Country Style - May 2008

a letter from the editor

WE RECENTLY SAT DOWN AND TOOK A LONG HARD LOOK AT THE STORIES WE BRING YOU IN THIS MAGAZINE EACH MONTH.

Of course, there will always be lovely homes and gardens, and delicious country food, along with features on great places to visit and some decorating ideas. But we know many of you buy this magazine for stories about people

— ‘real’ people, Australians whose lives are interesting and often inspiring. That’s why we started our Local hero feature in March. “But will we be able to find a good story to write each month?” we wondered. Would we have enough room to fit them all would have been a better question.

Our local heroes aren’t usually lifesavers or big philanthropists. Instead, they tend to be people whose contribution to their community is thoughtful and modest, yet is noticed and greatly appreciated by those around them. I’m sure you know people like this where you live — I certainly do. On page 92 we feature three women from Bendigo in Victoria who have taken their fundraising efforts for country charities to a new level. (I’m also pleased to report that last month’s article on Colleen O’Brien, who works to save and find new homes for brumbies, has had a wonderful response from readers. More safe paddocks for these beautiful wild horses!)

This month we introduce you to an Italian couple growing table grapes in Mildura, and a potter who lives and works beside the beautiful Hawkesbury River in NSW. On a culinary note, we’ve found out who makes some of the country’s best pies just west of the NSW Blue Mountains, and on page 81 we uncover some of regional Australia’s finest producers of chocolate.

We visit an old roadhouse converted to a lovely unusual home in the hills north of Sydney, and find an Australian family who enjoyed the New York life for some time before spending three years searching for the perfect Hobart home. Their efforts were rewarded with a beautiful old house overlooking the harbour — and their contented hound is pictured on the right.