We asked the locals what they love about our beautiful Adelaide
LOCAL faces (and some who once called our city home) talk about the local places and spaces they love in our beautiful city . . . .
Love Local
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LOCAL faces (and some who once called our city home) talk about the local places and spaces they love in our beautiful city . . . .
Hugh Sheridan
You can take the boy out of Millswood, but you cannot take Millswood out of the boy. Before Hugh Sheridan was winning the hearts of Australian television viewers, he was embracing his local community. The performer attended Unley Arts Theatre and enjoyed visiting the South Australian Society of Model and Experimental Engineers in Millswood. But it is the area’s streetscape he adores. “When I am home, I and my brother Tom put his daughter in the pusher and we walk up and down the streets and look at Victoria Ave and look at houses and say ‘maybe one day’,” he says.
Greta Rumsby
Norwood-based designer Greta Rumsby’s first job was far from making glamorous Brownlow Medal-worthy dresses. “I started working at the Magic Cave and it was pretty good,” Ms Rumsby says. “I did it in Year 11, so I was about 17 years old. It was just a Christmas casual job and my friends thought it was pretty funny because I am quite small. They thought I fitted the job really well.” Ms Rumsby, the driving force behind label Greta Kate, is known for her bespoke wedding dresses and evening wear. She enjoys working from her Charles St, Norwood, studio because it is close to The Parade, in a peaceful area and near her favourite coffee shop, GG’s Cafe in Dulwich. “They have an extensive menu and I love the hashbrowns with avocado,” the Campbelltown local says.
Kelly Magor
Kelly Magor was travelling more than 80km to get to work before starting her own gourmet food brand. The woman behind condiment line Forage & Feast drove from Mitcham to Bremerton Wines in Langhorne Creek to work at a cellar door in the hope of breaking into the food industry. “I needed the experience, so that is what I had to do,” Ms Magor, of Glenalta, says. Now, Ms Magor can be found a little closer to the city at her favourite local hangout, Bond & Lane, in Colonel Light Gardens. “They make a great coffee,” she says. Forage & Feast, which started in 2014, is about to complete a $5 million expansion of its Brown Hill Creek production kitchen. Products can be found at Foodland Mitcham, Pasadena and Norwood.
Matthew Abraham
For more than 30 years, radio personality Matthew Abraham has called the inner south home. He became more familiar with the area as a youngster when he walked the streets throwing Messenger newspapers onto doorsteps. “I grew up in Smith-Dorrien St in Netherby and I used to deliver newspapers in a great big block there,” Mr Abraham, of Unley, says. “I think I got 75 cents a week. I used to ride my bike where I had a box strapped to the back with all papers rolled up with elastic bands.” He enjoys visiting Chefs of Tandoori, in Malvern, where he orders the takeaway, non-vegetarian tahli, and the Funky Chicken on Duthy St for its gluten-free chips. However, it is the area’s streetscape and sense of community he is most thankful for. “I love the jacarandas,” he says. “And I don’t think this is exclusive to Unley, but there is some sort of cohesion about it and you have a strong sense of place.”
Brenton Ragless
Before Brenton Ragless was reading the news he was busy sorting through fruit and vegetables in Blackwood. Ragless’s first job was as a greengrocer at Coles in Blackwood. At the same time, he was a keen member of the Eden Hills CFS with his father, Leigh Ragless. The Nine News Adelaide presenter, who finished Year 12 at Blackwood High School in 1993, told the HillsValley Weekly he “hit the jackpot” growing up in the hills. He has chosen to stay in the area so his children and wife, Hayley, have the same opportunities he did growing up. “(I love) the connection to community and being surrounded by the lovely parks and sparse bushland, perfect for our growing family,” Ragless says. He does not just have one favourite cafe in the area, but prefers “to share the love with all of them”.
