The Beast October 2025 Digital

BEAST

Do you love your garden?

Whether it’s a balcony garden, shared veggie patch, native bush or formal courtyard, Waverley Council’s Garden Awards want to recognise and share your creativity with the community.

Scan QR to nominate your favourite garden Nominations close 5pm, 6 October.

Waverley Council would like to thank the following businesses for their prize donations:

Photobomber Location Coogee Photographer Alan Wang

Farewell Teddy

Words James Hutton - Publisher

Welcome to the October 2025 edition of The Beast, the monthly magazine for Sydney’s thawing beaches of the east.

All the little flying ants currently trying to take over my bathroom are a clear sign that Spring has finally sprung (last year it was crane flies and the year before it was those little midgie things), along with all the flowers in Waverley Cemetery and the crazy influx of cars on the weekends.

A big thankyou to Randwick artist Shane O’Farrell, who is the talent behind this edition of The Beast’s cool cover painting of Coogee, titled ‘Coogee Pool Play Days’. You can see more of Shane’s beautiful artwork at LIVE THIS at The Spot, a great little local homeware, clothing and gift shop up on Perouse Road, Randwick.

I’m dedicating this edition of The Beast to local legend Greg ‘Teddy’ Clifford, who passed away recently after a long battle with the Spanish dancer. Teddy grew up in Maroubra, lived in Bronte and Clovelly, competed for Bronte and North Bondi, and surfed just about everywhere.

Teddy was one of the elder statesmen of the reef when Dan and I first nervously ventured out on our foamies, determined to learn more about the mysterious world of surfing. He was always a legend to my brother and I, especially in those early days

when neither of us knew what we were getting ourselves into, and he inspired us to have a go. Despite being a physical axe of a man (he was in his 50s when this photo was taken), Teddy was a gentle giant who always looked out for his mates and made time for a chat. He was highly respected and loved by all, and Nick and Jack will carry on his legacy in similar fashion. Rest in peace Teddy, you will be dearly missed. Cheers, James

The Beast

The Beast Pty Ltd ABN 32 143 796 801 www.thebeast.com.au Editor

james@thebeast.com.au Advertising Enquiries advertising@thebeast.com.au Rates and Specs thebeast.com.au/advertise Circulation

60,000 copies delivered every month; 2,000 in shops and 58,000 in mailboxes.

Vale Greg 'Teddy' Clifford.

Beautiful Homes. Beautiful Concrete.

If you Love concrete, you’ll love the Ablestone Facebook group

Dedicated to the transformative power of concrete for modern, stylish, and sustainable living. It’s free to join and open to anyone who loves concrete and its endless possibilities. As a member, you’ll be inspired with videos, new products, and stunning designs and applications. Share, connect or simply enjoy the visual feast.

Beautiful Homes. Beautiful Concrete.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Phone 02 9318 1722 or visit metromix.com.au/able-concrete/

Architect: MCK Architects.

Photography: Rethmeier Still Images.

Builder: Toki Construction

Pearl's Advice on Gym Etiquette

Machine Hoggers

Dear Pearl - I’m a 25-year-old gym-goer who just wants to relax and pump iron, but recently there’s been an influx of private school boys and elderly women hogging the machines that I want to use - do you have any strategies to ward them off? Any help will be appreciated.

Daniel Bronte

Redefining the Boundaries

Dear Daniel - It may be surprising to you, but gyms have not always been the egalitarian institutions they are now. Until recently, commercial gyms were expensive places, and in the early 2000s I had friends who squandered thousands of dollars on Fitness First memberships, only to find themselves heading to the pub after work instead of the gym, so daunted they were by the competitive scene of ultra slim gym bunnies with fake breasts, yummy mummies and men on ’roids. After a year, all they had to show for their membership was a must-have Fitness First backpack, a beer gut and an impossible to cancel gym membership.

Much has changed over the past twenty-five years, and your issue at the gym is an example of what happens when an elitest endeavour is democratised due to affluence. Take motor vehicles for instance; in the old days only the wealthy could afford SUVs and 4WDs, with us mere mortals relegated to sedans and hatches, which were easier to drive and park, and more suited to congested suburbs. With access to cheap credit and increased affluence, every second person in the Eastern Suburbs is now driving a small tank, with no appreciation for other drivers or the road rules.

The same has happened at the gym. The democratisation of a formally niche environment means that gyms are now places where one can relax and commune, wear pyjamas, scroll Insta, take selfies or chat on a weights bench that others are waiting to use. Gym towels are used to reserve machines much in the same way a tourist would reserve a resort pool deckchair with a beach towel. There are just no boundaries and no respect for others. Badly behaved people are notorious

for deflection and averse to being confronted, so I advise you not to react. Instead, think of the gym like Westfield Bondi Junction, but with weekly fees. One will encounter malingerers, people who refuse to move with purpose, those who congregate around access points and oxygen thieves who contravene the social contract required for a harmonious community.

Don a pair of headphones and morph into a relaxed state. Toss the towels off the equipment you want to use, then pretend you are hard of hearing and optically impaired if you are challenged by anyone. Ignorance is bliss and the more mindful you are the better your workout will be.

Experiment by going at different times, if your lifestyle allows it. And, if all else fails, perhaps try pilates, where you will find yourself in an altered state of reality among facial injectables, painted on eyebrows, eyelash extensions and exaggerated glutes and thighs squeezed into high waisted tights that show the contours of one’s crotch and bum crack.

Pearl Clovelly

Words Pearl Bullivant Photo Eric Prydz

'80s aerobics needs to make a comeback.

The Beast's Monthly Mailbag

Words The Engaged People of the Eastern Beaches

It's Not Me...

I’d like to make it clear that I am not the writer of the letter about pocket parks in the most recent edition of The Beast, signed ‘Sandra, Clovelly’ (Another Pocket Park Letter, Monthly Mailbag, The Beast, September 2025). A few people have asked.

Yes, my name is Sandra, and I live in Clovelly, but I am not the writer. The letter printed contains vocabulary and syntax that I would never use.

If I have a point to make I’ll make it concisely. Any of my letters to The Beast - and there have been a couple - are signed with my full name.

Sandra Alexander Clovelly

Biddigal Bastardry

To the Editor, Beast Magazine

- I’m writing to urge you to investigate what can only be described as one of the most shameful cases of council neglect in our areathe slow, deliberate decline of Biddigal Reserve at Ben Buckler, North Bondi.

This is no ordinary patch of grass. Biddigal Reserve - featured on The Beast magazine’s June 2024 edition cover - is a geographic wonder, a cultural landmark and a daily refuge for locals and visitors alike. Named in honour of the Biddigal people and Robert Bellear, NSW’s first Aboriginal barrister, it faces due north and glows golden at sunset - arguably drawing more foot traffic than our $44 million refurbished Bondi Pavilion.

Pre-COVID, Biddigal was a haven for native birds, possums and coastal banksias. Today, it’s a weedy, eroded, barren knoll. Our once-beautiful reserve has been quite literally left to rot.

For over a decade, Waverley Council has ignored repeated requests to act, citing a lack of resources and staffing. But one can only imagine the rivers of revenue generated by the Ben Buckler precinct through rates, land tax, parking and more. Is it really plausible that none of it can be returned to maintain one of our most iconic public spaces?

In response, a group of residents, local businesses and parents have come together to form Friends of Biddigal to demand change.

This isn’t just poor upkeep, it’s environmental vandalism and a public safety failure:

● Over eight 20-year-old native banksias, which provided essential habitat and shade, have mysteriously died in the past two years - no fines, no investigations.

● Playground equipment, pathways and safety fences are broken and dangerous - a daily hazard for children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

● Ancient pine retaining walls are collapsing, causing erosion and foul runoff into the public baths.

● There is just one ageing, graffitied bench providing shade across the entire upper level.

● Overflowing bins regularly attract rats - why are we still without the enclosed bins standard in every other park?

● No lighting, no cameras, serious safety concerns - especially for women walking home, the elderly and disabled visitors.

● Native vegetation has vanished. Weeds now dominate where once-thriving coastal plants and birds flourished.

Meanwhile, the rest of Bondi, particularly South Bondi, is showered with VIP-level care. Take Notts Avenue for example, where millions have been spent on upgrades, with European-style paving, marine-grade stainless steel balustrades, even artist-designed sheds (ironically built to frame the view of Ben Buckler).

For nearly three years, we’ve made simple, repeated requests for native replanting and weed control at Biddigal, but still nothing has been done. The contrast is galling.

This is a public reserve loved by locals, rich in natural beauty and cultural heritage, and it’s being actively degraded on Council’s watch. Why?

It’s time for Waverley Council to stop turning its back on North Bondi, and it’s time for The Beast to help shine a spotlight on the deliberate neglect of one of the East’s most iconic green spaces.

Jamie Mackay North Bondi, on behalf of Friends of Biddigal Reserve

Beautifying Biddigal

I share the same love as Friends of Biddigal Reserve for this special place in our local area and we have been undertaking repairs and upgrades to the park on a regular basis.

Council has been able to address a lot of the issues raised including replacement of playground equipment in November 2024 and repair of balustrades and footpaths. In terms of planned work, there will be a new footpath, double bin enclosure and new balustrades at Ray O’Kefee Reserve.

We have investigated recent tree deaths, which have been

found to have occurred naturally, and we’ve been replacing these trees progressively.

We recognise there is more to do and have requested a structural engineer’s report to understand the cost and considerations involved in the much larger project of repairing the retaining walls.

