Updated August 18, 2018 22:33:14
Map: Australia The Swans secure an AFL final berth with a win against the Giants and the Hawks scrape home against the Saints, as the Magpies, Cats and Lions also post victories. Quick navigation Buddy Franklin fires as Swans down Giants ![]() A barnstorming Lance Franklin has lifted Sydney to a 20-point victory over GWS, booting five goals and spearheading a second-half comeback that could have major ramifications in the race to the finals. The Swans trailed for most of the derby in Homebush and were behind by 21 points during the third term of the low-scoring scrap when they lifted, inspired by Franklin for the umpteenth time this season. Franklin kicked the sealer and consistently troubled GWS, as he did while earning the three Brownlow Medal votes last year at the same venue. The Swans' yips threatened to prove costly but their speed and slick ball movement in the final quarter, in sharp contrast to an undermanned GWS outfit reeling from more injuries, meant they bagged the premiership points. Sydney, written off as finals contenders three weeks ago, is now in the mix for a top-four spot after triumphing 11.14 (80) to 8.12 (60). External Link:Giants v Swans summary GWS co-captain Phil Davis, who played on Franklin during the first term, limped off the ground and into the rooms during the second quarter after being crunched in a marking contest by teammate Rory Lobb. It proved a match-defining moment. Davis played on after halftime despite the painful hip injury but was stationed up forward because he was so badly restricted, leaving Franklin to torment Jeremy Finlayson. Franklin lifted his career tally to 917 goals to overtake Leigh Matthews and clamber into eighth spot on the VFL/AFL's list of all-time goalkickers. External Link:Giants v Swans stats Franklin, who was awarded the Brett Kirk Medal, has struggled to train this year because of a sore heel but continues to stand up in clutch moments for the Swans. Davis, Ryan Griffen (hamstring), Jeremy Finlayson (foot) and Daniel Lloyd (cut eye) kept GWS's medical department, overworked throughout an injury-cursed season, busy. The Giants, pushed to exhaustion during the past fortnight after finishing with no fit players on the bench against Carlton then one fit man on the bench against Adelaide, ran out of puff in the final term. The rivals forecast a finals-like contest and they did not disappoint, piling on immense pressure and rattling each other in a series of big collisions. Hawks hold off brave Saints ![]() Hawthorn has held off an outstanding challenge from St Kilda to win by four points at Docklands, setting up a massive clash next week with Sydney. The Saints rallied from a week of intense scrutiny to nearly pull off one of the season's biggest upsets, though the Hawks won 12.8 (80) to 11.10 (76). St Kilda kicked the only goal of the last quarter as the two teams defended grimly. Hawks pair Jack Gunston and Jarman Impey took crucial marks late in the match as the Saints pressed hard. Hawthorn stayed fourth and is level on points with the fifth-placed Swans, who beat GWS earlier on Saturday night. The winner of the Sydney-Hawthorn SCG clash next Saturday night will finish in the top four. Hawthorn lost veteran key defender James Frawley in the third term with a back injury. External Link:Saints v Hawks summary Jarryn Geary, who was outstanding on Hawks playmaker Isaac Smith, was forced off the field in the last term because of a head knock. Gunston was best afield, kicking four goals and then going into defence late in the match, while the poise of veteran Shaun Burgoyne was crucial. Midfielder Jack Steele was best for the Saints and Jack Lonie kicked a career-best four goals. The game went according to script in the first quarter, with Hawthorn kicking four goals to one. While the Saints were on top in clearances and had more possessions, Hawthorn was more efficient and looked ready to break the game open. But the momentum swung dramatically in the second term as the Saints hit back. External Link:Saints v Hawks stats The lead changed six times and Hawthorn only led by five points at the main break. St Kilda was well on top in clearances 28-17 and was up in contested possessions as well, as they put the Hawks under mounting pressure. But the Saints have had a bad habit of dropping away through the middle of games. The signs were bad when Hawthorn went on a four-goal run to lead by a game-high 24 points in the third quarter. But Lonie kicked three goals late in the third term and the Saints were only nine points down at the last break. Jade Gresham, another of the Saints' best players, kicked a goal two minutes into the last quarter - but it proved the last goal of the game. Magpies zero in on top four with win over Port ![]() Port Adelaide's season is hanging by a thread, while a top-four finish is within Collingwood's reach after it stormed home to down the Power by 51 points at the MCG. The Magpies held a narrow lead at the final break on Saturday afternoon before booting seven goals to one to run out 17.13 (115) to 10.4 (64) winners. The thumping victory lifts the Magpies to third on the ladder and should be enough to secure a double-chance with lowly Fremantle awaiting in