The Hobart Magazine January 2023

When it comes to awe-inspiring outlooks and uninterrupted panoramic vistas it simply doesn’t get any better than this. Set on a large lot with a spare council approved block (subject to the installation of a driveway) along a quiet cul-de-sac is this idyllic family home boasting water views that carry all the way to Mt. Wellington/kunanyi. The entire layout has been expertly designed to maximise the sparkling aspect with walls of oversized windows and expansive outdoor entertaining areas. The open-plan kitchen, living and dining room is bathed in soft natural light and offers a cosy wood heater for those cool winter nights. You can walk down to the water’s rocky edge or drive just minutes to the pristine sands of White Beach for a day spent soaking up the sunshine. SMS 600White to 0488 800 269

9 Lady Franklin Court, New Norfolk

Indulge in the idyllic lifestyle you deserve with this elegant New Norfolk home. Gorgeous gardens that were once part of Turriff Lodge, the home of Sir John and Lady Jane Franklin, with mature trees believed to have been planted by Lady Jane Franklin (Circa 1815) as well the fragrant flowers, have been paired with a grand facade to ensure a warm welcome each & every day. Take in the serenity before you cross the porch and step inside where the exterior beauty is matched by the bright and inviting interior. Sweeping timber floors flow underfoot as the layout opens before you, guiding you past the lounge with French doors & into the heart of this haven. A gourmet kitchen awaits the eager chef, with electric appliances ready for you to cook up a storm as you overlook the dining room and family room. A sunroom is a perfect place to read a book with a coffee &, when it’s time to sit back with a drink in hand.

Editorial Stephanie Williams editor@thehobartmagazine.com.au

Advertising James Marten advertise@thehobartmagazine.com.au 0405 424 449 www.thehobartmagazine.com.au

Contributors: Taylor Stevenson, Lily Whiting, Sarah Aitken, Annia Baron, Alison Boleyn.

Cover image: James Morris This page: Tourism Australia

Publisher Information: While all care has been taken, some information may have changed since publication. The Hobart Magazine regrets it can’t accept liabilities from errors or omissions contained in this magazine. The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw or amend all advertisements without explanation. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is prohibited. The views expressed in articles and advertisements are not endorsed by the editor or publishers. We welcome any questions, feedback or submissions, email editor@thehobartmagazine.com.au.

WELCOME TO THE HOBART MAGAZINE

Happy new year and welcome to 2023. I saw a meme recently that said people are too scared to say that 2023 will be their year, based on the unusual few years we’ve been living through. Let’s collectively hope that 2023 will be a great one across the board!

This month Hobart musician Kat Edwards is on the cover - she’s spending summer sharing her singing talents with Tassie. In the spirit of entering 2023 with a fresh start - we also learn more about cosmetic beauty, talk to a cancer survivor and take a visit to a fun new pub.

We look forward to sharing community news, events and Hobart happenings with you this year. As always, if you have something to share, get in touch via editor@thehobartmagazine.com.au.

All the best,

Steph, James and The Hobart Magazine team

Carl, Nicola and Holly Mason

ELYSIA HODGE

Interview: Stephanie Williams

After seven years in Melbourne, nurse Elysia has returned to open her own cosmetic and skin practice.

Where did you grow up and where do you live now? I grew up in Blackmans Bay, which is where I currently live. I moved back from Melbourne this year after seven years.

Tell us a little about your work? I’m the cosmetic nurse and founder of Butter Cosmetic + Skin Clinic. I also work part time as a Covid@Home nurse.

Was nursing something you always wanted to do? I first decided I was going to pursue nursing in high school. I remember being torn between nursing and psychology. I’ve always loved the idea of opening my own business, but I never imagined I would open my own cosmetic clinic. That’s the great thing about nursing, it can take you in so many directions.

What led you to open your own business in Hobart and what do you hope to achieve with Butter? For the past four years, I worked as a Senior Clinical Specialist at a market leading medical aesthetics company. I was responsible for training Registered Nurses, Cosmetic Physicians, Plastic Surgeons and Dermatologists across Australia on the safe and effective use of cosmetic injectable treatments. I spent a lot of time observing how other practitioners ran their clinics which helped me realise what I did (and didn’t) aspire to when planning my own clinic. I also spoke to countless patients, friends and family members about their experiences at cosmetic clinics and what was important to them when seeking treatments.

Patients want more than just a treatment to enhance a feature, they want to form a connection with a practitioner they can trust and have a unique in-clinic experience. Although I love Melbourne, Hobart

has always been home to me and I was excited to reimagine the way cosmetic treatments are experienced here with the opening of Butter Cosmetic + Skin Clinic. I have a minimalist approach to aesthetics and offer anti-wrinkle, dermal filler and bio-remodelling treatments at Butter. I’m also launching an exciting new skin offering soon too. It’s the small details that make the Butter experience special. It’s lovely to see this being reflected in my google reviews already. My greatest mission is to ignite confidence in the patients I treat, and support a deeper and more loving connection to self.

You mention the term ‘cosmetic beauty’ on your website and social media. What does this concept mean, and how does it shape your approach to cosmetic treatments at Butter? Cosmetic beauty simply refers to the aesthetic outcome achieved through a cosmetic treatment (in this case, cosmetic injectable treatments). Many patients believe that cosmetic beauty is about following aesthetic trends, such as having fuller lips or more defined cheekbones. The issue is, following these trends doesn’t always translate into a positive aesthetic outcome.

There are many things to consider when helping patients form an appropriate aesthetic goal, such as their age, gender, ethnicity and individual facial features. To me, cosmetic beauty is about maintaining facial harmony and balance. I often ask my patients to think about the message they would like their face to send, when they aren’t actually saying anything. Some patients may feel more aligned to looking happy, healthy and rested. Others may want to enhance their natural beauty or achieve a more contoured, feminine or masculine aesthetic outcome. There is also a deeper meaning to cosmetic beauty, which is why patients seek cosmetic injectable treatments in the first place. When we experience the early signs of ageing, a significant life event, or progressively feel more insecure about a feature, we can start to lose touch with what makes us feel beautiful. Cosmetic injectable treatments aren’t for everyone, but

they can help patients feel more confident, connected to self and empowered to live their best life. Clinical research suggests that this increase in confidence can even lead to an improvement in quality of life, or the way we are perceived socially. I have personally experienced many of these outcomes when seeking cosmetic injectables.

Are you seeing any trends in the aesthetic industry at the moment? What do you see in the future for skincare and cosmetic procedures? There is some interesting research emerging on the future of aesthetic trends. Firstly, there is an emphasis on diverse individuality. People of all ethnicities are seeking out aesthetic treatments and they want to see themselves reflected and represented.

There is also a shift towards gender inclusive beauty and a rise in the demand for aesthetic treatments for the modern man. Beauty is no longer rigidly defined and patients are exploring creative new ways of expressing who they are through cosmetic treatments. Patients are seeking immersive experiences at cosmetic clinics that deliver engagement at every touchpoint. Patients, regulatory bodies and the general public are now holding aesthetic practitioners and their practices to a higher standard, leading to an increased focus on ‘aes-ethics’. Lastly, the global aesthetic market continues to grow, driven by patients seeking treatment at a younger age, an increase in digital communication (changing the way patients perceive themselves) and cosmetic treatments being widely more understood and accepted.

What do you love doing outside work?

I am a big foodie. I love to visit new restaurants or spend a night in with a glass of red and a Julia Ostro recipe. Besides this, I enjoy weekends away at the shack with my partner and our cute little Staffy Norman.

Who do you admire? I’m inspired by women in business. Jessica Sepel is the perfect balance of boss bitch and authenticity. I was lucky enough to spend a day cooking with her a few years back. I hope I can inspire others to reconnect with themselves in the same way she does.

In the aesthetic industry, I look up to Dr Cara McDonald, a leading dermatologist who is originally from Hobart.

Favourite podcast or tv show? Below Deck is my guilty pleasure. Seriously, just watch it.

Secret vice? An almond brewed chai.

What are you reading now? You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero. I’m a sucker for a good self-help book.

What gets your goat? When people judge others based on their appearance (or what they do to maintain this). Whether it’s their makeup, the clothes they wear or the cosmetic treatments they have… if it makes them feel beautiful, let them do their thing.

What was your first job? I was a Banjo’s girl!

What are your daily news/social media habits? I spend more time scrolling on Instagram than I’d like to admit. I love to keep up with @jessica_nguyen_ and @melissagotstyle.

Your favourite place for… Breakfast: Ginger Brown or Pigeon Hole Cafe.

Lunch: Pigeon Whole Bakers.

Dinner: Templo (with a pre-drink at Sonny).

Favourite team? My partner would not be happy if I didn’t say Richmond Football Club.

Favourite Hobart secret? Next time you go to Mona, look for the toilet with the mirror on the back of the door. You’re welcome.

What’s your top skin tip? Wear SPF all day every day and remember skin care stops at your boobs…don’t forget your neck and décolletage.

Parting words? If you think about it every day, it’s probably worth pursuing. Oh…and spread love + butter.

You can follow Butter on Instagram @buttercosmeticandskin or find out more at buttercosmeticandskin.com.au.

TOM MCCALLUM

Interview: Lily Whiting

Young Hobart AFL defender Tom McCallum was recently drafted to play with Port Adelaide Football Club and is looking forward to new sights as he moves away from his beloved Tasmanian AFL team mates, friends and family.

Where in Hobart do you live? Howrah.

Why Hobart? Hobart is home for me and my family.

Tell us a little about your work? I just finished studying at Guilford Young College and have played footy since I was a kid. Now it’s becoming my full time job, which is great!

Congratulations on being picked up in the AFL 2022 draft recently, what were you doing when you found out you had been selected? When my name was read out to be selected to play for Port Adelaide I was at home on the couch with Mum, Dad and my two younger brothers.

What is it about being a part of the Port Adelaide team that excites you most? The most exciting part about being a part of Port Adelaide is their rich culture and tradition.

They have been around for such a long period of time and have dominated the SANFL for so long.

There’s a decent number of young AFL players being drafted from Tasmania. What has the competition to get selected been like throughout this process? We are all just very happy for each other to get drafted and it’s good having so much talent when training together to push us to become better players.

