If this control of stock/supply of homes for sale is more limited that will encourage a natural demand increase eventually. Over supply has and is one of the major factors the housing market has suffered so much in recent years. iyl

Imagine @...

www.andrewwinter.com.au Andrew Winter is best known as host and residential property expert for the award-winning series Selling Houses Australia, exclusive to The LifeStyle Channel.

He is also author of the ‘No Nonsense Guide to Buying and Selling Property’.

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Home

INTERIORS

Mirror image. Christopher Guy Mirror Convex in Renaissance Gold is a signature piece, a beautifully carved stunning circular mirror frame crafted in solid hardwood. www.robertsonsdesign.com.au

Making Scents. Nothing evokes home and hearth like the smell of baking, and the delectable range of Smitten super-strength fragrances smell as sweet as their namesakes – Apple Pecan Crunch, Banana Nutbread, Baby Powder. Smitten Scents are made from renewable soybean wax with 100% cotton wicks making them extremely clean burning and kind to the environment. www.smitten.com.au

Keep Time. The Amalfi Numbers Clock measures a huge 100cm.

The striking design will accent any wall. $229.95 www.albi.com.au

Home is where the heart is Tweet Memories. Bird on a Wire Wall/Photo Decor is a nifty way to display your photos. $119.95 www.albi.com.au

There’s nothing like cute, colourful, “kitsch-en” knick-knacks and trinkets to create a warm and welcoming space for all occasions.

Sustainable seating. With its organic, sensual forms, the Girado ensemble of table and chairs by Team 7 adds a personal touch to the architecture of a room. www.popcorninteriors.com.au

Rug Up. This brilliant Little Lamb Freckle Rug by Down To The Woods adds charm to a room and looks good enough to gobble. $675 www.downtothewoods.com.au 56

Imagine Five

MARKET NEWS

5 9.9 3 $

$2

5 9.9

Jill Jones-Evans & Joe Gambacorta

Cook For Your Life Ian Thorpe Ian Thorpe has long been known for his incredible swimming achievements. Less well-known is that he loves to cook. A lifetime love of cooking teamed with a refusal to give up the flavours of his favourite meals led Ian to develop a plan that allowed him to eat the delicious foods he loves and to maintain a healthy, lean, strong body. In this, Ian Thorpe’s first cookbook, he shares the recipes that keep him trim and healthy, as well ashis philosophy on diet gathered from experts on nutrition and diet over all of his years of elite sporting success. Hardie Grant

Easiest Ever Apricot Chicken • 6 chicken thigh fillets, skin removed and diced into large pieces • 3 tbsp plain flour • 2 French Onion dried soup mix satchets (40g) • 1L apricot nectar • ½ cup dried apricots, diced

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Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Toss diced chicken in flour to coat. Mix soup mix satchets with the apricot nectar. Place chicken in an ovenproof dish and pour over the nectar mix. Place lid on the dish to cook.

Bake for 20 mins. Remove cover and add apricots, pushing them into the sauce. Cook, uncovered, for a further 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened. Serve on a bed of couscous.

market news Get cooking with Thermomix

James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion The No.1 bestselling guide to wineries and wine in Australia, the 2012 edition has been completely revised and updated to bring you up-to-the-minute information. Halliday shares his extensive knowledge of wine via detailed tasting notes, each of which includes vintage specific ratings and advice on optimal drinking, as well as alcohol content, price and a value rating. An indispensable reference for all enthusiasts of Australian wine. Hardie Grant

In Season - Apricots

No wonder we compare a baby’s skin, or that of a beautiful muse, to the soft, supple down of the apricot.

The sweet tastes of this moreish stone fruit were first enjoyed in China as long as 4,000 years ago. From there, they’ve travelled around the world, and are popular in many cuisines. The skin and flesh both range in colour from pale yellow to deep orange. In their dried form, apricots are often added to Middle Eastern meat or grain dishes, while fresh apricots reduce well in cooking. They are ideal for making pies, tarts and jams.

$3 6 .9 5 High Tea at The Victoria Room The team at iconic Victoria Room divulges some of their most extravagant and delectable recipes in their debut book, High Tea at the Victoria Room, a fabulous coffeetable cookbook that will turn you into a High Tea expert. As well as mouth-watering recipes such as lavender crème brulee, this beautiful coffee-table book also introduces you to the High Tea etiquette and how to make the perfect cup of tea. New Holland

Imagine

Imagine @ ... www.thermomix

.com .au

Thermomix TM 31 (Bimby) is the most advanced kitchen appliance on the market today and its distributors and devotees claims it is without rival.

The product of more than 40 years of German design and innovation, Thermomix unites the functions of over 10 appliances in one compact unit. Thermomix is astounding in its ability to chop, beat, mix, whip, grind, knead, mince, grate, juice, blend, heat, stir, steam and weigh food. Preparation is cut from minutes to seconds and cooking is gentle ensuring the flavours, vitamins and minerals are locked into each mouthful.

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Cuisine

Hot PLate

BBQ Prawns 58

Imagine Five

Hot PLate

Cuisine

Monster T-Bone with Smoked Green Chilli Relish

Get it while it’s hot!

Just in time for the summer holidays, iconic Sunshine Coast restaurant and cooking school, Spirit House comes to our rescue with simple and superb recipes that will amuse and satisfy your guests no matter what the occasion.

I

n Hot Plate, Spirit House – regarded by many as Australia’s most respected restaurant and cooking school – turns the humble “barbie” into something special.

This Asian-inspired barbecue book features recipes from the four Spirit House chefs, with their tips to roast, smoke, and sear your way to

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BBQ perfection.

Hot Plate is a must-have for eager entertainers, connoisseurs and novices alike, and will win over even the most traditional of sausage-stalwarts with the easy to follow guides and luscious photography illustrating the tantalising menus: super-easy and succulent salads, exotic dressings and relishes, dipping sauces and a myriad of serving suggestions. New Holland, $29.95.

Here are just a few of the recipes from Hot Plate to whet your appetite and transport you holiday heaven!

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Cuisine

Hot PLate

Monster T-Bone with Smoked Green Chilli Relish Serves 4 “There is nothing delicate about this dish.

I serve it on a chopping board along with the bone for added drama - it’s a huge piece of meat,” Ben Bertei, Head Chef, Spirit House The T-Bone 11/2 KG (53oz) t-bone Vegetable oil Salt Smoked Green Chilli Relish 1 brown onion sliced into circles 1 garlic bulb 300 gms (10 1/2oz) long green chillies 1 tblsp white pepper ground T-Bone Method This is a simple dish but needs time.

Leave t-bone at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Preheat barbecue to a medium heat. Oil and salt the t-bone, place on the grill and seal both sides.

Keep turning t-bone every so often for 35 minutes so as not to burn. Take off heat and rest for 10 minutes.

Smoked Green Chilli Relish Method Turn barbecue to high. When hot add onion, garlic and blacken all over. Take off, place in bowl and cover so it will steam.

Repeat same process with the chillies.

Peel the burnt skin off the chillies and discard. In a mortar, pound garlic and onion to a paste and remove to a bowl.

In a mortar, pound chillies to a paste.

Combine with the onion mix in bowl. Add pepper, season paste with fish sauce to taste. Will keep in the fridge for a week.

To Serve Cut the meat away from the bone and slice into 1cm (1/2 inch) slices. Serve with smoked green chilli relish.

Cuttlefish Marinated in Ginger & Rice Wine tossed with Green Mango, Herb and Tamarind Dressing For the Cuttlefish 500 GMS (171/2oz) Cuttlefish or squid scored in a diamond pattern 1 tblspn garlic peeled 1 tblspn ginger peeled and roughly chopped 1 teaspoon rice flour 2 tblspns Shaoxing WIne 2 tblspns Vegetable oil Green Mango Salad 2 cloves garlic, peeled 2-6 small hot red chillies 2 coriander (Cilantro) roots 1-2 tblspns fish sauce 2-4 tblspns palm sugar 1 tblspn tamarind water

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3 tblspns lime Juice 2 golden shallots peeled and thinly sliced 2 stalks lemongrass tender inner core, thinly sliced 2 green mangoes peeled and shredded 1/2 cup mint 1/2 cup coriander (Cilantro) leaves

To marinate the beef Grind white pepper in a mortar, add the ginger and garlic and pound to a paste.

Then mix in the kecap manis and soy sauce. Place beef in a bowl, pour over the marinade and rub well into the meat.

Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Preparing the Cuttlefish In a mortar and pestle make a paste with the garlic and ginger, transfer to a bowl with the cuttlefish, rice flour, wine and oil. Toss to mix. Refrigerate while making the salad.

To Make The Salad Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with dressing ingredients to combine.

To Cook Heat barbecue to hot and cook the cuttlefish until it loses its translucency. This will only take a few minutes, depending on the thickness of the cuttlefish. Remove from the heat and when cool enough to handle, cut into more bite size pieces.

Salad Dressing Method Combine the garlic, chillies and coriander root in a mortar and pound to a rough paste. Add the fish sauce, palm sugar, tamarind water and lime juice. Mix together and taste. The dressing should be hot, sour with a little sweetness to balance the tartness of the green mango.

To Serve Place cooked cuttlefish and remaining salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl, pour over the dressing and toss gently.

Transfer to a serving plate.

Barbecue Sweet Soy & Ginger Beef with Hot and Sour Herb Salad 600 Gms (21oz) piece of beef eye fillet trimmed of fat and sinew 2 teaspoons white peppercorns 2 tblspns Ginger peeled and roughly chopped 2 cloves garlic peeled 1 Cup kecap manis 1 cup soy sauce 2 tblspns vegetable oil Hot and Sour Herb Salad 2 Golden shallots peeled and thinly sliced 1/2 Cup Bean sprouts topped and tailed 1/2 Cup mint leaves 1/2 Cup Coriander (Cilantro) Sprigs 1/2 Cup thai basil leaves 2 tblspns ginger peeled and finely shredded 2 stalks lemongrass trimmed and inner core finely sliced 4 Kaffir lime leaves finely shredded 1/2 lebanese cucumber julienned 2-4 small red chillies chopped finely 1 large red chilli deseeded and finely shredded Dressing 1-2 tblspns fish sauce 2-3 tblspns lime juice 1 teaspoon roasted rice powder

Dressing Method Combine fish sauce, lime juice and rice powder in a small bowl.

To Cook The Beef Heat the barbecue plate to very hot, oil with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and sear the beef until well browned on all sides. Pull down the lid of the barbecue and cook another 10 minutes for medium rare. if your barbecue doesn’t have a lid, cover meat with a large bowl or tray or transfer to a 190°c (350°f) oven for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and rest for 15-20 minutes.

To Serve Slice the beef thinly and transfer to serving platter. Top with the hot and sour salad, pouring any excess dressing over the beef.

Asian-Style Coleslaw with Lime Coconut Dressing Serves 4 The Coleslaw 1 cup large red onion (halved lengthways then cut very finely) 2 cups chinese cabbage finely sliced 1 cup carrots shredded 1 cup coriander (CilantRo) leaves chopped 1 cup Vietnamese mint chopped (or regular mint) Lime, Coconut dressing 1 teaspoon palm sugar 11/2 tblsp chilli paste in soy bean oil 2 tblspns lime juice 1 tblspn fish sauce 1⁄3 cup thick coconut cream Dressing Method Mix all the dressing ingredients in a bowl, then set aside for the flavours to blend.

