Brilliant-Online-Magazine-July-2023

FUTURE AWARENESS

INSIDE: The innovative work Dr Jordan Nguyen is driving by fusing technology to improve the practicalities of everyday lives is just one example of Future Awareness that we profile this month.

Photo: Facebook @DrJordanNguyen @MelbourneMuseum

Dr Jordan Nguyen ➸

NOTE FROM OUR EDITOR

Welcome to this month’s edition of Brilliant-Online where we are focusing on Future Awareness.

s technology is moving at an unprecedented pace and impacting so many areas of modern day life, we focus this month on how tech innovation is driving positive

We profile the fascinating work being done by our cover star, Dr Jordan Nguyen, an Australian biomedical engineer and inventor who is leveraging innovation in Artificial Intelligence to create lifeimproving technology which can be both accessible and affordable. Our profile takes you inside Jordan’s groundbreaking work to highlight, as he says himself, that “nothing is impossible these days”.

Elsewhere we look at how sustained efforts to raise awareness on the precarious plight of the environment are developing. With July designated as ‘Plastic Free’ we review how countries, corporations and individuals are striving to curb plastic pollution and create a healthier tomorrow for all.

ABOUT BRILLIANT

Health awareness is always high on our agenda and we check in with Bernie Ginnane to receive some tips on mindful leadership, catch up with yoga teacher Romina Michelizzi, look at how to maintain a healthy diet on a budget and consider the merits of Dry July.

We interview Aussie singersongwriter and actor Marty Rhone who gives us the lowdown on “ELVIS – the biggest Elvis show on earth”, which is taking place next month in Sydney and is absolutely one you don’t want to miss!

As part of our new feature on pets we catch up with the team at Ruff n’ Roll, who breed cavoodles and poodles, whilst also profiling the great work being done at THERAPuppy who are training man’s best friend to provide comfort, companionship and emotional support to humans suffering from mental health, disabilities and also those with severe physical illnesses. There’s plenty more to get stuck into this month, as always, and we very much hope you enjoy!

Brilliant-Online is more than a one dimensional read. It is an empowering read for progressive individuals and dynamic businesses pushing for a better world in the digital era. Born witty, Brilliant unveils an online magazine featuring a variety of digital interactive content that makes it similar to the magical Daily Prophet newspaper from Harry Potter.

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BRILLIANT CONTENTS

➹

Note from our editor Using technology innovation to enhance humanity

Brilliant BUSINESS

Congratulations Wauchope & Hinterland!

Brilliant-Online WINS "Excellence in Innovation" Business Award!

TG's Child Care is a Winner!

A Classy CAFE and Espresso Bar - Family Owned and Operated Business of the Year and 4 more!

Family Owned & Operated

Mindful leadership

Brilliant August 2023 Themes

Brilliant PETS

How do I get a Therapy Dog, like Peanut?

Cavoodles and Poodles from Ruff n' Roll bring joy to new families

USING TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION TO ENHANCE HUMANITY

✦ The pace of technological advancement is moving at a staggering rate, with developments in the world of Artifical Intelligance in particular seemingly going into hyperdrive in the past few years.

While there have certainly been mixed responses, there can be no doubt that there are huge possibilities for positive innovation to be realised and what the burgeoning tech and AI scene can do to effectively help humankind continues to create ripples of intrigue

Better known as assistive technology, certain hardware

and software tools have helped people with disabilities carry out tasks such as reading and writing, researching and communicating with others for many years. This can be traced back as far as 1808 when the Italian inventor Pellegrino Turri created the first typewriter to help his blind friend Countess Carolina Fantoni da Fivizzano be able to write legibly. In more

recent years Dr Stephen Hawking leveraged assistive technology to compensate for mobility and speech difficulties via a thumb switch and a blink-switch attached to his glasses to control his computer.

Similar developments in technology have helped dismantle some of the barriers faced by disabled and impaired people and AI is at

Dr Jordan Nguyen on Superhumans

the forefront of this movement by improving the accessibility of products and services for this group in society via the likes of voice recognition, text-to-speech, image recognition, self-driving cars and domestic robots.

One individual for whom this area is a heart-felt passion is Dr Jordan Nguyen, the Australian biomedical engineer and inventor who started his company Psykinetic in 2014 with the goal of making life-improving technology both accessible and affordable – as the company’s mantra states, it is “pushing the limits of science and technology to empower bold human ambition”.

Dr Jordan is truly inspired to help others, to create a world where disability needn’t mean complete lack of inclusion. His ambition was fuelled by personal experience to a large extent after he damaged neck muscles after diving into a shallow swimming pool as a youngster. Luckily he did not endure any serious damage but it left him realising exactly how limited options were to quadriplegics, and to dedicating himself to deveoping technology to create a more inclusive future for impaired individuals. He has since gone on to become a published author, present documentaries on ABC and Channel 10 in Australia and become a respected authority and keynote speaker. In 2016 he was nominated for Australian of the Year and recognised as one of Australia’s most innovative engineers.

Dr Jordan and his team have successfully created a mindcontrolled wheelchair, numerous Virtual and Augmented reality applications, inclusive gaming, an instrument that enabled a friend with cerebral palsy to perform live music with her eye movements and blinks, and devices that make it possible to control household appliances or even drive cars using only the tiny electrical signals

Veronica Lind with Riley Saban and Dr Jordan Nguyen at CSU Port Macquarie

created from eye movements. A more recent invention is a patented modular support system named PolySpine, which provides head support to users with moderate to severe physical disabilities so that they can participate in rehabilitative and recreational activities outside of a wheelchair or standing pole. It opens the doors to participation and inclusion in activities and hobbies previously never thought feasible, including physiotherapy, kayaking, riding a trike or travel for a young school student.

“We’re hitting forks in the road which are astronomical in regards to what it means for the future of humanity,” Dr Jordan said at an event on June 1 at Charles Sturt University entitled “Beyond Superhuman – Technology for Humanity”. This is especially relevant with AI, he added, highlighting the importance of integrating and aligning a good,

robust basis of human values into AI programming. “We need to align the values or the underlying structure of something like AI to that of humans, and that’s a very tough challenge, because AI isn’t governed by the same social constructs that we are. However, if there’s one thing I have learnt from all of my travels, all the people I’ve met at so many different events from all walks of life, from the documentaries I’ve done, it is a overwhelming desire to see the world moving to a better place.”

That better place is broadreaching. Dr Jordan points to the effective use of AI technology in relation to wildlife conservation, highlighting a recent project by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) that ultimately initiatied dialogue and positive action by the central governments of China and Russia in the protection of Siberian tigers and leopards.

Similarly, the technology can be used in protecting the environment and, ultimately, our planet. “This is one of the best use cases I see for AI as we move into the future,” Dr Jordan explained. “If we are able to effectively build simulations of complex environment systems we can, in essence, create a digital twin. We could easily build a world so lifelike, so real, like the one that we have, that will enable us to determine which scenarios work and which do not so as to make critical decisions which could possibly allow humanity to not only survive but thrive in the future.”

“We should always start with the inspiration, start with the purpose, what’s the big dream, what’s the big idea that we have for our individual area of work or research? The next big idea for me is to enhance the lives of many others all over the world. And to realise that nothing is impossible these days.”

The Brilliant Team: Chrissy Jones, Edgard Lopez, Veronica Lind

BUSINESSES Brilliant

CONGRATULATIONS WAUCHOPE & HINTERLAND!

✦ The 2023 Wauchope and Hinterland saw businesses large and small take part in this annual celebration of local business put on by the Wauchope Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc (WCCI).

Saturday 17th June marked the Awards Gala Dinner at Wauchope RSL. With a full house the evening announced 50 Awards recipients across 27 categories. There are two types of Awards categories; Local Awards and Business NSW Aligned Awards.

The awards are an opportunity for businesses to gain recognition and exposure for their business

and are also a way to become part of a community of likeminded individuals, who share one common goal - success.

Award Categories

Two types of award categories were contested by local business, the Local Awards and Business NSW aligned awards.

“The alignment of the Awards helps local businesses achieve greater recognition and showcase our region as a great place to do business," said Lisa McPherson, WCCI Executive Officer.

Winnings submissions for the Aligned categories are streamlined to the Business NSW Regional Awards. Winners at Regionals go on to the State Awards to be held in Sydney later in the year.

“While not everyone can win an award on the night, the Awards recognise all local businesses and the contributions they make to our regional lifestyle. We thank everyone who entered and hope to see more businesses participate next year," said Lisa.

Big thanks to our amazing Sponsors that helped make it all happen:

• Corporate Partner SafeWork NSW,

• Business Level Partners - Heart of the Hastings, Timbertown Pies, Optus, Billabong Zoo,

Expressway Spares Pty Ltd, TG's Child Care and Preschool, Brilliant-Online, Bago Maze & Winery, TAFE NSWWauchope, Port Macquarie Hastings Council, and

• Supporting Partners: Wauchope RSL Club, Wauchope Travel and Bennetts Steel.

Not all present on the night received an award, but all were entertained by MC Matt Lester, Sand Artist John Theiring and danced late into the evening to the beat of the Blue Hyp Band.

c“Taking part in the Awards program gives local businesses operators the opportunity to reflect on their business journey and celebrate with their team," she added.

The Winners are...

Click on the links to check out their stories

Excellence in Accommodation and Hospitality - A Classy Cafe & Espresso Bar

Excellence in Agriculture - Pure Aquatics

Excellence in Creative Industries - Mogra Connection

E xcellence in Hair and Beauty - The Beauty Collective

Excellence in Health and Wellbeing - Omnicare Alliance

E xcellence in Professional Services - 20 employees or less - Reptile Solutions

Excellence in Professional Services - 21 employees or more -TG's Child care

Excellence in Retail - 10 employees or less - Wauchope Rural Centre

Excellence in Retail - 11 employees or more - Hastings Co-op

E xcellence in Tourism - Bago Maze & Wine

Excellence in Trades Industry and Manufacturing - Bennetts Steel

Excellence in Work Health and Safety - Wauchope Rural Centre

Outstanding Employee - Emily Thorpe - One Agency Port Macquarie/ Wauchope

Outstanding Young Business Leader - Laura Rayner - A1 Autoparts

Outstanding Business Leader - Lisa Baker - Wauchope Rural Centre

Employer of Choice - under 20 employees - Wauchope Rural Centre

Employer of Choice - over 20 employees - TG's Child care

Excellence in Innovation - Brilliant Online

Excellence in Sustainability - Hastings Co-op

Outstanding Community Organisation - Hastings Co-op

Outstanding Visitor Experience - Bago Maze & Wine

Outstanding Visitor Experience - Bennetts Steel

Outstanding Start-up - Mogra Connection

Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion - Octec Limited

Excellence in Micro Business - Qi + Tonic

Excellence in Small Business - Wauchope Rural Centre

Excellence in Large Business - Hastings Co-op

Business of the Year - Hastings Co-op

Highly Commended are...

Excellence in Accommodation and HospitalityTimbertown Motel

Excellence in Agriculture - Agtech Fencing Pty Ltd

Excellence in Creative Industries - Wauchope Creative Hub

Excellence in Health and Wellbeing - The Davis Farm

Excellence in Hair and Beauty - Spectacular Beauty

Excellence in Professional Services - 21 employees or more - Octec Limited

Excellence in Professional Services - 20 employees or less - One Agency Port Macquarie/Wauchope

Excellence in Professional Services - 20 employees or less - Heirloom Lawn & Garden

Excellence in Retail - 10 employees or less - Mid Coast Uniform Solutions

Excellence in Tourism - Epic Rides & Tours

Excellence in Trades Industry and ManufacturingAir Light Insulation

Excellence in Work Health and Safety - Omnicare Alliance

Outstanding Employee - Brandon Brown / A Classy Café & Espresso Bar

Employer of Choice - under 20 employees - Bennetts Steel

Excellence in Innovation - Wauchope Real Estate

Excellence in Sustainability - Bennetts Steel

Outstanding Community Organisation - Octec Limited

Outstanding Visitor Experience - Reptile Solutions

Excellence in Micro Business - Mid Coast Uniform Solutions

Excellence in Small Business - One Agency Port Macquarie - Wauchope

Excellence in Large Business - TG's Child care

BRILLIANT-ONLINE WINS "EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATION" BUSINESS AWARD!

✦ We couldn't have done this without our Brilliant readers and advertisers! Here's to many more Brilliant years of making Brilliant Businesses sparkle!

The 2023 Wauchope & Hinterland Business Awards was a much anticipated night of celebration of the incredible variety of successful businesses in our communities. The Wauchope Chamber of Commerce and Industry did an amazing job hosting the awards and everyone had a great time coming together and celebrating each other's successes.

Brilliant-Online took home the Excellence in Innovation Business Award that night, and we were absolutely thrilled to bits!

A Brilliant Motivation

It's a huge motivation to be recognised for our Excellence in Innovation. This is a tribute to the unwavering support from everyone who has been a part of our incredible two-and-a-half

Our Brilliant trio know how to make your business sparkle!

year journey. Our dedicated and passionate Brilliant team of editors, graphic artists, technologists, and marketers will continue to bring the magic of interaction across the globe, pushing boundaries and scaling new heights to make a lasting impact on our communities.

