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Matthew Perry's sister and step-dad break silence

Matthew Perry's younger sister and step-dad have opened up about the actor's death for the first time since his passing one year ago. Keith Morrison married Perry's mum in 1981 and couple soon after welcomed their first daughter and Perry's half-sister, Caitlin Morrison. In an interview with Hello! Canada Keith said that Matthew's death at just 54-years-old was "incredibly shocking". "Anybody who has lost a child will tell you that, even if you are in some way prepared for the possibility, it's shattering." "What we have decided to do is hang on to that determination and try to do something useful," Keith continued. He added that the late Friends star would want to be "remembered for doing something to help people suffering from addiction," something that Perry himself had been battling. Perry's sister, Caitlin, is the Executive Director of the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada, a separate entity that expands on the work done by the Matthew Perry Foundation in the US. She explained that the work she is doing at the foundation allows her to still feel close to her brother. "The work that I'm doing now is very selfish because it kind of feels like I'm sitting right next to Matthew, working with him every day on something that was important to him," she shared. "I have this treasure of getting to keep him very, very close to my life all the time, which is wonderful." Caitlin works on the foundation alongside both of her parents, and the actor's childhood friend Brian Murray, as well as mental health professional Cara Vaccarino. Image: Instagram <p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; 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; background-color: #ffffff;">Need to talk to someone? Don't go it alone. <p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; 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; background-color: #ffffff;">Lifeline: 13 11 14, <a style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #258440; text-decoration-line: none; background-color: transparent; transition: 0.2s ease-in-out;" href="https://www.lifeline.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lifeline.org.au </a> <p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; 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; background-color: #ffffff;">Reach Out: <a href="https://au.reachout.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://au.reachout.com/</a> <em 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; background-color: #ffffff;">Beyond Blue: 1300 224 635, <a style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #258440; text-decoration-line: 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>

Family & Pets

Aussie sisters recall tradition that left young King Charles speechless

Aussie sisters Jane Tozer and Amanda Boxshall have had the rare privilege of forming a closer bond with King Charles than most, having hosted the young royal during his studies in Australia. In 1966, at the age of 16, King Charles spent a year in Australia attending Timbertop outdoor adventure school, a remote campus that forms part of Geelong Grammar School. He stayed at Jane and Amanda's family farm, the two sisters then aged 11 and six, got to share six months of their lives with him. The royal family's security chose their dairy farm as it was an easy place to keep the then Prince Charles secure, and had enough room for his personal staff. On Monday, the sisters recalled their experience of living with the royal to Sunrise hosts Nat Barr and Matt Shirvington. They said that he was a "normal kid" but there was one family tradition that shocked him - their family eating together. “Mum and dad and the farm workers all used to just sit at one table and King Charles would come past and he couldn’t believe that people all sit together — that families sit and enjoy meals together,” Amanda said. The sisters also said that while they were briefed by the King's security prior to him moving in, they "didn't really understand the whole concept of being royal." “He was just another person on our farm that we chatted to and had a swim with. But he was very friendly. He always had his security with him ... (but) he was really friendly, very curious," Jane said. “He would ask a lot of questions, like how did this and that work? Can I help you do this? Can I do that?” They also said the King liked the outdoors - a passion he still holds to this day. “(We would go) horse-riding, of course. He’s very into horses ... and just doing kid things ... it was just like this whole new family had moved into our farm life. It was a unique experience.” The sisters managed to catch up with King Charles during his royal tour in 2018. “He remembered mum and dad and asked how they were and all of those sorts of things,” Jane said. “We laughed about all the things we did on the farm. So, he remembered everything. We didn’t really expect that he would remember all those things. But he did. So yeah, it was part of history.” Reflecting on Charles' last day staying the family, they said while they "were very sad" he had to leave, the family commemorated the moment with a portrait together. "Mum made us all beautiful new outfits and he said, ‘no, I want you as you really are’. So, we had to go and get our farm clothes back on. But he, he’s just such a nice person and very funny,” Jane said. Images: Seven

Family & Pets

Jessica Fox reacts to her sister's gold medal victory

The Fox sisters are now both Olympic gold medallists after Noemie Fox claimed her victory in the women's kayak cross. Noemie, who is the younger sister of three-time Olympic champion Jessica Fox, beat out silver medallist Angèle Hug from France, and the UK's Kimberley Woods in bronze. Following Noemie's win, Jess and their mother Myriam quickly jumped into the water to celebrate her victory at bottom of the slalom course. Jess then spoke candidly to Nine about her sister's win, hailing the "fairytale ending" to an almost unbelievably perfect Fox family Olympics. "I'm just full of emotion," Jess said, voice trembling, just moments after climbing out of the water at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium. "And I'm so proud of her, and I'm just – I'm drenched, I jumped into the water. There's so much emotion in this moment. It's amazing. "I was just screaming. We were both screaming," Jess said. "She was like 'what is going on? What the hell' but she did it." "She is just so – I'm so happy for her, so happy for her." There were but three kayak gold medals up for grabs for women at Paris 2024 and the sisters are taking the whole set back with them to Sydney. As well as coaching her daughters to success, Myriam has an Olympic bronze medal to her name and dad Richard, who briefly bailed on his broadcast duties to celebrate with his two girls, won 10 world championships and finished fourth in the K1 at Barcelona 1992. "It means that poor dad is the only one without an Olympic medal," Jess joked. "What a moment for our family. What a moment for these games. You know, for the whole team, we've come away with three gold medals, and that's so special." Image credits: Instagram/Morgan Treacy/INPHO/Shutterstock Editorial

