This Feature

DECEMBER 8-9 2012
inside
FESTIVE FLAIR
TABLE TWISTS
ON THE ROCKS
BATHING BEAUTIES
ROBERT DREWE
FANCY PANTS
MOTHER LOAD
Amy Zempilas took up blogging to stay in touch.
But for a growing band of online mums, it’s a
way to let it all out — good and bad.
19
14
inside
6
regulars
4 STARTERS A reader shares a special
family moment, plus a great giveaway.
5 YOUR SAY Letters
10
Cover image Amy Zempilas and daughter, Ava.
PICTURE IAN MUNRO
6 STYLE COUNSEL Festive feast
16
Jets Lustre bikini in Butter, $160, and
one-piece in Spice, $155, both from
Daneechi Swimwear, Subiaco 9388 1767.
Find us at
facebook.com/
westweekend
16 STYLE We might not all look
like models but fab retro-inspired
swimwear looks great on every body.
18 WINE An old-school winery that
showcases the diverse terroir of the
land of the long white cloud.
7 TAKE FIVE with improv guru and
proud dad, Glenn Hall.
8 YIN & YANG Nathan and Michael
Buzza have taken very different paths.
19 FOOD Rob Broadfield heads to the
top end of town and finds a chef out
of his comfort zone.
features
20 OUTSIDE Sabrina Hahn has a soft
spot for timeless hydrangeas.
10 MUMMY DIARIES The Perth women
who are at home and online.
Published for West Australian Newspapers Limited, ABN 98 008 667 632, 50 Hasler Road, Osborne
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supplement to The West Australian and must not be sold separately. There is a cross-media relationship
between West Australian Newspapers Limited and Channel Seven Perth Pty Limited.
life & style
14 NEON DION Designer Dion Lee is
winning haute couture hearts with his
refined designs and fine tailoring.
21 BOOKS An ode to TV’s most-loved
soap, plus Olivia’s latest adventure.
22 THE OTHER SIDE Robert Drewe
has some wardrobe woes.
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Quininup Beach, New Year’s Eve, 2011
THE QUIZ
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I love this photo...
10
Reader Jenni Harding loves the joy and spontaneity
of this shot taken at a special family spot.
Who Kelly and Harry, my two beautiful boys.
Where Quininup Beach at Wilyabrup in the
South West.
Why I love it My husband and I were both
fortunate to grow up in the South West and
this area of coastline holds special memories.
From an early age, my family used to hike up
from Moses Rock to the waterfall, catching
dozens of herring from the beach. My husband
and his mates used to fish, surf and also dive for
crayfish. This photo was taken on New Year’s
Eve, 2011. We had travelled from Busselton
to the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park,
four-wheel driving to a deserted cove near
Quininup Beach. We explored and swam, the
boys, at first hesitant of the surf, were soon
watch
Game of Thrones. It depicts the things
people will do when they have power over others.
play Pomp and Circumstance played at full blast as
I enter the work carpark then, on the way home, the
soothing tones of Groove Armada.
read
WE’VE CUT THE CHARACTERS
FROM A MEMORABLE SCENE.
CAN YOU NAME THE MOVIE?
Answer page 22
4
westweekend 08.12.12
Answers page 22
win
SUNSCREEN AND LIPSTICK
What’s your favourite
photo? Send a highresolution image
to westweekend@
wanews.com.au and
tell us in no more than
300 words why you
love it.
SCREEN SHOT
LINLEY LUTTON / CHAIRMAN,
CITY GATEKEEPERS
My current favourite is the story of Pablo
Picasso’s relationship with his beloved dachshund
Lump, who died only days after Picasso.
Kevin Schluter
enjoying the waves with much glee. Gourmet
hamburgers were cooked on the beach while
taking in a magnificent sunset over the Indian
Ocean — a true South West experience. This
photo captures the essence of my young boys:
carefree, creative and full of a neverending
search for the next adventure. It makes me
reflect on my own childhood and how special
it is to be able to live in the moment, with no
thoughts of tomorrow. It also reminds me of
how blessed we are to live in such a beautiful,
pristine and peaceful part of the world. Being a
dancer and choreographer I love the movement
captured in this photo. I hope, too, that my boys
will value and respect this beautiful coastline,
and in the future share similar experiences with
their own children.
culture
vulture
What same name applies to a
types of wind, helicopter and
salmon?
Name the winner of the 2012
Melbourne Cup.
Hit-men Vincent Vega and Jules
Winnfield are the main characters
in the 1994 movie ...?
The kookaburra is a member of
which bird family?
What is the answer to the song
lyrics question: “Can you guess
where I’m calling from?”
Elkhorns and staghorns are what
type of plant?
Name the Englishman in Charles
Dickens’s novel, A Tale of Two
Cities, who saves another man’s
life by taking his place at the
guillotine.
What one-word computer
term is formed from the words
modulator-demodulator?
What is the shared surname of
the characters played by Colin
Firth in TV’s Pride and Prejudice
and in the film Bridget Jones’s
Diary?
Which is the more northerly,
Broome or Cairns?
This 1989 comedy/drama
directed by a Happy Days
alumni featured an all-star
cast acting out a painfully and
often hilariously authentic
look at the ups and downs of
family life. The story is based
largely on the experiences of
the film’s writers in dealing
with domestic situations
such as a young son’s sexual
awakening and an unexpected
pregnancy. It was nominated
for two Academy Awards and
twice adapted for a TV show.
Kim Scott, Liz
Byrski and
Sally Morgan
are a few of
Australia’s bestloved authors
who feature
in Sunscreen
and Lipstick.
The perfect
collection for
summer, it’s one of the books
on sale at 15 per cent discount
when Fremantle Press and UWA
Publishing battle for the hearts and
minds of West Australians in the
Super Summer Spruik. Join them
for literature and laughs from 2pm
to 3pm today at the State Library’s
Love2Read Cafe. West Weekend
has 25 copies of Sunscreen and
Lipstick to give away. To enter,
put your name, address and
phone number on the back of
an envelope and send to West
Weekend Sunscreen and Lipstick
competition, GPO Box 2940,
Perth WA 6800 or enter online at
thewest.com.au/competitions and
provide the codeword SUMMER.
Entries close and winners will be drawn at
random at 10am Friday and notified
by post. Employees of The West Australian
and their immediate family are ineligible
to enter. Entrants’ details will be used for
marketing. See WAN privacy policy at
thewest.com.au/privacypolicy.
your
say
Editor Julie Hosking
Deputy editor Amanda Keenan
Designer Bethany Chismark
Staff writers Pip Christmass,
Bridget Lacy
Staff photographer Rob Duncan
Stylists Rachael Ciccarelli,
Elizabeth Clarke, Hannah McGrath
Books editor William Yeoman
EDITORIAL
Newspaper House, 50 Hasler Road,
Osborne Park, WA 6017.
p: 9482 3111 f: 9482 3157
e: [email protected]
ADVERTISING
Sales Director
David Bignold
[email protected]
Sales Coordinator
Amy McDonnell 9482 3723
[email protected]
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Marissa Jones 9482 3507
[email protected]
National Sales Manager
Les Corner 9482 3131
[email protected]
OFFICES
Adelaide HWR Media (08) 8379 9522
Brisbane JF Media (07) 3844 5888
Melbourne Brown Orr Fletcher Burrows
(03) 9826 5188
Sydney Publishers Internationale
(02) 9252 3476
Oh, how I hated rice pudding with
mushy stewed rhubarb and sago
pudding when it was on the menu at
boarding school. I was always the last
to leave the dining room as we had to
finish the food before we left the table.
The only way to leave a clean plate was
to find ways of disposing of the mess in
the kitchen. I think there may have been
trouble with the drains later that night.
But I did love the stale bread fried in
dripping — especially bacon dripping.
Miriam Romiti, Balga
Why is your man Rob Broadfield so
disparaging about tinned food (24/11)?
Millions of people use it every day and
it doesn’t appear to do them any harm.
