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Airline worker reveals the kind of suitcase most likely to get lost

<p dir="ltr">An airline worker has warned passengers of the type of suitcases he believes are "more likely" to get lost.</p> <p dir="ltr">The airport maintenance worker, who is based in the US, shared in a Reddit thread some advice to travellers to avoid losing their luggage during a holiday. </p> <p dir="ltr">The worker pointed out that one airline alone can have "3,000 to 5,000" bags per hour passing through the airport at peak flight times, and one simple design choice can make a huge difference on where your luggage ends up. </p> <p dir="ltr">While he suggests a hard shell suitcase as the best choice for luggage to protect your belongings, the worker warns the colour or pattern of your bag could be a cause for it to be lost.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Mirrored colours and paint schemes with a metallic flake act like reflectors and send the beam back to the sensor. Basically turning the bag invisible," he wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Once that happens, it can't be diverted to its assigned location to be loaded on the plane it belongs on.”</p> <p dir="ltr">"We only see it when it passes through the tag scanners again, but with the sheer volume of bags, it gets hard to catch them."</p> <p dir="ltr">The worker also warned against using coloured ribbons, ropes or scarves, as well as decorative bag covers, to identify your luggage, as they can cause widespread delays.</p> <p dir="ltr">"While helpful to identify your bag, it can get caught downstairs and can delay bags," he wrote, adding he once had to cut a bungee cord off a bag that had gotten caught in a roller and affecting operation.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Do what you feel is best to help identify your bag, but just be warned some items can help cause delays."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p> </p>

Travel Tips

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"I’ve lost my eyesight": Sir Elton John's sad health update

<p>Sir Elton John has revealed that he had "lost his eyesight" at the premiere of his new musical. </p> <p>The singer, 77, attended the opening night of <em>The Devil Wears Prada</em> in London on Sunday and told the audience that he has lost his eyesight. </p> <p>“As some of you may know, I have had issues and now I have lost my sight," he began.</p> <p>“I haven’t been able to see the performance but I have enjoyed it.</p> <p>“To my husband who’s been my rock because I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews because, as you know, I have lost my eyesight".</p> <p>"So it's hard for me to see it, but I love to hear it and, boy, it sounded good tonight," he said.</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/DDDXN04iPc1/?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/DDDXN04iPc1/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The singer-songwriter wrote the music for the highly-anticipated new musical which premiered in London's West End on Sunday night. </p> <p>He previously opened up about his condition in September, after he contracted an infection in his right eye that had left him "with only limited vision in one eye."</p> <p>“It’s been four months now since I haven’t been able to see. My left eye is not the greatest," he told <em>Good Morning America</em>. </p> <p>“It’s been a while since I’ve done anything. I just have to get off my backside.”</p> <p>The superstar admitted that his loss of vision had really rattled him, saying: “It kind of floored me, and I can’t see anything. I can’t read anything, I can’t watch anything." </p> <p>“There’s hope and encouragement that it will be okay. But I’m kind of stuck in the moment, going into the studio and recording, I don’t know. Because I can’t see a lyric for start.”</p> <p>Sunday's premiere of the musical was also a charity gala event for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which was attended by celebrities and fashion-industry figures including Donatella Versace and former <em>Vogue</em> editor Anna Wintour.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p> <p> </p>

Caring

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Australia Post wants to charge more for stamps next year. Here’s why it has to keep letters alive

<div class="theconversation-article-body">By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/paul-alexander-1126222">Paul Alexander</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a></em></p> <p>Remember back at the turn of the millennium, when sending a small letter only cost 45 cents? If you haven’t used the postal service recently, you might be in for a rude shock.</p> <p>Late last week, it was announced Australia Post had notified the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) of a proposal to increase the price of stamps.</p> <p>If ultimately approved by Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, the current basic postage rate for a small letter, $1.50, would <a href="https://auspost.com.au/disruptions-and-updates/pricing-updates/bpr-letter-pricing-update">rise</a> to $1.70 by mid-2025. Stamps for regular large and priority small letters would go from $2.20 up to $2.70.</p> <p>There would still be a discounted option for seasonal greetings cards, which would remain at 65 cents.</p> <p>If you’re feeling a sense of déjà vu, that’s because the last basic postage rate <a href="https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/rowland/media-release/decision-basic-postage-rate">increase</a> to $1.50 only just came into effect earlier this year.</p> <p>Like physical cash, letters have arguably been in terminal decline. According to Australia Post, <a href="https://newsroom.auspost.com.au/proposed-stamp-price-increase-as-letters-losses-mount">fewer than 3%</a> of letters are now sent by individuals. The rest are overwhelmingly business and government communications.</p> <p>But for some key groups, the “snail mail” remains a vital service. So why do we need to keep letters alive, and will increasing the price of stamps be enough to do so?</p> <h2>A duty to serve all Australians</h2> <p>As a publicly owned organisation, Australia Post has a range of formal community service obligations (CSOs). These are <a href="https://www.transparency.gov.au/publications/communications-and-the-arts/australian-postal-corporation/australia-post-annual-report-2022-23/other-important-information/community-service-obligations">enshrined in legislation</a> – the Australian Postal Corporation Act 1989.</p> <p>These CSOs were set up to ensure essential postal services are accessible and affordable to all Australians, including those in regional, rural and remote areas.</p> <p>They include providing a universal access to a standard letter service at a uniform price across the country, as well as specific obligations on the frequency, range and speed of mail delivery.</p> <p>Since 2015, Australia Post has been lobbying to reform its community service obligations to <a href="https://www.afr.com/markets/equity-markets/australia-post-posts-222m-loss-letter-posting-in-terminal-decline-20150925-gjup78">better align</a> with changed consumer behaviour and needs.</p> <p>That has led to some changes in what’s expected, including a range of <a href="https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/postal-services-modernisation-discussion-paper.pdf">reforms</a> implemented by the Australian government over the past year.</p> <p>These have included <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-12/auspost-to-halve-letter-delivery-frequency-from-monday/103699458">reducing delivery frequency</a> for letters and reallocating resources to parcel delivery, while still maintaining essential services in regional and remote areas and for special interest groups.</p> <p>We are clearly in a broader transition to new CSOs – and a new role for Australia Post. Much of that comes down to the difficulty of delivering letters.</p> <h2>The long decline of letters</h2> <p>In the last financial year, Australia Post’s letter volumes <a href="https://newsroom.auspost.com.au/proposed-stamp-price-increase-as-letters-losses-mount">fell</a> by almost 13%, which the company said led to a loss of $361.8 million.</p> <p>But this is nothing new. From a peak in 2008, letter delivery volumes have been <a href="https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/rowland/media-release/ensuring-australia-post-can-deliver-more-australians">plummeting</a> for more than a decade.</p> <figure class="align-right "><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <p>Australia Post <a href="https://newsroom.auspost.com.au/proposed-stamp-price-increase-as-letters-losses-mount">says</a> they’re now at levels not seen since the 1950s. Remember, in 1955, the Australian population was only 9.2 million people.</p> <p>Parallels with declining cash usage highlight our aversion to doing things with paper.</p> <p>Cash use in Australia has also fallen to historic lows, forcing the government to step in with a plan to <a href="https://theconversation.com/businesses-will-have-to-accept-cash-for-essentials-under-government-plan-243899">keep it alive for essentials</a>.</p> <h2>All or nothing</h2> <p>A key conundrum is that we can’t keep letters half-alive. For all Australians to be able post letters on a scheduled basis with fast delivery requires Australia Post to maintain a complete letter network across the entire nation.</p> <p>The overall costs of operating this – while not specifically itemised publicly – include maintaining delivery routes and retail outlets, paying employee wages and investing in infrastructure.</p> <p>Naturally, increasing the cost of sending letters will discourage businesses from doing so, shrinking the market ever more.</p> <p>But because the size of the mail delivery network does not shrink proportionately, this can cause outsize problems for Australia Post.</p> <p>Australia is not unique. Postal services around the world have felt <a href="https://www.upu.int/en/publications/physical-postal-services/strategies-and-ways-for-developing-the-traditional-letterpost-documents-market">similar pressures</a>, many of which have diversified into parcel logistics and offering other digital services.</p> <h2>Could we just lose letters?</h2> <p>There are three core demographics in Australian society that still need to send and receive physical mail. These are:</p> <ul> <li> <p>older Australians, particularly those who are less familiar with or have limited access to digital platforms</p> </li> <li> <p>residents of regional and remote areas with limited internet connectivity</p> </li> <li> <p>concessional users for whom discounted mail is the most affordable form of important communications.</p> </li> </ul> <p>At the very least, these groups all need to have a guaranteed ability to send and receive official information. That includes bank statements, legal notices, utility bills and government correspondence, such as electoral information.</p> <p>Less critical, but still socially important and likely not to be terminated, is delivery of cards and letters for personal milestones, holidays or other events.</p> <p>That puts Australia Post in a tricky position. It likely cannot maintain such large mail delivery infrastructure unless it does so at increasing losses.</p> <p>That also reduces its ability to provide other, more relevant services and can blunt its competitiveness in the parcel delivery market.</p> <h2>Letters as small parcels</h2> <p>For Australia Post, one solution may lie in leveraging its <a href="https://auspost.com.au/content/dam/auspost_corp/media/documents/2024-australia-post-annual-report.pdf">thriving</a> parcels delivery network.</p> <p>Given the essential user base for mail delivery is now so small, it makes sense for letters to be “special” delivery services, much as courier document services are now. Parcel home delivery resources could take this mail the last mile.</p> <p>This would be much more expensive per item for Australia Post. But if the market continued to decrease in volume, it would minimise total costs.</p> <p>It would also allow the government to provide a targeted subsidy if required.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/244503/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/paul-alexander-1126222">Paul Alexander</a>, Adjunct Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-post-wants-to-charge-more-for-stamps-next-year-heres-why-it-has-to-keep-letters-alive-244503">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Money & Banking

