KERRE MCIVOR
COVER GIRL KERRE SAYS SHE’S BEEN PRIVILEGED TO WRITE FOR THE WEEKLY
Happy birthday to the Weekly! Eighty-five years old – what a magnificent achievement. And she’s looking as beautiful as ever. As one would expect, she’s changed her appearance as she’s grown older. Freshened up every decade or so.
And there might have been a few tweaks here and there over the years. It’s acceptable, I think, for a woman of her age and in her position to have had some work done.
But it’s been very discreet – she has remained true to herself and aged with dignity and style. She is still relevant too. That’s because as any woman of a certain age knows, you must listen to young people and take an interest in their passions and their frustrations.
You must keep an open mind and a positive attitude if you want to earn the trust and the respect of younger generations. And I think it’s fair to say the Weekly does that.
She’s seen off some enormous challenges in her past. The arrival of a brash and brassy newcomer on the block created some consternation. Woman’s Day, when it hit the streets, was full of gossip, scandal and paparazzi photos.
This was not the Weekly’s way but she had to evolve and accept that readers were looking for some pizzazz from their magazines. So she became a little bit bolder perhaps in response.
Over time, the Weekly and the Day have become closer, forging a working relationship, and perhaps that was due to the arrival of a competitor that threatened to wipe them both out.
The internet brought with it a host of possibilities and threatened many long-standing institutions, not least publishing. There were dire predictions it would render books and magazines redundant, but happily this has not been the case.
Some women’s magazines fell by the wayside, but not the Weekly.
She endured and has weathered the storm, looking stronger than ever.
My own association goes back to when I was appointed as a presenter on Fair Go at the age of 21. To be fronting a nationwide live programme with such a proud history was very exciting, but to be honest, my first thought was, “Ooooh, I might make it onto the cover of the Woman’s Weekly!” That seemed the ultimate sign that I’d arrived.
It took another three years and the arrival of my baby Kate before I landed the coveted cover, but it was worth it. After that, the covers came thick and fast but that one remained my most loved – until this year, when I was on the cover of the Weekly again, this time with Kate and my brand-new grandson Bart.
It’s such a privilege to say I write for the Weekly. There are so many wonderful women and writers who have come before me that I feel honoured to be among them. I love being able to share bits of my life with you. I feel that if we got together over a cup of tea, we’d get on famously.
My grandmother reached 99, my mother turned 80 a few months back and is in great nick, and now it’s Happy Birthday to the Weekly, another splendid old girl in my life who has reached a remarkable milestone.