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Parents disappointed by Principal's response to daughter's suicide

Charlotte O'Brien was only 12-years-old when she <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/mother-s-heartbreaking-farewell-at-bullied-daughter-s-funeral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">took her own life </a>on September 9 after allegedly suffering years of bullying at Santa Sabina College in Strathfield, Sydney. A month later her grieving parents Mat and Kelly said they have met with the school's principal but were left disappointed after she reportedly showed "no empathy" during their 20-minute meeting. “That glimmer of hope that anything positive to come from that meeting was squashed the moment we arrived,” Mat told Ben Fordham on 2GB on Tuesday. Mat explained how "incredibly hard" it was to walk through the school full of other young girl's their daughter's age. “We had to navigate ourselves across the school grounds, surrounded by other girls in their school uniform, knowing that we will never see our daughter again. That was incredibly hard for us,” he said. “We arrived there and met with the principal. When I shared the feedback, she wasn’t interested in receiving that. The feedback was interrupted. It was discounted. It was disagreed with. “I sat across the room from a lady (the principal) that showed myself and the rest of the family no emotion or empathy at all.” He claimed that the principal did not offer any kind of apology and said "there was no accountability at all". “The questions we wanted answered were simply not answered at all,” he said. “We were left to show ourselves out of the school ground.” “The last image that I will have of that school was as I looked behind me, Kelly was carrying some items of Charlotte’s and watching her squeeze herself and that box through those closed gates was one of the hardest things that I’ve seen. “Kelly got in the car and that was the worst I had seen her since the funeral. She said to me “I felt my daughter’s life did not matter”. Charlotte's parents had previously said they raised bullying concerns multiple times with the school, and although an investigation was conducted, no further action was taken. Santa Sabina College principal Paulina Skerman previously said the school was continuing to support Charlotte’s family through their “unimaginable grief” and was working with youth mental health foundation Headspace. <div class="footer-container" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, 'system-ui', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> </div> <div class="body-container" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.25rem; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, 'system-ui', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Need to talk to someone? Don't go it alone. Lifeline: 13 11 14, <a style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #258440; text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; transition: 0.2s ease-in-out;" href="https://www.lifeline.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lifeline.org.au </a> SANE Support line and Forums: 1800 187 263, <a style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #258440; text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; transition: 0.2s ease-in-out;" href="https://saneforums.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saneforums.org</a> Headspace: 1800 650 890, <a style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #258440; text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; transition: 0.2s ease-in-out;" href="https://headspace.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">headspace.org.au</a> Beyond Blue: 1300 224 635, <a style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #258440; text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; transition: 0.2s ease-in-out;" href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/beyondblue.org.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">beyondblue.org.au </a> Images: Facebook/ GoFundMe </div> </div> Images: 7News

Caring

We know parents shape their children’s reading – but so can aunts, uncles and grandparents, by sharing beloved books

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-grace-baulch-1399683">Emily Grace Baulch</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> <a href="https://creative.gov.au/news/media-releases/revealing-reading-a-survey-of-australian-reading-habits/">Over 80%</a> of Australians with children encourage them to read. Children whose parents enjoy reading are <a href="https://www.booktrust.org.uk/news-and-features/news/news-2023/new-research-from-booktrust-reveals-the-impact-of-parental-reading-enjoyment-on-childrens-reading-habits/">20% more likely</a> to enjoy it too. My research has found parents aren’t the only family members who play an important role in developing a passion for reading – extended family, from grandparents to siblings, uncles and great-aunts, also influence readers’ connections to books. I surveyed 160 Australian readers about their home bookshelves and reading habits. More than 80% of them acknowledged the significant influence of family in what and how they read. Reading to children is often <a href="https://www.booktrust.org.uk/globalassets/resources/research/booktrust-family-survey-research-briefing-2-reading-influencers.pdf">the invisible workload of mothers</a>: 95% of mothers read to children, compared to 67% of fathers. Yet intriguingly, those I surveyed – whose ages ranged from their early 20s to their 70s – collectively talked about books being passed down across eight generations. Family members were associated with their most valued books – and their identities as readers. <h2>Treasured possessions</h2> Books passed down through generations often become treasured possessions, embodying a shared family history. One person discussed an old hardcover copy of <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780732284350/blinky-bill/">Blinky Bill</a> by Dorothy Wall. Originally given to her father and his siblings by their great-aunt in 1961, the book’s pages are now discoloured and falling out. “Although I always think of my mother as having been my reading role model,” she wrote, “actually my father had an equally big impact, just in another way.” Her father is a central organising figure on her home bookshelf: she has dedicated a whole shelf to the books he liked. The story she tells about his old copy of Blinky Bill, however, crosses generations. The book’s battered state is a testament to its longevity and well-loved status. Its inscription to her family members makes the copy unique and irreplaceable. Another person remembered a set of Dickens’ novels, complete with margin notes and century-old newspaper clippings, carefully stored with her most special books. These volumes, initially owned by her great-great-grandmother and later gifted by her great-aunt, represent a reading bond passed down through generations. Such books can never be replaced, no matter how many copies might be in circulation. These books are closely associated with memories and experiences – they are invaluable for who they represent. A third person has her father’s “old” Anne McCaffrey’s <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/40323-dragonriders-of-pern">Dragonriders of Pern</a> series: he read it to her as a teenager, then passed it down. The book “sparked” her interest in science-fiction, and she now intends to pass it on to her own teenager. Her book, too, is “battered”, with “chunks falling out when you read it”. The cover is falling off. The deteriorating state of a book is part of the book’s legacy. It shows how loved it has been. Reading passions can be deliberately cultivated through family, but their value is less connected to reading comprehension or literacy than a sense of connection through sharing. Inherited, much-loved books bind families together. They can anchor absent family members to the present. These books can come to symbolise love, connection and loss. The family members who’ve passed down their books might not be physically present in children’s lives – they may not be reading aloud to them at bedtime – but through their books, they can have a strong presence in their loved ones’ memories. That indelible trace can be sustained into adulthood. <h2>Buying books for the next generation</h2> Another way relatives contribute to a family reading legacy is by buying new copies of much-loved books for the next generation. Theresa Sheen, from The Quick Brown Fox, a specialist children’s bookstore in Brisbane, notes that customers often ask for copies of books they had when they were younger. They may have read them to their children and now want them for their grandchildren. For example, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/40767-the-baby-sitters-club">The Babysitters Club series</a> by Ann M. Martin was mentioned multiple times as a nostalgic favourite, now being sought after by grandparents. Readers’ habits of re-buying favourite books can affect the publishing industry. With older children’s classics still selling, publishers seek to update the text to reflect contemporary cultural mores. Enid Blyton is one author who endures through intergenerational love and nostalgia. However, her work is regularly <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/books-magazines/books/enid-blytons-famous-five-books-edited-to-remove-offensive-words/news-story/47a63bb79a5d870f19aed58b19469bb5">edited and bowdlerised</a> to update it. Books can be imbued with the voices and emotions of others. They are more than just physical objects – they are vessels of shared experiences that can be passed down, up and across generations. This enduring bond between family members does more than preserve individual stories. It actively shapes and sustains a vibrant reading culture.<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/232372/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-grace-baulch-1399683">Emily Grace Baulch</a>, Producer at Ludo Studio & Freelance Editor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> Image credits: Shutterstock 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/we-know-parents-shape-their-childrens-reading-but-so-can-aunts-uncles-and-grandparents-by-sharing-beloved-books-232372">original article</a>. </div>

