Bev Wilkinson, the founder of Celebrate Living History, introduces the latest newsletter. She discusses writing her new book about her various casual jobs. The newsletter then profiles university student Kiara Blinco, who is interning with Celebrate Living History. It also features stories on entrepreneur Christelle Tait, former Olympian Judy Luxton and her swimming career, and photographer Simona Graszl. The newsletter ends with a scone recipe.

1. CELEBRATE LIVING
HISTORY
WWW.CELEBRATELIVINGHISTORY.COM.AU
Howdy Folks! I hope you have been doing well during these difficult
times, who would have thought 2020 would be such a full on
rollercoaster! I ache for simple joys such as flying up to the Gold
Coast one of my favourite places in the world.
I've been lucky enough to work with Griffith University intern Kiara
Blinco who has written some amazing stories for the Celebrate Living
History website. I always feel so happy to work with students and see
them connect with a senior to tell their story.
As usual lockdown does not stop me from reaching huge goals, over
the past two years I have been writing my next book Diaries of a
Casual Worker which was mainly written on my mobile phone during
early morning commutes to work!
I write about all the casual jobs I have done over the years which
involves many diverse industries including event management,
aged care, camp counselor and of course the very start of
Celebrate Living History! I have a publisher and I am looking forward
to sharing my story with you all
Keep Safe and Dream Big! Till next time!
Bev Wilkinson
Words from Bev
Founder of Celebrate living History
Contents
Meet our intern Kiara Blinco
Entrepreneur Christelle Tait
Feature Story: Sport Motivates you
in all avenues of life
Entrepreneur Simona Graszl
Recipe
Sponsors

2. As a university student in my final year, I have to take on the
scary decision of where I want to start my career. Celebrate
Living History intrigued me for a number of reasons but
specifically because of its inclusivity. The thought of bringing
stories to life from people who may not have had a chance to
previously is exciting and rewarding. I used to work in a
pharmacy and now I’m at a call centre so I come across people
from all walks of life. There’s no denying that elderly people
are wise and have so much to offer.
Who is an older person that you admire and why?
My pop, Daryl Blinco, is one inspiring person who makes me
believe this internship is even more worth it as I’d love to tell
his story. He is the kindest and hardest working man I know
who has worked his whole life supporting his wife and three
children and has never expected anything in return.
If you could jump into a time machine what era would you
visit and why?
I could jump in a time machine and go back to any moment in
time I would honestly just choose the 1970’s. The time when
my parents were born. So I could see how my grandparents
lived and everything they had to strive for to get to where they
are now. I also wouldn’t mind going back to about 5BC to see
how true any of the biblical stories are but that’s a whole other
conversation
Meet Kiara Blinco
What attracts you about being an intern at Celebrate Living
History?
Meet Christelle Tait
who is founder of
natural skin care
company botanicES
What motivates you to keep working after
60?
My partner Hendrik and I started our
business after 60, in order to be challenged
to learn new skills and to make a
contribution to our economy by supporting
various manufacturers and providing jobs. I
love the interaction with our customers and
their great feedback about how botanicES
has changed their lives as well as dealing
with various stockists and their supporting
staff.
What advice would you give to the
younger generation?
Enjoy the freedom of being digitally savvy.
The world is your oyster, you just need to
find your niche and persevere. Do not give
up easily, you have your whole life ahead of
you.
Contact Details:
www.botanices.com
Christelle is one of 51 entrepreneurs
interviewed as part of Celebrate Living
History's publication Entrepreneurs:
Generations Apart which can be purchased
on Amazon.
P H O T O B Y M A R T I N R . S M I T H
WWW.CELEBRATELIVINGHISTORY.COM.AU

