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"Go back to your ocean": Olympic medallist insulted by French customs officer

An Aussie Olympic medallist was caught off guard upon his return home to Brisbane, when he was called out by a French customs officer. Jack Robinson, who won silver in the surfing competition in Tahiti as part of the Paris Games, was returning to Aussie shores with his medal in tow and happy with his Olympic performance. However, when he was greeted by a customs officer who happened to be French, things took a turn. The Frenchman took the opportunity to stick it to the Aussie Olympic runner up, relishing the fact that Kauli Vaast, from France, had won gold in the comp. Taking to TikTok to share the hilarious encounter with his followers, Mr Robinson said: "what are the odds of being welcomed like this?" <div class="embed" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: currentcolor !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: none; vertical-align: baseline; width: 600px; max-width: 100%; outline: currentcolor !important;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7400700745911225618&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40jackrobinsonsurf%2Fvideo%2F7400700745911225618%3Fembed_source%3D121374463%252C121451205%252C121439635%252C121433650%252C121404359%252C121351166%252C121331973%252C120811592%252C120810756%253Bnull%253Bembed_masking%26refer%3Dembed%26referer_url%3Dwww.escape.com.au%252Fnews%252Faussie-silver-medal-surfer-jack-robinson-brutally-burned-by-french-customs-officer%252Fnews-story%252F48306be5756c2cf2d353787e823bf812%26referer_video_id%3D7400700745911225618&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign-sg.tiktokcdn.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-alisg-p-0037%2F99adeff03a574c23861d622aa90e9b89_1723109925%3Flk3s%3Db59d6b55%26nonce%3D74009%26refresh_token%3Db5b746d3b3a1eb36e30b00a6f4cd678d%26x-expires%3D1723780800%26x-signature%3Dh7x7Li%252B%252BEw4xdRkWkw2PKU3jkNQ%253D%26shp%3Db59d6b55%26shcp%3D-&key=59e3ae3acaa649a5a98672932445e203&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> "Yeah ze French guy in the Australian customs. So on my way back from Tahiti I arrive from ze flight and I get ze dec-er-al-ation, I come to ze customs, the guy looks at me and says 'Ey, better luck next time zon, go back to your ocean.'" Despite the customs officer's remarks, many Aussies praised Robinson's performance in Tahiti, as fans hailed his "amazing efforts". His TikTok was flooded with comments, with many saying they believed that the officer "did not mean it badly", as Robinson confirmed he had taken the jibe in his stride. Others said the Frenchman could "go back to his 'La Seine'", while others remarked, "Bro the French are cocky asf, you did good man" and "Why the French so smug? That's a Tahitian gold, not a 'French' one." Image credits: TikTok

Travel Trouble

"Love harder": Perth brothers farewelled at emotional memorial service

Six weeks after they were <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/tragic-new-details-emerge-over-aussie-brothers-missing-in-mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shot dead</a> while on a surfing trip to Mexico, Perth brothers Jake and Callum Robinson have been farewelled in a heart-wrenching private memorial on Saturday. The memorial took place in Perth’s Sacred Heart College, where the brothers attended high school, and hundreds gathered at the college to remember the brothers. It was also live-streamed for those who could not fit into the theatre at the college, with Callum's friends also watching on from America, where he spent the last 14 years of his life. In an emotional tribute, their parents, Debra and Martin Robinson, thanked loved ones abroad and in Australia for their endless support, and talked about how special their sons were. "We're not here to dwell on the where or the how or try to understand the why of their passing but instead to say goodbye to two young men and hopefully start the healing process for everyone," Mr Robinson said. “It’s hard to describe the feeling of when your adult children come and visit you, until it’s gone,” Mrs Robinson added. “They loved life and they followed their dreams. “They were intelligent, respectful men with so much more to offer the world.” The cover of a memorial brochure had the phrase: “LIVE BIGGER, SHINE BRIGHTER, LOVE HARDER”. With shaky voices, the grieving parents described how their two sons exuded “pure love”. "We loved that Jake was curious, kind and happy and never judgemental. Callum always made a conscious decision to wake up and be positive every day. He saw so much fun in life," Mrs Robinson said. "We look around the room today at everyone and it gives us strength, so thank you. "We have cried many tears and we will cry many more … We miss you beyond description, Callum and Jakie boy, please shine on us." Childhood friends Adam Moore and Simon Moore also shared anecdotes about their friendships with the brothers. Adam recalled how the two brothers always excelled "at any sport imaginable" and always had so much energy, and Simon spoke of their surfing adventures through the years. The brothers and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad were last seen alive on April 27. They were allegedly robbed for their car tyres and murdered while they were camping in the Baja California coastline. Three people have been <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/arrests-made-over-aussie-surfers-missing-in-mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested</a> over their suspected involvement in the robbery. Image: 7News

