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Lettuce prices to fall as production lifts in flood-hit growing regions

After months of paying $10 for lettuce, shoppers can expect some relief with Queensland growers getting back on track, three months after they were devastated by flooding.

Prices for the salad staple skyrocketed after flooding in May wiped out millions of dollars worth of vegetables in the Lockyer Valley, west of Brisbane.

Mulgowie Yowie Salads director Shannon Moss said he had only started full production about two weeks ago.

“We’ve had nice weather where a lot of growers have got stock coming on,” Mr Moss said.

“I was going through the photos [of the flooding] and I’m thinking how it’s hard to look at it, look at the devastation that was here.

“It is nice to see the paddocks recover and the farm get back into some sort of normality.”

Mr Moss said he was now producing about 30,000 cos lettuces a week for markets in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Rows of lettuce wiped out from floods with the scenery of the lockyer valley in the background
Shannon Moss lost his entire lettuce crop in May when floods ripped through the Lockyer Valley. (Supplied: Shannon Moss)

He said prices had remained high for so long because the season had had to start from scratch.

“You have to remember a seedling in a nursery takes about four to six weeks to grow, then it’s another eight weeks in the ground to grow lettuce.

“So you’re looking at three to four months to grow any kind of lettuce.”

Man in fluro orange shirt stands in front of rows of lettuce.
After the trauma of floods, Mr Moss is happy to get back to normal production. (Rural ABC: Lucy Cooper)

Further price drop expected

Toowoomba-based greengrocer Bevan Betros said prices had halved in recent weeks.

“I think we can afford to eat iceberg lettuce again … they are a good size, they’ve got a bit of weight in them — they’re very good value again,” Mr Betros said.

He said prices would remain stable over the coming weeks.

“I don’t think they’ll get much cheaper just for the next week or two.

“There may be some gaps in the plantings due to the floods and what people were able to do when they could get on and off their property.”

Man stars at camera with shopping shelves behind him
Greengrocer Bevan Betros expects iceberg lettuce to drop to about $2 by September. (ABC News: David Chen)

Mr Betros said he expected prices would continue to fall heading into October.

“They’ll get back down as the warm weather comes on, as we get into spring.

“We should be getting down under $2 again, hopefully in September.”

Iceberg lettuce on shelf in supermarket with a price of $6.20
Iceberg lettuce has fluctuated from $1.50 a head to $12 and is now $6 a head. (ABC News: David Chen)

But don’t get used to it

Despite lettuce production returning to normal, shoppers are being warned not to get used to low prices.

Director of Coastal Hydroponics on the Gold Coast and Growcom chairwoman Belinda Frentz said a price reduction would likely be short term.

“We’ll start seeing the prices of most leafies coming back to what we would expect to be a normal sort of price,” Ms Frentz said.

Woman stands with arms crossed and lettuce growing behind her
Growcom chair Belinda Frentz says production is almost at full capacity. (ABC News: Steve Keen)

“Obviously we’ve got input cost pressures that are having a significant impact on businesses and recouping costs and seeing prices sort of not leveling out — there’s going to be some increases.”

Ms Frentz said farmers were still dealing with high labour, fuel and fertilizer costs.

“Growers are being hit in every pocket that they’ve got.”

Is there a right price?

While prices have dropped, growers want them to remain at levels where their businesses can survive.

“If we get down to $1.50 for retail lettuce that’s not going to be sustainable for too long,” Mr Moss said.

“You know, fuel levies are up 20 to 25 per cent, fertilizer prices are up another 25 to 30 per cent and diesel is up another 30 to 40 per cent, so our product needs to be up around 30 to 40 per cent,” he said.

Hand holds a plastic packaged cos lettuce
Lockyer Valley growers supply the key markets of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.(Rural ABC: Lucy Cooper)

Ms Frentz hoped the severity of the losses endured by farmers during the floods would demonstrate to consumers how exposed the industry was.

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Categories
Australia

Trauma-informed photography course gives abuse survivors a new perspective, boosting self-esteem

Child sexual abuse survivors say a photography course is teaching them to see beauty in the world and help them gain a sense of confidence — all with their smartphones.

After photographer Mitch Dunn taught the six-week course in Ballarat last year, the participants kept in touch, sharing their photos in a private social media group called the Light Seekers.

“The real foundations of photography which support healing are light and perspective, and that can be accessed through any camera,” Dunn said.

