PakMag Cairns - October 2021 Issue 172

Parents and Kids Magazine

Issue: Oct 2021

172

CAIRNS

8 Ways to Show Your Support This Pride Month

FREE

Learn How to Improve the Relationship with Your Mind

SPOOKY Halloween Activities

Prizes to WIN The 3 Steps of Cyber Safety

HACKING HAPPINESS Preparing Your Body for Pregnancy The Importance of Being Kind to Animals

ROUTINES 5AND RITUALS Tips for Establishing

+

100 LOCAL

EVENTS to Check Out

Establishing a Positive Bedtime Routine Pull-Out Kids Activity Mag Inside!

Welcome 5 6 8 11

15

19

23 27 28 31 32 33 37 38 40 43

45

49

51

55

59 61

The Thing Is Check It Out Hacking Happiness The Many Benefits of Routines and Rituals Improving the Relationship with Your Mind The Benefits of Being Kind to Animals All Things Health Pregnancy and Nutrition Bump, Bub and Beyond Halloween Craft Parent’s Puzzle Mini Mag Adult Colouring Halloween Recipes Spook-tacular STEAM Awakening Your Child’s Innate Capacity Embracing Technology with Safe Limits I’ve Achieved Sum-Thing Spectacular!

How to Show Your Support This Pride Month Grandparenting: The Gift the Circle of Life Brings Back to You Daddy Diary What’s On

PakMag Founder and Editor-in-Chief Bree James

Where has this year gone? We’ve all muttered that sentence at least once over the last month – in disbelief October is upon us!

It’s a significant month, with many celebrations being held including Halloween and PRIDE Month, but it’s also a month dedicated to raising awareness of many important causes including breast cancer, pregnancy and infant loss, sexual violence, mental health, and being kind to animals.

For those in our community who have experienced or have been affected by these things, we are sending out our love and standing with you. We also wanted to extend our appreciation for all of the amazing people and organisations dedicated to providing helpful resources and services to support – thank you for all of the good you do.

As Maya Angelou said; “We need joy as we need air, we need love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share.”

Thank you for being part of our PakMag community. We appreciate you every parent, every child and every family that has included us in your lives.

Our greatest wish is that your lives are filled with love and happiness.

We would also love to see you at our next event! Head to www.pakmag.com.au/WIN for your chance to slide into Halloween at the PakMag Spooktacular – happening at Sugarworld Adventure Park on the 29th!

Until next time, happy Halloween, happy reading and don’t forget to tell everyone, you read it in PakMag.

Bree and Bec

Contact Us: p 4053 3331 e admin@m2f.com.au a PO Box 7433 Cairns Qld 4870 www.pakcairns.com.au • www.pakmag.com.au • www.m2f.com.au

Sales and Business Development Tracy Couper Graphic Designer Sara Williams

Content & Marketing Team Leader Bec Dent

Videographer & Podcast Producer Monique Saggers

Creative Team Leader & Graphic Designer Clare Winter

Content Creators Annamarie Booysen Sasha Rozhkova

Marketing and Events Coordinator Alyssa Marino

Accounts Trent Stievano

Our North Queensland Channels PakMag Cairns Parents of North Queensland pakmag_nq Parents and Kids of

North Queensland Our Global Parenting Channels PakMag Online pakmag_national PakMag The Give It A Go Group

For Parents The PakMag Parents Podcast PakMag TV

PakMag would like to acknowledge the First Nations people of the Yirrganydji, Djabugay, Buluwai, Yidinji, Gunggandji, Muluridji, Kuku Yalanji, Jirrbal, Wanyurr Majay, Ngadjon-ji (Choorechillum), Mamu, Djiru and Gulngay clans of Far North Queensland; the first storytellers and Traditional Custodians of all the lands on which we work, live and enjoy. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging.

Disclaimer: No part of this magazine, including the advertisements within it may be reproduced, in part or in whole without the expressed permission of the editor. Whilst the greatest of care is taken to ensure that the information in the magazine is correct at the time of going to press, readers are advised to check details before visiting. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or omissions.

The ideas expressed within PakMag are not necessarily the views of the publishers, but those of individual writers.

We have done our best to ensure all events and information was correct at the time of going to print. Please check with individual businesses and authorities during these uncertain times.

Net Distribution Per Issue 10,000. Most recent CAB Publisher Statement Conducted September 2019.

We encourage recycling. Please keep this issue for future reference, pass onto your friends and family, use for craft projects or place into the recycling bin.

families www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 3

The Thing Is

The Thing Is with Bree James There comes a time in every parent’s life when you start looking for alternative options to help you with your parenting, and let’s face it - life in general.

My mum was always a bit of a hippy at heart. If I had a cough, the likelihood of me waking with half an onion beside my head in the morning was very high.

The thing is, I think parenting really is experimental.

We are exhausted and wearing so many hats, sometimes it’s the little bit of magic we spin to our children that helps keep it interesting and gets us through.

When my boys were very little, I had them convinced that frozen water made in the shape of an ice block was a treat. And if they asked for juice, I gave them ‘rain juice’. They were happy and I didn’t have to deal with my already very spirited children becoming more festive. It’s certainly how we position things, and the meaning we give them that matters more than anything.

Like my parents, I have tried many things to help with all those lovely bugs and health conditions kids come home with. Everything from eucalyptus in the shampoo to keep nits away, to potato skins on cuts to help them heal faster, and lumps of ginger in tea to help with nausea. And yes, my kids have also been blessed to wake with an onion next to them.

However, when it comes to their emotional wellbeing, it’s getting more challenging as they get older.

The monster spray doesn’t work as well to alleviate their worries. As tweens, learning new ways to express their feelings isn’t as easy as when they were little nowadays they realise they can’t throw themselves on the floor and have a tantrum. I can put on as much relaxing music, administer rescue remedy drops, and dab oils like we are human bingo cards, but it can only do so much.

So, I have introduced and have been experimenting with ‘Self-care Sundays’ at my household, and it’s been a game changer for setting the week up well.

On Sunday’s we try and have a zero-technology day.

We spend the day doing something fun, then come 5.00pm, it’s relaxation time. This may mean giving each other a foot rub or 10 min massage, we then do a guided sound meditation, before enjoying a nice relaxing dinner, usually leftovers so we don’t have to cook, and light candles to set a relaxing mood.

At dinner - we talk about our week; the best bits, the worst bits, the things we are grateful for and a good deed we have done, and then we talk about our goals for the coming week. To finish the night, we take alternative baths and wash our worries away mum first of course.

As a busy mum I used to put self-care last, but in the past two years my health has really suffered and I realise now, just how important it is to look after yourself. By making Self-care Sundays a family affair, I not only nurture myself, but model to my kids the importance of taking care of their emotional, spiritual, mental and physical wellbeing regularly. I hope this sets them up to be able to deal with life’s ups and downs now and in the future.

Wish me luck with my new experiment, and if you’d like to join me and start your own Self-care Sunday, we’d love to see what you’re doing! Email us editorial@pakmag.com.au and we can share your self-care ideas with our community.

Bree www.breejames.com www.myvisionbook.com.au

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 5

Entertainment

Check it Out Cairns Pride Celebrations When: 8 - 24 October Where: Esplanade Dining Precinct, Tanks Art Centre More info: Cairns Pride Festival, cairnspridefestival@gmail.com October is Pride month and Cairn is kicking off celebrations on the 8th with the opening of the Rainbow Crossing at the new Esplanade Dining Precinct. The crossing is there to show pride and support for the LGBTQIA+ community. The free art exhibition is on from 15 - 24 October and the Pride Fair Day will be on 17 October.

Grass Is Greener

Cairns Food And Wine Festival

When: 23 October Where: Cairns Showgrounds More info: www.thegrassisgreener.com.au

When: 8 - 9 October Where: Munro Martin Parklands More info: www.cairnsfoodandwine.com

After missing last year, the fest is back on, bringing an avalanche of talent to the Far North including Ziggy Alberts, Peking Duk and Crooked Colours. It’s an all ages event, so bring the whole family, grab some earmuffs for the little ones, block up (sunblock), and rock out! $130.00 - $190.00

In its first year, the Cairns Food and Wine Festival will showcase our region’s local culinary delights! The festivities start on the 8th with a Seafood Feast, and follows through to the following night where Munro Martin will be inundated with food, wine, and live music.

If you’re wanting a bit of that VIP treatment, nab yourself a ticket to the Paired Dinner.

You’ll get to enjoy a 5 course degustation, created and paired by Ochre Restaurant. This is an 18 + event so get your sitters sorted stat!

Tinaroo Barra Bash When: 22 - 24 October Where: Lake Tinaroo More info: www.tinaroobarrabash.com.au

The Tablelands Hardware Tinaroo Barra Bash is on again, giving you the perfect excuse to head up to the lake and get your reels out. You could be in with a chance to win $10,000 in the catch and release tournament - so don’t forget to register and get your permit. Check online for costs, competition categories, and prizes.

PakMag Spooky Spectacular When: 29 October, 5.30pm - 8.30pm Where: Sugarworld Adventure Park More info: PakMag Cairns The PakMag Spooky Spectacular is on again! Slide into Halloween at Sugarworld Adventure Park for free twilight sliding, glow in the dark mini golf and family fun. For your chance to WIN your way there head to www.pakmag.com.au/win or listen to Triple M Breakfast with Elliott Lovejoy. FREE Event, but tickets are required. This event is proudly brought to you by PakMag, Calanna Pharmacy, Triple M and Sugarworld Adventure Park.

6 October September 2021 2021 | www.pakmag.com.au | www.pakmag.com.au

Shakespeare at the Tanks - Hamlet and the Climate Emergency When: 22 - 23 October, doors open 6.00pm, event starts 7.00pm Where: Tanks Art Centre More info: www.tanksartscentre.com/theatre A dynamic adaptation of Hamlet is interwoven with an ominous Climate Emergency in Tropical Arts 13th Annual Shakespeare at the Tanks production. In partnership with ARC Disability Services and the Tanks Arts Centre, Tropical Arts presents a theatre experience that breaks down barriers to inclusion and fuses theatre, dance, and music with powerful digital landscapes. $25.00 - $30.00 / PG

Walk to Remember When: 16 October, 8.00am - 10.00am Where: Fun Ship Playground, Cairns Esplanade More info: www.sands.org.au Red Nose is hosting a Walk to Remember event in Cairns, where families who have lost a baby can come together to walk the steps their precious children never had the chance to take. This gathering is held during Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month to help families share their stories and publicly remember their much-loved babies. October is a time for Australia to acknowledge and talk about this too-often taboo topic. The event begins with a 15 minute walk along the esplanade, followed by a memorial service, and picnic. This is a free event, but does require online registration.

Oktoberfest at the German Club When: 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th October Where: German Club Cairns More info: www.germanclubcairns.com.au The German Club’s Oktoberfest celebrations are going all month long with four huge Saturdays planned.

Head to the German Club Cairns from 4.00pm to late to enjoy with food, drinks, music (including their Oompah Band) and dancing. Traditionally a Bavarian celebration for the marriage of the Prince of Bavaria, Oktoberfest has become a 200-year strong tradition celebrated all over the world.

Tablelands Folk Festival When: 22 - 24 October Where: Yungaburra More info: www.tablelandsfolkfestival.org.au All about music, friendship, and cultural understanding, the Tablelands Folk Festival is a three day event showcasing folk and world music, blues, jazz, swing, flamenco, reggae, country, and rock - there’s something for everyone! There will also be workshops, comedy shows, buskers, poets, market stalls, songwriting competitions, and so much more.

FREE for children under 13, $65.00 weekend youth pass, $130.00 weekend adult pass. Camping is also available, check online for more information.

Feature

Basically, when you repeatedly do something, eventually your subconscious mind takes over and metaphorically says “sweet, I got this mate, you don’t have to worry about it, I’ll take over - I’ll run that pattern without you having to even think about it.”

8 October 2021 | www.pakmag.com.au

Feature

Hacking Happiness STORY Matt Hale Ever looked at someone and thought “how are they so darn happy?!”

Well, it’s all in context, and if you aren’t feeling too good in yourself but wishing you were, you’re more likely to notice it around you. Kind of like when you think about buying a certain car, and next minute you seem to notice them on the road a lot more.

That’s your mind actively searching for something that was always there, but now you’re more consciously aware of it. It was right under your nose the whole time – just like that smile that you deserve!

In fact, that last line may have even made you smile… and in turn, made you feel a little happier. But if it didn’t, don’t worry, because you can fool your mind.

It loves patterns, and one of the many strong patterns you’ve taught it accidentally via repetition, is that when you smile, you feel happy. You can literally force a smile on your face, your mind then connects it with feeling happy - so gives you that nice rush of feelgood chemicals.

Go on, try it now. And if you’ve forgotten how to give yourself a good old fashioned goofy smile, simply hold a pen between your teeth. That action activates the necessary smile muscles (this particular version can also make things feel funnier too!).