Family & Pets

Parents demand action after five-year-old son brutally attacked with golf club

William Brooks-Chiplin was playing in the front yard of his friend’s house in Tamworth, NSW on Thursday, when he was allegedly attacked with a golf club by another child. The five-year-old's face was extremely swollen and he was left dizzy and unable to move his jaw. “The people who came out and saw it thought he was gone. He didn’t make a sound, and he wasn’t moving,” his father, Kayleb Brooks, said. “My thought was he was going to die. No kid should ever experience that,” his mother, Marrisa Tisdell, added. His parents also said the young boy “is having nightmares, waking up and screaming in his sleep”. William is required to return to hospital for further scans to determine whether he has any hairline fractures or issues with his eyesight. NSW Police said they identified the 10-year-old accused of hitting William, and he had been given a warning under the Young Offenders Act, designed to provide an alternative process to court proceedings for children accused of crimes. For children aged between 10 and 14 years, the act is design in such way because, “a child cannot be held criminally responsible for their conduct because they don’t understand right or wrong”, according to Hugo Law Group’s Linday Stankovic. However, William's parents are calling for the government to change the age of criminal responsibility following the incident. “The kid pretty much just got a caution,” William's mum said. “(It’s) is unfair, because in the meantime he is suffering and nothing is being done about it,” his dad added. However, things aren't that simple as there are other concerns about the implication. Earlier this month, the Australian Human Rights Commissioner wrote to the NT government urging it to not lower the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10-years-old. “The younger a child comes into contact with the criminal justice system, the more likely they will go on to commit more serious and violent crimes," National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds said. “Lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 10 years will not make communities safer, it will only see rates of child offending increase. “These are primary school age children, and harsh, punitive responses are not the answer. “ A recent report also found that more than three-quarters of children had mental health needs or cognitive disability, and 47 per cent had multiple diagnosed cognitive disabilities. Image: 7News

Legal

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

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

Legal

"We won't recover": Grieving parents speak out ahead of daughter's funeral

Warning: This article contains discussions about suicide that some readers may find distressing. The grieving stepfather of 12-year-old Charlotte who died by suicide has spoken about the young girl's struggles with bullying as he prepares for her funeral. On Monday, Matthew remembered his stepdaughter as the “kindest, most caring little girl” whose death had followed “toxic” issues at school. “To lose a little girl at the age of 12 is something we won’t recover from,” he told 2GB’s Ben Fordham. Charlotte was a student at Santa Sabina College in Sydney’s inner west, with the Catholic school being forced to defend their handling of bullying in the wake of the 12-year-old's death. Matthew said he believed some of the responses from the school had been “unnecessary”, and claimed he had no direct communication from officials despite their public statements. “I think outside of the response from the broader community of the school I have to say I’ve been disappointed to say the least, with the response that’s come from the school,” he said. “Some of the responses that have gone into the media, I think the first response was around that there’s inconsistencies in their records and I thought that comment to go out at that time when we were grieving was unnecessary." “And since then, comments like the school’s been overwhelmed with support from other parents coming forward and saying how well they deal with these types of issues. And I’m sure they’ve had some communication and some support, Ben." “But those mothers that have given that school support, no doubt they will be planning on picking their daughter up from school today, and we are not.” Matthew went on to confirm that Charlotte's mother had repeatedly asked her daughter's school to do something about the bullying, and break up the friendship that put Charlotte through a "roller coaster". “I would not allow this behaviour to happen in my home,” he said. “I am not after any retribution for these girls … but I’m looking for the schools to step in … to act when these things are raised for the first time, not the second or third time.” Matthew said it was time school “friendship issues” were called out for what they really were, saying, “It’s not called a friendship issue in the workplace.” The year 7 student took her own life on September 9th, leaving a note to her parents that included names of those she wanted at her funeral and others who had made “life too hard”. It also instructed her mother, Kelly, to “tell the school please”, with the note reading, “Mama, please share my story to raise awareness.” The family are preparing to farewell her at a funeral on Friday, and have asked those who wish to send flowers to instead make a donation to the <a href="https://inmemoryofcharlotte.raiselysite.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kids Helpline</a>. Need to talk to someone? Don't go it alone. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit lifeline.org.au Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636 SANE: 1800 187 263; saneforums.org Image credits: 2GB / Kids Helpline <p style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">

Caring

Young homeowners are more likely to use their home as an ‘ATM’ than their Boomer parents. Here’s why

