I really enjoyed speaking at the Montefiore Brunch at Leonda about my Oprah experience and bringing Happiness and positivity into our lives!!! xxx
MONTEFIORE BRUNCH – JEWISH NEWS – June 2011
MELBOURNE LIFE – THE AGE – May 30, 2011
Oprah Suprises me at my place!
OMG-I NEVER get sick of watching this!!! What an AMAZING night !!! xxxxxxxxxxx
Megan Castran defends Oprah’s Melbourne sledge
Oprah taught me to encourage positivity
Victorians jostle for a slice of Oprah windfall
YOU can already picture it. Oprah Winfrey and 300 viewers traversing the cobblestones of Hosier Lane to gaze at the graffiti. Oprah teetering in her Jimmy Choos, viewers armed with fanny packs.
Oprah is bound for the Sydney ”Oprah House” in December as part of her ”Ultimate Australian Adventure” and although it’s not confirmed that the billionaire is coming to ”trendy” Melbourne to drop some cash, some of her entourage is. Plenty of prominent Melburnians are already hoping to roll out the red carpet for the woman herself.
Oprah has said she wants to bunk down with a ”real Aussie” and Toorak’s Megan Castran has the welcome mat ready. She spreads Oprah-style positive thinking on her Jewelchic Facebook page and met her idol in Hawaii in 2006. Their photo hangs in her home. Oprah referred to Megan when saying ”wonderful Australian viewers” went to her show and asked when she was coming down under.
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Megan has been in the audience every year since, asking her in 2007: ”Do you remember me from Hawaii?” Oprah said: ”Was that you? I’ve always wanted to come to Australia. I’ll have to call you.” Megan handed over her business card.
In January this year when they spoke again, Oprah said: ”I still have your card. It’s in my Australia file.” Megan said: ”You said you’ll call me. I really hope you do.”
Megan, if she gets the chance, will invite her to taco night, a gathering that’s been held every Monday for 20 years, and take her to Anglesea to see kangaroos lazing on the golf course.
And while Oprah is still finalising her itinerary, here’s something to tempt her here: the Ultimate Melbourne Adventure.
Sip a coffee at Pellegrini’s, have a cocktail at the rooftop Siglo Bar and tuck into the mammoth passionfruit pavlova at Rockpool. Brave a hook turn, queue for dim sims at the South Melbourne Market or a snag at a Bunnings sausage sizzle. Circle Chadstone’s car park to find a spot, and when the shopping is done, find the car. Receive a cheerio from 3AW’s Bruce Mansfield and Philip Brady. Watch an irate Melburnian return a bad coffee.
There’s the Gay Paree end of Collins Street, Christine Barro’s salon in Flinders Lane and the pink graffitied Le Louvre in South Yarra. Yanks who are bamboozled that ”Ossies” have Christmas in summer can gape at the snow in the Myer Christmas windows. At David Jones, a $12 siphon coffee awaits at Sensory Lab. For a stylish pit stop, the view is breathtaking from the Sofitel’s toilets on the 35th floor.
J’Aton designers Jacob Luppino and Anthony Pittorino have a three-month waiting list for gowns, which are priced from $4000, but they’d whip up a masterpiece in 24 hours by burning the midnight oil. Luppino said: ”It would be an honour to make Oprah a garment.”
Toni Maticevski’s creations start at $6000 and he’d sew one in five days. ”It would be lots of fun,” he said. Back at Hosier Lane, chef Frank Camorra’s MoVida has a three-month waiting list for a table but he’d make one available.
For Tourism Minister Tim Holding, taxpayers are contributing ”less than $1 million” to the $3 million bill, but the payoff is global TV exposure. With Oprah screening in 145 countries, she has 40 million viewers in the US alone, vision of her standing in Federation Square shouting, ”Hello, Melborn,” would outdo Paul Hogan throwing a shrimp on the barbie. ”Oprah is very welcome in Victoria,” Mr Holding said.
