The Launnie Magazine

THE LAUNNIE MAGAZINE / APRIL 2021: ISSUE 2

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WHAT’S ON IN LAUNNIE THIS AUTUMN

STEPHANIE TRETHEWEY ON REGENERATIVE FARMING, PODCASTING AND PARENTHOOD.

SABRA LANE ON CALLING TASSIE HOME

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Editorial Stephanie Williams (Publisher) steph@propellermedia.com.au Zilla Gordon

WELCOME TO

THE LAUNNIE MAGAZINE

Advertising James Marten 0405 424 449 Contributors: Zoe Lovell, Annia Baron, Sarah Aitken, Amanda Double, David Daniels OAM, Maenka Arora.

Cover image: Supplied.

Back cover image: Rob Burnett

Publisher Information: While all care has been taken, some information may have changed since publication. The Launnie 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 or feedback, email steph@propellermedia.com.au

We’re now in the thick of autumn, with leaves turning and days getting shorter.

From later this month it’s the perfect time for a trip to Cradle Mountain to witness the turning of the fagus, or further to Mt Field in the south to make a weekend of it.

This edition we chat with farmer (and ex-A Current Affair journo) Stephanie Trethewey, who shares her story of Tas Ag Co and their focus on regenerative farming, alongside her podcast for rural women. While autumn might not feel like a natural time to surf here, Tasmanian Lizzie Stokely, has to be on her surfing a-game. She’s been on standby for a call from Red Bull, with just 48 hours notice to get her butt to Shipstern Bluff once the Cape Fear comp opens, where Lizzie will compete against some of the world’s best big wave riders.

We also delve into sourcing ethical firewood, chat to radio presented Sabra Lane about how she made Tasmania home and take a trip along the Three Capes Track.

Don’t forget to vote on 1 May. Every single vote counts.

Cheers Steph, James and The Launnie Magazine team

Riding on the east coast with The Hazards in the dust. Pic: Rob Burnett, Tourism Tasmania.

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BITS AND PIECES Lubiana who makes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir under his own name, Marco Lubiana and Greer Carland of Quiet Mutiny, with a focus on tiny batches and sustainability. Grab a bottle and taste why these youngins earned their place on the list.

TAS ROCKS ‘N ROLL bird watching not quite your thing? maybe it’s time to go rock spotting. started in 2017, tasrocks is a statewide game that allows families to hide-and-seek painted rocks in their local communities and has grown to be a social media phenomenon across the country. to participate, paint your rocks (no glass or ceramics) however you like, but keep the local wildlife in mind, so no string or pipe-cleaners, and hide them for others to find. how do you know you’ve found a tas rocks’ rock? look on the underside of the rock for the group’s facebook details. if you’re keen to participate, you’ll want to jump onto their facebook page, tas rocks group, to get the full low-down on how to decorate, drop, search and share your rock-hunting adventures.

TASSIE WINEMAKERS NAMED IN TOP 50 Four Tasmanian winemakers were recently awarded Top 50 status in the Young Guns of Wine awards. This year marks the 15th annual edition and lists young wine labels and winemakers on the rise. Tassie’s finest include Max Marriott, of Anim who handpicks his grapes from southern vineyards, Luke Monks from Made by Monks who creates his wines in Hobart from grapes sourced around Tassie, Marco

QVMAG HAS YOUR SCHOOL HOLIDAYS SORTED Get creative (and a few hours of parental respite) this school holidays at QVMAG with our supervised school holiday program. On Wednesday 14 April join a session for Painting with earth, to learn about a Tasmanian Aboriginal creation story, then create your own story and an amazing animal painting. On Thursday 15 April it’s a space challenge! Visit the Planetarium to watch Tycho to the Moon, then create a Mars spacecraft or a Mars rover. On Friday 16 April the museum gets freaky with Frankentoys where you can make your own Frankentoy using parts of different toys. The sessions are aimed at kids aged five to twelve years and run from 10.30am– 12.30pm at the Queen Victoria Museum, Inveresk. It’s $11.64 per session, per child (including booking fee), just have a look on Eventbrite to book.

THUMBS UP Kudos to the women and men taking a brave step and using their voice to speak up and out about sexual abuse.

An epic new $5million playground at Kingston, near Hobart, has opened with the tick of approval from the crowds of kids there. It might give our Launnie parks a run for their money.

The new Kingston Playground.

THUMBS DOWN UNESCO advisory body, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), recently escalated the Great Barrier Reef’s rating from “significant concern” to “critical”. Climate change is now the number one threat to the World Heritage area.

Elective surgery waiting lists still remain long. Let’s hope the election promises flying about come to fruition.

Calling an early election with a year to spare...some might say opportunistic?

School Holiday fun ahead.

A face mask was found floating in the waters off Lord Howe Island. Just put ‘em in the bin.

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BITS AND PIECES LEGAL ADVICE SESSIONS FOR SENIORS KICKS OFF Tasmania Legal Aid (TLA) and the Council on The Ageing Tasmania (COTA) have launched free face to face legal advice sessions for senior Tasmanians in Northern Tasmania. The free legal outreach sessions will open at a time when the treatment of the State’s seniors is in the spotlight, and their livelihoods and wellbeing are in the minds of many families. TLA Associate Director, Civil Law, Sarah Campbell said currently one in five Tasmanians is aged over 65, and this number is expected to continue to rise.

“After the success of the free legal clinics for older people in Hobart, we anticipate similar enthusiasm for the new clinics by seniors living in the North and North West,” Ms Campbell said.

Face-to face sessions with a lawyer will be available in Launceston and telephone appointments in Burnie and Devonport.

“This free service is designed to empower seniors to navigate some of the complexities of the law generally, but also with a

ELECTION HEALTH PROMISES NEED ACCOUNTABILITY With election promises of reducing surgery waiting lists and (finally!) throwing money at the Tasmanian health system, some industry leaders remain skeptical about the fix. The AMA Tasmania is calling for a guarantee from all political parties that any promised increased funding into elective surgery will increase elective surgery capacity and be built into the long-term health budget. And while increased funding to employ additional staff is also welcomed, AMA Tasmania President, Dr Helen McArdle says it needs to be more than election promises. “Rather than just a list of short-term promises, what we need is for the next government to deliver to Tasmanians a long game plan, as time and time again, we are seeing the system and the healthcare workers in the system at breaking point and patients not being treated within the recommended time frames whether that be 4

in emergency departments or on the elective surgery waiting list.” Tasmania’s elective surgery waiting list is some of the worst in the country. “With an ageing population, we will continue to see waiting lists for outpatients (the step before being put on the waiting list) and elective surgery worsen, Dr McArdle shares. “We have an ever-increasing number of emergency patients needing theatre time which has meant elective cases having to be cancelled.”

And it’s sometimes not until the last minute when surgeries are cancelled. “There is nothing more distressing for a patient to turn up to have their operation cancelled from the operating theatre waiting bay because there is no theatre time available or bed for them to go to post-surgery. Likewise, there is nothing more frustrating or disappointing for the doctors and nurses to have to cancel surgery,” Dr McArdle said.

particular focus on reducing elder abuse,” Ms Campbell said.

COTA Tasmania CEO Sue Leitch said the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety had drawn public attention to terrible stories of abuse in aged care but elder abuse also happens in the community and families. “The Royal Commission report released this month has made many recommended changes and one of those is increased access to advocacy including legal advice for older people,” Ms Leitch said. “We hope to provide senior Tasmanians access to speak to a lawyer in a forum that suits them, where they feel comfortable and safe. This may include home visits if required,” she said. Clinics are held on the third Thursday of every month except January. Bookings for the sessions are essential; please contact COTA Tasmania on 6231 3265 to make an appointment. The clinics are for people aged over 65 or over 50 if you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

COVID has impacted system, but it is not the sole issue. “We have more surgeons available than there are operating sessions, and operations are cancelled because there are inadequate beds on the wards and in the ICU. We need more theatre nurses, ward nurses and anaesthetists,” Dr McArdle said. “Pre-COVID, we were completing about 15,000 elective surgery cases while we added 19,000 at the same

time. Elective surgery was already underfunded before COVID; funding must meet increases in demand as well as the increased costs of running the health system.

We need more open and transparent real-time data on elective surgery and the reasons for its cancellations so that promises can be made in election campaigns that will make a real difference and not just a headline from either political party.”

BITS AND PIECES A PAW UP FOR PETS Hobart’s current rental crisis is not just affecting a lot of people. It is also affecting a lot of beloved pets. When accommodation circumstances change suddenly or an owner needs to go to hospital, pet owners can’t always take their pets with them or afford to feed them. That’s when local charity A Paw Up can step in. They provide food for pets whose owners are facing homelessness, and in some cases they provide crisis foster care for pets too. Deb Conley from A Paw Up said the charity is always in need of appropriate food donations.

“What we need most right now is good quality dry dog food and wet and dry cat food,” she said. “We appreciate that people like to give us blankets, and cute soft toys etc and we do distribute those, but we’re ok for them right now. But we always need pet food.”

The charity distributes pet food and other necessities to Loaves & Fishes in Glenorchy and Devonport, Hobart City Mission, Colony 47, Launceston Benevolent Society, Shekinah House, Door of Hope Launceston, CatholicCare in Hobart, Launceston, Devonport and Burnie, Bethlehem House, Anglicare in Launceston, Hobart and Burnie, Mission Australia, Baptcare, Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul and Produce to the People for their clients who need help to care for and keep their pet.

Food can be donated at: -Loaves & Fishes - Mill Lane, Glenorchy or 136-140 Don Road, Devonport -Woolworths, Campbell Street, Hobart -Emma’s Dog Walking Service, 87 Wilmot Road, Huonville -The Cat Cafè, Elizabeth Street, North Hobart -Office of Rebecca White MP, 33 Cole Street, Sorell -Office of Josh Willie MLC, 1/16 Albert Road, Moonah -Office of David O’Byrne, Rosny Park -Midway Point Neighbourhood House, Midway Point

Fans at the football. Pic: Western United FC FOOTBALL RETURNS TO TASSIE! From the 14-22 April, national level football returns to Tassie with the Festival of Football. Events are being held in Devonport, Launceston and Hobart, with two marquee matches between Western United and the Central Coast Mariners and then Western United and Wellington Phoenix. There are many activities for the community to be involved in, including open training sessions, a fan day, as well as clinics in Hobart. For the lineup and tickets head to www.wufcfof.com.au. There are a number of ticket options available including discounts for our Football Tasmania community when you use the discount code PLAYFOOTBALL. For any ticketing enquiries email membership@wufc.com.au.

CRIME STOPPERS TASMANIA MONTHLY WRAP UP Some safety and security issues have been raised for shoppers and retailers in Hobart’s CBD, in both indoor and outdoor spaces. Hobart Retailers Safety and Security Group has been formed to help combat public place aggression. Formed by retailers, with the assistance of the City of Hobart, the Group includes retailers, Tasmania Police and Crime Stoppers Tasmania. Let’s keep Hobart a beautiful, liveable and safe city!

