Updated November 23, 2018 14:01:14
![]() The buzz is real around the top-end talent at this year's AFL Draft. Sam Walsh took the headlines at pick one for Carlton, but intriguing storylines on the players, and how and why they were picked were spread throughout the opening round of selections. SuperDraft II A number of teams had maximised their presence at this year's draft, because a range of pundits and analysts had tagged the talent pool for 2018 as the best since the so-called "SuperDraft" in 2001, that brought the likes of Gary Ablett Jr, Luke Hodge, Chris Judd, Steve Johnson and Dane Swan and many others into the league. The big question was whether Carlton would go the safe route and select Victorian midfielder Walsh, or take a risk on potential bigger returns from South Australian key position player Jack Lukosius. In the end, the Blues opted for Walsh who starred for Geelong Falcons in the TAC Cup and was the player of the Under-18 national titles for Vic Metro, winning the Larke Medal averaging nearly 30 disposals a game. Their move was an attempt to help pick up some slack in the Carlton midfield from gun on-baller Patrick Cripps. The Blues have had a raft of top-10 picks in recent years given their poor results and trading strategy to focus on the draft. In fact this was Carlton's fifth number one selection in 14 years. Given that Carlton finished with the wooden spoon again in 2018, Walsh's arrival is not going to lift Brendan Bolton's men into the stratosphere but as he joins the likes of Cripps, Paddy Dow, and Sam Docherty [returning from a knee injury] the Blues are beginning to fill in pieces of the puzzle in the middle of the ground. Carlton recent top picksSam Walsh (Midfielder) pick 1, 2018Paddy Dow (Midfielder) pick 3, 2017Lochie O'Brien (Midfielder) pick 10, 2017Sam Petrevski-Seton (Midfield / Forward) pick 6, 2016Jacob Weitering (Defender) pick 1, 2015Harry McKay (Forward) pick 10, 2015Charlie Curnow (Midfielder) pick 12, 2015 If there was any doubt where Carlton's focus was this year, it was erased late in the round when the Blues traded up to get pick 19 they used it to take Liam Stocker, the ball-winning Sandringham midfielder who won the Morrish Medal as best player in the TAC Cup. That they managed to grab the man who was predicted to go to Richmond may have sweetened the pot. The deal could be big for Adelaide, with the teams swapping round one picks for 2019. If the Blues stay anchored to the bottom, the Crows could have pick one next year. The spotlight next landed on Gold Coast, one of a handful of clubs destined to be major players in round one. Suns settle on SA star schoolmates ![]() Aside from the Blues, there was the Suns with three selections in the top six, Port Adelaide with three in the first 18 and GWS also with three in the first round. The latter three clubs had to respond through the draft to the departure of key personnel in the trading period, such as Tom Lynch, Steven May and Aaron Hall for the Suns; Chad Wingard, Jared Polec and Jasper Pittard for the Power; and Dylan Shiel, Rory Lobb and Tom Scully for the Giants. External Link:Gold Coast Suns tweet: Meet the three newest SUNS #AFLDraft Given Carlton's call, there was little surprise when the Suns used picks two and three to select South Australian pair Lukosius and Izak Rankine. Comparisons at draft time are particularly odious, but Lukosius has been likened as a footballing type to former St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt, while Rankine's range of skills including speed, agility, reading the play and the ability to kick exciting goals have some looking back to the Crows' Andrew McLeod. The nexus between the pair is great as Lukosius and Rankine both played in South Australia's national under-18 title win, but more than that they shared a state schoolboy title at Henley High in Adelaide. We've seen this line of thinking before with the Suns. In 2016, the Suns had four picks in the top 10, and they chose Ben Ainsworth and Jack Scrimshaw from Sandringham, plus Will Brodie from the Murray Bushrangers along with Academy player Jack Bowes three players who knew each other well going into the AFL Draft, with the hope they would stay together and avoid the go-home factor. Scrimshaw struggled and was traded to Hawthorn at the end of 2018, but the other pair remain. External Link:AFL tweet: The top 10 selections in the 2018 AFL Draft #AFLDraft The Suns went outside South Australia for their third pick of the night, choosing Sandringham's Ben King, whose marking and scoring abilities could provide help for Gold Coast at both ends of the ground. King's twin brother Max who some were tipping earlier in the