Sophie's Chronicle

Cooking at home is a chore for some; for others it is a hobby.   However, for siblings Sandra Jones and Shirley Hopkins, cooking at home is a necessity and a life skill – complete with technical proficiency, kitchen equipment and a high standard of food hygiene. Known for their authentic Burmese style of cooking and use of homegrown/homemade ingredients, Sandra’s and Shirley’s cooking is addictive. Immediate and extended family members, and the Burmese Association of Western Australia (BAWA) members, have been their loyal consumers.   Each has been appreciative of their time, thoughts and efforts. States 94-year-old Noreen Vallis, “When my daughter Cheryl (Morris) told me that Sandra and Shirley were preparing the meals for our upcoming event, I knew I had to attend because their preparations remind me of my time in Burma.”   Noreen was in hospital for heart palpitations and discharged two weeks before the BAWA June luncheon. The menu comprised rice, dhal (vegetable-c...

  Living on the streets is tough without food, water, clothing and a home.   And gets tougher when in winter.   Though strangers, communities and charities extend their help, yet a lot more   is needed to get the homeless people through their most difficult time of isolation   It is in this context that Saint Peter the Apostle Church in Inglewood, Perth, has emerged as a watchtower of hope. Every first Saturday of the month, Saint Peter’s hosts at its Parish Hall an elaborate hot meal; complete with soft drinks, dinner, dessert, tea, coffee, milk and biscuits.   Such is the organising standard that its select 12-18 homeless persons travel by public transport from the inner city and the distant suburbs to the venue for a taste of warmth and for the comfort of companionship. According to event coordinator and former school teacher Angela Bird, “We are a What App group of around 20 adult volunteers who, a week in advance, begin planning our mixed ethnic me...

  Executive Assistant/Personal Assistant Conferences are tailored to equip administrative professionals to cope with their rapidly evolving profession.   This is best done by selecting guest speakers who make the most of the time allocated to them and through their presentations that match the emerging needs of the Executive Assistant.    It is in this regard that the recently concluded Western Australia Executive Assistant Congress at the Parmelia Hilton Perth deserves special mention. Held between 28 th, and 30 th May, the three-day conference was complete with two half-day workshops and two full-day presentations covering highly relevant topics - the use of Artificial Intelligence, the change in career direction, the mastering of overwhelm, being drunk on confidence and thriving as an exceptional executive assistant; to name the few.   Keynote speaker and PR Coach Heidi Anderson’s presentation, which addressed her struggles with mental health and her deter...