What will this next quarter look like for you? My next quarter will be working hard living in my new state, Adelaide.

What are you going to miss about playing for the Tasmanian Devils? I’m going to miss playing with my mates every week as we all have such a good connection. A lot of us on the team have been playing together since the Under 12s state team, so it’s been pretty special to grow up and upskill together. Lots of my schoolmates have been in the team as well which made it even more fun.

I loved all the coaches and we were a really tight unit as a whole, so that’s what I will miss the most.

What do you love doing outside of this? Hanging out with mates.

Who do you admire? I admire athletes Adam Goodes and Usain Bolt.

Favourite podcast or tv show? Rick and Morty for a good laugh.

Your favourite place for… Breakfast: A classic weetbix at home.

Lunch: Seafood at Mures. Dinner: Rockwall Bar + Grill.

What are you reading now? I have just finished Nick Riewoldt’s biography.

What gets your goat? Well, both the Abletts are my GOATs!

What was your first job? My first job was boundary umpiring.

What are your daily news/social media habits? Scrolling through Instagram or Facebook.

Favourite team? San Antonio Spurs

Favourite Hobart secret? I’m not giving my favourite Hobart secret away!

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FREE TAFE AND VET PLACES ON THEIR WAY…BUT WILL THERE BE ANY TEACHERS?

A new federal and state government deal is set to inject $23 million into the Tasmanian skills and training sector, with a plan to support around 3,800 fee-free TAFE and VET places for next year. This had us clapping one moment then wondering where on earth the much-needed teaching staff will materialise from the next. In November, Tasmanian Labor said the Liberal government had ‘failed’ to fix the TAFE teacher shortage issue, stating that they’d provided only 12 out of a promised 100 new teachers over four years. The new plan includes 1,000 free TAFE places offered in the care sector including 850 in aged care, then a further 450 in hospitality and tourism, 350 in agriculture, 250 in technology and digital, 200 in construction, 150 in sovereign capability, and around 1,400 in other priority sectors including foundation skills. Sounds brilliant…but will there be enough teachers to teach?

HCC COUNCILLORS’ INTERESTS TO BE EXPOSED

NEW NEW NEW

We said goodbye to Cibo E Vino in Battery Point recently and hello to Perch (45 Hampden Road, Battery Point). Serving brunch and coffee in the morning and transforming into a wine bar by night. The Picnic Basket Cafe (176 Channel Hwy, Taroona) has reopened with new owners and a fresh new look. There’s word of extended trading hours too, which will be music to the ears of Taroona locals and beachgoers. Shippies is back. After pretty schmick glow up, The Shipwrights Arms (29 Trumpeter St, Battery Point) is serving classic pub food in a fancy new space. In a first for Tasmania, Osaki Japanese (2/285 Elizabeth Street, North Hobart) is an all-you-can-eat Japanese restaurant in North Hobart. Chip away at endless plates of sashimi, chicken karaage and noodles for under $40 a head. Lauderdale has a new dining experience with Altitude Restaurant and Functions (Level 1/464 South Arm Road, Lauderdale) offering a space with a focus on seafood and fresh Tasmanian produce. Argyle Street has a new kid on the block with Lazy Brunch Hobart (279 Argyle Street, Hobart) opening seven days a week from 6am, next to Co-Op Toyota. Butter Cosmetic and Skin Clinic (293 Macquarie Street, Hobart) opened recently, pop in for a very serene, all things skin and cosmetic treatments experience. After Eight (66 Murray Street, Hobart) have launched their sustainable luxury fashion brand Romy, reportedly Tasmania’s first luxury label. For now, Romy is exclusively available at their city store. Gorman lovers of Hobart will have probably already spotted the bright windows of a new Gorman Outlet (71 Murray Street, Hobart), just up the road from their regular store. The closing of Floral Criteria left a flower sized hole in our heart, so we are pleased to see Concept on Criterion Street (9 Criterion Street, Hobart) filling it up! Head their way for all kinds of street apparel, shoes, books and vinyls.

Hobart City Council’s elected members may soon have their registrable interests listed on a compulsory public register. Newly elected Councillor Ryan Posselt moved a motion calling for a report to be written on the establishment of such a register at last month’s council meeting. The registrable interests would include shareholdings, business trusts, real estate, company directorships, sponsored hospitality and travel and memberships of any community and sporting organisations. A motion moved by Cr Posselt calling for a report to investigate a register of Elected Members’ communication with property developers on a monthly basis was also passed. Can’t wait to read that list!

AN AVENUE OF ELMS TO HONOUR THE QUEEN

An avenue of elm trees has been completed along Queens Walk Oval in New Town to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. The recently planted elms restore a lost avenue of trees planted over a century ago, to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.

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GET INVOLVED WITH SPORTS EQUIPMENT RECYCLING

Game On Recycling is a pilot program looking to create a national recycling scheme for sports equipment. Large volumes of sporting equipment are used each year in Australia, including an estimated 10 million tennis balls, two million basketballs and many more items. Many of these items find their way into landfill.

Game On Recycling are establishing collection sites across Australia to collect old and unwanted sporting equipment. Items collected will be sent to Australia New Zealand Recycling Platform’s (ANZRP) processing facilities in Melbourne to be sorted and separated into items that can be reused and put back into circulation, or items that need to be recycled.

THE COTTAGE SCHOOL WINS BIG!

The Cottage School in Bellerive recently won equal first in national film competition, The Bell Shakespeare Shorts Festival with their film, What News? This was their first time entering the competition, and were the only Tasmanian school to be shortlisted, winning the ‘Top Primary Film’ and ‘Excellence in Performance’ categories across both primary and secondary school admissions.

The Bell Shakespeare Shorts Festival invites participants from both primary and secondary grades to enter a short film inspired by the works of Shakespeare. The Cottage School year five and six students created a comical script incorporating many references to the play Macbeth Student Remi Inches said her fellow students were really excited to have won. “We didn’t expect to, but we all love doing drama and performance at school.” Kath Windfeld-Petersen, a teacher at the school, commended the students for embracing the complexity of Shakespearean language while Joanna Erskine, Head of Education at Bell Shakespeare said the students’ passion and enthusiasm bursted out of the screen! Head online at the Bell Shakespeare website to view the winning film.

NEW HOBART PROPERTY RANKINGS RELEASED

Hobart has ranked 11 out of 14 in a recent Australian property market report - rising two places since last year’s report. Canstar’s Rising Stars annual report noted that Hobart has been at the forefront of price growth in Australia for the past five years and had previously been the cheapest capital city market but our homes now cost more than those in Adelaide, Perth and Darwin and are not far below Brisbane or Melbourne. The report ranks 14 Australian jurisdictions – eight capital cities and six regional states and territories – based on sales volumes, quarterly price growth, vacancy rates, rental growth and infrastructure spending. Overall, Adelaide came first, Brisbane second and Perth third. The report also named the top five suburbs to invest in in Hobart as Glenorchy, Howrah, Lindisfarne, Moonah and Risdon Vale, saying, “While the Hobart market peaked some time ago, the northern suburb of Glenorchy is one where sales activity continues to rise. Houses remain relatively affordable (the median price is $600,000) despite strong growth of close to 10% a year over a decade. Vacancies are near zero. Glenorchy has the second largest shopping district in Tasmania, after the Hobart CBD.”

Re-use items will be made available to various community clubs, groups, institutions and organisations. Items destined for recycling will be granulated and manufactured into a variety of products including soft fall matting. Organisations that register to become collection point will receive a collection unit and cardboard boxes. Each cardboard box comes with a prepaid Australia Post Label allowing for free shipping to the recycling facility. For more information, or to register a Hobart club as a collection site visit www.gameonrecycling.com.au.

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and disposal of ash from pot fires can also provide an ignition source. Gas stoves and gas barbecues are still permitted. For more information, visit the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service website.

CHANGES TO FREE COVID TESTING FROM THIS MONTH

State-operated PCR testing clinics will close on 31 January, and RAT kits provided by request or at Service Tasmania for concession card holders are also over from that date. The suggestion is to go to your GP for a PCR…if you can get an appointment that is.

THUMBS UP

Parents rejoice. You get the whole of January off filling lunchboxes.

New water fountains at Salamanca.

Summer holidays channelling The White Lotus wardrobes and hotels.

Berry season.

Sharing resources via community food pantries and street libraries.

CAMPFIRE

RESTRICTIONS

IN TASSIE NATIONAL PARKS AND RESERVES THIS SUMMER

Campfires are one of the best things about camping, but not if they get out of hand. The Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) has introduced campfire restrictions across a number of national parks and reserves this summer until further notice. These measures will help protect Tasmania’s significant reserve estate, along with ensuring visitor and community safety. Although Tasmania has received steady rainfall over the past few months, the underlying vegetation conditions are dry with PWS crews attending a number of fires in recent weeks. The seasonal campfire restrictions apply to national parks and reserves in the following areas:

• Dorset, Break O’Day, Glamorgan/ Spring Bay, Sorell and Tasman municipalities

• Snaky Creek and Tooms Lake Conservation Areas

• Flinders, King and Maria Islands

• Narawntapu National Park.

Restrictions have also been imposed on the use of pot fires as sparks, embers

HAVE YOUR SAY: WASTE AND RESOURCE RECOVERY

Got thoughts on the way our rubbish and recycling is done here in Tassie? The draft Tasmanian Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy has just been released for public consultation, so you can have a say. The brand new Waste and Resource Recovery Board has set a vision for Tasmania to be a place where nothing is wasted. The Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Roger Jaensch, said the times are a-changin. “We are transitioning from a traditional approach of taking resources, making and using products, and discarding the waste, to a model where the use and value of materials during and after the life of a product is maximised,” Mr Jaensch said. “This shift will help Tasmania continue to build a circular economy approach into everything we do.” Feedback on the Draft Strategy closes 31 January 2023. For more information and to make a submission, visit wrr.tas.gov.au.

THUMBS DOWN

In 2020-21, Tasmanian gamblers lost around $398 million in total on pokies, lotteries, keno, casino table games and wagering.