year to go at number one before an ACL injury went at pick four to St Kilda. The SA strategy continued for the Suns, with half-back Jez McLennan [another member of the under-18 champion side] selected with pick 23 before the start of round two after a pick swap with West Coast. Only time will tell whether the Suns have a) chosen well and b) can hang on to this new elite group but clearly, given the problems at Carrara in recent years, there will be a lot riding on the success or failure of this year's decisions. The Power went for Connor Rozee with pick five, a midfielder who shone at half-back for North Adelaide late in the season in the Roosters' run to the SANFL premiership. His burst speed second in the 20m sprint at the Combine will be handy in Polec's absence. Port Adelaide needed help in defence, with the loss of Pittard and Jack Hombsch. But the Power opted instead to focus on the middle of the ground. Aside from Rozee, they took Western Jets midfielder Zak Butters with pick 12, and Gippsland Power skipper and midfielder Xavier Duursma with pick 18. Swans game the new draft well The AFL had tweaked the process for this year's draft, with the ability for clubs to live-trade picks for the first time. The Sydney Swans were quickly testing the operation of the new system, and they used it to their advantage to steal a march on the rest of the league. External Link:Sydney Swans tweet: Pick number 10, we have matched GWS and we welcome Sydney Swans Academy player Nick Blakey! #ProudlySydney #AFLDraft Mobile, tall forward Nick Blakey could have been a father-son pick for North Melbourne or Brisbane through his father John, but opted to go with the Swans, where his dad is now an assistant coach. Sydney put together a series of trades with West Coast to give themselves the draft points to take Blakey with three picks in the 30s, matching a bid from GWS at pick 10. Not only that, but the Swans also by effectively exchanging their 2019 second-round pick for the Eagles' third-rounder next year kept themselves in this year's second round by getting West Coast's pick 25 for 2018, meaning they avoided putting all their eggs in the Blakey basket. This was a definite win for the Swans, who have made a habit of securing top talent through the academy system with the likes of Isaac Heeney and Callum Mills. He is strong and tall, a good left-foot kick, a good lead and mark. The Swans have hinted they will move the likes of Mills and Jake Lloyd from defence into the midfield, leaving Blakey a likely third forward for Sydney with Lance Franklin and new acquisition Dan Menzel. Good draft for Tassie In the last 20 AFL Drafts, a total of four Tasmanian players had been taken in the top 10. Last night there were two. Adelaide tried and failed to pry Academy player Tarryn Thomas from North Launceston who had the joint-best kicking test at the Draft Combine away from North Melbourne, who matched the bid at pick eight with points from a series of draft selections. Then the Crows went again with pick nine and chose versatile Launceston midfielder Chayce Jones, who can also play forward or back. Adelaide later took small forward Ned McHenry for his elite endurance-running ability and forward pressure. GWS did some solid business, with the strong kicking Jye Caldwell from Bendigo and taller midfielder Jackson Hately from Central Districts in the SANFL the latter another member of the victorious SA under-18 team. They also came in at the end of the round for Vic Metro under-18 skipper Xavier O'Halloran, who had a great Draft Combine with solid results for both speed and endurance. Some bargains outside the top 10 The combination of live trading and the willingness of teams to bid for other sides' Academy selections meant that some fancied players dropped further than expected in the order. Geelong was able to grab Claremont defender Jordan Clark at pick 15. External Link:Geelong Cats tweet: Howzat for a pick? A former international-level cricketer and selection 15 in this year's draft. #StandProud #WeAreGeelong Clark won All-Australian at the Under-18 championships at half-back where he averaged 20 disposals and six rebound 50s, and played senior football for Claremont in the WAFL. Before committing to football, Clark was a solid prospect as a cricketer, taking five wickets (including a hat-trick) for the Australian under-16 team against Pakistan under-16s in January 2017. He has stamina (he was eighth in the 2km time trial at the Combine), but is not ultra-speedy. Collingwood secured highly rated Academy rebounding half-back Isaac Quaynor with pick 13. The Oakleigh Chargers/Vic Metro defender has decent speed and good disposal he also was the