Monday 31 October 2016

Words from Micky

It's been three days since I shaved my head. In that time I ran an event, saw my boyfriend and his family and went to work. I can safely say that I'm sick of people randomly touching my head and my head is always cold. Even when it's hot, it's cold.

I invested in flower crowns and a cat hat for the days when I don't feel alright with it. Yesterday was one and I work this black and red gothic day of the dead flower crown, to which a coworker told me I looked like a birthday present. I'm still not sure how to take that.

Everyone keeps saying how brave I am and how proud they are of me. I disagree. I made a decision to shave my hair. A lot of people who undergo chemo don't get that choice and have to fight everyday. Not just with their own self-consciousness, but a terrible disease as well.

I will never be as brave as someone who has been through that.

Monday 24 October 2016

Michaela's shaving her head for Breast Cancer Care WA!!!

Our Colosoul Events Assistant Michaela Gorin will be shaving her hair to raise money for Breast Cancer Care WA this Friday the 28th of October.

Each day, Michaela will be videoing how she is feeling ahead of Friday's event. We are so proud of you Michaela and are all behind you!

You can donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/shaving-my-head-for-breast-cancer-2vbf2u4




Tuesday 18 October 2016

Breast Cancer Awareness Month- Ashton's Story

Ashton's family (L to R): Ashton, Suzannah (Mum),
Ciara (Sister), Mark (Dad)
I remember exactly the day my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer.

It was the last week of school for the year (I was in year 9 at the time).The majority of my friends were in Canberra for a school trip (one that I really wanted to go on but wasn’t chosen for) and I was eagerly anticipating the start to the summer holidays. We had a family holiday booked to Melbourne for Christmas and that had pretty much kept me going for the whole school term.

Mum had gone for a breast biopsy a few weeks beforehand and I knew that we were anticipating the results any day. The day we found out, Mum, Ciara (my sister) and I were supposed to go shopping for blinds for our new living room (Mum and Dad were in the process of renovating our lounge room and we were completing the finishing touches!).

As I walked out of school and saw my Dad in the driver’s seat of our shiny Toyota Camry, I knew straight away that it wasn’t good news. My heart started pumping like I was in the middle of a 50km run. It was then followed by me asking my Dad all the way home an abundance of questions as to ‘why we weren’t going blinds shopping’ and ‘where is mum’?

When I entered the house and saw mum in tears and her face a shade of red, it only reinforced my gut instinct further.

“I’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer. It’s in the early stages, so it’s been caught early which is the best outcome,” she said.

I didn’t stop crying that whole afternoon. Actually, I didn’t stop crying that whole week. It was the most gut-wrenching thing that I had heard in my life. What made it worse was facing everyone at school for the next week, especially when everyone was asking if I was ok as I was always upset!

Over the next few months, Mum went through various different operations. Our trip to Melbourne was put off to make way for Mum’s surgery. I was upset about it at the time, but I knew that it was better off for Mum’s health.  In the end, Mum ended up having a mastectomy and breast reconstruction on the affected side. She then got the other side done the next year. It was the best option possible for the long run.

Living in the country (I grew up I Geraldton), it made matters hard for us a family as Mum had to be down in Perth for her check ups and operations. This meant that Mum was often away for many weeks at a time. Mum is my best mate, so to be away from her for long periods of time (and while I was at school at the same time) was a very difficult thing to go through at that age.

A few years later, my grandmother (my Mum’s mum) was also diagnosed with breast cancer. This was soon after followed by both Mum and myself being diagnosed with a very rare condition called Cowden’s Syndrome where some of your cells keep multiplying and you grow various tumours and lumps. Most, thankfully, are benign but people with Cowden’s Syndrome are at a greater risk of certain forms of cancer including breast, thyroid, uterus and kidney cancers. According to statistics, someone with Cowden Syndrome has a 65% chance of getting breast cancer. This fact further reinforced my desire to not only create awareness of this rare condition but also of breast cancer.