What you can do when faced by an aggressor: • Try to stay calm and keep your emotions under control • Lead by example; avoid sarcasm and adopt a passive and non-threatening posture (eg. hands by your side with empty palms facing forward) • Don’t argue, acknowledge their feelings and try to show that you are sincerely interested • Use space for self-protection (be aware of exits) • Make sure others are out of harm’s way How you can report public place aggression: In an emergency call 000. For non-urgent assistance call Tasmania Police on 131 444.

Want to help but stay on the quiet? Speak up to Crime Stoppers Tasmania on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestopperstas.com.au 5

COMMUNITY

WHERE’D YOU GET THAT WOOD? HOW TO SOURCE LEGALLY HARVESTED FIREWOOD Words: Zilla Gordon Some might say you’re not really Tasmanian until you’ve seen a ute stockpiled with illegally caught firewood.

And while we might laugh over the thought of this rather common sight, the illegal collecting of firewood, known as wood-hooking, can result in a hefty fine. That means sourcing sustainable, legally harvested wood to keep us warm through our cold winter is no joke. But what makes your firewood sustainable, where does it come from, and how can you tell if your wood is the real deal?

Price-point Micheal Reid is in the process of setting up his sustainable firewood business, RAM Firewood Merchants, and said cost was a big factor for consumers. “We charge more because we pay more for it,” he said. “People have told us they want to buy sustainable wood, but we have to charge more to recover the cost.”

But buying from a larger supplier, like Micheal, would reduce the cost of the wood overall. “Because of the large volume we buy, it’s lower cost,” he said. While old mate on the corner might be selling for less, Micheal said it was up to the consumer to decide if they’d pay the price.

Spot the difference When it comes to wood, looks count. The telltale sign of plantation timber is processing marks on the log. While Micheal said it “wasn’t definitive”, it means the wood’s come from a plantation or logging co-op. “And if something seems too good to be true, it probably is,” Micheal said.

The Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service agreed, saying householders often unknowingly contribute to the problem by purchasing firewood that has been illegally sourced.

Meanwhile, Micheal said to be wary of Gumtree listings where the wood can’t be traced. “We’ve chosen to take the hard route where there’s an obligation to have complete traceability,” he said. “We have meticulous record-keeping because we’ve got to be able to prove where the wood comes from.”

Why it matters?

Tasmania Police said the illegal cutting of wood not only impacts on parks and reserves, but the risks posed by the manner in which debris is left across tracks and in the forest canopy is dangerous. This debris has the potential to interfere with access 6

by others, including firefighting resources.

While dead trees make for good firewood, some of our native animals rely on hollows in trees for shelter or to breed, said environmental conservation organisation NRM South. These hollows can often be more than 150 years old. On the forest’s floor, fallen wood is the perfect home for mosses, lichen, fungi and liverworts. And if this wood is taken to heat your home, it will impact Tasmania’s fragile ecosystem.

The Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service said their officers work with the police to limit illegal firewood harvesting in parks and reserves. While it might seem tempting to just go to the source, the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service said the maximum penalty for cutting down trees on reserved land is 500 penalty units (currently $86,000) and or two years’ imprisonment, while possessing or using a chainsaw on a reserve could attract a fine of up to 20 penalty units (currently $3,440).

Fetch your firewood So can you collect your own firewood? Yes and no. You’ll need to have permission from the landowner or land manager to collect wood from public land. If you’re collecting wood from private land, you must also have permission from the landowner.

There are certain situations where you’ll need an exemption form, like providing it’s not vulnerable land, you’re taking less than one hectare or less than 100 tonnes over a 12-month period.

Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service said NRM South’s website includes information about how people can ensure their firewood meets the requirements. Tasmania Police also said there are processes involved in the legal gathering of firewood and permits are available from Sustainable Timbers Tasmania (STT) for the sole purpose of gathering firewood for personal use only, and that the sale of firewood obtained under STT permits is not authorised.

Firewood is the main source of home heating, according to NRM South. More than 50 per cent of homes use wood fires as the primary source of heating and Tasmania is the greatest consumer, per person, of firewood in Australia.

COMMUNITY

DOES CRIME EVER PAY? ANONYMOUS TIP OFFS HELP SOLVE LOCAL CRIMES Words: David Daniels OAM Snitches get the riches.

David Daniels OAM is the Chairman of Crime Stoppers Tasmania.

Crime is a sad fact in cities, towns and regions everywhere, bringing distress, loss and even violence to innocent locals.

It’s not just a policing issue. It’s a community issue too; and in over 25 years of operation, Crime Stoppers Tasmania has helped in countering crime in this state.

Our Police do a wonderful job in crime fighting. But in solving crime, Police face hurdles that Crime Stoppers is designed to counter. We’re a conduit between Tasmania Police and the community, while maintaining the anonymity of those who provide information.

Crime Stoppers Tasmania operates as an independent non-profit, community organisation that supports crime solving through providing anonymous mechanisms for reporting crime. It is part of an international program that has been in existence for over forty years.

A valuable tip received last year proved to be a key to solving a local murder, resulting in a reward payment to the tipster. The information provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers, helped to close investigations quicker, and alleviated some of the terrible stress endured by loved ones and the community. This is where the real community value in the program lies.

Crime Stoppers combats the three major problems faced by the police in generating crime-solving information: fear of reprisal, apathy and reluctance to get involved. Crime Stoppers resolves these problems by not asking tipsters to identify themselves, and not tracing calls or IP addresses for online reports. We also offer rewards if the information provided leads to the charging or arrest of offenders, the recovery of stolen property or the seizure of drugs. Rewards can be an added incentive for people to contact us while other community members simply want to play their part.

If you make an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers about suspicious activity in your community, or what you saw when a crime was being planned or committed, the next you may know about it could be when the media report an arrest. Tipsters can’t always see evidence of their information being followed up, but all tips are passed on to the police.

Crime Stoppers Tasmania has also recently been acknowledged by Crime Stoppers International for local campaigns, and the number of anonymous reports to Crime Stoppers Tasmania are growing. In fact, reports have more than doubled in the five years to 2019.

Want to help but stay on the quiet? Speak up to Crime Stoppers Tasmania on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestopperstas.com.au

In addition to the recent murder, there is a wide range of crimes that Tasmanians have provided information on which has been key to investigations.

• Seizure of 104 cannabis plants and eight firearms from a rural property, leading to one offender being arrested and charged.

• Information received regarding suspicious activity at a remote location, with numerous people coming and going from the residence. A Police search located $36,000 in cash and 19 packets of dried cannabis.

• Information about a false report to Police where a serious crime had been committed. As a result, Police changed the direction of their investigation and were able to charge the offenders involved.

• The Crime Stoppers Operation Roam campaign put one of Australia’s most wanted fugitives behind bars.

Samuel Terrance McGovern was located at a Tasmanian shopping centre McGovern was arrested and extradited to NSW. It’s important that tips to Crime Stoppers contain as much detail as possible. Sometimes it is something small that helps provide police with a missing link or vital piece of evidence.

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COVER STORY

STEPHANIE TRETHEWEY Interview: Stephanie Williams Our editor Steph sat down with farmer Stephanie Trethewey for the latest episode of The Hobart Magazine Podcast. Stephanie is a co-founder of the Tasmanian Agricultural Company, a regenerative food brand on a mission to produce carbon positive beef through its farming practices. She’s also the host of the Motherland podcast and a journalist.

You weren’t always a farmer. What was your journey onto the land? I had never lived on the land before we moved to Tassie 18 months ago. My background is as a TV journalist. I spent eight years working around the country for Channel 7 and Channel 9 for shows like A Current Affair and Sunday Night, until I interviewed a handsome farmer for a story for the Nightly News. And the rest is history.

We did end up moving to Melbourne and working in corporate jobs and then eventually decided to move back to his home state of Tassie and start this business.

Where did you interview your now-husband, Sam? I was living in Rockhampton in Queensland at the time. I was managing the Channel 7 Central Queensland Bureau. And it was a really slow news day. There was a farming conference locally. I turned up and asked the local organisers who could I interview and they said, “Oh, that young bloke over there, Sam Trethewey, they’ve just flown him up from Victoria.” I tapped him on the shoulder and persuaded him to chat to me on camera and he got my business card.

For the rest of your life. That’s it. It’s funny because the story I interviewed him on was actually a story about meat. It was about how consumers have lost their connection with where their food comes from, particularly meat, because kids don’t go to butchers. Fast forward seven years, and we’re running a beef business.

It’s come full circle for you. Back to Tassie. Yes. Sam’s a third generation 8

Tassie farmer. Like a lot of Tassie people do, he left school at 18 and decided to spread his wings and worked overseas on farms, worked on the mainland, cut his teeth in the agribusiness industry. 15 years later, we moved back here. Tassie is quite a special place. We are seeing an increasing number of Sam’s friends, people who are 35 plus that are moving back home because it is an amazing place to start a business. There’s so much opportunity down here. And a beautiful place to raise kids - we’ve got two kids as well.

Do you miss TV journalism? No. It’s much less glamorous than it sounds. And after eight years, I’m done. It’s a pretty high pressure industry and cutthroat. I do miss chasing the odd dodgy person down the street. I was that reporter that would chase people down the street. I loved it. It was this big adrenaline rush.

How is your business becoming carbon positive? We were sitting in Melbourne in our corporate jobs and started this idea for the business. We thought, what’s beyond sustainable? What if we could produce a regenerative and truly carbon

positive beef product, because cows are the punching bag for climate change in a lot of situations. People don’t understand that it’s the ‘how’ not the cow. We’ve set out on this mission to do that, and we’re building a lot of data along the way.

And how do you do that? Basically, regenerative agriculture, which is what we do, uses a lot of non-conventional farming practices that are a bit more in sync with mother nature. So often in farming conventional farms fight mother nature.

They don’t work with her. They want to dominate the soil, dominate pests, weed control. The reality is controlling mother nature doesn’t usually end very well as we’re seeing with a lot of the destruction to our top soil around the world. They say we’ve got 60 harvests left, which is pretty frightening.

Really? It’s one of those things you’re reading, and think that’s surely a media beat up. This is globally, not just in Australia. The way we farm is all about drawing down carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and storing it back in the ground. And the way we do that is

through plants. Specific plants that have really good taproots and root structure and the ability to draw down as much as possible. Ultimately our aim is, through many different regenerative practices, to show that we can draw down more carbon dioxide out of the air than our entire operation emits. So hence, being what we call truly carbon positive. We’re seeing an increasing number of businesses jump on the bandwagon of being carbon neutral and often buying carbon credits, offsetting their emissions. I’m sure their heart’s in the right place, in a way because it’s better than doing nothing. But it’s not really like boots on the ground, skin in the game type stuff.

