Seniors News Mid North Coast June-July 2020

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INDEX 5 8 10 11 15 16 18 23

Community Notes Cover Story Ray Martin back on screen Virtual Expo Wellbeing Wanderlust Living Puzzles

6 Your guide to what’s on around your neighbourhood.

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Winds of change Gail Forrer Seniors Group Editor THIS month we lead with Kathryn Greiner, a woman who, both in private and public spheres, has her finger on the pulse of older Australians.

At 73, Greiner is not keen on being described as one of the “elderly’’.

The word elderly seems to have come from another time – long before this generation of older people reaped the benefits of modern medicine and lifestyle.

COVID-19 has also placed aged people in front of the debate because of the initial perception there were some who considered the virus an older people’s problem. However, the Prime Minister has said: “Every Australian matters. It doesn’t matter whether they have just been born or are approaching the end of their lives – every Australian matters.”

Certainly, the intergenerational

solidarity shown through many and various acts of community kindness has supported the value of older adults during this difficult time.

Sadly, I also have to inform you that due to fast-changing world events in technology and including the COVID-19 virus, this will be the last issue of Seniors News (in print and digitally).

Senior News staff is a small team of dedicated professionals who have endeavoured to provide inspiring, practical and entertaining reading aimed at empowering the older person.

I trust that in some way this has been achieved.

Finally, to our readers and advertisers, thanks so much for all your support.

It has been a pleasure working with you.

Gail

SENIORS

CONTACT US General Manager Geoff Crockett – 0413 988 333 geoff.crockett@news.com.au Editor Gail Forrer – 1300 880 265 gail.forrer@seniorsnewspaper.com.au Media Sales Executive Sue Germany – 0408 286 539 sue.germany@seniorsnewspaper.com.au Online Get your news online at www.seniorsnews.com.au Advertising, editorial and distribution enquiries Phone: 1300 880 265 Email: advertising@seniorsnewspaper.com.au or editor@seniorsnewspaper.com.au Website: www.seniorsnews.com.au Subscriptions Only $39.90 for one year (12 editions) including GST and postage anywhere in Australia. Please call our circulations services on 1300 361 604 and quote “Northern NSW Seniors Newspaper”.

The Seniors Newspaper is published monthly and distributed free in northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland.

The Seniors newspaper stable includes Toowoomba, Wide Bay, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Northern NSW, Coffs and Clarence and Central Coast publications.

Published by News Corp Australia. Printed by News Corp Australia, Yandina.

Opinions expressed by contributors to Seniors Newspapers are not necessarily those of the editor or the owner/publisher and publication of advertisements implies no endorsement by the owner/publisher.

Responsibility for election material in this paper is taken by Gail Forrer, cnr Mayne Road & Campbell Street, Bowen Hills, QLD 4006.

Carer services and support available in your area.

Tricky topics made easier Gail Forrer BE prepared.

There are things that an angst-filled teenager will not want to ask their parents.

But if the grandparent/ aunt/uncle/ godparent is open, receptive and well read, the touchy conversations may well start with them.

Sixty-four-year-old Melbourne journalist and media identity Eileen Berry

is the energising force behind the creation of Parent Guides, an Australian not-for-profit organisation that has set up a comprehensive website and various book guides to help parents and grandparents, and carers, to educate themselves about drugs, sex, social media, mental health and more.

The guide came about after Eileen, a concerned citizen, caring aunty and godmother, realised she was

not hearing or seeing the sort of conversations that could support our youth.

“I can’t believe it,” she said. “The conversations we weren’t having years ago, we’re still not having now.”

The website www.parent guides.com.au presents upto-date research and expert advice in a “no-holdsbarred’’ way that tackles difficult issues and facilitates conversations.

Helping families to be mentally strong and deal

with the “tremendous challenges” they face is close to the heart of retired businessman, father-ofthree and grandfather of seven, David Corduff.

The Beyond Blue speaker and now Parent Guides ambassador is passionate about mental health.

He often sees parents, carers and children struggle to cope with social media, cyber bullying, drugs, gambling, mental health, and respect.

“Parents need as much support and information as possible to be there for their children when life challenges occur,” David said. “There is a definite gap in connections – and this resource helps to plug it.

“In an ever-changing world, parents need to access factual, researchbased information such as the Parent Guides.’’

David said the book’s relevancy was enhanced further with the well-

INFORMED: Parent Guides ambassador David Corduff.

researched information.

David has had a long association with Parent Guides CEO Yvonne Hackett and more recently Eileen Berry.

He says their publications are “top class, relevant and well researched”.

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Shed building on solid base Tania Phillips THE Men’s Shed at Coffs Harbour is an important part of the community, giving many local men something to do and somewhere to be after retirement.

And president Tom Skinner said members were becoming “a bit itchy” because the shed had been closed for the past few months.

He joked there had been many inquiries from members, and particularly their wives, as to when it would open again.

Men’s Shed is now a worldwide program aimed at promoting men’s health and wellbeing. It opened its doors in Coffs Harbour 15 years ago and has become an important and popular part of the community.

“We have 160 members these days, not that we get that many at the shed – we probably have about 100 members coming each

week,” Tom said. “It is a great social event for men.”

And while the Men’s Shed is all about making many sorts of woodwork and enjoying handiwork activities, Tom said it was much more than that – and looking to expand.

Members will have room for more activities thanks to a State Government grant of $50,000, announced by Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh, which will help turn the under-utilised mezzanine area of their building into a usable space.

“The mezzanine area has 190sq m of floor space and is currently classified as storage,” Mr Singh said.

“This project will elevate the area to a classification which allows public access including disabled and wheelchair access, and can be used for craft rooms, recreation, a workshop or office.

“Floor coverings and airconditioning will also be installed.”

FUNDING BOOST: Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh with (from left) Coffs Harbour Men’s Shed manager Robert Houston, vice-president Ken Ryan and president Tom Skinner.

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SENIORS

Loved soldier set for return Tania Phillips FOR almost 100 years he has stood in the middle of the street in Dorrigo, one of the small town’s oldest and most beloved residents.

But an accident early last month changed all that and now the rush is on to return him to his rightful place in time for his centenary.

RSL president Jim McLeod said he was at home when a car hit the 99-yearold Italian marble war memorial just a few days after their tiny Anzac Day service this year.

It was a blow that the small but dedicated RSL subbranch – which celebrated its own centenary last year – didn’t need.

“He has sat in the middle of the street for 99 years,”

Jim said of the statue – the club’s pride and joy. “The car hit the monument and shattered the base.”

When reports started to circulate around town (and pictures went out around the country), he feared the worst – that the monument that will celebrate its centenary in April next year – would be a mass of expensive marble lying in the middle of the street.

Instead the “gentleman had very gently laid down on the roof of the car” with just a chip in his hat and there he has stayed, with an ingenious tow-truck driver deciding it was safer to “tie the statue” to the car and take both away rather than risk any damage by lifting him off.

“It’s now being stored at

the council depot, still on the car,” Jim said.

He said a roundabout was now being constructed in the busy (by Dorrigo standards) intersection and the club was hoping to have him back in situ by the Anzac Day ceremony.

Jim said local member Melinda Pavey had promised a grant of $10,000 to help with the restoration. The soldier is likely to cause a stir when he is returned, just as he did 100 years ago when he was brought all the way from Italy by ship and placed in his, until recently, final resting place.

For more information on the museum, head to https://mgnsw.org.au/ organisations/dorrigo-andguy-fawkes-historicalsociety/.

NEW ARRIVAL: The marble soldier being placed in his Dorrigo “home’’ almost 100 years ago, after being shipped from Italy.

Picture: Courtesy of the Dorrigo and Guy Fawkes Historical Museum and Georgie Frogle

Positive ageing in the Clarence Valley • Aged care • Home Care Packages • Short term Restorative Care • NDIS services • Shopping • Personal Care • Home from hospital support

Hello to everyone for the final time Clarence Care + Support services are being transferred from Clarence Valley Council to Wesley Mission. Congratulations to Wesley Mission and I wish them all the best for the future of community care services in our area.

Thinking about what is happening I came across this quote on change: Change is a necessary part of life. Without change there would be no life at all. Our lives are actually fuelled by change, though most of us want a certain amount of stability. If you can learn to accept change as a helpful friend rather than something to be avoided, you may experience less stress.

I have thoroughly enjoyed being the Manager of Clarence Care + Support for the past 6.5 years.

There has been an amazing amount of change during this time.

The NDIS came in, Home Care Packages changed completely, we gained new programs such as Short Term Restorative Care and we have continued to grow.

Importantly we have met all our accreditation audits with 100% passes.

I am proud to say we now have 150 Home Care Packages operating in the Clarence Valley—the most ever held by the service.

One of the reasons why our service has such quality services is due to the staff we have.

This includes whether they work directly with the customers or in the other many roles that keep us functioning.

Thank you to all the staff for their dedication to their roles whether for a long time or just new.

With the change to Wesley Mission I have decided that I will now head in a different direction as my time with Clarence Care + Support comes to an end.

So to finish my journey here at Clarence Care + Support I will leave you with this quote: Every moment is a fresh beginning Keep safe everyone Kerry Little Manager Clarence Care + Support

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SENIORS

New society Post-virus financial pain predicted Tracey Johnstone MEMO to ScoMo: 70 is not “elderly”, bristles Kathryn Greiner (AO) as she stares down the barrel of the “new normal’’.

The chairwoman of the NSW Government’s Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing and the CRC Longevity Project recognises nothing is the same right now, and nor will it be in the future when Australia, and in fact the world, gets to the other side of COVID-19.

“Social change is a pendulum that swings out,” she says. “This time it has swung way out, causing great disruption to our lives.

“When that pendulum comes back and things come back to what we now call the ‘new normal’, it will never be in the same place that it was again. We are going to be further down the

SOBERING PREDICTIONS: Kathryn Greiner (AO) sees difficult times ahead for seniors unless government financial support is ramped up.

technological track.

“We will have to manage our spending because things will cost a lot more because we won’t have the income we used to have.”

Seniors will need to adapt to this new normal. All aspects of their lives are being impacted by this health crisis and its financial consequences.

While rigorous debates will ensue as the state and federal governments confront the challenges of retaining old social and economic policies, and implementing new ones, Kathryn sees some key issues ahead that seniors need to get across.

Inviting seniors to supermarkets at an allocated time, she says, was a positive move and one she hoped would continue well into the future. However, supermarkets have announced they have

stopped the initiative as stock levels have returned to normal.

