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Win a free Legacy Film and capture a life story that matters

<p>Have you ever wished you could freeze time – preserve a loved one’s stories, laughter and quiet reflections so they can be cherished for generations to come? Now you can.</p> <p>Danika Armytage, founder of <a href="https://www.bigstorieslittlefilms.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Big Stories Little Films</em></a>, recently appeared on <em>The Morning Show</em> to share her mission: helping Australians preserve their life stories on film. And now, she’s giving one lucky person the chance to win a professionally made legacy film – completely free. Take a look:</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z1DPvQFmZFg?si=8yIDGnbaKRA20n_D" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>A legacy film is a beautifully crafted short documentary film that captures a life story, family history, and the wisdom passed between generations – something to treasure forever.</p> <p>Nominations are open throughout April, with the winner to be announced in May.</p> <p>Valued at over $3,000, the film can feature the life story of an individual or a couple. So how will the winner be chosen?</p> <p>“The story doesn’t need to be defined by fame or accolades,” Danika says. “Maybe the person has led an extraordinary life, overcome big obstacles, or perhaps this film is simply something their family deeply wants to preserve. When choosing the winning nomination, it’s really about the story that matters to the people who love them.”</p> <p>While the giveaway is open to everyone, Danika adds that they’re especially mindful of those for whom the timing feels particularly important.</p> <p>“There are some stories that really can’t wait to be told,” she explains. “But truly, I encourage everyone to apply.”</p> <p>If you or someone you love has a story worth telling – and treasuring – head to <a href="https://www.bigstorieslittlefilms.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bigstorieslittlefilms.com.au</a> to submit a nomination. And if you <em>DO</em> win, be sure to contact us via <a href="mailto:contact@oversixty.com.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contact@oversixty.com.au</a> so we can share it with the world!</p> <p><em>Images: Big Stories Little Films</em></p>

Movies

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"Patrons yelled to stop": Comedy Festival rocked by death on opening night

<p>Melbourne’s comedy scene was rocked by tragedy on the opening night of this year’s International Comedy Festival, as an attendee suffered a fatal medical episode mid-show, leading to the abrupt cancellation of the event.</p> <p>The distressing incident occurred during comedian Michael Hing’s performance at the Palais Theatre, where a man on the upper level of the venue suffered a medical emergency. Attendees quickly responded, providing CPR in the dark while Hing remained unaware of the unfolding crisis.</p> <p>“[It] would have been at least 15 mins worth before the show stopping, and [it] only stopped as patrons yelled to stop performing,” one audience member told <em>The Daily Mail</em>.</p> <p>Another witness expressed dismay over the handling of the situation, stating, “I can’t believe they [the organisers] didn’t communicate with backstage to halt the show, and that it took the public to yell out to the comedian to stop for something to happen.”</p> <p>The Melbourne International Comedy Festival addressed the incident in a statement posted on Instagram, confirming the show’s cancellation.</p> <p>“Melbourne International Comedy Festival regrets to confirm that there was a medical emergency while the Opening Night Allstars Supershow was taking place this evening at the Palais Theatre,” a festival spokesman said. “The show was stopped and cancelled. The Festival will be in touch with all ticket holders tomorrow.”</p> <p>Victoria Police later confirmed the man’s death. “Police will prepare a report for the Coroner following the death of a man in St Kilda on Wednesday, 26 March,” a spokesman said. “Emergency services were called to a theatre on Lower Esplanade about 9pm. A man, who is yet to be formally identified, died at the scene.”</p> <p>Health worker Andrea Bortoli, who was sitting in the upper level’s front row, described the distressing scene as people began leaving and it “became quite obvious that someone was getting CPR. It was just obviously really distressing, so we wanted to leave,” she told <em>The Age</em>. </p> <p>Eventually, the theatre lights were turned on, and patrons were informed that the show had been cancelled.</p> <p>The Allstars Gala is one of the most anticipated nights of the festival, bringing together some of the biggest names in comedy. This year’s event was hosted by Hing.</p> <p>As news of the tragedy spread, comedian Dave Hughes expressed his sympathies on social media, writing, “All performers thoughts are with the family affected”.</p> <p><em>Images: Palais Theatre / MichaelHing.com</em></p>

Caring

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Acquapole lands in Sydney - Because fitness should never be dry! 

<p>Sydney Gymnastic and Aquatic Centre (SGAC) at West HQ is redefining workouts with the launch of Acquapole, an exciting aquatic fitness experience making its splashy debut in Sydney this February.  </p> <p>Forget the monotony of the gym or swimming laps – Acquapole combines the resistance of water with the strength-building benefits of pole fitness for a workout that’s effective, accessible and a whole lot of fun. </p> <p>Brad Vella, Aquatics Manager at SGAC, said Acquapole, which was designed in Italy, has proven to be a big hit in Europe given its ability to build strength, improve flexibility, and enhance coordination while being gentle on joints. </p> <p>“It’s a workout like no other, combining the strength-building benefits of pole fitness with the natural resistance of water for a full-body experience that’s as enjoyable as it is effective,” Brad Vella said. </p> <p>“It’s perfect for anyone looking to try something new, from seasoned fitness lovers to those just starting their wellness journey. </p> <p>“Acquapole brings a fresh and exciting approach to fitness for both enthusiasts and beginners. This is exactly what SGAC is all about—making fitness accessible and enjoyable for everyone.” </p> <p>The introduction of Acquapole is part of West HQ’s larger mission to bring cutting-edge fitness experiences to Greater Sydney. Acquapole is one of four innovative aquatic fitness programs now available at SGAC, alongside Acquapole Boxing, Acquapole Elastics, and SAF AQUA Drums Vibes, each offering a unique and engaging way to work out in the water. </p> <p>West HQ CEO, Richard Errington, said SGAC was committed to redefining fitness to ensure its programs continue to be to be relevant, enjoyable and dynamic.   </p> <p>“That’s why both SGAC and our One55 fitness centre continually evolve programs to make working out more rewarding by bringing fresh experiences to our members and the local community in Western Sydney,” Mr Errington said.   </p> <p>“SGAC’s Acquapole is a perfect example of how we evolve fitness  as it combines fun and innovation in a new work out experience.” </p> <p>By combining world-class fitness options with exceptional dining and entertainment, West HQ is continuously enhancing what it means to be an all-encompassing lifestyle destination in Western Sydney. </p> <p> Why Everyone’s Talking About Acquapole: </p> <ul> <li>It’s Fun: Say goodbye to dull workouts and hello to a 45 minute splash of excitement. </li> <li>It’s Low-Impact: Perfect for those looking to stay active without stressing their joints. </li> <li>It’s Inclusive: Whether you’re a fitness pro, a beginner, or somewhere in between, Acquapole welcomes you.</li> </ul> <p><em>Image credits: Supplied </em></p>