round 23. Ruckman Brodie Grundy starred with 41 hitouts, 25 disposals and a goal, Mason Cox (eight marks) was imposing in the air and Taylor Adams, Steele Sidebottom and Chris Mayne were prolific ball winners. A week after losing to West Coast with a goal after the siren, the Power were again found wanting in a high-stakes game, squandering a promising start and managing just one goal after five minutes of the third quarter. External Link:Magpies v Power summary The Power have now lost five of their past six games and while the Magpies continue to find a way despite a growing injury toll, Ken Hinkley's men look ill-prepared for the September cauldron. They must beat Essendon at Adelaide Oval next Friday night and hope Melbourne lose both their remaining games to stand any chance of making the eight. The Power had the early ascendancy, restricting Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom with hard tags but the Pies turned the tables with the first three goals of the second quarter. Off-contract Port wingman Jared Polec showed why rivals are queuing to secure his services, weaving through traffic and kicking truly from 40 metres to break Collingwood's run. External Link:Magpies v Power stats But the Magpies were dominating the midfield battle, led by Adams who had 16 disposals and a goal during a brilliant second quarter. Missing spearhead Charlie Dixon to a season-ending leg injury, the Power looked disorganised in their forward half and reluctant to take the game on. A chance to take the lead went begging when the Power dropped their bundle in front of goals, handballing among themselves until Collingwood rushed a behind. The game descended into a scrap after half-time and while the Power trailed by just 13 points at the final break, it took a matter of minutes for a fast-finishing Collingwood to put the result beyond doubt. Ruckman Paddy Ryder booted three majors despite being hampered by a hip injury while Ollie Wines and Steven Motlop fought hard in the midfield. Pies forward Jordan De Goey finished the game on the bench with ice on his calf. Cats smash woeful Dockers by 133 points ![]() Ruthless Geelong kicked a record 23 successive goals against lamentable Fremantle at Kardinia Park to record a 133-point victory that propelled the Cats back into the top eight. The 13th-placed Dockers actually had the best of the opening exchanges and led by nine points at quarter-time on a cold, wet day in Geelong, It turned out to be falsest of false dawns as the visitors were held goalless for the remaining three quarters in what ended up being the heaviest defeat in club history. External Link:Cats v Freo summary The Cats blew the match wide open by kicking 10 goals to nil in the second quarter, with even a heavy rainstorm midway through the term failing to stem the onslaught. The carnage continued in the second half as the Cats powered away to a 24.14 (158) to 3.7 (25) win. All Geelong need to do to guarantee a finals berth for the 11th time in the past 12 years is win again at Kardinia Park next weekend against a Gold Coast team that has recorded only one victory since round five. The Cats replaced Port Adelaide in the top eight after the Power faded badly in a 51-point loss to Collingwood earlier in the day. External Link:Cats v Freo stats Geelong spearhead Tom Hawkins kicked a game-high six goals to close within four majors of Richmond's Jack Riewoldt in the Coleman Medal race. Youngster Brandan Parfitt chimed in with a career-high four goals and Tim Kelly continued his remarkable debut season, tallying 26 possessions and three goals. But the biggest cheer of the day was reserved for returning hero Gary Ablett, who kicked his 400th career goal late in the final term with a brilliant curling snap from the left forward pocket. Captain Nat Fyfe and veteran David Mundy were a small handful of Dockers who kept plugging away all day. Lions beat Suns in fiery QClash ![]() Brisbane has narrowly prevailed over the Gold Coast, with Queensland's AFL rivalry continuing to grow in the four-point win. The Lions rallied from nine points down in the final term to pip the Suns 10.18 (78) to 11.8 (74) and overturn a five-point QClash loss earlier this season in another fiery contest in Carrara. The lead fluctuated in a sloppy but hard-fought second half as the young Suns, led by Alex Sexton (four goals) and Brayden Fiorini (32 disposals) threatened a boilover. But Brisbane withstood the pressure and did enough in the final 20 minutes to consign the Suns to a seventh loss and winless campaign at home this season. The derby fire was sparked on Thursday when Brisbane defender Nick Robertson said the Suns were soft. External Link:Suns v Lions summary And, after a bit of general niggle, that fire erupted in the second term when Sean Lemmens' collected young Lion Brandon Starcevich with a high spoil. Players came from all corners in front of 11,907 spectators, with Dayne Zorko sent flying in the chaos by his chief antagonist Touk Miller. The Suns had edged back into the contest prior to the incident, helped by the first-quarter exit of Lions defender Alex Witherden (hamstring). Sexton scored from both pockets before Jack Bowes also threaded the needle as the young Suns midfield held