Understanding the NDIS Plan

For many Australians living with a disability the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has become such a regular part of life that it can be difficult to remember how life was before. For our son Dan, who has autism and an intellectual impairment, the NDIS is the way in which he receives the supports that …

#BookSnapSunday – Lady Audley’s Secret

Love, which is a madness, and a scourge, and a fever, and a delusion, and a snare, is also a mystery, and very imperfectly understood by every one except the individual sufferer who writhes under its tortures. Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon is the perfect book for Valentine’s Day - love, deception, conspiracy, …

Women and Girls in Science

Today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Over the last couple of decades there has been a dedicated push to encourage more women and girls to study science, and yet science still remains a male dominated field. Less than 30% of researchers are women and only 30% of girls choose to …

#BookSnapSunday – The Elegance of the Hedgehog

When something is bothering me, I seek refuge. No need to travel far; a trip to the realm of literary memory will suffice. For where can one find more noble distraction, more entertaining company, more delightful enchantment than in literature?  If you like a fast-paced, action-packed plot, then this book is probably not for you. …

Gaia 2021: Kakadu by Peter Jarver

Yellow Water Billabong, Kakadu by pen_ash - pixabay My first Gaia read for 2021 is another great Lifeline find, Kakadu: A Guide for All Seasons by Peter Jarver and Quentin Chester. I had never heard of Peter Jarver (1953-2003), but his photography in this book is absolutely stunning. Originating from South Australia, Jarver developed an …

#Book Snap Sunday: Optimism by Bob Brown

It's not easy being Green. (Brown, 2014) Warm as a hot cuppa on a cold day, and bracing as a dip in the Franklin, Bob Brown’s candid, often humourous memoir unfolds the improbable life story of the policeman’s son from Trunkey Creek who grew up to confront presidents and prejudice on behalf of our beleaguered …

Glengallan Homestead

In December Bec and I took a drive down to Warwick chasing sunflowers, but we made time to call in to Glengallan Homestead. The homestead has an interesting history as well as demonstrating a unique approach to restoration. Originally built by pastoralist John Deuchar in 1867, it boasted marble mantlepieces, crystal chandeliers and a curving …

The Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank

Image by carlosftw - pixabay No one is spared. The sick, the elderly, the children, babies and pregnant women - all are marched to their deaths. Anne Frank, Nov 1942 Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this day in 1945, Soviet troops liberated the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Auschwitz, as well as Dachau, Buchenwald and …

Being Australian

Today is the 26th of January. It is also known as Invasion Day, Aboriginal Day of Mourning, Survival Day, Australia Day. It means different things to different people. Some see it as a commemoration of the arrival of the First Fleet. For Indigenous Australians it is a painful day as they remember the impact of …

#BookSnapSunday – The Weather Makers

What does climate change mean? How will global warming affect our lives? Is it the cause of wilder storms and more frequent drought? Are these events inevitable? Tim Flannery makes these urgent issues completely accessible. He tells the fascinating story of climate change spanning millions of years to help us understand the predicament we face. …