Audacity Magazine Online Issue 4

CONTACT ME Kate Duff Kate@audacitymagazine.online

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DECEMBER A busy month was had in November, gathering stories for this issue. I also managed to squeeze in a stint of blueberry picking/grape untangling for a farmer in St George (QLD) and a quick trip out to Muckadilla for an update on the construction of the new pub.

I met with (virtually at least) the esteemed Master Jan Leese who conducted a Feng Shui audit on our home with surprising results, and have spent the last few days confounding my husband by moving all the furniture around.

Also joining me this month are artists Chris Postle and Susie Klein. Horse/human whisperer and author Sue Spence. Motorcycling adventurer Heather aka Fat Bob and The Blonde and Vancouver fashion photographer Sabrina Fenster. There was supposed to be one other contributor but he is Scottish and a writer which is a bad combination at any time for a deadline. In Martin's defense, I didn't give him a whole lot of time to compile answers to all the questions I fired off. We can look forward to his story next month instead.

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Susie Klein

Susie Klein is a busy woman with a full schedule.

Because of this, she agrees to meet me on a Sunday at 2pm. “Sunday is usually a kick back day for us, come around the back and up the deck, we never answer the front door, our friends always use the back one.”

Sunday arrives and I find Susie at her dining room table painting. As I go to sit down, Susie is on her feet “No, come on, I thought we would take a run around town” “Like Home Delivery! Yay, I’ll be Julia Zemiro and you’ll be.. Well you’ll be Susie Klein” *Home Delivery is a TV show on the ABC

We hop into Susie’s car for a tour of our town. First stop is Susie's own company headquarters for Aim High Counselling. The shopfront is covered with Susie’s distinctive artistic brand.

We move inside and Susie takes me past her “brag wall”. Along the surface are pinned posters that Susie has created for projects as diverse as LGBTQ awareness and acceptance, and encouraging kids to read more. A certificate in a frame is skipped over distractedly “an honorary doctorate they gave me” I don’t find out who "they" is because we move onto a rather special area.

"We don't call them toys, we call them symbols" says Susie indicating the shelves loaded with bright plastic figurines, trucks, cars and animals. Many are familiar to me, their clones having spent time in my own children's toy boxes growing up.

"Some of the kids use them to tell me about their family”.

Aim High Counselling is Susie's second job. During the day until 4pm Susie works at the College. A role for which she is employed by Bronco's Football Club, helping and supporting kids to stay in school. In the evenings, Susie takes appointments with those who need a different kind of help and support.

“They choose their pieces and then put them in the sandbox” Susie indicates the table at her side. “It gives them a way to tell a story in a different way, I've had kids bury "Mum" and a few weeks later they dig her up again" It is said lightly but we both know this is deep work. "How old is your youngest client?" I ask "Four" says Susie.

"Here’s the art supply room.

The kids can come in here and choose whatever they want to work with. Some choose spray paint, clay, pens, and depending on what it is, we might go out the back here and do some art.”

I follow Susie through to the concrete area out the back. The tin walls are covered in colorful spray paint, we unlock the double gates and head out to a “sacrificial” hut in the yard.

“Some just want to bash the crap out of things, so I let them do that too” On our way back through I notice a display case. “We had a bit of an art show, the kids loved it.”

I feel like our conversation is occurring on two levels. On one, we bubble about creativity and our belief that it is a healing, inspirational force which anyone has access to. on another I am thinking about why little kids want to bash the crap out of things and bury avatars of their parents in the sand.

Susie's official hours of work are from 8.30am to 4pm but then she spends another two Add a little bit of body text hours each evening here.

"It's a long day for you, this especially is emotional work, it must be draining" I say as we leave.

"Nah, this inspires me. I love what I do here and it gives me the energy to keep going."

And with that, we are off to see where Susie grew up.

“There is just Mum living here now with my little brother Mark. Mum has vascular dementia which is sad, but it can be hilarious at times too. All her life she was so polite and now she says things out of the blue that are totally left field and can be really insulting."

"Mark looks after Mum. It never looked like this growing up. It was always tidy. Dad got it moved here, it was the old Salvation Army building and he had it renovated. Five bedrooms. It’s big house” We walk up the front stairs. And into the lounge. Susie introduces me to her Mum Ann who is sitting in the cavernous, high ceilinged room. I’m staring at the walls which are covered gallery style with interesting artifacts and paintings. Two magnificent aboriginal pieces on timber, hang high up on the Northern wall, "Mum and Dad used to travel a lot with us, they were big collectors." Susie indicates her own art works throughout which her parents also proudly display.

The' journey through the house is also a journey through Susie’s artistic beginnings. .”

A quirky pastel of an emu is her younger sister Leona's work.

"Leona asked me if she could really paint, you now like reproduce something that looked just like the subject matter. I said "of course you can" and I gave her this emu from a book to have a go at. She was so happy with it. This was the catalyst for the program that I have now taken all around the world."

"My workshops show people that anyone can do this, anyone can be creative and produce art. "

Home base tour over, we say our goodbyes to Mark and to Susie’s Mum. “They’re flying Dad in tonight, he has been away in a care place near my sister but we are bringing him back up to Westhaven", Susie says as she buckles herself into the seatbelt.

