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Woman horrified after man brings his mother to first date

<p dir="ltr">A woman has been left stunned after her crush invited his mother to infiltrate their first date. </p> <p dir="ltr">The young woman took to Reddit to recall the mortifying moment, and to ask users if she was out of line by leaving the awkward date. </p> <p dir="ltr">The 23-year-old began the story by explaining how she matched with a 25-year-old man, who she referred to as Jake, on the dating app Hinge. </p> <p dir="ltr">She explained that the couple had been “chatting for a few weeks, and he seemed like a solid guy — funny, good taste in music, and even remembered I loved Italian food.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“He planned the date at this nice little spot in Dallas, which I thought was sweet,” she added. </p> <p dir="ltr">She continued, “I show up, and everything's fine at first. He's already there, we hug, and he even complimented my outfit.” </p> <p dir="ltr">“But like five minutes after I sit down, this older woman walks in. Jake stands up, waves her over, and says, ‘This is my mom!’ 'I thought I misheard him for a second.”</p> <p dir="ltr">After he introduced his mother to his date, she pulled up a chair and began asking the 23-year-old a slew of invasive questions. </p> <p dir="ltr">“She sits down at the table, all casual, and starts introducing herself to me like this is normal. Meanwhile, I'm sitting there, trying to figure out if I'm being pranked. I kind of laugh nervously and say, ‘Oh, I didn't know you were bringing anyone,’ and he goes, ‘Oh, she just wanted to meet you. Don't worry—it's not a big deal’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“But it was a big deal because she didn't just stop by to say hi — she ordered wine and stayed. The whole time, she's asking me these personal questions about my job, my family, even if I want kids someday.” </p> <p dir="ltr">“It was like an interview, not a date. Jake barely said anything. He just smiled and kept nodding like this was all normal,” she revealed. </p> <p dir="ltr">The woman then shared that after 20 minutes of the awkward encounter, she decided to leave, and texted Jake that same evening to say she didn’t want to go on another date. </p> <p dir="ltr">She said, “I couldn't take it anymore. I said I wasn't feeling great and needed to leave. I texted him later, saying I didn't think it would work out and wished him well.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Although she thought she did the right thing, she began doubting her decision and questioned if she was in the wrong. </p> <p dir="ltr">The 23-year-old concluded the post by asking, '”Now I feel kind of bad. My roommate says I did the right thing because honestly, who brings their mom to a first date? But my coworker said it was rude to just leave and that maybe his mom was just super close to him or nervous for him or whatever. Was I wrong for walking out?”</p> <p dir="ltr">Reddit users flocked to the comments section and ran to her defence as they slammed Jake for bringing his mother along on the date. </p> <p dir="ltr">One person said, “It's absurd that he would bring her. Unless she needs constant supervision due to some health issue. That is a very strange dynamic. You did what most anyone else would have done. Best of luck.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p>

Relationships

New research calls for later-in-life driving lessons

<p>New research has shown that older drivers should be coming forward to test and update their driving skills to keep people safer on the road, and keep senior drivers behind the wheel for longer. </p> <p>A new website launched by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and neuroscience institute NeuRA aims to help drivers aged in their 50s and above stay safe when driving, while also helping to update their skills to keep them on the roads for longer. </p> <p>Cognitive aging expert and UNSW professor Kaarin Anstey told <em><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-old-is-too-old-to-drive-in-australia-new-research-shows-ageing-motorists-should-have-driving-lessons/6a470fa9-f0c3-4571-a229-672e689f1e76" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9News</a></em> later-in-life driving lessons were crucial as our population grows and ages.</p> <p>"We obviously want people to stay on the road as long as it's safe for them to do so. And that's the issue: they have to be safe on the road," Anstey explained.</p> <p>"That's the point of the website, to empower older drivers, family members and health professionals."</p> <p>"We've been working on this issue of older drivers for over 20 years because the second biggest cause of injury in older adults is motor vehicle accidents or crashes (after falls)."</p> <p>Anstey said her research in <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/11/should-age-determine-how-long-drive-car" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Better Drive Study</a> analysed how the driving habits of older motorists changed if they had a refresher course. </p> <p>"A lot of people got their licence in an era where the cars were different, the roads were different, the road rules were different," she said.</p> <p>"We just feel there's a certain amount of improvement that probably all of us, not just the older age group but lots of people, could benefit in refreshing their driving skills."</p> <p>Anstey's pilot study, that followed motorists aged over 65 over 12 months, found older people were more likely to develop bad habits such as not checking blind spots or not keeping up to date with key road rules.</p> <p>She said people who did the driving lessons had a "big improvement" in their safety on the road.</p> <p>Later-in-life lessons could also identify if a person should be looking at giving up their licence, as Anstey added, "Sometimes there's people who we find who are not very safe drivers, or who have an impairment that they may not have been aware of."</p> <p>When asked what they thought of the initiative, some older drivers told <em>9News</em>, "I think it's a good idea, there are some older people who definitely need a refresher but there are some that are still quite good."</p> <p>"I'd rather not go through those grills but I guess for everyone's safety it's a very good thing," another added.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p>

Travel Trouble

110-year-old woman reveals the secret to a long life

<p>Perth woman Bridget Grocke, who has just celebrated her 110th birthday, has revealed the very Aussie secret to her longevity. </p> <p>Ms Grocke, who has lived through two World Wars, the Great Depression, the Space Race, and the Information Age, is officially one of Australia's oldest residents. </p> <p>For sixty years, she has credited her old age to one glass of Emu Export beer everyday, as she chose a glass of the Aussie tipple over a slice of cake at her birthday party on Wednesday.</p> <p>“If there was a whole heap of beer and I was asked which one is your favourite I’d have to say this,” she told 9News as she held a glass of bush chook in her hand.</p> <p>“I’ve always known it. It tastes good. Cheers to Emu Export.”</p> <p>Born in Western Australia on November 18th 1914, Bridget spent her early years in Kalgoorlie and moved all across WA as the family followed her father’s work as an engine driver.</p> <p>Then at the age of 18, she took the leap and moved to Perth on her own. </p> <p>Ms Grocke spent her years working in fashion and customer service, also building her own family of four children with her husband, Jim, who she married at St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Subiaco in 1942.</p> <p>Despite losing her husband in 1985 and two of her children, Ms Grocke is surrounded by the love of her remaining son and daughter, 10 grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren.</p> <p>Other than one of her beloved beers a day, Ms Grocke attributed her long life to her loving family, and her word of advice to younger generations was “if you’re nice to people they will be nice to you”.</p> <p>Ms Grocke’s daughter Jan Robertson said her mother’s adventurous spirit and loving family had kept her young at heart.</p> <p>“Mum was very easy going and she was strict, of course, but she always gave you the right path,” she said.</p> <p>“She has always been well. The only thing she got done was her cataracts at 100, before that she hadn’t been in hospital since childbirth.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Nine News</em></p> <div class="more-coverage-v2" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: #e0e1e2; float: right; margin-left: 16px; max-width: 40%; padding: 16px 0px;"> </div>