There is so much snobbery about food
these days but I do wonder which tiny
section of the community Broadfield
writes for. When he mentions jus is
this so us plebians won’t know that
he means thin gravy or that salsa is
just common old sauce. Maybe the
restaurant he gave such a caning to
doesn’t set itself up as a fine dining
restaurant; that’s why its prices are so
much lower than the outrageous ones
Broadfield is used to paying.
James Harris, Chidlow
No wonder fish stocks are dropping —
the photo showing the family holding
so many fish (I Love This Photo, 24/11)
made me feel how greedy man can be.
Just because they were easy to catch
doesn’t mean one must get as many as
one can. If they had been left to breed
imagine the numbers over the years
that would have been born. Now the
happy comment — models Dylan (Jets
Set) and Tiffany Warne (Style & Beauty)
looked fabulous in the outfits. So great
to see fit and healthy young women; they
make wonderful role models for all our
young girls in WA.
Tricia Turner, Forrestfield
Just referring to question six in your quiz
(24/11) about bird terms used in golf and
which is the largest bird. Your answer
was albatross. I believe the correct
answer is condor — the golf term for a
hole in one on a par five. Four have been
recorded in history. In weight terms, the
condor has been recorded at over 30kg;
an albatross a maximum of 16kg.
David Oliphant, Perth
win
The winner of
the letter judged
the best in
December wins
a $1000 voucher
to spend at
Australia’s 2012
Best Bakery, Jean Pierre Sancho.
Their award winning macarons
are available for order online at
jpsancho.com.au.
Winner judged from current entries and notified by
phone. Employees of The West Australian and their
immediate family are ineligible to enter. Entrants’
details will be used for marketing. See WAN privacy
policy at thewest.com.au/privacypolicy.
The Avis
Service Promise.
In action, all day, every day.
An elderly woman who rented an Avis car has to be taken
to hospital from the side of the road. Warren collects her
luggage from the rental car and personally delivers it to
the hospital in his own time after work. Another example
of how Avis tries harder every day.
Experience it for yourself. Go to avis.com.au
LETTER OF THE WEEK
I come from an
earlier decade than
those writing about
Robert Drewe’s
Tea Time column
(Your Say, 24/11).
The reminder to
my generation was
to “think of the
starving children in
Europe”. Imagine my
surprise when a coworker, on opening and smelling a punnet
of blackberries, experienced a disturbing
flashback to war-torn Europe when she
and her starving family were running
from the Russians. They stumbled across
a fruit bearing blackberry hedge and
immediately gorged themselves on the
fruit. Never did I think I would meet one
of those children but here she was — fully
adjusted to living in Australia, successful
and slim as a reed. I grew the fat cells for
her and also suffer from the clean plate
syndrome. Small price to pay for the
freedom and life I have enjoyed.
Kath Holmes, Yokine
We would love to hear from you. Please
send letters to the editor at westweekend@
wanews.com.au or Letters, West Weekend,
Newspaper House, 50 Hasler Road, Osborne
Park, WA 6017. Letters should be 200 words
or less, must contain writer’s full name, home
address and day phone number. They may be
edited for purposes of clarity or space.
PERTH 6.47pm
style counsel
Candlelight carols
Trimmed with holly,
these candle stands will
add style to any spread.
Small candle stand with
beaten foil, $89, large,
$110, Orno Interiors,
Highgate 9328 5556.
Sitting pixie
A bendable
Danish elf will
bring plenty of
cheer. Maileg
micropixie, $27,
Plane Tree Farm,
Claremont
9384 4899.
Classy crackers
These festive favourites
hide exquisite treats like
mini-Rubik’s Cubes and
charms. International
Bon Bons, $3.50
each, Ma Cuisine,
Cottesloe
9385 6893.
Silver bells
Mirror-polished, stainless-steel
bell-like shakers that rock
back and forth. Fill with
salt and pepper or spices.
Danish Modern Salt and
Pepper Tumblers, $69,
danishmodern.com.au.
tops
table
Present a Christmas
feast with plenty
of pizzazz.
STYLIST ELIZABETH CLARKE
PICTURES ROB DUNCAN
Festive frost
A stainless-steel bucket
for keeping champagne
and wine icy cold.
Reindeer handle ice
bucket, $108,
Ma Cuisine.
Natty napiery
Hand-printed table napkins
fashioned from rustic linen.
Try mismatching colours for
instant yuletide chic. Bonnie &
Neil napkins, $21 each, Remedy,
Leederville 9444 8818.
Herald angels
A gorgeous
girl to watch
over your table.
Julfint napkin
holder, $2.95,
IKEA, Innaloo
9201 4532.
Red flame
Bright red baubles surround a
pretty tealight holder to cast a
festive glow on your goodies,
$31.95, ilovechristmas.com.au.
Oh, deer
A regal reindeer statue will make
an elegant centrepiece, $64.95,
ilovechristmas.com.au.
6
westweekend 08.12.12
Just desserts
A feminine way
to serve dessert
or present sweet
somethings at
the table. Swing
glass cloche,
$29.95, Harry
Next Door,
Leederville
9242 2811.
Rings & things
Jewelled napkin rings for a bling-tastic barbecue,
$19.95 for a set of four, ogilvies.com.au.
takefive
Glenn Hall
Improvisation expert
I was the kind of kid who . . . would never sit still or shut
up. I guess I was a born performer who loved attention.
My mother always told me . . . to stop making stuff up.
Little did she know it was going to be my career. Actually,
my mum is my hero — she constantly inspires me with
her integrity, resilience, compassion and heart.
The biggest lesson I learnt at school was . . . the
importance of great teachers. After I appeared in my
Year 7 school play my teacher Mr Draper suggested I
audition for a drama scholarship at John Curtin College of
the Arts. I got in. That moment changed my life.
I earnt my first pay cheque . . . working at Chicken Treat.
It was awful but it taught me a true work ethic — and
that it’s important to really love what you do.
I knew ... that there was something special about
improvisation when I first started doing Theatresports in
Year 11. That was nearly 25 years ago.
Glenn Hall is creative
director of improv
training company
Just Improvise. He
performs in Impro
Unwrapped at 2pm
tomorrow at Mt
Lawley Bowling
Club in support of
St Vincent de Paul
WA’s Christmas
Appeal. For tickets see
showticketing.com.au.
justimprovise.com.au.
You can never have enough . . . time with your family.
Positivity. Or good cheese.
I’m very good at . . . making things up. And I
do it constantly — for work and pleasure.
I don’t believe ... in negativity. As Henry
Ford said: “Whether you think you can
or you think you can’t . . . you’re right.”
My proudest moment was . . . when
my son Lysander was born (and
because I didn’t pass out!). I got to
cut the umbilical cord.
I am frightened of . . . forgetting how to
fail happily. Accepting that at some point
in the future we are going to fail — and that
trying not to fail won’t stop us from failing —
is powerful.
The last book I read was . . . Around the World
in Eighty Days by Jules Verne. I’m reading it
to my five year old who is captivated by the
writing — even though he doesn’t necessarily
understand all the words. Heck, I don’t
understand all the words!
I am happiest when . . . I make a difference in
peoples’ lives — whether I’m doing corporate
improv training, teaching at WAAPA, performing
on stage in a show or at home with my family.
Life is ... about truly being in the moment. Learn
from the past, build for the future — and live in
the now.
win
A DATE WITH ROMANCE
Pierce Brosnan and Trine Dyrholm star in a sparkling romantic
comedy from Academy Award-winner Susanne Bier about
two very different families brought together for a wedding in
Italy. Love is All You Need, in cinemas from December 13, is an
enchanting story about what happiness really means. West
Weekend is giving away 30 in-season double passes. To enter,
put your name, address and phone number on the back of an envelope and send to
West Weekend Love is All You Need competition, GPO Box 2926, Perth WA 6800 or
enter online at thewest.com.au/competitions and provide the codeword LOVE.
