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Miranda Kerr welcomes "little ray of sunshine"

<p>Miranda Kerr has welcomed her fourth child with Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel. </p> <p>The 40-year-old supermodel gave birth to a baby boy named Pierre Kerr Spiegel on Sunday, February 18, but announced the news of her new bub's arrival ten days later.</p> <p>"We are overjoyed by the arrival of our little ray of sunshine, Pierre Kerr Spiegel," she wrote in a statement posted on Snapchat. </p> <p>"We couldn’t be more excited to welcome our fourth son into our family. Feeling so very blessed."</p> <p>Kerr shared a picture of flowers, nestled next to a pair of yellow baby socks and a baby blue blanket that read "Pierre."</p> <p>The heartwarming announcement was made just six months after Kerr revealed that she was <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/so-excited-miranda-kerr-s-special-announcement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expecting her fourth child</a> with a series of pictures showing off her baby bump. </p> <p>"So excited to announce baby 4," she captioned the photo at the time. </p> <p>Kerr and Spiegel, who tied the knot in 2017, have three sons together - baby Pierre, five-year-old Hart, and four-year-old Myles. </p> <p>The Aussie supermodel also shares a fourth son, Flynn, 13, with her former husband Orlando Bloom. </p> <p>Kerr first hinted at the possibility of having more children in a 2022 interview with <em>Vogue Australia</em>. </p> <p>"I just love being a mother and I always wanted three boys, so I feel really blessed that I have three healthy boys."</p> <p>"I feel like I'm open, so we'll see what God decides."</p> <p><em>Images: Miranda Kerr Snapchat</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Thor and Star Wars actor dies suddenly just days before birthday

<p>Actor Ray Stevenson, best known for his work in the Marvel and Star Wars universes, has passed away at 58, just four days shy of his 59th birthday.</p> <p>No cause of death has been made public, but the news was confirmed to <em>Variety</em> through one of the late actor’s representatives, and Italian publication<em> La Repubblica </em>reported that he had been hospitalised shortly before he passed away. </p> <p>Stevenson was in Italy working on his upcoming action movie, <em>Cassino in Ischia</em>, at the time of his death.</p> <p>The Irish-born actor will be remembered by loved ones - those who knew him in real life and those who knew him through his wide range of film, TV, and theatre projects - and by the entertainment industry at large. </p> <p>Born in Northern Ireland in 1864, Steven moved to England with his family at the age of eight, and discovered his calling as an actor after witnessing John Malkovich in a West End theatre production. </p> <p>Stevenson went on to study acting, landing one of his first roles in television in <em>The Dwelling Place</em>, before establishing his place on the screen in a number of other British series, from the likes of <em>Waking the Dead</em> to <em>Dalziel and Pascoe</em>, and <em>At Home with the Braithwaites</em>.</p> <p>His career in Hollywood found its feet with his role in the 2004 King Arthur movie, where he took on the role of one of the Knights of the Round Table. </p> <p>And just four years later, Stevenson made a name for himself in the fan-favourite Marvel universe, playing the titular character Frank Castle in <em>Punisher: War Zone</em>. He was the third actor to ever portray Punisher on screen. </p> <p>Stevenson went on to appear in the likes of <em>The Book of Eli</em>, <em>The Three Musketeers</em>, and the<em> Divergent </em>series, before making his return to Marvel with <em>Thor</em>, where he played one of the god’s Warriors Three up until <em>Thor: Ragnarok</em>.</p> <p>He wasn’t to stop at Marvel, however, with the actor taking on the challenge - and opportunity - of voicing a character in the hit animated Star Wars TV series <em>Clone Wars </em>and<em> Rebels</em> as Mandalorian Gar Saxon. </p> <p>He was set to make his return to that same expanded universe, but this time with his own face at the forefront as a Jedi known as Baylan Skoll, in the upcoming  live action <em>Ahsoka </em>series.</p> <p>His co-stars in that series were devastated to hear of his loss, with the show’s lead and Ahsoka’s actress - Rosario Dawson - posting a touching tribute to social media, alongside a series of pics with the late star. </p> <p>“A giant of a man… stunned and reeling from this tragic, devastating news. Gone too soon from this world,” she wrote. “At a loss for words… just wanted to mark this moment and share your ever ready and present smile. Love you forever. Holding your family in my heart.”</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/Csjo9svpyue/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Csjo9svpyue/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by rosariodawson (@rosariodawson)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“Cherishing this time we got to spend together this past year,” fellow <em>Ahsoka </em>actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo wrote, sharing Dawson’s post, “your giant heart, belly laughs and spirited zest for life will be sorely missed.”</p> <p>“RIP Ray Stevenson, whose turn as Titus Pullo on <em>ROME</em> is one of the greatest effortlessly charming performances of TV's golden age,” one fan shared. “A warm guy, by all accounts, and a serious craftsman. He'll be sorely missed.”</p> <p>“I’m shocked and saddened by the tragic news that a great actor and my good friend Ray Stevenson has passed away. I will miss you Big Ray!” wrote Scott Atkins, who starred in Accident Man with Stevenson. “Life is short so make the most of it people.”</p> <p>As Stevenson’s former <em>Rome</em> co-star James Purefoy said, “so sad to hear the news that Ray Stevenson, our Pullo in <em>Rome</em>, has passed away. A brilliant, gutsy, larger-than-life actor who filled every part he played right up to the brim. </p> <p>“My thoughts are with his family, his lovely wife Betta and their beautiful kids. What a loss.”</p> <p>“Ray… My heart is shattered and I can’t fathom you not being here. My dear friend. My Master. A giant with an even bigger heart,” a heartbroken Ivanna Sakhno, another <em>Ahsoka </em>star, said in her tribute. “You understood the infinite. Your love for life, your partner Elisabetta and your 3 boys was unyielding. Knowing you in this lifetime had been one of the greatest gifts.</p> <p>“I carry your light within me. Fly freely, Blackbird.”</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