To Serve Before serving, place the cabbage, carrot and herbs in a large bowl. Toss with lime, coconut dressing ensuring all ingredients mix well. Garnish with extra mint and coriander leaves or a sprinkle of crispy shallots if you like.

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Cuttlefish Marinated in Ginger & Rice Wine tossed with Green Mango, Herb and Tamarind Dressing

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Asian-Style Coleslaw with Lime Coconut Dressing

Barbecue Sweet Soy & Ginger Beef with Hot and Sour Herb Salad

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Cuisine

WINE

Coming up RosĂŠs Much maligned, and seemingly stuck between red and white wines boasting reputations of superior quality, RosĂŠ varietals are now enjoying a resurgence around the country and around the world.

Story Jeni Bone

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WINE

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ll kinds of red wine grapes are used to make rosé. Rosé is made one of three ways.

In the first method, crushed redskinned grapes remain in contact with the juice for a short period of time.

The grape skins are discarded when the grapes are pressed, rather than left throughout fermentation as with red wine making. The longer the skins are left in contact with the juice, the more intense the colour of the final wine.

The second method, known as bleeding the vats, is used to impart more tannin and colour to a red wine by removing some pink juice from red wine vats at an early stage.

This removed juice is then fermented separately, producing the rosé as a by-product of the red wine.

The third method is by blending, the simple mixing of red wine with white wine to impart colour.

This method is discouraged in most wine growing regions and has even fallen out of vogue in Champagne, where it was once respected.

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Cuisine

Worldwide, dry rose wine is preferable to sweet. Many consider dry Spanish and French rose wine to be some of the best in the world, but Australian vignerons are having their day in the sun, celebrating over summer the new global festival aimed at inspiring consumers to get in the pink, and known as the “Rosé Revolution”.

According to proponent and spokesperson, Leanne De Bortoli, the Rosé Revolution is all about highlighting the versatility of Rosé with and without food and whatever the season.

“There is something delightful about pouring a glass of truly beautiful Rosé and enjoying what real Rosé is about.

Steve and I have had a love affair with Rosé for some years now and believe it is the perfect wine to go with the Australian lifestyle. With the very impressive selection of Australian Rosé on offer now I believe its time has come.

“Rosé is the new black!”

Recent Nielsen figures that show a growth of Rosé wines over $15, up +21.5% in value and +16.6% in volume, in the year to July 2011. The French, of course, have known the allure of Rosé for years, with the style overtaking white wine in volume of sales in France in recent years.

The Australian Pork industry agrees that rose is the versatile accompaniment to “the other white meat”, and Rosé Revolution will be the official wine partner for the next instalment of its hugely successful PorkStars campaign (www.porkstar.com.au) in 2012. Also watch out for some revolutionary PorkStar pop-up skirmishes in the next few months to tempt your tastebuds.

There are a number of Rosé Revolution live events and social media opportunities for wineries and consumers alike across the summer months, and Leanne is also putting a call out to all wine lovers to organise their own Rosé Revolution events. They can promote their events and find support materials at www.rosewinerevolution.com iyl 63

Cuisine

REVIEW

Room with a View to Savour Perched on Sydney’s picturesque harbour, Ocean Room has to be seen to be believed. Inspired by its maritime berth, Ocean Room, with head chef, Raita Noda at the helm, serves up traditional interpretations of modern Japanese food.

Story Jeni Bone

“T

he creations on the menu mix modern techniques with ancient dining customs,” chef Noda explains.

Without compromising on the integrity of his produce, Noda has orchestrated a unique dining experience in a menu that reworks ancient recipes and experiments with flavour and texture combinations.

At the heart of the menu, seafood – Noda’s great passion for its simplicity and variety.

“Great seafood is the essence of the sea and is a pleasure to present this with slight variations to the diner. Great seafood takes minimal preparation but a lot to understand about how to enhance the flavour. I am a happy man to be able to work with seafood every day.”

Traditionalists will be thoroughly satisfied, if a little extended

by Noda’s philosophy. “Traditional Japanese techniques are an essential part of my menu,” he says.

“We dedicate a special section of the business to traditional sushi and sashimi preparation. Another technique that I use is the ageing of a toro, which is the fatty part of a tuna usually cut from its belly. In Japan, tuna is graded and priced according to its fat content. Toro is usually the most expensive item on the sushi menu because it requires precise preparation and mastering.”

Noda travels frequently to Tokyo to keep on top of progressive Japanese cuisine and return to his roots.

“Japanese culture is about precision,” he explains. “It’s about passion, dedication to quality produce and attention to detail.

Ocean Room is a business that is owned by the Zetton Group, based in Tokyo. I try to go back once or twice a year for 64

corporate meetings, to keep pace with the latest food trends and learn about new techniques.”

Inside, Ocean Room is an architectural triumph, just as much a part of the dining experience as the food.

Award-winning Yasumichi Morita was responsible for the latest redesign, which has drawn acclaim and accolades for its concept, among them, a berth in the international category of the recent Restaurant and Bar Design Awards in the UK – the only Australian restaurant to make the cut.

The ceiling is composed of 42,458 Asiatic timber cylinders clustered in a cathedral expanse that rivals the Opera House for impact!

Ferries and water taxis scurry across the inky brine, blurring the neon lights. Upstairs, a private dining room promises a more intimate setting for very special occasions.

Noda finds infinite inspiration in the venue’s design and location. “Ocean Room provides the diner with an international gastronomic experience, which stimulates all of the senses – sight, touch and taste.”

To ensure guests savour the gamut of his talents, Noda recommends guests select the seasonal tasting menu – “small bites of the full Ocean Room experience”.

“My chef’s choice tasting menu is representative of what’s in season from land to sea,” he says, referring to the 12 morsels interpreted from a selection of his signature dishes.

The O Bar showcases Japanese inspired cocktails by celebrity mixologist Ben Davidson of Pernod Ricard. There is an extensive cocktail menu, impressive selection of Australian wines and range of saké. iyl

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Imagine

Summer Fashion

Country Road Sarong Dress $129

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Summer Fashion

Imagine

Summer Loving Nothing says holidays like bright citrus hues, florals and stripes. Country Road caters to all occasions with a range that takes you from festive celebration to first-class lounge, backyard cricket to kicking back in a hammock. Bring on those lazy, hazy days in style.

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Imagine

Summer Fashion

For the lads this summer, think sharp sophistication and channel the casual elegance of The Talented Mr Ripley. According to Country Road, “it’s one part French Riviera and one part a young JFK”, with a colour injection of greens, navy, bright blue and stone. The whole look feels tailored yet sporty.

The casual collection is an explosion of colour and focuses on summer checks, bold, solid colour basics and retro stripes. Colour spliced and retro floral boardies make an appearance to really get you in the swim!

Lace up boots and tan brogues open the season alongside the ubiquitous desert boot. As the weather heats up the deck shoe will be the any-occasion must-have.

And for the ladies, Country Road pays homage to a time when Studio 54 was the most famous discothèque in the world and women wore clean, form-following shapes in fluid, softly draped fabrics.

Iconic 70s staples such as the maxi dress, languid palazzo pant, high-waisted flare, jumpsuit and A-line skirt all make an appearance while the shoulder becomes a focal point in a range of cut-away and halter neck shapes which are emphasised by a touch of gold.

The 70s vibe continues through to the casual range which has a sporty chic feel, with colour-blocking and stripes, as well as a touch of Marrakesh through mosaic-tile prints and peasanty silhouettes.

There are also woven ballet flats, boat shoes and tassel detailed flats. Bags get the 70s treatment with dip-dye finishes and fringing.

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Summer Fashion

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From left to right: Flower Stamp dress $59.95; Retro Block Polo $59.95; Washed Chambray Short $89.95; Geo Stamp Romper $49.95; Kimono Print Top $149; Broiderie Dress $149; Splice Stripe Tank $21.95; Retro Stripe Tee $29.95; Micro Check Shirt $79.95; Barre Stripe Short $89.95; Broiderie Dress $149; Flower Stamp Romper $39.95 w w w.imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

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Summer Fashion

From left to right: Panel Block Tote $59.95; Denim Short $99; White racer back singlet $29.95; Plain Swim Short $49.95; Flower Print bather $39.95; All Beach Towels $69.95 www.countryroad.com.au 70

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KEY PIECES

Print Stripe Pique Polo $69.95

Colour block trilby $29.95

Trenery men

Washed chino short $69.95

Beckton web thong $99.00 Madras bather $69.95

Key Pieces Placed stripe maxi $179.00 Batik jersey maxi dress $149.00

Wide brim hat $59.95

Trenery women

Print stripe tunic $119.00

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www.trenery.com.au Large straw shopper $129.00

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GIRLS Fashion

J

ustice is the new range for pre-teens, whose mums have long sought trendy, yet entirely appropriate gear for their fashion-forward girls. Justice is the number one fashion brand for “tweens” worldwide, and with 900 stores from the

Middle East to our sunny shores, it must be doing something right!

In Australia, co-owner of the first two Justice stores, both in south-east Queensland, Sam Fraser describes the range as “fashionable and affordable”.

“Justice stocks the hottest fashion for girls and their lifestyles: from sleepovers to pool parties, school dancers or just socialising with friends.

The Justice collection is designed to offer choice with a friendly price tag.”

Sizes range from 6 to 20 in tops and 6 to 18 in bottoms to ensure girls of all shapes and sizes can enjoy stepping out in the latest trends. iyl

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Justice

for groovy girls

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www.shopjustice.com.au

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Profile

Ann Middleton

Pearls of Wisdom Champion Table Tennis star, Ann Middleton fell in love with jewels and gemstones as a young athlete on tour in Switzerland, and against all odds, crafted a global reputation for her exquisite jewellery.

Story Jeni Bone

A

nn Middleton was once best known for her skills with a paddle and little white ball.

It was through table tennis that Ann developed a passion for the finest gemstones, jewels, precious metals and pearls.

Overcoming various obstacles, many of which today seem anachronistic, Ann has built a career that has seen her win every accolade and award in her competitive field, including the prestigious Diamonds International Award, the Australian De Beers Supreme Award and the Argyle Diamond Supreme Award. No less satisfying to this dynamic business woman and artist, her designs grace the décolletage, lapels, wrists and lobes of presidents, actors, celebrities, Heads of State and Royalty.

In 2006, Ann was awarded an Order of Australia Medal which perfectly encapsulates the dichotomy of her character. Her OA, presented by close friend and fellow athlete, Marjorie Jackson-Nelson, then Governor of South Australia, was for “dedication to sport and for services to the jewellery industry”.

As so often is the case, Ann’s transition from table tennis champ to inspired jeweller began with one brilliant moment, an epiphany in Zurich.

“It was 1971,” recalls Ann. “I was returning from the World Championships and I was in Zurich, Switzerland. It was

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about 4 o’clock in the afternoon and most of the shops were closing. I stopped to look in a beautiful jewellery store just as the manager, with his white gloves on, was taking each piece carefully out of the window to lock away overnight. He saw me – decked out in my green and gold Australian tracksuit – staring in at pieces in the window. He went around to the shop door, which was a heavy wrought iron gate, and asked if I would like to come in.”

It must have the expression of bliss and

awe on Ann’s face that moved him, because this gentleman, the first of several important benefactors in her life, unlocked the gates, welcomed this tiny sportswoman in to the rarefied world of his salon and hosted a private showing of all the priceless pieces.

