Table of contents for December 2021 in Readers Digest Australia

IT’S SAFE TO SAY THAT 2021 is a year we’re all pleased is coming to an end. Across our readership, individuals and families have been tested like never before. But, it’s also been a time to reassess what really matters in life. With lockdowns hopefully behind us, communities are returning to a new normal with a greater emphasis on local connections. As we start to plan our New Year’s celebrations, I’m certain Patricia Pearson’s sentiments in ‘Bye, Bye 2021’ (page 56) will strike a chord with our readers. Because even though 2021 has been anything but happy, that’s no reason to hold off celebrating and anticipating a Happy New Year for 2022. In the spirit of Christmas, this issue has stories about inspiring experiences and perspectives. ‘Melodies Straight From The…

On July 10, 1980, I was aboard the destroyer USS Oldendorf DD-972, in transit in the South China Sea from Singapore to Subic Bay in the Philippines. The day was grey and dreary, with threatening clouds all around us. The wind was blowing at 20 knots with about three-metre swells. There was a typhoon 320 kilometres east of us and heading our way. All of us were looking forward to arriving in the Philippines as quickly as possible. Suddenly, the lookout spotted an object adrift about 16 kilometres east. He looked at it through the large telescopic binoculars we called ‘the big eyes’ and announced that it was a boat with many people on it. We all knew right then that they were refugees adrift in an area dangerous with…

Can a whole country agree on something? At Christmas time, anything is possible. We asked editors of our international editions to share the special treats and classic drinks enjoyed at their tables at the end of each year. ARGENTINA SAVOURY DISH: VITEL TONÉ This is one item that makes it onto almost every festive table. A cold veal steak served with a creamy anchovy and tuna sauce, vitel toné was brought over by the three million Italian immigrants who arrived in Argentina at the turn of the 20th century. It is garnished with hardboiled eggs and capers and arranged in slices on a large platter. “It’s a perfect meal: easy and quick to make, and great when feeding a crowd,” says editor Leonardo Schiano in Buenos Aires. MEXICO SWEET TREAT: LOS…

You Know That Feeling? Hangry, a word that describes the irritability that arises from hunger, succinctly gets at a very particular human emotion. Should we have more of these terms? Here are some clever nominees. BURALYSIS: The paralysing anxiety you feel when confronted with bureaucracy. PRETEDIUM: The mixture of frustration, ennui and anxiety that washes over you when you realise you’ve been cornered by a known chatterbox. CINE-VOID: The guilt that follows browsing Netflix and seeing an ‘important’ film you know you should watch but instead choosing an action thriller you’ll convince yourself you’ve never seen. REMBARRASSMENT: A feeling of humiliation at the memory of an awkward or shameful experience from long ago, often unrelated to current circumstances. CREDITPHORIA: The pleasure, denial, delusion and mania from being in a store you don’t…

If somebody asks, “What are you doing in five years?” and you have an answer, I think there’s a good chance you aren’t going to get there. If you pick one thing, then you’ve neglected all other opportunities.DARLA MOORE, PHILANTHROPIST I HAVE NO SOCIAL MEDIA. I DON’T NEED THINGS IN MY LIFE TO DISTRACT ME FROM MY LIFE.PAUL RUDD, ACTOR Discipline shows who you really are. To control yourself, that is the ultimate power.KENDRICK LAMAR, RAPPER NATURE IS THE BIGGEST TEACHER: SHE’S ALWAYS TEACHING YOU HOW TO ADAPT.GISELE BÜNDCHEN, SUPERMODEL IF OPPORTUNITY DOESN’T KNOCK, BUILD A DOOR.MILTON BERLE, COMEDIAN AND ACTOR If we do not maintain justice, justice will not maintain us.FRANCIS BACON, ENGLISH PHILOSOPHER…

“Primary attraction was the small wildlife wandering across the table.” “‘Breaking bread’ should not mean you have to use the side of the table.” “I thought I was looking at an oil painting when suddenly it moved. It was my waitress.” “The only way the tables could be closer together would be to stack them.” “The duck was tired, tough and took 90 minutes to arrive. It must have had a long flight.” “The chef keeps renaming and relocating the restaurant like it’s a member of a witness protection programme.” “The waiter repeatedly called my ageing parents ‘coach’ and ‘darling.’” “Overpriced and undergood.”…