Reports of a number of dead birds in Howrah backyards. You can report any animal deaths to the RSPCA.

Overfishing of Tassie flathead stocks.

NATURE STRIPS STRIPPED BARE OR ADDED FLAIR?

Nature strips within the City of Hobart will soon be the responsibility of residents, rather than council. The end of the current maintenance cycle in late March will see the automatic maintenance (such as mowing) of residential nature strips finish up, bringing Hobart in line with other Tassie councils. As of the 20th of this January, you’ll no longer need to apply for permission to use and maintain your residential nature strips, so now’s the time to plan some clever and creative uses for them. Residents who are unable to care for their nature strips can apply to Hobart City Council for an ongoing maintenance service. If you’re working on a roadside glow up - send in your pics, we’d love to see your creative ideas.

HOBART UNI HOUSING LEASED TO REFUGEES OVER SUMMER

University accommodation sitting empty over the summer break has been provided to the Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania (MRC) to use as short-term accommodation for new Tasmanians with a refugee background. Starting in December, MRC Tas leased unoccupied university student accommodation in Hobart and Launceston to house new arrivals in the Australian Government’s Humanitarian Settlement Program. With the average vacancy rate for private rental housing in Tasmania sitting at less than 1% throughout 2022, it has been increasingly difficult for Tasmanians to find affordable housing, particularly with the additional barriers of language differences, cultural differences and potential trauma that can come with

a refugee experience. “Despite a chronic shortage of rental properties in Tasmania, this innovative joint initiative means that people fleeing war and other crises will have access to otherwise unoccupied short-term accommodation,” said MRC Tas CEO Gillian Long.

RESEARCH INTO REVERSING TAS GAY BLOOD DONATION BAN

Red Cross Lifeblood are conducting research into replacing their blanket ban on gay blood donation with individual risk assessments. Currently, gay men, bisexual men, trans women and some nonbinary people who have sex with men are all excluded from donating blood unless they abstain from sex for three months. Tasmania’s Rodney Croome, spokesperson for newly formed Let Us Give group, said it was a step in the right direction. “In every country that has dropped the gay blood ban and adopted individual risk assessment instead, including the UK and Canada, a review was the first step,” he

said. “We will increase our campaigning to ensure Lifeblood has access to the latest medical evidence from countries that have reformed their policies and to ensure it hears the voices of those who are currently and wrongly excluded from blood donation.” Tasmanian Federal Liberal Bridget Archer raised the issue in Parliament on 8 November. Lifeblood has said it will also pursue a “plasma pathway” to allow donation by men who have sex with men before to it moves on to individual risk assessment.

HAPPY 40th TO TASSIE’S WORLD HERITAGE AREA

Happy birthday to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, which celebrated 40 years last month. The Western Tasmanian Wilderness National Parks, as it was first known, was added to the World Heritage List on December 14, 1982. In 1989, a boundary extension increased the original area of 770,000 hectares to 1.34 million hectares and also added the Walls of Jerusalem National Park. The parks were also renamed Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA) then.

The World Heritage Area now covers about 1.59 million hectares, which is almost a quarter of Tasmania (23%)!

It’s one of the world’s largest and most spectacular temperate wilderness areas, and is one of only two world heritage areas globally to meet seven out of 10 of UNESCO’s World Heritage criteria.

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IS IT TIME TO DITCH BIG INVESTMENT IN AFL?

The Tasmanian Liberal Government has committed to spend $375 million toward building a stadium in which to play AFL games. There will be talk of other codes and events being hosted in the space but the driver for the current iteration of the stadium is AFL. The AFL has stayed firm that the bid for a team hinges on the stadium. But what if the polls and the pub tests are true - what if the majority of Tasmanians don’t actually want to spend hard earned tax dollars on a new stadium at Mac Point? It’s obvious to draw a conclusion that that money should be spent on bolstering the health and education systems but could we be fostering growth in other sports. Is AFL actually the sport that kids today and in the future want to play?

According to the Australian Government’s Ausplay statistics released in November 2022, soccer is already Tasmania’s most played team sport, with an estimated 6.6% of the state’s population taking part in the World Game. When it comes to young people, this popularity skyrockets, with 23.2% of Tasmanians aged between 5-18 participating in soccer. Nationally 14% of children participate in soccer, the only more popular organised sport being swimming (36%) and below that, gymnastics

ARE YOU A CARER? HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO SPEAK UP

Do you provide care and support for a family member or friend with disability, mental ill health, a chronic or life-limiting condition, alcohol or other drug dependence, who is frail and aged, or is a child and you are their informal kinship carer? If so, you’re invited to express interest in becoming a member of the Minister’s Carer Advisory Council. The closing date

at 11%. Soccer consistently ranked above AFL in participation rates in the 0-14 age group - in cities, rural and regional, and language other than English participants.

Football Tasmania CEO Matt Bulkeley said he expected playing figures would rise even further after the Socceroos captivated the nation with their successful progression out of the tournament’s group stage. “The Socceroos have really grabbed the attention of the entire nation this World Cup with their heroic performances showing why football is the world’s, Australia’s and Tasmania’s most loved sport. It’s been even better viewing than normal for Tasmanians, with our state’s fans

having the added bonus of being able to cheer on a local for the first time, with Nathaniel Atkinson part of the squad.”

During the World Cup, the Australian Socceroos coach Graham Arnold said in an interview that the Socceroos needed a new home base. Does opportunity knock? Sadly, Tassie recently lost out as a potential training base for the upcoming womens’ World Cup next year - a lost opportunity for Tasmanian kids to watch the world’s best in action, even if it’s just witnessing their training camps. The brain cogs started turning…with so many more kids playing soccer and increasing interest in soccer as a spectator sport, is it time to question whether some of the AFL stadium funds could be redirected to soccer infrastructure and development?

for expressions of interest is 31 January 2023. Head to dpac.tas.gov.au for more.

GET READY FOR YOUTH WEEK 2023

Got an awesome idea for celebrating Youth Week 2023? Grants are available now to help make it happen. Youth Week 2023 will have a strong focus on acceptance and will promote young Tasmanians to “Be Bold. Be You” and will recognise the value of all young Tasmanians

aged 12 to 25. Grants of up to $2000 are available to support Youth Week events or activities in Tasmania in the first week of May. The grants program supports local government, community organisations and schools in Tasmania to develop and deliver innovative events and activities during Youth Week. Applications will close on February 23, so for more information contact Community Grants at grants@dpac.tas.gov.au or 1800 204 224.

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CITYPILOTS PROJECT UNVEILED

If you’ve ridden along the Moonah cycle-way recently, you would have noticed some bright new additions to the pavement. Artist Tom O’Hern’s piece, Foreverever (2021) is one of eight temporary art installations across Hobart as part of the CityPILOTS project - an opportunity for artists to explore and experiment in the spaces of Hobart to intrigue, delight and challenge city users. Foreverever is a scale replica of the solar system running along the bike track, beginning at the Regatta Grounds with the sun, and ending with Pluto towards the North. Under each plant lies a small dot, showing relative size and distance between each at a scale of 1:1.5 billion. Other pieces in the project include David Campell’s Future Memorial, 2045 featuring ten memorial plaques commemorating events from a possible near-future pasted around the city and Matt Daniels’ MID-TOWN-CLOCK, a new take on the idea of a civic clock informing passerbys while reflecting the local environment. CityPILOTS project is a federally funded project, aiming to help artists in Hobart to obtain future commissions. Be sure to hop on your bike soon and keep an eye out around town for more current and future installations!

LOCAL WRITERS WIN BIG

The Tasmanian Literary Awards - formerly known as the Premier’s Literary Prizes - have been announced for the first time since 2019. Congratulations to all

the winners, including Amanda Lohrey, who won The Premier’s Prize for Fiction for The Labyrinth; Lian Tanner, who won the Young Readers and Children category with Ella and the Ocean; and previous cover star of this magazine, Stephanie Jack, who received the Margaret Scott Tasmanian Young Writers Fellowship. For the full list of winners, shortlists, longlists and judges’ comments, head to www.arts. tas.gov.au/tasliteraryawards/home.

TRAVELLING THIS SUMMER? KEEP YOUR EYES (NOT BANANAS) PEELED

As we enjoy the holiday season, Biosecurity Tasmania are encouraging Tasmanians who travel to stay mindful of biosecurity risks to our state. With the detection of foot-and-mouth disease in Bali and the ongoing risk of lumpy skin disease across Indonesia, Tasmanians returning from Indonesia are asked to still be careful. Biosecurity Tasmania Director of Biosecurity Operations Ryan Wilkinson said foot-and-mouth disease could live for long periods on clothing, shoes and equipment, making it extremely important they were cleaned before returning to Australia and Tasmania. Before you begin your journey home from Indonesia make sure you are not carrying any meat or dairy products and clean your clothing, shoes and equipment thoroughly. “You can further protect our State once you’re home by cleaning your clothing thoroughly again and avoiding any contact with livestock for a period of seven days,”

Mr Wilkinson said. As always, if you are travelling to Tasmania from interstate, or are expecting visitors from the mainland, don’t bring in items such as fresh fruits and vegetables, some animals and animal products, fish products, or plant and plant materials. “If you are carrying these items please dispose or declare them on your arrival.” For those people staying in our home state over summer, please dispose of your food and leftovers responsibly and report anything unusual (like larvae in fruit) immediately to Biosecurity Tasmania. For more information visit www. nre.tas.gov.au/travellersguide.

YOUTH ADVISORY PANEL SEEKING ENTHUSIASTIC NEW MEMBERS

Are you a young person who would like to have more say on issues that are important to them? Perhaps you’d like the chance to advise the government directly! If so, consider applying to join the Premier’s Youth Advisory Panel. You must live in Tasmania and be aged 12-24.

The Council is made up of young people from diverse backgrounds, ages and communities and gives the Government the chance to meet young people face-toface and hear their concerns and ideas. Applications close on 22 January. 13 new members will be chosen, ready for the first meeting of 2023 in either March or April. To find out more, or to apply, visit the Premier’s Youth Advisory Council webpage www.dpac.tas.gov.au/pyac.

