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"Lost everything": Retirees left homeless after houseboat destroyed

Two grandparents from South Australia have lost everything after a tree fell on their houseboat during a wild storm. Pam, 77, and David, 82, moved into their two-bedroom houseboat on the Murray River when they first retired over 20 years ago, after finally living out their dream of living on the water. During a storm on February 13th, when their houseboat was moored about 700m from the Renmark boat ramp, their lives were changed forever when a tree fell through their roof. Their granddaughter Shenay Harris said it was a miracle the pair escaped with only minor injuries. “They’re both sitting in their armchairs next to each other. My nan was actually stuck. Her legs were pinned from all the rubble of the roof caving in, and my pop managed to be able to stand up and reach for the phone to call emergency services,” Harris told <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/south-australian-grandparents-lose-everything-after-tree-falls-on-houseboat-in-murray-river-during-storm--c-13615764" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News</a>. “Looking at the boat and where they were sitting and everything, we have no idea how they are still with us. It’s just absolutely amazing that they’re still here, and they’re OK.” Shenay said her grandparents were now feeling lost about their future, while also grieving the loss of their retirement home. “My pop, he’s absolutely shattered. He’s said to us ‘it’s all over now’ ... (we’re) trying to reassure him (that) ‘no, it’s just a new beginning’,” Harris said. “They’ve been on that boat for 23 years, so it’s been my whole childhood and life with them living on the boat." The houseboat was not insured at the time of the accident, leaving both of the retirees homeless, with no hope for a replacement boat or a payout to get them back on their feet. “They’ve literally just lost everything they’ve got, you know, no assets, nowhere to go, no money,” Shenay said. An <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/riverland-houseboat-tragedy-pamelas-joy?cdn-cache=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">online fundraiser</a> has been set up to support the couple as they figure out the next stage of their life, so far raising $3,000. “They’re both pensioners, they’ve really got nothing to their name now, having lost the boat. So really just to get them back on their feet.” Image credits: GoFundMe / 7News

Retirement Life

Rob Dale "destroyed" after police shot dead pet dog

Rob Dale, who has previously starred in reality TV show Aussie Gold Hunters, was left heartbroken after his pet dog Monty was shot dead during an arrest in Perth's north-east. Police were making an arrest in Dale's house on Stratton Blvd at around 9:30am on Tuesday when the incident occurred. “While at the residence, a dog owned by another person approached and attacked the arrested suspect and a female police officer,” authorities said at the time. A male officer fired at Monty "to prevent further injury". Two men were arrested for aggravated home burglary and commit, stealing and trespassing, after a series of incidences that led police officers to Dale's home. Dale was not home at the time of the incident, and there is no suggestion that he was involved in any alleged crimes. The TV personality said that his nine-year-old French mastiff x Great Dane, was a much loved “member of the family," and he was only trying to protect the occupants of the house. “He was loyal and protective and he gave me a lot of comfort knowing that if anything was to happen ... my family would be safe with him,” Dale said. “This has destroyed my children and myself.” Dale described his pet as a “really soft-natured animal”, and was a "protector of the family”. “He was just fulfilling his duty in that house and that’s to protect the occupants, and it’s cost him his life,” Dale added. Both the suspect and police officer were taken to hospital after the incident and discharged on Tuesday afternoon. Images: 7NEWS

Family & Pets

Banksy mural on the side of dilapidated farmhouse destroyed

A dilapidated farmhouse, with a Banksy mural on its side, has been demolished in the seaside town of Herne Bay in Kent, England. The artwork, called Morning is Broken, features a young boy with a cat at his side opening corrugated iron curtains and staring at the world outside. The farmhouse was built in 1529, and was approved for demolition in late 2022, before anyone realised the importance of the mural. “We had no idea it was a Banksy. It made me feel sick realising it was a Banksy—we were gutted,” contractor George Caudwell told <a href="https://www.kentonline.co.uk/herne-bay/news/banksy-confirms-new-artwork-but-its-already-been-torn-dow-283771/">KentOnline</a>. “We started demolishing it yesterday. The landowner watched us do it and didn’t know either.” Banksy shared news of the demolition on his Instagram with a series of pictures, posting a photo of the destruction, simply writing over the image, “Morning is broken.” <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CpzwGpPM56f/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CpzwGpPM56f/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Banksy (@banksy)</a> </div> </blockquote> One person who has a personal connection with the farmhouse left a comment for the elusive street artist, writing, “This was my grandma's farm house before it was left to ruins, I spent so many happy hours in the house and at the farm, this was even done on the room I used to sleep in with the farm cat.” “Thank you so much for this Mr Banksy, my grandparents would have been very proud ❤️”. The demolition comes just weeks after another Banksy artwork in the UK town of Margate was destroyed. The artist took up the theme of domestic violence against women in a piece titled Valentine’s Day Mascara, depicting a 1950s housewife with a missing tooth and a black eye as she packs a male body into a real-life freezer chest. Image credits: Instagram