Body

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"Absolutely cooked": Old Sydney home sold for over $4.1 million

<p>A one-storey red brick home in Lane Cove, Sydney has sold for a whopping $4,165,000 at an auction on Saturday. </p> <p>The home, which boasts two bathrooms, a backyard, four bedrooms and a “traditional kitchen” has sold for more than $600,000 over reserve, despite being built between the 1920s-1950s and needing renovation. </p> <p>The home was snapped up by a British family after a fierce bidding war with six other registered buyers. </p> <p>“The people who purchased it were the opening bid. (The bidders) were actively bidding into the high threes, and two of them pushed it above the four mark,” said Sam Lloyd from McGrath Estate Agents.</p> <p>“As far as we know, they will definitely do some work to it to make it their family home.”</p> <p>Lloyd added that there was was “plenty of interest” in the 695 sqm property, with its prime location near the suburb's retail and restaurant precinct. </p> <p>The selling agent said that both himself and the owner were “surprised” by the high price of the property – which had a reserve of $3.5 million.</p> <p>“It was definitely above our expectations” he said.</p> <p>According to Domain, the median house price for a four bedroom home in Lane Cove is $3.505 million. </p> <p>Many expressed their outrage over the "crazy" price online, with freelancer chief executive Matt Barrie saying: “Sydney house prices rapidly approaching $5m. Absolutely cooked."</p> <p>“$4 million for the house, plus another $2-3 million to demolish and rebuild. The reality of living in Australia where even the top one per cent income earners face significant costs for home ownership,” another added. </p> <p>“Our economy is out of control, what a ridiculous price for an average house,” a third wrote.</p> <p>“That’s some crazy pricing! I hear Adelaide is lovely this time of year …” a fourth commented. </p> <p><em>Image: Domain</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Modern memories: Forget the memoir, create a life story film

<p>Every single person has a story to share, and a growing number of older Australians are choosing to record their life memories as short films. While writing memoirs can take years, creating a life story film takes just a few hours—and the resulting films are far more vivid than writing or looking through photo albums.</p> <p>Television producer and director Danika Armytage, known for producing shows like <em>The Block</em>, <em>River Cottage Australia</em>, <em>Travel Guides</em>, and <em>The Living Room</em>, has launched a company called Big Stories Little Films, which specialises in creating life legacy films. Since its inception in 2024, Danika has been busy bringing people's stories to life in film.</p> <p>“Our films tell life stories, capture family ancestry, and allow wisdom to be passed between generations,” Danika explains. “They are often a gift between family members—either commissioned as a birthday present from the kids, or as a film gifted from the grandparents to their grandkids - it’s like a film heirloom to pass between generations.”</p> <p>“I’ve created life story films for people from all walks of life,” says Danika, “from Commodores in the Navy, restaurateurs, fifth-generation sheep farmers, to immigrants who were born in concentration camps or fled war-torn countries. The films and stories are as unique as the people in them.”</p> <p>Danika was inspired to start the company after filming an interview with her own grandmother, Halimah, before she passed away. “The film became priceless to my family, especially after Granny died. Now my own children can meet their great-grandmother and feel connected to our family history, even though they never met her in person. Memories fade, but films are a time capsule that safeguards stories, keeping them as vivid as if you're sitting at the kitchen bench hearing them directly from your grandparent.”</p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2025/02/Danika-and-gma.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p><em>Big Stories Little Films creator</em> <em>Danika Armytage (L) and her inspiration, her grandmother Halimah </em></p> <p>“One of my favourite films was about brother and sister Raymond and Jennice Kersh (A.M.), now in their 80s, who ran the iconic Sydney restaurant Edna’s Table and were pioneers in serving indigenous ingredients in the Sydney restaurant scene. It was one of the first restaurants to serve Indigenous ingredients. Their story is inspiring, and their recollections of growing up in Pyrmont in the 1940s, a suburb where ‘everyone was poor but no one was lonely’ are a perfect example of how these films capture living history.” </p> <p>“Another of my favourite films was the story of John French, a fifth-generation sheep farmer from Tumut, in regional NSW. John can trace his family history all the way back to 1840, when his ancestors arrived from Scotland to work as shepherds. He still lives and works on the same land at the age of 79. His film was a gift from his daughter.”</p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2025/02/Raymond-and-Jennice.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-size: 16px; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji'; background-color: #ffffff;">Raymond and Jennice Kersh, who appeared in one of Danika's first films</span></em></p> <p>Big Stories Little Films began in Sydney but can film across Australia. To view examples of their films and learn more about their packages and pricing, visit their website: <a href="http://www.bigstorieslittlefilms.com.au">www.bigstorieslittlefilms.com.au</a>.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Supplied </em></p>

Movies

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"This ruined my life": Mum still seeking justice after horror e-bike crash

