SALLY Mlikota, owner/director of CBC Staff Selection, says her average Saturday is spent taking her daughter horse-riding at Crystal Cascades and then watching her son%u2019s soccer match.

"We do a family bike ride in the afternoon from home at Earlville, to town, along the Esplanade, back to the Botanical Gardens, and home again.

I have a son Luke, aged 13, a daughter, Zoe, aged 11, and my husband John, who is in his 40s.

Recently, on Saturday evenings I have been going to lots of balls, four to be exact, but that is not usual.

Normally we would probably have friends over for dinner.

My husband is a cook, and my friends also enjoy cooking.

We have a boat, so if the weather is good, we will go out to the Reef, but that is infrequent and weather-dependent.

My Sundays are also family oriented, so we might go out to breakfast or lunch and bring the dog to the beach. He is a blue heeler named Lawson.

Weekends are sacred, so no work on weekends. I think I’ve worked three weekends in 10 years.

My ideal weekend is very family focused and friends-focused. I’m quite active so it’s also very fitness-focused.

My son loves fishing, so I might sit awhile with him on a Sunday afternoon.

My hobby is my work, which I do every week, Monday to Friday.

It is my hobby because I love it.

I went to a fortune teller years ago, and she forecast that I would open a business and it would be my hobby.

On Friday for my ideal weekend, I would have a home‑cooked meal and watch a nice DVD with the family, with a bottle of red.

My passion is trying to keep fit, which is difficult because I love good food and wine.

Two years ago I climbed Mt Kilimanjaro, in June, 2010, and I have done something every year for the past six years.

I did the Mareeba to Chillagoe wheelbarrow race for three days, and this year I am going to do the bike ride from Cairns to Cooktown, so I’m going to have to crank up the training.

My favourite place in the world is Far North Queensland.

I have lived in Africa, India, Europe, and Asia, but my favourite place is still Far North Queensland. You step off the plane and it’s coming back home.

I left Cairns as a backpacker in 1988 but I knew one day I’d be back. I came back in 1999 with my husband when I was pregnant as he has family here.

When I’m at home alone, I don’t usually listen to music. I tend to turn off the TV and stereo to have peace and quiet. I love peace and quiet."

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