We use organic natural fertilizers. We feed our cattle what we call a salad bowl buffet. Think of a leafy salad bowl, turnips, radish, peas, corn, oats, sunflowers we planted. We do that because this particular variety of plants are really good at drawing down CO2 and storing it back in the ground through its root structure. The bonus is our cattle get a really diverse, more nutritious diet than just grass and clover.

Has there been a transition for the property? It’s a huge transition for any property to get new management. You’ve got to be careful here because you don’t want to put your foot in it or offend people that have farmed a certain way before us. But we have chosen to farm this way.

You take on a property. It’s like having a drug addict, right? Like you’re someone who has been reliant on chemicals, on

various things that a lot of farms use to get the grass to grow and all that stuff. We quit cold turkey, which is typical of Sam’s approach. The landscape goes into a bit of shock and withdrawals. We have to increase the organic carbon levels in our soil and that takes time. They say it takes at least three years to really get things going. So we’re just over halfway.

How do you prove how regenerative you are? We are collecting and building data on everything we’re doing, from soil tests, plant nutrition, our cattle’s health, you name it. When it comes to our ultimate mission, which is to be truly carbon positive and to show that we can sequester more carbon than our entire operation and needs. In 2019 we became the first farm in Tasmania to register a soil carbon project through the Australian government’s Emissions Reduction Fund.

And that testing methodology uses the only methodology that’s eligible under the United Nations Paris Agreement. What that means is that all future carbon credits will actually count towards Australia’s national target under that UN Paris Agreement. Now we’re not doing it because we care about the carbon credits, that’s the bonus. We’re doing it because we believe it to be the best testing methodology, that has the most integrity that consumers can trust. That was really important to us because you can do soil carbon tests. Lots of people do them, that’s fantastic. But for us, it was about what is the most trustworthy process and globally recognized that we can do. When they tested our farm they actually measured 18 randomly

selected GPS locations across our farm and dug and measured down one metre deep to measure carbon levels across our farm to give us an average percentage.

When we retest our farm, we’d like to do it in another two years. Hopefully by that time, we will be able to prove that carbon positive mission.

And does it make a difference to the taste of the beef? In the salad bowl paddocks, yes. We did a test run of our beef before we went to market and it was a real different flavor. We had a chef down in Hobart just try it, and he was like, “Oh, wow. Like it’s a grownup type of taste.”

And we were trying to figure out why.

Everyone’s got their own opinion, but I think we’re definitely starting to see some unique flavours peppered through some of our animals.

And your packaging is home compostable? Yes. We really want to be known for being transparent, and we’re trying our best. We’re not perfect, but we’re trying. I said to Sam, “I don’t feel comfortable with going to market and having any plastic in our packaging.”

We’re trying to be beyond sustainable, then here we are with plastic trays. We found a company in New Zealand, called Econic, who supply us with these bags.

You can get quite easily compostable packaging for all sorts of things, fruit and veg and things with longer shelf life. A

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And to have someone who’s had all this experience to tell you that they’ve survived and that you can get through. If she can do that, you can get through your day kind of thing. Yeah, it was pretty amazing and very moving. So I feel very lucky that women open up to me.

It says a lot about your interview style, that someone would feel so comfortable to share that when it hasn’t been shared before. I’m just me. I love telling stories. But now that I’m a mum, I can genuinely put myself in other people’s shoes, because if you’re not a mum, with all due respect and I hated this when people told me before I had kids, they’re like, “Just wait till you have kids.” lot of brands have been doing this for a couple of years. But raw meat, it’s got to have a shelf life.

Your podcast, Motherland, has just hit 100,000 listens, which is amazing. Why do you think it resonates? I was looking for something like Motherland myself.

I definitely suffered from some level of postnatal depression after I had my son.

Then when we moved here and being really isolated, I yearned to hear other people’s stories. When women come together to share their stories, amazing things happen. It’s like cutting back the BS. My life’s not perfect. And when someone else says, “Oh my God, me too,” it’s just so reassuring. Rural motherhood is a very unique kettle of fish. Having been a mum in the city and in the country, they are totally different experiences. And I just thought, “Screw it, I’ll just launch it and see if two people listen.” And it’s grown from there.

Who has been your favorite guest?

There have been so many. But it’s Karen Brock, a Tasmanian woman. She actually won Agrifutures Rural Women of the Year for Tassie last year. She was on my 50th episode. For anyone who wants to go back and listen, her story is quite amazing. She talked about the domestic violence she suffered in her marriage and very deep personal things. She’s an experienced mum. I think for anyone with young kids, you’re in the trenches, you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.

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It’s infuriating. I know. Then you have kids and you’re like, “Oh my God, I was such an idiot.” I was that person that realised how wrong I’d been. Women and mums, they just want to feel heard and valued. And I think that that’s what the show does. It’s about celebrating rural mums and connecting them from all over the country.

What does a day look like for your family? To be honest, at the moment, it’s absolute chaos. I just feel like Sam and I can’t catch a break. We’re so hard in the trenches of this new business, which we’ve been working so hard on for so long and we’re finally in market, but it almost feels like the hard work starts now. Throw a toddler and a four-month-old into the mix and that’s really tricky. I don’t know if anyone out there has got the juggle down pat. If you do, particularly in a family business, I think that adds a whole other layer of pressures and strains.

Where can readers find your beef? Yep. So at the moment, we’re expanding to the Melbourne market very soon, which is exciting. We are stocked at all Hill Street Grocer stores across Tassie. A special shout out to them. They have been fantastic. They’re really big on supporting local Tassie brands. And Steve Longmore, from Hill Street, has nurtured us from the start and given us a crack. I think that’s really important. Particularly with these new movements like regenerative food, we

need people and consumers to know what it is. Otherwise, they’re not going to demand it if they don’t know about it. When covid hit we were building our strategy around restaurants. So we totally pivoted and have gone really high on retail, which just turned out to be amazing. We’re growing in volume. And by the middle of the year, we’ll really have a lot of beef that needs to find a home. And we’re really excited for where that takes us.

When consumers are making a purchasing decision, what should they consider? Regenerative food is quite new and I think we’re going to start to see more and more credibility built around that. There’s not like a one-size-fits-all definition of it.

But consumers have the power. The more consumers educate themselves about things like regenerative food - if you genuinely care about things like climate change, food security, the environment, animal welfare, soil health, all that stuff.

If you care, then do some research. Some farmers will farm this way because they believe in it, like we do. Some will perhaps dabble in it or it’ll open their eyes to it because people will be demanding it.

I think in five years’ time, you and I will catch up and it will be the norm. It’ll just be, that’s the way things are produced.

You can find out more about Tas Ag Co at www.tasagco.com.au. To listen to Stephanie’s podcast, search ‘Motherland Australia’ on all the good platforms.

To listen to The Hobart Magazine Podcast search for us on the same platforms.

OPINION

MAKING FRIENDS WITH WINE...

SNOBS Words: Dr. Maenka Arora Drenched in euphoric excitement of being in my adopted country I began afresh my journey of finding me some mates.

Like Alice in Wonderland, I stumbled onto the tellurian realm of wine snobs, a world where everyone pretends to be an expert on wine. There’s pompous theatrics, brilliant showmanship when opening the bottle, the twirling that rivals a ballerina, the sniffing, and of course the eternal dilemma - to drink or to spit. Like a sweet little lamb, I was completely enamoured by this whole elaborate production.

Sitting on the sidelines, I felt honoured to just be a part of it even, if only as an awed spectator.

To give you background, we often celebrate the fact that the world of wine is international and ubiquitous, but from my slightly myopic Indian point of view – the world of wine is still at a nascent stage there. The choice of our tipple is still the hard liquor. A goblet of wine is still an elite drink to be sipped on special gatherings.

Rumor has it, missionary zeal is required to make a quantum change so I dive head on to cultivate and enlighten myself to be crowned a true connoisseur of wine except, the esoteric descriptions I found online had my head spinning. To elucidate, here’s one up for grabs - “this wine might be called liquefied Viagra. An incredibly sexy nose of smoke, black fruits, cappuccino and tasty wood and is followed by an expansive, terrifically concentrated wine with sumptuous texture, no hard edges.” For heaven’s sake, what does this mean … is wine the new Viagra? Nose of smoke?? No hard edges??? Am I still

on earth???? I seemed to be experiencing some deep existential crisis. I baulked with a mixture of shock and aggravation at the nonsensical way the character of poor wine was described. Realisation that I was way out of my depth descended like a shadowy cloak and in that long poignant moment I decided to get a crash course straight from horse’s mouth, the spell-binding, the spine-tingling, the ever so mystical, most revered ‘THE WINE TASTING ’. With a steely resort of a zealot, armed with all the wine jargon I could cram and a magical cloak of Google, I marched triumphantly towards my goal of being crowned ‘the queen connoisseur of wine’.

I have dined on this story so often that the embarrassment I felt at the time has since thankfully, abated. I went through the whole shebang of wine tasting with twinkly eyes and excessive nodding, I was observant, I was diligent, I studied the label, swirled the glass, sniffed and finally sipped. The lunacy of my plan became apparent when the sommelier asked me: So, what do you taste? Like an eager beaver trying to impress the teacher, I opened my mouth and lo-and-behold, nothing came out. That very instant my memory deserted me, my grey matter turned to mush. In that moment I could relate more to Julius Caesar than to my family. With betrayal so evident, I am sweating by litres, hyperventilating and I stammer, ‘I....I....I taste WINE’. She laughed, my husband

laughed, my friends laughed even the itsy bitsy spider laughed. I was doomed. Well, I guess wine and I suffer from a Shakespearean relationship bordering on Greek tragedy. Then and there an inevitable, monumental decision was made, no spitting only drinking.

On our way back my hubby complained that I stank of wine and I said NO – I smell of cherry with a hint of oak. He Wine Slang: Don’t Be A Cork Dork laughed.

Herbaceous - Best left to the garden.

Or a way to describe that attractive “cut grass” quality, usually found in Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc.

Quaffable - if something is acceptable drinking at home from Monday night through to Thursday night.

Puckery - Like sucking on a lemon. Describes highly tannic and very dry wines, like all the moisture is being sucked out.

Donut wine - Wine that’s lacking in structure mid-palate.

Oaky - It’s just ok.

Good legs - Hopefully the person you’re drinking with. At very worst, a wine with a high alcohol content.

Waiter’s friend - Someone who turns up to a bar, just before closing ready for ‘staffies’. Or a popular type of corkscrew.

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BUSINESS

ISLAND ENTREPRENEURS Interview: Hilary Schofield

Delving into the inspiration, influence and individuals behind some of Hobart’s most happening businesses with a social bent.

