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"The greatest miracle": Swimming legend's heartwarming family news

<p>Australian swimming legend Ellie Cole has celebrated the "unexpected" arrival of her baby boy. </p> <p>The Paralympic swimming champion took to Instagram to share the news of her son's birth, who arrived three weeks before his due date. </p> <p>Sharing a sweet photo of the new bub wrapped in his hospital blanket, the 32-year-old mum expressed basked in the joy of motherhood. </p> <p>“They say when your own child is born, it is one of the greatest miracles you could ever hope for,” she wrote.</p> <p>“We are feeling so blessed - Felix Parker Cole joined our family this morning, unexpectedly, three weeks early."</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-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C29McEDhHb0/?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/C29McEDhHb0/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Ellie Cole (@elliecoleswim)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“We know that he will make us see the world in an entirely different way. Welcome to the world, little Felix. All we see is you.”</p> <p>Aussie swimming great Libby Trickett was one of several high-profile stars to pass on their congratulations, while former swimming champ and Seven TV presenter Joh Griggs said, “Oh massive congratulations. How wonderful ❤️❤️❤️”.</p> <p>Cole is Australia’s most decorated female Paralympian who dominated the pool for years before her retirement in 2022, not long after her third Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.</p> <p>In four Paralympics she won 17 medals, including six gold, and at the Comm Games she won one silver and three bronze medals.</p> <p>She recently received a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) award in the Australia Day honours in January.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram / Getty Images </em></p> <p class="css-1n6q21n-StyledParagraph e4e0a020" style="box-sizing: border-box; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word; margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; line-height: 25px; font-size: 1.125rem; font-family: HeyWow, Montserrat, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; caret-color: #292a33; color: #292a33;"> </p>

Family & Pets

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“I am not ashamed”: Aussie model shuts down her wedding dress critics

<p dir="ltr">Australian model Ellie Gonsalves has spoken out against the wave of negativity surrounding her wedding look, putting pen to paper for <em>9Honey</em> to highlight the sheer importance of universal bodily autonomy. </p> <p dir="ltr">As Ellie wrote in her piece, the controversy aimed at her dresses - one a floor-length embellished lace gown for the ceremony, another a figure-hugging gown that also reached the floor, and the other a shorter tulle swept dress for the reception - had “shed light on the ongoing societal expectations imposed on women.”</p> <p dir="ltr">She noted that “in an era where women are encouraged to exercise agency over their bodies, it is disheartening to witness the barrage of hate and derogatory comments I received for what some have described as my ‘daring’ dress.”</p> <p dir="ltr">And it was this that prompted her to dive into the wider issues regarding women’s autonomy, and the “restrictive narratives” that influenced their choices. </p> <p dir="ltr">According to Ellie, the hateful feedback she’d gotten for her outfits on her happy day served to “highlight a fundamental misunderstanding of women's agency over their bodies” in a society where women were expecting to meet “predetermined standards” that only limited their individual choices and desires. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Every individual, regardless of gender, should possess the autonomy to decide what they wear, how they present themselves, and what they share with the world,” she continued. “By denying women this autonomy, we perpetuate a harmful culture of control that infringes upon their fundamental rights.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ellie noted that while “recognising and respecting” this autonomy would empower individuals, it would also have the added benefit of striding towards a society that was both “more inclusive and equitable”. </p> <p dir="ltr">As “when women are allowed to make decisions that shape their lives and bodies without judgement or interference, it leads to greater fulfilment and self-determination”, and embracing such agency assists in dismantling “harmful gender stereotypes” while supporting “individual choices and diversity”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It is liberating to wear what I want,” she shared, “express myself freely, and reject the notion that my body is meant to be controlled or owned by anyone but myself.”</p> <p dir="ltr">She then revealed that the act of embracing her own agency was a reminder of her worth, and how it isn’t defined by - or limited to - how other people perceive her, their opinions, or their expectations. Instead, what’s important is her “ability to honour” her own truths and values. </p> <p dir="ltr">However, she did take the opportunity to point out that “it’s important to understand everyone’s life experiences are different so their choices will ultimately reflect that”, and that her own story had been shaped - at least in part - by her lifetime of experience in the modelling industry.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It's crucial to understand that these differences are perfectly acceptable and should be embraced as well,” Ellie wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">“While the choices I make may be daring, I am not ashamed of them,” she declared, before stressing that people of all genders had to work together in the fight to “inspire and motivate more push back against negatives stereotypes” </p> <p dir="ltr">As a result, Ellie believes that women would “receive the support and resources” needed to “nurture their individual personalities”, and that challenging such “restrictive narratives” would allow room to celebrate choices at an individual level, and empower women all over. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Body

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Red Symons' ex-wife Elly lists luxe apartment in award-winning Fitzroy House

