Latest news with #Hardwicke
The Guardian
21-03-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Female mechanics take the wheel: ‘I was sick of paying old, grumpy men to fix it'
Alicia Holland was always curious about cars, passing up Barbie dolls for toy trucks when she was a child. Her father spent afternoons tinkering with the family's station wagon – a tan-coloured Volkswagen with floral curtains. He died when Alicia was 12 years old, so when she reached driving age, there was no one to show her how to change a tyre, fix a windscreen wiper or check for oil. Years later, while heavily pregnant, Holland's car broke down on a busy highway. It was an 'embarrassingly' simple fix, she says. The petrol tank had run dry, yet she waited, flustered and sweating, for roadside assistance to refill it. Afterwards, Holland made it her mission to learn basic car maintenance. She participated in Women On Wheels, a program that runs free car workshops for women across Australia, which she later took over in 2017. Despite learning the ropes, Holland, 46, still gets sold short at the garage. 'I've had mechanics say to me, 'Get your husband to call',' she says. 'Why would I get my husband to call when it's my car?' The thought of taking a car into a garage is enough to make many women bristle. In August 2024, Sydney lifestyle influencer and dietitian Alice Bleathman went viral with a teary TikTok post in which she claimed she was swindled by male mechanics. Other women flooded the video's comments section, complaining of a 'girl tax' applied to their car repairs. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning It's hard to find concrete data from Australia, but various surveys from the US, UK and Australia reveal that women consistently worry they are being overcharged. In a 2024 survey by US journal Consumer Affairs, only 15% of women said they trusted their mechanics. 'Most females have either been ripped off or felt like they've been ripped off,' says Holland. 'Most importantly, they feel like they haven't been heard.' Finding a female mechanic is difficult – ABS Labour Force figures for January 2024 show that only 900 (0.82%) of all motor mechanics in Australia are women. But Melissa Hardwicke, a mobile mechanic in Sydney's inner west, says her business is usually 'flat out'. More than two-thirds of her clients at TLC Autocare are women and queer people, who approach her for an honest, judgment-free service. 'I hear stories all the time of women getting the wool pulled over their eyes,' she says. Hardwicke's clients say male mechanics do not give them the same treatment they offer straight men. 'It's about money,' she says. Hardwicke, 48, was turned away from countless apprenticeships when trying to cut her teeth in 2004. Knocking on garage doors across Sydney, she was told 'No, you're too little,' she says. She finally got her break in a show of brute force – and brains. 'The owner said 'Whoever can lift this Land Cruiser tyre and put it on the car bonnet without struggling has the apprenticeship',' she recalls. Hardwicke lifted it correctly, bracing her legs, and the job was hers. 'They thought, 'This girl is smart'.' She wants to start an all-female mechanic workshop – if she can ever afford Sydney rent. 'I would train female apprentices to do it the right way, to be honest,' she says. According to Rachel Butler, the director of Women in Automotive, demand for female mechanics is outpacing supply. 'Workshops are calling for them because it brings about a better workplace culture,' she says. Mechanics are trying to clean-up their image. 'Women don't want that old, grotty, nude calendars in the toilet environment any more. That's dying out but it's still there,' Butler says. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion Caitie Cornford has just started an apprenticeship at Thirroul Service Station. The garage is a time capsule of the 1970s, often with a Triumph or Holden Gemini parked out front. The 22-year-old began her career as a primary school teacher, before having a lightbulb moment while travelling in a van she dubbed Bessie. Her pride and joy – a white Toyota with orange racing stripes – repeatedly broke down. 'I was sick of paying these old, grumpy men to fix it,' she says. She started a six-month automotive servicing course at TAFE, where only two of the 17 students were women. Except for the occasional sarcastic comment, the men were welcoming. 'There's stigma and fear of treatment of women in this industry but there's a lot of support too. I've been offered lots of women mentors,' she says. When she saw a sign for an apprentice at a nearby garage, it felt like fate. 'I'd drive past and think I'd love to work there. It's always got the sickest vintage cars hanging out front.' Cornford accepts the physical aspects of the job can be demanding. 'But there's always a way around it,' she says. 'If I can't undo a bolt, I'll just get a bigger ratchet. If I can't lift something, I'll add leverage. The more I work, the stronger I'll get.' Cornford and Hardwicke encourage women to learn basic car maintenance, so that they have some ammo when they visit a garage. Women on Wheels runs free evening workshops across the country. Hosted by dealerships, up to 50 participants rotate through a circuit of workstations guided by a facilitator. Mothers, daughters and friends learn how to jumpstart a car or inspect its undercarriage. 'It's more fun to learn in a group, you don't seem as silly,' Holland says. 'Having confidence in yourself will help you when you're speaking to mechanics about your car because you'll have insider knowledge.' Holland, Cornford and Hardwicke say that bit of knowledge emboldens clients to push for a fair price on repairs – and could help reduce the unfair 'pink tax' on services. 'We had one participant recently who made me particularly proud and emotional,' says Holland. 'This young girl said that cars used to scare her as she didn't know anything about them. Now she wants to get a flat tyre – just so she can practice changing it.'