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Ray Liotta’s cause of death finally revealed

<p>The cause of Ray Liotta's death has finally been revealed, almost one year after his passing. </p> <p>The <em>Goodfellas</em> actor died on May 26th 2022, with reports at the time saying he had died in his sleep while he was in the Dominican Republic filming <em>Dangerous Waters</em>.</p> <p>According to new documents obtained by <em><a title="TMZ" href="https://www.tmz.com/2023/05/08/ray-liotta-cause-of-death-heart-failure-respirator-dominican-republic/" target="" rel="">TMZ</a></em>, Liotta's death was listed as "natural and nonviolent" and he reportedly died from respiratory insufficiency, pulmonary edema and acute heart failure. </p> <p>The reports also concluded that Liotta had been suffering from atherosclerosis, a medical condition where a person's arteries become thickened from plaque build-up.</p> <p>The news of Liotta's cause of death comes just weeks after the late actor was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with his daughter speaking on his behalf. </p> <p>"I'm so touched to be accepting this honour on behalf of my dad," Karsen Liotta said at the ceremony.</p> <p>"I couldn't be more proud of him. He was a one of a kind actor and the best friend, brother and father anyone could have asked for. I lucked out with you."</p> <p>"If you have a Ray in your life, you're lucky. I love you so much. Thank you for your work and the imprint you left on me and all of those who love you. Everyone deserves a Ray in their life."</p> <p>At the time of Liotta's death, <a href="https://oversixty.co.nz/news/news/tributes-flow-for-ray-liotta" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tributes</a> flowed in from all corners of Hollywood, with his <em>Goodfellas</em> co-stars leading the charge. </p> <p>Robert De Niro told <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ray-liotta-dead-hollywood-tributes-1235154625/"><em>The Hollywood Reporter</em>,</a> “I was very saddened to learn of Ray’s passing. He is way too young to have left us. May he rest in peace.”</p> <p>Lorraine Bracco, who also appeared with Liotta in <em>Goodfellas</em>, shared that she was “utterly shattered” when she heard the news of his passing, <em><a title="pagesix.com" href="https://pagesix.com/2022/05/26/celebrities-react-to-ray-liottas-death/">Page Six</a></em> reports.</p> <p>“I am utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray. I can be anywhere in the world and people will come up and tell me their favourite movie is Goodfellas,” <a href="https://twitter.com/Lorraine_Bracco/status/1529868934463234048">she tweeted</a> along with a throwback photo with him. “Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same … Ray Liotta.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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“A ray of sunshine”: Catherine’s heartwarming visit to miracle baby