* Keyboard walking:  Simple patterns on a keyboard like qwerty, 123456 or qazwsx – the first diagonal letters. * Common words: These include the names of sports teams, swearwords, city names or the word ‘love’. * Repeating characters: Not only is this commonly written into hacking programs, it’s very easy to spot if someone is watching you enter your password. * Predictable placements: Don’t use capital letters only at the start of your phrase or only add special characters or numbers at the end.…

1. cleave – A: loosen or tighten. B: sharpen or make dull. C: adhere or split. 2. table – A: climb a mountain or traverse a plain. B: consume or abstain. C: present something for consideration or postpone consideration. 3. overlook – A: regard with suspicion or with optimism. B: oversee or fail to see. C: see well or poorly. 4. ravel – A: grow louder or softer. B: disentangle or entangle. C: appear or disappear. 5. anabasis – A: foundation that is solid or shaky. B: military advance or retreat. C: swampland or desert. 6. quiddity – A: planned purchase or impulse buy. B: trivial distinction or essence. C: flexibility or stiffness. 7. flank – A: stretch or compress. B: show off or remain humbly quiet. C: attack the…

WHO DOESN’T WANT A SIMPLE streamlined process at tax time? H&R Block understands that tax time can be a stressful time for many, so the company does its utmost to ensure not only that its clients receive the maximum tax refund they are entitled to, but that completing their tax returns is as stress-free as possible. To add value to the client experience, H&R Block implements new programmes every year, and stays in touch with clients even outside of tax season to make sure they are aware of any tax implications that may affect them, and keep them abreast of any new updates or changes. As part of its ongoing initiative to build brand loyalty, H&R Block ensures staff exceed their service offering and expectations each year. Like most businesses, the…

THE MULTI-AWARD-WINNING CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM from Princess® delivers the highest levels of service at sea and on land, and has stayed true to its commitment throughout the challenges faced by the travel and tourism sector. Princess places great importance on caring for guests, whom they consider part of the wider Princess family. That includes sharing experiences, both at sea and shore side, as the cruise line aims to deliver a memorable cruise holiday for its guests. The Princess Customer Service Team adapted to a new way of working during the worldwide pause in cruising. Building on its existing solid ‘work from home’ platform, the team seamlessly adapted to an exclusively remote working model while maintaining its core objective of supporting the cruise line’s valued guests. The Customer Service Team transitioned efficiently…

SINCE THEY LAUNCHED IN 1998, Australian Seniors have helped protect the financial future, valuable assets, and longplanned retirement of older Australians from all walks of life. Meeting their vision of providing easy-to-understand insurance for the over 50s market, Australian Seniors’ high-quality products, award-winning customer service team, and customer-first approach, have been recognised by both their customers and the wider industry. Australian Seniors are committed to delivering the best possible customer experience. They understand that customers expect a high level of service, which is why their dedicated sales, support and claims specialists are based in Australia, so customers can be confident they will always be able to speak with a real person and not a machine. The Talent Acquisition team and managers ensure the right personnel are working for Australian Seniors, by…

AS AUSTRALIA’S FIRST member-owned wellbeing company, Australian Unity is committed to ‘Real Wellbeing’ for all Australians. Its promise of Real Wellbeing means so much more than simply physical health: it’s about standards of living and feeling safe in your home. It’s your personal relationships and being connected to your community. It’s about what you want to achieve in life, while having the security to get out there and do what makes you happy. With a track record of having delivered health, wealth and care services since 1840, Australian Unity has grown and changed over the years. Today, it supports around 38,000 home care service customers. Nick O’Callaghan, Executive General Manager for Home Care Services, said “with a focus on wellbeing, we provide a range of high-quality support services, from dignified…