Mum has been in remission for almost 3years and has been fighting fit ever since. Having had Mum and Nanna go through breast cancer has taught me to live life every day to the fullest and to take action to protect myself. I regularly check my breasts and see a doctor once a year for a check-up. I’m doing the right things to be on to any challenge that comes my way.







Words from Tegan Edwards

I just want to go home! 

I've had enough today. I've had enough of doing edits. I've had enough of sending emails. I've had enough of designing. I've had enough of being creativ!!!!!!!!!! 

I'm trying, but I just want to sleep and eat! Oh, and go for a walk on the beach. 

I'm still doing TAFE as well at the moment and it's not going too badly. But I've still got edits to do there and I have to make sure that everything is perfect so that I get my accreditation. 

With POP Creative at the moment, I am designing the Colosoul magazine and am doing a couple of client based projects. 

I'm also continuing to work with the different departments and liasing with what they need. 

I've got a list of things to do which is a mile long at the moment, but we'll get there! 


Words from Micky Gorin

My name is Micky.

I'm part of the Events Team at the Colosoul Group Inc, but I'm also in transition to become the Events Coordinator.

I'm currently working on a multitude of things including our Disney quiz night, Colosoul-Con, charity ball and the opening of our White Rabbit bar in the new space. My to-do list always seems to be growing!

I also go to Uni and I'm in my final semester. With assessment week coming up (which I've neglected a bit), I need to get my ass into gear. I just want the damn thing to be over with! I'm so sick of Uni.

I'm doing alright with everything. I'm busy though, so that's not the worst thing in the world. I only get stressed when I look at my to-do list or play the Xbox til three in the morning. When I'm not doing that I'm just peachy, but there's a weird guilty buzz in the back of my head. I call it responsibility, but I'm fine. Everything is fine.

In all honesty, I keep forgetting quiz night's only a little over a week away and Colosoul-Con is in a month. I think you've caught me in a calm moment.

I'll be back to being stressed tomorrow.


Wednesday 12 October 2016

Breast Cancer Awareness Month- Kate's Story

The Oatley family (Left to right): Felix (Kate's nephew),
Kate, Robin Salter (Grandad),
Betty Salter (Grandma), Moral Napier (brother in law) and
Hannah Oatley (Sister.)
For the rest of October, Colosoul will be raising awareness of Breast Cancer in commemoration of Breast Cancer month. Breast Cancer has affected many members of our Colosoul staff through the forms of a family member or a friend. Each week we will be bringing a story from one of our team members who has had someone go through this terrible disease. The first is from our Colosoul editor Kate Oatley. This is her story..... 

Breast cancer has always seemed to be one of the most confronting forms of cancer around. Even though I know that unlike other forms of cancer such as lung cancer, women and men can overcome breast cancer and frequently do.

However, Breast Cancer threatens to take away from a woman something that lung cancer does not: her femininity.

That's what I thought when I was younger and realised there is a history of breast cancer in my family. Even before I considered the idea that breast cancer could kill me, the idea of losing my breasts, and probably my ovaries and womb as well was in many ways more terrifying. Isn't that what makes a person female? What happens to my identity if I lose them?

It's strange that those thoughts went through my head, really, because I've never been particularly attached to my breasts- several times I've considered having breast surgery- and I don't want to have children. When I think about it, it's not the actual losing of those parts of my body that's the issue here, it's that it wouldn't be my choice. I'm not happy with my breasts, but if they're going to change, it has to be my choice, not some disease coming in and deciding for me.

I'm in a different position to a lot of people connected to breast cancer: I have not lived with someone who has actively had it. My grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer in her sixties, but that was way before my time. I've heard stories of how she overcame it, and I can see the fear on my mother's face as she approaches the same age.

That's where the fear for me comes in: what would I do if my mother got breast cancer? How would I handle it? And the afterthought: does that mean I will get it too?

For me, the only way to deal with breast cancer is to know everything about it, and that includes knowing whether I am likely to get it. That's why I'm planning to take a test to see if I carry a mutates BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, something that would increase my own chances of developing breast cancer by 65%.

Getting that test, no matter what the result, it will change my life. If it's negative, I can continue with my life in the same way as I always have, just getting the normal check ups and hoping to God I don't have to face fighting breast cancer.