International Travel

“My sister-in-law announced she was pregnant at my child’s funeral”

A woman has asked for advice on how to navigate her relationship with her sister-in-law, after the woman overheard an inappropriate conversation at her child’s funeral. The grieving mother, a 28-year-old named Melissa, took to Reddit to share the heartbreaking story of how her toddler passed away after a battle with cancer. Melissa described the time as the “hardest in my life”, explaining how she felt she lost “a part of herself” after the funeral. While Melissa expected her toddlers’ memorial service to be difficult, she never predicted a family member would make it even harder. The mother said that when she heard her sister-in-law telling people about her pregnancy, she thought the move was just cruel. “She didn't make a big announcement but more than ten people at the service 'heard' and it's what everyone was talking about. To understate it, I was livid,” Melissa wrote on Reddit. Melissa’s post then asked social media users for advice, as she was unsure how much of a relationship she wanted to have with her sister-in-law after the stunt. The 28-year-old shared that she had fallen pregnant herself, and was facing pressure to have a party in celebration, but she didn’t want her whole family in attendance. “I've been working on who I want to invite, and I really don't want my SIL there,” she said. “Besides what she did, she's a vindictive and mean person and I cannot stand her.” “I mentioned it to my husband and he says he couldn't care less whether she's there or not. But for the sake of saving face, I want opinions before I do this.” She asked the online forum if she would be “an a**hole” for not inviting her, addin that she would still be inviting her husband's other sister and husband's brother's wife. “The original SIL will be the only one not invited,” she clarified. The post was flooded with comments as many backed up Melissa, slamming the sister-in-law for her selfish behaviour. “I wouldn't want someone like that around me. Announcing a pregnancy at a child's funeral is insane,” one said. “Cut her off and ignore everyone close to her. You are right to have nothing to do with her. She's totally classless.” However, others encouraged her to have an adult conversation with her sister-in-law in an attempt to mend their relationship. “Please let it go,” one person began. “This happened on a terrible day during a bad time for you. It's possible that could be clouding how you're looking at this, she may not have been malicious at all.” Image credits: Shutterstock

Family & Pets

“I’ll see you again one day”: Sister of slain doctor’s emotional tribute

Dr Ash Gordon has been farewelled in an emotional memorial service, with his family and friends joining together to honour the slain doctor. The 33-year-old died after a violent altercation following a home invasion on January 13th in the Melbourne suburb of Doncaster. Loved ones gathered at Kernot Hall, in Morwell, south-east Victoria, to honour his life and share in their grief. Funeral celebrant Elisha Dowsett opened the funeral by encouraging the mourners to “leave the anger” and focus on remembering Dr Gordon’s celebrated life. “He warmed the hearts of anyone lucky enough to cross paths with him,” she said. “He was a strong, compassionate, funny, driven, determined and cheeky man. He filled this dark and unpredictable world with genuine goodness.” Dr Gordon’s sister Natalie spoke to the congregation, sharing how she will “never get over his death”. “He was a huge part of our lives. He always encouraged me to take risks because he would say, ‘if you don’t, you’ll wonder what if’,” she said. Breaking down in tears, Ms Gordon told mourners she had promised to “take the risk and live the life I dreamt of just as he did”. “This isn’t goodbye little brother, this is see you soon. I’ll see you again one day,” Ms Gordon said. “And, when I do, I can't wait for you to tell me how bad my wrinkles are and for you to give me a big hug. Until we meet again Brother Bear.” Ash’s other sister Tammy Gordon said she “cannot express” how proud she is to call Dr Gordon her brother. “Losing a sibling is losing the person you can truly be yourself with,” she said. Following the passing of Dr Gordon, two 16-year-olds were <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/major-update-in-tragic-death-of-young-melbourne-doctor">charged</a> with murder, aggravated burglary and theft over his death. The teenagers allegedly broke into the home of 33-year-old Dr Ash Gordon, when the doctor then pursued the intruders after they fled the house. The teens then became violent, allegedly stabbing Dr Gordon several times and leaving him to die a kilometre from his home. Image credits: YouTube

Caring

“We will hurt forever”: Sister of slain doctor speaks out

Dr Ash Gordon’s sister Natalie, has broken her silence after her brother's tragic <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/major-update-in-tragic-death-of-young-melbourne-doctor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passing</a>. Ash was found allegedly stabbed to death less than a kilometre from his home, following an aggravated burglary in Doncaster, Melbourne on Saturday night. Two 16-year-old boys have since been arrested and have been charged with murder, aggravated burglary and theft. Recalling the moment she found out the two boys were arrested, Natalie said she felt slightly relieved. “We thought we’d be going through this a lot longer,” she said. “Then I felt anger (and) a whole new wave of sadness.” She added that her family is grieving and having a hard time processing that their beloved son and brother is gone. "We will hurt forever," she said. “Ash’s patients, colleagues ... Ash’s friends, will all hurt. He was an amazing person, with the best smile, the biggest heart. Our family will never, ever repair itself.” She said that the hardest part for her was watching her parents breakdown. “We all held him on the biggest pedestal, and it’s gone. It’s just gone.” Ash's funeral will be held next Thursday and the family wants to send him off “with a bang”, just like what he would want, according to his sister. “I can’t begin to explain how hard it is now to go through photos ... to go through photos and try to pick photos to show everyone how amazing he was.” Natalie, who has three daughters herself, said that she hopes no other family will ever have to go through the heartache she's experiencing. “I would never want any other family to have to go through what we’re going through,” she said. The two teenagers will appear at a children’s court on February 8, and the prosecution has asked for 12 weeks to prepare a brief of evidence. Images: 7NEWS

