The March 30 Edition

Among the most popular of the reality TV franchises that have swept the world in recent decades has been Survivor. Comfortably ensconced on our couches, with wine, chocolate and perhaps a cat or dog on our lap, we can’t get enough of how ordinary people survive extraordinary physical hardship out in the elements. They are, of course, never at any real risk – the show’s producers would not allow it. Nick Stride and family did all this without the safety net of doing it for TV – that is, they did it for real – for multiple years across the north-west of this country. Sue Williams recounts their remarkable journey from Moscow to Brisbane, Bunbury, Broome and beyond in today’s magazine. Their tale puts into sharp perspective the frightening reality of getting on the wrong side of the Russian elite, and the difficulty of gaining asylum. It’s notable that the Strides were finally accepted not by the country they spent so many years hiding out in, but by a near neighbour. Elsewhere in today’s issue, at a time when every second pop-up ad extols the virtues of a new wellness product to spend your money on, Amanda Hooton makes the case for a much older and infinitely cheaper psyche cleanser: gardening. Katrina Strickland, editor