Neither officer would say where they were, because the matter is currently before the Coroner.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Premier Mike Baird and then police minister Stuart Ayres left at 10pm to check into a city hotel while Mr Scipione and Ms Burn left at 11:30pm.
The siege ended at 2:30am on December 16 when police stormed the Martin Place café where hostages Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson – as well as the gunman Man Haron Monis – died.
The inquest is still hearing evidence.
Sitting in the Editor-in-Chief’s chair overlooking Sydney’s Hyde Park and the graceful spires of St Mary’s Cathedral, with the sound of ferry foghorns echoing from the harbour, I am penning my first editor’s letter for Australia’s biggest and most loved magazine.
Suddenly, I’m acutely aware of the incredible honour of this role and the responsibility of being the custodian of one of the great voices for Australian women.
But there’s something else, too. Amid the flurry of kind well-wishers, the excitement of joining the team, the eagerness to get on with the many plans ahead (and a generous dose of first-week nerves), I realise what that unexpected sense is: stepping into The Australian Women’s Weekly feels like coming home.
It’s not simply the decades of covers on the office walls that I recognise with affection, nor the faces of the many respected professionals on the team.
It’s not even the chair I’ve inherited, which has been graced by many great women before me (and judging by the ink stains, coffee shadows and loose screws, may also be a relic from a time when printing presses rattled the building from the basement).
It’s the sense that this is the place where Australian women share their stories, news, wisdom, successes, heartbreaks, laughs and challenges.
It’s not where the stories begin, of course – they start with you – but it’s where we listen to them and write them, and make them part of who we are as the women of Australia.
The stories we’ve grown up with, loved and been inspired by, the news and stories that celebrate our lives and chart our times have come from this place. And I truly believe that telling our stories matters.
The Weekly is more than a magazine. Calling it an institution makes it sound like there are Grecian columns in the foyer (there are not) and suggesting it’s an icon sounds like we’re all some sort of rock stars (no one who’s ever heard me sing would suggest such a thing).
But The Weekly– like every good Aussie, it’s earned an affectionate nickname – has been the voice of Australian women for generations.
My Melbourne-born grandmother would spend weekends over steaming vats stewing her famous jams, with recipes from The Weekly propped beside the stove.
My Perth-born mum loved the royal stories, particularly the glamour of Princess Grace, the wild ways of Princess Margaret and the fairytale-turned-tragedy of Diana.
My not-yet-two-year-old Sydneysider daughter browses the pictures (and I admit, uses the pile of issues, set aside for my nightly reading, as a step to clamber onto our bed).
And me? I love the stories that inspire, the ones that bring tears to my eyes, give me goosebumps and the energy to jump up and get a bit more out of this amazing life.
There are so many to be told.
In this issue – compiled largely before I started, by the brilliant team headed by our talented, newly promoted Editor, Juliet Rieden – I’m awed by The Australian Women’s Weekly/CPA Australia Women in Business winners, heartbroken by the Bowraville murders, and touched by the joy and honesty of the Dateables.
I am delighted that, along with Dilmah and APT, we’re supporting the Australian Red Cross in our upcoming High Tea Tour and heartened by the courage of our cover star, Kerri-Anne Kennerley, who finally has hopeful news to share about her lovely husband, John.
The last time I did a story with Kerri-Anne, she called me to share her breast cancer diagnosis and I see now, as I did then, her bright smile and brave spirit shining through.
If you have a story that should be told, from any corner of Australia or the world, I’d love to hear from you.
We promise to tell them with the quality of journalism you expect from The Australian Women’s Weekly.
Finally, I just want to say thank you.
It is an honour to be the Editor-in-Chief of your magazine and the custodian of this extraordinary voice.
Welcome home and thanks for being here with us.
The July issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly, is on sale now.
When Kerri-Anne’s husband John slipped and fell from a balcony in March, many believed he wouldn’t survive. Today, he is making a recovery bordering on miraculous.
Kerri-Anne Kennerley has spoken for the first time about a series of remarkable medical breakthroughs made by her 75-year-old husband John, who suffered severe spinal damage after an accidental fall at a golf event in March this year.
“I hesitate to use the word miracle but for us that is what John’s recovery has been like, a series of minor miracles,” Kerri-Anne tells the July issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly, out today.
“It started with him being able to breathe unassisted. And that was such an important step. Otherwise, he faced a life being attached to a respirator, being fed through a tube in his nose.”
But more than that, her husband, who until recently was unable to make sounds because of a tracheotomy in his throat, is now speaking, allowing the couple to communicate.