Family & Pets

Sister of slain doctor calls for killers to turn themselves in

The distraught sister of Dr Ash Gordon has made an emotional appeal for those responsible for the death of her brother to turn themselves in. In the early hours of Saturday morning, the 33-year-old doctor was killed after a group of criminals broke into his home in Doncaster in Melbourne’s east. After they stole several items from his home, he managed to chase them out of the house and pursued them in his car, until both he and the intruders exited their vehicles and a fight erupted just 500 metres away. Dr Gordon was stabbed fatally several times in the altercation and was left for dead. As his family grieve his premature death, his devastated sister Natalie has called for justice. Appearing on Sunrise, she shared how angry the situation has made her. “I think for me it's been anger the entire time. I'm just obviously devastated, but so angry that anyone could do this to not only my brother but any person, any human being,” she said. "His girlfriend is heartbroken, mum is completely broken and I've never seen my dad like this. You never want to have to bury your own children." Ms Gordon said her little brother had “a big personality with a large heart”, sharing how “his presence was known everywhere.” “He had a cheeky grin, a charm and charisma about him that had everyone wrapped around his little finger.” “He was the absolute apple of all of our eyes. He was the centre of our family and he was the youngest of five but we all looked up to him.” While Dr Gordon's attackers remain on the run and no arrests have been made, Natalie has pleaded for the killers to turn themselves in to police. “Wear the consequences, because you'll never imagine what we're feeling, what we're going through,” she said. “You have taken away a wonderful doctor, a caring man and the best little brother. Don't be a coward now.” Image credits: Nine / Sunrise

Caring

Vale ‘sister suffragette’: how Glynis Johns became a pop-culture icon in the story of votes for women