Art

“The agenda is to destroy Charlie Teo”: Final hit ahead of hearing

Appearing on a podcast with businessman and former TV host Mark Bouris, famed neurosurgeon Charlie Teo has lashed out against the recent allegations made against him of unprofessional conduct, saying that such claims are driven by professional jealousy, and are largely designed to take him down and to prevent the rise of any good, young “aggressive” neurosurgeons. Teo is set to face an additional disciplinary hearing by the Health Care Complaints Commission, and did not hold back in his assessment of the attacks on him and his career to date. “It’s got nothing to do with fairness, what’s right or wrong,” he said to podcast host Bouris. “It’s all got to do with people’s agendas. And the agenda is to destroy Charlie Teo.” “I know that I’ve got this skill … I take out tumours that no one else can take out. And all the surgeons around the world that watch me are just absolutely amazed by it. So when I operate in other countries, I get four or five or 10 or 20 neurosurgeons watching it, and they just are blown away by it.” Teo also told Bouris that the worst thing about being “subjected to all this vexatious vilification by colleagues” is that it sends a message to “all those good, young, aggressive neurosurgeons” that “if you try and do what Charlie does, this is what’s going to happen to you.” He alleged that one of the doctors complaining about him is “in competition with me.” The surgeon also claimed that he was “being judged by your enemies … it’s totally stacked”. Teo also took aim at sections of the press for publishing articles and airing shows that called his practice and motives into question. Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes program in particular <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/opinions-divided-over-fresh-dr-charlie-teo-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interviewed several of Dr Teo’s past patients</a>, one of whom spoke about the "false hope" given to his family when dealing with the surgeon. The program claimed that Teo had charged families huge sums of money for ultimately futile operations. While the HCCC was investigating those initial complaints, Teo’s brain stem surgeries were deemed a possible public health and safety risk. After an urgent hearing of the NSW Medical Council in August 2021, conditions were placed on Teo’s ability to practice. Teo also told Bouris on his podcast that medical authorities “can always hide behind this feigned altruism or public safety concept” and that the real reason he could no longer operate in Australia was that his colleagues were resentful of his ability to “take out tumours that other people have called inoperable”. Teo complained that just because he has had some bad surgical outcomes, these shouldn’t negate thousands of other successful surgeries. Teo also rejected the claims of overcharging patients, saying a mentor had once advised him to charge what you think you deserve. “I haven’t really wanted this to be known, but I’ll tell you now…more than half my patients I don’t charge,” he told Bouris. Teo also said that as he nears the end of his professional medical career he wanted people to know that he “didn’t charge police officers, fellow doctors, nurses, friends of friends, pensioners who couldn’t afford it.” “There are some countries in the world that want me,” continued Teo on the podcast. “But as soon as [they] find out that I'm operating in a particular country, they go and try and destroy my reputation there as well. “I'm not going to say anything at this stage, but a few countries have been trying to seduce me to operate there. “So I'm hopefully going to be able to operate in some other countries.” Image: Instagram

News

"Soul destroying" queue to inspect rental property goes viral

Footage of an "insane" line to view a Sydney rental property has gone viral, highlighting the reality of the ultra-competitive rental market. The video was shared to TikTok by Irish expat Ciara O’Loughlin, who has been struggling to find a permanent home since she moved from her hometown of Dublin to Sydney at the beginning of January. Ciara had viewed many apartments in her search before heading to a humble unit in Randwick, which had scores of people lining up around the street to get a peek inside. She decided to film the “insane” queue and post it online, where it racked up over 120,000 views in just a few hours. Ciara explained that the mammoth line was not unusual, with each of the 12 properties she viewed in the same week having similar amounts of prospective tenants eager to view the apartments. “I’d say the longest queue was easily between 100 and 150 people,’ she told <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11612859/Sydney-rental-market-crisis-Hundreds-line-unit-inspections-Randwick-Coogee-Zetland.html">Daily Mail Australia.</a> “But I actually wasn’t waiting too long at all, I’d say the longest wait was 20 minutes as people were literally in and out in two minutes.” “What I’ve heard is people are offering over the asking rent to secure a place so it’s very competitive.” People were shocked by the footage, with many stating the rental market was similar “everywhere”, not just the trendier inner city suburbs. “Had the same experience in Western Sydney,” one person said. “Not quite as many people, but way more than you’d expect.” “What a soul destroying process” wrote another. “This is why they can charge whatever they want.” “Been to loads in the inner west this week,” one added. “It feels like you’re lining up for a concert.” Image credits: TikTok

Real Estate

Banksy unveils new works on destroyed buildings in Ukraine

Banksy has unveiled a series of new artworks on the side of partially destroyed buildings in war-torn Ukraine. The elusive street artist created seven artworks in towns surrounding Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, with Banksy confirming to <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/11/14/banksy-in-ukraine-seven-new-works-appear-in-war-torn-sites?utm_source=CNN&utm_medium=article">The Art Newspaper</a> that the works did come from him. The first artwork to be identified, which quickly went viral online, shows a female gymnast balancing on a pile of rubble on the side of a building damaged by Russian strikes. The graffiti artist posted three images of the piece Friday on social media, with a simple caption reading "Borodyanka, Ukraine" — an alternative spelling for the town's name. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck1bqL6MsMu/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck1bqL6MsMu/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Banksy (@banksy)</a> </div> </blockquote> Another artwork depicts a little boy, wearing a martial arts uniform tied with a black belt, flipping a grown man onto his back. Some have connected the image to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose honorary black belt was revoked earlier this year by World Taekwondo, though Banksy has not publicly commented on the image or its meaning. Other murals showed two children using a metal tank trap as a seesaw, and a woman in hair curlers and a gas mask holding a fire extinguisher. The series is the first set of Banksy artworks to pop up since last summer's <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/art/banksy-goes-on-a-mural-making-spree-in-england">Great British Spraycation</a>, which saw the enigmatic artist leave behind his signature pop art commentary at sites across a number of British coastal towns. Image credits: Getty Images