These sorts of poignant conversational bombs are at odds with Susie's blithe manner.

“It’s sad Susie, does it ever get to you?”

“Of course, I eat it, look at me” Susie chuckles but her eyes are on the road as we turn the corner. “I just don’t see the point in dwelling on things you know, I have those conversations with professionals if I have to, but it’s not for everyone else. Everyone else, they don’t need to hear me talking about that sort of thing, it’s not their problem yeah?”

“That’s a pretty special way of looking at it actually Susie, 90% of people in the world make their problems everyone’s problems.”

We arrive at another place where Susie has left her mark.

We have woken Rick from his afternoon nap. The landscaper's garden is an artistic retreat that seems incongruent to it's rural setting and would be more at home on the Coast. A few years ago Rick contracted Susie to turn his garage door into a work of art. The piece makes a stunning statement as we walk down the driveway toward it.

The afternoon lengthens as we chat about art and visit murals and walls where Susie has painted over the years, gathering others both children and adults alike, into her enthusiasm and passion for art. Some are fading now and need a refresh, others are as vivid as the day they were painted.

As we drive, kids call out and wave.

Susie waves to some and stops for others to have a chat. She is well known through both her work at the college and in her own business of counselling. As a passenger, I am introduced to the heads that appear at her window. The names flow over me so quickly I will never remember them.

(Photos deliberately blurred)

As we pull back into Susie's office (she has forgotten some pens for an art piece that she is working on) the kids descend from every street corner. Like a flock of small noisy birds, they all talk at once.

This one needs a drink, that one wonders whether Susie's car could do with a wash and another shouts "Susie look at my bike!"

I look and see it is missing a handle bar yet the young owner is easily riding it one handed. Susie deals with them all, bottles of water go around from the fridge inside the office and a trail of kids follow her in and out and around.

Minutes after our good-byes, the kids have dispersed. They scatter once again all over town. Which of course is the trouble, people don't like to see groups of kids unattended and wandering. Susie can't prevent this but she does what she can and I can see her relationship with them doesn't end when the school bell rings.

Susie has helped schools all over southwest Queensland develop better relationships with children through her workshops and creativity. Not just an artist, Susie uses her talents to help others find their own creative spark. A teacher, a mentor and a friend, her work is imperative to some in a younger generation who could otherwise be lost.

Susie takes her creative workshops everywhere and anywhere, she recently completed a workshop with Lifeline staff as part of their Christmas party. Everyone went home with a great piece of art which they had proudly painted themselves.

I meet up with Susie again on a busy week-day evening to grab some last photos. With her are two young people.

"This is Tyra and this is Marcus" Susie introduces me. They are apparently just hanging out with Susie because it's something they enjoy doing. I take the photos and it's while we are standing around talking at the end that I ask Tyra how she came to meet Susie.

"I met Susie Klein when I first came to Roma about a year ago and I was living with a family that wasn't mine. I was really struggling and I went to Lifeline and they said this is the person you need to go and see, but I was like, no way I'm not going along to meet someone I don't even know but then when I met her, she was indigenous like me and I just really liked her straight away. And then we got to know each other a little better. I knew a bit of what she does because on the wall at Mitchell school where I used to go there was this big painting of a Magpie that she had done and whenever I was playing handball I would see her name where she signed it at the bottom.

She came to visit the family that I live with now and she is amazing, like without her, we would be a mess. She answers questions that we can't, like she says this is the why you're feeling this way and helps me out and stuff and if I call her, no matter what time it is, she is just like "Yep on my way" I've never doubted her ever."

The impact that one individual can have on other lives is unquantifiable but in the case of Susie Klein her legacy is not just one of great creativity and the joy that she spreads to all she encounters but also her compassion, which makes the kids around her feel accepted and loved for who they are - even as she gently pushes them onwards and upwards towards great things.

"Susie is a passionate artist who has shared her talents with the students and staff at Cunnamulla P-12 State School and the wider community.

On one of her visits to the school we had the pleasure of working alongside her to create a mural which highlighted the importance of "Family". This mural takes pride of place in the center of our school.

Susie has the ability to work with all age groups and on every visit, she was able to connect with each individual and encouraged them to develop their own strengths and a strong belief within themselves.

As Principal, I admire Susie as an independent, passionate woman who sees the potential in others and uses her artistic talents to inspire them to "lose themselves in creativity".

Karen Campbell Principal Cunnamulla State School

https://www.facebook.com/Susie-Klein-Art-287516757967422 https://susieklein.com/

"Creativity is a wild mind and a disciplined eye" DOROTHY PARKER

Sue Spence

Sue Spence has had to overcome more than her fair share of obstacles in life, yet one thing I take away from our conversations and having read her book and the articles written about her over the years, is that Sue is a woman of resilience, humor and strength. Sue also has a passion for helping others. It's a desire that has seen her burn herself out more than once.

Sue grew up in Christchurch New Zealand and had her first riding lesson when she was four years old. She had been pestering her parents for months for a horse and they had eventually capitulated and taken her. Sue was very disappointed to find her first mount would be a forty-four gallon drum. Nevertheless, she persisted and her balance soon became good enough to progress to an actual horse. That first horse was called Blackie.