There’s been a lot of studies into this over the years, so in 2019, a team of psychologists from the University of Tennessee, combined data from 138 studies conducted over 50 years, testing more than 11,000 participants, and found that yep, facial expressions do impact our feelings. I’ll assume they were ecstatic – with or without pens held between their teeth. Whatever works hey!

Earlier I mentioned patterns, and if you want to hack more happiness, it’s important to understand what’s going on up top in that grey blob. Pretty much all your behaviours, habits and skills are the result of teaching your mind and / or body to react a certain way.

Basically, when you repeatedly do something, eventually your subconscious mind takes over and metaphorically says “sweet, I got this mate, you don’t have to worry about it, I’ll take over - I’ll run that pattern without you having to even think about it.”

A great example of this is driving – at first when you learnt to drive, you had to focus on every little thing.

You were consciously aware of how much pressure to put on the accelerator or brake, when to change gears or check the mirrors etc. But the more you did it, the less you had to think about it - so somewhere between learning and now, your subconscious mind jumped in and said “sweet, I got this mate! You don’t even have to think about it – I’ll run that pattern for you.” That’s why you can do the complex task of driving, whilst singing along with the radio, chatting on Bluetooth, or thinking about what’s going on at work.

Sometimes to the point that you get to your destination, and suddenly think “how the hell did I get here safely, I don’t really remember the full journey!”.

Now these patterns can be good or bad, accidental or on purpose, but just realise your mind will get used to them anyway, and run them for you.

Leveraging this, you can force more happiness into your life regularly, and with that repetition, allow it to become another automatic habit.

Often, we’re so busy and caught up in life that we don’t go out of our way to do something that we know will make us feel great.

Simply start small. Whether it’s just a five-minute window each day where you read a chapter of a book, a 15-minute stop at your favourite café, a phone call to a friend or relative each day, or even a session on the Playstation. Add it to your schedule – get your mind used to feeling happy.

Happiness can be just another really good habit.

Or, just pop another pen between your teeth, sit back and feel fantastic!

Matt hale is a popular media personality and renowned comedy stage hypnotist.

He’s made a career of showing people how to quickly and easily increase their fun, happiness, motivation, productivity, and personal satisfaction with simple mental techniques that anyone can use.

His Mindhacking Happiness book became a number 1 bestseller, and recently, UK bookmakers William Hill officially issued odds of 1000/1 of him replacing Daniel Craig as the next James Bond…! (No really, check out his TEDx talk "The Power of Probably" for the full explanation!).

Head to www.matthale.com.au for more on Matt, his online programs, a ton of free resources and to get a copy of Mindhacking Happiness for yourself.

For your chance to WIN a copy of Mindhacking Happiness head to www.pakmag.com.au/win and enter the competition. Good Luck!

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 9

Parenting

Managing Work and Family: The Many Benefits of Routines and Rituals STORY Dr Rosina McAlpine Managing work and family has never been easy, but add the uncertainty of a pandemic into the mix with working from home, juggling school holidays and ever-changing covid restrictions and things can really get quite stressful and chaotic.

More traditional rituals include family movie night, game night or lunch at grandma’s every Sunday. It doesn’t matter what the activity is – it’s all about a regular ritual that creates those special experiences and fond memories in your family life.

So, what can working parents do to effectively navigate, work, family and life?

Do Routines and Rituals Really Help?

The answer is to stop and reflect on this question: Do you have workable routines in place to help you manage the juggle of work, family obligations and this new life we’re all living? If not, here are some tips to help you to create flexible routines so you can reduce the chaos, and you and the other members of your family can get things done.

What are Routines and Rituals?

Routines are simply a sequence of actions that are followed regularly. For example, a simple bedtime routine for a young child might be: brush teeth, bath, PJ’s, toilet / potty, story, song and sleep.

Rituals on the other hand are those “special” things you do as a family like Sunday roast dinners together or unique things – like in our family we all have our birthdays at the end of the year, so in the middle of the year on or around June 30, we celebrate a “fake” birthday as a family. This includes cake, one present each, a special birthday dinner we even sing “Happy fake birthday to us… happy fake birthday to us…” Such fun! I hope our son carries on that quirky family ritual with his family.

Absolutely YES! Routines and rituals really help.

A research study exploring 50 years of research on routines and rituals found that they have many benefits for the whole family including making life easier, reducing stress, giving children structure and stability, supporting punctuality, improved learning and wellbeing, allowing for connection, contribution and belonging - not to mention taking family life from chaos to more order.1 If this sounds good to you then read on for tips to create routines and rituals in your home.

Steps You Can Take to Start the Change Process • Evaluate what’s going well and what’s not going well with your current work-family life. Is life a little too chaotic or do you have regular routines that you and the kids follow to help structure the day?

If not it’s time to stop and reflect. Keep doing what’s working and change what’s not working well – little by little overtime. Small incremental change is more realistic and sustainable.

• Plan the way you want family life to be in this new environment. Things have changed in the world – have you made time to change things in your home and your work practices? Remember, having a plan is

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 11

Parenting

something to aspire and work towards. It gives you and the rest of the family direction and hope.

• Execute steps needed to manage everything successfully. Once you have a plan for the routines and fun family rituals you’d like to introduce, it’s time to put things into place to help you have quality time with the family, get your work done, get the kids to care and off to school, as well as deal with the day-to-day shopping, cooking, cleaning, washing and other general housework. Create a fun family ritual first then work on the routines. Where will you start? Evening Routine? Morning Routine?... the key to success is to make a start.

• Anticipate what will stop you from achieving your goals and implement strategies to support your success? This is where you draw on your experience.

You know the obstacles that have prevented your success in the past - like not being ‘realistic’ when setting goals and overscheduling or overestimating what can be done in a day, or not sticking to the great routines you’ve created. So, instead of going down old paths, set yourself up for success – create realistic plans and activities for each day so you can succeed at work and at home.

• Persist and update the routines, schedules and strategies as you work towards finding your ideal family life. Hey! Rome wasn’t built in a day. Creating a great family life in this “new normal” will take time.

The key is to have regular family meetings, talk over things and persist. Where you see things are not working – make little adjustments until you get things just right as a family.

Remember if you don’t do anything differently, you’ll have the same outcome.

Tips for Success • Create a family plan together: Start by getting the family together to talk about brainstorming and cooperating to create a great study-work-family life.

• Creating or refining routines: Identify the special family rituals and the routines you’d like to create (morning, afternoon, dinner time, or evening). Book the ritual into the diary – and stick to it! List the steps in the routine in order and walk your children through the activities until they know how to complete them.

This could take a few weeks, so be patient. Keep a list of the routines in a prominent place in the home and use check boxes to encourage children to complete the activities and then tick them off the list.

• Young children: Instead of a list of activities for each routine, use images to help your young children learn the steps and complete the activities. You can take photos while they’re doing each task, or draw pictures – you don’t have to be an artist – kids are very forgiving. Not game to draw? Go on the internet and find free images you can download and use.

• Routines for teens: We all know that telling or yelling doesn’t work with teens. Instead, ask questions like “what routines would support you to achieve your goals this year?” Offer suggestions like “you could try…” or “have you thought about…”. Be the example and role model the behaviour you want to see. Capitalise on their LOVE of technology and encourage your teenager to research and find a To-do list App. Maybe you can use it as well for a win-win.

Most Important Tip of All OK parents, here’s the thing… if you only take one tip away from this article – let it be this one; to succeed at work and in your personal life - you need to be at your best for you, for your family and your employer. To be at your best you need to take time for rest, relaxation and rejuvenation. So as part of your planning process make sure you schedule in time for self-care – because if you’re run down, you can’t be at your best. Take some time to take care of yourself by getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising and doing the things you love to fill your heart with joy. With a bounce in your step, you’ll succeed with work and family and have the energy to manage the unexpected things that life can bring.

Barbara H. Fiese, Thomas J. Tomcho, Michael Douglas, Kimberly Josephs, Scott Poltrock, and Tim Baker; Syracuse University; A Review of 50 Years of Research on Naturally Occurring Family Routines and Rituals: Cause for Celebration?," Journal of Family Psychology, Vol. 16, No. 4.

1

Dr Rosina McAlpine is the CEO and creator of the Win Win Parenting program. Win Win Parenting’s practical and fun programs are delivered across a variety of organisations including early learning, school, corporate and government organisations in Australia, New Zealand and The United States. Dr Rosina is an internationally recognised awardwinning researcher and educator. www.winwinparenting.com

12 October 2021 | www.pakmag.com.au

Feature

Improving the Relationship with Your Mind STORY Adam Sellars As an athlete, Adam Sellars knows and has had to handle the pressure that comes from competition.

Just like you, his struggles, aren’t limited to his sporting experience; coping with the pressures of everyday life can be tough, and at one point, Adam shares, it even threatened to cripple and derail his life.

Freediving opened Adam’s eyes to a new way of living and managing pressure and stresses that come with sport, work, and everyday life. Wanting to help others break free from the shackles of pressure, he started The Pressure Project and shares his knowledge and strategies with businesses, teams and individuals.

The Pressure Project’s mission is to help release participants from self-defeating thought patterns, unlock their full potential, reach their goals, and live a full and happy life.

Adam shares how you can release yourself from pressure and improve your relationship with your mind. Don’t worry, you don’t have to get your feet wet to do it.

Deep in the ocean, on one breath, the pressure compressing your body, you descend into the big blue expansive sea not knowing what lies beneath. What do you find? Ultimate peace, ultimate enjoyment, suspended in time, a presence you’ve never known, all whilst not having access to the number one thing we human’s need to survive… oxygen.

How? … you might ask! Why?... you might ask. What are you talking about? Freediving! The fascinating but very misunderstood sport/recreation demands a calm mind, and your ability to control your emotional state and change the relationship you have with your thoughts.

There is no room for stress or anxiety before, or during a dive. Wouldn’t it be great if we had this same approach to life on land? The great news is, is that all the methodologies from freediving can be transferred across to life on land.

Freediving, unlike any other sport, ignites a primal fear that if not controlled and harnessed can lead to poor outcomes. These self-defeating thoughts can be seen in many areas of our life and are unfortunately part of the human condition. Small incidental pressures pile up and then manifest in the form of stress, which, in turn, can result in sickness, mental illness, and poor outcomes in life.

We live in a world where we seem to be in a constant state of worry and fear - of life events or circumstances in the future. Things, that quite often have not happened and may not happen - send our mind and body into our ‘fight and flight’ mode, which is damaging to both our mental and physical health and if left unchecked can have devastating effects on our health and in particular mental health.

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 15

Feature

Freediving is something that can spark that primal response triggering strong survival messages which means we enter our sympathetic nervous system which speeds up our heart rate, inhibits digestion, suppresses our immune system and basically redirects all energy to major muscle groups so that we can run like hell from a threat. In this case - our brain just wants to keep us alive, but in the case of Freediving it has the opposite effect to what we desire.

In Freediving the optimal system is the Parasympathetic nervous system, (rest, digest, and regenerate system), where the heart rate is low and the human body is at peace, operating well, and still. This is where the meditation world meets the underwater world. What we know is that the nervous system can affect the quality of our breath, but conversely - changing the way you breathe can shift your nervous system.

How do we do that? It’s as simple as 3 - 5 minutes of using a breathing technique that Freedivers have been using for a very long time the moments before leaving the surface, and pioneered before them by the Yogi’s.

Firstly, find a space where you can sit either on the floor cross-legged or on a chair with palms facing up in your lap. Then close your eyes - which is significant as it tells the brain that wherever you are, you are safe. Breath through your nose - as air that passes through the nasal cavity produces nitric oxide which improves blood flow

around the body. Belly breathe with this process and try to lengthen your exhale on the way out.

When you put all of these techniques together the vagus nerve is stimulated which is responsible for shifting you to your parasympathetic nervous system - calming the mind, and regulating your system. The great news is that the more you do this - the better you get at calming your mind and body, so when you get these self-defeating thoughts you can use your breath as a way of centering yourself.

Practicing this will, over time, train your brain to react differently to thoughts that have previously derailed you and kept you from living a full and vibrant life because your new pattern is to stop, sit, breathe, and control your emotional state before moving on.

Over time - less and less of those negative thoughts appear because you no longer react from a place of fear or anxiety.

Regular meditation practice is essential in our fastpaced, busy world. In meditation, start with your breath and every time your mind wanders - bring it back to your breath, and if the thoughts are not ideal - just observe them, acknowledge them, thank the brain for that thought, come back to breath and know that you are not your thoughts! Your brain is always trying to play devil’s advocate to keep us from harm but that also keeps us in a state of stress and a prisoner within our own head.

Adam Sellars, Director of ‘The Pressure Project’ is an Australian Freediving representative, qualified Freediving Instructor, one of the deepest divers in the world, and he can hold his breath for up to five and a half minutes! Adam, is a qualified Teacher of Mindfulness Meditation and Advanced Visualization and teaches these skills in competition and business.

