An allegedly stolen car with six youths inside has caused thousands of dollars worth of damage to artworks after crashing into a community gallery in Melbourne’s outer east overnight.
Police say the Audi ploughed into the Kapi Art Space in Kalorama, in the Dandenong Ranges, shortly after 3am, crashing through a stone barrier and pushing into the gallery before the youths fled the scene.
Police arrested a teenage girl near the gallery before receiving a report of an attempted car theft on nearby Price Road.
Three male teenagers and a female youth were then arrested after police flagged down a ride-share vehicle.
A sixth teenager was taken to hospital with a leg injury after police used the dog squad to locate them.
Kapi Art Space business owner Heather Bradbury said the car had pushed a number of meters into a corner of the gallery before nearly exiting through another wall, damaging about six works by local artists collectively worth thousands of dollars.
Police say the Audi ploughed into the Kapi Art Space in Kalorama, in the Dandenong Ranges, shortly after 3am.Credit:Nine
She said the vehicle narrowly missed a painting of a black cockatoo worth about $40,000 and emergency workers were able to salvage a valuable marble bust from the wreckage.
“I am shocked and really sad,” Bradbury said. “People love coming in and being part of the lovely community that we’ve created, but we’ll rebuild.”
Imagine not knowing where your husband is for six months, only to find him returning from a trip with his mistress.
That was the unfortunate reality for a wife who claims her husband cheated on her after busting him at Singapore’s Changi Airport with another woman.
In a viral clip that has been circulating since June, the furious wife can be seen confronting her husband at the airport as he walked through the arrivals gate hand-in-hand with another woman.
“Excuse me; I’m talking with my husband. Quien eres?” the angry wife can be heard saying according to local media, before the “mistress” walks off.
The wife continued to berate her husband in front of onlookers at the airport demanding he answer where he was as she accused him of neglecting her and their four-year-old son.
“For the past six months, where were you?” she asks.
She can also be heard saying, “I’m still your legal wife, remember that”, according to Singapore outlet The Independent.
In a separate video, the husband reportedly told his wife he was going to see his father in Malaysia and had left. But later, the man’s father called the wife, asking where his son was.
The mother-of-one posted details of the incident to Facebook, noting she was a full-time housewife since their son’s birth, leaving her with no income.
In a lengthy post, she claimed her husband was uncontactable after struggling to get through to his mobile number.
“No video call and his contact number cannot be contacted for the past 6 months,” she wrote.
It appears that the couple has been together for 11 years, with the wife following her husband from Kuching to Singapore when he decided to get a diploma.
She claimed things “changed” in 2021 when she left to Singapore for a job interview.
The woman said she contacted her husband to discuss their son’s schooling just a few weeks after he left in December.
“I try to call just to discuss about the school, unfortunately call cannot get through also fail to get through to him. He should not forget he has a son and wife waiting for him in Malaysia,” she wrote.
“My child keeps asking me. ‘Why didn’t my father call me?’ ‘Why didn’t my father come to see me’. I keep telling my child that his father is working hard in Singapore to earn money
“I took out medical check-up (ultra sound scan /colonoscopy) and I’m found out I have health issue here need immediate medical attention. But the phone still can’t even get through.”
She planned to visit their house in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, but discovered that the door lock had been changed, forcing her and their child to stay at a hotel.
She then decided to enter Singapore to search for her husband, seeking assistance from the police.
“The police dialed your Singapore number which was not available and found out from a friend that you were going to Thailand,” she wrote.
“These days me and my child have been going back and forth from the hotel and Singapore airport wait for the flight from Thailand to Singapore.
“Thank you god! My child and I stood at the arrival gate and saw my husband holding hand-in-hand with his female student walking out wearing couple clothes. At that moment, my heart hurt and broken.”
She realized the woman he was with was his violin student. The wife is reportedly urging her and her husband to meet to discuss divorce.
Remember about two years ago, when absolutely everyone wanted to either upgrade their existing PC or buy a new one? Yeah, that doesn’t appear to be the case anymore, according to the latest market report from Mercury Research.
The report states that x86 chip shipments have dropped by the largest percentage year-over-year since the report began way back in 1994. Analyst Dean McCarron said it’s probably the largest decline since the precipitous downturn of 1984.