Art

Sydney mega-mansion destroyed by fire

A Sydney mansion that was recently sold for $24 million has been destroyed by fire. The home in Northwood, on Sydney’s Lower North Shore, set ablaze shortly after 11 pm on the evening of Saturday September 3. Firefighters were confronted by the massive fire, with some flames reaching heights of up to 20 metres into the night sky, according to Fire and Rescue NSW’s Jim Murphy. He also says that “very strong winds” were blowing embers, posing threats to neighbouring homes. “At the time we realised we couldn’t save the house that was on fire,” Murphy told Weekend Sunrise. “Firefighters were concerned for neighbouring properties, so they immediately got to work and protected those properties, whilst our two crews did a very quick search to see if anyone may have been inside,” he said. It took more than 50 firefighters about an hour to control the fire, while the cause remains unknown, as well as whether or not anybody was inside the home. Alongside six bedrooms and extensive dining and entertaining areas, the property came fit-out with a tennis court, a stone boathouse with boat ramp, as well as a sandstone cellar with a bar. The couple only recently purchased the home in November 2021. Image: 7News

Real Estate

Wedding venue sued for millions over "destroying" couple's big day

When Russell and Marjorie Newman spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on their daughter's wedding, they hoped the big day would be perfect. However, the fairytale wedding has ended in legal action being taken over the luxurious venue, who the Newman's claim "destroyed" their daughter's day. Marjorie and Russell's daughter Jessica married Matt Alovis at the Brooklyn Pier 1 Hotel in September 2021, in a night that left Jessica "hysterically crying". The Newman's filed a lawsuit in the Brooklyn Supreme Court last week, after the venue failed to disclose a new "severe" noise restriction. The lawsuit states that the newlywed's first dance was ruined when the DJ refused to turn the music up, keeping it so low during the celebration that guests could hardly hear it. In order to continue dancing, the newlyweds and their 200 wedding guests were allegedly forced to squeeze into a 'dingy' room off-site meant for 60 people. "It was very, very devastating," Marjorie, who is also suing their wedding planner, Real Housewives of Miami star Guerdy Abraira, told the <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/02/06/nyc-couples-dream-wedding-destroyed-by-hotels-noise-restriction-5m-suit-claims/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">New York Post</a>."This was supposed to be her night to shine and it was all taken away from her."Brooklyn Pier 1 Hotel reportedly implemented the noise restriction rule just three weeks before Jessica and Matt's wedding due to residential condos in the building, but the Newman's claim the hotel "never made them aware" of the rule. "They never brought us in to say, 'This is what it is going to sound like or not sound like,' they never gave us the opportunity to move the venue," Russell explained. The Newmans, who spent $150,000 on flowers alone for the wedding, are demanding $5 million from the hotel and wedding planner for the "destroyed" event caused by a "breach of contract" and the "deceptive concealment of sound restrictions" which resulted in "humiliation, indignity, distress of mind, mental suffering, inconvenience, and physical discomfort," according to the lawsuit. "There were countless hours spent over at least a one year planning period for what should have been a once in a lifetime special event which was single handily destroyed by the egregious actions of the defendants," the lawsuit says. Image credits: Getty Images

Legal

Man destroys girlfriend’s family heirloom, doesn’t understand why she’s upset

A man has been left scratching his head after online commentators tore him to shreds for destroying a family heirloom belonging to his girlfriend. The man posted to Reddit’s ‘Am I the A******’ forum, where people go to ask strangers to adjudicate their interpersonal disputes, deciding who was in the wrong in any given situation. This man wanted to propose to his girlfriend using a ring that had sentimental value, so when he found out that her late grandmother had left her a ring, he decided to remove a diamond from the ring and use that in a new engagement ring. Unfortunately, when he proposed with the new ring, the girlfriend hated it. Her grandmother had only recently passed away in September, and the pair were close as she was her only granddaughter. The man asked his girlfriend’s mother if she thought his idea was a good one, and the mother said that as much as she loved the idea, she didn’t know if her daughter would, and told him to think about it. Despite this caution, he went ahead with his plan, as he “couldn’t find anything else [he] liked as much”. He said that the resulting ring was beautiful, and he thought she would love the sentiment of it. When he proposed and she immediately accepted, he was thrilled, until she saw the ring and her reaction changed. He wrote, “She told me I’d practically vandalized and ruined the only meaningful thing of her grandmothers that she had and that I should have asked. I went to her mom for support, but she just kept saying she warned me that my girlfriend might not like the idea. She said yes to my proposal but refuses to wear the ring, which I just think is disrespectful considering how much money and thought went into it.” Commenters were quick to side with the now-fiancée, with one writing “YOU DESTROYED her one family heirloom! You were disrespectful and STOLE her property and then had it destroyed,” while another wrote, “This dude deserves no sympathy, and I cannot even believe he can even question whether he’s wrong,” and several users suggested she dump him. The best laid plans of mice and men… Image: Tetra Images/Jamie Grill

Relationships

Christopher Walken destroys $20million Banksy artwork

An original Banksy artwork has been painted over by Hollywood royalty Christopher Walken while filming his new TV show. The 78-year-old actor erased the artwork, which is estimated to be worth $20million, as part of a scene of the new comedy drama show The Outlaws. The elusive street artist Banksy had painted the images of a rat holding two spray cans specifically for the upcoming BBC series, which is set in his home city. However, it’s claimed that the mysterious artist had collaborated with the show bosses for the stunt. The six-part series follows a group of misfits who are tasked with renovating a derelict community centre in Bristol as part of a community service sentence. A spokesperson for The Outlaws confirmed, “We can confirm that the artwork at the end of The Outlaws was an original Banksy, and that Christopher Walken painted over that artwork during the filming of this scene, ultimately destroying it.” The wrecking of the artwork was seemingly agreed upon by Bristol-native Banksy, who is reportedly a big fan of Christopher Walken, and admired the fact that Stephen Merchant, a fellow Bristonlian, was showcasing the city. A source told <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/tv/4041091/banksy-artwork-destroyed-outlaws/">The Sun</a>, “The creative team came up with the dream scenario and got in touch with the artist’s representatives in the faint hope that he might help them.” “Then they discovered shortly afterwards that he’d been to the location where they were filming and left something behind. They couldn’t believe their luck as he’d painted a giant rat using his hallmark stencilling technique as well as his distinctive signature.” They added, “His only stipulation was that they really did paint over it — and it would be his hero Christopher holding the roller.” Check out the trailer for The Outlaws below: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k_-6-hYP7Dk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Image credits: Getty Images

