Month: August 2022

Categories
Entertainment

Vanessa Amorosi cuts short her live interview on Sunrise upon news of Olivia Newton-John’s death

Australian singer Vanessa Amorosi cut short her live interview on Sunrise on Tuesday, as she learned the news of Olivia Newton-John's death and became overcome with emotion. Pictured center with Tina Arena and Olivia at a press conference ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Sydney in 2000

Australian singer Vanessa Amorosi became overcome with emotion on Tuesday after Olivia Newton-John’s death, during a live interview on Sunrise.

The 41-year-old was chatting to hosts Natalie Barr and David ‘Kochie’ Koch about performing at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham when she was asked about her memories with late Grease star Olivia.

Towards the end of the chat, Vanessa called time on the interview as she broke down in tears after a picture of herself, Olivia and Tina Arena flashed up on screen.

Australian singer Vanessa Amorosi cut short her live interview on Sunrise on Tuesday, as she learned the news of Olivia Newton-John's death and became overcome with emotion. Pictured center with Tina Arena and Olivia at a press conference ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Sydney in 2000

Australian singer Vanessa Amorosi cut short her live interview on Sunrise on Tuesday, as she learned the news of Olivia Newton-John’s death and became overcome with emotion. Pictured center with Tina Arena and Olivia at a press conference ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Sydney in 2000

‘We know it’s a sad day for you and so many people, but we wanted to show this photo from quite a few years ago of you, Olivia Newton-John and Tina Arena,’ Natalie said.

‘Can you talk us through those memories, that time, Vanessa?’

Vanessa replied: ‘Both of these women are women I have looked up to since I was a kid… I don’t know. I’m actually very sad about Olivia, to be honest. It’s…’ she trailed off before raising her hand to signal the end of the interview.

Towards the end of the chat, Vanessa called time on the interview as she broke down in tears after a picture of herself, Olivia and Tina Arena flashed up on screen. 'I'm actually very sad about Olivia, to be honest,' she said

Towards the end of the chat, Vanessa called time on the interview as she broke down in tears after a picture of herself, Olivia and Tina Arena flashed up on screen. ‘I’m actually very sad about Olivia, to be honest,’ she said

Vanessa did the interview after performing on stage at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. Pictured on stage at the event

Vanessa did the interview after performing on stage at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. Pictured on stage at the event

Earlier at the start of the chat, live from Birmingham, Vanessa said she walked off stage to the sad news and hadn't had time to 'process' it yet

Earlier at the start of the chat, live from Birmingham, Vanessa said she walked off stage to the sad news and hadn’t had time to ‘process’ it yet

The picture showed the trio at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Earlier at the start of the chat, live from Birmingham, Vanessa said she walked off stage to the sad news and hadn’t had time to ‘process’ it yet.

‘I don’t particularly want to think about it, because I’ll get very emotional,’ Vanessa said.

‘I just literally had one of the highest endorphins that just happened out there [at the closing ceremony], to being extremely sad coming offstage and checking my phone. I don’t think I’ve really processed it yet,’ she said.

Olivia’s death was announced by her husband John Easterling on Monday on her social media pages. The Australian icon passed away at the age of 73 after battling stage four metastatic breast cancer.

'I don't particularly want to think about it, because I'll get very emotional,' Vanessa said

‘I don’t particularly want to think about it, because I’ll get very emotional,’ Vanessa said

Olivia's death was announced by her husband John Easterling on Monday on her social media pages. She passed away at the age of 73 after battling stage four metastatic breast cancer

Olivia’s death was announced by her husband John Easterling on Monday on her social media pages. She passed away at the age of 73 after battling stage four metastatic breast cancer

Easterling said his wife died at her Southern California home surrounded by family and friends.

‘Dame Olivia Newton-John (73) passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends,’ he wrote.

‘We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.

‘Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer.

'Dame Olivia Newton-John (73) passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends,' he wrote

‘Dame Olivia Newton-John (73) passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends,’ he wrote

‘Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer,’ he added.

The family asked for donations to be made to her cancer organization, the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, instead of flowers.

She is survived by her 36-year-old daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, 36.

The actress famously beat breast cancer twice but was diagnosed again in 2017.

She spent the last few years at home, campaigning for animals’ rights and raising money for her charity online.

She was also a strong campaigner for the use of medical cannabis for treatment in Australia.