Desktop and mobile client CPU shipments were down significantly compared to a year ago, with desktop CPU unit shipments falling to the lowest level in nearly three decades, McCarron said in an emailed statement. Total CPU shipments had the largest on-year decline in the history of our report, which spans 28 years.
Even so, the news is good if your name is AMD. Across desktops, laptops, and servers, AMD has gained ground on Intel in every segment, totaling 3.7 per cent market improvement and nearly nine per cent gain year over year. That measurement from Mercury is broadly in line with the quarterly reports from Intel and AMD — awful and rosy, respectively.
Even while gaining on its industry rival, AMD is showing a downturn in laptop CPU shipments, despite glowing reviews for its Ryzen 5000 and 6000 lines. But in desktop and server shipments the company is well up on its position a year ago.
Mercury assigns inventory issues — a symptom of the ongoing global supply chain problems — as the primary culprit for Intel’s loss in all three segments.
Mercury estimates that ARM CPUs like those in Apple’s latest Mac designs, the least expensive Chromebooks, and a few Snapdragon-powered Windows machines make up approximately 9.4 per cent of the market. That’s down from the last quarter (assigned to a large drop in Mac sales) but gaining 1.7 per cent year-over-year.
Britney Spears‘ ex-husband Jason Alexander has been found guilty, two months after breaking into the popstar’s home on the day of her wedding to Sam Asghari.
Alexander has been found guilty of aggravated trespass and battery, and was sentenced to 128 days in county jail. He’s also been prohibited from coming within 100 feet (30 meters) of Spears.
On the day of her wedding, Alexander snuck into Spears’ compound, while live-streaming on social media. He demanded to see the star and was allegedly armed with a knife.
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Britney Spears’ ex-husband, Jason Alexander, snuck into her home in hopes of crashing her wedding. (instagram)
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“My name’s Jason Alexander. Britney invited me here,” Alexander claimed in his video.
“Britney Spears invited me here. She’s my first wife, my only wife. I’m her first husband. I’m here to crash the wedding.”
Alexander was then tackled by security during an apparent physical struggle before the livestream cuts out.
He was then restrained outside the property by security before police officers showed up and took him away.
Because he has spent the last 64 days in county jail following the incident, he will not need to serve the remainder of the sentence based on his “good behaviour”.
A former security guard for Spears says that Alexander had been spotted close to her property multiple times leading up to the wedding, including the day before. He was reportedly told to stay away.
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Britney Spears and Sam Asghari married in a quiet ceremony at her home in LA. (instagram)
Alexander and Spears were married for 55 hours, after eloping in Vegas back in 2004. The pair were childhood friends but filed for divorce almost immediately after the ceremony.
Earlier this week, Spears made headlines after her other ex-husband, Keven Federline, gave a rare interview. I have praised the singer’s dad Jamieand the 13-year conservatorship he managed because it “saved her” life.
Federline – Spears’ former backup dancer – also said their sons found her nearly nude Instagram photos “tough” to deal with.
Britney with Sean and Jayden, the two sons she shares with Kevin Federline. (instagram)
READMORE:Victoria Arbiter: How the Windsor Castle fire led to a ‘revolutionary’ step for the royals
spears hit back via Instagram Story: “It saddens me to hear that my ex-husband has decided to discuss the relationship between me and my children. As we all know, raising teenage boys is never easy for anyone.”
“It concerns me the reason is based on my Instagram,” she added, referring to her ex’s comments about her nude photos. “It was LONG before Instagram.”
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All the stars who attended Britney Spears and Sam Asghari’s wedding
Yot would be unwise to place blind faith in the comments of a judge during a commercial dispute. In the case of LIV Golf and associated chaos, a sporting resolution chamber in the UK placed a stay on suspensions of DP World, formerly European, Tour golfers long before this week’s dramatic events in a courtroom in California. Interpretations of the law, however, are rarely an exact science.
In contrast to the UK, Judge Beth Labson Freeman determined the PGA Tour was well within its rights to exclude Matt Jones, Talor Gooch and Hudson Swafford from a playoff berth they had earned via on-course pursuits because it was undermined by an off-course swag grab “If LIV Golf is elite golf’s future, what do the players care about the dust-collecting trophies of a bygone era?” asked Freeman in her written reasoning of her. It felt a valid point.