“Light is a really beautiful metaphor for healing. When we think about light in terms of photography, when we look at the brightest light source, it creates the darkest shadows.

“When you find yourself in a dark place, when you understand photography, if you turn 180 degrees, you’ll find bright light — it’s also a metaphor for hope.”

wave crashing over a rock
Marita finds joy in taking photos on the Great Ocean Road.(Supplied: Marita)

Dunn also focused on composition.

“It’s about narrowing your frame, so when things are overwhelming or you’re seeing a lot of negativity, if you can compose what you’re seeing in a certain way, there is always beautiful hope and inspiration somewhere around.”

New friendships without expectations

Abuse survivor Marita described the course as a “powerful experience”.

“It was my first step back into being a bit social. I had 15 months off work related to a court case and a breakdown,” she said.

Learning about composition, grid lines, lighting and portrait photography changed her approach to how she takes photos or uses her phone camera.

Close up of a fern.
Martia says she finds photographing nature a great way to feel connected.(Supplied: Marita)

“Mitch was really good at getting us to see things from different perspectives; some of mine turned out quite abstract,” Marita said.

She found new friendships with the other survivors where there were “no expectations”.

“It was nice to be in a space that felt safe and supportive of being who you are, not having to justify your behaviour. It felt quite trauma-informed.”

The 43-year-old’s favorite photo is waves crashing over rocks at Johanna Beach on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.

“It makes me feel peaceful; it sounds weird but it’s a wild and windy place, but whenever I go there I feel really calm because I can feel the sand, the spray of the ocean and the salty air.

“I feel like I’m away from everything and it’s a really calm experience.”

Passion for photography returned

old church
Drew found his iPhone ideal to use as his hands shake due to Parkinson’s disease.(Supplied: Drew)

When Drew was seven years old, he had his camera taken off him by the Anglican Church where he was sexually abused in South Australia.

“They told me they were ‘saving it for the best’ but I never got it back,” he said.

Now 57, the Narungga man said a lot of his photos were in black and white at graveyards.

graves with trees in the background
Drew took black-and-white photos to represent the camera taken off him as a child.(Supplied: Drew)

“The black and white represented the type of camera I had taken away and because one of the places I was taken for walks by the reverend was in cemeteries.

“It’s interesting how some habits are still there subconsciously or otherwise, but they can’t hurt me anymore.”

Drew lives with Parkinson’s disease but finds his phone’s in-built stabilization helps him to deal with his hands shaking.

“The course provided so much joy for people who had been left in the dark and we’ve been friends ever since,” he said.

A mindfulness tool

cat-face
Mel says she now uses photography as a mindfulness tool.(Supplied: Mel)

Mel is a carer for her husband — both are survivors of child sexual abuse. She said the biggest thing she learned was the mindful aspect of photography.

“If I feel a little bit stressed or overwhelmed, I just take myself for a walk and take my camera,” she said.

“Taking photos of things I see at that moment can be a tool in moving forward.”

red mushroom in a forest
Mel has found joy in taking photos while out walking.(Supplied: Mel)

For Mel, the course was the first time she had done something for herself to address her trauma apart from a few counseling sessions.

“It’s a very personal thing. I wasn’t ready to open that can of worms for a long time,” she said.

“But now I love being able to stop myself and be present in that moment when taking photos.”

New views everywhere

Sun and the clouds, tones of blue and a bright sun
Annie finds joy in photographing clouds which she sees a metaphor for her life.(Supplied: Annie)

Annie was sexually abused as a child, which has caused her to experience low self-esteem and a lack of confidence in trying anything new.

However, the Light Seekers book created with the participants’ photos at the end of the course has her beaming with pride.

“It was such a boost to my self-esteem, something we’d achieved out of such adversity,” Annie said.

“It was me getting some recognition for the sorrow I’d gone through in my life.”

Annie found her favorite topic was taking photos of clouds.

Cracks on the pavement
Annie says she now sees aspects to photograph in unexpected places.(Supplied: Annie)

“The clouds were symbolic of my life — the different shapes, some days they’re beautiful and others are just smudges across the sky,” Annie said.

The 63-year-old now sees the world in a new way.

“On bad days now I’ll sit and look at the clouds. My eyes have become like my camera and I’m more cued into looking at things differently.

“Even cracks on the sidewalk, I stop and look at them and take photos of them too.”