She is survived by her 36-year-old daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, 36. The actress famously beat breast cancer twice but was diagnosed again in 2017

She is survived by her 36-year-old daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, 36. The actress famously beat breast cancer twice but was diagnosed again in 2017

In a haunting interview with The Guardian in 2020, she said of the disease: ‘It’s been a part of my life for so long.

‘I felt something was wrong. It’s concerning when it comes back, but I thought ‘I’ll get through it again”.

In other interviews, when asked how she battled the disease so bravely, she said: ‘I’ve had and am having an amazing life so I have no complaints.

‘I really don’t. Everyone goes through something. We all have something we need to go through in life. This has been my challenge.’

Earlier this year, Olivia said how she tries to keep positive amid her battle, telling Who magazine: ‘I focus on the positive side of things, no matter what the challenge.’

In light of her diagnosis, Olivia said at the time that she doesn’t focus on statistics or time limits.

‘Positive thinking is so important to living a healthy and happy life,’ she said.

Earlier this year, Olivia said how she tries to keep positive amid her battle, telling Who magazine: 'I focus on the positive side of things, no matter what the challenge'

Earlier this year, Olivia said how she tries to keep positive amid her battle, telling Who magazine: ‘I focus on the positive side of things, no matter what the challenge’

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Categories
Sports

Tyson Fury comes out of retirement, Anthony Joshua, Derek Chisora, heavyweight blockbuster, announcement

Tyson Fury comes out of retirement, Anthony Joshua, Derek Chisora, heavyweight blockbuster, announcement

WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has announced that he’s coming out of his brief retirement from boxing to chase a unique piece of history.

Fury, 33, indicated in April that he was ready to walk away from the sport after his successful title defense against the heavy-hitting Dillian Whyte.

The Gypsy King was adamant that his fighting days were over after the fight with Whyte at Wembley, saying that “no amount of money” could change his mind, although many remained skeptical he had retired for good.

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Less than four months later, one of the biggest names in world sport will return to the boxing ring after calling out Derek Chisora ​​(33-12-0, 23 KOs) for a trilogy bout.

After a highly entertaining series of bouts against American Deontay Wilder, Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs) said that he wants to become the first heavyweight to ever fight two different opponents three times.

“I’ve decided to come back to boxing because I can be the first heavyweight champion in history to have two trilogies, one with Deontay Wilder and a second one with Derek Chisora,” Fury said on video shared on his social media pages.

“I always said I’d fight Derek Chisora ​​at the end of my career and here we are, breaking all records again and setting precedents.”

Chisora ​​ended a three-fight losing run against Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev (29-3-0, 14 KOs) last month by split decision.

The Zimbabwe-born fighter had lost to Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk in 2020, before two consecutive losses to New Zealander Joseph Parker.

Fury also revealed that he has a new trainer, with boxer Isaac Lowe having taken the reigns ahead of the potentially “massive” fight with Chisora.

Lowe replaces the 33-year-olds previous trainer SuperHill Steward, who played a crucial role in Fury’s two wins over Wilder.

“Why I’ve chosen Isaac Lowe as my trainer is because when I was with Peter, Isaac with there. When I was with Ben (Davison), Isaac’s always been there,” Fury added.

“When I with SugarHill, Isaac’s always been there, he’s always given me information, he knows me better than anyone on the planet and we’re a good team.

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 23: Tyson Fury celebrates victory after the WBC World Heavyweight Title Fight between Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium on April 23, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 23: Tyson Fury celebrates victory after the WBC World Heavyweight Title Fight between Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium on April 23, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***Source: Getty Images

“We’ve always been together and we’re going to finish this out together. We’ve always worked very well together and here we are, about to take on a massive, massive, massive event.”

Famous boxing promoter Eddie Hearn doesn’t believe that Fury is the biggest name in boxing anymore, with Anthony Joshua set to fight Usyk for his belts on August 21.

Fury became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world when the then 27-year-old ended Wladimir Klitschko’s control over the division.

But with the world at his feet, the Englishman then fell into a deep depression and had planned to take his own life as he drove his Ferrari 190mph towards a bridge.

Gallen’s BIG plan: Two bouts, one night | 00:38

After putting on weight, getting bigger than 180 kilograms, Fury worked his way back to the ring and quickly became one of the biggest names in world sport once again.

While his showmanship both in and out of the ring has won him many fans, Hearn told GQ earlier this month that Joshua was still the biggest name in the sport.

