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Anja de Rozario

Writer and journalist based in Melbourne, Australia. Learn More.

Recent Works

Canberra Weekly •

How teens shop local: 18-year-old Canberra designer shares wares

Here in Canberra, shopping local is a point of pride. Whether it’s to rep the Bush Capital, or to support local maker-centric markets and boutiques, we proudly sport our Canberra made treasures. See: Bus shelter earrings.

While worth the investment, buying locally made can come at a higher price point, but that’s not stopping Canberra teens, according to experts in local street fashion @canberra.core.

“There’s such a push with younger generations towards sustainability. They’re very into buyin
Canberra Weekly •

What is Canberra Core? Trendsetters talk local street style

Despite appearing less than two months ago (27 May), the titillating Instagram @canberra.core has already made a name for itself as the only page “doing the street style thing” in Canberra.

Back in July 2020, slow motion clips of pedestrians in Shanghai, Beijing, casually strutting the streets while wearing impossibly cool outfits took over TikTok, inspiring countless copycat (walks) hailing from Milan, Paris, New York.

While the rest of us were trapped indoors and in sweatpants, living vicari
Canberra Weekly •

28-year-old Canberra woman heads towards Homeless World Cup

In about 10 days’ time, a team of eight street soccer players, brought together by backgrounds in homelessness and disadvantage, will represent Australia at the 2023 Homeless World Cup.

The Big Issue Street Socceroos are heading towards Sacramento, California where the Cup will take place on 8 July. Among them is Caity, the only Canberran, and the only woman on the team.

Her teammates may tower over her in size, but Caity welcomes her opponents to underestimate her. It only makes it that much
Canberra Weekly •

Challenging perceptions of homelessness at Vinnies CEO Sleepout in Canberra

On the longest night of the year, Thursday 22 June, Canberra’s CEOs and leaders will sleep out for homelessness in the National Museum of Australia’s Garden of Australian Dreams – where the word ‘home’ is emblazoned in 80 different languages.

The Vinnies CEO Sleepout has raised a few eyebrows over the years, along with the millions of dollars for homelessness support services. Christine Shaw, of Blackshaw Manuka, “throws down the gauntlet” for naysayers to take part.
Canberra Weekly •

‘Private world of pain’ portraits of endometriosis

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, which aims to raise the profile of a debilitating disease that affects one in nine Australian women.

Canberra artist Melissa Hammond photographed local woman Kristy Stephenson, who lives with Stage IV Endometriosis – the most advanced stage.

“I said, I could show you all my scars from my surgeries, but she wanted to find out what pain looks like for me.

“For me, pain is usually in the middle of the night."
Canberra Weekly •

Have you been to Kita? Canberra’s midnight café

If you’ve watched Midnight Diner on Netflix, chances are you have also longed for your own nocturnal cafe to curl up in with some good food, in a space that is both cosy and liminal.

In Canberra, that space is easy to find. Simply ask the nearest hospo worker, emergency services operator, or insomniac, and they will point you towards Kita Café in Narrabundah.

The constants of the café include mismatched flooring reminiscent of Indonesian Warung, eclectic décor that shouldn’t go together, but j
Canberra Weekly •

Catching up with Stefania, lingerie model and role model in lingerie

It’s been over five years since Stefania Ferrario – one of the most famous models from the national capital since Lara Cox – graced the cover of Canberra Weekly. Now that she’s ‘made it,’ the 29-year-old is using her platform to speak up about animal rights, with millions watching.

When we last caught up with Stefania (27 July 2017), she had just been named one of the four faces of Melbourne Fashion Week, after being put on the map as the face of internationally renowned burlesque star, Dita Vo
Canberra Weekly •

Canberra stylist’s tips for starting at square one

When Amy Abrahams’ first child was three and a half, she was shocked to look around and realise that, in all that time, she only had half a dozen photos with him.

Despite growing up with the relentless beauty standards of the 1990s and early 2000s, Amy had never shied away from dressing up. After all, she had worked for seven years for a major plus-size fashion brand.

“This is wild, I thought. I have always had an interesting relationship with my body and with fashion growing up, finding where
Canberra Weekly •

Viva Magenta! Was Pantone's Colour of the Year born at Paris Fashion Week?

I’m sure I’m not the only one who thought 2023’s Pantone Colour of the Year would be the viral Barbiecore pink that’s been dominating red carpets, or perhaps that one shade of orange that warmed the runways of New York Fashion Week. Instead, we got Viva Magenta.

If you’re wondering what might have inspired this choice, look no further than Paris Fashion Week 2023 (26 September–4 October), which recently took place in the home of all things couture.
Canberra Weekly •

From the island of Lombok, Rasa Rosa arrives at Verity Lane

If, like me, you’ve been experiencing a hankering for authentic Indonesian food in Canberra, look no further than the latest addition to Verity Lane Market, Rasa Rosa.

‘Rasa’ means flavour in Indonesian, but also ‘sense’ or ‘feeling’. Native speakers describe the word as a blank canvas on which you paint what you feel.

Rasa Rosa was similarly born when the empty space left by previous tenant, Ramen Daddy, was brought to life by 63-year-old Rosa Djapa’s long and profound journey with food.

“So
Canberra Weekly •

Canberra-born duo Peking Duk creates non-alcoholic ‘Fake Magic Lager’

Canberra boys, Reuben Styles and Adam Hyde, are encouraging Aussies to get on the non-alcs in time for summer, protecting their physical and mental health by breaking bad pandemic drinking habits.

Non-alcoholic beverages may seem like an unusual choice for the electronic music sensation, who have most certainly been the soundtrack to big boozy nights across the continent. Even more so when considering these hometown rockers happen to own a block of the Melbourne bar scene.
Canberra Weekly •

A woman of spirit: Adele Auva’a

A finalist in Lifeline Canberra’s 2022 Women of Spirit Awards, Adele Auva’a is a survivor, a proud Samoan woman, and a community mentor to young girls. Above all that, however, she’s a mum of two.

“Straight up, being a single mum is the one hurdle I’m still overcoming to this day,” says Adele.

“Growing up in our culture, we always saw that you stay in your relationship – whether you’re happy or you’re not, because it’s that union, supposedly, that will carry you.”
Canberra Weekly •

Fragile X Family: ‘We’re out there, but no one knows’

Wife Sharon, husband Eugene, eldest son Ben, daughter Emily, and youngest son Gabe, of inner south Canberra, are proud to say they are not a perfectly normal family, thank you very much.

Fragile X syndrome is an under-recognised and frequently misdiagnosed genetic disorder caused by fragility in the X chromosome.

It is the leading cause of inherited developmental disability, affecting approximately one in 5,000 people.
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