Suzana Kubitsky
Watching her clients try on their custom-made dresses is one of the many thrills of fashion designer Suzana Kubitzky’s job. The Bellevue Heights resident, who has dressed the likes of Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman and Stevie Nicks, is the driving force behind label Suzana Lucci. While her first job was far from the fashion industry – she sold salami at Adelaide Central Market – she soon realised design was in her blood, so made it a goal to start her own label. She now works from a home studio where she makes garments including wedding and evening dresses. When she is not drowning in beads and lace, she can be found exercising at Belair National Park. “Once a week my daughter and I go there to do the 6km walk,” Kubitzky says. “It is just gorgeous and you get in a sprint in as well when the emus chase you.”
Anthony Chammas
Putting a smile on locals’ faces is all in a day’s work for Blackwood’s own Batman, Anthony Chammas. Using the Belair Line train as his Batmobile, the Dark Knight can be found riding the rails and giving a friendly high-five to locals in the area. Mr Chammas started dressing up as Batman for Cosplay events but chose to take it a step further and keep a watchful eye on his local neighbourhood. Although he has only spent four years in Blackwood, he says he has been warmly welcomed in to the area. “It has a good community feel to it … and you get to know a lot of people,” Mr Chammas says. During his adventures of the area, he has come across his fair share of local cafes and restaurants. He says Montagna Cafe on Coromandel Parade is one of his favourite hangouts after saving the day because it is open late.
Greg Johns
Eden Hills resident Greg Johns was a builder’s labourer, door-to-door salesman and worked on sewers before he became an award-winning sculptor. Johns, who has had exhibitions around the world, says the Mitcham Hills is a good place to work because the community appreciates art. He says gallery and workspace Kuoni Creative, on Main Rd, has encouraged more people to engage with art. “We are starting to bring out the flavour of the area a bit more,” Johns says. Johns moved to Eden Hills with an ex-partner in the early 1980s because of its affordability and picturesque scenery. Since then, he has been fond of the environment, particularly around the Warriparinga. “The area that leads from the top, right down to Ayliffes Rd – that part is wonderful,” Johns says. “The valleys down there are pretty well intact.” If he is not walking through the reserve, he can be found enjoying a cup of coffee at The Artisan Cafe on Main Rd, Blackwood. “I think their coffee is excellent, probably one of the best in the state,” he says.
Bree May
Before Bree May won the 2014 season of My Kitchen Rules, she was working in the service deli at the Brighton Foodland. “I was 14 and like a kid in a lolly shop,” May, of Happy Valley, says. May, who owns Food According to Bree catering company, loves the food options served up in the south, especially the Victory Hotel, Porties Pop-up in Port Noarlunga and the Fleurieu Pantry. “There are also too many incredible wineries to count, and I love wine!,” she says. “I always grab a pie from Pik a Pie in McLaren Vale when I’m on the run. The Salopian Inn is excellent and they do a mean G&T. I could actually go on and on, we are really spoiled down here.”
TJ Krause
At just 16, Krause is yet to have his first paid job, but does have some work experience lined up. “I am hoping to work in the music industry,” Krause says. The teenager, who was a contestant on Australia’s Got Talent last year, spends his days hanging out at local beaches, with Port Noarlunga a favourite.
Neill Sharpe
The South Adelaide Football Club president has come a long way since his first job moving sprinklers at a shopping centre carpark in Victoria. “I was about 16 and it was before automatic sprinklers came in,” Mr Sharpe says. Most days he can be found eating lunch as his favourite southern haunt, Jimmy Deane’s at the South Adelaide Footy Club. “Usually I take whatever’s on special — quite often a chicken or lamb wrap,” he says.
Chester Osborn
The chief winemaker has spent his entire working life at the McLaren Vale vineyard, starting out earning 10 cents an hour as a seven-year-old. “I think I ate more grapes than I put in the bucket,” Mr Osborn says. “When I was eight I got a pay rise to 30 cents per hour which I thought was pretty great and so I thought, ‘Better do some work now’.” When not dining at his own restaurant, Mr Osborn can be found at The Star of Greece. “That’s the one where I hangout the most,” he says.