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"You made me enjoy the game": Federer's emotional retirement letter to Nadal

<p>Roger Federer has penned an emotional tribute to Rafael Nadal ahead of his retirement, reflecting on their stellar careers together. </p> <p>Nadal’s career officially came to an end when Spain was defeated 2-1 by the Netherlands in the Davis Cup quarter-final in Malaga on Wednesday morning, with Nadal in tears as he stepped onto the court for the final time. </p> <p>Thousands of tributes poured in for Nadal as his retirement officially began, but Federer's tribute quickly went viral for his emotional words.</p> <p>“As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional,” Federer said. </p> <p>“Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me - a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could. On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground."</p> <p>“You made me reimagine my game - even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge. I’m not a very superstitious person, but you took it to the next level. Your whole process. All those rituals."</p> <p>“Assembling your water bottles like toy soldiers in formation, fixing your hair, adjusting your underwear … All of it with the highest intensity. Secretly, I kind of loved the whole thing. Because it was so unique - it was so you."</p> <p>“And you know what, Rafa, you made me enjoy the game even more. OK, maybe not at first. After the 2004 Australian Open, I achieved the No. 1 ranking for the first time. I thought I was on top of the world. And I was - until two months later, when you walked on the court in Miami in your red sleeveless shirt, showing off those biceps, and you beat me convincingly."</p> <p>"All that buzz I’d been hearing about you - about this amazing young player from Mallorca, a generational talent, probably going to win a major someday - it wasn’t just hype."</p> <p>“We were both at the start of our journey and it’s one we ended up taking together. Twenty years later, Rafa, I have to say: What an incredible run you’ve had. Including 14 French Opens - historic! You made Spain proud … you made the whole tennis world proud."</p> <p>“And then there was London – the Laver Cup in 2022. My final match. It meant everything to me that you were there by my side – not as my rival but as my doubles partner."</p> <p>“Sharing the court with you that night, and sharing those tears, will forever be one of the most special moments of my career.”</p> <p>Federer signed off the 585-word tribute from “your fan Roger”.</p> <p><em>Image credits: ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

Retirement Life

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Aussie Vietnam vet reunited with lost war medals just in time

<p>A Vietnam veteran has been reunited with his lost war medals that were missing for a year, just in time for Remembrance Day. </p> <p>When attending a Remembrance Day event in New Zealand last year, Townsville veteran Malcolm Edmiston lost his medals somewhere along the journey to Christchurch from Brisbane. </p> <p>The medals were left sitting unclaimed in Brisbane Airport's lost and found after being found in an airport terminal, before airport staff launched a social media campaign to find their owner. </p> <p>After seeing a post on Facebook, Edmiston was finally reunited with his precious medals just in time for this year's Remembrance Day events. </p> <p>"It's very good to have them back, great to have them back, I thought they were gone and gone for good," Malcolm told <em><a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/today/lost-war-medals-returned-to-vietnam-veteran-in-time-for-remembrance-day/b03bf4df-0d3c-440b-9783-1e6c7ac73a11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Today</a></em>.</p> <p>"The zip was opened on my case and somehow they fell out, so it's a good reminder for us to take extra care when we pack."</p> <p>Malcolm was not the only one in his family to serve the country, sharing how his father served in the Royal Navy, he had uncles in the Royal Australian Air Force and and the Royal Air Force and a brother who served in Naval Reserve.</p> <p>His son also served in the Navy and with so many of his fellow Vietnam veteran soldiers no longer alive, having his medals back today is something special.</p> <p>"Remembrance Day is a very important day for me," he said.</p> <p>Brisbane Airport's media manager Peter Doherty added that he was thrilled to see the medals return to their rightful owner. </p> <p>He said, "For Malcolm's lifetime of service, the least we could do was the door-to-door service to get the medals back to him."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Today </em></p>

Retirement Life

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Exploring The Lost Recipes by Ross Dobson

