mum’s the word

Carnations, breakfast in bed and fluffy slippers – we talk to some of Australia’s favourite media personalities about Mother’s Day

Felicity Urqhuart
with
mum TrishWORDS MARGRET MEAGHER

For most of us, mum is worth celebrating much more than once a year – so it’ll be no surprise that Mother’s Day is up there with Christmas and Easter in the holiday popularity stakes. About 50 countries around the world celebrate Mother’s Day at different times of the year; the US, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and China, however, all celebrate it on the second Sunday of May – this year, that’s 13 May.

Mother’s Day can be traced all the way back to ancient Greece, when homage was paid to Rhea, the mother of the gods. Just a bit more recently, in 16th-century England, “Mothering Sunday”, held on the fourth Sunday of Lent, was a Christian holiday created to allow mothers and children to reunite. Since people were given the day off to visit their families, the festivity became popular and spawned traditions like giving “mothering cake”, usually a rich, decorated fruitcake.

In Australia, Mother’s Day owes most of its customs to the American Mother’s Day, fi rst promoted by social activist Julia Ward Howe in 1872 as a way to unify women during the American Civil War. The day was dedicated to peace, and became an annual event in her town of Boston. In 1907, Anna Jarvis from Philadelphia lobbied to establish Mother’s Day nationally and chose the anniversary of her mother’s death as the date, which fell on the second Sunday of May. Her mother’s favourite fl ower was the carnation – a hundred years later, carnations are still the favoured blooms to give on Mother’s Day in Australia, along with roses and chrysanthemums. Jarvis’ campaign was successful, and in 1914 President Woodrow Wilson offi cially proclaimed Mother’s Day an annual national holiday.

Justin Smith, wife Sophie

& son HarperIn Australia and the US, it’s common practice to buy cards, presents and take mum out for lunch – it’s one of the busiest days for restaurants in both countries. But lots of good old-fashioned spoiling also goes on, with handmade gifts, breakfast in bed and family get-togethers popular choices. We talked to some of Australia’s favourite media personalities about their Mother’s Day.

Felicity Urquhart, singer, songwriter and reporter for Channel 7’s Sydney Weekender says, “every Mother’s Day, I write a personal verse to mum and put it in a handmade card. She loves the cards more than a fl ashy gift, but I always like to treat her. This year it will be a pampering present.

“Mum’s the greatest because she has always been the cuddles and kisses in the family. She’s been a tower of support all my life and these days she’s my business adviser, my seamstress, my friend, my teacher and the person I most admire… I hope one day I can be half the mum she has been to me.”

For Kate Mac, presenter of the afternoon show on Sydney’s 104.1 2Day FM radio, Mother’s Day is very much a family affair.

“Mum is an amazingly inspirational person; a great role model. ‘Things’ are not important to mum, people are important. Mum will get exactly what she wants this Mother’s Day… the family around a table eating, drinking, laughing and simply enjoying being together. If money was no object, I’d pick a trip to the Slow Food festival in Italy or a food tour in the south of France… on a lesser scale, a dégustation dinner with matching wines at Tetsuya’s or Est restaurant.”

Deb Knight (second from
right) with her mother Barb,

her gran Joan and daughter

NiahmLizzie Lovette, also a presenter on 2Day FM, agrees with Kate. “My mum has always said it’s not about how much you spend, but the effort and love you put in. So my brother, sister and myself go all out with a huge home-cooked lunch of all her favourite foods.”

Shae Brewster, presenter and reporter on Channel 7’s Saturday Disney, has a similar story. “Mother’s Day in our house was never about flashy presents. When we were kids my sister and I would snuggle with mum while dad made breakfast in bed – served with a flower.

“When I got older, my primary school had the Mother’s Day stall with the $1, $2 or $3 table. Only the best for my mum…

I headed straight to the $3 table. The tea cosies, tissue-box covers and homemade coat-hangers, my mum loved them all… they’d get lots of use for a good week before they’d disappear into the back of the wardrobe. Now that’s love. These days, if I could choose anything, I’d buy my mum, sister, grandma and me a trip to Milan for shopping – no boys allowed!”

It’s not all about mothers and daughters, of course. Justin Smith, one of the cast of the ABC’s drama, Bastard Boys, says he’s gained a new perspective on motherhood since his wife, fellow actor Sophie Gregg, gave birth to their fi rst child, Harper in 2006. With two mums to think about now, Justin is also a fan of handmade pressies. “Harper’s making handprint cards,” he confi ded.

