Local Photos 34 The Unreliable Guide 36 Headnoise

Subject Stillness Location Coogee Photographer Theresia Hall @theresia.g.hall

Subject Pool Culture Location Bronte Photographer Theresia Hall @theresia.g.hall

Subject Bay of Plenty Location Clovelly Photographer Tommy Dalton Subject Kookaburra Airways Location Bondi Photographer Graeme Bogan

Subject Jacaranda Season Location Randwick Photographer Alice Monks

Subject Burning Ocean Location Maroubra Photographer Tomas Lomanto @seenbytomas

Subject Sunrise Swings Location Bronte Photographer Trinity St.Lewis @trinitystlewis

Subject King Tide Location Clovelly Photographer Michael Hone Subject Geronimo! Location Coogee Photographer Steve Peach

Subject Nikita Zigura's Cherries Location Tamarama Photographer Theresia Hall @theresia.g.hall

Winning.

The Unreliable Guide to... Work-Life Balance

Words Nat Shepherd Photo Holly Day

I love the French. Don’t get me wrong, as a Pom I’ve faced my shares of snooty Parisians, sneering at my daggy attire and pretending not to understand my nervous attempts at their language. It’s not that I’m a huge fan of French food either. Apart from French cakes (which are actually so good there’s probably a law against them somewhere) I’d choose Italian cuisine over French every time. No, the reason I love the French is because they fight to the death for their right to relax. They fight for the freedom of leisure, pleasure, relaxation. In 2000, the French passed a law stating that the working week should not exceed 35 hours - if it does, those hours must be paid back to the worker in the form of holiday. French law already requires a minimum of five weeks annual leave, but because of this pay-back scheme, many workers get double that. Compare this to the US - who have no laws about maximum hours or paid leave - where the median number of paid holidays per year is just six measly days, and working more than 50 hours a week is not unusual. That barely leaves them time to do anything else - no wonder they eat so much fast food. In Australia, thankfully, full-time employees are entitled to a minimum of four weeks off per year, but I think we should go further. After all, we’re a long time dead. Why are we all slogging our guts out to buy things we don’t need? Luckily, The Unreliable Guide is here with some tips and tricks to help you escape the rat race.

Four-Day Week

Aussies love a long weekend, but how good would it be if every weekend was a long one? In the UK, a hundred companies have just signed up for a permanent four-day working week with no loss of pay. This only affects 2,600 workers, but the 4 Day Week Campaign Group hopes it’s the start of a major social shift. The campaign intends to “build a society where we work to live, rather than live to work”, a sentiment with which it’s hard to argue. And research suggests it’s better for employers too. A survey conducted by the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford revealed 95 per cent of companies trialling the scheme had either improved or retained productivity levels. In 2021, a Henley Business School study estimated implementing a four-day week across the entire workforce would save UK businesses a combined £104 billion a year. So why aren’t we all doing it?

Leisure is Pleasure, Not a Sin

It is no coincidence that the establishment of Protestantism (from 1517) was swiftly followed by the Industrial Revolution (from around 1760). The Protestant/Calvinist/Puritan work ethic focuses on diligence, discipline and frugality whilst declaring that anything fun must be sinful - an ideology custom designed to brainwash an obedient workforce into spending long hours on some unrewarding job. Now, keeping up with rampant mass consumption, the latest manifestations of Protestantism in the US is the prosperity gospel favoured by some evangelical nutjobs. They promote the idea that wealth and possessions are a blessing from God. Thus, the poor are not pitiable victims of unequal opportunities, they are sinful, lazy ratbags, because if God loved them, he’d have showered them in dollars (can I have an A-MEN?!) - total, dangerous bollocks that has arguably infected the structure of US laws and values.

Finally, until we get a legislated four-day week here, The Unreliable Guide suggests you chuck a sickie, grab some mates and take the day off. On your deathbed you won’t be looking at your bank balance or your collection of fancy shoes, cars or houses, you’ll be thinking about all the fun you either did or - and this will break your heart - didn’t have time to have.

