Women of Wynnum Manly

Dannika is a seriously delightful human; the type of person who you immediately feel like you have known for years in the first minute of meeting her.  Dannika is the coordinator of the Cedar and Pine bookclub that meets monthly at the bar.  She is also a children's book author, who leads workshops for children to encourage them to tap into  the creative imagination we all have within us.  Dannika's storytelling offers a reflection of her values. I really enjoyed chatting with Dannika and it is always fascinating to understand  the process of having an idea about writing a book, to publishing books to be read by many. Find out more about Dannika's books and workshops at:  dannikapatterson.com or on Instagram at @dannikapatterson and join the bookclub by going to Bayside Bookclub on  Facebook.

Kitty Hamilton is in her 70s and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. She is probably the longest resident of the Bayside I have interviewed for the podcast, moving here when she was just a young child. Talking to Kitty I learnt all sorts of historical things about the area, and she is still as much in love with it today as she was when she was a child.Kitty has had her own share of adversity and has experienced breast cancer diagnosis twice, but has a positive mind and a will to keep on going. She is deep into her second career which is training and competing in triathlons, with her first career teaching in the local area. It was a lovely chat hearing about the Bayside of old and how Kitty is now meeting the next generation of people she taught in primary school. Enjoy getting to know Kitty. 

What a delightful human Lynda Kendrick is. I knew  of Lynda through parkrun, and knew that she is involved in the community with her volunteering roles. Little did I know that she has been volunteering in various roles for over five decades!  I know people who are inspired by Lynda, who in her 70s acknowledges she is fortunate to have good health and the means to live the life that she does. She is  a person who has a love of learning and for connecting with people in various ways; running, volunteering or travelling solo.  I was fascinated to hear about one of Lynda's latest volunteering roles as a death doula. I hope that you find the chat I had with Lynda as interesting as I did. 

Kate Gough was wonderful to chat with. She is easy company, clearly very intelligent and when she talks about Oakley, her three year old with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), you can feel her heart holding on tight to every moment spent with her. I wondered how I would feel after talking to a mother who has had a child diagnosed as terminal at a very young age. To be honest, I actually felt uplifted by all Kate has done, and knowing all that she will do for little Oakley in the coming years. She has optimism, she has energy and she is strong  in a quiet and determined way.  I hope you learn something from this conversation, as I did. Follow Oakley's story on Instagram at (For Oakley by mum (Kate)) - https://www.instagram.com/moveforoakley/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==

Laura Lewis was one of the women of the Bayside that I had on my list to interview for the podcast for a long time.  It was also a conversation that may easily have been in two parts, as we could have continued on. Laura is a business owner, mother, artist and a fierce advocate for people with disability. It was an interesting discussion and Laura was really open about her adult diagnosis of autism, and what that has meant for her. I hope you enjoy getting to know Laura. 

I connected with Kylie a while ago, but got to know her a little more when one of our special local women passed away unexpectedly a little while ago.  Kylie worked her butt off at this time, while continuing to manage her own business but doing what she does so well - supporting others.  Chatting to Kylie for the podcast reinforced for me why so many think highly of her as an appreciated member of the incredible Bayside community.  It was a really enjoyable and easy chat and I learnt a lot more about Kylie and the values that drives how she lives her life. 

Mandy was just lovely to chat with.  I heard that she  has been a Family Day Care provider for 25 years and was really intrigued to find out what it was she enjoyed about this important role, to still being doing it after all this time.  Spoiler alert, Mandy still loves it, although she has seen a lot of changes to the industry over the past two decades.I really enjoyed getting to know Mandy, outside of the usual quick chats with her along the waterfront when she is out with her husband on their daily long walks. I hope you enjoy listening. 

I have seen Bel Elis's name mentioned in a number of different contexts over the past 7 years. She is truly part of the community, and talking to Bel, I discovered that she built a community around her with the different roles she has taken on.  Bel owns Little Gnome in Charlotte Street in Wynnum, and I discovered she is also "DJ Bel".  It was great chatting with her, reminding me of the value of community, but also how at any stage you can change what you do, and embrace what you need. Enjoy the chat with Bel!

A few people have asked me if I could be interviewed for the podcast. A couple of people have offered to lead the interview. I chose my good friend Kate to be on the other side of the microphone for this one, as she has been involved in supporting the podcast from the very first time I had an idea about interviewing women in the Bayside.  She is my unofficial volunteer Business Manager and it was lovely spending the time chatting with her all about...me!  I hope that there is something of interest to you in the chat. 

For those who head down to the waterfront on weekends, you may have seen some people in orange tshirts and Sit N Chat banners.  One of those people is Clair.  Clair donates her time to listen to others who may be lonely and need a chat.  I had a really nice chat with Clair, getting to understand the background behind her idea that is an original concept but valuable to many.  You can follow Sit N Chat on Facebook, email Claire at Clair@sitnchat.org or go to sitnchat.org.  She would love to hear from people who may be interested in adding to the list of volunteers to sit and chat to people, or anyone who may be interested in sponsoring their nice merchandise. Enjoy learning more about Clair and Sit N Chat.

Sara Whitmee became the councillor for Wynnum Manly in May 2023, and has been connected to the Bayside all of her life. Since I first saw Sara was our new councillor I was intrigued about her, and what experience she had to take on the role.   I had a lovely chat getting to know Sara, and she was really open with me about how she thought it over for a very long time before making a decision to become a councillor.  Sara certainly is a long standing Baysider and is warm and easy going and very keen to see the Bayside continue to thrive. 