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rachel-ong-viforj-113482">Rachel Ong ViforJ</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christopher-phelps-378137">Christopher Phelps</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a> For many Australians, the family home is their largest financial asset. With an increasing variety of ways to tap into home equity, the temptation to access this wealth is ever growing. Homeowners increase the debt owed on their home when they borrow against their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2013.783202">equity</a>. Standard mortgage home loans now provide facilities for relatively cheap or free withdrawals of equity from the home. This turns the <a href="https://theconversation.com/your-home-as-an-atm-home-equity-a-risky-welfare-tool-22000">home into an ATM</a>, which borrowers can access when they choose. Our new <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2024.2400158">study</a> asks what motivates Australians to tap into their home equity, and how does this behaviour change with age? Surprisingly, despite having much lower housing equity levels, younger homeowners borrow often, and borrow more, than their Boomer parents. <h2>How common is equity borrowing?</h2> Using 15 years of data from the government-funded <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/hilda">Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia </a>(HILDA) survey, we tracked the mortgage debt and repayments of homeowners aged 35 and over. The chart below shows younger owners are far more likely to engage in equity borrowing. In 2006, nearly 39% of the youngest homeowners, aged 35–44, borrowed against their home equity. By 2021, this number had dropped to 29%. Despite the decline, it’s still 24 percentage points more common than those aged 65 and over. The older group has remained steady at about 5% over the years. <hr /> <iframe id="Ll9Cw" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Ll9Cw/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <hr /> <h2>How much do equity borrowers withdraw from their home?</h2> Among those who use their home like an ATM, younger borrowers now withdraw larger amounts than older borrowers. In 2006–07, equity borrowers aged 35–44 and 45–54 withdrew on average $43,000 and $57,000, respectively (expressed in real values set at 2022 price levels). By 2021, the amount withdrawn by these two age groups had climbed to $70,000 and $100,000. On the other hand, the amount withdrawn by borrowers aged 55 or older fell from more than $50,000 to less than $40,000. <hr /> <iframe id="ujq3S" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ujq3S/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <hr /> <h2>What motivates equity borrowing?</h2> Young homeowners’ equity borrowing behaviours are sensitive to changes in house prices and debt values, and their financial risk preferences. Among those aged 35–44, a $10,000 increase in the primary home value raises the likelihood of equity borrowing by ten percentage points. Every $10,000 in debt against the primary home reduces the likelihood by 2.8% percentage points. Those willing to take substantial financial risk are eight percentage points more likely to borrow against their home than those who are risk-averse. Those aged 65+ are not inclined to borrow, and exhibit little change in equity borrowing behaviour with variations in asset, debt, income or financial risk preferences. <h2>Why borrowing practices differ between age groups</h2> As well as being more likely than older homeowners to borrow against equity, the younger group also withdraws higher amounts than their Boomer parents. This is despite younger borrowers already carrying much higher debt against their primary home. Among those in our study who engaged in equity borrowing in 2021, the median debt before borrowing was $401,000 for 35-44 year-olds compared to $0 for those aged 65+. As real house prices have risen over decades, the current generation of young homeowners has had to invest more money into purchasing their first home than previous generations. It’s therefore not surprising the primary home is now widely viewed as a financial resource to be <a href="https://theconversation.com/your-home-as-an-atm-home-equity-a-risky-welfare-tool-22000">tapped into to meet spending needs</a>. On the other hand, most Baby Boomers bought their first home at more affordable prices than their children, and at lower levels of debt. Now they don’t appear to be spending their kids’ inheritance by drawing down housing wealth. In fact, older parents may shy away from equity borrowing to <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/research/completed/wealth-transfers/wealth-transfers.pdf">bequeath wealth to children</a>. Some also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047279417000058">dislike passing debt</a> on to their children. Older people may also avoid equity borrowing due to concerns about <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-08/p2023-435150.pdf">aged care costs</a>. Some may be hampered by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2013.08.003">poor financial literacy</a>. <h2>More debt ahead without policy changes</h2> Present trends suggest young homeowners will remain indebted for longer periods, and more and more will <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-of-us-are-retiring-with-mortgage-debts-the-implications-are-huge-115134">retire with mortgage debt</a>. For indebted retirees, there are real prospects of <a href="https://theconversation.com/fall-in-ageing-australians-home-ownership-rates-looms-as-seismic-shock-for-housing-policy-120651">drawing down of superannuation</a> to pay off mortgages in retirement. This may impose extra burdens on the age pension system. Another unwelcome consequence, which may add to health costs, is the prospect of <a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/sites/default/files/migration/documents/AHURI-Final-Report-319-Mortgage-stress-and-precarious-home-ownership-implications-for-older-Australians.pdf">debt-related psychological distress</a> among those who can’t pay off their mortgage in old age. If the current trends continue, the <a href="https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/what-happens-when-australia-s-boomers-hand-5-trillion-to-their-heirs-20240515-p5jdvf">great wealth transfer</a> that has already begun looks set to <a href="https://theconversation.com/not-everyone-wins-from-the-bank-of-mum-and-dad-73842">further entrench inequality</a> between those who have access to the bank of mum and dad and those who do not. Encouraging older people to use their housing equity to fund their needs in old age may lighten fiscal burdens on younger generations. But policy reforms will be needed to relieve concerns about the risks of equity borrowing in old age.<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/238924/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rachel-ong-viforj-113482">Rachel Ong ViforJ</a>, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christopher-phelps-378137">Christopher Phelps</a>, Research Fellow, School of Accounting, Economics and Finance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock 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/young-homeowners-are-more-likely-to-use-their-home-as-an-atm-than-their-boomer-parents-heres-why-238924">original article</a>. </div>

