Moana Hope has never been afraid of fighting for what’s right – particularly when it comes to her family. The AFL women’s league star tells Genevieve Gannon about her most recent battle for the happiness of her beloved sister, Vinny.
When Moana Hope describes her stint on the gruelling reality TV show Survivor as “a good break”, it says a lot about the challenges she faces in her day-to-day life. “I didn’t have to wake up at 4 am. I didn’t have to manage 100 employees. I was just on an island eating some rice,” the footballer says of the competition that even Steve ‘Commando’ Willis admitted was tougher than he expected.
“Tougher than expected” is a term that could easily be applied to Moana. Three years ago, the 31-year-old found herself thrust into the media spotlight when she was picked to be a marquee player for the debut season of the AFL women’s league and reporters zeroed-in on her remarkable personal story.
Raised with 13 siblings, Moana left home to become a full-time carer to her dying father who she described as her best friend and the driving force behind her passion for AFL. Her gutsiness won her legions of fans and ambassadorships, but the spotlight wasn’t always kind. She has been bullied on social media, where she has an active presence and where her candour reveals a woman whose loyalty to her family governs everything she does.
In the warm, bustling house in Melbourne’s inner north that she shares with her partner, Isabella Carlstrom, and sister Livinia (or Vinny), she speaks to The Weekly about the latest hurdle her family has had to overcome.
“I was in tears and I didn’t know how to respond to such a thing or how to feel about it,” she says.
The issue was the shock closure of a day program that provided care and education to Vinny who, as we speak, covers her face with her light brown hair, freshly blow-dried and curled for the photoshoot. Moana gently brushes back Vinny’s locks and tenderly whispers something to her little sister, who breaks into a smile and leans into Moana’s affectionate arms.
This story is from the September 2019 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 2019 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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.
