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Aussie music star airlifted to hospital

<p>Beloved Australian folk band The Waifs, known for their timeless hits such as "Lighthouse", "London Still" and "Bridal Train", has had to reschedule their current tour as lead singer Donna Simpson recovers from a shocking accident.</p> <p>The group, which includes sisters Vikki Thorn and Simpson, along with Josh Cunningham, made the announcement on a Tuesday evening through a Facebook post, revealing the unfortunate incident that left fans concerned.</p> <p>Simpson, at the age of 53, faced a harrowing ordeal when she suffered four broken ribs and two collapsed lungs following an e-scooter accident in Broome, Western Australia. The severity of her injuries was such that she had to be airlifted to a hospital in Perth. </p> <p>The statement on The Waifs' Facebook page read: <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">"The Waifs Geelong show scheduled for November 10th has been postponed to Friday, March 8th to allow extra healing time for Donna Simpson, who is recovering from an accident after the band's last show in Broome and has been informed she cannot yet fly.</span></p> <p>“Four broken ribs, two collapsed lungs and a bunch of bruises later, I have realised E Scooters, and I don’t mix,” Donna said. “I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Royal Flying Doctors service who got me swiftly and safely to Perth. And all of the staff at Broome Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital for looking after me so well." </p> <p>While Simpson is on the path to recovery, she regretfully had to miss the Handpicked event scheduled for the weekend. Still, she expressed her confidence in her fellow band members – her sister Vikki Thorn, Josh Cunningham, Dave Ross Macdonald, Ben Franz, and Tony Bourke – who will deliver a memorable performance in her absence. Simpson humorously quipped, "Not as good as my set without her at Blues Fest, but close!"</p> <p>The Waifs, formed in 1992 in Western Australia, have become renowned for their independent spirit and unique sound, which has garnered them a dedicated fan base over the years. Their journey to success was not a straightforward one, but it was fuelled by Simpson's unwavering determination.</p> <p>Thorn, in an interview with <em>The Guardian</em>, shed light on the band's early days, explaining how Donna's vision and can-do attitude propelled them forward. Thorn reminisced, "When we were at school, Donna had the idea to go around Australia and play music. We'd been playing music in the local pub, [and] I don't think we were particularly great at what we did. But she has this can-do attitude … and that attitude carried us through and really created that independent spirit."</p> <p>The postponement of The Waifs' Geelong show is undoubtedly disappointing for fans, but Simpson's recovery is the top priority, and fans eagerly await her return to the stage. In the meantime, The Waifs continue to celebrate their 20th Anniversary Australian Tour, marking two decades of folk music that has resonated with audiences across the globe.</p> <p><em>Images: Wikipedia</em></p>

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Aussie grandma and former Greens candidate jailed in Japan claims she was scammed

<p>Donna Nelson, a 57-year-old Perth grandmother, has found herself entangled in a nightmarish situation in a Japanese prison, accused of a crime she vehemently denies.</p> <p>Nelson, an Aboriginal health advocate and former Greens candidate, has been incarcerated for nearly a year without a trial date set, facing allegations of attempting to smuggle two kilograms of meth into Japan. However, her plight is not as straightforward as it may seem, and her family and legal team are tirelessly fighting to clear her name.</p> <p>The ordeal began on January 4, when Nelson was arrested at Narita Airport in Tokyo. Authorities claimed to have discovered drugs concealed within a false compartment in her luggage. According to the prosecution, a customs officer suspected her of acting suspiciously. But the narrative has taken a complex turn as Nelson's defence team unveiled a shocking revelation: she alleges she was deceived and manipulated by a Nigerian scammer who had groomed her for two years.</p> <p>Since her arrest, Nelson has been confined to Chibu prison, located an hour outside Tokyo. Her living conditions are appalling; she spends 23 hours a day isolated in her cell, showers are allowed only every three days, and communication with other inmates and visitors is strictly prohibited. This form of treatment is a reflection of Japan's infamous "hostage justice" strategy, aimed at coercing confessions from detainees.</p> <p>The only individuals granted access to Nelson are her lawyers, Australian embassy representatives, and a pastor. Legal representatives have identified a significant issue with translation throughout the case, and it could very well hinge on an inaccurate translation by the customs officer at the time of her arrest.</p> <p>Rie Nishida from Shinjuku International Law Firm, one of Nelson's lawyers, explained, "The main evidence from the prosecution is mainly a customs officer who said she acted suspiciously. There's a lot of mistranslation that's also the difficulty in this case."</p> <p>This mistranslation issue is not trivial; it extends to the messages exchanged between Nelson and the man she believed she had a romantic connection with, who ultimately turned out to be a scammer.</p> <p>Matthew Owens, another member of the legal team and a translator for the case, noted, "Some of them were completely wrongly translated, so we had to re-translate those messages and submit them back to the prosecutor."</p> <p>Nelson remains steadfast in her conviction that she is innocent of the accusations against her. Her lawyer,  Owens, relayed her message, saying, "Donna wants to say that she is going to be able to prove her innocence, she's 100 per cent confident of that, and she wants everyone in Australia and the world to know she is innocent."</p> <p>If found guilty, Nelson could face a harrowing 20-year sentence in a Japanese prison, a terrifying prospect for both her and her family. Her five daughters and grandchildren are distraught, but they are not giving up the fight to prove her innocence. They believe they have evidence to substantiate the claim that she was scammed and unjustly accused.</p> <p><em>Image: Australian Greens</em></p>