His first words, recalls Kerri-Anne, were ones she will always remember – “He said ‘I love you’ which, of course, I will always treasure,” says Kerri-Anne, 62.
Read more of this story in the July issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly, on sale now.
Holly Hagan has lost it BIG TIME while filming Geordie Shore in Magaluf!
In fact, she went so nuts on Monday night that she had to be restrained by Gaz!
So what’s eating Gilbert Grape? Well, judging by the fact she was screaming, “I’ve just heard that she’s been fcking shgging my ex!” we’re guessing that someone has been doing the no-pants dance with Holly’s on-off beau Kyle Christie.
What’s more, after hearing the “love of her life” has been playing hide the sausage with someone who isn’t her, the distraught reality star legged it out of her taxi and towards a second one, that was also carrying members of the GS squad, suggesting the scarlet lady could be one of her co-stars!
That certainly seemed the case when she started shouting about her ex-man’s activities to co-star Chantelle Connelly, who replied “Listen Holly, I did not know.”
Gaz even tried to get Holly calm the eff down, but she was having non of it, screaming, “Don’t you f***ing come near me! You’re as bad as him.”
According to Mail Online, the show’s security guards eventually waded in and escorted a frantic Holly back to the apartment in her own taxi.
It’s just the latest in a long line of drama for Holly and Kyle, who had a tumultuous relationship in the Geordie house. So much so that at the end of Season 11, the cast were so fed up that they ordered one of them to leave, causing Kyle to quit.
The following season they got back together on the down-low, but split before the end, and filming of their new reality TV show Car Crash Couples.
The Queen and Prince Philip will celebrate their 69th wedding anniversary in November.
They’ve been married for an incredible 68 years but have you ever noticed that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are rarely seen holding hands?
According to royal biographer Gyles Brandreth, who chalks the strength of their relationship to Philip’s ability to make Elizabeth laugh, the reason they don’t hold hands is due to their generation’s “stoic values.”
Plus, Philip doesn’t consider himself a romantic! But that’s not to say they don’t have a loving marriage.
“If we regard the Queen’s record-breaking reign as a success – and I think most of us do – Prince Philip is the co-author of that success,” Brandreth told Radio Times.
“The Queen wears the crown, but her husband wears the trousers. He is the power behind the throne – shrewd, steadfast, never-failingly supportive.”
But what’s one romantic activity they regularly engage in?
Singing.
“Her parents loved singing and passed it on,” cousin Lady Elizabeth Anson said in BBC Radio Two’s Our Queen: 90 Musical Years, according to People.
“The Duke of Edinburgh and the rest of the family join in.”
Watch Prince Philip discuss figuring out his role alongside The Queen in the player below. Post continues after the video!
While we would give anything in the world to be privy to such scenes, The Duke has always pledged his loyalty to The Queen.
“My job first, second and last is never to let the Queen down,” he has previously said.
So while they may not be the most PDA-prone couple, their bond is certainly unbreakable.
This article originally appeared on AWW
The royal couple will celebrate 69 years of marriage in November this year.
It would seem that actress Melanie Griffith is happy to be free following the demise of her 18-year marriage to Zorro hunk, Antonio Banderas.
At 11.35pm on Monday evening, the 58-year-old took to Instagram with a somewhat awkward message celebrating her divorce from her ex-husband.
“I filed for divorce two years ago today,” she screenshotted from her notes with the caption “June 6th, 2014 #lifeisshort #starting over #lifeisbeautiful #lovemykids #freedom.”
But despite her thankfulness to be single – made clear by her use of the prayer emoji – the mother-of-three apparently had a change of heart, and hours after its debut, it was gone.
The post was quickly deleted.
The pretty blonde and her former husband married in 1996, just one year after meeting on the set of Two Much.
18 years on, the pair announced their split with a joint statement after citing irreconcilable differences.
“We have thoughtfully and consensually decided to finalise our almost twenty years marriage in a loving and friendly manner honoring and respecting each other, our family and friends and the beautiful time we have spent together. – Melanie & Antonio,” their statement read.
Mum Melanie had her infamous Antonio tattoo covered when the pair reunited this time last year for daughter Stella’s graduation.
Fortunately, their split – unlike many other Hollywood A-listers before them – appeared to be an amicable one.
Giving the world a lesson on how to be harmonious exes, the pair reunited last year to attend their daughter Stella’s high school graduation.
“Mama, Stella and Papi. Our angel is amazing. Beginning the next chapter of her life! Freedom!!” the proud mum captioned a photo of three embracing.
