Harley Oliver vividly remembers the day, in 1987, when he first set eyes on his future wife. The tenacious blonde had cut her television teeth as a researcher on children’s magazine show Simon Townsend’s Wonder World!, defying the rule of never working with animals and children. Yet a small submarine was something she hadn’t counted on.
Auditioning for a reporting role on Beyond 2000, Amanda Keller was wedged into a tiny two-man submarine, readying to make the ascent from the choppy waters. Harley, a producer on the show, was one of several gathering to see how she fared. “The lid was lifting up and there was Amanda desperately trying to remember what her piece to camera was going to be,” he laughs of what would prove to be his introduction to the woman he would wed in 1989. “And all she could do was vomit over the side as the thing bounced around the harbour. It attracted quite a crowd in the viewing room! But she was pushing through it. She was being a brave soldier – and that’s what she is like.”
Certainly, as Amanda sits down to chat with The Weekly, it seems like a fitting description. It’s just gone 9.30 on a Wednesday morning, and Lismore has just been hit with the start of the devastating floods that will decimate homes and towns, taking lives along the way. She’s clutching a strong cup of tea – one of many that have fuelled her through three hours of live breakfast radio, sharing updates while listeners have called in to describe the escalating horror. As we enter, she somehow pushes that to the side, determined to give her all for this interview, despite a difficult morning.
Denne historien er fra April 2022-utgaven av The Australian Women's Weekly.
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Denne historien er fra April 2022-utgaven av The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Hitting a nerve
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Take me to the river
With a slew of new schedules and excursions to explore, the latest river cruises promise to give you experiences and sights you won’t see on the ocean.
The last act
When family patriarch Tom Edwards passes away, his children must come together to build his coffin in four days, otherwise they will lose their inheritance. Can they put their sibling rivalry aside?
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When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.
The wines and lines mums
Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.
Jenny Liddle-Bob.Lucy McDonald.Sasha Green - Why don't you know their names?
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"Thank God we make each other laugh"
A shared sense of humour has seen Aussie comedy couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall conquer the world. But what does life look like when the cameras go down:
Winter baking with apples and pears
Celebrate the season of Australian apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the midwinter blues away.
Budget dinner winners
Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of low-cost recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.
