People
A recipe for happiness
It was her first cookbook and it had a red cover. It was given to her by her parents when she was five. To this day, My First Show Me How Cookbook remains Mel Alafaci’s most prized possession. Little did she know it then, but the book ignited a love of cooking that would see …
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Colour in his veins
The complete picture is being revealed one delectable piece at a time: two giant murals are crafted day by day outside Caloundra Hospital, depicting the wilds of Australia – rich earth, luscious plant life, flowing water and animals caught in a moment. It is life rendered in full colour, abundant and alive. That these artworks …
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World of wonder
For Leigh Karen Joyce, art is not just about creative expression, it’s something deeper. She describes art as an exchange where “just as much as I put into it, it gives back to me”. “I’m a really healthy, happy person and I just think painting has a lot to do with it,” she says. The …
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Life on the other side
DISCLAIMER: This story deals with suicide. If you, or someone you know, needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636. The road was narrow, twisting through the forest, the trees closing in above. Todd Maguire gripped the steering wheel tightly, unsure where to direct the car next. “Turn …
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Finding Hope
Matthew Horder is the first person to tell you that he was never a writer. At school, he wasn’t a fan of English class and essays were a chore. But when his life was turned upside down in the most traumatic of circumstances, he found himself reaching for pen and paper. The result? A gripping …
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Resilience in action
The morning I arrive at Bloomhill Cancer Care, the car park is overflowing. A kindly woman shows me a ‘secret’ park. She is one of Bloomhill’s legion of 380 volunteers. Together, they complete anywhere between 5000 and 6000 hours of voluntary service a month. These volunteers are the backbone of this amazing, grassroots, community-driven and …
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Words and wonder
Millions of words. The smell of ink and leather-bound journals. The romantic sounds of French jazz. Exquisite stationery. Thoughtful gifts. Vintage typewriters. And wonderful conversation. Wolf & Second Star is not a shop; it’s an experience. It evokes wonder, nostalgia and a comforting sense of calm. Owner Natasha Freeman’s grandmother, after whom the shop is …
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Wild talent
‘Wildlife warrior’ is not a title Cynthia House lays claim to. For starters, she’s not partial to khaki. But even casual observers of her artworks hanging in Buderim’s Art Nuvo Gallery or visitors to her Instagram and Facebook pages will recognise her true colours. The quiet achiever uses her creative talents to remind the world …
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Storied colour
Becoming a full-TIME professional artist does not always follow a neat, linear trajectory, as Glenda Borchard attests. But nestled away in her studio high in the hills behind Noosa, Glenda has found her true north and it draws on a nostalgia of growing up in a working-class beach suburb in 1960s Australia. As we talk, …
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A built legacy
If you’ve spent any time on the Sunshine Coast in the past 50 years, chances are you’ve walked through, driven past or even lived in one of Murphy Group’s projects. From community centres to classrooms, health facilities to homes, this is a business that has helped shape the fabric of our landscape. What began as …
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