Celebrating everyone's win

Every year's business awards is also a great time to come together

with our clients as we celebrate each other's hard work and efforts. Having been on our clients' brilliant business journeys with them, we understand their challenges and we have seen how they have each overcome their individual hurdles. That is why it is so important to show up for each other and award or no, every client, every business we have come into contact with is a winner in how they have pushed through with their business journeys.

We were also truly heartened to receive this letter from Mayor Peta Pinson! We love how everyone can share in our joy and our win. As those of us who work with and support small businesses know, when one business thrives, the other businesses in the community benefits too. We are certainly looking forward to a Brilliant year ahead!

Advertise Brilliantly

As Noel Ong of Samso says, Brilliant-Online is his Red Seagull Strategy. If you ever spot a red seagull flying above you, you will be intrigued and want to follow it. Brilliant-Online has been a Red Seagull, attracting more than 70,000 readers since we started!

As an advertiser, when you come on board Brilliant-Online, you only pay one price for advertorials but receive multichannel marketing that includes your story in our interactive Brilliant Magazine, a feature blog on our website www. brilliant-online.com PLUS all links directed to your website and or socials. Brilliant-Online will share your advertorials on all our social platforms and to 15,000 email subscribers. Long term advertisers also enjoy an ad banner on our website. And best of all, your ads are trackable.

Your spending is about $0.015 cents per impression. That is more effective than most print and digital advertising.

Bookings for August Brilliant-Online are now open!

Read Brilliant-Online June 2023

TG'S CHILD CARE IS A WINNER!

✦ TG's Child Care swept three awards at the 2023 Wauchope & Hinterland Business Awards. This is yet another clear acknowledgement of the amazing work they do where Playing is Learning for Life!

These are certainly well-deserved awards and we extend our Brilliant Congratulations to the TG's team on their amazing win!

TG's Child Care won:

• Employer of choice (20 employees or more)

• Excellence in Professional Services (21 employees or more)

• Highly Commended - Excellence in Large Business

Everyone is simply beaming with pride and joy at this recognition, so really well done TG's!

TG's Child Care is always going above and beyond. With joy, fun and laughter to boot! TG's Child Care has been a wellknown and well-loved part of each community they are in for more than two decades and their energy continues to strive into the future. They are showing no signs of slowing down! In fact, going the extra mile and exceeding in providing quality service is not new to TG's at all! They have been recognised for this when they were awarded an Exceeding Rating in Australia's National Quality Standard (NQS). Last year they

Way to go, TG's Child Care!

also won Highly Commended for Excellence in Professional Services at the 2022 Wauchope & Hinterland Business Awards.

TG's Child Care has been Highly Commended for Excellence in Professional Services!

Exceeding into the Future with TG's Child Care

c"I look back to the day when our very first TG's opened its doors to Playing is Learning for Life, and when I look at where we are now, I do feel a great sense of pride and appreciation for everyone who has been with us on TG's journey over the decades. These awards are not just for TG's. They are for everyone. Every child, family, Educator, member of community has given us so much support to continue doing what we do best - being the stewardship of the children's future, providing high quality early childhood practices and life-long learning that keeps us Playing it Forward."

"I love seeing how delighted my team is when they heard we won - they really are the best team to work with! Each Educator is highly committed, and I cannot be prouder to see how each is growing in their own way to become a leader and mentor."

With this triple win this year, TG's communities and families have certainly given their vote of confidence and trust. Learn more about what it's like to be a TG's Educator, and perhaps working for Employer of Choice that is Highly Commended and has demonstrated Excellence in Professional Services would be something many are keen to do! Join the amazing team of TG's Educators! Apply here:

Join the award-winning TG's Family!

- Gayle Kee, owner of TG's Child Care

Playing is Learning for Life at TG's Child Care

Uralla

+61 (02) 6778 3369

uralla@tgschildcare.com.au tgschildcare.com.au/uralla

23B John St, Uralla NSW 2358

Licensed for 32 places

Wauchope Hastings St

+61 (02) 6585 1033

HastingsStreet@tgschildcare.com.au

tgschildcare.com.au/wauchope-hastings-st

33B Hastings St, Wauchope NSW 2446

Licensed for 48 places

Urangan

+61 (07) 4184 2282

urangan@tgschildcare.com.au tgschildcare.com.au/urangan

61 Miller St, Urangan, QLD 4655

Licensed for 75 places

Wauchope High St

+61 (02) 6585 3331

HighStreet@tgschildcare.com.au tgschildcare.com.au/wauchope-high-st

223A High St, Wauchope NSW 2446

Licensed for 48 places

Armidale

+61 (02) 6772 7810

armidale@tgschildcare.com.au

tgschildcare.com.au/armidale

11 Samuelson Crescent, Armidale NSW 2350

Licensed for 75 places

Wauchope Riverbreeze

+61 (02) 6585 2981

riverbreeze@tgschildcare.com.au

tgschildcare.com.au/wauchope-riverbreeze

3 Riverbreeze Drive, Wauchope NSW 2446

Licensed for 48 places

ENROLL AT TG’S CHILD CARE

A CLASSY CAFE AND ESPRESSO BARFAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED

✦ Owners, Beth and Leigh Torrisi never expected, but couldn’t be prouder of themselves and their “Classy Team” for taking out the “Excellence in Accommodation and Hospitality” award.

The team's consistent hard work and conscientious efforts in creating a comfortable and inviting atmosphere for their customers, visitors to the town and the community of Wauchope was given the thumbs up by voters in the Wauchope & Hinterland Business Awards.

“ Thank you to everyone that continuously supports our vision, our dream and our beautiful cafe," Beth said. “ We are so honoured and excited to win this award.”

A Classy Cafe & Espresso Bar is one of the longest standing cafes in Wauchope, first established in 1990, and operates from one of Wauchope’s beautiful historical buildings on Cameron Street.

Beth and Leigh purchased the cafe in January 2021 and have since shared with the community their passion for fresh quality food and coffee. They aim to inspire and create connections through providing great tasting coffee and food, delivering outstanding and reliable service in an inviting atmosphere, all the while ensuring customers feel welcomed and valued.

The cafe was recently voted as having the “Best Coffee on the Mid North Coast” via a Triple M Mid North Coast radio poll.

A Classy Cafe & Espresso Bar serves the people’s choice of their silky smooth, fresh brewed coffee blend daily and pairs it with their

homestyle cooking and home made sweet and savoury treats.

Old school recipes and current trends

By getting back to the basics and recreating recipes that grandma used to make, the cafe has branded themselves as the place to go for fresh, home made, home style food. You will be left reminiscing about a simpler time.

In an ever changing world, so too does A Classy Cafe, intertwining their old school recipes with

current seasonal trends within the industry. By continuously creating new flavours and food styles a point of difference and competitive edge has emerged.

Supporting their community in many ways

A Classy Cafe and Espresso Bar use a pay it forward system that allows customers to choose what they are paying forward or how much, which is added to a pay it forward card. Their pay it forward system goes to nurses, doctors, police, SES,

fire brigade, community workers or someone who is genuinely in need to brighten their day.

“ Our pay it forward system has been promoted by word of mouth and has become very popular and an amazing way for our community to care for each other in hard times, " Beth told us.

They actively support their community by taking up opportunities to be a part of like the Wauchope Lasiandra Festival, Culinary Canvas Dinner, Wauchope Rotary’s charity event Dinner in the dark, private functions, bookings and catering for various community outlets and local businesses.

Along with sponsorships for the NAIDOC Week award ceremony, various charity and sporting donations and vouchers, the team love hosting morning tea for the wonderful volunteer staff at Lifeline and other large community groups.

All ages are catered for, with work placement opportunities for local high school students offered regularly and on a daily basis elderly customers are cared for.

“ Some of these customers do not have family in the area. We like to think we provide a safe, warm and friendly environment for our elderly patrons. Leigh will honestly go out of his way to help anyone in need," Beth said proudly.

A Classy Cafe also provides a delivery service for local businesses in the Wauchope CBD allowing them the chance to continuously form relationships with their business neighbours which has led to successful business collaboration with promotions and giveaways on and offline.

Staff are family

Health, safety and wellbeing in the workplace is promoted by encouraging a work family ethic. Being family owned and operated,

all employees are a part of the “Classy Family”.

“Our staff tip jar is used for staff outings and get-togethers. Our end of year Christmas party is something all staff look forward to. We are one happy work family," Beth told us.

Having a couple of staff members that suffer from minor mental health issues, minimising triggers and allowing regular days off or flexibility in the workplace allows these staff members to overcome some of these issues without interfering with their day to day

work life.

The Classy family are a team. They all look out for and put measures in place to reduce the risk of injury in the workplace such as ensuring spillages are cleaned up quickly, use correct labelling for products, and keep up to date with industry food health and safety regulations. “ We encourage all staff to come and see us if they are having an off day so we can understand and put individual measures in place to reduce the impact of one person's bad day affecting business procedures. As employers we

Delicious meals at A Classy Cafe, Wauchope

understand our employees' jobs are not always easy, sometimes it is a high pressure and a stressful environment and if it gets too much, our staff are allowed to take time out. Ensuring our employees are well hydrated, well rested and well looked after is imperative to the success of our business, “ Beth told us.

Continuing business growth

Always in the business plan, operating 7 days a week has come to fruition with the addition of 5 new employees joining the Classy family. Now open for Sunday morning breakfast, a record day was achieved, 100 percent capacity from open to close on Mother’s Day this year.

“We have had to adapt and to respond to some challenging trading conditions such as the never ending rise in cost across all sectors of the business including wages, rent, electricity, suppliers, fuel cost and surcharges, cleaning, not to mention food shortages,“ Beth said.

Consistently planning, preparing and adapting to these conditions by using solutions like growing their own produce in the back garden, along with sourcing fresh produce from local farmers, planning weekly specials and creating a seasonal menu allows the cafe to continue to provide fresh products while remaining sustainable into the future.

The venue has seen substantial growth within the digital space. Orders have increased through their website but most predominantly through their new app which was implemented throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure easy, fast, safe and efficient service for their customers.

Growth in the digital space has been achieved by increased online

visibility, improving the cafe's user engagement and expanding their customer base via social media platforms Facebook and Instagram along with other digital marketing platforms. In return they have seen an increase in production and turnover over the last 12 months.

A Classy Cafe & Espresso Bar pride themselves in providing exceptional service, specialty blended and

roasted coffee beans along with a delicious selection of house made fresh bakes and homestyle cooking the entire family will enjoy! DINE IN OR TAKEAWAY.

Get their new ordering app here.

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AND MORE!

4

✦ Hastings Co-op Chief Executive Officer Nick de Groot said winning Business of the Year, as well as four categories of the Wauchope and Hinterland Business Awards, was the “ultimate recognition” for the company’s “amazing staff”.

“The night was even more special because staff from a number of businesses were there to accept the Excellence in Sustainability, Excellence in Large Business, Excellence in Retail (>11 employees) and Outstanding Community Organisation Awards,” he said.

A community-owned cooperative

With businesses across the Hastings and Camden Haven, employing more than 350 locals, the Hastings Co-op business scope includes fuel, supermarkets, liquor stores, department stores, hardware and rural supplies and car hire and is an integral part of the local community.

“Our aim is to create a sense of belonging where staff and members are family, customers are friends and suppliers are partners,” Mr de Groot said.

While the Co-op continues to grow and diversify to benefit members, customers and employees, their focus firmly remains on rewarding members who are part of the Co-op family, giving back to local groups and charities, being one of the largest employers of youth in the area and showcasing local producers.

By turnover, Hastings Co-op is the second largest consumer/ retail co-operative in Australia, and one of the longest serving independent co-ops in Australia, which is a testament to the local dairy farmers who saw the benefit of joining forces back in 1916.

Join and reap the rewards

Customers are invited to join Co-op 100, which is the Hastings Co-op free rewards program. As a member you're not only supporting your local community, but you also earn points every time you shop at any Co-op business and receive a $15 voucher when you collect 100 points.

Members are also in the running for $6,500 in vouchers each year in quarterly member giveaways and can save on hundreds of IGA products each week when you buy ‘member deals’.

To learn more about becoming a Co-op 100 member, simply go to co-op100 signup.

Hastings Co-op representatives at the Wauchope & Hinterland Business Awards.

Photo: Atlantis Creative

FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED

✦ Bennetts Steel was founded by Gordon Bennett and Peta Simmons in 1991 and now have over 30 years’ experience in steel under the same family.

Keeping the family legacy alight, the Bennetts Steel team currently has Shiree Bennett, Gordon’s daughter, at the helm who is supported by a team of talented men and women.

From new steel to downgrade and factory seconds steel, Bennetts Steel stock a large assortment of products and provide a massive range of services under one roof, including steel cutting - plasma CNC cutting, folding, bending, rolling, fabrication and machining.