Return To Glory For those of us lucky enough to have visited the Notre Dame Cathedral before the devastating fire that almost destroyed it, images of the ferocious flames roaring skywards, and the toppling of the spire, broke hearts not just in France, but all around the world (‘Saving Notre Dame’, September). Now more than two years on, the complex repair, restoration and rebuilding of Notre Dame continues in the safe hands of scientists and craftsmen with century-old skills, passionate about bringing new life to the cathedral that never lost its heart. JUDITH CAINE Finding A Family ‘Learning to Love’ by Melissa Fay Greene (September) has stayed with me. For Izidor to have had such a painful life – unable to comprehend what love is, not be able to relate…

FROM 1801 HOME REMEDIES CHEW ON THIS When out at a cafe or restaurant, munch on the sprig of parsley left on your plate at the end of the meal. Parsley is rich in chlorophyll, a known breath deodoriser with germ-fighting qualities. If there’s no parsley, eat an orange. The citric acid it contains will stimulate your salivary glands and encourage the flow of breath-freshening saliva. GO NATURAL Breath-fresheners, like mints and sprays, are rarely effective in the long run. Instead, try using a mouthwash containing chlorine dioxide (a gas used in small amounts to purify water). This can dismantle the sulphur compounds that are responsible for breath odour. Or use a toothpaste that contains tea-tree oil, a natural disinfectant. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR TONGUE Vigorously scrape your tongue over your…

With an estimated worth of over a billion dollars, the Jack Reacher thriller series commands enormous reader loyalty. So, the announcement two years ago that author Lee Child, now 67, would partner with younger brother Andrew Grant on the next few books before retiring, had booksellers looking anxiously at their bottom lines. Every year for 24 years, the Jack Reacher series has delivered like a lavish Santa Claus, with Bad Luck and Trouble, Persuader and One Shot each topping the bestseller lists. Equally, the series’ devoted international readership expressed hope that the character of Jack Reacher, a hard-hitting itinerant investigator, wouldn’t disappear into the wilderness of small-town America, never to be seen again. “I love my readers and know they want many, many more Reacher stories in the future,” Lee said…

When a toy says it’s designed for children ten and older, they mean you shouldn’t buy it unless you have an engineering degree. @LMEGORDON According to my kids’ Christmas lists, they think this parenting gig pays pretty well. @SARCASTICMOMMY4 Yesterday we bought the rocket ship the toddler wanted for Christmas so it should come as no surprise that today he no longer likes rocket ships. @SNARKYMOMTOBE It doesn’t feel like Christmas until I start threatening to cancel Christmas. @MOMMAJESSIEC Daughter: And this one? Me: Also carrots. Daughter: I don’t like carrots. Me: I know. [How I’ve kept my three year old from opening the family gifts under the tree.] @HENPECKEDHAL…

Two years ago, before The Time of the Virus, my husband and I spent a wonderful New Year’s Eve ringing in 2020. We drank sparkling wine and played charades with good friends at their country house. Our two kids were off at parties with dozens of their friends, as one would expect from young adults. Celebrating the start of 2021 was more like a hastily-assembled family meeting of Neurotics Anonymous. How swiftly times had changed. Although he would rather have been stuck in a lift with bees, Geoffrey, our 20 year old, came to stay for New Year’s Eve because he had literally nothing else to do without breaking the law. No gatherings allowed. Our 24-year-old daughter, Clara, who hasn’t lived with us in years, spent the evening in our…

My wife recently adopted a pet monkey. She’s already so fond of it that she’s suggested we let it sleep in our bed. “But what about the smell?” I protested. “Well, I’ve lived with it for 25 years, so I’m sure the monkey can put up with it,” she replied. SUBMITTED BY ANGIE BORODZICZ Q: What do you call a baby monkey? A: A chimp off the old block. Q: What’s the difference between a poorly dressed monkey on a tricycle and a well-dressed monkey on a bicycle? A: Attire. @SCARYMOMMY Q: Where do monkeys get their gossip? A: Through the ape-vine. www.wideopenpets.com…