only person to get a perfect score in the goal-kicking test at the Draft Combine. In other moves the Western Bulldogs took Sandringham midfielder Bailey Smith with pick seven, and the Lions came away with big-bodied midfielder Ely Smith (Murray Bushrangers) with pick 21. The Crows selected Vic Country and Geelong Falcons player Ned McHenry [pick 16], who can play midfield or small forward. Richmond ended up with tall midfielder Riley Collier-Dawkins (pick 20) from the Oakleigh Chargers and Vic Metro, while the premiers West Coast did not have a pick in the opening round, and will kick off round two today. What does SuperDraft II have to match? ![]() Obviously, picking the draftees who will succeed is largely a matter of gauging potential who can step up and show more than they did at age level and partially a leap of faith in hoping that the most exciting under-18s can keep going, and maybe go on to replicate a rookie season like Collingwood's Jaidyn Stephenson in 2018 with 38 goals in 26 games. Looking at the top 10, and a sizeable portion of the top 20, the potential for a group rivalling 2001 is clearly there. Even SuperDraft I, as good as it was, had the odd miss however a look at the list also shows some superb players dropping very low as well. There was Geelong's father-son selection Gary Ablett Jr at pick 40 (under rules much more lenient than today's for the cost to nominating clubs), there was Jarrad Waite at pick 46 who went on to kick 377 goals in play 244 games for North Melbourne and Carlton. Then there was the Magpies' Dane Swan at pick 58, and of course Western Bulldogs defender Brian Lake at pick 71, who eventually won three flags with Hawthorn. Will there be some gems hidden deep in the next 50 picks made on day two? Who knows. But the buzz from regular draft-watchers about this year's selection group means that if nothing else, fans have some exciting times ahead watching this talent establish just how far they can go in the AFL. The hits from SuperDraft I (2001)Topics:australian-football-league,sport,melbourne-3000,vic,sydney-2000,nsw,brisbane-4000,carrara-4211,qld,adelaide-5000,sa,hobart-7000,tas,perth-6000,wa,australia First posted November 23, 2018 13:12:36 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-23/afl-superdraft-ii-where-did-the-class-go/10521240
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Whale watching season officially over with large numbers spotted along Australia's east coast11/30/2018 Updated November 25, 2018 18:54:10
![]() Each year, even to the casual observer, it seems the number of humpback whales migrating along Australia's east coast is increasing. Especially as every time you go to a headland you can see plenty of them first heading up the coast from May, and then on the way back south around September. "It's thought that this year there'd be anywhere from 33,000-35,000 humpback whales coming down the coast," said Simon Millar, a 16-year veteran of a whale watching charter run out of Sydney and Merimbula, Merimbula Marina. "We're seeing more and more whales every year. "We used to have a pretty quiet August when the whales were right up at the Great Barrier Reef, before they starting making their way back south, but because of the increase in numbers it doesn't really stop now." ![]() Mr Millar said from the second week of May right through to November 20 they have had consistent whale sightings, every day. "Instead of going out and seeing 10 whales a day you might go and see 30 whales a day," he said. "We've had a really good last three years. Lots and lots of mothers and calves that came really late this year right through November." ![]() On the northern migration, Merimbula Marina operates out of Sydney as "Merimbula doesn't get a northern migration as such. Whales only join up with the coast at about Sydney," Mr Millar said. The whale watching firm operates out of Merimbula on the southern migration. "The [southern-migrating] whales are always more interactive than they are on the northern migration for us," he said. "The southern migration is a lot more special than the northern migration." ![]() Armed with only a pair of binoculars, whale spotter and orca volunteer at Port Macquarie on the NSW mid-north coast Leigh Mansfield can see whales long before the boats can. Tacking Point Lighthouse in Port Macquarie "always seems to get the most whales" during the annual orca census, held at the end of June. "This year I think Sydney got 89 whales. We had 332," Mr Mansfield said. "We found a pod of 50 to 60 killer whales one day off Sydney," Mr Millar added. "That would go down as probably the highlight of this season for me." ![]() At Port Macquarie, Mr