Art

Tradie faces 36 offences after destroying 68-year-old’s home

An unlicensed tradie has left a man’s house in ruin and drained his life savings - but he’s just one of the builder’s many victims. Tevita Ungounga has received multiple public warnings and convictions for various building offences, and has become well-known to Fair Trading and police. Ian O'Connor, one of Mr Ungounga’s victims, paid the builder $235,000 to build a seawall and renovate his house. Two years after the job commenced, the 68-year-old’s home is filled with unfinished rooms, holey walls, and still has no running water. <img style="width: 396px; height:223px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845577/tradie4.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/540e3d1b51e44be8b5c85991b011cce1" /> Mr O’Connor sits in his unfinished home. Image: A Current Affair “He’s a pig, a disgusting pig,” Mr O’Connor told <a rel="noopener" href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/fake-tradie-who-destroyed-mans-home-draining-him-of-life-savings-exposed/a1de65e0-e586-447f-bb60-f761a0968c64" target="_blank">A Current Affair</a>. “He seemed quite nice, very friendly, but I guess you could say most conmen are.” Mr O’Connor lost his life savings, and has had to delay his retirement and continue working so he can rebuild his home. Mr Ungounga has since been accused of fraudulently obtaining more than $220,000 from homeowners for incomplete or defective work to their homes. He is currently facing these allegations in court. However, complaints about Mr Ungoungu date back to 1998, when he was jailed for 60 days after failing to declare an estimated income of $1.4 million to Hawaii’s tax department. In a civil case, Hawaii’s Regulatory Industries Complaints Office was quoted by the media saying Mr Ungounga was “just very, very good at what he does”. <img style="width: 396px; height:223px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845578/tradie3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/844a284e694e4545a429e5c8b34f21da" /> Mr Ungounga and his wife Siosiana. Image: A Current Affair In 2015, Mr Ungounga and his wife Siosiana received a combined fine of $90,000 under the company name T & T Sandstone. They were fined for engaging in significant residential building work in Australia without a licence. After the incident with Mr O’Connor, Mr Ungoungu was sentenced to a 14-month intensive corrections order this year. He has also been charged with 36 offences by NSW Police, and has been the subject of three public warnings issued by Fair Trading in the last two years. The warnings related to his status as an unlicensed and uninsured tradie, with the organisation urging customers to do their checks before employing Mr Ungoungu. “I never take the money and go, I do the job,” Mr Ungoungu told A Current Affair. Images: A Current Affair

Real Estate

Artificial intelligence recreates destroyed paintings

A new interactive hub founded by <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/gustav-klimt/m03869?hl=en">Google Arts & Culture</a> is showcasing an exclusive Gustav Klimt exhibition that offers insight into Klimt’s biography, artistic inspiration and legacy. As part of the initiative, Google has digitally recreated three iconic Klimt works that were previously lost to a fire in 1899. By utilising artificial intelligence, technology has colourised the black and white photographs of the artworks. The three paintings, titled Medicine, Philosophy, and Jurisprudence, collectively form the “Faculty Paintings,” which were commissioned by the University of Vienna. Officials at the university originally deemed the works “pornographic” and “perverse” upon their unveiling, before ultimately being sold to a private buyer. The paintings were lost in a fire during the final days of World War II in 1945, and only survived in a series of photographs. AI researchers and Klimt scholars were supported by those at Google to bring colour to these enigmatic paintings and give them a second opportunity in the spotlight. After much back and forth to make the recreation as accurate as possible, the AI-coloured images provide what might be the closest we will ever get to seeing a complete image of those lost paintings. In a statement from Franz Smola, curator at the Belvedere museum, he said “The result for me was surprising because we were able to colour it even in the places where we had no knowledge, with machine learning we have good assumptions that Klimt used certain colours.” The use of this revolutionary technology shows hope for the future of famous painting recreations that would have otherwise been lost forever. Image credit: Google Arts & Culture

