#I really like how sydney and charles' relationship grows

[icantrecallaskysoclear]

“...I thank you, Darnay. I may use that freedom with your name?" "I think so, Carton, by this time."

. . .

[dearevanhansenofficial]

“YOU WILL BE FOUND” NATIONAL COLLEGE ESSAY WRITING CHALLENGE 2021 | DEAR EVAN HANSEN

DEAR EVAN HANSEN “You Will Be Found” National College Essay Writing Challenge 2021

In partnership with Gotham Writers Workshop and the Broadway Education Alliance, DEAR EVAN HANSEN invited 11th-grade and 12th-grade students across the country to write a college-application style essay that describes how they channeled “You Will Be Found” to ensure those around them were a little less alone over the last year, or, alternatively, a moment where they found comfort in connection.

WINNER: Nearly 4,000 high school students across America wrote about impactful ways they stayed connected with others over the last year and we're delighted to announce Maxwell Silverman of Chicago, IL as the winner of the 2021 "You Will Be Found" National College Essay Writing Challenge and the $10,000 scholarship.

In June 2021, Maxwell graduated from Lane Tech High School in Chicago with plans to attend Boston Conservatory at Berklee, focusing on a degree in Musical Theatre.

FINALISTS: Seth Gorelik, Bellmore, NY Mira Kwon, Los Angeles, CA Anna Cappella, Pittsburgh, PA Semira Abdus-Salam, Rosedale, NY Filgey Borgard, Brooklyn, NY Lauren Escarcha, Orlando, FL Kacey Feth, Union, MO Paige Foltz, Stephens City, VA Sarah George, Chesterfield, MO Vincent Gerardi, Hauppauge, NY Ariane Lee, Syosset, NY Allison Lierz, Omaha, NE Megan Luong, New York, NY Kimberly Manyanga, Billerica, MA Orla Grace McCoy, Raleigh, NC Lucy Meola, New York, NY Sunaya DasGupta Mueller, Palisades, NY Liv Ollestad, Issaquah, WA Liana O'Rourke, Downers Grove, IL Isaiah Register, New York, NY Sydney Schneider, Los Angeles CA Ysanne Sterling, Centreville, VA Madeline Wiest, Peoria, AZ Samantha Williams, Providence, RI Laura Yee, New York, NY

FINAL ROUND JUDGES: Kelly Caldwell, Dean of Faculty, Gotham Writers' Workshop Logan Culwell-Block, Director of PLAYBILLder Operations and Community Engagement, Playbill Will Roland, Actor, Dear Evan Hansen Original Broadway Cast Member Crystal Su, Program Manager, The Jed Foundation Ekele Ukegbu, 2019 Jimmy Award Winner

READ MAXWELL’S FULL ESSAY:

Gram·pun·cle [geram-puhn-cuul] n. A gay man who formerly dated your grandmother only to later come to terms with his sexuality but still stay in the family to take care of your mother and aunt growing up.

Alan Palmer was my Grampuncle. When my cousins and I were younger, we couldn’t figure out what to call him. He was our grandpa in terms of age and raising our mothers, but he functioned more as the classic “fun gay uncle”, so we settled on a combination, Grampuncle. While we all had amazing relationships with Alan, mine was special. I have known Alan and his husband, Bill, since birth (making them the first ever gay couple I knew in my life).

Growing up and struggling with my sexuality, I was always able to look up to them to show me that true love really does have no boundaries. I will never forget, in 2015, standing inside the Michigan courthouse beside Alan as he and Bill exchanged vows and got married. They showed me, a young, insecure gay boy, that there was a place for me in the world and that I had a future to look forward to filled with love and joy.

Along with that joy, there eventually came some pain. Alan was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in the early spring of 2020. A week or so after the diagnosis, the world fell into a global pandemic. Those first few months were intense. I heard the horror stories from Alan of how scary it was going into the hospital for rounds of chemotherapy with people who had the Coronavirus sitting in the next wing over. Being constantly in and out of the hospital he was a risk to others, and the lung cancer made almost everyone else a risk to him. With the exception of his husband, he was fully alone.

Alan did not admit to his loneliness and pain. He did not want to feel like a burden, but after talking with Bill and hearing how Alan was truly feeling, my family began to make the hour and a half drive from Chicago to Michigan almost every other week to visit. We brought Alan a pop-up gazebo and some fancy sun hats to protect him (with the radiation he could not be in the sun for more than a few minutes at a time), and we would sit in the backyard just talking and laughing for hours until Alan’s body would give in to the exhaustion and he had to go inside.

As his birthday approached, I racked my brain thinking of something special to do for him. I thought back to a video I saw online toward the beginning of the pandemic and decided to make a “hug shield”. What better gift to give than a loved one’s embrace during the pandemic? Using a clear painter’s tarp, I cut arm holes and taped together closed arm sleeves. It took a good few hours, but I finally figured out a design that allowed for full protection on either side of the hug. On the day of his birthday, we packed up the car and headed to Michigan.

After talking and eating cake, it was time for the surprise. As we pulled the shield out and hung it from the gazebo, Alan did something I had only seen at the courthouse; he cried. I had the honor of the first hug, and as I slipped my arms into the sleeves Alan and I held each other and cried together. He pressed his forehead against mine through the plastic and in between sobs he said to me, “I am so proud of you.” I knew this was our final goodbye. When Alan died the next week, I knew he went in peace. He had felt my embrace through the shield of love.

SEMI-FINALISTS: Bailey Andera, Thousand Oaks, CA Arianna Arroyo, Brooklyn, NY Alexis (Lexi) Berganio, Honolulu, HI Avery Bielski, Los Angeles, CA Henry Boemer, Villa Rica, GA Isabelle Bulmahn, Imperial, MO Jane Butera, Phoenixville, PA Mia Cashin, Norwell, MA Sean Choo, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA Zuri Clarno, Columbus, OH Lydia Corcoran, Apalachin, NY Cody Coyle, Winter Park, FL Anna Dai-Liu, San Diego, CA Alexander Guerrero Diaz, Richmond, VA Isabella Dufault, Irvine, CA Edwin Ellis, Atlanta, GA Laurel Emanuel, Raleigh, NC Aubrey Fisher, Cobden, IL Sunny Fong, Brooklyn, NY Sarah Galatoire, Houston, TX Zhao Gu Gammage, Wyncote, PA Sarah Gomez, Anaheim, CA Rachel Gray, Cleveland, OH Jameson Huge, Chicago, IL Sarah Grace Hutchinson, Alpharetta, GA Catheryn Ibegbu, Dearborn, MI Nicole Jo, Andover, MA Kelsey Johnston, Prince George, VA Gabrielle Kashorek, Avon, NY Samantha Kern, Akron, NY Nicole Kowalewski, Sykesville, MD Anne Lee, Edison, NJ Amelia Lin, Mukilteo, WA Judianne Meredith, River Vale, NJ Rabi Michael-Crushshon, Minneapolis, MN Geneva Millikan, Maumelle, AR Samantha Moy, Long Island, NY Shaakirah Nazim-Harris, Amityville, NY Eleanor Neal, Springfield, VA Sofia Ochoa, Camarillo, CA Basilia Oferbia, Brooklyn, NY Annika Olson, Rathdrum, ID Kaden Polt, Osmond, NE Shreeyamsa Poudel, Federal Way, WA Noah Robie, South Berwick, ME Zainely A. Sandoval Martinez, Dorado, PR Devyn Schoen, Eldred, PA Yusra Shaikh, Edison, NJ Gabrielle Shockley, Egg Harbor Township, NJ Ava Sklar, Brooklyn, NY Mia Sunday, Sammamish, WA Christina Unkenholz, Smithtown, NY Emilia Valencia, Portland, OR Brianna Wallace, Fredericksburg, VA Charles Wang, West Hartford, CT Daniel Joseph Weispfenning, Ridgewood, NJ Jennifer Wheeler, Reading, MA Virginia Zanella, Collierville, TN Alessandra Zepeda Ortiz, Los Angeles, CA Anna Zhang, New York, NY Daniel Zhang, Cortland, NY

[jeremystrele]

Comforting Words From Six Mums Who Know Best

Comforting Words From Six Mums Who Know Best

Mothers Day

by Sasha Aarons

Courtney Adamo and family, captured by Kara Rosenlund.