<p>A mother from West Sussex has recounted the experience of having Catherine, Princess of Wales, meet her young daughter Amaya-Rae. </p> <p>When Amaya-Rae was born at only 23 weeks and classed as a “late miscarriage” in August 2021, her parents were left heartbroken. </p> <p>Amaya-Rae had already beaten the odds by surviving what was described as a traumatic birth, but the family’s medical team didn’t have high hopes for the baby girl, advising her parents to say their goodbyes. </p> <p>Over the course of 360 days in hospital, Amaya-Rae’s family were told on eight separate occasions that she was not going to make it, but she had other ideas. </p> <p>“It’s nothing short of a miracle,” her mother, Mischa, said, “I’m not religious but I really do believe she has had someone watching over her, telling her it’s not her time to go yet, sending her back.</p> <p>“At first, each time we were told to say goodbye to her, our world just crumbled.”</p> <p>Amaya-Rae went on to prove her mum right and her doctors wrong, defying all of the odds in her fight to survive. Now, she is almost eighteen months old, and safe at home with her family. </p> <p>Despite the heartbreak that came with their time in hospital, Amaya-Rae’s mum has opened up about one bright moment in the dark: a visit from Princess Catherine. </p> <p>“When we were in the Evelina Children’s Hospital, we were totally stunned when Catherine, Princess of Wales, made an unexpected visit,” Mischa recalled. “Catherine was so lovely, she listened intently to Amaya’s story, and genuinely seemed so taken with her and asked such a lot of questions.</p> <p>“She seemed totally besotted, complimenting her smiles and her outfit. Amaya couldn't take her eyes off her, she was transfixed. </p> <p>“Someone suggested we take her to see a Disney Princess show at Christmas, but we joked she only deals with actual royalty now.”</p> <p>Amaya-Rae’s need for specialist care saw her transferred to the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, where she stayed for 166 days before getting to go home. It was there, at the children’s hospital, that she came face-to-face with the real-life princess. </p> <p>Catherine, who is the hospital’s patron, was there on the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend. </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/CnxfEqxs3v2/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnxfEqxs3v2/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by amayarae_ story (@amayarae_story)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>As Mischa explained, she was “with Amaya and her nurse came in and said we had someone who’d like to visit us. I was stunned when I realised who it was, I kept saying it couldn’t be her because it was the Jubilee weekend.” </p> <p>The nurse, she said, told them that Catherine had come to visit the families who couldn’t be out celebrating, and that after being told about Amaya-Rae, she had requested to meet her. </p> <p>“There were no press there, we didn’t see any bodyguards,” Mischa said of the meeting, “she just popped in to meet the children. She was so lovely.”</p> <p>In an interview with the <em>Mirror</em>, Mischa added, “when the nurses told me she was in the hospital and wanted to meet Amaya-Rae, I completely panicked.”</p> <p>“She was in her nappy. I ran around finding something presentable for her to wear. But as soon as Kate walked in through the door, all the nervousness disappeared."</p> <p>After speaking on Catherine’s calming demeanour, and how Amaya-Rae was “transfixed” with the princess, Mischa reflected on their experience and the surprise introduction, saying, “there are some really dark days in a children's hospital, and for our family - and lots of others - there isn't much to look forward to. </p> <p>“Everybody who met Kate said it gave them such a pick-me-up. She was a ray of sunshine in a really frightening time."</p> <p>Mischa’s miracle, her ray of sunshine, is now home. Though Amaya-Rae will require oxygen for another few months, and faces some underlying conditions that Mischa hopes will be manageable and won’t hold Amaya-Rae back, she is happy to report that her daughter is just like anyone else her age. </p> <p>“She is doing so well. She’s such a happy, chilled out little girl. You’d never know what she’s been through.”</p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

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"Stone the crows": Who made Ray "Alf" Meagher cry

