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Allan Border's desperate plea to PM

<p>Allan Border has joined Parkinson’s Australia chief executive Olivia Nassaris in a plea for the Federal Government to provide more funding and research into the condition. </p> <p>The 68-year-old cricket legend is one of over 150,000 Australians living with Parkinson’s, after being diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disorder back in 2016. </p> <p>A new report from the organisation revealed that there are 19,500 new cases every year, with one Australian diagnosed with the condition every 27 minutes.</p> <p>“A lot of people know the disease but they don’t know the impact that it has — 150,000 people in Australia have the disease, it does present in different ways,” Border said. </p> <p>“When I was told I was suffering, my first image was of (boxer) Muhammad Ali and the Olympic torch, I just thought people suffered from a tremor.</p> <p>“But there’s about 100,000 different ways of it presenting.”</p> <p>Border joined the Parkinson’s Australia chief executive on April 11 to raise awareness for World Parkinson’s Day.</p> <p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Nassaris </span>estimated that the number of Australians impacted by Parkinson’s would almost triple by 2050.</p> <p>“At the moment we don’t have a cause or cure, so it is frightening that a disease like this is going to almost triple in numbers,” she said.</p> <p>Responding to the cricketer’s plea, the Prime Minister described Border as a “great Australian” and hinted at a potential boost to government support in providing more resources into the condition. </p> <p>“Our heart goes out to him,” the PM said on Thursday. </p> <p>“I will have a word with the Health Minister about what more we can do. We have contributed over $100m to research into Parkinson’s.</p> <p>“There’s also a pilot program for nurses about people suffering from Parkinson’s at the moment. There’s some $6.5m being used for that pilot program. We want to wait and see what the assessment of that is.”</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

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Aussie Harry Potter star undergoes heart surgery

<p>In a world where magic wands and spell-casting reign supreme, it seems like Miriam Margolyes, the famous <em>Harry Potter</em> actress, decided to make her own foray into the world of enchantment. Move over, Hermione, because Miriam's latest adventure involved a heart procedure that could only be described as "udderly" extraordinary.</p> <p>The actress recently revealed on the Table Manners podcast that she had a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), and here's the twist – it involved a cow's valve!</p> <p>Margolyes, at the young age of 82, stunned us all by the recent disclosure of her "bovine" transformation. "I've got a cow's heart now," she declared to the curious hosts, Jessie and Lennie Ware.</p> <p>"Well, not the whole heart. I've had an aortic valve replaced by a cow's aortic valve," she reassured everyone. </p> <p>Our beloved <em>Little Shop of Horrors</em> star then proceeded to spill the beans on this refined procedure, which, as it turns out, is nothing short of remarkable. It's an operation that prevents you from having to undergo open heart surgery, something she was quite grateful for, saying, "I don't know how common it is. I'd never heard of that operation."</p> <p>But the question that remained on everyone's lips was, "Was it a keyhole operation?" Miriam, never one to shy away from details, explained that the procedure required doctors to place "two little holes in your groin."</p> <p>If you're wincing at the thought, she didn't stop there. "One in each groin and then they shoved this thing through," she continued. "And I don't know how they pull it up, but they sort of pull it up with stereos." </p> <p>The idea of having bovine body parts might raise a few eyebrows, but in Margolyes' world, it's just another tale to add to her eclectic life experiences. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

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Harry Potter star bares all for Vogue at 82