Mayor's Message

Happy New Year!

On behalf of Waverley Council and my fellow Waverley Councilors, I would like to wish our community a happy and safe 2023.

Waverley Council is delighted to be progressing several exciting projects this year including our Float to Survive water safety pilot campaign with Randwick City Council and UNSW. Float to Survive promotes floating as the best chance of survival for swimmers who get into trouble in the water and is aimed at reducing the record number of drownings in Australia. We are testing the memorability of the Float to Survive message in our research to help keep our swimmers safe. When visiting our beaches, please remember to always swim between the flags and follow instructions from our lifeguards. If you become caught in a rip or encounter difficulties in the water, please signal for help design for the Charing Cross streetscape upgrade aims to preserve and celebrate the traditional village look and feel of this much-loved neighbourhood area while making it more sustainable and safer for pedestrians, motorists and those using public transport. The Charing Cross community is passionate about their village which we want to improve for the future.

Bondi Pavilion continues to delight this summer with exciting live events from music and films to kids activities, exhibitions and classes. New events are being scheduled each week, so visit the What’s On page at bondipavilion.com.au for the latest updates. The Bondi Pavilion Welcome Centre is also open 10am to 4pm, seven days a week, for all your Waverley Customer Service and Box Office needs.

And for more events and news, look out for your copy of the summer edition of Waverley News, our community magazine celebrating all things Waverley!

Paula Masselos Mayor of Waverley

and float to survive.

Our Major Projects continue with the restoration and upgrade of the heritagelisted Boot Factory building in Spring St, Bondi Junction and Mill Hill Community Centre. The Council is transforming the building into our first Innovation and Knowledge Hub where we can nurture ideas to further transform Waverley into a smart city of the future and ensure that neighbouring Waverley Library keeps pace with the knowledge economy. Restoration works are expected to be completed in autumn so please see the Major Projects page on our website for updates.

We are also continuing to work with businesses and residents in Charing Cross to discuss our proposed streetscape upgrade of Waverley’s oldest village centre. We have very well thought-out and developed concept design for the Charing Cross Streetscape Upgrade which includes new trees and street furniture, the introduction of a 40km/h area, footpath widening and undergrounding of overhead powerlines. Our concept

Like walking on air.

You Probably Think This Thong Is About You

Words Jeremy Ireland Photo Carly Simon

After a long hiatus, the annual The Beast staff Christmas drinks was back - no masks, no QR codes, no nothing. I was surprised to learn that the majority of the crowd were the foot soldiers that pound the pavement and put the mags in letterboxes. I never realised what a mission it actually was, an army of people literally walking the streets making sure each letterbox gets its issue tucked safely inside. As I was listening to the importance of sturdy footwear to get the job done safely, the lady explaining everything to me pointed towards our illustrious editor and said, “James here, he’s known to deliver in bare feet.” I looked straight at his feet; they weren’t bare, but looked quite comfortable wedged in a pair of well-worn rubber thongs that probably cost five bucks. Being known to wear thongs around the clock myself, I showed him my pair, “Mine only cost $1.25 from Kmart!”

Thongs, flip-flops, slides... whatever you want to call them, essentially James’ pair were the same as mine. So what was the difference, apart from $3.75? On returning home, I started thinking, why do people choose to dress and look as they do, and how does that appearance influence how one is perceived? Well, if you live in the Eastern Suburbs, especially around Bondi, there’s plenty of fodder to chew. You tend to see it all around that famous piece of sand, but watch for a while and you’ll start to notice trends or patterns around what people wear and how they wear it.

Essentially, appearance is a form of non-verbal communication, and it is a fast and effective way to get a message across. Western culture tends to place a high value on how we look - how much we weigh, the style of our hair and, most importantly, what we wear. As much as I hate to say it, studies do show that attractive people are perceived as more credible, popular, social, prosperous, adventurous and, believe it or not, happier. The crucial word here is ‘perceived’.