Courtney Adamo and family, captured by Kara Rosenlund.

Courtney adamo, bangalow, nsw

What have you learned from your Mum that remains with you today?

My Mum has never been a worrier. There has always been a lightness and a sense of optimism to the way she lives, which is something that has rubbed off on me. She’s also always been fastidious about good manners and good grammar. I know it seems silly, but I’m grateful for it now.

What is something you say to comfort your kids in tricky times?

There’s nothing specific I say. I think each kid and each circumstance calls for its own approach. Generally speaking though, I think it’s about being open to any of their questions, concerns or needs, then providing them with honesty, a sense of security, a familiar rhythm and a feeling of being held. We don’t have a TV and we don’t play live radio in the car, so they are spared the doom and gloom of the 24-hour news cycle. When times are tricky, we want to be their source of information, presenting it in a balanced way, with perspective, hope and positivity. I’m also a big believer in the restorative power of mother nature. Whenever we’re feeling down, whatever the reason, a trip to the beach or the woods brings us right back up.

What kind of world do you hope your children will inherit?

I hope our kids will inherit a world that is open and interconnected, with people and ideas moving freely for the benefit and equality of all. I hope for a world where we are conscious of our every imprint on the earth and we prioritise the planet’s need over our personal wants. And it would be awesome if self-driving electric cars were commonplace before they are old enough to drive!

What are you optimistic about right now?

My kids going back to school! Haha. Kidding (sort of). There’s a lot of bad happening in the world right now, and people are suffering in ways I can’t even comprehend, but I hope this collective pause has awakened in us a deeper sense of appreciation for what is most important. This is a historic event and unusual in that it is impacting virtually everyone on the planet in some way. I’m hopeful that moving forward, we will all be more conscious of how our actions, big and small, impact the planet and ourselves. I know we will not be returning to life as usual when it’s all over.

Is everything going to be okay?

I always like to think so! It is my personality (or perhaps a coping mechanism) to try to find the silver lining in every situation, even when things seem really challenging or depressing. I have five children — I have to think the future is bright!

Courtney Adamo is an author, entrepreneur and the co-founder of  Babyccino Kids. She is also the mother to five children! Following the release of her first wildly popular e-course, Courtney has just this week released ‘In The Loop : Blossom‘, a 3-week e-course on pregnancy, birth and the first year. Check it out here!

Melbourne textile designer Cassie Byrnes with her gorgeous bub Lottie. Photo by Annika Kafcaloudis.

Melbourne textile designer Cassie Byrnes with her gorgeous bub Lottie. Photo by Annika Kafcaloudis.

Cassie Byrnes, Melbourne, VIC

What’s something you learned from your Mum that remains with you today?

Definitely resilience. My Mum has had a pretty rough run in life, which is easy to forget because she is so warm and loving and just gets on with it (as Mums tend to do). In my older age (and since becoming a Mum) I now understand how difficult some of the setbacks must have been, and how she did totally amazing things while raising four kids.

What is something you tell your kids in tricky times?

Well, Lottie is only seven months old, so to her tricky times really just consist of trying to sit up in her sleeping bag or managing to grip on to her pear slices with her tiny slippery fingers…. so I just cheer her on like, ‘You can do it girl, get that pear!’.

What kind of world do you hope your children will inherit?

This is a very big question! For a couple of years I did have a few worries about bringing someone new into a world that I felt was changing for the worse in many ways. But, I was way too maternal to follow through with it, so I guess you win, hormones.

I think we also need to understand that while at this exact moment in time it might be hard to see through the gloom at big picture level, we are still in control of our well-being and destiny and have the chance to use this time to create the future we want.

Closer to home, I really just want her to feel like she can do and be anything she wants, and feel confident enough to find out what that is. If she can take on that spirit then I reckon she’s got a good shot at handling the world in whatever state it’s in when she grows up.

What are you optimistic about right now?

So much. That’s what the baby bubble will do to you! We have looked at this isolation time as something kind of special, one we will always look back on as a time when the three of us were home with each other 24/7, and Lottie has benefitted from so much attention from us! As I learn the ropes of Mum-hood I’m feeling more confident and nurturing than I’ve ever been, and a lot less stressed, because, well, who even has time to stress about anything anymore? If you put all the fears aside and just stop to look at this little human who is genuinely thrilled just to be a part of the world everyday, it’s hard not to feel the same way.

Is everything going to be okay?

One hundred percent. Yes there’s lots of people hurting now, and it’s sad to think there will be more of that to come. But you know, we owe it to them and ourselves to try and find the positivity in all this. I’ve seen neighbours and friends come together in amazing ways lately. My group chats, Mums groups, customers DMs and daggy Zoom trivia nights all help to remind me that it’s the people in your life that really make up your world, and as long as they’re still around of course everything is going to be ok. And if you ever feel like things won’t be, remember to reach out to someone.

Cassie Byrnes is a freelance textile + surface designer. You can shop her latest collection of designs here (and listen to Lucy’s chat with her on TDF Talks Podcast here!).

Curator and writer Hetti Kemerre Perkins with her daughter, actress Madeleine Madden. Photo – Alisha Gore.

Hetti Perkins, Sydney, nsw

What does Mother’s Day mean to you?

Mothering or being a mother or Mum means different things to different cultures and communities. For instance, in Arrernte ways you have a number of mothers, and the immediate responsibility to care for a child extends generationally to grandparents and others. Or there’s the ‘Paris is burning’ version of motherhood in the drag community epitomized by RuPaul Charles!

I have been called Mum ‘instinctively’ by some very young children who have come into my home just because they maybe needed a Band Aid and a hug, or were hungry and must have identified me as their best bet for getting those needs sorted! I am also called Mum by some adult kiddos who need the grown up version of a Band Aid or a hug!

As a parent and as a someone who is blessed to be called Mum by a number of people, it’s a day for being grateful for all my ‘children’ who trust me enough to love and be loved; and to be grateful to those people who have helped my kids grow up. So, it’s a day for taking time out to acknowledge all those people – regardless of their biological relationship or gender – who have grown you up.

What’s something you learned from your Mum that remains with you today?

