Katie Cunningham

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Katie Cunningham

It was 1985. No one had ever heard of Ivan Milat or the horrors of Belanglo state forest, so hitchhiking was still a thing. I lived in Adelaide and wanted to go to my brother-in-law’s 40th birthday party in Canberra. Young, foolhardy and totally broke, I decided to hitch the 1,300km there. I packed a bag and set out around the corner from my house. I’d been on my feet for all of three minutes when a beautifully restored American hot rod pulled up in front of me.

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Katie Cunningham

Wherever she goes, Sofia Levin packs the same item in her suitcase: a special pocket knife. It’s not to facilitate any rugged outdoors adventures or survivalist missions but rather to ensure she’s always ready for a good picnic. “It has cutlery attached to it, too,” Levin says. “Regardless of the destination, I’m always equipped to crack a bottle of wine and slice into a chunk of cheese.”Food is of particular importance to Levin.

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Katie Cunningham

I was temporarily living in my home town of Wangaratta while caring for my grandmother, who had dementia. I got weekends off and on one of those occasions I met a girl called Marie. During that lovely early period of a new relationship where you’re still getting to know each other, I took her camping at Mount Buffalo in Victoria. On the way home we stopped in Myrtleford, a small town at the foot of the mountain, to get petrol. I fuelled up and Marie stayed in the car while I went inside to pay.

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Katie Cunningham

I knew straight away that something was wrong. I had arranged to go to an opera with a friend. She’s normally a very chatty person, but when I got to our seats, she wasn’t saying anything. I asked her a few questions but she was quite monosyllabic in response. During the intermission, we went out to the balcony. Again, I was trying to talk to her but she just wasn’t looking at me. I asked if she was OK – had I offended her in any way? That’s when she let go on a tirade.

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Katie Cunningham

I could see the car and knew I was going to hit it. People ask: did your life flash before your eyes? It didn’t. The only thing I remember thinking was: “oh well”. In an instant all those things I’d been worrying about until that point didn’t matter, because I was about to die. Oh well!There was nothing I could do. I was on my motorbike on a dark and rainy night in rush hour traffic when a car pulled across into my lane without looking.