Entries close and winners will be drawn at random at 10am Friday and notified by post. Employees of The
West Australian and their immediate family are ineligible to enter. Entrants’ details will be used for marketing.
See WAN privacy policy at thewest.com.au/privacypolicy.
PICTURE NIC MONTAGU
I really need to .. . work out more. I’m turning
40 and my wife Vida enjoys cooking — and she’s
very good at it, which isn’t good for my waistline.
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yin&yang
Nathan & Michael Buzza
Brothers Nathan, 42, and Michael, 53, were never interested
in the same things but are good mates anyway. They are
both successful entrepreneurs — in very different fields.
Nathan
I can remember when I was four Dad said to
me ‘Well son, I have just purchased two farms,
one for your brother and one for you’. And I
said ‘Have you paid for them yet Dad?’ and he
said ‘Well no, not yet’ and I said ‘Well that’s
good because I am going to live in the city’.
Mike was always just interested in
animals. I remember he found a wedge-tailed
eagle egg (when we were living in Northam),
put it on a frying pan on low heat, hatched it
and turned it into a pet.
We moved across to the UK for 10 years
and when I was 14 I had to have brain surgery
to remove a tumour. They gave me a year
off school and Dad bought me a computer to
motivate me, so I started writing software.
In 1984 I went to Philips in New Zealand
and asked them to sell a video game I had
developed. It went worldwide and was very
successful.
I moved back to Perth when I was 17 and
went to Scotch College to finish school and
I started working for this company called
Omnitronics. We were engaged to develop a
life-sized action game called Q-Zar. U2 came
to town and played it down in Fremantle and
the following day Bono came into the office
and said he wanted to buy it.
When I was 20, I started Commtech
Wireless. The business almost collapsed three
times because we had no money but we ended
up setting up offices around the world. My
business partner got this phone call from an
agent at the US Secret Service. They wanted
us to create this technology for the President
and First Family and it was a multimilliondollar project. And then when we got another
major contract from the US, we decided to
relocate our headquarters to Florida.
A few months after we moved we were
asked if we were interested in selling the
business. And it was a very attractive offer
so we sold it but I stayed on, on an 18-month
contract.
I took a break and came back here and
went into semi-retirement. After a couple of
years of changing diapers and doing all those
domestic type things, I started a venture
capital investments company called Allure
Capital.
Mike and I have always been very close
despite having very different personalities.
Taxidermy is not my cup of tea. I am not
one for stuffed animals or gory-type things.
But my boys ask me almost every weekend
8
westweekend 08.12.12
‘I don’t like
pressure
at all, but
Nathan
thrives on
activity and
pressure.’
Each to their own Nathan
(left) was into technology
from an early age, while
brother Michael explored
the great outdoors.
PICTURE ROB DUNCAN
if we can go and see Uncle Michael at the
museum. He’s very talented at what he does,
he is so passionate, he’s a typical artist — it’s
not a commercial focus.
Mike is a great big brother, he’s very quiet
but very supportive. He is always so interested
in what everybody is doing and I don’t think I
have ever had an argument with him.
Michael
I was always running around the place out
on the farm — I couldn’t keep still. Nathan
was always into the technology, always
playing with gadgets. So I would be on at
him to come and make some money and do
some work. I thought the only way of making
money was head down, backside up, physical
work. But he was mad on his computer
games so he’s turned that into a career.
I was always into wildlife, catching things.
Nathan would be in the background saying:
‘Oh yeah, what are you playing around with
next?’ or ‘What are you sticking in the
freezer?’ He does like looking at it (my work)
for about two seconds and then he is back
on to the computers.
I am a full-time taxidermist at my
museum in Guildford and it is just flat out,
I can’t keep up with orders. It is a twoyear waiting list to get things done. I do
everything from butterflies to bulls.
My wife and I live upstairs in the museum
and we haven’t got far to go to work.
We had a wedding at the museum
recently, we have Night at the Museum
parties, murder mysteries. It is a bit like
Night at the Museum there every night.
Some of the animals have got phosphorous
glass eyes and they light up, it can be pitch
black and there are these eyes everywhere.
I have been doing taxidermy for about
40 years. Everybody wondered how the hell
I was going to make a living out of stuffing
animals but I proved them wrong. I just
stuck at it and I have got a really good little
business going now.
I am not into computers or any
technology at all — I am sort of switched
off from the rest of the world, daydreaming
about the wildlife. I just like being out in
the fresh air and the scenery but it’s great
because if Nathan and I walk down the
street we don’t miss out on anything. He’s
noticing all the technology and I am into the
wildlife, so it gives us a full picture.
I am always amazed with Nathan and all
these worldwide communication projects he
has got — it was always fascinating to listen
to it. And there was never a sign of any
jealousy it was just: ‘Good on you Nathan,
that’s amazing. How did you manage to
do that?’ He was always into the sparkling
lights and night time where the activity is.
I don’t like pressure at all, but Nathan
thrives on activity and pressure — I just like
everything running smooth and I like the
peace of mind to know what’s happening
from day-to-day. He was always good at
detail whereas I hate reading, I have never
read a book in my life.
But I just appreciate how things have
worked out — everyone for their own thing.
Nathan is very, very good at keeping
in contact. I couldn’t wish for a better
brother.
Interviews: Bridget Lacy
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Mum’s
W RD.
Stay-at-home mothers are
increasingly taking to cyberspace
to vent frustrations, make friends
— and maybe even some money.
WORDS BRIDGET LACY PICTURES ROB DUNCAN
GEORGIA JOHNSON HAD A PROBLEM. At home with a five-yearold and one-year-old twins — a combination she dubbed the Feral
Threesome — she wondered what was next for her.
“I was used to being in an office where people were happy to talk
a lot and to go to being at home with kids was really isolating,” she
recalls. “My poor husband would come home from work and I would
almost spew all this information at him saying: ‘Oh my God, you
will never guess what happened’ and he would just be shell-shocked
within two seconds of walking through the door.”
Johnson says she started emailing interstate and overseas family
to get everything off her chest. “My emails would be War and Peace
length and one of my cousins in Melbourne — I took it to be her
professional opinion because she had just trained to be a therapist
— said: ‘Look it’s great, I love it but it is too much, I am going to fall
asleep. Why don’t you do a blog?’ And I said: ‘A blog? I don’t know
what you are talking about.’”
After Googling mummy blogs, Johnson soon discovered a treasure
trove of like-minded women, including arguably Australia’s biggest
mummy blogger, Mrs Woog of WOOGSWORLD — someone she now
counts as a friend. “I thought ‘this is great, it’s funny, it’s like she’s
having a conversation’, so I decided to give it a shot.”
The 34-year-old says she expected only about a dozen people — all
of whom she could name — to read her musings on daily life. But within
a month of starting Parental Parody another blogger recommended it
to her followers and from there it exploded.
“It took me about six months to stop obsessing over stats and
thinking about how I could get people to read my blog,” she says. “Once
I had established there was a group who were choosing to come back
and read it regularly I thought: ‘I don’t care, I will keep writing it’.”
The rise of the mummy blogger — a term that irks some — has
become such a phenomenon that Media Watch devoted an entire
episode to the subject recently, examining their popularity, the ethics
of sponsored posts and bloggers versus trained journalists.
Many mummy bloggers, invariably the domain of stay-at-home
mums, draw hundreds, if not thousands, of daily readers, attracting
the attention of advertisers, marketing gurus and big brands such as
Woolworths, Ecco, Enjo, Huggies and Pepsi. The Remarkables Group,
which launched earlier this year with the aim of helping “brands
unlock the potential of blogger partnerships”, claims to represent only
10
westweekend 08.12.12
the nation’s most elite mummy bloggers. Ten women have made the
cut so far and none is WA-based.
Johnson was a speaker at this year’s Digital Parents conference in
Melbourne and will travel to Sydney for the next instalment, as well as
the 2013 BlogHer conference in Chicago. She says these conferences are
now attended by representatives from most prominent PR companies,
who are well aware of the growing influence of mummy bloggers.