Lorraine Rosenberg
Before Mr Rosenberg donned the Onkaparinga mayoral robes, she was tutoring Adelaide University students in biochemistry. “I had just finished my degree and was about 20, 21,” Ms Rosenberg says. A passionate advocate for the south, she finds it hard to name just one favourite restaurant. “I really like Chinese, so I go to Yum Sing, at Reynella, all the time,” she says. “For a great pub meal you can’t beat the Victory Hotel and for a nice restaurant meal I always go to The Barn.”
Madeleine Jevic
Upper Middle Bogan star Madeleine Jevic says her first job was working in a sandwich bar in Glenelg. “It was a family-run business and I worked there with my sister,” she says. “My parents owned the salon next door, and I also worked in my mum’s salon washing hair and helping her out.” Jevic, who grew up in Brighton and now lives in Melbourne, says when she returns to visit family in Adelaide, she likes to pop down to her favourite Glenelg cafe, Zest. “It’s got such a good vibe,” she says. “I also get my eyebrows waxed there at The Eyebrow Studio — I’m a massive supporter of them — they’re so good!”
Bruce McAvaney
When he is not jetting around the world to call the Olympic Games, AFL Grand Final or Spring Racing Carnival, Channel 7 sports commentator Bruce McAvaney calls Glenelg South home. The voice of Australian sport likes to start his day with a walk to The Kiosk at Somerton with wife, Annie, and dog, Frankie. “The setting is sensational, right on the beach, and we meet a lot of people there,” McAvaney says. “You always feel like you’re on a holiday as it’s beachside and people flock here in summer time. The sound of the water and beach gives you a lift.” Although he grew up in Woodville, McAvaney has fond childhood memories of visiting his aunty, who lived at Glenelg. “It was the only place where the tram ran down, so it was pretty exciting,” he says. “It’s also the home of the Bay Sheffield, our Stawell Gift. It’s an iconic athletics carnival in a beautiful little reserve that’s been going for over 100 years. As a kid I’d love coming down to watch that.”
Nan Witcomb
Marino author Nan Witcomb says one of her favourite pastimes is ordering fish and chips and sitting down to enjoy the view at the Seacliff Hotel. “I love to be able to look out at the sea,” she says. “When I was president of the Ansett Down to Earth Club, we used to have our Christmas lunches there.” Witcomb moved to Marino in 1971. She spent years working as an air hostess for Ansett, managing the cabin crew. She says Marino was a very convenient place to live, because she could see the planes coming in to land.
“I just love living in this area,” she says. “My street is like a little village in England. Most of us know each other and it’s very friendly.”
Adam Swanson
Early morning dips in the sea, rides along the coast and breakfasts at the Broadway Kiosk are among the perks of living in Adelaide’s southwest, Adam Swanson says. The celebrity chef splits his time between Adelaide and Sydney, where he is the executive chef at Lot 1 restaurant. Lockleys is his local base, and the former Ready, Steady, Cook star also owns Zucca at Holdfast Shores. “If I’m working at Zucca and have a couple of hours’ break, my wife and kids come down and we might kick a soccer ball and go for a swim,” he says. “In December we’re obviously flat out and I get to the restaurant at 5.30 or 6 in the morning and I go for a dip before the restaurant opens — it’s so therapeutic.”
Stacey Hendrickson
Before she was managing some of the state’s best modelling talent, Stacey Hendrickson was honing her craft from her Munno Para home. The former Trinity College student is the head of Azalea Models – one of the leading modelling agencies in the state – which she started with her mum Anne Sherwood. “We had a really good reception since we have opened up and have been going really well,” Ms Hendrickson, 25, says. By the age of 22 Hendrickson was designing and selling her handmade dresses – marketed under the label Casper & Pearl – in boutiques in New York, Canada and Hong Kong.
“I went to a really good school which really set me up and had some amazing friends,” she says. “I loved how close the north was to the country like the Barossa and Gawler – you have the best of both worlds.”
