How these famous Victorian couples work together and keep their relationships strong
Working in the same field while living together and raising a family could spell the end for some couples — especially if they are in the public eye. But these four well-known duos manage to do just that. Here’s how.
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She’s a leading lady of Australian musical theatre. He’s one of the country’s most renowned choreographers, and true to any “showmance” fairytale, Lucy Durack and Christopher Horsey say it was love at first sight.
“I was walking into Chapel off Chapel to rehearse a workshop performance … and Chris was choreographing,” says Durack, who is playing Princess Fiona in upcomingShrek the Musical.
“I had heard of Chris, but had never met him or even seen him before — it was an era before social media — and I remember having a crush on him from the moment we met.”
The showbiz sweethearts, who have been together for more than a decade and have two children, Polly, 4, and Ted, four months, have worked together on musicals including 42nd Street, while Horsey has directed and choreographed Durack in symphony orchestra concerts and Carols in the Domain.
“Although, I get nervous about his choreography as he is an astounding dancer and much better than me,” says Durack of working with her husband.
“I think one of Chris’ greatest strengths is making ‘smart movers’ look like ‘dancers’ and I trust him implicitly.
“Even if I wasn’t his wife, I would thoroughly enjoy the experience. He always brings a lot of humour to the rehearsal room — any room, in fact — and makes life fun.”
The pair say working in the same industry is a careful balancing act to maintain home-life unity and sanity.
“Travel is a necessity in our industry and scheduling is always a challenge with kids, and some family time will need to be sacrificed,” Horsey says.
Durack, who was a judge on last year’s Australia’s Got Talent, adds: “It’s a bit of a jigsaw puzzle. Our timetables are always changing with different jobs and often more than one job at a time which makes scheduling childcare a little bit tricky and has cut more than one pre-planned holiday.”
Horsey says working in the same field means they understand each other’s challenges and appreciate the successes.
“The final result of a performance, the part the public sees, is the tip of the iceberg,” he says.
“Having a spouse who understands that the process can be a long one helps immeasurably.
“I’m aware that getting professional advice from Australia’s leading lady is a fortunate luxury.”
But Durack says it’s important for the couple to foster their connections and interests beyond the stage.
“I’ve learned that while we absolutely love our industry, there is a lot of life outside of it also,” she says.
“We love spending time together as a family — at cafes, parks, the markets and more than anything, just chilling at home together. Chris pumps the music up about once a week and we all have a dance together.”
Shrek the Musicalopens on February 19 at Her Majesty’s Theatre.
AFLW: HARRIET CORDNER AND ASHLEIGH GUEST
AFLW stars Harriet Cordner and Ashleigh Guest are giving new meaning to the term relationship goals.
While many couples seek shared physical activities such as hiking or a hit of tennis, this duo — who met two years ago when they were both playing for the Melbourne Demons — are determined not to drop the ball when it comes to fostering their partnership off the field.
“There’s definitely pros and cons to it,” Guest says.
“It’s great having someone to talk to about all the pressures of footy and understands it all, but when playing in the same team, we found that we couldn’t switch off from footy, so we have done a lot of work on using our time together to focus on us rather than talking footy the whole time.
“We like to set aside time each week that’s just for us and no footy talk.”
Cordner, whose grandfather, Dr Don Cordner, was a Melbourne club legend and 1946 Brownlow medallist, says there are plenty of benefits to dating a fellow elite sportswoman.
“It makes it easier having someone who’s on the same journey and going through the same challenges and successes,” the Demons defender says.
“Last season, Ash was injured and having experienced injuries that stopped me playing, I was able to understand what she was going through, which made it easier for me to support her.”
The dynamic of their professional relationship has since shifted, with Guest being drafted to the Western Bulldogs.
And despite being ruled out for the start of the AFLW season due to ligament damage to her knee and ankle, there’s sure to be rivalry when their teams clash on Valentine’s Day next Friday at Victoria University Whitten Oval
“I hope H plays well, although I definitely don’t want her to win,” Guest says with a laugh.