Money & Banking

Cleo Smith's parents share heartwarming update

Three years after her kidnapping, Cleo Smith is adjusting well to her normal life, with her parents sharing a heartwarming update. On Sunday, her parents shared the now seven-year-old's latest achievement - winning her first gymnastics competition. The snaps posted by 60 Minutes on Facebook, showed Cleo smiling as she proudly held up a medal and certificate with all her ribbons on it after a routine on the balance beam. “Such a beautiful brave girl who Australia got to know. Glad she is doing so well and you should be so proud of your gymnastics achievement,” one commenter said on the post. “I love seeing an update on how she is going.” "Bless her little heart! Her whole family are the epitome of resilience," another added. "I think the whole of Australia is behind you Cleo! Well done," a third wrote. The update was shared just two months after the family shared a collection of photos of <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/new-photos-of-cleo-smith-show-insight-into-her-life-after-kidnapping" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cleo enjoying life</a> with her family. The snaps included Cleo celebrating her seventh birthday, a family fishing trip, and her playing with her little sister Isla, and their first day of school. Cleo was just four-years-old when she was kidnapped from her tent while camping with her family in Western Australia's Gascoyne region, around 10 hours north of Perth, on October 16, 2021. Police and rescue personnel spent nearly three weeks looking for her, and 18 days later she was found in Terrence Kelly's home in Carnarvon, just minutes away from her own family home. Kelly was arrested near the home and has been in custody in Perth since. He is appealing the 13-year and six-month prison sentence he received for the abduction. At an appeal hearing in February, the court was told Kelly has various mental impairments, including a severe personality dysfunction, which they say was a significant factor in the crime. Images: 60 Minutes Facebook

Caring

Parents under fire for taking their sick toddler on a long-haul flight

A couple has come under fire after documenting their experience online of boarding a long-haul flight with their toddler, despite the child being sick. Alina and her husband were excited to go on their long-awaited holiday to Thailand with their one-year-old son in tow, taking off on their first big family trip. However, shortly before they were set to take off, their child developed a raging fever, and they decided to go on the trip anyway. Taking the experience to social media, Alina said her son’s temperature soared to around 40 degrees, with their little boy’s condition escalating so rapidly that the parents were considering calling off their entire trip. “My husband and I even wanted to cancel the flight,” she confessed in the video, which has received around 1.4 million views. However, after realising they would be out of pocket by several thousands of dollars if they cancelled the trip at such short notice, they decided to take the risk and board the plane. “Our tickets would have been wasted, and the trip that cost us $3,000 would have been wasted,” the mum wrote. "One plus of this flight was that the flight was at night, and the child could sleep and recover.” In the clip, the parents were seen walking their son around the plane, cradling the sick toddler as he cried uncontrollably. Luckily, the parents “managed to bring down the temperature”, but they weren’t convinced their son would keep quiet for the rest of the trip. “We were so worried about how the baby would feel on an eight-hour flight,” she continued, walking the baby up and down the corridors of the airport, trying to calm him down. As they tried to settle the child, they realised that their hopes that he would sleep the whole way were misguided. “The flight turned out to be difficult,” Alina confessed. “The baby kept waking and crying.” In the middle of the night, their son’s fever returned, which forced the parents to “bring the temperature down again” and left them “very worried” about their son’s health. Their baby’s fever took a toll on the parents as well, who complained of feeling “squeezed like a lemon” while trying to keep his temperature down, as Alina recalled, “We took turns looking after the baby so each of us could sleep.” In a later video, the parents defended their choice to take their son on the flight despite his intense fever and blamed it on his teething, not sickness. “Our baby wasn’t sick, he was teething, and that’s why he had a fever,” she said. “If our child had been sick, we would have cancelled everything … I consider myself a wonderful mother.” Despite the mother's clarification of her son's fever, the parents were slammed for even considering taking a sick child on such a long flight. “It’s OK, don’t worry about making anyone else on that flight sick,” a sarcastic comment read. “This is so tremendously selfish, you are appalling for doing this to him and others.” “I was in the same situation,” another parent said. “I lost all bookings, but who cares, my daughter comes first always and forever, no matter the amount of money!” “Trips come and go; your baby’s health is priceless!” read another comment. “Forty degrees is a hospital admission! Not a flight to Thailand!” However, not everyone was as judgmental, with many parents extending their sympathies to the first-time parents, as one person wrote, “You know what’s best for your baby. Everyone will say things. But only you will know when you are in that situation.” “Everyone is a first-time parent,” another defended. “This was a lesson learned. A baby’s health is of utmost importance. No holiday is more important than that. I hope he is OK now.” Image credits: TikTok

Travel Trouble

Parents' devastation after baby attacker flees the country

The parents of an infant boy who suffered severe burns after having hot coffee poured over him have spoken of their devastation after learning their son's <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/manhunt-after-stranger-pours-scalding-hot-coffee-on-baby-in-public-park" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alleged attacker</a> fled the country. The nine-month old baby boy was attacked while having a picnic with his mother at a Brisbane park on August 27. The man allegedly came up to the boy and poured a Thermos of hot coffee on the baby, burning his face and chest. The boy has since undergone three rounds of surgery to treat his wounds. On Monday, Queensland police said that the 33-year-old man accused of the attack has fled the country on his own passport a day before they identified him. The foreign national had travelled by car to NSW on August 28 before flying out of Sydney airport on August 31. Police said that a warrant has been issued for his arrest. The babies parents, who chose to remain anonymous, have spoken of their devastation. “It sounds like they were very, very close in catching him, and this obviously means that we’re going to have to wait who knows how long to get justice for our son,” the mother told the ABC. “It’s a bit heartbreaking.” She said the incident had left her living in fear and it would affect her mental health for the rest of her life. "Returning home I had panic attacks, and still continue to do so. I do feel relief that he's not in this country, in some sense, but I will always have fear and anxiety being out in public with my son," she said. "It should be a happy, joyful time. I'm a first-time mum and he's taken that away from me." Luka's father said his baby boy was in "good spirits" and didn't "want to sit still" despite his injuries. Queensland Police Detective Inspector Paul Dalton said the investigation was one of the most “complex and frustrating” he had been involved in. He said the alleged attacker was “aware of police methodologies” and was “conducting counter-surveillance activities” that made it more complex. “It wasn’t until September 1 that we were able to put a name to the face in the CCTV,” Inspector Dalton said. He added that it was still too early in the investigation to disclose the name of the suspect publicly as it could "jeopardise the integrity of this investigation and any chance of bringing this person to justice". “We will keep going until we find you, and I have not lost that determination,” Inspector Dalton said. “I’ve got 30 detectives working for me. They are devastated that they missed this person by 12 hours. I think only the family would be more upset about that.” He urged the man, who had been "coming and going" from Australia since 2019 on working and holiday visas, to return to Australia and come forward. “I encourage him to do that. There’ll be no judgment on you whatsoever,” Inspector Dalton said. Images: ABC News/ news.com.au