Caring

Today show star and veteran doctor dies at age 69

A veteran doctor and regular guest on the Today show Dr Ric Gordon has passed away at the age of 69 from pancreatic cancer. Known for sharing his expertise as an obstetrician and fertility specialist, Dr Gordon became a household name after he delivered the first baby on Australian television. Upon hearing of his death, veteran radio host and beloved Australian author Wendy Harmer revealed Dr Gordon delivered both her babies even after she and her partner dropped out of IVF. In a post on X, she wrote, “He was a pioneer in IVF in Australia and gave hope to so many... and was kind and caring professional. Vale.” Nine News confirmed the “sad news” of Dr Gordon’s passing from pancreatic cancer on Saturday, as presenter Georgie Gardner said “he will be deeply missed”. Professionally known as Dr Ric Porter, he had previously hosted Nine’s long-running lifestyle hit Good Medicine, which ran for nine years in the 1990s. Dr Gordon was a part of the team of doctors who delivered the first IVF birth in NSW in 1983, and during his career, he delivered more than 5000 babies, including in 2003 when he safely delivered a baby live on the Today show. Reflecting on the moment in 2022, Dr Gordon told Today viewers it was an extraordinary moment in television. “It went so well, it was a great morning and a good outcome,” he said. “The baby cried when it was meant to cry, mum and dad were happy." The well-known doctor also drew some controversy over his career, including an offensive analogy where he used the Holocaust to explain weight loss on the same breakfast TV program in 2015. Despite apologising for saying “there were no overweight people in the concentration camps”, his apology was dismissed by many for being “insufficient” and “unsatisfactory”. Dr Gordon said at the time, “I’m very sorry it upset those people. It was never my intention.” He added that he had “done a lot of study” on the Holocaust and his comments were merely “used as a medical example”. Image credits: Today

Caring

Touching tribute for surfer brothers killed in Mexico

A touching tribute has been held in San Diego, USA for the two Australian brothers killed in Mexico. Jake and Callum Robinson were honoured in a paddle-out into the surf, with their parents Debra and Martin Robinson also flying into San Diego where Callum had been living. Dozens of locals and friends gathered in the surf at one of Callum's favourite beaches to honour the boys' lives, and their father was among those who paddled out and paid tribute to his sons. Callum's lacrosse team paid tribute to a "beautiful and bright human". "That guy was a ball of sunshine, so grateful my path crossed with his," one surfer said. "He just brought so much passion and joy to everything he was apart of." Friends have also said that the brothers had a passion for sport and being outdoors. "In the middle of our ceremony a large wave rolled in and it felt like Callum was there with us and everyone said that's Callum," another surfer said. Two men and one woman have been <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/arrests-made-over-aussie-surfers-missing-in-mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested</a> over their suspected involvement in the "robbery gone wrong", after the bodies of the two Aussie brothers and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad were discovered 10 metres <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/tragic-new-details-emerge-over-aussie-brothers-missing-in-mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener">down a well</a> near their campsite. Images: Nine

Caring

New claim from Mexican criminal cartel over murdered Aussie brothers

A member of the Sinaloa Cartel has claimed that they were the ones who handed the robbers accused of <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/i-killed-them-major-twist-in-slain-aussie-brothers-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">murdering two Aussie brothers</a> and their American friend over to police. The city of Ensenada, near where the murders occurred, is under the control of a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, and now they have debunked <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-trouble/doesn-t-add-up-new-theory-emerges-in-perth-brothers-deaths" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previous theories </a>that believed the cartel were involved somehow. “They were low-level robbers acting alone,” a member of the group, who chose to remain anonymous, told The Daily Beast. “But we handed them over. We learned that the cops were looking for the gringos and also began looking for those who were responsible. We called the authorities to let them know where to find them.” The cartel member added that the group was afraid of "unwanted attention" from Mexican authorities. Callum Robinson, 33, Jake Robinson, 30, and their friend Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, were all killed in what police have characterised as a bungled robbery while they were camping in the Baja California region during a surfing trip. The trio were reported missing on April 27 after they failed to check-in at their next accommodation. Their bodies were discovered in a well over the weekend with <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/tragic-new-details-emerge-over-aussie-brothers-missing-in-mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gunshots </a>to the head, around seven kilometres from where they were killed. Three people have been arrested, with the alleged ringleader charged with “forced disappearance”. He has not yet entered a plea and charges are expected to be upgraded to murder in the coming days. Image: Instagram/ 7NEWS

