Women of Wynnum Manly
Women of Wynnum Manly is a fortnightly podcast that dives into the stories behind the women who contribute to the proud sense of community that is a piece of paradise in Brisbane’s bayside. Allana has lived in Wynnum with her husband, dog, cat and (sometimes) granddog since 2016. She fell in love with the stunning sunrises, gets excited by a good bargain in the op shops, and enjoys the easy nature and friendliness of the local people. Feeling like the Wynnum area is in a transition stage, with an eclectic mix of old and new, Allana wants to dig deeper into the incredible women who are part of the community she loves. The Traditional Owners of the Wynnum Manly area are the Quandamooka People. They have lived on the lands and seas surrounding Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) for at least 21,000 years.
Episodes
68 episodes
Season 4, Episode 14 - Amreen Kahlon
Amreen Kahlon was part of the Wynnum Manly District Cricket Club team that won the women's KFC T20 MAX competition recently. In addition to being a great cricketer, Amreen has a keen interest in psychology, which is she is currently study...
Season 4, Episode 13 - Kara Cook MP (Federal Member for Bonner)
Kara Cook MP became the elected Federal Member for Bonner in May 2025, making her the third woman representing the Bayside across all levels of government. I had a lovely conversation with Kara about what interested her in entering...
Season 4, Episode 12 - Elizabeth Ross, Co-conductor of the Wynnum Choral Society
As the co-conductor of the Wynnum Choral Society (turning 100 in 2026!!), Elizabeth shared with me her love of music and the joy of singing. We had a fun conversation that included voice impersonations, and lots of laughter. It has reignited my...
Season 4, Episode 11 - Di Catto (Days for Girls)
Di Catto is the Rotary supported group leader for Days for Girls, an organisation that changes lives for young girls. Finding out about Days for Girls blew me away, as they help make education possible for many, by providing menstruation bags. ...
Season 4, Episode 10 - Eleanor from 3 Elements Coffee (Veteran Support Coffee)
Eleanor has travelled all the way from the UK to live in our beautiful part of the world. She is my first podcast guest who as a young woman was inspired by Richard Gere's An Officer and a Gentleman movie to join the Navy. She did meet the love...
Season 4, Episode 9 - Sharon McRae
How delightful it was to spend time with Sharon McRae, who after her own emotional and physical breakdown worked hard to claw her way back to be the best person she could be, and committed to helping others do the same. Every now and then I hav...
Season 4, Episode 8 - Sharon Dorward
To say Sharon is important to me is an understatement. She is one of those people I feel like I have known all my life, and I can be completely me with her. We connected about four years ago but the longer we know each other the more we uncover...
Season 4, Episode 7 - Julie Kovacic
Julie and her husband own Kova Furniture Removals, establishing the business together from one truck not all that long ago. She also finds the time to be the President of the Wynnum Manly Junior Rugby League Club. This is a big role, and both i...
Season 4, Episode 6 - Saalihah Seedat
The chat with Saalihah was a long time in planning and I am really pleased we finally got there. Saalihah Seedat is doing great work with the Bayside community, with her My Health for Life workshops at the Community Centre. She came a lon...
Season 4, Episode 5 - Julie Dixon
Julie Dixon is an example of what makes the Bayside the community it is. I was so pleased to learn from Julie the history of the Shire Cottage, as I was always curious about it. As a volunteer, she is responsible for running the lovely Sh...
Season 4, Episode 4 - Nina and Donna - Do-Op Shop
I could not have loved this interview anymore. As an avid op-shopper, I am a regular in the Florence Street Wynnum Do-Op Shop. I always knew it was an op-shop with a difference, knowing the proceeds went back into the community. I just ne...
Season 4, Episode 3 - Kylie Madge
I met Kylie Madge at the Wynnum Manly Community Awards in 2024 and knew that having a long form conversation with her would be fascinating. She is a yoga teacher, life coach and spiritual mentor and the conversation we had didn't disappoint! Ky...
Season 4, Episode 2 - Natalie Lynch from Studio Yellow
Natalie has always enjoyed creating art and was an art teacher for many years. Following a devastating loss in her life, Natalie uncovered an additional benefit of art, when she found herself lost in creating something, temporarily releasing he...
Season 4, Episode 1, Donna Duggan
I heard about Donna Duggan from our Councilor Alex Givney. Alex mentioned on her own socials that Donna was a finalist in a People's Choice Humanitarian Award for her dedication to sustainable tourism and community support in Tanzania.D...
Season 3, Episode 16, Marilyne Jacob from Pete's Pantry
Marilyne Jacob set up and continued to lead the growth of Pete's Pantry in Wynnum. The Pantry provides food and a space to connect for those who may be doing it tough. While the need for the service grew, Marilyne and her team of voluntee...
Season 3, Episode 15 - Jane Cornes Maclean
Getting to know Jane was a process of uncovering a heap of layers of experiences and projects she is involved in. She has been leading some fun activities in the Bayside, including dance parties that finish by 8.30pm so people can be home in be...
Season 3, Episode 14 - Gail Webb, former owner of Simply Bella
The week I interviewed Gail for the podcast she had just sold her little fashion store on Bay Tce, Simply Bella. She has been in the fashion industry for 50 years, and on top of that, the funeral industry! It was a great chat getting to k...
Season 3, Episode 13 - Ruth Kent
Ruth Kent has a wonderfully calm disposition and is easy to be in the company of. She and her family were drawn to the Bayside in 2020 and Ruth has a passion for health and wellbeing and for people to live their best lives. I was in...
Season 3, Episode 12, Gemma from Cooking Gems
This is my 50th episode! And what a conversation it was to celebrate the podcast milestone. Gemma has her own business, Cooking Gems, after a couple of decades as a chef in other people's kitchens. She left school at 16 and so...
Season 3, Episode 11, Aunty Becky
Aunty Becky has been on my podcast interview wish list since 2022. It was a delight and a privilege to be in her company and hear all about her family as the original "winnamites". As the Chairperson for winnam.org, the work...
Season 3, Episode 10 - Liz Crowe
Liz Crowe is a long time local Bayside woman who was a social worker for over 30 years before seeing the need during the worst of the Covid times to pay more attention to staff wellbeing. She has published numerous papers, speaks at internation...
Season 3, Episode 9 - Jelena Logan
Jelena Logan's parents left the war in Bosnia and settled in Australia, before going on to have Jelena as a third child. We are lucky they ended up in this beautiful part of Queensland. This conversation allowed me to get to...
Season 3, episode 8 - Martene Paterson
I met Martene when was she leading the group training class I was doing at 4 Shore Fitness. She has a fun and warm energy and a lovely Scottish accent. Martene moved to the Bayside only a few years ago, and thanks the beautiful com...
Season 3, Episode 7, Jess Galatola - author
Jess Galatola is a delight to spend time with, and has written and published her first children's book, launching in May 2024. Some Families Change is a story Jess wrote to try and provide her boys a language following her separation from...
Season 3, Episode 6 - Ali Powell from Dancing with Ali
Ali Powell is someone that I wanted to interview last year, and we never got to it. I was so pleased to be able to finally meet and chat with her and find out how Dancing with Ali came about, and how dancing fills her cup. Ali also has a very r...