No matter what topic Heather Smith starts speaking about, it mostly ends up being about gardening. She loves her garden, other people’s gardens, public gardens and gardeners too of course.

That is how she came to meet and lose a dear friend. Today Heather shares with Megan the tragic story of her friend whose life was taken by her intimate partner in a terrifying act of domestic violence.

Heather is opening her garden in this year’s Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers. She has dedicated it to her friend and will donate the proceeds to Protea Place Women’s Support Centre.

In 2023 Phil Loxley was diagnosed with prostate cancer. While he accepts that Antigen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) is a necessary part of the treatment, he wishes he could have been better prepared for the side effects.

Phil felt completely blindsided by the mental and physical challenges ADT presented to him; hot flushes, lethargy, breast swelling, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, erectile dysfunction, loss of libido, loss of bone density and so much more.

Phil is advocating for better counselling when men are first diagnosed with prostate cancer so they can have a better understanding of the treatment options and pathways.

Jane Smith is an author, librarian/archivist and editor with a love of history.

Her latest book “One Free Woman” tells the compelling true story of Hannah Rigby. Hannah was the only female convict to stay in Moreton Bay when the penal settlement closed – a woman who notoriously served three separate sentences of transportation, including two at one of the harshest establishments in the country.

Jane’s love for her subjects and the process it takes to uncover and tell their stories is evident throughout this delightful interview.