As many horse mad kids do, Sue moved through pony club to show jumping and it was only when she migrated from New Zealand to Australia that Sue had to give up her horses and riding for awhile.

During this time Sue began working in the fitness industry where, after suffering through similar problems herself, she developed the HELP program to teach instructors how to recognize eating disorders and exercise addiction. As an extremely healthy and fit person it was with great shock that Sue found herself diagnosed with breast cancer not long after her fortieth birthday. She elected to have a double mastectomy, a decision which turned out to be a good one given that they found early stage cancerous cells in her other breast as well.

Recovering from a double mastectomy is a painfilled and prolonged experience. Having developed the HELP program to help fellow sufferers of eating disorders, Sue recognized another opportunity to help and asked her doctor to put her in touch with any other women who might benefit from a chat with someone who had gone through a similar process. As a result, Sue got to talk with many other women and reassure them (having achieved a full recovery herself by this time) that things would improve.

It was during her recovery that Sue's husband Craig suggested that they begin to look for their dream acreage where Sue could return to owning and working with her beloved horses. When a beautiful property in the exact area that they wanted came on the market, the pair were given a bonus gift from the universe. The lady who was selling wanted a property just like theirs closer to the beach so it was a simple swap, suddenly Sue had her dream home with space for horses.

The horses that Sue would eventually own, all came to her via similarly serendipitous events. Sue had had Sunny, a pure quarter horse for around six months when she saw her first Natural Horsemanship demonstration which was given by Pat Parelli in Brisbane. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, horses and their owners were communicating and connecting without halters or ropes, the performances were spectacular. Sue was hooked and knew she needed to learn more.

Sue went on to study with many of the great names in the Natural Horsemanship world for the next decade or so but it wasn't long before Sue came to realize that the training that she was doing with her horses was having a profound effect on her life long battle with anxiety and ADHD. Realizing that what she was learning could help others, Sue began to develop the program for which she would eventually become known around the world, Horses Helping Humans.

Horses Helping Humans is an award winning program that is accessed by groups as diverse as disadvantaged youth through to the corporate sector and actors. Sue's workshops help people to identify their body language and behaviors using a modern adaption of the Four Temperaments, choleric, melancholy, sanguine and phlegmatic.

Although these terms are well known within psychology circles, Sue developed her program around the personalities of her four horses, Sunny, Mindy, Yogi and Larry.

"I had no idea that what I was doing was based on anything academic at all. I was just doing what I knew worked. It was a psychologist who, while studying my methods pointed it out to me" said Sue.

Sue's work has been widely reported in the media both here and in her country of birth New Zealand. Sunrise, Channel 10, The Sydney Morning Herald and many more. Unlike other authors, Sue did not need to chase a publisher and in fact had never even thought of writing a book before a publisher came calling her.

"I was in the middle of a conversation with a client when the phone rang. I answered it but said "look I'll have to call you back, I'm just busy at the moment."

The lady who I was with asked who it was and I said "someone Pan McMillan" "You better call them back Sue, Pan McMillan is one of the biggest publishers in the country" So I did. They had heard what I was doing with my horses and thought it would make a great book. The thing is, I have a short attention span and I couldn't possibly sit down and write a book. "Don't worry" they said, "we'll send you a machine and you can just talk into it and we will get someone to transcribe."

Well they sent me the machine but I couldn't use it. Then they were going to send me a ghost writer but eventually it was one of those things you know, I was in the hairdressers and we were talking about the book, an old friend that I hadn't seen in years happened to be there and she offered to write the book for me. It was quite amazing. I would walk back and forth talking and Rita would type it all down for me. Without her, I don't know that the book would ever have gotten done and published but it did."

Sue's book Horses who Heal Humans is a great read. I finished it a week or so ago. I don't have a lot to do with horses but I love animals and have always had dogs. You don't need to have an affinity or indeed any knowledge of horses to draw wisdom from Sue's work. The links between body language, positive use of energy, and the benefits of communicating in a respectful and conscious way are clearly apparent. The testimonies that are piled high on Sue's website attest to the fact that what she does works. As I finished the book, I was aware from my conversation earlier in the week with Sue, that I was reading something which HRM Queen Elizabeth had also enjoyed.

How this came about was yet another twist of fate. Sue had been working a few days a week at Gwingana Lifestyle Retreat.

"A very English lady came up to me at the end of the session and asked for a copy of my book. We sent a message up to the gift shop and when it arrived back I asked her to whom she would like me to dedicate it. "Her Royal Majesty Elizabeth the Queen" I nearly dropped the pen and my mouth went dry.

Sure enough, a few weeks later, I received a lovely note from the lady with a copy of an email that the Queen had sent to her friend, thanking her for the book and saying how much she enjoyed it."

In both 2014 and 2016 Sue was given awards for community service at the Gold Coast Business Woman of the Year event. Sue was deeply grateful for the recognition, not for the accolades but because it meant that her work became more widely known and her ability to help others, spread further afield.

Aside from her own workshops, Sue is now training other facilitators to become accredited in her program, so they can obtain the same sorts of results that her own workshops are creating both around Australia and also in New Zealand.