The trips do not cost her anything because she has attracted
sponsorship from companies such as Chux and Kellogg’s. Johnson
stresses she doesn’t make any profit out of her blog, just covers her
costs and enjoys plenty of freebies. She does sponsored posts and
giveaways but is not set up for major advertising.
“If I am going to do something promotional I would rather do a
review and a giveaway so that the readers are getting something out of
it,” she says. “But I am conscious of not making it an infomercial.”
She doubts there is anyone in Perth making serious money out of
a blog because there aren’t the same opportunities as in the Eastern
States. “I had a PR rep say recently: ‘Please move to Sydney, you could
really make an income if you were in Sydney’,” she says.
While reports of the number and reach of mummy bloggers vary,
those with money to spend aren’t the only ones wising up to the
benefits of tapping into their audience. Politicians are also taking note,
a fact Media Watch highlighted with the Prime Minister’s invitation to
a group of them to join her for tea. “The response, online and on air,
was gratifyingly positive,” said Media Watch host Jonathan Holmes.
“There was very little of the hard-nosed scepticism you’d encounter if
a group of professional journalists were asked to Kirribilli House.”
Whether bloggers consider themselves journalists or not — some
are of the view they are putting themselves out there so they are more
accountable than journalists — the mothers we spoke to are aware of
their responsibilities not just to their readers, but to their families.
Family fodder
Jules (top left)
with six of her
brood, which
includes four
foster children;
mummy bloggers
(from left)
Georgia Johnson
with children
Liv and Joel, Cie,
Karen Williamson
with Ezra, and
Taryn Rucci with
Tilly. The women
regularly get
together to share
experiences.
feature
Johnson’s family, including #1Husband, Miss7, Mstr3 and Miss3,
are key characters in Parental Parody. And while her husband doesn’t
read the blog, he tolerates it because of the benefits. She hopes the kids
will look back at their antics with amusement rather than horror.
Others are more secretive about their kids, to the point where they
barely mention them. Taryn Rucci, 34, who started her blog three years
ago as a way of keeping her stay-at-home mum mind stimulated, used
to write a lot about her three kids but has become more cautious as they
have grown older. “I am more aware of my children’s privacy now and I
don’t want the internet to be filled with stuff about them,” she says.
Recently, Rucci’s This is Taryn has taken an unexpected turn into
nutrition. She has been sugar-free for a year and fills the blog with
tips on healthy eating, which she describes as a natural progression.
The money-making opportunities have only really started popping
up in the past year. “I have done sponsored posts in the past but for
me it is not something I do a lot of and my readers don’t respond to
it very well,” Rucci says. “I don’t want to write about being sugar-free
and then promote a breakfast cereal. Other bloggers do and that’s
why they are in the business of blogging — they are there to make
money or get as many freebies as they can and that’s great for them
but that’s not why I do it.”
Cie, a 26-year-old mother of one, says she blogs because she enjoys
writing but concedes there are those who are in it for cynical reasons.
“There seems to be this idea now that you start a blog and start making
a fortune within a week,” she says. “There are a lot of people who it is
obvious are writing for a reason — not because they enjoy it.”
As a former defence spouse, Cie’s loneliness prompted her to blog.
“I couldn’t communicate with my husband while he was away, so if
I had something I was concerned about or a great idea at 3am there
wasn’t always someone I could talk to in the same time zone. (With
the blog) I was able to write something intelligent rather than learning
the words to Wiggles songs, so it gave me something for me.”
She says since moving to Perth in May she has found the local
blogging community friendlier than any she experienced in the other
States. “It was the first time I had actually been spoken to by another
blogger. She left a comment on my blog (Pathetic to Pinup) telling me
to join WOMBAT (the local offshoot of Digital Parents) and told me
about the details of an upcoming event.” >
‘There
seems to
be this idea
now that
you start
a blog and
start making
a fortune
within a
week.’
08.12.12 westweekend
11
feature
< For Amy Zempilas, joining the mummy blogging community in
recent months has also opened up doors and created new friendships.
“It’s offered me so much more than I ever thought it would,” she says.
The 33-year-old wife of Channel 7 personality Basil Zempilas
discovered blogging after she became a mother. “Because my focus
was on Ava, I found I wasn’t seeing as much of my friends or my family
as I wanted to. And I really miss that, I love talking to friends about
what they have been up to, what they been cooking, fashion, books,
movies — everything,” she says. “This is another way to connect with
people and find out what is going on in their lives.”
Zempilas is well aware there may be some who look at her blog and
think she has got too much time on her hands. But she says her family
comes first and Absolute Amy is just a hobby she enjoys.
“I am sure people have thought that but they have never actually
said it to me. It is ridiculous because we are very busy and part of the
reason why Baz can work three jobs is because I help him to do that.”
She is yet to go down the path of sponsored posts and advertising
but hasn’t ruled it out. “I think I would have to be quite careful about
what I chose to do because I think the reason people like reading other
peoples’ blogs – for me anyway – is because I know it’s honest and it’s
real,” she says. “I have gone out and bought so many things because I
have read about it on other people’s blogs.”
Karen Williamson, mother to 15-month-old Ezra, started her blog
to help sell her homemade embroideries but after falling pregnant it
became centred on life as a mother. The 29-year-old, who moved back
to Perth after living in the US with her American husband, Joel, was
exposed to the huge US mummy blogging industry, where the likes of
Dooce.com’s Heather Armstrong make more than $1 million a year.
“It seems every day there are more and more people starting to
blog here but it is not anywhere near the level of the US,” she says.
“Bloggers have such a personal relationship with their readers and I
think companies are starting to realise that.”
A recent post about Joel’s sudden redundancy on Yellow Dandy
struck a chord. “I had people saying they really appreciated it because
they are going through something similar and the blog had given
them hope that things can work out better in the end. If I can write
something and people get something out of it, that’s fantastic.”
Leisl Stone started her blog after her toddler, Jayden, was diagnosed
with a rare and aggressive cancer and says it is one of the few positives
to come out of the ongoing ordeal. “I had never even heard of blogs
before but someone suggested I do it and it’s been really therapeutic
and the best thing in this whole scenario,” she says. “Friends and
family don’t have to ring us and bother us to find out what is going on,
they just check the blog.”
Stone, 43, has also connected with other families going through the
similar experiences, getting plenty of advice and valuable information
along the way. “I wake up in the morning, check the blog (Jaydens
journey) and have all these beautiful messages from people, and it just
helps me get through it.”
Jules, author of The Bumpiest Path, tries to use her blog to help
others. With eight children aged from three to 18 — four of whom are
foster children and one adopted — she has plenty of thorny subjects
to write about, including raising teenagers and children with special
needs, not to mention the minefield that is fostering. “I get emails from
some people just saying ‘thank you — I really thought we were the only
ones going through that’,” she says. “That’s what really matters.”
The 43-year-old says she only makes enough money out of her blog
to pay for her private PO Box and does it for the love of it. With the
mummy blogging industry in its infancy in Perth compared to the east
coast, she has a reality check for those envisaging a cash cow. “If you go
onto someone’s blog and it is all about products, people won’t read it.
If you are in it for the wrong reasons you won’t get anywhere.”
Bloggers also have to be aware of the dangers of opening up online.
Jules was shocked when an association with US mother-of-eight,
12
westweekend 08.12.12
Different stories
Amy Zempilas took
up blogging to stay
connected with family
and friends, while
Leisl Stone finds it
helps her cope with
her son’s devastating
illness. PICTURES
IAN MUNRO
‘I wake up in
the morning,
check the
blog and
have all these
beautiful
messages
from people,
and it just
helps me get
through it.’
former reality star and blogger Kate Gosselin brought the trolls to
Jules’ door. A group of women were relentless in their attacks on her.
“They were accusing me of being a paedophile and abusing my kids but
they didn’t know anything about me,” she says.