Three Warriors CEO, Corbin Halliday started his natural tanning company in five years ago. Inspired by his journey of health and recovery from mycotoxin poisoning, he wanted a safe, non-toxic and organic product he was happy to put on his skin.

His products are now sold across Australia, in the Netherlands, Iceland, Luxembourg, Germany and Ireland.

Corbin, why a tanning company? You know me, I love tanning, red hair, pale, I live in Tasmania, but I can’t not have a tan. So, after being so ill, I started looking for organic and plant derived products – I found one on the market, tried it and it was shocking – at least for my skin anyway. It made my skin orange and it stunk. I felt good because I had a bit of colour, but it didn’t look good! That gave me the idea to start formulating my own.

The crazy thing is I didn’t make it to sell it, I made it for myself, not thinking I would launch it. I put it on, and people were like wow, it looks good. Then I started spray tanning my friends and they said “Corbin this is one of the best tans I’ve had in 20 years.

You should sell it.”

How did you start? I researched each component in all my favourite chemical based tanning products. I have no biochemistry background, but Google’s pretty amazing…I found health problems linked to each ingredient. It’s pretty scary knowing what you might be putting on your skin.

For each chemical ingredient I found plant derived and eco-certified alternatives – it took me a year and a half. I was

my own guinea pig until I got it right. If I could go back to my school days now, I would have loved to do biochemistry!

What type of entrepreneur are you? I always wanted to have my own business. Mum had a real estate business and a newsagency. My Nan had hotels in Hobart. She was the most amazing entrepreneur you’ve ever met. It was in my blood to do it - when I was little I used to play in Nan’s hotel, play shops with my cousin, and pretend I owned it.

Tell us a bit about Three Warrior’s charitable partners? Ten per cent of our profit goes to Wello water. It’s important to make a positive change, create a social impact from each product sold.

We’re looking at new partnerships to support our environment.

In the long run our planet is the most important thing.

Did you have a business plan? My first business plan is nothing like what it is today. It helped for the initial stage though. What really helped me is creating an image of what you want people to see. Having been a hairdresser, I’m very visual, so when it comes to brand and campaigns, I love that.

How important is living in Hobart? We’re so lucky to have Tasmania as a backdrop. Some of the cleanest air and water in the world, so it’s a no brainer for us to use local, sustainably sourced ingredients. I go to Flinders Island to find my olive oil that comes from these two incredible ladies, they press it themselves. A drop of it on your hand is one of the most hydrating oils you’ll ever put on your skin. It’s the most beautiful ingredient.

How do you achieve balance in your life and business? I bought a jacuzzi! It’s so hard, I burn out every week – you learn to shut-off, but your own business is like your baby. I was working 7 days a week for 4 years. Now I’ve stopped working weekends and I exercise. Your health is really important.

If you could give advice to yourself in the first days of your business what would it be? I’d tell myself not to stress on the little things and to live each day like your last.

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OPINION

IT’S 2021 AND THE MEDIA IS STILL MISOGYNISTIC Words: Zilla Gordon A planned ‘costume reveal’ at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show changed Janet Jackson’s career.

Singing with Justin Timberlake, the performance ended in disaster for Jackson, with Timberlake ‘accidentally’ removing part of her costume, exposing her right breast to a television audience of more than 100 million viewers. The pair were performing Timberlake’s song Rock Your Body. It was Timberlake’s song, it was his lyrics. Lyrics that included ‘bet I’ll have you naked by the end of this song’.

Timberlake, who actually removed her clothing, told Access Hollywood: “Hey man, we love giving something to talk about.”

Yet it was Jackson who was forced to issue a written apology while Timberlake was able to laugh off the incident.

In 2013 Timberlake headlined the halftime show for the third time, with his most recent appearance in 2018. Janet, however, burned professionally at the stake but Timberlake was allowed to turn out number one hits. Seventeen years later, it appears we’ve begun to acknowledge the way we scrutinised women throughout the 2000s. #FreeBritney Released earlier this year, the film Framing Britney Spears documents the teen sensation’s rise to fame and her role in American culture, as well as the conservatorship that she has been living under since 2008 which sparked the #FreeBritney movement.

Here too, Timberlake comes off scott-free after he told the media, while they were both teen-stars, that he and Spears slept together, while she denied the comments. In 2002 he released the video clip to his song Cry me a River, in which an actor resembling Spears - cheats on Timberlake. Timberlake issued an apology in February to both women following accusations of sexism, racism and for his mistreatment of Jackon and Spears.

The documentary also shows us how ingrained sexism and misogyny is within the media. And shamefully, it also reminds me of my own feelings, as 20-something struggling with my own identity and body image, of schadenfreude when seeing celebrities’ most intimate and personal moments splashed across the front pages of gossip magazines.

Shhh...watch your mouth Justin, Janet is iconic.

While I think the media has made some progress, that instead of asking “is she pregnant or just bloated?”, we’re trying to understand mental illness rather than make fun of it, that we’re really trying to raise women up, to listen to them - and believe them.

She was probably drunk But 2021 has taught me as long as it’s ‘he’ vs ‘she’, there is still a gender imbalance that goes well beyond the realm of the media.

When Prime Minister Scott Morisson discussed the alleged rape of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins, he said he had talked with his wife Jenny and considered how he, as a father, would want his daughters to be treated. Sexual adult advocate and Australian of the Year Grace Tame was later asked about the Prime Minister’s response while she was addressing the National Press Club in Canberra. She stated, “It shouldn’t take having children to have a conscience. And actually, on top of that, having children doesn’t guarantee a conscience.”

Adelaide radio presenter Jeremy Cordeaux was sacked after he called Higgins “a silly little girl who got drunk”, with Cordeaux refusing to retract his comments.

Why is it, when a woman alleges sexual assault, we say ‘prove it’, not ‘I believe you’? In 2012, the then Prime Minister Julia Gillard delivered the now-famous Misogyny Speech in reaction to the opposition leader Tony Abbott accusing her of sexism. It went viral.

The Macquarie Dictionary updated its definition of the word ‘misogyny’ from a “hatred of women” to now an “entrenched prejudice against women”. While that speech was almost nine years ago, women on TikTok have been lip-synching to the speech while doing their make-up as a positive message of empowerment.

Don’t get me wrong, we’ve made progress - it’s good to have these discussions.

But if I’m still reading comments on Facebook saying “women make stuff like this up all the time” our battle against misogyny is not yet won.

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SURF’S UP FOR LIZZIE STOKELY Words: Sarah Aitken Pictures: Supplied

Lizzie at Adventure Bay on Bruny Island.

Bruny Island’s Lizzie Stokely has just been invited to compete at the world’s most extreme surfing event, the Red Bull Cape Fear at Shipstern Bluff. She sat down to chat with Sarah Aitken about preparing for the big wave comp, which could be held anytime from now until 15 August 2021, on just 48 hours notice.

Firstly, huge congratulations on being invited to compete! Thank you! I never thought an opportunity would come my way like this in my life, I’m just still processing it. I’m honoured to be on the list - I feel really lucky and super amped to get down there.

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How are you feeling - physically and mentally - heading into this comp?

Mentally, I’m feeling good. I don’t feel any pressure as I feel super privileged to even be invited. I’m not training to win the comp, but rather to be prepared and feel confident going into it. I’ve been doing lots of running, weight training, and also breath-holding training with Kyron Rathbone each week – this has helped me the most, especially my confidence with being able to cop a heavy wipeout. Every morning I get in a yoga flow before work, this has been a real benefit to my surfing this past year. I’m really good at getting worked up and thinking about a zillion

things at once and yoga really sets me up for the day. All of these things, and also surfing heaps, definitely makes me feel like I’m preparing as well as I can mentally and physically.

Tell us what you love about surfing at Shippies? First thing that comes to mind is the coast line surrounding it, on the Tasman Peninsula. Whether you’re walking in or taking a boat around, it’s breathtaking. Such a beautiful part of the world and we’re lucky it’s right at our doorstep. My next favourite is the atmosphere, in the water and afterwards. All of the times I’ve been down there everyone is going nuts

in the line up having a sick time, and afterwards catching up for a beer with the people you missioned in with really makes the day. One wave there feels better than catching weeks’ worth of waves somewhere else - you just feel super pumped up and get the vision stuck in your head going down the face of the wave or looking at everyone in the channel. I don’t think there’s anything I don’t like about it!

Tassie doesn’t usually come to mind when we think about hot surf spots. Describe the Tassie surf scene for us? It definitely doesn’t, but that’s our golden ticket. The less crowds the better!

If you surf down here, you know how lucky we are. We’ve got some of the best waves in Australia. The thing that scares them off is the cold, which is good! Tassie is a hidden gem - if you surf down here, you surf because you really do love it. It takes a lot to go out in winter dressed up in all your rubber and brave the cold.

You grew up on Bruny Island - do you still live there? I was born here and I’m still living on Bruny full-time - they can’t get rid of me! I love it. I appreciate it more every year that goes on.

Bruny is everything that I need. I work down here as a deckhand on the Pennicott Wilderness Journey boats, which I absolutely love. That, as well as surfing, diving and fishing, is pretty much what I get up to. Myself and my family live in Lunawanna, we have a pretty good system - growing our own veggies, fresh eggs every day, and farming our own meat. This is the kind of life I want to have when I’m older, we’re so lucky.

How did you get into surfing, and when did you realise it was your thing? I got into surfing when I was 6, my Dad gave up lots

of his surf time to push us into waves. Myself and my brother Frank loved mucking around together in the white wash. Even though sometimes I sooked when I got a bad wipeout, I’m very fortunate for Dad’s time because surfing has given me a lifestyle I couldn’t imagine living without.

What’s it like to be a female surfer in Australia and Tasmania these days? I feel pretty happy with where female surfing is going. Here in Tassie I’m treated the same as the boys and that’s epic. The last Tassie comp I went in, we got equal prize money to the guys and that was super cool. One of the challenges I’ve found is getting sponsorship. I tried the WQS (World Qualifying Series) for a bit but found it hard to make a dent in the rankings as I couldn’t afford to go to every competition - it’s really expensive, and being self-funded, my job as a waitress at the time couldn’t cut it. It’s hard to get brands’ attention unless you win comps, but you can’t win them if you can’t afford to get to them.

And it’s a bit hard to show off a brand’s newest bikini line when you’re wearing a 4/3mm wetsuit, hood, and boots looking like a penguin for the majority of the year!

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Lizzie working on her abs.

What are your passions outside of surfing? Getting out in my little tinny and going fishing and diving. Watching sunsets from our Bruny house makes me really happy. Also doing things outdoors with my little sister Ruby, it’s cool being a bit of a mentor to her and watching her click onto things and enjoy them too. And I’m passionate about my dog Lola, she’s the best!

Lizzie wearing her Luna Collections abalone shell earrings.