In an open letter to Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour’s commissioner, the LIV chief, Greg Norman, once stated: “You can’t ban players from playing golf.” Norman’s sentiment was equally clear during correspondence with Sergio García. “They cannot ban you for one day let alone life,” said Norman. “It is a shallow threat.” The entry list for this week’s St Jude in Memphis says otherwise. “I said to some of the guys personally, I think they’ve been brainwashed by the way they feel so adamant that they’re going to be back out on the PGA Tour,” said Billy Horschel, the world No 15. In court , Judge Freeman had stated: “These LIV contracts lock up players up in a way the PGA Tour never imagined. They are so restrictive.” So much for Norman’s insistence of bringing “free agency”.
No sooner had the LIV trio been denied a tee time in Tennessee than Rory McIlroy touched on an intriguing aspect of the ongoing civil war. “I certainly have a little more respect for the guys who haven’t put their names to the lawsuit,” said the Northern Irishman.
The broader, antitrust case to which McIlroy referred involves Jones, Gooch and Swafford plus Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Ian Poulter, Peter Uilhein, Jason Kokrak, Pat Perez and Abraham Ancer. Carlos Ortiz’s name was removed from the claim in recent days.
The distinction – and it is necessary – between LIV golfers and their attitudes is an important one. That is absolutely the case in the minds of McIlroy and others, who do not take kindly to potential harm, monetary and reputational, being affected on the PGA Tour by a group who at least gave the impression of riding off into a superior world.
Rory McIlroy says he has more respect for the LIV players not embroiled in the lawsuit. Photograph: Stacy Revere/Getty Images
This week, Richard Bland – an early LIV convert – is competing in the $1.5m World Invitational at Galgorm Castle on the DP World Tour. Nothing stops Bland from doing this – just as Poulter or Henrik Stenson cannot be prevented from competing in the Czech Masters and PGA Championship at Wentworth – but it is a terrible look. And for what? Dust-collecting trophies?
Maybe the Ryder Cup falls into that category. The main court battle between Mickelson et al and the PGA Tour is not likely to begin until next autumn which will rule DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed and Brooks Koepka out of the meeting with Europe in Rome barring exceptional performances in the majors to earn ranking points needed for qualification or unlikely captain’s picks. Johnson, Reed and Koepka have been nowhere near litigation, which lends itself to the LIV theory, for them, really is only about money rather than a fresh professional domain. DeChambeau has made a great play of being the best he can be yet here he is, all-but excluded from a team competition where legends are created.
Garcia ruled out legal challenges the moment he joined LIV. The Spaniard awaits the exact lie of the land regarding European Ryder Cup qualification before resigning or retaining membership of the DP World Tour. Poulter is involved in litigation against tours on both sides of the Atlantic. Stenson threw his hands up and cried foul having been removed as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain. Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer and a batch of others could have entered last month’s Scottish Open after the stay against a ban was issued. Instead, they stayed well clear. Unlike Norman and Mickelson, Oosthuizen – who considered retirement before LIV came calling – appeared for the past champions’ celebrations at the Open minus any fuss at all.
Cameron Smith’s glory at St Andrews means he can defect to LIV while safe in the knowledge of major exemptions for the foreseeable future. Smith’s insistence this week that he will compete in this year’s President’s Cup was curious given he will be banned from that event, presided over by the PGA Tour, if he tees up in the LIV tournament in Boston early next month.
Golf is presently the most volatile of all sports. Judge Freeman made plain golfers were handsomely rewarded for following the LIV path. A tacky, tawdry, non-competitive sportswashing scene is hardly appealing. It would be a mistake, however, to assume every golfer has adopted the same approach while entering it.
Cutting said after the initial eight-kilometre pollinator corridor is established, it will be expanded elsewhere in Melbourne. And she has had inquiries about starting versions in Adelaide and Sydney.
Cutting, a music teacher and keen gardener, who in the past suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome, said street gardening helped her get out and connect to the community.
