Table of contents for TAK2509 in Take 5

This is embarrassing, but my friend got me kicked out of choir when we were at school, because I was so tone-deaf it was distracting for her! Plus, my vocal talent – or lack of it – was a running joke in my family. But singing makes you happy, doesn’t it, so I haven’t stopped! That’s why I loved Jacquie’s story on page 65 this week. She brings strangers together to sing and play instruments, and it’s had a remarkable effect on the community. Maybe they’d even let me join! If you’ve brought your neighbours together, we’d love to hear from you. Don’t miss our health special on page 12. With diabetes a global health emergency, Dr Sue Radd, who has worked in the field for nearly four decades, gave…

Nadia Mahjouri, 48, Hobart, Tas. Sitting on the floor, I drew a doodle in my notepad. It looked like petals and twirls. My school books were full of them. As I drew, I eavesdropped. It was 1984, I was eight and my mum Jessie, 34, and stepdad Rod, 36, were hosting a dinner party. “We lived in Marrakesh,” Mum said. My ears pricked up. She was talking about my biological father. “Didn’t you marry in Edinburgh?” a friend asked. “Yeah, because my mother was there visiting from Tassie,” she replied. Just then, someone made a joke and everyone laughed. The conversation topic changed after that. I sighed. I wanted to hear more. I grew up in Launceston knowing I looked different from other kids. I was tall and tanned, with…

I put a wash on… next minute, my baby was covered in blood Amie McCarthy, 30. I opened up the front door and ushered little Brodie, one, inside. My baby daughter Emmie Lou, five months, was asleep in the pram. We’d just returned from the chemist down the road, where we got a new prescription for Brodie’s eczema. Placing the pram with my sleeping baby in it in the living room, I walked through to the kitchen. “I’ll just put a load on,” I said to Brodie, who always followed me everywhere like my little shadow. My other kids, Ella, 11, Benny, nine, and Buddy, four, were all at school and kindy. My partner Paul, 33, didn’t live with me. I heard an almighty crash Chucking the dirty laundry into…

Carbonara SERVES 4-6PREP 15 MINS COOK 10 MINS 500g pappardelle 1 tbsp olive oil 300g rindless bacon, chopped 300ml thickened cream 2⁄3 cup grated parmesan, plus extra, to serve. 6 egg yolks ½ tsp ground nutmeg 3 green onions, finely sliced ¼ cup chopped parsley leaves, plus extra leaves to serve Cook pasta following 1 packet directions. Drain well, return to pan and keep warm. 2 Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat oil on high. Fry bacon 3-4mins until crispy. Remove from heat. 3 In a large jug, whisk cream, parmesan, yolks and nutmeg together. 4 Add cream mixture to hot pasta with bacon, onions and parsley. Toss quickly to coat pasta in sauce (see Tip). Season to taste and serve right away topped with more parmesan and parsley.…

My interactive singalongs are helping people cut loose Jacquie Hardy, 52, Goshen, Tas. The elderly man shook as he held the drumsticks. As we started playing, I felt a nudge from the woman beside me. “Look,” she whispered. “His tremors have gone.” It was 2015 and I was running music workshops at an aged care centre which enabled residents to sing, dance, or play an instrument. The results were astounding. John had Parkinson's disease, but when he played the drums, he stopped shaking and his face lit up. Soon after, I took on a young student with autism. Although she had limited conversational skills, after coaching her, I discovered she had an incredible voice. Hearing her croon Somewhere Over the Rainbow perfectly gave me goosebumps. I wish I could bring…

PISCES Feb 20 – Mar 20 There is no denying that you have your work cut out for you right now. You can’t cut corners and people are not going to let you get away with much. With all this pressure, there is one solution; get really clear on your values and act accordingly. ★ Sometimes life is simple! GEMINI May 22 – June 21 As Venus reverses in your Friendship Zone, it’s time for you to weigh up who in your social circle really matters to you and who is just there for ‘decoration’. Don’t waste time on the people who don’t make you feel loved and who you don’t love. ★ Life is definitely too short! CANCER June 22 – July 23 If you’ve been waiting for a…

Ice-cream convert I just had to share the look on my little nephew Ollie’s face after his very first taste of ice-cream, aged 10 months. I think he likes it, don’t you?! Zoe Hyde, North Perth, WA. Life lessons We were at my sister’s house when my niece, Christie, 10, came home from school a bit upset. She’d tripped up the stairs while collecting an award at the assembly and was embarrassed. “I remember diving into the pool at my school swimming carnival and losing my shorts!” my husband said. He explained that he’d been mortified, but he grew up, left school and the moment that felt so huge at the time became nothing more than a memory. Christie felt better after their chat. I want to encourage everyone to…

I’d met Daniel before – but where? Elinor Moshe, 34, Melbourne, Vic. I was jolted out of my daydream by my boss’s voice behind me. “I need you to call and clarify some details about that crane permit,” he said. “Sure thing,” I replied. It was 2021, and lockdown had hit Melbourne hard. Everyone was beginning to really feel its effects. Picking up the phone, I called Daniel, who I’d been emailing back and forth about the permit. “It’s Elinor,” I said. “I just need to check a few things with you.” “Sure,” Daniel replied. Once we sorted out our business, Daniel asked how I was feeling, and I let out an exasperated sigh. “Where do I start?” I said. After that, every time we spoke on the phone, we’d…