Will Nemesh Mayor of Waverley

Windscreen Wiper Wrongdoer

I was disappointed to see, as I walked past the reservoir on Howard Street, Randwick, that many cars have had their rear windscreen wipers torn off. Some lay in the grass like last week’s Labubu, some mysteriously disappeared.

While the winter rain has been demoralising - after all, it’s difficult to maintain the perfect beachy wave to one’s hair - I can’t imagine the weather has been quite that inclement in one street.

Could it be a vexatious cyclist? An unhappy pedestrian perhaps? A year 12 dare? Perhaps the local police can investigate after their morning coffee at Clovelly Beach.

Mel Coogee

In the Shade

Reading the letters page has prompted me to also write about a situation I’m currently involved in where my neighbour built an overheight fence without a development approval. This has resulted in my backyard losing precious sunlight.

When I approached Waverley Council, expecting them to act on the failure to get approval, they sent an inspector and said they would issue an order to reduce the fence height. Then, two weeks later, they retracted it, saying that following a ‘Management Meeting’ it wasn’t worth pursuing and advising me that I should get a lawyer - at my expense.

After a councillor reached out on my behalf I was told that Council can use discretion to override such things. In other words, my neighbour faces no consequences and I’m left to either accept the

loss of enjoying my courtyard or take him to court myself.

I’m curious; is it just me, or is this a common occurrence? What’s the point of enforcing DAs if they’re not necessary? Either way, it feels unfair. Exactly how do you curry Council’s influence to get them to overlook obvious flouting of building fences without permission? Isn’t that illegal?

I’ve heard of similar stories about a large development on Glenayr Avenue, which is now affecting quite a few residents who, just like me, have been ignored by Council... just out of ‘discretion’.

I noticed the mayor responded to a letter in The Beast last month. I invite him to likewise address this issue and ensure, by looking into the details of this situation, that we can trust Council staff to adhere to their duties and be confident that they are not being pressured to look the other way.

A friend suggested I contact Marjorie O’Neill, who is known for solving these problems, but I’m not sure why the council can’t just do its job.

Concerned Resident Bondi Beach

Please send me an email me at will.nemesh@waverley.nsw.gov.au and I’ll be happy to look into this. - Will Nemesh, Mayor of Waverley

Bennett Street Tree Report

A very large tree in Bondi is dying. It has been in this state for well over a month. It is situated in the back garden of a block of home units in Bennett Street, Bondi. Waverley Council was contacted and they have submitted a rather inconclusive report. The tree is about seven stories in height and is a feature of the area between Bennett Street and Waverley Oval.

Does anyone care?

Robert Sharpe Bondi

Back to Basics

Dear Beast - It would be nice to return to ‘normal programming’ at Waverley, as I fear we are suffering from a case of the The Emperor’s New Clothes. Everything is

a ‘state first’, a ‘national first’, the ‘first time we have ever...’ yet what has actually changed?

All these slick videos on social media of the mayor telling us how amazing everything is, but the streets are still a mess, with potholes prevalent and footpaths still largely unsafe for older people, prams and those with a disability.

I would suggest rather than trying to find ways to be the ‘first’, try fixing the basics that we pay rates for. Imagine that as a first!

T Liu

Bondi Junction

Council's Commitment

As Mayor, I want to improve infrastructure and facilities to a level that residents can be proud of, and we are making significant improvements.

In this year’s budget we have prioritised the Waverley Council Road Infrastructure Renewal Program to renew and refurbish the roads, footpaths, kerbs and gutters across our LGA. Our budget has one of the highest expenditures of capital projects in Waverley’s history - highlighting our commitment to a back to basics approach.

We are currently undertaking major streetscape upgrades including Charing Cross, which will be completed by the end of year. Community consultation on Rose Bay North Shops has commenced, and we are prioritising upgrades to North Bondi Bus Terminus. We have also recently upgraded Scott Street Reserve and Gilgandra Reserve, among others.

I encourage residents to sign up to Waverley’s e-newsletter to hear more about all of these important works. There is a lot happening, which we can all be proud of.

Will Nemesh Mayor of Waverley

I’m With Ya, Brother

To the pissed off resident from Bondi Beach, sick of all the dog ‘you know what’ along the streets: Amen, bro (Dodging Landmines, Monthly Mailbag, The Beast, September 2025). Going for a stroll through picturesque Centennial

Park, it’s the same there from irresponsible dog owners - worse still, in many cases off their leads, with wildlife everywhere.

When I challenge them, you just get the same moronic response, “Oh, but Fido wouldn’t hurt a fly, and his grass fertiliser droppings will enrich the soil.”

However, and happily, most are responsible dog owners who do the right thing, but for the recalcitrant few that walk their dear little things with a middle finger attitude. I believe it is they who should be on all fours, with the dogs leading them, leash and all.

Jimbo Coogee

Our Ocean Carer

Dear James - It was wonderful to read Allegra Spender’s impassioned story in your last edition on her love of our ocean, with calls for ideas on how to protect it in the next sitting of Parliament. Many don’t realise that our Blue Planet’s surface area comprises 70 per cent ocean and, when considered in three dimensions, 95 per cent of our surface biomass. For example, Mt Everest would fit in to the Marianas Trench and all the planet’s land above sea level would fit into the Pacific Ocean!

I think our next Parliament should be directing energy, as she suggests, into preservation of the 30 per cent of our coastline from fishing and resource extraction, in line with current international agreements. Similarly for the deep ocean, the high seas beyond territorial waters.

It also should be ramping up our potential to be a clean energy powerhouse to the world. For example, exporting undersea power to Indonesia and Singapore and green steel and green hydrogen to China, as promoted on our PM’s recent China visit.

Allegra has always been committed to fighting climate change. The oceans drive our planet’s weather. Heating up the atmosphere with carbon dioxide has resulted in the heating up of the oceans. This has resulted in

changing water currents, with tropical fish and warm water off our beaches, and rain bombs like those that have just hit Texas from the Gulf of Mexico and our east coast. Hot air sucks up water.

The algal blooms off the South Australian coast and coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef are further wake up calls. The canary is singing in the coal mine!

Stephen Bargwanna Coogee

Updates Up North

The Shuk corner at Mitchell-Murriverie-Hardy intersection in North Bondi is in desperate need of a rethink. Between the buses, the school crowds, and cars zipping through it is definitely a hazard. So, I am really happy to hear that Waverley Council is looking to upgrade this intersection - long overdue.

Meanwhile, the Rose Bay North Shops could use some freshening up too. That stretch between Oceanview and Koboda on Old South Head Road would really benefit from a proper streetscape facelift. It is great that Waverley Council is also looking at investing in such an upgrade.

Making our streets safer and our shopping areas more attractive is exactly where the council should be focusing its efforts! This back to basics approach is being noticed by our residents.

Judy Dover Heights

Local Legends

I just wanted to do a big shout out to the local legends at A Man and His Monkey Café on Clovelly Road. Eli, Tommy, Jimmy and co. at A Man and His Monkey (affectionately known by my daughter as ‘Monkey Man’) consistently crank out the best coffees and café food there is to offer on this side of Anzac Parade.

I find it more and more of a struggle to get consistent friendly service and a hot coffee with the appropriate pinky finger width of froth on my cappuccino around the east these days. The crew at A Man and His Monkey

have been solid for several years, which is clearly a testament to the management crew and their local supporters.

They have recently expanded with a second kitchen crew next door, with a variety of hearty meals and goods to take home. I wish them all the best in their future business endeavours. Other hospitality and café owners should take note, this is how it’s done.

Keep it up guys!

Sam Randwick

A Word of Appreciation

Dear editor - I would like to give a shout-out of appreciation to Holdsworth for the fabulous seniors program, which is held every Monday at Coogee East Ward Senior Citizens Centre.

For older people like me who live alone it is a great way to meet people and take part in interesting activities around the table while enjoying tea or coffee.

It lasts for about two hours, and in the last half an hour we do fairly gentle exercises, mostly sitting, but also some standing to improve our balance. New members would be most welcome.

Ann Schmid Coogee

Re-Wilding Sydney

Dear Beast - I am writing in response to the Monthly Mailbag letter from ‘Helen, Randwick’ in the August edition, entitled ‘Tree Planting’. The planting project in question at Centennial Park is a collaboration between Greater Sydney Parklands and Greening Australia’s Re-Wilding Sydney Program.

Re-Wilding Sydney is proudly funded by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure. As the Project Lead for Re-Wilding Sydney Program, I am happy to respond to the queries raised by Helen.

The 20,000 plants are a mix of native shrubs, bushes and trees planted at a spacing of 1 plant per 2.5m2, across four planting sites within the ‘Outer Wilds’ areas

FOGO QUIZ

Raw or cooked leftover food

Branches under 10cm in diameter

Fruit & vegetable scraps

Grass

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Meat, bones & seafood

Plastic

Leaves & prunings

Eggs & dairy products

Tissues & paper towel

Paper & cardboard

Large logs over 10cm in diameter

Thank you for using FOGO. Together we have diverted more than 60,000 tonnes of organics from landfill.

Your green lid FOGO bin is just for kitchen food scraps and garden waste.

YES - these can go in your FOGO bin: Raw or cooked leftover food, Fruit & vegetable scraps, Eggs & dairy products, Branches under 10cm in diameter, Grass, Leaves & prunings, and Meat, bones & seafood. NO - these cannot go in your FOGO bin: Pet waste, Tissues & paper towel, Plastic, Paper & cardboard, and Large logs over 10cm in diameter.