<p>Sarah was crossing on George Street in Sydney's CBD on February 2023 when she was brutally struck by a Lime e-bike rider. At the time of the accident, she was three months pregnant. </p> <p>Speaking to <em>Yahoo News</em>, Sarah explained she had been crossing the street when she heard someone yell "look out!" but before she could react, she was knocked down by the speeding vehicle. </p> <p>She claims that the bike user was illegally riding with a companion on the handle bars at the time, and fled the scene when she cried out "my baby!" </p> <p>Fortunately, Sarah's unborn daughter was unharmed during the incident, but she was left with lifelong injuries. </p> <p>"My foot was crushed, I had dislocations and many broken bones, and I needed 21 screws, two plates and two pins," Sarah said. </p> <p> "As a result of the injury, the skin on my foot began to die with fracture blisters, so I needed skin grafts as well.</p> <p>"I required six surgeries on my foot in total. One on my elbow, which was broken. One big plate and seven screws. Six weeks of non-weight bearing on my arm, and much longer on my foot. Around 12 weeks plus altogether."</p> <p>It took the mum six months after the accident to be able to walk again - three weeks before she gave birth. </p> <p>"The pain was unbelievable," she recalled. </p> <p>"The trauma was unbelievable. It was all just horrible, horrendous. It really was." </p> <p>Her family tried to seek compensation from Lime, but they deflected any blame saying that they would only take responsibility if the accident was caused by a faulty Lime bike, but not reckless riding. </p> <p>Since Lime e-bikes are rented by individuals, liability typically falls on the rider, not the company, they argued.</p> <p>The family's solicitor had also obtained CCTV footage of the incident, and had tried to get police to follow up but have been hit with multiple roadblocks since. </p> <p>"The police had their name, addresses, mobile and photos. [But] they only called one time, and went to the house one time. That's it. A high commissioner rang me to apologise, but then they still did nothing."</p> <p>Now, Sarah and her family are calling for the total ban of e-bikes in Australia. </p> <p>"They should be banned," Sarah said. "The government and Lime have just let loose motorised vehicles that can hurt riders and pedestrians, and have not covered anyone but themselves.</p> <p>"There is no policing how fast they are going. This ruined my body, my life and my first pregnancy. And nobody has been held accountable."</p> <p>While Sarah's baby was unharmed in the accident, nine months after her birth, the baby girl "was found to have tetralogy of Fallot" — a rare but serious heart defect that affects how blood flows through the heart.</p> <p>"She needed open heart surgery and will need it every 10 years. My injuries made everything a lot harder. But hopefully I can change things," Sarah said.</p> <p>"I'm certainly scarred for life."</p> <p><em>Image: Yahoo News</em></p>

Legal

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Man who worked on Harbour Bridge climbs iconic landmark

<p>An elderly man who worked on the Sydney Harbour Bridge 60 years ago has returned to Australia to climb the iconic landmark. </p> <p>Irishman Patrick Lonergan, 82, was part of a team of men who painted the Harbour Bridge in the 1960s as part of its yearly maintenance. </p> <p>Lonergan then returned to his native Ireland after his work in Sydney and has dreamed of returning ever since. </p> <p>Now in his 80s, the Sydney Bridge Climb official Instagram page has shared that Patrick has ticked off his bucket list dream of climbing the Harbour Bridge. </p> <p>"We’re honoured to have played a small role in helping him relive those special memories and capture a new photo on the Bridge," the account wrote. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DE4XDIMvCgm/?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/p/DE4XDIMvCgm/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by BridgeClimb Sydney (@bridgeclimb)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The Instagram page then shared a photo of Patrick from when he was in his 20s standing atop the bridge when he was enlisted to paint, and also a photo snapped after he completed his climb. </p> <p>The post racked up thousands of likes, with dozens of comments praising Patrick's efforts for completing the climb. </p> <p>One person wrote, "Blimey!!! No OH&S precautions back in those days! Welcome back to Oz, Paddy," while another added, "What a fantastic story. Well done Patrick!"</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram - Bridge Climb</em></p>

International Travel

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Ray Martin cashes in after selling luxury Sydney home

<p>Ray Martin has made a whopping $7.1 million after selling the family home he has owned on Sydney's north shore for thirty-five years.</p> <p>The veteran journalist sold the five-bedroom, three-bathroom mansion in the suburb of Waverton for a reported $8 million, after Martin and his wife Dianne bought the luxurious 1930s-era house in 1990 for $900,000.</p> <p>The beautiful home, known as Finisterre, sold for between $8 million and $8.5 million after being listed on January 1st, according to reports from <em><a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/news/ray-martins-8m-home-sale-bonanza/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">The Daily Telegraph</a></em>.</p> <p>Located just 5km from the Sydney CBD, the gorgeous two-storey home features classic period stylings and luxurious interiors.</p> <p>The stunning home boasts impressive features such as grand scale living areas, a beautiful patio for entertaining and a glass-framed mosaic-tiled pool, while a chef's kitchen features the latest appliances and a breakfast island.</p> <p>Other highlights include a 'formal' living room, a separate family room, a home office and an open-plan dining area that opens out to the backyard and patio.</p> <p>The upper level offers a large open terrace which features views of Sydney Harbour and the city skyline.</p> <p>Other luxury features on the estate also include a wine cellar, a second-floor study and landscaped gardens.</p> <p><em>Image credits: SBS / McGrath Real Estate</em> </p>

Money & Banking

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Midwife turns comedian at the grand old age of 62!