In a safe and controlled environment, Adam shares the skills and techniques used by freedivers to control the powerful messages sent from the brain that can often immobilize us. He has worked with countless businesses and professional sports teams, including members of the Australian and New Zealand Olympic and Paralympic swimming teams.

For courses and more information on The Pressure Project visit www.thepressureproject.com.au Interested in a course? The Pressure Project is running a Ribbon Reefs Freediving Retreat from October 28 – November 2! Explore the immaculate Ribbon Reefs that stretch over 120km. This stunning area is home to impressive biodiversity and is one of Sir David Attenborough’s favourite places in the world. Imagine waking up on the ocean with gorgeous surroundings learning new skills, reaching new depths and swimming amongst 1625 different species of fish! Find out more and book at www.thepressureproject.com.au

16 October 2021 | www.pakmag.com.au

Feature

The Benefits of Being Kind to Animals WITH Pam Ahern and Shae Holden Edgar’s Mission is an Australian not for profit sanctuary for rescued farmed animals ‘that seeks to create a humane and just world for humans and non-humans’. The human behind it, Pam Ahern joins us, along with animal behaviourist Shae Holden, to discuss the importance of being kind to animals.

photoshoot to raise awareness about the plight of pigs in this country.

Pam, you’ve dedicated your life to being kind to Animals – can you tell us about Edgar’s Mission, Be Kind to Animals Week and why you started them?

As a wee tot, I can still remember my mum whispering “be kind” as my hand stretched out to pet our family cat, Tiny. Sage words that still guide my hand and heart today, reminding me that every being who treads, swims or flies upon this earth wants, needs and responds to kindness. Because although they may look different on the outside, inside we are all the same.

Growing up as I did, surrounded by animals in my family home, my heart and more often than not my bed Edgar’s Mission seemed a natural progression from this.

However, to be honest I never thought I would have landed where I am today. All I wanted to do as a small child, apart from playing with our family’s pets, was to ride horses.

I was fortunate to be able to go on and do this and, to my surprise, incredibly so, winning countless awards across the country including the prestigious Garryowen Trophy at the Royal Melbourne Show on two occasions.

I was living my dream, or so I thought.

Then in 2003, something big happened in my life, something that would change everything. Actually, it wasn’t so much a something - as a someone, and that someone was Edgar Alan Pig. He trotted into my life for a

The photoshoot was to prove life changing for both of us - as Edgar gently tugged on his lead and my heartstrings. It was through watching people’s interactions with Edgar that got me thinking - the very best ambassadors for changing the way people think about the animals who are farmed for food and fibres are the animals themselves.

And so, the sanctuary began - to provide a safe haven for those farmed animals we have been able to rescue from situations that would have otherwise claimed their lives, whilst providing a much-needed voice for those animals who will sadly never know kindness.

Be Kind to Animals Week has become an offshoot from the work of Edgar’s Mission, that seeks to inspire kindness for all animals. And although we know one should be kind to animals 365 days a year, this dedicated week is a platform for people to pause in their busy lives and thoughts, and consider animals.

Not just the animals who have traditionally shared our hearts and homes, but animals everywhere, from native animals, farmed animals and aquatic kinds as well.

With so many different types of animals in the world, they are so often overlooked and sadly as a result they do not enjoy the best of lives. From habitat destruction and pollution of their worlds to the cruel,

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 19

Feature

legal and brutal treatment of others. Yet, the answer to many of these problems is as simple as we humans extending a hand of kindness to animals, people and the environment.

Be Kind to Animals Week is a great opportunity to help make kindness contagious in our community, as studies have shown those who witness kindness are more likely to do kind acts themselves. As kindness not only benefits the recipient but the giver as well (‘cos kindness feels good), it really is the gift that gives twice.

Animals express their emotions through subtle (and not so subtle) body language and they are always giving us signals on how they are feeling. It is whether we can understand the language the animal is trying to communicate to us. Animals tell us how they are feeling all the time, but we often miss the subtleties of this language or misinterpret it altogether. If you take a moment to truly observe an animal and their antics, you will start to see just how they are communicating their emotions to you, even right now.

How can I show kindness to animals?

How do I know what my pet is feeling?

Pam says “The best place to start is to ask yourself: how does the choice I am about to make impact on animals? Whether the products purchased have been tested on animals or result from practices that ruin or pollute habitats and environments, whether the foods consumed involve animal suffering, or whether the entertainment to be engaged in could be harmful to animals.

Shae explains, “The best way to learn how to read your pet’s feelings and emotions is to observe their body language and cues. We instinctively know when our pet is fearful as they exhibit obvious body signals (cowering, tail between the legs, ears down). We find these body cues easy to understand, but what about feelings of anxiety or not having enough personal space or meeting new people and animals?

And if you want to step it up and flex your kindness muscle a tad more, there are so many ways you can do this. From picking up litter, volunteering at an animal rescue organisation or fundraising for them, reading and researching about animals and using that knowledge to speak up for them, writing a letter to the editor or a change maker on behalf of animals, and get handy and help out a disadvantaged member of your community because we are animals too!

It really is up to us to be the change we wish to see in the world. As beings of great power, we too can exercise great kindness. Seeing ourselves in others, human and non-human, is the best way to make the kindest choice.”

The key is to “know” your pet. Begin to study when they show signs of contentment, looking relaxed, when they vocalise - is it for attention or to alert you to something?

The more you know your pet, the easier it is to interpret what they are trying to tell you through their body language. If in doubt, don’t force anyone or anything on your pet, give your pet the opportunity to choose it. If you see your pet hesitate in any given situation, it is saying it feels unsure so be patient and give them time to investigate it. Always use positive reinforcement as your “go to” when introducing new things or training your pet and most of all, treat your pet with kindness as you are their family and they are trying to communicate to you every day.”

Shae, do animals have emotions?

How can I get involved in Be Kind to Animals Week?

The short answer is YES! You only have to look at a dog’s wildly wagging tail when their beloved human comes home to greet them, or see a piglet flop on its side and close their eyes when getting a tummy rub, or feel the vibration from a cat’s purr when they sit on your lap.

Animals display emotions all the time, the key is being able to recognise and interpret the animal’s behaviour and feelings.

Head to www.bekindtoanimalsweek.org.au and take the pledge to get your free Kindness Kit, plus tips and recipe inspiration in your inbox during the week. You’ll also go in the draw to win a free hamper of ethical goodies. The Kindness Kit has 21 steps to Kindness, from easy things you can do now, to long term actions that will make a world of difference. Find the steps and more information at www.kindnesskit.org.au

Pam Ahern is the Founder and Director of Edgar’s Mission and creator of Be Kind to Animals Week. A lifelong animal lover, Pam has dedicated her life to the protection of farmed animals. Pam is also the proud Australian Ambassador for World Animal Day. Find out more about Pam and Edgar’s Mission at www.edgarsmission.org.au

Shae Holden is an Animal Training and Management consultant.

She has worked extensively in Australasia and overseas (including USA, China, Vietnam and Jordan) within animal institutions, facilities and film production companies.

Her animal training experience is vast and she has worked with marine animals, elephants, bears, big cats, birds, hyena, wolves, primates, pigs and dogs.

For more with Pam and Shae on being kind to animals, tune into episode 114 of the PakMag Parents Podcast at www.pakmag.com.au

20 October 2021 | www.pakmag.com.au

Health

All Things Health Jana Gorski

Dr Bobby Griffin

Naturopath - Calanna Whole Health Pharmacy

Sunbird Orthodontics

Dear Jana,

Dear Dr Bobby, It’s really important to me that I find the best orthodontist, how do I do that?

The first thing to ask yourself is; “Is the person offering me orthodontic treatment actually an orthodontist?”

If the practitioner assures you that they are a specialist in orthodontics then you can trust, whoever it may be, that they have the knowledge and expertise.

While it is not illegal or improper for non-specialists to provide orthodontic treatment, I think it is worth remembering that you may be denying yourself or your child the opportunity to achieve a better outcome from treatment.

4038 1036 www.sunbirdorthodontics.com.au

What can I expect in a Naturopath consultation?

Lots of questions! A first consultation is an in-depth look into all aspects of you – your health today, your health history and that of your extended family, your diet, lifestyle, energy levels and sleeping habits. A Naturopath will ask questions about each system of the body looking for systems or functional pathways out of balance. Based on this in-depth questioning, your Naturopath may then suggest further testing or investigations before presenting you with a tailored plan of nutritional, supplemental and lifestyle advice to help you reach your health goals.

Calanna Whole Health Pharmacy www.calannapharmacy.com.au

Brighten Your Day with Mario’s Range Uplifting Blend Mario’s Range Uplifting Blend is the ultimate essential oil blend to help brighten your day. This refreshing blend is designed to boost energy, happiness and positivity in your life. These 100 percent essential oils include bergamot, pink grapefruit and rosewood which you can use individually as well as together. For optimal results, simply add two to four drops to your diffuser or if you are wanting to wear the blend, dilute 1-2 drops in your favourite carrier oil (we recommend jojoba) and apply to your skin. Ask one of our Naturopaths for a reusable roll-on bottle so you can make your own favourite blend.

Find out more about Mario’s Range at www.calannapharmacy.com.au or drop by a Calanna Pharmacy today.

Consult your local health practitioner, doctor or pharmacist for advice on these topics first to ensure the best health outcomes.

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 23

Health

All Things Health Your Mental Health Matters

Need help or support?

STORY Bec Dent

If your life is in danger CALL 000

October 10 is World Mental Health Day. It’s an opportunity to remind us that our mind’s wellbeing is as important as our physical wellbeing. Mental Health Australia explains that mental illness ‘is NOT a character fault, weakness or something inherently ‘wrong’ with a person. It is an illness like any other’ and with all the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, prioritising our mental health and wellbeing is more important than ever.

If you or someone you care for is in need of support you can contact the below National Crisis Counselling Services and Helplines:

“One in five of us will experience symptoms of mental illness in any given year. In Australia, that’s around five million people. And roughly 60 percent of these people won’t seek help.” – The Black Dog Institute You don’t have to go through it alone. It can be hard talking about your feelings or even finding the words, but reaching out to a loved one or a health professional for support can help you recover.

It’s important to remember there are effective treatments and services available to support you.

We’ve included a list below to help.

If you’re worried about someone, check in with them. Ask, listen and support. Beyond Blue explains; ‘’A conversation can make a difference in helping someone feel less alone and more supported in recovering from anxiety and depression. Don’t underestimate the importance of just ‘being there’.”

Your support can make all the difference – “from noticing changes in their behaviour through to practical support to help them recover and manage their condition.” You can find tips about having those conversations at www.beyondblue.org.au and www.ruok.org.au Your mental health is important, please remember to look after it, and each other.

24 October 2021 | www.pakmag.com.au

Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7) www.lifeline.org.au Lifeline Text: 0477 13 11 14 (6.00pm to midnight (AEDT), 7 nights a week).

Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 (24/7) www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 (24/7) www.beyondblue.org.au Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 (24/7) www.kidshelpline.com.au MensLine Australia: 1300 789 978 (24/7) mensline.org.au QLife: 1800 184 527 (3.00pm to midnight, daily) www.qlife.org.au . Anonymous and free LGBTI peer support and referral.

Open Arms: 1800 011 046 www.openarms.gov.au .

Veterans and families counselling.

Carer Support: 1800 422 737 www.carergateway.gov.au SANE Australia Help Centre: 1800 187 263 (10.00am to 10.00pm, Monday to Friday) www.sane.org Butterfly Foundation: 1800 334 673 www.butterfly. org.au. National Helpline for people affected by eating disorders and negative body image issues.

Tools and Resources Mental Health Australia www.mhaustralia.org Head to Health www.headtohealth.gov.au Black Dog www.blackdoginstitute.org.au Headspace www.headspace.org.au R U OK? www.ruok.org.au ReachOut www.au.reachout.com Look After Your Mental Health Australia www.1010.org.au Embrace Multicultural Mental Health www.embracementalhealth.org.au The Black Dog Institute also has free digital tools and apps as well as evidence-informed fact sheets suitable for anyone trying to find out more information about mental health conditions, treatments and wellbeing.

Simply head to www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/ resources-support .

Consult your local health practitioner, doctor or pharmacist for advice on these topics first to ensure the best health outcomes.

Bump, Bub and Beyond

Pregnancy and Nutrition STORY Nikki Warren Having a healthy body before you conceive increases your chance of having a successful conception and pregnancy and ultimately, a healthy baby.

many nutrients in the blood including iron. If you can boost your iron stores (ferritin) prior to conception, you are less likely to become anaemic during pregnancy.

While couples can’t control all of the causes of infertility, they can control their eating habits. Research has shown that nutrition and a healthy body weight for both partners can have a significant impact on the ability to conceive. Furthermore, an organic diet improves your chances of conceiving and reduces your risk of miscarriage.