With Fury having ended his retirement, the door remains open for a potential blockbuster against Joshua – which could be the biggest bout that the sport has seen since Fury’s date with destiny against Klitschko.

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Categories
Australia

Rural ecovillage harvests timber from nearby forest, with houses made from recycled materials

A man standing in a garden, with a mudbrick house in background

In the Fryers Forest, around 50 kilometers south of Bendigo, one group of residents isn’t feeling the rising cost of living as hard as most.

Hamish MacCallum is one of 30 people who live in a rural ecovillage, nestled in the forest in Fryerstown.

Standing in the kitchen of the house he built himself, he proudly explains the kitchen bench was a cypress tree that fell on a local farmer’s property during last year’s storms.

“[It’s about] taking a waste product, a fallen down tree, and turning it into something beautiful,” he says.

“The whole kitchen is recycled.

A man standing in kitchen, kitchen made from timber
A lot of the kitchen cupboards came from someone else’s kitchen.(ABC Central Victoria: Shannon Schubert )

“All the cupboards and drawers, everything came from other kitchens that had been pulled out.”

There’s no heater inside, with the firewood stove in the kitchen emitting more than enough heat to warm the house.

“That’s only been running now for about half an hour,” Mr MacCallum says at 10am.

“It’s generating our hot water and providing us with an oven and a stovetop for cooking on as well.”

A man putting firewood into an oven
Powered by firewood, the house’s stove and oven generates hot water and cooks the family’s meals.(ABC Central Victoria: Shannon Schubert)

Mr MacCallum estimates his power bills are a third of the price of the average family’s electricity bills.

“I’m spending $150 on electricity for three months for the two households,” he says.

“It’s $100 a year for the gas bill.”

The bushfire management consultant and landscape designer put a huge amount of thought into designing and creating the house, with insulation and solar passive design a main priority.

“With a solar passive design, it’s using the sun to heat or cool the house by including or excluding it at particular times of year,” he says.

What looks like a cabin, with wood and roof of foyer room made from wood
The entrance to the houses, also a mudroom, was made from recycled wood, including old furniture.(ABC Central Victoria: Shannon Schubert)

Timber from surrounding forest

Mr MacCallum has become an expert at reusing and recycling.

The house is made from 50 per cent recycled and reused materials, most of which were locally sourced.

On the verandah, two pieces of wooden ‘bush poles’ were eleven trees on this block of land.

A photo of the front door
The two wooden poles were trees on this block of land, which used to be a quarry.(ABC Central Victoria: Shannon Schubert)

Other pieces of wood were collected and stored from unexpected places.

“A lot of the timber came from a timber furniture maker who decided to give up his profession and sell it all on,” he says.

In the Fryers Forest eco-village, residents do forestry work, harvesting timber from the forest around them.

“Our expense is the time we spend collecting the wood from the forest, when we’ve done some tree thinning,” Mr MacCallum says.

A picture of the middle wall of the house, which is mud brick, bordered by wood from trees
The mud brick wall, made from milled timber from the site, collects heat in winter and cool air in summer.(ABC Central Victoria: Shannon Schubert)

“Always when we’re doing forestry, we get the highest value out of the timber as possible.

“Each season, we cut enough to provide the whole village with enough firewood to last them a season.

“The firewood [for the stove] is just a good solid day’s labor and a few days of forestry [work].”

A photo of a wooden frame of a house, when straw was being added as insulation
Some of the materials used for insulation include straw and wool.(Supplied: Hamish MacCallum )

Mr MacCallum refers to the concrete floor as a ‘thermal mass’ which holds the heat and keeps the house warm in winter and cool during summer.

In the middle of the house, a mud brick wall has the same function.

“It stores the cool over the summer and the heat over the winter and then releases it back into the household so you can wake up in the morning without any heating and the house will still be warm,” he says.

“The eaves that overhang the north side of the house, where most of the windows are, stop the sun coming into the house.”

Sharing food eliminates waste

Mr MacCallum’s family shares the house with another family, with two separate living quarters under the one roof.

Their efforts to live sustainably, with as little waste as possible, mean sharing a bathroom, laundry and food.

“A part of our strategy is to buy in bulk foods and to store in a big freezer,” he says.

“I might go hunting and harvest a lot of meat and then store the meat, the fat and the bones … make bone broth or render the fat down into lard or tallow and use that for cooking.”