My mum Eileen is awesome, and sometimes infuriating! Me and my kids call her Naughty Nanna and she still constantly surprises us with her tricks and unconventional ways! To this day, marrying my father was probably her best unconventional ‘trick’. My Arrernte and German grandmothers – who couldn’t have come from more ‘opposite’ sides of Australian society yet found common ground and an enduring respect and friendship – continue to inspire me. An early memory I have of my childhood in Alice Springs is Nanna Hetti’s fiercely loyal dog only deigning to also lay his head on Nanna Laura’s lap.

One thing that has stuck with me, was my Mum drilling me in the value of learning history to better understand our world and our place in it – and our responsibility to future generations.

What is something you tell your kids in times of hardship?

We’re all in this together and together we’ll get through it.

What are you optimistic about right now?

Last year we welcomed a little rescue kitten into our family on Mother’s Day. It’s been the gift that keeps on giving, watching Raven grow and flourish despite a hard start in life.

Otherwise it’s art, always! Artists of all genres and ages give me strength. Their creativity has a palpable effect on my mental and physical wellbeing. For instance, Hayley Mary’s brilliant EP ‘The Piss, the Perfume’ is on my high rotation playlist at the moment and I recommend it to any readers needing a dose of good medicine – or gift ideas!

What kind of world do you hope your children will inherit?

A common ground governed by the principle of the common good.

Is everything going to be okay?

It will be if we collectively keep our eye on the ball – and by ball I mean this big, beautiful globe we call home, Earth.

Hetti Kemerre Perkins is a curator and writer. Read our interview with her and her daughter, actress Madeleine Madden, here.

Designer Jenny Kee with her daughter, literary agent Grace Heifetz.  Photo – Courtesy of Mimco.

Jenny Kee, Blackheath, NSW

What’s something you learned from your Mum that remains with you today?

Mum was always so incredibly generous and was a true giver, and I never think of her without thinking of her generosity.  She was a fanatical cleaner and I have really inherited that trait – I loved this about her.  It goes without saying that she had amazing style and was a natural fashionista, and we shared this love of clothes, design and style.

What is something you tell your kids in tricky times?

All things will pass.

What kind of world do you hope your children will inherit?

The Coronavirus has taught us to think more about our world and our environment. I hope that our children will inherit a simpler world, where our focus will be on the abundance of nature, where animals are not extinct, where the sky is blue and we hear the birds sing and our oceans and rivers run clean.  A world where the environment is more important than the economy – a world where we live simply so others may simply live.

What are you optimistic about right now?

I am optimistic about my property that was ravaged by fires and the regeneration is glorious.

Is everything going to be okay?

While nature has the upper hand everything will be ok, as she is our Mother – the greatest Mother of all.

Jenny Kee is an artist, fashion designer and environmental activist. See her work and collections here. 

Julia Busuttil Nishimura with new baby boy Yukito! Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files.

Julia Busuttil Nishimura, Fitzroy, VIC

What have your learned from your mum that remains with you today?

The importance of showing kindness and having empathy for others.

What is something you say to comfort your kids in tricky times?

We like to keep it light at home but my eldest is 4 so sometimes he’s heard something at kinder or caught a snippet of a conversation. I listen to what his fears are and label them. I think it’s really important to reassure him that things are ok and that he’s safe, that it’s ok to feel sad or scared or whatever he is feeling, but that we’re here for him.

What kind of world do you hope your children will inherit?

I hope my children will inherit a kind world where people look out for each other. A world where the leaders care for ALL – people and nature.

What are you optimistic about right now?

Even though it can be overwhelming when people say the ‘new normal’ I am hopeful that we will return to travel, and family gatherings and hugging friends. I am optimistic that this time has helped many of us to slow down and appreciate the small joys we usually take for granted.

Is everything going to be okay?

It is sad that so much life has been lost and many have lost jobs and businesses and many of us are feeling lonely. It’s been a pretty hectic year. Between this and the bushfires, anxiety levels feel heightened all around, but I do think we will come out the other side stronger and more intertwined as a community.

Julia Busuttil Nishimura is a cook, author and beloved TDF Food columnist! 

Yumi Stynes with her partner Martin, and children ‘Man Baby’, Mercy, Dee Dee and Anouk. Photo – Katherine Millard for The Design Files.

Yumi Stynes, Sydney, NSW

What have your learned from your Mum that remains with you today?

My Mum used to say that your physical space is a reflection of your soul. So if your room is in utter disarray, there’s a strong chance your spirituality is, too.

What is something you say to comfort your kids in tricky times?

I used to sing the song “Go to sleep” with our own made-up lyrics – “Go to sleep, go to sleep, you are warm and protected, you are safe, you are loved, bed is soft so – nigh nigh!” Now they’re a bit bigger (4, 5, 15 and 18) so I’m not singing to them as much, but when one of them is having a freak out, the first thing I try to do is listen so they can tell me their fears or what’s going on, then in my own words I repeat what they’ve said back to them so they know I understand. To the little one I might say, “You’re scared – and fair enough! You’re safe. Come here. You’re safe. You’re going to be okay.” To the biggest one I might say, “You’re upset – and fair enough! You’re safe. You’re going to be okay.” It helps to remember that they don’t necessarily want advice, they just want to share.

What kind of world do you hope your children will inherit?

I hope the kids will inherit a world where there’s free universal healthcare and where nature hasn’t been completely destroyed. I really hope there’s an upcoming generation of girls, women and non-binary people out there who are inspired to enter politics because they’ve had a gutful of the monocultural vested-interest wankers we seem to keep putting in charge. I hope basics like bananas and bees don’t become extinct during their lifetimes. I hope they never experience war or famine. But at the moment I just hope they get a chance to live to old age.

What are you optimistic about right now?

I’m optimistic that people have seen that real, systemic and gigantic change is possible. I’m optimistic that when everything else is terrible, art and music still has the power to elevate the soul.

Is everything going to be okay?

One of the things I do for pleasure and relaxation is I cook and nut out new recipes. I do this so much that I tend to have a surplus of food and drop parcels of the latest yummy ridiculous thing to my friends. I have a loop of people I drive around to, dropping off food as gestures of love, solidarity and community. This week I pretty much worked out the most spectacularly perfect recipe for Creamy Chicken Soup. It’s been a work in progress for many years but I actually think I can stop trying to perfect it now because it is, in fact, perfect. So. I don’t know if everything is going to be okay but I do know that there can be comfort in sticking up for and showing kindness to people who need it, and sometimes that is the best that we can do. Until we burn the whole fucking thing down.

Yumi Stynes is an author, presenter and broadcaster. Her award-winning ABC podcast Ladies, We Need To Talk just launched their fourth season. The next episode is about women working at the front line of coronavirus, and is out on May 19th.

[onehundredandten-percent]

Western Bulldog Tom Liberatore is happy marching to the beat of his own drum

SAM EDMUND, Herald Sun

IT IS Grand Final eve and Tom Liberatore has made the usual Friday night drive from his Brunswick home to his grandmother’s in the same suburb.

Nonna Maria’s Italian greets him as he walks through the front door of the brick veneer house. Liberatore knows it’s coming — he’s learning the language and this is his weekly test.

The Liberatore’s — dad Tony and siblings Meg and Oliver — have gathered for their weekly dinner.

But for Liberatore, minestrone soup, homemade pasta, meatballs and fruit aren’t the only things on the menu. He wants quality time.

