Can I tell you about my weekend?

It began on Friday, where I spent the day trawling through the rarely navigated northern region of Central Park. With its hidden pathways, open meadows, and lake-skimming willows it benefits from being much quieter than the rest of the park – you know, the one you know from movies and TV. It was such a nice day out that I even took an afternoon siesta, waking up to the sounds of children playing after school. None of them were overweight. The correlation seems obvious. I then rushed to grab a hotdog (or two) at Gray’s Papaya and then headed over to the grand Ziegfeld Theater for an opening night screening of Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby in 3D. It’s a suitable film to see in one of the last single-screen movie palaces in the city (in the country, even?) that is comparable to the Astor in Melbourne or the State in Sydney. Big, bold, brash, and a beautiful – albeit too long and featuring actors who can’t quite keep the material as lively as the visuals.

I later visited a friend who was nursing a case of the sniffles. I hadn’t expected to follow up playing Xbox games with calling an all-night nurse hotline after my buddy cut open his gum and started bleeding profusely. The nurse didn’t particularly help, instead telling us to wait it out (gee, thanks) but it’s certainly a turn of events that make for a head-turning anecdote. Thinking my night was over, I then got stuck underground in the New York subway for two hours following a series of late night issues. Having lived in Victoria for 27 years, I have grown accustomed to laughable public transport woes, but at least these guys informed us what the issue was instead of stony silence or mumbled nonsense through a crackly PA system ala Metro and Vline. Never forget; never forgive!

Saturday was a late start after New York got hit by a severe thunderstorm, which I got to see (and hear) from the 17th floor of a friend’s apartment building. Dinner was Chinatown at a tiny restaurant called Super Taste. I had the pulled noodles and they were delicious beyond words. As always: never judge a Chinatown restaurant by its décor. Then it was off to the Lower East Side where we joined some more friends for a “rooftop cinema” screening of Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha starring Greta Gerwig. The weather had played tricks with the organisers, but it went ahead and the film is funny and cute, if also a bit depressing, given it’s about a 27-year-old artist in New York who barely earns enough to pay rent. Dear self: don’t become that character! You’re already perilously close. The after party was even better. Granted, free drinks will make anything great, but as proven by my 3am exit time, a good time was most definitely had.

Of course, upon leaving the subway and waiting in line for McDonalds (don’t judge me, okay – I cannot resist the late night fries) a man started shouting and ordering the staff to call the police. He turned around and oh my good grief he had blood pouring out of his face. Police and ambulances soon arrived and when quizzed if we had seen anything only one man was able to raise his hand. Turns out the victim had used a racial slur (in Harlem, no less!) and got a punch in the eye for his trouble. To quote the woman waiting for her cheeseburger: “I ain’t got sympathy for you anymore. You can bleed all you like.” Amen.

Sunday saw a much-needed sleep in after finally hitting the pillow at 4.30am. A trip to the Upper Broadway Harvest Festival involved eating copious amount of zeppoles (an Italian donut-like sweet), roasted corn on the cob (must take dental floss in the future), before finally resting at Lincoln Plaza with fried chicken and rustic chips. Stuffed with food, I followed it up with a screening of arthouse experimental romance drama An Oversimplification of Her Beauty, and a trip downtown for a Burlesque show where I won a raffle. My prize? A plush unicorn doll. I can feel your jealousy radiating from here.

So that was my weekend. Apart from all the blood, it feels exactly like the sort of crazy happenings I expected from this city.

Image credit: Kathryn Sprigg

Bed wetting is quickly becoming a common problem in Australian households with up to 12% of seven year old children wetting their bed. And while the problem is often associated with children, many adults are experiencing bedwetting and keeping the problem under the covers.

Of those in the community, 4.2 million people experience urinary incontinence, which is more prevalent than asthma (more than 2 million), anxiety disorders (2.3 million) and arthritis (3.1 million). By 2030, the prevalence is estimated to increase to 6.5 million Australians (with urinary incontinence, faecal incontinence or both) – equating to 27 per cent of the population aged 15 years and above. (Source: information based on Deloitte Access Economics, commissioned by the Continence Foundation of Australia).

When it comes to children, according to the Continence Foundation of Australia:

• 8-12 per cent of seven-year-old children wet the bed
• Two students in a class of 30 wet the bed at least twice a week
• If one parent wet the bed as a child, there is a 44 per cent chance the child will too
• If both parents wet the bed, the child has a 75 per cent chance of being a bed wetter

Using mattress protectors or absorbent pads can take the frustration out bedwetting and make “clean up” so much easier. This helps to ease the tension and anxiety that all the family may be dealing with, as a result of having a bed wetter in the home.