Legal

Parents of Aussies killed in Mexico share heartwarming update

The grieving parents of the two Aussie brothers who were killed in Mexico while on a surfing trip have shared a heartwarming update more than four months after their deaths. Jake and Callum Robinson were tragically killed in the province of Baja California in Mexico on April 27th, as their bodies were discovered at the bottom of a 15-metre-deep well during a large scale police operation. Following their deaths, more than $520,000 was raised by the community to help the boy's parents, Martin and Debra, who have revealed the money has helped create a foundation to continue their sons' legacy through philanthropic activities. The heartwarming update was shared by Perth not-for-profit group Indian Ocean Paddlers on the family's behalf on Monday. The group was among thousands of donors, who rallied behind the family to assist with costly expenses, including repatriation and funeral costs. The Robinsons are "forever grateful" for the support received, writing, "We have been overwhelmed by the love we have received in Australia." "To drive this initiative, we have created a foundation as a tribute to Callum and Jake and will be guided by people well versed in caring for others." "Although it’s early days, we hope to have a webpage available soon which will provide information on how your precious donation money will be spent. Your support is more than just a financial gift; it’s testament to the power of community and the belief that together, we can create lasting change." "You have played a crucial role in making our vision a reality, and for that, we will be forever grateful." The Robinsons also opened up on how they're coping four months on from losing their sons, saying, "Not a day goes by when we don’t think about our beautiful sons, the connections they had with people like you and the lives they could have had." Image credits: Instagram

Family & Pets

"What do you say?" TV host's heartbreaking parenting plea

An Aussie TV host has shared a heartfelt plea for advice after revealing that his 12-year-old daughter has been bullied at school. Barry Du Bois, co-host of The Living Room, shared an emotional post on Instagram admitting he is struggling to help Arabella with the bullying issue, and asked other parents for advice. “I just watched my little girl walk out the gate of our home, a place where I know she is safe and feels a sense of security and belonging,” Barry said. “She is heading to a place that doesn’t offer that same security, her school. As a parent, I’m supposed to protect and guide her through difficult times, but this morning, I am lost.” “Yesterday, Arabella came home from school claiming she was sick,” he continued. "This isn’t the first time it has happened. She wasn’t actually sick but is instead being bullied again.” Barry then asked for help from his followers on how to help his daughter, asking, “What do you say to a child when you’ve already said, ‘Don’t let them upset you. Just keep being kind. You are not the horrible things they say’.” “She said, ‘I don’t want to be special; I just want to be liked’,” the TV star added before revealing he felt “weak, angry, confused and a little fearful”. The touching post encouraged some of his famous friends to share their own stories of helping their kids deal with bullying. “My mate sent his daughter to Jiu Jitsu after being bullied. She fell in love with it and gained another level of confidence,” wrote The Bachelor Australia star Tim Robards. “Sometimes you’ve just got to go up to the parents and say, ‘your kid bullies mine’,” added Married At First Sight’s Ryan Gallagher. Image credits: Instagram

Family & Pets

"He was at peace": Sam Landsberger’s parents break silence after sudden death

The heartbroken family of Sam Landsberger have revealed what he was doing in his final moments before he tragically <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/health/caring/prominent-sports-journo-killed-at-just-35" target="_blank" rel="noopener">died</a> at the age of 35. Landsberger, 35, was struck by a truck driven by a 45-year-old Seaford man at the intersection of Bridge Rd and Church St in Richmond, Melbourne on Tuesday morning. According to Sam's father Jake, his son's final moments were spent on the phone to his mother Anne while he was walking to meet a friend. “Anne was on the phone with Sam when it happened, heard the hit, she heard the commotion, and we’ve been beside ourselves worrying whether she actually possibly distracted him,” Jake told The Herald Sun on Wednesday. ‘The next thing there was commotion, a stranger picked up the phone, and said: ‘Who am I talking to’, so Anne said: ‘I’m Sam’s mother, who are you’." “And he said, ‘I’m sorry to say but your son has just been hit by a vehicle … he’s lying on the ground’. “The man conversed with Sam initially until he lost consciousness’.” Landsberger was rushed to hospital but later died from his extensive injuries. His father said the family received a message from the man who helped Landsberger on Wednesday, saying, “He messaged us and said, ‘I told Sam I was on the phone with his mother and he was at peace knowing that he was communicating with you through me’." Victoria Police have since confirmed the truck driver, 45, who stopped at the scene, underwent “standard” roadside alcohol and drug tests, which were both negative. “He was requested by Melbourne Highway Patrol officers to provide a blood sample as per standard procedure under the Road Safety Act being a driver involved in a serious collision,” a spokesman said. “The driver allegedly refused and was charged on summons with refusing to provide a blood sample.” The man was “immediately” given a notice banning him from driving, and is due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on September 19th. Sam's father said that while his family are "angry" over what happened, they have been overwhelmed by the amount of love they have received since Sam's tragic passing. “I can’t put into words the comfort, the joy and the pride we are getting from that,” Jake said. “By the time we both took two sleeping pills to go to bed about 9pm on Tuesday, I personally had received in excess of 250 messages and Anne probably the same." “The tributes, watching AFL360, seeing The Tackle had been postponed, the stories all over the media … I said to Anne while we sat at our table bawling our eyes out, I wish I could go back to the morgue in the coroner’s court, just wake Sam up briefly and say, ‘Sam, look how much you were loved, look how much you were admired’." “Because he had no idea. He did not realise. The degree to what we’ve seen has blown us to smithereens.” Image credits: Twitter