Scan for a comprehensive list of what goes in your FOGO bin

Pet waste

of the Parklands. The majority of this project is smaller shrubs and bushes in keeping with the management plan for Centennial Park, which seeks to retain and progressively replace the existing canopy trees at the end of their life cycle. This means the spacing is adequate for the species planted.

Greening Australia is tasked with maintaining the planting project, including watering and weeding where needed, ensuring the plants survive and thrive. We plant a range of species and take into consideration how big each of the species will grow to ensure a more natural mix once established.

A common query we receive is why we plant in rows. Row planting is more efficient for planting and maintenance of the project as we can mow between the rows to suppress the weeds until the plants are established. Once established, the native plants will naturally shade out and outcompete the weeds. Over time

the rows will be less obvious, and the planting will take on a more natural form.

We appreciate the overwhelming positive feedback we have received from the community regarding the project at Centennial Park and I’m happy to answer any other questions about this project and the Re-Wilding Sydney Program.

Michael Gregg Maroubra

Greening the East

Dear Beast - I love what Centennial Parklands are doing with the recent and, yes, very large planting of shrubs (mainly) and trees. My understanding is that it is part of a small bird habitat revegetation effort to reinforce and expand habitat for small birds, which rely on dense shrubbery and native flora. Lizards and insects also benefit from this sort of canopy.

I have no connection with the park, but suggest Helen (Tree Planting, Monthly Mailbag, The

Beast, August 2025) reach out to Centennial Parklands if concerned about their efforts or approach.

Peter Randwick

Randwick Street Parties

Randwick Council’s plans for street parties on Coogee Bay Road would suit some, but not all residents, regardless of the increased profit or boost that businesses foresee.

Let’s hope no property damage goes beyond that. Randwick Council would do well to survey residents, especially ratepayers, on their opinions. None of those who plan such things live around here, including business owners. Noise, rubbish, altercations, property damage... they’ve no idea.

Rate Payer Coogee

Please send your letters to letters@thebeast.com.au (with your name and suburb).

MOOD CHANGES AND MENOPAUSE: WHAT’S GOING ON AND WHY?

Understanding your mood and mind during menopause

Please join The Royal Hospital for Women’s Menopause Hub, in partnership with the Women’s Well, for an expert panel discussion on mood changes in perimenopause and menopause.

Thursday 30 October

7pm - 9:30pm

The Royal Hospital for Women, Level 1

Lecture Theatre and Atrium

Online viewing is available

Free event, scan the QR code below to register

Local Artist... Shane O'Farrell from Randwick

Local artist Shane O’Farrell is the talent behind this month’s cover artwork of Coogee, titled ‘Coogee Pool Play Days’. Shane shares her local favourites with The Beast...

How long have you lived here? I’ve lived in Sydney since I was a tot in a cot, from Maroubra to Malabar, Coogee to Clovelly.

What is your favourite beach? Coogee. Mum would take the siblings for sandwiches by the beach, and if you dropped your sanger in the sand you had to brush it off. ‘Sand-wiches’ - nice and crunchy!

What are your favourite eateries? Shorty’s at The Spot for brunch (the French mushrooms are yum), Seahorse at The Spot, or the occasional lazy lunch at Coogee Legion for waterfront views. Also at The Spot, KinJo Japanese, Hung’s Chinese and Bombay Bloomers Indian are all great value.

What is the best thing about the Eastern suburbs? Saltwater therapy for the soul, and the sea breeze is sensational. If you are beyond the boogie board stage and just want to wallow off the edge of the rock pool, it’s hard to beat.

What is the worst thing about Eastern Suburbs? E-scooters that use footpaths as roads and should

be banned. And the loss of parking, which inconveniences everyone.

Where do you like to have a drink?

The local watering holes are The Royal Hotel Randwick or The Ritz’s balcony bar for a break. Happy hour is a bonus these days. My favourite cafés are GR8 Café, Kurtosh or Java Junction, all located around The Spot.

How would you describe your art? Lifestyle art for the everyday home. Warm/cool and cosy, depending on the season, as the local colours and temperatures change. Semi abstract, from still life to seascapes, landscapes and a view from the window within interior spaces.

Where can people see your art?

Original, one of a kind, affordable paintings are currently at LIVE THIS at The Spot, a homeware, clothing and gift shop in Randwick. Also, a percentage of all my art sold goes to charity.

Who are your artistic inspirations? Matisse for the colour, flow and the Fauve movement. Monet, whose home is outside Paris, fills me with awe, especially the gardens and rooms that remind me of an old work mate’s house with lots of different hues. Also, Van Gogh for his colour and movement. My inspiration also comes from our own Arthur Streeton and Margaret Olley, not to mention Christopher O’Doherty (aka Reg Mombassa) for his quirky, fun characters.

What are you working on at the moment? I am working on a series of lifestyle cosy cottage pieces and coastal works that change with the seasons as the light and local colour alter in the sky, as well as a few quirky characters in the local area of Coogee or The Spot.

When did you discover your love for art? I have enjoyed art since I was a child, especially with a creative mother who painted faces on boiled eggs and mixed her own paint for us. I also loved

art at school - sculpture, inks, paint and basically experimenting and playing about like a kid in a sandbox. Art has always been a part of my life.

Any other local artists to look out for? Keep an eye out for Bronte Goodieson, Sonya Jackson and Jenny Hall - all great local talents.

Did you study art? I have always done workshops, night courses in traditional art and a Certificate in Colour and Design. Any art class leads to expansion, such as Waverley Woollahra Art school on Bondi Road and The Art Studio at Maroubra Beach. You never stop learning.

Any words of wisdom for aspiring artists? Make drawing a habit (like eating or exercise). Sketch at the café (and buy a coffee and something to eat), at the beach or the rock pool, or the GP’s waiting room, and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you don’t understand the idea or technique in class.

What do you get up to on the weekends? The weekends mean the occasional snooze-in, coffee and a chat with the locals at the café. It’s like a little village out of Midsomer Murders with all the characters and intrigue.

What do you do for work? I have worked in education for many years across various subjects, from arts and crafts to humanities. The kids keep you young at heart and tell you what’s cool and what’s not.

Do you have any favourite quotes? “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” - Pablo Picasso.

Any other words of wisdom for readers of The Beast? Meditate, walk, rest and listen to music that brings joy, and make sure you have a hobby or something creative or enjoyable like making music or art. Get outside and smell the roses, before you start pushing up daisies!

Interview James Hutton

Photo Bill McDonald

Playing in the sandbox.

Safety Experts Flag Need for Change

Back in 1935, red and yellow flags were erected for the first time on Australian beaches to mark out areas patrolled by lifeguards. The colours are said to have been inspired by the ‘Man Overboard’ flag which had been standardised under the International Code of Signals.

Nine decades later, there’s a growing body of experts who believe that, in hindsight, red and yellow might not have been a good choice of colours.

There’s a call to at least supplement, if not replace, the current system with a green flag that denotes safety in the same way as a green traffic light.

One of those suggesting a review is Professor Rob Brander, head of UNSW’s Beach Safety Research Group. Professor Brander cites a 2024 Monash University survey of Japanese students which found that three in five participants interpreted the red and yellow flags as signifying danger and would avoid swimming in that area.

“It’s a common misconception among overseas-born beachgoers, who account for a high proportion of rescues, especially at tourist hot spots like Bondi,” said Professor Brander.

“We need to conduct more research into the effectiveness of the current flag system and survey beachgoers, both overseas and Australian-born.”

Some say the evidence is already there and that it’s time for a trial of new flags. Bronte resident Paul Chivers is an internationally-renowned risk and safety expert who runs a consultancy called riskfacilitator. He is suggesting the trial at Bondi of a traffic light-type flag system based on colour codings used on many overseas beaches: green indicates low hazard; yellow indicates moderate hazard; and red means high hazard.

“This is not a replacement of red/yellow patrol zone markers but an overlay system to enhance hazard awareness,” he stresses.

“It’s particularly important for the thousands of international visitors who don’t always recognise the meaning of red and yellow, and who make up a significant proportion of rescues at Bondi.”

Mr Chivers acknowledges that the red and yellow colours are “entrenched in Australian lifesaving culture” but says a summer trial of his suggested system at Bondi would “address a known communication gap and improve public safety outcomes at one of Australia’s most visited beaches.”

The idea of having different-coloured overlay flags got a dumping when The Beast talked to Andrew Christopher, immediate past president of North Bondi Surf Lifesaving Club.

“I think it might create confusion,” said Mr Christopher, who

has more than 20 years experience as a voluntary lifesaver.

“It puts the onus on lifeguards to make ongoing assessments based on the conditions. Those assessments would be subjective and there’d be liability risks.”

He stressed that this was his personal view, not necessarily that of his club.

On our local Eastern Beaches, it’s not the surf clubs who operate the beach flags and employ paid lifeguards. That’s done by Waverley and Randwick Councils. What do they think about a review of the current flag system?

A spokesperson for Waverley Council told The Beast, “Waverley Council regularly reviews and discusses beach safety with a wide variety of stakeholders and would consider this matter through dialogue with neighbouring councils, the Coastal Safety Group and Surf Life Saving NSW. It is imperative that there is consistency across beaches.”

Randwick City Council also flagged that it could be open to a review of the current system, saying, “Randwick Council supports ideas that help keep beachgoers safe.”

But the Randwick spokesperson added, “The red and yellow flags are a long-standing part of Australian beach culture and remain a well-known signal that lifeguards or lifesavers are watching that area.”

