Celebrate Living History's latest magazine. www.bevwilkinson.com.au www.celebratelivinghistory.com

1. CELEBRATE LIVING
HISTORY
Howdy Folks! Hard to believe its semester two, the year is flying so
fast. I hope you have all been well and for those in Melbourne keep
your spirits up!
I literally have lost count of what lockdown we are in! Like a bad song
it just keeps going! All we can do is keep living and make the most of
the situation. Such as taking Celebrate Living History mascot Miss Ava
Dognar for long walks!
I’m very lucky to have intern Isabella Chua from Griffith University on
board this semester. Isabella has a background in creative writing and
loves to cook. She shares some yummy Filipino recipes that her family
love to eat. Food can open the door to many cultures and it was fun to
see what food she came up with! I was inspired to chat to my own
mum about her favourite foods, I am half Filo as well and I’m going to
experiment with some of these delicious recipes.
I’ve been busy completing my celebrant course and I’m nearing the
end! I just have to film fake weddings and baby naming ceremonies.
I’m hoping once lockdown is over, I can finally complete all
assessments. I will be so happy once I’ve completed my course it’s
definitely been a long road to getting it done! Oh and I get to marry
people! How cool would that be!
Reflecting back on this year I’ve missed travel but I’ve gained so much
from just being at home. I’ve loved working on my skills and simply
hanging with my dog.
It is so important to keep your mind active and just simply enjoy the
small things!
Keep Safe! Till Next Time! Bev
Words from Bev
Founder of Celebrate Living History
Contents
Meet our intern Isabella Chua
Recipe Kutsinta
Feature Story: Artist in Residence
Entrepreneur: Heather Joy Bassett
Entrepreneur: Angela Rodgers
Working on the GC
Sponsors

2. P H O T O B Y M A R T I N R . S M I T H
What attracts you about being an intern for Celebrate Living
History?
I am attracted to the position of intern for Celebrate Living
History since I find their topics of discussion like life stories,
culture, and food and drink appealing to my own writing
interests.
Who is an older person that you admire and why?
An older person that I admire in my life is my Lola (my maternal
grandmother), because she encourages me in everything I do and
loves me unconditionally. Likewise, she is also a devoutly
religious, resilient and humble woman who, after overcoming
many hardships as an immigrant in Australia, loves nothing more
than praying to God, and spending time with her beloved children
and grandchildren.
Meet Isabella Chua
Our latest intern from Griffith University
If you could jump into a time machine
what era would you visit and why?
If I could jump into a time machine, I
would visit the era of 1780s Australia,
so I could witness firsthand the effects
of British colonization in the country.
FOR BEAUTIFUL EYES, LOOK FOR THE GOOD IN
OTHERS; FOR BEAUTIFUL LIPS, SPEAK ONLY
WORDS OF KINDNESS; AND FOR POISE, WALK
WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU ARE NEVER
ALONE.
AUDREY HEPBURN
SEM 2: 2021
WWW.CELEBRATELIVINGHISTORY.COM.AU
Autographed Copies of
Diaries of a Casual Worker
can be purchased at
www.bevwilkinson.com.au

3. P H O T O B Y M A R T I N R . S M I T H
Kutsinta (or cuchinta) are Filipino steamed cakes composed of
flour, tapioca flour, and brown sugar. Soft, chewy, and topped
with grated coconut, kutsinta is perfect as a delicious dessert or
snack for sugar lovers everywhere.
Ingredients:
• 1 ½ cups plain flour, or alternatively, 1 cup plain flour and ½
rice flour
• ½ cup tapioca flour
• 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar
• 3 cups water
• 1 tbsp atsuete powder
• 1 tbsp lye water
Servings:
• Varies
Method:
1. Combine flour, tapioca flour, sugar, and water into a bowl. Stir
well until the ingredients are dissolved and the mixture is
smooth.
2. Pour in suete and mix until it is well dispersed and the desired
colour is achieved.
3. Add in lye water and stir some more.
4. Lightly grease the insides of silicone molds (if available) with
melted butter. Fill molds with mixture to about ¾ full.
5. Add water to a steamer (if available) and bring to simmer over
medium heat.
Kutsinta
Isabella shares one of her favourite Filipino foods
that her family loves to eat! Nom Nom!
6. Steam kutsinta for about 30-35 min or
until the mixture is set. Remove from
heat and allow to cool.
7. Gently remove each kutsinta from the
molds and serve with grated coconut.
8. Dig in and enjoy!!!
SEM 2: 2021
WWW.CELEBRATELIVINGHISTORY.COM.AU