BITS AND PIECES

MARCIA HINES HITS HOBART

and sometimes very confronting too, but I’ve been very lucky to be invited back as a guest judge for the new season. In terms of providing advice to young performers…I’m not sure they really listen to me anyway!! My advice to young performers is that they have to find their own way, explore lots of options and follow their own hearts.

Marcia Hines quickly became pop royalty when she moved to Australia at a spritely 16 years old. She became the unspoken favourite judge on Australian Idol during its heyday. Marcia is back in Hobart, belting out disco anthems against a scintillating stage of acrobatics, aerialism and circus acts in her latest show Velvet Rewired.

Welcome back to Tasmania and thank you for bringing disco back to town! Thank you so much, firstly it’s so wonderful to be bringing a show like Velvet Rewired to Tasmania. Many touring companies don’t include Tasmania in their tour schedule and I don’t know why because it’s such a wonderful place. Velvet Rewired is an explosion of disco atmosphere and fun! People can expect stunning costumes, talented aerial acts, wonderful dancing, music that you know and love and fantastic performances by a highly talented cast!

Your career spans decades - many would remember your time as a judge on Australian Idol. After a varied and jam-packed career in the performing arts from a young age, do you have any advice for young performers making their way? My time as a judge on Australian Idol was very interesting

You’ve been to Hobart before. What do you love about it? While I love so many things about Hobart, like the waterfront, the mountain views, the cute cafes, what I really love the most are the people. The people in Hobart are so friendly and welcoming, they make me feel so happy to be here and I’ve always found that Hobart audiences are so appreciative and love to have a good time.

Hobart is the halfway point for your 22/23 tour, what are you looking forward to doing here?

I’ll be there for around three or so weeks and I’m looking forward to getting to know Hobart is better as I’ll have time to spend wandering around and exploring. But I’m also planning to travel up the highway to Launceston and to enjoy a homemade pie or pastie on the way up!

Catch Velvet Rewired at Theatre Royal from 24-30 March, 2023.

ON YA BIKE: NEW TASSIE WEBSITE TO COMBAT BIKE THEFT

Bike-riders around Tasmania will be doing wheelies to know there is more help out there if their bike gets nicked. A new website, Bikelinc was first established in Western Australia in 2019, joined by the ACT in 2020 and is now available for Tasmanians to log a bicycle in the unfortunate event of being stolen, or when preparing to buy a second hand bike. You can create a bike profile complete with pictures and serial numbers. Police will be able to directly access profiles should they come across a stolen bike, while buyers of second-hand bikes can search serial numbers to check they are purchasing from a legitimate owner. Spokesperson for Bicycle Network, (they’re Tassie’s key biking advocates), Alison Hetherington welcomed the registration website, “Bikes aren’t just another possession, for many riders their bike is a source of joy: it’s what provides their fun on the weekend or is their main means of transport. While bike theft may be seen as a low-value crime, it means a lot to bike owners to know police are taking their loss seriously.” she said. Bike riders are encouraged to upload any types of customisation such as saddles or handlebars that might help differentiate their bike from others. Approximately more than half of the Tasmanian households surveyed in the 2021 National Cycling Survey owned one or more bicycles. “It’s important bike owners understand the risk of theft by using a lock that is difficult to cut, ensuring garages are secure, and recording their bike’s details in case it’s stolen,” Ms Hetherington said.

More certificates, more possibilities

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Boost your career, join a new industry, or follow a passion with our undergraduate certificates. You can study fully online and get qualified in just six months. Plus, financial assistance is available to help you get started. Our undergraduate certificates cover a broad range of topics including art and design, business, health, science, sustainability, technology, and more.

To learn more, scan the QR code or visit utas.edu.au/certificates

Photo:

Students at the Inveresk campus library, Launceston.

WHAT’S ON IN HOBART

MONDAY WEDNESDAY TUESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

See stunning paintings of Tasmanian birds at Belinda Kurczok’s Birds exhibition at the Long Gallery, Salamanca, until the 22nd. 10am-5pm every day.

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Looking for love? Start the year with some new options! You might like to try speed dating at Pablo’s Cocktails and Dreams with host Bianca. 6pm.

The Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Sixers today for the Big Bash League. From 7:15pm, Blundstone Arena.

Dallas-born, New York City-based artist Marc Rebillet performs in Australia for the first time, sharing his infamous bathrobe-wearing, comical musical performance.

Women’s National Cricket League is on today at Bellerive Oval between the Tasmanian Tigers and South Australia Scorpions, 10am. Enjoy a free meal and bible discussion at Lindisfarne Anglican Church, 6:30pm.

Anyone for tennis? It’s day two of the 2023 Hobart International at the Domain Tennis Centre today, culminating in the final on 14 January. Kids can get in free (with some exceptions).

UK celebrity doctor twins Dr Xand and Dr Chris bring their stage show Operation Ouch to Australia, playing at Wrest Point today at 10am or 1pm. Book ahead.

Images of Tasmania 25 is an annual exhibition of around 45 artists’ mini exhibitions, at Long Gallery & Sidespace Gallery, Salamanca Arts Centre, until the 16th.

copy No Scrubs is the ultimate 90s and early 00s party night. Observatory Bar, Franklin Wharf, from 9pm tonight til late!

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Permaculture-loving musical troubadours Formidable Vegetable are back again, playing The Grand Poobah (and the Cygnet Folk Festival).

Roger Hodgman is back in town to direct Shakespeare in the Gardens - A Midsummer Night’s Dream - at the Royal Botanical Gardens until the 21st.

Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons will be performed by Nigel Davidson, Di Jones and James Anderson at the Baha’i Centre from 7pm. Free but book on Humanitix.

Take the kids to see Big Monkey’s Robin Hood at the Royal Botanical Gardens at 11am today. Season ends 22nd.

Bridgewater Library hosts a fun holiday Lego Challenge this morning from 10:30am, more info on eventbrite.

A free Natural Fabric Dyeing Workshops for ages 12-25 is on today at Youth ARC in Collins St. 3-4:30pm, book via Humanitix.

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It’s the annual Wrest Point Sandy Bay Regatta today, 8am-2pm. Check out the action on the water, food, entertainment and citizenship ceremony.

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Kids can make a bug hotel from upcycled and natural materials at the Eco-Art Workshop, Kingston Beach Arts Hub, 10:30-11:30am.

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Join Dr Lisa Gershwin for a special Glow Show for kids to learn about nature that glows in the dark. Think the Aurora, bioluminescence, even fluorescent marsupials. 2pm and 3:30pm. Tickets at eventbrite.

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The Clarence Jazz festival kicks off today with an opening event at piyura kitina (Risdon Cove) from 5:30-8:45pm. Tonight David Sedaris tours his new book Happy-GoLucky at the Theatre Royal.

Hobart photographer Andrew Wilson’s solo exhibition ‘Custodian’ is on at Henry Jones Art Hotel until 28 Feb, in conjunction with Australian Wooden Boat Festival.

The Summersalt Festival brings Ben Harper, Alex The Astronaut, Angus and Julia Stone and more to chill at the Royal Botanical Gardens today.

Surf legend Layne Beachley headlines the Women in Waves Day today at Clifton Beach, hopefully encouraging more females to take up the sport. Learn how to fix your broken bits and bobs at the Repair Cafe at Kickstart Arts, New Town, from 1-4pm today. Later, Canadian bluegrass quartet The Dead South play the Odeon stage tonight, 7:30pm.

SUNDAY

It’s the second day of Ginuary today, the mini festival that serves up food, music, entertainment and…gin…at PW1.

FURTHER AFIELD

All Month

Name a better time to get out and about to enjoy the Art Farm Birchs Bay’s permanent and new sculptures! Until the end of February you can enjoy the 30+ permanent pieces and 20+ newbies displayed along a moderately easy walk around the farm and garden. Let the kids run wild, bring the pups on lead and enjoy the creativity in the open air. 3866 Channel Highway, until the end of February.

13-15 January

29 January

For those who prefer a more caffeinated, less alcoholic cellar door experience, the Tassie T-Farm are offering a Farm Tour day today in Allens Rivulet. Enjoy a 30 minute tour of the tea plantation, a complimentary tea tasting session, hear the owners’ history and experiences with growing tea and take a stroll around the 2 acre garden afterwards. 2pm-3:15pm, more at www.tassie-t.com.au.

3-4 February

Lace up the joggers for a community 5000m track meet at the Domain Athletics Centre from 5pm today. ‘Night of 5’s’ costs $10 entry, check out @nightoffives for more info.

Head to Spring Bay Mill today for their annual Sunflower Celebration from 10am-3pm. Cheer the JackJumpers on as they take on Perth Wildcats at the MyState Bank Arena from 1pm.

Head to Kangaroo Bay for the Clarence Jazz Festival’s Big Day Out. Music, food trucks, drinks and more, kids under 15 are free. Clarenceartsandevents.net.

A kids band that doesn’t drive parents bonkers? It’s true! The Teeny Tiny Stevies play Theatre Royal at 10:30am. Also catch the TAS Gravity Enduro Series Round 1 near Cascade Brewery all weekend.

The theme of this year’s Cygnet Folk Festival - ‘Back In Full Swing’ - says it all! See Lior + Domini, Frank Yamma, David Bridie, Formidable Vegetable and many, many more musical acts plus speakers, circus, stilts, Tin Camp Studio, food, markets and more.

22 January

Need an excuse to spend a few hours at one of the East Coast’s best-known wineries? Didn’t think so…but here’s one anyway. Devil’s Corner is hosting Sunday Sessions, and today they’re featuring Meg & Nick, plus there’ll be fresh seafood, wood-fired pizza and, obviously, wines. BYO picnic basket to set up on the grass or book in for a premium wine tasting. 10am-5pm with music going from 12-3pm. Devil’s Corner Cellar Door in Apslawn.

Celebrate the wonders of King Island at the eponymous festival with a laidback line up of folk, blues, country, indie and pop acts. Held beside the gorgeous Currie Harbour, the Festival of King Island promises music, surf, food and fun and this year’s lineup includes Kim Churchill, Boo Seeker and Sumner.

3-5 February

You’re invited to feast, dance, drink and learn to cook at Festivale in Launceston this year. The three days of gastronomic festivities will be held at City Park.