Caring

‘A woman is not a baby-making machine’: a brief history of South Korea’s 4B movement – and why it’s making waves in America

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ming-gao-1496188">Ming Gao</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747">Australian Catholic University</a></em></p> <p>In South Korea, a growing number of young women are rejecting societal expectations of marriage, motherhood and heterosexual relationships, known as the “4B Movement” or the “4 Nos”.</p> <p>The “B” is a homophone for the Korean word <em>bi</em> (비/非), meaning “no”, representing the movement’s four principles: <em>bihon</em> (no marriage), <em>bichulsan</em> (no childbirth), <em>biyeonae</em> (no dating) and <em>bisekseu</em> (no sex).</p> <p>By refusing to marry, have children, engage in romance, or participate in sexual relationships with men, 4B feminists seek to redefine their lives outside the confines of traditional gender roles.</p> <p>In the wake of the reelection of Donald Trump, there has been <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-10/donald-trump-win-4b-movement-male-supremacists-make-threats/104575732">increased interest</a> in the 4B movement from women in the United States.</p> <p>But what is the 4B Movement, where did it come from, and how is it reshaping the feminist landscape in South Korea and beyond?</p> <h2>Challenges facing young women</h2> <p>The 4B Movement reflects <a href="https://www.khan.co.kr/national/national-general/article/202004140938001">a broader dissatisfaction</a> among young South Korean women who face instability of housing, digital sexual violence, economic disparities and cultural pressures.</p> <p>It emerged in the mid- to late-2010s, following a surge of interest in feminism in South Korea, and spread primarily through women’s online communities.</p> <p>The roots of the 4B Movement lie in South Korea’s rapid economic transformation and the subsequent challenges it posed for younger generations of the 2000s.</p> <p>For young women, economic insecurity is compounded by systemic gender inequality. South Korea <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/south-korea-s-gender-pay-gap-worst-in-oecd">consistently ranks</a> worst in the OECD for the gender wage gap, and social mobility remains limited.</p> <p>Against this backdrop, traditional life paths – marriage, childbearing and homemaking – have become less appealing.</p> <p>Living an alternative life without men emerged as a radical strategy for young digital feminists to challenge the rigid patriarchy in South Korea.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.khan.co.kr/national/national-general/article/202405172212001">senseless killing</a> in 2016 of a woman in a train station toilet by a man in Seoul shocked the nation and fuelled the movement. Online platforms became spaces where women could share their frustrations, critique patriarchal norms and organise protests.</p> <p>During this period communities like radical feminist online groups gained traction. Among these was the <em><a href="https://www.bbc.com/korean/news-44329328">Tal-Corset</a></em> (escape the corset) movement, which encouraged women to reject societal beauty standards by foregoing makeup, cosmetic surgery and restrictive clothing.</p> <p>The 4B Movement built on this momentum, targeting not only beauty standards but the very institutions that sustain patriarchy.</p> <p>It collectively challenges the notion that women’s value lies in their ability to support men and sustain the family unit.</p> <h2>‘A woman is not a baby-making machine’</h2> <p>The birth rate in South Korea ranks among the <a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/birth-rate-by-country">lowest in the world</a>. The government has long viewed this as a national crisis. Policies such as subsidised housing for newlyweds and tax incentives for families have sought to encourage marriage and childbearing.</p> <p>In 2016, the government launched a national <a href="https://www.womennews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=248514">pink birth map</a> visualising the number of women of reproductive age in each district. It sparked outrage. Women criticised it as reducing them to reproductive tools, proclaiming, “<a href="https://www.nocutnews.co.kr/news/4713565">my womb is not national property</a>” and “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FsEWD1bi3E">a woman is not a baby-making machine</a>”.</p> <p>For many 4B feminists, these policies represent a stark example of how the state prioritises population growth over women’s autonomy. In response, the movement frames its rejection of marriage and motherhood as an act of political resistance.</p> <p>As one <a href="https://www.womennews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=111598">protest slogan</a> declared: “End population policies! Stop blaming women”.</p> <h2>Living on their own terms</h2> <p>Despite its growing influence, the 4B Movement faces significant challenges.</p> <p>The radical principles have sparked backlash, with critics labelling participants as selfish or anti-social. Swearing off men as a form of protest against patriarchal structures and traditional marital norms is sometimes (mis)interpreted as implicitly favouring <a href="https://brunch.co.kr/brunchbook/radsview2">lesbianism</a>, given its stance against heterosexual relationships.</p> <p>The movement has also attracted negative political attention. <a href="https://www.khan.co.kr/national/national-general/article/202004140938001">Lee Seung-cheon</a>, a 58-year-old Democratic Party candidate, pledged to introduce “measures to reject the 4B Movement” as part of his policy campaign in 2020.</p> <p>Yet 4B feminists remain steadfast in their vision of a future where women can live on their own terms. Their rejection of traditional life paths is not a retreat into isolation but an attempt to create new ways of being free from patriarchal constraints.</p> <p>As one participant noted, rejecting marriage allows women to envision futures beyond societal deadlines like “<a href="https://brunch.co.kr/@404homealone/34">a woman’s age has an expiration date</a>”.</p> <h2>An international movement</h2> <p>The 4B Movement’s radical critique of patriarchy has resonated internationally.</p> <p>4B Movement ideas are starting to strike a chord in the US. The movement’s core principles align with broader feminist critiques of patriarchy and capitalism, which have intensified in response to political developments such as Trump’s rhetoric and debates over reproductive rights.</p> <p>In the US, Trump’s presidency (and now his return) has been a flashpoint for feminist activism. Policies restricting access to abortion, coupled with an increase in conservative rhetoric around women’s rights, have galvanised movements that resist patriarchal structures.</p> <p>For American feminists, the 4B Movement offers a framework for resistance that goes beyond economic precarity. It provides a roadmap for rejecting political conflicts, focusing on reclaiming agency by prioritising autonomy over their own bodies and rights.</p> <p>6B4T is inspired by the 4B Movement and has gained particular attention <a href="https://weibo.com/1263977197/KaFZGjoG4">in China</a>. This version incorporates additional principles, including rejecting consumerism and fostering mutual aid among unmarried women.</p> <p>The spread of 4B ideas across Asia and beyond highlights the universality of feminist struggles. As the movement continues to evolve, its impact extends beyond South Korea, sparking conversations about gender, autonomy and the future of feminism.</p> <p>Whether embraced or contested, the 4B Movement forces society to confront uncomfortable truths about the cost of sustaining patriarchy – and perhaps the possibilities of living without it.</p> <hr /> <p><em>Correction: 6B4T is inspired by the 4B movement and gained attention in China; it did not originate in China.</em><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/243355/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ming-gao-1496188">Ming Gao</a>, Research Scholar, Gender and Women's History Research Centre, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747">Australian Catholic University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-woman-is-not-a-baby-making-machine-a-brief-history-of-south-koreas-4b-movement-and-why-its-making-waves-in-america-243355">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Relationships

