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"Totally heartbroken": Disabled Australian man dies in LA fires

<p dir="ltr">A heartbroken mother has recalled the moment she tried to save her son from the wildfires ravaging Los Angeles. </p> <p dir="ltr">In an emotional post on X, Shelley Sykes confirmed that her 32-year-old son, Australian citizen Rory Sykes, has died on Thursday after she lost the water supply to hoses she was using to extinguish embers on their home's roof. </p> <p dir="ltr">Rory, who was born blind and with Cerebral Palsy, lived in a self-contained cottage at the back of the family’s home in Malibu, which was decimated by the ongoing fires in the Californian city. </p> <p dir="ltr">"Rory's feet with the heat had started to swell, and he couldn't walk very well. And he also had  problems with his tummy. So he didn't want to be far away from the bathroom," Shelley told <em>Weekend Today</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">"So he said, Mum, you go, I'm staying. Well, there's no way I could leave."</p> <p dir="ltr">"So I stayed in the main property with my two peacocks in a bathroom because it was hard to breathe. Sitting on the floor with bottled water and trying to keep wet."</p> <p dir="ltr">Keeping an eye on her son’s cottage, Shelley sprang into action when she saw embers start to land on Rory’s roof. </p> <p dir="ltr">After her calls to emergency services didn’t go through and no water came out of the garden hose, she jumped in her car and drove to the nearest fire station. </p> <p dir="ltr">"They said, 'what are you doing? You're not supposed to be here'. And I said, 'please help Rory. His cottage has got flames on it and I've got no water',” she recalled. </p> <p dir="ltr">"They said, 'Shelley, we've got no water either'."</p> <p dir="ltr">When Shelley and the fire crews returned to try and save Rory, it was too late.</p> <p dir="ltr">"When I got there, the three cottages were down to the ground and just black ash," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"My house was fine, the big main house, but there were embers flying everywhere and it was hard to breathe."</p> <p dir="ltr">Shelley said her son Rory was a "very courageous man" who had overcome huge adversity in his life.</p> <p dir="ltr">"They said he'd never see or walk, and he defied all the odds," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"He loved Australia. He grew up as an Aussie boy, and has the Aussie accent…. He was my baby."</p> <p dir="ltr">British-born Rory moved to Australia as a child and attended school in Sydney but has been living in the US more recently.</p> <p dir="ltr">Shelley said she is "totally heartbroken" by Rory’s death, writing on X, "A wonderful son, a gift born on mine & his grandma’s birthday... a true humanitarian.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: X (Twitter) </em></p>

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5 minutes with author Christine Sykes

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">5 minutes with author</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over60</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> asks book writers about their literary habits and preferences. Next in the series is Christine Sykes, a novelist and memoir writer based on Sydney’s south coast. After working as a Public Servant for 30 years and volunteering at Dress for Success Sydney for four, Sykes is now enjoying life’s simple pleasures and is regularly involved in tap dancing, acting, painting, and playing the flute. Her debut novel, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Changing Room</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was inspired by the experiences of the women behind the charity Dress for Success. Her latest title, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gough and Me</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, is out now.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over60</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> talked with Sykes about writing routines, Jenny Hocking, and tough reads.</span></p> <p><strong>Over60:What book do you think more people should read?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aside from my two books! There are so many wonderful Australian writers to choose from.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The book I think people should read to get an understanding of the way history can be manipulated is </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Palace Letters</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> by Jenny Hocking. It is a gripping account of the ground-breaking work undertaken to reveal the truth behind the sacking of the Whitlam government and the extraordinary steps to hide that truth.</span></p> <p><strong>How did you make the transition from the Public Service to writing?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While I was in the public service in Canberra, I undertook short creative writing courses at ANU. This resulted in me writing many short stories and rediscovering my love of children’s stories.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When I retired, I decided to treat it as a writing sabbatical and try writing longer works. The Year of Novel Writing course at Writing NSW, gave me a structure to my time and a great foundation for writing my first published book, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Changing Room</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. I continued to explore writing through other courses and writing groups which led to the publication of my memoir, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gough and Me</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><strong> What was the last book that made you laugh?</strong></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> by Joanna Nell was hilarious, and a book I wish I’d written.</span> </p> <p><strong>What does your writing routine look like?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Most of my writing is done in the morning, which is my most creative time. I usually begin writing in longhand in exercise books, and move to typing on the computer when the story has taken shape. The afternoons are good for walking and letting the story settle in the back of my brain where new connections are made. Some people call this composting and it’s an important part of my creative process.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When I edit, I tend to work into the afternoon and often find different places to read the manuscript, which gives me an alternative perspective.</span></p> <p><strong>What is your best writing tip?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Invest in your writing, through whatever means are available to you, such as doing a course, having a professional mentor or editor, being part of a writing group or having a writing friend. This really helped me when I didn’t feel like writing or was questioning my ability to write. I also give myself permission to write badly – it’s better to have something on the page which I can then edit and mould, than swirling thoughts in my head.</span> </p> <p><strong>Which author, deceased or living, would you most like to have dinner with?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">My first choice would be Anais Nin – a prolific writer of journals, novels and essays. I adored her descriptions of the soirees she held in Paris with interesting people from the arts, politics and life. I hope she’d bring some with her and would love for her to include Gough and Margaret Whitlam.</span></p> <p>What do you do when you can’t seem to finish reading a book?</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Usually I push through, hoping the author will grip me again, and sometimes I skip sections which are less interesting. There have only been a few books which I have abandoned.</span></p>