To access Sue's life changing workshops, or to find out what is involved in learning to become a facilitator yourself you can visit Sue's website at http://www.horseshelpinghumansaustralia.com/ While you are there, grab a copy of Sue's book, it comes highly recommend by HRM the Queen and I. With the onset of Covid 19 much of the government funding around disadvantaged and at risk youth and domestic violence victims has shrunk alarmingly. If you can spare it, a donation towards Sue's wonderful workshops is a great way for the community to give back to a woman who gives so much to others. Details on how you can contribute are also on Sue's website.

“There should never be any intimidation or fear in communication; there should only be respect and trust�.

Sue Spence

"No being has a right to say to another "do this or I will hurt you"

MONTY ROBERTS

Chris Postle

When asked the origins of his prodigious painting talents, Chris Postle cites his mother's womb.

"As far back as I remember, I loved to draw and color. Maybe the inherent gene on my mother's side, who was a practicing artist, was the main catalyst, having access to her knowledge, materials and time certainly helped."

Chris has always been an outdoors person, having grown up on in Kingaroy (regional Queensland) he had a fascination and love of the natural world. Chris now calls the Coast home and finds great inspiration from the land and seascapes that make up this beautiful part of the world.

"Water in all its shapes and forms was a big drawcard, offering a challenge to paint and master. Also being a keen diver and surfer, what better office could I ask for?"

Chris has no formal training just an evolving fascination for creating art.

"My Mother was always encouraging and gave me a few handy tips. I did do year ten art but that was more on the history side. The only memorable practical info was how to do potato prints. I have used that info occasionally in contemporary paintings. Any knowledge I guess is helpful as you never know when it will come into practice."

"Learning to paint has always been the easy part of the journey, finding ideas and knowing what to paint next is the challenge. I have been inspired in that by many traditional and contemporary artists including my brother Greg Postle and another great contemporary artist Kim Barrett. Finding your own brand takes time and all your gathered information and skills eventually lead you to this. Being full time I tend to have a few different styles as I get bored quickly and like to try new things and stay with the trends as much as I can."

I asked Chris had he received any recognition for his work so far.

"I have received many accolaids during my artistic endeavours, at the ripe old age of 10, I entered a colouring in competition. I had to replicate a Pamolive Gold soap wrapping. I remember the buzz I got from getting it as close to perfect as possible. I posted my entry and forgot about it. The fun was most certainly in the doing. Six months later a huge box with my name on it arrived on the doorstep. It was one week before Christmas and inside was this beautiful red scooter with white pneumatic tyres. I was excited for weeks and the envy of the neighbourhood. The moral of the story being I guess, don't be afraid to have a go.

I have entered many art competitions over the years as it is also a good way to promote yourself and yes I have won some and lost some but really having a go is what it is all about.

White Rabbit

I guess my greatest accolade was being picked up by a Western Australian design company and then having the good fortune to help fit out a couple of the largest super yachts in the world. White Rabbit was one. I thought I had been scammed initially and had to pinch myself to what had happened."

"Being creative and sharing it with the public is my main purpose and goal in life, even though as a full time profession it can be difficult and test your patience on many levels. I have worked extremely hard and put my heart and soul into what I do. I have learnt to take the highs and lows in my stride. As frustrating as any endeavor can be at times, if you love what you do it will work out in the long run. Persistence.

I had a period in my career where I couldn't seem to get out of a huge hole (mainly financial) which I had dug myself. In desperation I began teaching my skills.

This opened up a new door of sharing skills and ideas and experiencing some great friendships. It even led me to teach in exotic locations around the world such as Fiji, Greek Isles, Fraser Island and some beautiful central Queensland locations.

If I ever get artists block I go out into our awesome environment. I studied a melaleuca wetlands for 12 months, documenting all the different seasons and times of day. This became one of my main career changing crossroads, developing a style and practice that led me more into design, color and technique. "

"Who would have thought an old swamp land could inspire such positivity and creativity?"

"This year is my 30th in the profession and boy what a crazy year it has been with everything happening in the world. I was offered, at the start of the year, to hold an expo with some sculptor friends in the amazing Gallery 107 at Dalby in Queensland. I wasn't 100% sold on the idea as the economic climate hadn't been great and it was a lot of effort to set up. As fate had it, I was led into this with the help of some great country folk who even picked up my 45 paintings. The show was not a great success as far as sales went but to see this collection of all my privately owned paintings and works for sale, hung in such a beautiful space - well, to me it was all worth it."

Then Covid hit. The gallery was in lock down for some time and the paintings sat there for almost 5 months under lock and key. In hindsight, it was meant to be as the events that followed were almost pre destined."

"I had decided to move from the Sunshine Coast to be with and help my rapidly aging Mum in Hervey Bay Queensland. With all the uncertainty that was happening around us I had convinced myself that my art career was over and it was time to re-evaluate my life. I was kind of devastated but accepting and trying not to think about the future too much at this stage.

A week before I was to retrieve my artwork from Dalby, I wandered through the local marina in Urangan, where I now live, and was suprised to see this awesome shop frontage empty. I bumped into the landlord who I had known for some time and he offered me a deal that I couldn't refuse.

My new gallery, ideal location, a good deal by the landlord and whale watch season about to begin, the rest is history. It felt like a rebirthing for me. Funny how the universe works sometimes. I think we are experiencing the upside of the Covid pandamic as many people being unable to travel overseas explore Australia. Small coastal towns like Hervey Bay are experiencing very busy periods with people not holding back on the spending. Yay! I get to live and eat another day."

