Kailash Calling
First published in the Sun-Herald
It was early April when I took a jeep north from Kathmandu across the Friendship Bridge and into the kingdom of Tibet, still deep in the grip of winter.
Class Counsel
First published in the Sun-Herald
Long used in the juvenile justice system and high schools, restorative justice techniques are now teaching much younger children about responsibility and conflict management. By Kate Hamilton.
Omkareshwar
First published in The Sun-Herald, 2005
On the run from the glamour and excess of Goa, I arrive in the holy town of Omkareshwar at the heart of India, the ferocious heat of the plains like a wild dog at my back.
Colombia – In Search of Lost Time
First published in the Sun-Herald, 2005
Relatives pleaded and wept. Well-travelled friends exchanged significant looks. Even the travel agent raised an eyebrow. I blamed my teenage obsession with 80s action flick Romancing the Stone (“She’s a girl from the big city. He’s a reckless soldier of fortune. For a fabulous treasure, they share an adventure no one could imagine… or survive”) and boarded a plane to Bogota, my own reckless soldier of fortune in tow.
A Sob Story for All Ages
First published in Sydney Morning Herald, August 9, 2008
When Amber Jones* was a year old she was left to sleep in her own vomit by her parents as part of a popular baby sleep-training regimen known as controlled crying.
A Big Box Comes Knocking
First published in The Sydney Morning Herald, July 26, 2008
Mullumbimby saw itself as a refuge from ruinous development – until Woolworths entered the fray.
The First Cut
First published in Men’s Style, Summer 2005/06
Circumcision is dropping off as parents choose to leave their son’s doodles alone. But debate still rages over the merits of what started as a tribal rite.
G-Whizz
First published in Men’s Style, Spring 2005
It’s a dash of liquid on the tongue then – hold on – here comes the spike! Wow, that was alright. How about you? Hello? You awake? Breathing? Kate Hamilton plots the highs and lows of GHB.
Birth Pangs
First published in Good Weekend, November 8, 2003
One in four Australian babies is now born via the scalpel and, if the trend continues, natural birth may become obsolete. Kate Hamilton reports on why we’ve lost our faith in nature and what it’s costing women.
The Freakiest Trip
First published in Good Weekend, March 29, 2003
William S. Burroughs loathed it, Timothy Leary loved it, but most people scarcely know it exists. It’s DMT, a powerful hallucinogen that offers a mind-blowing and sometimes terrifying high … as well as a possible explanation for everything from schizophrenia to alien encounters.