One greened-up street in South Melbourne in December 2021.Credit:eddie jim
“It’s such a positive activity, it ticks so many boxes to do with improving mental health, greenness and liveability, and I’ve seen what it does for biodiversity.”
In December she told The Age that the council’s original specifications for distances between plants and curbs, driveways, trees and services infrastructure would be too limiting.
The petition also claimed that well-established gardens that didn’t adhere to the new guidelines would have been subject to removal “at council’s whim”.
But Cutting said after negotiation with the community, the council’s final guidelines would allow a lot more street gardening and preservation of existing plots.
“They’ve gone from [in the original plans] almost all existing gardens being non-compliant to having a level of compliance,” she said.
The council originally wanted a 1.5-meter radius around every utility such as power poles and NBN pits but have now agreed for it to be a 30-centimeter radius, except for fire hydrants where it remains 1.5 meters.
An early draft said residents couldn’t plant within 1.5 meters to 2.5 meters of a tree; that has now been changed to 50 centimetres.
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In addition, the council minutes on the resolution state that “modifications to current nature strip gardens will only be requested if safety or access concerns are raised”.
Cutting said she council supports restrictions to protect tree health, and also residents’ accessibility and safety in relation to paths and roads.
“But they’re not the only considerations. We also need to think about climate change, biodiversity, community health, mental health, street amenity and liveability”.
Port Phillip Mayor Marcus Pearl said: “We have listened to our community and believe we have come up with the best possible way of greening our city through beautiful street plantings while not risking the safety of people with mobility or vision concerns.”
He said ripping out established nature strip gardens was never part of council’s plan. It wanted to address complaints that gardens were extending over footpaths or obscuring children’s crossings.
Pearl said the council is looking into ideas such as de-paving to provide more space for street gardening and hiring a part-time community greening officer to provide advice, information and organize workshops on gardening in public open space.
“We are looking forward to even more residents wanting to beautify their nature strips and enjoying the social connection this can bring under these clear guidelines.”
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The A380 has experienced a huge return to favor in the last 12 months, with surging global demand seeing it reclaim its lofty title as the ‘queen of the skies’. But is it time for a superjumbo successor? Emirates President Sir Tim Clark thinks so.
“The math tells you that you need a big unit, much bigger than we’re getting at the moment,” Clark explained to CNNTravel earlier this week, while also revealing his wishlist for what a possible new aircraft could entail.
Prior to the pandemic, travel was increasing by 4.5% each year. Once we return to those levels, it would take just 10 to 15 years to see global demand increase by half. And yet, with many A380s set to be phased out by the mid-2030s, there may not be an aircraft up to the job.
All that glitters is likely gold in Emirates’ renowned A380 first class.
“Even with multiple 787s and A350s all busy flying around the world, I still don’t get how you will pick up that growth curve,” Clark added. “Supply will be suppressed, demand will continue to grow, and when that happens prices rise, it’s inevitable.”
Among the ideas Clark floated for a new aircraft were a lightweight composite fuselage and wings, together with radical ‘open fan’ engines, in line with the industry’s commitment to greater sustainability.
“If you can get them to do what I think they could do in terms of fuel efficiency and power, then you have the makings of an airplane that would match or beat the economics of the [twin-engine aircraft] that we see today, by quite a long way,” he elaborated.
“Imagine a composite wing and a predominantly composite fuselage. Imagine engines that are giving you a 20 to 25% improvement compared to what you get today. So you get a lighter aircraft, far more fuel-efficient, which ticks all the boxes as far as the environmentalists are concerned.”
Emirates’ second-generation Airbus A380 inflight bar and lounge.
Currently, the largest plans in production are the Airbus A350-1000 and upcoming Boeing 777-9, which carry up to 410 and 426 respectively, depending on configuration.
However, based on Clark’s calculations, neither aircraft is large enough to truly replace the A380 or meet future demand for air travel. Both are significantly less than the A380’s typical 525.
While it’s doubtful a new superjumbo will come to fruition in the near future, not without some significant savings in fuel and weight, it’s a good case of never say never.
Emirates is the world’s largest operator of the A380, with 123 in its fleet.