“The concept that our older people deserve a bit more space and time to shop, I think, is a classic one,” Kathryn says.

However, for many seniors, asking them to do this at 8am is a tough call as they struggle to be mobile at that early hour.

Work changes The call is for the doubling of the JobSeeker (formerly Newstart) allowance to stay even though the Government has said it will reduce it in late September.

It is vital for those who are unemployed and not old enough for the age pension.

“We are going back to post-Great Depression thinking by government, which is why there has to be a platform to support people who cannot work and who

Marian Grove

Hello from Sawtell Catholic Care

LIFESTYLE

AY DISPL W NO UNIT N OPE

Dear Friends Through June we are continuing to closely manage COVID-19 conditions as restrictions ease in the community. I am updating the public regularly via video (found on our website www.scca.net.au, Sawtell Catholic Care Facebook page, as well as SCC YouTube page). Our message remains for everyone to remain vigilant, maintaining the recommended practices of handwashing and appropriate distancing when interacting with the public, as well as undertaking personal health precautions, such as self-isolation and seek testing should illness arise.

However in good news, I am pleased to share that our Marian Grove ‘New Release’ apartments have welcomed home their very first residents. Everyone is excited with setting up their new home and meeting neighbors. I encourage anyone interested to make an appointment soon to view the finished complex and get a taste of the potential retirement lifestyle they offer, as there is strong interest and the apartments will fill up in short time.

Finally, just a reminder that Sawtell Catholic Care is a not-for profit organisation, and our development projects are driven by the goal to bring employment and growth to our local community, in addition to sustaining our mission to provide compassionate support and care to the vulnerable and those in need.

Until next time, stay safe and well

L C A T H OLI

C

(02) 6653 1241 mgreception@scca.net.au

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT mariangrovelifestyle.com.au

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a tougher test for seniors ‘‘

this ready market, that market has gone. And they will have reputational issues to address,” Kathryn says.

I fear it will be even harder for somebody who is over 55 to be maintained in employment. cannot find jobs,” Kathryn says.

Kathryn sees those over 50 struggling even more to find a job or keep one.

“I fear we are going back to an era where it will be even harder for somebody who is over 55 to be maintained in employment,” she says.

The challenge will come from younger people’s attitude to working.

The favoured gig economy will slow down as young people seek to move from casual work towards permanent employment.

Family stress “The numbers will go up,” Kathryn says about psychological elder abuse, which is happening behind closed doors.

“We are hearing older people being confined to their bedrooms in a generational share house.’’

It is also expected that many Baby Boomers will be asked to help their children, who will struggle to meet their financial commitments.

The Play for Lives campaign was one of the positives to come out of the pandemic.

Staying home It’s highly unlikely many Baby Boomers who have saved to travel overseas every two or more years will have the cash to spend on their dream adventures.

Many will find the value of their investments has fallen significantly. So too their dividend income.

“Where the travel industry has picked up the last four or five years with

Cash no longer king Cash, for the most part, has disappeared.

That’s OK for those seniors who can afford an NBN connection, Kathryn says, but what about those who can’t afford it or haven’t become accustomed to technology?

“We know the

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Commonwealth Bank is a hair’s breadth from, if not already, no longer accepting cheques; everyone will have to do internet banking. For a lot of older people, that’s a struggle.”

Telehealth nod Another change that has every likelihood of staying is telehealth, if Federal Health Minister Health Greg Hunt has his way.

It’s not intended to replace in-person medical consultations, but for those health issues that can easily be managed via phone or video-link conversations, telehealth could well help to improve the accessibility of medical personnel.

Ageism arises While the EveryAGE Counts campaign is working overtime to quell the resurgence of ageist attitudes among the younger generations, the idea posed as a question to

Prime Minister Scott Morrison by Leigh Sales on the ABC’s 7.30 show on April 16, about locking down older Australians until the coronavirus crisis passes, receives an aghast response from Kathryn.

“That is absolutely outrageous,” the 73-year-old says.

“The Government needs to avoid the ageist attitude digging deep into our society. They need to do a report that shows that the virus did kill people from across the age ranges.’’

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NEWS

JUNE, 2020//

SENIORS

From paradise to purgatory Alison Houston KATHLEEN and Ken Watson have never been happier to be home together in Toukley after their dual 70th birthdays celebration became a COVID-19 cruise nightmare.

“We dreamed about getting home and being with our friends,” Kathleen said of their time on what became “a floating prison”.

“Kenny volunteers with the Merry Makers; he’s in Toukley Senior Citizens, we both sing with Lakes Singers; I teach yoga, and we both go to the gym and I swim,” Kathleen said.

It’s this active lifestyle that doctors believe helped keep Ken alive when he was hit hard by COVID-19, ultimately being placed on a ventilator in an induced coma.

Boarding the Costa Luminosa in Miami on February 24 for a 31-day “trip of a lifetime” around the Caribbean and Mediterranean, it was not until March 30 that the couple escaped on a dedicated mercy flight from Rome to Perth.

They thought they were at last home safe but their problems were about to get even worse.

Ken’s health rapidly declined in hotel quarantine, and he was denied urgent medical help for 12 hours, struggling to breathe, despite repeated pleas for help from Kathleen, and from the outside by their son and daughter.

The response and treatment of quarantined passengers is being investigated by Australian health officials.

On April 1 Ken advised his wife of 54 years that “the doctors are going to put me to sleep and I might not wake up”.

She would wait 12 days to hear his voice and 28 days to see him again.

“She just ran in the door and we held each other … it was beautiful,” Ken said of the reunion.

From Heaven to Hell Kathleen said the first coronavirus whispers regarding China started before the couple left Australia on February 22.

However, Kathleen’s inquiries to the government, her travel agency and travel

HOME AT LAST: Kathleen and Ken Watson have adopted shih tzu-chihuahua-cross Jarvis to help them enjoy life again three months after setting off on their "once-in-alifetime" cruise.

Pictures: Courtesy Kathleen Watson

insurance as to whether it was safe to travel were all positive.

“The first leg around the Caribbean – it was all our dreams come true,” Kathleen said.

After they returned to

Miami on March 4 (her birthday) to pick up new American passengers for the Mediterranean leg, their fortunes turned.

The captain announced within days that they would disembark a couple who

Ken and Kathleen reunited after weeks apart.

were “very sick” in Puerto Rico (one would later die).

There was no official mention of COVID-19.

“I would still know that COVID cough anywhere – it has its own sound – there were just more and more people coughing; it was rife,” Kathleen said.

WHO information dated March 4 shows there were 142,823 confirmed cases in China with 2984 deaths, and numbers were growing in Europe, with 2502 cases in Italy and 80 deaths.

The Costa Luminosa had six days at sea after Puerto Rico, and Kathleen said those on board with Wi-Fi passed on information of the worsening COVID-19 threat.

Still cruise officials sailed on and said nothing.

Even when the presence of COVID-19 on board was finally acknowledged, with four more passengers disembarked in the Cayman Islands, Kathleen said staff wearing gloves and cancellation of shows were the only changes to practice.

The more than 1400 passengers were still using the pool, sauna, dancing and

eating together, but ports began refusing the ship entry.

“About 10-12 days in, they said we had to be quarantined in our cabins,” Kathleen said.

She alleges the ship “went into panic mode” and passengers were at first left without food or water for 28 hours and for 20 hours on another occasion – particularly frightening given Ken is diabetic.

In desperation, stuck in an Italian port with nationalities other than Australians and British having to disembark in France on March 19, Kathleen dangled a sheet from their balcony with a message calling on Scott Morrison to help them, an image captured by the BBC. Aussie Spirit Kathleen said the 39 Aussies on board, who nicknamed themselves “the Costa Survivors”, buoyed each other throughout.

She also thanked the Royal Perth Hospital medical team who had “put their own lives at risk to look after us”.

Costa Cruises has offered

passengers a replacement cruise but has not replied to a refund request, and the Watsons are now part of a class action.

“I’d be fearful going on a ship again, which saddens me because I’ve always loved it since my first trip as a £10 Pom in 1957,” Kathleen said. “But we will travel … we’ll travel in Australia.”

She said that, ironically, the couple had sold their caravan to help pay for the cruise. However, having been quarantined in their cabin and hotel rooms for such a long period, she said neither was keen on confined spaces now anyway.

Kathleen said that having met at 13, married at 17 and having four children, the septuagenarians had “been through our share of hardships, but we’ve clung together …

“That was the difference with this, being in isolation, we couldn’t even cling to each other.”

Ken is adamant that won’t happen again: “If we go anywhere, we will be together.’’

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Community group guide

SENIORS

Community notes

Since this is our last edition I would like to say a special thanks to you for taking the time each month to email your community notes and pictures to us.

You have made a great contribution to our newspaper.

Gail, Editor.

CULTURAL FACILITIES CRICKET CLUB TO REOPEN SCORES GRANT COFFS Harbour City Council’s libraries have begun a phased reopening of services, following the easing of restrictions by the NSW Government for some cultural facilities.

The Regional Gallery and Museum has also reopened.

All three library branches will offer a ‘Select and Collect’ service. Customers will be able to reserve items from the online library catalogue, or over the phone, and call ahead to their designated branch to arrange a ‘pick up’ time from a designated ‘pick up’ station at the front of the branch.

Pick up stations will have social distancing and hygiene measures in place.

We ask that people not use the ‘Select and Collect’ service if they are feeling at all unwell.

Access to the inside of all library buildings will remain closed for the time being. In line with NSW Health protocols for infection control, all library items will be quarantined for 24 hours upon return and wiped down with disinfectant.

The Select and Collect service will operate from: Toormina and Woolgoolga Libraries 9.30am – 1pm, Monday to Friday. Harry Bailey Memorial Library 9.30am – 6pm, Monday to Friday. All branches 9.30am – 12pm, Saturday.

MEMBER for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh congratulates Sawtell Cricket Club on its $35,000 NSW Government grant under the Community Building Partnership program.

Mr Singh said the funding will help the club and its hardworking members with their plans for a cricket nets complex at Sawtell’s Richardson Park.

“I applaud Sawtell Cricket Club for seeking to offer greater opportunity to community members and aspiring male and female cricketers in our region to hone their skills in a safe environment,” Mr Singh said. Mr Singh said he was pleased this grassroots funding will deliver muchneeded improvements at this popular facility.

“The funds will directly help create a more vibrant and inclusive local community with positive social, environmental and recreational outcomes,” Mr Singh said.