3-6 February

Pangaea Festival is back, baby! Camp out in the open air, enjoy music (Yothu Yindi! Thelma Plum!), food, circus, kids’ area, talks and more at this festival with a focus on sustainability and community. Held on a property near Buckland.

Background photo: Kathryn Leahy, Tourism Tasmania change.

KAT EDWARDS

Interview: Stephanie Williams Pic: Jacob Collings

23-year-old Hobart musician Kat Edwards may have been born in the back of a car in Canberra, but she quickly came to know Hobart as home. Whilst her music career has taken her off the island to Melbourne for now, she’s stoked to be coming home this summer.

You grew up in Hobart - which bit of it is home? I came to Hobart as a baby, so all my memories are there. We lived in South Arm when I was younger, it was such a beautiful house and I miss it. I have memories of feeding the neighbour’s horse! Then we moved to Howrah and that’s where my family home is, on the beach, then I moved in to New Town and then right before I moved to Melbourne [in March 22] I was back in Howrah.

You’re the youngest of 9 siblings - was it a musical household to grow up in? Nah not at all! They’re all really sporty! They’re all athletes. One of them, Jeremy, played hockey at the Commonwealth Games, he’s very talented. I did have one brother who was a bit more into music than the others and he showed me how to play guitar but it was mostly me randomly deciding I’d do music!

So how did you get deeply into music? I actually didn’t really get into music til I was a bit older. I did a lot of ballet and I think that kind of started it, because it was all French music and classical, so that was kind of what I was into then as I got a bit older I started singing at open mic nights at Irish Murphy’s. That was when I was about 16, so my parents would come and watch because obviously I wasn’t of age I couldn’t be in there without them, so thanks Mum and Dad! I started listening to my brother’s music on iTunes and Mum had three CDs on rotation - Elton John, Fleetwood Mac and ABBA - so that was all I had growing up. Then I went to Hobart College for music.

How did you end up in Melbourne? It was kind of by accident actually! It just made more sense for shows. I was getting offered shows in Melbourne but I couldn’t make it up here for them because of the cost of flights from Tassie, so it’s worked out I’ve gotten way more opportunities in a gig sense since I moved. And I love it.

Is music your main job now? I’m a barista at a place in Melbourne and I used to work at Room for a Pony and I loved that, I love waitressing and barista work, I think it’s because I just really love people! I’m only doing one shift a week at my coffee job and I’ve been able to make it by with music thanks to accidental incomes like getting a song on a TV show that hasn’t come out yet, I’ve had some lucky wins. 2023 will hopefully be

the year where I can just do a shift or two and music can pay for the rest, I think I’m slowly moving up to that.

Where do you hope to take your music this year? I just got back from the UK, I made a new album over there, so that’ll come out this year. I’ve had a few shows in Melbourne then a few shows in Tassie, the Mona one (Annus Finis) and then a festival in Forth and I also support Boy and Bear in early December in Hobart. It’s nice to be able to come back and do some shows in Tassie and see my family. It’s a nice little ‘two birds, one stone’ situation.

What’s your favourite place to eat in Hobart? Room for a Pony - I would get the vegan huevos rancheros or one of the pizzas. Their pizzas are probably the best pizza in Hobart.

Where would you meet a friend for a drink? La Sardina for a wine, and for a coffee, Sun Bear.

Where in Hobart do you head for a nature fix? The Springs walk on kunanyi.

Which are your favourite venues for gigs? The Odeon is somewhere I enjoy watching music, it’s a good venue to play at too. Or the Theatre Royal - that would be a dream to do a show there.

What’s the best gig you’ve been to in Hobart? Probably Matt Corby at the Odeon Theatre a few years ago, he was really good.

And your advice for visitors to Hobart? Definitely go up the mountain, go to Lost Freight cafe and get a little coffee and go for a little walk, obviously check out Mona, then go to all the op shops because we have the best op shops in Australia! Melbourne does not even compare, vintage shopping in Tassie is beautiful. Bring an empty suitcase. Even the Tip Shop in South Hobart is amazing for vintage jackets!

Stream Kat Edward’s brand new EP at www.katedwards.com.au.

RAISING TEENAGERS

Interview: Alison Boleyn

Clinical psychologist Dr David Bakker suggests how parents can support their kids through the challenging teenage years (and it’s not by fixing their problems).

Have you noticed a shift in teenagers’ concerns, or the questions their parents ask you? Absolutely, and the difficulties are escalating. Adults, like their children, are using technologies they weren’t taught how to use; I certainly didn’t learn from my parents how to use Snapchat. There’s massive variety in what parents believe about screen use and when everyone’s unsure, the kids sort of decide what they want. The business model of app and game developers is to maximise screen time; they use gambling techniques to keep people addicted to their products. If parents aren’t making a concerted effort against it, naturally you’ll find kids hooked into unhelpful loops.

If a teen has behavioural issues, is that always on their parents, whether it’s in the adults’ behaviour or plain old genetics? As a child, you learn to regulate your emotions – to adjust how you express and control your emotions –through co-regulation with your parents. Psychologists look at other parts of the picture – school, friends, culture, whether something stressful has happened – and there’s a genetic component, but we focus on what we can change. Parental behaviour is often a contributing factor and, unlike many factors, one that can be changed.

You identify four styles of parenting. What are these? Using a model focused on how parents address emotions, Emotionally Dismissive parenting ignores the emotion, so if a child is angry, the parent might say, “What do you need to do to get to school?” The Emotionally Disapproving style is about getting angry or upset at emotions; if a child

is scared about going to a friend’s, you might say, “There’s nothing to be afraid of. Pull yourself together.” There’s the Permissive style, which is accepting that the emotion’s happening but not doing anything about it: “OK, you don’t have to go if you’re upset.” Emotion Coaching is the parenting style we know has the best benefits for developing emotional intelligence in young people, helping them understand and regulate their feelings.

You do that by just talking to them about their feelings and showing empathy for their feelings. You still have boundaries and rules but enforce these with warmth and compassion.

Why should parents talk to a teen about what they’re feeling, rather than the thing upsetting them? Children and teens learn about their feelings by talking about them. If you just talk about the problem and not about the feelings it’s causing, an opportunity is missed to develop emotional regulation skills. If a teenager is able to regulate their feelings, they can usually come up with some good practical solutions to their problems. Also, most of life’s tricky situations have big emotional components. If a teen is being bullied at school, most barriers to using effective practical solutions will be emotional, such as anger at the bully, fear about telling a teacher, or shame.

What if your teen doesn’t communicate with you at all? You might want them to tell you all about their feelings and deep emotional struggles but they may not want to share. That’s a normal part of developing one’s sense of self; these young people are starting to manage things on their own or with the support of friends rather than parents. But I’m sure

there are other things they might want to connect with you about. Find something the young person is interested in and show a genuine interest. Wanting to learn about their games for example – like playing with them in a multiplayer mode – can be a great way to start connecting.

What do you do if your interactions get angry fast? Step back and think about what’s going on for them at that moment. Self control can be like a muscle – one that’s less developed in teenagers. If they’ve just come home from school, when that muscle is fatigued, and you provide them with one more demand, they’re going to push back firmly. So it might be about you helping them recharge before you talk.

How do you know what conflict is normal teenage stuff? A good sign is: are there nice moments of connection? Also, do you model apologising and does your teenager apologise to you or others? Look at the quality of their friendships. How they interact with their friends is a better indication of the person they are because if they’re yelling and screaming at you, that’s an indication they feel totally comfortable with you. Comparisons with other parents can also be useful. When parents connect, they start to realise what’s developmentally appropriate and get some strategies. It can unwind the cycle, if a parent’s thinking, “Oh my God, my teenager is turning into a monster,” every interaction will have a sense of needing to fix them. This might come out as more punishment or less warmth and the teenager will push the parent further away. For info about the Tuning in to Teens course, contact info@ archerstreethealth.com.au.

THE PIANO MAN BUILDING FUTURES FOR MIGRANT WORKERS IN HOBART

Interview: Lily Whiting

Worker shortage is currently universal, there isn’t an industry that’s exempt. For Kelvin Smith, four years ago he decided there was a very obvious solution to the shortage facing the construction industry, and all that was needed was a little time, empathy and a helping hand. Integrate Workforce is a Hobart-based labour company with one requirement: a refugee/ migrant background. He’s also the outdoor piano man in his free time.

How does Integrate Workforce differ from other construction companies? We’re a unique labour hire company designed to give people with a refugee background temporary work/training. We simultaneously operate as an employment agency and look for full time work

for them. Both construction and civil companies can use us as a labour hire company and as a place from which to ’try before you employ’ new employees. For people who speak English as a second language (ESL), they can simply show their capacity to prospective employers while on their worksites.

How many people do you employ? We started in February 2021 and 40 workers have come through our books in that time, with 16 on different sites across Hobart currently. Of our 40 friends, 14 have received full time work or apprenticeships with other companies through their work with us, with another three on schedule to do the same in January. Very excitingly, three employees have secured home-loans as a result of their employment with us!

Do workers stay with you or do you assist them into other pathways? Our “pathway” is essentially a commitment from us to stick with them and to do everything necessary to help them find long term work. Beyond physical training, we help guys to think beyond casual employment to an apprenticeship or career of their choice. It takes a few weeks to get their head into that space, this often becomes a very exciting conversation. We introduce them to prospective employers, then after a trial period we transition their employment to the new employer. In addition to this, we have recently designed and started a mini apprenticeship - a one year employment and an assisted Certificate II-IV in Construction through the Migrant Resource Centre. This program started in

November and has six of our employees in it currently.

How do you operate day to day? Each day I organise the workload, worksites, tools and our guys, doing my best to match skill sets, personalities etc with the tasks at hand. This usually involves 8-12 worksites spread out across Greater Hobart. I try to identify some training opportunities amongst the workload and ensure our guys are being upskilled along the way. I also pair up people that have been with us for some time with newer guys so they can also train/be trained and most of our guys still work with regular site supervisors from the construction companies. I try my best to fill some of the communication gaps if needed. My wife Kath handles all the bookwork, setting up employee profiles, matching hours with worksites, pays, invoicing etc - a mammoth task with ESL people. Essentially what this means is that we live in organised chaos!