Mansfield said the lighthouse's ideal position is good for spotting all types of whales. He said they get whales from about May 1 to mid-November. "We get a really long season. Generally on the way back [south] you often get whales fairly close, even running past the local bar 100 metres out, with mothers and babies coming back," he said. ![]() "That's the beauty of Port Macquarie with whales. You don't have to go too far out. "With the whale watching boats, the moment they come out of the bar you could be on whales within five, 10 minutes. "We're very lucky here that once you get to the breakwaters you can start seeing whales." Mr Mansfield said the count on the northern migration to the end of July this year was about 13,000. He said the first whale returning south was spotted at the end of July. "August is your transgrid period, so you look out here during August and you've got to say, 'Okay, which way is that whale starting to go?'" he said. ![]() "The big majority's still going north. And then from about the first of September that's when you can say 90 per cent of them are going south, 10 percent north, and then it slowly decreases on what's going north." From his vantage point on the southern migration from Merimbula, near the Victorian border, Mr Millar sees mothers and calves come relatively close to the coast as well. "Here on the far south coast we witnessed a bit of feeding during the latter part of August, and then we've had a really big mother and calf season which kicked-off about the second week of October," he said. ![]() "We've had a lot of feeding humpback whales through August and early September where there was just a little bit more of a food source for them." More whales equals more entanglements Susan Crocetti from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has to deal with the surge in whale populations in a different way from the spotters and charter boat operators an increase in carcasses and entanglements. "As the population recovers we're talking about 33,000 humpback whales we're going to expect there to be some mortality of those animals," she said. ![]() "There are going to be some that have been mis-mothered, some that are stranded through misadventure, or have just failed to thrive." Parks officers have had about 21 reports of entangled whales off the coast of NSW this season. "Queensland has had a good dozen or more, and because the humpbacks don't [normally] migrate past Victoria they've had a couple of entanglements, but not humpbacks. Tasmania has had a couple this year as well. "Reports don't always mean we know the exact number, and we're not even confident how many of those 12 are some of the 21 that we've got." ![]() The NPWS has specialised teams in Port Macquarie, Sydney and on the south coast. They also work with their colleagues on the Gold Coast who come to help with entanglements around Byron Bay and Ballina. "We've had six humpback whale carcasses stranded this year, which is about the same as what we had last year, and we've had one southern right whale [and] one fin whale, which was a really unusual stranding," Ms Crocetti said. She said the NPWS has also dealt with very unusual strandings of a sperm whale and a kinko tooth beak whale. Duan March, a veterinarian at Dolphin Marine Magic in Coffs Harbour, said the rise in strandings, though unfortunate, was another reasonable indicator of a rising population. "We have been to a few dead animals on the beach and those numbers are increasing, and I think what we're seeing is an increasing number of strandings based on an increasing number of animals," he said. "So it's good in a way. It's good that the population is growing." ![]() First posted November 25, 2018 06:15:00 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-25/bumper-whale-season-comes-to-an-end/10548674 Posted November 29, 2018 16:52:45
Southern Cross University gets a 10-million dollar donation from Marcus and Caroline Blackmore for research Supplied: Southern Cross University Topics:diet-and-nutrition,health,womens-health,mens-health,university-and-further-education,education,business-economics-and-finance,lismore-2480,north-lismore-2480,tweed-heads-2485,coffs-harbour-2450,southern-cross-university-coffs-harbour-2450 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-29/blackmore-uni-building/10567718 Every business aims at generating traffic on their website and increase the conversion rate to get the maximum benefits. But sometimes it is hard for small-scale enterprises to spend money on big campaigns and advertisements as the budget is limited. In such cases, Search Engine Optimisation is the only tool left to increase the website traffic.