<p><em>Home and Away</em> legend Ray Meagher has broken down on Channel Seven's <em>This Is Your Life</em> after a series of emotional tributes. </p> <p>The 78-year-old actor was discussing his life and career at Summer Bay when his past co-stars surprised him with endless praise for his role as Alf. </p> <p>The first tribute came from Chris Hemsworth, who thanked Ray in a pre-recorded message for his kindness and support during Chris's time on <em>Home and Away</em>. </p> <p>“Ray Meagher, godfather of Australian television, Australian icon, a flaming legend, my hero. Mate, what can I say?” he began.</p> <p>“I remember very vividly the first time I walked onto a <em>Home and Away</em> set, the first time I met you. I was teaming with excitement and nerves — mostly about meeting you, the man, the myth, the legend."</p> <p>“The moment arrived. I remember the doors busting open, and there you were down the end of the hallway, silhouetted by the sun, bathed in glorious light.</p> <p>“We locked eyes, we got closer. I took a big deep breath and I thought, ‘He’s probably not a hugger’. I lifted my hand…and dived off into the costume department because I had lost my nerve.”</p> <p>The audience chuckled at the <em>Thor</em> star’s hilarious recollection, but his next admission left Ray fighting back tears.</p> <p>“Sure enough, you came up to me and you said, ‘Chris, wonderful to meet you. You’re gonna do great here’. You were kind, genuine and supportive, and you’ve remained that through my entire career. Thank you so much buddy, I love you. You’re a dear friend.”</p> <p>Already overcome with emotion, Ray was presented with another surprise. </p> <p>Kate Ritchie, who played the role of Sally Fletcher on <em>Home and Away</em> for 20 years alongside Ray, walked onto the set and embraced her co-star. </p> <p>The pair watched a set of <em>Home and Away</em> scenes from 1990-2008, finishing with their on-screen goodbye at Palm Beach.</p> <p>“Ray is really so much of what I learned as a person, but also as a performer,” she began, before grabbing Ray’s hand.</p> <p>“And for both of us, we’ve played those characters for such a long time, that it is inevitable there is so much of us within them."</p> <p>“When I watch that footage…I actually see two friends. He’s watched me grow from a girl into a woman, and he’s really proud of me. So I’m glad I’ve made you proud, thank you."</p> <p>The Aussie icon told his former co-star that he’s still proud of her to this day, and his words "still stand".</p> <p>“You mean a lot to me Ray, you know that,” Kate added, causing Ray to wipe his tears away with a tissue.</p> <p>Ray has played Alf Stewart since 1988 and currently holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-serving actor in an Australian series.</p> <p>His appearance on This Is Your Life moved many Home and Away fans online, with floods of people sharing their gratitude for the veteran actor. </p> <p>"So emotional, tears are flowing. Congratulations Ray!! What a fantastic life!! You’re a wonderful man and a great actor,” one wrote on social media.</p> <p>“Crying happy tears. It was so lovely to see Ray (Alf) get recognised like this. ‘Stone the crow’ as he would say. I hope he keeps going on the show,” a second added.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Seven </em></p>

TV

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Tributes flow for Ray Liotta