“One of the key things Tom says is ‘righto guys, put your phones down, sit here and chat and talk about our days and weeks and the normal things that happen in life,” Tony Liberatore told the Herald Sun.

“He’s got a lot of empathy for people and he’s always been extremely loyal.”

But to those outside Tom Liberatore’s inner circle, the media-shy man who carries the Western Bulldogs’ most synonymous surname remains largely unknown.

Publicly, the party boy reputation has followed him after he was found with an illicit substance in 2012 and sanctioned by the club for excessive socialising last year. Privately, he’s immersed in a creative writing course at RMIT and names Hunter S Thompson as his favourite author.

Publicly, he is the father-son star and best-and-fairest winner whose hardness and sharp hands drive the Dogs’ electrifying ball movement. Privately, he trails through vinyl record shops in Brunswick and keeps a journal of his frequent overseas adventures.

Why don’t we know Liberatore? Does he just not like the media?

“You don’t like me. I’m crying out for it,” Liberatore countered this week, offering a glimpse into a mind that is as quick as his trademark handball.

“I guess none of that really interests me. It’s not my cup of tea and I’m not really into talking about individual stuff. I think that’s what it is really — I’ve always just kept my head down.”

That head has a mop of hair on it these days that begs for an explanation. “It’s sort of like a modern mafia look isn’t it? Nah, don’t say that, it’s just a homemade job really,” he said.

Liberatore speaks in hushed tones, the words trickling out from underneath a jet black moustache. They come intermittently, as if he is bracing to clear a hurdle.

Hurdles are exactly what the relationship between Liberatore and his father has had to overcome in recent years. Once a turbulent connection, the pair are now on harmonious terms — sharing an emotional embrace in the Dogs rooms after that incredible preliminary final win over Greater Western Sydney.

If it’s an exaggeration to say Nonna Maria has brought them together, the family dinner’s have been a vital ingredient.

“We have a great relationship. We share a special bond. I said to Tom ‘you’re probably busy this week’ and he said ‘S. t no, we’re catching up, we always catch up and that’s important’,” Tony said.

“He’s actually learning Italian from my mum at the moment so she’s giving him some pointers. He’s going to Italy this year, actually, to get a good appreciation of the history of mum and dad (Tullio). Unfortunately we lost dad nearly two years ago now.

“I think over time he’s evolved as a person. My daughter says he’s just a hipster from Brunswick, which he is. But I don’t think you could meet a more loyal person than Tom and he’s still very close to his mates that he grew up with since primary school.”

Liberatore remains understandably tight-lipped about the drugs scandal of 2012. “You live and you learn and you move on,” he said.

He admitted it had put a strain on things with the old man, but said that relationship was “pretty natural” now.

“We talk about footy a fair bit, but we talk about all sorts of other stuff too. You don’t really want to talk about footy at all, but it’s part of our lives and it’s part of how strong our connection is as father and son,” he said.

“We both love the club so much.”

Tony rode every kick, mark and handball in that win over the Giants to such an extent he was drenched in sweat by the final siren. He had lived preliminary final pain in 1997 and 1998 — the former a vivid memory — and he didn’t want his son to endure the same fate.

Sue Alberti was sitting next to him that night. The Western Bulldogs vice-president and long-time benefactor has known Tony for 30 years and his son since he was a baby.

“Tom is a very quiet young man. He keeps to himself,” Alberti said.

“He gets on well with his mates at the club, but he doesn’t necessarily engage in a lot of conversation. He’s very close to his family and very close to his Nonna. She just adores him and he adores her, but he’s a very reserved person.”

On Liberatore’s mischievous streak that attracted the headlines, Alberti was firm.

“Oh, he’s changed. I don’t have any concerns or worries about Tom,” she said.

“I mean, we’ve got to keep an eye on all our young men. They’re wonderful young men, but I live in the real world too and I know young men are exposed to all sorts of things.

“But I think we’ve got a pretty close-knit club. You never say never, but I’m very confident that’s he’s on the straight and narrow and doing good things. He’s loving his football and he’s got a great, great Italian family. I know his family — his grandmother, his grandpa until he died — they’re a very close family and he wouldn’t want to do the wrong thing by Nonna.”

Liberatore is passionate about the written word, growing up on a diet of rugby player turned author Peter FitzSimons, Australian history and scoring 94 in his VCE at St Kevin’s College. The creative writing course has nurtured his love for American novelists.

“I love reading Charles Bukowski all those kind of renegade writers like Billy Burroughs and Hunter S Thompson,” Liberatore said.

“Hunter S Thompson is probably my favourite author (pause) — not that I condone his lifestyle.”

Tony said: “He’s actually written some really good stuff. He probably wouldn’t like to share it with anyone, but he’s written some good stuff about people. It’s really interesting.”

It all goes into the mix of what makes Liberatore tick — a man half a dozen teammates this week described as “unique”.

“He’s a bit different — he’s a bit weird,” Luke Dahlhaus said.

“We’re complete opposites. They do say opposites attract. He likes to write, he likes to read … and that is the last thing that I would ever want to do. He goes to uni, I don’t.”

Jake Stringer said: “I’ve never met anyone like him.”

Lachie Hunter asked if we’d had a strange interview. “You get lots of different personalities in footy and they’re great; they make the game different and he’s one of those,” Hunter said.

Certainly, the man himself has never been scared to march to the beat of his own drum.

“I think everyone does that, they’re just too scared to say it in public,” Liberatore said.

“People can come to their own conclusions about how they perceive me. I’m comfortable doing what I do.”

Can we conclude that you’re a bit of a lad? “Oh well, that’s pretty obvious.“

[anwenwrites]

My Own Best Friend—Chapter 1: Buried

This is an original work I have been writing for a year. It is the sequel to a novel that I started in high school, but you don’t really need to read the first one to understand this one. I’ll probably post the first one eventually, but for now I wanted to roll these chapters out as I wrote them. I’ll alternate between this and my Open Heart fanfiction!

Summary: Duncan King swore that he would never return to his childhood hometown in Australia. Yet somehow nine years later he ends up back in Sydney, only to make some painful discoveries about his mother that leave him with more questions than answers. Duncan's detective friend and mentor, Sukarno, who hails from the forests of Borneo, must help him crack the case. Meanwhile, Nadya Setiawan's father keeps her on a tight leash as she and Duncan grow closer than ever, and Nadya's best friend, Mikha Lestari, is overcome with grief and confusion after her first relationship suddenly ends, which leads to conflict between her and Nadya. While separated from each other, all three must learn to overcome a challenging time in their lives alone, and more importantly, to be their own best friend. Written in three points of view. DUNCAN POV

I’ve left it buried for long enough. 

The memories, the pain, the uncertainty, the heartache of simply not knowing. Whatever happened to Mom’s belongings after she died? Her house? Her ratty old pickup truck that always smelled like her favorite air freshener? Uncle Jacob—rest his soul— and I had cleaned out her stuff the last time we were in Sydney, but then returned home to Canberra only to realize her favorite jewelry was missing. In our rush to prepare for her funeral, we must have forgotten. That day is still burned into my memory like the most painful third degree burn. I told Mom at her grave that I was sorry her landlord’s smoking killed her, and then swore I was never, ever going back to Sydney.