Caring

"The pain is unbearable": Nick Campo's family speaks out

The parents of a Perth teenager who tragically died in a car crash have started an emotional campaign for road safety in the name of their late son. Budding footballer Nick Campo, who had just turned 18, was the rear passenger in a Toyota HiLux that rolled and collided with a Jeep Patriot in Perth’s southern suburbs on Saturday night and was pronounced <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/rising-star-footy-player-dies-at-just-18" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dead</a> at the scene. Campo's parents Daniel and Bianca told <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/nick-campo-parents-speak-of-unbearable-pain-after-losing-son-to-horror-crash/a5ab695f-d536-4fbb-9a95-088e155e3cba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9News</a> of their "unbearable pain" since the sudden and tragic loss of their son. "My Nick, he was definitely one of a kind," his mum Bianca said. "I knew he was special, but he was really special to a lot of people." "And he was a beautiful boy, and he's going to be missed by so many, so many people." His father Daniel said his son was "the complete package" but was best known for his quick wit cheekiness. "If you had to sum Nick up in one word, 'cheeky'," he said. "From day dot .... Cheeky, cheeky." Sitting in the ute alongside Nick at the time of the crash were two of his teammates from the South Fremantle Football club, as well as the 17-year-old driver and one other young man. "He loved footy, he loved cricket, he just was so committed," his mum said. "He loved getting around all the boys, you know all the teammates. He loved being in the clubs." The 17-year-old boy accused of being behind the wheel, who was also injured in the crash alongside one of the other passengers, is facing serious charges. Another boy is fighting for his life in Royal Perth Hospital. Nick's parents are praying their son's friend pulls through and don't want other families to go through what they have gone through. "(Because) It is, it is the worst nightmare that you can imagine and the pain is unbearable," his mum said. The family is now channelling their grief towards a road safety campaign called "Call Out for Nick". "If it doesn't look right, that person doesn't look right to drive, the habits - it's got to be called out," his father said. "We see it every day - young kids they think they're bulletproof, they're not." Image credits: Nine

Caring

Your parents’ income doesn’t determine yours – unless you’re ultra rich or extremely poor

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/catherine-de-fontenay-5631">Catherine de Fontenay</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Australia is among the strongest global performers in terms of income mobility between the generations, according to a new <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/research/completed/fairly-equal-mobility">Productivity Commission report</a>. The country’s long-term economic growth has led to each generation earning more than the last, on average. Our report finds 67% of the so-called <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/xennials-born-between-millennials-and-gen-x-2017-11">“Xennial”</a> generation – those born in 1976–1982, on the cusp of the Millennial/Gen X divide – earn more than their parents did at a similar age. This is particularly true of those born into poorer families. <hr /> <iframe id="NsmB3" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/NsmB3/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <hr /> When we look at where people rank in an income distribution, the picture is a little less rosy. While children with parents at the bottom or top of the income scale are more likely to remain there, almost 15% of people with parents in the lowest income decile, remain there while just 6% move to the top. And those living in poverty - who often include renters, people from migrant backgrounds who don’t speak English at home and single parents - face some of the biggest barriers to improving their economic lot. <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/research/completed/fairly-equal-mobility">Fairly Equal? Economic mobility in Australia</a>, released on Thursday, measures intergenerational income mobility by examining the relationship between a person’s income and the eventual income of their children. <h2>Measuring inequality</h2> Most countries anxiously monitor income distribution and economic mobility amid concerns inequality may be increasing. And countries with high inequality tend to have low mobility: the rungs of the social ladder are far apart making it difficult to move up to the next level. If mobility is low, the consequences are serious. Low mobility is discouraging, unproductive and unstable. If young people have little chance of achieving their aspirations, their wellbeing is affected. <a href="https://ideas.repec.org/p/cor/louvco/2023026.html">Social unrest is more likely</a>. And the abilities of young people from less affluent backgrounds are under-used. The next tech entrepreneur Steve Jobs may never be discovered, and many other opportunities are lost. In Australia we are used to thinking of ourselves as having inequality and mobility somewhere between Scandinavia and the US; but that comparison is not as comforting as it used to be, if inequality and mobility are worsening in the US. Our report considers people’s income mobility over the course of their lives, and across generations. If income mobility is low, people will struggle to recover from initial disadvantage, and those born into privilege will be financially secure. First we look at whether people move in the income distribution; there is a surprising amount of movement. And we look for evidence people can access opportunities throughout life, after setbacks. <h2>Recovering from setbacks</h2> There is not much evidence of recovery after a person experiences a severe illness or a job loss, perhaps because the causal factors are still at work. More encouragingly, the income of women who experience separation <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/4815110/HILDA-User-Manual-Release-22.0.pdf">does increase</a>, eventually restoring the buying power of their household. This is in part due to well-targeted government support. For intergenerational mobility, we extended the dataset developed by <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jel.20211413">an analytical dataset</a> to measure the influence parents’ income had on the income their offspring were likely to earn. We found Australia’s intergenerational mobility is actually higher than the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sjoe.12197">Scandinavian</a> countries, and second only to <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3662560">Switzerland</a> among comparable studies. <hr /> <iframe id="5DFB9" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/5DFB9/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <hr /> In all countries studied there was some link between parents’ income mobility and that of children, because parents pass on tastes, ambitions and abilities. And there was greater correlation between the incomes of mothers and daughters, and fathers and sons than with parents of the opposite gender, perhaps because of role model effects. <hr /> <iframe id="BJ4hD" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/BJ4hD/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <hr /> While Australia’s strong income mobility between generations is remarkable, it’s concerning there is less mobility among those at the very bottom and top of the income distribution scale. The fact children born into the poorest families were more likely to remain in the lowest deciles, while those born into the top earning families tended to remain in the top deciles, suggests privilege is often passed on. People who grew up in frequently poor households were <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/3537441/HILDA-Statistical-report-2020.pdf">three time more likely</a> to be poor at age 26 to 32 than those who never experienced poverty. <hr /> <iframe id="SxHBo" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/SxHBo/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <hr /> And consistent with <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/37c2c8b7-328c-41e1-bace-87ed7a551777/australias-welfare-chapter-2-summary-18sept2019.pdf.aspx">other studies</a> we found children whose family received government payments were twice as likely to receive support as adults, compared with those whose families received no help. <h2>Movement in the middle</h2> Taken together, these results suggest some segmentation of opportunities. In the middle of the income distribution, there are opportunities to get ahead, and individuals’ careers are not restricted by their families’ circumstances. At the bottom, things are a lot more “sticky”, and finding opportunities to permanently escape poverty is more difficult. Some of this boils down where people live, peers, school quality and local job options. Researchers <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jel.20211413">Deutscher and Mazumder</a> (2023) have shown regional economic conditions have a big impact on mobility, and we show remoteness limits movement out of poverty. Overall, the mobility picture is extremely good news for most Australians. But this should not blind us how difficult it is to move out of poverty, especially for those in remote areas. Identifying where mobility fails to deliver allows us to focus our policy response.<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/234158/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/catherine-de-fontenay-5631">Catherine de Fontenay</a>, Honorary Fellow, Department of Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Image credits: Shutterstock 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/your-parents-income-doesnt-determine-yours-unless-youre-ultra-rich-or-extremely-poor-234158">original article</a>. </div>