Sir Clark’s comments come just a day after Emirates announced an unprecedented US$2 billion investment in its fleet, including a retrofit of 120 aircraft with the latest cabin interiors and a new menu crowned by unlimited caviar and Dom Perignon in first class.
Emirates is the world’s largest operator of the innovative aircraft, of which 80 of its 123-strong stable have already returned to the skies. The remainder are primed to take off in 2023.
Six of the Dubai carrier’s A380s have been upgraded to feature the airline’s new premium economy cabin, including those currently flying to Sydney, London and Paris, with a further 70 to undergo a refresh later this year.
The airline’s new premium economy is now flying to Sydney, Paris and London.
The A380 made its first flight in 2005 and immediately won over passengers with its audacious scale – its wingspan wider than a soccer pitch. Ultimately though, airlines were turned off by their high operating costs, with Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker famously describing it in 2021 as the airline’s “biggest mistake”.
Neither Airbus or Boeing have revealed plans to build another aircraft to rival it. Although, with travel demand unlikely to slow any time soon, it could soon be time to go back to the drawing board.
Despite an endless run of negative press, the royal family has enjoyed a plethora of celebrations in recent months.
From milestone birthdays, including William and Kate’s 40ths and the Duchess of Cornwall’s 75th, to the 70th anniversary of the Queen’s accession and a slew of major national events, 2022 has delivered ample good cheer.
In the last 10 weeks alone, Britons have witnessed the return of Royal Ascot, the Wimbledon Championships, the Commonwealth Games, the Lionesses’ historic Euro 2022 win and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. In each instance, members of the royal family have enthusiastically slowed their support.
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The royal family has enjoyed a plethora of celebrations in recent months, including the Platinum Jubilee. (AP)
Behind the scenes, however, it’s been a year filled with poignant commemorations. The first anniversary of Prince Philip’s death, the 70th anniversary of King George VI’s loss, the 20th anniversary of the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret’s deaths and the upcoming 25th anniversary of Diana, Princess of Wales’s death, have each provided the Queen a period of quiet reflection.
Similarly, the 30th anniversary of her “Annus horribilis” you have likely given her pause for thought. Culminating in the divorce of one child and the separation of two others, an unprecedented level of public scrutiny and Andrew Morton’s explosive tell-all book, Diana: Her True Story1992 was hardly a breeze.
But, it was the fire at Windsor Castle, the oldest inhabited castle in the world, which ultimately gave way to one of the UK’s greatest tourist attractions proving that “when life gives you lemons” even the Queen makes lemonade.
Large parts of Windsor Castle were destroyed in a fire on November 20, 1992. (Getty)
Arguably an unmitigated disaster, 1992 was a right royal slog, but as it drew to a close, the fire represented yet another paralyzing setback for the royals. Beginning in the Queen’s Private Chapel on November 20, it took firefighters from across London and the Home Counties close to 15 hours to put out.
Prince Philip later told royal biographer Robert Hardman that “behind the curtains, which were obviously closed, were spotlights that lit up the altar and ceiling.” After getting hot, the lights set fire to the curtains and “the flames went up.”
Due to ongoing construction, most of the furniture and artwork housed in the castle had been placed in storage, but still the fire caused extensive damage to over 100 rooms. Remarkably, Sir William Beechey’s portrait of George III and The Prince of Wales Reviewing Troops was the only painting to not survive.
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The Queen looked forlorn in the aftermath of the fire, which took 15 hours to extinguish. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Get)
Helping with the rescue efforts, Prince Andrew gave an impromptu interview in which he described his mother as “shocked and devastated.” Images of the downcast monarch clad in a raincoat and headscarf watching the blaze unfold led to a wave of public sympathy, but it was short-lived.
As the last of the embers were extinguished, talk inevitably turned to who would pay for the restoration. Considering the castle was uninsured, Heritage Secretary Peter Brooke said the Government would foot the estimated £40 million (approx. $70 million) bill.
It was a generous offer, but following months of tabloid reports detailing sordid revelations, marital strife and perceived royal excess, Brooke had misjudged the mood of the nation. The outcry was immediate and the press eagerly fanned the flames of disgust.