“I fell in love. I vowed I would one day own a store as wonderful as that one – the equal of any in the world – and create jewellery that would enchant, just like I was that day.”

Before jewellery claimed her, Ann made her name as Ann McMahon, when just 17, she became Women’s National Table Tennis Champion. During that era marked by the Cold War and Communism, she was the first Australian sportswoman to visit China and compete behind the ‘iron curtain’.

“It was known as ‘ping pong diplomacy’,” Ann recounts, “Just like in Forrest Gump.

The Australian Team – two men and myself – visited Canton, Shanghai and Peking as it was called in those days, in an initiative that was meant to introduce the West to Communist China.”

Kindergartens and factories and The Great Wall were on the itinerary, as a teenage Ann spoke about her homeland and her sport.

“It was so overwhelming. But we took it in our stride. I look back at photos from that trip and see just The Australian Team walking on the Great Wall and realize that over 55,000 people came to see us at one venue, with just two days’ notice.”

Against a formidable opponent, Ann won two out of her three games and went on to Imagine Five

Ann Middleton

win the Australian titles that year.

It was on that high note, with the sporting world at her feet, that she became besotted by diamonds. Her longing went unrequited for many years when she returned to reality in her home town of Adelaide and had to make ends meet.

“It was the years before lucrative sporting sponsorships. I came back to Adelaide and had to find a job to fit in around training and travelling.”

She fronted up to Woolworths Head Office and convinced the State Manager that she had the skills to fit in anywhere.

Thus began her business training, on the job experience in various roles, from PR and advertising, spruiking products and in the role of Woolworths’ first and only “Miss Own Brands”.

Ann married and her son, Jamie was born. That was also the impetus for Ann’s first foray into jewellery. “I started with $100 and bought silver and gold jewellery and sold it through my own party plan. I managed that for 10 years.”

Constant travel and competing in table tennis tournaments throughout Asia meant Ann was able to spend many hours at the sides of skilled jewellery craftsmen in Hong Kong. So great was her fascination, she persuaded them to share their skills and she undertook courses under their tutelage.

As her confidence and creativity grew, Ann resolved to open her own shop in the suburb of Burnside.

But she found that despite a burning ambition, her path would not be easy.

In those days, newly divorced, Ann discovered the Bank would categorically refuse to lend money to a single mother to realize her dream of owning a jewellery store.

“It was quite impossible. You had to have a husband, or father to go guarantor,” recalls Ann. “There were many obstacles like that, both because I was a woman and in the professional circles I wanted to enter.”

But she persevered, and a decade after her Swiss revelation, Ann opened her first jewellery store.

Not only did Ann have to battle financial institutions and prevailing sexism of the era, there was some opposition from within the industry. On one occasion, in a lift, an established jeweller harangued Ann for her audacity. “He said it was w w w.imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

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Ann represented Australia playing table tennis in China.

presumptuous of me to have ambitions, and that I would never make it.”

30 years later, Ann has clientele on every continent who she regularly hosts for private showings or visits for consultations, an exquisite boutique in Marina Mirage on Queensland’s Gold Coast and every international award to her credit.

Her passion for her craft is palpable. Ann is as luminous as any of her creations when she speaks about the allure of jewellery.

“Jewellery represents feelings, forever or for one special moment. I love it when a person’s soul essence is captured in a piece of jewellery. It makes them feel special and I love that I contributed to that.”

Ann is famous for her pavé work and creative use of colour. Argyle pink diamonds – among the rarest in existence – are a particular preference.

Her immense catalogue of work over the past three decades uses Australian gemstones, South Sea pearls, and lustrous freshwater pearls from Chinese waters, which she hand picks with pride.

Her son, Jamie is active in the business, collaborating on designs and assisting with publicity for the brand.

Ann’s schedule is astounding, fuelled by personal appointments in Thailand, New York, Paris, all within a matter of weeks.

“It’s what I love doing, so the travel is no burden,” she says, exhibiting the same stamina that won her world sporting crowns. “It’s not hard work when your heart and soul are in it.” iyl

Ann has designed exclusive pieces for Olivia Newton John.

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Heath & Beauty

BEAUTY

1 Self-Tanning minus the Smell

3 Vitamin C for your Skin

After years of research and extensive trialling, Ella Baché introduces an odour neutralising technology to the Great Tanning Range – developed right here in Australia. Achieve instant golden tan with no mess and virtually no smell! www.ellabache.com.au

If skin is showing the signs after a night out, pep it up with the Skeyndor Pure Vitamin C Intense Recovery Factor designed for complexions in need of immediate help, to return luminosity and firmness. Formulated with breakthrough and high performance NIKKOL VC-IP, new generation and a more potent form of pure vitamin C. $136 for 3x12ml ampoules.

2 Soothe Hair Wear and Tear

Constant colouring, heated styling tools, sun, salt and chlorine can all leach moisture from the hair and result in breakage, damage and split ends.

Give dry, brittle and chemically treated hair an OmVeda at-home treatment with a regenerating blend of Sesame Oil, Fenugreek, and Amla, one of the highest natural sources of vitamin C. $28.60 for 100ml. www.omveda.com.au

4 No Sun Tanner

Streak free, scent free and non-stick, No Sun Tanner is easy to apply while working to maximise the skin’s natural tanning ability, imparting an even and long lasting tan. Skin is treated, tightened and toned all at once with this easy to apply formula that is also suitable to use on the face. This

little formula contains Dr Perricone’s patented DMAE, while Olive Squalane, Caffeine, Cocoa Butter and Kukui Oil create a rich, creamy texture and deliver deep moisturising benefits with superior antioxidant protection. www.meccacosmetica.com.au

5 Papaya for all occasions

Recently voted 1st runner-up ‘Best New Natural Beauty Product 2011’ at the International Natural Products Expo in London, all natural, Phytocare’s Papaya Ointment with Calendula is formulated to soothe, moisturise and protect your skin.

This new and improved formula has a rich base of skin-loving ingredients, including Shea Butter, Jojoba Oil, Macadamia Oil and Vitamin E, providing increased moisturising properties and improved consistency!

Golden Glow Make these skin-savers among your must-haves over summer, for head to toe protection, a sunkissed sheen and a high-tech dose of nutrients.

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Imagine Five

BEAUTY

6 Best Bronzer

Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder always tops the list of beauty editors and make-up artists for its natural results.

With tiny flecks of gold, peach, and a hint of rose swirled in, this powder gives skin a Bali (not Broadway) glow.

7 Light Years Away

Sunscreen that protects and conditions your skin – there’s a nifty idea! Light Years Away SPF 30+ Age Protection Body Sunscreen provides broad spectrum protection against harsh UVA and UVB rays in a luxuriously hydrating, matte-finish cream. This very high protection body sunscreen has a dual effect to also visibly smoothe the skin’s texture and make it appear more soft and supple. The advanced formula contains innovative Matrixyl® peptide technology to fight against wrinkles and protect delicate areas, particularly the tell-tale décolletage. www.meccacosmetica.com.au

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Heath & Beauty

8 Butter makes it better

Butter London is a new concept in natural nail care. The brand boasts a hip range of nail polish with none of the nasties! Butter products contain NO Formaldehyde, NO Toluene, and NO DBP (Dibutyl Phthalate), so you aren’t painting on a whole mess of chemicals.

Check out the metalics for real summer glow at your fingertips. Available at health food stores nationally. www.butterlondon.com

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9 SOS Anti-Redness Serum

Skeyndor Aquatherm SOS Anti-Redness Serum, contains Thermal Spring Water from a natural source, with the highest concentration of Magnesium and charged with more than 25 essential trace elements and minerals such Sodium, Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Iron, Zinc, Selenium, Silica and Copper.

Acting visibly on red blotches and capillaries that often appear on the nose wings and cheeks, its highly effective, cooling formula offers comfort and helps calm distressed skin. $77 for 30ml.

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Imagine Giveaway

WIN One of TWO 30 ml of Skeyndor Aquathe packs rm Anti-Redness Serum SOS . Email competition@ imagine .com.au with your contact det ails and Skeyndor in the subject line.

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Profile

Tarj Mavi

Home Grown Beauty Organic and utterly honest about its ingredients, the La Mav range of skincare stands out for its ethics and its results. This is no ordinary range of â&#x20AC;&#x153;hope in a jarâ&#x20AC;?, as hundreds of happy customers will concur, and founder Tarj Mavi is no ordinary beauty maven.

Story Jeni Bone

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Tarj Mavi

S

eldom do cosmetic companies have the agility to adjust their product range in accordance to ethical and organic principles. Likewise, it’s rare for a skincare brand founded at the kitchen bench to be based on 20 years of experience in the fields of science and research.

Tarj Mavi is a luminary in an industry awash with claims and concoctions. Not unlike the great skincare doyennes – Lauder, Arden and Baché – Tarj began with a need of her own, delved deeper in to the market and realized nothing suited her requirements, so channeled her professional expertise to create a unique line of her own.

As she recounts: “My own skin has always been sensitive.

I wanted to use active skincare products, but I reacted to most of them. I came to rely on natural home remedies, like cucumber, cornflour, sugar scrubs and always had better results.”

A qualified Vet, Pathologist and a product development Scientist, Tarj has the credentials and credibility of working with ingredients on a daily basis. “I understand first hand the dangerous effects of ongoing absorption of chemicals and synthetics through the skin into the blood stream.”

Following the birth of her second son, Jay in 2000, Tarj noticed a significant darkening in patches on her face.

“My skin was very affected by post-partum melasma, pigmentation. It was terrible. My self-esteem plummeted, I was so self-conscious. Once I went back to work, I was piling on the concealer and heavy make-up, which was not only obvious and messy, my skin became dry as a result.

“I couldn’t look at my skin for about three years.”

Frantic for a solution, Tarj tried every option. She consulted

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Profile

a dermatologist who prescribed Hydroquinone, a skin bleaching treatment that while effective in the short term, made her skin hypersensitive to the sun and left it red and inflamed. She experimented with a battery of cosmetic procedures – facials, peels, whitening products – all expensive and most of them painful, and then returned to slathering on concealer.

“The experts chalked it up as an issue related to being an ‘aging female’,” says Tarj ruefully, in her early-30s at that time.

Over the years, Tarj continued her quest to find a skincare product that would diminish the pigmentation, treat the dryness and signs of ageing.

“Finding a product that was effective and safe, proved impossible. As a scientist, I was already conscious of the cosmetic industry’s impact on our environment and health.

The skin is our largest organ and many of the products we use on our skin contain allergens and toxins that can be absorbed into the bloodstream.”

Then in 2005, while on a trip to the US for a conference, Tarj chanced upon an ingredient expo in a neighbouring venue.

“There was a presentation about a new US product that used a melanin inhibitor. Of course, that really interested me. I took some samples and brought them back with me to Australia.”

While not ideal for her skin with its added ingredients and preservatives, that lead was to prove the epiphany for Tarj and fuel the odyssey towards her own formulation.

By the end of 2006, Tarj left the corporate world to concentrate on her family. Still unable to find a skincare range that provided a safe and natural alternative to the barrage of chemicals used in many beauty products, and now unfettered by the rigours of 9 to 5, Tarj was motivated to explore the concept of natural skincare.

“I spent two years researching natural options and found that although some brands were using natural actives, they were adding prohibited ingredients under the organic standard in the form of sulphates, emulsifiers, preservatives like parabens and mineral oil. There was nothing at that time that was natural and certified organic.”

She soon found out why.