4. P H O T O B Y M A R T I N R . S M I T H
Having studied a Bachelor of Arts at university,
Jenny has always had an affinity for painting
using acrylics. She longed to take her passion
into schools and teach but found it difficult to
land a job at her local schools. 8 years after she
relocated to the Coast, it was finally time for her
dreams to become a reality and set to work
converting her garage into an art studio. Jenny
gathered together paints and canvases, pots and
paintbrushes and enlisted the help of Vince to
make the easels using his woodworking skills.
They put out the word and it soon became
popular with the local Hinterland ladies looking
for a bit of fun and to develop their artistic
capabilities. This was what Jenny always wanted-
to nurture people’s talents and teach them
techniques and theories that she’d learnt at her
time at university. It quickly became more than a
class and she formed strong connections and
friendships with her students, most of whom
were around the same age as her. They became
like sisters to her, creating a loving and
incredibly supportive community doing activities
together outside the studio like annual camping
trips, breakfasts, and brunches.
Artist in Residence
By Erin Norton
After years of waiting tables in cafes
and restaurants in Brisbane and raising
a family, Jenny was in desperate need
of a change. So, in 1999, she packed up
and moved with her husband Vince to
the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. It was
peaceful and had more than enough
room for their horses which Vince rode
and looked after with pride. Jenny
spent her spare time working on her art
in their garage.
After a couple of years of running the
adult classes, Jenny, now a
grandmother, decided to start a kid’s
art class. This class would
accommodate children from ages 6 and
up. I joined in 2007 along with my twin
sister and we absolutely loved it, riding
our bikes down to the studio every
Saturday morning. It soon became like a
second home to us, and my sister
nicknamed Jenny “our Australian
Grandma”. According to Jenny, we were
very naughty during art classes.
Apparently during one of our many
dinners, my sister and I ate all the
Nutella and bounced off the walls. My
friend still teases me about it to this
day even though I have no memory of it.
Despite our unruliness, we managed to
produce paintings (mostly animals).
Painting has become a way to relax and
unwind, especially recently as the
pressures of university have ramped up.
Throughout the years, Jenny and my
gang of art friends have encouraged me
to experiment with different mediums
of painting such as watercolour, oil
paints and the using gesso paste to
create texture and depth to my work.
SEM 2: 2021
WWW.CELEBRATELIVINGHISTORY.COM.AU

5. P H O T O B Y M A R T I N R . S M I T H
Artist in Residence Cont
Even though my sister and I no longer attend
classes regularly, we stay in touch and try to
organise as many dinners and get togethers as
possible. We are always welcome in the studio
and Jenny refers to us as “her girls”. She has
been with us for many milestones of our lives and
will be there for many more in the future.
After approximately 22 years, Jenny still loves
her art classes, teaching the next generation of
little painters as well as volunteering at the
Supporting Teenagers with Education, Mothering
and Mentors (STEMM) program at Burnside
School.
She said the reason that she teaches definitely
isn’t for the money but for the everlasting love
and commitment that her students show her. She
is amazed by the progress that we make in our
skills.
SEM 2: 2021
WWW.CELEBRATELIVINGHISTORY.COM.AU
Meet Heather Joy Bassett who is a
speaker and mentor
What advice would you give to the
younger generation?
Know that it is ok not to have the answers.
That you are perfectly you and try not to get
caught up in other’s expectations of what
you should be. Asking questions of your-self
is normal. You may at times feel broken, as
do most of us at times. Know that while you
feel it to be true, it is not. Life is one of
abundance and gratitude helps it flow.
There are no such things as negative
emotions. Being human means that we have
dark times as well as light times and that is
all normal. You are never alone in what you
are feeling, expressing feelings safely is
healthy. Sadness, anger, fear and joy are
normal, neutral feelings.
Contact Heather at
http://heatherjoybassett.com
Heather is one of 51 entrepeneurs
interviewed for Entrepreneurs:
Generations Apart which is available at
www.bevwilkinson.com.au or Amazon