<p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">At an age when many are settling into retirement, Sarah Stewart decided to rewrite the script of her life – literally and figuratively. After decades as a midwife, wife and mother, the 62-year-old has gone from delivering babies to delivering punchlines by taking to the stage as a stand-up comedian, proving that it’s never too late to pursue a dream. </span></p> <p>With a sharp wit and an abundance of life experience, she’s been blowing audiences away with her hilarious and heartfelt reflections on family, ageing and the absurdities of modern life. </p> <p>But her journey to comedy hasn’t been without its challenges. Juggling her blossoming career with personal trials – including her husband’s battle with cancer – Sarah has had to navigate the delicate balance between ambition and devotion. </p> <p>Through it all, she’s maintained a fierce determination to follow her passion and inspire others. </p> <p>We sat down with Sarah to discuss the triumphs and setbacks of chasing a dream later in life, and her upcoming plans to take her one-woman show, <em>Midwife Crisis</em>, to new heights:</p> <p>“When I hit 60 a couple of years ago, I had a sudden thought: ‘Gosh! Death is just around the corner!’ </p> <p>“Okay, that’s a bit dramatic, but as you get older, you start to reflect on all the things you have always wanted to do but never achieved and realise that now is the time to do it before it is too late. </p> <p>“In my case, I had always wanted to become an actress but with being a wife, mother and an on-call midwife, over the years I had lost touch with my artistic side. I know it sounds like a horrible cliché but when I turned 60 I realised now was the time for me to reconnect with my creative soul, follow my dreams and put me first in my life for a change. </p> <p>“In 2020 I thought I would explore the possibility of becoming a comedian. I completed a couple of comedy courses and took part in a few open mics in Canberra. I discovered I have an ability to make people laugh, especially when talking about the highs and lows of being a wife for 40 years, wrangling grown-up kids who refuse to leave home, dishing the goss on being a midwife, and reflecting on the ageing process and how I’m preparing for my funeral. </p> <p>“Only 20 percent of women are comedians, and very few are over the age of 60. Thus, I have found a performance niche and an audience of the over 60s, especially women, with whom my material really resonates. I regularly have people say what a positive role model I am ‘at my age’! My unspoken response is I’d rather be doing comedy than spending all my time baby-sitting snotty grandchildren! </p> <p>“Over the last couple of years, I’d been building to debut my solo show ‘Midwife Crisis’ at the Australian Festival of Arts in Townsville in October 2024. But in May 2024, my husband Mark was diagnosed with stage 4 oesophageal cancer. </p> <p>“He went through a course of intensive chemotherapy and was scheduled for surgery in the middle of September. I didn’t know what to do; cancel my show straight away, or hang on while we waited to see the outcome of Mark’s surgery? </p> <p>“Obviously, my priority was to support my husband but at the same time I was gutted that I might miss this opportunity to achieve a goal that I had worked so hard for. </p> <p>“At the age of 62 these openings do not arise in the same way as they do for comedians in their 30s. To make matters ‘worse’, the two shows quickly sold out, so it looked like I had an instant success on my hands. </p> <p>“Mark had extensive but successful surgery on the 18th of September, and with the assistance of our son and Mark’s fabulous friends, I was able to go to Townsville and do my shows knowing Mark was being looked after at home. Our beautiful daughter who lives in Townsville did an amazing job of supporting me and resisting the temptation of rolling her eyes at how crazy her mother is. </p> <p>“Today, Mark has finished his last course of post-surgery chemotherapy and at the moment he is cancer-free. We don’t know what the future holds for us. That being said, another one of my favourite clichés is ‘onwards and upwards’. And so I am taking ‘Midwife Crisis’ to the Adelaide Fringe Festival in February 2024 and I am hoping I will be able to tick off another bucket list item, which is performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2026. </p> <p>“That’s as long as I don’t suddenly get snotty grandchildren to look after!!”</p> <p>Sarah is performing her <em>Midwife Crisis</em> show at the Adelaide Fringe Festival from Friday 21 – Sunday 23 February 2025, 2pm and 6pm. For more info and to book tickets, check out <a href="https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/midwife-crisis-af2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/midwife-crisis-af2025</a></p> <p><em>Images: Supplied</em></p>

Retirement Income

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Festive bulge: scientists offer advice on how to beat overeating

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/thomas-c-erren-336309">Thomas C. Erren</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cologne-2576">University of Cologne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/philip-lewis-429997">Philip Lewis</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cologne-2576">University of Cologne</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ursula-wild-1398207">Ursula Wild</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cologne-2576">University of Cologne</a></em></p> <p>Christmas and New Year are holidays with dietary excesses that many of us cannot control. This often leads to the “festive bulge”. As the holidays approach, could there be a recipe to contain this weight gain and pave the way to sustainable nutrition-based health at the same time?</p> <p>There’s a lot of focus on what we eat and how much we eat – but what about <em>when</em> we eat?</p> <p>Chrononutrition is the science of how timing affects our responses to nutrients. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867415003025?via%3Dihub">Scientific insights</a> into when we eat suggest it may be worth exploring for better health.</p> <p>While the idea of getting started on <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9370396/">chrononutrition over Christmas</a> can sound challenging, the guilty conscience that tends to follow feasting over the holidays may provide the needed motivation for the year ahead.</p> <p>So for better health in the new year, why not try out time-restricted eating (TRE)? TRE is a type of <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-intermittent-fasting-actually-good-for-weight-loss-heres-what-the-evidence-says-183500">intermittent fasting</a>: a person eats all their meals and snacks within a particular time window, ranging from six to 12 hours each day. This implies 12 to 18 hours of fasting.</p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/is-body-weight-affected-by-when-you-eat-heres-what-science-knows-so-far-143303">More</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/delay-eating-breakfast-and-eat-dinner-early-if-you-want-to-lose-body-fat-new-study-101058">more research</a> suggests that this kind of timing may have a significant influence on our health via <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25404320/">interplays</a> between our <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25815987/">body clocks and nutrition</a>.</p> <p>As researchers with a focus on circadian biology, we have <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9370396/">identified the festive season</a> as a suitable starting point for a lifestyle change to time-restricted eating.</p> <h2>What is chrononutrition?</h2> <p>The basic idea of chrononutrition is that the body’s response to the timing of meals can promote well-being and health via the circadian timing system. This timing system refers to the internal 24-hour mechanism that primes our bodies for the challenges and stimuli of the 24-hour day. This includes when nutrients are likely to be consumed, how they are used within the body at a given time and how the body responds to them at a given time.</p> <p>A rodent experiment in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jn/article-abstract/10/1/63/4725662">1930s</a> led to a focus on counting calories and calorie-restricted eating. This dietary restriction extended the lifespan of rats in this case. It was subsequently shown in a wide range of species. The promise is large: if you eat less, then weight loss, better health and a longer life may follow.</p> <p>The rodent experiment was followed by research into diets that foster health and prevent disease. Interest in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3794831/">“meal-timing, circadian rhythms and lifespan”</a> was sparked by Franz Halberg (known as the father of American chronobiology), among others, in the 1980s.</p> <p>These studies around food and behaviour take <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25404320/">evolutionary considerations</a> into account. For instance, rodents gain fitness when fed in a time-restricted manner. In contrast, human behaviour tends to involve more <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26411343/">erratic eating patterns</a> during the hours when people are awake.</p> <h2>Lifestyle changes</h2> <p>So what practical advice can we give on the occasion of Christmas and New Year from the <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2017/advanced-information/">2017 Nobel Prize-winning field of chronobiology</a>? The field gained recognition for its discoveries into how internal clocks organise our physiology and enable us to live in harmony with the external rhythms of day and night.</p> <p>Findings from this field point to a simple lifestyle change: limiting when you eat to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4255155/">eight to 10 hours</a> a day could protect you from developing obesity, or even lessen the negative health impacts of existing obesity. And time-restricted eating can work even if practised for only <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4255155/">five days per week</a>.</p> <p>Importantly, if you can reduce a long habitual eating window (for instance, 15 hours) to a time-restricted eating window of eight hours, you are likely to benefit more than someone who reduces a habitual eating window of 10 hours to eight hours. Reductions in eating-time windows have already <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2114833?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&amp;rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&amp;rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed">been found</a> to help some overweight humans lose weight, sleep better and feel more energised.</p> <p>Granted, much of the evidence comes from animal studies – and humans are certainly not big mice. Nonetheless, there have been no reports of detriments to this practice in humans. However, there has been <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0899900722001897?via%3Dihub">one report</a> of possible disadvantages to offspring in a pregnant animal model of time-restricted eating.</p> <h2>Late breakfast and early supper</h2> <p>Why not try what some studies suggest and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9370396/">start time-restricted eating over Christmas</a>, or put it on your New Year’s resolution list?</p> <p>To get started, consider having a late breakfast and an early dinner. Of course, if in doubt about the impact of time-restricted eating – or if you have medical or dietary restrictions, or are pregnant – talk to your doctors first for advice.</p> <p>Beyond paying attention to calorie intake and food composition, “when we eat” is a relatively simple and potentially sustainable approach.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><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/195822/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/thomas-c-erren-336309"><em>Thomas C. Erren</em></a><em>, Professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cologne-2576">University of Cologne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/philip-lewis-429997">Philip Lewis</a>, Research associate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cologne-2576">University of Cologne</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ursula-wild-1398207">Ursula Wild</a>, Research Associate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cologne-2576">University of Cologne</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/festive-bulge-scientists-offer-advice-on-how-to-beat-overeating-195822">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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Alan Jones once seemed unassailable. What ended it was a peculiarly Sydney story of media, politics and power