Jules shut down her blog and Twitter for a few weeks before she
realised she couldn’t let them win. She challenged them to email
her, invited them to ring the Department of Child Protection and the
Australian Federal Police and then proceeded to block them from her
blog. As a well-known member of Perth’s still small mummy blogging
scene, she enjoyed support from her peers. Johnson, who is heavily
involved with local support network WOMBAT, says they regularly
organise events to keep the local blogging community in touch.
“The Perth mummy blogger scene is quite close-knit — I have
recently heard a lot about the alleged bitchiness of blogging but my
experience has not been like that at all,” she says. “I have made great
friends not just here, but in Australia through blogging, really great
friendships that I would take out of blogging even if I quit tomorrow.”
But Johnson does wonder whether all that will change. “In America
they seem to have really corporatised and I think Australia will come
in line with that. If things become a business they become more about
competition. I have not met a blogger yet who I did not get along with
and I would hate to see that sense of community and sharing go if it did
become something more competitive and about earning money.”
feature
MAKING
LEE WAY
Pip Christmass meets a humble
designer who thrives on challenges.
A CROWD OF SMARTLY-DRESSED fashion types
has gathered in the Museum of Contemporary
Art’s Harbourside Room, overlooking the
twinkling evening vista of Sydney Harbour. Dion
Lee is making his way to the podium to accept
yet another award — this time the Australian
division of the Vogue International Woolmark
Prize, worth a cool $50,000.
As the 26-year-old designer approaches
the microphone, his mother, Helen — wearing,
naturally, a jacket designed by her son — weeps
with pride. On stage, Lee is also getting a little
bit teary-eyed. “Most of the time,” he says
emphatically, “this is not a glamorous job.”
Indeed, occasions such as this one — where
champagne glasses are clinking and the
concentration of beautiful people is high —
often mask the struggle and sweat going on
behind the scenes to keep a label going.
This is borne out when I visit Lee at his
Chippendale studio in Sydney a few weeks
later. The space is surprisingly small and
decidedly workmanlike. It’s essentially one
big room, at one end of which sits Lee and
his small team. The rest of the space
is stuffed with racks of bagged-up
clothing, and wall space is papered over
with sketches for the next collection.
Lee has become one of the most highly
regarded designers in the country since
his label’s launch in 2008, but — as yet —
this hasn’t exactly translated into palatial
work surroundings.
“I started a business very young
and very early, and that was definitely
through the support of my family,” he
says about his mother’s response to the
Woolmark win. “Generally, fashion is not
something you normally encourage your
children to do. It’s not an easy road, or a
very glamorous trajectory. My mum has
always seen that — she’s seen that it’s not
easy and that I’ve worked extremely hard
to be where I am now.”
The Woolmark prize — an initiative
launched to publicise the use of fine
Australian merino wool in fashion design
— has not only gained him entry into the
$150,000 international final (the winner will
be announced next February); it also helped
finance his first official runway show in London
in September. Before then, Lee’s name wasn’t
especially well known outside Australia, despite
14
westweekend 08.12.12
Starting over Dion Lee loves to deconstruct and reinvent — an approach that saw him win fans at his inaugural show
at London Fashion Week, where he revealed his Spring/Summer 2013 collection (left). PICTURE DARREN MCDONALD
the fact that his dresses were already selling
well on Net-a-Porter.
“I’ve been really lucky to have been
supported by the industry here, but it’s
certainly easier when it’s your hometown,”
he says. “When you’re not constantly under
people’s noses, it’s a little harder. Showing in
London has been the goal we’ve been working
towards for a couple of years now.”
UK critics liked what they saw. An Elle
journalist wrote of Lee’s “excellent, wearable
dresses”, finishing with “come back next
season, Dion. You’re welcome anytime”.
Style.com’s Maya Singer described his work
as “something of an engineering marvel,
boasting three-dimensionally printed dresses
and suits, the complex construction of which
beggared the imagination”.
Australian fashion followers, of course,
knew all this already. Lee is best known for
tailored jackets that are spliced at the elbow or
back, so that another garment — or bare skin
— can peek through, as well as form-fitting,
digitally printed dresses with interesting
design elements such as pleating, panelling,
mesh inserts, moulded neoprene, or origamilike folds that draw attention not only to fabric
but also to silhouette.
“If something is a bit too obvious, I’m not
interested in going there,” he says. “I like the
idea of challenging myself to make things that
might sound strange or wrong on paper work
in a really sophisticated way. I like seeing how
things are made, and part of that process is
taking them apart and then putting them back
together again in a new way.”
This fascination has been with him since
his student days at the Sydney Institute of
Technology. It defined his 2009 debut at
Australian Fashion Week, where he showed a
collection of futuristic frocks in a grungy Kings
Cross carpark and was subsequently dubbed
the star of the week. The accolades — and the
accompanying pressure — have continued.
“Part of this job is learning to cope with
different types of pressure,” he says. “That
could be deadline pressure, or media pressure,
or personal pressure . . . it’s great to know
that there are people who have strong belief
in what I’m doing and that is really helpful
in driving me forward, because sometimes
you really are thinking, ‘why am I doing this?’
Sometimes you do need reassurance that
you’re not fooling yourself, that you are
heading in the right direction.”
dionlee.com
1734546πMFJT081212
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style & beauty
coastal chill
Pretty patterns, well-fitting tops and high-waisted
bottoms mean we can all be bathing beauties.
Left Ruth wears Mara Hoffman bikini, $310, Elle,
Nedlands 9386 6868; Little Dove Tail Feather necklace,
$180, Brava, Albany 9842 6688; If The Tote Fits bag,
$89.95, Memento wedges, $139.95, Nine West, enex100
9226 5518. Tiggy wears Roxy Mauritius bikini, $90,
Daneechi Swimwear, Subiaco 9388 1767; Lover Poppy
sheer kimono, $495, loverthelabel.com; Wild Horses
necklace, $199, Hatch, Carillon City 9226 0209; Treston
sandals, $159.95, Nine West, exex100.
Above Tiggy wears Seafolly Paradise Frill one-piece,
$150, Daneechi Swimwear; 2 by Lyn & Tony necklace,
$825, Periscope, Northbridge 9328 9056. Ruth wears
Little Dove Tail Feather necklaces, $180 each, Brava;
Jets Plantation halter top, $120, and pants, $100,
Daneechi Swimwear.
PICTURES ROB DUNCAN ASSISTED BY CAMERON
ETCHELLS STYLIST HANNAH MCGRATH @ ALL OF THE
ABOVE CREATIVE MODELS RUTH WILLMER AND TIGGY
RIDGWAY FROM VIVIEN’S MODEL MANAGEMENT HAIR
AND MAKE-UP SAM ENTICKNAP LOCATION NANARUP
BEACH, ALBANY, WITH THANKS TO RICK AND JULIA
FENNY AT MAITRAYA LUXURY RETREAT.
16
westweekend 08.12.12
win
A $1000 SHOPPING SPREE
Ruth wears
Lover 50s bikini
in Amethyst
Violet Floral, $199,
loverthelabel.com.
Tiggy wears Jets
Infinity one-piece,
$149, jets.com.
au. Retro bathing
caps (above),
$32, Daneechi
Swimwear, Subiaco
9388 1767.
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marketing. See WAN privacy policy at
thewest.com.au/privacypolicy.
3:48:16 pm
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wine
RAY JORDAN
Villa Maria Reserve
Wairau Valley sauvignon
blanc 2011 ($30)
This is right on the money
for the sub-regional
style of savvy. Plenty of
passionfruit and gooseberry
characters, with just a hint
of tart grapefruit. There is
substantial power, yet the
main theme is abundance
of fruit with a clean, zingy
acid. 92/100
coolkiwi
At 21, Sir George Fistonich realised his
future did not lie in carpentry, despite
that being the normal career path for
the son of a Croatian immigrant to New
Zealand. His father obviously realised it
too, because he leased the young George
five acres (2ha) of land near Auckland to
plant a vineyard.
