People Archives - Salt Magazine

Mother to mother

Philippa Scott knows what it’s like to be at rock bottom. To be a new mum feeling overwhelmed, alone and desperate for support. She’s turned that intensely emotional and personal experience into a passion for helping other mums in the same situation. And she’s loving it. “It’s where my heart sits,” she says. Instead of …

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Wild at heart

A naughty boy. Trouble in the classroom. Hard to handle. Impossible to entertain. There were no two ways about it: Kurt Jones was viewed as a disruptive child. His difficult demeanour saw him enrolled in and moved on from five different primary schools. He yo-yoed between foster and family homes. By any measure, he was …

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cooking up spirit & soul

Achieving the perfect balance of food flavours as well as a balanced approach to life is the mantra of the new executive chef at The Surf Club Mooloolaba, Chadd Kitto. It’s a philosophy that is contributing to a positive culture in the kitchen, not only resulting in a happy team but flowing through to consistently …

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More than fitting

At 14, Tracey Grills caught a glimpse of her great-grandmother getting dressed and assumed one breast simply had not grown. She would only understand years later what she had seen. Her great-grandmother had undergone a mastectomy at a time when breast cancer was rarely discussed openly. Today, that memory is part of what drives Tracey’s …

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The sweet life

WHILE MOST PEOPLE SAY, “I’m off to work”, Renee Jarrett tells her family, “I’m off to create”. It’s a deceptively simple phrase that neatly sums up the philosophy that transformed a working-class girl from Canberra into one of Australia’s most accomplished cake artists. That mindset has taken the owner of Daisy Cakes and Bakes, Caloundra, …

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An abstract approach

There is a temptation to think that artists eventually ‘arrive’. That after decades of practice they develop a signature style, master their craft and finally stand at the summit of their success. But spend a morning with Sunshine Coast abstract artist Michael Whitehead and that notion is dispelled as mere fancy. Michael describes making art …

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The joy maker

For 25 years, Noosa artist Tracey Keller has been painting colour, optimism and connection into people’s lives. Now she’s embracing a new chapter filled with creativity, collaboration and a few unexpected surprises. Step inside Tracey’s Noosa studio and it feels less like an art space and more like a vibrant creative playground. Paintings in various …

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Born to fly

Deborah Lawrie was born to fly. And no one was going to stop her. Not even the most powerful man in the Australian aviation industry at that time, Reg Ansett. In the late 1970s, Deborah had the qualifications and flying experience to become a commercial pilot, but Ansett Airlines refused to employ women in the …

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Shaped by creativity

The detail carved into the entry door to the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve Discovery Centre stuns visitors every day. Richly coloured and with breathtaking depth, the sheer size of them standing tall is awe-inspiring alone, but it is the life depicted on them that makes people stop and stare. Strangler fig and wonga vine appear …

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Dreamers & builders

Amanda Jackes’ eyes opened to a new sense of wonder when she attended the second annual Maleny Folk Festival in 1988. As a teen, she discovered a gathering of people that was much more than music and performance. It was a living experiment in culture, participation and collective creativity that would go on to shape …

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