And on that extremely positive note, here are some of the places you can view and purchase Chris's beautiful art:

http://www.chrispostle.com/new/

https://www.facebook.com/chris.postle.37

https://www.instagram.com/chrispostle59/ And exhibiting : Shop 7, Whale Bay Marina Urangan, Hervey Bay and Monteville Art Gallery, Monteville Queensland

Schnick Click And it all comes together Months of looking at something solid A wall in your way Then the magic of watching it morph Transform Into a doorway The mind is a living beast We think it lives inside us But it dwells just out of reach Transmuting as we believe And as what we believe changes Everything becomes different Eternally fascinating.

The alchemy of thought Is certainly not a thing of the brain Epiphany, that hero Is too brilliant to exist in such a grey commonplace organ Instead it plays upon it Like a musician with keys Lighting it up The sweet harmony Ripples beneath a scan Firing like lightening through a cloud The neurologist thinks she is watching the artist Instead It is only the instrument beneath her hands Thought dances Free

Miss Heather Ward I came across Heather on Facebook where she was touting her book “Fat Bob and the Blonde” on the Buy from the Bush page.

"Now here is an interesting lady with a great story", I thought. I bought her book (loved it by the way) and after a very long talk with Miss Heather herself, I now had to somehow condense this larger than life woman and her wonderful tales into a little story of my own.

Heather bought her first motorbike, a Yamaha DT175 at age 17. Luckily she had also left school and moved to Sydney at the time, as her father threatened to cut it up with a chainsaw if she ever bought it home.

She didn’t know how to ride the bike, but felt that was only a minor detail. Heather was right, it wasn’t long before she was off venturing on road trips outside the city limits.

Over the next few years, Heather (in her own words) changed bikes as often as she changed jobs and towns she lived in.

The Yamaha DT175 gave way to a Yamaha SRX 250, a Suzuki GS750 and a Honda CB900. Heather didn’t own a car so no matter what the weather, Heather rode a bike – everywhere.

In 1988 Heather sold the Honda to travel overseas. She didn’t return until ten years later, with three children, four bags and $400.

On her return from overseas, for the next seventeen years Heather lived in Wagga Wagga, raising her family and working in Community/Cultural Development and Event Coordination.

In late 2010 some twenty three years after she had last sat on a motorbike Heather bought a Suzuki GS500.

“My eldest son told me I was being irresponsible” she writes in her book. “Good I said.”

It took her three cigarettes before she was brave enough to get on it and ride, but it wasn’t long before she was right back where she belonged, buying another motorbike.

Heather finally met her perfect match in a Harley Davidson Fat Bob that she bought from a friend. This was the beginning of another dream. With an empty nest, her children all grown, Heather looked to the horizon and hatched up a plan so exciting that it kept her awake at night planning.

The first time that Heather saw the camper trailer that she had purchased (sight unseen from a man in Tasmania) and planned to tow behind Fat Bob, she nearly died.

“It was huge – far bigger than I expected and I stood there in dismay thinking “What the hell have I done?”

In true Heather style however, the doubts didn’t linger long. Heather, together with friend Robbie hooked up the trailer and so commenced another bout of learning. Learning how to tow a camper trailer behind a Harley Fat Bob (which she had already been told was not the ideal motorbike with which to tow).

Within the first 24 hours Heather would crash, hurt her knee badly and get up and dust herself off. She would also ride all the way back to Wagga Wagga despite that agonizingly swollen knee and not say a word to any of her family about the true cause of her injury.

“I wouldn’t have heard the end of it if I had” she says “they know now of course – Mum read it in the book and immediately turned on me saying “You didn’t tell me you did that!”

Ahh the book. Fat Bob and the Blonde tells the tale of Heather’s extended trip around Australia. It is a tale of overcoming plenty of these moments of small fails (she drops the bike again in the gravel of a service station on the first day of setting out solo around Australia and busts her ribs).

Heather quickly learns to not only proficiently tow her trailer, but also to not worry to much about what is coming down the track. In fact, she rides out to meet whatever "that" is and in doing so, has herself an amazing adventure that few of us can only dream of.

The trailer turns out to be a wonderful blessing as it opens out easily into a comfortable bed each night.

Her dear old Dad who had threatened to cut up her first bike with a chainsaw, makes many of the useful modifications for her trailer such as the under body water tank and jockey wheel.

Heather refuses to buy navigation equipment and her tales of being lost in Adelaide and her son’s shock when asked “just point me the way out of here”, as he stands beside the road to wave goodbye is hilarious.

Much of the book is laugh out loud funny, and is written so well that I became completely lost in Heather’s story. It doesn’t hurt that I’ve done a bit of solo bike touring, so I found myself living vicariously (and not without a large dose of envy) through her adventures with her.

I asked Heather when we chatted had she had any serious setbacks or accidents (gravel doozies don't count) in her biking career.

“It was crazy. I had done that big ride all around Australia and been away for months with nothing other than a few minor incidents and then when I came back to Atherton at the end of the trip, that’s when it happened” Heather wasn’t on Fat Bob, she had borrowed a friends bike because her own needed some work done on it. Unbeknown to Heather, the replacement bike had a faulty headlamp.

