Having recently completed her Masters of Global Media and Communications at the University of Melbourne in 2010 and taking too many photos on the obligatory ‘Euro’ trip (and set to return this year), Bianca is quite the mixed bag. A Florence and the Machine lover, this speaker of French and Italian (and ready to tackle Spanish) and sucker for sweet smelling body lotions and caramel lattes, Bianca also has a secret obsession with coloured post-its and collecting overseas fridge magnets. She is utterly in love with T2 tea and only drinks it out of her Paris mug which makes for very productive late nights at her laptop. A massive fan of chick-lit and anything ABC related. After hanging out at ACP Publishing in Sydney for a bit and loving the magazine life, writing for a Sydney-based Swimwear and Fashion mag and prancing around in the Mimco PR department, she then set out to have a crack at The Herald & Weekly Times. Having worked at Fairfax Community Network in Melbourne as a news, property and lifestyle journalist, she is now roaming around Melbourne with The Weekly Review.
Bridget Jane Thompson is a girl who loves food, fun, people, fitness and anything pink. Having been an overweight child, and not wanting to sacrifice her love affair with the tastes, textures, aromas and joy of all that is delicious, Bridget set about establishing a lifestyle that enabled her to have it all. Having such fun along the way, Bridget decided that she must share this new found way of being with others. There is a way to do it that doesn’t involve deprivation, diets or suffering. There is a way to feel energetic, confident, happy and satisfied everyday. With no tolerance for anything faddish, short-term, ridiculous or expensive, Bridget Jane reveals how to get fit, have fun, and enjoy the tastes that keep you feeling and looking fab always. When not coaching clients, delivering workshops, or writing, Bridget Jane can be found running or walking somewhere along the Noosa River or Noosa National Park, Facebook or Twittering, reading, enjoying a long black and laughing….of course, not all at once.
Erika is a third-year journalism student at Monash University who is an expert in photobombing and tripping over flat surfaces. She has wanted to write a bestseller ever since she secured her pen license in fourth grade and set her sights on becoming the eighth member of the Baby-sitters Club. She has a weakness for anything containing traces (or slabs) of chocolate and has no qualms about stopping someone mid-sentence to correct their grammar. When not buried under university textbooks or running for public transport, you can find her curled up with the next book on her extensive ‘to read’ list, daydreaming about travelling the world or levelling up on Bejeweled. Sometime in the not too distant future, Erika hopes to make a career out of combining her passion for writing, travel and food.
Always late but always there (missing out is not an option), Jade would say she enjoys long walks on the beach and cooking. But in truth Melbourne isn’t that greatly known for its beaches and her culinary skills don’t extend much further than the burnt pots and pans that litter her kitchen. Her favourite movie is American Beauty but what she rarely tells others is that she can recite Home Alone I and II from beginning to end. She ditched the life of a Marketing Coordinator to become a student again, this time one who studies the art of Freelance Journalism (or should that be the art of persistence?) and dreams of front row seats at Paris Fashion week at some point in her life time. Researching topics and making lists are things she is less inclined to admit to enjoying, much like the fact that she has yet to convert to a Mac and considers all the hype passé in comparison to her Dell Vostro 1400. Collecting autobiographies of old movie stars and musicians has become something of an obsession and she hopes, one day, that Mick Jagger will allow her to pen a tale or two of his life long journey. Until that day, she will sit tight, sipping her green tea and waiting for Jagger to make the call because nothing happens unless you dream first right?
Jessica lives in Melbourne and is studying Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT. She aspires to become an editor although the dream of getting a book published will always be in the back of her mind. Her favourite things include her book collection, vintage dresses and the convenience of two-minute noodles. Reading is her passion and she throws herself between the pages of a book as often as humanly possible. During the day she doesn’t tend to get much time to do this as she is more likely to be working, volunteering within the publishing industry or preparing articles for paid publication. She loves taking time out and nothing beats a good Double Choc Cornetto on a Sunday night. (Although the ice creams from the Mr. Whippy Van are fierce competitors!) Currently working more than five jobs and studying full time, Jessica is looking forward to the moment when it all pays off and she can land her dream job: working from home and writing about everything.
Katherine Collette is a Melbourne based writer, blogger and social researcher. She is interested in Australian identity and the way in which Australians define themselves. She has a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Australian history and has completed Honours in Sociology. She works in social policy development for government.
Katherine is an aspirational vegan/yoga-type and hopes to one day impress others with her ability to recycle things and be kempt/spell. She likes eating meat, shower caps, her kindle, organic health food shops (for the lollies), trashy tv, perfecting daydreams, haggling over words and some other stuff. She dislikes capital letters, small mugs and war.
Read more on her blog here.
After a giant London comedown Kendall decided Melbourne might be the next best thing and it hasn’t disappointed. One little bit. In fact, she might just be a true Melburnian at heart. But she promises not to claim this title just yet and knows she’ll need to earn these stripes. Hailing from Queensland though, she promises to stay true to her northern roots.