Aussie woman fined $20,000 for illegal wildlife trade

<p>A woman in Queensland has been slapped with a $20,000 fine for illegal wildlife trade. </p> <p>After a tip-off from a member of the public, officers with Queensland's Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) attended a residence in Nambour in January, where they found and seized 18 reptile eggs and 26 reptiles — many of which were found to be in poor health.</p> <p>DETSI officers said the discovery highlights a more pressing issue, which is the "increasing trend in people seeking to profit from high prices" that "our unique wildlife" fetch on domestic and international markets.</p> <p>The woman was found in possession of a northern blue-tongue lizard, a Woma python, carpet python, shingleback lizard, inland bearded dragon, children’s python, broad-shelled turtle and Centralian carpet python, among others.</p> <p>Senior Wildlife Officer Jonathan McDonald condemned the woman's behaviour, as she didn't provide adequate care for the snakes and reptiles to stay healthy in captivity. </p> <p>"Sadly, several of the reptiles were in poor condition and needed to be humanely euthanised," McDonald said.</p> <p>"The surviving reptiles can never be released to the wild as they may have been exposed to disease while they were in captivity." </p> <p>An independent veterinary exam of the reptiles seized revealed medical conditions like necrosis, dehydration, neurological defects and general poor health. </p> <p>The woman admitted to knowingly keeping the animals without valid licences, purchasing them from unlicensed sellers and operating a reptile business. </p> <p>She also could not provide mandatory records of sale for 13 of her purchased animals. </p> <p>Globally illegal wildlife trafficking is estimated to be worth $27 billion a year, ranking fourth in the world's illegal trades after drugs, counterfeit products, and human trafficking. </p> <p><em>Images: DETSI</em></p>

Travel Trouble

How one elderly couple made their big move to Italy

<p>US couple Tony Smarrelli, 74, and his wife, Francine, 75, were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in Venice, Italy when they decided to move to Italy for good. </p> <p>The Smarrelli's, who are retired elementary teachers from New York and both of Italian descent relocated to the picturesque coastal town of Scalea in southern Italy. </p> <p>“We were in St Mark’s Square (in Venice) when a quartet started playing (classic Italian song) Malafemmina,” Tony recalled the day they decided to make the big move. </p> <p>“It brought tears to my eyes, because my father would put on his Italian records every Sunday for dinner and would sing that song to my mother.”</p> <p>Looking to reconnect with their Italian roots, they purchased a 139 metre property with three bedrooms, a dining room and a walk-in-closet for for €150,000 ($A247,754) in November 2023.</p> <p>“We flew to Italy for the second time in 2023 and put an offer in for that home. We then secured our visas in the US in three hours, sold our home (in the US), packed up our belongings and flew back to Italy in December 2023,” Tony said.</p> <p>While their home in the peaceful coastal time was already livable when they bought it, the couple chose to renovate it, spending an extra €80,000 (about $A132,086) to retile the property, add a new plumbing and electric system, as well as two new bathrooms, an entire kitchen, doors, windows and screens.</p> <p>The property was renovated within four-months, and they said that a similar home in the US would have been nearly impossible for them to afford. </p> <p>“It would be easily $US1 ($A1.5) million to $2 million to live on a coast of South California or (a place with) any coastal views on the Eastern Seaboard,” Tony said. </p> <p>Tony's father and grandfather initially immigrated to the US in 1983 to make a better life for themselves, now 86 years later, Tony has returned to his homeland. </p> <p>“Some of my best friends said it takes a lot of guts to pick up and move to another country at 74 years of age.</p> <p>“I tell them it took guts for my father and grandfather to come to another country on a boat for eight weeks with no home, no work, very little money, no resources to make a better life for themselves,” Tony said.</p> <p>“In our modern world, it’s just a lifestyle change and for us, it was a good choice.”</p> <p>The couple said since their big move, they've cut back nearly y $3000 ($A4574) per month on expenses, which amounts to $36,000 ($A54,894) a year. </p> <p>The couple now spends about $1200 ($A1825) a month between the two of them.</p> <p>Back in the US, the couple's mortgage alone was $US1500 per month ($A2281)</p> <p>“Monthly expenses in the US before leaving were between $US4800 to $US5000 a month. In all we are about $US3000 less monthly living here in Italy,” Tony said. </p> <p>Tony plans to apply for an Italian citizenship, and while his father was naturalised as an American citizen before he was born, he plans to rectify this by appealing to a local court. </p> <p><em>Images: CNN</em></p> <p> </p>