Words Anthony Maguire Photo Ben Derahijau

Catching up with the rest of the world.

Waverley Dishes up Good News for Outdoor Diners

Cafés and restaurants are welcoming Waverley Council’s decision to free up outdoor dining restrictions.

Footpath seating guidelines will be easier for business owners to navigate with the removal of a requirement to adhere to a seating plan.

Meanwhile, operators will no longer need to strictly comply with the National Construction Code, which currently sees the number of outdoor dining seats rigidly calculated on the basis of available sanitary facilities. And the minimum distance that seating can be located from the kerb will be reduced from 1.5 to 1 metre, increasing the space available for footpath seating while ensuring adequate access to parked cars.

Amendments to Waverley’s Development Control Plan paved the way for the changes, which went on public exhibition for a month before being ratified by councillors.

Peter Manthopoulos, owner of the Cosmopolitan Café on Oxford Street, Bondi Junction is

very happy about the council’s new outdoor dining policy.

“It’s fantastic!” he said. “If you have more people sitting outside, it attracts more customers. It will add to the atmosphere of Bondi Junction.”

His positive comments were echoed by Andy Anthony, owner of Macelleria restaurant on Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach.

“It will create a more vibrant dining scene,” he told The Beast.

As well as being able to accommodate more outdoor customers, restaurants and cafés will be able to stay open longer. Trading hours will be extended to 6am to 10pm in commercial areas, up from 7am to 9pm currently.

“Outdoor dining is a big part of what locals and visitors love about Waverley, and Council is moving to enhance our support for greater vibrancy and activation,” Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh told The Beast.

“These changes are going to provide an incentive for businesses to help boost the local atmosphere.”

Bronte Filmmaker Puts Domestic Violence in the Picture

Words Anthony Maguire

Photo Ned Holdaway

Up and coming Bronte filmmaker Asia Dunstone has delivered a powerful domestic violence message in her latest short film, Breaking Waves.

“It’s about a young surfer who breaks the chain of abuse in his family after meeting a girl,” the 19-year-old told The Beast

Asia says her theme was prompted by constant media reports of domestic violence.

“I also have friends and relatives who’ve experienced it.”

Breaking Waves runs for six minutes and was written, directed and produced by Ms Dunstone, who is studying screen production at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. Before that, she was a student at the Newtown High School of the Performing Arts, where she made several films with classmates.

Her previous short films have garnered a number of accolades including a Best Director award at the smartphone film festival SF3 and a David Perry Award for Film & Photography.

To view Breaking Waves, please visit Asiakeala.com.

Asia has made a film about a surfer who breaks the chain of domestic abuse in his family.

Words and Photo Anthony Maguire

Cosmopolitan Café owner Peter says the revamped outdoor dining policy is “fantastic” news.

Last year’s Best Film winner didn’t think he had the ghost of a chance.

Helping Filmmakers Enjoy the Sweet Smell of Success

Words Anthony Maguire Photo Steve Walsh

Attention local filmmakershere’s a chance to stand out from the pack, demonstrate how you can work under pressure and share in a $2,000 prize pool.

The Stinkwater25! Filmmaking Festival is a unique event where you are given just 30 hours to shoot and edit a short film that runs for no more than four minutes.

To make sure the submitted shorts are original and not recycled material, filmmaking teams are given a ‘menu’ of around 20 items, dialogue and Randwick locations. They have to include a set number of these in their productions. This briefing will take place at 6pm on Friday, October 3 at Souths Juniors in Kingsford.

The clock then starts tickingthe deadline for submissions is midnight on Saturday, October 4. Then, the following evening from 6pm, the cream of the crop will be shown on the big screen in the Wintle Room at the Juniors, followed by a 7.30pm awards ceremony.

There’s a Best Film award carrying a $1,000 prize plus $500 prizes for Best Youth Film and the Audience Award.

Last year’s Best Film winner was Randwick copywriter Steve Walsh, with a comedy ghost romp called Dad and Buried. However, Mr Walsh revealed that he was suffering from serious self-doubt by the time he submitted the film via YouTube after a marathon editing session.

“By that point I was feeling extremely tired and drained, and I became convinced it would end up as an also-ran,” he said.

Stinkwater25! is organised by veteran local short filmmaker PJ Collins. How did he come up with the name?

“We started it in Coogee and the Aboriginal name for Coogee actually translates as ‘Stinky water’,” he told The Beast.

Sponsored by Randwick City Council, the event is part of the Sydney Fringe Festival. If you would like to register your filmmaking team, please visit stinkwater.com.au.

Waverley Council Provides Refuge for Victims of Domestic Violence

Words Anthony Maguire

Photo Con Troller

Waverley Council is coming to the rescue of people fleeing domestic violence, reserving two fully-furnished, council-owned units for at-risk individuals and families.

The units are among 24 council-owned units earmarked for affordable housing, with a further six units becoming available soon.

The council is also opening the door to key workers like emergency services personnel, adopting a broader definition of ‘key worker’ status.

The accommodation opportunities are among changes to the council’s Affordable Housing Program supported by councillors at their August meeting.

“These changes cement Waverley’s status as a local government leader in affordable housing reform,” Mayor Will Nemesh told The Beast. Councillors also approved a motion supporting the NSW Government’s establishment of a public register of affordable housing dwellings.

“Transparency is important, not just because community expectations demand it, but to ensure we are tackling the challenges of housing affordability in the most efficient way possible,” Mayor Nemesh said.

The Affordable Housing Program will help victims of domestic violence find affordable housing.

All 482 visas may now apply for PR, including cooks, café managers, hairdressers, marketing staff, etc. The qualifying period has also been reduced to two years Please call Brendan to discuss further

Brendan Muldoon Reg. Migration Agent # 0742052

39 Gould Street, Bondi Beach Phone: 0404 552 322 brendan@bondimigration.com.au www.bondimigration.com.au

Come along to your local resident Precinct Meeting

Precincts are meetings of residents who get together regularly to discuss local matters or issues of concern in their neighbourhood. Waverley is split into 13 Precincts and meetings are open to any person living within the Precinct boundaries.

Visit waverley.nsw.gov.au/precinct or scan the QR Code to find out which Precinct you belong to and when they are meeting next.

Waverley Council proudly supports resident run Precinct meetings.

Feedback Sought on Community and Rec Centre Proposal at Chambers Site

Words Anthony Maguire

Photo Will Chambers

Waverley Council wants your thoughts on its plans to build and manage a multipurpose community and recreation centre at its ‘ghost’ council chambers site on Bondi Road.

The former council HQ at the edge of Waverley Park has lain idle since council staff moved to new office premises in Bondi Junction last October.

Parts of the run-down chambers date back around 100 years but are not seen as having heritage value. Councillors want to see a knockdown and rebuild, with $18 million earmarked for redevelopment over the next three years.

Mayor Will Nemesh had led the push for the building to be a community hub offering flexible spaces for community and recreational use.

“It’s important that the site be given back to the community, as we’ve been doing with other council-owned assets like Bronte House and the caretaker’s cottage at Waverley Cemetery,” he says.

Three different options for a recreation and community centre are due to be posted on the council’s ‘Have Your Say’ page in October.

The old chambers site will be handed back to the community.

Marj to Host Mood and Menopause Discussion

Words Anthony Maguire

Photo Vas O'Motor

Menopause is something that most have traditionally viewed in a physiological framework. But what about the psychological effects experienced by so many women with the onset of menopause at an average age of 51-52? For instance, hot flushes often lead to sleep disturbance, which can adversely affect mood.

Coogee MP Dr Marjorie O’Neill will be hosting a panel discussion headed ‘Mood Changes and Menopause’ on the evening of Thursday, October 30 at The Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick. The Women’s Well, a local community group, has helped organise it.

Members of the public are invited to attend, in person or via web link, to hear from experts including Dr John Eden, Gynaecologist and Reproductive Endocrinologist; Dr Nadya Chami, Gynaecologist and Menopause Specialist; Dr Anne-Marie Rees, Perinatal Psychiatrist; and Gillian Neil, Clinical Nurse Consultant. Dr O’Neill says, “By shining a light on perimenopause and menopause - together with the expertise of the Royal Hospital for Women and The Women’s Well - we can build a stronger understanding of women’s bodies and make better use of the world-class health resources available here at The Royal.”

Please visit www.royalwomen. org.au/menopause25.

Increasing Calls for E-bike Parking in Randwick City

Words Anthony Maguire

Photo Terry Hogan

Waverley has taken steps to solve its e-bike problem, so why can’t Randwick? That’s the question being asked by Randwick councillor Carolyn Martin (pictured below), who has been trying to get the council to strike up a similar agreement with e-bike operators to the one recently negotiated by Waverley Council.

“There’s an urgent need for dedicated e-bike parking, especially in Coogee,” the Liberal councillor told The Beast. “I’ve raised it twice at meetings and even got an executive from Lime to come in and discuss it with councillors. But the matter keeps getting knocked back by Labor and the Greens.”

Councillor Martin says the e-bikes being left on footpaths and verges are not only an eyesore but a health hazard.

“Recently I was in a local doctor’s surgery and spoke to an elderly man who’d suffered a nasty head laceration after tripping over an e-bike.”

The Beast sought comment from Randwick Council about the lack of e-bike parking spaces - and it seems the wheels are now in motion for an agreement with operators.

A spokesperson said council was starting to work with operators on parking zones plus geofencing to restrict where e-bikes can operate.