A man watering a conservatory garden with a hose.
The conservatory stays hot and is able to mimic a tropical climate, for optimal growth conditions.(ABC Central Victoria: Shannon Schubert)

He’s also committed to growing his own fruit and vegetables.

“80 per cent of our fruit and veg can come from [the garden] here,” he says.

But recently Mr MacCallum has been sourcing more of his produce from his local market, rather than his own garden.

“I help him [the seller] pack up and we get to take home a whole heap of fruit and vegetables,” he says.

“Sometimes that means that I’ve got to spend hours or preserving that produce.

“[Sometimes] that’s a few months’ worth of passata bottled and stored in an afternoon.”

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
Hamish MacCallum has built his house using 50 percent second hand materials(ABC Central Victoria: Shannon Schubert)

Built to withstand bushfire

Mr MacCallum has spent years teaching others how to retrofit their houses for bushfire safety, so it was always going to be front of mind in designing and building his own eco-friendly house.

“I wanted to demonstrate how landscapes can reduce bushfire risk and be productive at the same time and beautiful at the same time as well,” he says.

Everything in his yard was planted for bushfire mitigation.

Fruit trees border his backyard, providing a heat shield against the fire front.

“The fruit tree hedge, also protected by the stone wall from radiant heat, acts as a heat and ember filter, as well as wind protection for the fruit and vegetable garden,” he says.

It may have taken years to build, and countless tutorials and tradesmen to help him learn new skills, but Mr MacCallum was never going to shy away from the challenge of living as sustainably and efficiently as possible.

“I wanted to take a piece of degraded land and turn it back into something beautiful and productive,” he says.

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Categories
Business

How David Jones is targeting 582m Chinese customers via WeChat

How David Jones is targeting 582m Chinese customers via WeChat

Upmarket legacy retailer David Jones is arguably better known for its old-fashioned shops and traditional customer service than its online innovation.

But the department store appears to be one of the only Australian retailers tapping into the gigantic Chinese market on a social media platform that boasts 582 million active users a month.

The retailer’s chief marketing officer James Holloman has described the platform Weibo or WeChat as “world leading” combining the elements from other social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and WhatsApp, as well as the ability to pay bills and buy everything from fashion to beauty products .

With more than 40,000 followers and three years on WeChat, Mr Holloman said David Jones’ Chinese clients were “incredibly important” to the retailer, which has signaled unrivaled “commercial success” on the social media platform.

“WeChat is a full ecosystem for mainland China … and it’s almost a one-stop shop for mainland Chinese where they are doing kinda like Facebook, Instagram and a payment wallet all in one,” he told news.com.au.

“You technically follow different accounts and different individuals, and you use it essentially as a WhatsApp version between your friends in terms of messaging, but then you also follow different brands and it’s similar to a really immersive email.

“It’s basically a full immersive ability to shop directly from incredibly immersive posts … and you can follow everyone from Louis Vuitton, Coca Cola, Estee Lauder to Dior.”

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For David Jones, many of his followers are part of the Chinese community living in Australia and the bulk are aged between 25 and 36, Mr Holloman revealed, which has given the retailer “massive growth” from younger shoppers.

One of the department store’s big moves has been around Singles Day, an unofficial holiday and shopping event held on 11 November every year in China, that celebrates people who are not in relationships.

“Last year during the Singles Day shopping event, which is almost the biggest shopping day worldwide and it’s bigger than Black Friday, we did our first live stream,” Mr Holloman said.

“It’s the equivalent of shopping television where we had an hour and a half of fully engaged viewers watching our life stream of all of amazing products and key specials happening over that day and we had 13,000 viewers watching that on WeChat.”

For the Lunar Year in February, they introduced the little red packets which are a traditional gift of money, and allowed people to send them virtually to friends from their account.

Influencers have also been key to the brand’s success, I added.

Mr Holloman said mainland Chinese are important clients for buying premium goods, with a report from consulting firm McKinsey revealing that 50 per cent of the global luxury goods will be purchased by the Chinese by 2025.

“It’s a very hot market for the stuff that we sell,” he added.

“Secondly, there is an audience in Australia that want to be communicated to. There are 1.2 million Chinese born Australians so that’s a huge proportion as it’s almost 5 per cent of the Australian population.

“We want to talk to our clients in the language and way they best feel most comfortable in… and understanding and engaging in and on a platform that they feel most comfortable in.”

This approach has also been translated into stores as well with sales associates who speak fluent Mandarin, he added.