Former Miss Australia and mother of three, Lea Wilson, a reporter for Channel 7’s Sydney Weekender, says she loves Mother’s Day now that she’s a mum to Sam, Jess and Christina. “Nothing makes you appreciate your own mum more than having your own kids. My most memorable Mother’s Day was certainly my first with my oldest child, Sam. He was a month old.

“Unfortunately, mum lives interstate so if we’re apart I’ll organise some fl owers and a card, and dad will serve her breakfast in bed. That’s exactly what I’ll be expecting – a sleep-in, homemade cappuccino and the papers.”

Ranger Stacey On the other side of the culinary fence is Saskia Beer, co-owner of Barossa Farm Produce and daughter of Maggie Beer, South Australian foodie and star of ABC TV’s The Cook and the Chef. She remembers “As a child, Mother’s Day was always very hectic as it was one of the busiest days of the year for the restaurant [The Pheasant Farm]. There were some traditions, though. I would always cook mum breakfast in bed. Then later Elli, my sister and I would help out at the restaurant. Afterwards, the kitchen staff would make a feast from the leftovers. The most memorable Mother’s Day for me was probably the first one in which I was an active participant as a mother. It’s nice to have a day where everyone is expected to be nice to you – or else!”

Brisbane-based Ranger Stacey (Stacey Thompson) is a star of popular kids’ program, Totally Wild on Ten, and mother of Bridget and Madison. She comments, “Since becoming a mum, the day means more to me. It’s the little things that make Mother’s Day special, like the cards and handmade presents. They are made with so much love. I still treasure the fi rst thing Bridget made me for Mother’s Day… a paper fl ower in a pot with the message, ‘If mothers were flowers, I’d pick you’.

“I’m sure this year there will be two junior chefs in the kitchen preparing breakfast and Mother’s Day, a family affair, always involves a lovely lunch.

I’m lucky, as I have a great mum and a grandma too, so our celebration spans four generations.” And how would Stacey like to spoil her mother? “I would buy her a first-class European holiday, five-star all the way. But of course, I would have to go along!”

Bridget & MadisonChannel Ten newsreader and host of Meet the Press Deborah Knight describes her mum Barb as “my inspiration and my rock. She raised us as a single parent, while working full-time. Dad was only 24 when he was killed in a hang-gliding accident – I was one and my brother was four. We lived for a few years in a caravan in the backyard of my gran’s house while we waited to get a housing commission home.

“I think I’m a lot closer to my mum because it was a single-parent household. I realised from an early age that we had to work together. For mum, family has always come first, but it was only when I got older that I realised the extent of the sacrifices she made along the way to make a good life for my brother and me.”

So how will you treat your mum this Mother’s Day?

GREAT IDEAS FOR SPOILING MUM

• Send a Maggie Beer Pheasant Farm Barossa Hamper (from AU$40) or a stainless steel champagne stopper (AU$12.95) and a bottle of Molto sparkling wine (AU$33), plus postage and packaging. Tel: +61 (8) 8562 4477.

• Show your appreciation for mum’s great cooking by giving her the new cookbook from Australia’s best-selling cook Donna Hay, Simple Essentials (AU$24.99), or Kylie Kwong’s new DVD, Simply Magic (AU$29.95).

• Give her a night out at Gilbert and Sullivan’s popular The Pirates of Penzance starring Anthony Warlow and David Hobson at Melbourne’s State Theatre from 17 May to 2 June (tickets from $50 from Ticketmaster, tel: 1300 136 166). Or a one-year Palace Movie Club Gift certificate (AU$18), www.palacecinemas.com.au

• New CD releases (all under AU$30) such as Dionne Warwick’s My Friends and Me, Lesley Garrett’s When I Fall in Love, Gladys Knight’s Before Me and New Zealand’s Hayley Westenra’s Celtic Treasure or great value double-CD sets Carpenters’ The Ultimate Collection and Burt Bacharach & Friends’ Gold.

• For gardening mums, Sprout Gardening Gloves really keep out the dirt! Made from goat skin and lycra, and with adjustable wrist strap and in stylish colours (AU$19.95) and adjustable ergonomic garden tool set (AU$34.95) from Australian Geographic stores nationally.

• Long-stemmed red roses (from AU$79), or other hampers and gifts from Roses Only, tel: 1300 767 376 within Australia.