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Tell us about your jewellery business?

I have a small business called Luna Collections - I create jewellery made out of lots of different stuff, but my main line is Bruny Island Abalone pieces that I’ve caught myself. This little business

really took off during the pandemic, it has been so cool watching it grow (and funny watching me learn how to run a business really quickly). I started it to aid my surfing competition costs – I basically decided to figure it out myself and be my own sponsor, and try to get a bit of extra cash to help out a little. I never thought it would grow to this though, I’m so grateful and very excited to see what the future holds for it.

You can catch Lizzie in action in the Red Bull Cape Fear event. Keep checking www.redbull.com, we’ll also shout out on our socials when the event kicks off.

PSYCHOLOGY

Words: Annia Baron “I just want to be happy.”

Imagine getting everything you ever wanted, anytime you wanted it – instantly. How amazing would that be?

Keen on a successful career? No need to climb the ladder, you’re handed the keys to the executive office. A desire to travel the world again? “Welcome aboard.” Suddenly you’re greeted at the terminal with a glass of champagne. Seeking the man or woman of your dreams? Well don’t you worry, they’re waiting for you right behind door number one. House, car, money, possessions, weight loss, entertainment? Whatever you want, it’s yours the moment you want it. No need to work for it. No need to try. Your reward is more instant than downloading an app.

Ah pure happiness, right?

There’s nothing wrong with wanting quick and easy dopamine hits. We deserve the convenience of instant satisfaction – especially with all the stresses and strains of daily living. And seriously, how great is it to have the technology and resources to get what we want. Keen to hear a song? Seeking an answer? Have a craving to satisfy? Bam – Spotify, Google, and Uber Eats.

Gratification made easy.

Our magnificent brain is biologically wired to seek pleasure and satisfaction over anything arduous or time consuming.

Why wouldn’t we choose orgasms over work? Why wouldn’t we select the decadent dessert over raw celery sticks? We do so because our brain wants us to experience happiness. The happier and more satisfied we are, the better chances of our survival. But here’s the sticky point you’re already familiar with: Whether it’s sex, food, alcohol, drugs, purchasing, or consumption, after the initial ecstasy-frenzied hit, successive gains and overuse can leave you feeling gross; big highs to begin with, empty lows you’re left with.

And this isn’t because your brain is punishing you. It absolutely loves you. It wants to see you thrive as your happiest self. It knows, though, that at the end of the day, if all you did was claim your ‘instants’, you’d seemingly have it all, but be left with a perpetual sense of dissatisfaction. Because my friends, you and I know that some of the happiest and most meaningful experiences you’ve ever had, involved a lot more than the immediacy of downloading an instant reward. To the contrary, your most enriching experiences required time, thought, and effort.

Whether it was the smile on your face as you threw your

mortarboard in the air on graduation day or the moment you saw your partner walking down the aisle. Whether it was receiving news of your promotion, the one you earnestly worked for, or the first day you stepped outside onto a beach after recovering from a long illness. Whether freeing yourself from debt or finally reaching your healthy weight goal. Memorable and rewarding experiences took days, months, and years to culminate. They took perseverance, patience, and courage to keep on your path. That’s why they remain most poignant in your mind over anything that was instantaneous and effort free.

Yes, some days I wish things were as easy as the click of a button. And absolutely, I enjoy instant rewards (regularly!) but cultivating a good balance is key. As dopamine is released each time we feel a sense of achievement (or anticipate it), it makes perfect sense that the more you feel you’ve earned a reward, the more rewarding the experience is. In essence, effort itself is what makes the reward experience so deeply satisfying, pleasurable and addictively meaningful - now that’s the best sort of dopamine party there is!

If you’d like more information or curious about mindset coaching, visit www.remindyourself.com or contact Annia Baron, Mindset Coach and Clinical Psychologist on 0402 448 278.

Did you know that dopamine is deadly to snails and slugs? As dopamine is a diuretic (or more specifically, its precursor L-Dopa is), if these slimy beauties consume it (from plants such as yellow bananas or some marine algae, which also contain dopamine), they’ll secrete fluid and dry out. But before you go about eating all the bananas or algae you can get your hands on, know that pure dopamine can’t cross our blood-brain barrier, it’s the precursors (tyrosine, phenylalanine, and L-Dopa) that produce dopamine and many foods contain these. Go research some for yourself.

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WHAT’S ON IN LAUNNIE MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

Feel a gravitational pull towards reflection, contemplation and calm at Orbit, an exhibition curated by artist Paul Snell at the Poimena Art Gallery. 43 artists from Australia and around the world reflect on 2020.

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The Northern Tasmanian Table Tennis Association are holding a special event for migrant women and girls to celebrate the Migrant Resource Centre’s Community Champions Program. All skill levels are welcome.

FRIDAY

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Arwen Dyer, Tourism Tasmania.

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THURSDAY

Head along to TMAG for the Lift Off! school holiday program from today until 16 April. Explore the special activities or take the kids on a wander through the current exhibits. More details at www.tmag.tas.gov.au.

Join a Launceston Jazzercise class for a fun way to exercise and get fit and healthy. You can even don your best leotard if you’re inclined.

Classes $7.

Head along to Fermentas to listen to guests speakers chat about local food innovation initiatives and then network with the fermentation industry.

From 5:30pm at Enterprize. Book ahead.

Join Slamduggery for a night of music, comedy and poetry at Kingsway featuring performances by Tom Fowkes, Tori Rattray, Angus Austin, Luci Reid, Brielle Quigley and Jake Baylis.

The next Satsang Yoga 6-week intro to aerial yoga kicks off today. It’s held at lunchtime and you’ll gradually build up your aerial skills. Book online.

Fresh from celebrating 9 years headlining on the Las Vegas strip, The Australian Bee Gees Show is on tonight at the Country Club for the Australian leg of their 25th-anniversary tour.

The Alliance Française de Launceston is holding a quiz night tonight at the Gunners Arms Tavern.

Meals and drinks at bar prices, orders to be placed by 6:15pm.

The Breath of Fresh Air Film Festival kicks off today with screenings of films in quirky Launceston and Hobart locations such as a brewery, a men’s outfitters and a restaurant. Book online.

Orbit, Poimena Art Gallery

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Agfest kicks off today with 500 exhibitors showing to almost 60,000 over three days. Check out agricultural machinery, pioneering displays, clothing, horticulture and livestock.

Interested in Buddhism?

There’s a trial class on tonight at the School For Seniors, from 6:30pm.

If you like it, join the indepth program.

Head along to watch the play, Gloria, about a group of 20-something coworkers at a Manhattan magazine.

At Newstead College, for audiences 16+.

Ever worried about family and friends, or want to know more about suicide prevention?

CORES Suicide Prevention training is on today from 9am. Register to attend.

Agfest Paint and Sip

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Head along to Paint and Sip tonight from 6pm-8pm.

The session is $45 and includes all materials and canvas. You don’t need any experience, just enjoy yourself.

The Princess Theatre hosts an insightful evening in Conversation with one of Australia’s leading musical theatre directors - Tyran Parke. Book online.

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FURTHER AFIELD SATURDAY

SUNDAY

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copyLongford The Old Sunday School Art Group is on the 1st and 3rd Saturday each month to help beginners learn how to draw and paint, and experienced artists to get together. $5 per person.

copy Comedy legend Denise Scott returns to delight Launnie, with support from Anna Kidd and Michael Shafar. At The Tramsheds Function Centre from 8pm, book ahead.

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Get copyalong to the Harvest Market today to pick up fresh, local produce and supplies for the weekend.

Enjoy wintery produce as the weather continues to cool.

Brixhibition copy is Tasmania’s premier LEGO exhibition event and it’s on today at the Albert Hall from 9:30am - 4pm (and Sat too). Check out the incredible work of local enthusiasts.

It’s copyANZAC day today. Check out the RSL website for marches and events in your area.

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Check copy out Don Mario’s Classic Cars and Coffee in George Town today.

Classic Automobile enthusiasts, Petrol-heads and ordinary folk will love the display.

Happy Mother’s Day for the 9th May!

17 - 18 April The Fresh Hop festival celebrates the Tassie hop harvest, with local brewers sourcing fresh hops to make single batch hopped up beers to tap for the weekend. The brewers will be there mingling in the crowd and taking part in masterclasses, tastings and Q&As. Head to www.freshhop. com.au.

23 April Try your hand at cooking rustic Italian fare at Gert and Teds’ class held at Twamley Farm at Buckland. After a Prosecco on arrival, you’ll create a three-course menu for lunch including homemade bread, pasta ragu and tiramisu. Then sit down, celebrate and fest together. Each course will be matched with a glass of East Coast wine. Book at www. twamleyfarm.com.au.

23 - 25 April After last month’s rain washed them out, ECHO Festival has regrouped and repaired and will be returning for a weekend festival showcasing high-end chefs, wine makers, storytellers, musicians, performance and installation artists, and scientists all together on the East Coast.

From 30 April The Breath of Fresh Air Film Festival (BOFA) returns to the big screen in both Launceston (30 April –2 May) and Hobart (28-30 May). If watching films from the sofa is more your thing, get involved in the free online BOFA (3 –30 May).

There are separate programs in-cinema and online, so don’t miss a thing and do both!

From April 24 Running from late April to early May, celebrate the autumn at one of Tasmania’s favourite events - the Festival of Fagus.

Head to alpine Cradle Mountain and discover a range of photography, art, chocolate and gin workshops as well as tours around the annual turning of the leaves. Or stay closer to home and explore the fagus at Mt Field National Park.

Pic: Emilie Ristevski.

Got an event coming up in Tassie?

Email us at editor@thehobartmagazine.com.au Background photo: Chris Crerar, Tourism Tasmania.

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For even more events in Launnie and further afield this month head to www.thelaunnie.com.au/events 19

As one of Australia’s most prominent political journos, Sabra Lane is in the box seat when it comes to interviewing decision makers and thought leaders. And she’s now doing it from Hobart.

Did you always want to be a journalist?

In the later years of high school, I thought maybe. I finished year 12 and did a year overseas in Norway. It was while I was away that that really cemented in my mind.

Why Norway? It was an exchange year with Rotary. The district said “We’ve never exchanged with Norway before.

Would you like to go?” And I said “Of course I’d love to go.” My father was a little bit disappointed at the time because he said “Japanese is the language you want to learn. No one speaks Norwegian.”

But I absolutely loved my year away, and I connected with my first family really well. I lived on an island on the southwest cost of Norway. I still speak fluent language, in a dialect they speak on that island. I joke to people that I must have been a Viking in a previous life. When I go there I’m usually a little bit rusty, but after 48 hours, I’m back into it.