Except apparently Charles’ smoking also killed him, and now I was going back to Sydney. Today was supposed to be just a normal day. Wake up, eat breakfast with Rasi, go to work at Orangutan Rescue Project, and train the little orangutans to fend for themselves. That’s what I had been in the middle of doing this morning when my manager, Rinaldi, came out of his office to tell me there was a phone call for me.

I don’t remember much of the conversation aside from the woman on the other end saying, “Your mother’s former landlord has died, and he has left the house to you in his will.” The woman sounded kind, in her late fifties, and like she had made calls like this thousands of times. “Track down Emily King’s son, and tell him the house goes to him. All my money, as laughable of a sum as it is, also goes to him. I’ve got no one else in my life to give it to, and I saw great things in that boy. Great things. I quote him directly,” she continued. 

I’m not exactly sure how Charles’ lawyer tracked me down. Or what I’m going to do with the house. Or how Charles even remembered me in the first place. After all, I was just a depressed thirteen-year-old the last and only time he saw me. But I told the woman I would book my flight tonight and let her know when I would be there to see the house. Then I got off the phone and hit a stick against a tree for about ten minutes, simply dreading it all. Dreading seeing the house, the dilapidated scrap of a building that held so many painful memories. When I swore I was never going back, I meant it. Or at least I meant to mean it. 

My friends and I have lunch outside by the front entrance of ORP. I don’t say much during lunch; I only watch my friends, feeling a little outside of myself. Mikha is absentmindedly twirling her shiny black hair around her finger, barely touching her food. Nadya is sitting to my right, looking at me with concern in her eyes. We’ve been close for so long that she can read me like a book without me even saying anything. I’m not sure what we are, but we’re something, for she rests her tiny body on my shoulder. The fabric of her pink hijab tickles my arm. Across from me, Rasi is sloppily eating a bowl of noodles, and Eric struggles to open a bottle of soda.

“What’s the matter, Duncan?” Mikha asks me. “You’re quiet today.” 

“He’s probably just quiet because Sukarno’s at his other job today,” teases Rasi. “They get pretty rowdy when they’re working together.”

Mikha sticks her tongue out at him. “You’re certainly one to talk. Look at you and Eric!”

Right on cue, Eric finally manages to open his soda, spraying it all over Rasi. 

“Hey!” Rasi complains, dumping his cup of water over Eric’s head. The two immediately begin chasing each other around. 

“Is something bothering you, Duncan?” asks Nadya. “If you have something on your mind, you can always tell us.”

“I got a phone call earlier this morning,” I say. “My mom’s landlord died, and he left the house to me in his will. So now I’m going to take a trip to Australia, to fix it up and sell it.” 

“Did you know the landlord?” asks Mikha. 

“I only met him once, right before Mom’s funeral. He was quite a heavy smoker. But apparently he had no one else to leave the house to. At least that’s what he said in his will.” 

“Wow,” says Nadya. She squeezes my hand. “This must be a lot for you to take in, Duncan.” 

“What must be?” Rasi reappears, Eric right on his heels. 

Mikha fills them in, and their mischievous smiles disappear. 

“Gosh, I’m sorry, Duncan,” says Rasi. “If you need to talk, I’m sure Natasha would be happy to help.” Natasha is his older sister who just moved back to town last month after completing her training to become a therapist. 

“Thanks,” I say. “I gotta admit, I’m pretty shaken up.”

“But at least you’ll make some extra money off the house,” says Rasi, clapping me on the shoulder. 

“How long will you be gone?” asks Eric. 

“I’m not sure,” I answer. “Hopefully it doesn’t take long to sell the house. But I honestly don’t know who would want that crappy thing.” 

“You could fix it up into a vacation home for yourself,” suggests Nadya. 

“I don’t know,” I say. “Lots of painful memories there.” 

Nadya frowns. “I understand. Ever since my mom died, my dad never took me back to her favorite restaurant. Even though it was my favorite too.” 

“I’ll take you there.” I smile at her. She rewards me with a smile in return. 

“We should all go!” Rasi exclaims.

“Yeah!!” Eric yells. 

“Can’t wait,” says Mikha, though she looks down at the grass as she says this. She hasn’t been herself since she and her ex-boyfriend Arif broke up last week.

“Are you suuure you can’t wait?” says Rasi, nudging her. 

“Yes, yes!” Mikha rolls her eyes and gets up. “I’ve gotta go back to work now, if we want to get out early enough to go out to dinner.” She packs up her barely-eaten lunch and hustles into the office. 

“What’s with her?” whispers Rasi once she’s gone. 

“She’s been having a hard time since she and Arif broke up,” says Nadya. “It was her first relationship.” 

“Perhaps a night out will cheer her up,” says Rasi. “I don’t like seeing her sad.”

“You just don’t like having to be the happy one,” jokes Eric. 

Rasi mock punches his arm. “Oh, would you like to be the happy one?” 

“Get me into pilot school,” says Eric. “Then I will be.”

“Guys, guys!” Nadya laughs. “We can all be the happy ones. We have each other!” 

“This,” I say. “I like this.” 

“Will you text Sukarno and ask if he can come to dinner tonight?” Rasi asks me. 

“Sure will. Hopefully he’s not too busy working on some case or something tonight.”

“I’ll text Natasha too!” Rasi pulls out his phone.

“You know, considering how much Sukarno hates people, I’m surprised he chose to be a detective of all things. He has to work with a team,” says Eric. 

I laugh. “The way he sees it is that someone has to keep the bad people in check. And he’s the perfect person for the job.” 

“Well, we’re definitely safe with him around,” says Nadya. 

“If only he could have been around to keep Iwan in check,” says Rasi. 

“And Amy,” adds Eric. “Can’t believe that was two whole years ago. Now Mikha’s dad is our boss, and he’s the coolest ever. Some of the staff are...quite annoying”—Eric narrows his eyes at the twin girls, Naila and Yasmin, who bat their eyelashes and wave at him from across the lawn— “but at least no one here is evil now. Except for Dominic. That giant red ape almost flattened me against a tree the other day!”

Rasi rolls his eyes. “Only because you didn’t approach him properly.” 

“Oh, please,” says Eric, shoving Rasi. “Patrick and Carrie distracted me!”

“Sure, whatever,” says Rasi. 

My phone buzzes. It’s Sukarno, confirming he’s on for dinner tonight. 

“Sukarno’s coming,” I say. “We’ll swing by his office and pick him up after work.”

[adelaideattractions]

Welcome the Bright World shines a light on the 'intelligence state'

Updated September 14, 2018 12:47:31

Photo: ACA's Terence Crawford plays Max Lewin in Welcome The Bright World. (Supplied: Kate Pardey via ATG Publicity) Map: Adelaide 5000 A play from 1982 whose subject matter includes science and political interference, truth and identity politics is today more relevant than ever, according to its director. Charles Sanders is resurrecting Stephen Sewell's Welcome The Bright World for audiences in Adelaide. "The play is essentially about a man, Max, who gets hired to build the first metadata system ever, which the Germans were doing at the time [in the early 1980s], unbeknownst to pretty much everybody." Mr Sanders said this included building a "security network that we now take for granted", which allowed welfare networks to communicate with hospitals, for example, and hospitals to communicate with the police and intelligence services. "It was really the birth of the intelligence state. "That, I think, is incredibly relevant right now, especially when we start getting that stuff infiltrating not just government, but also civil society through businesses and Facebook and all that."