“The ingredients are very costly and the more active the 79

Profile

Tarj Mavi

constituents, the more potentially volatile.

Synthetic, lab derived products take a few hours to make and then once preserved, can have a shelf life of 4 years or more. Natural, organic products that contain active constituents that actually benefit the skin are harder to extract, very time consuming and labour intensive. They have a shorter shelf life.

“It was one hurdle after another.”

Two decades working in a scientific environment, an interest in R&D and a passion for following a kernel of a concept to fruition equipped her for the pursuit of a solution.

The result was worth the years of trials, testing and tribulation.

Fully Certified Organic and minus cheap synthetic ingredients, petrochemicals, parabens and preservatives, La Mav Age Defence Active Skincare was born.

“I wanted to take my knowledge and experience and create a skin care product unlike any other on the market – La Mav – based on healthy, effective, organic ingredients that are good for our bodies, good for the planet and good for generations to come. The one vital factor was that the products had to be 100% natural and Fully Certified Organic.”

La Mav has passed the thorough certification process by the Organic Food Chain (OFC), assuring the growing legion of devotees of the brand that all products have been independently audited and approved.

La Mav skincare uses 100% plant based, naturally derived ingredients – bio-actives, antioxidants, vitamins, essential fatty acids, therapeutic grade herbal extracts, carrier oils and very gentle and soothing essential oils are combined in a unique Three Tier Formula™. Tier Three Bio-Active Constituents, followed by Tier Two - Specialty Oils, and finally Tier One - Base Ingredients.

The Australian launch of La Mav – a quirky take on her name and evocative of a high-end French House – was greeted with “overwhelming response”.

“I’ve received hundreds of letters and emails from people who saw results immediately for all kinds of skin problems – from psoriasis and acne, to pigmentation, lines, wrinkles and redness. That feedback kept me going through the early days and led to the rebranding after 2 years. Working with astute marketing consultants, we created a look that is comparable to premium international brands.”

Not only did the consumer market applaud, beauty editors and skincare experts were just as impressed, and the accolades flowed.

The entire La Mav range was recognized in its first year at the Organic Expo 2009. The Firming Eye Lotion won “Best Eye Cream” at the Nature & Health Beauty Awards in 2010 and next year, Tarj is confident of taking the brand global.

“China and Japan contacted me. Thanks to the power of the internet, and a growing awareness of the advantages of organic products, we are speaking to potential distributors in New Zealand, Canada, Europe and the UK,” she says, adding that enquiries have come from as far away as Latvia and Lithuania.

Next year, Tarj will expand the range from 23 to 30 products across the four categories: Anti-ageing, Age 80

Defense, Brightening and Hydration, catering to the various skin types and concerns. Production too will have to change to accommodate demand as La Mav’s reputation grows through word of mouth and strategic marketing which will include trade shows and a concerted media campaign.

“I am thinking big. I believe all women, and men, deserve skincare that is natural from the ground up.”

La Mav is sold in selected specialty beauty and health retailers and spas across Australia. iyl

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Q&A WITH Tarj Mavi Who have been your mentors over the years?

I have been extremely lucky to surround myself with friends, family and public figures who have acted as my mentors along the journey.

Who are among your main influences?

I am influenced by anyone with “just do it” attitude and “never give up”.

Where did you get the capital?

La Mav is financially backed up by mine and my husband’s years of savings.

What financial backing do you have now?

La Mav is at a steep growth right now. Everything earned gets put back in the business to grow locally within Australia as well as to expand it globally.

What would I do differently?

As everyone learns from their own mistakes, I have too. Two things specifically: more market research on the packaging and branding prior to launch in 2009 and a strategic approach to staffing and task allocation

What are your plans for expanding globally?

Expansion requires capital. We have strategised to launch La Mav in one country at a time.

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HEALTH

Heath & Beauty

Which way is up?

Post GFC, the dust has not nearly settled on the world’s economic state, we witness continued unrest in the Middle East, as well as local political and social instability. The retail and manufacturing sectors are suffering, the Aussie dollar is in flux, and consumer sentiment ducks and weaves in response. No wonder we are fearful, frantic and searching for some glimmer of light on the horizon. Geoff Edwards lends some insight in to uncertainty.

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urrently, we face uncertainty in relation to the way the world is heading.

Many of us are afraid because of our possible fear of the loss of our job, the loss of income from investments, or a dwindling customer base in a small business. We don’t know what will happen, and so we try to live carefully but courageously in uncertainty. Events are no less or more certain than they were three years ago, but the recession of the past two years has affected our outlook, and our uncertainty today tends to be characterized by a greater fear.

Often the uncertainty of what might happen is tougher to deal with emotionally even than tragic news. This is especially true when we await or fear something, but it has not yet come.

With bad news we can go somewhere. We receive support from the community. We can begin to grieve. When things are uncertain, we are left to wait, and that is all we are able to do.

Uncertainty is an emotional limbo, made all the more agonizing by its ubiquity; we are uncertain much of our lives. Dealing with the knowledge that a possibility we fear may – or may not – happen is a challenge to our spirit.

The question becomes how we deal with uncertainty, especially the kind of uncertainty that makes us afraid. How do we, as simple but ever-so complicated human beings, live and move and grow in this uncertain world? How do we cope with the fear, the worry, the expectation? What holds us and gives us strength through it all?

In dealing with uncertainty it is important to: • accept that this is going to be a part of our lives • acknowledge and appreciate what we do have when uncertainty occurs • take notice of any new messages we may be receiving at the time of uncertainty • recognise that with uncertainty we will grow as individuals

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So, appreciate it, understand it, deal with it, digest it and live with it. Embracing uncertainty helps you live a better and fuller life. Uncertainty gives us cause to connect and reconnect with the people we care about. Uncertainty gives rise to human creativity, to risk, to adventure, to philosophy, to play. Without uncertainty, there is no hope, only what must be. And this is good, because nobody can do away with uncertainty.

“For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.” Vincent van Gogh. iyl

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Geoff Edwards is an internationally accredited Life Coach. www.geoffedwards.net

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Phone 0423 066 837 or email info@reikiroom.com.au

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GaYLE HERON

Dreamtime come true Gayle Heron, founder and hands-on creator of Li’Tya Spa Care started in 1987 extensively researching and building upon a family history in product formulation and chemistry to integrate the vast faculties of knowledge held by the indigenous peoples of Australia to create her company’s lineup of unique therapeutic products. This is her story.

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i’tya meaning ‘of the earth’ (pronounced li-dee-a) is used with the permission of tribal elders in the spirit of sharing Australia’s natural wealth with all that live within it .

For more than 40,000 years, the Indigenous Aboriginal people of Australia have held the world’s oldest continuous living tradition of sacred knowledge, known as the Dreamtime. According to this natural law, every thought, footprint, gust of wind, plant or animal that lives, has lived or is yet to live, is seen to impart its own vibration upon the earth, which in turn resounds across all eternity as part of the ongoing creation of the world.

It is in honour of this wisdom, that tribal elders and members of Australia’s Indigenous community began to willingly share with me their intimate knowledge of native plants, healing modalities and their deeply respectful and reciprocal approach to the workings of nature.

I grew up in a household where fresh lab samples, 82

works in progress and the latest releases in beauty care brimmed from our family bathroom cabinet - my father was an industrial chemist for a major cosmetics house so skincare and bodycare was part of my life from an early age. Yet it was not until my early thirties that I even considered a career in this area.

While I had always fueled my own passion both career wise and as a mother, for naturally raised, chemical-free foods and earth smart products, I had often pondered why there was so few offerings that tapped into Australia’s vast unique native resources. Particularily when it came to skincare and body care, even in Australia the skincare houses brimmed with the latest extracts derived from the Northern Hemisphere.

Sharing these thoughts with my father, he one day made me an offer I could hardly refuse, saying that if I provided him with the native plant knowledge, he would teach me about formulating.

Keen to take up this offer, I began my investigative journey in 1987, not realizing at the time this would encompass 10 years buried part-time in botanical books, anthropological case studies, university research papers Imagine Five

GaYLE HERON

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GaYLE HERON

and traveling across the vast Australian continent to meet with Aboriginal Elders to get hands-on experience in the traditional healing methods and plants used by different communities.

The more I learned about the plants and how they were used traditionally in Aboriginal culture, the more I came to realize that without an innate understanding of the Aboriginal Dreamtime and philosophy, and active participation by Aboriginal people 84

who were willing to share their sacred knowledge – my quest would be almost impossible to translate with the depth, integrity and authenticity it clearly deserved.

Given white Australia’s treatment of its Indigenous population, it is understandable that little Aboriginal culture has been shared with the so called ‘White Fellas’, let alone documented outside independent university research.

I felt from the start that a core essence of

my business building efforts would be to do what I could to help fix an imbalance in how the Aboriginal Australians had been marginalized. I believe that to fix the psyche of the land the Aboriginal people need to be treated with respect and honor. I set out to establish a foundation to help to strengthen the culture and listen and learn about how we could introduce some fundamental ancient wisdom from this land into mainstream Australian beliefs.

In appreciation and respect for the eons of knowledge that had been so willing shared with us, I set up the non profit Bunjil Foundation. Funded by a percentage of Li’Tya product sales and direct donations, The Bunjil Foundation was created to provide positive cultural, educational, and spiritual assistance to Aboriginal communities throughout Australia with close consultation with recognized elders. The foundation has and continues to lead to me learning and meeting with some amazing and very different people.

I felt the obvious trepidations as a white woman wanting to learn about our lands original people, I nevertheless continued what my husband referred to as my “Quest” with an approach to the Pangerang people in North Eastern Victoria. I felt it was important to gain permission from the Elders to move forward with my plans and ask their guidance on certain steps I wished to take.

To my delight I was greeted with genuine warmth, and met elder and artist Eddie Kneebone, who began teaching and sharing with me about the spiritual side to his cultural heritage.

The next turning point flowed from a contact with an anthropologist who had been working in the Western Desert who had seen Elders practicing a form of touch therapy that he said looked rather similar Imagine Five

GaYLE HERON

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Aboriginal Australians have lived in this land for at least 40,000 years with the belief that the ancestral energy is alive and an important energy to acknowledge and be guided by. to Japanese Shiatsu. As I had never read or heard anything so far in my research on this, it prompted me to ask the Elders I had met what they knew about massage.

It was Kakkib li’Dthia Warrawee’a (Spiritual Advisor & Wise Doctor), from the Victorian Ya’idt-midtung tribe, who told me there was a healing tradition called Yabung, that was not shared with white folks. He said, however, that perhaps the time had now come to share the knowledge of his people and the land, as he believed there has been a change in consciousness in recent times – we were now ready and open enough to learn.

Accordingly, my teaching time officially commenced, and over the next few years, Kakkib li’Dthia offered to share his knowledge with me, and the small team working alongside me. Finally bestowing us with the name ‘Li’Tya’ which means “of the earth”, in 1999.

Kakkibli’Dthia says, “If my ancestors tried to teach white fellas this stuff 200 years ago, they would have laughed at us.

I’ve known however, that I had to pass this knowledge on. I have been waiting for the right time.”

Aboriginal Australians have lived in this land for at least 40,000 years with the belief that the ancestral energy is alive and an important energy to acknowledge and be guided by.

After such a long period of time, with such a belief system in place, one would have to realize that the past 200 years of white occupation would not have much impact on changing such an energy.

