Editor’s letter:
from the desk of The Weekly’s Kim Doherty
There’s something amazing about Australian women. Sure, it’s hard to generalise about 12 million individuals who come from all corners of our wide brown land, but I think there are traits beyond the global female values of love, family and sisterhood that Aussie women share: a sense of humour in the face of challenges; a fierce loyalty to friends; pride in the value of honest hard work; a certain pragmatic, determined get-on-with-it stoicism in tough times. We have our faults, too, a reluctance to prioritise ourselves, a generous dose of stubbornness (my husband is no doubt nodding vigorously at this. It’s the flipside of determination, I say!) and, let’s face it, we could probably do a better job as a nation of celebrating our high-achieving sisters.
What evidence do I have for all this? Well, we have a brilliant research team at The Weekly, who merrily spout impressive statistics willy-nilly (don’t stand still in the office kitchen if you don’t want to hear them). Numbers that tell us facts such as where you live (65 per cent live in the city and suburbs), your education (mostly university educated) and your marital status (64 per cent married). Studies tell us you’re also social, optimistic, down-to-earth, engaged in the world and very, very busy.
That’s all very handy, of course, but it’s only the outline of the picture, the black lines that sketch us. The person who can tell us most about Australian women and what makes them special is you. Your letters, your reactions to our pages and, most of all, your stories. For more than 83 years, every issue, every interview, every story you share with us fills in the colours to paint a rich and beautiful picture of Aussie women. And this issue is no exception.
Who better demonstrates our humour under pressure than Julia Morris (page 14)? Or pragmatic strength and stoicism in the face of personal challenges than Anne Phelan and Sandra McInerney (page 38)? And for determination and honest hard work, you can’t go further than our former Governor-General, the inspirational Dame Quentin Bryce, who generously welcomed us into her home and family to share her story this month (page 24). With one woman killed by a current or former partner every week in Australia and one in four of our children exposed to domestic violence, Dame Quentin’s work to prevent and support victims is vital. Rest assured, she isn’t sitting in a drawing room talking about it. She’s out there on the ground, engaging with the problem and applying her brilliant mind to practical strategies to solve this heartbreaking epidemic and force governments and the community to act now. As if that isn’t enough for the 74-year-old grandmother of 11, she is also the patron of our Women of the Future campaign, which kicks off again in coming months. (See? We’re celebrating Aussie women. Who says we’re not working on our faults, too!) Speaking of which, if you’ve been neglecting your own health and fitness, we hope you find some help in our Body Special to make 2017 your most energetic and positive year yet.
And if you can, please try to find a moment to pat yourself on the back this month and take some pride in all the wonderful characteristics that make you an Aussie woman. All of us at The Weekly think you’re amazing.