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VETCARE2U specialise in: • Euthanasia • Palliative Care • Preventative Medicine -

Vaccinations, heart worm, internal and external parasite treatments) • General Medicine -

Allergies, Infections, Colds and minor injuries • Behavioural Challenges

FREECALL us today to discuss your pet’s needs 1300 164 948

a mobile veterinary business supporting all of Brisbane

Dr Esther Markey and her partner Mark Gardner founded the business 18 months ago recognising the growing demand for in-home veterinary care. With in-home farewells (Euthanasia) we look after everything including coordinating any aftercare requirements, such as a cremation service.

Why VETCARE2U?: • Less stressful - for the owner and pet. • Safer - not exposing your pet to catching or spreading infectious diseases • Convenient - we come to you. Really helpful if you’re elderly or have a disability. • Affordable - People are often surprised that are rates compare to those of a clinic. • Accommodating - You can have family, friends and pets attend your pets farewell in the comfort of your own home.

www.vetcare2u.com.au Ruth E. Wilson’s life as an aviator, adventurer and author makes the escapades of the fictional flying hero Biggles look rather ho-hum.

At age 75, she piloted a hydrogen balloon, at night, over the Swiss Alps – a feat even her male peers had to admit wasn’t bad for a woman.

Ruth now tells her story, from an impoverished childhood in north Queensland to finding fame as a balloonist, in her memoir ZZZZZZ `1

But it hasn’t all been up, up and away.

Born the illegitimate daughter of a mining family in Rockhampton during World War II, she was adopted at age 3, and spent what she describes as a dysfunctional childhood in Bowen.

She escaped the two-room, fibro garage known as home in 1960, when she secretly entered and won a local beauty contest aged 17 and was crowned the first Queen of the Coral Coast.

Ruth moved to Sydney and was married three years later. Content to follow her husband’s career, she moved from Sydney to the US, then lived in Japan for four years where she worked as a journalist.

Then it was on to New Zealand where, in 1975, her life changed when she met one of the country’s two hot air balloonists.

“As soon as I stepped into the basket, I knew I had found my destiny,” she says. “It was love at first sight and within months I had my own balloon.”

It was a world dominated by men but her passion led her to pioneer hot air ballooning in Australia.

She began accumulating firsts – first female balloonist in New Zealand, first female balloon pilot to establish and manage a commercial ballooning company in Australia solo, first Australian hot air ballooning champion, and over the next six years the first Australian female to

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Become a ‘Suncarer’ and go home every day knowing you have made a positive difference. Suncare offers challenging and rewarding roles across a number of positions and we’re hiring now! At Suncare we are committed to making people’s lives better. We are a leading provider of in-home care and health services that enable our customers to live safely and happily at home.

Visit careers.suncare.org.au, email Joanna or Sheree at hr@suncare.org.au or call the team on 1800 786 227 to find out more.

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compete in World Open Hot Air Ballooning Championships in the USA, France and Austria.

A 1985 trip to Switzerland introduced her to gas ballooning, and she remains one of the world’s elite female gas ballooning competitors.

At 46, Ruth made a world record night sky jump from her hot air balloon and a decade later, was the first and only Australian female to compete as pilot-incommand in the traditionally maledominated gas balloon race, Gordon Bennett Cup, in the US.

The oldest and most prestigious aviation event, known as the “America’s Cup of ballooning”, it is the ultimate challenge for pilots who need skill, courage and luck to see who can fly the furthest non-stop distance from the launch site.

In 2018, at the age of 75, Ruth with her co-pilot Tanys McCarron and 19 other competitors, all men, took off from Bern in Switzerland.

She was piloting an old, rented hydrogen balloon with 42 sandbags on board and over the next sleepless 33 hours, sailed 15,000 feet above the snow-covered Swiss Alps, facing alpine thermals, potentially lethal cloud formations and avoiding the restricted NATO Aviano Air base.

There was little food and the water turned to ice in the freezing temperatures – before heading over the Italian Dolomites to land safely in an Italian vineyard.

Ruth began writing her memoir as a history of Australian ballooning.

As one of the first balloon pilots in Australia she was well qualified, but then editors suggested she inject more of her personal story, as she has a list of deathdefying escapades. Among them is the riveting tale of survival after a 7m wave smashed her boat during a marlin fishing expedition.

But there has been more to conquer than the clouds. Ruth’s marriage ended after almost 20 years, and she has suffered the loss of close friends in ballooning accidents. Her much-loved brother, a Vietnam veteran, took his own life.

Ruth hopes the book will lead her to learning more about her biological father, the man who signed her birth certificate and disappeared from her life. It is also a legacy for her grandchildren, but there’s another aspect too.

“It’s to inspire others not to be swayed by age when deciding to embrace challenge,” she says.

Conquering Clouds is available from The Independent Bookstore, 880 Brunswick St, New Farm. Visit ruthwilson.net and shawlinepublishing.com. au

Proudly Australian owned & operated since 1970

At Algester Lodge, we provide to you high-quality residential & respite care, nestled in a bushland setting with landscaped gardens. Depending on your need we offer quality and security with 24/7 Registered Nurses on-site. We offer Residential Care and Respite Care

Respite Care will be beneficial to you and your loved one to give you both peace of mind. If you require a break from your supportive role, please call our caring staff at either location. “Everyone has been very polite and extremely helpful, especially as we were unaware of what to do. Mum is very happy with her treatment.” Resident’s Family Member

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BUNDALEER LODGE NURSING HOME ALGESTER LODGE

114 Holdsworth Road North Ipswich, Queensland 4305 p: (07) 3201 8772 f: (07) 3201 7926 e: admissions@bundaleerlodge.com www.bundaleerlodge.com 117 Dalmeny Street, Algester, Queensland 4115 p: (07) 3711 4711 f: (07) 3711 5699 e: admissions@algesterlodge.com www.algesterlodge.com