3. Judy Luxton, a former Olympian, says she owes it to her
childhood passion of swimming for all of her success today.
Judy was raised in Brisbane and was never far from the water. Her
father and grandfather owned a boat so there was no hesitation
in learning to swim at a young age. While it was her family that
encouraged her to swim, she said it was always a thrill.It wasn’t
until Judy was 10 years old that she consistently started placing
first and second in her swimming races that her public-school
teacher suggested she seek out a career in competitive swimming
and get a coach.Joe King became Judy’s coach throughout her
childhood years. “He was a very good coach, he was an amateur
coach as he actually couldn’t swim but he knew what to look for,”
says Judy.Judy Luxton, 2013, walked the great wall of China to
raise money for Mater Little Miracles.
As Judy got more popular, professionals would ask to be her
coach. “I had many different people come to my parents to try
and coach me, but I said no”. It was the unique bond with her and
Mr. King that proved successful in supporting Judy’s training.
Judy was only 13 when her gruelling hard work paid off. A scout
for the Olympics recognised her sheer talent and selected her for
the 1972 Olympics. Just four months later, once she turned 14,
she was training to compete in Germany for the Australian
swimming team.
Sport motivates you in all
avenues of life
Written by KIARA BLINCO
The furthest she had gone to participate
in swimming was Hobart, Tasmania for
a national swimming event. But never
overseas.It was late August of 1972
when Judy had to grow up very fast
during her first Olympic event in
Munich. She was selected to do
breaststroke as part of the team,
competing in the 100M and the 200M
breaststroke events. As a young girl, the
experience was different but it set her
up to compete in the 1976 Olympics in
Montreal, Quebec. The Australian
nationals were also considered trials for
the Olympics. “I wanted to do well,
really well,” says Judy.
Because of this determination, she
managed to be the fifth person in
Australia to swim the 400M individual
medley in under five minutes, which
helped her get selected for the 1976
Olympic events.With the help of Mr.
King, Judy placed highly in all of her
races affording her multiple first,
second and third place titles.After her
participation in the Olympics and the
success that came with it, Judy was
motivated to gain a bachelor’s degree
and move her career forward.
Unfortunately, in Australia at the time,
Universities did not offer sport-based
scholarships. So, she took her studies
overseas.
“It’s a good feeling when you win, so I
wanted to win more”. Her ambitions
prompted her to successfully achieving
a swimming scholarship at Stanford
University in California where she
joined their swim team.
After a year in the United States, with a
different coach, this marked the end of
her swimming career.“The coach in
Stanford was not the same as what I
had, I felt I didn’t swim as well as I
could have and because of that, I lost
my motivation,” Mrs. Luxton said.
P H O T O B Y M A R T I N R . S M I T H
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4. It was after her year abroad that made her realise she
could do more with her skills. “I feel sorry for people
who can’t get away from their sport. It gives you a
sort of adrenaline but at some point, you need to
further benefit yourself and use what you’ve learnt to
explore other avenues”.Judy took this as an
opportunity to obtain a degree so she could be a
sociologist. She assisted people with debilitating
conditions, such as cardiac-arrest victims, to get fit
and healthy again.
Following this same health and fitness profession,
Judy went to the Institution of Sport to get back to
her roots and become a swim coach. Here she spent
four years before moving to the recruitment side of
the medical and sales industry where she stayed for
the following years.It was ultimately Judy’s
childhood in competitive swimming that gave her the
motivation and persistence to be such a hard
worker.Judy now has her own business named Japan
Holidays where she would send Australians overseas
to experience the world, plan people’s holidays and
escort some tours.Judy says Japan impressed her so
much that she and her partner decided to build a
company based around their passion and love for
Japan.Judy believes her experience in competitive
swimming, and all the quirks that came along with it,
gave her the skills to make it where she is today.“Not
only was it the discipline and focus you get from
sport, but it was meeting the queen and visiting
schools for inspirational talks that gave me the social
and strategic skills needed for business,” says Judy.
Judy was happy that she could eventually move away
from her childhood sport and instead utilise the skills
she gained from sport to benefit herself and further
her career.“Life comes together a lot of the time
when you realise the skills you have through sport”,
Mrs. Luxton said. This mindset after being an
Olympian has opened up many doors for Judy
throughout her life.Swimming will always play an
important role in Judy’s life. Every morning she takes
time out to swim at her local pool. And this simple
move motivates her to start the day with a passion
for taking on everyday life.
P H O T O B Y M A R T I N R . S M I T H
WWW.CELEBRATELIVINGHISTORY.COM.AU

5. Meet Simona Graszl who captures the first
year of a newborn baby's life
What are some of the struggles you have faced starting
your own business?
I jumped into starting a business with no business
background. I consider myself an artist, so when I first
started, I had no idea how to run a business. Over the years I
came to the realisation, that the business side is just as
important as the art. I thought that just because I take great
photographs people will be lining up in front of my door.
After the first few months bookings have gone, it was a
wakeup call I need to start learning how to market myself. I
also ran into lots of people, who just because I was a young
and small business owner tried to take advantage of my
services and willingness to get my name out there. After
those first years of mistakes, I am much more aware if a
situation feels already compromising from the beginning.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Stop caring about what people think! Speak your mind and
stand up for yourself. All throughout my school years, I was
bullied a lot. I went to eight different schools in the 12 years
of my scholar years. Lots of times my classmates would make
me cry and I would just shy away from responding to their
criticism.As soon as I stood up for myself and was firm in the
person I was, they stopped. I wish I would’ve started that
earlier. Maybe then I didn’t have to switch school so often.
Also I would probably tell myself not to give up so easily. It
takes time for the hard work to pay off.
P H O T O B Y M A R T I N R . S M I T H
WWW.CELEBRATELIVINGHISTORY.COM.AU
Year in a Life
simonagraszl.wordpress.com

6. Step 1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Sift self-raising flour into a large
bowl.
Step 2 Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour until mixture
resembles breadcrumbs.
Step 3 Make a well in the centre. Add 1 cup of milk. Mix with a
flat-bladed knife until mixture forms a soft dough, adding more
milk if required. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently
until smooth (don't knead dough too much or scones will be
tough).
Step 4 Lightly dust a flat baking tray with plain flour.
Step 5 Pat dough into a 2cm-thick round. Using a 5cm (diameter)
round cutter, cut out 12 rounds. Press dough together and cut out
remaining 4 rounds. Place scones onto prepared baking tray, 1cm
apart. Sprinkle tops with a little plain flour. Bake for 20 to 25
minutes or until golden and well risen. Transfer to a wire rack.
Serve warm with jam and cream.
Author: Dixie Elliott Publication: Super Food Ideas
Recipe of the Month
Scones and Jam
INGREDIENTS
Plain flour, for dusting
3 cups self-raising flour
80g butter, chilled and cubed
1-1 1/4 cups milk
am, to serve
Whipped cream, to serve
P H O T O B Y M A R T I N R . S M I T H
WWW.CELEBRATELIVINGHISTORY.COM.AU

7. Sponsors
P H O T O B Y M A R T I N R . S M I T H
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