Photo: Welcome the Bright World director Charles Sanders works between Adelaide and Sydney. (ABC Radio Adelaide: Malcolm Sutton) A world-changing discovery questioned Characters in the play discover what is thought to be an elementary building block of the physical world a final piece of a particle in the set of six quarks. On the verge of what they believe could be a world-changing discovery, they find themselves and their Jewish families in conflict with the communist state and flexible truth.

Photo: Jo Stone in her role as Anat Lewin in Welcome the Bright World. (Supplied: Kate Pardey via ATG Publicity) "I'm led to believe by people who were there [in 1982] that the bright world part of the title felt to them like a reference to the science and the discovery of these things," Mr Sanders said. "Today it feels more like the bright world is kind of the intelligence state, and it's a little bit more of a darkly ironic title." He said the play's theme of identity politics was also particularly relevant. "There is a big swirling thematic plot about how you deal with being a member of an ethnic group, a religious group, a minority group all of which I think was kind of near unique to specific historical moments in the past but is now something we're all grappling with. "We're now not just white Australians, for instance, we're white Australians who've inherited the multiculturalism, and we have a relationship with our Indigenous population and so on and so forth." But if there was one thing he wanted people to take away from the play, Mr Sanders said it was themes of choice and the chance for humans to make the world a better place, "if we can disentangle ourselves from the madness". "We don't always know what the correct answer is but we always have to make a choice." House Of Sand a growing company Mr Sanders launched the company House Of Sand with his sister and choreographer/dancer Eliza in 2015 and works across what he considers four home bases in Adelaide, Sydney, Wellington in New Zealand (where Eliza lives) and Canberra (where they grew up). "I moved here to Adelaide at the age of 19 to do the acting course at the Adelaide College of the Arts (ACA) and have essentially considered myself a South Australian ever since," Mr Sanders said.

Photo: House of Sand co-artistic director Eliza Sanders in: Revolt. She said. Revolt Again. (Supplied: House of Sand) He has been working closely with Sewell to modernise the play, who Mr Sanders first met while studying for his masters at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, where the playwright is the head of writing for performance. "He [Sewell] wrote a play for me as my graduate work, which was pretty astounding, amazing, and he was wonderful to work with," Mr Sanders said. "So when I had this idea, I asked him: 'What do you reckon?' And he was immediately on board. "He's been sending us new pages and little script edits every couple days until about a week ago when we said: 'OK, we've got to do the play now'." The play is being financed by the State Theatre Company of SA (STC) through its Umbrella program, where it selects one independent theatre production each year to support. The last Stephen Sewell production to be supported by the STC was its own production of the critically acclaimed Myth, Propaganda and Disaster in Nazi Germany and Contemporary America: A Drama in 30 Scenes. Presenting Welcome The Bright World in the mainland's oldest intact theatre, Queens Theatre in Adelaide's West End, Mr Sanders said it was one of the first venues to open his eyes to "site-responsive work and to theatrical work that uses the true architecture of the location". "The process of designing the show was completely in response to the Queens, so the whole world of the Queens becomes the world of the play, which I'm really excited about," he said. "Karla Urizar, our designer, has done an amazing job." Welcome The Bright World plays from September 20 to October 6. Topics:arts-and-entertainment,contemporary-art,theatre,people,human-interest,adelaide-5000,australia,sa First posted September 14, 2018 12:40:03 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-14/welcome-the-bright-world-shines-a-light-on-the-intelligence-era/10243942

[hsews]

Since the Korean War was fought in the 1950s, these soldiers would be now 90 years old at the very least, meaning all those many people asking Trump to bring their remains home would be at least 110 years if not older.

Illustration: John Shakespeare

Photo:

What else did he really mean us all to believe in the address? – Louise Whelan, Chatswood

Frankly, only time will tell if the achievements of Trump and Kim’s meeting will grow over time to outshine his meeting with the Kardashian Kim.

At least with the original Kim meeting, one American was set free after a number of decades for a first offence, an act of humane clemency which, if they ever heard of it, may inspire greatly the imprisoned and economically deprived masses in North Korea, some of whom will have been waiting since 1948 for the freedoms that Europe and Japan have enjoyed since 1945.

Surely our recent record of humane treatment of refugees could not suffer by offering refuge to Kim refugees, as long as they managed their alleged political influence a bit more discreetly than their neighbours. – Garry P Dalrymple, Earlwood

What else could we expect from a lying braggart but mendacious bluster? So it was with Trump’s post-summit press conference, a nauseating, hour-long, self-congratulatory rant.

President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore.

Photo: AP

Only two things were achieved by this meeting, and neither were mentioned by Trump. First, a murderous and dictatorial international pariah secured legitimacy and security for his regime without giving up a thing. Second, a shallow conman secured a gold mine of self-promotional material to con his way towards a second term.

Everyone else is a loser. The art of the deal indeed. – Michael Hinchey, New Lambton

I think of my old school motto – res non verba – when Trump claims his handshake with Kim is history-making. Such political handshakes offer great photo opportunities but have an unproductive history. Handshakes are a beginning but also, too often, the end. – Ron Sinclair, Bathurst

Talk is cheap.There will be likely many a twist and turn before Trump and Kim arrive at a quid pro quo agreement .Any talk of a permanent paradigm shift is presumptuous as both are erratic ego-driven leaders. – Steve Ngeow, Chatswood

The blurry line between friends and enemies

Donald Trump is carving a new path through the world order inspired by the adage to keep your enemies close.

So allies are now backbenchers and the new ministry is made up of strong men and bad guys: Putin, Kim, Duarte, Xi for a start.

Trump is on a slippery slope with delisting voters and demonising minorities. – Robert Caraian, Crows Nest

It’s come to this. The leader of Canada is a very, very bad man. The leader of North Korea is a good one. – Max Staples, Wagga Wagga

An interesting few days in the world of Trump. On one hand Justin Trudeau, who has brought a humanity and balance to his country, and on the other a leader who has only brought terror and death to his people.

It is to be hoped that Trump and Kim can continue their friendship because, by the end of the year, it’s likely the only friends the US will have in the world will be Russia, Israel and North Korea. – Charles Hargrave, Elizabeth Bay

Trump is so out of his depth. It is so much easier to be presidential in a meeting with a weakling impoverished nation than be an equal participant among equivalent nations of wealth and influence at the G7.

I truly pray for the impoverished North Koreans that actual change can come of this meeting but I can’t help but feel that it’s all window dressing and egomaniacal posturing on both sides. – Rebecca Semple, Abbotsford

While we rightly focus on the appalling human rights abuses in Kim’s North Korea, the Australian media has been almost silent on the atrocities for which the Americans have never atoned during the Korean War itself (“Remember who Kim is and his victims”, June 13).

In a remarkable 2017 book, NSW Supreme Court Justice Michael Pembroke chronicles the grotesque almost total obliteration of North Korea, its infrastructure and millions of people with more bombs being dropped on that one small nation than in the entire WWII Pacific campaign.