Art

Abbie Chatfield destroys Sam Frost over anti-vax rant

As Home and Away star Sam Frost broke down on Instagram detailing why she is not getting vaccinated, Abbie Chatfield let loose. On Saturday, Sam Frost took to Instagram and became emotional in her live video, saying, “There are a lot of different reasons people aren’t getting vaccinated – and it might be because of their medical history, their concerns they might have, they might have family history, it might be religious reasons, whatever.” “I want to tell those people that feel like they’re getting separated from society – well, I’m not vaccinated, and there’s a reason why I’m not, I’ve spoken to my doctor and my psychologist about it, and I’m going to keep it private,” she said. Sam then begged people to have “compassion, kindness and empathy” for the unvaccinated, before deleting her Instagram later that day. Former Bachelor star Abbie Chatfield, who has been outspoken about the selfishness of the anti-vax community, write on her own Instagram on Sunday, “I mean, it kinda speaks for itself. So brave to ‘come out’ as putting yourself as an individual above your community because you listen to misinformation.” “Another reality star bites the dust #love #light #empathy.” <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUy_DAelh6r/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUy_DAelh6r/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by ABBIE CHATFIELD (@abbiechatfield)</a> </div> </blockquote> Abbie’s “peace” only lasted so long, as she took to her Instagram stories to call out those calling her a “bully” for her comments. “Like I didn’t say anything. I said, ‘babe I chose peace today’ pretty much speaks for itself. ‘Another reality star bites the dust’ because she deleted her Instagram. “ “How was that bullying? I … didn’t add any commentary. Like these people want to be victims so badly and saying she was bullied to the point of leaving Instagram because of Abbie Chatfield.” “These people are just dying to have a reason to hate people who just want misinformation to stop spreading,” she said. “They want to have people on the other side be bad people and bullies and not care at mental health like them.” With her “peace” longer an option, Abbie decided to be honest about her opinions of Sam’s video. “A huge issue with her video was she said she felt segregated and like less of a human, so she’s trying to use the struggles and the oppression of people of colour in the past and currently, to use that idea of equality for her being unvaccinated.” Abbie also pointed out that Sam stated she had a medical exemption for not getting the jab, which didn’t make sense given her tirade. “The people who do have legitimate medical exemptions, are the ones who I see posting begging for everyone to get the vaccine because they’re the people who are at most risk for covid.” “They’re not doing videos crying on the floor talking about being a second-class citizen … it seems you want to victimise yourself.” Another former Bachelor star Matt Agnew also shared his thoughts on Sam’s monologue, saying her post was “affecting others”. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUzcn63hiZI/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUzcn63hiZI/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Matt Agnew (@drmattagnew)</a> </div> </blockquote> In the hours after Sam’s emotional rant, Channel 7 responded to the video as Sam continues to work on Home and Away. “Seven strongly encourages vaccination for all our people and all Seven productions strictly adhere to the public health COVID-19 safe protocols,” a spokesman told <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/seven-responds-to-sam-frost-covid19-vaccination-controversy/news-story/8a506656dc7adb80d745edbca0c72c7f">news.com.au</a>. “All Home and Away cast and crew also undertake Covid-19 testing three times a week in addition to other preventive measures. Sam Frost continues to work on Home And Away and follows the safety protocols in place.” Image credits: Instagram @abbiechatfield @fro01

News

Brothers destroy home in family dispute

A legal battle between two brothers and their sister over their inheritance has stepped up a notch after the brothers hired a bulldozer to demolish the family home. Malcolm and Garry Taylor travelled from Queensland to Murtoa, in regional Victoria, claiming they were doing “renovations” on the property. In reality, they were doing what they could to ensure their sister Kerrie “didn’t get a cent” when the house was sold. The siblings have been in a legal standoff over their late parents’ estate for several years, culminating in the destruction of the home the day before it went to auction in 2019, which was filmed by the brothers. The footage showed the brothers taking turns demolishing the house with a rented excavator. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" width="698" height="573" scrolling="no" id="molvideoplayer" title="MailOnline Embed Player" src="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/embed/video/2454133.html"></iframe> After their mother Lois died in December 2013, Kerrie was made executor of her estate. The brothers challenged this decision and claimed Kerrie had killed their mother. The stoush started when Malcolm and Garry found out their children would receive $10,000 in trust payments as part of the estate. The Victoria County Court has heard the brothers would “rather pull [the house] down piece by piece” than share the money resulting from its sale with their sister. According to court documents, Malcolm called the real estate agent involved in the sale in November 2018, claiming Kerrie “killed his mother” and that he would “continue to take items from the house until there was nothing left”. Court documents also said the destruction caused tens of thousands of dollars in damages and the cancellation of the auction. Damage included the graffiti of “Lois was murdered here” and the outline of a body in her bedroom by Malcolm, according to court documents. Malcolm denied any knowledge of the graffiti in court. The pair will be sentenced on Friday after earlier pleading guilty to criminal damage, with a judge lamenting how family disputes bring out the worst in people. It is expected they will be fined rather than jailed. Image: The Daily Mail / Supplied

Real Estate

World stunned as Federer destroyed in Wimbledon quarter-finals

The tennis world was left in shock as 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer lost 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-0 to a player 15 years his junior. Poland's Hubert Hurkacz was thrilled to share the court with Federer, despite the surprising outcome of the match. Federer, 40, was overwhelmed at the outcome of the match as it was his first straight-sets loss since 2002 as well as his 14th defeat in 119 matches. It was the first time he'd lost a set 6-0 as well as the second time this century that he'd lost a set 6-0 at any tournament as a top 100 player. He wouldn't answer if this time was the last time Federer was going to be seen at Wimbledon. “I really don’t know. I need to regroup. My goal for the last year or more was always to try and play another Wimbledon,” he said. “I was able to make it this year, which I was really happy about. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ4cgEgJ7NQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ4cgEgJ7NQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Roger Federer (@rogerfederer)</a> </div> </blockquote> “We were always going to sit down and talk about what comes after. Obviously we will speak a bit tonight and the next couple of days as well and we go from there. “It’s like what do I need to do to be in better shape and more competitive and we go from there. Of course I would like to play it again but at my age you just never know.” Federer is just a few months shy of his 40th birthday but said he had "perspective" about the loss. “Clearly there’s still a lot of things missing in my game that maybe 10, 15, 20 years ago were very simple and very normal for me to do,’ he added. “I will take my time, not feel rushed by you guys or anybody else. “I’ve got to take my time, take the right decision, the one decision I want to take and where I feel most comfortable. “The team and me were actually very happy I made it as far as the quarters here. That’s how it goes. I’ll be fine. I have perspective about it, so it’s all good.” Hurkacz was thrilled to receive words of praise from Federer himself. “It’s super special to have played Roger here, it’s a dream come true,” said Hurkacz. “He’s done so many special things here.” “Roger was congratulating me and wishing good luck for the next matches. Obviously walking off the court realising that I won against Roger, I mean, just kind of a dream come true, especially here on grass in Wimbledon. “Felt so special with the crowd around as well.”

