Readers Digest Australia January 2022

EVERY YEAR, OUR JANUARY ISSUE takes a different approach. We step back and reflect on the writers and story-telling styles of the past that have helped make Reader’s Digest a unique publication. We revere and enjoy the mystery of the ‘old ways’ that are different to what we experience today. While Reader’s Digest still upholds genuine focus on detail-driven reporting and story-telling, there is a simple beauty and value found in the articles of past decades that are therapeutic to both readers and editors alike. The turn of phrase, the depth of reflection and semantic accuracy provides a wonderful lesson in the English language – while imperial measurements in some stories set the tone. My favourite article, ‘When Krakatoa Blew Up’ (page 80), features no human heroes. In this portrayal of the…

The Joy Of Reading I read October’s My Story (‘A Child Reader’ by Jenny Canty) with a sense of wonder. Her experiences of reading as a child closely mirrored my own, even though I lived on a different continent. Just like Jenny, one of my most treasured childhood memories was also the Reader’s Digest Junior Treasury which I inherited from an older cousin. To this day, my dog-eared copy of the Treasury brings recollections of a happy childhood spent growing up with its stories. My own children are now reading the same book, tenderly turning the now yellowed, fragile pages and finding the same joys I found three decades ago. MICHELE CHOO Living With Face Blindness I can relate to the article ‘Do I Know You?’ (October). I too suffer from face blindness. They…

What a laugh! They expect us to give our seal of approval to their half-baked conservation plan! DAVID STEVENS Mum, can we go to the dive-in movie? RAJ SANEJA Seal of disapproval. CYNTHIA BRINKMAN Let’s seal it with a kiss! ROB WALKER Oh no, darling, not garlic prawns again last night? RUTH FELLOWS Congratulations to this month’s winner, Rob Walker. CAPTION CONTEST Come up with the funniest caption for the above photo and you could win $100. To enter, email editor@readersdigest.com.au or see details on page 8.…

For quality products, book sales and more, call 1300 300 030 or head to Readersdigest.com.au/shop CONTRIBUTE READERSDIGESTAUSTRALIA Anecdotes and Jokes $50–$100 Send in your real-life laugh for Life’s Like That or All in a Day’s Work. Got a joke? Send it in for Laughter Is the Best Medicine! Smart Animals Up to $100 Share antics of unique pets or wildlife in up to 300 words. My Story $400 Got an inspiring or life-changing tale? Submissions must be true, original, unpublished and 800–1000 words. Letters to the Editor and Reader Submissions Online Follow the ‘Contribute’ link at readersdigest.com.au Email editor@readersdigest.com.au Mail Reader’s Digest Magazine, PO Box 6458, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086 Please include your name, address, phone number and email. Letters: We may edit letters and use them in all print and electronic media. Submissions: All submissions become our property on payment and subsequent publication in…

Canine Lifeguards Paddle To The Rescue The Italian School of Water Rescue has been patrolling the country’s beaches for more than 30 years – with man’s best friend. Some 400 fully trained ‘lifedogs’ – Labrador retrievers, Newfoundlands and German shepherds – save about 30 lives a year. Founder Ferruccio Pilenga, a 61-year-old former photographer, began operations with his own Newfoundland dog, Mas, saving several people during the first few years. Pilenga uses the ‘dolphin system’, which involves a handler on a boat holding the dog’s harness as it swims out to the person in distress. Over the years, Pilenga added different boats to his missions as well as trained dogs to leap into the water from rescue boats and helicopters. Newfoundlands and other water dogs are especially good at lifesaving, Pilenga says,…

‘DODIE’S DARLING DALMATIANS’ Like many of us, I grew up loving the Disney film 101 Dalmatians and its various off-shoots, but knew little about the book that inspired the film, and even less about the story behind it. It was fascinating to get a glimpse into the life of author and playwright Dodie Smith and her own beloved Dalmatians who provided the inspiration for this heartwarming tale. ZOË MEUNIER, MANAGING EDITOR ‘MY ADVENTURES WITH A PAINT BRUSH’ is Winston Churchill’s account of how taking up painting enriched his life. It sharpened his focus and made him aware of colours and details in the landscape he would previously have not seen. His story opened my eyes to the wonders of nature, and the different hues of light and shade in plain sight that…