As we all hope for this summit to actually mean something, let our media and government also call on the Americans to own up to what Pembroke concludes were crimes under international law. – Bruce Donald, Waverton

Any graphologist will tell you that Trump’s brutal, heavy signature is evidence of his egocentric, aggressive and cruel personality. By contrast, Kim’s tippy-toeing lightly upwards suggests he is enormously optimistic, even perhaps away with the fairies.

The scary thing is that the world’s future hangs on the actions of these two men. – Nedra Orme, Neutral Bay

A hairy call

US President Trump and his hair.

Photo: AP

Please tell me I am not the only one alarmed that the responsibility for making sure that the world does not end up in a ball of flames and rubble has been left in the hands of two men sporting such weird and unfathomable hairstyles. Does not the hair maketh man? – Cristina Corleto, Stanmore

I reckon the summit between the US and North Korea has been very successful. There have been literally millions of photos, mentions and column inches in the media of Trump and even the possibility of a Trump apartment complex on a North Korean beach. A very successful summit, indeed. – Hilton Symes, Hamilton (Vic)

I hear President Trump has given orders to remove maple syrup from the breakfast menu. – Julie Robinson, Cardiff

Bully boys meet, pose, pander and sign a vapid document. Kim plays Trump and gets a concession. Tune in for the next instalment of world reality television when the narcissistic protagonists need another high. – Deb McPherson, Gerringong

William Shakespeare’s report on the meeting would have been the most prescient: “It is a tale told by an idiot (two actually) full of sound and fury and signifying nothing.” – David Goss, Woonona

For sale: prime NSW real estate sites

How long will it be before the NSW government decides to sell off Government House and the Conservatorium of Music (“Museum site was marked for housing”, June 13)?

Think of what could be built there. I suppose it will be a decision of cabinet made commercial in confidence and nobody has the right to see the business case. – John Bracey, Forestville

Is anyone really shocked that the NSW government’s Powerhouse Museum business case involves the sale of prime Parramatta real estate so the state government can build two super-towers on our riverbank? In return for the land sell-off it’s been revealed that Parramatta gets half the museum for double the entry fee.

What family can afford $150 tickets? It’s cheaper for a family of four to take a train from Western sydney to visit the Powerhouse in Ultimo.

This should be the start of a great cultural tourism economy for western Sydney. Instead what we are being offered is a second-rate hatchet job. – Suzette Meade, Toongabbie

The NSW government selling off iconic sites for development? Well I never, what will they think of next? – Janine Burdeu, Mona Vale

Life in the slow lane

Will the proposed $2.6 billion F6 extension consist of two-lane tunnels in each direction only so that in years to come the NSW government will have an excuse to contribute a further $8 billion to the private contractors to add another single lane on either side (“New toll: costly catch for motorist on F6”, June 13)?

After the same debacle with the M5 it is incomprehensible that this road format was even considered, let alone approved. Not only does it allow no capacity for growth, the inherent disadvantages of a two-lane tunnel in the event of a breakdown or accident should be obvious to even the most moronic politician. – John Collins, Loftus

The joy of reading

Reading wars (“Phonics wins reading wars, research finds”, June 13)? Only in academia. Those at the coal face have been using a blend of strategies for nearly four decades in my time in teaching.

Best practice by those teaching the initial stages of reading know those that need what strategy and when. A basic understanding of letter/sound relationship combined with a solid core of sight words and the children, in a majority of cases, “get it”.

Watching them take to reading is one of the great joys of teaching. – David Woodward, Warners Bay

So refreshing to hear that phonics is now recognised by one of our university research teams as a significant aid in the teaching of reading.

So boring to hear that this war just goes on and on. Fifty years ago, as a remedial reading adviser, I was asked to talk to a gathering of local infants teachers.

At the conclusion, one approached me and said in hushed tones how she appreciated the emphasis I had placed on the teaching of phonics as part of a balanced reading system but she stressed that she used phonics very discretely as she recognised the distaste that the system was viewed officially at that time.

If those people who regularly, historically, attack phonics took time to more fully understand how much of the English language follows simple, logical, understandable rules. – Ed Raftery, Davistown

Turning teeth green

Why would Byron Bay residents want fluoride in their water (“Minister won’t force towns to add fluoride to water supplies”, June 13), after all, how damaging can a diet of kale be to one’s teeth. – Peter Miniutti, Ashbury

Stop the NRL clock

The NRL wants free flowing football so, not unexpectedly, it looks for someone other than itself to blame and this time the referees cop it (“Penalty blitz to end as NRL overhauls sin-bin system”, June 13).

Maybe, the NRL could make the effort to discover what the fans want. Near the top of their wish list is their desire to see 80 minutes of action. Stop the game clock every time the ball is out of play.

Admittedly, that’ll require some adjustments, not the least the need for games to start earlier, perhaps half an hour, if current finishing times have to be maintained. – Col Shephard, Yamba

Suffer the children

Another report about dysfunction in the child protection system (“System ‘failing’ children”,June 13). Unfortunately we have seen these reports for decades and nothing changes.

No system can protect children until we get on top of substance abuse. That is where the emphasis should be and unfortunately until it is nothing will change for the kids involved. – Greg Loder, Springwood

The first straw

Plastic straws are on the EU’s environmental hit list.

Photo: AP

Whenever I see words like “fashionable”, “virtuous”, “trifling” used in relation to our environment I feel fury and despair (“Banning plastic straws won’t save the oceans”, June 13). Our environment is not a boutique issue, it’s our only home. Replacing plastic straws falls in the category of “every little action counts” as does declining a plastic shopping bag, taking my own coffee cup to a cafe and leaving plastic-wrapped meats and veg in the shop. – Sue Young, Bensville

Days of rest and recreation

All this fuss again about the significance of the June and October long weekends when the reality is that they simply mark the beginning and the end of the official ski season (Letters, June 13). – John Truman, St Leonards

With suggestions we should abolish Labour Day, due to unions having low memberships these days, perhaps the same can be said about Christmas Day and Easter public holidays. With so few people attending church surely these religious days, and maybe even Sundays, can be relegated to being just another ordinary work day? – Con Vaitsas, Ashbury

Our culture is evolving

I think the point that is missing is that we are living in a cultural melting pot (Letters, June 13). A new Australian culture is evolving with contributing influences from all the many cultures that constitute our society. Western culture is at its basis but we all need to recognise we are a part of a new Renaissance and should revel in the wonder of it all. No thanks to Malcolm but we live in exciting times. Enjoy. – John Grinter, Katoomba

Stars in his eyes

Now that’s a film (“Hogan to star as himself in new film”, June 13)! – Pasquale Vartuli, Wahroonga

Hoges might end up being the only person to watch it. – Mustafa Erem, Terrigal

Most Viewed in National

Loading

Morning & Afternoon Newsletter

Delivered Mon–Fri.

Source link

The post Trump-Kim summit brag epitome of the ‘art of the brag’ appeared first on HS NEWS.

[jeremystrele]

Doing Business Across ‘The Ditch’

Doing Business Across ‘The Ditch’

Creative People

by Elle Murrell

Auckland/Melbourne-based furniture and lighting studio Douglas & Bec’sWall Light. Photo – Tony Brown.

To celebrate a decade in design, Douglas and Bec launched its most ambitious furniture and lighting collection to date last year. pictured here, the Arch Chair.  Photo – Tony Brown.