<p>Australian-Greek community leader Elly Symons has listed her lavish apartment inside the award-winning Fitzroy House complex.</p> <p>Symons was married to TV and radio personality Red Symons for over 25 years before they split in 2016, with their former Fitzroy North home selling for a then-suburb record of $5 million in 2018.</p> <p>She is actively involved in the Australian-Greek community, including her role as vice president of the Australian Parthenon Committee. She co-founded the Acropolis Research Group, which focuses on the restoration of Ancient Greek cultural artefacts.</p> <p>The 2/75 Argyle Street, Fitzroy property has been Symons’ home for the past three years after purchasing it for $1.375m in 2020, according to CoreLogic records.</p> <p>The luxe apartment is now on the market with a price guide of $1.55m-$1.65m ahead of its auction on May 13.</p> <p>It has two bedrooms and is part of architectural firm Piccolo’s development of the heritage-listed corner site known as Fitzroy House, in association with famed architects Jackson Clements Burrows and interior designer Hecker Guthrie, which won a gold award at the 2022 Melbourne Design Awards.</p> <p>The home features marble and oak finishes, with two modern bathrooms including a “resort-style” ensuite and a freestanding bathtub. The kitchen showcases Gaggenau appliances and marble benchtops.</p> <p>Jellis Craig Fitzroy partner Charles Atkins declined to comment on the vendor but shared the home had a “fantastic feel” with a high-standard design.</p> <p>“It has a fabulous terrace facing west which is generous in its proportions,” Atkins said.</p> <p>He added that the listing had attracted interest from several downsizers seeking a place with convenience and lifestyle aspects, as well as a handful of young professionals.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty/Realestate.com.au</em></p>

Real Estate

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More happy news for Cleo Smith's parents

<p>After a trying few months, the parents of Cleo Smith are reportedly engaged. </p><p>Ellie Smith and Jake Gliddon shared their happy news on social media on Sunday, with Ellie posting a photo of a bed covered in rose petals spelling out the words "MARRY ME", while showing off her pear-shaped diamond ring. </p><p>The pair then posted a selfie of them holding hands with beaming smiles, as Ellie posed again with her new sparkly accessory. </p><p>The couple's heart-warming news comes just one week after they shared the terrifying recount of when their four-year-old daughter Cleo went missing in October last year. </p><p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/Ellie-Jake.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p><p><em>Image credits: Facebook</em></p><p>In an exclusive TV interview with <em>60 Minutes</em>, that the pair reportedly pocketed $2 million for, Ellie and Jake shared the details of when Cleo was reportedly abducted from their family's Western Australian campsite. </p><p>Cleo disappeared from Quobba Blowholes site on October 16th last year, and was found alive and well 18 days later. </p><p>She was found in the house of Carnarvon man Terence Darrell Kelly, who has recently pleaded guilty on the charge of child stealing and awaits sentencing.</p><p> In the interview, Ellie and Jake said they were planning to move from Carnarvon so their little girl can have an "amazing life". </p><p>“Hopefully we find somewhere that is pretty similar to what we love and what we do because we don’t want to let go of everything that we are and who we are,” Ellie said.</p><p>“We want to build our girls’ childhoods the way we wanted with fishing and camping, we’re just going to do it on the road for a little bit.”</p><p><em>Image credits: Facebook</em></p>

Relationships

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"This is why we do what we do": Paralympian responds to fan

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The announcement of Woolworth’s newest collectible promotion has resulted in a heartwarming moment for one little girl.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Her mother took to Instagram to share her daughter’s “thrilled” reaction to the new Aussie Heroes collectables launched by the retailer last week.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sharing a photo of the seven-year-old girl, Mia Stewart, wearing a prosthetic leg brace and smiling in front of a banner featuring a photograph of Paralympic swimmer Ellie Cole, Mia’s mother wrote: “Representation matters!”</span></p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRBJjEksog1/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRBJjEksog1/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Mia Stewart (@miasbigadventure)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You have no idea how excited Mia was when she saw Ellie Cole at Woolworths today! She was beyond thrilled!” she continued.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“MUMMMM she has a leg like me!”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mia’s Instagram biography states that the little girl suffers from Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency (PFFD) and has had rotationplasty surgery.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The newest range of collectable items celebrates Australian Olympic and Paralympic athletes in the form of collectable stickers that customers can earn with select purchases.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Woolworths spokesperson has said they are “moved” by Mia’s story.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Our goal with this collectable is to celebrate some of Australia’s greatest athletes and future champions, as well as inspire younger generations to live active and healthy lifestyles,” the spokesperson told </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/woolworths-new-collectables-spark-special-reaction-from-girl-7-080139721.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yahoo News Australia</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We were moved by Mia’s story and her excitement to see Ellie in the collection.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Ellie exemplifies what the Aussie Heroes collection is all about and we’ll be cheering her on as she competes in the Tokyo Paralympics!”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ellie has also shared Mia’s story on her own Instagram page, attracting supportive comments from dozens of athletes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sharing the same photo of Mia, Ellie wrote: “This is why we do what we do. My heart.”</span></p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRAwT_jh0r-/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRAwT_jh0r-/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Ellie Cole (@elliecoleswim)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mia’s mother responded to the post, saying that Mia has been avidly collecting the stickers in the hopes of getting one of her favourite Paralympian.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m not allowed to shop anywhere else until she gets an Ellie,” her mother wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ellie told </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">News.com.au</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that Mia’s photo “really hit in the heart strings”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When I was her age, I didn’t have any Paralympic role models, I didn’t even know that people with disabilities could play sport,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mia has also been given the chance to meet her idol on the </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today Show</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Appearing on the breakfast show, Ellie spoke to Mia about the post and gave her some advice for the future.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Understand that you are unstoppable and just go for anything you want to,” she told Mia.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When asked by host Richard Wilkins whether she’d like to be an Olympic swimmer like Ellie, Mia enthusiastically replied “yes”.</span></p>