<p><em>In his quest to unearth Australia’s forgotten culinary treasures, Ross Dobson has dredged up everything from the delicate to the downright curious – recipes that had slipped into obscurity like an old record player and are now ready for a comeback.</em></p> <p>During the Covid pandemic I embalmed myself in nostalgia. There was loss on a global scale and, for many of us, it was also a time of great personal loss. Within a few short years, just prior to and during the pandemic, I lost both my parents. I found peace and comfort (and joy in spades) in reading old Australian recipes. </p> <p>I devoured recipes in old books, newspapers, magazines – anything I could get my hands on. Simple and even not-so-simple recipes. Shared or sought. I became interested in (nay, obsessed with) the forgotten: recipes that have been overlooked or disregarded, or were barely noticed in the first place. These are the lost recipes. </p> <p>We found a culinary oasis that was the beginning of the end of our ‘meat-and-two veg’ diet: a rival more exotic and delicious. </p> <p>The original idea for this book was to limit it to baking recipes: cakes, slices, biscuits and puddings. Surely we have all heard of, eaten or made a lamington, custard kiss, finger bun, passionfruit sponge or pav. These have all received top billing in any production of Australian classics. But what about a whimsy, fluffy dick, Napoleon cake, Australian shortbread or cream lily? These delicious things have been waiting in the wings for far too long. I am nudging them into the limelight. </p> <p>But as I perused an article in a magazine or newspaper, it was not uncommon to see a cake or slice recipe incongruously sandwiched between recipes for braised breast of lamb and devilled whitebait, or turmeric duck and farmhouse casserole (rabbit with inside-out stuffing). How could I possibly resist including these? And so, the scope of the book fell into place. </p> <p>I was drawn to the recipes that were popular at one point in time. A good recipe would be printed in newspapers again and again. Today, we would say it has ‘gone viral’. But, like a whispered game of ‘pass it on’, some good recipes would lose something or become something else over time. </p> <p>In researching for a previous book, <em>Australia: The Cookbook</em>, I noticed a recurring lack of nuance. There seemed to be little room for movement or deviation from a recipe. A lamington recipe was just that. There are, to this day, slight variations. Some recipes might call for a filling of jam, cream, buttercream or even panna cotta, a contemporary take. And if this was the case, it wasn’t a regional thing. It was shared and enjoyed on a national level. Much like a recipe for pavlova, meat pie or a hamburger with the lot. </p> <p>Nigella Lawson says of Australian food: ‘These [recipes] demonstrate that peculiar mixture of macho and camp that is a feature of a certain kind of Australian cooking tradition.’ </p> <p>I agree. I feel like much of our food tradition is binary: the meat and the sweet. The brown of a beef stew and the garish pink of coconut ice. Of course, this is reducing Australian recipes to a simple notion. </p> <p>There are exceptions to the rule, not as rare as one might think. It is these exceptions that I went in search of. In doing so, I inadvertently discovered that some Australians did cook with ingredients such as garlic, ginger, coconut milk and chilli. A simple roast lamb with garlic (page 110) and a chicken curry (page 96) laden with ginger and green chilli are testament to that. Capers, anchovies and lentils are also used in recipes that went under the radar. </p> <p>Looking at our past offers insight into who we are now. Through this culinary looking glass we can also see the opposite of what we might expect or what we might think is the norm. What we choose to cook and consume can be a revelation of our identity, of who we are. </p> <p>Our Indigenous culture is the oldest in the world, yet many of us are unfamiliar with native ingredients; Europeans brought cuisines and cultures to these shores, yet we are not European; Asia is our nearest neighbour and the origin of some of our favourite dishes, but we are not Asian. </p> <p>We are unique. In all this, there is wonder to be had, and wonder I do.</p> <p><em>To learn more about </em>The Lost Recipes<em> and other exciting upcoming publications from Echo Publishing, you can follow us on Instagram and Facebook, or visit our website at <a href="https://www.echopublishing.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.echopublishing.com.au/</a></em></p> <p><em>Images: Echo Publishing </em></p> <p><em>Brought to you by Echo Publishing</em></p>

Food & Wine

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What to claim for lost, delayed or damaged bags on overseas flights

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rebecca-johnston-123333">Rebecca Johnston</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-notre-dame-australia-852">University of Notre Dame Australia</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-hodgkinson-6574">David Hodgkinson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</a></em></p> <p>If you get on a plane and your baggage ends up being delayed, damaged or lost, who’s responsible: you or the airline? And what rules apply when you’re flying between different countries – even if you don’t have travel insurance?</p> <p>Airlines (otherwise known as carriers) generally include baggage requirements in their terms and conditions of carriage, which are set out or referred to on your ticket. These are the rules that apply to the journey that you have booked.</p> <p>But for international flights, a carrier’s liability for damage, loss or delay of baggage is governed by a number of overarching international treaties, which many passengers aren’t aware of.</p> <h2>International agreements</h2> <p>The <a href="http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/air.carriage.warsaw.convention.1929/doc.html">Warsaw Convention</a> of 1929 was the first of these treaties, and the latest is the passenger-friendly 1999 <a href="http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/air.carriage.unification.convention.montreal.1999/">Montreal Convention</a>.</p> <p>In order for one of these treaties to apply to a particular journey, the same treaty must be in place at the point of departure and the passenger’s final destination.</p> <p>For many trips, the agreement that will apply will be the Montreal Convention, which has to date <a href="http://www.icao.int/secretariat/legal/List%20of%20Parties/Mtl99_EN.pdf">108 state parties</a>, covering everywhere from Albania and Australia to Zambia. In time, the Montreal Convention is expected to apply to almost all air travel.</p> <p>The Warsaw Convention (as amended by the <a href="http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/air.carriage.warsaw.convention.hague.protocol.1955/doc.html">Hague Protocol</a> and <a href="http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/air.carriage.warsaw.convention.montreal.protocol.4.1975/doc.html">Montreal Protocol No. 4</a>) will generally apply where the Montreal Convention does not. It is less favourable to passengers.</p> <p>All these treaties have similar provisions to deal with baggage claims – but very different limits to what you might get if you need to make a claim.</p> <h2>What the airline is responsible for</h2> <p>A carrier is liable if your checked baggage is lost, delayed or damaged regardless of fault.</p> <p>This is so unless the damage resulted from the inherent defect or quality of the baggage or, in terms of delay, if it proves that it took all reasonable measures to avoid the damage occasioned by that delay.</p> <p>As for unchecked baggage (that is, carry-on baggage), the carrier is only liable if the damage is due to the fault of the carrier or its agents.</p> <p>Unless otherwise specified, reference to “baggage” includes both checked and unchecked baggage.</p> <h2>Calculating baggage compensation</h2> <p>Under the Warsaw Convention (as amended by the <a href="http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/air.carriage.warsaw.convention.hague.protocol.1955/doc.html">Hague Protocol</a> and <a href="http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/air.carriage.warsaw.convention.montreal.protocol.4.1975/doc.html">Montreal Protocol No. 4</a>) and the Montreal Convention, liability limits are expressed in <a href="http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/sdr.HTM">special drawing rights</a> (SDRs).</p> <p>An SDR is a type of foreign exchange reserve asset created by the International Monetary Fund. Its value is based on an artificial basket of currencies consisting of the US dollar, the euro, the pound and the Japanese yen. The liability limits are reviewed every five years.</p> <p>As of October 16, 2014, the <a href="http://www.imf.org/external/np/fin/data/param_rms_mth.aspx">value of an SDR</a> is about US$1.49, £0.93 or A$1.70. Current SDR values for other currencies are also listed <a href="http://www.imf.org/external/np/fin/data/param_rms_mth.aspx">here</a>.</p> <h2>So what is your baggage worth?</h2> <p>In terms of baggage liability limits, the Warsaw Convention is of relatively little assistance to passengers.</p> <p>If your international travel is subject to Warsaw (for example, if you flew out of the United States on a one way ticket to Guatemala), liability for delayed, damaged or lost baggage is limited to 17 SDRs (about US$25.33, £15.81 or A$28.90) per kilogram per passenger for checked baggage and 332 SDRs (about US$494.68, £308.76 or A$564.40) per passenger for unchecked baggage.</p> <p>In contrast, a carrier is liable to pay far greater damages if the Montreal Convention applies.</p> <p>For any travel covered by Montreal, the carrier’s liability for baggage is limited to 1131 SDRs per passenger (US$1685.19, £1051.83 or A$1922.70), unless otherwise declared.</p> <p>The carrier is not liable for damages caused by delay if the carrier took all reasonable measures, or if it was impossible for it to take such measures.</p> <h2>Time limits on baggage claims</h2> <p>Time limits are imposed on making a claim for delayed, damaged or lost baggage. Any potential claims should be made to a carrier in writing within these specified limits.</p> <p>Article 26 of Warsaw provides that any complaint as to delay of baggage must be made at the latest within 21 days from the date the baggage was placed at the passenger’s disposal.</p> <figure class="align-right zoomable"></figure> <p>Similarly, under Article 31 of Montreal, a complaint must be made within 21 days of a passenger receiving their baggage.</p> <p>With respect to damaged baggage, under Warsaw, any claim must be made “forthwith” after the discovery of the damage and at most seven days from the date of receipt of the baggage. Montreal also gives passengers seven days from receipt of checked bags to report a damage claim.</p> <p>Neither convention imposes a time limit for reporting lost baggage claims. But it is advisable that you make your complaint as soon as possible.</p> <p>Warsaw does not state when baggage is considered “lost”, leaving it up to carriers to make that ruling. Under Montreal, baggage is only considered lost after 21 days or if the carrier admits that they have lost it.</p> <p>If a passenger fails to make a complaint within the specified times, the carrier will not be liable unless there has been fraud on the carrier’s part.</p> <h2>Insurance alternatives</h2> <p>If you are concerned that the contents of your baggage exceed the liability limits outlined above, you can make a special declaration of the value of your baggage prior to check-in and pay any additional fee (if required).</p> <p>In this case, the carrier will be liable to pay a higher amount, unless it is proved that the declared amount is greater than the actual value of your baggage.</p> <p>Alternatively, prior to travelling, check with your insurance company as to whether your travel insurance covers any excess from delayed, damaged or lost baggage.</p> <p>You might also want to <a href="http://www.icao.int/secretariat/legal/List%20of%20Parties/Mtl99_EN.pdf">check this list</a> to see whether the places you’re departing from and finally arriving at are parties to the Montreal Convention. If not, you might just find yourself out of pocket.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/32111/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rebecca-johnston-123333">Rebecca Johnston</a>, Adjunct Lecturer, Law School, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-notre-dame-australia-852">University of Notre Dame Australia</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-hodgkinson-6574">David Hodgkinson</a>, Associate Professor, Law School, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-to-claim-for-lost-delayed-or-damaged-bags-on-overseas-flights-32111">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Travel Trouble