Wayne Milera
Wayne Milera couldn’t wipe the smile off his face when he was taken by the Adelaide Crows in the 2015 draft. Despite being one step closer to achieving his childhood dream of playing AFL, staying in his home state was the cream on the cake for the Elizabeth East local. Before pulling on the red, yellow and blue, Milera was honing his craft at Ingle Farm Football Club. “I started my junior footy at Ingle Farm when I was about five and played there until under 16s,” he says. “I just loved hanging around the club and the people that were involved in it.” After winning two premierships in the grassroots league, Milera, 20, was soon a regular at Central District.
It didn’t take long for the speedy midfielder to progress to the senior ranks – starring in the Bulldogs’ finals campaign in 2015. “The thing I loved so much about Centrals was that they were so welcoming. Every team I played with there was a very close knit group,” he says. “The people and the culture is what I loved so much about the club.”
Mark Cosgrove
When Mark Cosgrove walked through the gates of Salisbury Oval as a eight-year-old, he knew that Northern Districts Cricket Club would be his home away from home.
More than 25 years, 35 first class hundreds and three Australian one day internationals later, Cosgrove is still turning heads at the Jets. “The club is pretty much the same as it was when I started – nothing has really changed,” Cosgrove, 33, who grew up in Smithfield, says. “There are genuine people at the club who are just willing to help each other out. It is not just about cricket, but becoming better people.” After graduating from Trinity College, Cosgrove worked for a couple of months at SportsPower Elizabeth. “A good family friend asked me if I wanted to come in and cover the Central District lads who had training on Thursday nights,” he says. “I got work with some people who went on to play AFL like Paul Thomas (who played eight games for Essendon). It was good fun, but I don’t think I took that seriously.” Despite living in Klemzig now, Cosgrove spends as much time as he can in the north. “All my family, friends from cricket and school live out that way so it is good catching up with them,” he says. “My parents still live in the same house that I grew up in.”
Todd Hazelwood
Race car driver Todd Hazelwood fondly remembers weekends spent hiking up Black Hill and enjoying fish and chips at Thorndon Park. “Where I grew up feels very much like a small country town,” he said. Hazelwood, 21, grew up in Athelstone. “Everyone knows everyone and it’s a great little place to be.” Hazelwood said his favourite places to catch up with friends and family were Da Mario Pizza Restaurant in Athelstone and the Rezz Hotel in Newton. “The people who I’ve been very lucky to meet through school I’m still very close with today,” he said.
Hazelwood went to Athelstone Primary School then Charles Campbell Secondary School in his teenage years. He last month came 12th in his first Bathurst 1000. “(We now have) the final round of the series at Newcastle; we’re hoping we can win the series,” Hazelwood said. “It’s a close battle between Paul Dumbrell and myself ... hopefully we have some luck on our side and can win the title.” The Newcastle 500 will be held on November 24-26.
Shane Edwards
Richmond premiership hero Shane Edwards will always have his heart in Adelaide.
The 28-year-old, who grew up playing with Golden Grove Football Club, was back in town last month following the celebrations after the Tigers’ drought-breaking victory against the Adelaide Crows.
He says there’s one thing in particular he’s missed since moving to Melbourne to pursue his AFL dream. “It’s easier to get my hands on some Farmers Union Iced Coffee, that’s one thing I’ve missed heaps,” he says. “It’s much harder to get back there (the northeast) now. “But we drafted Jack Graham this year so I assume we’ll catch up for a few running sessions at Harpers Field oval like the good old days. I just love how relaxed it is (in Adelaide), it’s just awesome, I’m definitely moving back when I finish football.”
Recce Mastin
POP singer Reece Mastin may have made a name for himself through hit TV show X Factor in 2011, but he’s never forgotten his roots. Mastin was born in England but lived in Greenwith for several years, going to school at Golden Grove High and playing junior footy at Para Hills. “My first ever job was a glassie at the Tea Tree Gully Hotel,” he says. “I actually never told them I quit. The show (X Factor) happened and I guess they thought I wouldn’t be back.” The Sydney-based singer’s first paid gig was at the Fox and Firkin in Tea Tree Gully. “I must have been 12 or 13 at the time,” he says. “I also played a gig at the Golden Grove Rec Centre. We weren’t great but we got through it. I love Adelaide, there’s plenty of opportunities to do cool things.”
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