Readers Digest Australia

Park Life I can relate 110 per cent to the feature ‘Views From The Bench’ (June/July). This photo of myself and wife, taken when she was pregnant with our first child, hangs in our home. We had gone to Hervey Bay for the long weekend and found ourselves at Urangan Pier – one of the longest piers in Australia. Since my wife couldn’t walk to the end, we both decided to sit on a bench under a tree by the pier and take in the amazing views. We watched a bird hovering in the air, then diving into the water to catch a fish. Such a memorable trip. JAMES HASSAN My Scamming Nightmare ‘A Scammer’s Target: My Mother’ (Apr/May) could have been written about me. In June 2022, I clicked on a link ‘5 Hobbies…

THE VOLCANIC PLATEAU that surrounds the crystal-clear waters of Lake Taupo in New Zealand’s South Island is the scene of this month’s Drama In Real Life: ‘Trapped!’ (page 42). For helicopter pilot Thomas Orr, the events that unfolded one morning could have ended very differently if it weren’t for two quick-thinking strangers. Much blame is thrown around over the causes and possible fixes of climate change. For the people of Turkmenistan, part of the answer lies with plugging the vast Darvasa Crater to try and stop it releasing 25 per cent of the world’s methane gas into the atmosphere. In ‘To Hell And Back’ (page 126), one intrepid adventurer who dared to visit the fiery crater shares his experience in captivating detail. Nothing is more upsetting to a pet owner then realising…

Getting the job as Head of Primary Music in a huge international school in the Middle East was a dream come true for me … until reality hit. An introvert with imposter syndrome, I soon found myself doubting my suitability for the job. Every week I led an assembly of 500 kids in song, with staff sitting in. Concerts involving choir, bands and whole year groups took place regularly with big audiences filming and voicing lots of opinions about how things should be done, with perfection being the main objective. My favourite part of the job was planning the annual talent show, and seeing the enjoyment on the kids’ faces. But the show was a huge amount of work, taking up a lot of my free time preparing accompaniments, backing…

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Loki The Lab VINCE LILJA Ten years ago, Loki came into my waiting arms. He was one of eleven Labrador puppies – and the only one that was fox red (he had one yellow, three brown and six black siblings). I knew I had to keep him. His favourite thing is cruising with me in my truck, sticking his head out the window to catch some wind and watching other motorists. A few years after we got Loki, we moved into a new home. One day when we went out, we secured Loki in the family room. Or so we thought. Imagine my surprise when on returning home, we pulled into the garage to park next to my truck and there was Loki, sitting happily in the driver’s seat. Somehow, he’d moved the blockade…

We watch our salt and fat intake to protect our hearts. We exercise and take calcium to protect our bones. But what can we do to protect our eyes, all year round? A lot. We asked experts what lifestyle steps people should be taking to protect their vision and eye health. INVEST IN QUALITY SUNGLASSES “Protecting the eyes from ultraviolet light – sunlight – is very important,” says ophthalmology professor Dr Esen Akpek. “It’s one of the biggest things in our environment to have an impact on the eyes. Ultraviolet light has been shown to have an effect on cataract development and macular degeneration.” To shield your eyes, wear sunglasses certified to block out 99 to 100 per cent of UVA and UVB light. Surprisingly, dark lenses aren’t necessarily the most protective. “In…