IN Mother's Day

Start Mother’s Day differently this year by tying up your sneakers and walking or running around Langley Park.

From toddlers to grandmothers, thousands of Perth people will be participating in the Women in Super Mother’s Day Classic next month.

“It’s a great way for people to start Mother’s Day,” says Kate Simpson, chair of the Perth event. “My whole family come down for the event and it has become a tradition for us and families we know.”

Happening around Langley Park on May 13, the Women in Super Mother’s Day Classic is Australia’s largest charity walk and run. Last year more than 120,000 people across the country participated and funds raised from the event go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation for research. Since its inception the event has raised $10.8 million and last year Western Australia boasted the highest fundraising team.

“Everyone has been touched by breast cancer in some way, whether it be through a friend or a family member. I lost an aunt to breast cancer so when the opportunity arose to be part of this event, I knew the event and the money it raises makes a big difference.”

Now in its fifth year in Perth and celebrating 15 years nationally, the course is 8kms or 4kms and you can walk or run either distance. The action starts at 7am and after your walk or run there will be plenty of entertainment on Langley Park featuring everything from a fashion parade to activities for the kids.
While it’s a family event, Kate says it attracts plenty of teams of all sizes and individuals. There are already a number of teams registered for this year’s event with more than 150 members. Realmark will once again be fielding a team.

Around 130 people also work as volunteers on the day and details to help can be found on the website.
“There’s a sea of pink on the day and it always looks fantastic. People can dedicate their walk to a specific person. There’s a tribute wall at Langley Park where people can post their dedications and it truly takes your breath away to read some of them.”

For more details and to register, go to www.mothersdayclassic.com.au.

To donate, go to https://register.eventarc.com/sponsor/view/82570

Your best advantage

At Realmark, our marketing expertise is your best advantage.

Admittedly, the right property in front of the right buyer or tenant will eventually sell itself.

However, an agent's job is not to merely sell your property but rather to market your property – quite simply we help you uncover the right competing buyer(s)* at the right time to accomplish a premium result for the sale of your property. The actual sale is just the transactional component at the end of a well targeted advertising and marketing programme that has been tailored to suit your property, showcasing its unique features and benefits.

Realmark’s multi-medium, multi-layered marketing approach is perfect for creating a distinct advantage in the very competitive real estate market.

There are many components to an effective marketing campaign and this often involves more than just using a ‘for sale’ sign and advertising online.

Yes it’s true, a strong online presence and the integration of all advertising materials are important, however what is more critical is a proper understanding of the market place and the principles that will guide the decisions of how your property is marketed to engage buyers or tenants for a premium result. This is how you avoid underselling your property.

At Realmark we have dedicated our efforts to understanding your needs and our multiple marketing awards show we have proven ability.

Our emphasis is on effective marketing. We specialise in attracting the right people to your property. We help sellers and investors achieve an oustanding, result. We delight buyers and tenants by helping them find their new home. And we win excellence awards for what we enjoy doing best – marketing your property for a premium outcome.

A happy outcome for all.

*Please take note of the plural – that’s an important advantage of selling your property with Realmark. If you would like to know more, feel free to ask about Realmark’s selling methods and our Buyer Engagement process which give you the advantage.

IN 80s

David Campbell dug out a pastel T-shirt, rolled up his jeans and channelled his enthusiasm for the 80s into an album of covers from the decade which brought us bands like Wham, Wang Chung and Spandau Ballet.

Don’t for one minute think David Campbell is having you on. The awarded singer and entertainer’s latest album might be a collection of 80’s covers but he’s delivered them with such style there’s nothing cheesy about it.

The recently released Let’s Go romps through a dozen 80s classics with gusto and makes for a perfect party for those who remember the originals and anyone else who enjoys fizzy pop with an injection of fun.

“The songs from this period were really great compared to many songs from the 90s which were cynical, ironic and often bitter,” David says. “There was a sense of hope about these songs, as well as a party. We’re all angry about something at the moment and I wanted to make something people could have a good time to.”

While supporting Tom Jones, the Australian performer says he and his band were playing the song Let’s Go on stage, which led to a discussion about doing an album of favourite 80’s songs.

“There’s usually a song which acts as a gateway for a project or an idea,” he says. “I remember loving Let’s Go as a kid. I hope people don’t think we just cracked out the keyboards and went for it. We really wanted to look at the songs as if they had today’s technology then. It sounds energetic because we had a lot of fun playing all these songs.”

The album includes songs like Wham’s I’m Your Man, Style Council’s Shout It To The Top, Hall & Oats' You Make My Dreams, Adam Ant’s Goody Two Shoes and crisp horns on Come on Eileen from Dexys Midnight Runners. Instead of Dance Hall Days by Wang Chung, David opted for Let’s Go plus The Human League’s mournful Don’t You Want Me also gets a sassy remake.