<p>Ray Liotta haș died suddenly at age 67, leaving Hollywood in mourning. </p> <p>The <em>Goodfellas</em> actor was in the Dominican Republic filming a movie titled <em>Dangerous Waters</em>, when he died in his sleep while next to his fiancé in their hotel room. </p> <p>An official cause of death is not yet known. </p> <p>Celebrities including Jamie Lee Curtis, Kristin Chenoweth, and Piers Morgan flooded social media to honour Ray's memory, with his Goodfellas co-stars leading the charge. </p> <p>Robert De Niro told <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ray-liotta-dead-hollywood-tributes-1235154625/">The Hollywood Reporter,</a> “I was very saddened to learn of Ray’s passing. He is way too way young to have left us. May he rest in peace.”</p> <p>Lorraine Bracco, who also appeared with Liotta in <em>Goodfellas</em>, shared that she was “utterly shattered” when she heard the news of his passing, <a title="pagesix.com" href="https://pagesix.com/2022/05/26/celebrities-react-to-ray-liottas-death/">Page Six</a> reports.</p> <p>“I am utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray. I can be anywhere in the world and people will come up and tell me their favourite movie is Goodfellas,” <a href="https://twitter.com/Lorraine_Bracco/status/1529868934463234048">she tweeted</a> along with a throwback photo with him. “Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same … Ray Liotta.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">I am utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray. <br />I can be anywhere in the world & people will come up & tell me their favorite movie is Goodfellas. Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same…Ray Liotta. <a href="https://t.co/3gNjJFTAne">pic.twitter.com/3gNjJFTAne</a></p> <p>— Lorraine Bracco (@Lorraine_Bracco) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lorraine_Bracco/status/1529868934463234048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>Seth Rogen, who worked with Liotta in the 2009 movie <em>Observe And Report</em>, was also in disbelief to hear that Liotta died, sharing that he was “a lovely, talented and hilarious person”.</p> <p>He said, “Working with him was one of the great joys of my career and we made some of my favourite scenes I ever got to be in. A true legend of immense skill and grace.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">I can’t believe Ray Liotta has passed away. He was such a lovely, talented and hilarious person. Working with him was one of the great joys of my career and we made some of my favorite scenes I ever got to be in. A true legend of immense skill and grace.</p> <p>— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sethrogen/status/1529876461611388933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>Jamie Lee Curtis also paid tribute to the late actor, tweeting, “Ray Liotta has died. His work as an actor showed his complexity as a human being. A gentle man. So sad to hear.”</p> <p>Kevin Costner reflected on working with Ray in <em>Field of Dreams</em>, saying he leaves an "incredible legacy" in the film industry.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ray Liotta has died. His work as an actor showed his complexity as a human being. A gentle man. So sad to hear.</p> <p>— Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis) <a href="https://twitter.com/jamieleecurtis/status/1529865195555737605?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">RIP GOODFELLA Ray Liotta. I adored you. I love knowing you all those years ago. 😢</p> <p>— Kristin Chenoweth (@KChenoweth) <a href="https://twitter.com/KChenoweth/status/1529865498250321920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Devastated to hear the news of Ray Liotta’s passing. While he leaves an incredible legacy, he’ll always be “Shoeless Joe Jackson” in my heart. What happened that moment in the film was real. God gave us that stunt. Now God has Ray. <a href="https://t.co/JQmk1PsuSK">pic.twitter.com/JQmk1PsuSK</a></p> <p>— Kevin Costner & MW (@modernwest) <a href="https://twitter.com/modernwest/status/1529924892564635654?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

News

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Ray-Ban and Facebook collaborate on a controversial project

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Facebook and Ray-Ban have announced the launch of a “first generation” pair of sunglasses that has divided fans of the brand. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The ‘smart glasses’ combine a sleek looking pair of sunnies that showcase the brand’s signature style, but with a very unique feature. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The glasses boast a tony 5MP camera lens in each of the glasses that can be used to capture life’s special moments completely hands free. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The glasses feature a simple touch button to start a 30-second video recording that says stored on the glasses. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When the user opens the Facebook View app, the photos and videos download onto your phone and can be shared on any social media platform. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Facebook's president of their Reality Labs Andrew Bosworth said the glasses are introducing a new way of connecting. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Ray-Ban Stories is designed to help people live in the moment and stay connected to the people they are with and the people they wish they were with.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He said, "We're introducing an entirely new way for people to stay connected to the world around them and truly be present in life's most important moments, and to look good while doing it."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While the glasses certainly seem impressive, many potential customers have questions about privacy. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Facebook predicted the hesitancy, and said the glasses were “designed with privacy in mind”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a blog post announcing the product, they say "we have a big responsibility to help people feel comfortable and provide peace of mind, and that goes not only for device owners but the people around them, too."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While Facebook assures users that the glasses are equipped with software to protect the privacy of others, it’s up to each individual customer to not abuse the new technology. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Facebook's Ray-Ban Stories are now on sale from $449 in Australia, at OPSM and Sunglass Hut or Ray-Ban online.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Check out the promotional video here.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CTm1mBSBE8i/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CTm1mBSBE8i/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Ray-Ban (@rayban)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><em>Image credit: <span style="font-weight: 400;">Getty Images / Instagram @rayban</span></em></p>