Three years ago, Dr Ugur Sahin took the stage at a conference in Berlin and made a bold prediction. Speaking to a roomful of infectious-disease experts, he said his company might be able to use its socalled messenger RNA technology to rapidly develop a vaccine in the event of a global pandemic. At the time, Dr Sahin and his company, BioNTech, were little known outside the small world of European biotechnology start-ups. BioNTech, which Dr Sahin co-founded with his wife, Dr Özlem Türeci, and Austrian oncologist Professor Christoph Huber, was mostly focused on cancer treatments. It had never brought a product to market. COVID-19 did not yet exist. But his words proved prophetic. Two years later, on November 9, 2020, BioNTech and US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced that a coronavirus…

When Leslie Scott’s family moved to Ghana in the ’70s, they used to play a game with small wooden blocks sourced from a sawmill near her home. When she moved to England a few years later, she brought a few sets of these wooden blocks with her and introduced the game among her friends in Oxford. “I took the game to a London toy show in 1983. I’d grown up speaking Swahili and gave it the name Jenga, which means ‘build’,” says Scott in an interview with The Guardian. And that’s how Jenga was born. After initial hiccups, the game finally took off when it was introduced at the Toronto toy fair in 1986. What is particularly remarkable about Jenga’s success is that it caught the imagination of buyers when…

In recent years, Delhi has become notorious for its poor air quality. The smog is worst between October and December, and it isn’t unusual for it to hit 500 – considered ‘hazardous’ – or more on the Air Quality Index. Low visibility due to smog sometimes even affects local airport operations. The good news is that Delhi’s authorities have made some significant changes to turn the tide: ending the use of coalfired power plants in the city; promoting cleaner-burning natural gas in public transport vehicles; and effectively limiting the use of cars to every other day.…

Nicky Pellegrino has an Italian father, grew up in England and now lives in New Zealand. Her childhood summer holidays were spent in Italy and those days continue to serve as an inspiration for her writing. Pellegrino started her first novel while working as the editor of New Zealand Women’s Weekly. “I had always wanted to write a book,” she says, “but thought I didn’t have the time … Then I had one of those ‘seize the day moments’. I was at work and received an email that said a woman I knew quite well had been diagnosed with a brain tumour and didn’t have long to live. That woke me up. I realised none of us know what’s round the corner … so if you really want to do…

A WELL-ROUNDED TEAM is what elevates Budget car rentals to the next level in quality service. From customer support right across the Pacific, to contact centre teams and location staff, every member is provided with in-depth training to understand all aspects of the business. From product knowledge and marketing initiatives, to the wide variety of car makes and models in the Budget fleet, employees are kept up to date to effectively serve customers and ensure their experience is simple and hassle-free. All businesses at times experience customers who are not satisfied. To keep on top of any negative experiences, Budget emails customers a rental survey straight after returning their car, and asks them to provide their feedback. “Providing the survey straight after the rental allows customers to give instant opinions on…

GENERALLY, motivated employees who feel valued deliver better service to customers, who in turn will feel respected and remain loyal to the brand. This is certainly true for P&O Cruises. To ensure guests always feel special, the company has designed a customer service strategy that focuses its efforts in areas where guests feel most valued. P&O Cruises has invested in a knowledge-management system that has elevated its ability to deliver knowledge quickly and consistently to staff, especially customer-facing employees, and make sure vital information is filtered through to frontline teams promptly. “An informed team is an empowered team and we will continue to improve this going forward,” said Sophie Linossier, Director – Guest Experience, Customer Service. P&O Cruises has also recently invested heavily in customer analytics technology to further understand customer…

FOR MORE THAN 35 YEARS, the proudly Australian-founded company Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours has worked tirelessly to earn its steadfast reputation for curating and delivering exceptional cruising and touring itineraries. Its journeys are designed for travellers who seek immersive and enriching travel experiences, and five star luxury service. Scenic takes its guests through more than 60 countries with its broad portfolio of land journeys and cruises. Guests can travel on board the 6-star Scenic Eclipse that has set a new benchmark in ocean ultra luxury cruising; or on a 5-star truly all-inclusive river cruise along the spectacular waterways of Europe or South East Asia; or on handcrafted land journeys in such countries as Australia, New Zealand and Canada. An unparalleled guest experience is at the heart of everything Scenic…