REOPENING COMMUNITY CENTRES AND HALLS COMMUNITY Centres and Halls managed by Coffs Harbour City Council will begin a phased reopening of services from Saturday, June 13, following the easing of restrictions by the NSW Government.

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COLOURFUL APPROACH: Psychogeriatrics Transitional Nurse Practitioner Sandy Everson, CHHC Director of Nursing Carmen Morgan and Medical Unit Nurse Manager Mel O'Grady (far right) with Rotarians Craig Spencer and Rob Avery in one of the two revamped courtyards.

The safety and wellbeing of customers, staff and volunteers remains Council’s top priority and appropriate measures will be in place.

Capacity must not exceed one person per four square metres, including staff members.

The following facilities will reopen: Community Village meeting venues, including the Cavanbah Centre and Seminar Hut; Toormina Community Centre; Lowanna Community Hall; Coramba Hall; Woolgoolga Community Hall; Eastern Dorrigo Community Hall (Ulong) and Lower Bucca Community Hall.

The Jetty Memorial Theatre remains closed pending further NSW Government advice on theatres. We ask that people please stay home if they are feeling at all unwell.

For information about changes to Council services and facilities, visit our coronavirus Update page on our website, go to coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au.

Council will continue to monitor advice from the NSW and Federal Health Departments and will keep the community updated.

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RIFLE CLUB REAPS REWARDS MEMBER for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh said $25,000 in State Government funds will bring welcome upgrades for Coffs Harbour Rifle Club

Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh (second from left) congratulates Coffs Harbour Rifle Club members on their $35,000 grant.

members.

Mr Singh said the improvements will include expansion of the existing awning and flooring, along with target frames to increase the number of lanes and the purchase and installation of two electronic target systems for long range target matches. The funding was made available under the Community Building Partnership program.

The Partnership Program is helping deliver 17 projects on the Coffs Coast, thanks to $300,000 in funding.

ROTARIANS REVAMP COURTYARD THE Rotary Club of Coffs Harbour has funded a major revamp of the dementia

courtyard at Coffs Harbour Health Campus.

The $10,000 project has transformed the outdoor space into two vibrant, colourful and safe spaces for patients living with dementia. Guided by Dementia Australia principles, the Rotary club, a long-time supporter of Coffs Harbour Health Campus, set about transforming the space into two dementiafriendly private courtyards which can be accessed from two dementia-specific rooms in the hospital’s Medical Unit.

Project spokesman and club board member Rob Avery said he couldn’t be happier with the transformation.

Local artist Ash Johnston

has created three beautiful murals, one of a kookaburra, one of hibiscus flowers and the other a galah among native wattle, on the courtyard’s privacy screens.

Bench seats from Billabong Garden Furniture have been installed, two interactive boards created by the Coffs Harbour Men’s Shed will be installed in the near future, magnetic interactive weather boards have been placed in each of the dementia rooms, and the soft-fall floor has been revitalised by local painter Jason Durheim.

Among those delighted with the project’s outcome is Psychogeriatrics Transitional Nurse Practitioner Sandy Everson, who took the idea to Rotary.

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Centenarian grateful for help to avoid deadly camps

Long life after Nazi ordeal I ALWAYS THOUGHT AFTER THE WAR THAT THERE were times when Marie-Louise (Marlies) Green PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE didn’t think she would make LEARNED AND IT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN, BUT it to 25, never mind 100.

Her warm smile belies the I WAS QUITE WRONG hardships and horrors she BECAUSE YOU SEE IT witnessed, having been born HAPPENING NOT JUST FOR to a Jewish family in Essen, THE JEWS BUT IN OTHER Germany, on May 22, 1920, just 13 years before the Nazis COUNTRIES. THE CRUELTIES came to power.

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WELL-LIVED LIFE: Marlies Green celebrates her 100th year at Tallebudgera's St Andrew's Retirement Living and Aged Care ... always grateful for the help that saved her life during World War II.

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Her secret, she said in the lead-up to her 100th birthday celebrations at St Andrew’s Retirement Living and Aged Care, Tallebudgera, was to “keep smiling, keep busy, keep laughing, enjoy everything in moderation … and lots of sleep”.

“It’s also important to get active every day – I walk every day, which I picked up from my parents, who took me hiking in Switzerland as a child.’’

However, listening to Marlies speak in an oral history interview with the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2002, it is clear that an empathic heart and having inherited her parents’ strength have a lot to do with it as well.

She said she did not speak much about her experiences, but was recording her story then because “The world should know what happened …

“I always thought after the war that people might have learned and it would never happen again, but I was quite wrong because you see it happening not just for the Jews but in other countries. The cruelties go on forever.’’

Farewell Germany Marlies recalled an almost idyllic childhood, completely free of discrimination, despite being the only Jews in their area.

“We felt as German as anybody else,” she said.

But in early 1934, with the rise of Hitler, her school, fearing closure, threw out all the Jewish students.

MARLIES GREEN

“That was really the first time I felt different,’’ Marlies said.

Faced with everincreasing rules about where Jews could and could not go, and after her brother was bashed by a group of boys for being Jewish, her parents decided to leave Germany for rural Holland.

Holland is occupied When Holland was then occupied by the Nazis from May 1940, shops and restaurants were closed to Jews, they were forced to wear yellow stars on all their clothes and travel restrictions began.

Dutch resistance was quickly snuffed out when, having attempted to boycott the new travel rules, the Nazis “picked out about 100 men and shot them” in punishment.

Living in the countryside, Marlies and her brother found work on farms because farm workers were needed to feed the German army.

Even so, in August 1942 they were summoned to attend Westerbork transit camp – the first stop for many on their way to concentration camps.

They were lucky to be given a reprieve thanks to a determined neighbour and the farmers insisting to German authorities that the siblings were essential for production. “… it was good for me and my brother, but

leaving all the others behind was a dreadful feeling,” she said with tears in her eyes.

Marlies still treasures that piece of paper, saying: “This is my most precious document, which gives me the permission to leave the camp, and that is what has saved my life, just that little piece of paper.’’

However, her parents were ordered to Amsterdam’s Jewish quarter, and a month later the children were ordered to join them.

The family’s fate Again, Marlies said she and her brother were blessed to find friends who, despite putting their own lives at risk, separately took them in and hid them for the rest of the war – two and a half years.

Her parents were not so fortunate, with her mother saying: “If all Jews have to go, I go with them.’’

After the war, she learnt that her parents had died at the Sobibor extermination camp in Poland.

Marlies met her mathematician husband, Bert, who worked with Albert Einstein, in Edinburgh, married in Dublin and the pair moved to Australia for him to start a new department of mathematical physics at Adelaide University.

She has two children, Roy and Joanne, of whom she is very proud. Joanne, who was at the 100th celebrations, said her mother always wanted to repay the help she received during the war, and “adopted” anyone new to Adelaide, ensuring they weren’t lonely.

“She’s been such a loving mother, grandmother and ‘second mother’ to so many people,” Joanne said.

Marlies did return to visit German friends, but admitted: “It was a strange feeling, especially when people came and shook my hand … I wondered what that hand had done.’’

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SENIORS

SHINING LIGHTS: Fran Brewster, Selwyn Davis, Pam Hull, John Young, MP Gurmesh Singh, Errol Hagelstein and Jenny Snow celebrate a new chapter for the Lapidary Club.

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Tania Phillips THE Lapidary Club of Coffs Harbour may be taking a break due to the COVID-19 lockdown but it is still moving forward and looking for more enthusiasts.

“We are always looking for more members, though I’m not sure where we are going to put them – the clubhouse is a bit small when you have a lot of people here,” club president Errol Hagelstein quipped.

The club, formed in 1963, has more than 50 members on its books and is based at premises at the Coffs Harbour Showground.

Adhering to social distancing measures, members haven’t been able to hold their regular meetings, but that doesn’t mean they have been letting things slide. That’s because, for many of the members, when the lapidary bug bit it was permanent.

“I’ve always been interested in lapidary,” Errol said.

“I got out of it but came back to it and in the early ’80s I joined our club.”

While the club members have their own favourites to collect, for Errol it’s microminerals that have kept him

fascinated for years and he boasts a fair-sized collection.

But while it’s fun to collect the rocks, it’s more fun to share them with friends, which is usually what the club allows.

“Normally we have workshops on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday along with our monthly meeting once a month on a Wednesday night,” Errol said.

“We haven’t been able to meet recently – we couldn’t social distance in our clubhouse, it’s just not big enough.

“Some of the mineral group have used social media during the lockdown and we’ve done a couple of Zoom meetings with the NSW Mineral Group.”

He said while they were trying to get more younger people involved too, most of the group was older and enjoyed the camaraderie.

During the lockdown, they have used the time to look for ways to improve their club – applying for and receiving a State Government grant of $11,500.

Errol said the money would be used to provide new energy-efficient lighting at the club and to buy two

new cabbing machines.

“At the moment, when you are looking at the machines the light is behind you,” he said, explaining the need for change.

State Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh said he was pleased that the club, with its high number of retirees and people with a disability, had received the new equipment.

“The LED lighting will enhance safety for the cabbing and silverwork classes,” Mr Singh said, clearly having done his research.

“Also, the two-wheel cabbing machinery is outdated, and members must wait for lengthy periods to use the single sixwheel machine that enables completion of their project.

“The two new six-wheel machines will be welcome additions.

“They attend the clubhouse as an opportunity for social inclusion and to interact with like-minded people as much as craftwork.

“What this club is doing in our community, and the funding it has secured, is a win-win for everyone.”

The club can be contacted on 0427 524 959.

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Mental health help at hand THE intrusion of COVID-19 into every fabric of our lives has a potentially devastating impact on our mental wellbeing now and well into the future unless we get help.

As we start to move out of social isolation and reengage with our community there is no harm or shame in reaching out for support, the experts say.

National Mental Health Commission CEO Christine Morgan said her organisation had noticed people were genuinely anxious.

“We don’t know where this is going,” she said. “Go back seven to eight weeks, we really didn’t understand what impact it was going to

have on us. We still don’t.”

The Federal Government recently announced almost $75 million for its National Mental Health and Wellbeing Pandemic Response Plan, which has a range of funding initiatives to support the community, including for seniors.

But for the plan to benefit seniors it is critical we learn that it’s OK not to be OK, and to reach out for support.

Where to find help The National Health Plan encompasses a range of initiatives around online and phone support.

The Community Visitors Scheme is to be expanded to include more staff and volunteers, who will work with seniors, helping them connect online and by phone while its one-on-one home visits aren’t possible.