That was in 1961 and so began Villa
Maria, which has gone on to win more
awards than any other New Zealand
winery and is widely recognised as a
leader and innovator.
But it hasn’t all been plain sailing
for Sir George. In the mid-80s, savage
discounting within the industry forced
him into receivership. An eleventhhour stroke of luck and a good deal of
persistence saw him recover — and thrive.
Armed with the knowledge that Villa
Maria was to about receive three major
trophies and convinced such success
would boost sales, Sir George hit the
banks to extend his credit. It took a lot
of courage to knock on the door of the
bank’s chairman at 11pm to plead his
case, but it worked. Sales soared on the
back of the show success and the rest, as
they say, is history.
Villa Maria’s range is impressive, with
fruit sourced from the original Auckland
area as well as Marlborough and Hawkes
Bay, consistent with its founder’s focus
on regional differences.
Perfect with asparagus
spears
Villa Maria Lightly
Sparkling sauvignon
blanc 2011 ($20)
Marlborough pinot noir
2010 ($42)
This is classic Marlborough,
with its striking black cherry
perfume and subtle spicy
notes. It’s medium weight,
with good mid-palate heft
supported by fine, grainy
tannins. There’s excellent
structure, but with a juicy,
sweet fruit character through
the middle. 93/100
Perfect with roast duck
Villa Maria Reserve
Barrique Fermented
Gisborne chardonnay
2010 ($49)
Site selection is key to
this most impressive
chardonnay. It’s quite tight
and controlled, with intense
tropical, nutty characters.
The fruit and oak integration
is excellent, with a lingering
intensity. 95/100
Perfect with marron
The West Australian Wine Guide 2013 by Ray
Jordan is here, with reviews, recipes, vouchers and
a pull-out map. Available from leading bookstores
and newsagents or at westwineguide.com.au for
just $24.95 (plus postage and handling).
This is a neat little wine.
It’s made from sauvignon
blanc and gets just a
little hit of gas to create
a lightly sparkling wine
that is perfect for summer
drinking. The style is
becoming increasingly
popular in New Zealand
and this is one of the best.
Lovely summer drinking.
90/100
Perfect with fresh fruit
Villa Maria Private Bin
Hawkes Bay syrah 2010
($30)
Impressive drier style of
shiraz compared with
those we get in Australia.
Spicy dark chocolate with
a slightly liqueur character,
yet the dusty tannins hold
the tight, grainy lines to the
finish. A little savoury and
peppery character helps
create an excellent food
wine. 91/100
word of
mouth
STEVE SCAFFIDI, OWNER,
BAR ONE & SENTINEL
I cooked . . .
bolognese risotto.
I like to keep some
dishes exclusively
for home! Veal, pork,
chicken bolognese
and chicken stock
make this peasantstyle risotto one of
the family’s best
dishes. Of course my
mother, Ada, taught
me this one.
I bought . . .
I am very happy with
a recent purchase
of a Kenwood Hand
Mixer — it helps me
make banana bread
and pancakes on the
weekend.
I drank . . .
Good friends
Terry Chellappah,
Garry Gosatti and
winemaker Bill
Crappsley make
a delicious 2007
tempranillo at their
Margaret River
winery, Plan B. It is
great to finally see
this variety being
made well locally.
Perfect with capretto
2012 MODEL RUNOUT
DISCOVERY 4
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ROB BROADFIELD
food
on the
verge
The Terrace
Hotel
237 St Georges
Terrace, Perth,
9214 4444
OPEN
Breakfast, seven days;
Lunch, seven days;
Dinner, SaturdayThursday
PRICE RANGE
Starters....$13-$21
Mains....$21-$40
Sides....$8-$9
Dessert....$9-$16
THE BUZZ
Top spot at the top of
the terrace. Snazzylooking dining room
with a stylish interior.
Food is OK and should
improve under chef
Shannon Wilson.
score 0
14/2
Shark Bay swimmer crab and sweet
potato cakes, $19, failed to launch. It came
as three crumbed balls, with no perceptible
crab flavour and lots of sweet potato. As
a sweet potato cake, it was good, but who
would voluntarily eat a sweet potato cake?
For mains, Amelia Park lamb assiette,
$38, was smack bang in Wilson’s comfort
zone. It was a zinger of a dish. The lamb
was treated three ways: roasted rack, slow
cooked and pressed shoulder and the cutest
shepherd’s pie you’ll eat. The shoulder was
a dense cake of ovine meaty goodness, so
intense I though it must have been hogget
(which it wasn’t).
It came as a compressed puck of slowcooked meat sitting on a glossy pool of deep
green pureed spinach. The rack was a fat
one-pointer — a chop, really — beautifully
cooked, pink and moist and soft as a pollie’s
promise. The pie, in a tiny ramekin and
topped with a whip of good potato, was a
simple lamb mince ragu. Terrific, simple dish,
well executed.
I’ve got nothing against the Stockyard
beef company of Queensland, but the $40
sirloin sold at The Terrace is the second time
we’ve eaten a steak from the producer and it
hasn’t been the best. To be fair, though, it’s
sold at Vic’s Meats in Woollahra in Sydney
— which is probably the highest-quality retail
butcher in the country. Perhaps we’ve just
had bad luck.
Anyhoo, this was a 21-day aged cut with
mild flavour. It was overcooked, slightly. It
1-9 Don’t bother 10-11 Patchy 12-13 Average 14 Recommended 15-16 Very Good 17 Memorable 18-19 Classic 20 Perfection
GC_BCB1797
dining
festive
at
crown perth
With a range of world-class restaurants to choose from,
Crown Perth has everything to make your Christmas celebration special.
Book today, call 9362 7551 or visit crownperth.com.au
PICTURE CRAIG KINDER
Order your own
copy today at
westgoodfood
guide.com.au
for only $19.95
(plus postage
and handling).
PICTURE ROB DUNCAN
I REMEMBER WHEN I first tasted Shannon
Wilson’s food. And you can’t say that about
every chef who feeds you. He was the
new chef at Quarter, a restaurant tucked
in behind Wesley Church on Hay Street.
Neither it nor Wilson received the popular
acclaim they deserved: perhaps it was their
site, all but hidden away behind the church’s
red-brick rumps.
Wilson’s food was stand-out. Not in the
flamboyant, look-at-me, style of the Nuevo
Scando-Foragers and foam fetishists. His
food was distinctly modern but with its
roots in a more classical British canon:
organic haddock with truffled egg, that sort
of thing.
One dish, a dessert, stood out. It was an
Eccles cake — beautifully made — with what
looked like a cup of tea beside it. It was, in
fact, an exemplary tea-scented panna cotta.
The dish was a wry take on the deep, deep
Englishness of afternoon tea with a good
cake — the 4pm meal loved by generations
of vicars and rural grandes dames across the
sceptred isle.
That was three years ago.
In recent weeks Wilson has moved to the
ambitious new restaurant at the recently
opened Terrace Hotel. It’s early days, so one
can forgive the tentative, amateur service
and the aimless hovering of waitstaff.
Likewise, the unsure food. One hopes
Wilson eventually gets to cook the food he
loves because, once on the firmer ground of
modern British cuisine, one suspects he’ll
cook rings around his competitors.
The inaugural menu at The Terrace Hotel
is pretty much like every other menu in
town.
Seared scallops with sweet corn
veloute and chorizo oil, $21, says it all. All
the components were well cooked but
unremarkable. The sweet corn puree was
under-seasoned, too “wet” and didn’t taste
much of corn. It was plated like a picture.
At the table next to us, a group of mining
lads were chowing down on the black Angus
burger, $21, which will be a sure-fire hit here.
There was a lot of raucus yee-haa-ing over
the meat pattie, so one suspects it met with
approval.
Good Food
Guide 2013
came with a horseradish dressing and a
scattering of broad beans.
A side of “cabbage and bacon” was a
ripper. It was buttery and glossy, and the
shredded cabbage was nicely green and al
dente. The bacon bits were generous and
well salty. Top dish. $9.