When she’s not discovering Australia’s most liveable city one tram line, laneway, restaurant and cafe at a time, she can be found at a music festival somewhere in the country or a gig anywhere in Melbourne. She loves British comedy, snow domes and being outdoors; whether it’s the mountains, beach or in between. With a Journalism degree up her sleeve and working in PR/Communications during the day, Kendall is delighted to start sharing her thoughts and passions, and the unique happenings of this wonderful city.
Kimberley’s mother wanted her to be a journalist; her father suggested law and her grandfather would love nothing more than to see her secure a leading role at the Met. She ignored the comment about law (but continues to be rather opinionated) and gained a Bachelor of Music in Performance Voice in her unofficial hometown of Wellington, New Zealand. She is thrilled to be leaving her unfulfilling corporate job in 2011 to rule her own destiny (and will teach singing to pay the bills).
Kimberley enjoys writing about almost anything when she’s given the chance (or the challenge) and is delighted to add the Onya string to her bow. You can also find her ranting on her blog, occasionally waxing lyrical over at StyleMelbourne, entertaining at children’s parties and fluttering around Melbourne’s south eastern suburbs trying to find the perfect breakfast.
Lara is a Melbourne-based writer, communicator and producer interested in the apparently paradoxical areas of business/innovation and environmental sustainability. She has studied Languages and Literature, now studies Commerce and Sustainable Practise and plans to study carbon accounting and behaviour change. She spends her time immersed in fashion, art, music, words and films. She loves the infinite possibilities of online communication, people who live with passion and awareness and being challenged.
You can find out more about her work and her other projects through her website.
Lisa has an infectious enthusiasm for all things vinous. She is a wine educator, writer and wine business consultant who has a fascination for the ever changing nature of wine and the wine experience – in the vineyard, in the bottle and in the glass. An avid wine traveller, her plan is to visit every wine region in the world and at the top of her bucket list is a 5th trip to Champagne and getting over to the Margaret River. When not writing her blog Wine Muse, Lisa also contributes to other wine related website such as Wine Diva and Sip Your Style.
Her favourite wine: Champagne, Champagne, Champagne! Although closely followed by Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sherry, Pinot Noir, Marsanne, Grenache, Chardonnay, Shiraz…
Rebecca is a writer, and a dog, milo, and music lover. She has a million thoughts a day; most of them being nonsense, and rich in insignificance. If you’d like to be her friend just call her ‘sweetheart’, take her to a school fete, or concede that you too loved ‘Young Einstein’ (except for the kittens in the pie scene).
Sarah Ayoub decided to pursue a career in journalism because she wanted to be Lois Lane and Clark Kent’s love child (inheritor of enviable journalistic skills and the ability to fly), and because her plan to be a psychiatrist was shelved after a viewing of The Sixth Sense. She’s written for ABC Unleashed, Sunday, Madison, CLEO, Shop Til You Drop, Frankie, Yen and more, has appeared on journalism panels of numerous industry events, and has been on national TV and radio commentating on a number of social and cultural issues. She has a penchant for all things pretty and Parisian, loves good food and even better books, and is often found losing her train of thought in her wistful dreams of glamorous, by-gone eras. Follow her desire to make 2011 the year of her life to-do list in Ballet for Beginners, and subscribe to her blog to read more about her lessons in writing, random musings, and pursuit of style, smarts and savoir-faire.
Sarah talks and thinks about her job too much – but who else gets to play dress-ups in their head all day long? She loves sharing beautiful finds with others and describing them by playing with beautiful words. When she comes back down from a cloud of stunning aesthetics and inventive design and actually gets around to business, she is a freelance lifestyle journalist and the Editor of StyleMelbourne.
Stephanie is a born and bred Melbourne girl, enjoying life in her thirties. She is back at University studying through Open Universities Australia, completing a second degree, a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism). She is finding there is plenty to learn about distance, education and online learning. She is excited to be pursuing her lifelong dream. She loves to share her opinions, writing, reading and talking her passions. What an honour to be joining the Onya team as a contributor. Watch her master and develop her writing here. Ultimately, her goal is to be gainfully employed as a freelance writer. Stephanie lives a passionate life and has her an eagerness to accomplish plenty. She enjoys listening to Angus and Julia Stone and My Friend the Chocolate Cake on her iPod. She wishes she had more time to experiment in the kitchen and more time to harvest her own vegetable garden.
A relative newcomer to the delights of Melbourne, Steph Little relocated to the city in the summer after living in various cities in the UK. A marketing professional by day, she has aspirations to make her living from writing – and to make it happen soon! In her spare time she loves exploring her new city, seeking new cafes (forever in the search of the perfect tea & cake), taking photos, watching cheesy action movies, cooking thai food, buying accessories, travelling to sunny climes, walking on the beach, braving swimming in the sea, and gorging on cheese and wine.
Tom is a freelance journalist and writer from Melbourne, that originally got into the craft through a heavy metal website, reviewing CDs so record companies could send them to him for free. Although the transition to mp3 hasn’t dissuaded him, he still continues to review and interview for a range of websites both in Australia and in the US. Graduating from the University of Melbourne in 2009 with a degree in Political Science, he boarded a plane to the United States to pursue his writing career, living there for three months before returning to Australia. Undeterred, he hopes to take his journalism career in a forward direction tackling a wide range of subjects such as media, politics, film, culture and his beloved passion, music.