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Lost touch with someone? Reach out – your friend will likely appreciate it more than you think

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peggy-liu-818769">Peggy Liu</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-pittsburgh-854">University of Pittsburgh</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-min-1354136">Lauren Min</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-kansas-1588">University of Kansas</a></em></p> <h2>The big idea</h2> <p>The next time you wonder whether to reach out to a friend, family member, classmate or other person who’s been out of touch for a long time, go ahead and do it. According to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000402">our just-published research</a>, it’s likely they’ll appreciate it more than you think.</p> <p>In a series of 13 experiments involving over 5,900 participants, we – along with colleagues <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0Stzf1cAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">SoYon Rim</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TZQefJAAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">Kate Min</a> – wanted to investigate whether people accurately predict <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000402">how much their social contacts appreciate being reached out to</a>.</p> <p>In one experiment we conducted, college students wrote a note “to check in and say hello” to a classmate they hadn’t interacted with in a while. Then we asked them how much they thought their classmate would appreciate receiving this note.</p> <p>Next, we delivered these notes to their classmates and asked the recipients how much they appreciated receiving them.</p> <p>We found that the students who received the notes were much more appreciative of the gesture than the students who wrote them had anticipated.</p> <p>Other experiments varied the scenario by involving older adults as participants rather than college students, switching the written message to a small gift – such as cookies or coffee – and comparing how much the sender underestimated the appreciation that an emotionally distant contact would feel compared with a close contact.</p> <p>Overall they yielded the same basic finding: People tended to underestimate how much others appreciated hearing from them.</p> <p>What drives this underestimation? Our results suggest that it’s related to how little the people reaching out factor in the surprise felt by those being contacted. When we asked recipients what they focused on when indicating how appreciative they felt, they reported paying a lot of attention to their positive feelings of surprise, which were linked to how appreciative they felt.</p> <p>Comparatively, potential senders did not report focusing much on recipients’ positive feelings of surprise.</p> <p>It also mattered whether the two parties were already in a close relationship. People’s underestimations were even greater when their contact was a distant acquaintance because these recipients were especially surprised at being contacted.</p> <h2>Why it matters</h2> <p>Many people can name at least one person with whom they would like to reconnect. Taking a new job, moving to a different city, becoming a parent, or the busyness of everyday life – these are just some of the life events and circumstances that can cause people to lose touch. Then, if the desire to reconnect arises on one side, doubts may arise about whether the other person may appreciate being contacted out of the blue.</p> <p>When people consider taking the initiative to reach out, especially after a prolonged period of no contact, they may worry about being rejected. This worry might keep them from reaching out in the first place.</p> <p>Our research lessens this challenge by showing that often, these gestures will be much more appreciated than one might expect.</p> <h2>What other research is being done</h2> <p>Our findings fit within a growing stream of research examining the tendency to underestimate others’ appreciation of various social exchanges. For example, other researchers have found that people underestimate how much <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000277">others appreciate receiving compliments</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797618772506">expressions of gratitude</a>.</p> <p>Our work adds to this area by broadening the scope of the contexts in which people underestimate how much social exchanges are appreciated. Reaching out could but need not require giving compliments or expressing gratitude – the gesture can be as simple as checking in with someone to show that one is thinking about them.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185001/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peggy-liu-818769">Peggy Liu</a>, Ben L. Fryrear Chair in Marketing and Associate Professor of Business Administration, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-pittsburgh-854">University of Pittsburgh</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-min-1354136">Lauren Min</a>, Assistant Professor of Marketing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-kansas-1588">University of Kansas</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/lost-touch-with-someone-reach-out-your-friend-will-likely-appreciate-it-more-than-you-think-185001">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Relationships

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ATO urges Aussies to cash in on nearly $18 billion in lost or unclaimed super

<p>The Australian Taxation Office is urging people to check whether they are eligible to cash in on almost $17.8 billion in lost or unclaimed superannuation. </p> <p>Lost super is when your fund has lost touch with you or your account is inactive, and this can occur if you've changed your name, moved homes or changed jobs, without updating your details. </p> <p>The lost super becomes unclaimed when your fund transfers this lost money to the ATO. </p> <p>"Since 2021, the ATO has reunited almost $6.4 billion of unclaimed super with its owners. But there is still more than $17.8 billion waiting to be found,"<span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"> ATO deputy commissioner Emma Rosenzweig said.</span></p> <p>"If you've changed jobs, moved house or simply forgotten to update your details, you may have lost or unclaimed super.</p> <p>"We're urging Australians to check if some of the $17.8 billion in lost and unclaimed super belongs to them."</p> <p>As of June 30, 2024, super funds and the ATO are holding lost super for over 7.1 million accounts, with retirees among those with lost or unclaimed super. </p> <p>The ATO revealed it was holding $471 million on behalf of those aged over 65. </p> <p>“Superannuation is a key part of your retirement, and we want to make sure Australians are claiming the investment they’ve worked for,” Rosenzweig said.</p> <p>You can check for lost super online through the <a href="https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/super-for-individuals-and-families/super/growing-and-keeping-track-of-your-super/keeping-track-of-your-super/super-health-check#ato-Check3Checkforlostandunclaimedsuper" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ATO</a>. </p> <p>For those wanting to search for unclaimed cash, including unclaimed refunds, share dividends, uncashed cheques and more, you can visit <a href="https://asic.gov.au/for-consumers/unclaimed-money/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">federal</a> and state websites to see if you have anything owed to you. </p> <p>Unclaimed money is cash owed to people who can't be located, either due to name or address changes, lost paperwork or just forgot about the cash. </p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Pet cat lost in the outback ends in purr-fect reunion months later