But, how do we decide which way to direct your energies. As we all know that Facebook and Google are the leaders or should I say the pioneers in the field with both of them having a set customer base and benefits. Thus, your choice depends on the type of campaign you wish to start with your company. Let's have a look at the complete analysis of Google PPC Vs Facebook PPC and then make a final decision. Find it here https://www.netvision.com.au/facebook-ppc-vs-google-ppc-whats-best-business/ 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.
AEDT = Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time which is 11 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-09/masters-games-wedding-paul-and-tina-mcbain/10483134 The commercial extraction of water from the New South Wales Northern Rivers is gearing up to become a key issue at the polls in next year's state election.
Two local Nationals politicians, Lismore MP Thomas George and Ben Franklin MLC, have called on the NSW Government to have its chief scientist and engineer, Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte, conduct a full and independent inquiry into the industry. Mr George has also demanded a total moratorium by his government on any new commercial water licences for off-farm use until findings of the inquiry have been released. "It's been on the agenda for a while now, it hasn't been only in the Tweed," he said. "The fact that it's at Alstonville now is another reason why we're responding." Politicians aware of concerns about water table Mr George said that following a couple of meetings this week across the region, he was certainly convinced about worry regarding the impact on the water table. "There's also a lot of concern being expressed to me about water being taken off-site for processing," he said. "This is an issue [and] we're calling on the government to stop issuing water licences where that will happen. "The Chief Scientist needs to be able to look into this and reassure the community and the users of what can be done to satisfy everyone's concerns." ![]() Ballina Greens MP Tamara Smith met with local farmers and landholders concerned about water extractions. (ABC Rural: Kim Honan) ![]() Ballina Greens MP Tamara Smith met with local farmers and landholders concerned about water extractions. ABC Rural: Kim Honan Greens candidate for Lismore and former CEO of the Environmental Defender's Office (EDO) NSW, Sue Higginson, has challenged Mr George's call for an inquiry saying it is not needed. "What we really need at the moment is for our councils to have planning powers over water mining," she said. "What we've seen is in the Tweed. We've seen Tweed Shire Council now apply for those planning powers to amend to its own Local Environmental Plan to have control over water mining in its LGA and it's been denied that from the NSW Department of Planning. "What we need is the direction and leadership to support our councils so they can just prohibit this type of development." Mr George plans to meet with the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Water, Niall Blair, next Monday but Ms Higginson is urging the Nationals MP to instead talk to the Minister for Planning, Anthony Roberts. 'Water the new gold': Greens MP While the growing water mining industry has mainly focussed on the Tweed Valley, there are concerns about an expansion into the Ballina Shire with a development application before the local council to extract and truck out local water. Tamara Smith, Greens MP for Ballina, assured a meeting of landholders opposed to the plan to extract water from the Alstonville aquifer that she wants a state-wide ban on water mining and would take it to the Greens party room. "The Greens are very concerned about water mining full stop [and] extractive industries like this particularly this close to the coast," she said. "We've been mostly focussed on spring water [so] this bore water is a whole new ball game and to me, it is absolutely next level concern because we're talking about our aquifers and our farmers rely on that. "As we move into warmer and warmer years, water is becoming the new gold and we should be doing everything we can to protect it." Ms Smith said it was "unacceptable" for one farmer to be making "millions of dollars extracting bore water" when their neighbour might not. "Next week I'll be doing a speech on the floor condemning the National Party for even considering giving a licence to extract bore water, it's a new low," she said. NSW Country Labor has also weighed into the debate, calling on local councils in the region to suspend the granting of future DAs for commercial water extraction enterprises. Candidates for the party in the seats of Tweed, Lismore, and Ballina promise that if a Labor Government is elected it will hold a Parliamentary Review into the licencing of water mining to ensure its sustainability and to address community concerns. http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-11-07/nationals-call-for-water-mining-inquiry-but-green-want-it-banned/10469622 Posted November 11, 2018 05:00:00