<p dir="ltr"><em>Harry Potter</em> actress Miriam Margolyes has graced the cover of <em>British Vogue</em> and bared all for a shoot with the publication, stripping down to share her thoughts on life, love, career, and everything in between. </p> <p dir="ltr">It was an important step for Miriam - best known for her role as Professor Pomona Sprout in the <em>Harry Potter </em>and her BAFTA-winning performance in <em>The Age of Innocence </em>- who confessed during her interview for the magazine’s Pride issue that “I like my face. I think my face is kind and warm and open and smiley. </p> <p dir="ltr">“But I hate my body. I hate [having] big tits, a drooping belly, and little twisted legs.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m not thrilled with that. But you can just make the best of it. You have to. You do the best you can.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Miriam’s beaming smile was front and centre in the ‘nude’ shot, which saw the 82-year-old star sitting at a table and dressed only in a pearl necklace, an array of carefully arranged desserts in the foreground to cover her. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctb2pb0NruE/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/Ctb2pb0NruE/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by British Vogue (@britishvogue)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">A self-confessed “bit of a child” who “can’t resist naughtiness”, Miriam came armed with her wit and humour as she opened up about her life - from her feelings about her own body, to her experience as a Jewish lesbian since coming out as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community in 1966. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I never had any shame about being gay or anything really,” she told <em>Vogue</em>’s Chris Godfrey. “I knew it wasn’t criminal because it was me. I couldn’t be criminal.” </p> <p dir="ltr">As Miriam confessed, however, her parents hadn’t quite seen it from the same perspective. Her mother, she explained, had made her swear on the Torah that she wouldn’t have sex with a woman again, and that she has regrets about revealing that part of herself to them. </p> <p dir="ltr">Both of her parents have since passed away - her mother of a stroke just months after Miriam came out - and while Miriam doesn’t think they ever came to accept her sexuality, she never stopped loving either of them. </p> <p dir="ltr">She went on to share that she and her partner of 54 years, Heather, have a civil partnership but don’t live together - and never have. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We were able to lead our lives without diminishing them,” she said. “I didn’t want her to have to give up anything. And I didn’t want to give up anything.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I wanted my cake and I wanted to eat it too. And so far, it’s worked.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Gay people have the luck to be able to fashion the relationship they want,” she added. “It’s much more flexible for us.”</p> <p dir="ltr">And as for why Miriam is so open when it comes to topics others might shy away from, she had a simple answer in store, explaining that “it’s a strong position if you’re not afraid to be who you are.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We’re all so insecure. People are frightened such a lot of the time and what I’ve always tried to do is to make people feel more relaxed, make people feel good about themselves, and just try and lessen the torture for people a bit.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

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“Sworn to secrecy”: Aussie dad finally able to crow about daughter’s royal moment

<p>As one of the four-person choir that sang at Prince Philip’s scaled-back funeral, Miriam Allan also stood out as the only woman. Back in his Newcastle home, her father watched on proudly.</p> <p dir="ltr">Chris Allan said he has known his daughter was incredibly talented since she was a “musically precocious” six-year old.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Allan performed Jubilate Deo, Benjamin Britten’s sacred choral composition, alongside the choir at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor on Saturday. But, this wasn’t the first time she’s sung the song, having performed it since she was a child growing up in New South Wales.</p> <p dir="ltr">Before her latest performance and the establishment of her international renown as a soprano, her father said she would perform it at Newcastle’s Christ Church Cathedral.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The Britten that they sang during the service, she’s been singing since she was a little kid,” Mr Allan said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Having since moved to England in 2003, Mr Allan said his daughter would use him as a “sounding board”. He watched as her career blossomed, taking her on tours around the world with leading orchestras and choirs.</p> <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/B9SLiFKgtQy/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/B9SLiFKgtQy/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Miriam Allan (@miriamsoprano)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Reminiscing on fond memories of accompanying his daughter on piano, as a composer, and singing together, he said, “I played for her and gave her music to sing and so forth when she was younger.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“There were many times when we sang or played together - I would play the piano and accompany her.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The pair have performed on some of the same programs since she was a teenager. Their most recent performance in August 2019 was for the Newcastle Music Festival - held in the cathedral where her musical career started.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Allan is married to Richard Bannan, a lay clerk, one of the 12 choral singers employed to sing at St. George’s Chapel. She also teaches singing in Oxfordshire and is a singing coach at a preparatory school in Westminster.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Allan said he was thrilled to watch his daughter perform at the sombre yet moving service for Prince Philip.</p> <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/CNz6evNA1Wb/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/CNz6evNA1Wb/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Miriam Allan (@miriamsoprano)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">But, this isn’t the first time she’s performed for the Duke either. Mr Allan said, “She used to sing years ago in the Royal Guards Chapel and Prince Philip would often come to that, so she had sung for him a number of times.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was quite a lovely experience to be able to sing [for him] again.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Until a phone call on Friday afternoon, Mr Allan had no idea that his daughter would be performing for Queen Elizabeth and the 30 other royal family members in attendance and had expected her husband would be the one singing.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She said, ‘Someone in the family is going to sing and it’s not Rich’,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We were sworn to secrecy at the time because it was all embargoed.”</p> <p dir="ltr">He was surprised and thrilled, and said “it was a great opportunity for her.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Allan, along with his wife, Gerogei Laney, watched the performance from their Newcastle home.</p> <p dir="ltr">Commenting on her composure, he said, “To have that ability and to be able to keep your composure under that stressful condition when you know lots of people are watching is pretty good.”</p>

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NZ PM's return swipe to Allan Jones: see you on the pitch