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Categories
Australia

Arrernte boxing academy helping troubled kids get on the right track and stay there

Jason Lord says his life hit a fork in the road when he was 14.

“I was a troubled kid, stealing cars, I was robbing people and quite violent and angry,” he says.

“I was a kid who was heading to Berrimah Prison.”

A court ordered him to put on some boxing gloves and get in the ring.

Luckily, he says, he met a good person “who wanted to give back a bit and saw something in me.”

“I robbed him a few times but continued to box; he continued to look after me, which is crazy.”

jason lord
Jason Lord says it’s his turn to give back.(ABC Alice Springs: Samantha Jonscher)

Mr Lord, an Arrernte man and traditional owner for Alice Springs, said his mentor’s compassion, alongside the sport, changed his life.

“All the trouble and all the crap that I got up to, boxing was always there; it was that little safe haven that kind of kept me together,” he says.

He believes this is part of the sport — the ring teaches people balance, structure, self-control, and ambition.

Now, it’s his turn to give back.

Arrernte boxing academy training
Jason Lord says boxing teaches balance and self-discipline.(ABC Alice Springs: Samantha Jonscher)

care comes first

On any given day you’ll find serious boxers of any gender, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, sparring inside the ropes of the Arrernte Community Boxing Academy.

But you’ll also see kids who’ve just learned to walk trying gloves on for size while they watch older kids give it a go.

“Our whole focus is on making people happy,” Mr Lord said.

“We’re a custodian club, having that name on Arrernte country.”

Arrernte Boxing Academy floor
Jason Lord says anyone is welcome at the gym.(ABC Alice Springs: Samantha Jonscher)

He says what really sets the gym apart from others is that care, culture and self-control are at the heart of its project.

“Not just Aboriginal culture but the culture that brings people here,” he says.

“We provide love and that environment for people of all ages, everyone who comes here gets the same treatment.”

A woman boxing in a ring.
The academy puts culture, care and self-control at the center of its gym.(ABC Alice Springs: Samantha Jonscher)

He hopes the gym creates the same environment that kept him out of Berrimah and gives young people the love and care they need to be “put back together again.”

The academy works with schools, “kids on the streets,” and has started branching out into remote communities.

Mr Lord has been recognized for his work with young people — he was the 2022 Alice Springs NAIDOC Week advocate of the year.

The academy in its current form opened in November last year and Mr Lord says he’s seen young people make big changes in that time.

“We go a bit deeper when we work with these guys, you know; we break them down through sweat and tears.”

Arrernte Boxing young and old
Boxers of all ages and genders are welcome at Arrernte Boxing Academy.(ABC Alice Springs: Samantha Jonscher)

Boxing as therapy

Early mornings, the gym runs kungkas (women)-only classes.

Nirosha Boaden is a regular at these classes. She has boxed for 15 years and, like Mr Lord, believes it changed her life from her.

Nirosha Boaden
Nirosha Boaden says from personal experience boxing can change lives.(ABC Alice Springs: Samantha Jonscher)

“I was living in out-of-home care — like a lot of the youth that comes here — and then I started up boxing,” she said.

Ms Boaden now works in youth mental health in Alice Springs and says she’s professionally seen what the gym can do.

“Especially here in communities where traditional Western therapies don’t really work, boxing is great.

“It teaches kids and adults how to be in everyday life, particularly around emotion regulation.”

women boxing
Kungas classes attract women of all abilities.(ABC Alice Springs: Samantha Jonscher)

anyone welcome

Ms Boaden says Arrernte Boxing Academy stands apart from other gyms because it genuinely feels inclusive.

“Everybody who comes here knows that this is a place for everyone of all cultures and levels. It’s really inclusive,” she says.

Sarah Landers, a Durri woman who also regularly attends the kungkas class, agrees.

Sarah Landers
Sarah Landers is new to boxing but says she feels right at home.(ABC Alice Springs: Samantha Jonscher)

Relatively new to the sport, Ms Landers started at the gym after her 14-year-old son started training in the evenings.

She says she’s seen her son “become a lot more confident” since he started boxing and that he’d begun to value his health and eat healthily.

“He lives and breathes boxing now, he’s really inspired,” Ms Landers says.

“This is my little social outlet; we go for coffee afterwards and just laugh the whole time, there’s a real family feeling.”

Arrernte boxing Academy external
The academy opened at its current location in late 2021.(ABC Alice Springs: Samantha Jonscher)

This is exactly what Mr Lord is aiming for.