![]() As gunfire ceased on the Western Front on the morning of November 11, 1918, Australia's first war correspondent Charles Bean observed "the gates to the future silently opened". The armistice which secured the end of World War I had been signed at dawn, marking the conclusion of a four-year conflict that had claimed more than 60,000 Australian lives. Confirmation would take several hours to reach Australia, where crowds were gathering in the streets at the first whispers of the news. In every town and city, people rejoiced at the end of 'the war to end all wars' and the beginning of a new chapter in Australia's history. 'Wild' antics in Sydney and Melbourne Sydney had celebrated the end of the war prematurely thanks to a false alarm on November 9. "There was big outpouring of emotion and excitement," said Ashley Ekins, head of military history at the Australian War Memorial. "And then again, just a couple of days later on the 11th, the news came that it was true. "It was a wild day. And when a public holiday was declared for the 14th of November, it meant that they actually got two. ![]() "They kept the pubs and the liquor stores closed during that period so things didn't really get out of hand." It was a different story in Melbourne, where the exuberant crowds could not be contained. "The news was received and church bells began to ring out along with factory hooters," Mr Ekins said. "The crowds ran wildly out of control in the city. They derailed tram cars and crashed one through the front window of an office building. "A lot of people [were] breaking into barricaded stores and stealing fireworks. "There was even an appeal for people not to explode fireworks in the interests of invalided soldiers, and particularly those suffering shell shock." Theatre performances stopped in Adelaide ![]() In Adelaide, people had been gathered outside newspaper and post offices waiting for news since the early evening of November 11. Pauline Cockrill from the History Trust of South Australia said it was around 7:30pm when the first newspaper reported the fighting had stopped. "By 10:30 that night, the whole of Adelaide's streets were milling with people just waiting for the news to be announced," she said. "The premier gave an unofficial announcement outside Parliament House. "As soon as the news came out they were singing patriotic songs, going up and down [the streets] with flags. There was a band that had been practising outside the railway station so they joined in as well." ![]() Cinema and theatre performances were stopped as the news broke. "There was just jubilation," Ms Cockrill said. "Everyone was very excited and singing and dancing just having a good time. They were relieved after over four years of war." The celebrations were followed by a public holiday on November 14 that included church services, victory parades and the sounding of The Last Post. News travelled down railway line Parties continued in rural towns as news of the armistice reached them from the cities. "The news went down to the post office or down the railway lines," Ms Cockrill said. "People had gone to bed but as soon as they heard the news they got out of bed and had these impromptu tin can bands people just banging kerosene tins and walking up and down the streets singing patriotic songs." ![]() In Mount Gambier, the official announcement came on November 12. Local historian Graham Roulstone wrote in 2016 that a crowd had gathered in the main street on the evening of the 11th as rumours started to reach the regional city by bush telegram. "The mayor, Mr Renfrey instructed the Town Hall bell to be rung but cautioned those gathered there to approach the news with caution, in case it turned out to be false," he wrote. "The crowd began to disperse about 11:00pm, though others arrived later and so the town remained active until about 4:00am the following morning." At midday on November 12, Mayor Renfrey read a formal announcement to 4,000 people gathered in front of the Town Hall that the war had ended. ![]() The rural town of Canungra, in south-east Queensland, did not hold its official celebrations until November 30. But impromptu celebrations started as soon as locals heard the news, according to Canungra resident Muriel Curtis who published a book on the district's history in 1975. "The news was telephoned to Canungra and such was the relief that people celebrated then and there," Ms Curtis wrote. "The mill hands stopped work and the whole head of steam was blown off by tying down the whistles, startling the countryside for miles around." 