For pud, there’s a range of standard
desserts and two coupes: chocolate sundae
and a knickerbocker glory, $15, a lively mix
of fresh berries, strawberry syrup, whipped
cream and ice-cream built in a tall sundae
glass. Marvellous.
It’s easy to imagine many
afternoons of long lunches
at The Terrace.
The Terrace Hotel is a small, luxury, allsuite hotel at the resources and lawyers’
end of the Terrace. It has a brilliant-looking
bar and the dining room is a picture, too. It’s
light-filled and well designed. But seriously,
if you’re going to install banquettes, they
have to be built properly. Less than a month
old and the leather-studded benches were
sagging and way too low for comfort.
Not cool.
It’s easy to imagine many afternoons
of long lunches at The Terrace. It has a
welcoming, long-lunch vibe. The wine list
is good. And the chef is one of the best in
town. He just needs to go out on a BritModern limb and cook to his strengths.
outside
SABRINA HAHN
This is one of the few
plants that has never
gone out of fashion.
tip of the week
Put snail traps around
the garden to catch
them on the run before
they eat your seedlings.
ask Sabrina
Q As the new shoots grow on my
stephanotis, they tend to shrivel up and
die. It is planted in the ground surrounded
by bricks to climb up a pergola facing
west, and gets full sun.
Fran Fabiszak, Perth
A It is too small to cope with full sun and
the bricks will be absorbing the heat. Put
shadecloth all around it to protect it until it
gets larger and spray with Droughtshield.
Q Weeds are coming through my buffalo
lawn. Is there a spray that will kill the weeds
and not the lawn? And what can I feed it?
Figsy, Harvey
A If your lawn is robust, Searles Buffalo
Master should suffocate the weeds.
Fertilise with fine compost and a slowrelease fertiliser in autumn and spring to
keep it healthy in the cooler months. They
are a hot-climate lawn so tend to go off a
bit in winter.
Q Is it possible to buy, and grow a dwarf
mango tree in the Rockingham/Perth area?
Hilary Wilson, Rockingham
A You can grow a dwarf mango in a pot
very successfully if you plant it in full sun
with some wind protection. Many nurseries
have dwarf fruit trees now.
‚ŞSend your questions to Sabrina at
[email protected].
Due to the volume of questions, not all will be
answered. Responses may take many weeks.
Please include your suburb.
PICTURE
Freedom Garvey,
Margaret River’s
Secret Garden.
chic
shrub
This festive flower
never goes out of style.
Christmas and summer herald the
flowering of one of the most beautiful
and popular plants that has appeared
in gardens all over Australia — the
hydrangea.
This is one of the few plants that
has never gone out of fashion and
works for gardeners of all ages. I
think this is partly because of the
new varieties that come out every
few years, but also because they are
tough little numbers once established.
The most important consideration
in the hotter parts of WA is to grow
them in semi-shade or only morning
sun. There is no doubt that the older
species were tougher, but the newer
varieties have many different flower
types and come in smaller sizes to suit
smaller gardens. The older hydrangeas
grow to around 1.5 to 2m, but the
newer types are smaller, flower longer
and grow from 30cm to 1m.
The majority of hydrangeas in Perth
gardens are H. macrophylla and you
can change the colour of the flower
by changing the pH of your soil. The
newer varieties, however, tend to be
single colour-specific, regardless of
pH. The tonic used to make the soil
more acid and the flowers blue is
aluminium sulphate and nitrogen. You
will need to start the blueing tonic
in autumn every two weeks until
flowering starts. If you haven’t done it
by now, you’ve left your run a bit late.
If you live on the coast, your flowers
will be very pink.
In terms of pests and diseases, it’s
only powdery mildew that causes
problems. Spray the foliage with
ecocarb once the leaves fully emerge
at the beginning of October and again
one month later.
To prune, take off all the old brown
flowering stems to encourage more
flowering. The main pruning is done in
winter. The very hard pruning is really
only for areas with very harsh winters
of frost or snow. In WA, it’s best not
to prune too hard but back to a double
node or bud because these are the
flowering buds.
The best bit is that hydrangeas
are easy to propagate from cuttings.
When you prune, take a cutting 20cm
long with three nodes and grow in a
50/50 mix of sand and cocopeat. They
will have roots within six weeks and
can be potted up into bigger pots so
they’re ready to give to your chum or
your mum next year.
plant now ...
allamanda, bougainvillea,
mandevilla, quisqualis, jasmine
and stephanotis.
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Event ticket is non-refundable and non-transferrable. Hotel cancellation policies apply but vary. Payment for event tickets is required at time of booking. Full payment must be made within 7 days of booking. For bookings within 30 days of departure, full payment must be made at time of booking. Conditions of payment,
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EDITED BY WILLIAM YEOMAN
FICTION
books
TELEVISION
ok
For more great bo
iss
m
n’t
do
,
ies
or
st
inside
the Today liftout
lian
ra
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Au
The West
y.
da
es
Tu
on
hot type
Great Western Highway:
A Love Story
Anthony Macris
UWA Publishing, $29.95
Becoming Bold & Beautiful
David Gregg & Adrian Aviles
Simon & Schuster, $37
I’m as fascinated by the carry on of well-heeled interbreeders just as much as the next convict descendant with
deep-seated mummy country issues. But lately I have been
finding it difficult to take the Windsors seriously.
The Forresters are America’s answer to the Royal Family,
only with squarer jaws, bigger boobs and blonder hair. They
also have their own source of income (a very successful
fashion house, thank you very much) and know what it’s
like to be homeless (matriarch Stephanie once lived on
the street after suffering amnesia). Oh, and they can also
survive a plane crash on a deserted island by eating nothing
more than hallucinogenic berries.
In other words they’re much more like you and me.
(**Spoiler alert: if you were devastated not to be invited
to any of Brooke and Ridge’s five weddings and are saving
money to join Sally Spectra and her cabana boys on the
Canary Islands, stop reading now.)
The Bold & the Beautiful is the most watched soap
in the world, with more than 26 million people tuning in
each weekday to see the latest instalment from executive
producer Bradley Bell, the son of the show’s creators
William and Lee Phillip and the self-titled Romancer-in-Chief
of this dazzling spectacular of seduction and scandal.
To commemorate 25 years on air, this book goes behind
the scenes and on location with the impossibly beautiful
stars of the half-hour show. You’ll see the Forresters — and
the Logans, Spectras and Marones — at work and at play,
step inside the drool-worthy shoe cupboard of Katherine
Kelly Lang (one of the “core four” original stars) and delve
into Ridge’s designer daks. There’s also a delicious trip down
memory lane, with early cast shots and awesome scene
stills from the notorious Forrester Estate pool parties.
This is good, glossy fun. And unlike the British royals,
these guys don’t take themselves too seriously.
Despite the implication which
accompanies its subtitle, Great
Western Highway is by no means a
parody of romantic comedy cliches, but
rather an acknowledgment of them
en route to an exploration of greater
emotional truths. Sydney-based author
Anthony Macris’ second novel follows
a 30-something couple struggling to
transition from romantic partners to
“just friends”. Modern anxieties — media
saturation, casualised employment, the
proliferation of digital communication —
only add to their dilemma. While Macris’
novel doesn’t try to reinvent romantic
tropes, Great Western Highway excels
as an examination of the contradiction
between the need to move on to
something new and the desire to cling
to something safe.
CHILDREN
Jennifer Peterson-Ward
WIN
Amanda Keenan
this week you’re reading
Jacqui Proctor
of Menora is reading
In the Company of Strangers
by Liz Byrski
When I saw this on the shelves I couldn’t
wait to get home and start reading. I
have read Byrski’s six previous fiction
books and never feel guilty about buying
another because I live in a retirement
village and when read, the book is placed
in our library for others to enjoy. Byrski’s
books are about Western Australia —
how lovely to read of places you actually
know and can visualise. Every book has
an interesting story and I find great joy
in the characters — there is always more
than one to get to know. I never realise
how complex a person I am until I read her
books; one of the characters in this book
is definitely me! The stories often have
an unexpected twist — there seems no
such thing as the “expected”. If you feel
like switching off from the daily grind of
life, then I can recommend any book by Liz
Byrski, particularly this latest one.