If you have good stores of iron, you can also choose to take an iron-free supplement during the first trimester.

Iron supplementation in the first trimester is known to aggravate the symptoms of morning sickness.

Most women want to do everything possible to prepare for a healthy pregnancy. Research shows that following a preconception care plan to get your body as healthy as possible appears to reduce the risk of miscarriage, premature labour, stillbirths and birth defects.

A preconception care plan may include the following recommendations;

Detox Most complementary medicine practitioners will recommend doing a liver and gut cleanse for at least 3 weeks of a 4-month program. A naturopath or nutritionist can assess your body burden of heavy metals and guide you through a heavy metal detox during which time the couple should give up alcohol and coffee.

Clean Diet A large amount of research demonstrates how pregnancy and fertility rates can be affected by chemicals we are ingesting. Pesticides can disrupt both female and male hormones and affect fertility so eating as much organic food as possible will contribute to your body’s health.

Boost Nutrient Stores The entire pregnancy and breastfeeding period is a long journey, and you need to prepare for it the way you might prepare for a marathon if you want to keep your energy levels up.

Iron During the second half of pregnancy, there is a doubling of the woman’s blood volume and this essentially dilutes

Zinc Zinc is another essential nutrient during the entire preconception, prenatal and breastfeeding period.

Studies report that zinc deficiency can lead to impaired synthesis of sex hormones, abnormal ovarian development, disruption of the menstrual cycle, recurrent miscarriage, a prolonged gestational period, teratogenicity, stillbirths, a difficult labour, preeclampsia, toxaemia and low birth weight.

Folate Folate is important for reducing the risk of neural tube defects, as well as vital for egg quality and maturation, implantation, placentation, foetal growth and organ development.

Both macronutrients and micronutrients are important to achieve balanced bodily functions.

For example, macronutrients are necessary to build and regrow tissues, maintain internal body temperature, and regulate energy expenditure. In comparison, micronutrients are critical to most chemical reactions within the body.

Lifestyle This is probably one of the most challenging aspects to change for most people. The fast-paced lifestyles we have nowadays aren’t too good for the soul.

Slow down your pace of life and prioritise doing things that relax you. Switching off the device to spend more time in nature and being mindful of what and who is around you, can all help optimise the body both before and during pregnancy.

Taking care of yourself and your health will give you the confidence of a good outcome – a healthy pregnancy and ultimately a healthy baby.

Nikki is a degree qualified Naturopath and Medical Herbalist as well as an experienced Fertility Naturopath. Nikki designed NaturoBest out of her desire to provide high quality prenatal supplements that she is proud to call her own. NaturoBest is a unique range that changes as your requirements evolve according to your trimester.

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 27

Bump, Bub and Beyond

Bump, Bub and Beyond Featured products, reviews and prizes. Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win!

VTech Popping Surprise Seal Toy

Australian Wooden Animals set from Growing Kind

$39.95 - www.bigw.com.au

$54.99 - www.growingkind.com.au

Meet the fun and playful Popping Surprise Seal. This happy and mischievous seal really is baby’s best friend.

Place Seal’s ball on his tail to see him perform his trick and to hear fun sounds and playful melodies. Seal also magically moves, wobbles and flips his tail. Press one of the three shape buttons to hear fun phrases, colours, sing-along songs, melodies and sounds. Bop his nose to make him move and to hear fun phrases and sing-along songs. Featuring three catchy songs and fun melodies, Seal helps develop motor skills and teaches cause and effect relationships.

You know you’re an Aussie Kid when you eat Vegemite on toast for brekkie (and can sing a little song about it) or if you know what it means to say “it’s going straight to the pool room”. To be an Aussie kid you have to have the real Aussie stuff and not the fleecy polar bear or the African elephant. This wooden set by Make Me Iconic contains some of Australia’s most well known and well loved animals and belongs in every Aussie’s house.

Magic Door Pillows Set $49.00 - www.magicdoorpillows.com Magic Door Pillows Sets include the storybook ‘The Sleepy Wizard, The Dream Fairy and The Magic Door Pillow’, Dream Fairy OR Sleepy Wizard plush toy, glow-in-the-dark Magic Door Pillow, colouring and activity book, audiobook, video storybook, the first two letters from The Dream Fairy OR The Sleepy Wizard and step-by-step instructions. Read the storybook to your children and watch the magic unfold as they discover real Magic Door Pillows on their beds, just like the children in the book! This soothing and magical bedtime routine will make any child love going to bed and keep them sleeping soundly the whole night through.

28 October 2021 | www.pakmag.com.au

Ages 3 years +

Establishing a Positive Bedtime Routine STORY Dan and Jayne from Magic Door Pillows Sleep is vital for a wide variety of reasons, including regulating our emotions, enhancing functions such as learning, memorising and making logical decisions, replenishing our immune system, and much more.

The most important thing you can do for your kids to help them get a good night’s sleep is to have a consistent bedtime routine. This helps them understand when it’s time to wind down for bed.

Consistent activities act as cues to help your kids go into automatic thinking mode and help them relax.

Here are Three Helpful Tips • Start your kid’s bedtime routine at the same time each night • Run a warm bath for them • Read a bedtime story • Talk about the dreams they would like to have that night

Our Magic Door Pillows Sets are designed to help parents create a soothing and magical bedtime routine for kids. Read the storybook and watch the magic unfold as your kids discover real Magic Door Pillows on their beds, just like the kids in the book!

Each night as a part of your kids’ bedtime routine, they can write or draw a picture of what they would like to dream about and mail it in the pillow’s magic mailbox. This way, their Sleepy Wizard or Dream Fairy, who sleep inside their Magic Door Pillow, will know what dreams to catch for them. Our pillows

also glow in the dark, making them great for kids who are afraid of the dark or experience nightmares.

You can view ‘The Sleepy Wizard Set’ and ‘The Dream Fairy Set’ at www.magicdoorpillows.com

Infant Mental Health The Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health describes Infant Mental Health as ‘the optimal social, emotional, and cognitive well-being of children ages 0 to 3, developed by secure and stable relationships with nurturing caregivers.’

The first three years are critical, as First3Years explains; “Our impact lasts a lifetime. 85 percent of brain development happens by the time a child turns age three. During these first three years of life, the brain is making connections that will become the foundation for all other learning,” “Experiences in the prenatal and early postnatal stages shape to a large extent our biological and psychological make up, medical conditions, immune system, reaction to stress, ability to relate to others, to love and be loved, to cooperate in society and share care, to be empathic and compassionate toward others,” explains Antonella Sansone, author of Cultivating Mindfulness to Raise Children Who Thrive: Why Human Connection from Before Birth Matters . “The earliest period of life provides a unique opportunity for the primary prevention of biological, psychological and societal disorders.”

For more information and resources on infant mental health you can head to: The Australian Association for Infant Mental Health www.aaimh.org.au, the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health www.allianceaimh.org, first3yearstx.org and www.antonellasansone.com

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 29

Craft

www.onelittleproject.com

Halloween Craft

Spoon Bats www.iheartartsncrafts.com

What You Need • • • •

Small wooden spoons Black paper White paper Scissors

• Googly eyes • Craft glue • Paint and paintbrush

Method Paint the backs and sides of the wooden spoons with your chosen colour/s and let dry.

To make the bat’s wings, fold a black piece of paper in half, draw a single bat wing against the folded edge, and cut it out. Repeat this process till you have enough wings for the spoons.

Now, make the bat ears by cutting out small triangles from the black paper. Then repeat with white paper to make the fangs.

Once the spoons are dry, glue these and the eyes on as shown in the picture.

Now grab your wings and add some glue down the middle where the paper was originally folded and stick the spoon on to make the bat’s body. Gently fold the wings up over the spoon to give them some shape and there you have it, Spoon Bat decorations for your Halloween celebrations.

Fluffy Pumpkin Slime What You Need • • • • • •

½ cup Elmer’s School Glue 4 cups unscented shaving cream Orange food colouring ¼ tsp baking soda Saline solution (you can use contact solution) Pumpkin scented oil (optional)

Method Start with combining ½ cup of Elmer’s School Glue and 4 cups of shaving cream in a bowl. Then add a few drops of orange food colouring and if you like, some pumpkin scented oil.

Now mix in a ¼ teaspoon of baking soda, followed by the saline solution - 1 Tbsp at a time. Keep adding and mixing in the solution until the slime starts to form a tougher, slimy, ball like structure. Stop adding saline solution once all the stickiness is gone.

Knead and play with the slime until it takes on a marshmallow consistency, then play some more.

For storage, an air tight container is best.

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 31

Parent's Puzzle: Sudoku Each of the nine blocks must contain all the numbers 1-9 within its squares. Each number can only appear once in a row, column or box.

WIN a Munch Eco Products Home Pack Worth $74.00 Munch eco essentials are eco-friendly and plastic free, with nearly all the products being reusable, organic and biodegradable. Enjoy the Munch sustainable kitchen + laundry prize pack including compostable dish cloth, eco dish brush, eco dish soap bar, organic beeswax wrap, eco laundry soap bar and stainless steel pegs. www.munchcupboard.com Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win!

Competition closes 31/10/2021.

No need to submit answers to enter.

Sudoku answers can be found at www.pakmag.com.au/answers

32 October 2021 | www.pakmag.com.au

Pull-out kids activity mag!

Colour me in Cover

1 20

2

19

3

18 4 5

17

6

16 15

7 14

8 13

12

9 11

10

Join the dots then colour me in!

1

2

3

4

Colour by numbers and reveal the spooky image above

WIN Tetris Dual $49.99 - www.goliathgames.com Tetris Dual is a fast head-to-head, tabletop strategy game based upon Tetris – one of the most popular electronic games of all time. The object of the game is to create the Tetrimino shapes displayed on the LCD screen, by dropping them into the play grid. Score points by placing a piece next to one of your own colour, but you can complete more points by completing a full row. Don’t leave any holes or you will lose points! Use some strategy to block your opponent, making it easier to play your remaining Tetriminos and complete the most rows.

Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win!

Competition closes 30/10/2021. No need to submit ativities to enter.

Colour us in!

©

TH

O

IP

© THOIP

© THOIP © THOIP © THOIP

WIN a Mr. Men Mr. Tickle Limited Edition Anniversary Book $16.99 - www.bigw.com.au

© THOIP

© THOIP

Mr. Men Little Miss is celebrating its 50th Anniversary, and to celebrate this special milestone, you’ll love the anniversary special gold-foil upsized edition book of Mr. Men Mr. Tickle, which is available in stores now. Mr. Tickle was the very first Mr. Men character created 50 years ago, bringing fun, tickles and laughter to fans, young and old, everywhere. Now, this special © upsized© THOIP ©© THOIP THOIPTHOIP © THOIP THOIP ©©THOIP edition of the classic story features a bonus new backstory about how it all began!

Find out more © THOIP about Mr. Men Little Miss at www.mrmen.com Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win!

Competition closes 30/10/2021. No need to submit ativities to enter.

©

Connect the dots to find a healthy, crunchy treat.

Count as you go. Then, colour it in! What does this food taste like?

12

1

11

2

3

10

4 9 5 8

7

6

WIN Sesame Street's Tickle Me Elmo $39.99 - www.bigw.com.au Elmo just loves to be tickled! Tickle Me Elmo talks, wiggles and giggles, and the more you tickle Elmo’s tummy, the harder he laughs and wiggles – he’ll even let you know how much fun he is having, with over 20 sounds like “Again, do it again!”, “Wow, that tickles” and “This is fun!” Tickle Me Elmo is as soft and cuddly as ever, and little ones will adore his phrases and laughter as they squeeze his tummy and press his hands and feet!

Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win!

Competition closes 30/10/2021. No need to submit ativities to enter.

Adult Colouring

WIN a Copy of Liver Better Life As it turns out, your liver health is the canary in the coalmine for your overall health. With good liver health, you can look forward to a life of vitality, free of the diseases that so often cause premature death in the western world, such as diabetes, heart attack, stroke and cancer. Reversing fatty liver disease is possible - and simple. In Liver Better Life, gastroenterologist Dr Paul Gow debunks common misconceptions and offers an in-depth insight into how your liver functions and the steps you can take to improve your liver health. Engaging and accessible, Liver Better Life helps you live a better life, without changing your life. $29.99 - www.panmacmillan.com.au Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win! Competition closes 31/10/2021. No need to submit colouring to enter.

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 37

Food

Spooky Jack-o’-lantern Burger Ingredients (Makes 4) • • • • • • • • • •

4 bread buns 4 lettuce leaves Capsicum (1 whole for slices, 4 x stems) Tomato 8 cheese slices 4 meat patties 4 pickles 1 red onion Tomato sauce Mayonnaise

Method Starting with your veggies, remove the stem of the capsicum and put aside. Then slice the capsicum, tomato, and red onion from top to bottom to keep their shape intact. Slice the pickles lengthways, then clean and dry off the lettuce leaves so they’re ready to go.