Something for everyone

The team cater for a variety of customers; from the DIY handyman building a rabbit cage, to the landscaper building a retaining wall or needing steel garden edging. From the local Council and Forestry requiring drain grates, fish cleaning tables or handrails, to builders and tradespeople in the construction

industry building new homes and commercial buildings, even to someone wanting a personalised fire pit or property sign, everything steel is catered for.

Outstanding customer experience

Good old fashion service has built the Bennetts Steel reputation to one that is much more than just your average steel yard.

"Some customers have even commented that we appear to be a 'boutique' style steel supplier," Shiree told us. "Our culture has always been to strive to provide the best experience for our customers, where they can walk in and be greeted at reception, walk through our steel sheds with the assistance of one of our 'Bennetts Boys' where you can hand select steel products and have steel cut to size on the spot."

➸Gordon Bennett & Peta Simmons - owners of Bennetts Steel

In addition to their regular steel supplies and services, Bennetts Steel specialise in custom and personalised steel items and absolutely love collaborating with people to create unique bespoke projects.

The talented onsite design team work with clients to create decorative screens, steel sculptures, one-of-a-kind steel art, fire pits, decorative firewood storage, unique letterboxes, property signage, landscaping products and so much more.

Garden Gallery

"Over the past 2 years, we have built the ‘Garden Gallery’, our on-site garden display which showcases our home and garden products, allowing our customers to walk through and be inspired by what we can create from steel," Shiree explained. "No matter how different or unique the request, our customers are given the opportunity to have their custom steel ideas come to life."

The business attracts many visitors from outside the region frequently, due to their extensive marketing and broad range of steel services on offer. Renowned for excellent customer service, having a broad and high stock levels and the brilliant workmanship provided by all areas of the business, Bennetts Steel are a leader in their field.

Many of their distant clientele engage with the team about their unique home and garden products, such as custom fire pits, decorative

wood racks, personalised steel signage and many other bespoke steel projects. "We work closely with freight and courier companies to offer delivery of steel orders to our distant customers," said Shiree.

Creating a Welcoming Workplace

The structure and management of the business is something that the Bennett family have an open and transparent ideology of which creates a harmonious and enjoyable workplace. Bennetts Steel have; built its success on focussing on four priorities:

#1 - happy staff

#2 - expertise

#3 - outstanding customer service

#4 - quality products.

The Bennett family have created a very welcoming business for both

their customers and staff where everyone is treated like family and customer service is priority. Some customers even call in for a cuppa whilst waiting for their order. They employ locals who are passionate within their roles and are masters in their field; no matter what their previous trade, it is passion that drives all staff to succeed.

“Being able to work alongside my Dad every day and carry on the business he and my StepMum built from the ground up, is something that inspires me each and every day," Shiree told us. "I have learnt so much from Dad and the people who work at Bennetts and it is so rewarding to see everybody happy to teach and pass on their knowledge. I've maintained a culture in which my Dad and Step-Mum have always had here at Bennetts Steel and that is to treat the staff as family and

The Bennetts Steel Team ➸

create a welcoming place where everyone feels valued.”

As General Manager, Shiree hosts a weekly team meeting every Thursday, which is a good chance to come together as a team to discuss work direction, tweaking processes and procedures, discuss jobs in progress as well as upcoming jobs, and offer feedback, questions and concerns.

Shiree also initiates one-on-one meetings with staff to discuss ideas and concerns to ensure a happy environment, plus this also gives staff a chance to voice suggestions to better themselves and the business.

"I have an open-door policy, in which the staff feel comfortable coming to me at any time of the day to discuss queries. We also offer a team lunch every Thursday with my entire staff, where I either cook a home-made meal (cooked

right here in the Bennetts Steel kitchen) or offer a takeaway option to support other local businesses, which brings our team together in a much more social environment to help build team bonding,” Shiree told us.

Supporting their community

The Bennett family have lived in the Port Macquarie-Hastings region for many generations with a strong affiliation with the timber and transport industry. Bennetts Steel's strong connection with the local community has spanned 30 years of being involved in numerous small and major community projects for private, sporting and government organisations.

They have shown strong support for their local farming community, who are some of their most

loyal clientele. After the major flood in March 2021, Bennetts Steel provided staff members as 'labourers' to help with the cleanup of some local rural properties and offered discounted fencing products to affected farmers to assist them with getting their livestock securely contained.

"We are also very proud to have been a major supporter of Tertiary Scholarships with the Hastings Education Fund, providing opportunities for local students to further their education," Shiree explained.

Bennetts Steel have also donated to many charitable events for community members, local schools, sporting events, the Rural Fire Service and the Hastings Council community projects. The business also regularly sponsors the Hastings Business Women’s Network charitable events for

Liberty and the Boots & Beach Country Music Festival.

They work and collaborate extensively with the Port Macquarie Hastings Council, Forestry, National Parks and other organisations in designing and fabricating a variety of steel structures, sculptural projects and smaller community initiatives to continually improve and beautify their local area. Their community projects reflect the regions natural and cultural heritage, engage with the community and add value to the infrastructure, attractions and public amenity. "We now have councils, schools, tourist attractions, caravan parks and other organisations from outside our

region enquiring with us to replicate steel projects which they have seen locally for their areas, which gives us the opportunity to broaden our clientele," said Shiree. "We look forward to further collaborations to assist these organisations in the design and fabrication of community projects."

Family Business Association Member

Bennetts Steel is part of the Family Business Association; a supportive network throughout Australia and New Zealand who provide access to education and training for familyspecific business development. This helps generate opportunities for families in business to learn and grow by networking.

Earlier this year, the Family Business Association invited Bennetts Steel's General Manager, Shiree Bennett,

cLast year, Bennetts Steel were awarded the State NSW/ACT Small Business Excellence Award, an incredible achievement.

to an exclusive Business Leaders Luncheon in Sydney hosted by one of the world’s greatest leaders, Barack Obama.

Mr Obama discussed the topic of “strength in leadership”, offering insights into his time as president and the lessons he learned that can be applied to challenges in leadership today. This was an incredible, once in a lifetime opportunity, for Shiree to have

Shiree Bennett accepting the FBA Small Business Award for NSW/ACT

the privilege to attend and experience.

Popular ‘EASY BURN’ flatpack Firepits

In 2011, Bennetts Steel created one of their most popular products, The Easy Burn. Possibly one of the very first ‘flat pack’ portable fire pits, designed for camping and travelling to see the Australian market. The idea was sparked from a Bennett-family camping trip and the inspiration created around good old campfire banter.

Since then, the Easy Burn was born and has created a ‘cult-like’ following, with the fire pits popping up all over the country and now with a number of retailers along the Mid North Coast. They even are available to buy at the Mutitjulu community of Uluru!

Unique Marketing

Since commencing their TV advertising in 2019 they have continued to increase their marketing and drive business growth.

"We will continue to develop new ideas, broaden our brand coverage and expand our customer base to a wider economy, with the wider use of social media, use YouTube to show what we do, and of course continue our sponsorship programs," said Shiree.

As a result of their marketing strategies, they receive numerous enquiries from outside the Port Macquarie/Hastings region, with many customers travelling from a vast distance to come and visit the team. After launching their well-known local TV commercial, which included taking on a supporting sponsorship package with TV renovating show 'The Block', their enquiry for home and garden products has increased dramatically, with many customers lured from out of our region.

This is a win-win for not only Bennetts Steel, but the entire Port Macquarie/ Hastings region.

MINDFUL LEADERSHIP

✦ Another name for it could be - ‘Conscious Leadership’ or ‘Empowered Leadership’. And it starts with Oneself!

Mindful leadership is about being compassionately self-aware of Oneself, so as to lead from an empowered place, and to be better equipped to empower and inspire others. It is about consciously choosing to be in the present moment.

Your power moment

And from this present power moment, the mindful leader can choose to switch off the ‘busy mind’, and to respond to the current situation at hand with calm, confidence and clarity, rather than just reacting from stressful thoughts or feelings of overwhelm.

Whether in person or online, mindful leadership involves choosing to be self-aware and

present, as you interact with the workplace, your colleagues, team and associates.

more and give more of their best because they feel respected, heard, and accepted for their individual contribution. The team of a mindful leader have their strengths and efforts seen, heard and acknowledged.

A mindful leader encourages, motivates and inspires others to come from a calmer and more focused place, a place where the team feel more comfortable and confident to raise issues or make suggestions.

Those in the team of a Mindful Leader often tend to show up

cThere is no place for bullying or motivating others through fear or intimidation.

How to be a mindful leader?

Stay present and be mindful of your thoughts, words, gestures and actions.

Work on your own self-mastery.

Know yourself. Know your triggers. So that you can come from a place of power.

5 Minute Mindful Leadership Meditation

A place where you choose to respond rather than react.

Be present.

The present moment is your place of power.

It is the place where you lead from.

Make it a calm and confident present moment.

Start each day in a mindful way. Even just two minutes before starting work!

Pause and focus on your breathing. Focus on your present moment –feeling grounded, stable, calm and confident.

Choose to have a Positive Attitude.

Find the positive!

Bring mindfulness to every meeting.

Purposefully be Present for the first two or three minutes of each meeting.

Look around the room (in-person or virtual) and see each person.

Be Mindful of your breathing, your thoughts and your body language. Choose to rise above and see the bigger picture.

The mindful leader has power in the room.

Not necessarily are they the loudest voice but being in the present moment helps them be fully present in the situation at hand, to observe, and not get caught up in their own internal dialogue, triggers, reactions, judgements, gossip, competitiveness, pettiness or the personal dynamics between others.

Be respectful and open to diversity.

Don’t judge. Observe. Foster cohesiveness, safety and loyalty within the team.

Be open to change.

Asks questions to see new angles and possibilities, makes space for the perspectives of each person on the team.

Get to know your team.

Be aware of the employees’ strengths and weaknesses and the team dynamics, so that the leader can have more of an honest platform to work with.

Allow others to learn from mistakes.

Acknowledge employee achievements.

Give credit where credit is due. Motivate employees. Create a momentum of motivation!

Inspire others to be their best and do their best.

Show care and consideration to the team.

Your team matters!

BRILLIANT AUGUST 2023 THEMES

We want to feature Brilliant Local Businesses

In an increasingly homogenised world, communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character have an economic advantage. Locally owned businesses build strong communities by sustaining vibrant town centres, linking neighbours in a web of economic and social relationships, and contributing to local causes.

cAnd that is what BrilliantOnline is all aboutbringing businesses to their communities.

Brilliant-Online is looking for those who are making new products locally or if you have introduced an innovative service, we want to hear about it too.

As 12th - 20th August is Australia National Science week, BrilliantOnline will be interested in individuals and businesses in STEM.

Keep Australia Brilliant

In our Brilliant Community section, we want to share our love and dedicate this section to Youths. Are

there any Youths out there who started their own business?

4th August - Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (Recipes welcome!)

1st to 7th August - Action Against Homelessness

7th to 14 August - Landcare Week (Tell us how you keep Australia brilliant.)

11th August - Hip Hop Appreciation Day

12th August - International Youth Day

16th August - Tell a Joke Day

18th August - National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence

Attention is given to Tradies in the Brilliant Health Section

1st to 31st August - Tradies National Health Month (Inviting all tradies to talk about their work.)

1st to 7th August - World Breastfeeding Week

4th August - Blue Jeans for Genes

7th to 13th August - Dental Health Week and National Stroke week

20th to 26th August - Speech Pathology Week

21st August to 27th August –Healthy Bones Action Week

21st August - National Senior Citizens Day

31st August - Daffodil Day supporting Cancer Research

Brilliant DOGust

1st August - DOGust, a Universal Birthday for Shelter Dogs

8th August - International Cat Day

10th August - Spoil Your Dog Day

17th: International Homeless Animals Day

26th: International Dog Day

If you are a vet, provide pet insurance, dog groomers, dog trainers, sell pet care products e.g. collars, leash, beds, pet food, pet transport etc, we're excited to have you on board!

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PHOTOGRAPHY

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Monica Mansour with Peanut from THERAPuppy

PETS Brilliant

HOW DO I GET A THERAPY DOG, LIKE PEANUT?

✦ Hello! I am Peanut, a therapy puppy who works with owner and handler Monica Mansour of THERAPuppy. Woof!

I have a very important job i.e. to make little humans happy!

I was born at Ruff n' Roll, a Cavoodle and Poodle breeder, and my puphood was very happy! I had lots of natural spaces to run around and play with my other little brothers and sisters! Then I met the two lovely sisters, Monica and Natalie. And that was the key turning point in my life!

COVID-19 was a terrible time for everyone, Monica

came up with the idea of a Therapy Dog business. That was how THERAPuppy came about! They knew that a lot of people needed love, support and healing especially when COVID swept through so many places. So off to training school I went! I had to do the training online with Brydie Charlesworth from Dog Education Centre in Albury-Wodonga. I passed with flying colours and got certified within two months! Woo-hoo! I think I'm a pretty clever dog, and so are my other Cavoodle and Poodle family!