The megastar is so welcome that he would take her to Dandenong’s Afghan Pamir Restaurant so the owner, his ”mate” Baryalai Rahimi, could serve her his famous maantu dumplings with mince.
After the travel-brochure sights of the Great Ocean Road, Healesville Sanctuary, the Dandenongs and lunch at the Cuckoo, there’s the Kath and Kim adventure at Fountain Gate.
To navigate the city, the Three Thousand website for cool cats has an iPhone application with a ”Must See” list. For souvenirs, the Chapel Street Bazaar is a treasure trove of bits and bobs – ask for Robbie. The Melbourne Style store in South Melbourne has a koala dinner bell and scarf decorated with the names Kylie Minogue and Dame Edna Everage. Fitzroy’s Third Drawer Down ”Museum of Art Souvenirs” has an Australian Geographic ”Aussie slang bottler opener” with a ”G’day mate” recording for $9.95, and Aussie Disposals has a $29.95 folding toilet.
The trip wouldn’t be complete without lord mayor Robert Doyle’s busker walking tour.
Off the beaten track, Mr Holding could take her hiking on Mount Feathertop. BYO emergency beacon.
Jewels Of Inspiration
Kate gets her sparkle from a jewellery gem
TWO people who’ve journeyed on a rocky lifeboat are Wayne Carey and Kate Neilson. Carey spoke of his regrets at his North Melbourne Hall of Fame induction, saying he was successful as a footballer but a “failure as an emotionally mature man”, but how has it been for the woman who has stood by him? Neilson has found inspiration from the positive-thinking videos posted on YouTube by Megan Castran, wife of real-estate agent Paul Castran, leading to a friendship between the women. Neilson told Diary: “Megan was very inspirational at a time in my life that I needed inspiration. She’s so passionate about life, so positive. She’s a good friend to have.” Neilson and Carey will soon move into their luxurious new Gold Coast home at Broadbeach Waters and Neilson, a striking brunette, has a new lease on life after signing with Dallys Model Management, the agency founded in 1950 by doyenne June Dally-Watkins. When the couple ventured on to the red carpet at the Australian Fashion Design Awards, Neilson wore a necklace and earrings made by Megan, a jewellery designer who calls her YouTube channel Jewelchic. Megan, the mother of Max and Zoe, is a suburban self-help queen inspired by Oprah, posting videos called “Why I Am Loving Life” and “5 Things Happy People Do”. Her messages have touched Neilson, who said: “I love her videos. When you’re not feeling your best, she says the right thing.” A dose of Megan’s musings is just a click away.
Rollerskate mum wants to get you caught on film
THERE are many facets to one of Toorak’s most vivacious, Megan Castran . The wife of unreal estate agent Paul Castran, from CastranGilbert, is best known for her jewellery business and is a walking advertisement for her trinkets but she’s also a dedicated YouTuber, filing online video reports under the name Jewelchic. Without setting out to be, the gal with the grin has become a self-help guru, inspiring those who need inspiration with her “100-day challenge” spiritual quest. She has made pilgrimages to Chicago to watch Oprah, for it was the talk-show queen who inspired her to start beading. Then there’s social butterfly Megan who has been flitting about with her camera for 20 years documenting people and places. Now, the butterfly has sprouted new wings. Megan is hitting the social circuit with her video camera to post parties on YouTube and for a recent disco-themed Myer soiree, turned up on her rollerskates. Not bad for the 41-year-old mother of Max and Zoe. “It’s one thing seeing still photos but another thing showing the moving pictures,” the trailblazer said. Incidentally, Megan goes rollerskating on Sunday with her daughter at Scoresby’s Caribbean Gardens and says the talent extends to others: “Paul is a good skater.” But that’s not his preferred method of rolling up to appointments. Megan is shaking up the real estate industry by posting videos on the CastranGilbert website of Paul sharing his knowledge, even walk-throughs of homes. Other agents wouldn’t dream of copying the idea. They’re not that type.








