Absolutely magical: Steph Cattanach
By Kimberly Grabham - January 31, 2024
“There is a sanctuary inside us all.
It is important to remember who we are, before anything bad happened in our lives.
We all have purity and kindness in our hearts.”
Above left: Steph Cattanach with the iconic mural that adorns the exterior of The Spot Gallery, and (right) with new owner Em Armstoring, of Saltbush Stretch. Images: Mads Porter Photography.
Steph Cattanach is one of those rare people. The vibe that you feel from her, is just something that cannot be put into words. A more cynical person would question if she is real; she has that unworldly quality. The honest truth is - she is as real as you can get.
Earnest, with the very best of intentions, a person with a journey, and a person who has the most sincere and wonderful intentions for all around her. A person, who I would truly aspire to be. Many would know her journey, or part of it.
The proprietor of The Spot for around seven years, she has made things happen in town, and inspired many. She has brought together people from all walks of life, encouraged, lifted and inspired. Steph married her husband, Mick Cattanach in 1994. They moved to Carrathool to make a life together on the land. After a time, Steph attained a role at Hay Hospital, as Diversional Therapist/Registered Nurse, and met her good friends Leanne Cogndon and Louise Hurst. After enjoying a happy 18 months in the district, the couple moved on, to try their luck somewhere else. Mick pursued university education, and the couple spent the next 20 years living life and raising their children.
When Steph first moved back to Hay, she accompanied her mother-in-law, Robyn Cattanach, when she was getting a free mammogram. What happened after was the last thing she ever expected.
“I was there, so I thought I may as well get a free mammogram too,” Steph recalled.
“The results came back, and it was discovered that I had breast cancer. I was so lucky, they caught it early. I had radiation, and am now in eight years of remission. It is so weird, as awful as it was, it was a blessing in disguise, moving to Hay and discovering that at the best possible time.”
Steph and Mick originally moved back to Hay with the intention of staying for six months, so they could show their children what life was like in the country.
“We were here for one week and that was all it took. I knew I never wanted to leave,” Steph said.
That feeling still remained at the end of that initial six months. The children were settled and happy, and they had sold their house in Melbourne, so it all seemed to fit.
“Everyone here was so supportive, and it was so much easier to buy in Hay,” Steph said.
Opening The Spot was always something that Steph had wanted to do.
“It all began when I brought (Hobart-born mural artist) Ghost Patrol out to paint the mural on my shed. That opened my eyes to the fact that artists are just humans, like the rest of us.
“Then, when The Spot building was up for sale, I thought it was a prime opportunity to do something different. A pop up of sorts, the kind that they have in cities.
“I was all over the shop, knowing what I wanted to do and to accomplish, and had a million different thoughts and ideas running through my head.
“It turned into something really great, something that I am proud of and grateful for.
“The opportunity and the space to encourage, to show people that we are all just people having a go.
“Working with all walks of life, including children, and sending that message that you don’t have to get things done right the first time, and things do not have to be perfect, we all just have a go, and get in touch with our creative selves. That brought me such joy.”
Something else that meant so much to her was the friendships and people she met, including wonderful local artists and interesting people such as Sarah Cannon, Dan Gregory, Cheryl Ridley, Linda Wright, Suzie Williment, Lindy Stewart, Debbie Donohoe, Chris and Margie McClelland, Libby Baldwin, Jimmy Ovens, and so many others.
After a long time of many varied successes, Steph came to feel that unless she did further training, things could not progress, and she needed a shakeup of sorts.
“I loved what I was doing, I just felt like it was time to hand over. I would like to take some time to just ground myself, and stop for a while, and enjoy the journey.
“At 54, I feel as though I have had such an incredible journey, and would like to take the time to understand myself and do the spiritual work in order to make the next 20 or more years equally as amazing.”
Steph is very open with the struggles she has had throughout her life. When she was younger, she had a problem with gambling, and would travel suburbs away to gamble, so that she wouldn’t be seen by anyone she knew.
“Sitting there, in the pokies room, surrounded by smoke and people generations older than me, I knew I didn’t belong, but it just called to me.
“The music still affects me, it is a subconscious connection the brain makes. The music, and the gambling would give me the biggest high, and there were also the biggest lows.
“I called Gamblers Anonymous, I called the number at the pub. I was in my early thirties, and that is when I sought counselling. It was the biggest eye opener for me, the meetings. There were wealthy people, business people, poor people - all kinds.”
Steph expressed anger at the gambling world. To her, it is an insidious thing that is creeping into a lot of aspects of life, and is now as easy to do as opening an app, or jumping online.