I'm not the only Therapy Puppy. Other pups have been trained since then (I told them it was fun!) and now I have a few four-legged friends who join me as Therapy Puppies! As Therapy Puppies, we are gifted at showing empathy towards humans. Our job as Therapy Puppies is to provide comfort, companionship and emotional support to humans suffering from mental health, disabilities and also those with severe physical illnesses. We help to ease the emotional burden many humans carry with them. That is why you'll find many us working in places such as hospitals, retirement homes, schools, nursing homes, rehabilitation centres, disaster sites and airports. Learn more about how dogs are helping humans heal here.

cCan you imagine a non-verbal child reading? Or children who didn't read actually start to do so and even love it? That's just one of the magic of therapy dogs. These children LOVE reading to us, and we love listening to them!

I bet you are already smiling when you look at these photos! See... that's our magic. We really do make people smile and feel good!

I help children, staff and families feel comfortable and confident to participate in an activity. For example, if we go into a classroom and we see a child who looks a little bit anxious, I can calm that child down and help them participate fully in that activity. My friends and I get the child to do their work, read a book, join their friends to do something fun together, or even to walk through the front gate of the school when they separate from their parent or carer. And we also help the child to feel happy, excited and to want to come to school to learn!

Dog Blogs

For me, I love working in the schools.

Our Therapy Dogs - Monica Mansour, THERAPuppy

Therapy dogs know deep down beneath our fur that all children can learn, if we know how to reach out to them. We never give up on them. I remember a little boy that Monica introduced to me, and Monica had offered him a little book on Peanut and asked if he would like to read it. The boy simply said, "Sure!", and he took the book and started reading. The miracle is, nobody in school had heard him read in the last two years. That's what we have been trained to do as therapy dogs. We simply know how to be there with a little human being, help them feel calm, safe and accepted. And then the miracles simply happen.

We start the morning bright and cheerful!

I love THERAPuppy's “meet and greet” program the most. This is where we meet all students at the front gate as they come into the school each morning. You should just see the joy and excitement every morning! The children can spot us a mile away and they start yelling our names. That makes us all bubbly and it makes our day to see the smiles on their faces. We love it when they pat us and give us a cuddle. This sets up great energy to start the day because the children are

Yvonne and Wasabi ➸

joyful, they laugh, they are happy and you know, these vibes can really spread around! They may not say it, but I know that some of the big humans like the teachers are also delighted to see us! We can really make a difference to a child's morning. I remember there was one particular Friday at a school, as I was walking into the office, there was a child there who was almost hyperventilating from crying so much. All the big humans there tried to console the child but they really couldn't do anything. The child was really deeply upset. As a trained therapy dog, I knew just what to do! I walked right up to him and put my paws on his knees. Two seconds later (yes, that's how good I am!), the child was giggling and it did not take long after to walk the child back to class. What can I say? The proof is in the pudding!!

Our Therapy Dog Training

We take our job very seriously. Our handler, Monica Mansour knows that well!

"It can take between 3-6 months to fully train a dog. There is a lot of the training that you also need to do on your own. We trained our dogs through Brydie Charlesworth from the Dog Education Centre. Brydie has a full training program that you can register for. We follow their videos and their training regularly. At the very beginning each day it is just 2-3 very short sessions. It keeps their attention and doesn't tire the dogs out. What's key is to use very high rewarding “treats”. Our dogs are very food orientated, and you can get them to do anything with those treats! Once this training is done, then the dogs can get certified. Therapy dogs must get certified each year."

Ok so yes, Monica has found out our weak spot! We are foodies! We just love treats! And you can see also that we are bona fide professionals - we get certified each year to make sure we are kept fresh in our skills.

THERAPuppy dogs have contracts too!

At the end of each year, THERAPuppy sets up business contracts for the next year. What this means is, schools can rely on us with these contracts to provide regular, consistent visits. THERAPuppy does not rely on volunteers and there is an amazing team behind the scenes to ensure we pups get to each location when we are needed. Our visits can last anything from an hour and a half to three hours per week. Our sessions can be weekly, fortnightly, or multiple sessions per week as well.

"What schools love about us is the flexibility. Our pups work well with different children. Many times, we are called through the school’s PA system so you'll hear, “Can THERAPuppy come to the office please?” You just never know when a child could be having a moment of anxiety and need a bit of support. We have a schedule to follow, but whenever possible, we are always happy to help whoever needs it when we are at the school," explains Monica.

Monica is a really jolly human (you can tell from her sunny smile!) and I love helping people. We're very caring and we love making every person we meet happy! Keep an eye out for us! We might be all over Australia soon!

CAVOODLES AND POODLES FROM RUFF N' ROLL BRING JOY TO NEW FAMILIES

✦ If you want a Cavoodle or Poodle puppy, contact Ruff n' Roll.

Edgard Lopez, one of the founders of Ruff n' Roll, specialises in breeding Cavoodles and Poodles. Edgard has chosen to raise his pups in the beautiful Port MacquarieHastings region so they are in a healthy, natural environment as they grow big and strong, ready to be with their forever families!

"My goal as a responsible dog breeder is simple: Raise loving, healthy and intelligent pups that will bring joy to a new family."

How did you settle on Port Macquarie-Hastings to start this business?

As a 5-year-old family business, Ed, wife Alex, his four daughters, brother-in-law Rod and wife Carly and their 2-year-old son Uzyas are the main team running the show. They witnessed the incredible effect dogs have on people's mental and physical wellbeing and decided to set out to create a business that aims to make a difference in the dog breeding arena.

It took a bit of time to research thoroughly which are the best areas to raise our pups. Every single pup we breed is a member of our family, so it is vital to us the environment they are growing up in. They are our babies too. This is part of our work ethics - we want a healthy environment all around as we breed our pups, and this has certainly helped our business to excel.

We found that the Mid North Coast of NSW had the perfect climate to raise Cavoodle and Poodle puppies. The pups are happy here, and so are we!

Tell us more about the breeds you have.

Cavoodles are a crossbreed between a Poodle and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. The pups are small and have a distinct soft, wavy coat. Their large black marble eyes are what steal people's hearts when you first meet them. They are the recommended breed for people who are allergic to dogs as they have low to nonshedding coats. They are quite low maintenance, but they do need mental stimulation, so make sure you give your Cavoodle lots of fun and challenging physical activities. Toy poodles are very intelligent and trainable. They are also great for people with allergies. They

-

Edgard Lopez

are popular as companions and show dogs. An interesting point about caring for poodles - you need to take good care of their teeth! Brush them daily with vetapproved dog toothpaste and toothbrush.

Learn more about caring for these dogs here.

How did you expand your business?

It's a well-known fact that pups are one of the most endearing and popular things to see on social media! I have a background in IT, photography and video which really helped in the marketing side of the business. We made sure we have a solid presence on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram and that has helped our online business to sell anywhere in Australia. Our pups have gone on to happy families across all states and territories in Australia and even overseas to Singapore!

And in the end, it's really the pups themselves who are the star marketers. They 'sell themselves'! In 2019, we sold a Cavoodle puppy named Peanut to a school principal, Natalie Mansour, in Sydney who gifted it to her sister Monica. Monica later bought another puppy from us, Jellybean, and a colleague who is a handler bought another puppy named Wasabi. All those puppies were purchased from Ruff n' Roll too! I guess it just means our pups are really quite irresistible! When you've met one and had one, you just want another!

What standards do you uphold in your dog breeding business?

Ethical breeding means we comply with council and third party policies, and these include DNA testing and upholding breeding standards. We regularly worm our dogs, treat for ticks and fleas regularly and vet checks as well to comply with vaccinations. Twice

a year, two local VETs audit our premises. Our dogs get top quality dry food and fresh raw meat. Our pups get their first experience of love with us, and that means lots of play and cuddles! We worm them every two weeks, and like their parents, they also get tick and fleatreated, micro-chipped, vaccinated and a vet checks them regularly. When they find their new, loving forever home, we provide the new owners with information and guidance on how to care for their new dogs.

So, are you ready to Ruff n' Roll? Speak to Edgard if you are committed to inviting in a new canine member to your loving family!

Read

HEALTH Brilliant

THIS IS WHY YOU TRY DRY JULY...

✦ Many of us enjoy a drink from time-to-time.

Indeed, casual drinking is very much part of the social fabric that makes up so many societies around the world and has been for generations. It is often an integral part of social functions, be it weddings, birthdays, Christmas, New Year or just general celebrations when family and friends come together to toast something special. Similarly, having a drink often goes hand-in-hand with romantic candle-lit dinners, relaxing holidays or just going down the pub with mates to watch the footie or shoot the breeze!

As such, the very mention of “Dry July’ can drum up a wide range of responses in people, many of which are usually misplaced. The premise

of the campaign isn’t one of negativity where the act of alcohol consumption is lambasted and calls for people to stop drinking prevail. It isn’t a campaign designed to shock or scare but instead to raise awareness and drive a greater good.

Like anything, alcohol consumption should be done responsibly and in moderation. Of course there are dangers to alcohol abuse that have been well documented although that is not the point of Dry Julythere is no shaming in regards to drinking booze or any demand to give it up completely. It’s merely pledging to support a campaign for a limited period that can help others who truly need it.

How Dry July Started

Dry July started in 2008 when Australian friends Phil Grove, Brett Macdonald and Kenny McGilvary pledged to give up alcohol for a month to raise some money for their local hospital. Since then, the campaign has mushroomed into a far-reaching initiative that serves as a fundraising activity to generate support for people suffering with cancer and has raised over $82 million dollars. Participants can sign up via a variety of channels to abstain from alcohol consumption from July 1-31 and raise sponsorship money from friends, family, co-workers and the general public in the process.

The Dry July Foundation states that thanks to funds raised via the annual campaign it “is able to help local and national cancer support organisations across Australia deliver practical, tangible support services for people affected by cancer. Everything we fund is to benefit cancer patients, their families and carers, aiming to make a difficult time, a little easier for people affected by cancer. A shoulder to lean on. A comforting voice. A place to relax. This is why we Dry July.” Just some of the beneficiaries of the Dry July Foundation’s work include The Cancer Council, Bowel Cancer Australia, the Leukaemia Foundation, the McGrath Foundation, Ovarian Cancer Australia and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

cA comparable initiative is that of “Movember” when men refrain from shaving their top lip for the entire month of November to curate a delectable range of facial hair designs that would put the likes of Salvador Dali, Charlie Chapman, Merv Hughes and Tom Selleck (aka Magnum P.I.) to shame! As with Dry July, the very point of the campaign is in the pledge itself – take it from someone who has supported Movember many times over the years that the barrage of mockery and derision you receive is plentiful!

But that’s kind of the point, compromising something about you or that you regularly partake in and enjoy for a greater good. In the case of Movember this is image, perhaps even your dignity and self-esteem! In the case of Dry July it is something we enjoy to indulge in as a social past time. Without sounding overly dramatic, it is a kind of sacrifice to help those that need help far more than we do, similar to those that undertake marathon running in the name of fundraising for charity.

As with Movember, Dry July should be a pursuit underlined with fun. While the very cause it supports is absolutely serious, the various fundraising campaigns designed to help shouldn’t be taken too seriously and should be enjoyed. That being said, there are many that do adopt a more serious approach to Dry July,

Dry July started in 2008 when Australian friends Phil Grove, Brett Macdonald and Kenny McGilvary pledged to give up alcohol for a month to raise some money for their local hospital

pledging to use their commitment to improve their general health and productivity and to maybe adjust their longer term habits once August 1 rolls along.

Many end up realising that they didn’t actually miss drinking as much as they thought and therefore adapt their lifestyles moving forward to ensure they are achieving the right balance in their daily lives, and there is absolutely nothing wrong in that. Others merely view it as a

genuine challenge whereby their abstinence from something that is part of their routine is done so to help a greater cause.

Of course, nowadays there are multiple brands of alcoholic drinks that actually don’t contain any alcohol at all yet taste exactly the same. This is great for those that claim they just “love the taste” of a beer, glass of wine or gin and tonic but don’t want the impact such drinks bring. Indeed, one could indulge in such alcohol-

free drinks for the entirety of Dry July and absolutely not be classified as cheating! This similarly rules out those that claim they are only social drinkers, as you can still go down the pub to meet mates without actually having an alcoholic drink – for a month anyway!

So why not give it a go? Challenge yourself and contribute to a good cause in doing so. It’s only a month but the impact on the lives of those suffering could be far more reaching than this.

EATING HEALTHY ON A BUDGET

✦ Tightening the purse strings during challenging times and eating on a budget needn’t mean compromising the quality of your diet.

As the cost of living continues to rise globally, often the tendency can be to turn to processed and “convenient” fast foods. However, fear not as here we take a look at some tips on how to maximise your funds to ensure you and your family are still eating a healthy and nutrious diet.

Make a List and Bulk Up

As with most things, planning is key. Think ahead and formulate a list of specific items you need. Opt for a diverse range of meals that incoorporate proteins, grains, vegetables and fruits. Consider buying and cooking in bulk then using the leftovers for another meal later in the week, or freezing

for an even later date (another advantage of bulk cooking is it lowers the energy bills!). Prepare and take your own lunch into the office. Listing items and sticking to it tends to mean impulse buys are also minimised. Also, don’t shop when you’re hungry as the results can be bad!