<p>A beloved pet cat who went missing in the South Australian outback while on a road trip with his owner has been miraculously returned to his family months later.</p> <p>In June, Murry Rantall was travelling from Warnambook Victoria to Darwin in a caravan when he made a pit stop on the Stuart Hwy so his Burmese cat Raj could use the litter box. </p> <p>Rantall went for a walk and came back assuming that his 14-year-old feline friend was still inside so he drove off. </p> <p>It wasn't until 200km later, when he went to check on Raj, that he realised the cat was missing. </p> <p>“I was just about bawling … I knew he was in trouble,” Rantall said.</p> <p>Rantall who had recently lost his wife said that Raj was the only loved one he had left at home. </p> <p>“We were sort of looking after each other more or less,” Rantall said.</p> <p>He turned back to search for Raj, and even had his daughter, Katrina drive from Victoria to South Australia to help find the cat, but they had no luck. </p> <p>The feline was lost but not fur-gotten as Rantall's children put up Facebook posts about Raj missing in the South Australian outback. </p> <p>Two months later, the outback cat-astrophe ended with the purr-fect homecoming when Raj was found in Port Augusta, about 50km from where he ran away. </p> <p>Raj was found in Milla Dey’s backyard on Thursday, August 8.</p> <p>“I just saw that he was there and covered in prickles. We got him some food and water and he spent probably 15 to 20 minutes just eating,” Dey said.</p> <p>He was taken to a local vet to scan his microchip, but the details were outdated. </p> <p>Locals managed to track down Rantall's family on social media after seeing the Facebook posts about Raj, and they were reunited over the weekend. </p> <p>Rantall said Raj had lost a lot of weight but was content to be back in his arms.</p> <p>“We’ll feed him up, he’ll be all right,” Rantall said.</p> <p>Port Augusta City Council animal control officer Kylie McKerlie said the reunion was thanks to the care and dedication of the local community.</p> <p>“It’s just a really good town and a really good feeling for everyone,” she said.</p> <p>Rantall also thanked everyone who helped saying, “it’s unbelievable, the help I’ve had.” </p> <p><em>Images: 7News</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Indigenous netball player shares "disgusting" hate letter after sponsorship drama

<p>An Indigenous netball star has shared a vile hate letter she received from a netball fan, two years on from the Netball Australia sponsorship drama.</p> <p>Prior to her first game with the Australian Diamonds national team in 2022, Donnell Wallam, a Noongar woman from Western Australia, refused to wear the uniform which featured the logo of Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting.</p> <p>The 30-year-old athlete shared that her reasoning was over racist comments made by Rinehart's late father in the 1980s, when he suggested Aboriginal people should be sterilised.</p> <p>In response to Wallam's boycott, Gina Rinehart dramatically tore up her $15 million sponsorship deal with Netball Australia, which had been set to run until the end of 2025.</p> <p>Now, two years on from the sponsorship drama, Wallam shared a photo on of hate mail she received about the controversy, from a woman named “Mary”.</p> <p>The letter posted to Instagram, which accused Wallam of being "radicalised by the Aboriginal left", includes a mocking imitation of an Indigenous Acknowledgement of Country paying “respects to British and European elders”.</p> <p>“As if the hate online wasn’t enough, Mary thought she’d send me a letter,” the netballer wrote. “I’m beyond disgusted and hurt but I will never stop advocating for my people. Blak, Loud and Proud. ALWAYS.”</p> <p>The letter reads, “I am writing to you to express my sadness that your [sic] cost the Australian Diamonds, of $15,000,000, caused by your radically influenced comments about Gina Rinehart’s father, Lang Hancock.” </p> <p>“Mr Hancock’s comments about serialisation [sic] of Aboriginals was disgusting and made by one man. However, at the time his daughter was not yet born as you were not yet born. You were influenced by the nasty activist Aboriginal clique that hates everything Australia. You fell into their spell and caused such loss of donations to Australia Netball. Hang your head in shame girl, for being manipulated by the radical Aboriginal filth.”</p> <p>Mary adds that she went to school in Perth “and had many good Noongar friends that I still love today”. </p> <p>“You are a disgrace to the Noongar Tribe,” she wrote. “I will never watch you play, ever.”</p> <p>Wallam’s supporters slammed the letter as “disgusting”, saying they will always support the inspirational athlete.</p> <p>“You are such an inspiration for so many, I am completely disgusted but sadly not shocked, what an absolute piece of s**t this woman is,” one wrote.</p> <p>“I will defs be watching your next game to support you,” another said. “Sounds like Mary’s loss!”</p> <p><em>Image credits: DARREN PATEMAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

Legal

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"Meant to be": Magical moment mum finds lost ring 15 years later

<p>Some stories are so unbelievable that it seems like divine intervention played a part in making them happen.</p> <p>Samantha was only eight or nine years old when she lost a ring that her parents gave her for Christmas, only to miraculously find it 15 years later. </p> <p>She recalled the remarkable story of her lost ring on <em>Nova 96.9's Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie</em>. </p> <p>"So when I was about eight or nine, it was Christmas time, and we were holidaying up at Umina Beach Caravan Park," Samantha began.</p> <p>"I was in the surf, and my mum and dad had bought me this beautiful little first diamond ring for Christmas, and I was sort of in the waves up to sort of my knees, and I thought, Oh, I better take my ring off and put it around my necklace, because if I get dumped or under the waves, I might lose it."</p> <p>Samantha recalled that she was in the middle of taking her ring off when a "freak wave" came and knocked her over, causing her to drop the ring in the ocean.</p> <p>"I'm crying... my mum's crying, we're all crying, and I lost the ring," she said.</p> <p>15 years later she returned to the same beach with her own kids, when things took a turn for the better. </p> <p>"My daughter's collecting shells, and she picks up this big shell, and I said, 'Oh, that's beautiful. Like, that's a big one. We don't find them up this way'," she told the radio hosts.</p> <p>"And she said, 'Oh, hang on. I think there's like a creature or something in it'... So I said 'Put it down, put it down', and I picked it up and just make sure she wasn't going to get bitten or anything.</p> <p>"And I looked inside, and my ring was inside the shell."</p> <p>Samantha told the hosts that she remembered her mum giving her the ring and telling her "when you grow up and you have a daughter, you can give this to her."</p> <p>"When we found it, I think I cried for like, a week, it's a story that we still don't believe."</p> <p>Radio hosts Kate, Fitzy and Wippa were all in shock, with Kate telling the mum that the ring was "meant to be" with her. </p> <p>"Well, the funny thing is, my mum, actually, at the moment, is palative," Samantha shared.</p> <p>"She's very, very unwell, and out of everything that she does remember, she still remembers that story.</p> <p>"She'll still say to me, 'don't you ever get rid of that ring'. And I'm like, my daughter's got it in a box at home, and she's not even allowed to wear it."</p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Domestic Travel

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"I am so lost without you": Sam Rubin's son speaks out