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/denis-muller-1865">Denis Muller</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></p> <p>For decades it seemed Alan Jones was unassailable.</p> <p>A finding against him of professional misconduct by the Australian Broadcasting Authority (2000); a <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/tribunal-upholds-that-jones-incited-hatred-20121002-26x8h.html">finding</a> that he incited hatred, serious contempt and severe ridicule of Lebanese Muslims (2009); propositions of violence against two women prime ministers (<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-20/alan-jones-says-gillard-remark-best-left-unsaid/3579658">2011</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-21/alan-jones-breached-rules-in-jacinda-ardern-comment/12271476">2019</a>); verdicts against him and his employer amounting to millions of dollars in defamation actions (most notably <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-12/alan-jones-defamed-wagners-court-decision-brisbane-qld/10230384">one for $3.75 million</a> in 2018): none of these ended his career.</p> <p>Quite the reverse. Only weeks after the Australian Broadcasting Authority found in its “cash for comments” inquiry that Jones and others had misled their listeners by presenting paid endorsements as editorial opinion, he was hosting an event for then prime minister John Howard.</p> <p>Howard was to become a fixture on the Jones program throughout the 11 years of his prime ministership.</p> <p>The day after the Australian Communications and Media Authority found Jones was likely to have encouraged violence and vilification of Australians of Lebanese and Middle Eastern background, Howard <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/jones-wins-friends-in-high-places-20070412-ge4n4f.html">described him</a> as “an outstanding broadcaster”. “I don’t think he’s a person who encourages prejudice in the Australian community, not for one moment, but he is a person who articulates what a lot of people think.”</p> <p>By 2001, Jones had become a kind of on-air policy-maker for the New South Wales government. In November that year, he dined with the then Labor premier, Bob Carr. They discussed a range of government policies, particularly policing. At that time, Jones was a relentless critic of the NSW police.</p> <p>The following week, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-01/newton-alan-jones/4288824">Carr dispatched</a> his police minister-designate, Michael Costa, to Jones’s home to discuss policing policy.</p> <p>In 2011 he said Julia Gillard, then Australia’s prime minister, should be taken out to sea and dumped in a chaff bag. In August 2019 he said Scott Morrison, who was then Australia’s prime minister, should “shove a sock” down the throat of his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern.</p> <p>He was an outspoken climate-change denier, and these grotesqueries were part of his campaign against political recognition of this reality.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Od6I1YbrBoM?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Jones’s power, which made him so apparently untouchable, came from his weaponising of the microphone for conservative political ends in ways that resonated with his vast and rusted-on audience of largely working-class older people across Sydney’s sprawling western suburbs.</p> <p>These suburbs contain many marginal state and federal electorates where the fates of governments can be decided. Their populations provide fertile ground for seeding by right-wing radio shock jocks, of whom Jones and his rival John Laws were pre-eminent examples.</p> <p>In Australia, this is a peculiarly Sydney phenomenon. It is not seen to the same degree in any other capital city, even though they too have large areas of socioeconomic disadvantage like western Sydney.</p> <p>Why that should be so is a complex question, but there are aspects of Sydney life that mark it out as different. It is really two cities. One is the largely prosperous and scenically dazzling east and north. The other, much larger, consists of dreary tracts of increasingly crowded housing stretching for many kilometres to the west and southwest.</p> <p>In Sydney argot, the inhabitants of these respective worlds are called “silvertails” and “fibros”, the latter referring to the cladding of the homes that proliferated in western Sydney between and after the two world wars.</p> <p>This two-cities effect makes the gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots” highly visible in a way that has no parallel in other Australian capitals. It engenders deep-seated grievance and cynicism, which the likes of Jones, who lives in a multimillion-dollar apartment on Circular Quay, have relentlessly exploited.</p> <p>Jones coined the term “Struggle Street” to encapsulate the hardships of his listeners’ lives.</p> <p>To these powerless people, Jones and Laws gave a voice, and as their audiences grew, prime ministers and premiers courted and feared them.</p> <p>In the end, Jones’s impregnability was breached by not the power elite turning on one of their own, but by the journalism of a redoubtably tenacious Sydney Morning Herald investigative reporter, Kate McClymont.</p> <p>In December 2023, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/he-d-go-the-grope-alan-jones-accused-of-indecently-assaulting-young-men-20231205-p5epai.html">she claimed</a> Jones had used his position of power, first as a teacher and later as the country’s top-rating radio broadcaster, to allegedly prey on a number of young men.</p> <p>In response to McClymont’s work, the NSW police set up Strike Force Bonnefin, run by the State Crime Command’s Child Abuse Squad, to conduct an investigation into Jones.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0ExkpCtfmA8?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>On November 18 2024, Jones was arrested at his Circular Quay home and charged initially with 24 sexual offences against eight males. The following day, two <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-19/alan-jones-charged-with-additional-offences-nsw-police/104617680">additional charges</a> were laid involving a ninth male.</p> <p>Through his lawyers, Jones has denied the charges and was bailed to appear in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on December 18. He <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/alan-jones-arrested-over-allegations-he-indecently-assaulted-young-men-20241118-p5krdu.html">was ordered</a> to surrender his passport and not to contact or harass the alleged victims.</p> <p>The charges relate to offences alleged to have been committed by Jones between 2001 and 2019, the youngest alleged victim being 17 at the time.</p> <p>Those dates coincide almost exactly with Jones’s most influential years, from 2002 to 2020.</p> <p>McClymont <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/a-stunning-development-kate-mcclymont-on-alan-jones-arrest-and-what-s-next-20241118-p5krln.html">has spoken</a> about the reluctance of some of her interviewees to speak, for fear of what Jones might do: "People were too afraid to take on Alan Jones. Once a couple of people came forward, and some people were happy to be publicly named, that gave confidence for other people to come forward.<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/243942/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />"</p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/denis-muller-1865"><em>Denis Muller</em></a><em>, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancing Journalism, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</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/alan-jones-once-seemed-unassailable-what-ended-it-was-a-peculiarly-sydney-story-of-media-politics-and-power-243942">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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How hip pain led Sydney karate master to life-changing weight loss journey

