that's life! Issue 2, 2022

I am one of those people who instinctively hates waste. Perhaps it’s because I’m my mother’s daughter. Mum was born a few years after the height of the Great Depression, in the 1930s, when waste was a luxury few could afford. Growing up, we were used to not throwing out any food that was still fine to eat. It meant we were good at eating leftovers, which I loved! For example, once a week, we had corned beef for dinner (or tea as we called it). It was one of my favourites, but I loved even more the delicious sandwiches we’d take to school the next day. Thick slices of pink corned beef, slathered in Three Threes pickles on slices of fresh white buttered bread. Yum! We also used to…

I was very happy with my homegrown carrots but I still had time to read my that’s life! magazine. Lynne Singleton, Lindfield, NSW My 85-year-old mum, Beatrice, is ecstatic that she can listen to her old Frank I field tunes through headphones while doing her that’s life! puzzles, without annoying anyone else. Susan Davey, Williamstown, Vic Seventy-year-old Bruce was on Poppy duty at the park with Skyla, 11, and Mia, 13. Lorelle Burgmann, Beresfield, NSW We decided to have a ‘Naming Day’ to welcome our daughter Dot into our family. We also wanted to thank everyone for their support in the last few months. The celebration would have been much earlier but for lockdown. It was a fantastic day! Julia Byrne, Mosman, NSW My children, Mackenzie, six, and Cohen, four, loved their day out with their cousin Sarah,…

Rebecca Wharton, 34, Dunedin, NZ As cool gel was spread across my belly, I couldn’t wait to catch a glimpse of our bub, during my 20-week scan. My husband Bryan, 34, and I were parents to Bryan Jr, three, and were excited to be expecting again. But the grainy image on the screen soon revealed something wasn’t right. ‘The baby’s organs are quite enlarged,’ our midwife told us during a phone call later that afternoon. Referred to hospital to get a clearer ultrasound, I underwent another scan the following week. After, the doctor told us we were having a girl. But he also confirmed her liver, kidneys and spleen were bigger than usual, so we’d need to come in for regular scans to track her progress. Though it was wonderful to see her growing each time, so too…

Bernadette Schiller, 58, Oxenford, Qld Taking in the beautiful reds and browns of Uluru, I was in awe. I’d seen photos, but I hadn’t realised how magnificent it would be to see in person. Aged 16, I was on holiday with my aunt and uncle, who lived in Alice Springs. I’ll live here one day, I vowed. Four years later, my sister, Jane, then 21, and I packed up our lives in Duranbah, NSW, and moved to the Northern Territory. Landing jobs and accommodation at the Uluru Hotel, it was a great way to mingle with locals. And, when I wasn’t pouring beers, I was sharing them with friends. Then, in August 1983, around eight months after arriving, I went to the Inland Hotel after work, while Jane went on a date. The bar was buzzing as…

Kathryn Nelson, 35, Byron Bay, NSW Chatting with scientist Dr Andrea, my heart dropped as she explained the effects that plastic had on our beautiful ocean. ‘Plastic doesn’t break down, so it ends up as tiny bits of microplastic. They stay in the ocean forever, and are causing havoc on the marine ecosystem,’ she said. ‘I had no idea!’ I gasped. It was 2009, and I was being trained to work as a volunteer for an ocean protection charity. Having always adored the water, I wanted to give something back. But learning about the impact plastic was having on the ocean was crushing. I can give up plastic, I told myself. Learning about the impact on the ocean was crushing So I started assessing how I used plastic and what I could do to cut it out. I avoided ordering…

Maria, Auchenflower, Qld* My husband Barry loved to remind me that he was the one who ‘brought in the dough’. It might be true, but it’s not like he’s gone unrewarded. He’s regularly bought presents for himself over the years. One was a very expensive Rolex watch. ‘We could have had a trip around the world for the money you spent!’ I fumed. ‘But this is for me,’ he said. ‘I work hard. I deserve it.’ He didn’t even wear it, which irritated me further. Neither did he wear the diamond cufflinks he bought himself. And as for the gold-plated pen he just ‘had to have’, well I only ever saw him use that once. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t worked hard. I’d done a fine job raising our four children on my own, while…