Interesting Bits and Pieces
From recent happenings or stories around Australia and the world.
Exmouth's king of Ningaloo lighthouse Shaun the sheep dies after a wild, woolly life.
Exmouth residents are mourning the death of a lone sheep that became synonymous with the Ningaloo lighthouse. Shaun the sheep, also known as Rocky or Shrek, died from natural causes on New Year's Eve at the nearby caravan park he would frequent for a drink of water.
The Ningaloo Lighthouse Holiday Park caretaker said the ram had been around for most of the decade she had been in the town. "He may have been from a station in the Exmouth gulf or further down. Some say they’ve seen him 12 to 14 years ago, others 20," Mrs Powell said.
On World Braille Day, advocates say six dots are still the key to communication, literacy and empowerment for the severely sight impaired.
The writing system was invented by Frenchman Louis Braille in 1824 after he lost his sight due to a childhood accident. World Braille Day is now celebrated each year on January 4, as a moment to honour and recognise his important work.
Braille characters are comprised of raised dots arranged in a cell consisting of two vertical rows of three. Dot configurations can be used to represent letters, numbers and punctuation.
University of Southern Queensland lecturer Melissa Fanshawe has worked in inclusive education for more than 20 years. She said braille was constantly being added to new learning tools — including Lego braille bricks, which were introduced into Australian classrooms last year.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year – people’s choice award.
The Natural History Museum in London is inviting people to vote for their favourite image to win this year’s people’s choice award. Twenty-five incredible images have been shortlisted highlighting important nature stories from around the world including ...
Caribbean creche by Claudio Contreras Koob, Mexico.
Claudio was lying down on the mud a safe distance from a breeding colony of Caribbean, or American, flamingos, in Ría Lagartos biosphere reserve, on the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. It was June and the flamingo chicks had left their nests and were in creches guarded by adult birds. When the chicks began to approach Claudio, the adults surrounded them and guided them back into the colony.
Balloon art by Masayoshi Matsumoto.
Masayoshi Matsumoto was working as a chemical engineer when he first learned how to make balloon animals. Matsumoto doesn’t use marker pens or tape for details on his creations: every eyeball, feather and claw is made from balloons. Inspired by wildlife photography, his menagerie of creatures includes startlingly detailed hermit crabs, baboons, ants and birds. He says the most difficult animal to make is a pangolin.
More.
What a tragically strange story.
The bodies of Todd Mooney and his 10-year-old daughter Kirra were found among the wreckage of a shed on a Biggenden property on December 20. Mr Mooney, who owned a bakery in town, had been planning to wed his long-time partner Bec Hansen at the Queensland property the same week he died. Ms Hansen had been working at the bakery on the day the fire began.
Kristen Olsen, 24, a travel blogger, OnlyFans creator and self-proclaimed gypsy, has since been charged with two counts of murder and one count of arson. She is is also facing multiple arson charges stemming from further alleged incidents on the same day, a court has heard. Meanwhile, police are seeking information from the public about a white Holden Barina van with a solar panel on the roof. Police found the burnt-out car in Maryborough and have recovered it as part of their investigation.
An unlikely friendship between a Clydesdale and a ram captures hearts in Tasmania's north-west.
When Ram the ram met Toby the 28-year-old Clydesdale, something between them just clicked.
Somerset's Bonita Jenkins helps look after Toby and Ram, who live in her parents' paddock, directly opposite her own house. The animals have become inseparable since Toby, a working horse from the Huon Valley, arrived on the Somerset property.
"When it rains or when it's really sunny, Ram gets underneath Toby and he's like the shade."
RIP Lisa Marie Presley.
Lisa Marie Presley has died after being rushed to hospital after a reported cardiac arrest. The 54-year-old was the only child of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley.
Lisa Marie was born in 1968 and was the owner of her father's Graceland mansion in Memphis. She was nine years old when Elvis died at Graceland in 1977, from a heart attack aged 42.