Mother of two, Diane Hurford, is all too familiar with bed wetting, the associated sleepless nights and the effects they can inflict on your performance at work and in your everyday life. As a result, Diane decided to create a Brolly Sheets – a waterproof mattress protector for adults and kids that features a unique 100% cotton top, is soft, breathable and PVC/vinyl free.

“They say that necessity is the mother of all inventions. I couldn’t find anything on the market that made it easier for me to get the household back to bed as soon as possible, the few options available were either too complicated for a 2am bed-change or looked too sterile which led me to create Brolly Sheets,” Hurford says.

The products clever tuck-in wings are designed to save stripping the whole bed when wet. Machine washable, Brolly Sheets will stand up to repeated washes in warm or cold water and can hold up to 2 litres of liquid.

Brolly Sheets start from $41.95 and are available in five colours and four sizes with great value multi-packs on offer too.

For further information and to buy online visit www.brollysheets.com.au

For information on incontinence call The National Continence Helpline (1800 33 00 66) or visit www.continence.org.au

Dispelling the lies and misrepresentations that are abundant in Australia…

This was the problem that 23-year-old social entrepreneur, Dana Affleck, was confronted with before she decided to launch the Road to Refuge, an interactive, educational website about asylum seekers.

Road to Refuge is a revolutionary website that allows users to be placed in the shoes of an asylum seeker through their journey from their country of origin to Australia.

The website features fictional asylum seekers, each with their own segmented story about their experiences in their hometown. At each crossroad, the user is asked to make a decision on behalf of the character, shaping the outcome of their journey.

The user is asked whether, in the given situation, they would flee the country or stay. From there, the user-simulated journey takes them to various detention centres like that that would be experienced by refugees each day.

At the moment, Dana believes that the media has disproportionally framed the issues surrounding number of asylum seekers coming to Australian shores.

The latest census in 2011 revealed that Australia was hosting just 0.2% of the world’s global total of asylum seekers, with the majority of illegal residents being American and British citizens.

Dana said the website is an important step forward for Australia, helping to dissolve the ‘us’ vs ‘them’ mentality.

“I want to empower people to make up their own mind with the facts and the stories like I have over time. If it was accessible and engaging then the hope is that people would use it as a spring-board for their own self-education about asylum seekers and refugees,” she said.

The website also contains a ‘schools kit’ section which provides interactive ideas for teachers to broaden high school student’s perceptions about refugees in Australia.

Road to Refuge helps users relate to the harrowing situations faced by asylum seekers day in, day out. Simple and non-invasive, the website takes an intimate look at the typical refugee’s life and invites you to learn more.

Removing the veil firmly affixed by the Australian media, Road to Refuge is an important forum designed to help young Australian’s understand more about asylum seekers then what is told in newspapers and online.

Highly recommended, head to Road to Refuge to learn more about the true journey faced by asylum seekers across the globe.

The Junior Gourmet, a children’s cookbook written by Melbourne chef, Elizabeth Long, has recently been awarded first prize for ‘World’s Best Children and Family Cookbook’ by the popular Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Paris. Long says, “Taking all the knowledge I have accumulated over the years and focusing it towards budding young chefs has been hugely satisfying, and then for the book to be recognised as the best in the world has been absolutely amazing.”

This beautifully presented book teaches kids how to cook authentic, simple and delicious recipes from around the world. A seasoned traveller, Long shares her favourite recipes and makes them accessible to kids with easy to follow instructions, handy tips, interesting facts and stunning photography.

The Junior Gourmet is a fun, exciting, and educational book. Each chapter takes your taste buds on a tour around the world, spanning 15 countries from Australia to Uruguay, Morocco to Mexico and many places in-between.

A perfect present for the ‘Masterchef generation’, The Junior Gourmet is available online and at all good bookshops nationally for $19.95 RRP. Give it to the special child in your life and you’re bound to reap the delicious rewards…

Oh hey!

My name is Jessie Ray and I am a multi-disciplinary artist, curator, performer and arts connector. I have been blessed enough to be welcomed into a tight-knit, open-minded and ever-welcoming community of multi-talented artists, creators, jammers, performers in Sydney – a community I never knew existed.

I began a monthly culture jam called Art Party last September (2012), in an effort to combine the creative talents of my friends into a single evening where the typical structure of performer vs audience was challenged and where the creative energy was up for grabs.

I wanted visual artists, spoken word performers, singer-songwriters, bands, magicians, circus performers, graffiti artists, occasional jammers and the private part-time artist to be able to gather together in one evening, rather than separate the audience according to the genre of performance.