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"Prima donna in pigtails": how Julie Andrews the child star embodied the hopes of post-war Britain

<p>In June, the American Film Institute presented its 48th Life Achievement Award, the highest honour in American cinema, to the beloved stage-and-screen star <a href="https://www.afi.com/laa/julie-andrews/">Julie Andrews</a>. </p> <p>On conferring the award, the AFI praised Andrews as “a legendary actress” who “has enchanted and delighted audiences around the world with her uplifting and inspiring body of work”.</p> <p>As anyone who has seen <em>Mary Poppins</em> (1964) or <em>The Sound of Music</em> (1965) can attest, “uplift” is central to the <a href="https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2002/female-glamour-and-star-power/andrews/">Julie Andrews screen persona</a>. </p> <p>It is a sweetness-and-light image that is easy to lampoon. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BZtTQSbl-nw/?hl=en">Andrews herself</a> is alleged to have quipped “sometimes I’m so sweet even I can’t stand it”. But it’s an element of feel-good edification that fuels much of the star’s iconic appeal.</p> <p>The idea of Julie Andrews as a figure of uplift has a long history. </p> <p>Decades before she attained global film stardom in Hollywood, Andrews enjoyed an early career as <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19392397.2022.2109303">a child performer</a>. </p> <p>Billed as “Britain’s youngest singing star”, she performed widely on the postwar concert and variety circuit with forays into radio, gramophone recording and even early television. </p> <p>Possessing a precociously mature soprano voice, Andrews was widely promoted in the era as a <a href="https://paralleljulieverse.tumblr.com/post/63601790519/julies-status-as-a-juvenile-prodigy-possessed">child prodigy</a>. A 1945 BBC talent report filed when the young singer was just nine years old enthused over “this wonderful child discovery” whose “breath control, diction, and range is quite extraordinary for so young a child”.</p> <h2>‘Infant prodigy of trills’</h2> <p>Andrews made her professional West End debut in 1947 where she dazzled audiences with a coloratura performance of the <em>Polonaise from Mignon</em>. Newspapers were ablaze with stories about the “12-year-old singing prodigy with the phenomenal voice”.</p> <p>Reports claimed the pint-sized singer had a vocal range of over four octaves, a fully formed adult larynx and an upper <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistle_register">whistle register</a> so high dogs would be beckoned whenever she sang. </p> <p>On the back of such stories, Andrews was given a slew of lionising monikers: “prima donna in pigtails”, “infant prodigy of trills”, “the miracle voice” and “Britain’s juvenile coloratura”.</p> <p>While much of it was PR hype, the representation of Andrews as an extraordinary musical prodigy resonated deeply with postwar British audiences. The devastation of the war cast <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK436946/">a long shadow</a>, and there was a keen sense a collective social rejuvenation was needed to reestablish national wellbeing. </p> <p>The figure of the child was pivotal to the rhetoric of postwar British reconstruction. From political calls for <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0363199020945746">expanded child welfare</a> to the era’s booming <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/30036327">family-oriented consumerism</a>, images of children saturated the cultural landscape, serving as a lightning rod for both <a href="https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/growing-up-in-the-second-world-war">social anxieties and hopes</a>.</p> <p>In her status as “Britain’s youngest singing star”, Andrews chimed with these postwar discourses of child-oriented renewal. </p> <p>A popular myth even traced her prodigious talent to the very heart of the Blitz. Like a scene from a morale-boosting melodrama, the story claimed the young Andrews was huddled one night with family and friends in a Beckenham air raid shelter. In the middle of a communal singalong, a powerful voice suddenly materialised out of her tiny frame, astonishing all into silent delight.</p> <h2>‘Our Julie’</h2> <p>One of the most pointed alignments of Andrews’ juvenile stardom with a discourse of postwar British nationalism came with her appearance at the <a href="https://www.royalvarietycharity.org/royal-variety-performance/archive/detail/1948-london-palladium-">1948 Royal Command Variety Performance</a>. </p> <p>Appearing just two weeks after her 13th birthday, Andrews was the youngest artist ever to participate in the annual event. It generated considerable media coverage and yet another grand nickname: “command singer in pigtails”. </p> <p>Andrews performed a solo set at the event, and was also charged with leading the national anthem at the close.</p> <p>Ideals of restorative nationalism shaped Andrews’ child stardom in other ways. </p> <p>Much of her early repertoire was markedly British, drawn from the English classical canon and rounded out by traditional folk songs. </p> <p>Press reports emphasised, for all her remarkable talent, “our Julie” was still a typical English girl thoroughly unspoiled by fame. In accompanying images she would appear in idyllic scenarios of classic English childhood: playing with dolls, riding her bicycle, doing her homework.</p> <p>Elsewhere, commentary was rife with speculations about Andrews’ prospects as “the next <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelina_Patti">Adelina Patti</a>” or “future <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lily_Pons">Lily Pons</a>”. The mix of nostalgia and hope helped make the young Andrews a reassuring figure in the anxious landscape of postwar Britain. </p> <h2>All grown up</h2> <p>Little prodigies can’t remain little forever. There lies the troubled rub for many child stars, doomed by biology to lose their principal claim to fame. </p> <p>In Andrews’ case, she was able to make the successful transition to adult stardom – and even greater fame – by moving country and professional register into the American stage and screen musical. </p> <p>Still, the themes of therapeutic uplift that defined her early child stardom would follow Julie Andrews as she graduated to become the world’s favourite singing nanny.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/prima-donna-in-pigtails-how-julie-andrews-the-child-star-embodied-the-hopes-of-post-war-britain-188363" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