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ana-stevenson-196768">Ana Stevenson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-queensland-1069">University of Southern Queensland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lindsay-helwig-1500979">Lindsay Helwig</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-queensland-1069">University of Southern Queensland</a> Glynis Johns, most famous for her role as the suffragette mother Mrs Winifred Banks in Disney’s Mary Poppins (1964), passed away last week at the age of 100. A fourth-generation performer who made her <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-04-17-ca-126-story.html">stage debut</a> in London when she was only three weeks old, Johns inherited her Welsh father’s love of acting. She appeared with him in The Halfway House (1944) and The Sundowners (1960) and argued for the establishment of a Welsh National Theatre <a href="https://twitter.com/huwthomas/status/791367871242862592">as early as 1971</a>. Johns’s career spanned eight decades in Hollywood, Broadway and the British stage and screen. As Palm Springs’s Desert Sun <a href="https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19630426.2.50">reported</a> in 1962, her “husky voice and big blue eyes” were her hallmarks. But it was her portrayal of Mrs Banks in Mary Poppins which would make her a pop culture icon. <h2>A childhood inspiration</h2> Feminist activists and scholars often describe the Mrs Banks character as a childhood inspiration. As feminist communications scholar Amanda Firestone <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Resist_and_Persist/s5HiDwAAQBAJ">reflects</a> on the film: "I especially loved […] Mrs Banks (Glynis Johns), who marches around the family home, putting Votes for Women sashes onto the housekeeper, cook, and the (departing) nanny. Of course, as a kid, I had no idea that the people and events embedded in the song’s lyrics were actual parts of history, but I did find a kind of joy in a vague notion of women’s empowerment." Set in 1910, the symbolism associated with Mrs Banks references the history of the British suffragettes. Johns’ musical showstopper, Sister Suffragette, directly refers to <a href="https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/the-pankhursts-politics-protest-and-passion/">Emmeline Pankhurst</a>, who founded the militant Women’s Social and Political Union in 1903. In 1906 British newspapers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020859007003239">coined</a> the moniker “suffragette” to mock the union. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K0SDECwO54E?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> This ambivalence continued into the 1960s. Historian Laura E. Nym Mayhall <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/4316653">argues</a> that American concern over the impact of women’s public roles on their domestic responsibilities influenced the film’s depiction of Mrs Banks, especially her movement from a public suffragette back into an involved mother at the film’s end. For Mayhall, the figure of the suffragette emerges in popular culture as “a symbol of modernity”: a harbinger of democracy and political progress whose characterisation would elide ongoing struggles such as the civil rights movement. <figure class="align-right zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568335/original/file-20240108-23-tf6kwm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568335/original/file-20240108-23-tf6kwm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568335/original/file-20240108-23-tf6kwm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=949&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568335/original/file-20240108-23-tf6kwm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=949&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568335/original/file-20240108-23-tf6kwm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=949&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568335/original/file-20240108-23-tf6kwm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1193&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568335/original/file-20240108-23-tf6kwm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1193&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568335/original/file-20240108-23-tf6kwm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1193&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption>This 1909 Dunston Weiler Lithograph Co. anti-suffrage postcard offers resonances of Mrs Banks and her household staff in Mary Poppins. <a class="source" href="https://thesuffragepostcardproject.omeka.net/items/show/44">Catherine H. Palczewski Postcard Archive/The Suffrage Postcard Project</a></figcaption></figure> While some see the character of the suffragette mother as <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Mary_Poppins/BLujEAAAQBAJ">supporting</a> women’s votes during the 1910s and women’s liberation during the 1960s, other readings of the film suggest a more satirical representation of the suffrage movement. Some historians even find <a href="https://doi.org/10.1215/02705346-6923118">resonances</a> of anti-suffrage propaganda in Mrs Banks, including in her usage of her Votes for Women sash as the tail of a kite in the film’s final scene. Looking back at film reviews offers insight into how audiences received this character – and, by extension, Johns as an actor. American studies scholar Lori Kenschaft <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books/about/Girls_Boys_Books_Toys.html?id=Or13vhnA_W4C">suggests</a> that film critics who saw Mrs Banks as a “nutty suffragette mother” reiterated popular stereotypes about suffragettes and feminists being “mentally unbalanced”. Such stereotypes may have been reinforced by the film’s depiction of motherhood and the nuclear family. Involved parenting emerged as the bedrock of the 1960s nuclear family, an idea both supported and actively promoted by Walt Disney in both his films and his theme parks, as <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Children_Childhood_and_Musical_Theater/XHrRDwAAQBAJ">argued</a> by American musicologist William A. Everett. As Mrs Banks, Johns embodied the transition from the distant, uninvolved parenting of the British middle-class in the earlier 20th century to the involved mother who facilitated the stable nuclear family. As women’s studies scholar Anne McLeer <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/4316893">argues</a>, Mary Poppins, through Johns’ portrayal of Mrs Banks, demonstrated the liberated woman of the 1960s could be contained within the nuclear family: the bedrock for a Western capitalist economy. <h2>A long career</h2> Beyond Mary Poppins, her most prominent role was in Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway musical A Little Night Music (1973). Johns originated the character of ageing actress Desiree Armfeldt, becoming the first to sing Send in the Clowns. As she <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-04-17-ca-126-story.html">reflected</a> of the classic in 1991: "It’s still part of me. And when you’ve got a song like Send in the Clowns, it’s timeless." Sondheim composed this song with Johns’s famously husky voice in mind. Yet some were less enamoured with her performance. One 1973 theatre critic <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/3850619">described</a> Johns as “a now somewhat overage tomboy, kittenish and raspy-voiced, precise and amusing in her delivery of lines but utterly, utterly unseductive.” <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OAl-EawVobY?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> A veteran of stage and screen, Johns appeared in more than 60 films and 30 plays. In 1998, she was honoured with a Disney Legends Award for her role as Mrs Banks. Johns also received critical acclaim throughout her career, including a Laurel Award for Mary Poppins and a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for A Little Night Music. Regardless of how incongruous her status as a “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-05/glynis-johns-mary-poppins-send-in-the-clowns/103287036">Disney feminist icon</a>” may be, Johns’s extraordinary influence upon the 20th century’s cultural memory is a remarkable legacy. <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/220766/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ana-stevenson-196768">Ana Stevenson</a>, Senior Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-queensland-1069">University of Southern Queensland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lindsay-helwig-1500979">Lindsay Helwig</a>, Lecturer in Pathways, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-queensland-1069">University of Southern Queensland</a> Image credits: Disney 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/vale-sister-suffragette-how-glynis-johns-became-a-pop-culture-icon-in-the-story-of-votes-for-women-220766">original article</a>.

Caring

"It's too late": Sister of mother who died waiting for ambulance speaks out

A Current Affair host Ally Langdon teared up during an interview with the heartbroken sister of Cath Groom, the Brisbane mum who <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/mother-dies-after-ambulance-fails-to-arrive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">died after waiting for an ambulance</a> that never arrived. Groom had initially complained of severe chest pain in the hours before she was found dead by her son, Nicholas, on the morning of her 52nd birthday. Groom's sister, Bec McQuilty said that her family will never get over the tragedy, as she details exactly what happened that night. McQuilty said her sister had not only complained of severe chest pains, but was also vomiting profusely and had pain between the shoulder blades. She said Nicholas, Grooms's only son, called triple zero "multiple times" to request an ambulance, but after 90 minutes of no help, Groom decided to go to sleep. She got up at some point in the night, collapsed and died. "For a young boy to have to see his mum like that, it just shouldn't happen," McQuilty said. "He was petrified he didn't know what to do. "He's been taught through all his life that you can rely on these people and to make a phone call to triple zero and them not be there for him when they should have been, is just blatant neglect. "I will never forget the look on his face of just absolute despair." The A Current Affair broke down the moment McQuilty recalled Nicholas calling her in a panic after finding his dead mum. "I just think this hits all of us, hearing this," Langdon said. "That scene no doubt will haunt you for a long time." McQuilty shared that prior to Groom's passing the family was experiencing "the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in the space of 24 hours," after celebrating Nicholas' high school graduation on the Friday. "To get to such an incredible point of his high school graduation and just to be so proud of him on that day," McQuilty said. "I could see it in her face that she was just, you know, so so proud. "And literally 24 hours later he's finding his mother deceased, unnecessarily. "He's numb, he's angry and he's got a really long road ahead of him." Nicholas has now lost both parents, as his dad passed away when he was a baby. McQuilty revealed that her mum was admitted to the ER after finding out the devastating news and "never come back from this". "She herself was taken to the ER from just complete shock and her own heart," McQuilty said. "So I have my sister deceased in the house. I have my mom in the ER. "You know, it's just, no family, Ally, should ever ever have to go through what our family has gone through." McQuilty hopes that there will be changes made to emergency health system in the wake of her sister's death. "Put some more money into our hospital system and our health system maybe. "It's too late for my family, it's too late. But maybe that can save somebody else." Images: Nine/ A Current Affair