Limeys are lying everywhere.

Hot flushes can disturb sleep.

Waverley Council Update

Mayor's Message

Upping the ante on affordable housing

Waverley Council has cemented its status as a leader in affordable housing reform at the local government level with adoption of a raft of important new measures At last month’s meeting, Council unanimously supported changes to the operation of its Affordable Housing Program to cover a wider range of essential workers as well as women fleeing domestic violence –vital to supporting our community’s most vulnerable Councillors also welcomed the NSW Government’s re cent passage of the Community Housing Providers Amendment Bill, including a state-wide register of affordable housing stock. The reforms will improve visibility of development in the sector but there are gaps that need to be filled.

To address those gaps, a motion was passed calling on the State Government to collect more data to allow Councils to monitor how and where new stock is delivered or maintained. The changes will ensure we are tackling the challenges of housing affordability in the most efficient way possible

More

outdoor dining – and for longer

To make Waverley an even more vibrant and connected community, Council has approved a new outdoor dining policy and extended trading hours. We are putting in place new guidelines that make it easier for businesses to thrive by cutting regulation and incentivising more place activation.

Outdoor dining is a big part of what locals and visitors love about Waverley. Our local businesses play an essential role in creating the exciting atmosphere that’s unique to popular places like Bondi and Bronte, and we want them to succeed.  Council will make outdoor dining guidelines easier to navigate, while extending hours of operation in commercial areas.

More share bike parking

After the successful establishment of the first share bike parking in Bondi Junction recently, Council has now approved the installation of more dedicated e-bike parking areas across Bondi Junction, Bondi Beach and Bronte Beach for a trial period of six months.

Council has allocated funding, with the costs then to be passed on to the share bike providers, in accordance with the memorandum of understanding with the providers.

Glenayr Ave Street Party

Glenyr Ave Bondi is the place to be in October for our annual street party! The space between Beach Road and Blair Street will be transformed with an outdoor stage with local bands and DJs, roving performers, street furniture, food and beverage pop-ups and themed retail offers. Locals and visitors will be able to rediscover the heart of the Bondi community free from cars. We are hosting this lively event in partnership with the NSW Government Please keep an eye on upcoming Waverley Council communications for details and get ready to party!

William Nemesh Mayor of Waverley

Anne Spreads Sun Safety Message After Winning Melanoma Battle

Words and Photo Anthony Maguire

Coogee resident Anne Gately is on a mission to save people from the ravages of skin cancer.

Seven years ago, the 59-yearold experienced a pain in her back after a gym workout.

“I just thought I’d pulled a muscle,” she told The Beast.

But the pain didn’t go away, and within a couple of weeks it had engulfed her entire torso, then her legs. The verdict, after a round of medical tests culminating in a bone biopsy, was Stage IV melanoma.

“It was all through my bones and I was basically riddled with it,” she said.

She was advised that she most likely had no more than two years to live. But there was a ray of hope - immunotherapy, which can destroy cancer cells with drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors.

She went through the immunotherapy treatment overseen by oncologist Professor Georgina Long, AO, an expert in melanoma treatment. And it worked. Today she remains melanoma-free and has become

a passionate advocate for sun protection.

Anne has told her melanoma survival story - and the teenage tanning on Coogee Beach that no doubt lit the fuse for her condition - in a book called Sunburnt, published last year.

Meanwhile, she is lobbying for sun protection to be placed higher on the government health agenda and wants schools, sporting and community organisations to be more proactive about preventing young people from becoming melanoma victims.

“Sports like cricket are played in the full glare of the summer sun and players often have short sleeves and no hats,” she explained. “There are no formal guidelines for shade provisions in schools - in junior school, it’s ‘no hat, no play’ but in high school the hats are dispensed with. All too many schools, both junior and senior, don’t have shade cloth protection in their playgrounds.”

For more information about Ms Gately and her sun safety message, go to annegately.com.au.

Almost 30 Shops in Bondi and the Junction Selling Contraband Ciggies

Words Anthony Maguire

Photo Chester Field

Bondi and Bondi Junction have been identified as local hot spots for the illegal cigarette and vape trade.

Cigarette company Philip Morris recently came up with a list of retailers across the state selling illegal products. There were 12 in Bondi Junction, while in Bondi there were 17.

The numbers of dodgy outlets elsewhere in the Eastern Suburbs were relatively lowMaroubra, Clovelly, Randwick and Coogee had a total of ten between them.

Not all the outlets named in the Philip Morris survey specialise in the sale of tobacco and vapes - a number of handymarts in Bondi and the Junction are cashing in on the booming trade. A Bondi Beach news agency was also listed.

The Beast asked a woman behind the counter of Cignall in Bondi Junction’s Eastgate shopping centre what the cheapest price for a packet of cigarettes was. “$22,” she replied, before we nodded and sidled away.

Within cooee of that shop was Coles, where the lead-in price for a packet of legal durries was $33.95.

Shops selling illegal ciggies are making a killing.

Anne Gately’s teenage tanning at Coogee came back to bite her decades later.

The latest from Randwick City Council about living in this great city

Randwick News

A significant part of what makes our City a great place to live, work and visit is our strong sense of community, and our safe, vibrant streets and neighbourhoods. Randwick Council is working with local businesses and creatives to boost our economy and ensure our public spaces continue to be welcoming and lively places where community members can gather and enjoy.

With funding from the NSW Government’s Open Streets Program, we’re expanding the model of our popular street festival, Spot On, in Randwick to Coogee. From early 2026, Coogee Bay Road will be transformed into a nighttime destination for outdoor dining, free live music and entertainment.

Following the success of the Maroubra Beach Markets, I’m excited to announce we are also launching a new market at Heffron Park this month. That means more opportunities for community members to connect and shop locally. The first Heffron Park Markets will be on 19 October and then every third Sunday of the month. Maroubra Beach Markets will continue to be on the first Saturday of every month.

Residents asked for more food trucks and we listened. Over the next year our Eat Drink Play food truck program will be bigger and better, with at least five events happening across the city to celebrate occasions such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, the Winter Solstice and Father’s Day.

We’ve also been working with food truck businesses to ensure they can operate more freely across our City. We are trialling three fixed sites for food trucks at Malabar Beach, Clovelly Beach and Yarra Bay Beach.

What’s On

SPOT ON

THURSDAYS 2, 16 AND 30 OCTOBER

5.30 – 9 pm

St Pauls Street, Randwick

MAROUBRA BEACH MARKETS

SATURDAY 4 OCTOBER

8 am – 2 pm

Broadarrow Reserve

HEFFRON PARK MARKETS SUNDAY 19 OCTOBER

8 am – 2 pm Netball courts, 46 Fitzgerald Avenue, Maroubra

KINGSFORD EAST PRECINCT RESIDENTS MEETING

WEDNESDAY 1 OCTOBER

6.30 pm Online

RANDWICK PRECINCT RESIDENTS MEETING

WEDNESDAY 1 OCTOBER

7 pm Online

SCAN FOR MORE RESIDENTS MEETINGS

Councillor Dylan Parker

Mayor of Randwick

Crime News

Cop-Slapping Socialite Slapped With Driving Ban, Hefty Fine

A socialite who slapped a police officer and refused to take a breath test after a drunken car crash has been let off lightly, with a six-month driving ban and $2,500 fine.

Vanessa Jacobs Fennell will also have to have an interlock device fitted to her car when she gets behind the wheel again. And she’ll have to see a shrink.

The mental health of the onetime Real Housewives of Sydney short-lister was a major issue as her lawyer tried to get the proceedings at Waverley Court dismissed on mental health grounds.

Magistrate Kirk Dailly rejected the application for a Section 14 mental health order, but accepted that Jacobs Fennell had genuine mental health issues, referring to a psychiatrist’s report saying the 54-year-old suffered from depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The report indicated these conditions could be connected with past domestic violence.

Jacobs Fennell had gone on anti-depressant medication just days before her Range Rover slammed into a parked Tesla on Bellevue Road, Bellevue Hill one night around 6.45pm. She’d also had several drinks, the result of a long lunch with friends in Double Bay.

After the accident, she stopped but refused to give her particulars to the Tesla owner or police who attended the scene. And when the cops arrested her, she lashed out at one of them, a Constable Jackson, who suffered a slap on the arm.

Magistrate Dailly ruled the arm slap was at the lower end of police assault offences and decided to record no conviction on that charge - but he imposed a conditional release order, which means Jacobs Fennell must stay on the straight and narrow for 12 months or else face a hefty penalty, possibly jail time, for the assault.

She was convicted on charges of negligent driving, refusing a breath test and failing to give particulars.

Imposing the $2,500 fine and six-month disqualification, Magistrate Dailly noted her clean criminal record. Her driving record is not exactly squeaky-clean - Jacobs Fennell has 17 speeding convictions, incurred perhaps while running late for charity functionsbut there were no serious offences.

“I regret everything,” a penitent Jacobs Fennell told media outside the courthouse.

Iran Was Behind Bondi Kosher Deli Attack - ASIO

The community has been rocked by the latest revelation about the spate of antsemitic attacks late last year and early this year. According to Australia’s security agency, ASIO, the firebombing of Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Bondi and a Melbourne synagogue were orchestrated by Iran.

ASIO says Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directed the two attacks through local proxies.

In the case of the Lewis’ Continental Kitchen attack, which caused $1 million damage to the kosher deli, a couple of the local proxies were none too bright.