<p>Sam Rubin’s son has delivered an emotional on-air tribute to his late dad just days after his <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/health/caring/legendary-today-show-reporter-dies-unexpectedly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passing</a>. </p> <p>The entertainment reporter died unexpectedly at the age of 64, after reportedly suffering a heart attack in his Los Angeles home last Friday. </p> <p>He worked for LA TV station KTLA as their entertainment reporter, and was a regular guest on Aussie programs like<em> Today</em> and <em>Today Extra</em>. </p> <p>Colby Rubin, the youngest of the reporter's four children, joined KTLA 5 Morning News on Monday to reflect on his father's death. </p> <p>“Hi dad. I wrote this under the desk in your cubicle – only you weren’t there to wake me up this time. Dad, I can’t believe you’re gone,” the 16-year-old began. </p> <p>“I love you so much. On the day you died, I hope you heard me say that. You were the kindest soul, the light in every room. I can’t imagine my life without you... You were always there.”</p> <p>He said he idolised his father calling him his hero, and said: “I never got to tell you that, and I’m so sorry dad.”</p> <p>Colby then shared some of their private texts showing how encouraging his father was when he was unsure of himself, telling him: "You can do this,” and "you have every gift. Respect your own talent." </p> <p>At this point, Colby was overwhelmed with emotion, with the hosts telling him he could take a break but the teen powered on. </p> <p>“I can’t believe I’ve lost you. I had more of a father in 16 years than some people get in their entire lives, and I’m so grateful.</p> <p>"You are a beautiful human and you will never be forgotten. Dad I love you. I am so lost without you, I’ll miss you every day. I hope you know how loved you are.”</p> <p>Colby's tribute left his father's colleagues in tears with one co-host telling him simply: “He knew.”</p> <p>“He would be so proud of you. All of us are parents, we all can say – that is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard,” another said as she fought back tears. </p> <p>Viewers praised Colby for his “strength and composure” in delivering such an emotional tribute just days after losing his father. </p> <p>“Amazing how Colby was able to do this with such grace, strength, and composure. You can tell Sam was an amazing father through Colby’s tribute,” TV anchor Stephanie Myers wrote on X. </p> <p>Sam is survived by his wife Leslie and four children: Perry, 28, Rory, 23, Darcy, 18, and Colby.</p> <p><em>Image: KTLA/ X</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Sydney Airport launches massive auction of lost property

<p>Have you ever lost something at the airport? </p> <p>You're not alone.</p> <p>This year there were more than 2,500 unclaimed items left at the airport including electronics, jewellery and designer handbags, and now they are up for grabs for a fraction of their retail price. </p> <p>The airport has launched their annual online auction, with all the money raised going to the Harding Miller Education Foundation, which grants four-year scholarships to high-school girls with high academic potential who are experiencing disadvantage. </p> <p>Over the past decade, the auctions have raised $1.6 million for various charities. </p> <p>“It’s clear the public love nabbing a bargain in support of a worthy cause," Sydney Airport general manager of corporate affairs Josh Clements said. </p> <p>“There’s something for everyone with plenty of great tech, clothing, accessories and beauty products as well as a host of unique items like a massage table, an electric scooter, a leaf blower and a quintessential Aussie favourite, a jaffle maker (sandwich press),” he added. </p> <p>“It’s great to see these unclaimed items find new homes, while also supporting a charity that’s offering comprehensive scholarships to help level the playing field for high school girls facing disadvantage.”</p> <p>“Opening bids start at just $10, which means shoppers have a chance to grab a great deal while also supporting an impactful charity,” Theodore Bruce Auctioneers director, Casi Prischl, said.</p> <p>The auction runs until Sunday May 12, with the <a href="https://www.theodorebruceauctions.com.au/sydney-airport-lost-property-auction-2024a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complete list of auctions currently open for bids below</a>: </p> <ul> <li>Tech & Gaming - Saturday 4 May to Saturday 11 May, closing at 10am</li> <li>Sunglasses, Bags, Scarves & Accessories - Saturday 4 May to Saturday 11 May, closing at 2pm</li> <li>Jewellery & Watches - Saturday 4 May to Sunday 12 May, closing at 10am</li> <li>Clothing - Saturday to May to Sunday 12 May, closing at 2pm</li> <li>Beauty, Alcohol, Home - Saturday 4 May to Sunday 12 May, closing at 4pm</li> </ul> <p>Goods can be delivered at a price, or picked up by appointment. </p> <p><em>Images: Theodore Bruce Auctions</em></p>

Money & Banking

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“I lost all ability to fly the plane”: Pilot's shock claim after plane drops mid-flight

<p>At least 50 passengers have been injured with a dozen hospitalised after a Boeing 787 Dreamliner suddenly plunged about two hours into the flight from Sydney to Auckland on Monday. </p> <p>LATAM Airlines said that the plane experienced an unspecified "technical event during the flight which caused a strong movement." </p> <p>Passengers on board the flight have recalled the terrifying moment the plane took a nose-dive mid-flight. </p> <p>"The plane dipped so dramatically into a nose dive for a couple of seconds and around 30 people hit the ceiling hard," Daniel, who was travelling from London, told the <em>NZ Herald</em>. </p> <p>“None of us knew what had happened until after the flight, I was just trying to keep everyone calm. We never heard any announcement from the captain." </p> <p>He added that passengers were screaming and it was hard to tell whether blood or red wine was splattered through the cabin. </p> <p>Another passenger, Brian Jokat, told broadcaster <em>RNZ t</em>hat the incident took place in "split seconds". </p> <p>"There was no pre-turbulence, we were just sailing smoothly the whole way,” he said. </p> <p>“I had just dozed off and I luckily had my seatbelt on, and all of a sudden the plane just dropped. It wasn’t one of those things where you hit turbulence and you drop a few times … we just dropped.”</p> <p>He added that a passenger two seats away from him, who was not wearing his seatbelt, flew up into the ceiling and was suspended mid-air before he fell and broke his ribs. </p> <p>“I thought I was dreaming,” he said. “I opened my eyes and he was on the roof of the plane on his back, looking down on me. It was like <em>The Exorcist</em>.”</p> <p>Paramedics and more than 10 emergency vehicles were waiting for passengers when the plane landed in Auckland. </p> <p>Around 50 patients were treated, with 12 of them hospitalised and one in serious condition. </p> <p>At least three of those treated were cabin crew. </p> <p>Jokat told <em>RNZ </em>that after the plane landed, the pilot came to the back and explained what had happened. </p> <p>"He said to me, ‘I lost my instrumentation briefly and then it just came back all of a sudden,’” Jokat said.</p> <p>In another interview with <em>Stuff.co.nz</em>, Jokat recalled the pilot also saying: “My gauges just blanked out, I lost all of my ability to fly the plane.” </p> <p>The airline's final destination was Santiago, Chile, but it was landing at Auckland Airport in accordance with its normal flight path, according to <em>Reuters</em>. </p> <p>"LATAM regrets the inconvenience and injury this situation may have caused its passengers, and reiterates its commitment to safety as a priority within the framework of its operational standards," the airline said.  </p> <p><em>Images: Brian Jokat/ News.com.au</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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The art of ‘getting lost’: how re-discovering your city can be an antidote to capitalism