WeChat recently praised David Jones’ SS20 Beauty campaign as a part of a global showcase of best-in-class activity and it was the only international retail store featured on the list.

The beauty campaign, themed Full Bloom, included video, imagery, emails, in-store visual merchandising, a 36-page print booklet and shoppable article pages.

“With clever use of shoppable product display functions and rich graphic design elements, the campaign achieved a click through rate of more than double that of industry benchmarks,” WeChat said.

Another “incredible success story” for the China market has been landing Kim Kardashian’s popular Skims line, Mr Holloman said.

“She can be polarizing, but it’s been a commercial success and from what we hear from customers, they are excited to have such exclusive brands across our network,” he said.

The retailer copped fierce backlash when it announced it was stocking the star’s products, with loyal fans of the store accusing the world-famous influencer of diminishing the retailer’s “class” after DJ’s shared a video to their Instagram page of Kim promoting the brand.

However, despite its investment in WeChat, David Jones has no presence on another social media platform that has been blowing up – TikTok – which has over one billion users.

“We are incredibly strong on Instagram and on Facebook, we have in excess of 400,000 followers on Instagram and 600,000 on Facebook,” Mr Holloman said.

Queensland University of Technology retail expert Dr Gary Mortimer said David Jones’ use of WeChat is a “great strategy”.

“They are taking advantage of a growing middle class affluent Chinese market that does often look for Australian brands and often international brands and David Jones has the ability to provide those brands to that particular audience,” Dr Mortimer told news.com.au.

“When you look at what they are doing in that space they would be aligning themselves with Chinese influencers that connect really well with that Chinese market.

“They would be leveraging really large online promotional events like Singles Day that runs on the 11 November every year and it gets bigger and bigger.

“Singles Day is a bit like Amazon Price day but it turned over about $US85 billion ($A122 billion) last year. The Chinese market is a very valuable and viable market for Australian business and brands.”

Dr Mortimer said China’s population of 1.3 billion compared to the “tiny” 26 million living in Australia also showed it was a lucrative field to play in.

“Trust is huge issue for the Chinese population who are concerned about counterfeiting, so working on a Chinese platform gives legitimacy for David Jones in that market,” he added.

“Woolworths is playing in that space as well.”

In 2015, Woolworths opened its first overseas flagship store on the Tmall website and has also partnered with supermarket 7 Fresh since 2020 offering WeChat as a payment system.

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Categories
Technology

Garmin Enduro 2 boasts 150 hours of battery life for a hefty price tag

Garmin Enduro 2 displaying different exercises on the watch screen

What you need to know

  • Garmin has announced the new Enduro 2 GPS smartwatch for extreme endurance sports.
  • The watch can last up to 150 hours in GPS mode, thanks to its solar charging capability.
  • It also includes touchscreen controls, improved mapping, and better positioning precision.

Many of Garmin’s wearables have become a staple for endurance athletes, and the company is back with a new multisport GPS watch to replace last year’s Garmin Enduro.

Garmin has unveiled (opens in new tab) the Enduro 2, a rugged GPS watch in a lightweight package built for ultra-performance athletes. Perhaps the watch’s main selling point is its extended battery life compared to its predecessor: it’s claimed to last up to 150 hours in GPS mode thanks to its solar charging capability. That’s an impressive 40% increase compared to last year’s model.

Categories
Entertainment

Australian mum reveals hidden signs she missed before partner’s suicide

Australian mum reveals hidden signs she missed before partner's suicide

The night before his suicide, Keda Ward-Meah’s partner made an appointment with his GP to discuss getting a mental health plan.

Sadly, it was too late.

Brendan Knight tragically took his own life in September 2021, after a dark battle with depression that he “hid very well” from his family.

His grieving partner Keda, who spoke to news.com.au and shared images of her partner, said the past 11 months have been “hell” as she has tried to navigate the world without the love of her life by her side.

Tragically, their two little boys Archer, 4, and Elijah, 2, still don’t fully understand why their daddy hasn’t “come home from work”.

For months after his death, the 27-year-old would break down in tears each time her sons asked her why their father “did not want to see them” anymore.

“The boys adored their daddy, especially Archer as he was older” the Fernvale, Queensland, mum said.

“He was a complete daddy’s boy. They were attached at the hip of him.

“I always said they were twin flames, they were so similar in so many ways and were truly best friends.

“Being a mother while my heart was shattered was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.

