Family

LGA: Wollongong

how we met

Interview: Skyla Yorke
Family
5 minutes read

For Amy Cuneo and Bronwyn Pessey, meeting over coffee at Amy’s Woonona cafe All & Sundry was fortuitous for the mums to be. Over ten years later, with kids in tow, they still catch up for Monday night dinners.

Names, suburbs, age of kid/s

My name is Amy, I live in Bellambi and my three kids are aged 10, 8 and 4.

Can you share a little about your backgrounds and who is in your family?

My husband and I moved down to the Illawara about 12 years ago as we wanted to open our own cafe outside Sydney with made from scratch food and great coffee. We ran All and Sundry in Woonona for seven years but after we had two boys we found we needed to pass on the baton. We sold in 2019 just before Covid hit. That same year we had our third son who has Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome) and spent his first three months in hospital needing open heart surgery which was a tough time to say the least.

Where did you meet each other and how did your friendship develop?
I met Bron through the cafe. She used to come in on a Saturday morning with a big smile. Later we met again through a friend and realised we were both due to have our first baby a few weeks apart.

What was your early experience of parenting and what does this season look like now?

When I first become a mother I loved the space and time I had to be with my new much loved son. I did struggle with feelings of loneliness though as the rest of the world was busy at work. These days parenting is a lot more frantic with two kids in school and my third son in preschool. We work hard with him as he requires more investment to learn and be a part of the world, we have had to adapt to his needs and even though we are tired ALL the time, he brings us mountains of joy and laughter.

In what ways did you support each other (especially in those early days) and has this since changed?

In those early days we would spend mornings on a rug on the grass with our babies rolling around. It felt good to have someone going through some of the same things and lots of different things. We also started – seven years ago, a Monday night dinner that we still do now. We call it ‘family dinner’. In the early days we would help each other bathe the children and do dinner and just be together during the chaos that is dinnertime with young kids. It has been a constant and highlight for our kids over the years.

How do you like to spend time together?

We like to do life together. She stays overnight with my kids when I am in labour, or my kid is in hospital, I turn up for her however she needs me to. And you know if we get to have a drink together every now and then, even better.

How would you describe Bron in three words?

Thoughtful, creative and faithful.

Names, suburbs, age of kid/s

My name is Bronwyn, my daughter is Gabby, and we live in Corrimal, Gabby is 9.

Can you each share a little about your background and who is in your family?

I grew up in the Illawarra, moved away for a while and came back 14 years ago. Gabby’s dad and I are separated and I have no family nearby so our immediate family consists of Gabby and I and our two cats (Gabby always reminds me to add them in). Amy and her family are our chosen family!

Where did you meet each other and how did your friendship develop?

Amy and I met when she and Josh owned their cafe. The first time I met Amy I decided I needed to make her my friend, I thought she was so cool! I still think she’s cool. Our strong bond began when we were both only a few weeks pregnant with our first babies.

Can you share what your early experience of parenting was like and what this season looks like now?

Those early days were quite a shock! I struggled with postnatal depression and found it pretty difficult at first. Jesse was born a month after Gabby and Amy and I found our parenting feet together. We realised that doing our days together could make them easier!

When Gabby and Jesse were two, Elke was born and I was going through a separation. Once a week we would pool our dinner supplies and do the evening routine together. More hands made light work of the cooking, bathing and feeding of babies, and I felt like I could still give Gabby a family experience. We still do our weekly family dinners all these years later (as long as no one is sick!)

In what ways did you support each other (especially in those early days) and has this since changed?

Amy always turned up with arms wide open, ready to scoop me up. Or a big smile and a cup of tea ready to just do the day together. She still has the same open arms and heart and despite the chaos and fullness of her own life, she still holds space for me when I need it, that has not changed! We laugh, we cry and she feels like my family. When someone makes you a cup of tea and remembers how you like it every time, that’s true friendship!

I’ll never forget the honour of staying with Jesse and Elke when Amy went into labour with Asa. It felt like a special time to support them.

How do you like to spend time together?

Amongst the chaos of family time! I love the hustle and bustle of a big family even if it’s just once a week. Every now and then Amy and I get to hang out sans kids and catch up without interruptions (I secretly miss the interruptions when they’re not around though).

Can you describe Amy in three words?

Golden. True. Formidable.