Local Lady Clair Harris

by Stephanie Williams

Where in Hobart do you live? Blackmans Bay.

Why Hobart? We moved to Hobart six years ago for work and fell in love, we returned to Melbourne after three years (for work) and knew after about 8 months that Melbourne was no longer our home. We were finally able to return in Jan 2020.

Tell us a little about your work? Not long after arriving in Hobart I founded a children’s charity called Tassie Mums. I wanted to continue volunteering as I had done with Melbourne charity St Kilda Mums however I couldn’t find anything like the service Tassie Mums provides today and so with plastic tubs stacked in the garage and bundling on my dinning room table Tassie Mums began. My incredibly generous friend and Tassie Mums amazing Operations Manager, Madeleine has been with me on this journey from the start and I couldn’t do it without her.

Has COVID affected your service? Do more people need help? COVID has meant that initially Tassie Mums shut down to all volunteers and donors but I was still organising contactless orders for case workers. It was a difficult time at the beginning as many of the organisations we help thought we were closed. I spent a lot of time connecting with them all to let them know we were there to help. Nappies both disposable and cloth were in high demand and now it’s clothing and cots. We’ve noticed a rise in domestic violence, financial hardship and homelessness and are now helping over 100 children a month.

How can people make a donation and what are you currently in need of? To make a donation please visit www.tassiemums. org. Needs change regularly so once a fortnight we post a list of our most needed items on our Facebook www.facebook.com/tassiemumscharity

What do you love doing outside work? Walking my Samoyed, searching for sea glass and spending time with family exploring Tassie (looking for more sea glass and waterfalls).

Who do you admire? All the dedicated, generous volunteers that make Tassie Mums possible.

Favourite podcast or tv show? Currently watching the hilarious Sex Education on Netflix, listening to TasCOSS Take Me to your Board, Triple J’s Simply the Jest and reliving the music of the 90s with Dannii Minogue on LiSTNR.

Secret vice? Sea glass, it’s everywhere in my home much to my husband’s dismay. I even had a secret Insta account @BlinkingBilly which has taken a backseat to Tassie Mums these days.

What are you reading now? Twilight (I know, I know but it’s my comfort read), next is rereading Clade by James Bradley and then something new, The Rome Zoo.

What gets your goat? Rubbish on our beaches, I’m a big fan of Take3 for the Sea and can never walk past a stray straw or bottle top. We live in such an incredible place and it is heart breaking to see the state of some of our beaches.

What was your first job? Christmas car park helper at the local shopping centre.

What are your daily news/social media habits? With three kids news doesn’t always make it into my day, when I can I listen to ABC Hobart radio for updates.

Your favourite place for…

Breakfast: Home in bed or a late bacon and egg roll from The Picnic Basket

Lunch: Hamlet, the staff are lovely and the curry puff was delicious.

Dinner: Takeaway from Sushi Zanmai or Manning Reef with the kids.

Favourite team? Carlton by family default.

Favourite Hobart secret? Hang on this is a trick question…sea glass hunters never divulge their secret spots!

Parting words? Tassie Mums desperately needs a new home, we have well and truly outgrown out 99sqm and would love to find something in the Hobart/Kingborough region that our volunteers can call home.

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Extras

Hobart Happenings

by Stephanie Williams

OFF SEASON: Bits And Pieces

Not many people have a garden named after them but one of the founders of modern organic gardening in Tasmania, David, can enjoy the spoils of the David Stephen Neighbourhood Garden (formerly Kickstart CG) in New Town.

Hobart Happenings

Hobart Happenings in March 2024

Hobart Happenings

Hobart Happenings in February 2024

Stay up to date with everything happening at the Hobart Magazine.

Even though Tasmania is known for its mild summers, it doesn’t take much to get sunburnt. Tasmania experiences extreme ultraviolet (UV) levels, but contrary to popular belief this isn’t due to the hole in the ozone layer, which is actually south of the continent.While higher UV levels often occur at the same time as higher temperatures, the two are not linked. Instead, UV levels are determined by the angle of the sun in the sky: the higher the sun, the higher the UV. In December and January, the position of the sun over Tasmania gives the state a UV index of 11 or more on most days, which is classified as “extreme” on the UV index. Tasmania’s lack of humidity and generally clear skies contribute to the stinging feeling of the sun. UV can reflect off buildings and water, making it possible to get a higher dose of UV from these reflected rays, even in the shade.

Having just spent a year in Antarctica, Dr Meg is ready to get back to her patients and passion projects in Hobart.

Setting up shop during a pandemic was a risky move, but if the crowd at Dāna Eating House (Dāna) on a Friday night is anything to go by, it’s one that’s paid off. With tables of diners chatting and laughing over drinks, the music and conversation buzzes off the monstera-leaf-green walls. Low-hanging rattan lights and worn wooden floorboards give the newly opened South-East Asian fusion venue in Hobart’s CBD a relaxed vibe.

Sarah Clark is using her skills in gardening to help the homeless in Hobart.

A simple cave provided the perfect hideout for one of Tasmania’s most brutal bushrangers – and you can easily walk to it from Fern Tree. Sarah Aitken went in search of the story of Rocky Whelan.

Thank you to Luke Brokensha for mobilising his friends and local residents recently to host two rubbish clean ups along the Hobart Rivulet after heavy rains.

The warm weather returns...hello summer.

Need a laugh? Check out @theinspiredunemployed feed on Instagram.

Moto Vecchia Cafe in Bellerive and Czegs Cafe in Richmond have joined the Clarence City Council dementia program, creating dementia-friendly spaces for all patrons.

It’s hard to believe it’s not standard practice to have a working phone in every aged care room - shared phones make private conversations impossible and increase the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Tacks on the tracks. Mountain bikers beware of tacks being left on certain tracks on the mountain.

Just when you think your cousins are alright. NZ Opposition Leader Judith Collins took aim at Tassie during her recent (unsuccessful) campaign, calling us Australia’s “poor cousin.” She also seems worried about us nabbing tech businesses, “It’s a lovely part of the world but do you necessarily want to go there with your high- tech business? Possibly not,” she said. We beg to differ!