Legal

"I killed them": Major twist in slain Aussie brothers case

The girlfriend of the man who allegedly killed Perth brothers Callum and Jake Robinson has reportedly "flipped" on her partner, becoming the star witness in the case. Ari Gisel García Cota was arrested earlier this week, along with her partner Jesús Gerardo Garcia Cota and his brother Cristian Alejandro Garcia, after the bodies of the Robinson brothers and their friend were found on Saturday in a desolate section of Santo Tomas in the Baja California region. According to Mexico police, the three men were killed as a result of a failed robbery, after locals attempted to steal the tyres from their pick-up truck. The bodies of the three men were recovered from a 15-metre deep well, with each man having fatal gun shot wounds to the head. In a major twist to the case, prosecutors revealed to court on Wednesday that Ari Gisel García Cota had become a key witness in the case after turning on the "ringleader" of the crime. “She has flipped on the ringleader and the evidence she’s provided to the prosecution will lead this case going forward,” Nine News correspondent Alison Piotrowski, who was in the courtroom, told 2GB’s Ben Fordham on Thursday. “What’s alleged is that Jesús Gerardo was driving her car that night when he went out to that remote campsite. The prosecution is saying what we’ve been talking about for the last couple of days has potentially happened, that the two Aussies and their American friend were ambushed.” Prosecutors allege Jesús Gerardo “killed them, took their tyres, put the tyres on her car and drove back”. When he went back to their house, the court heard he allegedly told Ari Gisel, “I f**ked up three gringos (English-speaking foreigner).” “She said to him, ‘What do you mean by that?’ And he told her, ‘I killed them’, and then showed her the vehicle with Jake, Callum and Jack’s tyres on her car,” Piotrowski said. “Ari was arrested later that day, she had fled to her mother’s house to get away from him. When the officers arrested her they said, ‘You have the right to remain silent’, and she said, ‘I don’t want to be silent, I want to tell you what I know. I’m a victim of domestic violence, I want to protect my four-year-old so let me help you with this case.’ So she has spectacularly turned on him and will now be crucial in this case moving forward.” Piotrowski added that the stunning revelation explained why Mexican officials “have been able to put him behind bars so quickly and also how they found the bodies”. “This conversation that he had with his girlfriend is pretty damning,” she said. So far only Jesús Gerardo Garcia Cota has been charged in connection with the deaths of the three men, and only with forced kidnapping, while Ari Gisel García Cota and Cristian Alejandro Garcia have only been charged with drug possession. Piotrowski said the kidnapping charges may not be upgraded to murder until the next court hearing, although the judge has more questions about how the three men were killed. “The judge did say that he can’t understand how one sole person could have done this, essentially kidnap and kill three men and take their tyres, it seems like too much,” she said. “He suggested that the prosecution needed to look into more suspects, that they needed to broaden their investigation because it couldn’t have been done by one man alone.” Image credits: Instagram / State Commission of the Penitentiary System of Baja California

Legal

Tragic new details emerge over Aussie brothers missing in Mexico

Authorities have recovered three bodies in the Baja California region of Mexico, believed to be those of brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and their American friend who went missing while on a surfing trip. The Perth siblings and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad went missing last week after they failed to show up at their planned accommodations. Mexican Authorities believe that the brothers were attacked in a robbery gone wrong, and fought back, prompting gunfire from the alleged thieves. The three bodies had gunshots to the head, execution-style, and were found 10 metres down a well outside Santo Tomás about 2km away from what is believed to be the men's campsite. While officials are waiting for DNA results, they believe that there is a "very high probability that it is them". "They were in a state of decomposition. That is why we have to run the genetic tests," Baja California Attorney General Maria Elena Andrade Ramírez told 9News. Police have also said that shell casings were found at the scene. <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/arrests-made-over-aussie-surfers-missing-in-mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Two men and one woman</a> have been arrested in connection with the attempted robbery, after they were found in possession of methamphetamines and one of the missing men's phones. Ramírez also said evidence found along with the abandoned tents was linked to the three people being questioned about the missing foreigners. Local TV network Milenio reported that the suspects appeared to have stolen the surfers’ truck and some of its parts were found in another truck belonging to one of the suspects. "A working team (of investigators) is at the site where they were last seen, where tents and other evidence was found that could be linked to these three people we have under investigation," Ramírez said on Thursday. "There is a lot of important information that we can't make public." A fourth body was also found deeper down the well, but Ramirez confirmed that it had no connection to the investigation. Image: Nine