Caring

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Liz Ellis slams South African cricket fans for “abhorrent” sledge

<p>Australian netball great Liz Ellis has launched a scathing attack on South African fans who mockingly shamed David Warner’s wife Candice during the second cricket Test in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.</p> <p>After footage of altercation between Warner and South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock in the stairwell on the way to the dressing room during the first Test in Durban, it was revealed Warner was reacting to a personal sledge about his wife.</p> <p>Although both players were charged with bringing the game into disrepute, the fallout continued in the second Test when some fans in the stadium wore masks of All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams – a reference to Candice’s drunken sexual encounter with Williams in the bathroom of a Sydney pub in 2007.</p> <p>Cricket South Africa was forced to apologise after two of its officials were photographed posing with fans who were wearing the Williams masks.</p> <p>Speaking on Channel Nine’s Sports Sunday program, Ellis, a regular panellist, said the incident had been made so much worse because it was during the very week the world celebrated International Women’s Day.</p> <p>The former Australian netball captain slapped down the shameful stunt, saying it was about shaming women with out-of-date beliefs that have no place in sport or society today.</p> <p>“Everyone is focusing on the sledging. What I think is the controversy is that 40 years after the sexual revolution ... 40 years after that in the middle of the #MeToo movement, in the week of International Women’s Day, a player’s wife is being dragged through the mud because they’re attempting to shame her for her past,” Ellis said.</p> <p>“It really does slam home this idea that some Neanderthals have that women are the property of men.</p> <p>“Do you know what? It upsets me to the core because I think sport is a real driver in society and generally it’s a driver for good. You think of all the good things that have happened and been started in sport and here we have an international sporting contest that is essentially saying to women, the message is, ‘You come here as a Madonna, you come here pure or you don’t come here at all.’</p> <p>“I don’t see fans turning up to All Blacks games with Candice Falzon masks so how dare they turn up at a South African cricket game in masks of the wife of one of the cricketers (because of someone) she was formerly involved with in some way.</p> <p>“It is disgraceful, it is upsetting.”</p> <p>Ellis also said the defence for sledging - what happens on the field stays on the field – didn’t wash because the South African fans had taken the sledge off-field into the public domain.</p> <p>“My problem is we focus so hard on the sledging we haven’t focused on the bigger issue. We haven’t focused on the issue of what is being said about Candice Warner has nothing to do with the game,” Ellis said.</p> <p>“Why in the 21st century are we talking about defending a woman? For a reference to her past relationships? The whole thing is abhorrent.”</p> <p> </p>

News

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Legendary Australian writer Bob Ellis passes away, aged 73

<p>Author, journalist and playwright Bob Ellis has sadly passed away, aged 73. The legendary Australian author succumbed to liver cancer.</p> <p>Throughout his career, the brilliant yet controversial writer penned more than 20 books, including bestseller<em> Goodbye Jerusalem</em>, 200 poems, 100 songs and 2,000 film reviews.</p> <p>Mr Ellis also worked on film and TV, and wrote hundreds of political speeches for the likes of Kim Beazley, Bob Carr, Bob Brown and former South Australian premier Mike Rann.</p> <p>Mr Ellis' family has asked for privacy in a post published in his film and theatre blog, Table Talk, saying, "He died, as was his wish, at home. His family were by his bedside.”</p> <p>Opposition Leader Bill Shorten was among those politicians paying tribute to Ellis, writing on Twitter, “He belonged to a generation of Australian genius whose irreverent disregard for convention helped sculpt an independent, confident sense of identity, free from the cultural cringe. He helped write, and tell, our national story.”</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/04/british-comedian-ronnie-corbett-dies-aged-85/"><strong>British comedian Ronnie Corbett dies aged 85</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/04/prince-charles-bonds-with-prince-george-over-gardening/"><strong>Prince Charles bonds with Prince George over gardening</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/04/girl-inspires-uk-police-to-consider-employing-police-cats/">5-year-old girl inspires police to employ police cats</a></strong></em></span></p>

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