Heather was half way across a bridge on a moonless night when the head lamp went out.

She veered into the guardrail and the resulting horrific injuries nearly caused her to lose her leg.

“So that was in 2016 and I couldn’t ride for over a year. The only thought that kept me going, was being able to ride again. I had a lot of physio but my ankle was so frozen that I couldn’t use the gear lever for ages. Finally I was able to just snick the gears as long as I was wearing my boots and after that, things began to get a whole lot better.

It was lucky that during that time I was writing my book so I could get lost in the memories of where I had been and what I had done, otherwise I would have just gone mad. I was also fortunate in that my entire medical team supported me to get back riding and not one of them made me feel wrong or tried to convince me not to. ”

These days Heather calls Weethalle, a small farming town on the Mid Western Highway, 60 kilometres west of West Wyalong in New South Wales, home.

“I was browsing real estate on the internet constantly because I was looking for somewhere that wasn’t too expensive to open up my dream business – then this CWA hall in Weethalle, popped up as an advertisement on Facebook one night.

It turned out to be perfect and so my partner Pete and I moved here and I opened up Fat Bob and the Blonde HQ. That has been a surprise too, because the business that I envisaged is certainly not the one that it has become. With Covid 19 this year I noticed so many more people out on the road and travelling through.

So I began stocking all sorts of things that I wouldn’t have otherwise and now it is thriving. I get a lot of people stop in which I love, as I get to chat to them all. A lot of them ask who Fat Bob is. They think I must have a really fat partner or something, they laugh when I point to my bike and say “that’s him there” and they realise that it is actually a Fat Bob Harley.”

Heather is also inspired by the workshops and public speaking that she does with other older women. Through her experiences on the road, she has put together “Six Gears for Living Life,” a package that she delivers to middle aged women and empty nesters like herself.

“It doesn’t have to be taking up riding a motorbike” says Heather. “It could be anything, anything at all that they’ve always wanted to do but haven’t done, give it a go!

I support them 100% to just jump in and have fun with life."

Another thing that Heather would dearly love to see happen, is to attract more people to Weethalle, the small community in which she lives. “There are empty shops here that don’t cost anything much to rent!"

If this year has taught us anything, it is that we can run a business from anywhere on the planet. Weethalle originally attracted Heather with its low rents, access to a major highway, silo art and the amount of traveller's that can be captured as they drive through.

The $10 overnight camping is an attraction in itself with many nomad types pulling in for the night. “It’s a beautiful place to live, so peaceful and we are right on the edge of all those big wide roads that I can take off and cruise on Fat Bob, bliss!”

There is so much more to this wonderful lady that it was a challenge to condense her, luckily I don’t have to because you can read more about her in her great book as well as joining her on Facebook and Instagram. A chat with Heather carries a dose of fresh air that I could inhale down the phone as we spoke. If only there were more Miss Heather's, the world would certainly be a better place.

https://www.facebook.com/fatbobandtheblonde

https://www.fatbobandtheblonde.com/

"Fear, to a greater extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves and I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe, I was strong, I was brave"

CHERYL STRAYED AUTHOR WILD TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS TORCH BRAVE ENOUGH ...

Sabrina Fenster

"Fashion became an inspiration when I was in my early 20's and living in Montreal. People in Montreal dress very stylishly and ignore rules...this inspired me to start doing street style photography"

I came across Sabrina Fenster aka Street Scout on Instagram. I love street photography and Sabrina's photos stand out because she combines both street and fashion.

Sabrina was kind enough to be part of Audacity this month.

You're usually out travelling the world, Covid has put a halt to that - how have you altered your photography to suit?"

"It's been a rough transition for me! Before the pandemic, I was travelling internationally for fashion weeks twice a year and now of course that's not happening for any of us, so we all need to get creative. I just launched local Street Style Portrait Sessions so that way anyone in Vancouver can get the feel of fashion week right her from home, and have those aspirational photos of themselves too, which I am super excited to offer"

"I've also taken this time to focus on social good projects like my Black Lives Matter Street Style Portrait Series that highlights diverse people who I've photographed over the years. Each portrait is accompanied by a meaningful quote or a handwritten declaration (penned by the subject in the photo) that supports the Black Lives Matter movement. 100% of purchases go to The Loveland Foundation, which supports women and girls of colour by offering them a safe place to receive mental health support through therapy.

All that said, one of my strategies with shooting is to take MANY photos. This is a actually an easy feat at fashion weeks when so many stylish people surround me. I have tons of photos still that I've never posted, even from London Fashion Week last February, and I've continued to post that content on Instagram etc. These photos still give me life and hopefully everyone else too, since there aren't many reasons to get all dressed up these days" "So do you have many people that request street photography shoots? Great concept by the way?"

"Yes! Ever since I launched these sessions, I've been getting loads of inquiries"

"What sort of camera and kit do you use?"

"I use a Canon 5DSR, a 24-70 lens, and 70-200 lens.

I love these lenses for different reasons. 24-70 is so versatile to use, and I can easily get beautiful head to toe shots of my subjects even in a tight street setting.

The 70-200 has the creamiest colours, is so sharp and is perfect to shoot from very far away."