“It’s a safe, caring environment,” he said.

“If this was my place as a kid, I’d be a whole different person and that’s what this place is about.”

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Categories
Australia

Koala sighting near Lithgow raises hopes of unmapped colony after Blue Mountains bushfire destruction

Unexpected sightings of koalas near the Blue Mountains have given hope a disease-free colony is recovering after the Black Summer bushfires.

A koala seen this week at Hassans Walls, near Lithgow, is the first time the native species has been reported in the area for five years.

It follows sightings in the past 12 months in the Newnes Plateau, Wollemi National Park, and Kanangra-Boyd National Park.

More than 80 per cent of the World Heritage-listed Greater Blue Mountains Area was burned during the 2019/20 bushfires, sparking fears and unmapped koala populations had been destroyed.

Local Margot McGinnes said she was “extremely surprised” to see a koala while walking in an area “generally not known to have koalas”.

“It was just a magnificent sighting. It really was very, very exciting,” she said.

A women in a pink jacket and another women in a black jacket looking up at some trees
Margot McGinnes (pink jacket) and Kate Smith spotted the koala while walking along Hassans Walls.(Supplied: Margot McGinnes)

Research group Science for Wildlife has been studying koala populations in the Blue Mountains and Lithgow area.

CEO Kellie Lee said it was a promising development for the recovery of the species in the region “because that area was really badly hit” and indicated a possible koala colony near Lithgow.

“We weren’t sure there would be any koalas left,” Dr Lee said.

A satellite map of Lithgow and Blue mountains indicating koala sightings.
The cartoon koala indicates the recent sighting, the first near Lithgow for five years.(Supplied: Science for Wildlife)

“It is suggesting that there could be another colony or perhaps that the Newnes Plateau colony might be connected up with koalas close to Lithgow.

“The fact they are popping up in these areas where they are just not common is a good sign they are out there and expanding.”

Disease-free koalas

Earlier this year, the New South Wales government listed koalas as an endangered species amid fears the animal could become extinct by 2050.

A close up of a koala eating leaves.
Early testing indicates the koala population near Lithgow is free of diseases.(ABC News: Curtis Rodda)

Habitat destruction, bushfires, road accidents, and chlamydia are all reasons behind the decline.

Chlamydia causes blindness, and cysts in koalas’ reproductive tracts lead to infertility or, in some cases, death.

The antibiotics used to treat the disease can destroy the koalas gut, leading some to starve to death even after being cured.

Dr Lee said the koalas they had found were disease-free, making them crucial for the native species survival.

“All of our testing so far has come back negative so we haven’t seen any signs of chlamydia in these populations,” Dr Lee said.

“That is obviously very good news and one less threat that they are facing.”

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Categories
Australia

Bandicoot numbers boom in Dunbogan and Camden Haven after 2019 bushfires

Residents in the township of Dunbogan on the NSW Mid North Coast have been noticing an increasing number of small, conical holes appearing in their gardens and lawns.

They are created each night, under the cover of darkness, and those in the know are quick to point out what’s been digging around.

Bandicoots are experiencing a boom in the town and surrounding Camden Haven region, south of Port Macquarie.

Andrew Marshall, with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), lives on a rural property near Dunbogan and sees the small nocturnal marsupials outside his home most evenings.

He said it was the highest number of bandicoots he had seen in decades and the increase came after the region’s severe 2019 bushfires.

“In the past couple of years, it’s been very evident there has been a massive increase in the number of bandicoots … probably three to five-fold on the numbers we were seeing before the fires,” he said.

Mr Marshall said conditions after the fires had allowed bandicoots to thrive.

A small mammal with long nose and little arms standing upright spotlighted by flash in dark
A long-nosed bandicoot, which is among those being spotted in larger numbers in the Camden Haven region.(Supplied: Barbara Wilson)

“The bush has come back after the fires; the undergrowth is really dense and I think the bushfires probably also removed a large number of the local predatory animals,” he said.

“Things like foxes and feral cats, and the fires have potentially also displaced things like dingoes or wild dogs.

“In the coastal strip, where I am, the species that are doing really well include the northern brown bandicoot and we occasionally also see the long-nosed bandicoot.”

New green shoots emerge on a blackened eucalypt tree.
New growth is already emerging in the Lake Innes Nature Reserve.(ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)

Species adapts after hardship

Professor in Ecology at the University of Sydney Chris Dickman said certain bandicoot species typically did well after bushfires.

