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Nat Locke

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A shout-out to all the real MVPs of the festive season

As we career towards Christmas with all of the control of me riding a bike after a couple of glasses of rosé, can we spare a thought for the real heroes of the season?

Nat Locke

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All-woman disco club over by 10pm? Sign me up

Am I too old to go clubbing? Absolutely. But this was different: several hundred women in their sparkliest outfits and most comfortable shoes, dancing to bangers. Just don’t read the Facebook comments.

Nat Locke

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Do you pass the festive vibe check?

From queues to see Santa to trees so stunning that children aren’t allowed anywhere near them, as we hurtle headlong into the Christmas panic season it’s time to remind ourselves that nothing is perfect.

Nat Locke

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Me, learn from my mistakes? Never

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was doomed to push a rock up a hill, only for it to roll down, forever. But which character was fated to never learn their lesson and repeat mistakes? Because that character is me.

Nat Locke

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The simple things that set off my inner Karen

 My theory is all of us have some level of Karen in us: a quiet disdain that occasionally bubbles up to mild whingeing, but not to anyone in authority. Rarely do we go full Karen unless pushed to the brink.

Nat Locke

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How little acts of kindness can help us connect

It was World Kindness Day last week, but imagine if we performed acts of kindness year-round. I have made a stranger’s day with four words or the simple act of returning their shopping trolley. Let’s all start.

Nat Locke

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Life’s certainties: death, taxes and me injuring myself

Yes, I’m on crutches. Mainly people are saying “What, again?” which is completely justified. At this point I’m beginning to wonder whether I’m just doing it for attention.

Nat Locke

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How far would you go to retrieve a lost phone?

A news story about a young woman who became trapped between rocks for seven hours trying to retrieve her phone from a crevice got me thinking about this question. And I have a pretty disgusting story of my own.

Nat Locke

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Why hell is other drivers

As someone who drives to work in the wee hours, it comes as a shock if I ever have to contend with peak hour traffic. People do this twice a day, EVERY DAY? I don’t know how they still have the will to live.

Nat Locke

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The day I walked out of my house into a neighbourhood crisis

For years I have lived across from a block that recently sold for an eye-watering amount. The delightful new owners’ building plans show a beautiful house that fits in with the street. So what’s the problem?

Nat Locke

THAT’S LIFEPremiumInside the new, winding journey I’ve embarked on

You see, one does not simply have curly hair. No. One is on a curl journey. And it turns out the journey comes at first-class prices.

Nat Locke

That’s life PremiumFooty rivalry is serious stuff

As we celebrate another AFL Grand Final, I’m thinking back to my past Big Dance experiences. They’ve been something else, just ask the guy who tried to light my Eagles scarf on fire.

Nat Locke

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Things Were Simpler In My Day: Junior Sport Edition

I came across a junior footy wind-up with a waterslide and a donut van, something I could never have imagined when I was a kid. What will they be like in 20 years time? Cirque du Soleil? Petting zoo capybaras?

Nat Locke

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The sure-fire signs people were rich when you were a kid

Remember when a cordless phone, a VCR, a fruit roll up or an LCM bar were the ultimate indicators of wealth? Something tells me kids might be a lot harder to impress these days.

Nat Locke

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The right to disconnect is positive progress

Reasonable people might ask the question “Can’t we just use common sense around this? Why does it have to be legislated?” and to them, I say, that’s two questions. But you make a great point.

Nat Locke

THAT’S LIFEPremiumDo we listen to our dads enough?

Every father I spoke to reckons they’re practically brimming with sage guidance, but only a few of them could recollect the advice. Don’t worry, I’ve rounded up some of my favourites, good and terrible.

Nat Locke

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The strange findings 18 months post gastric sleeve surgery

It’s no longer comfortable sitting on hard surfaces, my heels are silky smooth and my lost hair has grown back and it’s ridiculously curly.

Nat Locke

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I think my dog is embarrassing me on purpose, here’s why

There’s his unabridged disdain for a particular Golden Retriever, for starters. Then there was the time he cocked his leg on a bare back at the beach …

Nat Locke

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Gather ‘round, youngsters, for a tale of cash and cheques

I have absolutely embraced the convenience of online banking and love the fact that I can move money around with my fingertips. But, my dear little millennials and gen Zs, it wasn’t always that way.

Nat Locke

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That’s it, I am going to be an Olympian. But what sport?

We’re at the halfway mark of the action in Paris and I’ve hit that point where I’m seriously considering which event I need to take up in order to compete at the next games.

Nat Locke

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Were our school carnivals as good as life gets?

With all the action kicking off in Paris this week, I am absolutely here for it. But my deep and abiding love is rooted in the athletics carnivals of my primary school era. I got right into them.

Nat Locke

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Men are ‘rawdogging’ flights, but gen X invented the trend

I rawdogged all the way through my childhood. I stared blankly out of a window for the long bus ride every day of primary school. If there was a new piece of roadside litter ... I would notice it.

Nat Locke

That’s life PremiumHow I nearly fell for a scam this week

I’ve scoffed at the WhatsApp messages purporting to be from my needy child who requires money. I’ve been resistant to the charms of temptresses named Svetlana. I figured I’d never fall for such shenanigans …

Nat Locke

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Why I don’t like humidity, and it feels the same

One step out of my Hoi An hotel and I started to look like a Labradoodle. By the time I had spent a couple of hours outside, I had gone full Poodle.

Nat Locke