Inside Bec Dowie’s Clevedon home. ‘I’m spending more and more time in Melbourne – I love it, it’s such a contrast from my rural lifestyle. I get to slap on some glad rags and be a city girl!’ she tells. ‘After a few days, though, I like to get back to my children, dogs and husband!’ Photo – courtesy of Douglas & Bec.

From left to right: Douglas Snelling, Paul Dowie and Bec Dowie of Douglas & Bec.

Douglas & Bec

Established in 2007, Douglas and Bec is a New Zealand-based furniture and lighting company led by father-and-daughter team Douglas Snelling and Bec Dowie. Today, they run showrooms in Auckland and Melbourne, showcasing their unique collection of timeless, contemporary furniture and lighting designs that hero old-fashioned craftsmanship.

Growing up on a farm in the north of NZ, Bec studied fine arts in Auckland. She spent her early 20s in Melbourne, working as a barista in Fitzroy, before returning home to launch and co-run the family business.

‘We had amazing feedback through blogs and media (such as yourselves) and so knew there was demand for our product in Australia,’ tells Bec of their motivation to branch into the Melbourne market. While Douglas & Bec were already stocked at a couple of Aussie retailers, being a sell-direct company was always a priority, so they wanted a presence on the ground. ‘It was really a no-brainer to set up: an opportunity arose with Julia from Dagmar Rousset to open a space next to hers in Collingwood. I was so familiar with the area, so I jumped on a plane the very next day!’ recalls Bec.

Bec does admit that logistics, shipping and maintaining a great team across two countries are the major challenges they have to work to stay on top of, and advises having a great accountant is a must! Overall, though, opening in Melbourne has been an overwhelming success for Douglas and Bec, and has allowed them to reach a much greater pool of potential customers and projects. ‘It’s such an inclusive industry; in both cities, there are creative and clever people supporting one another.’ 

Douglas & Bec is re-opening its Melbourne showroom on Bedford Street in late May. Coincidently, they’re actually working with our next NZ creative (below) on their new fit-out…!

Knight Associate’s project: Kowtow Wellington, was completed this year. Photo – Simon Wilson.

Inside Kowtow Wellington. Photo – Simon Wilson.

Kowtow Wellington. Photo – Simon Wilson.

Rufus Knight urges aspiring creatives to be aware of Australia’s breadth of history and culture and its value in contemporary society, as well as respectful of a long-standing commitment to design and the arts. Photo – Simon Wilson.

The multi-residential building The International in Auckland. Photo – Simon Wilson.

Knight Associates

Growing up in the small North-Island towns of Opotiki and Ohakune, Rufus Knight studied Architecture and Design at Victoria University in Wellington, where he also later taught. He relocated to Auckland to take up a job at Fearon Hay Architects, and  had the opportunity to gain experience in Europe, working with Vincent Van Duysen Architects in Antwerp (that is a BIG deal!) as well as a Paris-based art publication.

The high-achiever decided it was time to launch his own Auckland practice in 2016. His team of three focuses on interior architecture and design, and has amassed some award-winning and much-hyped projects, including The International multi-residential building, and Lonely‘s flagship in Ponsonby, Auckland, as well as the NZ pavilion at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale, and collaborations with Australian skincare empire Aēsop.

For Rufus, 31, it’s important to contribute to ‘a design language that is reflective of our cultural diversity’, with an understanding of how this design vocabulary can be valued in the global market. ‘It is clear to me that our greatest asset in communicating this diverse creative identity is through our native materials, and the inherent narratives they contain – materials have meaning, just like words, and we can speak through them’ he says.

Knight Associates are currently finishing up the commercial refurbishment of a Federation warehouse in Sydney’s CBD, in collaboration with Intermain and Paul Davies. Then there’s the new 120-square-metre Douglas & Bec Collingwood showroom, in collaboration with MUIR Architecture.

For Rufus, business growth in Australia has been welcomed but was not intentional, instead stemming from relationships with NZ companies opening in the Australian market. ‘Australia has such a strong and vibrant design culture, I can’t yet see how our office could add value to that,’ tells the humble director. ‘However, last year I was fortunate enough to be selected for the Dulux DIAlogue Tour  (with the Design Institute of Australia and Designers Institute of New Zealand) where I got to discuss the differences and similarities between our design cultures with respected practitioners such as Miriam Fanning, Mim Design Studio, and Adele Winteridge, Foolscap Studio, from which I felt a sense of accord – we are similar design cultures tackling many of the same social, cultural, and economic challenges.’

Look out for Knight Associates Auckland project with Aēsop, which is set to be completed next month. Follow their international work at Knightassociates.co.nz.

A wellness space offering restorative facials, Little Company is located in Cremorne. Photo – Bobby Clark.

Owner and founder Stacey Burt. Photo – Bobby Clark.

Stacey left NZ in 2005, chasing the sun to Burleigh Heads. Eighteen months later the food, culture and city life drew her to Melbourne. Photo – Bobby Clark.

‘Our locations and spaces are an extension of our philosophy, with design supporting restoration in a stripped back, minimal, and energetically nurturing environment,’ she tells. Photo – Bobby Clark.

She used eBay and Gumtree for second-hand plants and planters, clearance plywood, and excess stock left from a prior business.’ Photo – Bobby Clark.

Stacey has never been short on finding fellow creatives keen to swap contra services. Photo – Bobby Clark.

Little Company

Hailing from Whakatane, A small town in the middle of the North Island, Stacey Burt today calls Byron Bay home – though you may have seen her Warrandyte home (now on Airbnb!) which was one of our top 10 last year!

After training and working at a facialist at a Polynesian spa, Stacey left NZ in 2005, chasing the sun to Burleigh Heads, Queensland. Eighteen months later, the food, culture and city life drew her to Melbourne, where she decided to launch her own business in 2016.

A wellness space offering restorative facials, Little Company is located in Cremorne, with a second premises set to open in Byron Bay. ‘We are a little company dedicated to treating the skin as a living organ: taking a supportive approach (no quick fixes) and using only the best natural and organic ingredients plus sustainable practices,’ details Stacey. ‘Our locations and spaces are an extension of our philosophy, with design supporting restoration in an energetically nurturing environment – far from the clinical feeling you usually find in beauty businesses.’

Though moving to Australia was more of a lifestyle choice than a business decision for Stacey, she has found that within the beauty industry, the size of the Australian market has enabled her to break new ground, and create a tailored business with its own niche.

Addressing Kiwis looking to branch into business in Australia, or visa versa, she recommends a lean approach to business, ‘bootstrapping’ as much as possible. For Little Company, in the beginning, this meant working with the resources at hand. ‘Venue/space budgets can often blow out, so our family helped with our initial build, painting and the fit-out, then even other things like accounting and washing machine repairs!’ she tells. ‘We used eBay and Gumtree for second-hand plants and planters, clearance plywood, and excess stock left from a prior business.’

Having a lot of creative Kiwi friends living in Australia also gave Stacey a hand up, as she has never been short on finding someone keen to swap services. She has Charl Laubscher to thank for web design and creative direction, Shayna Quinn for artworks and textiles, and Ben Wilkie for interior architecture tips, to name but a few!

Stacey and her family are off chasing the sun again, relocating to Byron Bay to open their second Little Company space this June. Find out more at Littlecompany.com.au and stay tuned for the release of their range of living skin products.