“It has been observed before, there have been some studies in the Top End and also the Myall Lakes area and in Victoria,” he said.

A small brown marsupial among barks on the ground.
A southern brown bandicoot.(Supplied: Ken Stepnell, Department of Planning and Environment)

Professor Dickman said the northern brown bandicoot in particular readily adapted to different environments.

“It does well after fires … it occurs from north of the Hawkesbury all up the east coast and across the top end to the Kimberley,” he said.

“They are quite mobile and very opportunistic.

“After a fire has gone through it opens up the habitat and provides new food sources that animals like bandicoots can access.

“The heavy rains [on the Mid North Coast] after the fires have probably also led to an increase in the complexity and density of the undergrowth and an increase in food sources.

“The bandicoots can move in and do quite well, that is if there aren’t many foxes and cats in the area.”

Professor Dickman said monitoring elsewhere in NSW had shown predators were not bouncing back as quickly after the 2019-20 fires.

“In some areas, like the Blue Mountains, there’s been a lot of monitoring happening after the big fires. Fox and cat activity hasn’t seemed to be as extensive after the fires as we might have expected,” he said.

Prolific breeders

Two eastern barred bandicoots being held in humans hands
The eastern barred bandicoot remains on the endangered species list but new populations are thriving after successful breeding and release programs.(Supplied: Zoos Victoria)

Professor Dickman said when conditions were right, bandicoots were also prolific breeders.

“They can produce three, four, even five litters a year and have a gestation period of just 12 or 13 days — incredibly short,” he said.

“They give birth to these baked-bean-sized youngsters that attach in the pouch and within a couple of months they are weaned, and the female is free to breed again.”

Learning to live with bandicoots

Professor Dickman said it was encouraging to see some east coast bandicoot species thriving, as other species had not fared so well.

“The east coast bandicoots are doing pretty well in general, including the northern brown bandicoot and common long-nosed bandicoot, and the southern brown bandicoot, which is not doing quite so well, but is still about in reasonable numbers from Sydney and south into Victoria and South Australia,” he said.

A small round hole in a sandy dirt.
A bandicoot hole at a Dunbogan nature reserve.(Supplied: Suzanne Siossian)

“Those species are exceptional because bandicoots, as a group, have done exceptionally poorly over the past couple of hundred years, with many species pushed to extinction.”

While not everyone enjoys having bandicoots in their backyard, Mr Marshall said they did a great job removing pests and turning the soil, helping plants regenerate.

“The bandicoots are digging up other grubs and insects, which would otherwise be damaging my garden,” he said.

“They leave the little conical holes and piles of dirt as a reminder they are there but, at the same time, the ground is pretty healthy.

“I’m happy to have bandicoots in my garden.”

dunbogan nature reserve
Bandicoots are often spotted at this Dunbogan nature reserve and experts say they help keep the vegetation healthy.(Supplied: Suzanne Siossian)

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Categories
Australia

Driver training program helps migrants gain license and independence in Launceston

When 18-year-old Afghan migrant Mehdi Safari from Launceston passed his driving test, he was “hopping around” with excitement.

It made it easier for him to travel to his part-time job at a local hardware store, and to school every day.

“Yo puedo [also] go out more with friends, and even when I’m going out to play sport, it’s very helpful to have a license,” he said.

It was also an important milestone for the Launceston Migrant Resource Center’s learner driver program, Drive4Life, as Mr Safari was its 500th participant to pass the P-test.

Coordinator Janice Molineux said it was incredibly significant for those migrants and refugees and their families.

“I was very happy… [and] now it’s 511 [people who have passed]. I just think it’s such a great thing,” she said.

A boy in a hoodie behind the wheel of a parked car.
Mr Safari got a “lecture” from his father about the serious responsibility of driving well.(ABC Northern Tasmania: Sarah Abbott)

license to independence

Arriving in Launceston with his family from the Iranian city of Ahvaz in 2013, Mr Safari said he was passionate about cars and wanted to become a mechanic or engineer since childhood.

“Growing up, I tried to buy toy cars and I’d disassemble them to try to work out how they worked,” he said.

But in Tasmania, once old enough to obtain a driver’s licence, Mr Safari found it a challenge to accrue the required number of hours of practice as a learner driver.

“It was difficult for me to find a car to practise,” he said.

