As we bid farewell to The Donaldson Sisters after six amazing years, we thought we’d take a look back on how we got here.
Before there was TDS, there was Frank & Earnest: a “part blog, part newsletter, and part village square” by Chris Baynes (“Frank”) and Keryn Curtis (“Earnest”), which every week offered conversations that could make readers laugh – and make them think.
“We want to create a place for honest and intelligent two-way conversations about all the topics that make people who they are at every age including in our 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s,” Chris and Keryn wrote in their very first column.
When Jill and Annie Donaldson (pictured top) – two sisters with decades of combined experience in nursing and aged care – came on board, Frank & Earnest became The Donaldson Sisters, bringing ageing discussions to the “kitchen table”. Our editor, Lauren Broomham, introduced them like this:
“Annie and Jill will build on our tradition of frank opinion and earnest discussion, coupled with the humour and community interest that is their own personality. Importantly, they bring real experience in the care sector to the conversation.”
Jill and Annie launched The Donaldson Sisters radio show on 2UE in February 2017, marrying the newsletter to the episode of the week, and while the show eventually came to a close, the newsletter stuck around.
We were overwhelmed by the support you have all offered over the past week after we announced TDS was coming to an end – and we very much hope you’ll stay with us for the new villages.com.au newsletter.
So, perhaps this isn’t as much of a goodbye as we thought – but a “see you later”!