<div> <p>Sydney-based karate instructor and personal trainer Glenn Stephenson knows the toll that joint pain and extra weight can take on physical activity. Despite decades of experience as a martial arts coach, Glenn found himself increasingly limited by severe hip pain and unwanted weight gain.</p> </div> <div> <p>In 2021, at 95 kilograms, the 64-year-old’s arthritis and reduced mobility affected not only his work but also his confidence. “I couldn’t move around like I wanted to, and as a master instructor, it felt wrong to be teaching students while carrying so much extra weight,” he admits.</p> </div> <div> <p>Glenn’s pain and discomfort prompted him to make a drastic change. Instead of resorting to extreme dieting, he adopted a more sustainable approach to weight loss to reduce joint and liver inflammation, and regain his mobility. He shed 20 kilograms and now walks four kilometres daily. “I can move better, my mental health has improved, and I feel more capable of guiding my students,” he says.</p> </div> <div> <p>Today, Glenn encourages others struggling with weight to take a balanced approach to fitness and health. “I look the part now, which gives me confidence as a master instructor to show my students that staying active is achievable at any age.”</p> </div> <div> <p>Dietitian Kirby Sorenson, from health platform <a title="https://www.getmosh.com.au/?utm_term=mosh&amp;utm_campaign=Cross_Search_Brand_Mosh&amp;utm_source=paid-search&amp;utm_medium=adwords&amp;utm_content=100740202037&amp;hsa_acc=5792635568&amp;hsa_cam=1701000406&amp;hsa_grp=100740202037&amp;hsa_ad=697110582898&amp;hsa_src=g&amp;hsa_tgt=kwd-295213997936&amp;hsa_kw=mosh&amp;hsa_mt=p&amp;hsa_net=adwords&amp;hsa_ver=3&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiAxKy5BhBbEiwAYiW--5qfGzQVQBG-CmA6baVMEeP5Zmk_oB_GOstA1n2vabFrLzbeDrEEnxoCM4YQAvD_BwE" href="https://www.getmosh.com.au/?utm_term=mosh&amp;utm_campaign=Cross_Search_Brand_Mosh&amp;utm_source=paid-search&amp;utm_medium=adwords&amp;utm_content=100740202037&amp;hsa_acc=5792635568&amp;hsa_cam=1701000406&amp;hsa_grp=100740202037&amp;hsa_ad=697110582898&amp;hsa_src=g&amp;hsa_tgt=kwd-295213997936&amp;hsa_kw=mosh&amp;hsa_mt=p&amp;hsa_net=adwords&amp;hsa_ver=3&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiAxKy5BhBbEiwAYiW--5qfGzQVQBG-CmA6baVMEeP5Zmk_oB_GOstA1n2vabFrLzbeDrEEnxoCM4YQAvD_BwE" data-outlook-id="bc4b923a-a4a3-4af0-80db-e837cd64b4c7">Mosh</a>, is encouraging Australians to ditch the Body Mass Index (BMI) in favour of more modern diagnostics to determine the risk of disease linked to higher body fat, declaring it’s unfairly categorising people as being overweight.</p> </div> <div> <p>Ms Sorenson says knowing your Body Roundness Index (BRI) as well as your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) can more accurately predict the risk of diseases like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart disease because it works out body fat levels based on height and waist circumference, rather than the BMI method which relies on height and weight.</p> </div> <div> <p>“BMI has long been criticised for inaccurately categorising people as overweight or obese because it doesn’t differentiate between those who carry a lot of muscle and individuals with fat in the wrong places,” Ms Sorenson says.</p> </div> <div> <p>“The problem is that it only looks at overall weight, while the BRI focuses on fat held around the abdomen which is the riskiest fat in terms of overall health.</p> </div> <div> <p>Once the BRI is determined, Ms Sorenson says it can help to know your Basal Metabolic Rate, which is largely determined by your total lean mass to help determine a healthy path to maintaining a healthy weight range.</p> </div> <div> <p>“The basal metabolic rate or BMR gives you an idea of how many calories your body burns doing the bare minimum; breathing, blood circulation, brain and nerve function. It can vary greatly from person to person, which explains why individual weight loss journeys can be so different,” Ms Sorenson said.</p> </div> <div> <p>For more information visit Moshy’s online <a title="https://www.getmoshy.com.au/weight-loss/basal-metabolic-rate-calculator?srsltid=AfmBOoobS-PiI_4sJn2ykpEG6vzq6qkvQXammfLv4Rm-mS5nwll6EN0m" href="https://www.getmoshy.com.au/weight-loss/basal-metabolic-rate-calculator?srsltid=AfmBOoobS-PiI_4sJn2ykpEG6vzq6qkvQXammfLv4Rm-mS5nwll6EN0m" data-outlook-id="800f9af2-0a34-4ac4-801b-d16714c7ec2e">BMR calculator</a>.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Supplied</em></p> </div>

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Give the gift of festive KINDness this Christmas

