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Real Weddings: Nadia Coppolino + Jimmy Bartel

Nadia and Jimmy Bartel are deeply entrenched in wedded bliss now, but the memories of their wedding day endure, with my story on their big day appearing in the Autumn/ Winter edition of Real Weddings magazine. Kristen Cook took the photographs and you can view a gorgeous collection on her blog. Flawless styling by The Style Co is shared in detail here.

Photography by Kristen Cook

Photography by Kristen Cook

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Photography by Kristen Cook

A day in the life…of a rock lobster fisherman

We had some fabulous audio and footage left over from a recent commission from the South Australian Rock Lobster Advisory Council, and I was able to script it into a promotional piece for industry. Fishermen from Port MacDonnell through to Coffin Bay tell the story of their day at sea…filmed and edited by Robert Tremelling.

Country Race Fashions – SA Life

Country style reigns supreme, with the Limestone Coast boasting a number of finalists in SA’s premier ‘Fashions on the Field’ competition. I recently interviewed three of the gorgeous ladies for the April 2014 edition of SA Life magazine,  discovering how a fire prevention officer, a swimming instructor and an electrician charmed the judges with their homegrown creativity. It’s not easy living in the country away from major department stores and boutiques, but these savvy girls know all about improvisation, with quick outfit changes in public toilets en route to the race track, and innovative hats sporting everything from wire trivets to chopsticks! What a transformation – love a ‘Before & After’ shot…

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SA Life Profile – Kim Longbottom

When I met Kim Longbottom from Padthaway’s Henry’s Drive Vignerons last year at a wine function, I knew her story would make a fabulous profile piece.

Kim_Longbottom_Henrys_Drive_LRKim owns and operates Henry’s Drive Vignerons, and she is a savvy business woman who thinks outside the square. For instance, she enlisted the help of the local country aero club to fly down a UK wine buyer with a busy schedule. They liked what they saw; the initial order was 16,000 cases.

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The cellar door is located just off the Riddoch Highway in SA’s Limestone Coast, and the business was named after Henry John Hill, the proprietor of the 19th century mail coach service that once traversed the landscape.

All of the wine brands have a strong postal theme, with labels like The Postmistress, The Scarlet Letter and Pillar Box Red.

Visitors are encouraged to rest and refresh at the cellar door, just as the mail coach once did at its various stops.

Kim’s story is in the 10th Birthday Issue of SA Life Magazine.

 

 

 

Nature’s Pantry – Hamilton, Victoria

There are swings and roundabouts…and then there’s spinach and roundabouts – particularly if you’re driving through one of Victoria’s largest country towns.  Leafy greens are popping up in the middle of some of Hamilton’s busiest thoroughfares, giving new meaning to the concept of ‘lunch on the run’.

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“The vegetables can be eaten, but they are still an aesthetic feature, and the cost is no different to annuals, which can take a fair bit of maintenance,” says parks and gardens co-ordinator Jenny Hurse. “We want to be the most healthy, liveable Shire, and this makes a real statement about sustainability.”

My story on this terrific initiative of the Southern Grampians Shire Council appears in the Dec/Jan edition of Outback magazine.

 

Willalooka Eco Lodge – Outback Magazine

Willalooka Pastoral Company is the featured station in the Dec/Jan issue of Outback magazine. Incredible country in SA’s Upper South East, with its own spectacular 810ha wetland precinct featuring a series of interconnecting basins.

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The Marcollat Watercourse

The owners, Kate and Thyne McGregor, have opened the property to overnight guests. This self-contained, four-bedroom Eco Lodge set in total seclusion amongst gum trees is all yours for as long as you like.

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Imagine kicking back by a roaring fire looking looking out over Big Reedy Swamp…

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If you’re tempted, you can book here, and read more about my article on the property here.

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The warmest of welcomes for a refugee

After moving to Australia as a refugee late last decade, Lal Lian was lured to Mount Gambier in 2010 by the promise of work in the horticulture industry.

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Photography by Sharyn Cairns

But the opportunity that knocked was beyond even his dreams. Kalangadoo apple growers Chris and Michelle McColl offered Lal almost a hectare of highly prized fully certified organic soil to produce his own crops.

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Photography by Sharyn Cairns

My story about this kind family man who accepted a helping hand in a new farming land is in the November 2013 issue of Country Style magazine. Editor Victoria Carey writes:

The story of how a couple of apple farmers at South Australia’s Kalangadoo gave Lal a plot of land on which to grow organic market vegetables, and the way he seized the opportunity with both hands, is one of the most inspiring we’ve had in the magazine recently.

 

Favourite Bride – Real Weddings Style

I have lots of articles in the new issue of Real Weddings magazine. It’s impossible to pick a favourite – what bride doesn’t look amazing! – but Monique Sola was a standout. Divine looking girl, exquisite headpiece and smoking eye make-up. Photography by The White Tree.

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MoniqueDanielShe and husband Daniel make a stunning couple! They married at Barwon Heads in Victoria, adding a fresh touch of glamour to the coastal town.

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One of many sweet love stories in the latest edition. And as always, so many ideas to inspire.

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Outback Magazine: Spotlight on Depression

Grab the thickest, heaviest, grey woollen blanket you can find. Soak it in steaming hot water, and completely cover yourself with it while lying in bed. Then, try to climb out and go about your normal day with that suffocating weight hanging over you. 

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Queensland’s Rural Woman of the Year, Alison Fairleigh, says this is what depression feels like. She knows, because she has worn this cloak of misery, and she is using her award to encourage others to emerge from such a dark place. Alison was fascinating to interview – her profile is in the latest Outback magazine.

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Marine Parks: Drawing the Line

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The South Australian Rock Lobster Advisory Council has released an official video highlighting concerns about state and commonwealth marine parks. I interviewed some passionate and highly professional rock lobster fisherman from Port MacDonnell to Port Lincoln. Here is their story…

It was fabulous heading out to sea just as the sun was rising, for our second day of filming off Robe.

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The fog lifted for a perfect day – here I am back on dry land interviewing Craig Lawrie at Robe’s iconic obelisk beneath the bluest of skies. The fishermen spoke incredibly well, and cameraman/editor Rob Tremelling was brilliant as always.

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