When you got back, you decided that journalism was for you? I went to Adelaide, I studied at Magill for two years full-time. I’d been working part-time in my first year selling shoes, because my parents couldn’t support me all the way. The second year, one of my lecturers knew my circumstances, and one of their commercial networks was looking for someone to listen to their police scanners on weekends overnight. And I got that job. They speak in code. They wouldn’t say “Oh, there’s a murder on Rundle Street.” They’d say “Oh, there’s a 303 at” such-and-such.

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I guess it was another language to learn? Yeah, exactly. They all spoke in codes. The firies had their own code as well, so a big fire wasn’t “It’s a big fire,” there’d be a K99. I still remember these things! That was in the era that was before the internet, before mobile phones - I had to learn news judgment really quickly, because it meant paging someone. If they didn’t respond to their pager, you’d have to ring their landline and wake up their entire family. It had to be the right call. I learnt news judgment very quickly. That summer the news director said “Instead of having summer holidays, how about you work full-time, as assistant chief of staff?” I thought that would be a good thing, instead of going home to Mildura.

At the end of that stint, the news director said “Don’t go back to uni. I’ll give you a job.”

Did you ever finish? Eventually I did.

My parents drummed into me the fact you need a degree. I decided to take the job, and then finished the degree part-time.

Took me another 10 years. The bus of opportunity often only stops once so you’ve got to run and jump.

Which job was that? That was my first stint with the ABC. I had a job at Channel 10, as assistant to the chief of staff for 12 months, before I ended up becoming a full-time on-the-road reporter. Then, at a very young age, I found myself as the chief of staff for the TV newsroom at ABC in Sydney.

That’s big! It was big, and it was a really important job for someone so young. I was good at making people collaborate, and bringing everyone together. After a couple of years, I wanted another challenge, but I found I couldn’t advance.

I felt like I’d been pigeon-holed. I went back into the commercial world and worked at Channel Seven for sevenand-a-half years as executive producer of a national program, Sunday Sunrise, the forerunner to Sunrise. And I left. I wanted to go back to the ABC, to join AM and PM on radio. I’d listened to those programs for years, and I thought “I would give my teeth to do it.” I had no radio experience so I did an audio engineering degree. I can now mic a rock band! By the time I had that certificate under my arm, I went back to manager at the ABC and said “You can’t say no now.”

And you got a role in Canberra. I moved to Canberra in 2008. I was chief political correspondent for AM, PM and The World Today. And then I got tapped on the shoulder in 2013 to join 7.30, up until 2017. It was during that period that I was elected to the Press Club board and in 2018, became the president. I relinquished that in December when I moved down here.

What does it mean to be the president of the Press Club? It’s a treasured institution. There aren’t many places that offer the platform for important leaders, not just politicians, to come and

give a considered speech of half-an-hour and then subject yourself to the open questions.

I watched the Chinese Minister Wang Xining deliver a speech last year. It was fascinating watching him being questioned. Yes. He came there to make a point, but the journalists also were able to ask him a range of questions, openly, without declaring anything. You couldn’t say that the Chinese would allow something similar in Beijing. At the moment, we do provide the opportunity for people to discuss ideas and policies, and that’s a clear example of not only a government getting to put its view directly to the Australian population, but also for journalists to publicly quiz and question him, as being representative of the Chinese government unhindered. Uncensored. To try and understand why China is behaving the way it is towards Australia.

Each day you spend the morning holding decision-makers to account on AM, on behalf of your listeners, which to me that’s a very big responsibility.

How do you get the best out of your interviewees? There’s a lot of ducking and weaving. The actual time in the program is precious. It’s not just the interview. We have important stories from around the country that need to be told.

There’s no other program doing anything like that, and it’s still a really important forum. We’ve seen the most amazing contraction happen in the media landscape, and yet AM is still a really important flag post in the morning for politicians, for business makers, for people right around Australia to be able to tune in.

It’s important to quiz people about what they’re doing, and why. And to be able to do that in a polite way as well. There’s a difference in being determined in pressing for an answer and being rude. You’ve got to go gently. It’s a dance. You’ve got to be really careful. I’m also mindful that people say “You should just shut them down and say ‘If you’re not going to answer the question, that’s it.’”

issue that was important here, deeply, in his heart. They’re not just MPs. We all like kicking them. At the moment, it seems that it’s a rich environment, to say that they’re all a bunch of losers. Many of them do go in there with the right intentions. They want to make the country a better place. But sometimes they get lost along the way. They get lost in their own importance.

I imagine letting something play out can say a lot more than shutting someone down. Correct. If you ask the question three different ways and the person is still not going to answer, listeners can make up their own view. If people don’t like decisions that their politicians are making. Vote them out. Vote for someone else. You have a vote. It’s a very powerful thing. It was a clear example in Tony Abbott’s seat at Warringah. People were so disenchanted with what happened, they voted him out, and they voted for an independent.

What does your morning look like? I’m up at 4:15am, and instantly I’ll check my phone to see if I need to get my head around any prerecorded interviews with our correspondents, so I can be thinking about that as I’m showering. I’ll quickly check the The Australian, the Financial Review, the Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian, just to see what issues are running. I’ll be in the office before 5:00, then on air at 6:05. I’m not really free until 11:30. I’ll go home, have a break.

I might catch up on some reading, New York Times or something like that. If parliament’s sitting I’ll listen to question time, just to see what issues they think are important. Then I’ll be talking with my executive producer round about 3:30pm, to see what should we be planning for tomorrow? If there’s an interview to be prepared for, I will prepare for it tonight, rather than do it in the morning, because I don’t have time.

Are there any interviewees that have stood out over the years? I like the surprising interviews, where sometimes an interview goes unexpectedly in a way, that you didn’t expect. And I had quite a few of those on the 7.30, where you’d sit down and do and interview for someone for inclusion in a package, and they showed more emotion than you expected.

The former member for Reid, Craig Laundy, was one. I quizzed him about the stand that he’d taken. He was just a humble backbencher then, and he started crying during the interview. And then he said “You’ve made me cry.” I thought that said something about him. It was an

What’s your take on the government’s handling of the current sexual assault allegations and the commentary around working culture in Parliament House, as someone who has worked there. I can’t talk about the government’s handling of it, because I still report on it, but clearly the government is under a lot of pressure.

The pressure is quite substantial on Linda Reynolds, because she’s been in hospital.

That says something. The pressure in the gallery at times like now is intense.

You’ve got to get it right. Culture is important. The standards that you set in environments are really important.

Newsrooms are intense and some people can’t handle that kind of pressure.

Sometimes people are quite quick in their judgment, and quick in their assessments, and some people might find that very 21

just gradually taking me to places. We’ve been to Southwest. There’s a lifetime worth of exploring to be done.

Had you been into anything artistic like that before? I got into that when I was in Canberra. I’d been married for quite some time, and that marriage broke up, and I really threw myself into work just to survive. After a couple of years of doing that, I was like “I’m a really boring person. It’s just work, work, work. I need to find something else.”

confronting. Other people thrive in that kind of environment. I’m not missing the kind of pressure that they would all be subjected to at the moment!

Being in the environment, even if you’re not as connected to the story, I imagine it becomes a pressure cooker.

Yeah, it is a huge pressure cooker. I’ve lived in that environment. I was part of the gallery for 13 years. And there are stories that you think “This is really important. Got to do it.” Then you get out of Canberra, and then you see that those stories are not even a ripple.

What’s your view on the current state of journalism in Australia? Never before have journalists been asked to do so much. Newsrooms, when I started back in the ‘80s, were huge. Staff had the luxury of being able to do one story a day. Now, you’re filing live crosses into morning or afternoon news programs, as well as the 6:00 and 7:00 news, as well as filing material for online. They can do just about anything, and they’ve got to be right. You get instant feedback now. No filter. When I was on TV and at the Press Club, I hated people saying “Oh, I really liked your outfit,” and you’d say “Well, what did you think about the speech?” I would try and dress plainly, classically, so that people wouldn’t pick issues with that and would just listen to what was said.

How did the relocation to Tassie happen? I came here in 2017. I did the Overland Track. I just loved the wilderness out in the West Coast there, and when I got to Hobart, I just had a fabulous 22

time here. It resonated with me. At the time, I said to my mum when I returned to Canberra, that when I was done with Canberra I was pretty sure that this was where I was going to come. At the start of last year, I had re-partnered, and my partner had lived in Tassie for a long time.

I had mentioned to friends that this was where I thought I wanted to be. COVID had just hit and one of them said “Have you told management the way that you’re feeling?” So I asked hypothetically, “Would you support that idea?” And there was this pause on the phone, and I thought “Oh no, he’s going to say no.” And he said “Wow, that would be fantastic.”

What do you love about Hobart, now that you live here? I love the mountain.

If I get home and I don’t need to do anything until 2:00 or 3:00, I’ll have a quick sandwich and go for a walk. I love the feel of Hobart. It’s got history to it. It reminds me a little bit of Western Norway, with the mountains and the sea. And the people are fantastic.

Do you get recognised here? A lot of people don’t know who I am but some people do. I’ve joined a little sketch group and a lot of them don’t know my work.

But one of the first nights, a bloke walked in. He looked at me and mouthed “I know you, but I’m not saying anything.”

You’re a keen bushwalker. Do you have a favorite place to explore? I love the mountain, but just anywhere in Tassie. It doesn’t matter where you go. My partner’s also been a very keen bushwalker, and he knows Tassie very well, so he’s

And finally, what are the origins of your name? It’s very distinctive. Sabra means “Israeli-born Jew,” but I’m not. My parents read a story about Robert Frost, the American poet, at the time my mom was pregnant, about someone who was writing his biography. The biographer had discovered Frost’s long-lost childhood love, and her name was Sabra Peabody.

He tracked her down, to find out more about Robert Frost as a child. They spent some time together, and he went his merry way. He caught up with her a couple of months later for another chat, and she said “Since we last spoke, I went up into the attic, and I discovered all this stuff from my childhood, and there was this pencil case. In this secret compartment I found these old poems that Robert had written to me as a girl.” So she said, “You can have them.” The biographer realised how precious these poems were as the first poems of Robert Frost. He put them in the museum, in the safe, with a note not to be opened while Frost was still alive.

Frost had reason to go to the safe and read them. He was so angry that his trust had been betrayed, he said to the biographer, “That’s it. The book’s off. No cooperation.” Some months went by, and then there was a rapprochement, and Frost said “I was so angry with you. You breached my trust.” And then he started crying, and he said “Tell me all about her.” My parents just loved that story.

That’s a goosebumps story. So they said if mum gave birth to a girl, that would be my name. My brothers have very ordinary names.

What are they? Brian and Gary.

Photo credit: Jason Charles Hill 23

Willow Warriors using the drill and fill method to control Willows on the Tyenna River.

WEEPING WILLOWS: HOW A CRACK TEAM OF WILLOW WARRIORS ARE CLEANING UP Interview: Stephanie Williams Pictures: Magali Wright Magali Wright leads a team of dedicated volunteers in saving the waterways of the Tyenna River and Derwent Estuary from an introduced species, the willow tree.