Caring

Twin sisters give birth on the same day

Identical twins Gillianne Gogas and Nicole Patrikakos have lived their whole lives in synchronicity after being born together 36 years ago. Now, the women have welcomed their own children into the world on the same day, in the same hospital. The extraordinary coincidence happened in Melborune’s Epworth Freemasons hospital, with both Nicole and Gillianne welcoming healthy baby boys just hours apart. Gillianne said they both felt a mix of emotions over their matching maternity experience. "The timing, you just can't plan something like that. So yeah, disbelief, shock, excitement, all of those emotions," Gillianne told 9News. Gillianne's son, Alexander, arrived on August 22 at 1:20pm, followed by sister Nicole's baby boy, William, a mere five hours later. Nicole said the sisters had the same due date, so the duplicate deliveries were no surprise to the identical twin sisters. "(We were) very close growing up. We have always done everything together so this is just another example of that," she said. Gillianne said they had nine months of pregnancy to process their "tandem" due date. "And yet it is still quite unbelievable," she said. However, the synchronicity didn’t end there, as the babies were both delivered by the same obstetrician, Dr Joseph Sgroi, who said the births were a first for him during his time as a doctor. "It is not something that is common. It is not commonplace for even sisters to give birth on the same time or on the same day," he said. The newborns even had the same birth weight, a healthy 3.5 kilograms. "Oh yes that came as another surprise," Gillianne said. "Exactly the same," Nicole said. Dr Sgroi said the babies would biologically be closer to brothers than cousins, with Nicole and Gillianne hoping they would share the same special relationship as their mothers. "Hopefully they will be as close as we are because it really is a special bond that we have," Nicole said. Image credits: Nine News

Family & Pets

"You're going to be a big sister": Serena Williams shares heart-warming family announcement

Serena Williams has captured the heart-warming moment she told her five-year-old daughter she is soon to be a big sister. The 41-year-old tennis legend is pregnant with her second child, <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/serena-williams-unveils-exciting-family-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcing her big news</a> on the Met Gala red carpet at the beginning of May. Serena and her husband Alexis decided to film the moment they told their daughter Olympia about the newest addition to their family, with the five-year-old's joyous reaction tugging at the heartstrings. In a video uploaded to Serena's YouTube channel, titled Olympia's Surprise, Williams revealed Olympia did not yet know about the pregnancy, adding her daughter noticed she had become “fat”. “Olympia does not know right now that I am pregnant, but she did call me fat and then she got really, like, stressed out,” Williams said as the video started. “She was like ‘Mummy, you’re fat’". “I tried not to take it personal, ‘cause I’m, like, super into fitness, but I’m, like, ‘Uhh, am I?’". “We’re going to tell her (about the pregnancy) and I’m really, really excited to see her reaction.” The video continues with the family sitting on the lounge as Williams prepares for the big announcement. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LplhG2V1tho" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> “Remember how you’ve been praying for a little sister or brother?” Serena asked Olympia. “Well, we went to the doctor, and it turns out I’m not getting fat. But I have a baby in my belly.” Olympia’s face then lit up with joy and excitement as she replied: “What, are you kidding me?” “You’re going to be a big sister,” Ohanian and Williams both said. Olympia reacted with joy and reached out and hugged Williams in a beautiful family moment. The video continued as Williams unbuttoned her jeans and lifted her T-shirt to reveal her baby bump, with Olympia overcome with excitement as she jumped off the lounge and screamed with joy while running around the living room. The video has racked up over 40,000 videos in 24 hours, with many fans flooding the comment section with well wishes. One fan wrote, "I don't think there's anyone who deserves this happiness more than Serena. She has blessed us with 3 decades of amazing tennis... What a great way to live life now." Another said, "Olympia is so excited... You deserve it all, Serena." Image credits: YouTube

Family & Pets

Madeleine McCann’s younger sister breaks her silence

Amelie McCann has spoken out for the first time, 16 years after her sister Madeleine McCann went missing on a family holiday in Portugal in 2007. The 18-year-old spoke at a vigil in the British family’s home village of Rothley in Leicestershire, marking the anniversary of Madeleine’s tragic disappearance. Madeline, aged three, disappeared in May 2007 when she and her siblings had been left asleep in the family’s hotel room while their parents and a group of friends had dinner at a nearby restaurant. Amelie and her twin brother Sean were two years old at the time. Amelie, now 18, was joined by her parents at the vigil, but Sean did not make an appearance. “It’s nice that everyone is here together but it’s a sad occasion,” she said as she lit a candle for her sister and other missing children. According to the Daily Mail, Fiona Payne, a friend of the family who joined them on the 2007 Portugal holiday, was also present at the vigil. Kate and Gerry McCann also <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/maddy-mccann-s-parents-heart-wrenching-post-on-16-year-anniversary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted a statement</a> on the Find Madeline website, marking the 16th anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance. The police investigation is still ongoing. The anniversary comes two weeks after a German court declined to hear a sex offences case against a German man who is a suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance. Christian Brueckner is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for a rape he committed in Portugal in 2005. The new charges relate to a string of separate cases involving sexual offences allegedly committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. Braunschweig state court denied responsibility for new charges against Brueckner due to evidence regarding his last known address in Germany. Brueckner’s last known German residence before moving to Portugal has been disputed, and the Braunschweig state court ruled there is evidence of an address in the neighbouring state of Saxony-Anhal. Image credit: Getty/Instagram

