Although small in stature, she is a force to be reckoned with. An aggressive lobbyist for the homeless, her modus operandi is to be very much in the Minister’s face. He sees her enter the restaurant and flees through a backdoor exit, stumbling upon the cardboard tents of desperate souls.

Gayle Beveridge-Marien writes because she loves it. It is her radiant red-sky sunset, her budding spring flowers. It is bird song and a long walk in the bush. Gayle is a past winner of the Boroondara Literary Awards. Her work has appeared in Award Winning Australian Writing, The Umbrella’s Shade, Vegemite Whiskers and Mosaic.