"Do you have a day job or is your photography self supporting?"

"I do have a day job. I work as the Director of Account Management for an influencer marketing platform/agency called The Shelf.

So my work in influencer marketing comes full circle" "And your vision for the future? What would be your greatest dream come true?"

"It would be a dream come true to travel internationally and bring my photographic vision to life through paid campaigns with brands that see the value in my work. I'd also love to be hired to shoot a street style spread for a fashion magazine. While I simply love doing street style photography for the pure joy of it and I just love the rush of fashion week, I'd like to make more long term sustainable income from my work. Being paid to do what I love creatively would be a dream come true"

Check out more of Sabrina's work on the links below and if you're reading from Vancouver book a street session today!

https://streetscout.me/features/

https://www.instagram.com/streetscout/?hl=en

Photography is the only language which can be understood anywhere in the world

BRUNO BARBEY

I wouldn’t be a farmer for quids.

Although I have my roots in agriculture (which is in itself a vocation that regularly incurs invocations and pleas to the weather Gods), cropping is a whole other level of faith.

This month I travelled to Camelot near St George, to see what was so terrible about picking blueberries that the farmer had trouble contracting workers.

Turns out the work is easy enough, pays well and the farmer is a lovely chap, so my questions in that regard will remain unanswered.

I do have a sneaking suspicion that Australia’s generous welfare payments might be preventing people from looking too far outside their doors for extra work right now but that's probably a bit cynical.

Whatever the case may be, it reassured me that despite media reports to the contrary, there is plenty of work available in our great country.

A day in the life of a fruit picker

CC is originally from Papua New Guinea but has been in Australia for awhile now and is keen to gain citizenship. CC currently has two jobs and has never been out of work since arriving here. Sadly, she had to leave her young son back in PNG a year ago when she left but is looking forward to bringing him over in time for Christmas. “He doesn’t like talking to me sometimes, because I cry when I hear his voice”. I try to imagine not seeing my sons for that long, but can't without getting choked up myself, and mine are both adults.

Our conversation occurs beneath the lush green arches of the grape vines where we are working to untangle grapes and ensure that the bunches are all ideally situated for harvest in a month’s time. CC left her husband due to continued domestic violence and is determined that she won’t be going back to that ever again. “I might marry an Australian instead” she laughs.

Sheryl, by contrast, is a tall Aussie who has worked all over the country. Her last job was at Uluru, she has worked in Alice Springs as well and can turn her hand to anything from retail to administration or fruit picking and farm work to waitressing and pulling beers in a pub. “I am enjoying working outside at the moment, the work isn’t hard and Richard is the best boss you could get”.

Currently Sheryl is grading and packing the blueberries, and it is in front of her that my first few buckets of pickings were dumped earlier in the morning. I learnt quite fast what to do and what not to do and sheepishly returned my bum to my milk crate with a little more focus.

And I can see why these women are so employable. Firstly, they turn up. Apparently, a lot of people don’t bother to, or they do but then aren’t consistent so therefore unreliable and one thing about working at harvest time is that you have to be able to rely on your workers.

The ladies also work efficiently and can turn their hands to whatever needs doing. They have a sense of personal responsibility and a genuine work ethic. They are teachable. None of us have much experience with grapes (mine mainly gained through eating them) yet we all listen as Richard tells us what we have to do and what to look out for and then he goes off to his end and we begin our work.

Is this really all the secret to being employable is? As an employer myself, yes, I believe so.

Turn up, be responsible and teachable, work to the best of your ability and you will find yourself with a job.

Our 6.00am start in the blueberry domes is a good thing as by 11.00, the boss deems it too hot to work inside the huge plastic tents, hence we move outside to the grapes and untangling the vines. Work is over by 2pm, again due to heat. As we gather to chat, Richard delivers the sobering news that the market for berries has plunged. “I am paying you lot more than what I am getting for the fruit so unless it improves there will be no more blueberries. We’ll move to the grapes instead, there is still plenty to do out there before harvest.”

I stare down the rows of beautiful bushes of blueberries laid out in front of us. The berries are plump and richly colored, just waiting to be picked and packed. It seems like a dreadful waste.

No, I wouldn’t be a farmer for quids these days, but I respect and appreciate the men and women who are. Because of them, we have beautiful Christmas produce too look forward to and I for one, will never again look at a ripe piece of fruit or vegetable without thanking the hands of those that planted and picked it.

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like hard work"

THOMAS EDISON

Feng Shui Audit

I'm lucky enough to be married to a great builder. Steve isn't just good at building homes, he is also brilliant at designing them. When he has time. And this praise is all highly biased, but I believe it to be true because I have the good fortune to be living in a home that was designed and built by my husband.

I wish we had had access to Jan Leese when we designed our home but we didn't. So we got a few things wrong at least energetics wise and although I could never put my finger on it before - I certainly can now.

Earlier this month I had Jan, who is a trained Feng Shui master, carry out an audit on our home. I have always been interested in Feng Shui but there are a few snags that you hit when carrying out your own investigations. One such snag is that there is a great deal of misinformation on Feng Shui, both around the internet and in books. The other is that much of it is written according to the opposite hemisphere to which we Aussies live.

This is a thing for professionals, so that's who I called.