It’s alleged that bikie Sayed Moosawi paid two low-level crimsfor-hire to torch the Curlewis Street premises on October 17. Instead, the pair targeted Curly Lewis Brewery around the corner on Campbell Parade - and didn’t do much damage. However, police say that three days later, Moosawi got a brighter spark to torch Lewis’ Continental Kitchen.

The two goons who targeted the wrong place have now gone

through the courts and are languishing in the clink. Moosawi, former president of the Nomads, was recently allowed out on bail after his lawyer lodged not guilty pleas to a string of charges including directing the activities of a criminal group and being an accessory before the fact to destroying property using fire.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has kicked the Iranian ambassador out of the country and it’s seen as likely that the IRGC may also have been behind other antisemitic attacks on buildings and cars in the Eastern Suburbs plus other places in Sydney and Melbourne.

Simply Stunning

Police say they seized two stun guns when they executed a search warrant at a home in Portland Crescent, Maroubra.

A 57-year-old man was arrested and taken to Maroubra Police Station. He was subsequently charged with two counts of purchasing a prohibited weapon without a permit and two counts of possessing a prohibited weapon.

The man was allowed conditional bail and his case will be heard at Waverley Court.

Bottom-touching Bondi Man Fronts Court

A court has been told how Bondi finance executive Scott Townsley touched the bottom of a passing woman in the exclusive members pavilion of the SCG.

The incident happened when he was drinking in the Pavilion bar with a group of men during an AFL match. The 47-year-old investment adviser “flicked” a woman on the bottom as she walked past. She stopped and confronted him and security were called, then police.

After checking CCTV footage, police came calling at his Bondi Beach home the following day. And in Downing Centre Local Court, he pleaded guilty to sexually touching another person without consent. Sentencing was deferred pending reports.

Words Jimmy Fellon

Photo Pap A'Razzi

Vanessa leaving Waverley Court.

The

Beast Magazine wants your local photos...

Subject Water Hazard Location Coogee Photographer Brody Vancers

Subject Sunrise Shapes Location Bondi

Photographer Nicolás Nieva

Subject Statues Location Coogee Photographer Lorraine Maglione

Subject Limbo Location Tamarama Photographer Alan Wang

Subject Puppy Parking Location Bondi Photographer Sofia Grant

Subject Mudslingers Location Queens Park

Photographer Roly Galwah

Subject Tanja in the Moment Location Bronte

Photographer Mike Adams

Subject Headstone Location Coogee Photographer Alanna Byrne

Subject Spectator Location Coogee Photographer Lisa Owen-Burke

Subject The Red Sea Location Bondi

Photographer Frederick Malouf

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the Self-Help Industry

Words Jeremy Ireland Photo Mohammed Tivator

Have you ever been drawn to some kind of selfhelp book, podcast, or even a link or an app that has popped up on your social media? If you’re looking at trying to improve yourself in some way there’s a solid chance you have. It’s fair to say that even this article could be placed fair and square in the ‘self-help’ category, and with that in mind I must tread carefully. Yes, there are definitely some good books and content out there, but there are many more that have the potential to leave us flat, unfulfilled and possibly even feeling worse.

The happiness industry - and the various spin-offs it produces - is massive in the selfhelp world. And rightly so; who doesn’t want to be happy? The main concern here is that such content, especially the books, is often about the author and not necessarily the reader. Understanding this can make a big difference in what we expect to get from such works. As Timothy Carey points out in Psychology Today, generally such stories or advice is what the author found useful in becoming the person they wanted to be. There is often a personal struggle the author was trying to overcome, issues they had learnt about themselves and beaten by doing certain things, a secret they have unlocked and are wanting to now share... And, if you follow their advice, you too can be like them - a better person.

The main issue here is that personal advice from author to reader often involves a lot of anecdotal stuff based on personal accounts rather than facts or research. This might sound harsh, and I’m sure many self-help authors have used

research-based evidence and perhaps even cited it in their works, but even then there is something known as the ‘file draw problem’ or ‘publication bias’ to take into consideration. This relates to a tendency to only report on positive or significant findings, meaning research that has a negative result or shows no difference (and there is a lot of it) tends to be overlooked, leading our self-help creator to promote a certain intervention that they think is more effective than it actually is. For example, if I want to write a book about why dating a bloke from Bondi is better than one from Bronte, I just use evidence that proves my point, ignoring evidence to the contrary. You can pretty much write about anything and cherry pick evidence or research that backs your narrative. The maintstream media is a classic example!

“So what?” you might ask. “If I’m reading a topic that taps into something I know I can do better on, that’s a good thing, right?” Yes, it’s a great place to start - awareness is a crucial step - but much of what we feel in mental health tends to be subjective, emotion-based and highly personal. The self-help book can talk to you, but you can’t talk back to it. Taking someone else’s experience from such books helps gain some wider understanding but should only be part of what to consider, as often the bulk of our troubles lie unnoticed, even hidden.

Again, I want to stress there are many good books, podcasts, etc. in the self-help industry, and there are many good and respectable authors who do excellent work. However, please be aware that a lot of such books are going for the widest possible generic audience and, at the end of the day, have no idea what you’re actually going through. Nor do they address the notion that for the majority of people who feel shitty, unfulfilled or unhappy, nine times out of ten it is often not within your control. Not all of us can easily get to the gym, earn more money, go for a walk, get away from an abusive partner or escape the past of a bad childhood.

The take home message? Self-help (including AI) may be a good starting point, but it won’t have all the answers. It is one-on-one, face-toface mental health treatment from a therapist that will make a huge difference and help get you to the heart of your concern, not some kind of ‘you can do better’, ‘just manifest it’ or ‘you can find love’ style of self-help content that ultimately is just blowing smoke up your proverbial.

Jeremy Ireland is a local psychotherapist. Have you got a question? You can get in touch with Jeremy by calling 0400 420 042.

Strong set of chompers on him.

Yellowfin Tuna FeverAn Untreatable Affliction

Words and Photos Lewis Kennedy-Hunt

Bondi’s unstoppable fishing duo, Grayson and Jules, were growing tired of harassing the local snapper population and suffering through the winter harbour grind. With no shortage of vigor, they naturally set their sights on something bigger, better and harder to conquer. Their target, the yellowfin tuna, a powerful oceanic species capable of growing up to 200kg and known to haunt the waters off our coast during the winter months.

Unlike most of the fish they had chased up until this point, these torpedoes were in a class of their own, requiring completely different gear, far flung offshore spots and a radically new approach that neither of them were familiar with yet. This meant starting completely from scratch. First they invested in a suite of heavy game rods, large overhead reels, gaffs, gimbals and specialist lures, all specifically designed with big tuna in mind. Next, they quickly learned to study complex sea surface charts in order to track down where the fish were likely to be. Finally, they befriended a crew of fellow tuna fishos at the ramp, allowing them a glimpse into a very small and exclusive class of anglers who aren’t known to give away their secrets easily.

As whispers of yellowfin started to emerge, the boys were primed and ready to tick off their first fish, a feat that seemed almost impossible to them at the time. A weather window appeared and they loaded the boat with all the gear, a hundred plus litres of fuel, and pointed the bow straight offshore before the sun had even risen. After trolling around close to 100kms from the coast for almost eight hours without so much as a suggestion of a fish, they returned to shore salt crusted, exhausted and defeated. It was becoming obvious that this wasn’t going to be easy. After seeing photos of big fish being caught that day, they were more determined

than ever to crack one, waiting only for the next weather window to go back out. After a week of slogging it out at their trades, along came the weekend and two days of glamour conditions. The temperature breaks were looking good down the coast, and the pair didn’t hesitate to jump in the car and tow the boat the few hours south. Despite losing a wheel off their dual axle trailer on the way, which was easily sorted between themselves and a few tools, they made it to the zone, ready to strike in the morning.

After rising in the dark, they made it out to the shelf early and were greeted with some of the best offshore conditions the two had ever seen. After the usual song and dance of trolling for hours in the calm conditions, the boys were still fishless by the afternoon but chose to persevere through to the arvo bite. Just as the sun began to lower they started seeing tuna smashing the surface in the distance and frantically pulled in the spread of lures to buzz over there. With two stick bait rods rigged and ready they deployed casts into the commotion and it only took a few turns of the reel before Grayson came up tight to his first yellowfin tuna. After some searing runs that seemed to nearly melt the reel, they gaffed the 20kg fish into the boat and chaos ensued with ecstatic screams and shouts. Shortly after, Jules pulled hooks on a similar model, leaving him devastated, only to redeem himself the following morning after trolling one up on the overhead gear. What a weekend, and what a way to be initiated into the tuna fishing fraternity. The boys were hooked!

They made it back home to the shed in Bondi exhausted but elated, ready to share the prime cuts of tuna among friends. But the satisfaction from catching their first fish didn’t last long before they both came down with a bad case of tuna fever. With images of 50kg fish jumping out of the water burned firmly into their brains, it started to become all they could think about, and nothing was going to stop them from getting back out there as soon as possible.

Along came the weekend once again and, with the wind up slightly, they chose not to strike it out at dawn. By 10am, Jules was sitting in his boat out the front of his house listening to report after report of big tuna being caught off Sydney on his vhf radio. The wind was easing, and before they knew it the pair were sending it back out offshore hoping to satisfy their appetite. Being a Saturday, I was working at the marina and waited eagerly to hear if they’d come on to any fish. After not hearing from them all day, the ‘red tub’ appeared in the marina in the early afternoon and I met them at the dock to hear a story of defeat or victory. The two boys had cheeky smirks on their faces as they pulled up and, without any exchange of words, lifted up their bounty for us to see.