Prepare your meat of choice, frying evenly on both sides. You may want to try our ‘Heavenly Burger’patty recipe. While the meat is cooking, prepare the buns; brioche is always a goodie. Slice in half and scoop the bulk of the bread out of the top half. You can toast the buns in the oven till they’re a little crispy, then using a sharp knife (parents), cut two triangles out of the top half to create the Jack-o-lantern’s eyes. Once the meat is ready, it’s time to stack it all up.

Start with the bun base and mayo, followed by lettuce, tomato, and onion. Top them with a ‘bloody’ tomato

38 October 2021 | www.pakmag.com.au

sauce and patty, then place two slices of cheese, making sure to alternate the corners for a toothy effect.

Finally, add the pickles, the hollowed-out bun, and capsicum stem. And there you have it, a Spooky Jack-o’-lantern Burger.

Tip: For delicious burger patties, you could try out this ‘Heavenly Burger’ recipe (makes 4): • 500g minced beef - Topside is recommended, as it’s not too fatty, but has enough to add flavour and keep your patty from drying out during cooking.

• Salt and pepper (to season) • 1 onion peeled and finely chopped • 2 x garlic cloves, minced • 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs (recommended: make your own from day old bread) • 1 egg (lightly whisked) • 1 tbsp Italian herbs (Dry) or ¼ cup fresh parsley • 2 tbsp BBQ sauce Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.

Divide the mixture into four parts then form each part into a burger patty.

Fry the burger patties evenly on both sides until evenly cooked through.

Food

Halloween Fruit Platter and Dipping Sauce Ingredients (Makes 1 Platter) • • 2 bananas • • 250g strawberries • 3 mandarins • 1 red and 1 green apple • • 1 kiwifruit • • Sultanas • • Mini marshmallows • • Green grapes

Mini dark choc drops White choc buttons and choc drops 2 Tbsp peanut butter 1 cup Greek yoghurt 200g cream cheese 2 skewers

Method Beginning with the strawberry yogurt dip, blitz up a handful of strawberries (fresh or frozen) until they resemble a puree. Then blend softened cream cheese and yoghurt. Combine the two mixtures and refrigerate while preparing the fruit.

To make the ‘ghostly’ bananas, peel and halve.

Gently embed dark choc drops as eyes, and sultanas as mouths.

To make the googly grape eyes, halve the green grapes, embed some white buttons and dark choc drops. To help stick the drops together, you can heat up one side to melt and fuse them together.

For the apple creatures, slice the apples into quarters (setting aside one green apple

quarter), before cutting a small segment out of each to mimic an open mouth. Add peanut butter to half of them and fill with mini marshmallow teeth. For the remaining half, add sliced strawberries (to make the tongue) and some mini marshmallows. You can also use peanut butter to help stick them together. Use white chocolate drops and dark chocolate drops for the eyes. For the red apple ‘mouth monsters’ pictured, no choc drops are necessary.

Now onto the Jack-o’-lanterns. Peel the mandarins, and thinly slice the remaining green apple to use as stems.

For the kiwifruit ‘Frankenstein’s’, peel, slice in half, and skewer them. Melt some dark choc chips in the microwave, and pipe on to make the hair, mouth, and scars. Then pipe a drop onto some mini marshmallows and attach to the kiwifruit using the melted chocolate as adhesive. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can add the mix to a zip lock bag, push it into the corner and snip the tip of the corner with scissors (remembering you want only a fine line, so don’t snip too much).

For the strawberry ‘mummies’, melt white chocolate in the microwave then drizzle in a zigzag. Add dark choc drops before it sets to help them stick.

Once the dip is set, using the melted white chocolate, pipe a web on the surface and create a spider using a whole sultana for the body, and slices for the legs.

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 39

STEAM

Spook-tacular STEAM Waiting until the very last day of October to enjoy Halloween can make for a very long month. But to get in the spirit and prolong the fun, why not try some Halloween-themed STEAM activities in the lead up to the big day?

Here’s a few to get you started. We’ve also included some of our favourite websites to explore for more ideas.

Have fun and happy Halloween!

Hokey Pokey Treats Grime Slime What You Need • • • • •

1 Tbsp of psyllium husk powder 1 Cup of water Food colouring Flavour oil (adds scent) Large microwave safe bowl

Method Grab your bowl and combine the psyllium husk and water, make sure to mix well to avoid any clumping.

You can also add any food colouring at this time, a grimey green is a winner this Halloween. Now microwave the mixture until you see bubbles, should be about 3 – 4 minutes on high. Then set aside and let cool, during this time it will thicken. Once it’s back to room temperature it’s good to go. Psyllium husk is a dietary fibre supplement that loves binding to water molecules therefore creating a slimey mess called a mucilage.

We don’t recommend eating the slime, but it is safe if children do put it in their mouths. Play around with colours and flavours and see what you can create.

Store in zip lock bags in the fridge for up to a week.

40 October September 2021 2021 | www.pakmag.com.au | www.pakmag.com.au

What You Need • • • • • •

5 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp golden syrup 1 tsp baking soda Butter Small pot / saucepan Baking paper

Method Start with greasing some baking paper with butter, this will be where your honeycomb will go, then put aside. Add sugar and golden syrup into a pot and slowly heat. Make sure to take your time to avoid burning, and to be careful as it will get very hot. Once all the sugar is dissolved, turn up the heat and let it boil for two minutes without mixing. Now remove the pan from heat, get a fork ready for stirring, add 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and stir as hard as you can until it’s all mixed in.

The baking soda which is basic or alkaline reacts with sugar that is acidic and creates carbon dioxide gas, which makes the bubbles and appears foamy. This type of acid and base reaction is called neutralisation.

Now pour your hokey pokey out onto the baking paper, and let cool for half an hour or so. Once it’s cooled down and set, you can smash it up and dish it out – makes for a perfect Halloween treat.

Bubbling Bath Bombs What You Need • • • • • • • •

1 Cup baking soda ½ Cup citric acid ½ Cup cornflour ½ Cup Epsom Salt or fine sea salt 2 ½ Tbsp coconut oil 2 Tbsp water Food colouring or bath bomb soap dye Bath bomb moulds (you can also use muffin tins, or small cake moulds) • Mixing bowl Method Start by mixing the baking soda, citric acid, cornflour, and salt in a bowl, then whisk to make sure it’s all combined.

Now mix the oil and water, as best as chemically possible, and slowly pour into the bowl, mixing as you go. Keep mixing until it resembles wet sand. Now’s also the time to add any colours and dyes, create Jack O’ Lanterns and use orange, or keep them white to later paint eyeballs. Now grab your moulds, generously fill both sides and firmly press together.

Keep it together for a few minutes, then tap on each side to separate the mould from the mixture. You’ll need to let them dry overnight, but after that, you can have yourself a spooky spa or gift them for Halloween. To use your bombs, place them in warm water and watch them bubble away.

The bubbles are due to carbon dioxide gas being formed from neutralisation of the acidic citric acid and basic baking soda.

You also would have noticed that when the ingredients are mixed together, nothing happens, but in the bath, it bubbles because water acts as a catalyst by helping dissolve the solids.

Advertorial

Awakening Your Child’s Innate Capacity Steiner education is based on building human capacities. It was developed by Dr Rudolf Steiner and stands tall with over 100 years of evidence-based research and findings. The goal is to awaken the innate human capacities and passions in each student that will support them to become balanced, responsible, innovative, and self-aware citizens.

Cairns Hinterland Steiner School offers the broad and integrated Steiner curriculum that fosters a passion for learning, critical thinking, creativity, connectedness and positivity. The curriculum is progressive and holistic, accounting for the needs of the whole child – academic, physical, emotional and spiritual, also known as the head, heart and hands – which meets each child at their developmental phase to optimise learning.

We are interested not only in their learning but also their wellbeing.

human history. Rudolf Steiner saw the process of human development illustrated in the different stages of world history or the epochs. Learning about these epochs through the mythologies and imaginative pictures of history reflect the deep inner truths of life.

“All subjects, from science, maths, literacy to music, are presented in an artistic, practical and engaging way that nourishes the soul and builds intellectual intelligence. There is a strong emphasis on creativity, the arts, moral development, and academic excellence,” explains Shelley Bowen

Shelley Bowen, Education Director at Cairns Hinterland Steiner School explains “Steiner education carries a deep understanding of the different phases of a child’s development and as a result, learning meets the child in a natural way rather than it being put upon them.”

The teachers strive to create a supportive learning environment through a broad, integrated curriculum with a diverse range of experiences. This allows students to build upon and explore their inner strengths, talents, and passions whilst also developing the areas that challenge them. This rich learning experience supports students to become balanced, responsible, empathetic and self-aware citizens who can face and resolve problems and envision innovative ideas; the building blocks for successfully transitioning into adulthood.

While early years are play-based in home-like environments, the primary and high school years begin a journey through the ages. Just as human society has passed through great cultural periods that build on the previous stage, the development of the child mirrors the archetypal learning stages that reflect our entire

“Steiner education places great emphasis on working with the imagination, which is such a powerful cognitive force in young people.” says Shelley Bowen, “this fostering of imagination in young people leads to the possibility of seeing alternative solutions in adult life, as well as developing their social and emotional resilience.”

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 43

Education

Embracing Technology with Safe Limits STORY Tim Manea - Deputy Principal, Trinity Anglican School Our parents had it good! Raising kids in the 70’s and 80’s, whilst not without its challenges, would have been much simpler than having to navigate the parenting landscape of today. Monitoring the type of music your child listened to and the TV shows they watched and drilling into them to be home before the streetlights came on, really was the extent of it.

Today, not only are there 30 more types of milk to choose from but the rapid rate that technology is advancing brings with it a multitude of parenting challenges. How do we prepare our children for the unknown workforce of tomorrow? How do we enable them to embrace technology with safe limits? How do we monitor multiple channels with unlimited content?

How do we keep them safe when predators aren’t just strangers in public, and bullies aren’t just in the school yard?

If this pandemic has taught us anything it’s that technology plays an integral part in allowing people to work and continue their education at home. We know that the fourth revolution is upon us with technology replacing plenty of jobs whilst allowing others to be

streamlined. There is no doubt about it, our children need to embrace technology and we need to support them in doing so.

I have no doubt that keeping your kids safe online is one of the many things causing you sleepless nights.

However, implementing the three steps of cyber safety will go a long way in mitigating potential risk. The three key steps include ensuring safe access, setting clear boundaries, and keeping communication open, more information on each step is detailed below:

1. Controlling access is critical to ensuring your child is safe online. Before providing access to a device it is important that you setup filtering and adjust privacy settings. Start with the device itself by utilising the parental control tools in the settings section of the device. This will enable you to block access to inappropriate apps, the ability to download other apps and set limits on screentime.

Next, tackle the browser, turn on Google safe search and YouTube restricted mode settings. For your older kids you might want to consider blocking access to

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 45

Education

set physical boundaries in your home as well, such as no devices at the dining table or devices in the lounge room only.

3. Open communication is critical to keeping your kids safe online. Chat regularly with your children about what apps they like to use and why, tailor your message around specific apps to target what they might be facing. For example, if your teenager is spending a lot of time on TikTok ensure you talk to them about taking part in dangerous and inappropriate challenges. entertainment and social media late at night in order to force them to take a break. On that note ensure access to social media and gaming apps are safe by turning on privacy settings and removing location visibility where possible. Another way to safeguard primary school children is to ensure all accounts and apps are setup with your email address and only you have access to the password.

2. Setting boundaries when using technology is imperative and involves you establishing clear rules and expectations for your children when using devices and going online. Maybe you want to create a digital contract, or maybe you would prefer to have a verbal discussion and put an agreed upon list about the appropriate ways to behave online on your fridge for easy reference? Once rules are set, ensure to reinforce them when broken or kept, for example have consequences for bad behaviour and rewards for good behaviour.

Another great way to set boundaries is to formalise a screen time schedule. For primary school students ensure that it is very structured, for example, between 6.30pm – 7.30pm each day. It is recommended for high school students that you have a clear ‘off time’ instead, for example, no screens after 9.00pm. You may want to

It is important to also have regular conversation about issues that might arise on any platform, such as online strangers, people pretending to be someone they are not, divulging personal information, sending images of themselves and their bodies, how to deal with online bullying and conflict, peer pressure and their online reputation.

Where possible try to teach using stories and anecdotes rather than a statement of facts as stories are easier to remember and less confrontational. When your child tells you about something that has happened online avoid the instinct to take your child’s device away.

Instead talk to them about the incident and implement access control and other security measures to minimize the risk in the future. If you take your child’s device away, they are less likely to tell you about any future issues out of fear of losing their device.

One final piece of advice is to ensure that you get your information on cyber safety and helping your child integrate and embrace technology from reputable sources and don’t be afraid to be the bad guy when keeping your kids safe online. Finally, technology is here to stay, implement the steps above and go back to trying to navigate which type of milk to buy and a global pandemic.