Therefore when it came to actually working through the treatments and the types of products we offered, I have been extremely mindful to ensure all we do actually reconnects and re-affirms the aboriginal philosophy of connectedness and treading lightly on the earth.

To this end all our products and treatments are 98.5 % natural, sensibly w w w.imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

packaged, non invasive and aim to purify, nourish and harmonize the body as a whole, by connecting the person with the elements of ‘earth’ (rare earth clays, and native botanicals), ancient primordial ‘stone’ and ‘wood ‘(Kodo Massage), ‘water’ (hydrotherapy scrubs and warm water massages),’air’ (inhaling native plaint essential oils), and ‘fire’ (smudging ceremonies before all treatments).

With the help of Sia Avraam, a spa industry therapist, I began to realize my vision of incorporating healing knowledge and techniques from the oldest culture on the planet into spa product and treatments that could be accepted within the modern day spa environment. My challenge was to respect and keep the ancient energy understanding alive and incorporate it into a mode that modern day spa goers could relate to and enjoy, the Li’Tya concept began to take form in 1999. Our now small team began to translate all we were learning into a context and format that could be applied to holistic spa treatments in a spa environment.

The result was that in 2000, Li’Tya’s 14 in-spa treatments (each baring its own traditional Aboriginal name) and 30 treatment products were ready to be unveiled. By December 2000, despite the usual fears and frustrations of a start-up business, Li’Tya was finally in the market place in four high-end spas locally and internationally.

Early in 2001 Eddy Kneebone introduced me to Anne Warren, Kakkib li’Dthia’s cousin, who also a highly respected Elder of the Ya’idt-midtung people and known in her community as a Dienen Karrna (medicine woman and spiritual healer). Anne took on the role as Li’Tya head trainer, Kakkibli’Dthia continued to his share his healing practices, and now together Anne and Maxine Knox (one of the five, and an Aboriginal woman from Queensland) travel the world teaching

Li’Tya treatments and philosophy to the many spas that incorporate the range into their spas.

Meanwhile, at home in addition to juggling family life, product formulations are one of my main focuses.

In addition to the challenge of finding ecologically mindful and reliable suppliers of these ingredients, creating our own distilling methods and ensuring we were respecting the tenets of the Ya’idt-midtung people, the final products have to be worked into our spa treatments offering, combining the powerfully restorative properties of rhythmic/chakra/ pressure-point massage, aromatherapy, colour, fire, wood and water therapies.

Today, Li’Tya is offered in more than 45 holistic spas and health retreats internationally. As the first Indigenous Australian spa treatment line to work in synergy with Aboriginal people, we have come along way indeed, but still have much to achieve including the first of we hope to be a small stable, of Li’Tya Spa Dreaming Concept Spas.

The first Li’Tya Spa Dreaming opened in September 2005 in the heart of Melbourne’s famous seaside promenade, at the St Kilda Sea Baths Pavilion.

We are naturally proud of what we have achieved. But what really counts is that using native Australian ingredients not only brings a unique and enriching dimension to an industry already focused on holistic healing principles.

It also creates an opportunity to generate greater awareness of the value of our earth and the beauty of the people that have learnt from it and lived with it for thousands of years.” iyl

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Andrew Darbyshire

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Andrew Darbyshire

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Think big live large That is the mantra Andrew Darbyshire lives by. It is his approach to business – one in which he has found incredible success – but more than that, it’s his ethos towards the philanthropy that occupies 90% of his time.

Story Jeni Bone

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t is also the title of the book he wrote, documenting the challenges he and his wife Cathryn were forced to confront, when their daughter, Caitlin was born with a rare brain disorder.

A Melbourne-born international businessman, father, author, pilot and philanthropist, Andrew founded his software business, PacSoft, in the mid-80s and now has staff and offices in Australia, New Zealand and the US. Through the tragic loss of his daughter, Caitlin to a debilitating condition, Andrew discovered his purpose and now dedicates his considerable skills to helping children with special needs and raising funds for various charities and foundations.

Andrew has three children, Caitlin, Brooke and

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Annabel, with his wife Cathryn. Four months after Caitlin’s birth, Caitlin was diagnosed with Infantile Spasms, a form of epilepsy. This meant Caitlin would experience learning difficulties and would never speak.

One-month later an MRI revealed calcified lesions on Caitlin’s brain, this was eventually diagnosed as an unidentified brain disorder. Within her supportive and loving family, Caitlin flourished and showed all those who knew her through her enjoyment, the value of simple pleasures like walking in the park and experiencing the wonder of nature.

Throughout 2005 and 2006, Caitlin’s health deteriorated significantly as the brain tumors multiplied. It came to a point where all treatment options had been exhausted. Despite her loving family and all the specialist medical assistance they could

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Andrew Darbyshire

Caitlin’s Retreat at Eltham, is a sanctuary for families with special needs children.

enlist to treat her, Caitlin passed away in 2006, aged eight.

As Andrew recounts: “Caitlin was always a little battler. After being very ill, she was slipping away from us. I will always remember the feeling that came over me when Caitlin gave my hand two weak squeezes. It felt like her saying ‘Goodbye Dad.” In that moment, Andrew realised he had a choice, to give up or be inspired by Caitlin’s life and choose to make a difference.

“Caitlin was a beautiful child who touched people around her profoundly. Although she never spoke, her eyes were the window to her soul. She never exhibited greed, anger, jealousy.

She lived a dignified life in which she was able to absorb many experiences. Caitlin’s life gave me purpose and so did her passing. It’s in her honour that I now devote my time to helping other families cope with all the challenges of raising special needs children.”

Andrew is founder and Patron of Caitlin’s Retreat, a 10 hectare property situated on the banks of the Yarra at Eltham, close to Melbourne with the appropriate living facilities to accommodate special needs children and their families.

Through his speaking engagements based on his own business and life experiences, Andrew raises funds for the project, as well as awareness for brain disorders.

“It’s a special place where the whole family can get away for a few days, go outside, connect with nature, relax and be a family together,” explains Andrew. “It can be very stressful, without a doubt, looking after a child that needs constant care. It takes a lot of energy and that impacts on business, marriage and family. We hope Caitlin’s Retreat will be a sanctuary for people to enjoy the intimacy of family in a quiet, relaxing place. We all need a break and in most cases, families can’t afford it. Our aim is to keep the family together. So we have converted a large mud brick house on the banks of the Yarra, just half-an-hour from Melbourne but totally rural, to be a serene and special place for families.”

When fully operational the Retreat accommodation will be 88

accessible to up to 300 families a year. Day visit activities will also be offered to at least another 5,000 people. One of the special surprises for visitors of the Retreat will be a small collection of farm animals, as well as facilities for tennis and other recreational activities.

Andrew is the originator of the Brain Fitness Challenge (BFC) as a fundraiser for the Howard Florey Neurosciences Foundation. The BFC has been developed to promote brain exercises in the form of cognitive brain challenges.

In support of brain research and the Howard Florey Neuroscience Foundation, Andrew and Cathryn have also established the Caitlin’s Fund Travel Award to allow a young scientist undertaking research into childhood brain related illnesses to attend a meeting or conference to present their research.

With big plans for his fundraising, all the while maintaining and expanding his business thanks to a loyal and capable staff, Andrew has his sights set on lobbying for greater tax deductibility for donations to Medical Research Institutes.

“If a business invests money into R&D they are eligible for a 175% tax deduction for the money spent. However if a donor gives money to a medical research Institute they receive a 100% tax deduction.

“If they were to receive a slightly greater deduction, say 120%, the added incentive would increase the amount of money donated to medical research and seed growth industries within Australia. The cost per dollar to the government would be less than 6 cents. The impact has the potential to be huge.” iyl

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www.andrewdarbyshire.com www.caitlinsretreat.org

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Destination

TRAVEL NEWS

Ecco reinvents the van A futuristic campervan that doubles in size by flipping open like a Swiss army knife will be available to the travelling public in 2014.

Passengers enter the 4.5m-long Ecco vehicle through a stairway that folds into the ceiling.

The space is then transformed with a flip-out top deck, collapsible walls and fold-down seats for extra room. The Ecco sleeps five and is also ecofriendly with a solar-panelled roof that charges its battery and producing zero emissions.

An eight-hour charge will keep it running for 24 hours, and it will be able to reach a top speed of 145km/h.

Swiss designer company NAU said the Ecco was inspired by the VW campervan and the Airstream. It hopes the futuristic vehicle will prove as iconic as the VW campervan.

“We want to bring the freedom of the road back to generations of the future,” the designer said.

Travel News V for Very Good V Australia won Best in Region (Asia and Australasia); Best Food and Beverage; and Best In Flight Entertainment User Interface at the 2011 Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) Passenger Choice Awards in Washington, Seattle recently.

The Awards created by APEX and voted on by the travelling public, recognise airlines for their service, products and innovations.

Virgin Australia Group Executive Product and Guest Services, Martin Daley said winning three of the 14 categories from international carriers that operated on a route network that exceeded V Australia was a great compliment for an airline that had been operating for two and a half years.

“V Australia would like to thank our Guests who took the time to vote for us. Clearly, we are providing the best level of product and services for them. From our Luke Mangan designed inflight meals to the award-winning seat-back entertainment system which offers a wealth of entertainment options and a vibrant easy-to-use touch-screen, we have a great winning combination,” he said.

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Sublime Sicily This roughly triangular shaped island is the largest in the Mediterranean, and has a tempestuous history of colonization brought about by war, revolutions and religious fervour â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all the more absorbing for the modern tourist. Sam Tannous spent one week less that she would have liked exploring its environs.

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Destination

Left: Bay Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily; Above: A preserved windmill at the salt pans in Trapani, which have been in operation since antiquity.

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icily is enjoying a boost in popularity as a tourism destination, thanks in part to a slew of celebrity weddings that have recently taken place in the island’s swanky north-east region. Tom Waterhouse of the famous horse racing family wed Hoda Vakili in the resort town of Taormina earlier this year.

Supermodel Kate Moss tied the knot with beau Jamie Hince last year in a quiet, romantic seaside affair.

The island is brimming with incredible treasures, Baroque hillside towns, ancient Greek temples and mediaeval forts, important archeological sites and museums, with plenty of Arab and north African influences thrown in for good measure.

Generally divided into geographic regions, on maps and in guidebooks alike, this is probably the best way to view the island and plan your trip. Each region has its must-see highlights, and with a hire car and a good map, it’s easy to get around and experience the best that Sicily has to offer.

We had a brand-new VW Golf from Avis and two weeks, which was a comfortable amount of time to travel around two-thirds of the island. We both agreed another week would have been ideal. w w w.imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

The most exciting time to travel in Sicily is in the northern hemisphere’s traditional summer holiday month of August.

Many of the restaurants and other services in the resort areas only open from late July, though in most places you will find some options for eating out, by heading to where the locals live and socialise.

Palermo The island’s capital city is a bustling port town popular with Mediterranean cruise ships. If you love architecture, you won’t be disappointed by the Norman and Baroque examples in town, in particular the Palazzo dei Normanni, which contains the modern day parliament and the jewel of the city, the tiny chapel Cappella Palatina, and for weddingcake Baroque the church of San Domenico.

The Palatina is an absolute must-see, but remember it’s a functioning church so there will be times it’s closed for mass, and out of respect women should dress modestly with shoulders covered.

Closing times are an issue if you are sight-seeing on weekends, so make sure you check times ahead of your arrival to ensure you get the most out of your visit.