Money & Banking

"I want her parents to know": Fellow Qantas passenger reveals final moments of young woman

The passenger who was seated next to the woman who tragically <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-trouble/young-woman-dies-on-qantas-flight" target="_blank" rel="noopener">died</a> after boarding a Qantas flight has broken his silence on her last moments. Ravinder Singh was seated next to Manpreet Kaur, who passed away shortly after boarding a flight from Melbourne to Delhi on June 20th. The 24-year-old student, who had dreams of becoming a chef, was travelling to see her parents in India for the first time in four years, but did not make it to her destination. Now, Ravinder Singh has shared details on her final moments in the hopes it will bring her grieving parents some comfort. “I was sitting next to her on the Qantas flight from Melbourne to Delhi and was actually the last person to talk to her,” Ravinder Singh exclusively told <a href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/passenger-speaks-after-woman-dies-next-to-him-on-qantas-flight/news-story/24e8396d8eb3a1d35aea4a4291b847ba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a>. “When I boarded the plane, she was already seated in the aisle. I was in the window, so I asked if she could please get up so I could occupy my seat. “I noticed that she began scrolling through photos on her mobile phone and stopped at a photograph of an elderly couple. I asked if they were her parents. She smiled and nodded and kept staring at it.” Mr Singh, who had been in Australia to visit family, said that everything seemed fine and the plane eventually began moving towards the runway, ready for take off. He explained that Ms Kaur had then put her phone down and rested her head on the seat in front, when he realised something was not right. “She was wearing her seatbelt and leaned forward to rest her head on the seat in front. As the plane was preparing for takeoff, I wanted to alert her to sit upright,” he shared. “But the plane jerked and I expected her to wake up. But instead, her head just moved towards me." “I got the attention of a flight attention and told her that this woman does not seem very well. She checked her pulse and after that, the reaction of the cabin crew was very commendable." “They tried their best to revive her. She was then evacuated by medical staff.” The retired army officer said the incident still “haunts him” and he wants her parents to know that she “left the world peacefully”. “The incident has been etched in my memory for life,” he said. “It is very difficult to digest that a young girl with whom you were just interacting with has passed away in front of your eyes." “Her innocent face stills haunts me and I want her parents to know she loved them a lot. She left this world peacefully looking at their photograph." “My heart breaks for her family who would have been looking forward to seeing her after a long time.” It is understood that Ms Kaur had been feeling "unwell" when she arrived at the airport and boarded the plane with no issues, with reports suggesting she died of tuberculosis. Image credits: news.com.au

Caring

"Take it back to her”: Parents' heartbroken plea to thieves who targeted their daughter's grave

When three-year-old Brittany Conway died after swelling a button battery, news of her death made headlines and prompted urgent warnings to parents everywhere. Now, just one month out from the four-year anniversary of Brittany's death, her parents are grieving all over again after their daughter's grave was targeted by callous thieves, who took off with a "precious" keepsake. “She was a vivacious little girl, there was a sparkle in her eye,” Brittany’s mother Lorraine told <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/our-little-princess-parents-anguish-after-precious-item-stolen-from-childs-grave-c-15205766" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News</a>. “She was a very loving, gentle, funny character.” Brittany’s love of tiaras was immortalised when one was placed inside a locked glass-front box attached to her grave. “Brittany loved wearing big bows and pretty dresses, she loved the tiaras and high heels,” Lorraine said. “We just wanted her to know she was our little princess.” Brittany's parents were heartbroken when they discovered that thieves had pried open the lockbox on the grave and stolen the tiara. “I was so angry to think someone had taken something so precious, taken it out of somewhere so sacred,” Lorraine said. The local Gold Coast community has rallied around the family, offering to replace the tiara and even reward money for the beloved item to be returned. Brittany’s parents are still hoping the tiara will be returned, and sharing a public message to the thief that they “did not hate them” for what they had done, but urged them to give the item back. “I’m still angry, I’m hurt, but my main thing now is to get (the tiara) home, and bring it back to Brittany where it belongs,” Lorraine said. “They haven’t thought about how much of an impact it has had on the family." “If you’re watching this, and you’ve taken it, I don’t hate you — just take it back to her.” Image credits: 7News

Family & Pets

Teen actress' parents share update after five-storey fall

Mamie Laverock's parents have shared a promising update with fans, after she was left fighting for her life following a five-storey <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/teen-actress-on-life-support-after-devastating-mishap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fall</a>. Her parents Nicole and Rob updated their GoFundMe page for the 19-year-old and said that she was “out of her big surgeries," and confirmed that doctors say she's “doing well.” "Mamie is out of her extensive surgeries and the doctors say she is doing well," they wrote. “It’s impossible for us to be happier,” her parents continued. “Thank you all for your support.” On May 11, Laverock experienced a “medical emergency” and was hospitalised in Winnipeg, Canada before being transferred to another hospital in Vancouver. At the time her parents said her recovery was “unclear", but she was “showing signs of improvement.” More than two weeks later, they shared a harrowing update on their daughter's condition informing fans that she was now on life support after she fell five stories from a balcony walkway while being escorted out of a secure unit in the hospital. Many of her When Calls the Heart co-stars took to social media to promote the crowd-funding page and express their heartbreak. “I love this family, my heart is broken. A devastating time for all who care for Mamie. Please help if you can. They need all the support they can get to make it through this," Laverock’s on-screen mother Molly Sullivan wrote on X. "I just donated. If you have the means to do so, I hope you will too. Link in bio,” wrote the show's leading actress Erin Krakow. The fundraiser has now exceeded the $30,000 CAD target, raising almost $33,000 CAD. Image: GoFundMe