Tell us about what you’re reading in 200 words at westweekend@wanews.
com.au and if you’re published you WIN a pack of five new releases.
Olivia and the Fairy Princesses
Ian Falconer
Simon & Schuster, $20
Every little girl should read the Olivia
series. In Olivia’s world, everyone
wants to be a fairy princess. Even
some of the boys. Olivia decides to
be something different. She wants
to stand out. Maybe a nurse devoted
to the sick and elderly or a reporter
exposing “corporate malfeasance”.
Author and illustrator Ian Falconer
has again created a book of supreme
understatement and humour. The story
is straightforward but wonderfully
layered, with the author’s tongue firmly
in his cheek. The illustrations are also
delightfully simple. This book will be
enjoyed by youngsters as well as by
the adults who share it with them.
Heather Zubek
08.12.12 westweekend
21
the other side ROBERT DREWE
FLASHBACK
ABOUT TO EMBARK on a capital-city book tour
and ashamed at my usual state of country-coastal
fashion oblivion (T-shirts and shorts), I was browsing
through a magazine catalogue of stylishly rugged
menswear. Intrigued by the ruggedly stylish names
of the various clothing items, I forgot I was looking
for some new and suitable gear. Then I came upon
the word “trouser”. “Trouser” singular. Then “pant”
and “jean”. Singular.
Oh, no. Whatever happened to trousers, pants and
jeans: clothes with two legs — hence plural? No sign
of them in this rustic collection. Here were featured
such outdoor fashion items as the Gunnedah Classic
Trouser, the Jerilderie Jean and the Aberdeen Pant.
The square-jawed, ruddy chap with the
gunmetal hair who was modelling the
Gunnedah Classic Trouser did look
quite at ease in it/them as he stared
masculinely into the countryside,
and the kelpie at his knee/knees
certainly added to the outdoorsy
effect. I did wonder, however, what
Ned Kelly would have thought of
the Jerilderie Jean, especially as
portrayed by a suave young male
model whose dimpled cheeks were
perhaps at the farthest remove from
those of a member of the Kelly gang.
Jerilderie Jean sounded like the Aussie outback
equivalent of Calamity Jane. The jean came in
“bone”, “wheat” or “sand”, macho-sounding shades
almost indistinguishable from each other. Until now,
I hadn’t thought of sand or bone as actual colours,
or particularly male colours either, but if you are
planning to dress ruggedly enough to rob a country
bank (if you can find one) the Jerilderie Jean looks up
to the task.
The gunmetal-haired man in the Gunnedah Classic
Trouser soon appeared again, kelpie-less this time,
though still gazing into the middle distance. He was
holding a copy of Stock & Land for suitable bush-cred
while teaming his trouser with a Harvester Double
Pocket Shirt and a Deniliquin Traditional Rugby
Sweater in “charcoal” and “forest”.
Meanwhile, the dimpled model had swapped his
Jerilderie Jean for the Aberdeen Pant (in “wheat”)
and a Morrison Moleskin Blazer (“French navy”) and
was inclining improbably against a dusty ute. Next he
was straddling a drover’s quad bike, having changed
into a Ballarat Crew Neck Heavyweight Wind Jumper
(in “bottle”, i.e. green) and gathered up three kelpies.
By now Mr Gunnedah Classic Trouser was visiting
some empty cattle pens, donning for his tour a
Maybe I’m just
not outdoorsy
enough for
rugged rustic
fashions. . .
westweekend 08.12.12
Quiz answers 1 Chinook 2 Green Moon 3 Pulp Fiction, starring John
Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson 4 Kingfisher 5 The Las Vegas Hilton
(from Home on Monday, by Little River Band) 6 Fern 7 Sydney
Carlton 8 Modem 9 Darcy 10 Cairns. Screen shot Parenthood.
22
Sammy Davis Junior born
The singer, dancer and entertainer was
born in New York on this day in 1925. He
started out as a vaudevillian aged three but
broke through in 1951 after a post-Oscars
nightclub performance. Three years later he
lost his eye in a car accident, but that didn’t
stop him from embarking on a successful
film and TV career, which included the first
Rat Pack film, Ocean’s 11, and his own TV
variety show in 1966. In the early 1970s he
had a hit song with The Candy Man, and was
popular on the Las Vegas showbiz circuit.
A victim of racism throughout his life, he
was active within the civil rights movement.
Davis Jr. died of throat cancer in 1990 and
was awarded a posthumous Grammy
Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO?
pantsman
Traditional Trentham Jumper (in “Bordeaux” — or red,
to me) and an Akubra, and acquiring another kelpie
along the way. He was still firmly contemplating the
distant horizon (perhaps searching for the missing
cows) but from the strained look on the dog’s face,
this was one fashion shoot too many. Mr Jerilderie
Jean, meanwhile, was enjoying leaning on the wall of
a riding stable in his Talbot Premium Oilskin Vest with
Detachable Tuck-away Hood and holding a bridle. No
horses were there.
At this stage, the catalogue moved from rugged
bush fashion for Margaret River wannabes to rugged
work gear as worn by real tradesmen. At last, I
thought, as the page opened on photographs of nofrills males, a return to plural pants. Alas, the alleged
plumbers, electricians and carpenters present were
displaying the Sinclair Stretch Work Jean, the Utility
Trouser, the Trade Short and something called the
Tool Short (with phone, tool, coin, ruler and cargo
pockets).
This was too much. Now shorts were
singular as well. It reminded me of that
irritating white-African affectation
whereby all plural animals — not just
the usual grass-eaters like sheep,
deer, antelope and buffalo — are
referred to in the singular.
On a safari in Zimbabwe once,
my melancholy guide kept pointing
out: “Look, five elephant! And there’s
three cheetah!” Round the waterhole at
night he’d indicate miscellaneous baboon,
12 warthog and five or six hyena. And of course,
the sycamore-fig trees overhead were full of bloody
dozens of monkey.
Anyway, I didn’t buy a new trouser for the book
tour. I just wore a jacket and pant I’ve had for a
few years. And a fairly new shoe. I took a jean for
weekend wear. Maybe I’m just not outdoorsy enough
for rugged rustic fashions, although the tour was
pretty exhausting and I couldn’t wait to get home to
the country and our four horse and three dog.
Judd Nelson
Famous for appearing in 1980s Brat Pack
films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo’s Fire.
Where is he now? Nelson’s broody
good looks and bad-boy attitude belied
his upbringing — he was the son of a
wealthy attorney and studied philosophy
at the prestigious Haverford College in
Pennsylvania before moving to New York
to become an actor. Although he remains
based in Hollywood and continues to work,
mostly in TV, his career since his heyday
has mostly been sporadic and forgettable.
In the 90s he appeared in the popular series
Suddenly Susan (starring another 80s star,
Brooke Shields), and he has recently made
guest appearances on Two and a Half Men.
THE LAST WORD
‘I want my children to have all the things I couldn’t afford.
Then I want to move in with them.’
— PHYLLIS DILLER, AMERICAN COMEDIAN AND ACTRESS (1917-2012)
LET’S LIGHT UP OUR LIVES
WITH CLEANER ENERGY.
Electricity is an essential part of powering our lives, but we need to find better ways to generate it. Natural gas not only emits around half the CO2
of coal when used to generate electricity it’s one of the most abundant sources of energy available today. This is why Shell is helping deliver natural gas
to more countries than any other energy company. With our continued innovation, it could help supply cleaner energy for around the next 250 years.
And it’s just one of the many different energy sources we’re exploring for our future. Let’s broaden the world’s energy mix.
Search: Shell Let’s Go
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in energy on your iPad, scan the code or
search ‘INSIDE ENERGY’ in the App Store.
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