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Woolies worker seriously stabbed while stacking shelves

<p dir="ltr">A Woolworths worker who was allegedly randomly stabbed with a 40cm has opened up about the terrifying ordeal.</p> <p dir="ltr">Donna Grocott was stacking shelves in the pet aisle at Woolworths in Ellenbrook Central in northeast Perth when she was allegedly stabbed in the back of her hip by Cassandra Hickling on August 16.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 44-year-old worker was rushed to hospital with the 40cm knife still lodged in her back and required seven staples after it was removed.</p> <p dir="ltr">She also suffered injuries to her fingers but says she is lucky to be alive after the knife failed to puncture any major organs.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I feel very fortunate that my injuries were not worse,” Ms Grocott said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’d like to thank the people who helped me at the store and the emergency responders and the hospital staff for taking care of me.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Hickling, 35, was arrested at her home and charged with attempted murder. She remains behind bars awaiting her court appearance at the end of the month.</p> <p dir="ltr">Midland Police Detective Sergeant Tania Mackenzie confirmed the women did not know each other and that Hickling purchased the knife from a different shop.</p> <p dir="ltr">“(It is) something I’ve never heard of happening before in my career,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was just someone going about their day-to-day work, stacking shelves in the shopping centre.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There’s been no one else in the aisle and she’s been approached by the suspect who has (allegedly) stabbed her with a filleting knife.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Woolworths is offering counselling to staff.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: 7News/Facebook</em></p>

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50-plus Baywatch star blows away body-shaming bullies

<p dir="ltr"><em>Baywatch</em> star Donna D’Errico shared a photo showing off her stunning figure and youthful looks.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 54-year-old took to Instagram wearing a light pink bikini and was squatting on the coffee table.</p> <p dir="ltr">D’Errico’s seemingly innocent photo was however a clap back at women who called her out for wearing an American flag-printed two-piece as she celebrated the Fourth of July. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Quite a few women complained about the 4th of July video I posted in a red white &amp; blue bikini because they thought I was 'classier than that' and 'too old to wear a bikini' and, my favorite, 'desperate',” she wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Let me tell you something that might surprise you. I can actually wear and do literally whatever I want. </p> <p dir="ltr">“On that note, here is me in a bikini squatting on a coffee table.” </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgGM80mDOOY/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgGM80mDOOY/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Donna D'Errico (@donnaderrico)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Despite telling followers that she can “wear and do literally whatever I want”, D’Errico limited comments on her post. </p> <p dir="ltr">Those who were able to comment praised her comeback telling her that ignore anyone who tries to bring her down. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Be you. You are an amazing person no matter what,” someone wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Gorgeous and F anyone who tries to tear you down. You look incredible period,” another commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Good for you! If I looked that good I’d be posting pictures in a bikini every day!” another person wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

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