Family & Pets

"I was aghast": Simon Dorante-Day's sister speaks out against his claims

For several years, Simon Dorante-Day has been claiming to be the love child of King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla. Now, Simon's sister Amanda has spoken out about her adoptive brother's claims and how they devastated their family. Amanda said, "I was aghast when I read it and horrified at the lies, he was using as so-called evidence to support his fantastical claim." "I contacted several family members and friends who knew our family well and they were all as horrified, hurt and upset by his ridiculous claims, lies and allegations, as I was and still am." "Not one of these people believe Simon's story and most of them, once they have gotten over the initial shock of what he has said just laugh at the ridiculousness of it all." Simon has spoken to the press multiple times over the past years to explain how he is pursuing the royal family to get Charles to acknowledge his existence as his son, having never received any of the benefits that come with being the son of a royal. His efforts have stepped up since Charles became King, following Queen Elizabeth II's death in September 2022. Simon has previously detailed a series of medical procedures he claims were performed on him as a child, including changing his eye colour from blue to brown when he was eight and filing two of his teeth at age 15. “These actions I believe were undertaken to conceal my true identity,” he said. In response to these claims, Amanda spoke of how protective her parents were over their children's health, saying, "She thought that if we had so much as a sniffle, if we had hurt ourselves that it would be perceived by them that we were not being cared for properly." "I therefore pose the question - Why on earth does Simon think our parents would have allowed him to have a dangerous eye operation? The simple answer is - It did not happen! I have original family photos which clearly show, even as a very young child, with baby teeth, Simon had brown eyes! Everyone who knows us, knows that Simon's eyes are and always have been brown!" In response to Amanda's statement, Simon said, "Neither King Charles nor his Wife Queen Consort Camilla can take back what has been done in their name to my eyes, teeth, and the years of manipulation, suppression, abuse and lies." Image credits: Facebook

Family & Pets

“An incredible moment”: Sisters share how they found each after 17-year search

Two sisters who were separated after they were given up for adoption have opened up about their emotional reunion more than 25 years later and the 17-year search they went through to find each other. Laurinda and Ashleigh were born in the Dominican Republic and given up for adoption when they were just two and six weeks respectively. Though Laurinda knew she had a younger sister, Ashleigh wasn’t as sure but knew that her mother had given birth to her at a young age and assumed she had more siblings she hadn’t met yet. Appearing on the podcast, <a href="https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/family-friends/i-think-youre-my-sister-siblings-find-each-other-after-25year-separation/news-story/a02923ba902801a135f5ab4cc919c41d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I’ve Got News For You</a>, Ashleigh recalled how she finally had success in her quest to find blood relatives where online photo books and adoption websites turned up nothing when she came across the genealogy website MyHeritage. “I was doing my adopted family tree and I noticed that [MyHeritage] were doing a pro bono program called DNA Quest and they basically were sending out about 15 to 20,000 free DNA kits to help adoptees reconnect with their family members that they were looking for,” she told podcast host Andrew Bucklow. After submitting her story to the platform in return for a free MyHeritage DNA kit, Ashleigh found a genetic match: Laurinda. She then reached out to her mystery match via email. “Hi, my name is Ashleigh, I got a match from you on MyHeritage and according to it, you may be my aunt or my sister. I was adopted at the age of six weeks old from the Dominican Republic. This is my mother’s name. Could you please get back to me with any information and I look forward to hearing from you,” her email read. Laurinda, who was living six hours away from her sister, received the life-changing email notification while on her lunch break. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/08/laurinda-ashleigh1.jpg" alt="Ashleigh (left) and Laurinda (right) with their adoptive parents. Images: MyHeritage" width="1280" height="720" /> Ashleigh (left) and Laurinda (right) with their adoptive parents. Images: MyHeritage Having spent 17 years looking for Ashleigh, Laurinda had “fallen off the wagon” in recent years. “I replied [to the email] right away, I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, you know, I think you’re my sister.’ It was an absolutely unbelievable thing. You know, I ran into work yelling, ‘my sister, my sister’, and it was an incredible moment,” Laurinda said. The pair then spoke over the phone before meeting for the first time two weeks later. “It was wild. We were planning on recording it but … [as] we pulled up to the driveway, Ashleigh must have sprinted down from the apartment,” Laurinda said. “Before I knew it, she was pulling the door open and, you know, we just embraced each other hugging and crying. It was just the most surreal, beautiful thing that I could have ever hoped for.” Ashleigh added: “I just bolted out of my building … I just ran out there and gave her the biggest hug and we just stood there for like 10 minutes [but] it seemed like forever.” The sisters discovered that they also have three brothers, including one who died before either could meet him, as well as a grandmother, another sister, and a half-brother. Though their biological mum died six months before the sisters’ reunion, Laurinda was fortunate enough to have met her and shared the photos they took together with Ashleigh. “You know, I kind of get to live vicariously through [Laurinda] and she said [mum] always told her that she would give up her life to find me and you know, we think she probably did,” Ashleigh said. Laurinda also introduced her sister to their biological dad virtually, but he passed away before Ashleigh could meet him in person. Now feeling as if they have “known each other” forever, Ashleigh said the goal for the two sisters is to reunite the rest of their siblings. “I haven’t had a chance to go and meet the rest of [the family] yet … but hopefully, hopefully, someday soon, we’ll get that cash together, and we’ll be able to go down and meet everybody and have everyone together again,” she said. Laurinda also shared that she had found out that her adoptive parents had the opportunity to also adopt Ashleigh but chose not to. “Since they had already adopted me, they kind of had first pick to be able to adopt [Ashleigh] since we were full siblings,” Laurinda said. “But at the time I was two years old, I’m sure very much of a handful, so unfortunately my parents didn’t take up that opportunity to be able to adopt her as well.” She said she was “a little bit upset” when she found that out from her parents at 15, but admitted it motivated her to find her sister. “There’s absolutely no resentment in any way, you know, everything happens for a reason,” Laurinda said. “We’re just honestly blessed to be able to have this opportunity to connect with each other and find each other after all these years.” Image: Supplied