This service is for seniors on government-subsidised residential aged care or home care packages and those socially isolated.

Within local communities, additional funding will be allocated from July 1 to the Primary Health Network for community-based care and applied to three key areas.

Beyond Blue’s lead clinical adviser and GP Dr Grant Blashki warns there will be a lot more illness and death from “boring things” as people choose not to have their regular health checks with their GPs. “I think people feel this is an urgent time and they shouldn’t really bother their doctor,” he said. “We are pretty worried in health care as we have seen a big drop in people going to casualty and to the doctor.’’

EXPERT ADVICE: Beyond Blue’s Dr Grant Blashki and National Mental Health Commission CEO Christine Morgan.

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SENIORS

Snack attack raises bar Add short spurts of resistance training to your cardio exercise HERE’S a new way to snack and it will get you moving and make you feel good about yourself. It’s called exercise snacking.

Before you pick up a morning biscuit or an afternoon piece of cake, for a few minutes each time try some simple strength and resistance exercises.

If you think that a daily walk is sufficient exercise, think again.

“Walking doesn’t provide enough stimuli for either bone or muscle,” Deakin University’s chair of exercise and ageing Professor Robin Daly says.

“There are cardiovascular benefits from walking. I am certainly not saying don’t walk. It’s good for your functional performance.

“Muscles like stress and strain. What is needed are strength and resistance

exercises.’’

Adding to your daily “huff and puff” exercise program should be at least two muscle-strengthening sessions each week but preferably every day.

Where to start? Prof Daly suggests starting with “snacking’’.

It’s probably a better way of not only starting to add strength and resistance exercises into your day but also to sustain them over a long period of time if they are done during the day whenever it suits you.’’

It’s particularly important during the COVID-19 crisis.

Dr Jackson Fyfe, a strength and conditioning sciences lecturer at Deakin University, fears the highly visible, technology-enabled spike in online fitness classes and virtual racing, as well as the more traditional pursuits

GET A GRIP: “Snack’’ resistance training is essential for strong muscle and bone, experts say.

of running and cycling, is hiding worrying levels of inactivity among our elderly relatives.

Dr Fyfe, who works in the university’s Institute for

Physical Activity and Nutrition, focuses his research on the benefits of short, simple, regular bouts of exercise. He describes short-term inactivity as a

disaster for muscle mass, strength and metabolic health for older people.

“Ten days in hospital can lead to the equivalent of 10 years of muscle loss in older

people, while seven days of bed rest can lead to a 10 per cent loss in muscle strength,’’ Dr Fyfe said.

“These are extreme, albeit very common, scenarios.’’

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THE highest court in the Netherlands has delivered a ruling related to euthanasia – permitted there – which raises some issues generally concerning advance care directives, including in Australia.

The Dutch case concerned a patient who had lost mental capacity and who had an advance care directive in place. It stipulated that she wanted to be euthanased once she reached a stage of deep dementia.

When this point was reached and her doctor, in consultation with the patient’s

family, went ahead, the woman resisted after the sedative added to a cup of coffee did not work.

The euthanasia was subsequently carried out despite the patient’s resistance. The doctor was charged with murder.

The court’s ruling was that, even in cases where patients lack the mental capacity to confirm their wish for euthanasia which they have expressed in an advance care directive, doctors can proceed.

The court also indicated that a minimum of two independent doctors would

need to referee the euthanasing doctor’s decision before being carried out. The court’s ruling has caused some concerns.

Doctors should not treat patients who lack mental capacity secretly. Euthanasing doctors are likely to rely heavily on the views of family, and those views may not be valid, or they may even be selfinterested.

Euthanasia should not be a solution for solving a lack of availability of care or cost issues.

It is not uncommon for patients to change their mind.

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CWA WIN: Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh with (from left) CWA branch president Irene Wells, treasurer Ann Rehwinkel, international officer Julie Vincent, cultural officer Mikayla Pennisi and her daughter and youngest branch member, Abigail Pennisi.

Picture: Contributed

MEMBER for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh visited the Coffs Harbour CWA Rooms this month to congratulate them on a State Government grant.

The Coffs Harbour CWA branch received $7880 under the Community Building Partnership

Program for community groups.

They will use the funds for the installation of rooftop solar panels and the replacement of the old-style interior fluorescent lights with LED lighting with the aim of decreasing the ongoing costs of power at

the CWA rooms.

The Coffs Harbour CWA branch was formed in 1931.

It currently has 38 members and an active social media presence on Facebook.

Look for Coffs Harbour Branch of CWA or drop by 3 Dalley St, Coffs Harbour to find out more.

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Soak up the charms of Kiwi hotspot

SENIORS

BATHED IN BEAUTY: The 15km Tarawera Trail is based around Lake Tarawera, near Rotorua, New Zealand. The trail ends in Mt Tarawera’s shadow.

Pictures: Graeme Wilson

Immerse yourself in nature with lakeside walk Graeme Wilson FOLLOWING last December’s tragic eruption on White Island, it was with some trepidation that I contemplated tackling New Zealand’s latest great walk.

The 15km Tarawera Trail near Rotorua ends in the shadows of active volcano Mt Tarawera, responsible for the country’s most devastating eruption in 1886.

It took the lives of more than 100 locals – completely burying a nearby village – with ash spread across 15,000sq km and the accompanying roar heard almost 1000km away in Christchurch.

But with history showing the average space between eruptions is about 1500 years, and zero recent sign of activity, my partner and I set off justifiably confident that this sleeping giant was unlikely to reawaken any

time soon.

The free walk starts on the shores of Lake Tarawera, about a 15-minute drive from downtown Rotorua in the North Island, and winds its way around the lake with picnic and toilet facilities along the way.

While some choose to make a full day of the picturesque undulating return walk from the Te Wairoa carpark to Te Rata Bay (Hot Water Beach), we decided to spend a leisurely five hours on the one-way trip.

That still allowed time for a well-earned relax in the heated lake waters at journey’s end before a 15minute water taxi ride provided a rapid return to our starting point.

On arrival at Hot Water Beach, you’re greeted by plumes of steam spiralling invitingly upwards as boiling water from thermal springs creates a naturally heated

shoreside spa.

Along the preceding path, short climbs and descents alternate as you work your way from pumice-strewn lakeside beaches to elevated vantage points among the native ferns so famously replicated on the jerseys of New Zealand sporting teams.

The Kiwis are justifiably proud of the renowned beauty of their country and we deliberately took our time to stop regularly and take it all in.

We encountered just a few fellow hikers on our walk and, of course, the trail has been even quieter in the past few months, with New Zealanders locked down during a highly successful response to contain the COVID-19 virus that has decimated other parts of the world.

But the hope is that with both Australia and New Zealand having standout

success in managing the virus, country borders will soon reopen to allow transTasman travel.

When that happens, I highly recommend you grab the chance to venture across “the ditch” and enjoy all our near neighbours have to offer – and as a bonus be able to do it in relative peace as the rest of the world remains locked out and watching on in envy.

Here’s cheers to good times at the newly reopened Secret Spot Hot Tubs. It’s the perfect place to fully submerge yourself in the healing waters or just soak your feet while enjoying a glass or two of your favourite tipple.

Rotorua itself is New Zealand’s cultural tourism capital and staying a night either side of your Tarawera walk opens up many exciting opportunities.

Maybe take a mountain bike ride in the vast forestry areas, stroll through the awe-inspiring Redwood Memorial Grove, and ride the gondola to the top of Mt Ngongotaha to take in panoramic views of Rotorua

and surrounds.

And if Hot Water Beach has you hooked on the soothing qualities of a dip in steaming water, drop into the newly reopened Secret Spot Hot Tubs.

Fully submerge yourself in the soothing, healing waters, or choose to just soak your feet while enjoying a glass or two of your favourite beverage.

Sweet as.

An abundance of New Zealand’s iconic native ferns adds to the visual feast that is the Tarawera Trail.

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The trail’s short climbs and descents alternate as you move from lakeside beaches to elevated vantage points. You are surrounded by nature at its best every step of the way.

‘‘

The Kiwis are justifiably proud of the beauty of their country and we deliberately took our time to stop regularly and take it all in.

Walk this way for a hike to remember.

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Boiling water from thermal springs creates a naturally heated shoreside spa at Hot Water Beach.

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SENIORS VIRTUAL EXPO 2020 ADVERTISING FEATURE

Bringing the expo to you THERE is no getting away from it – COVID-19 restrictions have made life pretty challenging for all of us, as individuals and as businesses.

Many of our readers look forward to this time of year when they can get out of the house and head along to a seniors expo to see what’s new among the industries and businesses who count them as customers.

For business owners, the expos traditionally offer the opportunity to meet new customers face-to-face and share their products or services. Right now, having thousands of people wander through an exhibition hall is not able to happen.

There are still great products and services out there to be showcased though, and that’s where the Seniors Virtual Expo 2020 is

here to help.

For the months of June and July, Seniors News will host an online virtual expo on our website at www.seniorsnews.com.au, where we will share the latest products and services from our advertisers, supported in print with regional advertising most relevant to readers of each of our eight monthly publications.

By promoting businesses online and in print, we’re making it easier for readers to contact businesses in the way that suits them best, and making it possible for readers to order products directly from the websites of the businesses involved.

For many businesses, online sales have helped to keep them going while their shopfronts are closed.

For Seniors, our online

editions (complete with live click-throughs to websites mentioned in stories and advertising) have seen increased interest.

And while COVID restrictions closed some of our regular distribution points such as libraries and sporting clubs we’ve found there’s been a jump in demand for our news online.

In March, traffic to our website jumped to 325,138 page views for the month and 129,923 unique visitors (as reported by Adobe).

Businesses signed up so far include Bite Dental, Algester Lodge, Jubilee Community Care, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Stafford Fashions, Aidacare, Gourmet Meals, Wellways and Van Homes.

Follow the expo action at www.seniorsnews.com.au/ topic/virtual-seniors-expo2020.

ONLINE EXPO: There are some great products and services for consumers to view and purchase online and the Seniors Virtual Expo 2020 is able to assist you with that in the comfort of your own home.

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SENIORS VIRTUAL EXPO 2020 ADVERTISING FEATURE

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We have adapted to current challenges to supply and deliver on all “Essential Services & Products”. We supply to seniors in isolation or lockdown due to COVID 19.

We are able to do inhome trials and deliveries subject to compliance with current guidelines.

Showrooms are all Open and managing face-to-face contact in compliance with Government Health Guidelines.