In an ideal consultation, Jan would be able to walk through my house. We used Zoom instead. I also supplied Jan with my floor plan and completed a document that would give her all the information about us as individuals that she required.

Two weeks later and my report was delivered.

We have lived here well over ten years now. I thought I avoided the office because I'm not overly keen on paperwork. Turns out the room is submerged in some very heavy energies.

Steve moves all his plans and documents out onto the dining table on the deck when he is working on something and I don't spend a minute longer in there than I have to. By the way, the office is a perfectly nice looking, functioning room, Feng Shui works with hidden energy. I know, I know wahoo. Yeah well it works, like wifi and radio waves - unseen yet powerful.

I won't go into boring detail over every room in the house because mostly, we got it right and our home is brimming with creative, harmonious energy but something else struck me as charmingly surprising.

The boys old rumpus room which is now given over to my creative space, has very high paper energy. Considering my blog athousandbitsofpaper was birthed in that room and it is where I continue to write prolifically every day I think that is rather cool. It's also full of my essential oils, paintings I've done, photography, cameras, lenses. My helmet and boots and bike camping gear are parked in one corner and on top of the book case is a vintage suitcase that belonged to my parents.

In that suitcase are a neatly ironed shirt, handkerchief and trousers of my Dad's and some things of Mum's. I didn't know what else to do with them. Things from that last load of laundry you know. The left overs that you find, but are then kind of stuck with, in the nicest of ways. I don't visit grave sites often, they are lonely places of the departed. But sometimes I visit that suitcase and I can feel my parents as soon as I lift the lid. Profoundly.

I think everyone should have a special room in their house if they can. Somewhere that they can go and be creative and surround themselves with their special things. And I know, because of that suitcase, that our energy flows into our things and that sometimes it stays there for a long time. Only keep the good stuff. Throw away the bad memories, the toxic thoughts and the draining clutter. In this way our homes can support us and nurture us to live our best lives.

I've only just got the report back and am busy making changes and rearranging furniture so that every time Steve comes in it looks different and he rolls his eyes. Mind you, when he was doing his picks for the Saturday punt, he did ask where the location with the greatest qi was (and then went and sat there whilst he deliberated over his choices) so we shall see how things pan out in the coming months.

Jan is gifted. Many areas she had highlighted are ones that I already felt subconsciously and had those "aha" moments when I read over the report. If you would like to book a consultation, I highly recommend Jan, check out her links below. There is also a free ebook about Feng Shui on Jan's website if you wanted to read a bit more about this ancient philosophy. https://theqiconsultant.com.au/

The birds have vanished down the sky.

Now the last cloud drains away.

We sit together, the mountain and me, until only the mountain remains.

LI PO 701-762

Muckadilla Pub Update

The skeleton is up - this building has beautiful bones.

My favourite stage is frame stage in any building project.

The huge beams and trusses through the guts of the pub are made with timber recycled from a former sunshine coast bridge. The brackets holding it together were all fashioned by Rob (the builder) and his team.

It's a little frustrating that the photo doesn't provide the sense of sacred space that you get when standing beneath the soaring angles and weathered timber. The fact that they will remain exposed from below though, means there will be plenty of heads tipped back at the bar, and not just while they are drinking a cold beverage.

My timing was good. The guys were cleaning out the pool when I arrived in preparation for the team of roofers who are coming out next week from the coast. The poor roofers will fry and find it difficult to acclimate with predicted temperatures of upwards of 46 degrees plus.

I'm glad I beat the roofers and was therefore able to grab some snaps of this stage before the lid goes on. Christy will miss the view too.

"Marty and I bring a beer some nights and look up at the stars through the timber. It is like they are framed."

Marty and Christy have had a few nasty shocks of late with Marty suffering a serious health scare in the last few weeks.

"Has it made you rethink what you are doing? Do you have any regrets about taking on such a big project?" I ask Christy "Nope. If anything, it has made us grateful that we have started doing what genuinely inspires us, we just love it."

That's the thing I guess. When it is bought home to you just how short and fragile life is, it's a good reminder that you only get this one precious crack at it.

By the way - the pool is only getting a temporary clean. As a jewel in the setting of the future beer garden, it will receive a complete makeover before the pub opens. For now it is just a drain and scrub to remove the dead magpie and half a ton of road dust accumulated since last Christmas.

Keep going guys it looks great!

For updates along the way follow the Muckadilla Pub Facebook Page below.

https://www.facebook.com/The-Mucka-Pub-371476459578133

Heat waves shimmering one or two inches above the dead grass

MATSUO BASHO 1644-1694 TRANSLATED BY ROBERT HASS

The job site toilet has come home. Always a good indicator that things are beginning to settle down and wrap up. Yes, it's a flash loo, the boss doesn't do portaloo's. This one is hand-built, offers a full sized toilet suite and gets craned into each site and plumbed in for the duration. It's the little things that make life a bit more bearable when the work gets hard...Like a decent dunny.

As I sign off this December issue with a picture of a toilet, it seems appropriate. What a crazy, beautiful, crappy year it has been. May we all enjoy Christmas with our families and friends and may we all be happy and safe.

See you in 2021 Kate xx

Paperbacks and ebooks available via the link below

https://www.amazon.com.au/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B08GZY7YLJ?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000