The Weekly set is a hive of activity. Coffee is being dispensed to the roomful of cast and crew, a welcome pleasure after an early morning start. A rack of clothes whizzes past, stuffed with outfits in various creams and neutrals, the stylists pulling out pieces to be steamed.
Voices are necessarily raised in order to be heard over the cacophony of hair dryers as Mel McLaughlin, her mother and sister attempt to continue their conversation whilst make-up artists attend to their faces. Our photographer and her assistant are hunched over the monitor, discussing set-ups and lighting as a publicist fills me in on some last-minute updates on Mel’s work schedule for the Commonwealth Games.
For softly-spoken family patriarch Eamonn McLaughlin, it’s like entering a new world. “Is this what Mel has to do every day?” he asks in disbelief while taking in the organised chaos.
“No Dad,” Mel laughs in return. “This is not a normal day.”
Indeed for the 42-year-old sports reporter it’s about as far away from her usual routine as she could get.
Growing up the middle child of three girls – raised by an Anglo-Indian mother and English father – in western Sydney’s Quakers Hill, she’d never worn make-up. And when she got her first job in radio, the behind-the-scenes nature meant she didn’t feel the need to start. But after moving to an on-air role at Sky News some years later, it was a skill she had to master. Because far from being waited on by a talented entourage, it was all about DIY in the world of sports.
Denne historien er fra August 2022-utgaven av The Australian Women's Weekly.
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Denne historien er fra August 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
Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes - could aid physical and mental wellbeing.
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?
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
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?
Indigenous women are being murdered at frightening rates, their deaths often left uninvestigated and widely unreported. Here The Weekly meets families who are battling grief and desperate for solutions.
Growing happiness
Through drought flood and heartbreak, Jenny Jennr's sunflowers bloom with hope, sunshine and joy
"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.