'Funeral' for the Kaiser ![]() The rural Victorian town of Kaniva chose to delay their formal celebrations until 1919 when most of their troops had come home. Resident Bruce Meyer said the small community had been hit hard by the deaths of locals. "There are hardly any families that didn't have somebody that went overseas," he said. "I can look at four relatives that were killed in the First World War and that's pretty common. "Probably those 20-odd families that had people die in it, they still had to get themselves together." ![]() On July 19, 1919, the town held a huge party which included the staging of a mock funeral for Kaiser Wilhelm II. The day was celebrated throughout the British empire as Peace Day, in recognition of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles that had officially ended the war the month before. Parties weren't the end of troubles The celebrations, no matter how joyful, could not make up for the devastating impact of the war, according to Ashley Ekins. "The losses, of course, were extreme 60,000 men that really couldn't be easily replaced," he said. "In many ways, Australia in the interim years was a nation in mourning." ![]() Still left to arrange was the huge task of bringing troops home an exercise that would take nearly a year. Once home, they would be faced with the challenge of readjusting to civilian life. "The fact was these men came home, mostly, completely changed by the experience," Mr Ekins said. "They had been out of sight never out of mind on the other side of the world, fighting a war that was probably inconceivable to most Australians. "The people at home had never really known what those men had done." Topics:history,community-and-society,world-war-1,adelaide-5000,canungra-4275,qld,duntroon-2600,act,kempsey-2440,mount-gambier-5290,nsw,north-sydney-2060,sa,townsville-4810,kaniva-3419,vic http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-11/how-australia-celebrated-the-first-armistice-day-100-years-ago/10454904 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.
AEDT = Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time which is 11 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-09/di-crampton-and-mark-schiller/10483240 Remembrance Day: Cave mystery deepens as soldiers' stories spur calls for families to come forward11/18/2018 Updated November 11, 2018 18:21:56
![]() A hunt is underway for the living relatives of Australian soldiers who left their mark in a cave just kilometres from the bloody warzone of the Western Front. For members of the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) stationed on the battlefields of the Somme during World War I, visits to tourist attractions like the caves at Naours, in France, formed part of their rest and recreation activities. Just a few years ago, an archaeologist researching the caves, Gilles Prilaux, found a chamber containing 3,200 wartime inscriptions scrawled on the cave's walls, including nearly 2,000 attributed to Australians. Almost immediately, a search to find the soldiers and their stories commenced, to add to Allied war history records maintained on the former battlefields. Mr Prilaux has a record of the graffiti with all the entries photographed, recorded, and inventoried. ![]() "This discovery is very important because it addresses a subject rarely discussed: recreation during the war," he said. "These soldiers came to visit the underground of Naours during periods of rest or convalescence [and they] left their names in a peaceful moment, they forgot for a moment the horror of the battlefield." In the future, Mr Prilaux hopes to publish a follow-up to his book Silent Soldiers of Naours, which covered the first 50 soldiers identified. Barber searches for stories Mr Prilaux has been assisted in piecing together the puzzle of the soldiers' stories by a number of amateur Australian war historians. One researcher is Townville barber Elaine 'Mouse' Fountaine, who has been hunting for clues through online databases and phonebooks to find soldiers' living relatives. "It caught my interest so I started investigating, then I contacted Gilles over in France, emailed him and I've been conversing ever since and finding other descendants for him," Ms Fountaine said. "I've found 14 family descendants so far, and am confirming a few others which is a feat in itself. "A lot of people don't realise some of their family members served in World War I. "Some didn't know much about it, some died over there, and some came back with problems, but everyone's proud of their military heritage." Missing soldier's signature and family found One relative of a soldier who left his mark on the caves is Gary Clegg from Lucinda, just 100 kilometres north from where his grandfather's cousin, Alfred Henry Clegg, was raised in Townsville. Harry Clegg, as he was known, was a reservist who joined the AIF in 1915, serving at