Email Article Trent Taylor
Trent Taylor: A Man on a Mission
It’s noon on a holiday Monday so Sawtell’s Split Café is teaming with people. A tall, young looking man wearing denim, a tee shirt and Taylor Made cap enters and glances amongst the tables. “Trent?” I ask. He strides forward, grabs a seat and orders a hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. No lunch. He explains, “I’ve been going since 6 and haven’t been out of my office. I’ve had a sandwich, so I’ll just keep moving.” This is my first hint that Trent Taylor really is a man on a mission.
Ray Mather
Raymond Mather: A new creative force hits Coffs
Ray Mather sits alone with his latte and Macbook Pro on the broad deck of the OP81 café. Before the interview begins he has pictures ready to show. “Here it is before we even started the renovations. Isn’t that a nice awning? And here’s the inside gutted.” He speaks animatedly about CR8 Studios, the new gallery he will open in Coffs Harbour on 30 September. “I see it as a creative hub,” Ray explains. The space will be used for Ray’s photographic work, as a meeting space and to exhibit the works of local artists. Exhibits will be a major monthly event Ray explains. “There will be a formal opening night on Friday, a big exhibition of 10 to 20 artists on Saturday and Sunday and then it’s over.”
Carol Malcolm
Carol Malcolm: In her own words
Home from a morning surf, Carol Malcolm serves up a big healthy salad at the kitchen table of her Sawtell home. Between crunches she talks about the ebbs and flows of her life. With surprising openness she shares her story; it is an inspiring story, but it is also one Carol wants to tell in her own words. So I've invited her to write my first ever guest post. Enjoy this story of one woman's search for her authentic self.
Heather McKinnon
Not Your Average Small Town Lawyer
Heather McKinnon seems just a bit scary. When she greets me at Slater & Gordon she looks imposing: large in size, dressed in black for her morning in court, and clearly sharp as a tack. As we talk, Coffs Harbour’s most formidable family lawyer tells me her role models growing up were Indira Ghandi, Golda Meyer and Margaret Thatcher. “They played no girls games,” Heather tells me with a grin. “No stilettos, no bullsh*t.” I like this tough woman with the big smile, but I would definitely want her on my side of the bench.
Ray Rixon
The Making of Rudrashanti
Ray Rixon had been billed as a yoga master, so I’m thinking spiritual teacher, cosmic energy and chanting as I knock on the door of his Sapphire Beach home. The graceful, unhurried man who opens the door and offers me tea and gluten free cake fits my expectations. As Ray begins his story his deep, almost hypnotic voice certainly sounds the part. Then, to my surprise, that voice talks of restlessness, life on the edge and rebellion. Not what I expected. Who is this man?
Rudrashanti, comes the answer. This is Ray’s yoga name and comes from Shanti, which means peace and Rudra, who is one of Hindu’s more fearsome gods and is sometimes translated as “the wild one”. Rays says he has no idea where these names come from, but as he recounts his life story there are eerie echoes of his name throughout.
Stephanie Ney
Stephanie Ney: A Life Transformed
The mid-north coast has changed Stephanie Ney irrevocably. It’s changed her name, changed her life style, and changed her way of looking at the world.
The 39 year old Stephanie who arrived in Sawtell was a somewhat burnt out high achieving, high flying alcoholic. Her marriage to Aboriginal politician Aden Ridgeway had unravelled and she was still figuring out how to be a mother to 4 year old daughter Sancia. Almost five years later, the Stephanie she became is the organisational force behind the Saltwater Freshwater Arts Alliance Aboriginal Corporation, loves being a mum, has published a book glorifying women in their forties, goes to Girl Fit four mornings a week on Sawtell beach, and hasn’t had a drink in over 4 years. Both Stephanies are extraordinarily interesting and compelling!
Jimmy Trifyllis
A Life in Pictures
Jimmy Trifyllis rushes into the Happy Frog late, carrying cases filled with cameras, lenses and computers. “I’m sorry, I was shooting some real estate,” he says, looking a bit flustered. As we settle at a table and order some coffee, he doesn’t seem altogether comfortable with the idea of being interviewed. That is, until he turns on the computer and starts to share his portfolio of photographs. “Every picture’s a story,” he says with delight. After 40 years as a professional photographer the stories of Jimmy’s pictures are the narrative of his life.
The slide show commences. The Jetty. A surf beach. “Oh, that’s the Big Banana,” Jimmy exclaims. The story begins right here in Coffs Harbour. Not only did Jimmy grow up on our coast, but he says working at Coffs’ iconic banana is what got him into photography in the first place. As a kid working in the milk bar he knew slightly more than the others about film and cameras – enough to make him the resident expert. The manager bought him his first camera, a throw away instamatic, and his course was set.