International Travel

Woman cured of Type 1 diabetes in life-changing clinical trial

<p>Marlaina Goedel was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was just five-years-old, and not only was the disease controlling her, but it almost cost her life. </p> <p>"I've crashed my car into a brick building before having a diabetic attack while driving," Goedel recalled. </p> <p>Her condition was so extreme that she felt robbed of a normal childhood, telling the <em>Daily Mail </em>that she was in and out of hospital with life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis, which causes toxic chemicals to build up in the blood due to a lack of insulin.</p> <p>Now 30-years-old, the Illinois woman no longer needs daily insulin shots and can finally enjoy sugar again thanks to a pioneering stem cell therapy that has cured her of type 1 diabetes. </p> <p>Goedel was one of three Americans who have been cured of their type 1 diabetes thanks to the clinical trial involving an islet cell transplant. </p> <p>It is a one-off infusion that involved transplanting islet cells into her liver to help her body produce insulin on its own. </p> <p>After four weeks, she no longer needed to take insulin. </p> <p>"[My doctor] said, ‘Mark it on your calendar. Today is the day. Stop all insulin,'" Goedel said of the life-changing moment. </p> <p>"I just went quiet and finally said, ‘I’m here. I’m in shock. I’m going to need you to repeat that.’"</p> <p>The trial was being run at the University of Chicago Medicine Transplant Institute. </p> <p>While Islet cell transplants isn't a new procedure, the current anti-rejection medication used can be toxic to the transplanted cells, potentially making it less effective over time. </p> <p>The clinical trial that ran at the university tested out a new antibody called tegoprubart, which was given to Goedel and the two other patients. </p> <p>Tegoprubart is made from lab-made antibodies that trick the immune system into thinking the body made the cells on its own, preventing them from being rejected. </p> <p>The patients were then given islet cells from a deceased donor's pancreas, which were then infused into the patient's small blood vessels in their liver. Those cells then lodged into the blood vessels and started producing insulin. </p> <p>For Goedel the only side effect of the procedure was "feeling like I got punched in the ribs," with the procedure lasting just an hour. </p> <p>"The cure is out there," Goedel told the <em>Daily Mail. </em></p> <p>With her new lease on life, Goedel plans to go back to school and go horse riding without worrying about suffering an attack and causing an accident. </p> <p>"It took a while to get used to saying, 'I am cured. I am diabetes free.' It's been very freeing," she said.</p> <p>"No one should have to live with this disease. I know that now more than ever."</p> <p><em>Images: Good Morning America/ UChicago Medicine</em></p> <p> </p>

Caring

"I thought I was Bear Grylls": Woman speaks out after being trapped upside-down for 7 hours

<p>A young woman who spent hours stuck upside-down between two boulders has spoken out about her horrific <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-trouble/woman-rescued-after-getting-stuck-in-between-two-boulders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ordeal</a> as she was reunited with her rescuers. </p> <p>Matilda Campbell, a 23-year-old from Newcastle, was on a trip away with friends in Laguna, about a 30-minute drive from Cessnock, when she dropped her phone between two huge rocks.</p> <p>The young woman climbed down to retrieve her phone, and when she got stuck upside-down, her friends called 000 for help. </p> <p>Paramedics had to move the boulders using a specialist winch to reach Matilda, before facing the tricky task of “navigating” her out from her precarious position.</p> <p>After suffering minor injuries from the ordeal, Matilda has spoken out about how she ended up in the sticky situation. </p> <p>“We wanted to see nature ... and we saw these beautiful rocks so we sat there ... and then my friend had my phone and it slipped off the rock,” she told <em>7News</em>.</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/reel/DBsj-x1CYI2/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/reel/DBsj-x1CYI2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by 7NEWS Sydney (@7newssyd)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“And I thought oh no I’m still paying off that phone I need it ... so I ventured down and thought I was Bear Grylls ... and I slipped head first into the crevice where I was stuck for seven hours."</p> <p>“I didn’t freak out at the start ... it took me about half an hour to realise I was fully stuck and then I started to have a big cry."</p> <p>“I’m very thankful I was with my friends, otherwise it would have been a very different story.”</p> <p>Campbell has since been reunited with her rescuers, to whom she says she owes her life, as she said, “I’m just thankful to see them again ... I wouldn’t be here today without them. So, I’m really thankful.”</p> <p>Specialist rescue paramedic Peter Watts said the rescue was “challenging but incredibly rewarding”, saying after the rescue, “In my 10 years as a rescue paramedic, I had never encountered a job quite like this.”</p> <p>In total, the woman spent seven hours hanging upside-down before she was freed, with only minor scratches and bruises but still without her phone, which could not be retrieved.</p> <p><em>Image credits: 7News</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Who dies in a heat wave? How to help protect the vulnerable in our communities