Debate erupted over who would finance the refurbishment of the scorched castle. (Getty)
In response to the backlash, Lord Airlie, the Lord Chamberlain, announced that the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace would be opened to the paying public for two months of the year while the Queen and Prince Philip summered at Balmoral. Additionally, he said Windsor Castle would begin charging for admission to the grounds.
Part of a five-year experimental plan designed to raise the funds necessary to complete the rebuilding, it was a bold move, but royal aides were praised for thinking outside the box and employing a cost-effective approach.
Minus start-up expenses, every penny was to go directly towards restoring the castle and it was widely hoped the venture would account for 70 per cent of the total sum.
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Her Majesty is now based out of the fully-restored Windsor Castle, having moved there during the pandemic. (Getty)
Much to the Royal Household’s delight, the scheme was a hit. Having secured the required capital, the repairs, completed five years later in November 1997, came in £3 million under budget.
From State Banquets and Garden Parties to lunches, audiences, Investitures and receptions, upwards of 50,000 people are asked to Buckingham Palace each year and it’s often the focal point for events of national importance. During the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, 10,000 lucky ballot winners were invited to attend a special picnic in the Palace’s gardens.
Why Prince Charles goes by another title in Scotland
Nonetheless, making it accessible to ticket holders – an idea inspired by the Queen and endorsed by Prince Philip – was a royal first.
Declared a “revolutionary step,” by the media, it opened on August 7, 1993 and the inaugural season was a resounding success. The annual exhibition continues to be a huge draw and next summer it’ll mark the 30th anniversary of its launch. Not bad for a “five-year experimental plan.”
Though some insist on questioning the Royal Family’s appeal, Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle welcome over 1.4 million visitors per year. In turn, they generate £22 million (approx. $38 million) in admission fees and retail sales combined.
In a “bold move” to raise funds for the Windsor Castle refurbishment, Buckingham Palace’s State Rooms were opened to the public. (iStock)
Once costs have been met, the remaining funds support the work of the Royal Collection. Reported to contain more than one million items, it is one of the largest private art collections in the world. Held in trust for the nation, it receives no financial help from the government.
Given Buckingham Palace was never built to be a tourist attraction, myriad logistical issues had to be resolved prior to its opening. Tasked with determining which parts of the Palace should be on public view and how best to drive foot traffic to avoid infringing on the private apartments, organizers also had to consider where to put the gift shop and the loos. Likewise, there was ticketing, security and bag checks to arrange as well as an army of wardens to hire.
Nineteen of the Palace’s State Rooms, including the throne room and the ballroom, were eventually selected, as was the picture gallery featuring priceless works of art.
Making the palace accessible to ticket holders – an idea inspired by the Queen and endorsed by Prince Philip – was a royal first. (AP)
Having queued for hours, Merv Dunn, a retired builder from New Zealand, was among the first visitors inside. Dressed for the occasion in a top hat and tails, he was thrilled by the experience. “My eyes were boggling,” he said. “It was incredible, it was wonderful, absolutely spectacular splendor and regal flamboyancy.”
In the decades since, the Ball Supper Room has been added to the line-up, where a number of special exhibitions dedicated to royal life have been staged.
This year, in honor of the Queen’s historic Platinum Jubilee, the Royal Collection Trust has curated a dazzling display to mark the Queen’s accession. Among the items on view are the first official portraits taken of the Queen in 1952. Captured just 20 days after her father’s death by leading portrait photographer Dorothy Wilding, they formed the basis of the Queen’s image of her on coinage, banknotes and stamps around the world.
The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, a wedding gift to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, later Queen Mary, upon her marriage to the future King George V is also on display as is the diamond tiara she gave to her granddaughter, Princess Elizabeth, as a wedding present in November 1947.
It’s the first time Wilding’s original hand-finished prints have been shown in conjunction with the jewels worn by the Queen in each of her pictures. They’ll be available to see until October 2, as will the portraits commissioned by the Queen for her Silver, Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilees.
Buckingham Palace is a long haul from Australia, but should your travels ever take you to London, it is well worth a visit. Once you’ve perused the Vermeers and imagined yourself waving to the crowds from the famed balcony, I recommend you finish your tour in the Palace’s Garden Café. Located on the West Terrace with a glorious view of the lawn, you can rest your weary feet and enjoy a nice tall glass of ice-cold lemonade.