BBC News
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Eanna Hardwick says no need for a Normal People sequel
Normal People actor Éanna Hardwicke has said he doesn't want a sequel to the hit TV series, as he's "not a fan of rehashing things"."It's nicer to leave it in people's imagination, and leave it as it was," the 28-year-old told BBC News at a pre-Oscars party in Los Angeles on Thursday on Sally Rooney's novel, the BBC Three drama charted the on-off relationship of teenagers Marianne and starred Daisy Edgar Jones and Paul Mescal, while Hardwicke played Rob, Connell's friend from high school. Released in April 2020, Normal People became a lockdown year, Edgar-Jones and Mescal almost broke the internet with an Instagram post that appeared to tease a pair later clarified that, in fact, they were reuniting to host a marathon screening of Normal People for are spoilers below. In the series, Hardwicke's character Rob suffers from depression and commits suicide, causing Connell's mental health to Hardwicke said that it's not the fact he wouldn't be in any sequel, that makes him not want one."I'd be very happy to watch it as a punter, because then I could enjoy it," he said, speaking at the annual Oscar Wilde event to celebrate Irish also admitted that he can why some people want to revisit the series."Of course, part of me is curious, I'd love to see those characters in 15 years," he said."I just adore Sally [Rooney]'s writing so much, I'm excited every time she releases a new book, so I'm just looking forward to reading what she does next."Hardwicke said he still speaks to his Normal People co-stars."We all stay in touch, which is nice. It was a really special thing for all of us," he said."I think that will never change. It will always be a really foundational job for all of us, so we do stay in touch."Every now and then we meet for a pint and go, 'God, wasn't that mad'."More recently, Hardwicke starred as murderer Benjamin Field in BBC One true crime drama The Sixth series follows the murders of Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin in Maids Moreton, said he didn't have an answer for why people are so fascinated by true crime, but said as an actor, "you just want to work on stuff that has that depth"."There's a responsibility to telling true stories, to know why you're doing it, why you're telling the story, what's the point," he said."It was approaching true stories in a different way. I felt, when I read that script, it was doing it with scrutiny and care and it didn't feel at all manipulative."
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Isabelle Fuhrman, Yara Shahidi, Michael Cimino, Daniel Zovatto, Sylvester Powell & More Set For Catherine Hardwicke Drama ‘Street Smart'
Filmmaker Catherine Hardwicke is underway in Los Angeles on Street Smart, an indie drama said to mark a return to the gritty, immersive storytelling of her films Lords of Dogtown and Thirteen. Cast for the ensemble piece includes Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan), Yara Shahidi (Sitting in Bars with Cake), Michael Cimino (Never Have I Ever), Daniel Zovatto (Woman of the Hour), Sylvester Powell (All American: Homecoming), Kaitlyn Kemp (The Razor's Edge), Miles McKenna (Goosebumps), and pro skateboarder Isiah Hilt. Co-written by Hardwicke and 13 Reasons Why's Nic Sheff, Street Smart offers a look into the lives of a lively group of unhoused young adults in the iconic beach town, who come together with humor and a bit of Robin Hood-style larceny, forging unbreakable bonds and redefining what it means to be a family. More from Deadline Nate Bargatze Negotiating To Star In Holiday Family Comedy 'Christmas In Paradise' From Amazon MGM & United Artists' Scott Stuber Aaron Holliday, Jermaine Fowler, Michael Abbott Jr. & Sean Gunn To Star In Indie Horror Pic 'Appofeniacs' From Writer-Director Chris Marrs Piliero Ansel Elgort & Catherine Hardwicke Teaming On 'If You Could See Me Now,' Adaptation Of Cecelia Ahern Novel Poster Child Pictures' Natalie Marciano (Freud's Last Session, How to Build a Truth Engine) is producing alongside New Dimension's Jamie R. Thompson (97 Minutes, Old Henry) and Hardwicke. Executive producers include Gerard Butler & Alan Siegel of G-BASE, Jamie Marshall (Den of Thieves, The Foreigner), Furhman, Zovatto, David Lasky, Michael Arata, and Rebel Entertainment's Rock Jacobs and Batia Parnass. Charitable partners of the production include Covenant House and Safe Place for Youth, both of which focus on assisting unhoused and at-risk young individuals. 'In the wake of the recent tragedies that have profoundly impacted Los Angeles and the Hollywood community, we feel incredibly fortunate to be working in LA,' said Hardwicke. 'We're working together with a crazy cool group of actors and filmmakers to make an intensive, provocative and joyful film.' Fuhrman is represented by UTA and Luber Roklin; Shahidi by CAA and Ryan Nord; Cimino by CAA, Megan Silverman Management and attorney Christopher Abramson; Zovatto by CAA and Luber Roklin; Powell by Pakula/King & Associates and The Rosenzweig Group; Kemp by Innovative Artists; McKenna by UTA, Atlas Artists and Yorn, Levine, Barnes; Hardwicke by CAA and Manage-ment; and Sheff by CAA and Manage-ment. Best of Deadline 2025 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Oscars, Spirits, Tonys, Guilds & More 'Michael' Cast: Who's Who In The Michael Jackson Biopic Jonathan Majors' Film And TV Roles - Photo Gallery