I ran off with the one man who never let me down Mikala Whitaker, 29. I cut into my schnitzel and looked up at my handsome date. “I want to see as much of the world as I can,” I told Mike*, 21. “I’d love to travel more, too,” he said, smiling. I’d met Mike at uni and we’d been friends for a few years until he finally asked me out. He was smart, good-looking and shared my love of adventure. Something’s happening here, I thought. The year before, I’d visited 10 different countries and longed to see more. Mike hadn’t travelled as much, but I loved that he wanted to. Soon, we were a couple and I pictured our future jet-setting together. But there was something I had to…

I pay my mortgage with farts! Nath Wyld, 31, Melbourne, Vic. Heading out the door in my best jeans, I kissed my mum goodbye. “Well, don’t you look nice,” she said, smiling. Aged 21, I wasn’t earning much as a carpenter’s apprentice, and my mate had told me about a weekend job where he earned $300 a night. I could do that! I thought. Knowing Mum wouldn’t judge me, I announced I was off for my first shift as a topless waiter. “I’ll be working at a strip club where I’ll be serving drinks to women,” I told her. As predicted, she didn’t bat an eye! “It’s just a job, love,” she said. “Have a good one.” That first night, I enjoyed banter with the clientele and watched the strippers…

Melting moments MAKES 16 PREP 40 MINS COOK 15 MINS 200g butter, softened 1⁄3 cup icing sugar mixture 1 tsp vanilla extract  1 cup plain flour  1⁄3 cup cornflour  ¼ cup custard powder  STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM  50g butter, softened  ½ cup icing sugar mixture, sifted  ½ tsp strawberry essence  ¼ tsp pink food colouring 1 Preheat oven to 160°C. Lightly grease and line 2 oven trays with baking paper. 2 In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, icing sugar and vanilla together until creamy. Stir in combined sifted flours and custard powder in 2 batches. Using a piping bag fitted with a large fluted star nozzle, pipe 3cm rounds onto trays, 2cm apart (see Tip). 3 Bake 12-15 mins until firm to touch. Cool on trays 5 mins before…

Bethany Mantle, 28, Tweed Heads, NSW. Hopping up onto the rock platform, I ordered my siblings to gather on the stone floor in front of me. “Let’s play church,” I said. At four years old, I loved bossing my older siblings around. As the fourth of eight kids, I lived with my parents, Tim and Robyn, at a church in Coober Pedy, SA. In 1994, my dad had felt the call of God to pastor a church there. Known as the opal capital of the world, the remote outback town had thousands of mines and little vegetation. Our church, like most dwellings in Coober Pedy, was a dugout built underground as a refuge from the scorching heat. The town had a population of less than 3000 consisting mostly of opal…

I’d never even met the man, but he destroyed my life Cara, 20. Sprawled on my friend’s couch watching TV, I saw her phone vibrate. She glanced at it, then smirked. “This guy wants your Snapchat name,” she said. “He saw a photo of you with me.” “Who is he?” I asked. “Ryan. I went to school with him years ago,” she replied. I was 18 and couldn’t see the harm in making another friend, so I agreed. In bed that evening, my phone pinged. Someone with the username ‘ryantrickz’ had added me on Snapchat. Oh it’s that guy, I thought, and accepted him. After some small talk, Ryan revealed he was 22 years old and lived a few hours away. This is pointless, I thought. I wasn’t going to…

DID YOU KNOW? Up to 90 per cent of cases of type 2 diabetes can potentially be avoided. Dr Sue Radd is an advanced accredited practising dietitian and leading nutritionist, who’s worked in the field for 35 years, helping people with diabetes – so she knows what she’s talking about. “Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic condition in Australia and worldwide,” Sue explains. “More than one in 10 people globally now have diabetes. Despite more medications becoming available, diabetes prevalence has more than tripled since the year 2000, according to the International Diabetes Federation, which now deems the condition a global health emergency of the 21st century.” But most cases of diabetes are totally preventable. “As type 2 diabetes is most common – accounting for more than 90 per cent…

PRISON HOUDINI Defending a mate in a pub brawl, John Massey attacked a bouncer with a baseball bat, then shot him pointblank. In 1975, Massey, 26, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 20 years for the murder of Charlie Higgins. But after 19 years in jail, Massey was told he wouldn’t be released due to bad behaviour. So, during a supervised visit at a pub to see his dad, he climbed out the window. He hid in a car boot then used a friend’s private plane to flee the country. For three years, he lived the high life. But one day, after getting into a bar fight, he was arrested. Authorities realised he was on the run and returned him to prison. Twice, when Massey was granted parole…

Sticky chicken wings SERVES 4 PREP 10 MINS COOK 50 MINS 1.2kg chicken wing nibbles 3 tsp onion powder 2 tsp ground ginger ½ tsp white pepper Olive oil spray Steamed Asian vegetables, steamed rice, to serve Toasted sesame seeds, sliced green onion, to serve STICKY SAUCE 1⁄3 cup hoisin sauce 1 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tbsp white vinegar 2 tsp sriracha sauce ½ tsp sesame oil 1 Preheat air fryer to 200°C. 2 In a large bowl, toss wings, onion powder and ginger with white pepper until evenly coated. Spray with oil. 3 Place half the wings in air fryer basket and cook 20-25 mins, turning halfway, or until chicken is cooked through. Repeat with remaining wings. 4 STICKY SAUCE Place all ingredients in a small saucepan on medium.…

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