What was your experience working with individuals from a migrant/refugee background prior to starting Integrate Workforce? I’ve done a fair bit of work among churches in Indonesia, about 80 weeks across 10 years. The country had a massive shift towards Christianity, so I was helping to build a leadership training network in hopes of diffusing any potential religious friction. I became quite familiar with communication through broken English, gestures and gaining clues from sentence structure that seems to be somewhat similar throughout Asia. I also learned to minimise the awkwardness

that happens when communication isn’t working…shrug it off, laugh it off - and ideally help them laugh also. For employment it is very important that attempts to use English are encouraged!

What are common barriers for people with refugee/migrant backgrounds to finding employment? Incidentally barriers to employment are not necessarily the same as the difficulties non-migrants find in the workplace. Without English, a person doesn’t really have a chance at getting or answering questions at an interview. There is a perception that non-English speaking people are less intelligent which is obviously entirely not true. An employer most often needs an employee to do the work but they often need them to be ‘likeable’ and ‘get along’ with the other guys, regardless of competence or capacity in other areas. ESL can create awkward moments that many employers don’t want on their worksites but really only need some time to smooth over. Some companies are simply just worried if safety requirements will be understood and maintained.

For people new to Hobart, surely even getting to a worksite must be a difficult experience? Navigating to a worksite can be more difficult than you would think, especially when working in new subdivisions that are not on Google Maps yet. Most migrants will have an automatic car licences and construction company utes are often manual. It takes a huge amount of courage for them to actually walk onto the worksite if I’m not there - and I can’t be on 8-12 sites all at once! 90% of our new employees make it or break it based on their ability to muster the necessary courage to enter the workspace.

How has working in a culturally diverse workplace changed your approach to work and life? I’ve been inspired by the determination of so many of our guys to step up and meet the daily challenges that they face. 16 years ago, one of our workers Paw Nay and his community were being regularly shot at by the Myanmar army.

After arriving in Australia, Paw Nay has helped hundreds of Burmese settle into Hobart and was our original primary source for me in finding employees. He now has a full time job with Kelly Civil and in September, he purchased a block of land in Berriedale and recently he signed a building contract for a house. He has helped 40-50 people get their driver’s licence, did the study necessary to become a pastor at Hobart Baptist Church, and is giving back to the community of Hobart by helping everyone and anyone daily. And that is just one story. At another level, I go to bed each night with a plan for the following day and everything organised. But I’m constantly on edge, as the plan can and does turn to shite very quickly - the plan is nearly always on a knife edge. I guess I’m saying we must be successful as many companies use us and love us for the work that we do, but the pressure to have all of my guys ‘productive’ (earning their wage) all of the time is a heavy load that is sometimes overbearing.

What are your favourite moments of transformation to see in your workers when they come onboard? I love the little step up surprises. At least five of my guys that I was near certain would fail for various reasons within their first month have proved to be really valuable employees. Each day I was preparing the extra supports that they need to do their job and then, without me noticing, the supports

become unnecessary and they’re flying on their own! As a business, every time an employee leaves us we are equally sad but happy for the opportunity to do more.

In a bit of a segue - you’re also known for your piano playing around Tasmania. What does playing the piano provide you as an outlet to the chaos of life? Piano is my happy place - forget about everything for a moment or two. Almost every day I play for 20-30 minutes just to de-stress and chill out. Piano allows me to disappear into the music. I have a few favourites that when I play just right will send shivers up my spine and any life chaos or stress is a million miles away! It’s kind of like pressing reset on the stress-meter.

Any hints on where you’ll be hung/ perched/submerged with your piano next? Over the past few years, I’ve had some incredible experiences with the piano, but they are all just a bit sideways from what I was originally doing. So in the next few months I want to get back to the roots. Chilling, playing the piano in beautiful unexpected places for the 6-8 people and the pademelons and birds who happen to be there.

You can follow more of Kevin’s musical adventures on Facebook, search ‘A Piano of Tasmania’ . He plays in some pretty spectacular locations...like hanging from a helicopter or in the middle of the bush!

SPEAK YOUR TRUTH.

Words: Annia Baron

The feeling can be crushing. That sudden, stinging sadness that engulfs your heart and reverberates through your chest to the pit of your stomach.

You’ve been made aware that someone you care about has let you down. Worse, they’ve reacted negatively towards you, so strongly or so out of the blue that when reading their messages, you don’t even know what to make of the content – harsh words about your character or choices. In that moment, you question everything about your connection with them. What the heck? Where did this come from? Is this really how they feel about me? Did I miss something here?

Knowing somebody is upset with us can trigger a cascade of deeply unpleasant emotional experiences, especially when their reaction to something we’ve said or done is unexpected or we learn they’ve been harbouring dissatisfaction towards us for a while. It’s awful; a huge stressor. And like anything that causes psychological tension, we’re compelled to resolve it. We want to put things right – our name, our reputation, and our position. With our heart racing and pulse rising, we start formulating a response, planning what to say and how to say it. But before we press send, maybe there’s an elevated approach to handling these triggering situations. When you notice a sense of urgency, perhaps it’s helpful to S.P.E.A.K your truth instead.

Slow down: During times of interpersonal conflict, our limbic system is activated, and emotions run high. Prior to any discussion, give yourself as many hours or days as you need to gather your thoughts. In the meantime, you can simply respond with something like, “I’m not ready to talk. I want to give this the time it deserves. I’ll get back to you in a few days.”

Practice cooling your mind: Mental havoc can arise when we’re emotionally threatened but you can override the ‘hot’, reactive part of the brain with cooling techniques. These will activate the prefrontal cortex, where we can reprogram our thoughts with reason, logic, and creative problem solving. Switch on a mindfulness app, do a gentle stretch, or enjoy some progressive muscle relaxation. These can do wonders for reinstating a sense of calm in the body and steadiness in the mind. The clearer we can be, the more effectively we’ll resolve the situation (and avoid saying anything we may regret!).

Empower your core values: Although things may feel overwhelming and confusing, return to your personal values. What are the most important things to you in terms of how you want to handle the situation? What strengths can you draw upon in this moment? Integrity, honesty, love, forgiveness? Knowing what you truly hold dear will help guide your perspective and leave you feeling good about how you’re choosing to act towards the other person. Focusing on our core values cultivates a sense of inner control that can help steer us towards a more favourable outcome.

Accountability: Explore what facets of the issue are your responsibility and which are not. If you’ve contributed to the situation, be a good adult and own it. But remember, it’s not your role to please or placate the other person simply for the sake of peace, especially if in your heart, you trust you haven’t intentionally done anything to upset them. Be courageous, assert yourself where needed, and apologise if there’s a reason to.

Kind communication: Before you articulate a response, remind yourself that we’re all human. We all go through challenging times and probably project a lot of our own ‘stuff’ onto one another. Misinterpretations often arise from a lack of communication so be clear and be gentle. It’s not about who is right or wrong, it’s about being respectful – to both you and the other person. State how

you feel, what you’d appreciate and what you’d like to do moving forward. For example, “I’m sorry you feel this way. I care about you, but I was hurt by your actions. We may not see eye to eye on some things, but I respect our connection and feel that we can move forward with a better understanding of one another’s experience. In the future, I’d appreciate you being honest with me earlier so that things don’t build up between us. Let me know what would be helpful for you too.”

It’s inevitable we’ll experience situations with friends, partners or colleagues that result in setbacks and disagreements. We’ll likely find ourselves giving into the rush of needing to justify, explain and defend. That’s okay, we’re allowed to. But remember that no matter how you choose to resolve an uncomfortable situation, giving yourself permission to S.P.E.A.K your truth could alleviate unnecessary anguish and lead to a more transparent and loving resolution, one that could leave you both feeling more open and authentic than before. Our social interactions may not always go swimmingly, however taking the time to be with our emotions, regulate our responses, and reply from a place of compassionate confidence, we can strengthen our capacity for more resilient, wholehearted, and mutually respectful interactions. Yes to that!

Annia Baron is a Clinical Psychologist & Mindset Coach. Want to learn more about mindset tools to create a life you desire and deserve? Get in touch on Instagram @anniabaron or visit www.remindyourself.com.

Join us, as we work to make Tasmania the healthiest island on the planet.

At St.LukesHealth, we’re committing to make Tasmanians healthier, by picturing a world with Tasmania on top. We know there’s a health problem to solve, and as a local not-for-profit, we’re going to be part of the solution. We’re imagining a healthier Tasmania – one where people are informed, empowered and confident about their health and their choices.

Scan to see how we’re making it a reality.

how a change of outlook can change your outcome.

KING ISLAND: LESS ROYAL, STILL GRAND

Words: Lily Whiting Pictures: Tourism Tasmania

Anchored in a stretch of no man’s land between us and Victoria, King Island is an uber relaxed, grassy island, equally hugged and battered by its surrounding oceans. More of a fishing-like village than a commercial tourist hotspot, a recent four day trip was spent a little slower than anticipated, but like its wallaby and crayfish population, widely welcomed by all.

we could make it to all capes and troughs of the island. Once we started driving, we very quickly stopped counting each cow personally and began estimating the inhabitants of paddocks that call the rolling grassy hills of King Island home. Google says an odd 100,000 cows which means our estimating game was way off.

Exploring

Getting around

There are no buses or public transport, so a hire car is a must if you want to explore. While it was thirsty on the $2.60/L fuel (ouch), it was necessary so

Being a relatively low lying (162m at its tallest) landscape, wind is inevitable. A southerly wind shot us up to the northern tip to Cape Wickham on day one, marking the southern ‘eye of the needle”, only a mere 90 km stretch from Victoria’s Cape Otway. Take a terrible double-chin selfie trying to fit in the scale of Australia’s tallest lighthouse in all its glory. Beyond the townships, there are nil cafes or lunch jaunts - instead opt for a picnic table overlooking one of the many beaches with a packed lunch. The coastlines are not underwhelming in the slightest, with the Eastern shores mildly reminiscent of the East Coast with their speckled orange rocks, fine pale sand and teal waves. Similar to the first, each day started slowly, followed by avoiding the wind and a simple lunch overlooking a coast line, preferably uphill of the kelp drying on the shoreline. To hide from prevailing winds, take your picnic or dinner and

make yourself at home in the Restaurant With No Food. Lunches and picnics can be as basic or boujee as you like here, all for a little donation but make sure you do your washing up, there’s no dishy here.