Ida reached out to me about being a podcast guest, as she facilitates a breast cancer support group at Manly.  Ida also has a story to tell. A year ago, as a mum with a baby and another small child, she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. She is quite the remarkable woman and her mindset in relation to living with cancer, her treatment and life is incredible. I was reminded when talking to Ida about how much I gain from this podcast, and what an absolute privilege it is to sit with someone, and allow them to share themselves for half an hour. When we finished, and Ida said goodbye, I felt like this was 30 minutes that everyone needs to hear, and how fortunate I was to be on the other end of Ida's storytelling.  Listening to Ida didn't make me sad, I walked away from it with a sense of awe and wonder for the human spirit. For more information about the support group, email Ida at ida_yang@y7mail.com or join the Facebook group (I Thrive! Brisbane breast cancer support group).  

One of the reasons I love doing this podcast is that I am genuinely interested in people and hearing their stories.  Tess was an extraordinary woman to chat to and I walked away feeling like there was so much more to hear. The journey from leaving school at 15 to working in child protection and expanding her love of writing into some incredible resources for children was inspiring to hear.  Tess's first book for adults was published in 2022. 'Remembering Nazareth House:  God and the Devil wore the same robes' is a powerful story, and an important story to be told. Trigger warning:  this discussion includes content about sexual abuse and child abuse and may be distressing for some people. 

Deb only joined the Bayside community early in 2023, but wow what a journey it was for her to get here - all the way from France!  She is only a young woman but has packed a heap of adventure in her life and is enjoying the Wynnum Manly community, and grateful for how supportive it is of her Balinese massage business.  I love hearing stories of women who leave everything and everyone they know to see what is else there is to see in this big world. Deb is quite amazing!You can find out about Deb's Balinese massage business at www.onyourwaytoshine.com or email her at deborah.velou@onyourwaytoshine.com

Jade has a fascinating story and the part where she went from selling alcohol in Abu Dhabi to being a buyer's agent in Wynnum Manly is only part of it.  She has a passion for living that is very contagious.I am grateful to Jade for educating me on Ramadan, as I had little understanding of what is involved for those who practice it each year. I learnt a lot and am glad Jade was happy to share.  I hope that the ease of the conversation comes through in this recording, as Jade and I could have almost gone for a part two and continued to talk. Jade is raising money for The Forgotten Women, who provide accommodation for homeless women over 55.  She will be sleeping in her car for a night in September and you can help the fundraising at:  https://livelikeherchallenge.com.au/page/IdealBuyersAgency

Alex is a young woman who has the kind of quiet drive I admire.  Only a couple of years ago she opened her own physiotherapy practice (evoxiaphysio.com) in Edith St, Wynnum.  In our conversation Alex shared with me how she had in informal apprenticeship to being able to own and run the business side of a physio practice, and the changes and challenges faced in the industry in 2023. I see a lot of success for Alex in the future. 

For over 20 years, Kylie Eastham has been a qualified signwriter.  You don't have to go far in the Bayside to see her work on banners, on walls and on boats and cars.  I always made an assumption that Kylie was born and raised in Wynnum and was surprised by her response to the question about how she got to the Bayside. Kylie is kind, unassuming and easy to be around. She is also generous. A couple of years ago I was organising the first Octogenarian parkrun event and reached out to Kylie to find out the cost of a banner for the event.  Within half an hour Kylie responded to say that JT Signs would sponsor the banners, and she provided me not one but two banners with the beautiful Wynnum sunrise on. To contact Kylie, email her at jt.signs.kylie@gmail.com, or find her on Instagram @jt_signs or JT Signs Facebook page. 

Lauren is the Programs Services Manager of Embrace, located at Silky Oaks in Manly.  She started the program three years ago and it has grown to become a successful service for Bayside families.  In addition to the great work at Embrace, Lauren has also very recently established her own fashion label (elqstore.com) which has a focus on sustainability and ethical clothing.This chat really did go all over the place, as I had a connection with Lauren around her child protection work, but I also wanted to know so much more about her love of travel and where it has taken her.   It really is a mixed bag of topics and Lauren is delightful to listen to. She is a great teller of her own story. 

Getting through a book a week, you could say that I love to read.  So, it was fascinating to sit down and chat with Rachel Sweasey, who has just written her first novel.  Rachel was really open to talking about the process of writing for her, and how the storyline of her book came to be.  I enjoyed listening to all the different life experiences and jobs she has had gave her the skills and confidence to write 80,000 words! Rachel's book is currently in the hands of an agent, but I am looking forward to reading it when it is published. You can follow Rachel on Facebook by searching @rachelsweaseyauthor. 

Amy was another fabulous recommendation and was a joy to chat with. We had a very easy conversation and I was fascinated by her story and her business Amy Jackson - Nurturing Confidence. Amy has a lovely warm and open presence, and I can see why she is so successful in what she does in building the confidence of others. I really treasured her openness and reflections of her own way of living and was a reminder how life is a constant growth experience. Nurturing Confidence is a finalist in the Women Changing the World Awards (FINALISTS (wcwawards.com)) which is a a global awards program that recognises Women changemakers globally.  It is a pretty big deal!