FROM CITY TO COUNTRY, COAST TO CATTLE STATION, Anglicare Southern Queensland stands proudly by the side of Queenslanders who want to grow old in their own homes. Anglicare Southern Queensland offers a range of services designed to help older Queenslanders live independently, including meal preparation, nursing, home maintenance and modifications, and social support. With more than 31,800 clients, the COVID-19 pandemic required a higher level of leadership and services than previously to ensure clients remained connected, healthy and happy. “We developed and implemented programmes such as Digital Savvy to enable clients to connect with friends, families and support services online, reducing clients’ social isolation and concern for families,” said Sue Cooke, Interim Executive Director. “And the feedback we received tells us we are getting it right.” Anglicare’s Client Voices survey –…

‘WORKING SMARTER IS LEARNING TO PRIORITISE, PLAN AND FOCUS OUR ENERGIES WITH MEANINGFUL INTENT.’Michael Thomas Sunnarborg, career coach Delivery services and online shopping portals are consumers’ new normal – and that’s what they will expect from brands even after the virus is brought under control.Sprout Social, software company Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.Steve Maraboli, behavioural scientist Be safe, be smart, be kind.Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general THE PROBLEM IS THAT TECHNOLOGY HAS BECOME AN EXTRA LIMB FOR SOME OF US. IT’S IMPORTANT TO UTILISE THIS TECHNOLOGY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHEN TO TAKE A BREAK FROM IT.Alex Broches, entrepreneur and author…

CUSTOMERS ARE AT THE CORE OF the Naked Wines business, which offers access to exclusive top-quality wines by Australia and New Zealand’s best independent winemakers. To ensure they get things right from the start, individual agents in its call centre (better known as the ‘Customer Happiness Team’) are only recruited if they have service deeply rooted within their values. Ongoing training and development in active listening, empathy and diffusing situations is provided to everyone in the Customer Happiness Team, while their key performance indicator (KPI) is to receive a five-star rating from customers. Naked Wines internal CRM (customer relationship management) software is used to capture data and auto-prompt feedback from customers once a Customer Happiness representative has interacted with them. This gives the wine business the opportunity to follow up on…

OLD WIVES’ TALES, MYTHS, AGE-OLD BELIEFS – call them what you will, there are plenty of misconceptions relating to dogs and cats. Over time, some aspects of pet behaviour became ingrained in our psyche as common knowledge, when in fact this ‘knowledge’ is often quite incorrect. Veterinarian Dr Katrina Warren shares her expertise to challenge some common pet myths. DOGS ONLY EAT GRASS WHEN THEY FEEL SICK Dogs sometimes eat grass to induce vomiting when they are feeling unwell. But there are other reasons why a dog will eat grass, such as increasing dietary fibre, to fill a nutritional void, or even because they are bored. Some dogs may simply enjoy eating grass. It is not usually a problem if the grass is pesticide-and chemical-free. If your pet is consuming grass constantly,…

THE BENEFIT OF SHORT BURSTS OF EXERCISE Health experts used to say you needed to exercise for at least ten minutes at a time to gain any benefits, but evidence has accumulated that anything is better than nothing. That’s why the WHO’s Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour no longer recommends a minimum duration for an exercise session. Meanwhile, scientists have adopted the term ‘exercise snack’ to refer to bursts of physical activity that take little time. Examples include a few push-ups, 60 seconds on an exercise bike, or a jog up a flight of stairs. It’s still ideal to get longer exercise sessions regularly, but you’ll benefit from any amount that you can fit into your day. CHOIR SINGING BOOSTS THE BRAIN Lifting your voice in a choir…