Why are willow trees a problem? Willows like water and grow in and along waterways. They are very good at outcompeting native trees. The main species we treat is crack willow as it’s very good at spreading along waterways - it grows from branches and sticks that are easily broken from trees. When these sticks and branches float downstream they get snagged and, within a small amount of time, new roots will grow and form a new willow tree.

Like many introduced plant species, willows were brought to Australia as ornamental garden species in an attempt to make the landscape appear more like a northern hemisphere environment.

It was also valued for wood to make cricket bats.

One of the most noticeable effects of willows in waterways is their root-mats. These mats grow out away from the riverbank, over rocks and begin to reduce the flow of water. If there are two trees growing either side of a river their root-mats will grow out and meet each other, this can reduce river flow, cause localised flooding and new river channels to form. Channelling 24

can damage riverbanks and infrastructure such as roads and pumping stations. The localised flooding can also create damage to farmland and people’s homes. As willows are shallow rooted and have fragile branches, most of the debris after a flood in willow-infested rivers is willow branches and trunks.

Willow root mats also reduce habitat for native waterbugs, changing the diversity in the river and reducing food for fish and other aquatic species. Willows can also use more water than native vegetation, with one hectare of willow using 3.9-5 ML more than native vegetation in the same area. When willow leaves fall in the autumn they reduce water quality by reducing the oxygen in the water as they decay. Willows also restrict access to rivers for recreational activities such as angling and kayaking.

How do you get rid of a tree? It depends on its size and form.

Some trees are rather large and require extra work whilst others can be simply pulled out by hand if they are small enough. Large trees are treated with a technique called Drill and Fill and/or Frill and Fill. This process involves drilling holes around the trunk with 50mm spacing and a water-safe herbicide applied directly to the holes. The holes expose the cambium layer of the tree,

which is the area of the tree that transports water and nutrients.

Through this layer the poison is taken directly into the living tissue of the tree. This process reduces the amount of herbicide needed and means there’s no off-target damage, and minimal risk to the waterway. Trees can be left to die standing in areas without important infrastructure such as bridges. Once the tree is dead it can be felled and removed from the riverbank. We like to kill the tree first as it reduces the chance of the tree creating more little willows through sticks and branches breaking off during the removal process.

If the tree is small, we can treat them with a similar technique called Cut and Paste. This simply means chopping the smaller diameter trunk off with snips and applying the same water-safe herbicide to the freshly cut area. It’s important with all techniques to apply the herbicide within 30 seconds, if you wait any longer the tree will seal-up the exposed area the same way we do with a cut to our skin.

What is your role in the program?

I have a background in plant conservation and horticulture research and teaching. Since moving to Tassie in 2010 I have worked on practical land management and threatened species programs and spent lots of time coordinating volunteer programs. I’m a Project Officer at the Derwent Catchment Project and coordinate the Tyenna River Recovery Program, the Derwent Catchment Biosecurity Working Group and undertake Strategic Planning activities – we recently worked with local

agriculture and tourism business to develop a plan for sustainable growth of agriculture and tourism in the Catchment.

How can readers become a Willow Warrior? The best way to become a Willow Warrior is send me an email – magali@derwentcatchment.org. From there they will go onto our emailing list and be notified of upcoming events. Depending on the day it can be weed treatment, removal of dead willows from riverbanks, planting native species back into a treated area, maintenance of native plantings, water monitoring using the Waterbug Blitz or a combination of these activities in a single working bee depending on what is needed.

Are there other components of the Tyenna River Recovery Program? We’re working on a plan to eradicate crack willow from the Tyenna River over the next 10 years. We are removing willows with riverside landholders, local residents, the Inland Fisheries Service and Willow Warriors. In areas where dense willows are removed, we’re replanting native riverbank plants after willow control. We are also working with John Gooderham from the Waterbug Company to undertake yearly WaterBug Blitz along the river to help understand changes to water quality with the work we undertake. We’re working to fund a similar program with the Derwent Estuary Program looking at other measures of water quality such as nutrient levels and sedimentation. For more information about our plan, which is supported by the Fisheries Habitat Improvement Fund, can be found on our website at www.derwentcatchment.org.

25

TRAVEL

Walk along Cape Hauy.

TREKKING THE THREE CAPES TRACK THREE WAYS Words: Sarah Aitken Pictures: Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service With various interstate trips vanishing before her eyes thanks to covid-induced border closures, Sarah Aitken booked herself in to hike the world-class Three Capes Track within the Tasman National Park on the Tasman Peninsula. Her legs are still recovering.

All the cliches come to mind when I try to describe my experience on the Three Capes Track - the now famous walk along some of Australia’s highest dolorite cliffs. But they are all true.

For example, it really was breathtaking, in more ways than one. The views were very excellent and looking over the many dramatic cliff edges in the wind repeatedly took my breath away...as did the hundreds of (beautifully constructed) steps on

26

the final day.

The track winds through 48km of constantly changing scenery – from beaches to clifftops, from windswept heath to fungi-filled rainforest, ending at stunning Fortescue Bay for a well-deserved and rather chilly swim.

Many of us spotted seals, snakes, rare orchids and more along the way. To be so far from everyday life yet so close to Hobart was a total treat and I highly recommend booking in to do the walk now while numbers are capped.

Relax as you watch the kids wander near the track edges...

Munro Cabin. Pic: Jesse Desjardins Depending on your budget, ability and penchant for camping (or not!), there are three ways you can walk the Three Capes Track.

Kids can walk too - any bookings for kids under 18 must be with an adult, and if you want to take a bubby under 3 you can need to phone to book. There is a max of two bubbies a day.

1. Parks and Wildlife Service The first, and the one we chose, was through Parks. For $495 you get comfy beds in well-designed huts, excellent kitchens, beautiful settings, a host ranger who’ll try their best to answer your obscure flora and fauna questions, and of course access to the seriously well-maintained tracks which you’ll share with a limited number of other walkers. You’re given a well-produced story book to enhance the experience and there’s even a shower at the middle hut. You also take a 1.5 hour Pennicott boat tour from Port Arthur to the start of the walk and a bus ride back from Fortescue Bay to Port Arthur.

2. Do It Yourself If you want to begin the walk at Denman’s Cove, stay in huts, and do the entire walk then you do need to book in with one of

Smell the fragrant Kunzea. the above options. But you can do most of the walk and camp at separate camp grounds for just the price for parks entry.

Beginning at Fortescue Bay, you can walk to Cape Pillar and back or add a loop to include Cape Hauy, spending your nights camping at the Wughalee campsite within the National Park.

These options are either 29km return or a 34km circuit. You’ll need a valid Parks Pass and you’ll need to bring everything with you.

3. Tas Walking Co This boutique business have their own huts, completely separate from the Parks site, and they’ll pick you up from and return you to the Hobart waterfront. Costs start at $3,095. You take a private boat trip to the starting point. You’ll be fully guided on the walk, with a bit more flexibility in how much or how little walking you’re feeling up to. Then you’ll have access to hot showers or even a bath at the fully private deluxe huts before being served a three course meal each night, with wine.

For more info head to: www.threecapestrack.com.au and www. taswalkingco.com.au/three-capes-lodge-walk/ 27

FILM

HOW ENDO SPARKED A FILM CAREER Interview: Stephanie Williams Pictures: Sophia Bender Sophia Bender is a Tasmanian filmmaker and recently released a short film, Endo Girl, about living with endometriosis.

What drove you to make Endo Girl?

There’s a lot that endometriosis has taken from my life. It’s affected my intimate relationships, my body image, my ability to work, to attend university and the general fear I have for the future about my ability to have children. It’s a lot to take on board, especially knowing there’s no easy answer, how unpredictable the disease is and of course that there is no cure. But my story is just the same as one in nine women and those that identify as gender diverse worldwide. That’s about 200 million women. It takes on average 7-12 years to diagnose, can only be diagnosed through an invasive laparoscopy surgery, and costs the Australian society 9.7 billion dollars annually. Three years ago, feeling completely helpless about the situation, I decided it was time to do something about it.

As a filmmaker I believe I have the power to make a difference through using my voice through the power medium of film. I don’t want us to suffer in silence anymore, I don’t want us to feel alone, and I don’t want to have to explain my disease to on average 50 percent of people I tell. I’m sure a lot of you out there today can relate! I didn’t want to feel guilt and shame about something that was out of my control, but most importantly I wanted to start a conversation, to give myself and the other 200 million women worldwide a voice. This is where Endo Girl began.

Whilst endometriosis has taken so much from my life, this film has given me more back than I could have ever imagined.

Why do you think it’s still so challenging for women to get a diagnosis? There are 28

many factors that contribute toward the delayed diagnosis of endometriosis. The first one being the wide range of symptoms that endometriosis can cause and vastly differ from patient to patient. With me for example, my main areas that are affected are my bowel, bladder and fatigue meaning that a lot of my symptoms don’t always correlate to my period itself. I was misdiagnosed for many years with irritable bowel syndrome. Many patients’ mothers also experienced undiagnosed endometriosis themselves and were taught from earlier generations that period pain was normal, not talk about it and it’s something you simply had to endure. There’s also not enough education in schools teaching students that period pain is not normal and if they are suffering they should seek medical advice. Many patients are often told that the pain is all in their heads, because the disease is invisible to scans (unless you are presenting with an extreme endometriosis which can sometimes be picked up on an ultrasound).

So there is this feeling of constantly being turned away saying there is nothing medically wrong with you and all your test results are presenting perfectly. This also has a huge affect on your mental health.

The only way to have an official diagnosis is to have an invasive laparoscopy

surgery, which for many people is out of reach due to the financial burden through both the surgery cost and the loss of productivity that follows from surgery.

Are you a filmmaker by trade or is this new for you? I have been creating films for the last 9 years. I turned to filmmaking when I was studying ballet at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). I was suffering from many injuries alongside undiagnosed endometriosis at the time when I discovered film as a creative outlet through my choreography classes while I was injured.

My career path changed very dramatically when the head of WAAPA dance at the time, Nanette Hassall, told me I should audition for film schools. At the time this seemed bizarre having dedicated my entire life to achieving the goal of being a professional ballet dancer. I was lucky enough to then be one of 17 people accepted into The Victorian College of the Arts for Film and TV the following year, this then led me onto working with The Australian Ballet as one of their filmmakers for three years upon graduating. I think it’s safe to say transitioning to film was the best decision I’ve ever made and I’m forever grateful to Nanette’s advice who changed the course of my life for the better.

What is your goal for Endo Girl? For me success looks like a day when everyone knows what endometriosis is. I want Endo Warriors to feel empowered by the film and know that they’re not alone, there are in fact 200 million women like them and we are all fighting the same battle.