Tim Manea joined Trinity Anglican School in 2016 as the Director of Innovation, Teaching and Learning. Before arriving at TAS, Tim held several positions at St Mark’s Anglican School in Western Australia, where he taught for 17 years, including in roles such as Dean of Curriculum and Head of the English Faculty. Tim was also the recipient of the Peter Foss Scholarship at St Mark’s ACS, as well as being selected as a distinguished Educator in Residence with Rubicon International, based out of Portland, Oregon. In 2021, Tim was appointed the Deputy Principal at Trinity Anglican School, due to his ongoing commitment to influencing the educational landscape in Cairns and beyond.

46 October 2021 | www.pakmag.com.au

Advertorial

I’ve Achieved Sum-Thing Spectacular!

Abacus by Wallis, a leading name in tutoring abacus and mental calculation skills, hosted an annual Abacus Skills Challenge in late August, with students demonstrating their speed and accuracy. The challenge had 34 students from prep to year 7, battling for the top spot in each grade. Meet the four winners of this year’s challenge.

Grade A: Saxon See Kee Age: 11. Favourite Subject: Maths. I find it easy. Algebra is my favourite. Other Hobbies: I play basketball and tennis.

How often do you practice Abacus? At class, for an hour a week. What is your favourite thing about Abacus? I like multiplication, because it’s really fast. What is the hardest thing about Abacus? Sums. They can take a lot of time, and I’m not always accurate. How do you overcome this? I just keep trying my best. How do you feel about your accomplishments? I’m really proud of myself.

This is my fourth time competing in the challenge and my third win.

Grade B: Owen Jacobson Age: 8. Favourite Subject: Maths. Why? Because I’m good at it. Other Hobbies: Tennis, swimming and reading. My favourite book is Minecraft.

How often do you practice Abacus? Once a week in class and one to three times a week at home for about 10 – 15 minutes. What is your favourite thing about Abacus? It helps me with multiplication. What is the hardest thing about Abacus? Division. How do you overcome this? By practicing and going to Abacus by Wallis. I just learnt how to do 5 digits divided by 2 digits!

Dream Job? Train Driver, Professional Tennis Player or a Mechanical Engineer. How do you feel about your accomplishments at Abacus: I feel proud and happy.

Grade C: Temma Hattori Age: 10. Favourite Subject: Maths. Other Hobbies: Drumming. I do a percussion class at school and love it!

How often do you practice Abacus? Once a week at Abacus Class and one to two times a week at home. What is your favourite thing about Abacus? It helps me with maths. I can do my calculations quicker than on paper! What is the hardest thing about Abacus? Remembering some of the things I have previously learned. How do you overcome this? I go over it with the teacher, listen to what they say, try to remember and keep practicing.

How do you feel about your accomplishment in the challenge? I feel happy and proud of myself. I don’t usually get medals, so it was exciting. Dream Job? Percussion teacher.

Grade D: Mei Hartnett Age: 8. Favourite Subject: English, because I read lots of books. My favourite book is Willa the Silver Glitter Dragon from the Dragon Girls series.

Other Hobbies: Playing with my dog, Yoshi, and my ducks Jemima, Chris and Jack. How often do you practice Abacus? I practice once a week with Miss Yoriko and at home three times a week for about 10 – 15 minutes.

What is your favourite thing about Abacus? It’s easy.

What is the hardest thing about Abacus? Subtraction.

How do you overcome this? I just keep on trying and practicing until I get used to it and better at it. Dream Job? A Palaeontologist, because I love dinosaurs. My favourite dinosaur is a Velociraptor because they are fast, a meat-eater and smart. How do you feel about your accomplishments at Abacus: I feel proud.

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 49

Feature

How to Show Your Support This Pride Month STORY Sasha Rozhkova October is Pride Month. We value diversity in most aspects of our lives, yet stigmas associated with gender and sexual orientation are still prevalent.

Many social constructs have contributed to this, but it’s time we work to provide a safe and equal space for everyone.

support, promote inclusivity, and be an active ally to the LGBTQIA+ community.

Whether you know it or not, chances are you’re close to someone who identifies as belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community. And chances are, as a result, they experience unjust treatment and judgement with significant implications on their mental health and wellbeing.

Let’s start with the basics, what does LGBTQIA+ stand for? Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and/or Queer (non-cis or hetero), Intersex, and Asexual.

The plus is inclusive of anyone who identifies so, some of those can be, but is not limited to pansexual, demisexual, gender non-conforming, non-binary, genderqueer, gender fluid, and gender neutral. Sexual orientation and gender identity are spectrums that don’t have to be congruent with each other, therefore someone’s sex at birth may not align with their gender identity or sexual orientation. It may seem confusing at first, but a simple search will clear things up and make you aware of just how diverse we are, just how normal it is, and just how important identity is to all of us.

Here’s a few startling statistics compiled by Statistics from LGBTIQ+ Health Australia (April 2021) that highlight just how catastrophic a lack of acceptance and support can be among teens and young adults.

• 11 percent of LGBTQA+ young people aged 16 to 17 had attempted suicide in the past 12 months compared to 3.8 percent of the general population.

• 25.6 percent of LGBTQA+ young people aged 16 to 17 had attempted suicide in their lifetime compared to 5.3 percent of the general population.

• 59.1 percent of LGBTQA+ young people aged 16 to 17 reported having experienced suicidal ideation in the past 12 months compared to 11.2 percent of the general population.

• 62.1 percent of LGBTQA+ young people aged 14 to 21 reported ever having self-harmed compared to 14.1 percent aged 15 – 19, and 21.25 percent aged 20 – 24 of the general population.

Even if you don’t identify as belonging to the community, you can still be loud and proud with your allyship.

We’ve compiled just a few ways you can show your

Be Informed With information at your fingertips, there’s no excuse to not do your research.

Know Your Pronouns Using the correct pronouns is a great and simple way to show your support, as well as help affirm someone’s identity. Although it may seem confusing at first, we often use third person plural pronouns even when referring to a single person. For example, when we come across a name such as Jamie, we may refer to them as they/them until we’re sure with what they’re comfortable with. For someone not identifying as cis (a person whose gender identity matches their birth sex), you would merely continue with those pronouns.

Although it may seem confusing or confronting at first, the more that people share their pronouns the more comfortable it will become for everyone. Just think how you would feel if someone kept misgendering you.

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 51

Feature

Be Honest Be honest with what you don’t know or don’t understand. It’s ok to be curious and ask questions, as long you’re respectful. Do your own research first to ensure your questions are educated and appropriate, take responsibility for your own learning. Be honest with how it makes you feel, and get used to being uncomfortable. Understand that this is how many non-cis and hetero people feel when their existence is dismissed by an ignorant joke or remark.

walk away proud of your allyship. Maintain this stance when you’re asking questions too, it’s not a debate, you’re there to learn.

Support Equality Supporting equality outside yourself is critical to change.

Sign petitions, donate to causes, educate yourself and others around you, and don’t forget to vote! As a parent you have a responsibility to instill inclusive and respectful values in your children, so get them involved, have those discussions, they’re going to come across a rainbow of people in their lifetime.

Everyone needs a safe space after all.

Come Out as an Ally

Speak Up This is a hard one and can be confronting for everyone involved. Speaking up in front of strangers is one thing, but to call out your peers can be daunting. Not everyone may be as informed as you, take this time to share what you know and why it’s important. Many people are more accepting to new information from people they know, so lead them in the right direction. It’s an uncomfortable journey, but it’s worth it. Just remember, you’re here to speak up, not speak on behalf.

Listen Up If you ever end up in the situation where someone voluntarily comes out to you, don’t make it about you.

This may seem obvious, but an extroverted attempt to be accepting can come across as overbearing.

At such an important time, listen up, appreciate their trust in you, and applaud their bravery. You can then

Resources and Services If you’re looking for more information or support, there are a number of resources and services available.

QLife (anonymous and free LGBTI peer support and referral)- 1800 184 527 - www.qlife.org.au Lifeline - 13 11 14 - 24/7 - www.lifeline.org.au Headspace - www.headspace.org.au Relationships Australia Queensland - www.raq.org.au

52 October 2021 | www.pakmag.com.au

Show your allyship and be confident with it.

There are many benefits to being an active ally. You open up to the opportunity of meeting so many more diverse and unique people, and are likely to have more genuine interactions.

You’ll be less locked into traditional gender roles and stereotypes, and will get to be a more positive role model to your little ones. And most importantly, by showing your respect, acceptance, and support, chances are, you’ll make a profound difference in someone’s life.

Repeat And finally, don’t go limiting your allyship, there are countless marginalized groups that need your support and advocacy, be it Black Lives Matter or Me Too, inequality should not be our future. So let’s all appreciate our diversity, promote inclusivity, and remove the stigma.

Advocacy Group - www.pflagbrisbane.org.au Peer Support and Advocacy - www.lgbtiqhealth.org.au Charity and Advocacy - www.theequalityproject.org.au Digital Mental Health Resources www.headtohealth.gov.au Mental Health Resources - www.au.reachout.com Queensland Aids Council - www.quac.org.au Northern Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Alliance - www.natsiha.org

Feature

Grandparenting: The Gift the Circle of Life Brings Back to You STORY Dr Robyn Mills I came home from hospital a week after the birth of my first child, an excited and proud first mum.

As night fell, my daughter began to cry and cried all night long. I realised then, that even though I was a trained nurse with many years’ experience, I was unprepared for the task of being a parent. My husband who had never been around children was in the same dilemma. Luckily, my mother-in-law was there to help.

There is nothing like experience in any area of life to help those who are novices in their field. Parenting too, can savour the wisdom of those who have gone before and be bolstered by the hands-on experience that our mothers and fathers had. Experiences that have been handed down from the generations before, each tweaking the information to suit the moment at hand.

However, in this modern, fast paced society, with multitasking at its fore, how valuable is the experience of the past generation? I know that the world has changed dramatically since I was a young mother and so have I. The current dilemma for parents is one of “expectations vs time” and this seems to be at a greater dissonance now than it has ever been.

Often grandparents have more time than parents and less expectations.

It would seem that each generation has had to adapt to the trends of parenting that are resonating in society at the time. My parents adopted the view that children should be ‘seen and not heard’. In my time, I decided that my children should have a voice, even if I struggled many a time with the noise of three girls in

one household. Everything has changed in parenting for the current generation, as they juggle a faster paced world with higher expectations and the influences of multimedia in their family lives.

In our modern world parents often have less time with their children. The time parents have with their children in the mornings is often task orientated, getting dressed and having breakfast before being dropped at daycare in the early morning. The evenings, when parents are often exhausted from a day’s work, is again about dinner time, bath time and bedtime. There is also the pressure for a parent to stay fit, look good, keep a clean home, and be a good friend to their cohort. Let's not forget after school activities for children and evening activities for the parents and of course maintaining your relationship with your significant other. There is no doubt that life is hectic and I’ve only listed the obvious things. I bet a parent could add ten things to this list in only a few minutes.

So where do grandparents fit into all of this? Time is like a sponge, if grandparents were to step in and take over some of the responsibilities, before long, their time would become hectic too. Not that I am knocking this approach, parents need all the help that they can get. It’s a fine balancing act between sharing wisdom, experience and time.

I have been lucky enough to explore parenting with a parenting expert; Dr Rosina McAlpine. Her grandmother was the most positive influence in her life and her grandmother’s statement “Don’t let anyone tell you

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 55

Feature

there is anything you can’t do!” still resonates with her today. Together Rosina and I have brainstormed many different aspects of parenting and I have been inspired to be the best grandparent that I can be. I truly wish that when I was a young parent, I knew the things about parenting that we know now.

Perhaps you'd like to take a moment now to reflect on your family, in particular your grandparents’ influence in your life. What’s the one thing that is still a positive influence in your life today?

Although I have a busy life, I am not time poor like my working adult children are. I am not frustrated by the pressures of the multitasking lives they have. Yet even among these pressures they are still doing an amazing job of parenting and definitely better than I did at their age. But what I have to offer my grandchildren is a unique perspective, one with 60 years’ experience of life and a recently updated knowledge of parenting. I just relish the opportunity to teach them something, whether it be a task or a life skill or a value that will hold them in good stead throughout their lives. I see their beautiful faces and their curiosity for life as a sponge ready to take in knowledge. Now this is not to say my children don’t feel the same thing, it’s just that I am wanting to be on their team and playing whatever role I can to help shape my grandchildren into being loving and caring human beings that make a difference in the world.

As a parent, your beliefs and values may differ to that of your parents and siblings. This is often tricky in families as role modelling is an important way for children to learn. Grandparents need to honour each family’s way of parenting, while at the same time honouring the grandparent they want to be. This balancing act of understanding your children’s values and beliefs and

also standing for your own, while at the same time letting go of the old patterns that you bring into your relationships, can sometimes feel like “tiptoeing through the tulips”.

