Your page: readers’ emails and letters
READERS FROM ALL OVER AUSTRALIA, AND AS FAR AWAY AS SCOTLAND, SHARE STORIES OF KINDNESS FROM WITHIN THE COUNTRY STYLE COMMUNITY.
SWEET DREAMS
I love reading Country Style. Thanks so much for continuing to publish a well-written magazine. I fall in love with all the magical country scenes and use many of the pictures for vision boarding or manifesting. One day I’d love to have my own flower farm, and each time I read your magazine, I am reminded of this wonderful dream. I am obsessed with gardens and floral scenes, so I particularly love the garden features. Anita Ozolins, Dianella, WA
FEELING CONNECTED
I don’t usually write to the editor, but after purchasing the February issue I just had to. In a world of social media, one can get so caught up and yet be so disconnected.
All of the stories in the issue showed normal families living their best lives in our beautiful country. I particularly loved Family Affair [about Ashley and Kristy Edgar’s Cape Leeuwin farm], as I too live in south-west WA. The family’s connection to the earth and its produce was so lovely, and is leaving a legacy for their children and community. Di Baxter, Australind, WA
FRIENDLY SURPRISE
I live in Scotland with my family and have been lucky enough to have been receiving Country Style for 14 months now. When the first one dropped through my door I was puzzled but really happy, as I love Australia and have done since I was a little girl. I had wanted to live there, work on a farm and ride a horse. It didn’t happen, but I’ve been lucky enough to visit Australia once and hope to return one day. But how had Country Style arrived?
My good friend Sarah Harvey, from Turramurra in Sydney, a wonderful person, bought me a subscription but forgot to tell me! I met Sarah six years ago when our children took part in the World Down Syndrome swimming championships in Portugal.
I love your magazine and get so much from reading it. I enjoy reading about other people’s lives, especially the farmers and their families, the fashion, the recipes — all interesting — and Rob Ingram’s column is so amusing. I even love your adverts. So thank you, Country Style, and thank you, Sarah. Carol Pattinson, Gretna, Scotland
COLLECTOR’S ISSUE
When I moved from Uralla in New England to Milang, the question of what to do with my carefully catalogued collection of Country Style magazines came up. Many were passed on to neighbours and friends, who all said something like, “Oh, yes, I love those magazines.” Several years’ worth still got packed. When the current house proved too small, some years’ collections were moved on, with the same response.
But — and it’s a big but — when did your letters to the editor become advertorials? The various letters, no matter how well written or how evocative, all remind me of short-story competitions where the product — such as Aunt Mary’s baking powder — has to be placed in the letter. Yes, I would love to win one of the luxury items offered for the best letter, but the shameless commercialism of it appals me.
First, it’s a given that Australian women of all ages, who are readers, love your magazine. The combination of beauty, simplicity and setting is very compelling, as are the stories of people from all areas and all walks of life, seeking to create something special.
Surely the page could be more than just recommendations to buy the magazine. We readers are the converted. Readers’ stories, observations and opinions are all worth reading. De-emphasise the advertorial component. We’re a thinking bunch, your readers. Dana Parkhurst, Milang, SA
EDITOR’S NOTE We would love to receive more letters about issues that concern readers, particularly those that impact regional Australia. And as much as we do love the letters our readers send us about the magazine, we don’t pick our winners based on how much they praise us.
WINNER SECOND READ
Recently I delivered my well-read, well-loved Country Style magazines to my medical surgery. Imagine my absolute delight when the lovely receptionist later advised me of an elderly gentleman who, while waiting in the surgery, was so engrossed in one of the magazines he told her that he didn’t want to put it down. He mentioned that he’d never seen Country Style before. Furthermore, he thought it was the best magazine he’d ever read, as the stories reminded him of growing up in country Victoria. He was thrilled when she invited him to take home the copy he was reading.
Of course, she relayed this story to me about a week later, and I can’t tell you how good it made me feel to have made this gentleman’s day. What a beautiful gift for him and an uplifting feeling for me. I was told he is in his 90s and lives alone. He said he would pass the magazine on to his daughter when he’s finished with it. (I think I’ll leave a special bundle for him for when he makes another visit to the surgery.)
Glenys Jorgensen, Pelican Waters, Queensland