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Portia
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Hey All,
Thank You for another year of amazing fragrance chatter and beyond. Last year I wrote that the world was in trouble. SHIT! Seems the world took that as a challenge. Brexit, Putin, Trump, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, almost everywhere there is backlash against saving our planet, it’s flora and fauna and people. Big business has us all hoodwinked and most governments are in the pockets of Pharmaceuticals (drugs), War (guns) and Oil. The big picture is bleak.
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017
Around me though I see regular bright sparks of creative giving and helping that gives me hope for the small picture. Jin cut his beautiful hair for leukaemia fundraising this year and raised thousands. He did it on my Mum’s The gang at Hair by Phd Parramatta Store cut it for free so we could send it off to become a wig for children with leukaemia. Jin is a dead set hero in my eyes.
My friends Rita and Cathy (and a GF of theirs whose name I can’t bloody remember) are fundraising and cooking with the One Meal crew here in Sydney to provide one decent meal a week to families who are right on the edge of the poverty line and street people. We did a Turbo Trivia Fundraiser for them and raised nearly $22,000. In a year filled with fundraising this was a major highlight.
Another mate Matt Moore and his buddies Matt White and Ben Dunley have started the idea of using the Aussie men’s mates’ mantra ‘Grab a pie, Grab a mate, Have a chat’ helping men to talk about their feelings. From Matt’s own depression problems sprung this idea of doing something so regular, so common amongst Aussie mates and making it a moment to discuss life issues. In 2015, preliminary data showed a total of 3,027 deaths by suicide (12.7 per 100,000), 2,292 males (19.4 per 100,000) and 735 females (6.2 per 100,000). Aussie guys are 3x more likely suicide and at a rate of over 6 per day, from a population of just over 23 million. That’s bad, anything that can help is good. Go visit Guys & Pies and donate.
What do I do? Well, I give myself at a heavily discounted rate for fundraisers, help a few people who I know are struggling sometimes with food, time or cash, give regularly to charities that I feel the money is being spent on helping not admin and we rescue dogs. While none of these things are earth shattering they are game changing for the people that are helped. That’s all I can do.
So Happy New Year Australian Perfume Junkies. To everyone that’s contributed, commented, lurked and followed I wish you a peaceful & prosperous 2017. Fill it with fun & laughter, fragrance and stuff you enjoy. Make time to care for yourself, push yourself to be the best you can be and treat everyone you come in contact with as you’d hope to be treated.
We love you all,
Portia xx
Australian Perfume Junkies 
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
Emily Dickinson
EVERYTHING that you do to help someone, no matter how big or how small, helps. Thanks for all you do, Portia. And to you and the rest of the APJ family, Happy New Year!
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Hey Kandice,
Love that poem. Hits me right in the FEELS.
Hope your 2017 is a good one.
Portia xx
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Hi Portia,
May the sunshine of happiness always shine above you.
May the dove of peace rest over you and live in your home.
May the dense forest of love surround you all year round.
May you have a lovely New Year.
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All that for you also Hikmat Sher Afridi.
Happy 2017.
Portia xx
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I wish you a very Happy New Year !
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We wish it for you also Elizabeth.
Portia xx
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Happy New Year, Portia, and all the APJ. May your 2017 be wonderful. xxx
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Hi there Laurels,
Your 2017 also, fill it will good memories.
Portia xx
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Happy New Year Dear One, may 2017 be full of love, hope, and light shining in the darkness!❤️❤️❤️❤️🎉🎉🎉🎉
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Woo Hoo! Yours too Robert. hug that handsome man of yours from us please.
Portia xx
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Happy 2017 to you too, thank you for welcoming me into your APJ family!
Xxx
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We love to have you in the crew JackieB,
Have a super fun year.
Portia xx
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Wishing you and the APJ team a brighter and better 2017! Happy New Year!
Thank you for all the joy and beauty you bring into my world. You are a gentle reminder to live my life in a beautiful, generous and giving way.
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Hey Tatiana,
Thank you. Have an excellent 2017.
Portia xx
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Happy New Year!
Such an inspirational and positive post, a good start to the year! I have managed to make donating to charities a habit, so I’ll keep that up in 2017. Today I saw five beautiful roe-deer in a field, and it reminded me about the need to be kind to nature,too.
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WOW! You are lucky to see deer in real life, how beautiful they must be Ingeborg.
Portia xx
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