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-dobson-1093706">Stephen Dobson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a></em></p> <p>Do you remember what it was like to discover the magic of a city for the first time? Do you remember the noises, smells, flashing lights and pulsating crowds? Or do you mostly remember cities through the screen of your phone?</p> <p>In 1967, French philosopher and filmmaker Guy Debord <a href="https://files.libcom.org/files/The%20Society%20of%20the%20Spectacle%20Annotated%20Edition.pdf">publicised the need</a> to move away from living our lives as bystanders continually tempted by the power of images. Today, we might see this in a young person flicking from one TikTok to the next – echoing the hold images have on us. But adults aren’t adverse to this window-shopping experience, either.</p> <p>Debord notes we have a tendency to observe rather than engage. And this is to our detriment. Continually topping-up our image consumption leaves no space for the unplanned – the reveries to break the pattern of an ordered life.</p> <p>Debord was a member of a group called the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Situationist-International">Situationist International</a>, dedicated to new ways we could reflect upon and experience our cities. Active for about 15 years, they believed we should experience our cities as an act of resistance, in direct opposition to the (profit-motivated) capitalistic structures that demand our attention and productivity every waking hour.</p> <p>More than 50 years since the group dissolved, the Situationists’ philosophy points us to a continued need to attune ourselves – through our thoughts and senses – to the world we live in. We might consider them as early eco-warriors. And through better understanding their philosophy, we can develop a new relationship with our cities today.</p> <h2>Understanding the ‘situation’</h2> <p>The Situationist International movement was <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt183p61x">formed</a> in 1957 in Cosio di Arroscia, Italy, and became active in several European countries. It brought together radical artists inspired by spontaneity, experimentalism, intellectualism, protest and hedonism. Central figures included Danish artist <a href="https://museumjorn.dk/en/">Asger Jorn</a>, French novelist <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/author/michele-bernstein-10219/">Michèle Bernstein</a> and Italian musician and composer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Olmo">Walter Olmo</a>.</p> <p>The Situationists were driven by a <a href="https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/34141">libertarian form of Marxism</a> that resisted mass consumerism. One of the group’s early terms was “unitary urbanism”, which sought to join avant-garde art with the critique of mass production and technology. They rejected “urbanism’s” conventional emphasis on function, and instead thought about art and the environment as inexorably interrelated.</p> <p>By rebelling against the invasiveness of consumption, the Situationists proposed a turn towards artistically-inspired individuality and creativity.</p> <h2>Think on your own two feet</h2> <p>According to the 1960 <a href="https://hts3.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/situationist-international-manifesto.pdf">Situationist Manifesto</a> we are all to be artists of our own “situations”, crafting independent identities as we stand on our own two feet. They believed this could be achieved, in part, through “<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/psychogeography#:%7E:text=Psychogeography%20describes%20the%20effect%20of,emotions%20and%20behaviour%20of%20individuals">psychogeography</a>”: the idea that geographical locations exert a unique psychological effect on us.</p> <p>For instance, when you walk down a street, the architecture around you may be deliberately designed to encourage a certain kind of experience. Crossing a vibrant city square on a sunny morning evokes joy and a feeling of connection with others. There’s also usually a public event taking place.</p> <p>The Situationists valued drift, or <em>dérive</em> in French. This alludes to unplanned movement through a landscape during journeys on foot. By drifting aimlessly, we unintentionally redefine the traditional rules imposed by private or public land owners and property developers. We make ourselves open to the new unexpected and, in doing so, are liberated from the shackles of everyday routine.</p> <p>In <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-10-8100-2">our research</a>, my colleagues and I consider cities as places in which “getting lost” means exposing yourself to discovering the new and taken-for-granted.</p> <h2>Forge your own path</h2> <p>By understanding the Situationists – by looking away from our phones and allowing ourselves to get lost – we can rediscover our cities. We can see them for what they are beneath the blankets of posters, billboards and advertisements. How might we take back the image and make it work for us?</p> <p>The practise of geo-tagging images on social media, and sharing our location with others, could be considered close to the spirit of the Situationists. Although it’s often met with claims of <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/when-why-not-to-use-geotagging-overtourism-security">over-fuelling tourism</a> (especially regarding idyllic or otherwise protected sites), geo-tagging could <a href="https://www.melaninbasecamp.com/trip-reports/2019/5/1/five-reasons-why-you-should-keep-geotagging">inspire us</a> to actively seek out new places through visiting the source of an image.</p> <p>This could lead to culturally respectful engagement, and new-found respect for the rights of traditional custodians as we experience their lands in real life, rather than just through images on our phones.</p> <p>Then there are uniquely personal and anarchistic forms of resistance, wherein we can learn about the world around us by interweaving ourselves with our histories. In doing so we offer a new meaning to a historical message, and a new purpose. The Situationists called this process <em><a href="https://www.theartstory.org/movement/situationist-international/">détournement</a></em>, or hijacking.</p> <p>For instance, from my grandfather I inherited a biscuit tin of black and white photographs I believe were taken in the 1960s. They showed images of parks and wildlife, perhaps even of the same park, and cityscapes of London with people, streets and buildings.</p> <p>I have spent many hours wandering the London streets tracking down the exact places these images were snapped. I was juxtaposing past with present, and experiencing both continuity and change in the dialogues I had with my grandfather. In this way, I used images to augment (rather than replace) my lived experience of the material world.</p> <p>Urban art installations can also be examples of detournment as they make us re-think everyday conceptions. <a href="https://www.cityartsydney.com.au/artwork/forgotten-songs/">Forgotten Songs</a> by Michael Hill is one such example. A canopy of empty birdcages commemorates the songs of 50 different birds once heard in central Sydney, but which are now lost due to habitat removal as a result of urban development.</p> <p>There are also a number of groups, often with a strong environmental or civic rights focus, that partake in detournment. <a href="https://popularresistance.org/dancing-revolution-how-90s-protests-used-rave-culture-to-reclaim-the-streets/">Reclaim the Streets</a> is a movement with a long history in Australia. The group advocates for communities having ownership of and agency within public spaces. They may, for instance, “invade” a highway to throw a “<a href="https://pasttenseblog.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/road-rave.pdf">road rave</a>” as an act of reclamation.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bUL0C_T-Sqk?wmode=transparent&amp;start=999" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>As French avant-garde philosopher <a href="https://www.themarginalian.org/2014/07/24/the-poetics-of-reverie-gaston-bachelard/">Gaston Bachelard</a> might have put it, when we’re bombarded by images there is no space left to daydream. We lose the opportunity to explore and question the world capitalism serves us through images.</p> <p>Perhaps now is a good time to set down the phone and follow in the Situationists’ footsteps. <!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221606/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-dobson-1093706"><em>Stephen Dobson</em></a><em>, Professor and Dean of Education and the Arts, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-art-of-getting-lost-how-re-discovering-your-city-can-be-an-antidote-to-capitalism-221606">original article</a>.</em></p>

Travel Tips

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"Lost everything": Retirees left homeless after houseboat destroyed

<p>Two grandparents from South Australia have lost everything after a tree fell on their houseboat during a wild storm. </p> <p>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. </p> <p>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. </p> <p>Their granddaughter Shenay Harris said it was a miracle the pair escaped with only minor injuries.</p> <p>“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"><em>7News</em></a>.</p> <p>“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.”</p> <p>Shenay said her grandparents were now feeling lost about their future, while also grieving the loss of their retirement home. </p> <p>“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.</p> <p>“They’ve been on that boat for 23 years, so it’s been my whole childhood and life with them living on the boat."</p> <p>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. </p> <p>“They’ve literally just lost everything they’ve got, you know, no assets, nowhere to go, no money,” Shenay said.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>“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.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: GoFundMe / 7News</em></p>

Retirement Life

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Aussie love story from WWII immortalised in the war memorial

