that's life! Issue 17, 2022

‘Mum always found an excuse to sew’ Our gorgeous story by Queensland seamstress Wendy Mylrea (Page 58) brought back some lovely memories for the tl! team. My own mum, Sally, is a dab hand at the sewing machine and made lots of lovely dresses and the odd hotpants for my sister Lenore and me. We adored dreamily flicking through the big Butterick pattern book at our local haberdashers and choosing a pattern. I thought having your mum sew your clothes had gone out of style. But how wrong I was! Lizzy and Claudia, both in their 20s, had homemade clothes. Lizzy told us about her talented mum, Annemarie, who was a dressmaker for the late Carla Zampatti ‘Growing up, we would go to on dates to Spotlight, where I’d pick out…

My Balinese wife Semi had never seen a steam train. So I took her on one at Semaphore, SA – her smile says it all. Alan Bristow, Virginia, SA As a long-term that’s life! reader and puzzler, I’m always thrilled to win a prize. This silk smooth styler and thermal mask is my third prize, so I feel very lucky. Jennifer Spiers, Safety Bay, WA Callia, 17, and Amaya,14, love the great outdoors! There’s nothing like a snorkelling adventure with your sister. Penny Spreitzer, Cordeaux Heights, NSW My best friend Helen lives in the UK, so I sent her a care package while she was preparing to give birth. Here she is in labour in hospital reading her copy of that’s life! Mega Monthly which I posted to her, halfway across the world! Sarah Heath, Traralgon, Vic I…

Donna Manders, 42, Mount Mary, SA Arriving home after a 16-hour shift, I was drained. My kids, Jeremy, then 17, Harrison, 11, and Charlie, six, were fast asleep while my husband Shane, then 47, was finishing up admin for his wind farming business. ‘We missed Jeremy’s sports day today,’ I said to Shane, sleepily. ‘I know. Hopefully we make it next time,’ he said. It was November 2018, and our life in Melbourne was a pressure pot of traffic, work, and an ever expanding calendar. With a job in a community service centre, I’d sadly miss out on the kids’ school plays and soccer games, and my side job in domestic animal rescue kept me busy. My love for animals came from my mum, Helen. Growing up on a farm, I’d often watch Mum preparing dinner,…

Casey Allum, 23, Pinjarra, WA As I made my way into the backyard, I was excited. My mum’s partner, Fred, had just told me he had a surprise for me. ‘There’s a cubby house I want to show you down the back,’ he’d smiled. ‘This is our secret,’ he said. ‘You can’t tell anyone’ I was just eight years old. Along with my older brothers Jake, then 14, and Michael, 13, I often stayed at Fred’s farm while our mum, Angie, then 40, worked late shifts at a supermarket. Meanwhile our older sister, Lisa, then 19, had just moved out of home and had a place of her own. Fred was always so fun to be around. While he was strict with my brothers, he’d always give me attention and buy me cool toys. Whenever he had loose…

Haley Allatt, 36, Tolaga Bay, NZ Tutting at the fussy baby in my arms, I glanced up at my cheeky little three-year-old, Axle. With his tousled mop of white blonde hair, pale blue T-shirt, nappy and blue gum boots he was such a boy’s boy. ‘I’m off to play with the dog,’ he said. He loved playing with our neighbour’s little white dog, Bro. ‘Okay Axle,’ I smiled, as he wandered outside. Of all my eight children Axle never ventured far. We’d only settled into Tolaga Bay a month before, with a nearby river, mountain and an orchard. Axle adored playing on the property and going in four-wheel drives and diggers with the owner, Steve, or messing about with his dad, Glenn. But he never strayed far from our doors on foot. Around 1.30pm, when we were ready for lunch,…

Jade, 24, Jolimont, WA* After leaving TAFE, I joined a child-minding agency. They hired me to look after two little girls – Miska, three, and Cate, five. Their mum, Angela, worked in real estate three days a week, and I never saw her husband. The money wasn’t enough to cover rent and bills so, seeing an ad for evening work, I followed it up. ‘I got a job as a club hostess at night,’ I told my flatmate Lara. She was horrified. ‘You mean, like a call girl?’ she shrieked. ‘No,’ I said. ‘It’s a private club for businessmen. I just have to dress smartly, be charming, engage in witty conversation and persuade them to buy drinks!’ ‘Jade, those guys are going to hit on you all the time,’ she said firmly. ‘Tough,’ I laughed. ‘The rules are…