their own. Brisbane's inaccuracy cost them, with Eric Hipwood missing his first five shots at goal and Daniel Rich missing from in front before the Suns hit the lead for the first time in the third term. External Link:Suns v Lions stats Cameron Rayner did his best to improve their ratio with a booming 60-metre effort, while Luke Hodge was a brick wall with five first-quarter intercepts. Brisbane took an early 20-point lead but the Suns lifted their workrate and took their chances as the game grew in intensity. Gold Coast got within six at the main break and had the lead soon after the restart. Harris Andrews' goal - the Lions' sole major for the quarter - put the Lions in front by three after a sloppy third term. Gold Coast, again through some Sexton brilliance, regained the lead before the Lions made the most of their luck to land the final blow. First Allen Christensen kicked straight after being gifted a 50-metre penalty, before a stray kick off the deck went straight to an unmarked Dayne Beams (38 touches) for what would be the decisive goal. AFL ladder External Link:AFL 2018 ladder AAP/ABC Topics:australian-football-league,sport,australia,st-kilda-3182,hawthorn-3122,fremantle-6160,geelong-3220,port-adelaide-5015,collingwood-3066,carrara-4211,brisbane-4000,homebush-2140,sydney-2000 First posted August 18, 2018 12:53:24 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-18/afl-scorecentre-saturday-round-22/10126172
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Container recycling proposal could earn state schools 'tens of millions' of dollars, P&Cs Qld says8/22/2018 Updated August 20, 2018 06:58:32
![]() Queensland schools could share in "tens of millions" of dollars in extra funding under a proposal to send money earned from recycling directly to state schools, according to P&Cs Queensland. Key Points:State schools could collect 'tens of millions' a year under the container refund scheme, according to P&Cs QueenslandP&Cs Queensland wants people who recycle containers to be able to donate their refunds direct to schoolsIt also wants collection spots on school grounds to help fundraise and encourage recycling at schools P&Cs Queensland has put forward a plan for schools to benefit from machines set up to collect recyclables, when the state's container refund scheme starts later this year. Rather than take the refund, the organisation wants to help people donate it directly to the school of their choice, even if it's in another part of the state. If the machines were installed near a major hotel or shopping centre, P&C Queensland chief Kevan Goodworth said it could turbocharge fundraising efforts by the schools. ![]() Already up to 100 schools are interested in sharing in the windfall that could come from the recycling plan, he said. "We hope to enrol as many schools as wish to be enrolled to start making money in this particular way, because there are some tens of millions of dollars, I think, five years down the track," Mr Goodworth said. "If you look at this scheme and it evolves the way we hope that it does, it will be extremely profitable for school P&Cs." According to P&C numbers, if 360 students at a school returned 10 containers per week for the school year, it would raise an extra $10,000 for the campus. In South Australia, Scout groups have their own range of recycling centres around Adelaide, and run a service in which they obtain the refunds by collecting material from venues, clubs and groups. How the smallest Queensland schools could score big P&Cs Queensland said its scheme, if supported by the Queensland Government, would evolve so every state school campus would become a recycling collection point. Mr Goodworth said the cans, bottles and recyclables from the school would be put in, plus parents and students would be encouraged to drop off their own material to boost the schools' budgets. "Just imagine a small regional centre where there is a hotel or big retailer next door that is happy to donate their cans to the local school. You can multiply what the school might raise by 100 times." ![]() Mr Goodworth estimates that after five years, the scheme could deliver an extra $10 million to schools each year. "This is a great opportunity for all of us in Queensland to get in behind the P&C and make sure the cans and bottles, and money from them, comes to schools." A spokesman for the Education Department said he was aware that P&Cs Queensland was developing the proposal but declined to say if the department would support it. He said each school's P&C would have to decide whether to be involved in the plan, should it go ahead. Topics:recycling-and-waste-management,education,public-schools,schools,maroochydore-4558,toowoomba-4350,mackay-4740,cairns-4870,townsville-4810,mount-isa-4825,longreach-4730,surfers-paradise-4217,rockhampton-4700,bundaberg-4670,sa,brisbane-4000,qld First posted August 20, 2018 06:11:04 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-20/p&c-plan-for-schools-to-win-big-from-qld-container-refund-scheme/10137820 This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.
AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-13/eloise-pepper-and-hannah-garven/10111352 This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.
AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-13/eloise-pepper-and-hannah-garven/10111352 Email Posted August 13, 2018 08:19:58
Students from the Port Macquarie Vanguard compete at the National Percussion Eisteddfod on the Gold Coast, 2018. Supplied: Beth Rennes, St Josephs Regional College Topics:music,music-education,port-macquarie-2444,broadbeach-4218 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-13/bass-line/10111220 Updated August 10, 2018 11:26:54
A bikie who was involved in the Broadbeach bikie brawl on Queensland's Gold Coast five years ago has been arrested and will be kicked out of Australia after authorities cancelled the New Zealander's visa. Queensland police detained 28-year-old Jim David Thacker at Beenleigh, south of Brisbane, on Thursday and handed him over to Australian Border Force (ABF) officers. He is believed to be the founding president of the gang's Beenleigh Bandidos chapter. Thacker was sentenced to 150 hours' community service in 2014 for rioting after police tried to break up a fight between about 60 Bandidos members in the Broadbeach restaurant precinct in September 2013. At least 27 Bandidos were charged at the time with 30 offences, including 18 for rioting, six for obstructing police, and five for public nuisance. Two men from the rival Finks bike gang were also arrested over the brawl, which was believed to be started over a love triangle rather than a turf war. Eighteen of Thacker's former gang members later faced court in August 2015, but all also walked free from court with the magistrate handing down suspended sentences and thousands of dollars in fines. At the time, ex-Bandidos gang member Jacques Teamo described the legal process as "a waste of time and taxpayers money". The wild brawl in the Broadbeach family precinct sparked the toughest and most controversial anti-bikie laws in Australia by the then-Newman LNP government. It also led to a crackdown by Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton of "violent criminals" who were non-citizens committing crimes on Australian soil. 'Our country is better without you' Mr Dutton said he had cancelled the visas of 191 foreign-born bikies in the past year. "The Government's been very clear over a long period of time now that we are not going to tolerate criminals in our country who are here as non-citizens and committing serious crimes against Australian citizens," Mr Dutton said. "We know that outlawed motorcycle gang members are the biggest importers and distributors of ice and amphetamine in the country. "They destroy families and young lives our country is better without you." Mr Dutton said those who remained who were involved in criminal activity could expect to have their visas cancelled as well. "We are making out community a safer place by deporting people who have committed serious offences in our country," he said. "If you come to Australia, you come here, we welcome you, but you need to abide by the law." Mr Dutton said Thacker had the right to appeal his deportation once he was back in New Zealand. But Mr Dutton also just announced a sweeping review of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal by former High Court judge Ian Callinan after a string of controversial decisions allowed serious offenders to stay in Australia. Mr Dutton said his brief was to look into how to tighten up the law where "ridiculous outcomes" allowed offenders to stay and go on to commit further crimes. Thacker is in immigration detention in Sydney but a date for his deportation has not been released. Topics:law-crime-and-justice,crime,immigration,federal-government,government-and-politics,broadbeach-4218,beenleigh-4207,qld,australia,new-zealand First posted August 10, 2018 10:58:11 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-10/broadbeach-brawl-bikie-deported-visa-cancelled/10105110 Surfing competition celebrates forgotten hero, an Indigenous surf lifesaver in the early 1900s8/11/2018 Updated August 11, 2018 11:45:32
![]() One of the first documented lifesaving rescues on the Gold Coast tells the story of a tourist who, in 1911, would have drowned if not for a heroic rescue by Churakai, an Indigenous lifesaver. Churakai was a Coodjingburra man from the north coast of News South Wales. In 2016 Joel Slabb and Mary Slabb of Fingal Head named their not-for-profit community surfing organisation Juraki Surf and Culture to revive the history and celebrate this forgotten hero of surf lifesaving history. It is spelt phonetically as Juraki, to assist people with the correct pronunciation. "Churakai is buried in our local cemetery with his father Caomoi, said to be one of the last kings of the Tweed Aboriginal people," Mr Slabb said. Caomoi reportedly asked his son to watch over the swimmers when surf bathing became popular on the Gold Coast and drownings became common. "He was a water man and a lifeguard, rescuing shipwrecked people out of the Tweed River and the surrounding beaches," Mr Slabb said. The report of the rescue by Churakai is held in the archive of the Greenmount Beach Surf Club, Queensland's first surf club established in 1911. Churakai received a Letter of Commendation in 1911 from the Royal Humane Society of Australasia whose patron was King George V. "For that time, which wasn't a very favourable time for Aboriginal people, that was an outstanding effort," Mr Slabb said. "We look at him as a hero." ![]() No photos or Churakai have been discovered, but Mr Slabb has recently completed a children's book based on the story. Mr Slabb