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First Dog on the Moon: celebrating the joy in the world and sooking about its destruction
Your career has really forged a multidisciplinary CV. Did this begin anywhere specific? It’s mostly improvised. I always wanted to be a cartoonist, or an actor, or some sort of show-off and I was at the point where I was gonna give up because being in your 40s and an aspiring cartoonist – you’ve either made it or you haven’t. What did you set out to achieve with First Dog on the Moon? The purpose of First Dog was always to do cartoons about how we need to save the world and
Oct 5, 20202 min read


From Gaelic football to Aussie Rules: rising star keeps her eye on the ball
“The big moment … was when Colin O’Riordan left Tipperary to go play at the Sydney Swans when he was 18.” Aisling McCarthy, a native of County Tipperary and a star of Gaelic Football, says her interest in Aussie Rules began in that moment. “When I got to see some of the clubs and play a bit of the game, that’s when I thought, you know what, if the opportunity comes up to play, I really do want to.” Currently back home in Ireland following the abrupt end of the 2020 AFL Women
Oct 2, 20205 min read


Perseverance is key: Greg Baum’s advice for aspiring sports reporters
How did you become interested in journalism? I was interested in newspapers and writing for as long as I can explicitly remember. There was a day when the Southern Aurora train between Melbourne and Sydney crashed. I was only nine and I remember hearing about it and then reading about it on the front of The Age the next day, and being fascinated by how this calamitous event that had happened one particular day could be on the front of the paper the next day with pictures, i
Oct 2, 20202 min read


A voice for those not heard: becoming an LGBTQ+ role model
“I was tagged as being gay before I knew I was … because of a completely innocent action in grade 7.” It was a chilly mid-1980s morning at Leichhardt Ward Boys State School in Rockhampton when Blair Martin noticed a friend of his had goosebumps. “I just thought that looked fabulous. I just ran my hand over his leg. That was it, and that carried with me through high school,” he says. It was something that was not acceptable in that environment. “My mother said at one point, ‘
Oct 1, 20203 min read


Accidental journalist’s advice: find something to love in every story
Freelancer Jamie Seidel How did you get into Journalism? Completely by accident. By Year 12, I hadn’t done the required work experience, and they said: “Why don’t you just apply for The Adelaide Advertiser ? It’s the hardest one out there, and it ticks all the boxes.” It was 1987 and they had between 600 and 800 applicants for The Advertiser’s cadetships each year. The process was designed to assess how people operated under pressure. It was me, the editor, chief of staff
Sep 30, 20202 min read


Living the dream: sports job worth the tough start
What was your initial job in journalism? I got lucky because I was doing a lot of free work for the Northern footy league in 2011. I’d drive out to Montmorency or Heidelberg or anywhere sort of in the Northern suburbs on a Saturday, in the middle of winter. Like looking back on it, it was brutal, unpaid, and I’d write a match report from the game, interview both coaches after the match, go home, write the report and send it in. Why do you like what you do? At the Fox Footy
Sep 30, 20202 min read


A lockdown disaster: the struggle to help victims of domestic violence
“The impacts of [coronavirus] have been incredibly negative for many people … especially behind closed doors,” says domestic violence adviser Anna Wark. Locked away in the privacy of their homes, domestic violence users are using the stay-at-home order as an opportunity to rule victim-survivors with an iron fist. As the lockdown continues, domestic violence numbers are climbing. The ABC reported an increase of 11 per cent in calls to 1800RESPECT and a 26 per cent increase
Sep 30, 20203 min read


Be gutsy, be bold: advice from a young digital content producer
How did you get to where you are today? I was studying journalism at [University of Technology Sydney] … In first year I did an [internship] at Channel 10 and then at Harper’s Bazaar . In my final year I landed a job as editorial assistant for print Body + Soul … I got offered a casual job at Body + Soul online so I was working three days on print and then two days on online … I applied for the full time online role and then made the transition. What are some of the highlig
Sep 29, 20202 min read


For better or worse: A pandemic predicament
“We were really reminded of the purpose of marriage – we love each other and we want to be together.” For Louise Goswell, that meant pandemic or not. January 25 was a big day for Louise – she became engaged to Caleb Schultz, and the first case of COVID was recorded in Australia. At first, the 24-year-old procurement coordinator says she was “wedding planning as if nothing was going on”. In Victoria alone, 4030 weddings took place in January and February without a hitch. “I
Sep 29, 20203 min read


Diversity moves in: queer players stake a claim in gamer territory
In this post-apocalyptic PS4 game, when hero Ellie battles through the cycle of revenge, she is supported by her girlfriend, Dina. The two call each other pet names in passing as they cut paths through infected creatures, dance to records found in abandoned cities, and experience all the mundane highs and lows of a queer relationship against the backdrop of the ruins of human civilization. When Naughty Dog launched The Last of Us Part II in June this year with a queer protag
Sep 21, 20203 min read


Waste of time or huge step forward: the battle for women’s sport
On a clear and sunny day early in 2018, a message is written in the sky: AFLW, it says. At a Catholic all-boys school in Melbourne, a group of mates in year 11 notice the vapour writing. One bursts out: “What a waste of time.” There are already two clear camps, each with a clear set of beliefs. One decides that women’s sport isn’t worth investing time or money into. The other values equal opportunity, knows that sport is an avenue to challenging the status quo and levelling
Sep 15, 20202 min read


Lockdown fever: The urge to buy that one perfect thing
What does it take to soothe a locked-down soul during COVID-19? For Nico Bellamy , it was buying a Frieling French coffee press. “For a fleeting moment I can pretend I’m actually out at a coffee shop instead of trapped indoors for the foreseeable future,” he told WhoWhatWear.com.au. For many others it’s been jigsaw puzzles, which have seen an enormous spike in interest this year. Enthusiast John Philpot could only agree when PM Scott Morrison declared jigsaws were an e
Sep 15, 20202 min read
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