Staff have appropriate PPE safety for all, and equipment is thoroughly cleaned and ready for hire or purchase. Servicing and repair of essential equipment continues to be available.

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FEATURE

JUNE, 2020//

SENIORS

SENIORS VIRTUAL EXPO 2020 ADVERTISING FEATURE

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We have the largest range of fuller-figured, plus-size and curvy bras in Australia.

At our premises we have 1.5x2m fitting rooms in store or we do free virtual fittings, with the use of FaceTime or Skype, with experienced, trained corsetieres by appointment. We have many different styles of bras and swimwear – underwire, non-underwire, sport, leisure, T-shirt, plunge and front opening, with either posture support or not.

The Posture support bras are perfect for those ladies with osteoporosis frozen shoulders, arthritis or just for women who prefer to do their bra up in the front.

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Meals prepared by TLC are easy to order and perfectly proportioned.

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Each meal is a healthier, nutritious and mouthwatering solution for when you simply haven’t got the time or means to cook.

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SENIORS VIRTUAL EXPO 2020 ADVERTISING FEATURE

Beyond COVID-19 HAVE you or someone in your care, had a consultation with a health service over the phone or video in the last three months?

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen patients of all ages take advantage of the recently introduced remote or ‘virtual’ appointments to help witÍh accessing doctors and other health providers.

We would like to know if you think that video and phone appointments have a place beyond COVID-19, especially for people who live a long way from health

services and/or for certain appointments where you don’t need to be physically seen by your doctor or health care provider.

Bulk-billed or subsidised phone and video consultations are mostly only available until the end of September. We’d love to hear what you think about having these ‘virtual’ appointments as a longerterm option.

Our confidential short survey with your feedback could help shape the future. Phone Alissa Reeve on 0499 088 117 or go to www.ncphn.org.au/share.

VIRTUAL SURVEY: NCPHN would like to know if you think video and phone appointments should remain in place.

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Our aged care advocacy services are free, confidential and independent.

Aged care advocacy means offering information to people receiving aged care services about their rights and responsibilities, and assisting them to uphold their rights.

An aged care advocate will listen to your concerns and empower you to identify your rights and responsibilities.

When you feel disadvantaged, an advocate will assist you to uphold your rights and speak on your behalf to represent your best interests.

The advocate will always ask your permission before taking any action.

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FEATURE

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SENIORS

SENIORS VIRTUAL EXPO 2020 ADVERTISING FEATURE

Money is no barrier to care THE Choice to enter aged care is often a difficult one for seniors and their families and concerns about the financial impact of this move can make the experience more traumatic than it needs to be.

Many pensioners or those who rent think they won’t be able to afford to move into an aged care facility. This is not the case.

Clarence Village’s aged care facility, Dougherty Villa, keeps almost half its’ rooms for pensioners and those with low means.

As a community-owned

You can dine alfresco style in a garden setting or inside.

Chill Out in Coffs CHILL Out Café is an initiative of Coffs Harbour Support Services in partnership with Coffs Coast Meals on Wheels with the aim of providing people with disabilities the opportunity to train and work in the Hospitality Industry.

We provide quality affordable lunches and morning teas Monday to Friday with an extensive menu. Located in the Community Village, 22 Earl Street, just behind the Coles in Coffs Harbour.

You can dine alfresco style in our delightful undercover garden setting

or inside with disabled access and facilities.

Meals and Wheels Coffs Harbour is also providing nutritious meals to those who cannot venture out.

We have helping hands, teamwork and people looking out for each other as we provide “more than just a meal” for our clients.

A friendly smile, a nourishing meal and just knowing that someone will drop by to say hello, boosts the health and happiness of our consumers and helps them stay connected to the community.

Phone 02 6648 3600 for more information.

organisation, this is part of their reason for being, so there’s no catch.

Clarence Village CEO, Duncan McKimm, says the high finish of Dougherty Villa sometimes gives potential residents the mistaken impression they couldn’t afford to live there.

“I’d encourage anyone who is thinking about aged care to get in touch with the team at Dougherty Villa”.

For more, phone 02 6643 2377 or go to clarencevillage.com.au.

Clarence Village is soon to reopen its 14-bed Rose Cottage wing after a recent refurbishment.

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Wellbeing

‘‘

Why retire when you are doing what I’m doing?

APPETITE FOR WORK: At Home Alone Together is TV legend Ray Martin’s latest role.

Ray’s still right at home at 75 Tania Phillips TELEVISION host and journalist Ray Martin has always kept his personal life private but a new “home show” and COVID-19 lockdown conditions have meant a change of heart.

At Home Alone Together, to air on the ABC on Wednesday nights at 8.30, is a satirical look at life under lockdown through the scope of a lifestyle show, with the veteran journalist acting as host and straight man to a group of young comedians.

The whole program came together quickly, according to the 75-year-old, with the ABC agreeing and turning the show around in just a few weeks. And while it shocked him to gain the approval of the network quickly, the real boss and person with the power was his wife of 50 years, Diane.

A notoriously private person who shielded their two children from the limelight too, Diane wasn’t thrilled to have their house turned into a television set – putting their lives and possessions on show.

“It’s a huge breakthrough because I’ve been really private about my family. In the 50-odd years of my V1 - SEFE01Z01MA

career there have never been photos of my kids.

Often with Bert and Patti (Newton) and so on, the children were part of their television persona but my wife is very private,” Ray said.

“We had to get her across the line – she doesn’t like the idea of doing a ‘Grand Designs’ in our place, where everyone gets to see your carpets and your paintings and prints. She thinks that’s intrusive.

“But we still had to film it here so we have filmed it in the kitchen, the family room and the lounge room and outside and up on the deck, and in my study. It’s been kind of fun.”

However, Diane Martin’s approval didn’t come without a little extra convincing on the part of her husband.

“My wife is a house and kitchen Nazi, so it means she and I go round on a Sunday night, before we film on a Monday and Tuesday, with a mop and a vacuum cleaner,” he laughed.

“She is fussy about a tidy house, and the end result is we’ve never seen the house so spick and span.”

With Diane’s approval in place, Ray became the host

and added another show to his long list of television achievements. In fact, even though he officially retired three yeas ago, Ray continues to be one of the hardest-working men in the Australian television industry.

In the past three years he has averaged 90 plane trips a year for work, and even now in lockdown Ray has had three television shows on three different networks in a six-week period, including Channel 7 travel show Hello World, which he filmed last year, and a onehour documentary on VC winner Keith Payne produced for SBS with former ABC head of news Max Uechtritz.

Ray admits he is a little surprised to be popping up all over our screens at this age – particularly in a comedy show – and in fact many of his friends. spotting the promo during the Shaun Micallef show, thought it was just another of Micallef’s spoofs.

“I’d done some stuff with a guy named Dan Illich, who’s the producer of this, and then Chris Taylor from The Chaser, who is the writer.”

Illich had put together live

A scene from At Home Alone Together, one of the many projects keeping Ray Martin busy.

satire featuring Ray and several other journalists last year in Sydney, which the veteran journalist described as “a lot of fun”.

“I’d done some Chasers with Chris some years back and I did a number of comedy spots for SBS with (satirist) Mark Humphries,” Ray said, explaining he was no stranger to the genre.

“They rang up and said we’ve got this new show coming and we think that you’d be absurd enough to be a good host for it. I liked the idea and someone at the ABC must have been smoking something because

they agreed.’’ So what’s next for Ray (other than writing a book on Fred Hollows and using his COVID-19 downside to sort his thousands of photos, fix up his deck and get through the list of jobs Diane has for him to do now he is finally at home)? One thing for sure is he obviously has no intention of really retiring.

“No, no there is no stopping,” he said seriously.

“Oddly enough, before you rang, I was just watching a documentary with David Attenborough, who turns 94 today – he’s become my role model. To keep doing what

he does at 94 – I’ve got 20 years to go.

“Why would you want to retire when you are doing what I’m doing, a show like this or a documentary on Keith Payne etc, etc, as against going out and playing golf or bowls or going down to the leagues club? You’re kidding me – I couldn’t think of anything worse.

“For sheer satisfaction, fun, enjoyment and for keeping enthusiastic, I can’t think of anything else. I wouldn’t have swapped being a journalist for anything in the world.”

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WELLBEING

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SENIORS

Renaissance man Howard’s painting foray gives stagnancy the brush-off Tracey Johnstone IT’S ironic: the industry we are relying so heavily on to keep us occupied as we stay at home during the COVID19 crisis is largely being ignored when it comes to financial handouts.

“It seems the spirit of our society is not considered essential,’’ actor John Howard says.

“That’s what we do: we tell stories about our society.

Apparently, according to this Government, that’s not essential, yet it seems in lockdown people find it extremely essential.’’

Most of the industry participants who have brought us films, plays, operas, TV shows and music live on casual employment; day to day, contract to contract.

Add age into the mix and the immediate future is dire.

Howard, 67, a Silver Logie winner, star of many iconic Australian movies, plays and TV shows such as SeaChange and Packed to the Rafters can’t qualify for JobKeeper, is too old to receive JobSeeker and is far from ready to retire, so the pension isn’t the answer either.

There is no reason for him to stop working. He knows he can keep going until he drops, as long as there are acting roles for him.

On March 15 and in the throes of delivering a stellar performance in Melbourne as part of the national tour of the comedy show Senior

John Howard's sidekick, Colin the cafe kelpie, has been a great companion in a coronavirus lockdown during which the respected actor has discovered his painting and poetry talents.

THE LONGER THIS GOES ON, I AM THINKING I AM GOING TO HAVE TO REINVENT MYSELF. A LOT OF US ARE HAVING TO REINVENT WHAT WE ARE DOING, WHO WE ARE AND HOW WE ARE GOING TO MAKE A LIVING. JOHN HOWARD

VERSE-ATILE: Actor John Howard takes an iso selfie while he reads one of his poems at his Sydney apartment during lockdown. Howard was forced to return home from Melbourne in mid-March during a national tour with the Senior Moments theatre comedy.

Moments, Howard found himself unemployed and on a plane home to Sydney.

The upside of that experience? He discovered he has a “beautiful” singing

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voice.

Delivering Puccini’s Nessun Dorma in a mock opera during the show, Howard was quite surprised he could do it, and well.

Could he add this to his long list of talents?

Yes, he declares.

During this social isolation, many of Howard’s colleagues are continuing to develop acting material, but with a reduction in arts industry government grants and the restrictions around social gathering, several have turned to Woolworths, working stacking shelves.

Howard holds some hope that his writer colleagues will remember to include roles for older actors.