But if I do... That will change my whole perception of my body. My breasts, my ovaries, my uterus, they will all become ticking time bombs, and the more I think about the horrific ordeals that women and men fighting breast cancer have to go through, and their families, the more I know I could never keep them. And that's ok, because to remove a risk like that will not make me any less of a woman.

I'm choosing to get that test, and I'm choosing to do something about it before breast cancer strikes me if I need to.

It's my choice.


Monday 10 October 2016

Words from Sarah Makse

Hey, hey!

My name is Sarah Makse and I work as an editorial assistant and social media manager of Teensoul.

I started at Colosoul just over a month ago and am loving the experience so far! I've been able to work in so many different areas! I'm learning from the editor Sophia about how to manage the team of teen writers, planning photo shoots for the next issue and writing articles.

My first article was just posted on the website last week which I'm super pumped about and I can't wait to write more. This week I'm working on ideas for Teensoul's relaunch event later in the year and editing and publishing the writer's work on the Teensoul website.

I'm also trying to get more teens supporting the social media, which can be difficult because none of them want to risk damaging their street cred! We're really close to this month's goal of social media followers, so hopefully Teensoul's name is getting out there. I really want more people to read our amazing writers' work!

Life's a bit hectic at the moment juggling Uni and my Teensoul duties. It's that time of the semester where everything is due! However, I'm really enjoying getting to know all the lovely Colosoul crew and getting the opportunity to contribute to Teensoul's vision. :)

Wednesday 5 October 2016

When my hard drive crashes- Tricia Ray

Well, it's one of those weeks and my external hard drive decided to crash, which has absolutely all my work on it.

Should I cry? Should I have a meltdown? Should I swear quietly under my breath for the next ten minutes?

It reminds me of when I was a kid and my dog chewed up my assignment that I had completed the night before that was due in that day. It was so annoying and frustrating that no matter what I said or did it wasn't bringing it back. I had no one else to blame except myself.

I have given my hard drive to someone who I am hoping can retrieve all my information. To date, it's not looking very hopeful. I can only continue to remain hopeful. Why did I not have a second copy saved? Yes, it's the 'why' that bewilders me too.

Besides being sick for the past month and not coping well with my own personal tragedy 6 months ago, my car was crushed two months ago from a tree falling on it and my new iPhone fell down the crack of the Pier Street car park elevator one month ago. It was crushed into a million pieces.

I can only wonder if things will endeavour to look a little brighter. All I know is that sometimes life can be a real jerk, yet somehow I still manage to get to work every day. Why? What motivates me? Well, all I can say is that once I am through the doors of Colosoul, I am reminded that my purpose here is to see young lives creatively discover their purpose and to bring a voice to those who can never speak up for themselves.

Some days, I feel like I am climbing a mountain. Some days it feels like I'm surfing the coolest wave out there. Whatever it is, I know my purpose is for the greater cause. I love what I do and love others to love what they do. So no matter what happens around me, I will not forget my vision. Destroy everything else around me and my vision remains the same. Still....it's not a good feeling to lose everything on my hard drive!


Monday 3 October 2016

Borderless Gandhi Project: 3rd-9th of October

This week is Borderless Gandhi week. We at Colosoul are proud to collaborate with this exhibition which is all about finding the "Mahatma in me."






Borderless Gandhi was established in 2014 by its founders Nilesh and Lene Makwana in Perth, Australia.  As an expression of their gratitude and appreciation to the City of Perth after migrating to Perth, Nilesh and Lene established the exhibition as a way to give back to the community.

Borderless Gandhi hopes to contribute to planting the seeds of inter-faith harmony and peaceful co-living within its communities and further seeks to lead the next generation toward greater peace, equality and nonviolence.




The exhibition will include a range of mediums and live music and Colosoul will be showcasing some of our talented artists who will be creating works of art in front of visitors.

Head on down to the Bell Tower this week (Monday-Friday) to view the exhibition and to also say hello the Colosoul gang who will be down there each day.