A car provided by the Drive4Life program allowed him to gain the supervised driving practice and skills he needed to get his P-plates.

Odds stacked high

In many ways, Mr Safari and the 510 other migrants who have now passed through Drive4Life have beaten the odds in obtaining a licence, according to Ms Molineux.

“One challenge… is knowing someone with a full driver’s license to help them gain the required hours to sit for their P-test,” Ms Molineux said.

Another is knowing enough English to pass.

A woman with tied back hair smiling to camera, with greenery and a building behind her.
Janice Molineux enjoys seeing Drive4Life graduates driving around town.(ABC Northern Tasmania: Sarah Abbott)

Ms Molineux said some learners who were capable drivers were not able to gain their Ps due to interpreters not being allowed in the car with them during tests.

That restriction was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Ms Molineux said her organization was working on a proposal to address it.

“We are hopeful that people who are still learning English can acquire their licences. It should not be ‘English first, then a license’,” she said.

“Safety must always come first… [but] you don’t need perfect English to be able to drive.”

Ms Molineux said being able to drive was life-changing for many migrants and refugees living in Tasmania.

“A license lets them gain independence, get to English classes and travel to work where public transport options are not viable,” she said.

Bring your own tutor

Launceston’s Migrant Resource Center started its Drive4Life program in 2009.

The program operates with around ten volunteer driving tutors providing lessons in two dual-controlled cars. The 500 drivers it has helped to gain a license have come from countries ranging from Afghanistan to Sudan.

But the program’s success means it now has a long list of learner drivers waiting to join it, and not enough driving tutors to keep up.

Ms Molineux said it was due to the “battle” of finding driving tutors, particularly bi-lingual ones, that she began a ‘Bring Your Own Mentor’ initiative last year.

“It doesn’t matter where you are on the [learner waiting] list, if you bring someone who’s happy to be inducted as a Drive4Life mentor, then they help you and someone else from the top of the list,” Ms Molineux said.

A man wearing a cap crouched in front of a car that has an L plate on it
Abbas Safari is a fluent Farsi speaker and tutors Farsi-speaking Launceston locals.(ABC Northern Tasmania: Sarah Abbott)

The volunteer tutors go through a driver induction, which involves “some theory, but mostly practice” in a dual-control car with the program’s head mentor.

It was through this initiative that Mr Safari successfully passed his Ps, after being tutored in a Drive4Life car by his father, Abbas.

“With him… teaching me it was alright, because we had that father-son bond and connection, so I was comfortable with him,” Mr Safari said.

“It made the learning experience a bit easier.”

Finally finding their legs

Abbas Safari has gone on to tutor his other son, 16-year-old Milad, and Farsi-speaking Launceston mother-of-nine, Shah Jafari.

He said he enjoyed teaching “very much”, and was motivated to volunteer by his desire to help people in Tasmania’s Afghan community get their license “so they can go on with their lives”.

“Not having a license is like having extra weight on your shoulders,” he said.

A woman in a green headscarf sitting behind the wheel in a car, while a man in the passenger seat smiles to camera too
Shah Jafari looks forward to having her license so she can help with school drop-off.(ABC Northern Tasmania: Sarah Abbott)

Abbas Safari is keen to keep tutoring into the future, and has inspired his older son to one day “definitely” do the same.

“I would like for everyone in the right age bracket to have their license,” Mehdi Safari said.

“Because I experienced that feeling when you get your license and… it’s like you finally find your legs, so you can travel everywhere.”

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Categories
Australia

Neighbours’ Ramsay Street would have been Ramsay Court if it was in NSW. So, when is a street a street?

The recent end of the long-running soap Neighbors has raised the question: why was Ramsay Street not Ramsay Court?

Pin Oak Court in Melbourne’s east doubled as the famous fictional street, correctly acknowledging its cul-de-sac status.

But why is a street not a road, an avenue not a boulevard and a crescent not a circuit?

ABC Radio Sydney Drive presenter Richard Glover put these questions to the New South Wales Geographical Names Board.

If Ramsay Street were under the purview of the NSW board, it would have been a court, a close or a place, deputy surveyor general and director of survey operations Thomas Grinter said.

“With all the high drama that happened on Ramsay Street, I’m pretty sure it would have come to our attention,” Mr Grinter said.

Pin Oak Court sign
Pin Oak Court has doubled as Ramsay Street for decades.(ABC News: Danielle Bonica)

The authority is in charge of naming places in NSW like mountains, railway stations and suburbs. However, roads are typically named by local councils.