“On the bottom of the screen, on the football, the odds are displayed all the time. And things are being so geared towards young people these days, and being normalised.
“In my time, things had only started to get to that point. Yes, you could do it from home, but you had to call and place the bet, nowadays it is all in the click of buttons, at home, or on the phone. How do they even know that these people are 18?”
Steph grew up in Cooma, and something that stuck in her memory from an early age were snap judgements made by people, or people pushing opinions on others about what they believed other people were or were not capable of.
“One time I was told that I couldn’t possibly be in the choir, because I was tone deaf,” she recalled.
“How can someone say that to someone? It struck me and still strikes me, that if people plant a seed in a child to believe in themselves, it doesn’t matter if they don’t have the perceived skills as yet, they are just out there having a go.”
Growing up with a father who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Steph says that that experience made her understand so much about mental health.
“He had major highs, and major lows. It was a big secret back in those days, and to a certain extent, mental health issues are still stigmatised. It’s funny, if my dad had cancer, people would have rallied around us, but to them he would just have looked crazy.”
She implores people to reach out, seek help in whatever way feels comfortable to them.
“I have gotten so much from speaking to counsellors and seeking therapy, I am not embarrassed to admit that I sought therapy.
“They are not there to judge, they are trained to listen, and give support and advice.
“If you are brave enough to share, then you find out that you are not alone.” It did come as a surprise to her though, that she ended up having struggles with depression.
“I always held the belief that because my dad had had bipolar, and I grew up with that and experienced what that was like, that myself or my family would never have issues, but I have had my struggles over the years. I have suffered depression, and I have had a gambling problem. Gambling is a serious, terrible illness, and seeking help was scary but worth it.”
Steph says that these days, she is so comfortable in her skin, and who she is. She said it has been a long road, and she has done a lot of work to get to where she is today.
“We all have the potential, change is possible, and it is never too late for change.
“There is so very much that I am grateful for, so lucky that I met Mick, and yes, we have had our major ups and downs.
“Mick has always been so incredibly supportive, and we did lose money, but not everything.
“We give each other space, encourage each other, and have time out from each other. As time goes on, Steph finds herself revelling in the joys of doing what makes her happy, rather than walking to the tune of public opinion.
“We don’t have to do everything solely for the view of other people. I have become somewhat of a feminist over time, becoming happy in my own skin. “A time ago, I shaved my head, going from dying my hair every six to eight weeks, to going completely grey.
“One time I was talking about it with my kids, and listening to a song, ‘I am Woman’, by Claire Bowditch, and I felt really empowered, and it really resonated.
“I said to the kids how I wish I was brave enough to do that, to shave my head like the person on the cover, and then to go grey. They encouraged me, they said, “why not you should do it, you can do it.” So, I did. Everyone can do it, everyone has the capacity for courage, and to have my children back me meant everything.”
Never an alcoholic, Steph did make the conscious decision to give up alcohol.
“I felt so awesome, so much better after I did, better in myself. It’s still so foreign to many that you can go out and have a fantastic night without alcohol, but I do.”
One of the most touching things about Steph is that she has not let the struggles she has had in life scar or alter the wonderful person that she is.
“There is a sanctuary inside us all. It is important to remember who we are, before anything bad happened in our lives. We all have purity and kindness in our hearts, and it is important to find that little person inside you, the one that was there before everything happened to you, and realise she is still there, despite what may have happened.
“One time, the speaker at a wellbeing course I attended said, if we all went and wrote our eulogy in three lines, it would make you think.
“It can be a way to look back and change things, for what we would like people at our funeral, our loved ones to remember us for.”
Steph encourages people to reach out, and connect with her, or someone that they feel comfortable with, to chat and get it out, regardless of what it may be.
“Thank you to the community of Hay, for all of the love, and support. I am so excited, not only for the next chapter of the Spot, but for so many things. I have been so fortunate to have met so many wonderful people, and to have made lifelong friends.”
Steph, always thinking of others, is hoping to form a women’s group some way down the track, where women can meet once a month to get together, hold space and listen to each other. Coming across people like Steph Cattanach in life is something not to be trifled with. Smart people use the inspiration, and the energy of truly incredible people like this to reflect, and think about the people they would like to be.
She truly epitomises what life is all about, to live without ego, and to touch the lives of others in the best, and most altruistic way. I think seeing the bravery of people, to have them share their story and demonstrate that they are human, and have struggles like us all, while maintaining that indefinable essence of who they are, is something to behold.
Thank you for being a part of Hay, Steph.
This story was originally published in The Riverine Grazier on August 30, 2023