Queen watches the biggest party the UK has ever seen
Against a backdrop of successive eras of champions, the past few years have been a fallow season for Australian men’s surfing. For decades they were a dominant force on the World Surf League and its predecessor competitions. The reign of Mark Richards, known simply as MR, in the early 1980s led into Tom Carroll’s two world titles. A golden era followed in the 1990s and early 2000s, when Mark Occhilupo, Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson went head-to-head with American superstars Kelly Slater and Andy Irons.
But since Fanning won his third and final world title in 2013, no Australian man has ended the season atop the rankings. It has been an era of Brazilians and Hawaiians. Australians have still been present – Julian Wilson placed third in 2017 and second in 2018, while Owen Wright has been a consistent presence and secured bronze at last year’s Olympics. But in 2019 only Wright flew the Australian flag in the year-end top 10, in ninth. Last year Morgan Cibilic was the lone Australian to qualify for the WSL finals, a new format to determine the title involving the top five ranked surfers (Cibilic qualified fifth and did not progress beyond the opening round).
In 2022, the Australians are back with a bang. A new golden era of Australian men’s surfing beckons.
As the competition window for the final event of the regular season opened this week at the Tahiti Pro, four Australians sit within the top 10. Connor O’Leary and Callum Robson are ninth and seventh respectively, while Ethan Ewing is third and Jack Robinson in second place. Three members of this quartet are under 24.
Robinson, a prodigy who took the surf world by storm in his early teenage years, has been the form surfer for much of the year. Across the past six events, Robinson has won two (his home competition at Margaret River and the G-Land Pro in Indonesia), finished runner-up at the most-recent (at J-Bay in South Africa), and reached the semi -final, quarter-final and third round respectively in the other three. Only Brazil’s Filipe Toledo sits above Robinson in the rankings.
The West Australian is renowned for his effortless tube-riding; he has been conquering waves of consequence since childhood. Robinson is the strong favorite for the Tahiti Pro, held at the punishing Teahupo’o break, which on its day is one of the gnarliest waves in the world (and perhaps the heaviest location on the WSL calendar).
But most impressive about Robinson’s sophomore season on tour has been his performances on smaller waves. Although Robinson’s aerial game has always been strong, the surfer has elevated his punishing turns on the blank canvases of the likes of J-Bay. It is this improvement, more so than his guile de él in the heart of a barrel, that will surely see him become Australia’s next world champion – either at the forthcoming WSL finals in Trestles, California in September or in the years ahead.
Jack Robinson celebrates after winning the Corona Open at J-Bay. Photograph: Beatriz Ryder/World Surf League/Getty Images
Even in-form Robinson was unable to stop compatriot Ewing, a 23-year-old from North Stradbroke, in the recent J-Bay final. Ewing comes from surfing royalty; his late mother, Helen Ewing, won at Bells Beach in 1983. But the pressure of expectations and a series of injuries have hampered his rise from him. There was no doubting Ewing’s raw talent from him, though. For those paying close attention, it was evident that the Queenslander would join the world’s best before too long.
In a recent New Yorkerprofile of Kai Lenny, one of the best big wave surfers in the world, Lenny said: “I want to surf exactly like Ethan Ewing.” The magazine added: “Ewing was not one of the top [Championship Tour] names. He had never won a CT contest. But Kai was right. Nobody at Sunset [a wave in Hawaii] looked better.”
That long-awaited first WSL win came last month. After making three semi-finals during the season, Ewing finally won through to the J-Bay final. Despite Robinson opening with an 8.83 wave, Ewing kept his nerve to post a 9.13. Combined with a strong second-best wave, Ewing held off the world No 2. Australian v Australian at the sport’s top table.
Robson, meanwhile, has been busy juggling his successful rookie season with efforts to support his home community on the flood-hit NSW far-north coast. The flooding hit home for the 21-year-old; at one point he posted a photo of a floating shipping container bobbing near the roof of his family home from him. In addition to crowdfunding to support the community (raffling off a surf lesson with himself, among other prizes), Robson has been setting the WSL alight – finishing second at Bells and making the quarter-finals in El Salvador and Brazil.