Mr Grinter said the state authority receives applications from councils, which are then reviewed to avoid duplicates.

When is a street a street?

While “road” is a generic term used for vehicle passages from one place to another, “street” refers to a passage found in a town or an urban environment.

Mr Grinter explained the board’s definitions for other common road types:

  • Avenue: a broad open-ended road usually lined with trees
  • Boulevard: a wide open-ended road usually ornamented with trees and plants
  • Drive: a wide thoroughfare without many cross-streets
  • Parade: a public roadway with good pedestrian facilities on either side
  • Parkway: a roadway through parklands or open grassland area
  • Terrace: a roadway where the homes are raised above the road level

Some areas use a particular road type frequently, which is taken into account by council when putting forward the names of road types.

“In one particular suburb or town, you might have a lot of very similar road types throughout,” Mr Grinter said.

Another interesting rule is that the road cannot be named after a living person, according to Mr Grinter.

Themes of your town

Some areas of the city appear to have been exempt from that rule though.

In Newington, which hosted the athletes’ village for the 2000 Olympics, some streets are named after living Australian athletes.

Examples include Perkins Avenue, Thorpe Place and O’Neill Avenue, named after Kieran Perkins, Ian Thorpe and Susie O’Neill.

A male Australian swimmer smiles as he holds up a gold medal with his right hand after winning at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Swimmer Ian Thorpe has Thorpe Close named after him in Newington in Sydney’s west.(AAP: Julian Smith)

Other suburbs have adopted themes when naming their local arteries.

Cremorne in Sydney’s lower north shore has many names of cricketers, including Spofforth Street, Bannerman Street, Boyle Street and Murdoch Street.

Croydon Park holds castle names, such as Windsor Avenue, Balmoral Avenue and Dunmore Street.

Marsfield on the Upper North Shore kept to its namesake, naming its roads after famous battles including Waterloo Road, Balaclava Road and Agincourt Road.

Small Arms Factory dormant building
Many of Lithgow’s streets are named after weapons in a possible node to the city’s old small arms factory.(ABC Central West: Gavin Coote)

The tradition is not limited to Sydney suburbs. Lithgow in the state’s Central Tablelands has many streets named after weapons such as Carbine Street and Rifle Parade, possibly in recognition of the city’s small arms factory.

Some Sydney streets pay homage to ancient history, for example The Appian Way in Bankstown.

For some streets, the authority may have simply tried to have it both ways — see Avenue Road in Mosman, Glebe and Hunters Hill.

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Categories
Australia

Outback town Dirranbandi draws in visitors with Elvis-themed wedding vow renewals

It’s a long way from the bright lights of Las Vegas, but a little white chapel in outback Queensland has become the perfect backdrop for couples to rekindle their burning love in front of the King.

Elvis impersonator Steven Minhinnick has never ventured so far west, but his vocal cords worked overtime as he officiated over a mass ceremony for nine couples renewing their vows.

“To come down to a place like Dirranbandi, it is a real experience,” the Sunshine Coast-based performer said of the town, about 580 kilometers south-west of Brisbane.

“Not in a fit I would ever have dreamt I’d be down here.

“It was daunting but I absolutely loved it.”

A man dressed in an Elvis costume holds a microphone
Elvis (aka Steven Minhinnick) came to the outback town of Dirranbandi.(ABC Southern Queensland: Georgie Hewson)

Brisbane couple Ken and Dorene Ord have been married for 31 years but could not resist the opportunity to walk down the aisle again during their western Queensland road trip.

“We actually renew our vows any chance we get,” Mr Ord said.

“Sometimes when you’re on a cruise and the captain says he’ll do it, we line up, but we’d always wanted to be married by the King so we couldn’t pass up the chance.

“I thought the conga line through the confetti was the best part.”

A man and woman kiss
Dorene and Ken Ord say they always wanted to be married by the King.(ABC Southern Queensland: Georgie Hewson)

The Ords said they couldn’t wait to tell the story to their children and grandchildren.

“They won’t be surprised. They’ll say: ‘You renewed your vows again?'” Mr Ord said.

“We’re lucky,” Mrs Ord said.

“We know it doesn’t happen for a lot of people [staying together] but it happened for us.”