Mistakes are everywhere, but my new mantra is “there are no mistakes only transitions”, when you don’t get something right the first time, you just keep on trying and adjusting until you find what works, that’s the transition period.

The one constant that underpins all relationships is love. I loved my parents and they loved me, I love my children and they love me, they love their children and their children love them. I love my grandchildren and they love me. There is no doubt that everyone wants to be the best they can be: grandparent, parent and child.

What love adds to the relationship is a solid foundation where understanding and forgiveness can flourish as a family strength.

To the parents; bringing up children today has its own challenges and I am inspired by all you achieve.

Celebrate your success!

To the grandparents; being a grandparent is the gift the circle of life brings to you. It helps you put your own life into perspective and opens opportunities for you to be part of the next exciting generation and to make a significant and reciprocal difference to those you love.

All you need to be is the best grandparent you can be and come from a place of good intentions and love.

For the young parents reading this, as you uphold your grandparents for their life experiences, wisdom and love for you, remember, YOU exist because they existed.

The circle of life continues through you and your children.

Dr Robyn Mills, PhD, BA Arts (Hons), MAPS, has worked in the health field for 47 years, working in psychiatric units, emergency departments, in private practice and teaching at universities across several disciplines, including psychology, nursing and natural medicine. www.drrobynmills.com, robyn@robynmills.com.au

Don’t forget Sunday, 31 October is National Grandparents Day! It’s all about celebrating the role grandparents and older people play in our society and in our lives. It’s not just about now, but what they have done in the past too. So, connect across generations and set aside the 31st to spend the day with your older loved ones and let them know how important they are to you.

56 October 2021 | www.pakmag.com.au

Daddy Diary

Daddy Diary If you are considering moving house, just hold it right there. It’s time to stop, think and probably chuck a 180. Because coming from a man who had just done it, unfortunately I’m here to deliver some bad news...

MOVING SUCKS. The entire process is a nightmare.

Sure, there’s the whole “new home” light at the end of the tunnel. But is it worth the cost? And more importantly is it worth the dreaded clutter cull?

My wife and I were in the house we just sold for eight amazing years. My first-born daughter was just a grapefruit-sized foetus when we moved in. And just the other night she told me my “dancing wasn’t cool enough for Tik-Tok” to give you an idea of where she’s at now.

Eight years is a long time to be anchored to the one location. You really settle down in that time and spend way too much cash at Kmart. Hence the clutter cull.

Head to Parents and Kids of North Queensland YouTube Channel to see Bree’s up close interview with Cliffo.

Ours started in the bathroom. We had enough outof-date medication to rival a party at Keith Richard’s house. I counted four open bottles of nail polish remover, three tubes of Deep Heat and a packet of Strepsils Plus that went out of date in 2011. Why I packed it and moved it in 2013 - I have no idea. Long story short, the bathroom was a minefield we were happy to clear.

But it didn’t end there, my horror story loving friends.

It only got more complicated. Because then came the kids’ rooms, followed by the garage storage shelves and finally - the linen closet. That door was like the wardrobe leading to Narnia. It didn’t end. But after hours of sorting, packing and cleaning and then doing it all in reverse at the new place (that’s the bit that really sucks), we finally got the treasure at the end of our removalist rainbow. We moved into our dream house.

Our forever home. It’s everything my wife and I have ever dreamed about for our little family… including a pool. That’s where you will find me most afternoons and weekends for the foreseeable future. Most likely with a beer in hand. Certainly, I’ve earned it after the move.

Cliffo Hit 103.5

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 59

What’s On FRIDAY 1 OCTOBER Pride Month Starts Runs until 31 October Nationwide www.australianpride network.com.au Sexual Violence Awareness Month Runs until 31 October Nationwide www.qld.gov.au/community, www.qsan.org.au Be Kind to Animals Week Runs until 7 October Nationwide www.bekindtoanimalsweek.org.au, www.edgarsmission.org.au Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month Nationwide www.sands.org.au Breast Cancer Awareness Month Runs until 31 October Nationwide www.nbcf.org.au Down Syndrome Awareness Month Runs until 31 October Nationwide www.downsyndrome.org.au Mini Putters Place Runs until 3 October DFO Cairns 11.00am - 2.00pm / FREE / G DFO Cairns Savannah in the Round - Country Music and Camping Festival Runs until 3 October Mareeba.

Day passes and camping passes available $30.00 - $268.00 / G www.savannahintheround.com.au

With HIT 103.5’s Cliffo & Gabi

Energy 2021 Art Exhibition Runs until 4 October Tanks Art Centre 6.00pm / FREE / G www.tanksartscentre.com The Ironing Maidens Live Electronic Experience Tanks Art Centre 6.30pm - 10.00pm / $20.00 / MA 15+ www.ticketlink.com.au Active Living Fitness for All Runs weekly Northern Beachfront, Vasey Esplanade, Trinity Beach 9.00am - 10.00am / FREE / G www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on Baby Rhyme Time Runs weekly Smithfield Library 10.00am - 10.30am / FREE / Babies aged 2 and under www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library Guided Tour of the Gardens Runs every Monday and Friday Friends House, Flecker Gardens 10.00am / FREE / G www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on Torimba Festival - Festival of the Forest Runs until 16 October Ravenshoe Two weeks of activities including the Roller Disco, Quiz Night, Hoedown, Ball and Mardi Gras Torimba Festival SATURDAY 2 OCTOBER Menopause the Musical Runs until 3 October CPAC Theatre 7.30pm (Sat) and 2.00pm, 6.30pm (Sun) / and 7.30pm / $69.90 / PG www.ticketlink.com.au

Please check with individual businesses before visiting during these uncertain times.

Sahaja Meditation Runs weekly Esplanade Western Events Lawn 7.30am - 8.30am / FREE / G www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on

Northern Beachfront, Vasey Esplanade, Trinity Beach 9.00am - 10.00am / FREE / Seniors www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on

Active Living Aqua Aerobics Runs weekly Cairns Esplanade Lagoon 9.00am - 10.00am / FREE / G www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on

Baby Rhyme Time Runs weekly Earlville Library 10.00am - 10.30am / FREE / Babies aged 2 and under www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library

Storytime Runs weekly City, Earlville, Smithfield Libraries 10.00am - 10.30am / FREE / Ages 3 - 5 www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library

Storytime Runs weekly Smithfield and Stratford Libraries 10.00am - 10.30am / FREE / Ages 3-5 www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library

Starry Night Cinema - Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon Flecker Botanical Gardens 7.00pm - 9.30pm / $10.00 $20.00 / G Starry Night Cinema

Storytime Runs weekly Smithfield and Stratford Libraries 4.00pm - 4.30pm / FREE / Ages 3-5 www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library

SUNDAY 3 OCTOBER

Storytime Runs weekly Petals and Pinecones Atherton 11.30am - 12.30pm / FREE / Young Children www.whatsontablelands.com.au

Talk Read Play Sing Runs weekly City Library 9.30am - 11.30am / FREE / Ages 0-5 www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library MONDAY 4 OCTOBER Queens Birthday Public Holiday Laughing Heart Stand Up Comedy Runs every Monday night Paramour Cabaret Theatre 7.00pm - 9.00pm / $7.50 $9.50 / 18 + www.paramourtheatre.com TUESDAY 5 OCTOBER Term Four Begins Active Living Seniors Fitness Runs weekly

Active Living Qigong Runs weekly Zhanjiang Friendship Garden, Cairns Botanic Gardens 4.30pm - 5.30pm / FREE / G www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on Active Living Beach Volleyball Runs weekly Esplanade Beach Volleyball Courts 5.30pm - 6.30pm / FREE / G www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on Active Living Zumba Runs weekly Fogarty Park, Cairns Esplanade 5.30pm - 6.30pm / FREE / G www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 61

What’s On TUESDAY 5 OCTOBER Yoga - All Levels Runs every Tuesday and Thursday until 9 November St Joseph’s Catholic Church 6.30am - 7.15am / FREE / G Registration required www.whatsontablelands.com.au WEDNESDAY 6 OCTOBER Active Living Qigong Runs weekly Fogarty Park 6.30am - 7.30am / FREE / G www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on Active Living Seniors Fitness Runs weekly Sims Esplanade, Yorkeys Knob 9.00am - 10.00am / FREE / Seniors www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on Baby Rhyme Time Runs weekly Manunda Library 10.00am - 10.30am / FREE / Babies aged 2 and under www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library

5.00pm - 6.00pm / FREE / G www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on

5.00pm - 6.00pm / FREE / G www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on

Active Living Aqua Zumba Runs weekly Esplanade Lagoon 5.30pm - 6.30pm / FREE / G www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on

Active Living Zumba Runs weekly Normal Park, Gordonvale 5.00pm - 6.00pm / FREE / G www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on

THURSDAY 7 OCTOBER

Taste Port Douglas Runs until 10 October Various times and costs, check online for programme Taste Port Douglas Food & Drink Festival

Active Living Pilates Runs weekly Fogarty Park 7.30am - 8.30am / FREE / G www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on Baby Rhyme Time Runs weekly City, Smithfield and Stratford Libraries 10.00am - 10.30am / FREE / Babies aged 2 and under www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library Gardens and Tanks Heritage Tour Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre 10.00am - 11.00am / FREE www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on

Storytime Runs weekly City Library 10.00am - 10.30am / FREE / Ages 3 - 5 www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library

Storytime Runs weekly Earlville Library 10.00am - 10.30am / FREE / Ages 3 - 5 www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library

Storytime Runs weekly City Library 4.00pm - 4.30pm / FREE / Ages 3 - 5 www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library

Storytime Runs weekly Earlville Library 4.00pm - 4.30pm / FREE / Ages 3 - 5 www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library

Active Living Skate Session Runs weekly Edmonton Skate Park 4.00pm - 5.00pm / FREE / G www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on

Active Living Skate Session Runs weekly Skate Park, Coastwatcher Park 4.00pm - 5.00pm / FREE www.cairns.qld.gov.au/whats-on

Active Living Fitness for All Runs weekly Harald Falge Park

Active Living Fitness for All Runs weekly Sims Esplanade, Yorkeys Knob

62 October 2021 | www.pakmag.com.au

FRIDAY 8 OCTOBER Cairns Pride Celebrations begin Runs until 23 October Cairns Pride Festival The Rainbow Crossing Installation Runs until 23 October Cairns Esplanade Dining Precinct Provides a highly visible symbol of support for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Cairns Pride Festival Far North Queensland Music at The Tanks - Mike Rivett Jazz saxophonist and electronic music producer Tank 5, Tanks Art Centre 7.30pm / $20.00 / PG www.tanksartscentre.com Seafood Feast - Cairns Food and Wine Festival Munro Martin Parklands 6.30pm - 9.00pm / $162.00 www.cairnsfoodandwine.com Trinity Anglican School Rockfest TAS, Whiterock 6.00pm / FREE / G Rockfest 2021 The Port Douglas Tropical SketchFest Runs until 11 October Port Douglas, Mossman,

and surrounds Check online for programme updates Port Douglas Tropical SketchFest SATURDAY 9 OCTOBER Babinda Harvest Festival Babinda 8.00am - 11.45pm / FREE entry / G www.babindaharvestfest.org Cairns Food and Wine Festival Munro Martin Parklands 3.00pm - 10.00pm / From $25.00 www.cairnsfoodandwine.com Pairing Dinner at Cairns Food and Wine Festival Munro Martin Parklands 6.30pm - 8.30pm / $192.00 www.cairnsfoodandwine.com Oktoberfest Also runs 16, 23, 30 October German Club Cairns 4.00pm - 11.30pm German Club North Queensland Show Jumping Competition Runs until 10 October Redlynch Equestrian Park 8.00am - 5.00pm / Ticket sales tbd www.offthetrackqld.org Cairns Latin American Festival Cairns Brass, 145 Mulgrave Road 5.30pm - 11.00pm / FREE for under 4 year olds, $12.00 - $22.50 / G Cairns Latin American Festival Far North Queensland Music at The Tanks - Eddie Skiba “Chasing Rainbows” Album Launch Support: Jessy Lynch Tank 5, Tanks Art Centre 6.30pm / $20.00 / M 15 + www.tanksartscentre.com

Please check with individual businesses before visiting during these uncertain times.

What’s On SATURDAY 9 OCTOBER Torimba Festival Celebrations and Mardi Gras Grigg Street, Ravenshoe Festivities begin at 1.30pm, Fireworks 8.00pm Torimba Festival All Of Us Festival Bringing the community together and raising awareness of the importance of mental health.