Family & Pets

“He’s my hero”: 5-year-old saves baby sister from burning cot

A little boy who suffered severe burns after saving his 18-month-old sister has been praised for his heroics during an out-of-control accident in July last year. Jade, a NSW mum-of-four, was supposed to be asleep during an afternoon nap-time with her kids, but two of her youngsters were still awake and had found a gas lighter. The young mum said her five-year-old son Aspen and another of his siblings started several small fires around the room and blew them out, when they lit their younger sister Nirveya’s cot - which she was sleeping in - thinking it could be blown out just as easily. But, the plastic netting around her cot quickly went up, helping the fire spread. Aspen attempted to rescue his infant sister from her burning cot, but struggled to lift her out. “He tried to save her but she was too heavy and so he blames himself,” Jade told <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/nsw-boy-saves-infant-sister-from-burning-cot/eec9fae2-f013-4d52-823f-54a36b2e9ce7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Current Affair</a>. “He could not get her out. But to me, he bought time at the expense of him being burnt.” With the cot collapsing under his weight, the pair fell into the fire and Aspen shielded his little sister from the flames. “It burnt me when I covered her,” Aspen said. Waking up to “screaming and the fire alarm going”, Jade said she ran to the bedroom, where she saw Nirveya’s cot “completely consumed” by the fire. “The flames (were) as tall as I was: you could feel it, the heat from the door,” she recalled. “I just reached in, grabbed her and put her on the floor.” With an ambulance on the way, Jade’s sister Aisha arrived at the house at the same time as a stranger, who would go on to give Aspen immediate treatment for his burns. “As he approached he said he was a burns specialist; that he was close by at a friend’s event, a party, and got an alert,” Aisha said. Aspen’s brave actions meant his little sister - who could have been engulfed in the fire - was left with one minor burn to her nose. "All thanks for Aspen, she (Nirveya) could have been disfigured from the fire if she was consumed with it," Jade said. But, Aspen wasn’t so lucky, and faces years of treatment and operations after the cot’s plastic netting burnt into his arm. “I don’t think he quite knows how special (it is) … what he has done,” Jade said. “He’s my hero … he’s her hero.” His mum said Aspen just sees the physical wounds on his body, which has been difficult. "He says at school he wants to cover his burns because he wants the kids to still play with him and he doesn't want to get bullied for his burns," she said. Though Nirveya and Jade carry mental scars from the accident, with her young daughter waking “up a lot during the night” ever since, the strength of her son gives Jade strength too. “I think, ‘If you can do it buddy, I can do it too. You’ve been through so much’,” she said. Image: A Current Affair

Family & Pets

Bodies of young sisters found in apartment

The bodies of two women have been found inside a unit in the south-western Sydney suburb of Canterbury. Police have made the grim discovery after being called to a home on Canterbury Road, near Dibbs Street, following a concern for welfare on the morning of the 7th of June. The women are believed to be sisters aged in their 20s but are yet to be formally identified. “A crime scene was established, which will be examined by specialist forensic police, and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding their deaths commenced,” NSW Police said in a statement. It is understood the bodies had been left undiscovered for quite some time. Forensic experts and officers were seen at the apartment complex throughout the afternoon and well into the evening investigating. One neighbour said she was incredibly disturbed by the news and that it was unusual for crime to occur in the building. “It’s scary to sort of know that this is what is happening in your own complex,” she said. Anyone with information is urged to contact the police by calling Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Image: 7News

News

Pippa Middleton pregnant with third child

Kate Middleton’s sister Pippa is pregnant with her third child. The 38-year-old arrived at the Party at the Palace concert in London on Saturday dressed in a stunning green dress and cradling her baby bump. Pippa, who is already a mother to Arthur, three, and one-year-old Grace, appeared to be all smiles as she watched the historic 70-year celebrations at Buckingham Palace. Sources close to Pippa and her husband James told <a href="https://pagesix.com/2022/06/04/pippa-middleton-sporting-what-looks-to-be-a-baby-bump/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Page Six</a> that the loved up couple are “so happy” to be expecting again and to expand their family. Pippa married James, a British motorsports racing driver and hedge fund manager, back in 2017. The couple are yet to formally announce that Pippa is pregnant with their third child. Despite being the sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, Pippa made headlines at Kate and Will’s wedding thanks to her backside. She joked about the incident and even compared it to Kim Kardashian’s bottom. “I must say that [my backside] — though it has enjoyed fleeting fame — is not comparable [to Kardashian’s],” she previously wrote in the UK’s Spectator. Images: Getty