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/myles-david-sergeant-1542267">Myles David Sergeant</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/mcmaster-university-930">McMaster University</a></em></p> <p>Extreme heat is a silent killer.</p> <p>From time to time, we hear about shocking cases of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/24/football-player-heat-deaths-athlete">football players</a> and other athletes who die suddenly while exerting themselves on hot days. Those deaths are certainly tragic, but statistically they are very rare.</p> <p>Most deaths from extreme heat <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-heat-related-deaths">are in older people</a>, who frequently die alone inside their homes. They often die slowly, as the heat creeps up to and sometimes past body temperature, especially when heat domes park themselves over cities and keep the temperature high all day and all night. When such deaths happen, they rarely make the news.</p> <p>Of all the climate change disasters our world is already experiencing, heat is the top killer, <a href="https://library.wmo.int/viewer/68500/download?file=1335_WMO-Climate-services-Health_en.pdf&type=pdf&navigator=1">as the World Meteorological Organization reported</a>. The planet was more than <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/08/temperatures-1-point-5c-above-pre-industrial-era-average-for-12-months-data-shows">1.5 C above the pre-industrial baseline</a> for 12 consecutive months from July 2023 to June 2024. In July this year, we saw the hottest three days ever on record, prompting <a href="https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/press-encounter/2024-07-25/secretary-generals-press-conference-extreme-heat">a special statement from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres</a>.</p> <h2>Health risks and heat</h2> <p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499843/">Our bodies are made to dump excess heat</a> when we are too warm, but that process goes into reverse when the air is warmer than our core temperature. Our other main defence, sweating, doesn’t help when humidity saturates the air, making it impossible for our own moisture to evaporate.</p> <p>For the frail and elderly, who are more likely to be labouring with heart troubles, COPD or other challenges, simply sitting still in a heat wave requires an effort equivalent to walking on a treadmill. The effort is not great, but it is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjco.2021.10.002">steady and relentless</a>. It exhausts the body, sometimes to the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00117-6">point of no return</a>.</p> <p>Tracking heat-related deaths is challenging, and it’s changing as authorities become more aware of heat as a contributing or underlying factor to deaths by other causes. <a href="https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2006.100081">A paper published by the <em>American Journal of Public Health</em></a> points out that the 1995 heat wave in Chicago likely contributed to hundreds more deaths than had first been attributed to heat itself.</p> <h2>Who is at risk?</h2> <p>Many people lack air conditioning or a way to get to a place that has it, such as a library, recreation centre or shopping mall. As a result, too many people in cities are forced to <a href="https://wmo.int/publication-series/2023-state-of-climate-services-health">endure long waves of heat</a> — waves that are occurring more frequently, lasting longer, and reaching higher temperatures — in a trend that appears set to continue getting worse.</p> <p>Air conditioning, <a href="https://www.lpm.org/news/2015-07-24/the-history-of-movie-theaters-and-air-conditioning-that-keeps-film-lovers-cool">once a luxury that drew people to summertime movie theatres on hot nights</a>, has become a necessity. Increasingly, it is also a legal requirement, as cities pass bylaws requiring landlords not to allow the temperature in their tenants’ quarters to rise above a certain level. Toronto has <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/home/311-toronto-at-your-service/find-service-information/article/?kb=kA06g000001xvbiCAA">such a bylaw</a> for rental units that have air conditioning available, capping indoor temps at 26 C between June 2 and Sept. 14.</p> <p>Such laws recognize the vulnerability of tenants who lack control over the temperature in their rental units, making heat death an especially urban tragedy, as confirmed in <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/82-003-x/2024006/article/00001-eng.pdf?st=e6jLNMuq">a recent Statistics Canada study</a> between 2000 and 2020. Deaths from extreme heat were more likely in cities with a higher percentage of renter households.</p> <p>During a single week-long heat wave in June 2021 — the year after the period captured in the Statistics Canada study — <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-heat-dome-sudden-deaths-570-1.6122316">B.C.’s chief coroner found that 570 people died from heat-related causes</a> — 79 per cent of them were seniors.</p> <h2>Taking action at the community level</h2> <p>From this Global North perspective, the community members who are most likely to die from extreme heat included:</p> <ul> <li>Those over 65</li> <li>Those with more than one chronic condition (including hypertension, mental health, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease)</li> <li>Socially disadvantaged populations in our communities</li> <li>Those with mobility issues</li> <li>Those experiencing social isolation (living alone)</li> <li>Tenants with lack of air conditioning</li> <li>Those living in an urban heat island</li> </ul> <p>This problem is not going away.</p> <p>Some of the <a href="https://www.intactcentreclimateadaptation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/UoW_ICCA_2022_04-Irreversible-Extreme-Heat.pdf">actions we can take</a> to protect our most vulnerable community members include:</p> <ul> <li>Increase awareness that excessive heat is not merely uncomfortable, but dangerous.</li> <li>Make sure people are warned about impending heat waves.</li> <li>Advocate for everyone to have access to air conditioning.</li> <li>Check on and support people who live alone, especially those with no air conditioning.</li> <li>Invite people over if you have air conditioning, or help them get to community cooling stations.</li> <li>Help vulnerable people who do not have air conditioning to improvise, by freezing wet cloths, for example, to take out and hang around their necks. Doing this, especially with a fan blowing, can be surprisingly effective.</li> <li>Learn and share the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/healthy-living/fact-sheet-staying-healthy-heat.html">warning signs of heat-related illness</a>.</li> <li>Make sure they drink plenty of water and other replenishing fluids.</li> </ul> <p>While we must do our best to limit climate change to keep our planet from getting ever hotter, we must also make every effort to protect the vulnerable from the impacts of the heat that is already here.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/236829/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/myles-david-sergeant-1542267">Myles David Sergeant</a>, Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/mcmaster-university-930">McMaster University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/who-dies-in-a-heat-wave-how-to-help-protect-the-vulnerable-in-our-communities-236829">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Caring

Missing woman found after 12 days in national park

<p>Missing woman Lovisa 'Kiki' Sjoberg has been found alive after almost two weeks lost in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales. </p> <p>The 48-year-old photographer was last seen driving into the Kosciuszko National Park on October 15th and was reported missing six days later when she failed to return a hire car.</p> <p>After setting up a command post at the Kiandra Courthouse on the Snowy Mountains Hwy, police began an intensive search for the woman immediately.</p> <p>A wide-scale search was conducted involving the Mounted Unit, Dog Unit, SES, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Rural Fire Service, a Surf Life Saving Helicopter and members of the public.</p> <p>On Sunday afternoon, the woman was found injured on the Nungar Creek Trail at Kiandra.</p> <p>She was treated at the scene by paramedics for exposure and what appeared to be a snake bite before being taken to a local hospital in a stable condition.</p> <p>Worried friends of Ms Sjoberg have expressed their relief and joy on Facebook about the news of her discovery, thanking the community for their support. </p> <p><em>Image credits: NSW Police / llawarra Police Rescue Squad</em></p>

Caring

Woman's late husband "sues from beyond the grave"

<p>A woman has claimed her late husband is "harassing her from beyond the grave" after she was forced to fight legal action he took out against her before his untimely death. </p> <p>Lucinda regularly posts about her life on TikTok, and has recently told her followers about the shocking way her ex-husband is haunting her after his passing. </p> <p>In a viral video, the American woman revealed that her spouse had tragically died from a heart attack, and prior to his death, he had been taking her to court for $4,200.</p> <p>Following his death, she found out she still had to go to court to fight it. </p> <p>Lucinda captioned the clip, "When does it end?!", as she began the clip by saying, "I swear you can't make this s**t up."</p> <p>She explained, "My husband who was harassing me for 20 months with a bunch of legal s**t. All I was trying to do was get divorced. Instead, he had a heart attack and died. So now I’m a widow."</p> <p>Lucinda revealed that her spouse had filed a claim against her for vet bills, saying, "He filed a small claims suit against me claiming $4,200 worth of vet bills for our 15-year-old cat."</p> <p>"Even though he has died, the court states that I still need to show up for mandatory mediation. So this f***er is still harassing me and suing me from the grave. It’s f***ing crazy."</p> <p>Her followers flooded the comments section and expressed their shock over the situation, with one person joking, "Well, if it's mandatory for one it's mandatory for both. Show up. Case dismissed."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock / TikTok</em></p>