If you want to see how the nobles lived in the spectacular mansions, visit the Palazzo Mirto which was built in the 18th century (with 15th and 16th century structures 93

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Clockwise from top left: Night falls on Ortygia; the valley of the temples lies along a beautiful promenade with views out to sea; the Duomo San Giorgio at Modica, one of the best examples of Sicilian Baroque; Orecchio di Dioniso, or The Ear of Dionysius with incredible acoustics.

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underneath, as with many buildings in Sicily which has experienced devastating earthquakes followed by massive re-construction over the centuries.) The palazzo still has its original furnishings and is a most excellent insight into the lives of the very rich.

Palermo sits in the north west region of Sicily.

Travelling west from the capital, another spectacular place to stay is the seaside town of Trapani. Shaped like a sickle, jutting out into the sea, Trapani is ideally located to visit some of the north westâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best sights. The town itself has a bustling night life with top notch restaurants and wine bars, and beautifully dressed Trapanese of all ages promenading along its paved streets.

A cable-car ride away is the Arab Norman cliff-top town of Erice. On top of Monte San Giuliano, the town has ancient origins, and is one of the very best examples of mediaeval architecture in the whole of Sicily. During the summer months, Erice is home to lots of special events. At other times, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enough to marvel at the Norman castle built on the edge of a sheer cliff, and the 18th century hunting lodge, now a ruin, that sits in its shadow on the other side.

Also a short drive from Trapani, the salt pans that still produce the precious white crystals and are home to fish breeding and flocks of birds, including the flamingo at certain times of the year.

The salt pans are visible from Erice, laid out in rectangles of diminishing size where the sea water is slowly evaporated and the resulting crystals are piled into pyramids covered with roof tiles.

Heading down to the south western region of Sicily, perhaps the most notable site is the Valley of the Temples, near the town of Agrigento. This is the most significant collection of Greek temples outside of Greece, as is the collection of Grecian urns in the nearby archeology museum.

At the Valle dei Templi, temples are dedicated to Zeus, Heracles, Concord and Hera, with several of them restored from ruins in the 18th century to stand again to their orginial 5th century BC heights.

Sometimes the valley plays host to contemporary art exhibitions, concerts and other special events, as well as dramatic illuminated night tours, so be sure to check www.valleyofthetemples.com for opening times and other delights.

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Destination

The Temple of Concord in the Velle dei Templi, 5th century BC.

Down to southern Sicily, there is a plethora of wedding-cake Baroque hillside towns, each offering their own speciality – chocolate made in the Arab tradition, gelato, and irresistible architecture. Towns including Noto, Ragusa and Modica are picture perfect.

Syracuse on the eastern tip is steeped in centuries of history, occupied and invaded by everyone from Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans. The ruins at Syracuse include a spectacular Greek amphitheatre and the incredible formation of the Ear of Dionysius (Orecchio di Dioniso) which was carved out of the landscape and thanks to its unique acoustic properties was once used as a prison so that guards could monitor what the prisoners said and quash any plans for uprising or escape.

Sometimes local a capella groups can be found singing delicate harmonies at the most acoustic points around the site.

The island of Ortigya on the tip of Syracuse, reached over a bridge, has benefitted from an injection of money to restore some of its precious architecture from total ruin. This has had the effect w w w.imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

of a stunningly restored building sitting right next to a crumbling façade held together with a few timber ties. Over time, however, it’s easy to imagine this incredible location returning to its former glory. The ruins of the Temple of Apollo sit in the middle of a luxury retail precinct, and the island’s Duomo with its distinctively Baroque façade shows – to the trained eye – layers of history in its structure, incorporating and ancient Temple of Minerva and a 6th century BC monument, evidence of these are visible along the outside of the church.

Finally, in the northeastern region of Sicily lies the island’s most famous resort town of Taormina, host to many a glamorous wedding and provider of clear blue sea along the Ionian coast.

This region is also home to the infamous Mount Etna, the cause of much destruction on the island over the centuries and a dominating figure on the landscape that can be seen from hundreds of kilometers away.

Off the north coast here, are the Aeolian islands, the largest of which is Lipari. A visit via ferry is 95

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Sunset over the salt pans. Right: Dwarfed by the scale of the villa - the mosaics were preserved by a flood that covered them in mud in the 12th Century, and re-discovered in the late 19th Century.

highly recommended to these volcanic islands which provide excellent diving, and a romantic location for many honeymooners.

Food in Sicily

Above: The intricate mosaics that cover every inch of the Capella Palatina in Palermo; Below: buying souvenirs on the narrow paved streets of Erice.

There is no shortage of restaurants and trattorias in all locations of Sicily, however some seaside resort locations may have the majority of their amenities closed outside of the peak tourist season.

Across the island you can find excellent antipasti, fresh seafood, local pasta dishes – there are many local varieties of pesto across Sicily, each with its own twist – and excellent local wines.

Dining, as in much of Europe, happens

2012

Travelling around Hire cars are abundant, and given the distance of countryside – olive groves, grapevines and citrus orchards, mountains and valleys – that separate the best sites, car is the most convenient way to get around the island.

The roads in Sicily vary from brand new

What’s On Around the World

Argentina Keep an eye on Argentina, as experts predict big growth in tourism and more infrastructure for visitors in the coming years.

Brazil Brazil will host the World Cup in 2014, then gear up for the Summer Olympics in 2016.

Colombia The country’s Open Skies agreement with the U.S. will fully launch in 2012.

Cuba We’re still waiting to see what will happen with the Cuba travel ban, but it’s definitely one to keep on the radar.

England London hosts the 2012 Summer Olympics.

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later in the evening, around 9pm is the peak sitting time. Dining out is a popular pastime, and restaurants can be full to brimming with more people waiting for a seat in the summer months, so it’s wise to book ahead – or look like a tourist and arrive before 8pm, which will almost guarantee you a table.

Germany Berlin will open its new airport in 2012, the same year German carrier AirBerlin joins the oneworld airline alliance.

Guatemala Indigenous culture is the focus during Oxlajuj B’aqtun 2012, the dawn of a new era, according to the Maya calendar.

Netherlands In 2012, Holland hosts Floridae, its major horticultural show that only happens once a decade.

Panama The Panama Canal expansion project will dramatically increase capacity when it opens in 2014.

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SICILY

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The Norman castle atop a sheer cliff in Erice, Castello Pepoli e Venere.

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www.thelendingshop.com .au

What’s on in Sicily in 2012

with A broker can help you get to Sicily ns to a range of personal finance optio suit your needs. Visit The Lending Shop for more information.

There are hundreds of events and festivals every year in Sicily, many of them religious in this Catholic part of the world – around Easter there is an abundance of riches. Here are a few highlights for 2012 that may help you to plan your trip.

1-15 February Agrigento Almond blossom festival (Sagra del Mandorlo).

Traditional folk festival in Valley of the Temples and city of Agrigento, with parades, shows, craft exhibits.

28 February Carnival Week (40 days before Easter) Acireale, Sciacca, Termini Imerese Carnival Celebrations (Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday), featuring parades of costumed actors and floats, games, holiday foods.

6 April Good Friday (Friday before Easter) Alcamo, Caltanissetta, Castelvetrano, Enna, Erice, Marsala, Messina, Milazzo, Piana degli Albanesi, Ragusa, Trapani The best known religious processions and passion plays. The Eastern Rite ceremonies at Piana degli Albanesi are distinctly Orthodox in character.

1-7 August Erice Renaissance Music Festival

22 - 25 May Noto Primavera Barocca (Baroque Spring Festival)

12-14 August Piazza Armerina Palio Normanno. Medieval & Renaissance equestrian games (jousts) and shows

autostrada, or freeways, to tiny, rough tracks that are barely wide enough for the car. You will need a good driving map, which are available at the airports, and good planning before you undertake a major drive.

Sign posts can be haphazard, sometimes placed after the intersection in question and other times, signs in different directions purport to lead to the same location. With a little

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1-6 August Cefalù Holy Savior festivities with music, typical food, games 14 August Cefalù Madonna della Luce. Nighttime boat procession off Cefalù’s coast

24 August Siracusa Maritime Festival. Features rowing regatta around Ortygia, processions 24 August Lipari Saint Bartholomew (San Bartolomeo) Festival features fireworks display, sailing around the Aeolian Islands

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patience, and remembering to enjoy the journey as much as the destination, these are small inconveniences.

Remember to ask your hotels for parking. Sometimes parking is located in a public parking station nearby rather than on site at the hotel, which is convenient enough as long as you remove all your valuables! iyl

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Far North QLD

Imagine Five

Far North QLD

Destination

Feeling adventurous?

There’s a first time for everything, as Celeste Mitchell discovers in Tropical North Queensland. If the most adventurous you’ve been lately is ordering a spicy Thai curry, go north my friend, for Cairns and its tropical surrounds are an adrenalinejunkie’s paradise.

Story Celeste Mitchell

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t’s where I find myself hanging upside down, 12 metres above the ground in the majestic Daintree Rainforest, with my feet crossed firmly and my arms dangling below me – not exactly how I envisaged one would ‘jungle surf’, but that was just one of the many surprises of this trip. After a short countdown and cheers from my group, I shoot laughing and ‘wahooing’ from one tree to the next… Tarzan, eat your heart out. Kelly Slater may know a thing or two about catching waves, but I’ve got this jungle surfing thing all stitched up.

Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours is a major draw card to Cape Tribulation, on the Daintree Coast. Hooked onto ziplines, you fly free as a bird from one tree to the next on a short but fun course through the rainforest.

With all the liberating adventure of the afternoon’s tour, I almost have to remind myself to take a moment, look out and really appreciate just how incredibly beautiful this part of Queensland is. Ancient, solid trunks reach high into the sky dressed with glossy green leaves resplendent in the afterglow of recent rain, while the clear mountain river surged beneath our feet.

Two days earlier, my travel buddies and I kicked off our long weekend by river tubing down the Mulgrave River, 50 minutes south of Cairns. While most were expecting a nice relaxing cruise down the river, this fun-loving neck of the woods had other plans. We bounced, laughing and screaming over fast-flowing rapids, and maneuvered

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ourselves with frenzied paddling and dogged concentration through a space under a bridge just wide enough for one.

Our Foaming Fury guides had an infectious lust for life that left me envious of their outdoor ‘office’.

Luckily, no matter your fitness level, there’s an activity guaranteed to get your blood pumping in the Tropical North. For me, the idea of hooning around for an afternoon on a quad bike seemed like the perfect mix of thrills and (minimal) exertion, and I wasn’t wrong. Upon arrival to Daintree Station, just outside Port Douglas, we met our trusty mechanical steeds and after a quick safety briefing, were ready for our Jungle Rumble quad adventure.

If there’s one thing that makes quad biking all the more fun, it’s mud. And we couldn’t have asked for more.

Navigating the old rainforest logging tracks on the property, our cautious-to-begin-with group kept the guides busy with plenty needing a helping hand out of a boggy mess.

But once we got a feel for it, there was no stopping us.

Especially me, it seems, as I roared down an embankment and up the other side only to lose control and come to stop at the foot of a tree. Apologies to the tree, but at least my clumsiness had us all in stitches and became the talking point for the remainder of the trip.

My newfound love for the north was cemented with an adventure tour for my taste buds at Salsa Bar & Grill in Port Douglas. Loved by locals and the who’s who of Hollywood alike, this local restaurant serves up a staggering selection of delectable seafood, moorish desserts and fabulous cocktails. Equipped for the night with my dragonfruit and 99

Destination

Far North QLD

orange caprioska, I couldn’t believe I’d only flown two hours north, and not to Thailand.