Lisa Marie attended the Golden Globes earlier this week with her mother Priscilla to watch US actor Austin Butler win best actor in Baz Luhrmann's Australia made motion picture Elvis. Only days earlier, she had visited Graceland, the mansion where her father lived in Memphis, Tennessee, to celebrate his birthday on January 8.
Lisa Marie married musician Danny Keough in 1988, with whom she had two children and was back living with when she collapsed. Weeks after her divorce to Keough, she married Michael Jackson. In 2002, she had a short-lived marriage to actor and film producer, Nicolas Cage, with their divorce finalised in 2004. She married her guitarist, music producer and director, Michael Lockwood, in 2006 and the couple welcomed twin girls in 2008. She had four children. Her daughter Riley Keough, 33, is an actress and her twins, Harper and Finley Lockwood, are 14.
Her only son, Benjamin Keough, died by suicide in 2020 at the age of 27 after a long battle with addiction. Reportedly she struggled to get over his death. Sadly, Lisa Marie admitted abusing cocaine, She abused drugs from the age of 13-17, had five stints in rehab during her fourth failed marriage and became addicted to opioids after birth of her twin daughters.
More.
Twin rescuers are rescued ...
The rescue twin's future is now secure as 'Saint Peter' offers $1 million for their Pelican and Seabird Rescue centre on the Sunshine Coast.
Bridgette and Paula Powers, known as The Twinnies, have saved thousands of injured, orphaned and sick native birds over 22 years, having devoted their lives to rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing a staggering 187 species despite both battling osteoporosis and serious heart and gut conditions.
Their vital wildlife work has scraped along on public donations, their father's Vietnam War pension, and the occasional government grant.
Their centre was at risk of closure because the landlord wanted to sell the property. Philanthropist Dr Peter Sherwood has offered to buy the site after being impressed by the Twinnies work and dedication. Dr Sherwood said he was dealing directly with the landlord through his lawyers and the contract to buy the property had gone unconditional and would be finalised within weeks.
Dr Peter Sherwood travelled to meet Paula and Bridgette Powers in person.
Oh dear ... shades of Dumb and Dumber.
A Latrobe Valley man was arrested for a burglary after leaving his icy pole stick with his DNA in a stolen vehicle and his Health Care Card at the crime scene.
David Bates has pleaded guilty.
He stole a LandCruiser and traded it for a motorbike and cash via Facebook Marketplace. The court heard when swapping the vehicle Bates told the receiver he had forgotten his identification. The court heard the receiver later reported the vehicle to police after noticing scratch marks around the key barrel.
He also stole an air rifle and tools. The property owners were able to raise Bates as a suspect with police after he left his Health Care Card underneath the box of the stolen rifle.
Wayne Kerrisk grew up hearing about the cannon buried in the backyard of his family's suburban home. But it took 70 years, and a few beers, to unearth the treasure. When Mr Kerrisk told the backyard cannon legend to his mates earlier this month, they all agreed: "Let's dig it up". The group hosted a "cannon party" and got digging. "We hit it straight away," Mr Kerrisk said.
The cannon is believed to be one of four time guns used in Rockhampton between 1865 and 1894 before a clock was installed in the city centre.
While Rockhampton was a thriving port until the mid-20th century, it appears the city's time gun was introduced by a concerned citizen. Newspapers of the time reported "notorious uncertainty and extraordinary variations" in clocks across the town, so, Captain Robert White — a bank manager and part of the volunteer corps — bought a cannon and started his own one o'clock gun on March 23, 1865. In March 1869 he was leaving Rockhampton and he handed the gun over to the council.
The Fort Scratchley time gun in Newcastle, NSW is still fired daily.
The shovels are down in Mr Kerrisk's yard and he's waiting to see if Rockhampton Regional Council will help excavate the heavy artefact.
Homes inundated and residents evacuated as WA's Kimberley area sees ‘one-in-a-century’ floods.
Animals flee the floods at Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley.
The Fitzroy River is forecast to hit record levels and Fitzroy Crossing residents have been warned to find higher ground.