<p dir="ltr">A little kindness goes a long way, and with the festive season right around the corner, you can share the love, kindness and beauty to treat the makeup-obsessed people in your life.  </p> <p dir="ltr">The KIND Collective’s Christmas collection has something for everyone, with gifts to accommodate every budget, so you don’t need to break the bank to share small indulgences with your loved ones.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lynda Chapman, The KIND Collective founder, said of the festive launch, “The holiday season can be a stressful time regardless of economic health. We have been listening to the concerns of our community and focusing on how we can offer a beautiful gifting collection that is of high quality, cruelty free and vegan at an accessible price point.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“In 2024, we have doubled the range while maintaining the budget friendly prices. Choosing gifts for our loved ones should be about kindness, finding something they’ll love and cherish, while also being kind to ourselves by relieving the pressure to find items that are both high quality and affordable.”</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/DB2obVqRBm7/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DB2obVqRBm7/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by The KIND Collective (@thekindcollectiveaustralia)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The range features stocking stuffers for under just $10, with lip gloss trios for $9 and What a Cracker trios available for $10, making the perfect addition to any gift.  </p> <p dir="ltr">Other gift sets feature mascaras, blushes, lip glosses and nail polishes for under $20 each, and palettes and brush sets available for under $30. </p> <p dir="ltr">For those looking to really splash out on their loved ones, the One of a KIND Beauty Bag features a bit of everything to complete an entire makeup look, and a selection of accessories, for just $39. </p> <p dir="ltr">So when you’re doing your Christmas shopping, make sure to pick up some of the gorgeous gifts from KIND to share love, beauty and kindness with the special people in your life this festive season.</p> <p dir="ltr">The KIND Collective Christmas gifting range is available at <a href="https://www.bigw.com.au/brands/kind-collective?srsltid=AfmBOoqKPWXD5U_UluIDPOJCclKIDIB2TNhw70GUo86ksiAMXxm__uMo">Big W</a>, <a href="https://www.priceline.com.au/brand/kind-collective?srsltid=AfmBOooEDo0ZjQ_c8GWSTyltAsil8WjocCew2h9uafSdBPlriVDp57vP">Priceline</a> and KIND’s official <a href="https://www.thekindcollectiveaustralia.com/">website</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Instagram / Shutterstock </em></p>

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Fitness influencer gets lifetime ban from NYC marathon for filming content

<p>A Texas social media influencer has been disqualified and banned from future races at the New York City marathon. </p> <p>Last weekend, fitness influencer Matthew Choi ran the race with his camera crew on e-bikes, endangering other runners. </p> <p>He finished the 42.2-kilometre course with a time of 2:57:15, about 50 minutes behind Abdi Nageeye, the winner of the men's race.</p> <p>Choi issued an apology to his 400,000 followers after receiving the lifetime ban. </p> <p>"I have no excuses, full-stop," he said on Wednesday AEDT. </p> <p>"I was selfish on Sunday to have my brother and my videographer follow me around on e-bikes, and it had serious consequences.</p> <p>"We endangered other runners, we impacted people going for PBs, we blocked people from getting water and with the New York City Marathon being about everyone else and the community, I made it about myself.</p> <p>"And for anyone I impacted, I'm sorry."</p> <p>He added that the decision "was 100 per cent on me" as he did not receive pressure to film content from any partners or sponsors. </p> <p>New York Road Runners, the organisers of the race, said in a statement that Choi's actions violated the code of conduct and competition rules. </p> <p>"One of the incidents brought to NYRR's attention was that Choi ran with the assistance of two unauthorised people riding the course on electric bicycles, obstructing runners," the group said.</p> <p>The fitness influencer posted several videos of him running the marathon on social media, which immediately drew backlash. </p> <p>"As a runner, seeing him was amazing. Gave me extra motivation to pass him and make sure I never had to see him and his dumb crew for the rest of the race," wrote one user on Reddit.</p> <p>He has since acknowledged the criticism and has vowed to stop the practice. </p> <p>"It won't happen again. My word is my bond."</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p> <p> </p>

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Share the gift of healthy, luscious hair this festive season

<p dir="ltr">With the festive season approaching, there’s nothing worse than dull and lifeless hair, especially when we’re going to Christmas parties and taking photos with loved ones. </p> <p dir="ltr">So whether you’re looking for a treat for yourself, or a special gift for someone in your life, give the gift of gorgeous hair with Wella Professionals stunning Christmas range. </p> <p dir="ltr">With gift packs for every hair concern, there is something for everyone in Wella’s gifting range, whether your hair is coloured or damaged, or if you’re looking for an injection of moisture or shine.</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/DBznE8TuYIt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBznE8TuYIt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Wella Professionals ANZ (@wellapro_anz)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Ranging from the Wella Professionals Fusion Travel Trio for just $48.95, to the Wella Professionals Ultimate Repair Repair Trio for $114.95, the gorgeous gift packs feature a mix of shampoo, conditioner, masks, and shine oils. </p> <p dir="ltr">There are 10 beautiful gift packs on offer, with these Wella Trios having everything you need to get you, or the lucky person you’re buying for, started on their journey to transform their hair.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2024/11/wella-xmas-inset.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr">The complete selection of Wella Professionals gift sets available to purchase at <a href="https://www.sephora.com.au/brands/wella-professionals?srsltid=AfmBOoql21pQ7BfPilCk7yTK4JwxBXCCsVjcOXHZrejK5F6EL0lGfrHj">Sephora</a>, Myer, David Jones, <a href="https://www.adorebeauty.com.au/b/wella-professionals.html">Adore Beauty</a>, Amazon, <a href="https://www.ozhairandbeauty.com/brands/wella-professionals?top=brands&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADs5kjeHbLVuofBnsO5umpMUOhOdq&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiA_qG5BhDTARIsAA0UHSK22eIZDejiKd533GEKq8iaYrKphZVZIwRj4d7J4rJ8T7XCudVZNoEaAv3xEALw_wcB">Oz Hair &amp; Beauty</a>, Look Fantastic, The Iconic and selected Wella Salons, as well as Wella’s official <a href="https://au.wella.professionalstore.com/">website</a>. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Supplied / Shutterstock </em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Give the gift of festive nails any manicure lover will adore