WINEMAKING: BRONWYN DUNWOODIE AND SAM PLUNKETT
When it comes to a winning wine, a careful blend and delicate balance are key. The same could be said for a successful marriage.
It’s fitting that the first date shared between winemaker Sam Plunkett and now-wife Bronwyn Dunwoodie, of Seymour’s Wine by Sam, took place over a Tuscan red in Florence in 1994.
At the time, Plunkett was in Italy expanding his knowledge of international wines while Dunwoodie was on a Renaissance odyssey having just graduated from an architecture degree.
It would be 17 years later that Plunkett would convince his wife to give up her profession of project management and “don some steel-capped gumboots” and become winemaker’s business director.
Since then, Wine by Sam has produced about 5.5 million bottles of wine, combining a love of doing things the old-fashioned way with the science of modern winemaking technology.
Living and working among the vines with their sons Edward, 15, and Felix, 18, Dunwoodie says it’s important to separate the family’s professional and personal lives.
“While living at the vineyard and having a permeable line between work and home life is advantageous, it can be difficult to create a boundary when needed,” she says.
“We’ve worked out that an annual family holiday is a must, preferably somewhere far away where we can switch off and recharge.”
Plunkett agrees: “On one hand we can do things very efficiently. For example, taking a morning walk together in the vineyard is akin to a management meeting, but we also blend in topics related to family life.”
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Like any strong team, the couple say it’s important to work to their strengths in order to see their successes as shared experiences rather than individual achievements.
“We are both strong, independent people, but we appreciate that we are complimentary to each other’s successes both at work and home,” Plunkett says.
“We remarkably have few business disagreements. We both understand what the vision is and back each other to make good decisions, but also allow each other to make a few mistakes.”
Dunwoodie says there is one other benefit of blending work and home life.
“The perfect day is capped off by dinner together and something special to drink from the home cellar.”
FASHION: DANIELLE PELLY AND TIM WILKINS
When carpenter Tim Wilkins encouraged his bride-to-be, Danielle Pelly, to quit her job as a graphic designer just days before their 2016 wedding to pursue her fashion dream, he had no idea he was also sewing up his own professional future.
As demand grew for Pelly’s label specialising in luxury leather jackets, Wilkins knew Pelly didn’t have the time or resources to continue at her current pace, so made the decision to join the then-burgeoning brand, Ena Pelly, as manager of operations.
“There was definitely some hesitation,” Wilkins says.
“It was certainly tricky working out how we’re going to survive and the big question was if the business could provide for us.
“There was about six months there where we weren’t really paying ourselves enough for two people to survive. I don’t know how we did it but we made it work.”
Despite the challenges, the Torquay couple admit the length of the transition strengthened their professional and personal relationship.
“That time definitely cemented the success of our working partnership,” Wilkins says. “Looking back, it was hard but it was also really memorable.
“When we started growing rapidly we would be out in the storeroom at 11 o’clock at night packing orders in our puffer jackets.”
Pelly agrees the professional struggles has seen the pair reap rewards in their personal relationship.
“We’ve worked with a business coach on goal setting within the company, and I think we have employed those same principles in our personal life, too, in terms of mapping out our plans to achieve our goals and it’s rewarding to see them come to life,” Pelly says.
Wilkins says: “One hundred per cent, you get better at communicating.
“When we started working together there were definitely times where we’d disagree but over time you learn how to communicate in a more positive manner and being able to step back and gain perspective and be level headed.”
Over time, the pair has mapped out a good work arrangement at their Geelong-based business.
“We realised we work better when we’re not around each other five days a week, so Tim will work from home some days. It means we’re excited to see each other at the end of the day,” Pelly says.
Wilkins says he loves working with his wife, admitting it only deepens his appreciation of her abilities.
“I feel really lucky because unless you work together, you don’t get to see how hard your partner really works at their career, so it’s nice to have that insight into their determination,” he says.
“It’s so impressive and makes you proud for sure.”