IN Starling

She’s a nurse, a mum, a wife, an excellent cook and a businesswoman who is determined to bring nature back into all aspects of life.


Nadine Lee Morris is a perfect example of someone who walks their walk and talks it too.


Having things handmade inspires her, which is why she’d rather support an individual who has put love and substance into their products, hence the creation of her own range of bed, bath and home products called Starling.


“Starling is my stand against mass-produced, chemically-laden products,” says Nadine. Starling’s products are natural, organic, chemical free, have not been tested on animals and are handmade by the Perth mum.


Her Perth home is her warehouse, the kitchen her workspace and family her willing guinea pigs. Right out of her suburban kitchen Starling produces organic aromatherapy soy candles, massage oils, room/linen/body sprays, herbal teas, bath salts and body care for health and well-being.


While she trained as a nurse and once worked as a welder, Nadine has always dabbled creatively and been secretly jealous of artistic friends and family.


“I became interested in natural remedies when I learnt how regular products are laden with chemicals,” she explains. “I read an article recently that spoke about this issue and how everything we put on our skin can end up in our bloodstream. That’s scary! So to control this to a certain extent I bought some books on essential oils and aromatherapy and began to experiment. Not long after family and friends were getting plied with samples and being happy guinea pigs for my products.


“When my boys were born I also started thinking about all the chemicals I slathered on their skin when it came to things like creams,” Nadine says. “So I started experimenting with making my own body products.”


Starling was born and is gaining a dedicated following around Perth as Nadine sells her products at local markets and online through Etsy.


While her products may be all about being natural, this attitude also extends into her personal life. Nadine and her husband, musician and author Adam Morris are vegetarians, eat organic where they can and otherwise eat as unrefined as possible.


“We just got really conscious about where our food came from, what had been done to it and what we were doing to it. The boys, Finn who is five-and-half and two-year-old Atticus, have been brought up this way, which I think is important.”


Nadine says while the shift was easy because they wanted to do it, eating and living this way takes more preparation time. Equally though, it’s a lot of fun because she feels like she is always being creative and exploring new products or how to create new dishes.


The Morris family are now in the middle of planning a move to Albany, which will allow Nadine to extend her range thanks to the eventual construction of a larger kitchen in their next home.

IN Snow

Though he discovered the snow as an adult, Perth’s Matt Robinson is proving he’s a force to be reckoned with on a board.

It was less than a handful of years ago that Matt Robinson took his first steps in the snow. When he got on a snowboard he flat out fell in love.

It started an affair which he hopes will take him all the way to Russia and the Winter Paralympics in 2014.

Born and raised in the Perth suburb of Forrestfield but now living in Melbourne because it’s closer to the snow, Matt is a para-snowboarder with arthrogryposis. He has only been riding for a few years but has been tagged as one of the country’s up-and-coming adaptive snowboarders.

Arthrogryposis is a rare congenital disorder which is characterised by joint contractions and muscle weakness.

“I’ve always lived by not having a disability,” says the 27-year-old who also keeps himself fit by running and skating to work and going to the gym. “I grew up playing footy and I’m really good with my feet.

“I don’t know any different, I might take a little longer to do something or look a bit weird but I’ve always just adapted. When I first went snowboarding I couldn’t do up my boots but then I figured out how to do it – swap the straps.

Being in the snow is good for my soul. I’ve never felt so much freedom. Amongst the trees, it’s such a beautiful place and I get to ride on it. There’s something so unique about it. The first time I saw the snow it was the prettiest thing I had ever seen.

That is until he met girlfriend Gecel, who has proved to be a tower of strength alongside a hugely supportive family and group of friends.

Coach Peter Higgins met Matt at a talent identification camp a few years ago and says he immediately stood out as a talented prospect. When the announcement came through that the Russian city of Sochi would be including the sport of snowboard cross (SBX) as part of the 2014 games, Matt was up the top of the list of prospective athletes. Matt and a couple of other athletes have been instrumental in helping pioneer Australia’s first SBX program.

“Matt has the mental prowess to understand what needs to be achieved and the drive within him to persevere until he succeeds,” Peter says. “These traits combined with a natural ability to ride a snowboard have and will take him far within the sport. He dedicated his full time and attention to training over this past winter and the effort he put in resulted in an exceptional rate of development. We look forward to the years ahead of Matt leading the charge toward SBX competition glory.”

Unlike himself, many of the athletes Matt has now come in contact with weren’t born with their disabilities and he says it has been eye-opening and rewarding to work with these athletes. Working and training with them has taught Matt to embrace his own disability that little more completely.

“For the first 25 years I didn’t want to have anything to do with disability stuff because it felt like it was labelling me. In the past year-and-a-half I have come to the realisation that I have a responsibility to be a bit of an ambassador for people with physical disabilities. I used to shut up about it, now I realise I have the character and the personality to be able to help.
"I talk quite a lot to other athletes, some of whom only inherited their disability a year ago. I know I’ve been given an amazing opportunity so I want to use that to inspire people. I figure if they look at me and think ‘if this bloke can do it, why can’t I’? then that’s good."

Matt works for the City of Melbourne as an information management officer and as there’s no government funding or subsidy for this alpine sport, he’s also been busy raising money and securing sponsorships to get overseas to compete in the pre-Olympic trials.

Disabled WinterSport Australia is the country’s peak body which promotes and fosters the advancement of participation by people with a disability in winter sport both in Australia and overseas.

To sponsor Matt or make a donation, go to the DWA website at www.disabledwintersport.org.au

IN Perth Property Market

 
Destination unknown – or is it?

There’s a lot of talk at the moment about the direction of Perth’s property prices. Forget the noise (and there’s a lot of it) and look at the signs. They’re there for all to see and they’re pretty clear.

The ingredients are ripening for a positive shift.

Figures released recently show over the past five years Perth property prices have stabilised, rising by less than three or four percent in most Perth suburbs. In fact, some areas have experienced negative median price corrections. Another important indicator is a sharp drop in the amount of for sale stock available on the market.

This indicates relative affordability has improved in the metropolitan area and Perth is on the threshold of a resurgence in buyer activity once a buying trigger is introduced.

That trigger could be a number of things – I anticipate it will be further cuts to the interest rate.

Economists are predicting it could fall by up to 2.5% by next March, with the Reserve Bank warning at its October board meeting that the outlook for growth in Australia has weakened as the mining sector had slowed down sharply. A great example of that locally is Fortescue Metals Group with FMG announcing it was pulling back on expansion plans and cutting hundreds of jobs. Balanced however by the recent reports that the WA economy is the strongest wealth generator State in Australia.

So what does all of this mean for you?

Three words: surf the curve.

When the property market moves, it can happen very quickly so being ahead of the curve and riding with it can be a potential game changer for you.

As I’ve said before, money will always follow value. Regardless of your budget, you must always look for an advantage – in other words, an area offering positive amenities such as transport, good schools and lifestyle. These features bring security and growth.

If you’re looking to benefit financially from anticipated improvements in property values, I would avoid any area which tends to be a bit bland in character or appeal as they will probably always be sluggish in the market. And, be wary of anything that has experienced rapid price gains in recent times. When investment buying stay close to the median price point in the market.

The signs are definitely indicating a swell in activity  ahead of the next property price wave so to avoid being left behind in the wash up, astute property investors will be preparing now to dive back into the Perth market.