Eating

If we were whinging about the price of food on mainland Tasmania, spare a thought for locals of King Island. We opted to keep the food side of things in house for breakfasts and lunches - homecooked breakfasts, plunger coffees and filled rolls for lunches. Allow for an extra

budget if purchasing from local supermarkets, a little (a lot) more for fresh produce. King Island crayfish and beef were a lavish exception to our subdued diet plus an extra night spent at the King Island Hotel for a surprisingly well-priced and solid pub meal. Aside from the pub, the brewery and distillery are both quaint and worth a visit, for a chin wag at the very least. The brewery has been operating for a mere 18 months, with no beer leaving the island, and Heidi is an enthusiastic spirit lover with a rustic tasting room and petite still just out of Currie. A visit to King Island wouldn’t be complete without a stop at the dairy for a wedge, or three, of cheese. Cheese tastings are complimentary, best with some bubbly. Not all cheese makes it off the island, sometimes they save the best to be bought onshore, so be sure to squeeze a wedge of pepperberry aged cheddar into your suitcase. If there was a crowd favourite establishment in our four days on the island, it would have been the local bakery in Currie. Dozens of pie flavours scribbled on a blackboard and a cake cabinet brimming with old school bakery delights. Vanilla slice, a baked passionfruit tart and one of those long donuts filled with jam and cream, an inner child’s delight!

Sleeping

With everything in an easy driving distance, we stayed at Grassy, a small sleepy town 35km from the hub Currie. A former mining town, many fibreglass houses were a little worse for wear, however ours had been beautifully

constructed with any and all types of decorations and gimmicks found on the island. Being only 24 kilometres wide and 65 kilometres long, with a car, sleep anywhere you like.

Keep in mind

Everything else can be negotiated except for two things, small planes and only Telstra service. Although only a 45 minutes flight from Burnie/Wynyard, if you aren’t a fan of small planes and bumpy rides, motion sickness tablets are advised. If you’re an Optus customer, enjoy the switched off holiday! Four nights and five days was a slow way to see King Island but like any trip away, it allowed for everyone to slow, settle and sink into the relaxed nature that locals clearly love. Anything less and it would still feel like Tasmania.

5:30pm – 7:30pm

A SPICY HISTORY OF HOBART

There’s the large sign in South Hobart, created from white rocks that says ‘Keen’s Curry’. Was this a marketing tool? Yes! It caused quite a stir, but was only one of several controversial marketing campaigns Keen’s produced in this era. Joseph and Annie’s son-in-law Horace Watson took over the company around the turn of the century, and became a prolific and notable advertiser. The South Hobart sign was constructed in 1905 from whitewashed stones and was said to be visible from miles away. It provoked controversy in the local newspapers, used an example of the modern “advertising demon” being “everywhere”. In 1914, another sensational promotion capitalised on fascination with Antarctic exploration, with one or two live king penguins placed in the window of a Murray Street shop bearing a sign suggesting “that any one who eats any other curry but ‘Keen’s’ is a fool”. Letters to the Mercury protested animal cruelty, but Watson asserted that the bird enjoyed salt-water swims and fresh fish, as well as the admiration of “10,000 folk”. The Keen’s Curry sign has been rearranged a number of times of the years: university students changed it to “Hell’s Curse”,

Words: Stephanie Williams

Have you ever looked up toward the mountain and noticed big white writing on the hill at South Hobart? Dating back to 1905, the sign was a new, fandangle marketing tool for Keen’s Curry, the iconic flavouring that started right here in Hobart. We spoke with researcher Freida Moran to get the fully spicy story.

Keen’s Curry was created in Hobart by Joseph Keen and his second wife Annie. Was curry something that was widely known in Australia at the time or was it still very exotic?

Yes, Keen’s was first produced by Joseph and Annie from their shop and post office in Kingston during the 1860s, as one of a range of condiments. Curry powder was frequently advertised in colonial Australian newspapers, from around the second decade of the 19th century. As a foodstuff produced through “negotiation and collaboration” (Cecilia Leong-Salobir) between British colonisers and Indian servants, curry was known across the British Empire. Curry was one way settler colonists made unfamiliar Indigenous ingredients – such as kangaroo and wattlebirds – acceptable, as a familiar taste and cooking technique. The ‘exoticness’ of curry was intentionally cultivated in advertising at different points in Australian history, as Keen’s, for example, did in the 1960s.

Do you know where Joseph’s experience or interest with curry came from? No, but I would think it was part of the broader culinary culture at the time.

What was happening around that time with food - what did a normal diet look like and was Keen’s Curry complementary to that, or a really out there ingredient!? Given the product’s success, I’d say that curry and Keen’s suited the preferred flavour profiles, cooking techniques and available ingredients of the time, and became embedded in local culinary culture, and arguably part of local identities.

and “Freds Folly”, and in the second half of the 20th century, it became a barometer for locally contentious issues, some which reverberated internationally: “No Dams”, “Gunns Lie”, and in 1994, “No Cable Car”.

The flavouring has endured. Why do you think that is? We can’t say for sure that the exact flavour profile has remained the same since the 1860s, as ingredients didn’t have to be listed. Current Keen’s advertising emphasises history, tradition and continuity of flavour, but a previous owner said there were 15 spices in the blend, whereas today there are only 9. So it may have evolved alongside our changing tastes.

What role did Hobart play in the creation and success of Keen’s Curry? I think it is really interesting to think about this from a slightly different angle - what Keen’s Curry can tell us about Hobart? I think we often think of Hobart and Tasmania as the ‘end of the world’, remote and isolated, but the fact there was an adequate supply of spices for a curry powder to be commercially blended here in the 1860s, is quite surprising (at least it was for me!). It shows that Hobart at this time was a connected node of the Empire and part of an efficient trade network. Individual spices used in blends such as Keen’s would have come from India, the Caribbean, Europe, and South-East Asia.

BOPPING AND BITES AT THE CLARENCE JAZZ FESTIVAL

Words: Lily Whiting

The Clarence Jazz Festival is back in February - a celebration of music, arts and food on the Eastern Shore. A jam-packed five day itinerary will move throughout different locations from Risdon Cove through to Kangaroo Bay, brimming with local food vendors and a collection of local and world class musicians. Festival Director, Stevie McEntree has been working on bringing a diverse (and mostly Tasmanian!) musical line-up to Clarence.

What can festival goers expect from the musical offering this year? Jazz is a really diverse and broad reaching genre of music and this year’s program offers festival goers a rich representation of many of these styles. Expect everything from classic traditional jazz, swinging standards, groundbreaking original work, Latin inspired jazz, groovy funk and blues, Afrobeat and East African Music, Indian fusion, and much more! We have 35 local acts so there is plenty of Tassie talent gracing the stages with five very special interstate acts.

What do you keep in mind when curating performances for a five day event? Along with ensuring a diverse range of genres and styles, we’re really proud to present the most gender and culturally diverse program in the festival’s history. It’s important to ensure that the diversity of our audience is reflected on our stages. We’re committed to providing our local and interstate musicians with really special (and well funded!) performance opportunities, with a commitment to excellent production values. We’re also very proud to provide opportunities through our scholarships and emerging programs and to support the development of new work and collaborations.

The festival is also collaborating with the lutruwita/Tasmanian First Nations

FESTIVAL BITES

Food and beverage curator Rhys Hannan (formerly chef and owner of Small Fry) is bringing together wineries, distilleries, small-scale farming, stone fruit and shellfish industries that call the Clarence, Coal River Valley and surrounding areas home. “The festival will feature about 12 vendors from the Clarence local area and southern Tasmania over the course of the five days and also include special events by Palawa Kipli

community, presenting our opening event at piyura kitina/Risdon Cove and funding the development of new work with support from Festivals Australia. We are working with as many locals as we can to present an immersive festival experience for all the senses

and Prospect House,” says Rhys. “The great thing about this festival is that with its diverse range of events, we can tailor the offering to each event.”

As a former restaurateur and now market manager of Harvest Market in Launceston, Rhys has had some weight on his shoulders to ensure the event fills the expectations of Tasmanian summer goers. “Locals and guests of Tasmania alike expect a high-quality and local food offering, and delivering that for Clarence Jazz Festival is a very rewarding role.”

THE LOST CAPTAIN

2-4 Short Street, Huonville

Words and pictures: Stephanie Williams

There’s a list running in our heads of the perfect venue to take visitors or for a fun lunch out with friends - it needs to be within a half hour or so drive of Hobart, boast a nice outdoor area where kids can get away from the table and entertain themselves, good food and great (Tassie-centric) drinks list, and a kids menu. Read on, we think we may have just found it.

Back in December, the Lost Captain opened in Huonville (35 minute drive…tick!) on the banks of the Huon River. Eagle eyes might remember it as Huon Manor. The drive down from Hobart through the Huon Valley is so pretty with lots to explore along the way - wineries, Willie Smiths, Ranelagh and the Longley side of kunanyi/Mt Wellington if you want to detour. But our course, this day, was set for Huonville.

It was a gorgeous sunny day so we booked a table outside, although the inside areas were beautifully decked out with a few nooks and crannies to explore and sit. The huge garden had cute picnic tables for kids and low tables and chairs for sinking into with a drink or two.

We got started with a Small Fry riesling ($12 a glass) and checked out the menu. The menu is currently light and summery - salads, platters, burgers and baguettes. The kind of food that pairs well with a lovely glass of something cold, best enjoyed in the sun. The dinner menu branches out into small, medium and

share plates, including crowd pleasers like lamb shoulder and suckling pig (which takes ten hours, so best call ahead on that one!). There are pub favourites such as a parmi ($30), but with smoked tomato, speck and gruyère cheese, it sounds like it’s had a delicious upgrade. The kids menu features spruced up favourites such chicken and chips and mac and cheese.