“The boys being only three and one at the time, they didn’t understand. I told our three-year-old daddy had gone to the sky and would watch over us.

Mental health and suicide are not easy subjects to talk about, but news.com.au wants you to know you’re Not Alone. News.com.au’s Not Alone will raise awareness about these issues and provide you with the resources needed to reach out for help.

“He didn’t understand and still kept asking for months and months when daddy was coming home from work. In his mind, his dad went to work and never came back.

“There were a lot of tears and nightmares and crying at night asking for daddy, asking why he doesn’t want to see us, if he doesn’t love us anymore.

“A lot of begging me to bring him home. They still don’t really understand, although our now four-year-old knows that daddy died and he was sick.

“As they get older they’ll know the truth, and it breaks my heart to think of the grief they’ll go through when they learn what happened.”

Keda said her partner Brendan hid his mental health struggles well.

While more open with her, he still downplayed the severity of his pain.

“I knew he was depressed, his alcohol and gambling had increased and his moods were up and down,” she said.

“But we had been through it before, and with help I thought we would get through it again.

“I had no idea how depressed he was. But looking back there were a lot of signs I missed.

“Change in weight, being withdrawn from social activities, he’d stopped replying to people’s messages, and was up at weird times of the night.

“The night before he passed, he agreed to get help and I made him an appointment for the next week at the GP for a mental health plan.

“Then I went to work for a nightshift, and he took his life 13 hours after I made that appointment.”

Keda said the day her partner took his life replays over and over in her head.

“I got a call from my sister who watched our boys on our overlap between my nightshift and when Brendan would leave for work.” she recalled.

“She told me that he’d left his wallet, phone, and note on the table at home. I rushed home from work and went out to look for him.

“Unfortunately, I ended up finding him at the same time the police did.

“My soul left my body, I collapsed on the dirt road, looked up at the sky, and was screaming ‘no, no, no!’ over and over again.

“Nothing felt real, I thought if I could scream loud enough, he’d hear me on his way to heaven and realize how much I needed him and come back. Silly I know.”

The months following the tragedy, she said she felt like a zombie – but had to stay strong for her boys.

“I barely remember the first eight months after that. The first few weeks I had people around me constantly, which was nice” she said.

“Nothing felt real. I was always waiting for him to walk through the door with a crazy story of where he’d been, or I’d wake up and it would be a terrible dream.

“I fell into a dark depression. But I had to stay strong for our boys.

“Around nine months after it happened, I finally found the right antidepressants, and found a new sense of normalcy.

“We’re doing better now. We’ve found our new normal, and found joy in little things.

“But there is always that feeling of something being missing, that hole in us that is always there.

“I don’t think we’ll ever feel fully complete again.”

By sharing her story, Keda hopes to raise awareness about the importance of highlighting the unique issues associated with men’s mental health.

“I think men’s mental health is still treated as somewhat of a joke” she said.

“When it’s too late and someone dies from suicide, everyone comes out saying ‘it ain’t weak to speak’ but the next day I’ll see the same people telling their mates to toughen up.

“The whole ‘she’ll be right’ attitude. Then someone dies again, and the cycle continues.

“It’s a lot harder for men to speak up because they don’t want to be perceived as weak, or struggling. They want to be the backbone, the strong ones.

“We need to get men help at the first sign of depression.

“Have the tough conversations, get the right medication, the right therapist and the right support.”

Mr Knight is an Indigenous man and his family gave permission for his images to be published.

Read related topics:Not Alone

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Categories
Sports

McLaughlin’s debrief: IndyCar right to go for NASCAR-style finish

McLaughlin's debrief: IndyCar right to go for NASCAR-style finish

Scott McLaughlin on giving it his all on a crazy Sunday in Nashville, in his exclusive Hired Gun column for Speedcafe.com.

Scott McLaughlin

hey crew,

Well, that was a wild old weekend at the race track, wasn’t it?!

But it was a pretty good one as well!

A pole position, a podium finish behind a guy I grew up idolizing, throw in some scorching heat, wild electrical thunderstorms, and an insane race – and I was due for a beer last night.

I won’t lie – the crew and I had a few because we had well and truly earned them!

But what a race!

It’s such a fun event – ​​the closest I can say to the Gold Coast street race, with the event so close to the Nashville party strip.

It’s got a vibe, I’m telling you. Another one for your bucket list!

Everyone there has a great time – even while we waited for lightning to pass across Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

It’s a brutal and punishing track, and with the extreme humidity, it was about as tough conditions as I’ve faced.