Legal

"Most loathed woman in parliament": Karl Stefanovic grills Lidia Thorpe

<p>Karl Stefanovic has labelled Lidia Thorpe as “the most loathed woman in parliament” during a fiery interview on the <em>Today </em>show. </p> <p>The <em>Today </em>host interviewed the politician on Thursday morning, noting that her decision to <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/you-are-not-my-king-lidia-thorpe-interrupts-charles-parliament-house-visit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">heckle King Charles</a> was not winning her much support. </p> <p>“Lidia, good morning to you. Nice to see you. I think it’s fair to say you might very well be the most loathed woman in parliament in Canberra at the moment. And that’s really saying something,’’ Stefanovic said. </p> <p>However, the Senator had no regrets and said that she was used to being "the black sheep" of politics. </p> <p>“Oh, well, it’s just another day in the colony, Karl. I’m used to that treatment,” she said.</p> <p>“You know. I am the black sheep of the family, if you like. But I wanted to send a message to the King. I got that message across. The whole world is talking about it.</p> <p>“And my people are happy because my people have been protesting for decades and decades. As you all know, for exactly this. And so the message has been sent, delivered. Now it’s up to the King of England to respond.”</p> <p>Stefanovic then asked her: “The question this morning you were being asked is, why the hell doesn’t Lidia Thorpe just do everyone a favour and get out of Canberra? Will you?”</p> <p>To which she replied: “I’m about truth telling. I’m loud, proud, black. Get used to it and listen to what I have to say.</p> <p>“We need to grow up as a nation and get rid of him and have our own head of state.”</p> <p>The broadcaster then showed a video of her swearing allegiance to the late Queen Elizabeth. </p> <p>“Did that hurt a little when you swore your allegiance? Did it take a little bit of your soul?’’ Stefanovic asked.</p> <p>“Absolutely it did. And I had to go through a process with my family prior to doing that, because swearing allegiance to someone else from another country whose ancestors have done a lot of damage to my ancestors, I think is completely inappropriate,” she replied. </p> <p>This comes after Thorpe's <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/lidia-thorpe-s-pledge-to-queen-elizabeth-raises-questions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pledge to Queen Elizabeth's</a> "hairs" instead of "heir" came to light.</p> <p>“We don’t need to be paying the Governor-General $800,000 a year to sign a piece of legislation. And we paid for that man to come here. How many millions of dollars did that cost?” she continued. </p> <p>Karl hit back saying that Thorpe herself is “getting paid pretty well to be part of the process and to be part of parliament, a place you clearly despise.”</p> <p>She replied: “Yeah. I’m being paid to do my job. You could say it’s paying the rent if you like." </p> <p>“This government has walked back a treaty. I know the opposition is not interested in treaty. So where else do you go? You go to the King of England. Who? Whose ancestors treated with other countries but didn’t treaty here. So there’s unfinished business. I’ll spend the next three years getting that unfinished business done.”</p> <p><em>Images: Nine</em></p>

Woman rescued after getting stuck in between two boulders

<p>A NSW woman found herself stuck in between two boulders after trying to retrieve her phone from a rocky abyss in the Hunter Valley. </p> <p>Emergency services were called to the wine region after reports the woman slipped and got stuck between two boulders down a three-metre crevice. </p> <p>Her friends initially tried to rescue her for an hour before calling Triple Zero for help. </p> <p>Photos shared by NSW Ambulance on Facebook showed the woman's feet poking out as she was wedged inside the crevice. </p> <p>Paramedics had to remove the heavy rocks, including winching out a massive 500kg boulder to create a safe exit. The entire process took around seven hours as the woman had been stuck in a tight "S" bend which made it challenging for the rescue team. </p> <p>"In my 10 years as a rescue paramedic I had never encountered a job quite like this, it was challenging but incredibly rewarding," NSW Ambulance Specialist Rescue Paramedic Peter Watts said. </p> <p>"Every agency had a role, and we all worked incredibly well together to achieve a good outcome for the patient."</p> <p>NSW Ambulance confirmed that the woman was unable to get her phone back.</p> <p><em>Image: NSW Ambulance/ Facebook</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Young woman dies after horror cruise fall

<p>A woman in her 20s has died after plunging from the MSC Virtuosa cruise ship in the middle of the night. </p> <p>The cruise ship was travelling from Lisbon to Southampton when disaster struck at around 2am on October 12. </p> <p>While air ambulance successfully winched her out of the English Channel, she was pronounced dead at the hospital despite the best efforts of medics. </p> <p>British and French police are now probing the unidentified woman's death, <em>The Sun</em> reported. </p> <p>The ship originally sounded a Man Overboard alert and spotlights were then used to light up the sea, as aircraft from France and the Channel Islands attended the sea. </p> <p>Infra-red cameras were used to locate the woman, who would've struggled to survive in the cold water. </p> <p>At around 3am French time, an emergency alert was issued saying that a person was missing, a coast guard told <em>The Sun</em>. </p> <p>A helicopter was sent to a search area just north Les Casquets rocks, near the Channel Island of Alderney, while a plane from Channel Islands Air Search was sent to the scene from Guernsey, along with lifeboat crews.</p> <p>The £650 million ($A1.2 billion) vessel, which has a crew of more than 1500 and can carry up to 6300 passengers, remained in the area before making its way to Southampton. </p> <p>“A guest on board MSC Virtuosa went overboard on 12 October, while the ship was sailing to Southampton,” a Virtuosa spokesperson said.</p> <p>“The body was later recovered with the involvement of the authorities.</p> <p>“We are deeply saddened by this tragic event, and our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time.</p> <p>“Out of respect for their privacy, we will not be providing further details.”</p> <p>A Hampshire Police spokesperson added: “The investigation is not being managed by UK authorities.”</p> <p><em>Images: P.Cartwright / Shutterstock.com/ Channel Islands Air Search</em></p> <p> </p>