“Normally (when a job finishes), you go and get a job somewhere to keep some cash coming through,’’ Howard says.

“Over the 45 years I have been working, sometimes I have been working and sometimes I haven’t.

“This is unusual as there aren’t options.’’

Back in his apartment at the seaside suburb of Manly, the past few months have been a time of reflection for Howard as he struggles with no income.

Reinvention is currently the most obvious option for him.

Howard is keeping himself amused by writing poems, or “Pome’’, as he calls them – because he doesn’t like to take himself too seriously – and painting.

He posts his work to his Facebook #JohnHoward and Instagram #JohnHoward ActorOfficial accounts.

Encouraged to share his work, unruly-haired Howard dons the iso poet’s dark

glasses and launches into reading his favourite Pome, called Grace.

“And now a gentleness comes to us.

In the eye of our storm of desire and fear.

A quietness my love.

Out of our talking, into our listening.

Grace.

The most beautiful word I know my love comes to us.

And we can be truly happy.”

There’s not much money in poems, Howard admits, but his newly discovered painting talent is another thing.

Last year he “invaded” the studio of artist and friend Sophie Gralton.

While cleaning her brushes, he found the inspiration to try painting a parrot.

“Some months later I put it on Facebook to see what would happen,” Howard says.

“Someone bought it. I thought, hello. So, I painted a few more birds, then I got a run on ibises and from there it went to ‘can you paint my dog?’.”

When the mood takes him and the artistic side of his brain gets juiced up, he will spend 20 minutes or up to eight hours a day

painting.

Howard’s also taken on painting people, but those efforts are not for showing yet.

The idea of an exhibition is brewing in his brain but that will happen sometime in the future as he develops more material and skills and waits for the world to return to normal.

“I am really enjoying it, so I am looking to be as good as I can,” he said.

Facebook has become an important tool for Howard to remind his many followers “I am still around; I haven’t shuffled off to Buffalo”.

He’s also accepted an advocacy role with the Queensland organisation Designer Life, which offers career transition for matureage job seekers.

“It’s about retraining people over 40. There’s going to be a lot of that going on,” Howard says.

“The reason I am doing this is I think it’s a very worthwhile thing for people to be considering.

“The longer this goes on, I am thinking I am going to have to reinvent myself.

“A lot of us are having to reinvent what we are doing, who we are and how we are going to make a living.”

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TASTE

\\JUNE, 2020

Centre of attention Ingredients

160ml (⅔ cup) milk 200g dark chocolate, chopped 150g (1 cup) self-raising flour 115g (¾ cup) plain flour 50g (½ cup) cocoa powder ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 eggs 2 tbsp vegetable oil 125ml (½ cup) thickened cream

285g (1 ⅓ cups) caster sugar 100g unsalted butter

VANILLA CHEESECAKE: 250g cream cheese,

MEET the bake of your dreams – a decadent chocolate bundt cake with a creamy cheesecake centre.

Cheesecake-stuffed chocolate cake SERVES: 12 PREP: 20 minutes COOK: 50 minutes

chopped, at room temperature 55g (¼ cup) caster sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tbsp plain flour

Method 1. Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan-forced. Spray a 24cm (top measurement, 8 cup) bundt pan with oil. Place sugar, butter, milk and 100g choc in a microwave-safe bowl.

One-pot Italian chicken casserole

2. Microwave on high, stirring every minute, until smooth. Cool for 5 minutes.

Sift the self-raising and plain flours, cocoa and bicarb over chocolate mixture. Whisk in eggs and oil.

3. To make the cheesecake, use electric beaters to beat cream cheese and sugar in a bowl until well combined.

Beat in the egg and vanilla then plain flour until combined.

4. Pour two-thirds of the

ON THE table in 40 minutes, this fuss-free freezer-friendly one pot uses chicken thighs and cannellini beans so it’s also budget-friendly.

SERVES: 4 PREP: 4 minutes COOK: 35 minutes

Ingredients 1 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 small red onions, cut into thin wedges 2 garlic cloves, crushed 160g (1 cup) Sicilian green olives 1 tsp fennel seeds 125ml (½ cup) white wine 700g bottle passata 250ml (1 cup) Massel salt-reV1 - SEFE01Z01MA

cake mixture into pan. Spoon cheesecake into a sealable plastic bag. Snip 2cm from 1 corner. Pipe on top of cake mixture, leaving a 2cm border.

5. Top with remaining cake mixture. Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Set aside in pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

6. Place cream and remaining chocolate in a mi-

crowave-safe jug. Microwave on high, stirring every minute, until melted and smooth.

Drizzle glaze over cake to serve.

TIP: The molten chocolate glaze doesn’t set, so to prevent a gooey mess, place the cake on a serving plate before drizzling it over the top.

Recipe by Michelle South Photo by Michelle Southan and Brett Stevens

duced chicken style liquid stock 1kg chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, halved 400g can cannellini beans, rinsed, drained ½ bunch fresh basil, leaves shredded, plus extra leaves, to serve 1 lemon, rind finely grated, juiced

2. Add chicken. Cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Add beans and half the shredded basil. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in juice and half the rind. Simmer for 5 minutes or until chicken is tender. Season with pepper. Top with remaining shredded basil, extra basil leaves and remaining rind.

Method

TIP: This dish freezes well.

Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost and reheat over medium heat.

1. Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole dish over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, olives and fennel seeds. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until aromatic. Add the wine, passata and stock. Bring to the boil.

Recipe by Katrina Woodman Photo by Jeremy Simons

25

26

REAL ESTATE

Living

JUNE, 2020//

The hardest lesson

Family tragedy spurs Doris to become a bereavement expert who helps others deal with the painful loss of a loved one Damian Bathersby WHEN Doris Zagdanski was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago, someone suggested to her it was the worst thing that could ever happen.

“I just looked at them and said ‘no, I’ve already survived the worst thing in the world – breast cancer is just a small stumbling block’,” the Gold Coast grandmother recalls.

“I didn’t tell them the details, just that breast cancer didn’t rate for me.”

That might sound surprising until Doris explains that, for her, the “worst thing in the world” was losing her daughter Claire to “cot death”, which is now known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

More than 40 years later, the 66-year-old admits that while she might have learnt to live with the grief, she has never forgotten what it was like.

But she has found a way to handle the pain, for many years working as a grief educator and now training funeral directors with some of Australia’s best-known brands – including White Lady, George Hartnett Metropolitan and Somerville Funerals – on how to deal with people coping with the death of a loved one.

The daughter of post-

SENIORS

World War II migrant parents who spoke only German in their Geelong home, Doris was so determined not to be “the wog kid” that she devoted herself to learning English and became an overachieving, straight A student.

Not content with simply being bilingual, she studied Japanese in high school and then Japanese and German at university, ultimately becoming a Japanese teacher at her alma mater – Oberon High School at Belmont.

“Mum and dad were migrants who, like so many others, booked a passage to Australia to get away from Europe after the war,” Doris recalls.

“Mum was German and dad was Ukrainian – she was 20 and he was about 27.

“They were lucky to come to a country that was very good to them and gave our family so many opportunities.’’

Doris’s father passed away about 10 years ago but her 91-year-old mother still lives in a nursing home in Geelong and continues to speak to Doris and her siblings in German, while they respond in English.

Determined to make something of herself, the young Doris became an overachiever.

“If I didn’t get an A – 95% or 100% – I considered I

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didn’t do well,” she says.

But as is so often the case, the attitude that set Doris up to soar high when she achieved also set her up to crash badly when she felt she failed.

For her and her husband Peter, that crash came on June 17, 1980.

Her life was changed forever that night after she discovered Claire’s lifeless body in her cot and then could only watch as Peter desperately performed CPR, sobbing as he begged their baby girl to start breathing again.

“That night, when my daughter died, was the first time in my life I felt I had failed at something,” Doris says.

“It was a shocking blow to me because I truly did not know what failure was like and I wasn’t prepared for it.

“So when Claire died it

was like someone had messed with my future. I had a plan and it didn’t involve my daughter dying. I just couldn’t cope with it and, in my mind, I had failed.

“I couldn’t get my head around how we could be watching TV in one part of the house while she was dying in another. How could we let that happen?”

Forty years later, Doris still gets emotional when she talks about Claire’s death.

“I used to wonder how long it would take me to get over it – how long until I stopped thinking about Claire all day, every day.

“It took me at least five years to emerge from that cloud of grief. Thousands of times I asked myself ‘why?’ – was there something I could have done differently?

“And I was worried what people would think. Would they think I had failed – that I

was a bad parent?

“I’ve since learned that you don’t get over that sort of grief – you learn to incorporate it into your new way of living.’’

Compounding Doris’s pain was a feeling that she hadn’t been allowed to say goodbye properly during the funeral process.

“I’ve always regretted that I didn’t get to pick her up and hold her one last time, from the moment we found her in her cot. “l didn’t get to do it when the ambulance took her away and when I asked the funeral director if I could hold her one last time, he said ‘no, we don’t do that’.’’

Three years after Claire’s death, Doris met a funeral director and told him how she felt, in no uncertain terms.

She pulled no punches in letting him know she

thought funerals directors knew little about grief – parents’ grief in particular – and didn’t know anything about holding funerals that were a meaningful way of saying goodbye.

To his credit, he invited Doris to share her views at a conference of funeral directors and two years later, in 1984, offered her a job.

Since that day she has not only worked as a funeral director, but also devoted her life to training others in the industry on how they can do their jobs with compassion, respect and empathy.

“A mentor in the funeral industry once told me that what happens in the first five days after a death can impact on that family for the next five years,” Doris explains.

“So you make sure what you do in those first five days helps them in the first five years.

“I have never forgotten that to this day. And I have never forgotten what it’s like to be sitting on the other side of the desk – to be the grieving parent or family member.”

Doris has written seven books and countless articles and columns to help people deal with grief and since 1992 has worked for national funeral brand InvoCare, both as a funeral director, Queensland general manager and now as a trainer based at Nerang.

Six years ago she created the My Grief Assist website for InvoCare – the first website of its type in Australia which offers a range of information on loss and grief.

Her first book, published in 1990, was aimed at helping grieving teenagers and their families.

Others have covered explaining death to children, what to say to someone who is grieving, a common sense guide for grieving people and even what to do when pets die.

But Doris has never written about the time of Claire’s death in any of her books, other than referring to it as an example or explanation of her advice.

“Learning how to grieve is tough but not knowing how to do it is tougher.”