Caring

Italy’s Robinson Crusoe starts a new life

After being the sole inhabitant of the Mediterranean island of Budelli for over 30 years, Mauro Morandi has moved away and started a new life. Known as <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/international-travel/italy-s-robinson-crusoe-asked-to-leave-island?fbclid=IwAR1KUnOTb2pRGUyFn9SavR4zqBOUHmdFky9n9Ah91K_f8e-6l1r7vxP8_Wo" target="_blank">Italy’s Robinson Crusoe</a>, Mr Morandi was the caretaker of the island, which lies in a stretch of water between Sardinia and Corsica, since he washed up there in 1989. The 82-year-old has protected the island for decades, but years of pressure from marine park authorities who wanted to evict him has seen his time on the island come to end. The authorities told CNN they were upholding the law by “restoring the illegal structure” Mr Morandi lived in - a former second world war radio station. <img style="width: 500px; height:375px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844454/176562232_504251944321186_6029451781535021283_n.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/7f41cb48a6cf439380e579309443ffe0" /> The 19th century structure on Budelli. Image: @maurodabudelli / Instagram They said the caretaker “had no title” to remain on the island, after La Maddalena’s National Park took over ownership of the island in 2015. Mr Morandi gained a devoted following after sharing moments from his island life on Instagram, with many supporters petitioning for him to be allowed to remain on Budelli. After sharing an image of the shore and distant horizon with the caption, “last evening”, he left. <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/COQF6ynpaES/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/COQF6ynpaES/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Mauro Da Budelli (@maurodabudelli)</a> </div> </blockquote> Despite the sudden change in his life, Mr Morandi says it’s more than possible to move on and readjust. “It’s never really over,” he <a rel="noopener" href="https://travel.nine.com.au/latest/what-italys-famous-hermit-did-next/93dc7240-0a9f-4439-8ad2-9eda6e4a023f" target="_blank">told CNN</a>. “I’m the living proof that a second, new life is possible. You can always start all over again, even if you’re over 80, because there are other things you can experience, a totally different world.” Since leaving Budelli, Mr Morandi has moved back to civilisation on the nearby, inhabited island of La Maddalena. “I’m happy and I have rediscovered the pleasure of living the good life and enjoying everyday comforts,” he said. After using his pension from his prior career as a teacher, Mr Morandi bought an apartment that came with all the luxuries he lacked on Budelli. He has also been working on his skills as a communicator and is eager to talk to people, exchange views and share photos on social media. “For a long time I have lived alone, and for too many years after I first landed on Budelli I didn’t feel like talking to anyone,” he said. “True, I cannot enjoy the island’s solitude anymore but my life has taken a new turn, focused on communicating with others and being near other people.” Despite regaining luxuries such as a fully-equipped kitchen, a bedroom with a king size bed, shelves of books, and a shower, Mr Morandi says he still lives a simple life. Savouring dishes he hasn’t had in decades, Mr Morandi is indulging in a simple dish which was impossible to have on Budelli: fish. <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/CTIZb-htLHG/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/CTIZb-htLHG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Mauro Da Budelli (@maurodabudelli)</a> </div> </blockquote> “I still keep leading a simple life, in the morning I go down to Cala Gavetta to buy fresh fish from the net. Finally after so many years of abstinence, I can enjoy fish again. This might sound incredible, but I can’t have enough platefuls of fresh and crispy fried fish,” he said. “On the island I had no boat so I couldn’t fish, and the food was scarce and limited. I always had to wait for people to bring me groceries from the mainland, and when they wouldn’t come, I had to make do with what I had. “Here, if I need to buy anything I just walk into town.” He has since rekindled an old flame, and now lives in his new home with a sweetheart from his youth. Mr Morandi has also been fully vaccinated for COVID-19, is happy to wear a mask in public, and enjoys mingling with locals. <img style="width: 400px; height:500px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844453/240655263_598357078002846_2962138352093797634_n.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/22efc83f43b64589a09966c8597eb5d9" /> Image: @maurodabudelli / Instagram “I was amazed at how many are friendly, and I’m usually invited for coffee, lunch or dinner,” he said. “I was worried locals would not give me a warm welcome. I’m happy that not everyone hates me, just those who were jealous of the life I led on Budelli. “Many are fond of me. They come up to me and congratulate me on my fight, they want to take pictures with me.” Though he has settled into his new home, Mr Morandi worries about the future of Budelli. “I don’t long for it,” he said. “However I might be willing to return as caretaker only if this time round I get paid to do my job. I won’t work for free again.” Image: @maurodabudelli / Instagram