Gallipoli and in France as a sergeant in the 26th Infantry Battalion. The 22-year-old was presumed killed in action at the Battle of Pozieres on July 29, 1916. ![]() Gary Clegg was contacted by Ms Fountaine, who informed him that his grandfather's cousin was one of the soldiers whose signature was found on the Naours cave wall. "It's a fitting legacy for people like Alfred Henry who were missing in action, their bodies never recovered," he said. "At least they have some recognition, some monument to their service and to their bravery." Around 11,000 Australian soldiers' bodies were never recovered during WWI, many resting in unmarked mass graves hastily dug following battles. Hunt continues While Mr Clegg has provided information about his relative, only 495 biographies of the nearly 2,000 names have been completed. ![]() Ms Fountaine said the passage of time, along with scant or falsified war records, had made progress difficult. "One enlisted underage. His name was Sergeant Herbert Evans but he also went under the name of Herbert Francis Auld," she said. "His real name was Donald Herbert Auld MacGregor; he was born in Ipswich but later lived on the Gold Coast." With at least three aliases after enlisting in 1914 at the age of 15, MacGregor was awarded the Military Medal for bravery as a 17 year-old when a lance-corporal with the 15th Battalion. He survived the war and married at least twice so finding MacGregor's descendants has been difficult for Ms Fountaine who is calling on the public's help to track down more of the soldiers. "I found him on the electoral roll living at Mermaid Beach in 1967," she said. "He's a very mysterious person ... I tell you what, he's very elusive." Archaeologist Gilles Prilaux can be contacted via email at [email protected] by any family members of soldiers who were in the Somme region during the war, who would like to check if their relative's name is inside the cave. Topics:world-war-1,unrest-conflict-and-war,archaeology,historians,community-and-society,history,anzac-day,defence-forces,townsville-4810,cairns-4870,ipswich-4305,france,mermaid-beach-4218 First posted November 10, 2018 11:09:26 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-10/remembrance-day-cave-mystery-deepens-as-stories-spur-calls/10481928 Updated November 09, 2018 09:39:14
![]() Like all competitive swimmers, Don Robertson has a strict training schedule an early alarm followed by dozens of laps. But the his regime is a little different to most. His morning workout is held in the 10-metre pool at his Gold Coast retirement village. "Yesterday I did 600 metres, today I'll probably do 600, tomorrow I might do 400," Mr Robertson said. "It's not speed, it's endurance. "I'm just swimming to get there, get from one end to the other, that's the main thing." Mr Robertson is one of two 93-year-olds competing at the Pan Pacific Masters Games on the Gold Coast this week. Reaching old age is often associated with slowing down and trying to manage the challenges that can come with it. But Mr Robertson said getting older does not necessarily have to equal getting weaker though it has meant removing the tumble turn from his swimming routine. "I used to tumble, and then I got to the stage where instead of my legs coming over I'd just go straight down to the bottom," he said. "So I don't tumble any more!" ![]() No stranger to the big stage, Mr Robertson was a race starter at the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games. His experience on the professional circuit has paid dividends, landing him second place in the Masters Games 50 metres backstroke. Indoor rower sets the pace Fellow 93-year-old competitor, Brisbane's Vince Home, won gold. ![]() The indoor rowing champion has not let losing most of his sight slow him down, clocking up more than 12 million metres on the rowing machine since taking up the sport six years ago. "Makes you feel a lot better to do your row and finish feeling good makes you want to do it the next day," Mr Home said. "It's the greatest exercise that I know of, because I believe it operates about 82 of your muscles and nearly all of your joints." His wife Beryl, who turns 88 in December, helps keep her husband on pace during racing, because Mr Home cannot see the electronic timer. He said he wanted to inspire other elderly people to get back into sport. "I hope I encourage a lot of them to take it up," he said. "If they get a machine for themselves at home you can do it when you want to do it, as often as you want to do it, as hard as you want to do it." Topics:sport,swimming,sports-organisations,older-people,athletics,miami-4220,brisbane-4000,runaway-bay-4216 First posted November 08, 2018 18:20:37 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-08/old-swimmers-pan-pacific-masters-games/10478276 |
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