When I was growing up, I could never tell if my parents were wildly in love or careening towards divorce. I awoke some mornings to the noise of their voices climbing, straining to make out their words from two rooms away. Other times I’d catch them planted in the middle of the couch watching the movie Moonstruck, their hair back then inkdark like Cher’s. “I can’t understand why you people just can’t get along,” my Sicilian grandmother would scold when she saw them fight. As I matured, I began to understand that, since they had married young (my mother was 18, my father 24), they were still forging their identities independently of each other. Early in their marriage, they juggled teaching full-time and working towards higher degrees while raising my…

Ingredients • 200 g chocolate melts (dark, milk, white or all three)• 1 kg cherries, stems intact Method • Line a tray with baking paper.• Wash cherries, keeping stems intact.• Place chocolate in a small bowl or saucepan and place over a larger saucepan of simmering water. (If using different types of chocolate, melt in different vessels.)• Stir until chocolate is smooth.• Hold each cherry by the stem and dip into the melted chocolate, letting any excess drip into the bowl.• Stand cherries on the prepared tray and refrigerate until chocolate has set. Enjoy!…

Striding out on a 12-kilometre run through the national park near his home in the Adelaide Hills in January 2019, Professor Chris Baggoley AO, former Australian Government chief medical officer, was feeling in peak physical condition. Then 66, he had overhauled his diet and exercise regime in the previous 18 months, having been told by a doctor that he was borderline diabetic, and felt fitter than ever before. His only niggling health issue was some changes in a recent blood test, which concerned his GP enough to refer him to a haemotologist, whose tests included a scan of his abdomen. Further testing would reveal the shocking news: he had pancreatic cancer. Unlike the majority of Australians who know little about this relatively rare cancer, as the nation’s top medic from…

If you’ve ever winced after accidentally washing your delicates in the ‘cottons’ cycle, you’ll shudder over the beating ancient clothing took. Literally. Garments were bashed over rocks, scrubbed with abrasive sand or stone, and pounded underfoot or with wooden implements in an attempt to clean them. This probably gives a pretty clear indication of a) the coarseness of the fabric used and b) the extent of stench and grime that needed to be extracted. On the positive side, laundry day was a social event, with communities heading down to the local river en masse to have a good chat while pulverising their clothes into submission. Over time, the role of washing clothes became a primary occupation. This practice of public laundry services peaked in Ancient Rome, with those fancy Romans…

Instilling Confidence Before heading out to the office, I asked my eight-year-old daughter, “So, do I look OK?” She slowly looked me up and down before giving me the thumbsup and saying, “Not as bad as you did yesterday!” SUBMITTED BY BARB LEE Stick Around My kindergarten student needed a glue stick, so I opened my supply cabinet to see what I had. “Wow! You have a lot of stuff!” he said. “You must make a lot of money. Where do you work, anyway?” SUBMITTED BY CONNIE GAHM Dodgy Resume INTERVIEWER: “I see you managed a vegetarian restaurant.” APPLICANT: “What?” INTERVIEWER: “It says here you managed a vegetarian restaurant.” APPLICANT: “I guess I did write that. Not really, though. My girlfriend had an art exhibition, and I organised the sandwiches…

The pandemic has made me a more spontaneous person. Weird, I know. Before COVID-19, I was very Type A about my social life: dinner between 6pm and 6.30pm if I was feeling adventurous – usually at a restaurant of my choosing that I’d researched and booked with three friends, four weeks in advance. The upheaval of this last year completely changed my Virgo approach to recreation. Now, with so many activities off the table, whenever there’s a chance to do anything, I jump. Socially-distanced burger in the park? Sounds glamorous! Walk with an acquaintance who lives around the corner? My new best friend forever! Lawn cocktails with the neighbour? Why didn’t I think of this before? My new “Sure, why not?” vibe has been one of the surprising upsides of…

1. What is the name of the extremely violent South Korean drama series that reached No 1 on Netflix? 1 point 2. What former name did Thailand revert to from 1946 to 1948, after which it again reverted to Thailand? 1 point 3. Which Australian prime minister was also a Rhodes Scholar and one-time holder of a world record for drinking beer? 2 points 4. Saffron can be more expensive than gold by weight. True or false? 1 point 5. What is the hardest substance in the human body? 1 point 6. Which New Zealand city has the highest population? 1 point 7. The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to which organisation whose mascot is a dog named Foxtrot? 2 points 8. When Israel’s spacecraft Beresheet crash-landed on the…