Mix and Match

Mix and match these ingedients and choose items that are versatile. For example, choosing ingredients used in a salad one day, such as chicken, carrots, onions, spinach, broccoli, etc, that can also be used for another dish later in the week, such as a stir-fry perhaps. Rice, pasta and grain-based dishes

are also good choices that offer versatility. Experimenting with ingredients is also fun – some delicious dishes have been devised in the past when a wide range of ingredients have been thrown in together!

Go Frozen

Consider buying frozen fruits and vegetables which often offer the same, if not more, vitamin content as that of their fresh produce counterparts. Making smoothies using frozen fruit and veg is very popular and a sure-fire way to make sure you’re taking in the right level of nutrients without breaking the bank. Tinned goods also fall into this category as an ideal option.

Cut Back on Meat

Consider cutting back on your meat consumption. The cost of meat continues to rise but there are many alternative options out there that serve as great sources of protein including beans, peas, lentils, quinoa, nuts, seeds or soybean products such as tofu. These are far cheaper alternatives that can also be integrated into other dishes, plus the less meat we consume leaves a much more positive mark on the enivronment and lessens animal suffering. It doesn’t necessarily mean cutting out meat altogether, just reducing your intake.

Consider Non-Brand Names

While we all no doubt have our favourite brand specific products that have been a staple over the years, there is nothing wrong with opting for a lesser known brand, which will always be cheaper but won’t compromise on quality or taste. Similarly, if fizzy drinks have been a mainstay in your pantry, consider drinking water as an alternative – not only will the savings be noticeable but the health benefits are huge.

Reward Yourself

Most stores now will have customer loyalty schemes whereby

you sign up for a membership and accrue points with every purchase you make. You’d be surprised how quickly this total amasses, which can then be used to off-set against future purchases. Similarly, coupons are a great way to save a few bucks when you’re mindful of your budget.

So there you have it. While you could easily spend anywhere in the region of $50 at a well known fast food chain in one sitting, you could easily take that same amount and incorporate a wider range of healthier, flexible and cheaper options into your family’s diet routine. The positives, beyond just the piggy bank alone, are there for all to see and enjoy!

Consider Non-Brand Names for staple products

DELICIOUS FRUIT AND NUT LOAF RECIPE

✦ Beth Torrisi from A Classy Cafe loves baking sweet treats for her family, friends and of course customers!

Beth shares one of her grandma's recipes with us for you to try at home, or why not call into A Classy Cafe and have a slice or two with a freshly brewed coffee.

Ingredients

• 2 x cups self raising flour

• 2 x cups caster sugar

• 3 x eggs

• 1 x cup oil

• 2 x overripe bananas mashed

• 1/4 cup caramelised apple

• 1/4 cup caramelised pear

• 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries

• 1/4 cup sultanas

• 1/4 cup walnuts

• 50g butter

• 2x tbsp brown sugar

• 2x tsp cinnamon

Method

1. Core and dice apples and pears in small cubes.

2. In a large mixing bowl mash bananas - add cinnamon to bananas.

3. On a low to medium heat melt butter in a pan.

4. Once butter is melted add brown sugar and stir well.

5. Add prepared apple & pears to pan until caramelised.

6. Add caramelised apples & pears, frozen mixed berries, sultanas & walnut to the mashed bananas (fruit & nut mixture).

7. Shift all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl, make a well into the center.

8. Add eggs & oil into the well of dry ingredients.

9. Stir well with a wooden spoon until all combined.

10. Add fruit & nut mixture & stir well until all combined.

11. Line a large loaf tin with baking paper, add mixture to loaf

aclassycafe.com.au

tin and bake at 160 degrees for 70mins.

12. Leave in oven to cool for 30min, allow another 30 mins of cooling at room temperature before slicing.

Best served toasted with butter or for something a little more special top with ice-cream, maple syrup and walnuts!

Grab some Coffee!

Marty Rhone, Australian singer-songwriter and producer of "The Biggest Elvis Show on Earth"

COMMUNITY Brilliant

GET READY FOR THE BIGGEST ELVIS SHOW ON EARTH!

✦ An interview with Marty Rhone, Australian singer-songwriter and producer of 'ELVIS - The Biggest Elvis Show on Earth'

“Alive concert to me is exciting because of all the electricity that is generated in the crowd and on stage. It’s my favorite part of the business, live concerts.” - Elvis Presley

The term “legend” tends to get bandied around a little too casually these days, and often far too generously. However, mention the name Elvis Aaron Presley and there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that legend is one of the first things that springs to mind. Perhaps it’s the only word. In fact, it would be fair to say that the undisputed King of Rock N' Roll stands alone in his own stratosphere when it comes to legendary status – anyone who is usually only referred to by their first name alone tends to. His influence and impact was not only seismic on popular music but on pop culture and society as a whole, creating a legacy that lives on decades after his passing. His music is timeless and his style is still copied by artists today. One could indeed argue Elvis defines the term legend.

There have been countless impersonators over the years, tribute acts in all four corners of the globe on an unsurpassed scale. However, nothing like what is about to happen in Sydney next month has ever been seen before, a unique opportunity to get as close as possible to the man, the myth, the legend as you’re ever likely to have.

On Saturday, August 12 at the Darling Harbour Theatre in Sydney, the largest ever Elvis show the world has ever seen is set to take place – and to say it promises to be big is a huge understatement!

The show is being curated by Aussie stars John St. Peeters and Marty Rhone, two men who

know a thing or two about the entertainment world.

Get tickets here

Brilliant-Online had the chance to catch up with Marty recently to learn more about what to expect from the show.

Paul Fenech, the "older" Elvis impersonator, captures the essence and spirit of The King of Rock n' Roll

Record-breaking

“‘ELVIS - The Biggest Elvis Show on Earth’” promises to be exactly that,” Marty tells us. “The largest group of performers that Elvis himself ever shared the stage with was 47 musicians and singers. Our last Elvis show in Melbourne last year broke records when 108 musicians were on stage. In Sydney we are planning to surpass that,” Marty adds with a smile.

I ask Marty how the show came about and what the audience should expect on the night. “John [St Peeters] and I had watched a show in Melbourne about six years ago and left so deflated at what we had experienced,” he explains. “I won’t name the artist but the sound was bad, the production was bad, the performance itself was bad – just a really bad experience overall. It was clear to John and I that the notion of entertaining the audience wasn’t high on the agenda in this particular instance, it appeared it was purely for monetary gain, as many shows seemingly were at that time.

“Sitting over coffee, John and I decided we wanted to reverse this trend and produce a show that was a cut above, that truly got the audience engaged and leaving with a lasting impression – that’s what entertainment is all about after all! Both of us are huge Elvis fans so it was a no-brainer. I came up with the title ‘Elvis, King of the World’ and John took care of the sound and visuals to help tell the Elvis story on stage, engaging 50 musicians and singers. This was at the Melbourne Town Hall in 2017.

c“Naturally, we were confident it would be a great show but the audience reaction literally blew us away – they went absolutely ballistic! It was fantastic and so rewarding to know we had met our objective of entertaining the fans but it only served to motivate us more as to what could lie ahead.”

The subsequent show two years later leveraged this buzz as 70 musicians and singers took to the stage and the audience’s ecstatic response grew in tandem. Then, in 2022, the show went into overdrive as 109 musicians and singers were involved, an event that broke records. “The Australian Book of Records officially classed it as the largest ever Elvis show, which was incredible,” said Marty. “The reception was just phenomenal. I had a friend come up to me afterwards in tears of joy exclaiming he felt as if he was watching Elvis himself up on stage! And remember, this was a challenging time, still in the throes of COVID-19 which meant the show had to be postponed three separate times. It was fantastic.”

Interest levels piqued as requests to take the show to the United States, Europe and New Zealand came in, although the sheer scale of the project, not to mention the astronomical costs involved, proved prohibitive. Instead it was local promoter David Lazarus who suggested the show move to a bigger venue in Sydney.

Interview with Marty Rhone on the Biggest Elvis Show on Earth

The Opera House was considered, as was the State Theatre, before the team settled on the Darling Harbour Theatre, a venue they genuinely believe is perfect for the bigger, more vibrant show they have planned.

c“It will be a completely different show to the previous ones in Melbourne,” Marty explains.

“John has rewritten it to incorporate several things, including the sad passing of Elvis’ daughter Lisa-Marie earlier this year. We have the record in our sights again in terms of the total number of musicians and singers on stage and all of them have been practising for months.”

Stepping into the shoes of the legendary entertainer are fatherand-son combo Paul and Anthony Fenech, highly revered for their impressive depictions of the King. This in itself is a stroke of genius by John and Marty as it negates the usual approach of just one person portraying a mythical icon who changed so dramatically throughout his career. Anthony will portray Elvis during his younger years while Paul will do so to reflect his senior period. It provides an opportunity to, as Marty says, “grow Elvis” throughout the show.

‘Complete package’

I ask Marty why he believes the legendary status of Elvis not only endures but seems to get stronger as the years pass. “He was the complete package as a rock star,”

he replies. “He had the looks, the allure and charm to appeal to all, especially the ladies and, clearly, he had talent as an entertainer with great stage presence. The Gods certainly smiled on him when he was born! However, he was also self-depreciating, he wasn’t overly serious and often displayed a somewhat shy side.

“As with many others who are taken at such an early age, his death added to the mystique and fuelled the notion of legend as the years passed. His premature death meant so many never got to see or hear him perform live and he therefore became a fantasy

of sorts, which is why he lives on through tribute acts, fan clubs, etc.

"He sells more records now than when he was alive and there are over 30,000 Elvis impersonators around the world. Also, the recent movie Elvis by Baz Luhrmann helped bring the Elvis story to a whole new generation and it’s great to hear many of his songs now played regularly on popular music stations.”

Elvis Aaron Presley, King of Rock and Roll

Paul Fenech, Elvis impersonator ➸

The love for the man who died almost 50 years ago endures to an incredible degree. It is what is driving Marty and John’s upcoming production, that genuine desire to deliver an unforgettable experience for the audience that is curated with love, respect and conviction.

It is often said "do something with conviction or don't even bother". Clearly this isn’t something lacking with John and Marty and their beloved project. It’s why the upcoming show promises to be such a spectacular occasion. Jawdropping visuals re-telling the Elvis story underpinned by an incredible

musical performance that will leave the audience wowed and sharing the experience with others for years to come.

Don't miss out on what is set to be a truly legendary event! Get your tickets to ‘ELVIS - The Biggest Elvis Show on Earth’ here, now!

John St. Peeters holding Elvis Presley's message for him. What a legend! ➸

Live

Music Sunday Cruises @ $59 per Adult

Duration: 3 Hours (approx.)

Location: Port Macquarie , NSW

Product code: Sunday

Sunday afternoon live music in July

2nd - Cheryl Hall and the Wisemen

9th - Cheryl Hall and the Wisemen

16th - Jazz Cruise with Peter Locke, Craig Scott, Peter Harries Jnr & Khristina

Joy

23rd - Ukelele cruise - Khristina Joy & the fabulous Z CHORDS with special guests

30th - Cheryl Hall and the Wisemen

3hr Hastings river cruise

afternoon tea and light snack of freshly made wraps, fruit and ice cream

Licensed Bar on board. NO byo

Adults $59 each

Children $40 each 13yrs and under 14yr and above at adult prices

LIVE MUSIC EVERY

THE SCHOOL OF ST JUDE IS FIGHTING POVERTY THROUGH EDUCATION

✦ Gemma Sisia founded The School of St Jude in 2002 to bring free, quality education to children living in poverty.

Mawimbi: It's more than education

Apioneering leader in charitable education within Africa, The School of St Jude brings free education to 1,800 bright children, supports hundreds of graduates with access to higher education and has provided more than 20,000 government school students with volunteer teachers each year. And it all started with this one amazing lady, Gemma Sisia, who

came from a small country town in Australia. She set up The School of St Jude in her husband's home country of Tanzania with just three students and one volunteer teacher. That has now grown to a 3-campus school, upholding the right to education for all children regardless of circumstance, fighting to overcome intergenerational poverty.

The Power of the Collective

'This too shall pass...'

"It's been 21 years of challenges. This is my favourite saying that

I keep repeating to myself over and over during bad times, and to remind me to appreciate the good times too," explained Gemma. "The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on us. We usually have more than 1,000 people visit St Jude's from all over. COVID-19 brought that to a halt. The entire Tanzanian economy was affected as well because tourists stopped coming.

"I've learnt to look for solutions instead of focusing on the problem. Many people had lost their jobs because of the pandemic and communities were going hungry. I knew St Jude's could do something. During the lockdown, we packaged and distributed around 3,000 COVID-19 Family Care Packages (with staples e.g. maize, beans, rice and hand sanitizers, bleach and instructions on making a face mask without using a sewing machine) to our students' families and vulnerable members of the community. These packs gave hope to many, and for us, it showed us the power of the collective and how we can all make a difference."

