I have always loved this time of year and have appreciated how lucky we are to celebrate our Christmas, New Year and summer all at once. We may not get the iconic White Christmas in the southern hemisphere but we get som...

For many of us, summer is synonymous with Test cricket. Coming home from work or school, throwing yourself on the couch and zoning out for an hour or two to the hypnotic ‘thock’ of leather on willow is the nation’s...

Summer is here, baby! Get ready for sand between toes, salty hair, cold drinks, BBQ smells and sticky ice cream. It’s the time when our coastlines heave with crowds seeking cool relief in the ocean. Our world-renowned ...

You may have noticed over recent months how the demographic of the Eastern Suburbs changes as summer moves in and the UV index nudges up, the main shift being the huge numbers that flock to the beach. People from all wal...

Happy Holidays To Peter Strain of Bondi (Monthly Mailbag, The Beast, December 2019), who took great offence at the expression ‘Happy Holiday’: Dear oh dear. Life must be pretty empty if that’s what gets your goat. ...

If we think about the distinguishing features of our Eastern Suburbs, beaches probably come first, then lots of schools and churches perhaps, medium density housing, fairly narrow streets and a good smattering of parks, ...

Roll up your festive sleeves, folks, the silly season’s almost here. It’s also the time us Aussies create 30 per cent more waste than any other period. That’s a whole lot more stuff going to landfill (think packagi...

I have a confession to make. Since recently becoming a dog owner I’ve slowly developed an interest in animal behaviour. In particular, what it is about my dog that makes him do what he does. Like people, each dog has t...

For Dan The last time I wrote an article in this fine magazine now feels like a lifetime ago, articles as “Health Editor” in which Dan and James allowed me free reign to accuse my mates of suffering from afflictions ...

Well, I guess this is the final instalment from me. 15 years in. The end of an era. The fight is finally over. That’s not to say The Beast is over. That’s now in James’ court. But the dynamic duo of the Hutton brot...