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Linda Vaiana

‘Healing rifts: How my siblings and I realised life’s too short for grudges’
Linda Vaiana avatarLinda Vaiana
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Life was never dull for Linda and her family thanks to the antics of their dog, Basil. Source: Getty Images
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‘There’s a what in the kitchen? Life was never dull with Basil the dog’

‘There’s a what in the kitchen? Life was never dull with Basil the dog’

"Basil was a great mate to the town and our children and even now, 15 years after his death, people still talk about him."
Linda writes about the blessings in her life. Source: Getty Images
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‘The blessings that came after I was told I couldn’t have children’

‘The blessings that came after I was told I couldn’t have children’

"I made sure my husband knew right from the start that I could not have children. He said, 'Well, we'll have 20 dogs instead ...'."
What could have caused a goose to attack Linda in the carpark of a supermarket? Source: Getty Images
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‘Help! There’s a goose on the loose and it’s after me’

‘Help! There’s a goose on the loose and it’s after me’

"I started to run to my car door, but the goose was in hot pursuit and I couldn't get into the car."
Source: Getty Images
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‘A walk along the beach gave us a close encounter of the seal kind’

‘A walk along the beach gave us a close encounter of the seal kind’

"The suitcase was large and brown and looked like leather. The dogs were all over it, sniffing up and down."
Linda remembers this funny story from her family's cherry picking adventures. Source: Getty Images
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‘The summer fruit picking adventure that became our family’s favourite story’

‘The summer fruit picking adventure that became our family’s favourite story’

"My father would lift me high into the cherry tree to pick the fruit that as near to the top as he could get."
The release of Jaws in 1975 scared swimmers, including Linda, away from the ocean. Source: Getty Images
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‘My own encounter with a shark was every bit as terrifying as the movie Jaws’

‘My own encounter with a shark was every bit as terrifying as the movie Jaws’

"There was blood in the water from the shark's mouth and from our fish."
Linda mourns the death of her dachshunds, especially Helga, who saved her husband from a deadly snake. Source: Stock Photo/Getty Images
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‘Our beloved dog died protecting my husband from a deadly snake’

‘Our beloved dog died protecting my husband from a deadly snake’

"After all the heartache it was hard to adjust back to life with out her."
Linda says her mother's addiction to poker machines left her unable to pay for basic necessities and there was no money left for her funeral when she died. Source: Getty Images
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‘Poker machine poison: My mother’s gambling addiction left her broke’

‘Poker machine poison: My mother’s gambling addiction left her broke’

"Every shopping day Mum would be in a different hotel pressing buttons and watching the flashing lights."
Linda found true love in the most unlikely way. Source: Getty Images
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‘Against the odds: A love that’s lasted through the ages’

‘Against the odds: A love that’s lasted through the ages’

"Eleven years went by and, aged 16, I found some old cards that had been sent from Alice Springs to my home. It made me miss my friend ..."

About Linda Vaiana

Linda is married with four children. She has also fostered three children. Linda is the youngest of three, with her siblings being 17 and 15 years older than her respectively.