Radicalised fishing extremists Grayson and Jules.

The Unreliable Guide to...

Being Gen X

Words Nat Shepherd Photo Lotney Fratelli

The Unreliable Guide has been feeling our age lately. I’m Gen X, that in-betweener generation or awkward middle child of modern history. We X-ers were the first mob to be called ‘Gen’ anything, bridging the gap between the Baby Boomers’ loved-up, post-war optimism and the Millennials’ anger that the planet’s on fire and affordable housing is as mythical as unicorns.

Gen X are now aged between 45 and 60 - definitely not young anymore, but not quite ancient either. So, where does that leave us? If you, like me, are a Gen X-er wondering what happened to the party, who broke your glow stick, and where the hell they’ve hidden the chill-out room, never fear - The Unreliable Guide is here with some tips and tricks to keeping it safe until we get this sorted.

Cashed Out

When I was a kid, 60 was the classic retirement age. Today, most Gen X-ers will be working way past that because we can’t afford not to. While your typical Boomer surfed a property boom

that landed them in mortgage-free nirvana, often with a fat property portfolio their own parents couldn’t have imagined, Gen X got HECS debts, interest rate spikes, job instability and house prices that laughed in our faces. For many X-ers, the dream of paying off the mortgage before we die has been filed under ‘fantasy fiction’.

Especially when, according to a recent BBC report, Gen X are losing jobs in favour of younger, more ‘flexible’ applicants who work for less and use TikTok for five straight hours without getting a migraine. But they forget our resourcefulness - we were the home alone generation, the invincible Latchkey Kids. Around 40 per cent of us came home to an empty house, let ourselves in with the key on a cord around our neck, and made our own snacks (I still love a fish finger sanga) while waiting for our parents to get home. By contrast, our kids sue for damages if left alone for five minutes or forced to eat anything not labelled ‘organic’. Squeezed between Boomer parents who need more care

and Boomerang offspring who need more cash, Gen X are the sandwich generation... and our cheese is melting fast.

We Don’t Dance to Techno Anymore

When did Gen X stop shouting, “Lager, lager, lager, lager, mega, mega, white thing...” or, “I feel stupid and contagious,” and start mumbling about fish oil and statins? Instead of discussing the hot new vinyl remix that just landed in Red Eye Records (remember that?) we’re swapping tips on high-calcium, low-cholesterol diets. Catching up for a coffee with mates feels like a dress rehearsal for old age, with the inevitable itemised list of everyone’s injuries, ailments and test results - including those of people we barely know. “That bloke at the bus stop? Doctor reckons it’s probably gout.” It’s pretty depressing, despite the fact that, historically, we’re doing brilliantly. In the Stone Age, we’d have been dead before we hit 30. Two hundred years ago, making it to 40 was practically wizardry. But that doesn’t make the creeping medicalisation of middle age feel any less weird. At a routine check-up, doctors now starts sentences with “Well, at your age…” and we start wondering if we should’ve gone to that yoga class after all.

Finally, The Unreliable Guide suggests Gen X needs to remind the world that we are the generation who cooked our own dinners, babysat ourselves, walked to school and managed to make and keep friends without mobile phones or the need to document every moment on social media. Let’s pop a couple of paracetamols and dance like it’s 1999, for in the words of that profound preacher-man, Maxi Jazz, “This is my church, this is where I heal my hurts.”

The most famous Gen X-ers.

and availability of facilities and locations provide the space for those internal social desires that compel us towards community to graduate from desires to practical action.

This infrastructure and access to these spaces are critical in the formation of communities, as it represents the second half of the equation of the intangible desire for community, added with the tangible spaces that allow it to happen.

It’s certainly important for one to want to be part of a club or group involving social engagement and interaction with other people, but without the space or resources to act upon this desire, the desire is made redundant.

The Physical Elements of Community: What Are They,

and Why Are They

Important?

Words Angus Henricks Photo Cora Bezemer

Firstly, apologies for my absence in last month’s edition. I was moving to the United Kingdom and have subsequently deprived you of these community discussions that I like to imagine you’ve all been yearning for. Bearing that in mind, let’s indulge ourselves a little further.

Previously we looked at the social elements of community, specifically the inclinations and desires for togetherness that foster community on a social level. This month I wanted to write about the other critical element in the formation of community; the tangible and physical infrastructure that enables the community to come to fruition.

When I refer to the tangible physical elements of community, I mean the spaces, facilities, infrastructure and locations that are built with the purpose and intention of being used as community spaces. These include parks, town halls, playgrounds, free and publicly accessible facilities like exercise equipment or pools... all things that facilitate the engagement of people by providing an adequate space to do so.

These tangible places and spaces are congruent with the social, intangible elements of community that we looked into previously. The infrastructure

Something that we are so fortunate to have in our locality of Sydney is the access to these public spaces, which are available to us without being charged extortionate prices. A key component is how accessible they are through the infrastructure design. Furthermore, this infrastructure design makes accessibility significantly easier due to public transport, footpaths to facilitate walking, and a healthy supply and variety of community spaces. My point being that not only do the spaces actually exist, but they are easy to access, as we are in no way confined to accessing these spaces by one method alone, such as driving a car.

Something that never failed to irritate me during my time living abroad in the United States was the lack of public infrastructure, which inhibited the flourishing of communities and groups. A big factor that attributed to the lack of community groups and clubs was simply the lack of spaces available for them to utilise. The lifestyle in that area of the United States had two spaces for the individual person - a first space, which is usually one’s residence, and a second space, which is typically one’s workplace. However, a third space is not just desirable, but necessary for leading a balanced and healthy life, and obviously for fostering a connection with one’s community.

This lack of a third space is directly due to the unfavourable infrastructure over there, the infernal lack of footpaths and affordable public transport, as well as the obvious lack of spaces such as parks, town halls, public gardens and exercise spaces that allow communal connection to thrive.

To conclude, I would like to remind those reading this that not only are they lucky to have these spaces, but that these spaces ultimately allow us to form imperative bonds and connections with those around us, and that complacency and a lack of care and appreciation for these spaces can ultimately deprive us of these spaces that not only do we enjoy tremendously, but are critical tools for our basic human necessity for connection.

The Cubes - crucial community infrastructure.

You Could Be Our Next Ambassador

Words Kieran Blake - kieranblakewriter.org Photo Russell Crowe

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a multi-million-dollar program to make Random Souths Guy an official Australian ambassador.

“The South Sydney Rabbitohs epitomise the spirit of the Aussie battler,” stated the boy from a housing commission flat who encouraged everyone at the launch to call him ‘Albo’.

“Roving Rabbitohs, as the ambassadors will be known, will channel this Aussie spirit to further the nation’s interests in the Asia Pacific region and beyond.”

Albo then invited every devoted Rabbitohs fan to apply for the positions, which offer free flights, accommodation and meals to anyone willing to randomly pop up in a Souths jersey at major televised world events.

“South Sydney is not just the world’s most popular sporting team, it’s every NRL fan’s second team, and the goodwill transmitted by the famous jersey translates into any language and can help break the ice at international meetings. Plus,

if Aussie diplomats are ever on the back foot, ambassadors can always distract delegates by explaining the meaning of ‘football’ in Australia.”

Albo then explained that rabbits make good eating and are in plentiful supply across our wide brown land, and thus symbolise Australia’s agricultural and export industries. They could also help lure tourists who love Hollywood animation, and hunters who love shooting invasive pests.

Roving Rabbitohs harnesses the popularity of Random Souths Guy, who used to be seen at rugby league games featuring other teams but is now a world-wide social media sensation. The cardinal and myrtle can pop up anywhere from the Tour de France to Mt Kilimanjaro.

Ambassadors can be sporting ambassadors or political and cultural ambassadors.

Sporting ambassadors who promise to wear the jersey have the opportunity to eat strawberries and cream at Wimbledon, dodge wildebeest at Migration Gravel Race in Kenya, bring

some decorum to LIV Golf, savour primal tribalism at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, marvel at the acrobatics of sepaktakraw in Thailand, pretend to understand Kabbadi on the sub-continent, or learn Spanish expletives at lucha libre in Mexico City - auditions will also be held for Australia’s first lucha libre wrestler, ‘El Conejito’.

Sporting diplomacy alone will not lead Australia to world domination, so political and cultural ambassadors are also being sought.

Thanks to Penny Wong, the Souths jersey is now recognised as official attire at UN meetings, presidential inaugurations and royal weddings, as well as the Eurovision Song Contest and the Met Gala.

“Penny’s a big fan of the Bunnies,” Albo revealed, “…and she also thinks Latrell should be playing in the centres.”

Fans with a penchant for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy are encouraged to apply via the Randwick City Council website, or by calling Albo directly.

LIVE WIRE ELECTRICAL

MAILBOX DELIVERERS NEEDED

The Beast magazine is looking for a couple of reliable local residents to help with our monthly mailbox drop. You'll need to be available for four or five days around the 18th to the 23rd of each month and have a reasonable level of fitness. You'll also need a half decent vehicle.

Locals over 50 years of age are preferred for this work, as the last 20 years has shown us that this is the demographic that really knows how to knuckle down and get a job done properly from start to finish. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, please email james@thebeast.com.au.