There are no certainties in surfing, a sport dependent on the whims of the ocean and point scores delivered by mercurial judges. The difference between success and failure can be slender and unpredictable; a barrel that closes out to deny a perfect 10, a gravity-defying air that comes unstuck on landing. Plenty stands between this new crop of Australian surf stars and a WSL world title – not least current world No 1 Toledo. The Brazilian has himself never won the title and is eager to follow in the footsteps of compatriots Gabriel Medina, Adriano De Souza and Italo Ferreira (who among them have won five of the past seven WSL titles).
Yet all the signs are promising. It has been a fallow few WSL campaigns for Australian men (the women have had no such problems, winning three of the past five titles). Suddenly a new generation of Australian male surfers have arrived on the scene. They seem eager for a reversion to the mean: Australia as the dominant force in elite surfing.
Jeff Bezos and girlfriend Lauren Sanchez dined in style at Rihanna’s favorite Los Angeles restaurant where a steak will set you back $50.
The Amazon founder, 58, who is worth more than $167 billion, donned a white shirt and gray trousers as ex-news anchor Sanchez, 52, sparkled in a flowery dress.
Her beige leather Gianvito Rossi heels cost a cool $680.
The pair held hands as they left Santa Monica’s Giorgio Baldi late last night.
A starter at the celebrated Italian restaurant, which opened in 1990, costs up to $40, while pastas are $25.
Rihanna has been spotted at the site dozens of times over the past decade – and has reportedly been a fan since she was just 18.
Sanchez and Bezos held hands as they left Santa Monica’s Giorgio Baldi late last night
Sanchez opted for a striking flowery dress with lace frills and a pair of cool aviator sunglasses
The latest Bezos and Sanchez spotting comes days after the pair returned from London
The Barbadian singer, 34, used to show up every Sunday just after 5pm, the New York Times reported.
Although staff at the restaurant often tell customers not to ask for pictures, Rihanna is happy to pose for snaps with elated members of the public, diners say.
The latest Bezos and Sanchez spotting comes days after the pair returned from a visit to London, where they ate at Soho’s Ham Yard Hotel.
Lauren looked youthful in a plunging olive green crop top, which she paired with nautical-style high-waisted white shorts.
She carried a pink crocodile Hermes Birkin bag that is worth around $105,000.
Long-term boyfriend Jeff looked casual in light-wash jeans, a navy polo T-shirt and matching padded vest, which he wore with sunglasses and a baseball cap.
The loved-up pair put on a very affectionate display as they left the hotel hand-in-hand, with Lauren happily grinning for the cameras as they made their way into a waiting car.
Swanky Italian eatery Giorgio Baldi is a regular haunt of Rihanna’s and the Kardashians
Bezos restaurant hopped around London as part of a lavish trip with girlfriend Lauren
Last week Bezos and Sanchez were pictured at swanky Asian restaurant Nobu in Malibu
During their romantic London getaway, the couple enjoyed a private tour of Buckingham Palace as well as a slew of extravagant meals at the city’s best eateries.
It’s unclear when exactly the businessman first started dating Sanchez, but it’s thought they got together while he was still married to ex-wife Mackenzie Scott.
Their alleged affair was exposed by the National Enquirer in January 2019.
Soon later, the businessman split from his wife of over 25 years and the mother of his four children Scott.
Sanchez was also married when her relationship to Bezos was outed, and it was her husband – co-CEO of Hollywood powerhouse agency WME, Patrick Whitesell, 56 – who reportedly introduced the two lovers in the first place.
Bezos took Sanchez out to dine with family members at the Wolesley in London last week
Bezos and Scott, 51, finalized their divorce in April 2019, the same month that Sanchez and Whitesell ended their marriage.
Bezos and Sanchez made their first public appearance together in May of that year, before jetting off to St Barts for a romantic getaway.
They made their red carpet debut as a couple in January 2020.
Bezos was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but grew up in Houston, Texas, and then Miami, Florida. I graduated from Princeton University in 1986.
He launched Amazon in 1994, which began as an online book store. He first became a billionaire in 1998, and has since increased his fortune by 12,425 per cent.