It’s been so overwhelming and exciting to see how many women are coming forward and speaking up since watching the film.

They have been messaging me their stories as well as sharing them online after watching the film. During the Q&A session at the premiere at the State Cinema, we had a number of women who felt empowered enough to share their stories through sobbing tears in a room of 150 people. For me this was not only overwhelming but incredibly validating that the impact the film has on these women made them feel brave enough to do this. It meant we had in many ways achieved what the film had set out to do.

Australia going towards medical research and education.

We have chosen the number nine for the one in nine women and those that identify as gender diverse who suffer with Endometriosis.

Where can readers watch Endo Girl and find out more about endometriosis? You can view Endo Girl as well as our 9 to Shine Campaign at www.sophiabenderfilms.com/endogirl.

You can find out more about Endometriosis at Endometriosis Australia, www.endometriosisaustralia.org

I always knew when I created Endo Girl I wanted to create awareness for this insidious disease, help educate society and show the one in nine women and those that identify as gender diverse world wide that they are not alone. However, in the last few weeks leading up to the release of the film I realised that my journey was not over yet.

Alongside the release of the film we have launched a campaign called 9 to Shine for Endometriosis. We have a very ambitious goal of aiming to raise $9 Million dollars in 99 days through $9 donations, with the money raised going to Endometriosis

Sophia on set.

Film stills: Pippa Samaya.

29

TRAVEL

Adam and truffle dog Trigger.

Black gold.

TRUFFLE-HUNTING IN TASMANIA Words and pictures: Amanda Double

At the special Q&A launch screening of The Truffle Hunters documentary recently at Hobart’s State Cinema, welcome memories of truffle hunts flooded back.

Directors Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, who were fascinated by a group of aging men in the Piedmont region of northern Italy who hunt deep in the forests for the rare white Alba truffles, have made a beautiful study of these men and their beloved companions, the clever truffle dogs so indispensable to this way of life.

This screening was enhanced by the presence of Ina and Timothy from Tasmanian truffle farm The Truffledore, and their own friendly truffle dog, Cody. It threw me back to August last year and my first excursion out of lockdown. Truffle hunting - not in 30

Italy or France, but in Lower Barrington, near Sheffield, at The Truffledore where Ina and Tim farm Périgord black truffles - also known as Tuber melanosporum, or the “black diamond”.

Ina Ansmann (a marine biologist/zoologist by trade, originally from Germany) and Timothy Noonan (a Queenslander who has worked as a paramedic) took on this truffle farm and business in early 2019, after falling in love with it at first sight.

In June last year, following lockdown easings, they were able to open their doors just in time for the winter truffle season from June to the end of August, for their four-hour Hunt and Harvest Tour.

Although their new life has been a bit of a learning curve for them both, they have rel-

ished the challenge, and have been gradually training truffle dog Cody. For my tour, however, Ina was accompanied by expert truffle harvester Adam and his seasoned truffle dog Trigger, while Tim was busy in the kitchen with preparations for the four-course feast to follow.

Legendary French epicure and gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (for whom a cheese was later named) called the truffle “the very diamond of gastronomy”. Presumably because of its incomparable aroma and taste, but also its rarity and expense.

Our small group gathered by the roaring fire for a fortifying mulled wine before donning a pair of gumboots from the huge house selection (worn to minimise soil biosecurity risk) and entering the truffière. Oak

trees greeted us in neat rows, while we were introduced to the art of dog handling and harvesting. A good truffle dog is worth his weight in, well, truffles – needing not only a good nose, but also the ability to walk up and down rows of trees and ignore tempting distractions. And unlike the truffle pigs of old, these dogs don’t want to actually eat the truffles – just the food reward they get for each truffle they find.

Almost immediately, Trigger sniffed out a truffle buried in the soil just below the surface, not far from the roots of an oak tree. He started to scratch the earth gently, and Adam rewarded him while using a small pick and a gloved hand to ease out our first black truffle. At first glance it was an unprepossessing-looking little nugget, but we all took the

chance to sniff it as it was passed around.

I felt almost lightheaded.

For me, truffles have always evoked a sort of slow, sensual rapture. For a start, I adore their distinctive scent. And when I eat truffle in some delicious form, I feel like I’m chiefly devouring its scent.

I am briefly transported. My partner, on the other hand, will admit only to mildly enjoying them as a not-too-heavy-handed component of a fine meal.

Trigger, nose down, found more and more truffles as we followed excitedly, thrilled when a couple of bigger specimens were unearthed. Sniffing the soil where a truffle had nested, we discovered that the pungent aroma remains for some time. The winter sun felt like a benevolent blessing as we meandered amongst the oak trees.

After a couple of hours it was time to head back to the Truffledore, for a long-table lunch to taste some of our freshly-harvested spoils. With impeccable timing, we were sitting cosily by the fire with a celebratory drink by the time the rain started.

Our four courses included asparagus topped with cured egg yolk (or feta if preferred), truffle oil, and hazelnut dukkah; followed by a delectable soup of porcini and other mushrooms with truffle, and Ina’s potato bread; Tim’s homemade truffle pasta with crunchy hazelnut topping; and a truffle-flavoured creme brûlée for dessert. All delicious.

How to describe the distinctive truffle taste? According to writer Peter Mayle: “The flavour of a truffle is the continuation of its scent, complex and earthy, neither mushroom nor meat, but something in between. It tastes, more than anything else I know, of the outdoors.”

The Truffledore includes a Farmstay option with two cottages available, or you could stay at the Glencoe Country Bed and Breakfast nearby. After such a feast, all we wanted to do was fall into bed; dinner was definitely not required.

In this time of closed international borders, we were once again reminded: the best adventures can often be had in our own backyard.

The Truffledore, Lower Barrington: Hunt and Harvest Tours, June-August, 12-4pm https://truffledore.com.au/

31

HISTORY

How Whale Blubber Built Sandstone Salamanca Words: Zilla Gordon

Pictures: Tasmanian Archives

If you took a stroll through Salamanca at the turn of the 19th century, you would have been greeted with the putrid smell of chunks of whale blubber, rendered down in cast-iron pots called try-pots; a far cry from the modern cocktail scene today.

But it was those gruesome sights that shaped the city - because Hobart was built on a whale’s back. While Hobart’s whaling history may go back to the time of the first European settlement, it was around the 1840s to 1880s that the industry entered what historians say was a golden age. And a warning, gruesome tales ahead.

WHALES TURN TIMID Whales were once abundant in Hobart’s estuaries, in fact, clergyman and avid dairy-keeper, Robert Knopwood said in 1804 that the animals were a hazard. “We passed so many whales that it was dangerous for the boat to go up the river unless you kept very near the shore,” he said.

A penguin perched on the upturned belly of a deceased whale.

The Flying Childers.

Because whale oil was used to light Hobart’s streets and homes, the demand for the animals continued to increase. “At that point, the owners of the whale stations thought the whales were getting ‘shy’,” historian and researcher Michael Stoddart said. “In fact, what they meant was they’d butchered all the whales that came close to the shore, and the whales were all too far out to sea to make this shore-based station hunting work.”

The golden age transformed the waterfront and masses of whaling ships were built, designed and moored in Hobart.

“There were shipyards all over the place building these ships,” Michael said.

Hobart created such a name for itself, ships from America were lining up for a mooring. The abundance of whale oil even drew British and Portuguese ships to Hobart, and these ships meant money. “In 1838 it’s said that more money came into the state treasury from whaling than from any other primary industry,” Michael said. “All the agricultural exports, put them all together, and they didn’t equal the amount of money that came in from the sale of whale oil.” And all that money allowed for the constructions of some of Hobart’s finest buildings.

A CITY OF GRANDEUR The Lenna of Hobart Hotel was owned by the successful whaling 32

family the McGregors. “At the top of the old house, there’s a lookout - a clerestory - that he built so he could walk up and look at his ships coming up the estuary,” Michael said. “He’d go up there with his binoculars or his telescope and he’d wait for his ships to reappear. You’d say goodbye to your ship and in a yearand-a-half, you might see it again.”

Patriarch Alexander McGregor owned the prized whaling ship The Flying Childers, named after a Launceston racehorse, which made nearly 40 trips in its lifetime and sometimes spent up to a year-and-a-half out at sea. “It never came back without its hull being full of oil,” Michael said.”

Returning from the hunt.

A HARD DAY’S WORK Rather than a restaurant, Maldini was originally an iron foundry, and the stretch of sandstone buildings housed blacksmiths and ropemakers. And perhaps more importantly, there were lots of pubs. “The crew left the ships like rats from a sinking ship and just headed for the pubs,” Michael said. They frequented an area around a wharf at Hunter Street, known as Wapping: which also offered brothels, drinking halls and boarding houses - and boasted a rough reputation.

But the on-shore frivolities were a stark contrast to their back-breaking work. The golden age was really quite miserable.

“A great many men were killed leaving orphaned children,” Michael said. On the water, whalers would pursue the animal in small wooden boats which were often damaged during the chase.

“A lot of whales would smash them with their tails,” Michael said. “They’d be six boats out, maybe chasing one whale - they’d be rowing for an hour.”

Killing the whale was only half the battle with the animal then dragged back to the ship. “It could be eight hours of doing nothing but rowing your boat,” Michael said. “And there might have been a chunk taken out of the side of the boat, so not only were they rowing, but they were also bailing like mad to stop them from sinking.” The deceased whale would be tied up alongside the ship, and mounds of blubber would be hauled up by a pulley and dropped into the try-pot and the oil then rendered, all while out at sea. The rest of the whale would be cut adrift.

END OF AN ERA By the end of the 1890s, things had changed. Whales were very difficult to catch, even for ships that had headed far out to sea.

“That was it, Hobart’s whaling industry was over,” Michael said. So whaling ships were converted to cargo ships and instead carried Tasmania’s apples across to the mainland. Whaling returned briefly in the 20th century when Norwegian ships used Hobart as a base to head further south to Antarctica to hunt for blue whales from around the 1920s to the 1930s. The ships’ arrival offered jobs for around 200 men and there were records of boys as young as 16 years old being employed. “One lied about his age because they wouldn’t take them as young as 16,” Michael said. “But the majority of them were in their very early 20s. These young men went off for the adventure of a lifetime, not really knowing that they were being involved in the destruction of the Earth’s stocks of blue whales.”

So successful was the Norwegian whaling industry that by the Second World War “there was hardly a blue whale to be had”, according to Michael. “Maybe there’s about one-tenth of the blue whales left in the world that there was in the 1920s when the young Tasmanian boys went south. “But the fact was, the world needed whale oil, and it was their job to deliver it.”

Today remnants of whaling’s golden age can still be found in Salamanca’s buildings, Michael said. “Look up and you’ll see some of them have still got pulleys… so that platforms could be raised and lowered, and barrels of oil stored in the buildings.”

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