I was becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of Sydney culture in terms of connection and collaboration.

Where was the generous and collaborative city community that values connection, collaboration and authenticity?

All I had found was the drive to material successes, ego or scene-building and shameless networking.

The solution?

Art Party : a monthly gathering of passionate emerging artists and performers from all walks of life, who want to give their gift to a dedicated audience.

The outreach of audience members and performers to one another consistently astounds me – the number of networking opportunities that present themselves are infinite and that much more precious when they are one human to another, a shared experience rather than a business proposal.

One thing I have noticed about each Art Party, is the energy with which we welcome each other and spend time with eachother, the central seed of this event.

There is so much love that is poured into this event, from myself and my beautiful crew of volunteers, and this is reflected back to us tenfold by the attendees.

Things we do:

we all hug eachother, stranger and friend alike, often

we share our art, with courage and with honour

we respect and celebrate diversity and difference

we encourage collaboration of any type

we support our artists, as a community

we create; as a philosophy

It is quite simply, appreciation for performers by performers.

Love to artists, from artists.

(And EVERYONE is an artist to some degree).

Each Art Party usually has ten short acts, with an intermission, showcasing unique emerging artists, poets, performers etc. There is always a different collaborative project on the evening (ie painting, jamming, dream-catcher-making) in the background, to harness the energy of the performances. Each Art Party is BYO nibbles and drinks, is cheap and cheerful and takes away the barriers we place between each other. It is my favourite night of the month, hands down. The love that vibrates from each event is heart-warming, connective, real and valuable to artists everywhere. Now it’s time to spread the love from Sydney to other major cities in our National Tour! Let the arting begin!

Peace x Love x Art x

For more information see:

Art Party Group – Facebook 

www.newtownartparty.blogspot.com

email – herartworks@live.com.au

call – 0420539577

Image credits: Natasha Mulhall 

Launching at Vivid Sydney on May 26, new media project This Place is Yours aims to embrace creativity and storytelling as a way to celebrate the human experience, with a platform to connect on a level that matters.

The launch event will feature personal narratives from six leading speakers/storytellers who will discuss how the art of story has influenced their lives. The six speakers include spoken-word poet Miles Mirrell, FBi Radio’s ‘All the Best’ producer Belinda Lopez, children’s book author Melanie Lee, acclaimed photographer Cybele Malinowski, filmmaker Jordan Bryon, and mental health advocate Sebastian Robertson.

The launch will also celebrate the release of a book and a website, where the public is encouraged to share their personal narratives in writing, art or video. The result of a successful crowd-funding campaign, the book includes personal narratives about various human experiences, ranging from growing pains to coming out, surviving rape and abuse to finding happiness after grief, falling in love to breaking up, and many things in between.

Staying true to the project’s mission of destigmatising pain and mental health difficulties, the book includes reflections on depression, anxiety, and suicide – both from a person bereaved by it to a brave survivor of an attempt of it. Although not confined to contributors who have received notable recognition, the book includes contributions by local and international talent such as New York artist Jeremyville and musician Ben Lee.

The online platform is now live: http://www.thisplaceisyours.com

THIS PLACE IS YOURS – VIVID SYDNEY

Sunday, 26 May – 7pm to 9pm
Museum of Contemporary Art, Circular Quay
Tickets are $15/$10 – http://www.vividsydney.com

This Place is Yours (book) is available for purchase via select stockists and http://thisplaceisyours.bigcartel.com

The bathroom is one of the key rooms in the home where safety is an absolute must. The new range of Dreambaby® Bath Strips and Bath Mats and Duck and Croc Room & Bath Thermometers are designed to increase safety levels, and in turn boost bath and shower time fun for parents and children alike.

Thanks to Dreambaby®, Onya Magazine is giving away nine packs of goodies.

Each Dreambaby® pack comprises:

• Dreambaby® Heat Alert Anti-Slip Bath Mats – These mats have a textured surface for added traction that helps prevent slips and falls in the bathtub and shower stall. An added feature of these bath mats is that they help prevent accidental scalding, as the mats change colour when the water temperature becomes too hot. Ideal bath water temperature is around 37ºC / 98ºF. When the bathwater is too hot, the Dreambaby® Heat Alert Anti-Slip Bath Mats, available in a pack of 10, in adorable aquatic animal motifs, change to a lighter shade of blue. RRP $9.95
• Dreambaby® Anti-Slip Bath Mats. These are easy to install and will make a huge difference to the surface of your bath, with their textured surface designed to help prevent accidental slips and falls. The Dreambaby® Anti-Slip Bath Mats are available in a pack of 10, and feature fun colourful animal motifs, including fish, frogs, penguins, starfish and seahorses, all sure to delight your little ones at every bath time! RRP $5.95
• Dreambaby® Anti-Slip Translucent Bath Tub Strips. Ideal for an older child or adult’s bathroom, as their translucent appearance is more subtle and therefore complementary to your bathrooms decor. Perfect for all bathtubs and most shower stalls where slippery tiles might be hazardous, the Dreambaby® Anti-Slip Translucent Bath Tub Strips are very easy to install, and are available in packs of 14. RRP $5.95
• Dreambaby® Croc and Duck Room & Bath Thermometers. Made from BPA Free and Phthalate Safe durable waterproof rubber material and available in two fun animal designs – a floating green crocodile and a bright yellow duck with the temperature display clearly visible on their body, the new Dreambaby® Room & Bath Thermometers give a fast and accurate temperature reading, whilst doubling as a safe and fun toy for your little tots. RRP $17.95 each

For more info, visit the Dreambaby® website at www.dreambaby.com.au or call (02) 9386 4000 or in New Zealand, call (09) 274 8788.  Join the child safety conversation and like Dreambaby® on Facebook.

1. What colours are in this season?

Blondes

Bring it up a notch this season with bright white peroxide or bleach-blonde bobs with matching eyebrows. Why not add a little bit of grunge with a watercolour to create and adapt the DIY inspired looks?

Adding some violet-toned colours to blonde hair has become popular this season, too

Brunettes

Shades of Walnut and super glossy tones such as Cherrywood, Mahogany and Red Cedar gives your brown hair a twist. Be Bold.

The ‘ombre’ hair trend is still all the rage.

This season, Alex P F Jackson has found that his clients have been inclined to take colouring their hair a step further and experiment more with dip dyeing, adding brighter pastel colours to thir natural hair color such as reds, greens, blues, purples, yellows.

2. What colours would suit best for different skin tones, in line with the current trends?

Brunette hair suits warmer golden skin tones.

Blonde hair suits light or more paler skin tones.

Brighter Bold Colour – if you’re a little out there anyone can make these colours work.

3. How can we achieve the best hair colour?

Get your hairdresser to colour your hair and ALWAYS listen to their advice. Don’t use a hair colouring home kit.

4. What advice do you have on maintaining new hair colour?

Buy some professionally supplied shampoo and conditioner for coloured hair. Use regular home and salon moisture and protein treatments.

5. How can we ensure our hair stays healthy once it has been dyed?

In the summer when using swimming pools, wet your hair before getting into the water, as this reduces any chemical build up from the chlorine.

Always use heat protecting products when styling your hair.

Reduce the amount of time in which you use hot styling tools such as curl tongs, hot rollers, flat irons. As using these too often can break and damage your hair. When your hair has been dyed you need to treat your hair with more care.

Avoid dying your hair different colours frequently as this will reduce hair damage and stress.

Alex PF Jackson, Celebrity Hair Stylist, 0403 217 122

www.alexpfjackson-hairandmakeup.com

Miss Peaches is a blues infused bar offering music, rustic cocktails and an extensive menu of home-cooked soul food in the heart of Sydney’s latest bar hopping circuit, Newtown. Perched atop Missenden Road, Miss Peaches brings you the down and dirty grit of the southern state’s most authentic drinking establishments sans 17-hour flight and threat of death by oversexed vampire Eric Northman.

Miss Peaches plans to share with Sydneysiders her secret family recipes including gumbo and catfish, plus fried and mapled goodness that is synonymous with the US of A. Grab yourself a spot on the spacious balcony and soak up some of that Southern hospitality with finger lickin’ food and liquor, vintage vinyl, traditional sign painting, recycled fence posts and of course, mason jars.

With handpicked and dancefloor tested records, esteemed DJs Jack Shit, Soup, Yo Gritto DJs (FBI’s Dusty Fingers/Straight Arrows/Kill City Creeps), DJ Flash Back and Hot Grits DJs (Mr. Gramaphone Man/Tackle Shack) plus fried chicken that would bring a tear to James Booker’s eye, Miss Peaches is gonna have you stomping, wailing and swaying.

Miss Peaches is the latest establishment by creative hospitality team Richie Haines, Marty Routledge and Luke Della Santa and will feature Head Chef Ernie Priestley and Bar Manager Jimmy Snelgrove. The team is well known for their offbeat and authentic approach to hospitality that includes venues The Vic and The Projects Enmore.