The signature linguine pepperincino with garlic yabbies and shaved parmesan really is to-die-for, but if you’re nibbling beforehand, order the entrée size for your main. They certainly don’t scrimp on portions here. Salsa Bar’s friendly and knowledgeable wait staff add that extra special something to the relaxed and funloving ambience.

After (self-inflicted) jam-packed days, retiring to our accommodation felt almost like a holiday from a holiday. Perched high atop a hill overlooking its own private beach and lush rainforest, just 10 minutes south of Port Douglas, Thala

Beach Lodge is truly an oasis everyone should have the pleasure of experiencing.

The roomy individual bungalows offer privacy and stunning views to boot and if your legs are feeling weary from too much adventure, their friendly staff will pick you up in a golf buggy and transport you in style to the on-site restaurant, or down to the beach where you can enjoy a sunset drink, or simply relax in a hammock between two palm trees. How much more tropical can you get? Well, there’s the private coconut plantation on the property, the fruits of which are enjoyed on the menu by way of delicious cocktails, or in the form of oil, enjoyed with dukkah and warm Turkish bread.

And hey, I’ll try anything once. iyl

Imagine @...

River Tubing with Foaming Fury www.foamingfury.com.au Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours www.junglesurfing.com.au

Salsa Bar & Grill www.salsaportdouglas.com.au Where to stay Thala Beach Lodge www.thalabeach.com.au For more information www.queensland.com 100

Images: Tourism Queensland

Daintree Station www.daintreestation.com

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Motoring News

BMW Electric cars charge on to market

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Causing a real buzz in the automotive realm, the first BMW electric cars are less than a month away. The i3 will arrive in Europe in late 2013, making it to our shores by around 2014 at the earliest, followed by the i8 supercar.

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ther European marques are dabbling in concepts, and some Japanese brands are on their second generation of zeroor low-emission cars, but BMW is poised, nearly ready to roll out.

The Vision ED - a prototype of the i8 – was on show at this year’s Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne, 1 to 10 July.

At a recent media briefing in Frankfurt, the Bavarian automaker announced the i-brand would spearhead a complete paradigm shift in the motoring industry, which has remained largely unchanged for 100 years.

Board member and head of marketing and sales for BMW, Ian Robertson, said the pace of change is unprecedented. “We could see more volatility and more change to our processes, more change to our technology and more change to the way our industry behaves than in the last 100.’’

He says cars will be manufactured differently, made of different materials, sold and marketed differently and even used differently.

100% electric and built entirely out of carbon fibre and aluminium both will be revolutionary for mass products automobiles. The i3 is a four-seat city runabout that will roll out of its Leipzig factory towards the end of 2013. The second, the i8, is a 2+2 supercar that will follow a year later. Eventually, the i-brand will encompass an entire range of eco-friendly cars.

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They will have in common a variety of alternative driveline technologies, from battery power to plug-in hybrid and possibly beyond and will be built from carbon fibre with futuristic design and styling.

Final details of the i-brand program are still being signed-off, with BMW Group Australia working on a business plan for down under deliveries, but the cars are ready to go and the German brand says it’s committed to a roll out in Australia.

BMW Australia has said it believes there is a niche market for the models here, and it plans to offer both the i3 and i8, but a “formal business-case approval” is yet to be finalised and testing is still underway to determine all the specs on the electric car range. iyl

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Motoring News

The New 911 Carrera.

Tradition meets modernity The Porsche 911 Carrera is now younger than ever in its illustrious 48 years. The sports car icon has been completely redesigned with a stretched silhouette, exciting contours and precise design details; yet it remains unmistakably a 911 from the very first glance.

The 100 millimetre increase in

wheelbase and reduced height combined with wheel size options up to 20 inches underpin the athletic appearance. From the front it is the 911’s trademark widearched guards that catch the eye. They emphasise the wider front track that make the new 911 Carrera sit even more solidly on the road.

The all-new, lightweight body is an intelligent aluminium-steel composite construction. It alone accounts for a

Ford pioneers “kick to open” technology Converting video game moves in to the reality of the car park, Ford is hoping to solve the challenge of finding keys, with your hands full of kids, shopping or inclement weather.

At the recent Los Angeles motor show, the marque showed off its 2013 Ford Escape Concept vehicle which features a hands and key-free way to open the tailgate using gesture detection of a motion we have all been tempted to do when frustrated.

Kicking in the air under the rear bumper with the vehicle’s proximity keys in range will automatically lift the tailgate on the concept Ford. And once the parcels and groceries are loaded, a similar ‘kick’ will close the door.

The gesture control is similar in concept to that used by video game console manufactures such as the Microsoft designed Xbox 360 Kinect. The Kinect device uses a series of cameras to recognise and react to the shape and movement of the human body, the key is differentiating human movement from background motion. w w w.imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

Detour

significant proportion of the weight reduction of up to 45 kilograms while providing significantly greater rigidity.

The new 911 doesn’t just offer better acceleration, but adds unprecedented levels of road holding to the performance equation.

Porsche’s latest 911 will commence Australian sales in March. The Carrera will be priced from $229,900 and the Carrera S from $263,100.

Solar Challenge shows off potential In October, 37 dedicated racing teams from universities and colleges around the world pulled their solar cars up to the starting line in Darwin for the Veolia World Solar Challenge. The race drew cars from Australia, India, Canada, Germany, the UK, Belgium, Italy, Iran, Taiwan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Chile, and three teams from Turkey.

Sponsored by Panasonic, the winning Tokai University car cruised home at 90 km/h with a top speed of 160 km/h. The Tokai University solar car made the 3,000km run through central Australia from Darwin to Adelaide in four days.

Less than 30 minutes separated the Tokai team from second place, the Nuon team from The Netherlands. Then in third, the University of Michigan team was 100km behind.

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Motoring

Detour

Baby Bimmer Impresses The Bavarian Motor Works or to give it its Germanic handle, Bayerische Motoren Werke has made many fine automobiles over the decades from Autobahn storming, fire breathing M3 and M5 sedans to luxury 7-Series limousines but one of this writerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favourite Bimmers in recent times is the baby of the fleet â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the 1 Series.

Story Jon Thomson

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rom the stylish hatch to the 1 Series Coupe and the feisty 1 M the Bavarians do little nimble cars extremely well, they always have. The lineage can be traced back to the iconic 1602 and 2002 of the 1970s and probably further back for more pedantic automotive historians among us. The engineers in Munich have recaptured the essence of the 2002 with the 1 Series and the new one is a pearler.

BMW reckons it is targeting the new 1 Series at “city folk with options” and in particular buyers who are coming to the marque for the first time so many of them may not even know of those mighty 2002 sport sedans from way back when. The company has evolved from those days in the 1970s to become the world’s largest manufacturer of luxury vehicles and believes that most new 1 Series buyers will be stepping into a BMW for the first time, up from cheaper cars like the Volkswagen Golf.

The rest are likely to be ‘empty nesters’, downsizing from larger luxury cars but without wanting to sacrifice quality, driving dynamics or that allimportant propeller badge.

The new BMW 1 Series starts at a list price of $36,900 before on-roads, which is a bargain considering it is about $2,100 less than previous 1 106

Series! But before you get too excited, the cheque you will need to write will be closer to the low $40,000s for the base model 116i on the road with the optional eight-speed automatic transmission. It is a lot to spend and there are Japanese and Korean hatches not to mention VW Golfs that are less expensive but none offer the driving rewards that the 1 Series delivers.

There is certainly plenty of choice but if your heart is set on a small luxury car, the 1 Series is difficult to go past.

The second-generation 1 Series is everything the first gen Baby Bimmer was but it is now faster, more comfortable, more efficient, better equipped and most importantly cheaper .

Interestingly, while every other small car in the world has gone front wheel drive, BMW has steadfastly stuck to its rear drive philosophy and the 1 Series is now the only rear-wheel drive car in its class which also goes to make it the most balanced and composed small car on the market in this writer’s humble view.

The styling for many may not be as clean and neat as its predecessor but the pronounced shark snout and droopy headlight styling coupled with the long, low bonnet, the expressive character lines and contours give the little Bimmer a very stylish and advanced appearance and this coupled with the supreme fit and finish as well as BMW’s legendary attention to detail Imagine Five

Motoring

makes it a very satisfying car.

BMW is also now offering a personalisation which it calls â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Linesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. For instance you can now choose either the Urban Line or the Sport Line over the standard design with both costing $1,600 for what BMW says will simplify the customisation process without increasing lead times.

If you choose the Urban Line there is a unique white/chrome grille, white alloy wheels, and white contrast paint at the front, rear, and inside across the door handles, dash fascia and centre console.

The Sport Line swaps the white for black with grey alloy wheels along with red stitching and upholstery highlights as well as sporty touches to the instrument cluster and switchgear.

The 116i and 118i are powered by a new 1.6-litre turbo direct-injection fourcylinder petrol engine with the 116i producing 100kW of power and 220Nm of torque, while the 118i generates 125kW and 250Nm. Teamed with the eight-speed automatic transmission, the 118i will

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Detour

sprint to 100km/h in 7.5 seconds (the 116 will get you there in 9.1 seconds while fuel consumption is the same for both at 5.8 litres/100km.

Diesel is playing a bigger role at BMW these days and the oil burning 118d features an enhanced version of the proven two-litre diesel engine producing 105kW and 320Nm which returns combined cycle economy of just 4.5 litres/100km while delivering a 0-100km/ h time of 8.9 seconds.

Auto start/stop technology has been added so that the engine will automatically switch off when stopped at the traffic lights or in traffic and restart when when you move off. This along with brake energy recuperation and electric power steering delivers tremendous efficiency. A new Driving Experience Control is also now standard allowing drivers to select Sport, Normal or ECO PRO modes to balance the responsiveness of the accelerator while also optimising gearshift patterns.

The 1600 petrol engine is a great little

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Motoring

powerplant with tremendous urge for its diminutive dimensions and a really strong mid-range with progressive acceleration and a broad maximum torque range stretching from 1500 up to 4500rpm). This writer is a big fan of diesel these days and the tremendous torque from around 1750 rpm in the Bimmer two-litre oiler makes it a joy to drive particularly on Aussie roads where instant effort is often required. Its amazing economy only adds to the dieselâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appeal.

Fitting a ZF eight-speed automatic to the 1 Series has enhanced the car enormously offering barely perceptible shifts and those small rev increments that never see the engine howling too much when the right pedal is pushed down hard and the gearbox drops down a cog or two.

But it is in the driving department that the 1 Series really shines with superlative dynamics, superbly weighted steering both around town and at speed on the highway and handling that is the envy of other makers.

The electric power steering system makes for easy manoeuvrability while still delivering solid, confidence-inspiring feel at speed. .

The new 1 Series hatch is 85mm longer and 17mm wider than the previous model and the wheelbase has grown 30mm delivering more room internally particularly in the rear seat which was one of the areas lacking in the previous model.

One of the things that is really endearing about the 1 Series is its versatility with a 40:20:40 split-fold rear seat which can be folded completely flat, opening up the 360-litre boot to a cavernous 1200 litres cargo area when needed.

With superb BMW seats the interior isa very comfortable place particularly with the marvelous job which has been done on noise suppression. Somehow the Bimmer engineers have managed to ensure there is next to no engine, road or tyre noise in the cabin allowing occupants to enjoy the great audio system.