News

9 things you love that are being destroyed by climate change

There are so many stories flying around about the horrors already being wrought by climate change, you’re probably struggling to keep up. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/40-years-ago-scientists-predicted-climate-change-and-hey-they-were-right-120502">warnings have been there for decades</a> but still there are those who <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/climate-change-denial-2057">deny it</a>. So perhaps it’s timely to look at how climate change is affecting you, by wrecking some of the things you love. 1. Not the holiday you hoped for We often choose holiday destinations with weather in mind. Sadly, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221704343_The_Impact_of_Climate_on_Holiday_Destination_Choice">climate change</a> may see your usual destinations become less inviting, and maybe even disappear entirely. But there’s more to think about than your favourite beach retreat being drowned, or the <a href="https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/CC_MVSA0147-Report-Great-Barrier-Reef_V4-FA_Low-Res_Single-Pages.pdf">Great Barrier Reef </a> decaying before you see it. Now we have to worry that “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-30/how-climate-change-will-change-tourism/9312674">extreme weather events pose significant risks to travellers</a>”. The warnings here range from travel disruption, such as delayed flights due to storms, through to severe danger from getting caught in cyclones, floods or snowstorms. Simply getting where you need to go could become an adventure holiday itself, but not a fun one. 2. Last chance to see some wildlife There are more and more examples of animals falling victim to climate-change induced extreme weather events, such as the horror of <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw-bushfires-koala-population-like-in-a-cremation-after-blazes-20191110-p5396f.html">mass “cremations”</a> of koalas in the path of recent Australian bush fires or <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-46859000">bats dropping dead</a> during heatwaves. On top of that, news of the latest climate-related <a href="https://www.earthday.org/2019/02/07/how-climate-change-is-threatening-our-species/">animal extinctions</a> are becoming as common as reports of politicians doing nothing about it. 3. History and heritage at risk The Italian city of Venice recently experienced its <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-weather-venice-mose-idUSKBN1XN2EQ">worst flooding since the mid 1960s</a>, and the <a href="https://apnews.com/41e8c2ce54af44c8826ae1ca9be266cc">local mayor</a> clearly connected this with climate change. Aside from the human calamity unfolding there, we are seeing one of Europe’s most amazing and unique cities and a <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/394">World Heritage site</a> <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/11/17/venice-floods-threaten-priceless-artwork-history-unique-way-life/">devastated before our eyes</a>. Climate change threatens more than 13,000 archaeological sites in <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0188142" title="Sea-level rise and archaeological site destruction: An example from the southeastern United States using DINAA (Digital Index of North American Archaeology)">North America</a> alone if sea levels rise by 1m. That goes up to more than 30,000 sites if sea levels rise by 5m. UNESCO is worried that climate change also <a href="http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/underwater-cultural-heritage/protection/threats/environmental-impact-and-climate-change/">threatens underwater heritage sites</a>, such as ruins and shipwrecks. For example, rising salinity and warming waters increases ship-worm populations that consume wooden shipwrecks in the Baltic sea. 4. Taking the piste Warming temperatures have already had <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-02/a-skier-s-guide-to-climate-change-enjoy-it-for-now">negative impacts</a> on the <a href="https://protectourwinters.org/how-climate-change-will-impact-the-snowsports-industry/">US snow sports industry </a> since at least 2001.<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" class="license"></a> In Australia, ski resorts are expected to see significant drops in snow fall by 2040 and, as temperatures warm, they will be <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-30/how-climate-change-will-change-tourism/9312674">unable to compensate</a> for this by snow-making, because it doesn’t work if ambient temperatures are too high. Perhaps recent efforts to make <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-alps-insight/high-and-dry-alpine-resorts-grapple-with-climate-change-idUSKCN1UB0E0">artificial snow</a> will give us a few more years on the slopes, but I’m not holding my breath. 5. Too hot for sport and exercise It’s not just snow sports that will be affected. As temperatures warm, simply being outside in some parts of the world will not only be less pleasant, but more <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/08/climate-change-turns-up-heat-on-sports/">harmful</a>, causing greater <a href="https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6428875/rising-danger-to-act-athletes-as-temperatures-soar-report-warns/">risk of heat stress</a> doing any sport or exercise. That also means lower incentives for – and greater difficult in undertaking - incidental exercise, such as <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/262756" title="Heat, humanity and the hockey stick: climate change and sport in Canberra">walking to the bus stop</a>. 6. Pay more for your coffee As the climate changes, your coffee hits will probably become <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-01-17/coffee-facing-extinction-climate-change/10713870">rarer and more expensive</a>, too.<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" class="license"></a> A <a href="http://www.climateinstitute.org.au/coffee.html">report</a> by the Climate Institute in 2016 suggested coffee production could drop by <a href="http://www.climateinstitute.org.au/articles/media-releases/coffee-quality-and-cost-to-be-impacted-by-climate-change,-but-there-are-things-we-can-do.html">50% by 2050</a>. Given how rapidly negative climate predictions have been updated in the three years since, this might now be considered optimistic. Yikes. 7. You and your family’s health As the climate changes, the health of <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)32596-6/fulltext" title="The 2019 report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: ensuring that the health of a child born today is not defined by a changing climate">your children</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4202258/" title="Impact of Climate Change on Elder Health">your parents and your grandparents</a> will be at greater risk through increases in air pollution, heatwaves and other factors. <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9Nw5zhsSgHQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> It can be heartening to see the strong, intelligent and <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/9/17/20864740/greta-thunberg-youth-climate-strike-fridays-future">positive action</a> being taken <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-20/school-strike-for-climate-draws-thousands-to-australian-rallies/11531612">by the world’s youth</a> in response to the lack of climate action by many governments. But the fact this is a result of literal, existential crises becoming a normal part of every day life for young people is utterly horrifying. 8. Home, sweet home The recent <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-15/nsw-bushfires-destroy-more-than-250-homes-in-a-week/11707004">bush fires in Australia</a> and <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/california-wildfire-los-angeles-orders-100000-to-evacuate/a-50801529">the United States</a> reveal how dramatic and destructive <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-bringing-a-new-world-of-bushfires-123261">the effects climate change</a> can be to where you live. Hundreds of houses have already burned down in Australia this fire season. Fires are getting <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/state-of-the-climate/">more frequent and more ferocious</a>. The seasonal windows where we safely used controlled burning to clear bushfire fuel <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/as-bushfire-window-shrinks-we-need-to-get-inventive-says-commissioner/news-story/9b6b725551bb6e56b9b162bb3e02a493">are shrinking</a>. It’s not only harder to fight fires when they happen, it’s becoming harder to prevent them as well. Fires aren’t the only threat to homes. All around the planet, more and more <a href="https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourwork/ourstories/the-quiet-after-the-storm.html">houses are being destroyed</a> by rising seas and increasingly wild storms, all thanks to climate change. 9. Not the wine, please! Still not convinced climate change is wrecking things you love? What if I told you it’s even <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-warning-for-wine-lovers-climate-change-is-messing-with-your-favourite-tipples-timing-112865">coming for your wine</a>. Less water, soil degradation and higher temperatures earlier in the season all lead to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-22/climate-change-creeping-up-on-winemakers/10519206">dramatic negative effects on grapes and wine-making</a>. One small upside is that disruption to traditional wine growing regions is creating opportunities to <a href="https://qz.com/quartzy/1108814/the-improbable-new-wine-countries-that-climate-change-is-creating/">develop new wine growing areas</a>. But there is no reason to believe these areas will maintain stable grape growing conditions as climate change progresses. So, what now? It’s easy to be sad. But to change our trajectory, it’s better to be mad. In the words of that great English singer songwriter John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten), “<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22911580-anger-is-an-energy">anger is an energy</a>”. So maybe use this list as motivation to think, talk and act. Use it as fuel to make <a href="https://www.activesustainability.com/climate-change/6-actions-to-fight-climate-change/">small</a>, <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/07/20/climate-change-requires-big-solutions-but-baby-steps-are-the-only-way-to-go/">large</a> or a <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-stop-climate-change-six-ways-to-make-the-world-a-better-place-115944">combination </a>of <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-a-tree-dies-dont-waste-your-breath-rescue-the-wood-to-honour-its-memory-125137">changes</a>. Share your concerns, share your solutions, and do this relentlessly. What’s happening right now is huge, overwhelming, and also inevitable without concerted action. There’s no sugar-coating it: climate change is wrecking the things we love. Time to step it up a notch.<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; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127099/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rod-lamberts-60">Rod Lamberts</a>, Deputy Director, Australian National Centre for Public Awareness of Science, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/nine-things-you-love-that-are-being-wrecked-by-climate-change-127099">original article</a>.