Open to the public on Wednesday June 5, 2013 Miss Peaches will have you yellin’ “well ain’t that the berries.”

Trading Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 5pm – midnight

Where: Level 1, 201 Missenden Road, Newtown, NSW

There is something special about the Forum Theatre. Its blue ceiling with painted stars gives the impression of an open-air theatre, as ancient looking gargoyles and Greco-Roman statues stare down from above the theatre stage. On Saturday night, the atmospheric venue was the perfect setting to welcome back rock, blues and soul outfit The Rubens for their second sold-out Melbourne show.

The brother band from Menangle in country NSW comprises of Sam (lead vocals and guitar), Elliott (keys and vocals) and Zac (lead guitar) Margin, and best mate Scott Baldwin (drums). Having only played together since 2011, they hit the scene last year with their LP, and have quickly won hearts in Australia and overseas. Their debut self-titled album was recorded in New York with producer David Kahne of The Strokes, Regina Specktor and Paul McCartney recordings, and their track My Gun earned number 10 spot in this year’s Triple J Hottest 100.

First on stage was special guest Melbourne singer-songwriter Ali Barter with her beautiful vocals and mix of dreamy pop and electronica. There were a few loud cheers so the little lady clearly has a following. After her ambient and laid-back vibe, the energy in the theatre changed with Ohio band Walk the Moon. They seemed an odd support for The Rubens, albeit one that got the crowd going and hit the right note with the younger audience down front. From the get-go they had people dancing and fist pumping to their synthy indie-pop tracks. There would have been a whole lot of sweat up there following the energetic American four-piece as a heavy R&B backing track boomed and brought the main act, plus bassist, onto the stage.

Fans were treated to The Rubens debut album in its entirety, opening with The Day You Went Away as frontman Sam’s rich bluesy vocals filled a now packed out Forum Theatre. With Elliott on keys, together he and Sam nailed the ‘call and response’ chorus giving Elliott’s vocals a chance to shine. Beautiful melodies, teamed with big, thumping drums and organ keys are signature of The Rubens sound. Their live show offers stripped-back and less polished versions of their songs than listening to the record, and this raw sound really resonates with their fans. Guitarist Zac leads Be Gone with that catchy first guitar riff and from there they play Elvis with Sam’s drawl ‘it gets ee-ee-ee-easier to love you’. A soulful and blues drenched version of the Cody Chestnutt track The Seed, with heavy drums from Baldwin, reflected the original’s funk sound and had everyone’s hips swaying about to the beat.

Slowing it right down with Paddy, featuring an almost western-like guitar twang and organ keys, this song gave the crowd time to consume lyrics of love and heartbreak, which are common themes lyricist Sam alludes to. Zac leads a powerful guitar solo right at the end before they play The Best We Got, which, from the piano intro, was performed with such vigor and encouraged one of the most energetic audience reactions.

After a massive year of touring and supporting the likes of Bruce Springsteen and The Black Keys, The Rubens have certainly made their mark in the country and now overseas with their unique rock and soul sound. And their live shows are certainly testament to this ongoing success. They still have a string of dates, on their biggest tour to date, so catch them if you can. Visit www.therubensmusic.com for show details.

Top: Birth. Bottom: Ghostbusters, You’ve Got Mail.

Sometimes this city even has a way of turning everyday occurrences into movies. I was recently at an art exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art and found myself spending the evening discussing art and film with an Italian artist by the name of Lisa Ward. It felt like something out of a Woody Allen screenplay. Going on a date in the East Village was like something out of Sex and the City (naturally one of the “what a disaster” examples that maybe we’ll discuss in a future column). Riding one of those funny-looking American buses across the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge felt like Speed, except this bus wasn’t rigged with explosives and the bridges didn’t have a big gap in it. Basically, Speed had been on TV the night before.

However, sometimes it’s all too easy to see stuff that reminds you that, well, life isn’t a movie. Whether it’s plane wreckage from one of the 9/11 aircrafts being discovered, or being confronted with the after effects of Hurricane Sandy. That natural disaster occurred exactly six months ago and you don’t even need to travel very far to see the effects that are still hitting the city. Liberty Island off of the tip of Manhattan is still closed to the public due to damage and I recently spent a beautiful day out on the little-investigated Staten Island and while it was all very pretty (locals tell me I mustn’t have seen very much) there was still a lot of damage left unfixed. In one part of the Botanical Gardens, trees remain upturned and fences flattened. It’s disconcerting to say the least.