Caring

“We need a donor”: Parents' desperate plea to save young daughter

The heartbroken parents of five-year-old Addison Kemp have made a desperate plea to save their young daughter. Addison suffers from a rare health condition called severe Aplastic anaemia, which means that her body’s bone marrow does not produce enough new blood cells to carry out vital tasks like carry oxygen, control infections or heal after an injury. This means that even a simple nosebleed can be catastrophic for the young girl, as she's forced to spend days in hospital getting blood transfusions to stay alive. Her parents Bianca and Daniel have spoken about her condition in an interview with A Current Affair and explained how without a bone-marrow transplant, the condition could mean death for their young daughter. “She wouldn’t live,” Ms Kemp said. “We need a donor.” The couple first found out about their daughter's condition after she returned home from school with bruises all over her body. Addison was taken to the doctor for a blood test, and they found out about the devastating condition a day later and were told to immediately take her to Queensland Children’s Hospital. “I was gutted, I was devastated. Getting a phone call from the doctor saying you need to rush your little girl to the hospital. That wasn’t a phone call that I wanted,” Mr Kemp said. Addison now has to stay in hospital until she can be matched with a donor. Her little sister Crimson, misses her every day that they are apart. “She gets a bit upset every day that they are not home,” Mr Kemp said. The family said that their bone-marrow did not match up with Addison, and no registered Australian donors had matched up with her either. However, not all hope is lost as any regular Australian could help save a life. Lisa Smith, from bone marrow donation charity Strength to Give, said that the donation process is similar to donating blood which involves a short course of injections before the operation. “The vast majority of time, it is you sitting in a chair, having your blood filtered, while you are watching Netflix," Smith said. Ms Kemp begged Australians to sign up as donors. “I really want to put the message out there that if you can, do,” she said. “You could be saving a life, that’s the biggest thing you could do in the world.” Image: A Current Affair

Caring

10 tips for a better night’s sleep in a hotel room

From noisy neighbours to unbearable bedding, a good night’s sleep in a hotel room can be hard to come by. Here are 10 tips to help you get decent shut eye. 1. Book a room midway down a hallway This is generally the quietest part of the floor, way from ice and wending machines, laundry facilities, exits, closets and any other places where sudden noises might occur. 2. Try to avoid rooms facing a pool While the view is something to admire, pools can also be the sight of noise generating late-night gathering and any sounds generally echo loudly off the water. 3. Inquire at the front desk about pillow options If the wrong pillow gives you back or neck pain have a chat to the front desk when checking in. Most hotels stock pillows of varying firmness, and can offer a better fit. 4. Pack earplugs and eyeshades When you’re struggling to get to sleep the tiniest noise or ray of light can end up being a huge distraction. Nip this in the bud by packing earplugs and eyeshades. 5. Turn your mobile phone off Mobile notifications can be a huge distraction (particularly when they’re coming from friends and family in different time zones). Turn your phone off, and enjoy the bliss. 6. Make use of your ‘do not disturb’ sign If you’re planning to sleep in make sure you put your ‘do not disturb’ sign on the outside doorknob, otherwise you might get a rude awakening from a housekeeper. 7. Report any noises immediately Sometimes a quick pound of the wall will quiet down a noisy neighbour, but this doesn’t always work. If the people in the room next to you won’t keep quiet, make sure you let the front desk know and they can take the necessary actions. 8. Adjust the room temperature Most people sleep better in a cooler room, so make sure you adjust the temperature to whatever is the best fit for you to get sleep. Even just opening the window a tiny little crack can make a big difference in terms of your overall comfort levels. 9. Ask the front desk about blackout shades Particularly if you’re staying in a city that’s full of lights, noises and distractions, blackout shades can provide you with a level of peace and comfort that will help you sleep. 10. Consider bringing your own sheets Particularly if you’ve got skin sensitives, it’s generally a good idea to bring your own sheets (if you’ve got enough space). The familiar scent and feel will really help you sleep. Image credits: Shutterstock

Travel Tips

Madeleine McCann's parents share emotional 21st birthday message

Madeleine McCann's parents have shared a heartbreaking message as they marked their daughter's 21st birthday. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann posted the message on the official Find Maddie Campaign Facebook page, with a photo of Maddie in a pink dress and bucket hat - one of the last photos taken of her before she disappeared. "Happy 21st Birthday Madeleine. Still missing. Still missed. Still looking," they wrote. They added the word "hope" on the Facebook photo posted on the page where people regularly donate towards the search efforts to find the missing girl. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C62J1_lgEo3/?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/C62J1_lgEo3/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Official Find Madeleine Campaign (@officialfindmadeleine)</a> </div> </blockquote> It's been 17 years since Madeleine disappeared on May 3 2007, and earlier this month her parents shared another poignant message on the anniversary of her disappearance. "It's 17 years since Madeleine was taken from us," the message posted to social media read. "It's hard to even say that number without shaking our heads in disbelief." "Whilst we are fortunate in many ways and able to live a relatively normal and enjoyable life now, the 'living in limbo' is still very unsettling. And the absence still aches. "Your support continues to encourage us and bolsters our strength to keep going. We know the love and hope for Madeleine and the will to find her, even after so many years, remains, and we are truly thankful for that. "Thank you again for remembering Madeleine and all missing children." Image: Instagram

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10 tips for a better night’s sleep in a hotel room

Madeleine McCann's parents share emotional 21st birthday message

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