I ordered the crayfish po boy ($28) which comes in a sweet milk bun generously filled with crayfish remoulade, lettuce and a side of chips. The spicy aioli was a standout, making for a delicious start. Other dishes at our table included the smoked trout caesar salad ($28), duck fat potatoes ($10) and a ploughman’s lunch ($28) with terrine, ham, piccalilli, cheese, sourdough, smoked eel and even a little gazpacho. The kids chicken and chips ($15) was a small serve for our hungry eight year old, but nothing a second serve didn’t fix! I think next time we’d just order him something from the regular menu instead. The kids mac and cheese ($15) was well received, and the remainder polished off by Dad.

The staff, who would have been only a few weeks into the gig at the time, were friendly and professional. Our table was needed just as we were thinking about stretching our legs, but not quite ready to skull our drinks, and our waiter suggested we retire to one of the mats on the grass, which we did happily.

On the return leg back to Hobart, we stopped at Summer Kitchen in Ranelagh for a coffee and sweet treat, a perfect full stop to a pleasant lunch outing. Time your visit for a day when the Franklin Market is on, and explore even further down the Huon.

www.lostcaptain.com.au

Hainanese Chicken Rice, Bumi Cafe

You may not have noticed Bumi Cafe (71 Bathurst Street, Hobart). It sits inside the waiting room of Your Hobart Doctor, in the same building as the Red Cross Blood Donation Centre. Billed as a Tasmanian based Indonesian cafe, the menu spans both southeast Asian classics, but I’m here to try the Chicken Rice ($15). I’d last had the dish in Singapore, so a highish bar was set. The Hainanese Chicken rice with poached chicken thighs, fragrant rice, shiso cucumber pickles and housemade ginger chilli sambal was served with moorish aromatic chicken broth. It was clean, satisfying and a delicious city lunch option.

BEATING BLOOD(Y) CANCER: JOSH GOURLAY

Interview: Lily Whiting

A lot can happen in eighteen months. Josh Gourlay became one of 53 Australians diagnosed with blood cancer last year, but thankfully one who can say it’s been and gone, and the other side is looking far sunnier.

This year has started very differently to last. How has the past six months of being in remission been? Honestly, it’s been as close to “business as usual” as possible. Once I was in remission, I was determined to pick up life where it left off. Cancer took up enough of my time and I didn’t want to give it any more of that time. It’s been a year of significant events though, my marriage ended, I moved back in with my parents, I lost two pets, but on the other side of that, I’ve been able to rediscover who I am as a person and begun working towards living life the way I choose to do it.

What symptoms in your body led you to seeking medical advice? My own health anxiety and a small, persistent lymph node above my right collar bone. There were no other accompanying symptoms, but after a couple of inconsistent blood tests and a biopsy, the diagnosis came in. I had felt like an otherwise perfectly healthy, normal 31-year-old. Scary, huh?

You blogged during your cancer journey. How did that help you? My blog, But What If It’s Cancer?, initially started as a way of communicating my thoughts, experiences and feelings with friends and family and it quickly blew out to almost 2000 followers. It provided me comfort and allowed me to capture the experiences of a cancer diagnosis, educate others, and give a day-by-day account – something akin to a journal that I can reflect on in years to come. It also provided a source of entertainment for me and for others because I was able to inject my own humour into an otherwise very dark situation. If you can’t laugh about it, you’ll just cry.

What does being on the other side of a cancer diagnosis feel like? Is there still a space for your blog to continue? Life after cancer is challenging because you’re always wondering about the “what ifs?” and there’s always the fear of relapse. I’ve continued my blog sporadically because I want to show others that there absolutely is a life after cancer. And it can be fantastic. On reflection, the time since my diagnosis feels like a blur, like it’s someone else’s story – I really don’t feel like I’ve been through what I have been!

In light of the World’s Greatest Shave approaching in March, how did the physical changes such as hair loss impact you? I’ve always been a thin person, and in the lead-up to my wedding in April 2021(before diagnosis), I had actually gained an extra 10kgs. It was a blessing and a shame because cancer treatment took all that hard work away from me! It felt like cancer was the Universe’s way of telling me I was never supposed to be bigger than what I’ve always been. Looking back at photos of myself during treatment, I don’t recognise the person in them but at the time I didn’t even notice the changes. I was ready to lose all my hair (which I did…twice!)

and I also lost all my finger and toenails, which was something I was not ready for. Happy to report, everything has grown back with a fierce vengeance!

With life returning somewhat back to normal, what does life look like for you in Hobart now? Since achieving remission, life has been on the up. I jumped back into working full time as soon as I could, I’ve recently purchased my first home and also just temporarily relocated to Canberra. I wanted to make some big changes and I figured that if I can take on cancer and win, I can take on anything!

What is 2023 going to bring you?

In 2020, I turned 30 and not long after, COVID hit and we all went into lockdown. In 2021, I was diagnosed with cancer. This year, 2022, my marriage ended but I also achieved remission and that was the permission to keep living. So for 2023, there is quite a bit of lost time to make up for – travelling is number one on the list, but also, I’d love some normality and stability.

How did your support system contribute to your treatment, and now in remission? The support was unrivalled. It’s cliché but I wouldn’t have gotten through without them. Everyone – friends, family, strangers, my Doctors, Nurses, the Leukaemia Foundation –there was never a moment I felt alone or unsupported. They laughed at my bad jokes, tolerated the mood swings, sat with me in silence as I slept, cried, talked their ears off. They never treated me as a patient, or as a sick person, they treated me the way they always have – as Josh. And that is exactly what I wanted.

HOBART FILM SOCIETY CLOCKS ANOTHER YEAR AS THE OLDEST IN AUSTRALIA

Words: Stephanie Williams

Since 1946, a secret society of Hobart film lovers meets to watch films and chat all things movies. From humble beginnings, the society grew to a huge supporter base of almost 2000 film buffs. For a few reasons - including Covid - numbers are a little less than that now, but they’re looking to build again.

In 1946, after a screening of documentaries at the State Library, the librarian at the time suggested that a film society would give people a chance to meet regularly to see interesting documentaries, hear talks and have discussions. Dr Anne Matz, a teacher at Hobart High School, convened a public meeting and the Hobart Film Society was formed. At first it showed documentaries, then a few classics such as Battleship Potemkin (then-USSR,1925) and Alexander Nevsky (then-USSR 1939).

Accolades for the quality of the society have been welcomed. According to Tony Manley, the current Secretary of the club, the Hobart Film Society received favourable comment in the History of Australian Film Societies publication a few years ago. “Amongst its many innovative actions, Hobart Film Society is probably the only film society in Australia which made a success of evolving from being a 35mm operation to a total reliance on 16mm, before the inevitable move to DVD. Hobart Film News is still published bi-monthly - this would now be one of the half-dozen or so excellent quality newsletters over the last fifty to sixty years servicing film society members,” they wrote about the society. Tony shares, “Hobart Film Society is not only the longest-running film society in Australia but,

according to the also a prime example of the success which can be achieved by a very few dedicated people.”

In 1949 the society began public screenings of first-release European films. Favourites included La Symphonie Pastoral (France, 1946) and Les enfants du Paradis (France, 1945) which were shown at Bellerive, Lindisfarne, Glenorchy, Taroona, New Norfolk, Tarraleah, Butler’s Gorge, Bronte Park and Invermay. But in late 1950 the society reverted to members-only screenings. In 1951–52 it showed mainly recent release films from France and Italy, but also some from UK and USA, including some earlier classics such as Marius (France, 1931), Fanny (France, 1932) and Citizen Kane (USA, 1941).

By 1953 it was the biggest film society in Australia, with 800 members, and led the formation of the Tasmanian Federation of Film Societies. Since then, for almost all the time until now it has screened classic and important films from the history of cinema at members-only screenings. For most of the time from 1962–2000 it held many public screenings a year, usually of films not previously seen in Tasmania and sometimes attended by several hundred members and non-members. All this contributed to establishing a wider Tasmanian appreciation of new and classic films from around the world.

As some readers may remember, Tasmania had no colour television until 1974. No commercial cinemas in the Hobart CBD or North Hobart back then opened on Sundays (cinema-goers had to enjoy films at Claremont or Huonville instead!). The State Cinema had ceased to operate but was rescued by Phillip Adams and Gough Whitlam to be renovated by the Australian Film Institute.

In the early 70s, the society was hiring a CBD cinema one Sunday a month for two public screenings of a first-release film (often foreign-language) that was unlikely to be released in Tasmania, and giving big discounts to its members. Tony shares

that from 1974 to 1992, it also held an annual Hobart International Film Festival of first-release films, again with big discounts for its members. “These were all so successful that the commercial cinemas began screening on Sundays (which they still do) and even brought back some of the films that had done well at society screenings, and began keeping many such films for first release themselves.” Sadly, the society found it more difficult to find first-release films that would break even and eventually ceased public screenings over 20 years ago.

For the last 50 years attendance at the members-only screenings has usually been between 30 and 50. “The society now has about 120 members,” Tony shared. “When membership was at its peak (of 1774 members in 1983) it was largely because of discounts for its members at its public screenings of first-release films. The society is pleased to see the growing success of the State Cinema over the years, but is also proud to have pioneered arthouse cinema in Tasmania and looks forward to the future.”

Weekly members-only screenings (including refreshments) are free, at Criterion House, Mathers Place, Bathurst St, Hobart, on Mondays at 7.30. For more information, call 6231 3581 or 6234 6071, or visit hobartfilmsociety.org.au.

The floating chip @kelvin196517

@sabrina_pocketsize

Looking stormy across Hobart and kunanyi/Mt Wellington @tasmaniawhyweloveit

Perfection of water reflection @cwjingphogra

Bit of traffic after a pile up on the bridge @ryankincade

@elijah_sargent_photography

Windsurfing during an early summer storm at Howrah Beach by Liz Osborne

Dawn in the Denisons @dailydoseoftassie

Tessellated Pavement @ryankincade

Peony season @coal_river_valley_tasmania

Dune protections at Howrah Beach by Liz Osborne

Hobart scenes @k.sav

Reader love @lizsstyle

Moody skies @dirkbischoff1