“Me and my fabulous kids! Stella, Alexander, and Dakota. My joy, my heart, my life is theirs,” the 58-year-old penned on Instagram alongside this snap of her three kids, all from different marriages.
While the Spanish actor has since found love with 36-year-old investment banker Nicole Kimpel, the Working Girl star is happy working on herself and her modern family.
As well as Stella, Melanie is also the proud mother to Alexander Bauer, her son from her second marriage to Steven Bauer, while Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota Johnson is her daughter from her first marriage to Don Johnson.
Find out why Melanie Griffith does NOT want to see daughter Dakota in Fifty Shades of Grey in the video player below.
Wedding planning can be a high-stress environment for a lot of people involved, and we usually hear (or see) crazy things involving the bride.
Here are the best bridezilla stories courtesty of Reddit.
“My college roommate asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. I agreed. Then the bridesmaid dress she picked out for me was $2400. I couldn’t afford it and gently told her so. I found a pattern for a similar dress and fabric that was the same color and type, so I asked her if it was okay if I made the similar dress, or perhaps we could go dress shopping together to find something in my budget? All of the bridesmaids were going to be wearing the same color, but she’d picked out different styles of dresses for each of us, so it wasn’t as if I would stick out like a sore thumb. She cussed me out, told me I was ruining her wedding, that her ‘vision’ required me to wear THAT dress, and can’t I just get a credit card to charge the dress on? When I told her no, she cut all contact with me, claiming that if I was a true friend I would make the finances work. She’s never spoken to me again. She’d been like a sister to me up until that point.”
“I had a friend that wanted a destination bachelorette party/weekend. I was interning at the time for minimum wage/part time so I was pretty broke. I saved and managed to make it work, but it was tight and I wasn’t going crazy with the drinks and shots and whatnot like everyone else was. She pulled me aside and almost kicked me out of the wedding because I wasn’t being ‘supportive’ enough.”
“My sister in law asked her bridesmaids (me included) to gain 5-10 kilos to make her look better in comparison. I just can’t understand that.”
“My bridezilla friend told me I wasn’t allowed to take pain medication (for my lupus) at her wedding. She was afraid I’d be ‘too out of it’ to perform my MOH duties.”
“A friend was mad because a few days before her wedding there was a terrible flood in a South American country, which somehow ruined her chances of being able to get just the right colour flower for the centre pieces.”
“I used to work at a reception venue. One event really sticks out. Everything went well until the cake. The bride and groom go to feed each other; she does it very nicely, and then he smashes it into her face. The bride screams, starts bawling her eyes out and runs out of the hall. 15 or so minutes later, the father of the bride comes and asks the D.J. for the mic. He proceeds to thank everyone for coming and says that if they would like to take their gifts on the way out the couple has decided to break up. I’m sure there were issues leading up to the event, but the bride had told everyone (including the groom) that if he smashed the cake in her face, it was over. She wasn’t lying.”
“A bride and groom came into the store to get tuxedos. She said ‘I need a penguin suit for my fiancÉ.’ Now I didn’t give this too much thought, as that’s not a particularly uncommon phrase. But then she pulled out a picture of a penguin, and I had to match that. She made him get a tails jacket and black vest, spent over an hour figuring out what shoes looked like the most like flippers, and then made me special order a shade of orange bow tie that most closely matched the penguin’s little scruff thing. The seven shades of orange we had were not acceptable. She mentioned to me in our conversation that she made her boyfriend make a 300 dollar donation to the local zoo so that he could propose to her in the penguin tank. Lady was crazy.”
Do you have any bridezilla stories? Write to us on Facebook!
When it comes to matters of fitness, West Hollywood is the leader of the pack. From yoga with pumping beats to spin classes with an instructor shouting out motivational quotes, you’ll find the hottest workouts in the glitzy LA suburb before they hit the rest of the world.
Plus, given WeHo is a celeb haven, you could find yourself striking a Warrior One pose alongside anyone from David Beckham to Lady Gaga.
If you love: spin and HIIT workouts try SoulCycle
After trying a SoulCycle class, no workout will ever compare. Essentially a fusion of cycling and upper-body toning, the intense cardio workout is teamed with Top 40 hits while an instructor shouts out motivational sayings as they bust out their finest dance moves. If it’s good enough for the likes of David and Victoria Beckham, it’s good enough for us.