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LIVING

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Take control: Answers to an age-old issue “THANK you for calling the incontinence hotline. Please hold.” It’s an old joke but growing older can mean losing some control, leading to discomfort, poor hygiene and embarrassment. So, what can you do?

What you need to know about incontinence Incontinence need not be a life sentence. There are various ways to manage it. It is important that you have a continence assessment by a continence professional who can work with you on a continence management plan along the lines advised

by the Continence Foundation: 1. Drinking enough fluid every day (six to eight glasses).

2. Eating plenty of highfibre foods to prevent constipation.

3. Pelvic floor muscle exercises.

4. Learning how to sit on the toilet properly.

5. Bladder training program.

6. Medication.

7. Incontinence aids such as pads, catheters or condom drainage.

Managing stress

incontinence Stress incontinence can lead to small amounts of urine being released during activities that increase pressure inside the abdomen and push down on the bladder – coughing, sneezing, laughing, walking, lifting, or playing sport. The best initial treatment may be pelvic floor muscle exercises.

Managing urge incontinence Urge incontinence is a sudden and strong need to urinate. You may suddenly need the toilet and perhaps

leak some urine before you get there.

The aim in managing urge incontinence is to improve control of your bladder by: 1. Reducing the degree of urgency and accidental leakage of urine.

2. Gradually increasing the storage capacity or size of your bladder.

3. Increasing the period of time between visits to the toilet. Learning to “hold on’’ to urine can be difficult to start with, but for many it becomes easier with practice.

A bladder training

program can help improve bladder control.

Bladder training is always more effective with a continence nurse adviser’s support: call the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66.

Talk to your doctor about bladder training and prescription medicines that relax the bladder muscle.

Managing incontinence associated with chronic retention This is when the bladder is unable to empty properly and frequent leakage of small amounts of urine

occurs as a result.

When urine continues to fill a bladder that is not properly empty, you may experience an “overflow’’ of urine with little sensation or warning.

Incontinence associated with chronic retention can cause serious damage to the bladder and kidneys, and should always be treated and monitored by a continence professional.

For confidential information and advice, you can call the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66.

Doctor urges rethink about senior health Peter Lipski sees ignorance as biggest threat Ngaire Hobbins APD DR PETER Lipski is a passionate geriatrician I was fortunate to work with some years ago and was an inspiration for my books on nutrition, ageing and dementia.

Now I’m thrilled to say he has written an insightful, informative book himself and I can’t recommend it more highly.

Dr Lipski considers the greatest risk to the health of the elderly is ignorance and blaming “old age’’ for everything from breathlessness to confusion.

In this book, he discusses how holistic medical care at any age can alleviate symptoms resulting from treatable medical conditions that are otherwise written off merely as consequences of advanced age. In fact, he asserts that this ageist attitude can mean older people are denied proper medical care that could improve their day-to-day function and quality of life.

He hasn’t written a text book; this is mainly a guide for older people and their families, but with plenty of information that can be used V1 - SEFE01Z01MA

by anyone involved in the care of older people.

He has delivered an excellent overview, based on nearly four decades in geriatric medicine, of the common issues and questions asked of him by patients and their families

‘‘

He has delivered an excellent overview. and how those can be dealt with to help older people live the best life possible in their years ahead.

He offers observations, insights and solutions around myriad common concerns and illnesses including frailty, falls, balance issues, postural hypotension, chronic pain, diabetes, incontinence, adverse drug reactions, driving capacity, memory loss and confusion, delirium and dementia. And I’m thrilled to say from my point of view that there is a whole chapter on malnutrition.

I agree wholeheartedly

with Dr Lipski that malnutrition is one of the greatest challenges facing the health system because it contributes to serious complications and early death.

Dr Lipski also asserts that delays in seeking medical advice occur far too commonly when someone is old and he observes that, should a 21-year-old suffer dizziness, repeated falls, become incontinent, suffer ongoing or worsening pain in a knee or their back, or become breathless, they would be promptly whisked off to the doctor or the emergency department.

So he asks why that is not the case when someone is old. Why indeed? This is a book that fills a huge gap in the public’s knowledge and challenges negative stereotypes that cause elderly people to suffer unnecessary distress, illness and loss of function.

Many people have experienced the frustration of seeking help for the declining health and general function of older family or friends, only to be told that it’s just “old age” that is causing their dizziness, falls, confusion, malnutrition,

FRESH PERSPECTIVE: Dr Peter Lipski’s book tackles issues surrounding the quality of care for the elderly.

urinary incontinence, breathlessness or swollen ankles.

It is far too common to be told “What do you expect?

He is 89 years old, you know”, so Dr Lipski puts his decades of clinical experience as a geriatrician to good use, explaining how even the most frail elderly can have dramatic improvements from

comprehensive care, accurate diagnoses, attention to detail, getting the simple things right, and treating reversible factors.

Let’s face it, we all have parents and are all ageing.

Whether we have made decade seven or eight ourselves or not, everyone needs Dr Lipski’s book.

Your Elderly Parents Failing Heath – Is it Ageing or

a Treatable Condition? is available for order online as an ebook and in print at: https://www.amazon .com.au/Your-ElderlyParents-Failing-Health/ dp/064699798X. – Ngaire Hobbins APD is a dietitian specialising in ageing and brain health, and author of Eat To Cheat Ageing.

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SHARES

Money Money

JUNE, 2020//

SENIORS

Ride out virus volatility

Mark Digby IT IS normal for markets to act as they are in uncertain times. Of course, this has meant, in the short term at least, a significant decline in share values. These kinds of declines were also seen at the time of the GFC. It is important to remember with regard to investments in shares that in time, when the crisis is over and the world gets back to business, the markets will recover.

In the short term, however, for many retirees the significant declines in financial markets have eroded the account balance of their superannuation pensions and annuity portfolio values.

Option to reduce pension drawdowns An optional strategy to manage this phase is to reduce pension payments so as not to dig too deep into the value of their assets.

Many pensioners are electing to take this strategy and the Government has made a significant change to the minimum income payment rates. To assist retirees, the Government has reduced the minimum annual payment required by 50 per cent for accountbased pensions and annuities, allocated pensions and annuities, and marketlinked pensions and

GO WITH THE FLOW: The Federal Government has reduced the minimum annual pension payment required by 50 per cent.

annuities in the 2019–20 and 2020–21 financial years.

This means that eligible retirees with enough cash flow to ride out this period of market volatility will not be forced to sell shares, property or other assets in a falling market simply to comply with the usual minimum drawdown amounts.

By preserving more of their capital, they will have more money working for them to capture the market upswing when it inevitably occurs.

Option to draw down $10,000 from super This strategy may be appropriate for investors with cash-based assets

already built into their portfolio. Any consideration to draw down on super to provide cash flow (also introduced by the Government) should be deeply considered in consultation with your financial adviser.

This is not a good time to draw down on your superannuation investments

unless absolutely necessary.

– For more information, contact Mark Digby at Maher Digby Securities Pty Ltd – Financial Advisers – AFSL No. 230559 (see advert Page 3). Phone 07 5441 1266 or visit www.maherdigby.com.au, This article was prepared without taking into account any person’s particular objectives, financial situation or needs. It is not guaranteed as accurate or complete and should not be relied upon as

such. Maher Digby Securities does not accept any responsibility for the opinions, comments, forwardlooking statements, and analysis contained in this document, all of which are intended to be of a general nature. Investors should, before acting on this information, consider the appropriateness of this information having regard to their personal objectives, financial situation or needs. We recommend consulting a financial adviser.

How to get back on track when shockwave forces a retirement rethink Dianne Charman FOR many, the countdown to retirement can feel like a very long wait. But things don’t always go to plan and could be affected by illness or injury, redundancy... or even a global pandemic.

So, here’s how a shockwave might impact your retirement plan, and what you could do to get back on track.

Income shock While reduced hours or an unexpected redundancy as you transition to retirement may have little impact on your plans, longer-term income changes, such as

permanent illness or injury preventing you from working, or redundancy five to seven years from retirement during tough economic conditions, can have serious implications for your retirement plans.

Help! I’m dealing with a shockwave…

It’s normal to be stressed or worried when something unexpected happens.

The first thing to do is breathe and regroup.

Review your assets and your immediate expenses to discern what needs to be addressed now, and what can wait. From here, it’s important to seek professional advice to help

re-strategise and ensure minimal impact to your longterm plans.

If you can, defer leaving the workforce for as long as possible. That could mean working reduced hours, or in a slightly different field. This will allow you to keep earning an income, and slowly add to your super.

During a time like this, you may need to adjust your expectations about what retirement will mean for you. Maybe you’d planned to travel, but an injury or international travel restrictions won’t allow it, or you’ll need to retire a little earlier or later than planned.

When dealing with

shockwaves and their consequences, it’s also important to prioritise your own wellness.

What you can do to protect yourself The key to preventing huge impacts from shockwaves is to have a sound retirement plan. This includes prudent asset allocation, managing the art of insurance, and regular reviews with a professional adviser. Regular reviews give you the opportunity to consider whether your current asset allocation is still the most suitable option for you, a cashflow check-in, considering your work situation, your health and

any other risks, like how you would manage if your partner passed away unexpectedly.

This process doesn’t need to be onerous; however, planning for retirement takes more than a couple of years.

Ensure you give yourself enough time to enact a plan that will put you exactly where you want to be, and best protect you from any surprises.

When things don’t go to plan, it can feel like you’re being dumped by wave after wave.

Sometimes, the best thing to do is get out of the water and give yourself a

moment to regroup before jumping back in with a plan to ensure you keep your feet planted firmly in the sand.

– Dianne Charman, of Jade Financial Group, is an authorised representative of AMP Financial Planning Pty Ltd, ABN 89 051 208 327, AFS licence no. 232706.

Any advice given is general only and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Because of this, before acting on any advice, you should consult a financial planner to consider how appropriate the advice is for your objectives, financial situation and needs.

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Kitchen too kitsch?

Find a redecorator to suit your style at Buy Search Sell.

Hunting for treasure?

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REVIEWS

JUNE, 2020//

Suspense builds in steamy series finale THOSE who usually make the pilgrimage to Currumbin Creek’s Elephant Rock for Anzac Day had to change their plans this year due to COVID-19.

The spectacular dawn service draws people from across Australia to reflect on the sacrifices of our veterans and frontline services in a hauntingly beautiful location, making the area famous.

A not-so-well-known event occurred in Currumbin in the 1990s when two old circus elephants were retired to Currumbin Valley.