Staten Island Botanical Gardens

I spent a couple of weeks in May attending the Tribeca Film Festival, a festival initiated to bring business and culture back to the area after 9/11. Amongst the many wonderful films (and, ahem, not so wonderful) I saw was Sam Fleischner’s Stand Clear of the Closing Doors. The title comes from the phrase that all New Yorkers know from travelling on the extensive subway system, and is a fitting title given the film revolves around a teenager with a learning difficulty who gets lost on the subway for several days while Hurricane Sandy ravages the city above ground. I found the film to be remarkably effective and a fair representation of the city’s habit of being a terrifying gauntlet to unfamiliar people. Whether the filmmakers actually filmed during the hurricane or not I’m not sure, but they definitely utilised the damaged after effects to their distinctive advantage.

Having grown up in Victoria, I have never had to contend with the reality of a cyclone. New Yorkers used to be the same about hurricanes until climate change inevitably put a stop to that and now after two years of hurricanes in a row, it appears they’re becoming a part of life. I suppose I will be have to go through one eventually if I plan on staying here for a while, and when it happens maybe I’ll just repeat to myself, “It’s just like the movies…”

Chelsea Higgins grew up dreaming of competing in equestrian on the international stage. She was on track to do just that when a tragic accident in 2010 left her in a coma for nine days and resulted in permanent disability. Chelsea now suffers from movement, cognitive, memory and vision problems. Many would give up, but Chelsea refused to quit riding horses and has gone on to fulfil her dream riding for Australia.

As a para-equestrian rider, Chelsea has accumulated many awards including the 2012 Qld Para Equestrian of the Year award and was a part of the 2012/13 National Australian Para Equestrian Squad. She is now focused on being selected to represent Australia at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. At only 18 years old, Chelsea Higgins is clearly a name we will be hearing more of in the future. Onya Magazine contacted Chelsea to answer some of our questions.

Tell us about your earliest memory of horses and riding.

The first memory I have is when I was three years old and I used to help mum with the horses and climb up onto them and walk around on them.

Who were your idols growing up and why?

Rebel Morrow was my idol. Rebel was my coach and was also a gold medal Olympian. I idolised her because of the way she looked and perceived everything, the confidence she had in riding and her positive attitude was also something I really admired.

Rebel also had a lot of confidence in me in my journey, which gave me confidence in myself.

After your accident, did you ever consider giving up riding? What inspired you to keep going?

No, I never considered giving up riding. My dream has always been to represent my country at the Olympic Games. Even though my pathway has changed remarkably due to my accident that dream is still very much a reality.

My love and passion for riding inspired me to continue my journeys in my riding career.

What is your relationship with the horses? Do you see them similar to other sportspeople see sporting equipment, or does it run deeper than that?

The bond and partnership that you form with your horse is indescribable. To be able to perform with a 500kg live animal is not possible without their commitment to you as well.

What type of training do you do? What does a typical week look like?

My training is more than just riding a horse. It’s a combination of many things. Having an excellent, nutritious and healthy diet; strengthening and conditioning at the gym at least 3 times a week; I see a dietician every 2 weeks to make sure that I stay on track; my horse goes for regular training with my coach to make sure that he is performing at his peek all the time; and of course I have 3-4 training sessions a week riding him.

What is the highlight of your career to date?

Being a finalist for the Women in Sport Junior Rising Star of the Year.

What challenges do women in particular face in para-equestrian?

Being a para-equestrian rider and being acknowledged in able-bodied competitions.

Do you compete against men? If so, do you ever feel like the underdog or do you feel equal?

Very rarely do I ever compete against men, and if I do it would be more in the able-bodied competition then the para-equestrian. If I did compete against men, I would never feel like the underdog. We are all equal in my sport. The men that I would compete against would see me as an equal competitor.

Quick Questions

If you weren’t horse riding what would you be doing?

I have never considered that option!

Describe yourself in three words.

Tenacious, driven, focused

What is the one piece of technology you cannot live without?

My phone!

Facebook or Twitter?

I use Facebook.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Going out for dinner too often.

What are your best and worst qualities?

Worst: impatient.

Best: kind and loving nature.

What is your favourite thing about Australia?

The opportunities available.

What is your ideal travel destination?

Europe.

Thank you for participating and good luck for 2013.

Junia Kerr is the owner and operator of holistic salon, Sage Beauty. Sage has been operating for seven years and has a loyal, ever-growing clientele, including high profile clients such as Leila McKinnon. They are known for their organic facials and waxing, specialising in brow repair and shaping, as well as the other end of the scale, their natural fertility treatments and remedial pregnancy massage. 