confided that writing a book for him was a significant achievement as he did not learn to read until he was 20. "I had hearing problems like a lot of Aboriginal kids did when I was younger," Mr Slabb said. "I just slipped into the back of the class. "One thing I want to pass on is just read even if it is the only thing you learn, learn how to read." ![]() Mr Slabb is also of the Coojingburra clan of the Bundjalung tribe. He spent his early childhood on the beach at Fingal fishing and worming with his elders. His passion for surfing started at nine years old when a neighbour sold the family a second-hand surfboard for $20. "There's five of us, four brothers and one sister, and we shared that board for a few years, until dad finally decided to buy us all our own boards," Mr Slabb said. "And it just grew from there." ![]() Mr Slabb's father started one of the first Indigenous surfing competitions in Australia at Fingal in 1996. It ran until 1999 when their sponsor Billabong dropped out. Joel and Mary Slabb revived the event in 2016 but the Juraki Surf Invitational is not just about the competition. "People do come here to win but also they come here just to gather together," Mr Slabb said. "That's why we started it. Some of the issues that Indigenous people face in communities, mental illness is rising and a lot of health problems. "Sometimes life gets tough, and if you can just grab a board and go to the beach, that's all I want for my kids and any other kids that we train. "To really bring people together, that's our passion." The 2018 Air Asia Juraki Surf Invitational at Fingal Head starts Friday, August 10, with three days of competitive and cultural events. The finals are on Sunday, August 12. Topics:surfing,indigenous-culture,community-education,history,lismore-2480,fingal-head-2487,southport-4215 First posted August 11, 2018 07:00:00 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-11/indigenous-surf-comp-celebrates-forgotten-hero/10083284 This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.
AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-09/robotics-pepper-merrimac-high-school/10095182 Email Posted August 09, 2018 15:19:20
Andrew and Maya (with Pepper the robot) are part of a team going to Japan to defend the school's robotics summit title. ABC Gold Coast: Damien Larkins Topics:robots-and-artificial-intelligence,secondary-schools,women,merrimac-4226 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-09/robotics-students-merrimac-andrew-maya/10094352 Updated August 09, 2018 14:59:03
A former Brisbane youth justice worker is suing Queensland police for $1.5 million after he was allegedly violently assaulted by officers on the Gold Coast. Grandfather Ray Currier, 53, was arrested outside a Surfers Paradise nightclub with two colleagues at about 9:00pm in January 2015, after one was refused entry. CCTV and mobile phone footage captured officers repeatedly punching Mr Currier in the head and chest before he fell to the ground where he was struck several more times. Mr Currier filed a claim in the Supreme Court in Brisbane last month, alleging he was the victim of 11 separate assaults during the Australia Day incident, as well as being falsely imprisoned and maliciously prosecuted. The claim stated he was grabbed by the throat and punched in the chest and jaw, before being wrestled to the ground where his head was punched into the pavement, despite posing no threat to police. Mr Currier alleged he was also manhandled into a police van, where officers sprayed pepper spray on his face and genitals. The claim stated he was also assaulted in a cell at the Surfers Paradise police station. Mr Currier, who had worked in youth detention for nearly two decades, suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following the alleged bashing. He also allegedly suffered a head injury and depression, causing him to lose his job six months after the incident. In 2016, the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) said a Gold Coast police officer would not be charged over allegations he used excessive force while arresting Mr Currier. In Mr Currier's complaint to the CCC, he said he was trying to move the group on. CCC chair Alan MacSporran QC said in 2016 he had accepted Mr Currier had appeared to be attempting to move everyone out of the area, as had been requested by police prior to his arrest. Mr MacSporran said one of the officers was clearly seen using force but could argue in court that he was acting in self-defence. Mr Currier's Supreme Court claim accused the officers of being "motivated by spite, malevolence or violence". His $1.5 million claim includes more than $1 million compensation for lost income and superannuation and $200,000 for aggravated damages. In an interview with ABC News in 2015, Mr Currier said he felt "cold fury" at the way he was treated by police. "It's not like we're a bunch of teenagers we left that place of our own volition," Mr Currier said at the time. "I remember getting hit from behind and recall being on my stomach and I could feel my panic starting to rise." A Queensland police spokesperson said it would be inappropriate to comment while there were legal proceedings before the courts. Topics:courts-and-trials,law-crime-and-justice,police,brisbane-4000,southport-4215,qld,australia First posted August 09, 2018 09:50:28 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-09/former-youth-justice-worker-ray-currier-suing-qld-police-1.5m/10092630 |
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