HYAMS BEACH HEAVEN

The Boathouses at Hyams Beach offer the perfect place to escape busy Sydney and recharge your batteries. Just an easy three-hour drive from the Eastern Suburbs, The Boathouses offer separate two-bedroom properties, available to be booked individually or together. For more information or to book, please call 4411 7000 or email bookings@holidayscollection.com.au

Due to the recent closure of Bronte Newsagency, NSW Lottery services have been relocated just across the road to TerryWhite Chemmart Bronte Pharmacy. We’re pleased to continue offering this service to our local community and look forward to welcoming you in store to collect your favourite tickets. We are also supplying your favourite newspapers.

The Things That Divide Us

It’s a common perception that people from Sydney’s East rarely move outside their area or travel more than about five kilometres, except on holidays or to go to the airport. My mother swears she never travelled further than the city, except for family holidays to the Blue Mountains or Forster once every few years, until she was more than twenty years old. Yet I would argue that the divides within the East are every bit as strong as any divide between us and the rest of Sydney. Having lived in the Eastern Suburbs my entire life - I was born, bred and educated here - I often find myself explaining to out-ofarea colleagues and mates just how delightfully parochial this pocket of Sydney truly is.

For such a geographically small part of the city, the East is impressively tribal. We’re divided not only by postcodes, but also by our footy teams, our cafés, our pubs and, most fiercely of all, our beaches. We all have our own beach, and you are either a Bondi, Tama, Bronte, Cloey or Coogee person.

There is not much waffling between.

I was born on the northern side of Bronte, where Bondi Road was our natural stomping ground with Kemeny’s for groceries and China Moon for Friday night takeaway. But in my teenage years, my family crossed that great divideBronte Road - and moved to the southern end of the suburb. Suddenly, I understood the different gravitational pulls. The old Bronte RSL and the shops at Charing Cross became our go-to. That tiny shift in geography changed everything. New routines, new coffee spots and a whole new beachside allegiance. On the northern side of Bronte the gravitational pull of nightlife was to Bondi, but on the south side it became Coogee. The parochialism of the East is so strong you could probably map it by the coffee loyalty cards in people’s wallets.

Footy allegiances are more complex and not just geographically determined but inexplicably hereditary and oddly inconsistent. My great uncle

Gordon Favell proudly wore the red, white and blue as Rooster #241 yet my grandmother was a diehard Souths fan, largely because one of her sons played for South Juniors as a young child and she burst with motherly pride. My immediate family are Wicks supporters, which makes us natural rivals to the Beasties. I could not tell you why (and if you can, please do write in).

Our cultural enclaves are just as tribal - the Irish tend to settle in Coogee, the Brits seem to prefer Bondi - but is it the weather, the Guinness or some unresolved colonial beef playing out in brunch queues and beach volleyball courts?

Despite our many friendly divisions, there is one thing that unites us all - the 362 bus route, a true under-the-radar gem of the Eastern Suburbs. Once just a seasonal summer beach connector, the 362 now runs every weekend, all year round, linking Coogee to Rose Bay via Clovelly, Bronte, Bondi, North Bondi and Dover Heights. It’s like the Eastern Suburbs’ version of the Eurostar. You can swim at Coogee in the morning, brunch at Bronte, get a sneaky gelato in Bondi and still make it to a late lunch in Rose Bay without ever driving or parking (a genuine miracle). Or, if you’re like me, it’s the preferred mode of transport to our Eastern Suburbs ANZAC derby grudge match between the Wicks and the Beasties.

More people should know about this glorious little route. It’s the thread that links our parochial patchwork together and reminds us that, while we may have our fiercely local loy alties, we’re all part of the same beautiful coastal community.

So, next weekend, ditch the car, hop on the 362 and rediscover the East - not just your version of it, but everyone else’s too.

Words Dr Marjorie O’Neill, Member for Coogee Photo Bussell Crowe

Hop on the 362 and rediscover the East.

Do you have a strata experience? We’d love to hear from you! Fill out our short survey by scanning the QR code below.

Dr Marjorie O’Neill MP

The Beast Supercross

1. What French company is represented by a mascot named Bibendum?

2. What is the collective noun for a group of whales?

3. What dish is coated in foie gras, mushrooms and pastry?

4. Who is the most followed person on Instagram?

Trivial Trivia

Words Lisa Anderson

5. In what country did the first Starbucks open outside the US?

6. Which of the following is worth the most points in Scrabble; Hobart, Adelaide Brisbane or Sydney?

7. Who is not a pro golfer; Fred Funk, Simon Ferocious or Maverick McNealy?

ACROSS

1. Canberra Raiders coach (5,6)

7. Two-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle (7)

9. Used on the waterways of Venice (7)

11. Scientific term for armpit (6)

12. A synthetic polymer (5)

13. Retire from military service (5)

15. Abbreviated Californian city (1,1)

16. Largest city in Illinois (7)

18. Tailless primate (3)

19. Mythical Australian monster (6)

22. Car suitable for travelling over rough terrain (4)

23. French bean variety (7)

DOWN

1. First name of politician Marles (7)

2. Compelling charm (8)

3. Memorable phrase (6)

4. Global organisation abbreviated (1,1)

5. Davy Crockett’s hat (6)

6. Capital of Corsica (7)

8. Expressing motion in the direction of (2)

10. Declare invalid (7)

14. Pass by (6)

16. Sudden expulsion of air (5)

17. Meat jelly (5)

20. Weed (3)

21. Abbreviated operation (2)

8. True or False; Donald Trump once marketed a brand of bottled water called ‘Trump Ice’?

9. In The Shawshank Redemption, what was the name of the actress on the poster that hid the tunnel?

10. What is sake made from?

Subject Jack Kable Slotted Location Bronte Photographer Mark Hunter @bondihunter

Rule Breakers

Genre Drama

Reviewer Linda Heller-Salvador

Hope and despair sit side by side in this empowering biopic, which shows that simple things in life, like education, are often taken for granted. Co-written with Elaha Mahboob and Jason Brown, director Bill Guttentag’s (Spyral) Rule Breakers depicts the true story of the Afghan Dreamers and Roya Mahboob, who discover that the power of determination and perseverance can overcome fear in the face of extreme adversity.

As a young girl living in Afghanistan, Roya (Nikohl Boosheri) is denied the same educational opportunities as her male counterparts. Undeterred, she takes matters into her own hands to pursue her dream of working in computer science and robotics. Her vision for gender equality becomes a beacon of hope for other girls, which eventually leads them to become the first female Afghan team to participate in international robotics competitions.

Although Rule Breakers has its faults, its message is inspirational and clear: some rules are meant to be broken, especially those that perpetuate oppression and segregation.

Royel Otis hickey

Label Capitol Records

Reviewer @aldothewriter

Rating

Fresh off conquering the world, Royel Otis hasn’t wasted any time in putting out album number two. Hickey is them sticking to their guns and producing more of what they’re good at; catchy, dreamy pop that evokes visions of crowded dance floors with people planting their feet and bopping around like Bobbleheads but from the waist up. While it would have been nice to hear a bit more exploration in their sound, there are enough nibbles to keep us tuned for the future. Perhaps keeping it simple is the perfect tonic to any second album blues.

Freddy Crabs Good To Waste

Label Impressed

Reviewer @aldothewriter

Rating

The sexiest man to ever slip on a tracksuit has gone solo. Proving he is more than just a pair of tight footy shorts and a handlebar moustache, the Sticky Fingers’ keyboardist has provided eight funky yet laidback tunes that you can either make love or cry to, or maybe even both. At times seductively sultry, at times just plain silly, it is exactly what you’d expect from one of Sydney’s most recognisable characters. While disco is (thankfully) dead, Crabs may be the man to breathe some life back into a more stripped back, less ridiculous version of it.

Hayley Williams

Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party

Label Post Atlantic

Reviewer @aldothewriter

Rating

Paramore’s Hayley Williams has had quite the career, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to see her establishing herself as a bona fide solo star. Her work makes you think, and while I have never attended a bachelorette party (neither in a professional capacity nor otherwise) even just the title of her third solo album has me pondering what those nights must really be like. EDAABP brings to mind Beck in terms of its depth and versatility. Long gone are the pop punk bangers that initially brought Williams to our ears, she’s entering her heyday now.

Star Signs

Visions Beardy from Hell

Sagittarius Nov 23-Dec 21

Most argue as a way to express needs, defend beliefs or seek attention. You do it to avoid addressing deeper personality flaws.

Capricorn Dec 22-Jan 20

You’re devoting way too much time to your physical side, when the most attractive quality in a person is authenticity.

Aquarius Jan 21-Feb 19

You’ve set so many limits and guidelines for yourself that you’re now completely trapped with barely any room to move.

Pisces Feb 20-Mar 20

When normative means aren't working, the only way to alter someone’s behaviour is a combination of carrots and sticks.

Aries Mar 21-Apr 20

Your resistance to change will only lead to struggle and pain. Let go, for a smoother, more fulfilling path, or be dragged.

Taurus Apr 21-May 21

Your lethargy isn’t caused so much by a lack of sleep, but rather a lack of anything in your life to get excited about.

Gemini May 22-Jun 21

Start planning an overseas trip for next year so you never have to go through another Sydney winter again in your life.

Cancer Jun 22-Jul 22

It’s good that you go above and beyond to help people, but you should try doing it for people who would do the same for you.

Leo Jul 23-Aug 22

There’s not much point trying to get in shape when you barely leave the house anyway. If no one’s going to see you, who cares?

Virgo Aug 23-Sep 23

You may as well spend all of your money, because if you don’t, someone is going to find a way to steal it all from you.

Trivial Trivia Solutions

incredible showroom, made-to-order headboards & beds