Sponsor a Future Leader

"Madeleine Kelly wrote a book about our school called The School that Hope Built," Gemma tells us. "It beautifully captures the stories of St Jude's alumni. Maddie worked at St Jude's for nearly six years and helped to set up our Alumni department. We are really proud of our alumni, who are turning out to be the moral and intellectual leaders who are lifting their communities to growth and prosperity."

Purchase

The School that Hope Built

Enock's Story

"Enock Ephrahim is one of our alumni working in this department.

He joined St Jude's in 2003 when he was in Grade 2. This little boy came from a very large and very poor family not far from Sisia Campus in Moshono Village. Enock's father worked as a security guard at a local hotel. He spoke very little English, worked very long hours often overnight, outdoors regardless of the weather. Enock used to borrow Ladybird books from St Jude's library and take them home to read with his father. This led this such an improvement in his English that he was offered a promotion to work behind the Reception desk at the hotel.

"When Enock graduated from St Jude's, he was awarded an external scholarship to study Financial Economics at the University of

Rochester in New York. During Enock's university years, he worked three part-time jobs on campus and saved some of his scholarship stipend. He sent money home to Tanzania and paid for the university fees of three younger siblings. These siblings are now respectively a lawyer, a geography teacher and a business consultant. Enock's heart for giving doesn't stop with giving to his immediate family either. When Enock heard that we were distributing Covid-19 Family Care Packages to the community, while he was still in the US studying, he organised for St Jude's alumni to fundraise so that they could donate care packages to be given to others in need. Receiving that email from Enock was one of my proudest moments."

Gemma Sisia, Founder of The School of St Jude building Tanzania children's futures

Doctor Hosiana's Story

"Another great story is that of Doctor Hosiana, one of our first students to graduate with a degree in Medicine. Hosiana completed her degree in 2021 and was the top of her graduating class at Tanzania's most prestigious medical and allied health university, Muhimbili. I travelled to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's biggest city, to attend the graduation. Hosiana gave a speech on behalf of her class in front of thousands, including the former president of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete, who was the

guest of honour. She thanked St Jude's for her free, quality education that allowed her, a girl who was raised in poverty in a mud-brick house, to reach her dream of becoming a doctor. "Recently, my mother-in-law had a terrible asthma attack, so my husband Richard and I had to rush her to the Emergency Department hospital in Arusha. Who was there to help us when we arrived? Doctor Hosiana. She took my mother-inlaw's handbag from her, took mine, and said, "Don't worry, follow me!" Hosiana ensured that my motherin-law received the best medical treatment possible."

St Jude’s a registered charity and international non-governmental organisation (iNGO). It is thanks to their generous community of supporters that they are able to provide education to thousands of primary, secondary and higher education students. To join their community of supporters in providing free, quality education to the future leaders of Tanzania, you can sponsor here:

Sponsor a Future Leader

Dr. Hosiana, the Valedictorian in her graduation class.

Giving back to the community

"I hope our graduates succeed in their careers and give back to their community. It is my hope that they can use the alumni network to nurture one another. Without families that have an economic influence in society, it is vital that our graduates can grow their own network and stay connected as an alumni. It's about returning to lift each other up.

our students, which has been a big push at the school in recent years, to ensure they are well-equipped to deal with life outside our blueand-gold school gates. I hope we continue to unearth and nurture the raw talents of our artists, sportspeople and musicians and encourage students with talents in those areas to shine. This year we opened an art gallery, and we have

recently had students competing at national and international sporting levels. There is much to hope towards in the future."

This has been an incredible journey of two decades. An Australian girl's simple vision of education has been made real, and it is breaking the cycle of poverty, one student at a time.

c"When turtles hatch on the beach, they run down to the ocean. Then, as they are growing up, they don't surface on the sand again. They are trying to grow strong and to out-swim predators. But one day, when they are strong and ready, they'll come back to the beach to make their own nests. Your alumni will be the same. When they finish university, you probably won't see them for 10 or so years as they work tirelessly to 'make it' in their fields, but when they are established, you'll hear that they are the CEOs, government officials and community leaders you've encouraged them to aspire to through education at St Jude's."

- one of St Jude's supporters from Melbourne who gifted Gemma a small ceramic turtle

I am already seeing our 'turtles' return and that gives me great hope. I want to continue to enhance the holistic education of

PLASTIC FREE JULY PLACING SUSTAINABILITY FRONT AND CENTRE

✦ Much has been documented and we are all aware how serious the issue of plastic pollution is to the welfare of our planet. Just like climate change, it is a looming threat to our very existence and something that cannot be brushed under the carpet to be left for future consideration.

The month of July is designated as a plastic free month where people and businesses are urged to refuse the use of single-use plastic items. Plastic Free July is a global movement that has raised awareness and motivated hundreds of millions of people from hundreds of countries to take a stand on plastic pollution and strive to create a healthier, more beautiful and sustainable planet.

Turtles are often known to mistake discarded plastic bags for jelly fish before eating them.

July 3 specifically is ‘International Plastic Bag Free Day’, as selfexplanatory as it gets.

As stated, we are aware of the perils and the ominous warnings that plastic pollution presents and that is why this article chooses not to dwell on that but instead to look at some of the positive

strides being made by countries, organisations and individuals. Like with any robust structure the foundation is key, a dynamic that is very much the same in this instance where policies set at government level are key to driving positive progress. UN Member States endorsing a historic resolution at the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) in Nairobi on March 2 last year to End Plastic

Pollution and forge an international legally binding agreement by 2024 is a promising stride for sure. The globally binding legal agreement is expected to: “reflect diverse alternatives to address the full lifecycle of plastics, the design of reusable and recyclable products and materials, and the need for enhanced international collaboration to facilitate access to technology, capacity building and scientific and technical cooperation.”

It is set to be finalised by the end of next year.

Many of the governments involved have offered encouraging pledges of support; “The resolution will clearly take us towards a future with no plastic pollution, including in the marine environment,” said Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, Japan’s Environment Minister. “International partnerships will be crucial in tackling a problem that affects all of us, and the progress made at UNEA reflects this spirit of collaboration,” said Dr Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, Rwanda’s Minister of Environment.

Elsewhere, Germany is the world leader in waste management, recycling 70% of all waste produced, including plastic. Austria has one of the world’s highest recycling rates where 96% of its population adhere to a strict waste recycling process and plastic bags have been banned since 2020. In Switzerland it is mandatory to recycle and failure to do so can result in fines for offenders. China banned single-use plastic bags and utensils from its major cities in 2021, while single-use straws were banned nationwide. A full rundown on individual country action can be found in this Sustainable Ocean Alliance report.

Corporate responsibility

At corporate level sustainability has become a mission-critical directive in recent times – in other

words a BIG deal. Failure to have a robust policy demonstrating a firm commitment to sustainability is seriously frowned upon and can ultimately impact market share – something board directors and owners don’t take too kindly to!

Coca-Cola is arguably one of, if not the most recognisable brands in the world. However, worryingly for the beverage behemoth, a 2018 Brand Audit Report showed that Coca-Cola branded goods were the most common items found in beach cleanups in 42 countries. The company responded by pledging to have 50% recycled material in all its packaging by 2030, collecting and recycling a bottle or can for each one that it sells by 2030 and making 60% of packaging either refilled or collected for recycling. The fact it launched new bottles made out of 100% recycled materials to

selected areas of the United States in February 2021 is a positive sign that it can follow through on its promises. More recent projects like the “Coke Recycle Me with Trash Lucky'' campaign in Thailand are also positive as the company encourages residents of one of the worst offending countries of plastic pollution to act in a more responsible and accountable manner.

McDonald’s has pledged that by 2025 all of its 36,000 restaurants in 122 locations around the world use packaging, including straws, made from renewable, recycled, or certified sustainable sources, while Nestlé has committed to all its packaging being recyclable or reusable by the same year, as has Estee Lauder. Unilever has committed to make 100% of its plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable, also by

Plastic bottles are a major contributor to pollution, especially in our oceans and landfills.

2025. Avery Dennison launched its Plastic End Cap Recycling Program last year which focuses on waste material generated in operational use, diverting discarded plastic waste to create raw materials for everyday products. Similar pledges have been made by a whole range of companies that you can read more about here. Likewise, there are a number of smaller companies and startups that are structuring themselves around a more sustainable approach to waste management and preservation of our planet.

Talking the talk and walking the walk are, of course, two totally different things although it does appear that companies and governments are realising that a responsible and feasible waste management policy is absolutely imperative, particularly in relation to plastic waste. The ‘New Plastics Economy Global Commitment’, launched by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the UN Environment Programme in 2018, is a hugely positive initiative

that can keep things on track as it strives to achieve a fully-functional circular economy for plastic, in which it never becomes waste or pollution. There are over 500 signatories pledged to support this project, including L’Oréal, Mars, Incorporated, Nestlé, PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company, Unilever, Walmart, Amcor and Veolia. The sports industry is also taking steps in the right direction to drive sustainability and limit plastic pollution.

Small steps can yield big results

Of course any structure is only as effective as the sum of its parts, and while it is crucial that positive action is being taken at the highest levels in the public and private sectors, ultimately every person can play their part. Small steps can yield big results so adopting a more ethical and sustainable approach to our daily routines can have a much grander impact. Recycle and reuse goods, stop using single-use plastics such as containers, carry

bags and straws and lower the number of plastic-based products we purchase and use. Use a reusable shopping bag each time you go to the store instead of using an endless supply of plastic bags and try to buy more eco-friendly and sustainable products from trusted suppliers.

It is certainly encouraging to read that Generation Z (those born after 1997) and millennials regard sustainability as a huge deal, something that is important enough to define their lifestyle and them as a person. A recent UK survey revealed that 90% of Gen Z consumers have made changes to be more sustainable in their daily lives and they would be willing to spend 10% more to acquire sustainable products.

It’s been said countless times before: we only have one planet and it needs our help right now, so let’s make sure we are all adopting the best possible approach we can to play our part and help out to ensure a more sustainable and brighter future.

L’Oréal and Avery Dennison Collaborate to Eliminate Label Waste

TRAVEL Brilliant

BEYOND GREATNESS

✦ Travel writer Susie Boswell explores some accommodation options in three cities hosting the biggest women’s sporting event worldwide, on its ninth occasion now for the first time in the southern hemisphere – slogan: “Beyond Greatness”.

On the last weekend of June, Sydney Harbour Bridge was closed throughout Sunday morning as thousands of revellers danced their way across the span. The rare closure of the landmark for the celebration underlined the prestige of the impending 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, hosted in Australia and New Zealand and kickingoff simultaneously in both Sydney and Auckland on Thursday, July 20.

A total of 64 matches among the participating 32 nations are being staged across the following 32 days at 10 venues in Sydney (Accor Stadium Australia and Sydney Football Stadium),

Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth and in New Zealand in Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton and Dunedin, leading up to the final at Accor Stadium on Sunday August 20.

In the Sydney opening the Matildas meet the Republic of Ireland and at Eden Park it’s New Zealand versus Norway. The United States, the inaugural Cup winners, are defending champions from the tournaments in both 2015 (in Canada) and 2019 (in France). Brisbane, meanwhile, took part in kicking off the preliminary excitement with receipt of the original trophy into Australia on June 28, after its 120,00km

journey around each of the participating countries. It’s passed the trophy on to the other States before crossing the ditch to end its grand promotional journey in Wellington six days out from the start of the international tournament.

In the Group Stage alone

Brisbane matches will feature the Matildas and teams from the powerhouse footballing nations of England, France, Germany and Brazil. The river city will also see a round of 16 knockout and a quarter final before hosting the bumper third-place play-off on Saturday 19 August.

Waltz in Matildas

The excitement is heightened for North Coast NSW fans with the opportunity of expanding their choice of flying to an east coast FIFA venue from Sydney and Brisbane now also to take in Melbourne, thanks to the new twice-weekly Bonza service between Tullamarine and Port Macquarie. Better book early!

August across their city-based locations of Park Regis City Centre (Sydney), Park Regis Griffin Suites (Melbourne) and Park Regis North Quay (Brisbane), near to stadia hosting the games.

Hotel websites will inform guests on matches and locations; guests will receive an itinerary with match schedule and tips on pre-game venues such as restaurants and bars; hotel reception areas will be themed, with staff in supporter merchandise to boost the sporting atmosphere.

bars and a merch shop including jerseys and the official WWC ball. At the “Playground”, fans can compete with friends and others: shoot past a speedometer, play football snooker or a three-hole game of football mini-golf, enjoy penalty practice or a full game on the festival’s pop-up pitch.

Regional fans can now choose to fly direct with Bonza to matches in Melbourne, as well as to the usual destinations of Sydney and Brisbane.

cAs an example of rates, I searched a dummy booking at Melbourne’s Park Regis Griffin Suites, three nights Friday 4 August to Monday 7 August, and found a king Studio for two adults for around $142 a night, a total of $445 inclusive of tax and service charges. The airconditioned room features 42inch TV, kitchenette with fridge and microwave. Check individual hotel websites for information and bookings via www.staywellgroup. com

An on-site FIFA Museum traces the epic history of the competition and its greatest ever players through film, interactive displays and team profiles, and a display of artefacts, including the trophy itself. For younger fans, there’s a jersey colouring-in competition.