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Australia

More women driving tractors and trains for the sugarcane harvest in far north Queensland

Maneuvering a 10-tonne tractor over rough terrain and tipping sugar cane into a train carriage may require skill and concentration, but Jasmine Cartwright and Elsa Tickler have taken it like ducks to water.

It therefore came as a bit of a surprise when the pair discovered they were the first women to apply for the job on Matt Watson’s Mossman farm in far north Queensland.

“Definitely, women can do the job just as well as men,” 28-year-old Ms Cartwright said.

“I’ve never driven heavy vehicles before starting this job and, prior to this year, never really imagined that I would go down this path for work, but I’m really happy I did.

“It takes a bit of time to practice and get used to the trucks because they’re just unique in the way that they run, but women should absolutely give it a go.”

Ms Tickler, 27, is from south-east Queensland and previously worked as a cook on a prawn trawler.

“I think learning to drive heavy machinery is a great skill set … and it’s something that will be so valuable in my life and future,” she said.

“I think I’ll be back for the next season.”

A young woman with short blond hair, a singlet and a black hat sits in the cab of a power-haul vehicle.
Elsa Tickler was surprised to learn she was one of the first female Powerhaul drivers in Mossman.(Rural ABC: Tanya Murphy)

With no regrets

Labor shortages have been a growing challenge for the agriculture industry, with young women among those most likely to leave rural areas.

Ms Cartwright, who is also from the state’s south-east, says she has no regrets about moving to Mossman this year to work.

“The environment we’re working in, the scenery, it’s so beautiful driving around different farms in Mossman and the Daintree,” she said.

“Sometimes it’s like a wildlife documentary happening in front of you: we see snakes and wild pigs and so many bandicoots and dingoes and kangaroos—crocodiles even.

“It’s really challenging because the roads are obviously a bit off-road and you’re driving a really heavy vehicle, so it’s just a new challenge, but it’s really fun.”

Driving the locomotive

After the cane is successfully tipped into train carriages, another young woman has the job of delivering it safely to the Mossman sugar mill.

Sophie Wright, 22, gave up her job as a makeup artist in Adelaide and moved to Mossman four years ago after falling in love with the region.

A young woman with a blonde ponytail, high-vis work top and boots, leans on a cane train engine.
Sophie Wright is completing her locomotive driver’s license.(Rural ABC: Tanya Murphy)

She has been working as a train driver’s assistant for Far Northern Milling and is currently training to be a locomotive driver.

Ms Wright said it had been a big career change but one she was glad she made.

“I think it’s something I love doing a whole lot more. You know, I feel like it’s meaningful,” she said.

“I honestly think the scenery is amazing. You see really nice parts of Mossman. We have to cross a few bridges on the way and there are stunning creeks.”

Ms Wright drives the cane train under supervision and helps with maintenance while logging the 200 hours required to get her ticket, which she hopes to achieve by next year.

“When we do have maintenance days, or when there’s days that the mill needs to stop for whatever reason, we help out John, who is our mechanic here, greasing the locos,” she said.

“We have to change the grease bombs. We have to make sure all the oils and the final drives and everything’s topped up and working well.

“We also have maintenance days where we have to adjust the brakes and put new ones in.”

A green and yellow loco pulling full bins of cut sugar cane.
A locomotive engine driver’s job is to collect filled carriages and take them to the mill.(Rural ABC: Melanie Groves)

On the right track

Ms Wright says another benefit to driving cane trains is that the job is seasonal, which means she has six or seven months off each year that allow her to travel.

Last year, she even worked on a snorkel tour boat on the Great Barrier Reef.

Ms Wright said it was no surprise that the job was attracting a growing number of women.

“When I started, I was one of the only females working on the trains,” she said.

“Now as the years have gone past, there are more and more women who are actually coming in and learning to drive, and learning to be driver assistants as well, which is really good to see.

“I’ve actually heard a few people say women are a little bit more careful with the trains. They pay attention and they’re very careful.”

A young woman with a blonde ponytail and high-vis workwear sits in the cab of a cane train.
Sophie Wright gave up her job as a makeup artist in Adelaide to work on cane trains in Mossman.(Rural ABC: Tanya Murphy)

Ms Wright said young women should not limit their imaginations when it came to career choices.

“You can train to be anything that you want to be, if you put your mind to it,” she said.

“[The cane industry] is a really open industry.

“I think if you want to do it, then just go for it. I’ve learned so much this year and anyone can do it really.”

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Australia

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

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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