<p>An Australian couple's love story that defied the odds of time and distance has been immortalised in the war memorial.</p> <p>The Australian War Memorial is calling for volunteers to help transcribe thousands of love letters sent from soldiers in the war, to their loved ones back at home. </p> <p>Launching on Valentine's Day, the project will see the digital release of hundreds of thousands of personal letters, diaries and other handwritten documents kept safe for decades. </p> <p>Among those stories is the tale of Mac and Dot, two lovebirds separated by World War II. </p> <p>Their love story began in 1939, when Mac was 17 and Dorothy was 14. </p> <p>Dorothy - or as Mac referred to her, his Darling Dot - was forbidden to go on a date with Mac after her father refused to give his blessing. </p> <p>"He kept on asking me to go out but my father wouldn't let me," Dorothy laughed as she told Ally Langdon on <em>A Current Affair</em>. </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-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3Rj4g9vjIS/?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/reel/C3Rj4g9vjIS/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by A Current Affair (@acurrentaffair9)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Mac was soon off to war, but his plan was always to return home to Dot. </p> <p>"He said to me, 'When I come back home...Will you come out with me then?'" Dorothy reminisced.</p> <p>"I said, 'Of course I will, Mac!' And then he gave me a kiss and went to war."</p> <p>The young couple then continued to write each other letters every week for five long years, until Mac was captured by the German army and held as a prisoner of war. </p> <p>Despite his capture, Mac held onto every letter Dot had ever written him, as he remained determined to get home to his beloved. </p> <p>"I hated him being away, and when the letters came back oh gee they were wonderful," Dorothy said.</p> <p>"A letter meant he was still alive, you see, so it was so exciting."</p> <p>In April 1945, Dot received the best letter of all: Mac had escaped and was coming home. </p> <p>"Hello my darling. What does one say in a moment such as this?" Dot wrote on April 30th 1945.</p> <p>"I have butterflies in my stomach, love in my heart and few words that make sense in my mind. Well Mac, it's really coming at last. You're almost home". </p> <p>And Mac wrote back to that, "Hello darling. I miss you more now than ever."</p> <p>"Unfortunately I can't find a boat to take me back to you. If they don't hurry I guess I'll just have to pinch a rowing boat and see what I can do!" </p> <p>When Mac returned home, he brought with him half a decade's worth of those love letters from Dot, as well as a portrait of himself painted by another prisoner of war. </p> <p>It hangs proudly at the end of Dorothy's bed and is the first thing she sees when she wakes.</p> <p>Now Robyn Van Dyke and Terrie-Anne Simmonds from the Australian War Memorial are sifting through thousands of donated love letters, including Mac's and Dorothy's.</p> <p>"He not only managed to escape, but he managed to take all her letters with him and that blows me away because it's not a small amount of letters," Robyn said.</p> <p>The team is looking for <a href="https://transcribe.awm.gov.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">volunteers</a> to help ensure those stories, and all that love, live forever.</p> <p>Dorothy, who is now 101 years old, had more than 70 wonderful years with Mac before he died in 2014. </p> <p>"He was nearly 90, you know. And me I just kept on going and going and going!" she said.</p> <p>"He'd be up there watching every minute I bet. We had such fun. Oh dear we did have fun. We laughed a lot and we cried a lot."</p> <p>"But we lived - and that was the main thing."</p> <p><em>Image credits: A Current Affair </em></p> <p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 24px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.333; font-family: 'Proxima Nova', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: #333333; color: #333333; letter-spacing: 0.25px;"> </p>

Relationships

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"They lost it": Margot Robbie's surprise encounter with Barbie fans

<p>Margot Robbie has recalled a sweet story about when she overheard a group of men talking about the <em>Barbie</em> movie, before giving them the surprise of their life. </p> <p>At a screening of the <em>Barbie</em> movie in Los Angeles, the Aussie actress told the audience of the heartwarming moment she encountered in Scotland, shortly after the film's release last July. </p> <p>At the SAG-AFTRA screening of the blockbuster movie, Robbie began, “I had this brilliant experience.”</p> <p>“I was in a pub in the middle of nowhere in Scotland and I listened for about 30 minutes to a group of guys on a bachelor party discussing the <em>Barbie</em> movie, not knowing that I was sitting two or three feet away from them.”</p> <p>Robbie continued, “It was just truly fascinating. There were people at the table who refused to see the <em>Barbie</em> movie."</p> <p>“One guy was like, ‘Dude, it is a cultural moment, don’t you want to be a part of culture?’ And the other guy was like, ‘I’ll never see it,’ and by the end he did want to see it. It was a whole thing."</p> <p>“I wasn’t going to go up to them, but then I did.”</p> <p>Before leaving the pub, Robbie casually waltzed up to the group of men who “lost it” when they discovered Barbie herself had overheard their conversation.</p> <p>“At the last minute as I was walking out I went to their table and I went ‘Thank you for seeing the <em>Barbie</em> movie’,” she added.</p> <p>“It was very funny, they lost it. It took a full minute for them to realise and I was practically out the door and they went ‘Ohhhh’.</p> <p>“People’s reactions to the movie have been the biggest reward of this entire experience.”</p> <p>The heartwarming story comes fresh on the heels of Margot being <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/entertainment/movies/margot-robbie-snubbed-as-oscar-nominations-announced" target="_blank" rel="noopener">snubbed</a> for a Best Actress nomination at this year's Oscars for the <em>Barbie</em> movie, which caused an uproar on social media. </p> <p>Margot addressed the snub at the LA screening, saying there's “no way to feel sad when you’re this blessed.”</p> <p>“Obviously, I think Greta should be nominated as a director,” she added.</p> <p>“What she did is a once-in-a-career, once-in-a-lifetime thing. What she pulled off, it really is."</p> <p>“We set out to do something that would shift culture, affect culture, just make some sort of impact. And it’s already done that and some, way more than we ever dreamt it would. And that is truly the biggest reward that could come out of all of this.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

Movies

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"Is this legal?" Residents outraged over demanding aircon letter

<p>Residents in a Sydney unit complex were left outraged after they were asked to turn off their air conditioners overnight.</p> <p>A letter placed inside the elevator of the 18-floor apartment building states that the utility can only be used “during the following times."</p> <p>“Weekdays 7am to 10pm, weekends and public holidays 8am to 10pm,” the letter said.  </p> <p>“At other times than this, please turn off your air conditioners, especially after 10:00 PM every day.”</p> <p>The letter, which was posted on Facebook, received a lot of backlash from other residents and renters</p> <p>One resident who lived in the 1960s building for a decade said it was the first time she had heard of such a request.</p> <p>“Can anyone please let me know if this is legal? Can they actually force people to not run their own AC units?” the person asked. </p> <p>Many other renters expressed their annoyance, with one joking that they'd have to pry the aircon off their dead hands. </p> <p>“Anyone else feel like we are in a Nanny State?” one wrote. </p> <p>“To be honest with 30°c nights they can pry my aircon from my cold dead heads,” another quipped. </p> <p>One Facebook user also commented that building developers might be to blame. </p> <p>“I think the strata builders got a bit cheap and installed less expensive aircons and therefore they are too loud. Bet if they had decent ones, the tenants wouldn’t have to suffer hot nights because of the noise,” they said. </p> <p>A few others commented that it might not just be a request from strata, but local councils that are enforcing new noise pollution restrictions which affect aircons. </p> <p>City of Sydney, Inner West, and Penrith councils, are a few of the local governments which require the airconditioners to be turned off 10pm to 7am during the week and until 8am on the weekend, the same time requested on the laters. </p> <p>The local governments also recommend that residents and developers purchase high-quality airconditioners that won't cause noise pollution or disturb neighbours. </p> <p>“Even if you’ve been told that it complies with noise requirements, it doesn’t mean it’s going to suit every location all the time,” the Inner West Council website read. </p> <p>The letter comes as Sydney battles its second heatwave in the span of a week. </p> <p><em>Images: Facebook/ Getty</em></p>

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