Travel Trouble

Wombats airlifted to safety and 680 homes destroyed

The current bushfire in NSW has been rapid and relentless as more than 680 homes have been destroyed by the flames. Communities have since banded together to help evacuate a wildlife sanctuary that had more than 300 native animals under threat from the massive blazes. Less than a month ago, the Rural Fire Service (RFS) told Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park, 60kms north of Sydney, that there was a chance that the park could come under threat from the Gospers Mountain fire. Naturally, the park’s owner Tassin Barnard was concerned that there was no way to evacuate all of the animals safely if the blaze hit the park. She put out a call on Facebook that reached more than 170,000 people and containers were brought to the park to help evacuate the farm animals. “All our farm animals are on the farm and they are having a lovely time – I don’t think they’re going to want to come home,” Barnard said to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/06/wombats-airlifted-to-safety-as-community-rallies-to-evacuate-bushfire-menaced-wildlife-sanctuary">The Guardian</a>. The hundreds of native wildlife, including kangaroos, emus, koalas, wombats and dingos were left behind as Barnard had no way to move them without causing them pain or stress. However, RFS told Barnard two days ago that due to the intense fires that engulfed 230,000 hectares of Gospers Mountain, the sanctuary could not be protected. “I felt sick, because I thought I’d made the wrong decision and it was too late,” she said. Barnard and her crew made an evacuation plan and shifted the animals to Blackbutt Reserve. This is when two “craggy old wombats” were taken to Featherdale Wildlife Park by helicopter. “They’re two particularly craggy old wombats that weren’t going to take well to travelling anyway, so the fact that we could give them a 15-minute helicopter ride instead of a two- potentially three-hour car trip was really, really important,” she said. Barnard credits her team and the effort they went to practice evacuating the animals safely. “To move these 40-odd kangaroos and wallabies and five emus, I thought it was two days’ work, and I was also convinced that we were going to have animals injured in the process,” Barnard said. “But because my team has been practising this for three weeks, they were absolutely phenomenal … We started at 10 am and we finished at 2.30pm. And no serious injuries.” The animals are in safe hands, but the closure of the park means no income to feed the animals. A <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/Save-Walkabout-Sanctuary?utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet" target="_blank">GoFundMe </a>page has been set up to support the park, which has so far raised more than $25,000. NSW RFS deputy commissioner Rob Rogers said that crews are planning to assess the damage from blazes today and over the weekend. "I think that firefighters did some incredible saves last night on properties and I think some of the vision has shown that," he said to the <a href="https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-06/properties-destroyed-total-fire-bans-in-place-as-nsw-burns/11772568?pfmredir=sm">ABC</a>. "We've got to work out how many homes we have lost." Footage of walls of flames have been released on social media, which Rogers says is reflective of the current landscape. "It's reflective of how dry the landscape is. "The drought makes the fuel so quick to burn and it burns so volatile when it burns." Scroll through the gallery to see just how Barnard and her team moved the animals. Photo credits: <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/Save-Walkabout-Sanctuary?utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet">GoFundMe</a>