Travel Trouble

"What a score": Woman finds rare gems in Vinnie's op shop

<p>One lucky thrift shopper has stumbled upon a rare find in her local charity shop, spotting stunning opal earrings on sale for just $2. </p> <p>The shopper took to Facebook to share her find, posting a photo of the gold earrings adorned with a series of blue opals that she got from a Vinnie's op-shop in Queensland.</p> <p>Many were quick to agree that they were "such a rare find" because of the low price, as admirers described the jewellery as "Pretty", "amazing" and "beautiful".</p> <p>"Holy moly," one person exclaimed. "I can't breathe," one other said. "What a score," another agreed.</p> <p>While some people were skeptical that the gems weren't real, others said, "There's no way someone would set that many beautiful opals into costume jewellery so I'd say you have found a unicorn there."</p> <p>"They most certainly look genuine opal and diamond," another agreed — and so do the experts.</p> <p>Sebastian Heffernan from Lightning Ridge Opal mines told <a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/womans-rare-2-find-at-vinnies-op-shop-worth-1000-absolute-steal-042951545.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Yahoo News</em></a> that while it's difficult to determine based on photos alone, the opals "don't appear to be fake". </p> <p>"It's normally pretty obvious when they are," he explained. "They would look a little bit too perfect a lot of the time. Whereas these ones, you can see that some of them have little dots of colour, some have medium flashes."</p> <p>Assuming the opals are real but the diamonds are fake and the gold is plated, rather than solid, Sebastian guessed the earrings could sell for just couple of hundred.</p> <p>However, Wayne Sedawie, who owns Opal and Gem Stone Auctions, reckons the lucky thrifter could fetch close to $1,000 for the earrings, if resold or cashed in to a reseller, and suggested she get them valued.</p> <p>"It's definitely good to maybe get them looked at by someone in person because they do look quite nice from the photo, and the metal itself could be worth a little bit if it is actual gold," Sebastian added. "But either way, two bucks is an absolute steal".</p> <p>"That's such a great find. They're beautiful," Wayne agreed. "Just clean them up and they'll last a thousand years."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Facebook</em></p>

Money & Banking

Woman sentenced to life for murdering parents and living with their bodies

<p>A British woman, who murdered her parents and lived with their bodies for four years, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday and is not eligible for parole for 36 years. </p> <p>When Essex Police raided Virginia McCullough's house in Great Baddow last September, the 36-year-old confessed that her parents' bodies were in the house and that she had killed them. </p> <p>She admitted to poisoning her father, John McCullough, 70, with prescription medication that she put into his drink, and then a few days later, beat her 71-year-old mother Lois McCullough with a hammer and fatally stabbed her. </p> <p>“I did know that this would kind of come eventually,” she said while handcuffed in body cam footage released by police on Friday. </p> <p>“It’s proper that I serve my punishment.”</p> <p>After McCullough was arrested, she told an officer: “Cheer up, at least you’ve caught the bad guy,” adding that “I know I don’t seem 100 per cent evil.”</p> <p>Further body cam footage showed her at the police station telling officers where to find the tools she used to kill her mother. </p> <p>She had pleaded guilty to murdering her parents at a previous hearing in June 2019. </p> <p>In the words of the prosecution, McCullough kept her father in a “homemade mausoleum” in his bedroom and study, in a structure that was “composed with masonry blocks stacked together.”</p> <p>She wrapped her mother's body in a sleeping bag and put it in a wardrobe on the top floor of the property. </p> <p>In the four years after the murder, she ran up £149,697 ($AU289,792) on credit cards in her parents’ names and continued to spend their pensions.</p> <p>The court heard she cancelled family arrangements and told doctors and relatives that her parents were unwell or away on a trip. </p> <p>Statements from her three unnamed siblings were also read in court, and one said: “our parents were completely blameless victims”. </p> <p>“Virginia always said Mum and Dad were fine and made up lie after lie about their daily activities," another said. </p> <p>Judge Jeremy Johnson said at the sentencing hearing on Friday that McCullough’s actions represented a “gross violation of the trust that should exist between parents and their children.”</p> <p>Judge Johnson said that she had maintained an “elaborate, extensive and enduring web of deceit” over months and years and that he was sure there was a “substantial degree of both pre-meditation and planning," that went into the murder. </p> <p>Essex Police said documents found in the home showed that McCullough was trying desperately” to keep her parents from discovering the poor state of her finances, and gave “false assurances” about her employment and future prospects.</p> <p>“She is an intelligent manipulator who chose to kill her parents callously, without a thought for them or those who continue to suffer as a result of their loss,” said Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby. </p> <p>"The details of this case shock and horrify even the most experienced of murder detectives, let alone any right-thinking member of the public.”</p> <p><em>Image: Essex Police/ 7NEWS</em></p> <p> </p>

Legal

Incredible reason behind Aussie woman's 5,500km outback ride

<p>Sarah Wheeler has been travelling through the New South Wales outback for the last four and a half months, doing it entirely on horseback. </p> <p>The 26-year-old Aussie plans to ride 5,500 kilometres through outback Queensland and New South Wales to raise awareness about the rare cancer that killed her mum in 2022, a little over a decade after her father passed away. </p> <p>With around four months left on her trip, Wheeler and her two horses, Shifty and Sally, are slowly trekking across some of the most remote and rugged parts of the country in a trip that has never been done before. </p> <p>"I'd always thought about doing something like this throughout my life," Wheeler told <em>Yahoo News</em>. </p> <p>"So after my parents died, I went out and bought two horses and, yeah, set off on a five-and-a-half-thousand-kilometre horse ride to honour and remember, and grieve."</p> <p>Wheeler set off with her horses from her hometown Rowena in western NSW in May, and has since travelled across long stretches of highways, desolate plains and rocky terrain and has now passed the halfway mark. </p> <p>She explained that in recent weeks she has also been trekking on foot and has contact with other people only when she stops in towns for supplies or when she feeds her horses, using a support vehicle. </p> <p>"The car travels 10 kilometres at a time so that I can keep replenishing my horses, with both food and water. Ten kilometres takes me two hours, sometimes a bit longer, and I'm usually in the saddle for six to eight hours a day," she told the publication. </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/reel/C89KIgsxb_A/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/reel/C89KIgsxb_A/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Sarah Wheeler - The Outback Long Ride (@_beneaththebrim)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"The most challenging thing has probably been the saddles and saddle pads and cleanliness — that's all so important. I have to wash my saddle blankets every second day. Otherwise, things just start happening, like fungus type of stuff."</p> <p>She added that while "this has been one of the hardest things I have ever done", the friendliness and support of locals has been a highlight of her trip. </p> <p>"Everyone's so lovely and inviting and, yeah, I just I didn't think that I was going to see that to this extent," she said. "People want to invite me in and feed me, they just want to help me as much as they can."</p> <p>Remembering her late parents' legacy, Wheeler said she wants everyone to know just how "remarkable" they both were.</p> <p>"They were like everything this world needed and more," she said. "They were very kind and genuine and humble."</p> <p>Wheeler's ride is raising awareness and funds for two key charities: <a href="https://pancare-gi-cancer.raisely.com/sarah-wheeler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pancare Foundation</a>, the lead organisation supporting families and funding research for upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, which claimed the life of her mother, and A Daughter’s Way, her own charity supporting rural families experiencing grief. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Domestic Travel