We commissioned independent market research agency Catalyst Consultancy & Research to survey a representative sample of 2500 Australians. To build a brand list reflective of today’s market, an initial survey was conducted with a representative sample of 500 Australians, who were asked which companies they have had previous experience with across 38 categories. In the second survey, completed by approximately 2000 Australians, data was captured on which of those companies across the 38 categories had provided the highest levels of customer service over the past 12 months, rating each organisation from one to ten across five key pillars of customer service: ■ PERSONALISATION: How well was the company able to provide the consumer with an individualised customer experience? ■ UNDERSTANDING: How effectively was the company able to demonstrate a genuine insight…

ESTABLISHED IN 1840, Australian Unity was the country’s first member-owned wellbeing company, delivering health, wealth and care services. Being a member-governed company (or mutual) gives Australian Unity the freedom to invest money back into the services and solutions that matter most to its members. Starting out as a provider of retirement living through the acquisition of existing retirement communities, Australian Unity has grown to become a developer of new retirement communities throughout New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, as well as a provider of aged care, home and disability services. Beverly Smith, Executive General Manager of Residential Communities, said community connectedness is one of the seven pillars of Australian Unity’s Wellbeing Index and is a guiding principle of our holistic model of care called Better Together®. “This model of care…

DOES YOUR COST OF LIVING INCLUDE FUNERAL EXPENSES? While the cost of living is often front of mind for many Australians, there’s another group of expenses that sometimes gets overlooked. End-oflife costs, and more specifically the costs of your funeral, can be just as demanding on your family’s budget, especially if they come unexpectedly. MoneySmart.gov.au, an Australian government website that helps you take control of your money, estimates that a funeral can cost up to $15,0001, which includes funeral director fees, the casket, headstone, catering and other typical inclusions. On top of this, a loved one who passes away could leave behind unpaid debts, as well as legal fees surrounding their estate. All up, it can be an expensive and emotional ordeal for the people closest to you. But there…

AS AUSTRALIA’S GO-TO INSURANCE FOR RETIREES, APIA helps more than half a million retirees protect what matters most. Apia’s home and contents, property, car, health and other products and services are designed to meet the needs of older Australians because it uniquely understands their life-stage – those approaching, transitioning to, or in retirement. For over 30 years, Apia has been providing great value products and services, striving to offer more choice, affordability and benefits important to Australian retirees. As transitioning to retirement can be a time of anxiety, Apia believes that a chat with someone who can empathise and understand can help make this process easier and stress free – “then we stick with you all the way!” Apia customers across Australia can get the right answers to their insurance…

AUSSIE BROADBAND HAS A REPUTATION for providing high quality internet and sensible customer service. It is in the business to change the telco game in Australia, and make the internet faster and more reliable for all Australians. Customers are at the centre of Aussie Broadband’s business model, and its customer service strategy is simple: make things as easy as possible for the customer. One of the ways it does this is by providing an Australian-based customer service team. “We are proud to base our team entirely in Australia, so our customers always speak to a local,” says Managing Director Phillip Britt. Another way Aussie Broadband provides customers with a great experience is through its innovative, customer-facing tools. Its award winning MyAussie app equips customers with easy-to-use technology that allows them –…

RSPCA PET INSURANCE has a strong customer-first culture. It believes in respectful and honest customer service, and that communication should be simple and easy to understand. To continually improve on their procedures and ensure the customer experience is as seamless as possible, RSPCA Pet Insurance provides multiple channels – email, phone and social media – for customers to share their feedback and suggestions. Taking a proactive approach in collecting customer feedback helps them to understand how they can improve processes and service for all RSPCA Pet Insurance customers. Customer-first behaviours are celebrated across the entire business, including in their dedicated Australian-based call centre, which can be contacted Monday to Friday, 8am-8pm (except public holidays), and Saturday, 9am-2pm (AEST). To ensure the right customer support consultants are employed from the get-go, the…