Soul Cycle
If you love: Pilates and yoga, try Aura Yoga
Forget boring yoga studios – in West Hollywood it’s all about the (dimly lit) lights. The gently heated studio is lit by pulsing lights that change colour, creating a calming mood-setter for certain chakras. The music is customized by the instructors (think loud, upbeat songs) making it a one-of-a-kind workout. Just be prepared to sweat: it’s a yoga class but with added sass.
Aura Yoga
If you love: dancing and barre classes try Best U Studio
Think of it as a mash-up of all the good things in life: dancing, Pilates and barre. The workout incorporates custom U-shaped weight bars to teach balance and coordination. Not only that, the dance moves will blast your core, whipping you into shape in no time.
Best U
A Melbourne mother who sadly gave birth to a stillborn baby has been refused a full refund on a cot and an unused gift voucher, despite explaining to the retailers her circumstances.
Belinda Ainley’s son, Ash, was stillborn on Easter Sunday at 38 weeks.
She says that being discharged from hospital and accessing bereavement payments from Centrelink has added to her trauma, let alone being denied a refund on items for her son.
When she contacted the independent retailer in Melbourne that sold her the $611 cot and accessories, she was told that because it did not have the original packaging and would need to be resold as a used item, she would not be able to get her money back.
“There was no compassion from the people that work in industries that are supposed to be all about babies,” she told [The Age]( http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/grieving-mother-denied-refunds-on-baby-items-20160607-gpdfea.html |target=”_blank).
She was also told by a major clothing retailer that they would not allow her to return a $100 gift card because it was against store policy.
“You’re left feeling like you not only don’t have your baby, but that you don’t count because everybody feels too awkward to talk about it and so nothing happens.”
Eventually, Ms Ainley’s sister-in-law suggested selling the cot on a private buy-and-sell Facebook group when a member of the group – a stranger to both women – launched a crowd funding campaign.
Now, Ms Ainley is planning on donating the money raised from the crowdfunding campaign to stillbirth charity SANDS and Heartfelt, an organisation of volunteer photographers who lend their skills to families whose children have died.
The cot will also be donated to St Kilda Mums.
“Taking it back to that shop was going to be so hard for me, but instead parting with it is turning into something that’s going to be a really good moment,” she said.
Image via Adrienne Gilligan for Heartfelt
It would seem that being the offspring of an international model has its perks!
The 13-year-old daughter of the infamous Kate Moss made her Vogue Italia debut alongside her 42-year-old mother for the glossy’s June issue.
For the black and white shot, the freckled beauty lay in her mother’s arms, staring wistfully into the camera with a blue steel-esque look that resembled Kate’s notorious moody pout.
Italian photographer Mario Sorrenti, who funnily enough is an ex-boyfriend of the blonde beauty, snapped the pics of Lila Grace and her icon mum.
For the high fashion cover, the two sported matching middle parts, relaxed waves and were, of course, dressed head-to-toe in Versace.
The apple certainly doesn’t fall far from the tree!
A sneak preview posted to the mag’s Instagram page shows a close up look of the pair’s faces, which bear a sticking resemblance in the eyes, brows and nose.
However many have also pointed out how much the teenager looks like her father, magazine editor Jefferson Hack.
The stunning snap is made all the more meaningful by a quote from Kate which reads: “It’s all about family.”
What’s Kate’s advice to her daughter? Find out in the video player below. Post continues…
Even at age 13, their resemblance is uncanny. (Pic via/Vogue Italia)
Earlier this week, Kate opened up to Net-a-Porter’s The Edit on her parenting tips, saying, “I’m really strict, but I think they quite like it. [Lila] says that I’m stricter than other parents.”
“I don’t have to say anything. You’ve got to get a look down. Girls, you have to scare them, otherwise they will take over.”
Whilst this touching shoot isn’t the first for the London student – she and mum Kate appeared in the September 2011 issue of Vogue US – it is the teen’s first cover.
The teen also has similar features to her father, Jefferson Hack.
She now joins the clan of celebrity offspring who have followed in the footsteps of their famous parents.
Last month, Brooklyn Beckham graced the cover of Vogue China alongside models Jing Wen and Heather Kemesk.
The teen’s younger brother Romeo also appeared in the publication, looking the spitting of his athlete dad.
Also taking after her model mother is Johnny Depp’s daughter, 16-year-old Lily Rose, who last month was announced as the new face of Chanel’s latest fragrance, Chanel No. 5 L’Eau.
“I’m so excited to announce that I am the face of the new Chanel Number 5 L’EAU!” penned Johnny’s eldest on Instagram. (Pic via/Lily-Rose Depp Instagram)
.jpg?resize=380%2C285)
