Today I had the honour of officially opening ‘Haus of Manongi’ the gorgeous Polynesian-inspired fragrance house of four very stylish and entrepreneurial sisters – Mary, Joanne, Kathryn and Stella Koloke.

As their proud mum, Lepa, said today, Covid took so much away from our community.

We know that too well. Businesses were subjected to enormous pressures and families suffered long, agonising separations. We wondered if it would ever end.

But as Lepa said, 2020 also gave us ‘something’. In the case of her girls, it gave them the time, space and inspiration to create something beautiful: their own range of beautiful skincare and a platform to share it alongside the creations of other fledgling makers from Australia and overseas. Of course, there’s a few famous, high end products thrown in too – cos why not? ).

Stepping into their salon felt a bit like when you’re on a plane and you break through the canopy of clouds on an overcast day, and suddenly you’re in a beautiful blue, sunny sky.

Everything was light, bright, fresh and the aroma was amazing! The Koloke girls were cool, calm and confident. Though it was a big occasion, their vibe was serene.

For me the whole experience was like a metaphor for the covid recovery. Not only was this a new business opening (which in itself is a joy), but a business that exudes the sort of optimism and resilience that we know we are capable of and which is the key to a successful recovery.

Please check out their store at 41 Deakin Avenue. I promise it will make you happy and inspired, and don’t we all need a bit of that!