Innehållsförteckning för TAK2411 från Take 5

Words often heard in the Take 5 office this week were, “That’s it, I’m quitting! I’m getting a FIFO job.” It happened each time someone read Layla-Rose’s story on page 15, about how she earnt $90k as a teenager in her utilities role. We were so jealous! With a shudder, I remembered my first job as a pot washer in a pub. Scrubbing giant pans for hours on curry night and then being handed $9 in a brown envelope made me want to cry! Senior Copy Ed, Trudi, had it worse in a chicken factory. She lost the feeling in her fingers from the cold, and worked alongside rats the size of cats! “You don’t want to know what goes into a chicken nugget!” she warned. But Feature Writer, Emilia,…

Working in a maximum-security prison ruined my love life… Kendra Capalbo, 48. Sitting at my desk, I sighed as my patient, who was being escorted out of the room in handcuffs, turned around and gave me a wink. “Thanks, honey,” he said with a leering grin. “That’s not appropriate,” I reminded him firmly. When he was gone, I put my head in my hands. “Every time,” I groaned. It was 2015, and I was working as a therapist at an all-male maximumsecurity prison. Over the 10 years I’d been there, I’d built up a no-nonsense exterior to protect myself. Being a woman in the prison wasn’t easy. Some of the inmates were inside for horrifying crimes and had barely seen a woman in 20 years, let alone been with one.…

Nothing will stop Chris achieving his dream Narele Barrow, 52, Wellard, WA. Checking my dating app, a smile spread across my face. I had a new message from Chris, 29, a guy I’d been chatting to for a couple of days. I’d love to take you out, he wrote. But I need to let you know I’m a tetraplegic. I messaged him back instantly. That makes no difference to me, I’d love to meet up, I replied. Meeting at the local bakery the next day, Chris’s personality shone so brightly I barely noticed his wheelchair. He was sweet and had me in stitches with his jokes. He explained he’d been paralysed since a BMX accident aged 15, though he could use his left leg, left hand and right shoulder. “I…

I’ve always bragged that my husband, Anthony, has never forgotten my birthday or our wedding anniversary and has beautiful bunches of flowers delivered every year. On my recent 59th birthday, Anthony came home from work and spotted the gorgeous bouquet of roses on the table. “They’re nice. Did you buy them today?” he asked. “No, you sent them to me,” I replied, confused. It turns out my beloved husband doesn’t remember either date but has a standing order with the florist to have flowers sent on both days every year! Courtney Allen, Maroochydore, Qld.…

My divorce was the catalyst for 50 life-changing adventures Lisa Niver, 56. Slipping the letter into my husband’s passport, I left it at the hotel reception desk. I need space. Don’t call me, it said. Then I caught the next flight out of Thailand. After yet another argument, I was hysterical. I thought travelling together might help fix us. But it wasn’t working, and during my flight home, I wrote down everything I didn’t like about our marriage. Aged 47, I moved back in with my parents, into my childhood bedroom. Some days, I wasn’t sure how I’d get from breakfast to lunchtime. I felt like a failure, and so lonely, my skin was crawling. Eventually, I called my friend Richard for advice. “I’m filming a series for a travel…

WORDS BY MADISON BOGISCH Whether you look at Michelle Obama, who’s up and in the gym by 4.30am, or Apple CEO Tim Cook, who’s out of bed at 3.45am, it seems most successful people have a solid morning routine. While you don’t have to get out of bed before sunrise to get things done, Melo Calarco, author of Beating Burnout, Finding Balance, says how we start our morning usually has a flow-on effect. “If you wake up in a reactive way, checking emails and stressfully rushing out the door to get to work, chances are the rest of your day will continue to be stressful and reactive,” he says. If this sounds like you, you might need to rethink your routine. Melo offers this advice to win the morning, so…