Sage Beauty offers eleven different facial treatments using MV Organic and Dr Hauschka products, tailoring them to suit their clients’ needs. They also specialise in treating rosacea and reddened sensitive skin, or the effects of chemotherapy, blemished and dehydrated skin. All of their skincare products are organic and made with pure essential oils, herbal medicines and antioxidants as part of their individual formulas. The products used provide an ongoing, deeper impact on their clients’ overall health, as the skin absorbs all of the ingredients into their systems for maximum benefit. 

Junia Kerr shares her top ten beauty and wellness tips:

1. Keep your skin toned and hydrated through winter by applying a good quality Jojoba Oil beneath your moisturiser. I recommend either MV Organic Jojoba Oil, or Kora Rosehip Oil – which is in a base of Jojoba and also contains Sea Buckthorn Oil – both are also good for flaky skin, psoriasis, eczema and rosacea.

2. Maintain your brows by applying a light brow powder such as Finishing Touch – this is a simple way to keep your brows looking great and having extra depth of colour without looking “drawn on”. Application is with a dual ended brush and very simple and quick. NB. Finishing Touch were the chosen brow collection used in this year’s Logie Awards.

3. Have a good protein shake with blueberries and/or banana for breakfast, this will stop your 3pm sugar craving and keep your energy levels up till lunch so you won’t feel the need to snack on food that may not be so good for you.

4. If your skin is super dry, take a lot of fish oil – I mean a lot. Check your source, a practitioner fish oil such as Metagenics or Bioceuticals will be reliable and good quality, forget the cheap supermarket brands, you don’t know what is in them or how effective they are. Ask your local naturopath for a recommended dose, and watch your skin improve. Not bad for the brain and joints either!

5. If you have really porous thick skin which you just can’t seem to get clean, try MV 9 Oil, this oil contains Vitamin E, Avocado Oil and Centella Asiatica Oil, a wonderful oil which is anti-bacterial and rich in antioxidants. Massage gently into problem areas, like the nose, and steam it off with a hot compress. Within no time at all, you will have beautiful clean healthy pink skin. This is magic.

6. Apply a moisturising mask to your skin fortnightly in winter to keep your skin hydrated and supple. Recommend: Dr Hauschka Moisturising Mask or Kora Moisturising Mask.

7. To keep your skin conditioned each change of season, use Dr. Hauscka N or S ampules, one at night after cleansing your skin. These ampules have ingredients in them designed to hydrate, strengthen and calm your skin.

8. Get up and go for a run or a brisk walk outdoors before work. This will get your metabolism going and shake out the cobwebs. Rain, hail or shine, get out there in nature and embrace the mood of the day.

9. Check your nails to see if you are deficient in zinc, calcium or other minerals. Ridges that go across your nails usually indicate protein deficiency.

10. If you are craving sugar you might not be getting enough protein. Make sure you have healthy serving of protein daily as well as fresh fruit and veges. You may also need chrome which can prevent sugar craving – check with you natural practitioner first.

But diners had to be either well organised or super spontaneous to catch a bite. No Bookings became the new restaurant mantra and if your party of five wasn’t all queued up by six, well, as they say in the Big Apple: fuhggedaboutit. Hustling for a table didn’t stop at dinner with popular brunch joints just as pumping.

New Gourmet Melbourne profiles 52 of the best gastronomic start-ups from the past year, as well as some reinvented favourites and long-awaited sequels. Take tequila flights without a parachute at Touché Hombre, go roti mad at Mamak or let Virginia Plain ply you with Negronis, vintage vinyl and nouveau bistro compositions. Still hungry? Jump on the bun bandwagon at Wonderbao, eat sustainably at Silo or demolish some key lime pie at Belle’s Diner.

‘While there’s no shortage of information on new places out there,’ says publisher Michelle Matthews, ‘sorting through it can be a chore. New Gourmet Melbourne cuts straight to the chase. It’s also a snapshot of where Melbourne is at right now as a leading foodie destination. The city has long had a strong European and Asian flavor but the influences are getting even more global as customers get more adventurous and restaurateurs keep looking for the next big thing.’

New Gourmet Melbourne deck of cards are available from all good bookshops, online at www.readings.com.au for the same price since 2003 RRP$9.95 or download the app from iTunes for $2.99. 

Kerrie Meehan was a travel agent who travelled the world with her job. She visited many poor countries, but when she visited Cambodia it had an immediate and profound effect. And it was a lasting effect that was to change her life dramatically, along with the lives of many others.