With attractive people being splashed all over reality TV, advertising and social media, you can appreciate the power of influence and how a stereotype develops - think Beauty and the Geek. Looks sell, and if you’re following a social influencer the subtext they rely on is you’re not too happy with yourself and you want to be like them.

But let’s get back to clothing... it really is the fastest non-verbal way to communicate to others how you want to be treated. If I, for example, walked into a boardroom meeting wearing my $1.25 thongs it sends a quick message to the board how I want to be treated. Wear these same thongs in court, however, and I’d probably get a different result. Unfortunately though, like Roxette, if you’re trying to dress for success, sadly the data shows there’s no real magic formula.

If we do get caught up in the ‘what is beautiful is good’ stereotype, is this such a bad thing? Well, there’s nothing wrong with trying to look your best. It certainly seems important if we go on a first date, for example, but there is a definite cost - not just financial - in the pursuit of trying to look like someone else because they made it look good on Instagram or, even worse, being told what to wear if you are trying to fit in with a certain geographical demographic.

Remember, if we’re consulting the likes of Vogue to achieve the ultimate ‘Bondi’ look, it’s worth asking what are we really wanting here. Following a trend is one thing, but if we all do it then it is no longer a trend and it becomes a cliché. May I suggest if we are a little uncertain about how to be seen around Bondi, before rushing out to buy that essential little white dress, grow a hipster beard, buy a Range Rover or even be tempted to purchase a $30 pair of thongs made of crap rubber, may I encourage brushing up on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Emperor’s New Clothes.

If you’re still unsure, try this experiment: buy a plain black pair of $30 rubber thongs and a similar looking pair from Kmart for under $5, put one from each pair on each foot, then walk along the promenade at Bondi and see who notices!

Jeremy Ireland is a local psychotherapist. Have you got a question? You can get in touch with Jeremy by calling 0400 420 042.

Randwick News

It’s that time of year when we all pause for a while to reflect. This year there’s been so much to be grateful for. Summer’s finally here and our favourite festivals and outdoor events are returning. What a change to 2020 and 2021! I’ve really enjoyed getting out and meeting our local community groups, residents and visitors to our area. It’s been a whirlwind, it’s been busy – and like every year, there have been ups and downs. Something I never take for granted is the privilege of being Mayor of this wonderful City – the place I call home. It’s an honour. So, in my last Beast column for the year, I’d like to say: Thank you! Thank you to my fellow Councillors and thank you to the wonderful Randwick Council staff who work so hard to serve the community. Thank you to the local businesses and thank you to everyone who lives, works and plays here – you make Randwick City the diverse, multicultural place that it is! Just a reminder Coogee Sparkles NYE fireworks are at Coogee Beach at 9pm and we’ve got Australia Day activities at Kensington Park. There will be alcohol restrictions at all of our beachside parks this holiday season, and our beaches have permanent alcohol restrictions – so make sure you check the signage. Stay safe at our beaches and on our coastline. If you rock fish or know people who do – remind them that lifejackets are compulsory. And if you’re swimming, make sure you swim between the flags and if you get into trouble, remember – float to survive! Have a safe and happy summer, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and Happy New Year to everyone.

Councillor Dylan Parker

Mayor of Randwick Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker

What’s On

SATURDAY 31 DECEMBER COOGEE SPARKLES

9pm, Coogee Beach

MONDAY 9 JANUARY BLIMEY SLIME-EY FOR KIDS

1pm – 2pm Lionel Bowen Library

TUESDAY 10 JANUARY BABIES LOVE BOOKS IN SPANISH

11.15am – 11.45am Lionel Bowen Library

MONDAY 16 JANUARY SHOWTIME IN MAROUBRA FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL KIDS

10.30am – 11.30am Lionel Bowen Library

SUNDAY 22 JANUARY DROP-IN AT THE BAYVIEW WITH ANGELA NASHAAT

12.30pm – 3pm The Bayview Gallery, La Perouse Museum

THURSDAY 26 JANUARY AUSTRALIA DAY

12pm – 4pm Kensington Park