Police share major update on woman's lawnmower death

<p>The death of Frances Crawford is now being treated as suspicious, more than two months after she tragically <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/police-officially-declare-woman-s-lawnmower-death-suspicious" target="_blank" rel="noopener">died</a>. </p> <p>The 49-year-old was found dead on an Upper Lockyer property in Queensland shortly before 4am on July 30th, with paramedics initially reporting the incident as a "mower rollover".</p> <p>However, as the investigation into her death continues, police have now alleged that she was murdered.</p> <p>“Investigations are underway by the Crime and Intelligence Command Homicide Group and Gatton Criminal Investigation Branch into the circumstances that lead to her death,” Regional Crime Coordinator Detective Superintendent George Marchesini said.</p> <p>Superintendent Marchesini said several lines of inquiry were being pursued by homicide detectives, while forensic testing and analysis of how Ms Crawford ended up in that location remain under investigation.</p> <p>One of the lines of inquiry being pursued involve the alleged relationship Frances' husband Robert had with “multiple women”.</p> <p>“We believe there were women who were involved in relationships with Mr Crawford who may have information about Mrs Crawford that will assist with this investigation,” Superintendent Marchesini said.</p> <p>“Mr Crawford may have met these women on dating applications, and through his personal and professional life.”</p> <p>nvestigators revealed Mr Crawford had connected with women in Italy, United States of America, Papua New Guinea, Guam, Afghanistan, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand and every state in Australia bar South Australia and Tasmania.</p> <p>“We are particularly interested in speaking with people who knew of Frances or Robert Crawford and their personal circumstances, including their marriage,” Superintendent Marchesini continued.</p> <p>According to police, Mr Crawford was at the property on the night his wife died and has been assisting police since her death, and has not been charged.</p> <p>Superintendent Marchesini said a number of people had provided information since the last public appeal.</p> <p>“The past few months have been extremely challenging for Frances’s family and her children, who are desperate for answers, and it’s time for those with information, no matter how small, to come forward,” Superintendent Marchesini said.</p> <p>Anyone with information that can assist with investigations and who had connections with the address or Mrs Frances Crawford or Mr Robert Crawford, as a couple or outside of the marriage, is encouraged to come forward and contact police.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Crawford Family / 7News</em></p>

Legal

Red tape threatens to remove a man with Down's syndrome from his elderly mother

<p>An elderly mother and her disabled son are at risk of being separated over the woman's aged care home's red tape. </p> <p>Anne Deans, 81, moved into an aged care facility in July and hoped that she would be able to bring her son, Mark, who suffers from Down's syndrome with her. </p> <p>Mark, 56, has always lived with his mother, and despite his disability, has lived a full life and has dabbled in acting, appearing on Aussie TV hit <em>Blue Heelers</em>.</p> <p>But now, the mother and son have been left in limbo by a bureaucratic battle. </p> <p>Despite the family's history and Mark's disability, the government refuses to fund a place for Mark at Anne's aged care home, stating that aged care is "not an appropriate service for people aged under 65".</p> <p>"People with Down's syndrome have a life expectancy of 60 years. That's if we're lucky. So Mark is experiencing all of the age issues that my Mum is," Mark's sister Sharon said.</p> <p>Sharon and her sister Michelle have been lobbying on Mark's behalf, with Michelle saying, "I don't know why it's so hard. There's so much red tape."</p> <p>"There's so many hills to jump, just to have a mum and a son together. It doesn't make any sense."</p> <p>Anne is digging in and appealing to the Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells for help. </p> <p>"I brought him up all these years, and all of a sudden someone's going to walk in and take him out," Anne told <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/victoria-red-tape-threatens-to-tear-man-with-disability-from-his-mum/df4ef75b-6df1-4507-8a73-dfae0b258e08" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>A Current Affair</em></a>.</p> <p>"It is damn ridiculous. They should open up their eyes and see what it's doing. He's not going anywhere. I don't know how I'm going to stop it, but I will."</p> <p>In a statement, Ms Wells said, "While Aged Care is generally not suitable for people under the age of 65, we recognise there are exceptional circumstances where people may need to enter aged care before this age, including when there is no suitable accommodation for them."</p> <p>"The New Aged care Act includes exceptional circumstances for people to enter Aged Care before they turn 65, including when they would otherwise be at risk of homelessness."</p> <p>"There are processes in place to support people to explore their options and ensure they have safe and appropriate accommodation."</p> <p>"We encourage Mark to continue to work with Ability First Australia and the Aged Care Assessment Teams to explore all the options."</p> <p><em>Image credits: A Current Affair </em></p>

Family & Pets

King Charles gives woman "the surprise of her life" on 87th birthday

<p>King Charles has given a woman "the surprise of her life" for her 87th birthday. </p> <p>Alice Ryce was visiting Dumfries House for her special day, when she bumped into the monarch who was walking around the grounds. </p> <p>The sweet interaction happened last week, but was only just shared to social media on Tuesday, and showed the birthday girl chatting with His Majesty. </p> <p>"Whilst enjoying a visit to the estate, which is open to the public, Alice unexpectedly met His Majesty, who was delighted to share in her special day," the caption in the video read. </p> <p>"The King was in Ayrshire to support the work of The King's Foundation, headquartered at Dumfries House. Happy birthday, Alice!"</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/reel/DAQ8jRSIPFi/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/reel/DAQ8jRSIPFi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Dumfries House (@dumfrieshouse)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>King Charles was wearing a light coloured suit and surrounded by minimal staff and security. He also wore a pair of sunglasses and carried an outdoor walking stick. </p> <p>While it's not uncommon for those celebrating their 100th birthday to get a birthday message from the King, it's very rare for anyone else to receive a birthday message from the monarch, let alone chat with him. </p> <p>Just hours after the clip was posted it gained over 30,000 likes with hundreds of comments, many of them sending their birthday wishes to Alice.</p> <p>"How wonderful!! The King always seems so approachable and such a generous person, so glad to see him looking fit and healthy. And what a wonderful surprise for Alice on her birthday, one she’ll never forget! Happy Birthday Alice and God Save The King!!" one wrote. </p> <p>"Awe she must have been so happy to see you King Charles. What a lucky day for both of you," another added. </p> <p>"What a lovely surprise for Alice," a third wrote. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p> <p> </p>

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