6. SEM 2: 2021
WWW.CELEBRATELIVINGHISTORY.COM.AU
She asked Kevin if he would like a
chocolate, he replied jovially that he should
be watching his weight.
This moment really brought Kevin down to
our level, and made me realise that even
though he held a really important role, he
was just human, like us.
My favourite event to work was the Gold
Coast Show, where I would be either the
cashier in the food or coffee van. I loved the
ding of the cash register and the fast pace of
the job. I enjoyed yelling out orders and
prepping containers for food. I didn’t really
have to think that much, I would just go on
autopilot! Sometimes we would have
massive queue lines, especially in the
mornings. People wanted their coffee and
they wanted it fast! I never wanted to be a
barista; the job looked too stressful. You
would have to remember all the little details
such as if they needed soy milk or regular
milk, or how to create a coffee drink like
Affogato in minutes. I was always grateful
for my breaks, where I would enjoy a free
meal from the company and just relax and
enjoy a half hour of peace. When you work
with hordes of people, those minutes away
are really important so you can calm down.
After working at a fast rate, I found I needed
to just slow down and to enjoy just being in
the moment.
Diaries of a Casual Worker can be
purchased at www.bevwilkinson.com.au
or Amazon.
Casual Work on the GC
(Taken from Diaries of a Casual Worker by
Bev Wilkinson)
While on the Gold Coast, I ended up working
at many major events, through All Crowd
Catering, and Spotless. Every weekend, I
would be working either a game of rugby at
Suncorp Stadium, or football at Carrara
Stadium, now called Metricon Stadium. I
didn’t really understand rugby, but I loved
how excited the fans became when they saw
their team score a touchdown. I used to
work in the corporate area as a food runner,
it was hard work delivering food and drink
to guests. But I loved getting to know the
other staff from around the world. There
were a lot of people from Brazil and
Colombia, and I loved getting to know their
culture and way of life. I would love to go to
Brazil and Colombia one day, they are such
wonderful people, full of colour and life!
Working in the corporate areas was another
world, I got to see celebrities such as Shane
Webcke, who is a former professional rugby
player for the Brisbane Broncos. Nearly
every weekend, Shane was there in his
corporate box, while I was in the corridors
delivering food and beverages. My friends
who grew up in Queensland were envious, I
was working in amongst rugby royalty and I
still had no idea how the game was run.
Being amongst these rugby greats was
wasted on a girl from Victoria!
I remember one time my friend said she
served Kevin Rudd, the Former Prime
Minister of Australia. Kevin was in one of her
corporate suites, and she was so nervous.

7. SEM 2: 2021
WWW.CELEBRATELIVINGHISTORY.COM.AU
Meet Angela Rodgers who founded
her own copywriter business
What advice would you give to your
younger self?
Stick to your vision. You can do this. Keep
learning as much as you can, and it will pay
off.
Who is an older person that you admire
and why?
My great grandma was pretty cool (she
made it to 102). I don’t just admire her for
her longevity though. She was a feisty lady
and raised four small children on her own
after her husband died. She just got on with
life, made the most of things, and was
always super practical.
Contact Angela at:
www.angelarodgers.com
Angela is one of 51 entrepeneurs
interviewed for Entrepreneurs:
Generations Apart which is available at
www.bevwilkinson.com.au or Amazon

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