Fogarty Park, Cairns Esplanade 3.00pm - 10.00pm / FREE / G www.kochfoundation.org.au/ all-of-us-festival Your Wardrobe Cairns Cairns Showgrounds 9.00am - 1.00pm / FREE entry / G Your Wardrobe Cairns SUNDAY 10 OCTOBER World Mental Health Day Worldwide www.lookafteryour mentalhealthaustralia.org.au Cairns Colour Frenzy Cairns Esplanade (near Pirate Ship Playground) 8.30am / from $5.00 / All ages, friendly dogs welcome www.colourfrenzy.com.au MONDAY 11 OCTOBER Gallery Art School Level 3 Begins Runs until 15 November Cairns Art Gallery 3.30pm - 5.00pm / $125.00 / Ages 11 - 14 www.cairnsartgallery.com.au Drawing and Mixed Media Course with Marnie Awram Runs until 1 November Cairns Art Gallery 5.30pm - 7.30pm / $120.00 / 16 + www.cairnsartgallery.com.au Yoga with Smile Yoga Runs every Monday until 27 December Stan Moses Hall 5.30pm - 6.30pm / $15.00 / G www.whatsontablelands.com.au TUESDAY 12 OCTOBER Salt House Food and Wine Festival Runs until 17 October Salt House www.salthousefood andwinefestival.com.au Cairns Business Women’s Club Mental Health

Awareness Luncheon Canape’s and drinks on arrival with a 2 course meal.

Hilton Cairns 11.00am - 2.00pm / $65.00 $85.00 / 18 + www.cbwc.org.au Peace Lutheran College Open Day Peace Lutheran College 3.30pm - 6.30pm / FREE, register online www.plc.qld.edu.au Gallery Art School Level 1 Begins Runs until 16 November Cairns Art Gallery 3.45pm - 4.45pm / $95.00 / Ages 5 - 7 www.cairnsartgallery.com.au WEDNESDAY 13 OCTOBER Parents Workshop Bringing Up Great Kids Runs until 3 November Hambledon House 9.30am - 12.30pm / FREE www.innatetherapies.com Gallery Art School Level 2 Begins Runs until 17 November Cairns Art Gallery 3.30pm - 5.00pm / $125.00 / Ages 8 - 11 www.cairnsartgallery.com.au Neil Diamond Experience Kewarra Beach Shack 7.30pm - 9.30pm / $35.00 www.voguemusic.com.au/events THURSDAY 14 OCTOBER Little World Early Learning Centres Kindergarten Information Night Little World Early Learning Centres 6.00pm - 7.00pm / FREE, Register online www.littleworld.com.au FRIDAY 15 OCTOBER Cairns Pride Art Exhibition Begins Runs until 24 October Tanks Arts Centre Featuring works created

by LGBTIQ+, Sistergirl and Brotherboy artists Cairns Pride Festival

With Triple M’s Elliott

Bulmba-ja Arts Centre 6.30pm - 9.00pm / $48.56 – $53.84 / PG www.eventbrite.com.au

Lake Tinaroo 7.30am / Various registration fees www.grinnbearit.com.au

Mau Power Tank 5, Tanks Arts Centre 7.30pm / $20.00 - $25.00 / 18 + www.tanksartscentre.com/ music Mental Health First Aid Also runs 22 October. A 2-day course providing participants with the skills and confidence to recognize and cope with a range of mental health issues.

11 Sheridan Street 9.00am - 4.30pm / $214.50 www.eventbrite.com.au

SUNDAY 17 OCTOBER Pride Fair Day Tanks Arts Centre Cairns Pride Festival MONDAY 18 OCTOBER National Water Week Runs until 24 October www.awa.asn.au

Tableland Roller Derby League Present The Halloween Roller Disco Runs every third Friday of each Month Atherton State High School Hall 6.00pm - 7.00pm for Under 10’s and beginners, 7.00 pm - 9.00 pm for Over 10’s and Intermediate / $10.00 with skate rental, $5.00 for BYO skates, $30.00 for families / G Tableland Roller Derby League

THURSDAY 21 OCTOBER Radical Reels Australian Film Tour CPAC Theatre 7.00pm - 10.00pm / $24.00 $34.00 / G www.radicalreels.com.au Ziggy Alberts ‘brainwaves’ Book Tour Elixir Music Bar 6.00pm / 18 + www.tickets.oztix.com.au FRIDAY 22 OCTOBER

SATURDAY 16 OCTOBER Red Nose - Walk to Remember For families who have lost babies to miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death.

Fun Ship Playground, Cairns Esplanade 8.00am - 10.00am / FREE, Registration essential www.sands.org.au El Arish Community Slime Spectacular Fun Run! There will be inflatables, slime filled slides, colour run obstacles as well as food stalls, bar and refreshments.

El Arish State School 9.00am - 4.00pm / $10.00, FREE for 5 and under / G El Arish Community Slime Spectacular Fun Run!

Port Shorts Film Festival Runs until 23 October FREE Online virtual event www.portshorts.com

Starry Night Cinema The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Cairns Botanic Gardens 7.30pm - 9.30pm / $10.00 $40.00 / M Starry Night Cinema

La Bella Figura Musical Dramedy

by JUTE Theatre Company Runs until 23 October

Grin N Bear It Challenge The major fundraising event for The Bear Foreman Foundation

Please check with individual businesses before visiting during these uncertain times.

Build A Bird Nesting Box with Joh Schouten Cairns Art Gallery 10.30am - 3.00pm / $120.00 / 16 + www.cairnsartgallery.com.au

Tablelands Folk Festival Runs until 24 October FREE - $130.00 / G www.tablelandsfolkfestival.org.au Hamlet and the Climate Emergency, Shakespeare at the Tanks 2021 Runs until 23 October Tank 3, Tanks Art Centre Doors open 6.00pm, event starts 7.00pm / $25.00 $30.00 / PG www.ticketlink.com.au Tableland Hardware Tinaroo Barra Bash Runs until 24 October Lake Tinaroo Various registration costs / G tinaroobarrabash.com.au Far North Queensland Music at The Tanks - Greta Stanley “Close Call” Single Launch Tank 5, Tanks Art Centre 6.30pm / $30.00 / PG www.tanksartscentre.com/ music Cairns Indoor Sports Winter Season Grand Finals Also runs 24 October www.cairnsindoorsports.com.au

www.pakmag.com.au | October 2021 65

What’s On SATURDAY 23 OCTOBER Grass is Greener Music Festival Cairns Showgrounds $130.00 - $190.00 / All ages www.thegrassisgreener.com.au SUNDAY 24 OCTOBER Hockey Dad Tank 5, Tanks Art Centre 7.00pm / $45.50 / R 18 + www.ticketlink.com.au TUESDAY 26 OCTOBER Cairns Indoor Sports Summer Season Commences www.cairnsindoorsports.com.au WEDNESDAY 27 OCTOBER Shake and Stir Theatre Co. Present Animal Farm

By George Orwell CPAC Studio 11.00am and 7.00pm / $35.00 $45.00 / 12 years + www.ticketlink.com.au Watercolour Painting Children’s Course (Level 2) Runs until 17 November Cairns Art Gallery 3.30pm - 5.00pm / $105.00 $125.00 / Ages 8 - 11 www.cairnsartgallery.com.au

THURSDAY 28 OCTOBER Cairns Green Drinks A monthly event encouraging networking, creativity, and discussion on environmental issues and projects.

Cairns and Far North Environment Centre (CAFNEC) 5.30pm - 7.00pm / FREE Entry www.cafnec.org.au Breast Friends Comedy Gala Breast Cancer Awareness Month Fundraising Event The Paramour Cabaret Theatre, The Reef Hotel Casino 7.00pm - 9.30pm / $20.00 / 18 + Breast Friends Comedy Gala, Laughing Heart Comedy FRIDAY 29 OCTOBER PAKMAG Spooky Spectacular Sugarworld Adventure Park 5.30pm - 8.30pm / FREE Win tickets online / G www.pakmag.com.au/win Far North Queensland Music at The Tanks - Lady Valiant and The Joker Pokers Tank 5, Tanks Art Centre 7.30pm / $20.00 / 18 + www.tanksartscentre.com Reclaim the Night 2021 Global protest demanding safety

Regular Markets

for women walking at night.

Wear purple. Meet Cnr of Shields and Lake Streets, Cairns CBD (in front of Cairns City Tattoo) 6.00pm / FREE Reclaim The Night Cairns

Halloween and Tunnel of Terror Bowden Bridge under Mary Parker Drive, Redlynch Valley 4.30pm - 8.30pm / FREE Redlynch Valley Community Group Inc

Spring Chickens of Comedy - Greg Sullivan Stratford Deli 7.30pm - 9.30pm / $27.06 / 18 + Guilt Free Comedy

Stand Up Against Domestic and Family Violence High Tea AFL Cape York House for Boys 2.00pm - 5.00pm / $45.00 www.everi.events

Cosentino Deception CPAC Theatre 7.30pm / $70.60 - $84.60 / PG www.ticketlink.com.au

TUESDAY 2 NOVEMBER

SATURDAY 30 OCTOBER Starry Night Cinema Rocky Horror Picture Show Cairns Botanic Gardens 7.30pm - 9.30pm / $10.00 $40.00 / M Starry Night Cinema Mount Sheridan Plaza Halloween Spooktacular Fun, Frights and FREE Treats 1.00pm – 4.00pm / FREE but bookings essential / G www.mtsheridanplaza.com.au SUNDAY 31 OCTOBER

Gordonvale Cottage Markets

Date: 2nd Sunday of the month Time: 8.00am - 1.00pm Location: Holloways Beachfront

Date: 1st Saturday of the month February to December Time: 7.00am - 12 noon Location: Norman Park, Gordonvale

Palm Cove Markets

Date: 2nd Sunday of the month Time: 9.00am - 3.00pm Location: Mount Sheridan Plaza

Date: 3rd Sunday of the month Time: 9.00am - 2.00pm Location: The Pier Cairns

Malanda Markets Date: 3rd Saturday of the month Time: 7.00am - 12.30pm Location: Malanda Showgrounds

Mossman Community Markets Date: Every Saturday Time: 7.00am - 1.00pm Location: 3 - 5 Foxton Ave, Mossman

SATURDAY 6 NOVEMBER David Strassman – The Chocolate Diet Comedy Show Runs until 7 November Tank 5, Tanks Art Centre 7.00pm / $49.90 - $79.90 / M, 12 + www.tanksartscentre.com

Time: 4.30pm - 10.30pm Location: 71 - 75 The Esplanade

Holloways Beach Markets

The Market Place

Parents Workshop Bringing Up Great Kids Hambledon House 9.30am - 12.30pm / FREE www.innatetherapies.com

WEDNESDAY 10 NOVEMBER

Date: Every Friday and Saturday Time: 5.00am - 6.00pm Date: Every Sunday Time: 5.00am - 3.00pm Location: 57 - 89 Grafton St, City Date: 1st Sunday of the month April to November Time: 8.00am – 2.00pm Location: Williams Esplanade

WEDNESDAY 3 NOVEMBER

Happy Halloween!

To find Trick or Treat Friendly Houses in FNQ, join the Halloween in Cairns, Atherton Tablelands & FNQ group on Facebook

Rusty's Markets

Mount Sheridan Plaza Markets

Melbourne Cup Lunch Salt House 12.00pm / $129.00 - $149.00 / 18 + www.salthouse.com.au

Kuranda Original Rainforest Markets

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair Runs until 14 November www.ciaf.com.au

Port Douglas Markets Date: Every Sunday Time: 7.30am - 1.30pm Location: Market Park

Woree Markets

Date: Open every day excluding Tuesday and Wednesday Time: 9.30am - 3.00pm Location: 7/13 Therwine St

Date: 3rd Sunday of every month Time: 8.00am – 1.00pm Location: Cannon Park Racecourse Car Park

Date: 2nd Sunday of the month Time: 7.00am - 12 noon Location: Archers Creek Rest Area, Kennedy Highway

Kuranda Heritage Markets

Koah Monthly Markets

Atherton Lions Club Indoor Markets

Tolga Markets

The Ravenshoe Lions Archer Creek Markets

Date: 2nd Sunday of the Month Time: 7.00am - 12 noon Location: Merriland Hall (Robert St)

Yungaburra Markets Date: 4th Saturday of the month Time: 7.30am - 12.30pm Location: Bruce Jones Market Grounds

66 October 2021 | www.pakmag.com.au

Date: Open Thursday to Sunday Time: 10.00am - 3.00pm Location: 2 Rob Veivers Dr Date: 1st Sunday of the month Time: 7.30am - 12 noon Location: Morrow Park Racecourse

Herberton Markets Date: 3rd Sunday of the month Time: 7.00am - 12 noon Location: Wondecla Showgrounds

Night Markets Date: Open every day

Date: 1st Saturday of the Month Time: 8.00am – 12 noon Location: Koah Hall, Koah Road

Mareeba Markets Date: Every 2nd and 5th Saturday of the month Time: 7.30am – 12.30pm Location: Mareeba Centenary Park, Byrnes St

Tumoulin Country Markets Date: 4th Sunday of the month Time: 8.00am – 12.00pm Location: Tumoulin Railway Station, Tumoulin Rd

Please check with individual businesses before visiting during these uncertain times.