So, it was really rewarding to have such a great run.

My car was a weapon all weekend.

We were fast across both practice sessions and then our qualifying lap to grab pole was a ripper. It was SO satisfying to get my second pole – I was absolutely pumped afterwards.

We made a great start – although I was nervous having Romain Grosjean beside me on the front row.

I was relieved we beat him to Turn 1 and then it was just head down to get out the front and stay there.

We got caught out in our first stop with a Caution robbing us a few spots – but I always felt like we were on for a great finish.

Our second stop wasn’t great though – my boys have been great all year, but we had a slow one, and came out 16th.

Still, I never lost my cool.

I know, unlike me, right?!?!

I was ticked off, don’t get me wrong – but I knew I had the car to be able to work our way back to a decent position.

And we just went for it when we went back green – it was the most fun I’ve ever had in a race as we sliced ​​and diced our way through the field.

The first lap when we went back racing, I picked up half a dozen spots.

So, we just chipped away at it and fought our way from 16th back to a podium finish.

In all, we had eight Caution periods – which is the second time is as many years this place has tore a heap of cars up and ensured a grandstand finish with the final Caution bringing out the red flag.

I like that – it set up a wild green-white-checked like NASCAR.

We’re an entertainment sport, and I’m glad we are making sure we can put on a hell of a show.

Scott Dixon and McLaughlin (foreground) on the podium

The final run we realistically only had one-and-a-half laps to have a crack at Scott Dixon for the win.

Just the moment when I was behind him behind the Safety Car was so surreal – Scotty D is a guy I’ve adored for so long.

He’s been so good to me over the years – and even now still looks out for me.

I threw everything at him to try and pass – but we just needed one more lap.

As it was, we landed our second Kiwi quinella – which is super cool for New Zealand motorsport.

We were still thrilled with a second… it was a great points day… and a great weekend to keep our name in lights at such a landmark weekend for our sport.

That’s now our second second place on top of our two wins – plus our second pole, so the year has been full of positives.

We gain one position in the title fight – up to a kilometer in the standings, and I’ll be punching as hard as possible to get up inside the top five with three races to go.

After four straight race weekends we have a week off to have a breather before going again at Gateway.

I’ll speak to you then.

And for those back in Australia – I have some exciting news I’ll tell you about soon.

Thanks all for the support and messages.

scotty

Categories
Australia

Scottish family set to be deported from South Australia tonight

A Scottish family who has been living and working in Australia for the past decade are set to be deported tonight after a visa battle with the nation’s immigration department.
Mark Green was headhunted by a South Australian solar company in 2012 to fill a shortage of highly skilled solar installation electricians.

After Green took the job, it sparked a huge move for his whole family including wife Kelly and daughter Rebecca.

The Green family is set to be deported from South Australia after an immigration battle.
The Green family is set to be deported from South Australia after an immigration battle. (Roy VanDerVegt)

The family had been promised permanent residence by employers.

However, Green’s family has faced a number of hurdles after multiple businesses he has been employed by have gone under, meaning they have not been granted permanent residence and remain on a bridging visa.

The Department of Immigration has decided not to extend the family’s visa and they are set to be deported back to Scotland at 10pm tonight.

South Australian MP Frank Pangallo, who has been fighting to keep the family in Australia, called on the federal government to reconsider their decision while speaking to Ben Fordham on 2GB.

“We’re calling on minister Andrew Giles to intervene and allow them to apply to stay in Australia while they’re in Australia instead of the expense of going to Scotland,” he said.

“The Green family have been here for 10 years, they’ve spent $200,000 trying to meet the requirements of visas here.

“They haven’t been a burden on tax payers, they educated their children out of their own pockets, their own medical expenses.

“They contribute to the community and are well loved.”

9news.com.au has reached out to the Department of Immigration for comment.

Green spoke to Fordham on 2GB last week and said the stress on his family is unexplainable.

“You would not believe the stress, the anxiety and the anger,” Green said.

“I don’t even want to think about what my daughter and wife are going through.

“We are just looking to be classed as Australian citizens, we’re not looking for handouts, we are just looking for a bit of help.”

Kelly and Mark Green when they spoke to A Current Affair about their immigration battle. (A Current Affair)

“Don’t ignore the double standard here, the minister is happy to show compassion when there’s enough publicity for him to look like a hero,” Fordham said.