More Information

Visit fifa.com for all tournament information including Fan Festivals across Australia and NZ.

For further Sydney-specific info and Festival operating dates:

Booking accommodation as soon as possible, too, is also essential, as the capital cities report reservations overflowing with visiting international squads and supporters. One group, StayWell hotels, is offering special World Cup rates through July and

Meanwhile, all nine host cities will be holding FIFA Fan Festivals - free events for those not travelling to the grounds. Sydney’s, for example, is at Darling Harbour’s Tumbalong Park. Every game will be shown on giant screens along with big-name music acts, festival street food and

Sydney match schedule:

many hotels offering special FIFA rates

Melbourne’s Park Regis Griffin Suites: among

STAY! Before You Go

✦ International travel is back in a big way - with big ticket prices for long-haul flights to match. So, making the most of your outward journey is vital: starting out well sets the tone for the rest of your voyage. Conversely, a bungled departure means the thrill is spoiled, a pall thrown over your entire trip.

Congestion heading for Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport complex is inevitable: 3 millionplus passengers alone enter and exit the area every month – an average 100,000 a day.

Travel writer Susie Boswell has some top tips to avoid “tripping” up.

After all the planning, budgeting and excitement of settling on an itinerary and the duration of your overseas jaunt, you’re all set to go! But have you overlooked: getting to the airport, the international gateway to your holiday - on time - is the first most important step towards a successful sojourn at your overseas destination?

Fares up by 50 per cent: Based on searches by those wanting to fly between 1 July and 31 December 2023, the average international return economy air fare has risen by 51% to $1826 compared with the same period in 2019, right before the pandemic

cTake Sydney International Airport for instance. If you live in the Sydney area, it’s hard enough to predict and avoid traffic and public transport snarls en route to the terminal. But for those in regional locations the situation is far trickier. And, today, you’re expected to be at the terminal at least three hours before departure time.

Cutting it fine means stress levels through the roof, and the potential for plenty to go wrong as you rush through all the preliminaries.

Not a week goes by without several intending travellers asking in local public forums: “How much time should I allow to connect from my domestic flight to the international terminal?” Or: “Is my [regional]

Restful rooms at 5-Star Pullman Sydney Airport Hotel

flight likely to be delayed into Sydney?” Or even: “I’m booked on both legs with Qantas; will they hold my forward flight to London if we’re late arriving into the domestic terminal?”

A short reflection answers all these questions: it’s not only smart but essential to avoid anxiety by travelling to your Sydney departure point the day before your forward journey overseas.

It’s peculiar that holidaymakers happily spend many thousands of dollars on their trip, yet resist shelling out a mere few hundred more to stay over in Sydney - or other capital-city hub - the night before departure. But it’s the only way to ensure you’ll make your flight on time and go on your way relaxed, setting out hassle-free.

There’s one other proviso: it’s essential to make your stay at an airport hotel, otherwise you’ll negate the benefit of an early arrival in the city, risking the vagaries of heavy traffic on your way to the gate the following day.

Flying to Sydney from the regions means it’s logical to choose an airport hotel anyhow – moments

from landing, and immediately handy on departure next day. If you’re driving from the regions there’s the benefit of secure onsite parking at a number of airport hotels, your car waiting for you instantly on return.

Dollars don’t daunt desire. The rise in costs hasn’t diminished Australians’ desire to get out there. International flight searches for the second half of 2023 are up by approaching 70 per cent above pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, searches this year versus last year have grown by more than 200% for international flights and more than 100% for domestic journeys. There are around a dozen hotels of various quality and comfort - and rates - in close vicinity to the international and domestic airport precincts. (At least one boldly admits they’d rather cater to overseas or interstate guests. Who knows why – perhaps because they can’t offer on-site parking?) So this month, and in following months, I explore the attributes of four hotels I’ve investigated by staying in person and checking the level of service and amenity of each.

PULLMAN Sydney Airport Hotel

Refer to the map at pullmansydneyairport.com.au to see how close to the boarding gate you’ll be.

This five-star hotel - the only five-star Sydney airport hotel - is my favourite. I’ve stayed in its welcoming embrace multiple times both prior to departure and on arriving back home exhausted from a long trip, needing the immediate cocoon of a soft warm bed, quietness and the chance to regroup before flying on, or driving, home a day later. Here, it’s all easy. Pullman’s 230 rooms and suites are located on O’Riordan Street Mascot, a short walk from Mascot rail station, linking to both the international and domestic terminals in just five minutes. Moreover, if you’d like a departure-eve dinner or treat in the city centre, trains from Mascot conveniently have you in the CBD in a quoted 7-10 minutes. To reach the airport though, I prefer the door-to-door shuttle beginning in time for the first flights of the day, or a very cheap taxi ride.

Sleek streamlined design elements soothe the soul

Among the criteria for a fivestar hotel rating is room size. At Pullman it’s not only the accommodating size but also the relaxing design and layout. The feeling’s of entering a salon with ensuite at a private club: an immaculately clean space, modern appointments, luxury furnishings - a cosy and cosseting ambience overall.

cDollars don’t daunt desire:

The rise in costs hasn’t diminished Australians’ desire to fly. International flight searches for second-half 2023 are up by near 70% over pre-pandemic levels. And searches this year vs. last year have grown by over 200%.

For total pampering before departure or following a long-haul return, it’s just the ticket. Carpeting is warm and welcoming; big soaking bath, hand-held and rain showers, vanity (with magnifying shaving/make-up mirror) and toilet facilities sparkle; appointments including wardrobes, large mirrors, coffee-making and supplied finelabel teas, desk, giant armchair, mini-safe, super-comfy king bed or dual beds and flat-screen TV coupled with 24-hour room service create a feeling of coddling and contentment. Pullman makes guests feel special. That includes those wanting to take advantage of one of its 12 rooms specifically catering for disability travellers.

Outside your own private space Pullman offers superior hospitality facilities. A spacious ground-floor open-plan restaurant and bar adjacent to tall picture windows provide service from an early breakfast of the widest selections – with eggs cooked in an open kitchen to your order – throughout the day, onto evening cocktails and dinner: no need to exert yourself

beyond strolling to the (very efficient) lifts and pressing the call button. For quick communications a complimentary mini office nook with Apple computer, printer and charging points is tucked into a corner of the lobby.

In its status as the leading airport hotel, Pullman’s Fit Lounge, a.k.a. gym, acknowledges that guests’ bodies are often attuned to global time zones, and so is open 24/7.

Complimentary changing rooms and top-notch cardio and weight machines are at your disposal; working out is doubly stimulating with full-height windows looking out onto a calming leafy terrace, letting the sunshine in.

Also, open 24/7 for its travelling clientele, Pullman’s reception desks ensure a swift and smooth transition; a round-the-clock concierge service assists with shuttle bookings, taxis, luggage and related inquiries.

One of the hotel’s biggest drawcards is the convenience of its short- and long-term parking. It’s in an excellent on-site under cover

Hello! A notable reception at Pullman ➸

space, no concerns if a hailstorm hits – unlike at other hotels, at Blue Emu and other commercial (distant) car parks, and the openair sections of the International Terminal. It is more secure than most – unlike my experience in the international terminal car park, when my return home from holidays was spoiled by finding an impact to my car that took ages to investigate and have fixed (and I was one of the lucky ones).

Additionally, you’re not obliged to hand over your keys, as is the case at many others. For example, too: passengers can park at Blue Emu for international flights but there’s no transfer to the overseas terminal: you must change at the domestic terminus to a bus or train – a long haul in all.

Current Pullman parking rates are a reasonable $40/ day (unlimited entries/exits); $210 weekly. *For availability of special Stay, Park and Fly packages inquire by calling or emailing the hotel.

Children, as well as adults, will be captivated by one unique and quirky aspect of Pullman décor. Larger-thanlife sculptures, in bronze or bright-coloured fibreglass, of characters known as Dogman and Rabbitwoman are dotted throughout its public spaces. The artists are Archibaldnominated Gillie and Marc, whose main studio is in the adjacent suburb of Botany. The pair say the unlikely companions represent diversity and acceptance.

For kids, they’re simply an awesome introduction to public art. Next time: Mantra Sydney Airport Hotel.

Contact

Pullman Sydney Airport 191 O’Riordan Street, Mascot NSW 2020. Tel: +61 (0) 2 8398 4600 Email: H9522@accor.com

Note Driving Directions:

From the east/city, travel south on Botany Road to King Street intersection and turn right into King. Turn right at the next corner, O’Riordan Street.

Sydney Super Shuttle: $12pp pickup and drop off International or Domestic terminal. Book via Pullman Reception 8398 4600 + dial 4.

Stretch, saunter on a treadmill, bench-press: unwind in the gym. ➸

SPORTS Brilliant

AEROBATIC PILOTS CAN TAKE YOU ON THE ADVENTURE FLIGHT OF YOUR LIFE!

✦ If they didn't have to land to fuel up, adventure flight pilots Philip Munro and Garry Herne would probably just keep on soaring. Such is the passion of those who love flying.

"Up, up and away!" It's not just Superman who is taking to the skies and doing acrobatic stunts.

Right here on Planet Earth, we met up with two pilots so passionate about what they do they continue to fly even when they are off work! Garry Herne is a pilot with Qantas Airways AND he flies when he's not working!

Both Philip Munro and Garry Herne specialise in aerobatic flights and take people up to the skies spinning, soaring and looping. Brilliant-Online barely managed to catch up with them for a quick chat before they flew off again!

What is aerobatic flying?

So what exactly is aerobatic flying? Those who love planes will tell you these massive machines of metal are actually one of the

most graceful, sleek and agile things you can see in the air. A well-trained pilot with the right aircraft can perform incredible manoeuvres. There are five basic ones - loops, snap rolls, barrel rolls, spins and hammerheads. Just as a ballet dancer combines basic steps together fluidly to create a choreography, pilots do the same with their planes. A creative combination of these manoeuvres make up an aerobatic display.

Philip Munro and the beautiful CT4 plane ➸

Philip Munro and his CT4

Philip showed us the CT4 plane that had originally been in the Air Force for 30 years until 1993. It is a military training aircraft designed to meet the needs of basic pilot training in the RAAF. It was built by New Zealand Aerospace Industries. This beauty is capable of some jaw-dropping aerobatics and can withstand up to +6 and -3 G with a maximum speed of 383kph. With a large clear canopy, it is also ideal for leisurely scenic flights.

When the Air Force decided they didn't need so many CT4s, Philip lost no time in getting his hands on one! Get into a CT4 with Philip and he may just take you on a wild aerobatic ride... or flight!

Philip has an instructor rating and is currently doing commercial flights where he teaches aerobatics from Ballina. In fact, he had just flown in from Ballina to participate in the South Grafton Wheels and Wings event, a mere 20-min flight away!

In spite of having flown for 35 years, Philip shows no sign of slowing down and putting his feet on solid ground!

Garry Herne and his Yak 52

Garry has clocked in 27,000 hours of flying. Imagine that! And you may not believe this, but on his off days (when he's not flying for Qantas Airways), he actually does aerobatic flying in his Yak52!

The Yak 52 is a 1991 model built for the Russian Air Force, and is one of the newest Yaks in Australia. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the Yak stayed quietly in storage until 1997 when it was given a fresh lease of life and imported to Australia.

The Yak 52 has a powerful 360hp supercharged 9 cylinder radial engine and the aircraft is stressed to +7/-5 G. It is capable of mind-blowing aerobatics, and is also the perfect aircraft to go cruising around in, where you can take in the amazing scenery in the Byron Bay area.

Did you know that the Yak 52 is fitted with a smoke generator that uses vegetable oil to produce a high visibility white smoke trail? This way, people down below can keep track of your flight path!

More adventure flights!

Philip and Garry take time 'off work' by going on adventure flights together with their old 'warbirds'. Both pilots love flying and taking people up in the air. Whether it's a leisurely cruise or a heart-stopping adrenalin-charged aerobatic flight, Philip and Garry are ready to go. With over 8000 flights under their belts, they have an impeccable safety record. Safety is their prime concern and they hold an Air Operator Certificate and undergo regular audits by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority on flight operations and maintenance.

If you're looking for that special treat or experience for yourself or as a gift, this will be one flight to remember. Flights can be catered to individual taste and budget. Philip and Garry also provide training for pilots interested in aerobatics.

Garry Herne with his beloved Yak ready to take to the skies!

Book a Byron Air Adventure flight with Philip or Garry

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION CHANGING HOW WE CONSUME AND PARTICIPATE IN SPORT

✦ Innovation is a word that lends itself naturally to the world of sports.

Coaches, teams and individuals in any manner of different sports are forever looking at ways they can innovate and out perform their rivals.

Coaches, teams and individuals in any manner of different sports are forever looking at ways they can innovate and out perform their rivals on the pitch, on the track, in the pool and in the ring. Unsurprisingly, technology is impacting the sports world in the same manner and at a similar pace to how it is in many other areas of our daily lives.