<p>Alan Jones has slammed claims that say he has an issue with women and isn’t concerned if his advertisers decide to take a hike.</p> <p>Multiple businesses have separated themselves from the breakfast radio show on 2GB after the derogatory comments he made about New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. The latest company to withdraw their support was Chemist Warehouse.</p> <p>Speaking to<span> </span><em>Nine News</em><span> </span>today, Jones said those who chose to walk away are able to make their own judgement, and that he has nothing to say on the matter.</p> <p>“But if they go, they’ll be others to take their place,” he said.</p> <p>When asked to address the claims saying he has a problem with women, Jones said “I think you better ask women that”, revealing that over the past 48 hours, many women wrote letters of support and thanked him for helping them in the past.</p> <p>He also said he was now the victim of a vicious social media campaign.</p> <p>“It seems to be OK that you can in social media, about Alan Jones, say that we should kill him,” he said. “The language used about me is just extraordinary.”</p> <p>The 78-year-old said that his comments about Ardern saying that Scott Morrison should “shove a sock down her throat” were “metaphorical comments” but “if I give offence, I always apologise for that.”</p> <p>Earlier, Ardern responded with a snappy comeback of her own when asked to address the incident.</p> <p>“I don’t have an opinion on every single person who says something about me. Particularly given this is an Australian commentator, we’ve got enough of our own to occupy my time,” she told NZ morning news and talk show<span> </span><em>The AM Show</em>.</p> <p>But she then proceeded to deliver a slight jab as she said that her response may be best delivered on the rugby field, pointing to Jones’ past as a coach of the Wallabies from 1984 to 1988.</p> <p>“I understand that (Jones) of course used to be closely linked to the Wallabies … let’s just say that I think revenge is best served through a Bledisloe Cup,” said Ardern.</p> <p>She refused to give her opinion on whether or not Jones should be sacked for his comments, saying, “it’s a matter for across the ditch”.</p> <p>“I am a politician, I am open for criticism and, of course, we should all be held to account and the idea that any politician could or should be protected, I absolutely rally against that.</p> <p>“You should see my social media. We sign up for that when we are politicians. I have tried very hard, specifically on this Alan Jones comment, you won’t find me having particularly reacted or responded.”</p>

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5 minutes with author Miriam Sved

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">5 minutes with author</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over 60</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> asks book writers about their literary habits and preferences. The first author of this series is Miriam Sved, a Melbourne-based writer, academic editor and parent. Her short fiction has appeared in various journals and anthologies such as </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meanjin</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Overland</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Best Australian Stories</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Her debut novel </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Game Day</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which focuses on the AFL culture, has been praised as an “absolute corker” by </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Age</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Her latest book, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Universe of Sufficient Size</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">,</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">is out now. </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over 60</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> spoke with Sved to discuss tired tropes, favourite fictional characters, and what to do with seemingly unending reads.</span></p> <p><strong><em>Over 60</em>:</strong> <strong>What is your best writing tip?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Miriam Sved: Figure out your best routine and try to make a habit of it. For me it’s writing first thing in the morning, with a word count goal (from 300 to 900 words, depending on where I am in a project and in life). Also – if I can have two best tips – find a good writers’ group.</span></p> <p><strong>What book(s) are you reading right now?</strong></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Signature of All Things</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> by Elizabeth Gilbert, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Long Run</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> by Catriona Menzies-Pike and </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Thinking Woman</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> by Julienne van Loon. I don’t usually have more than one book on the go at a time but I accidentally picked up all three in the last couple of weeks and can’t bring myself to put any of them down.</span></p> <p><strong>What is your favourite literary character?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Such a hard one! Elizabeth Bennet from </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pride and Prejudice</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was an early love, but as I get older I have more time for Anne Elliot from </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Persuasion</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p> <p><strong>What book do you think more people should read?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I think </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Flight Behavior</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> by Barbara Kingsolver should be required reading in the age of climate change. Or maybe everything by Barbara Kingsolver.</span></p> <p><strong>Paperback, e-book or audiobook?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Definitely paperback for the win. I had a sordid fling with e-books but it didn’t last. I do love an audiobook on a long car ride.</span></p> <p><strong>How many books do you read each year?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Not as many as I’d like – maybe 25.</span></p> <p><strong>What is your least favourite trope?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I find the tortured male artist pretty tedious.</span></p> <p><strong>What do you do when you can’t seem to finish reading a book?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I stop. I recently stopped reading a book two-thirds of the way through because it just wasn’t compelling me to keep picking it back up. This used to be unthinkable – if I’d made it past the first page or two I had to see it through – but at some stage I decided life’s too short.</span></p>

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