News

“You destroyed my life”: Widow’s heartbreaking reply to man who killed her husband

A man who bashed a grandfather in Adelaide to death with a hammer in front of his wife has been ordered to spend the rest of his life under mental health supervision. In May 2018, Steven Berg stormed the house of the couple and attacked 74-year-old Deon Hewitt who was cooking dinner with his wife, Patricia. The attack ended in death. Patricia saw the horrific crime and said to Berg in court that he “destroyed my life”. "You destroyed my life. I couldn't even say goodbye to the man I spent the best parts of my life with…. For this I will never forgive you." <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F9NewsAdelaide%2Fvideos%2F1434612646686069%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> Berg was found not guilty of murder due to mental incompetence as the court was told he was suffering delusions at the time of the unprovoked and random attack. "My husband was my best friend, taken from me in the most horrific way - You have inflicted more pain on my family than any sentence can on you - until my final day I'm to live without my husband, stuck with the memory of that night," Ms Hewitt said. Five victim impact statements were read out in court by family members of Leon, as his grandchildren outlined their grief and the toll his passing had on their mental health. "When we were feeling down, we had Pop to call," they said. Leon and Patricia’s daughter Vanessa said that as long as Berg is detained “society is a safer place”. "the day you took dad from us, we lost a mother as well - I fear for the day Berg is released - While he is detained, society is a safer place,” she said. Berg is being held in the secure mental health facility of James Nash House.

Legal

Charlie Teo claims colleagues are “trying to destroy” him in candid interview

The controversial neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo has taken aim at his medical colleagues for “trying to destroy” him. He says while he admits to making “sexualised” jokes, people have been trying to ruin him “for years,” while speaking at his foundations Brain Cancer Research Ball in Perth on Sunday night. “I’m sure you know my history, the history is that my colleagues are trying to destroy me and my reputation for years now,” he said, as reported by <a rel="noopener" href="https://thewest.com.au/news/health/they-want-to-destroy-me-charlie-teo-unloads-on-critics-at-wa-fundraiser-ng-b881371310z" target="_blank">The West Australian.</a> “They talk about the fact that I … am a sexual predator. Now, I do tell sexualised jokes. I will be the first to admit it, I swear like a trooper.” Dr Teo, 61, made headlines in September after the Sydney Morning Herald ran an investigation into the neuroscientist where a number of his colleagues accused him of inappropriate conduct. He was also accused of making others uncomfortable due to sexual conversations. In the emotional speech, Dr Teo told the crowd his lawyers had advised him not to make any comments on the allegations but assured them he had “never had a complaint”. “I am a bit old-fashioned, I can tell some jokes but I’ve never had a complaint. I certainly wouldn’t use my power or my authority to persuade someone for sex,” he said. Dr Teo stated he was “incredibly disappointed” by the allegations in early September. The article, published in The Sydney Morning Herald on September 5, detailed quotes from anonymous colleagues describing a number of inappropriate gestures and actions by Dr Teo while in surgery and at his own home. It also shares quotes made by unnamed neurosurgeons who accused Dr Teo of overcharging patients. “I am incredibly surprised and tremendously disappointed by the article published today in The Sydney Morning Herald,” he said in a statement on his personal website in September. “Particularly disturbing was the evident lack of legitimate research, the use of nameless sources, the staggering number of inaccuracies and ultimate failure to provide a fair and balanced story. “I am not the first person to be subjected to this type of reporting and I will not be the last. “I am immensely proud of everything that I have achieved professionally as a surgeon in Australia and internationally and of the work of the Charlie Teo Foundation. “I recognise that none of this would have been possible without the support of my amazing team, many of whom who have been with me for many years.” It wasn’t too long ago when in June, Dr Teo was criticised by University of Sydney Professor of surgery, Henry Woo, for the amount he charges to perform surgeries. Dr Woo wrote on Twitter in a fiery statement: “something is seriously wrong if a terminally ill girl with a brain tumour has to raise $130,000 to have surgery Dr Charlie Teo has offered to do for $60-80,000”. He further argued that “if it was valid surgery, it could/should be performed in the public system under Medicare”. Dr Teo hit back at the firestorm, saying he wasn’t allowed to operate in public hospitals. He further accused the medical establishment of “gunning” for him. The neurosurgeon later revealed he was facing possible disciplinary action after multiple complaints were submitted to the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission, which sent him a letter warning him of making “comments which may undermine confidence in colleagues’ directive decisions relating to patients.” “They will eventually get me,” the 61-year-old told a medical conference in Canberra where he read out a personal letter. “A lot of good people have gone down to the system. I used to say just take the high road and the high road will always keep you protected, but I really don’t think that is true.”

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