Whether you are a top professional athlete or merely a casual participant and fan, technology is driving significant innovation and change in sport. Heart rate and fitness trackers allow us to monitor our daily output, nutritional levels and sleep patterns meaning we can keep an eye on where we need to adjust in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, while innovations

in the home workout space have allowed us to integrate fitness into our daily routine at a much more manageable rate, something that was especially evident during the COVID-19 lockdowns. In the professional world, biometric data tracking, performance analytics and virtual training programmes are just a few of the many innovations that are driving change

and elevating standards across an array of sports.

Of course, technology has been fused in many sports for many years, from stop-watches through technological engineering in motorsports to ever-evolving camera technology changing the way we actually watch sporting occasions. Hawk-Eye is arguably the most well known of technological innovations used in a variety of sports such as tennis, cricket, badminton, football (soccer), rugby union, volleyball to allow those officiating a game to leverage a slow motion replay of the action to make a clearer decision – while it’s hard to imagine watching a game of professional tennis these days without Hawkeye being in operation it’s even harder to imagine tempestuous types such as John McEnroe arguing with a machine!

In football (soccer) the same technology is commonly used to judge whether the ball has wholly crossed the goal line and therefore whether a goal should be awarded, with a sensor linked to a device on the referee to notify. Innovations in recent decades such as the Snickometer, or just ‘snicko’ as it is commonly known, and Hot Spot have redefined the way cricket is played and the manner in which we watch it as a spectacle.

Environmentally friendly

Other major technological innovations in recent years include the Kinetic Energy Recovery System, otherwise referred to as KERS, in Formula One which takes the energy used when a car brakes and uses it later on to boost acceleration. Not only can this provide some riveting on track action but it also makes

for a more environmentally friendly race. Similarly, the drag reduction system (DRS) sees driveradjustable bodywork help reduce aerodynamic drag in order to increase top speed and promote overtaking. Elsewhere, innovations in camera sensor technology has allowed definitive winners to be stablished in racing events, hugely beneficial for the likes of swimming, sprinting and running in athletics and horse racing.

Not all innovations have been adopted so smothly, however, with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system in football (soccer) argubaly proving the most controversial. This entails a separate, off-field referee watching the action on TV monitors who has licence to alert the on-field match official in the event of any clear and obvious errors or serious missed incidents the latter may have overlooked,

Other major technological innovations in recent years include the Kinetic Energy Recovery System, otherwise referred to as KERS, in Formula One.

Photo: Getty

typically in relation to goal validity and offences such as penalty kicks, red cards and offsides. The on-field referee can then consult a pitch-side monitor to review and potentially overturn his or her original decision. It sounds relatively straight forward although it has resulted in numerous contentious moments in big matches with a lot at stake. Critics also point to the fact it slows the game down considerably and the raw emotion of celebrating a goal tends to be muted while a review may have to be conducted. The big challenge with VAR, however, seems to be not the actual technology but the human reading and deciphering of this information.

Fan engagement

It isn’t just on-field performance that technology is impacting, however, as innovations in the way we consume our sports are also plentiful. The opportunity for fan engagement has accelerated in recent years as most leading sports orgaisations have their own streaming channels, fan forums, fantasy leagues and player engagement tools to get the fan closer than ever to their idols. Similarly, blockchain technology

for transparent communication and video sharing, biometrics identification and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots enable much closer engagement with fans. Smart Stadiums use AI-based crowd sentiment analysis, while the Internet of Things improves the experience of visiting a stadium by helping fans find parking spots, seats and refreshment stands, while ensuring they have quick and reliable access to the internet before, during and after the match. The use of drones can also help the delivery of snacks to a specific seat at the stadium, while also improving cleaning efficiency once the game has concluded.

Enhancements in 3D technologies and 4K resolution means broadcasters can now stream live content via Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms to fans across a range of devices such as phones and tablets. While traditional broadcasters still hold the market share in their respective sports and countries, there has been and there very much will continue to be a definite shift towards this more mobile consumption as people prefer to pick up their content while on the move. Furthermore, augmented reality

tools that allow viewers to access on-screen statistics and graphics while watching a game provide opportunity for the individual to translate what is going on as opposed to relying on the commentators. Likewise, the use of camera innovation means fans can get a much more intimate feel when watching a game, be it from a pitch-side or overhead zoom perspective, or even from a player or official’s angle courtesy of onperson cameras.

cTechnology and sports will continue to fuse at a significant pace as further, more complex and creative innovations are realised which will, in turn, change the way we play and consume sporting activities. It is exciting to think what may lay ahead so don’t stand still for too long or else you might get left behind!

DISCOVERING A WHOLE UNIVERSE INSIDE YOURSELF WITH YOGA

✦ Many stepped into a yoga class out of curiosity, others were simply looking for a different exercise regime. Whatever the reason, those who continue to do it swear by the changes it has made to their lives.

Given its popularity, yoga has now expanded across the world and has many faces. You can find yoga centres that are more classic, some have a neighbourhood feel and others can be quite fancy too. For those who are new and curious to begin, this overload of information can be confusing and even deter people from just giving yoga a go.

Brilliant-Online Content Writer, Yann Tyng spoke to her yoga teacher Romina Michelizzi to get to the heart of yoga, and to clarify a few misconceptions.

Is yoga a religion?

Yoga is a way of life. It's a way to live more consciously. First, it's a physical consciousness. When you practise regularly, this consciousness moves beyond merely the physical i.e. it's no longer about the postures (asanas) or breathing techniques (pranayamas). It spills over into every action you take in your life. You become more aware of how you communicate, how you eat, how you prepare your food, your relationships etc.

Is yoga always slow? Isn't it boring?

That really depends on how your yoga teacher gives the class. Yes, it can be slow, but there is a fluidity in the slowness, and it's in this slowness that we find tranquility and calm. It's a mental and physical calmness. You learn to observe

with clarity. In our modern world, everything is too fast, too much, and yoga has a different rhythm. It allows you to breathe and to observe. Some may not like it, and that's okay!

Is yoga only for flexible people?

No. Yoga is a practice for life, it helps keep your body supple

over the years. So if you're not so flexible, you'll benefit as it helps you to stretch. As we get older, we all lose our flexibility. Yoga helps the body to maintain flexibility long-term!

Some also think that yoga is very acrobatic, and it isn't. The thing is, when yoga started to become popular, people see postures that are impressive on social media, but yoga isn't just that.

Do yoga outdoors and get in touch with nature too!

Photo: Romina Michelizzi

Yoga is for everyone - children, teens, adults, the elderly. We tend to see more women in yoga, perhaps it's social conditioning that we think women do quieter exercises and men go for the rough stuff. That's changing nowadays.

A good yoga teacher will adapt the class according to the people in the group, always taking into account that each body is different. It's all about respect really. You shouldn't be forced into doing postures that your body isn't able to do. We're here to heal bodies, not break them!

Yoga is not a race, there is no end goal to rush towards, no perfection to attain. The most important thing is to really listen. Listen to yourself. How are you really feeling? Listen to your body. How is it feeling?

Yoga is a great complement for all kinds of athletes - for surfers, for runners, cyclists etc. In many sports you may end up working one side of the body more than the other e.g. golf, tennis etc. and yoga helps you to balance that up. Other sports like cycling may give you tight muscles and yoga helps to ease and lengthen that out.

Yoga is expensive.

All you really need is a simple mat. Try not to get mats that are too cushiony. There are other tools like blocks and yoga belts which can be helpful, especially when it comes to adapting to physical limits, but again, they are not a requisite. In fact, you can always improvise and use a scarf or an old belt from your trousers! There is one style of yoga that does require more tools than others and that is Iyengar Yoga. But usually the centres themselves would provide the necessary tools. For clothes you just need simple, comfortable ones that allow you to breathe and move freely. Also, try to wear clothes that allow the teacher to see your alignment clearly.

As for the place where you take classes, there are really all sorts. A centre that is more expensive does not necessarily mean the style of teaching would suit you best. You need to try several places.

The most important thing you need is your willingness to get on the mat! And the next big thing is the ability to find a spot of time to allow yourself to actually practise yoga, to take quiet time for yourself to be calm, to just be with yourself. Yoga takes time, and you need patience to practise it on a regular basis. So more than money, I'd say bring your mat, your willingness and your patience!

You

must do meditation in yoga.

cYoga in itself is already a meditation. It's a meditation in movement.

What meditation asks of you is to simply Be Present. And that's what we're doing in yoga.

Yoga in Retiro Park, Madrid, Spain.

Photos: Romina Michelizzi

Be present in your movement, in your postures, in your breathing. Right here, right now. For example, if you do Vinyasa Yoga, it combines breathing and movements and there is a continuous ebb and flow to it. You inhale with one movement and you exhale as you do the next. This requires a great level of presence and concentration in what you are doing. So really, you're already meditating in the movements themselves. Meditation is not always about sitting still cross-legged.

Is yoga only for calm people?

Yoga is for everyone to find that peace within. In fact, for those who are a little more fidgety or nervous, yoga is beneficial because it's an invitation to try to find that oasis of calm within you. Yes, it's going to be more difficult for people who find it hard to be still, but that's what yoga is here to help you do. You need to have patience with yourself and give it time. It's not magic, and certainly not an overnight process. But it does pay off when you commit to it.

Why are there no mirrors in some yoga centres?

One reason is to avoid students focusing only on whether they look 'good'. The other reason is so students don't just blindly 'copy' what the teacher is doing. Listening is really key in yoga. Listen to the teacher and don't rely only on visual cues to do the exercises. Follow the teacher's voice as it guides you into the flow of the movements. Yoga is very introspective and not so much focused on the exterior.

Do we have to do weird chants in yoga?

Sometimes you hear people chanting or singing repetitive short

phrases in Sanskrit in a yoga class. These are called mantras, and they are also a form of meditation. It's a way to create vibrations in the body and calm the body down. It's like how some kinds of music help to soothe the nervous system. Mantras work in a similar way. What you hear, when you sing it, it has a physical impact on the body and on your energy. It's not necessary to do it if you're not comfortable or if you're just starting out. Most committed students ultimately do get curious about it and want to try it.

Ok, I'm interested! How does one start?

1. Which centre?: Check out centres around you, try a class and ask yourself if you're comfortable with the way the teacher conducts the class. Is it something that makes you want to go back a second time? That's

really the most important thing. A good yoga class should help you feel better after the class, not worse! I would focus on how the teacher is and go for the one I feel most connected to. Some teachers have a teaching certification and some don't. A certification is not always a guarantee the teacher will be a good fit for you. Observe their behaviour - a person with a certification but who isn't respectful or kind is probably not someone you'd want to be training with! And don't be afraid to trust your own instincts when it comes to choosing a teacher.

2. Online or in-person? There are online classes nowadays, but I

Online Directory for Yoga Studios in Australia

don't recommend online classes if you're new, as you need the teacher to correct you physically if you're out of alignment.

3. How often and when? It's ideal if you can do yoga every day, but if you're just starting out, I'd say three times a week is a good number to start. Personally I prefer to do yoga first thing in the morning, but you can practise any time. Try not to eat before class, or if you do, make sure there's a 3-hour space for your digestion to get through. When you do breathing exercises for example, it's really uncomfortable to do it on a full stomach.

4. Which type of yoga? There are many types of yoga, and for those who are new I'd say start with Hatha Yoga. It's the most 'classic' form of yoga. If you've been practising for some time and are eager to try something

new, you can move on to other styles. Ashtanga Yoga for example is more demanding, and it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

5. If you do have some medical condition, make sure you speak with your doctor first before beginning any sort of exercise regime, and always let your yoga teacher know about physical problems and injuries.

Why do yoga?

As a child, I suffered from asthma, which doctors and medication could not cure. I started doing yoga when I was nine, and two years later, my doctors gave me full clearance and I have not had an asthma attack since. I was able to run with other children, and now I'm even going into surfing!

Yoga makes me feel good, that's why I keep doing it for my health.

I also feel good when I see my students leave the class smiling!

Yoga is also a lot about acceptance. There are days when I do get frustrated, and I need to bring myself back to centre, be patient with myself, recognise my limitations and accept them. We may not be able to look like the impressive postures we see on Instagram, and we simply have to accept it. If I have an injury that stops me from doing certain postures, that's something I also have to accept and adapt to. At the end of the day, yoga is really about self-care and self-love.

cYoga is all about getting to know oneself, and each of us has such an immense universe within. The learning never ends! It makes you want to keep exploring your possibilities. And you never stop being surprised by what you discover! -

Romina Michelizzi, Yoga teacher

Yoga is a part of my life now and I've got plans in the pipeline to open my own place in Spain to teach yoga one day, so let's see what the Universe brings!

If this is inspiring you to seek some peace and calm in our increasingly frazzled lives, perhaps getting on a yoga mat would be a good start! There are also yoga retreats that take in practitioners on a donation basis, so access to mental and physical health really doesn't have to be expensive. Check out the Vipassana Meditation Centre in Spain. Get ready to roll out your mat!