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AFL star welcomes beautiful baby one year after stillbirth heartache

<p>AFL star Rory Sloane and his wife Belinda have welcomed a sweet baby boy. </p> <p>On Tuesday night, the Adelaide Crows captain shared a beautiful series of photographs to his social media account of his newborn son. </p> <p>"Sonny Leo Sloane. Welcome to this world my little man," Sloane wrote.</p> <p>Channel 7 presenter, Belinda, shared her own heartwarming snaps of her sweet bundle of joy, who was born on Monday. </p> <p>Sonny’s middle name is a tribute to the couple’s first son, Leo, who was stillborn at 34 weeks just a little over a year ago.</p> <p>At the time, both Rory and Bel shared with supporters a photo of them holding the infant’s hands in August 2018. </p> <p>"Last week we said goodbye to our beautiful little man," the couple wrote in matching posts to social media. </p> <p>"Leo Rory Sloane was born into the world still, but perfect.</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/BnFo2OqhzLR/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <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="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BnFo2OqhzLR/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Last week we said goodbye to our beautiful little man. Leo Rory Sloane was born into the world still, but perfect. Thanks for making us the proudest parents and filling our hearts with love beyond measure, the moments we had with you are now beautiful memories that will last a lifetime 💙🦁 #lionwarrior</a></p> <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 post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/rorysloane/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Rory Sloane</a> (@rorysloane) on Aug 29, 2018 at 8:33pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"Thanks for making us the proudest parents and filling our hearts with love beyond measure, the moments we had with you are now beautiful memories that will last a lifetime."</p> <p>The couple honoured the memory of their first child in a heartwarming posts over the last 12 months. </p> <p>On Mother's Day, Bel shared a black and white photo of her cradling their little baby in her arms.</p> <p>"Not were, or almost, or could have been. I am and always will be your mummy Leo, thank you my angel," she wrote.</p> <p>"Happy Mother's Day to every single amazing mum out there, whether you hold your child in your arms or in your heart."</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/BxV0fJkFa-i/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <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="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxV0fJkFa-i/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Not were, or almost, or could have been. I am and always will be your mummy Leo, thank you my angel 💙🦁👼🏼 Happy Mother’s Day to every single amazing mum out there, whether you hold your child in your arms or in your heart 💓💓💓 #LionWarrior #Stillbirth</a></p> <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 post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/bel_sloane/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> BEL SLOANE</a> (@bel_sloane) on May 11, 2019 at 4:37pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The couple have become advocates for reducing the rate of stillbirth, SIDS and miscarriages through fundraising and continuing to spread awareness. </p> <p>In August, the duo launched a campaign with the<span> </span><em>Red Nose<span> </span></em>organisation, named<span> </span><em>Lion Warrior<span> </span></em>after their first born. </p> <p>The couple recalled the limited time they had with Leo in an interview for the launch. </p> <p>"I remember looking across and Belinda holding her little son in her arms and him obviously being lifeless," Rory said.</p> <p>"It's so hard to explain, the joy on Belinda's face, but also matched with the sorrow — it was heartbreaking."</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see Rory and Belinda’s sweet baby boy, Sonny, who they welcomed to the world on Monday.</p>

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