<p dir="ltr">With Christmas right around the corner, many are thinking about the perfect present to give their loved ones. </p> <p dir="ltr">Luckily, for the manicure obsessed friends and family in your life, OPI have released a star-studded range of Christmas gifts for every budget.</p> <p dir="ltr">For those who are extra excited about the countdown to December 25th, and those looking forward to the highly-anticipated film Wicked, you can now get the best of both worlds with the OPI x Wicked advent calendar. </p> <p dir="ltr">Filled with 12 mini nail polishes, countdown this holiday season with a selection of iconic colours at just $74.95, available at <a href="https://www.myer.com.au/b/OPI">Myer</a>, <a href="https://www.davidjones.com/brand/opi">David Jones</a>, <a href="https://www.adorebeauty.com.au/p/opi/opi-x-wicked-nail-lacquer-12pc-mini-advent-calendar-12x375ml.html?istCompanyId=6e5a22db-9648-4be9-b321-72cfbea93443&amp;istFeedId=686e45b5-4634-450f-baaf-c93acecca972&amp;istItemId=qtpatixtt&amp;istBid=t&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjJ2-td2eiQMVSA57Bx3FQwV9EAQYASABEgK3mvD_BwE">Adore Beauty</a>, <a href="https://www.lookfantastic.com.au/">Look Fantastic</a>, Amazon, and <a href="https://www.theiconic.com.au/opi/">The Iconic</a>.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DAZCiuFSNd7/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DAZCiuFSNd7/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by OPI (@opi)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Nine limited-edition shades in single bottles will also be available at retailers for just $24.95, with something available to suit everyone’s colour needs. </p> <p dir="ltr">For those who aren’t colour inclined, the OPI <a href="https://www.lookfantastic.com.au/opi-treatment-dream-rou-team-gift-set-nail-envy-nail-strengthener-repair-mode-and-nail-and-cuticle-oil-to-go/15608278.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqKhJWip-U5lLYbk2yl1wRIPqQ5PawmJVzo2LX-j4-YPrf0DqD-">Treatment Dream Gift Set</a> will help strengthen and moisturise your mani with the brand’s best-selling treatments at just $74.95.</p> <p dir="ltr">Other OPI gift sets include the <a href="https://www.adorebeauty.com.au/p/opi/opi-infinite-shine-quad-gift-set-4x15ml.html?istCompanyId=6e5a22db-9648-4be9-b321-72cfbea93443&amp;istFeedId=686e45b5-4634-450f-baaf-c93acecca972&amp;istItemId=qtwrppxqp&amp;istBid=t&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-4H0xNueiQMVlzd7Bx2A4jW3EAQYASABEgK5BfD_BwE">OPI Infinite Shine Quad Gift S</a>et to discover the new Infinite Shine that locks on for up to 11 days of glossy long-wear, the <a href="https://www.adorebeauty.com.au/p/opi/opi-nature-strong-bon-bon-15ml.html?istCompanyId=6e5a22db-9648-4be9-b321-72cfbea93443&amp;istFeedId=686e45b5-4634-450f-baaf-c93acecca972&amp;istItemId=qtwrppxqm&amp;istBid=t&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqqWi2dueiQMVt1oPAh07rxd6EAQYASABEgKJlfD_BwE">OPI Nature Strong Bon Bon</a>, and the OPI x Wicked Infinite Shine <a href="https://www.adorebeauty.com.au/p/opi/opi-x-wicked-infinite-shine-duo-gift-set-2x15ml.html">Duo</a> and <a href="https://www.adorebeauty.com.au/p/opi/opi-x-wicked-infinite-shine-trio-gift-set-3x15ml.html">Trio</a> Gift Sets to give a collection of colours at an affordable price. </p> <p dir="ltr">With a range of colours and nail care treatments available, the OPI Christmas collection has something for everyone to keep your nails sparkling all festive season long.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p></p>

Beauty & Style

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Father breaks silence after wife and two children die in tragic drowning

<p>Hoai Nguyen, 32, and her two children, Mitchell, 7, and Hazel, 5, were enjoying a day out at Shearer Park in south-west Sydney, and were walking down to a small pier on the waterfront before they were spotted <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/unimaginable-sorrow-mother-and-two-children-drown-during-family-outing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">struggling in the Georges River</a> about 10.15am on Saturday. </p> <p>Hoai was pulled to shore shortly afterwards, but despite desperate attempts by rescuers and bystanders she could not be revived. </p> <p>The bodies of the two children were recovered a few hours later, metres from a jetty. </p> <p>The children's father, Dinh Nguyen, had been at work during the incident and only found out about the tragedy when police showed up at his house. </p> <p>He has since broken his silence, and told <em>The Sydney Morning Herald</em> that his wife was navigating a mental illness prior to her death. </p> <p>“She has bipolar disorder, and she has some ups and some downs,” he told the publication. </p> <p>“She takes medicine. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”</p> <p>He also recalled one of the last conversations the couple had, the night prior to the tragedy. </p> <p>“She told me the last night she didn’t sleep so she wanted to stay at home,” he said.</p> <p>According to <em>The Daily Telegraph</em>, detectives are now probing whether the incident was premeditated as they continue their investigations into the tragedy. </p> <p>The southwest Sydney community has since rallied around the family's loved ones, with bouquets of flowers and tributes seen at the riverbank as part of a growing memorial. </p> <p>A close friend of the family, Sarah Vu, has also organised a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/hoai-mitchell-and-hazel-nguyen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> page for the family which has since raised over $60,600 of their $40,000 goal. </p> <p>“I sincerely thank the entire community for their contributions,” she wrote in a social media tribute on Monday.</p> <p>“The family have decided to bring Hoai and the kids back to Vietnam.</p> <p>“The fund has currently exceeded my expectations, but I will keep the link open for anyone who still wants to donate.”</p> <p>"All we can do now is pray for you and the little ones to depart peacefully,” she added with a video of two young kids holding hands and skipping down a street together. </p> <p><em><strong>Need to talk to someone? Don't go it alone.</strong></em></p> <p><em>Lifeline: <strong>13 11 14</strong>, <a href="https://www.lifeline.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lifeline.org.au </a></em></p> <p><em>SANE Support line and Forums: <strong>1800 187 263,</strong> <a href="https://saneforums.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saneforums.org</a></em></p> <p><em>Headspace: <strong>1800 650 890,</strong> <a href="https://headspace.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">headspace.org.au</a></em></p> <p><em>Beyond Blue: <strong>1300 224 635</strong>, <a href="beyondblue.org.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">beyondblue.org.au </a></em></p> <p><em>Images: Facebook/ GoFundMe</em></p>

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