Family & Pets

Blackout bungle sees sisters marry the wrong grooms

Two sisters have accidentally married the wrong grooms during their joint wedding, as a power cut caused a confusing blackout. The ceremony was happening in the village of Aslana in Madhya Pradesh state, India, when the unfortunate blackout wreaked havoc with the proceedings. During the confusion, the priest continued to read out the marriage rites, but accidentally confused the couples. The brides’ father Ramesh Lal suggested the priest may have been confused since the two women were both in red dresses with veils over their faces. When the mistake was realised, it was later rectified. Blackouts and power cuts have been more common in India, as unusually high temperatures continue to tear through the country. These surging temperatures have seen a surge in demand for energy, with many companies resorting to intermittent power cuts in order to cope with the demand. More than a billion people across south Asia are facing a record-breaking heat wave which leaves them "gasping in whatever shade they find". Temperatures in northern India<a id="mol-de96b2e2-d097-11ec-861e-fba9b27a3e26" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/pakistan/index.html"> </a>have spiked to 47C as neighbouring Pakistan suffered its hottest March for 61 years. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in April, "Temperatures are rising rapidly in the country, and rising much earlier than usual." Image credits: Getty Images

Relationships

Aunt "refuses" to take on kids when her terminally ill sister dies

A woman has "refused" to take on her terminally ill sister's children when she passes away, despite her sister begging her to, and her decision has gone viral. In a lengthy post to Reddit, the woman revealed that her older sister, 31, has recently been diagnosed with a large brain tumour that will drastically shorten her life. The woman's sister has a six-year-old, a two-year-old and a newborn baby, who she claims she doesn't have anyone other than her sister to leave them to. Her sister asked her to be the sole carer of her children, despite her and her husband, both 25, deciding to remain child-free. "We don't have family, and her ex-husband wants nothing to do with the kids since she cheated on him for years with many men and they aren't his. She doesn't know who the dad is," the woman explains. The woman then goes on to list the many reasons why she told her sister "no". "1. Since we are both child-free it would be unfair to ask my husband to make this kind of sacrifice. We both agreed to no kids when we got married; to change something like that generally means a divorce." "2. I am an atheist. My sister wants me to raise them religiously and to 'know god' and take them to church. No." She goes on to say that she was never very close with her sister, due to their six-year age difference, and that the memories she has of their childhood aren't so sweet. "[From] the memories I do have, she was always awful to me, [and] cynical...After she moved out at 18 we haven't talked once, besides at my parents funeral. I don't even know her kids, let alone her," she writes. Unsurprisingly, her terminally ill sister did not take her refusal well. "She cried and called me 'awful' but it's my life, and ultimately I get to be selfish with it..." "A child isn't an 18-year commitment; it's lifelong, and one I have decided not to take." The woman explains that since she told her sister "no", she has been bombarded with vicious messages from her sister's friends. <p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 16px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: 'Proxima Nova', system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: #333333; color: #333333;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">"Friends of hers whom I've never met have been reaching out to me and calling me at all hours to leave nasty voice mails. "[They say] I need to step up as a sister, but I just feel like she's trying to use me as her ticket out to dying and not feeling guilty," she wrote. The post has since gone viral on the social media website, with most commenters siding with the woman. One person said, "I've worked with kids for the past 20+ years and I can tell you that one of the worst things for a kid is to be with a parent who can't/doesn't want to be a parent." Another commented, "If you don't know these children at all, I don't see why your sister would want you to be their guardian. How could they possibly be comfortable with you after the loss of their mother? These so-called friends of hers would be better suited if they have an established relationship with the children." Image credits: Getty Images

Family & Pets

Royal sisters' rare night out

New mothers Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have been spotted together on a rare night out. The royal sisters attended an intimate dinner hosted by Sofia Blunt to launch the Loci vegan sneakers in aid of Blue Marine Foundation on Wednesday night in London. Eugenie, who recently attended the COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow, is an ambassador for the ocean protection organisation. Both women wore simple and sleek black outfits as they posed together for a rare candid photo. Other celebrities in attendance at the event included singer-songwriter James Blunt, supermodel Yasmin Le Bon, author Gabriela Peacock, and other distinguished supporters of the foundation. Princess Eugenie is no stranger to fun nights out on the town, as Meghan Markle revealed in her surprise interview with Ellen DeGeneres. The Duchess of Sussex revealed that she and Prince Harry snuck out to attend a Halloween party in secret while they were dating – and that they were joined by Princess Eugenie and her future husband Jack Brooksbank. While they were dating, Harry made a number of secret visits to see Meghan, who was working as an actress on Suits in Canada. “He came to see me in Toronto, and our friends and his cousin Eugenie and now her husband Jack, they came as well, and the four of us snuck out in Halloween costumes, just to have one fun night on the town before it was out in the world that we were a couple,” Meghan told DeGeneres. DeGeneres added: “So you went with Harry to a Halloween party and they had no idea it was the two of you?” “No,” Meghan said. “It was a post-apocalyptic theme, so we had all this bizarre costuming on, and we were able to just sort of have one final, fun night out.” Queen Elizabeth's two granddaughters both became mothers this year, as Princess Beatrice welcomed her daughter Sienna in September. Princess Eugenie gave birth to her first child in February: a son named August. Image credits: Getty Images

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