International Travel

Italy’s Robinson Crusoe asked to leave island

Though being alone on an island might be a nightmarish situation for some, Mauro Morandi has been doing that exact thing by choice for 31 years. Morandi’s catamaran washed up on the shore of Budelli Island, found in a stretch of water between Sardinia and Corsica, in 1989. When he learned the island’s caretaker was looking to retire from his post, Morandi sold his boat and took on the job. After decades protecting one of Italy’s most beautiful islands, Morandi, known as Italy’s Robinson Crusoe, has surrendered his post in response to years of pressure from authorities. Budelli Island is one of the seven islands that make up Maddalena Archipelago National Park and is considered the most beautiful of them all because of its Pink Beach. In the early 1990’s, the Italian government claimed Pink Beach was a place of “high natural value” and closed off to protect its fragile ecosystem. With only some areas accessible to visitors, the island quickly went from hosting thousands of people a day to only one inhabitant calling it home. Fast forward to 2016, when Maddalena National Park challenged Morandi’s right to live on the island after a three-year legal battle ruled the park owned the island. A petition with over 18,000 signatures opposing his eviction pressured local politicians to delay the move indefinitely. But, Morandi announced in a Facebook post that he had decided to leave the island at the end of April 2021 after several eviction threats from authorities. “I hope[d] to die here and be cremated and have my ashes scattered in the wind,” the 81-year-old told National Geographic. Because he believes all life will reunite with the Earth, he has stayed on the island without compensation. Morandi has guarded the island’s environment with fervour and educated summer visitors about the ecosystem and how to protect it. “I’m not a botanist or a biologist,” Morandi said. “Yes, I know names of plants and animals, but my work is much different than this. To be able to care for a plant is a technical task - I try to make people understand [why] the plant needs to live.” During the winter is a much lonelier time. Morandi would go for periods of more than 20 days without any human contact. “I’m sort of in prison here,” he said. “But it’s a prison that I chose for myself.” When Wi-Fi eventually came to the island, Morandi took it in his stride and shared his lifestyle with the world through social media to expose people to its beauty. <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/CN20W0VpNzj/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/CN20W0VpNzj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Mauro Da Budelli (@maurodabudelli)</a> </div> </blockquote> “Love is an absolute consequence of beauty, and vice versa,” Morandi said. “When you love a person deeply you see him or her as beautiful, but not because you see them as physically beautiful … you empathise with them, you’ve become a part of her and she’s become a part of you. It’s the same thing with nature.”

International Travel

Colleen McCullough's will update: "On its face it's a lie"

The battle for the estate of best-selling author Colleen McCullough has taken a fresh new twist with a court hearing her husband ‘took a mistress’ just before her death. <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/" target="_blank">9news.com.au reports</a> the legal fight between Selwa Anthony, one of Ms McCullough’s best friends and the executor of her will, and the author’s husband, Ric Robinson, is proving to have drama that is worthy of a page turner itself. The author has two disputed wills – one that puts half her $2 million estate to an American University and another that gives everything to Mr Robinson. The solicitor working on the case, Piria Coleman, also added the belief that Dr McCullough was unwell during the essential care meetings and after noting bruising on her arm believed Mr Robinson was controlling the best-selling author. Ms Coleman had reportedly visited the author just weeks before her passing in January 2015, where Dr McCullough reportedly yelled at her to “give him what he wants”. On a later visit to execute the will that would have left everything to Mr Robinson, Ms Coleman noted Dr McCullough seemed “very unwell” and appeared to have heavy bruising. She also said the marks made on the document did not resemble each other. "I took it as evidence she didn't want to sign her name," she said. "I certainly didn't leave understanding that was a fresh will." But defence barrister David Murr SC said she had written a letter the next day referring to, “the updated will”. He asked the solicitor if that letter was a lie. "On its face it's a lie...one needs to read between the lines," Ms Coleman said. When asked why she did not ask Mr Robinson to leave the room, Ms Coleman said "there was an approach at that stage to placate Ric...to try to keep the peace...to keep Col from harm...Those were foremost in my mind on the 24th of October." Ms Coleman's cross-examination is set to resume on Thursday. What are your thoughts?

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Italy’s Robinson Crusoe starts a new life

Italy’s Robinson Crusoe asked to leave island

Colleen McCullough's will update: "On its face it's a lie"

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