Author Donna Munro lived at Currumbin at the time. Her deep love of animals and a particular fondness for elephants made her intrigued by their plight.

A ban on exotic circus animals on the Gold Coast was first made by the city council in 2009 but was later overturned and lifted in 2013. It wasn’t until as recently as 2016 the ban was reinstated.

Most of the elephants were retired to a sanctuary in Victoria. Two elephants on a property in Currumbin Valley may have been relocated later, or spent their last days roaming the bush in freedom.

Locals recollect it, but with no media evidence it now seems like folklore, so why not include it in a piece of fiction?

The intriguing story made a unique backdrop for Munro’s latest work of contemporary women’s fiction, Elephant Creek, the Sunshine Coast author’s last stand-alone story of The Zanzibar Moon series.

Elephant Creek is described as “steamy romantic suspense’’ set on the Gold Coast.

Emma Jarvis has a dilemma; should she keep dating rock-star handsome Wade or pursue her crush on sexy, silent, probablymarried Noah Cooper?

Noah and his Down syndrome daughter, Hope, are due for a fresh start, but a car accident propels Emma into their secretive world.

Will Noah put his guard

down long enough to let love back into his life?

Emma finds that convincing Noah of a police conspiracy is one thing. Avoiding combusting when she’s near him is a totally different predicament.

Noah has enough problems without falling for delightful Emma and her lust-inducing cut-off shorts. His wife’s abandonment. Proving his father’s innocence. And Hope, beginning mainstream school where bullies lurk.

When Noah learns his dead brother’s son, Jai, is with Emma’s family, he must cut contact with Emma or lose what’s most precious to him. But when Jai and Hope disappear, can the adults unite to find the missing children in the Australian bush? Will an old circus elephant be the key to bonding them before it’s too late?

The sequel to The Zanzibar Moon brings all three books to a final enthralling, emotional conclusion in a stand-alone story filled with passion and heat.

“I love including a feisty woman, a gorgeous man, animals, children and family — to tug at readers’ heartstrings. Everyone can relate to loving a child or a pet, and falling in love,” Munro says.

Elephant Creek, Warm Witty Publishing, RRP $25.99.

SENIORS

Shattering experience spurs tips

Woman of substance VIVID and compelling in its portrait of one woman’s struggle for fulfilment in a society pivoting between the traditional and the modern, The Henna Artist opens a door to a world that is at once lush and fascinating, stark and cruel.

Escaping an abusive marriage, 17-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist — and confidante to the wealthy women of the upper class.

But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own.

Known for her original designs, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her name and her livelihood.

As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down with a high-spirited young girl in tow, a sister Lakshmi never knew she had.

Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened.

But she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those around her.

HEIDI Wyeth is no stranger to loneliness. After losing her husband, Mel, to pancreatic cancer in 2017, Heidi says her life stopped: “All I could do was try to survive.’’

Now, with the world to a greater or lesser extent in lockdown, she says many people are facing up to life’s greatest unknown.

“While the elderly and chronically ill are immensely vulnerable, global statistics have shown us that no one is truly ‘safe’,’’ she says.

“That’s a sobering reality.

The sort of realisation that will, I hope, spur people on to take charge of their affairs, just in case the worst does happen.’’

Heidi’s insight comes from personal experience.

“My husband and I didn’t think ‘what if’ – it was something we’d deal with in later life. And suddenly it wasn’t. Suddenly it was something we had to deal with then and there.”

That spurred Heidi to create Just in Case – a straightforward “what’s what and where’’ covering everything from letters for loved ones to insurance details and your digital footprint.

Go to www.justincase book.com.au. RRP $19.99.

Cop’s riveting pursuit of serial killer HOLD on to the sides of your armchair while you delve into author Katherine Firkin’s novel Sticks and Stones.

The Australian news journalist takes the reader into a world she knows well from her time reporting on Melbourne’s underworld.

The places are familiar, the crime story stark and engaging.

It’s easy to connect with the innocent characters and their stories: the disappearance of Daniel Norman’s sister and then of his mother Natale Gibson.

Children are abandoned.

Detective Emmett Corban, of the Missing Persons Unit, shuffles off his complacency quickly when the missing person reports turn to vicious murder in Melbourne backstreets.

All that is seen is not as it seems. Family secrets, drugs, homelessness and despair make this an edgy read.

Lies are told and retold, a serial killer abounds; just how is Corban going to find the answers... and quickly?

Just as the net seems to be tightening, the investigation is

turned on its head. The body of a woman is found ... then another.

During Firkin’s time working for the Herald Sun, she covered some of Victoria’s most notorious and colourful criminal events, such as the death and funeral of the infamous underworld figure Carl Williams.

Her novel seethes with the undercurrents of modern life in a city tormented by its criminal past.

Sticks and Stones is published

by Penguin. RRP $32.99.

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G E N E R A L K N O W L E D G E

PUZZLES

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ACROSS 1 Originally a slang expression for London, what is any large city called? (3,5) 7 What flower’s name is from “day’s eye”, opening and closing? (5) 8 Which dance similar to the samba originated in Brazil?

(5,4) 9 One letter away from “IBM”, what was the computer’s name in 2001:A Space Odyssey? (3) 10 What bird is associated with early risers? (4) 11 What small hand tool has a screw tip for boring holes?

(6) 13 In which Athens garden did Aristotle teach philosophy?

(6) 14 Which Turkish city was formerly named Angora? (6) 17 What surname did opera singer Maria Kalogeropoulos adopt? (6) 18 What do you do if you expectorate? (4) 20 In a rhyme, what grain fills a pocket? (3) 22 Who was lead singer with Culture Club? (3,6) 23 In an old song, who is pride of our alley? (5) 24 Sinhalese is the official language of which country?

(3,5)

DOWN 1 In the Bible, which tower was built in an attempt to reach heaven? (5) 2 What juice is secreted by the stomach glands? (7) 3 What alcoholic drink is made of fermented honey and water? (4) 4 What fine, white soft clay is used in porcelain making?

(6) 5 How many parts did Alec Guinness play in Kind Hearts and Coronets? (5) 6 What is the technical name for a pain in a muscle? (7) 7 In Peter Pan, what is Wendy’s surname? (7) 12 What type of song sends a child to sleep? (7) 13 What did Robert the Bruce die of? (7) 15 What is the common name for the medication acetylsalicylic acid? (7) 16 In David Copperfield, what is Mr Wickfield’s occupation? (6) 17 Jacqueline Du Pré gained fame playing what? (5) 19 Which Greek letter follows eta? (5) 21 In a rhyme, from where did Tommy Stout rescue a cat?

(4)

31 27/6

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SUDOKU

Fill the grid so every column, every row and 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9.

QUICK CROSSWORD 1

2

3

4

DOUBLECROSS 5

6

7

8

Find a finished crossword by deleting one of the two letters in each divided square.

9

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SOLUTIONS

5x5 L A T E R

T R E S S

ALPHAGRAMS: FISTS, GRACED, HYDRATE, IDEALISM, JETTISONS. GK CROSSWORD Across: 1 Big Smoke, 7 Daisy, 8 Bossa nova, 9 Hal, 10 Lark, 11 Gimlet, 13 Lyceum, 14 Ankara, 17 Callas, 18 Spit, 20 Rye, 22 Boy George, 23 Sally, 24 Sri Lanka.

Down: 1 Babel, 2 Gastric, 3 Mead, 4 Kaolin, 5 Eight, 6 Myalgia, 7 Darling, 12 Lullaby, 13 Leprosy, 15 Aspirin, 16 Lawyer, 17 Cello, 19 Theta, 21 Well.

Solve the anagrams. Each solution is a one-word anagram of the letters beside it, and the five solutions are sequential. For example, if the five-letter solution starts with J, the six-letter solution starts with K, and so on.

SIFTS CADGER THE YARD I MISLEAD TIS NO JEST

5x5 P

DOUBLECROSS

QUICK CROSSWORD Across: 7. Counter-attack 8. Insomnia 9. Eats 10. Seldom 12. Obtuse 14. Aim 15. Ascend 17. Before 19. Echo 21. Overlook 23. Unquestioning.

Down: 1. Founders 2. Unsold 3. Been 4. Catacomb 5. Attest 6. Scut 11.

Madhouse 13. Surround 16. Exodus 18. Felony 20. Cane 22. Evil.

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How many words of four letters or more can you make? Each letter must be used only once and all words must contain the centre

S L O G S

WORD GO ROUND

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TODAY: Good 20 Very Good 25 Excellent 30

L

L N

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Note: more than one solution may be possible.

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Insert the missing letters to make ten words — five reading across the grid and five reading down.

S R

All puzzles © The Puzzle Company

monomer MONOTREME moon moor moot more morn moron mort mote motor motormen norm omen remote room teem term tome

Down 1. Originators (8) 2. Unpurchased (6) 3. Was (4) 4. Crypt (8) 5. Prove, corroborate (6) 6. Rabbit’s tail (4) 11. Asylum (colloq) (8) 13. Encircle (8) 16. Mass evacuation (6) 18. Crime (6) 20. Stick (4) 22. Malevolent (4)

Across 7. Fight back (7-6) 8. Sleeplessness (8) 9. Dines (4) 10. Not often (6) 12. Slow-witted (6) 14. Intention (3) 15. Climb (6) 17. Previously (6) 19. Reverberate (4) 21. Disregard (8) 23. Unconditional (13)

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NSW GOVERNMENT COVID-19 RESPONSE COVID restrictions are easing across NSW.

IF YOU ARE A NSW RESIDENT: You can visit anywhere in regional NSW for recreation and holiday purposes

National park visitors should check nationalparks.gov.au to learn more

Some caravan parks and camping grounds will be open

Follow physical distancing and good hygiene practices

Call ahead to

Public health advice is still in place

bookings

Restrictions Easing 13 June: z

z z z

Gy m s a n d F i t n e s s Ce n t re s P i late s , Yo ga , a n d D a n ce St u d i o s Co m m u n i ty Ce n t re s I n d o o r Po o l s a n d S a u n as

Tatto o a n d M as s age Pa r lo u rs z Co m m u n i t y Sp o r t fo r u n d e r 1 8 ’s w i l l b e g i n 1 J u ly z

For more information, please go to: www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19

Gurmesh Singh MP

MEMBER FOR COFFS HARBOUR

coffsharbour@parliament.nsw.gov.au 1/9 Park Avenue, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 02 6652 6500

Authorised by Gurmesh Singh MP, 1/9 Park Avenue, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450. Funded using Parliamentary Entitlements. June 2020.

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