Maggie Beer is a cook, food author, restaurateur and food manufacturer originally from Sydney. She has written nine books and appeared in many TV programs, including MasterChef Australia and her own show, The Cook and the Chef. Maggie’s gourmet products are loved around Australia.

Well, Margaret Anne,

There might be 13 Margarets in your class so your surname is the identifying handle but I wouldn’t worry about that and I can assure you that you’ll find a derivative of ‘Margaret’ that suits you well, and years later you’ll make it official by deed poll. Of the things I want to say to you, the thing that is most important in life is searching for what will give you happiness. It’s a long journey and I want you to take courage that not fitting in actually gives you more strength and resilience than you can imagine right now. When you are lonely, books will be your friends but there is so much more you could do. You learn so easily if you’re interested but you don’t have the discipline of study. Think of what you could do with that extra edge, and even though you don’t like physics and chemistry, find another way into the subject if you don’t connect with your teacher, as everything you learn opens your mind to more exciting threads of knowledge. In the future there will be a revolution in learning in the internet that will link you into an unthinkable amount of knowledge; how exciting this is.

You might be a loner at heart but connections are vital and you need to search for them. Find a sport you love and be part of a team, a group, and have a go. The exhilaration of physical activity is real but it’s best of all when there is an element of fun. Don’t feel you have to be brilliant at everything so don’t have a fear of failure, try as many things as you can. Never stop searching for what engages you. Experiences are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle: one day they will all come together. Travel is a wonderful way of expanding your experience, your mind and finding new friendships. Travel will give you joy but along the road there is heartache too. That is part of life so it’s how you cope with it, what you learn from it that’s important. Don’t lose those rose-coloured glasses of yours; that ability to believe in the good and always be using that lateral brain of yours to find the way to solutions and see them as challenges not problems. Always be kind, particularly to those who are lost in some way, and never stop looking for the way of belonging.

Maggie