“I always want to try and keep it interesting and not make the songs too obvious. I wanted to change things up and make sure you could dance to it too. If we couldn’t find a way through the song to make it feel and sound like that, then we started with another song. With a song like Come On Eileen, we brought some swing to it and it’s a monster version which still keeps the feel and has a lot of fun.

“Let’s forget about our problems for 12 tracks and let this be the antidote.”

Let’s Go is out now. David Campbell performs at Mandurah Performing Arts Centre on May 16, Geraldton’s Queens Park Theatre on May 17, May 18 at Perth Concert Hall and May 19 at Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre.

IN High Tea

Delicious morsels served on exquisite china. What is it about a high tea that makes us feel special and marks an occasion perfectly?

As a young woman, a visit to London’s Ritz Hotel made a huge impression on Fiona Thomas. The grandeur and gentility stuck in her mind and eventually provided inspiration for her Perth business.

“I started collecting mismatched vintage china a few years later,” Fiona says about Antiquitea, her vintage high tea company. “When I had enough pieces I did a tea party for my friends. Then my sister borrowed my collection for her 40th birthday, which was an afternoon tea.”

Those attending enjoyed using it so much, they suggested she hire out the set. Before Fiona knew it, hosting high teas became her hobby. Two-and-a-half years on it’s what she’s known for.

Antiquitea not only supplies Fiona’s collection of china but everything else you need to host a gorgeous tea party, from linen to working with her favourite caterer, Chica Catering. To date Antiquitea has hosted everything from sweet 16’s right up to a 100th birthday party alongside baby showers, kitchen teas and anniversary celebrations. For hen’s days, girls often start with a genteel afternoon tea and then head out for a night on the town or gather after a spa day.

“People say they have never experienced anything like it. It’s not just the china, but beautifully-set tables to sit at, vintage silverware, fresh flowers and the ceremony of it all. Somehow tea just tastes better in a bone china teacup.”

Fiona encourages her clients to post out physical invitations, rather than emailing them as there’s nothing like receiving a beautiful invitation in your letterbox. It sets the scene for what’s to come and creates a sense of occasion and anticipation.

“It all goes back to days gone by, when things were different. We really want to bring back the joy of high tea; and although there isn’t the time these days for ladies to gather in parlours each afternoon to drink tea with their friends, what Antiquitea does is perfect for very special occasions and it’s becoming more popular.”

For Mother’s Day on May 6, Antiquitea is staging a traditional English high tea called the Ultimate High Tea at Fremantle Town Hall.

Shift the focus

Being in the property market I’m obviously an avid follower of all the commentary and statistics released on the state of the market.

And to put it bluntly: it’s totally confusing and often seems to be a self-perpetuating cycle of either talking the housing market up or down at any point in time.

How does this constantly changing and conflicting commentary affect the buyers, sellers, investors and renters out there?

You may well ask.

So in this column my aim is to demystify the commentary and provide you with more useful information. After all, this is real estate in the 21st century where all of us have access to a wealth of information in real time, in fact, so much so, that it’s a virtual minefield to attempt to wade through.
What you need to know as a player, or potential player, is: where is the weather vane pointing at the moment and what does it mean for your own situation?

The good news is that positive sentiment is returning to the Perth housing market following the two cuts in official interest rates late last year and there are a heap of other positive fundamentals.
Evidence of this can be seen in the increase in rental and sales activity.

The combination of factors that led to the long period of inertia (and stagnation) in the Perth housing market is clearing and it’s well and truly time to shift the focus away from the negative, “GFC-inspired” commentary to a new dynamic.

According to the latest set of real estate indicators from REIWA, there was a 4.5 percent rise in the number of houses sold in the last quarter of 2011 and a 6.4 percent jump in the number of apartments sold. Average selling days dropped to 77 from 81 in the same period while at the same time, the number of properties on the market fell by 10 percent.

For renters, the market is tight and vacancy rates continued to slide. The vacancy rate has fallen to just 2.5 percent in Perth and the median rent has risen a further 1.3 percent to $400 a week.

So, what does this mean for the renter, the investor and those wanting to buy? What should you be doing?
Firstly be cautious about market generalisations as outcomes can vary from suburb to suburb and in different price ranges.

Accepting this:

• Investors should take note of the improved rental returns and assess the potential for property value growth
• Sellers should accept that price growth may not be dramatic in the short term and to have clarity about their selling expectations prior to going to market. Select an agent that has the right selling solutions
• Renters should secure longer tenancy terms to help manage any potential rental blow out
• Buyers should understand that real value is abundant in the market right now and to act before this period of opportunity passes

My best advice: don’t take on the clichés or outdated views so prevalent out there. Get involved in forums where there is informed, practical and incisive dialogue about the market.