“He’ll step in to help one family but allow another to be kicked out of Australia.”

A Discovery Village proposed for Darling Harbor would have turned the waterfront into a futuristic theme park, complete with a reflective sphere. The architect behind the design was Tony Corkill.

Visions of what Sydney might have been

Categories
US

Edgewater police ID suspected shooter, 2 dead in hostage standoff at Narcotics Anonymous meeting

Edgewater police ID suspected shooter, 2 dead in hostage standoff at Narcotics Anonymous meeting

EDGEWATER, Fla. – Three people died on Monday after a hostage situation turned into a double homicide-suicide at a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in Edgewater, police said.

Edgewater police said an armed suspect, identified as 49-year-old Quinton Francis Hunter, took a woman hostage in the 500 block of North Ridgewood Avenue near New Smyrna Beach.

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Police said they were informed at approximately 7 pm that a man had been shot at Bridge the Gap — a nonprofit organization — and a woman was being held hostage. Authorities identified the two as Ian Greenfield, 59, and Erica Hoffman, 33.

“It appears from the timeline we have that he had already shot Mr. Greenfield and he’d already fired several other shots before he went live. But he made no comment. He wouldn’t communicate with us. It was just heavy breathing,” police said at a news briefing Tuesday morning.

A hostage situation Monday at a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in Edgewater ended with three people dead, police said.

Others at the meeting ran away and were not injured, according to police. Police said about 20 people escaped the meeting as the hostage situation continued. During the update, Edgewater police said the shooting is believed to be domestic in nature.

Police said the suspect was the ex-boyfriend of Hoffman and they believed she had “formed a new relationship” with Greenfield.

“Mr. Greenfield and Miss Hoffman create some kind of relationship — they didn’t put a label on it right now — but there was a new friendship and we’re working on the details to see if that was the entire motive of Mr. Hunter.. .jealousy. But I don’t know that yet. There’s still a lot of investigating we have to do,” Edgewater police said at a news conference.

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Police attempted to negotiate with the hostage-taker but were unsuccessful. A SWAT team later entered the building and found three people dead, including the suspect, police said.

According to investigators, Greenfield and Hoffman were found with apparent gunshot wounds and lacerations. Hunter appeared to have shot and killed himself, investigators said.

An armed suspect took a woman hostage in Edgewater Monday evening, leading to road closures and three deaths, according to the Edgewater Police Department.

An investigation is ongoing.

North Ridgewood Avenue was closed in both directions for hours during the standoff.

According to the Narcotics Anonymous website, “NA is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem.”

The organization issued the following statement after the shooting Monday night:

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Categories
Business

Coles shopper reveals best time to get discounted meat, bread

Coles shopper reveals best time to get discounted meat, bread

With cost of living out of control, every shopper is trying to cut their costs as grocery prices climb higher.

But one Coles shopper from Wodonga, Victoria has revealed the exact time she goes to the supermarket to make massive savings, providing the results with a $10 haul valued at more than $200.

The woman went to her local store at 8pm two nights in a row to test her theory and shared the results on popular Facebook group Markdown Addicts Australia.

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On the first night she purchased $215.11 worth of products but spent just $10.92, with the haul including chicken thighs, two lots of prosciutto wrapped chicken, Nature’s Kitchen spaghetti bolognaise, lamb chops and sweet treats.

The woman went back the next day and spent $3.95 on $75.60 worth of groceries.

This haul included bread, red velvet cupcakes and plant-based burger patties.

“After last night I wanted to see if I could back it up! Seems our store has decided 8pm is the time to start marking down,” she said.

“Only stayed for bakery and meat, there was three of us getting meat so I just took the sausages and let the others go but there was about 10 different items. Had to leave after meat but they seem to do bakery, then meat, (before marking down) the dairy fridges and around in a circle.”

Social media users were keen to share their own experiences.

“That’s the kind of price I see too in my Adelaide stores, even just before shop shuts,” one social media user said.

Another added: “I’m jealous as I never get goodies like this but I’m also super happy for you!”

A Coles spokesperson said items are regularly discounted to avoid waste.

“We know our customers love good value so when a product is near it’s Best Before date we often mark it down so it can be enjoyed for a cheaper price, instead of being wasted,” the spokesperson told news.com.au.

“Markdowns do not uniformly take place at the same time across all stores.

“There are many things that can impact when this takes place including stock on hand, delivery schedules and team member rostering.”

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