I’d seen the perfect wedding gown, but it belonged to someone else Simone Crouch, 27. The shop assistant brought out another long, white gown. “How about this one?” she said. “Okay,” I nodded, but I could tell I wouldn’t like it. My boyfriend, Daniel, and I had recently got engaged and I was wedding dress shopping. But, every dress I tried on was either uncomfortable or too tight, or didn’t flatter my tall frame. I left the shop feeling deflated. The trouble was, I’d once seen my dream wedding dress online years before and I had that picture in my mind. I’d saved it onto a Pinterest board, so back home later that afternoon, I whipped out my phone to see if I could find it. There it is, I…

My rare skin condition couldn’t hold me back Dean Clifford, 44, Brisbane, Qld. Walking through the shops, I noticed a kid staring at me in fear. His mum grabbed her son’s hand and they hurried off in the other direction. Being born with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a rare skin condition, meant I didn’t have the anchors to hold the layers of my skin together, causing them to rub when I moved. This created wounding all over my body which, even with regular dressing, left me in constant pain. I often made trips to Brisbane with my mum, Jenny, for medical appointments. Whenever we stopped in at the shops, scared reactions from strangers were common. “You’re not going to live to be an adult,” doctors would tell me. My blisters created…

PISCES Feb 20–Mar 20 A New Moon in your sign will help reset and restart your personal energy this week. Have your boundaries loosened? Have you slipped into old habits? Is it hard to balance fantasy and reality? The beauty of this is that it’s all up to you. ★If you choose, you can really have it all! GEMINI May 22–June 21 You’re full of creative ideas surrounding your professional life right now. That said, there’s only so much one person can do. You need to know your limits. Focus on your top priorities and go all-in. ★Eliminate distractions if you want success. VIRGO Aug 24–Sept 23 You can start afresh if things haven’t been going so well in a key relationship. Wipe the slate clean, opt to focus…

She was meant to protect me… Danielle Upton, 30. I stood before the shop window and stared at the beautiful pair of shoes on display. “If you want them, I’ll get them for you,” my foster mum Julie said. “Yes, please!” I said. Julie and my mum had been friends for years. But Mum struggled with her mental health and couldn’t look after me. Just before my 15th birthday, Julie offered to foster me. She and Mum agreed, and Child Services signed off on it. Mum was only five minutes down the road. During my first summer with Julie, she took me on holiday and spoiled me with gifts. But back home, things started to change. One day, I visited a friend without telling Julie. When I got home, she…

Going FIFO taught me so much Layla-Rose Tynan, 20, Scarborough, WA. The plane touched down on the red earth. “Here we go,” I said to myself nervously. It was 2021, and I’d just arrived in Newman, WA, for my first-ever FIFO shift, aged 18. A couple of my friends were in the industry, and the money and the time off they got sounded great, so I applied for a casual utility job on a mine site. You only needed a little bit of experience to work in utilities, so I got a job quickly. After a site tour and my induction, I was put straight to work. I was assigned to housekeeping and paired with another woman to train me. “Start by cleaning the kitchen floors,” she instructed, handing me…

I looked at the wedding photo and my jaw dropped Hayley Brown, 36. We swayed on the dance floor and my new husband pressed his cheek up against mine. “I love you so much,” he whispered. “I love you too, Mark,” I replied. Our wedding day had been everything I’d hoped for. I’d chosen a silver, black and red colour scheme, and the cake was sparkly, with white feathers on top. A stretch limo had ferried me and my sisters to the ceremony, and now at the reception I was dancing to Lonestar’s song Amazed. Afterwards, we didn’t go away for a honeymoon because I was pregnant. Mark had been married before, but I was certain I’d be the one he’d grow old with. Soon, our daughter was born and…

No matter where in the world you might be, seeing a cruise liner up close is breathtaking. When arriving in Trieste, Italy, to embark on a week-long cruise sailing the Aegean Sea, I wasn’t prepared for how breathless I would be. OLD MEETS NEW Boarding the Oosterdam (part of Holland America Line), I was soon immersed in a world of old-time glamour mixed with all the modern finishes one would hope for on a luxury cruise. As I hadn’t ventured into this world before, I was pleasantly surprised at how large and comfortable the verandah rooms felt. Walking throughout the ship was always a lovely experience – saying hello to fellow travellers and crew, enjoying the sights and sounds on each deck (the Oosterdam has 10), and passing pools,…