IN Travel

Travel broadens your horizons, no matter what your age and Mary Moody believes challenging yourself keeps everything in working order.

Sitting about knitting is not the kind of life Mary Moody has ever had in mind for herself. Keeping still and not pushing herself has never been an option.

As well as publishing four best-selling travel memoirs, Mary, 62, is also well known for presenting Gardening Australia on the ABC. She lives in Katoomba, near the Blue Mountains on a farm with ducks, sheep and a good-sized veggie patch. Travel is a regular part of her year whether it’s visiting Asia or staying at her second home in southern France.

In the early 1990’s adventure travel company World Expeditions approached Mary to guide a group to the Himalayan valley of Har-ki-dun to revel in the extraordinary local plant species.

Since then Mary has lent her expertise in plants, a love for yoga and exploring to guide numerous trips into Europe and Asia for the group. This year she will do four different trips, all of which link with a personal passion and an area of knowledge: exploring the food and wine of south-west France, the flowers and festivals of Mongolia, enjoying yoga and trekking in India plus a special trip to Nepal designed for grandparents and their grandkids.

“I’ve totally fallen in love with this kind of travelling,” Mary says of World Expedition’s brand of small group travel. “I’ve found them to be the most life changing of experiences as you get a chance to absorb history, culture and modern day life.”

Mary has taken two of her 10 grandchildren on the nana-grandkids Nepal trip and loves the idea of getting them away from their everyday urban lives.

“It’s one thing to see it on television, but it’s not the same to be there and see how other people live. I think it’s a bit of a reality jolt and a little challenging, but what a great way to learn about the world. I also had seven of them for two weeks in the school holidays and they can’t just sit there and watch movies. They have to get out, explore and swing over the creek.”

If Mary’s own grandchildren are anything to go by, she says their experiences have not only created a love for travel but an attitude of philanthropy and wanting to give back. “The trip really made them think a lot about things other than their small circle of friends and turn their eyes to a bigger place.”

Mary loves the fact that a large part of the trips she takes involve walking, so you get to see life from the ground, rather than through the windows of a car or bus. That’s when you can’t miss the baby in the hammock on the porch or the newly tended flowers in someone’s garden.

“I think you feel an enormous connection that way and people do like to feel part of the place they go to. For example, during the French trip we have picnics and have drinks in the homes of people I know.

“People who have been on these trips 10 or 15 years ago are still in touch and others keep coming on new tours, which is brilliant. There’s a familiarity there and it has bred some really strong relationships as a result of these adventures.”

IN Mary Poppins

Armed with musical lessons, that much-loved governess named Mary Poppins flies into town at the end of March.

Lisa O’Hare shares at least one thing in common with Mary Poppins – they are both sticklers for good manners.

Which is a good thing, because it means Lisa is perfect for the role of Mary Poppins in the internationally popular musical which opens at Burswood Theatre in March.

Mary Poppins was originally created by Queensland author P.L. Travers, who after working in Sydney as an actor and journalist moved to London. Her first Mary Poppins book was published in 1934 and the enduring story of the practically perfect governess enchanted millions of readers. Walt Disney turned Mary Poppins into a movie in 1964 and it has remained one of Disney’s best-loved releases.

The musical brings the books and movie to the stage with enduring songs like Chim Chim Cher-ee, Spoonful of Sugar and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and the first production opened in 2004. Since then the story of the Banks family and their nanny Mary Poppins has been seen by more than eight million people worldwide.

Lisa O’Hare has already played the role twice before, including during a UK national tour. She has also played other iconic female characters like Eliza Doolittle (My Fair Lady), Sally Bowles (Cabaret), Guinevere (Camelot), Gigi (Gigi) and Mina in Dracula as well as guest starring in television shows Castle, Undercovers and The Closer.

“It’s such an honour to play such an iconic character,” Lisa says. “There are probably only five of us who have had the privilege. It’s a wonderful challenge to step into the shoes of people like Julie Andrews and Audrey Hepburn.

“Mary Poppins is this other-worldly and eccentric character. She’s a magical and spiritual healer and teacher who steps in and takes over. She doesn’t only teach the children lessons but teaches parents plenty too.”

Hailing from the UK, Lisa now lives in Los Angeles with her American husband Brian, whom she met while working on My Fair Lady. She grew up on a diet of Oliver and Annie until her dad threatened to burn the videos.

“I loved musicals and come from quite a musical family. When I heard they were going to make a musical I was thrilled at the thought of even being considered.”

Of course there’s the inevitable question: what’s it like to fly?

“What can I say,” Lisa chuckles, “you’re either born with it or you’re not.”

Mary Poppins opens at Burwood Theatre on March 31 for a limited season. Tickets from Ticketek.