When you meet someone who is actually talking the talk and changing the world, it is a wake up call. Kerrie Meehan is one of those people. She is quiet and unassuming, almost shy at times, as she talks to me at a café in the pretty Yarra Valley town of Healesville. And she certainly hates the limelight. Yet just below the surface lies a fierce advocate for the change that is needed in the world. ‘I can’t sit by and do nothing,’ she explained to me as the waitress brings our coffee order to us.

She feels ‘called’, which is not always easy. To the outsider, it may seem confusing why she would give up her safe, clean, comfortable way of life in Victoria’s beautiful Yarra Valley, to live an itinerant life, raising awareness for people suffering inequality in the world. ‘It’s hard to explain, but it’s not something I feel I’m choosing to do necessarily, it feels more like the need has chosen me. I know that probably sounds weird, but I just know I’m not meant to be here, I’m meant to be out there, doing something, and that something is BIG.’ She uses her hands to demonstrate how big and her eyes widen and light up at the thought.  As soon as we’re off the subject of her, Kerrie the introvert disappears, and in her place is an expressive and passionate businesswoman, talking me through her business plans for Fairly Global, the expansion of her original business Fairly Cambodian.

‘It all started with a visit to Cambodia. I was a travel agent back then, and I got to see the world, which was brilliant. So I’d seen plenty of countries stricken with poverty and inequality but there was something different and powerful that struck me about Cambodia and it’s never left me. I left there knowing I needed to do something to help the incredible people I’d met. And that was how it all began – Fairly Cambodian, the store, was born. I’d met so many artists and artisan producers over there, in alleyways, by the temples, at street stalls, selling their hand made goods to tourists. And I realised that their products were so well made that they would sell well back home and I could increase their sales by giving them exposure in Australia – whilst raising awareness about their plight at the same time – it was a no brainer, or so I thought.’

There follows a pause as Kerrie smiles to herself. ‘Of course, I had no previous retail experience and certainly no idea about the bureaucracy and reams of paperwork I’d have to fill out, to export goods out of Cambodia.’  Now it doesn’t faze her, it’s all become second nature and every time she visits Cambodia, she takes on new product lines. ‘I’ve seen first hand how badly some Khmer employees are treated, so I only take on new products that I know have been made ethically, by people who are well treated and well paid. Often I deal direct with the artists and producers themselves. That way, I know the money gets back to him/her and doesn’t disappear into the wrong pocket. Sadly, Cambodia is still run unscrupulously, from the bent government officials who take bribes and steal regularly, to the shocking employers who violate their staff. And the more I read and learn about the world, the more I see that Cambodia’s problems are just the tip of the iceberg.’

When I ask Kerrie if she ever finds it too overwhelming, knowing the extent of the injustices in the world, she agrees before I’ve finished my question. ‘Of course I do, who wouldn’t? But if anything, it spurs me on to do more, to help more, because the larger the problem, the greater the need, so how could I not act? Inaction is not an option.’ She muses on that last statement and decides she likes it. ‘I’ll use that again’, she smiles, ‘that’s good!’

Fairly Global will be run along the same lines as Fairly Cambodian, it will sell items made around the world by people who are trying to earn a living, against harsh odds, in countries where inequality is rife. ‘Every time a potential customer comes into the store, or goes onto the website, it is an opportunity. An opportunity for these people’s stories to be heard, for their plight to be understood, for my customers to be moved to get involved and act.’

We wrap up the interview back at Kerrie’s store in Healesville’s bustling Main Street and as I’m browsing the gorgeous colourful products for sale, I overhear customers talking with the staff at Fairly Cambodian.  ‘She does get asked that all the time, and yes, in fact, in January, she took seven customers she’d met here through the shop on tour to Cambodia. They volunteered at some of the charities we support and got really under the skin of the place.’ I look up at Kerrie questioningly,  ‘Is she referring to you?’ Kerrie looks away, uncomfortable with my direct questioning. ‘Sure’ she said ‘Why not? It gave them an insight into Cambodia and I was going anyway!’ We say goodbye and straight away she’s off to help a customer. Perhaps it’s exactly this ‘take it in your stride’, ‘can do’ approach to life that enables Kerrie to achieve so much for so many? And thank goodness she does.

Kerrie Meehan runs Fairly Cambodian, a fair trade retail store in Healesville in Victoria’s Yarra Valley – an enterprise that sells beautiful hand crafted goods made by Cambodians. You can find stunning accessories such as silk purses, amazing jewellery, one off pieces of clothing, scarves and shoes, and home-wares such as cushions, candles, spices, recipe books, cards and Christmas decorations. You can buy from Fairly Cambodian from anywhere in Australia via her online shop and sign up to her newsletter for updates. 

Article via Just Words.