The standard six-speaker system includes Bluetooth phone connectivity, USB/AUX ports and a single CD player. But if you want Bluetooth audio streaming that will set you back an extra $385 Extended Connectivity package, a very BMW ploy!

The new 1 Series features internet connectivity which is a $154 option on its own, but can only be fitted with the $385 Extended Connectivity package and the $2,693 Navigation System giving a total spend of $3,232 to ensure your connection with the world while on the road.

There are few better small luxury cars on the road than this. It is well priced (despite expensive options), offers driving dynamics and interior quality beyond its competitors and is overall a very complete package. iyl 108

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Imagine Tip

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THE NEW BMW SPORTS SEDAN

you with a range A broker can help tions to suit your op ce an personal fin nding Shop for Le e needs. Visit Th ation. orm more inf

The 1-Series coupe is a real revelation and a throwback to BMW’s days of yore when it produced the marvellous little 2002 sports sedan.

This writer recently had the privilege of piloting the ‘hot rod’ 135i Coupe on a road trip to the ‘Cathedral’ of Australian speed, Mount Panorama Bathurst.

This was no ordinary 135 with some BMW M enhancement including some form hugging ‘race’ seats, a BMW Performance Power Kit including software and cooling hardware with a special chip to bring out the best from the three litre twin turbo six, 18” bi colour double-spoke 313 wheels, massive 17” performance brake discs front and rear, an aerodynamic kit not to mention go fast sports stripes and a black high-gloss kidney grille to set it apart from the more mundane 1 series models.

Priced from $78,500 plus on-road costs. The nimble little three-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo pumps out around 225kW of power and a massive 400Nm of torque which is put to the ground via the excellent seven-speed dual-clutch paddle shift auto.

Fire up the engine and the teutonic engine note fills the driver with excitement, slip into gear and move off and the rewards only increase.

Includes bi-xenon headlights, climate control, cruise control, USB and MP3 integration, rear parking sensors and

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leather trim. Also gets an M Division body kit and 18-inch alloy wheels to give it a sporty look.

Inside: Best described as sporty but unspectacular. The seats are nice, the steering wheel is chunky but it lacks flair and character you expect in such an engaging car to drive.

The engine is brilliantly flexible with great low-down torque and heaps of power with the sound of a muscular sports sedan. Unlike the $20,000 dearer flagship 1M the 135i offers tremendous value but also with the seven speed dual clutch it is nicer to drive around town and in traffic while still giving the driver an amazing experience. In short it is easier to live with day to day.

The 135i in this form is agile and responsive with oodles of grip, razorsharp steering and forgiving handling.

The result was a highly entertaining drive to the ‘Mount’ on some great back roads avoiding the attention of the NSW Highway patrol while enjoying the capabilities of this impressive little sports sedan.

Just as the 2002ti was a benchmark for small sports sedans in the 70s, so too is the 135i in 2000s. iyl

Imagine @... www.bmw.com.au BMW 1 Series 116i....................................$36,900 six-speed manual 116i....................................$39,593 eight-speed automatic 118i....................................$42,800 six-speed manual 118i....................................$45,493 eight-speed automatic 118d..................................$43,500 six-speed manual 118d.................................. $46,190 six-speed automatic All Prices (excluding government and dealer prices)

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Boating

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Boating

Detour

Seawind in your sails

From the initial launch of the Seawind 1000, when no sooner had it hit the water than it was awarded “Australian Cruising Boat of the Year” – the first time the accolade had been bestowed on a catamaran – the locally designed and built Seawind 1000 firmly marked its position in the Australian marine industry as the most successful cruising sail boat. Testament to this are the 217 boats built and sold since. Now these attributes are updated and enhanced in the Seawind 1000XL2.

Story Jeni Bone

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Detour

Boating

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hrough a number of refinements and product development with the input of customers, the design has evolved into a cruising boat that represents excellent value for money, efficient performance and sea going ability, optimised short-handed control and comfortable yet very practical layout for Australian conditions.

Now with the new XL2 series, this classic design now benefits from a new list of refinements.

The Seawind 1000XL2 will now have a range of new and significant features to enhance onboard comfort and liveability for cruising couples and families. These include: Fibreglass Hardtop Extension: Extending out over the helm and cockpit, the hardtop will provide further protection from the elements in place of the soft bimini covers Galley & Saloon Hatch: This opening will allow the chef to easily pass up food from the galley into the saloon, plus open up the galley with more ventilation, light and direct communication through to the saloon.

Folding Saloon Table: A beautiful timber saloon table will be an outstanding showpiece of the cockpit, with very practical application thanks to its foldaway sides allowing easy access to the end seating in the saloon.

Lightweight Construction: Using the expertise at Corsair Marine, the Seawind 1000XL2 is now fully vacuum bagged using woven fibreglass materials.

This technique not only makes the boat stronger but has also reduced overall weight by 500kg.

According to Brent Vaughan, Sales & Marketing Manager at Seawind Catamarans, the version 2 is a versatile option for all kinds of people wanting to get in to sailing.

“The Seawind 1000XL2 is such a versatile boat because it has a great living platform and doesn’t heal, plus it is optimised for easy-to-operate shorthanded sailing, so it’s ideal as a first time sailing boat, charter boat, or even an experienced couple wanting to go off cruising around Australia or beyond.”

From client feedback and from boat shows around the country and around the world, Brent says people just love the space and the layout.

“It’s so open and spacious – it’s so Australian! Plus its reliable. As safety has always been paramount,

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Boating

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Imagine Tip

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the boats are slightly over-engineered, and as a result are very forgiving and can handle some serious punishment in heavy sea conditions. People are amazed how well the boat performs in gigantic seas. I recently caught up with a Seawind 1000XL customer who had just completed a solo circumnavigation and couldn’t stop raving about how capable the boat was and how comfortable he was onboard – even 270 miles offshore in the southern ocean in 7 meter seas and 40+ knots blowing!”

From the extreme to the extremely pleasant, Seawind customers use their boats for all manner of boating.

As Brent explains: “Many of our customers will use their boat cruising locally with friends and family. Many more will sail the east coast of Australia as a couple with friends or family flying in to visit along with way in locations like the Whitsundays or Lizard Island. The Seawind 1000 series is also very popular in charter, both bareboat and skippered day charter boats. Then we have our adventurers, individuals and couples who are sailing all over the world. All of our customers have very interested blogs you can read on our website.” iyl w w w.imagineyourlifestyle.com.au

Seawind Syndicates Appealing to the career-focused, who perhaps aren’t quite ready for retirement, and others who just want to try sailing to see if they like it, dip a toe in cruising, then move in to a bigger boat outright when they’re ready, Seawind Syndicates have struck a chord.

To date, in the past eight years of operation, Seawind has established 14 syndicates with about 60 owners around the world.

“They are proving really popular,” attests Brent. “For many people, lifestyle is becoming more important.

Most of the people we provide to are

people who are too busy and can’t justify the price at this stage. There are those who are a bit nervous about buying a boat, and this way, they can still have the experience without investing the full amount. Joint ownership programs have been around for a while and we have well and truly proven ourselves in this market.”

Says Brent, “There is certainly the potential for companies to buy a share and use it for employee incentive and client entertainment. We cater to clients around Australia, the US and New Zealand, and are prepared to set up a boat anywhere in the world.”

Imagine @ www.seawindcats.com SEAWIND 1000XL Overall Length 35ft 5” / 10.85m Waterline Length 34ft 1” / 10.4m Beam 19’5” / 5.9 m Draft 3’ 3” / 1.0 m Displacement 12,100lbs / 5.5 tonnes Underwing Clearance 2ft 5” / 0.75m Steering Twin Helms Cable Steering 4-stroke Outboards 2 x 9.9hp Yamaha Fuel 26 gallons / 100 litres Fresh Water 105 US gallons / 400 litres Holding Tanks 23 US galoons / 90 litres Base Price $314,775

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Bookend:

david pocock

David Pocock As the runaway winner of the 2010 John Eales Medal, the Australia’s Choice 2010 Qantas Wallaby of the Year and recipient of the Rugby Union Players Association Medal of Excellence, David Pocock is an outstanding rugby player and at only 23 years of age is the man the rugby world is watching, touted as the next Wallabies’ captain.

We have 3 copies of Openside , My Journey to the Rugby Wor ld Cu p to give away. Opensid e provides fascinating insight into the man behind the professio nal rugby player. The fir st 3 to email competi tio n@ imagineyourlifestyle. com.au with your name and contact inf ormation and OPENSIDE in the su bject box.

H

Do you have in place a portfolio of investments, trauma cover and life insurance?

I have been working on a few things to hopefully generate income for life after rugby but am more interested in trying to do thing with a ‘social enterprise’ model and helping to use systems of capital exchange to benefit people, particularly third world producers, and not just get rich.

What did you always want to be or do when you “grew up”?

I wanted to be a ‘game ranger’ in a national park when I was at primary school and then wanted to be a doctor.

How did Rugby first open for you?

In Year 12 I was offered a contract to move over to Perth to join the new Super Rugby franchise, the Western Force.

Who was most influential in your early years?

My dad coached me in a few rugby teams at primary school and he brought such an enjoyment to the game and has been a massive influence on my career. My mum has been a huge part of getting me to where I am, with her encouragement and tirelessly getting me to early morning and late evening trainings across town for various sports and teams.

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Valued at $2995

As you’ve matured, has your attitude change towards money?

Yes, I believe there is enough for everyone’s need, not everyone’s greed and the sheer pursuit of wealth is a destructive thing.

e has just been honoured with WA Young Australian of the Year award for his tireless work in Africa. In 2009, Pocock established the charity EightyTwenty Vision alongside close friend Luke O’Keefe. Together they raise funds for projects that deliver health care for HIV and AIDS sufferers, education for children, food and water security, and human rights. He is also active at the coalface and regularly travels to Africa to assist in projects and ensure they’re delivering real outcomes.

At school, what were your main interests and main areas of excelling?

I was pretty good academically and loved sport, initially everything that was going – cricket, athletics, hockey, cross-country, rugby, before focusing more on water polo and rugby in my last few years of high school as I was better at these, particularly rugby, and enjoyed them more.

wi n

What was your first ‘job’ for money?

I had a flock of bantam chickens on our farm and used to sell the eggs.

How did you view working?

I have generally thrown myself into whatever I do and make it enjoyable so it was fun, although raising chickens is not exactly a conventional ‘job’. I would head out to the chicken run in the morning before school to collect eggs and let the chickens out for the day.

What did you spend your first pay on?

It was never very much but I used to put it towards money for a new rugby ball or pellets for my air rifle.

What did you learn from your father and mother about work ethic and your attitude to saving/spending?

‘You reap what you sow’ and ‘your word is your word’. Both my parents work incredibly hard but manage to maintain the family balance - that’s probably the biggest thing I learnt.

Have you had professional financial advice over the years?

Yes, I’ve had access to a number of different advisers. Some of them better than others! The best advice I’ve been given is that if you don’t understand it, don’t do it.

What were the most important financial lessons you’ve learnt over the years?

Having a budget and deciding what is meaningful and important in terms of lifestyle and spending money on that and avoiding impulse buys.

What about money and family – what do you want to pass on to your kids about working and earning money?

I’m not too sure. I think it’s more important to work to make the world a better place and conserving the natural environment for our kids and future generations rather than focusing on having money to leave them. iyl

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