Technology

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Inside the world’s first midlife wisdom school

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When retirement age hits, a whole new set of challenges are presented. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">From health insurance, funeral plans, superannuation and everything in between, the transition into retirement can be trickier than originally thought.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In order to help with this uncertain time, the world’s first </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">midlife wisdom school, known as <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.modernelderacademy.com" target="_blank">Modern Elder Academy</a> (MEA) has been founded by CEO Chip Conley.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">MEA offers courses, both on-line and in person that help people to navigate midlife transitions, find purpose and reframe their mindset on ageing.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">MEA attracts people of all ages and stages, from midlife and beyond to help and reframe how individuals think about retirement. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Writer Ang Galloway, who is part of the MEA team, said the program helped them restructure their thinking. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I want more from the second half of life than the societal script I inherited. I knew I wasn’t in the market for sensible, beige or elasticised anything and yet the image of ageing that society reflected back at me was at total odds with how I felt. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“MEA helped me to reframe midlife from a crisis to a calling.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Founder Chip Conley said he was inspired to create MEA after writing his book titled </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wisdom@Work: The Making of Modern Elder. </span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“There’s a whole culture out there telling us that getting older means becoming less relevant. But MEA deems that wisdom and experience have never been more important in the workplace…or in the world.” </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He said, “At MEA we believe in making ageing aspirational. It’s about creating a life that is as deep and meaningful as it is long.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">MEA runs a series of online courses, including “Navigating Midlife Transitions”, “The Big Reset” and “Flourish in Midlife and Beyond”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The courses have been a huge success online, with people from all over the globe saying how MEA’s message helped them redefine what retirement means for them.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Shutterstock</span></em></p>

Retirement Life

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Dolly Parton and others post heartfelt tributes to Kenny Rogers

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>Dolly Parton has posted a heartfelt video tribute to her longtime friend, Kenny Rogers, who passed away on Friday.</p> <p>Rogers, 81, passed away “peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his family” at his home in Georgia, according to the<span> </span><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/_KennyRogers/status/1241244740957413376" target="_blank">Rogers family</a>.</p> <p>Parton posted the video on her Instagram account, explaining how she heard the news about her friend.</p> <p>“Well, I couldn’t believe it this morning when I got up and turned on the TV,” said Parton, “and they told me that my friend and singing partner Kenny Rogers had passed away.”</p> <p>“We all know that Kenny is in a better place than we are today, but I’m pretty sure he’s going to be talking to God sometime today…He’s going to be asking Him to spread some light on a bunch of this darkness that’s going on here.”</p> <p>“I loved Kenny with all my heart,” she continued. “My heart’s broken, and a big old chunk of it has gone with him today, and I think I can speak for all his family, his friends and fans, when I say, that ‘I will always love you,'” quoting one of her most beloved lyrics.</p> <p>“God bless you, Kenny,” said Parton, her voice cracking as she cradled a photo of her and Rogers. “Fly high, straight to the arms of God. And to the rest of you, keep the faith.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9_9UgElH-y/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9_9UgElH-y/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">You never know how much you love somebody until they’re gone. I’ve had so many wonderful years and wonderful times with my friend Kenny, but above all the music and the success I loved him as a wonderful man and a true friend. So you be safe with God and just know that I will always love you, dolly.</a></p> <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 post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/dollyparton/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Dolly Parton</a> (@dollyparton) on Mar 21, 2020 at 7:39am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Other celebrities, such as Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Billy Ray Cyrus have expressed their sympathies to the Rogers family.</p> <p>"No one bridged the gap between country and pop more often and better than Kenny Rogers. He will be missed, but his music and diverse style of story telling will live on forever,” said Billy Ray Cyrus on his Twitter account.</p> <p>“THANK YOU KENNY ROGERS- for decades of genre bending music and collaborations - for making music that travelled the globe .. and songs that became common threads for people from all walks of life !! GO REST HIGH BROTHER. With love and deep appreciation . KU,” country singer Keith Urban said on his<span> </span><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/KeithUrban/status/1241453704416550914" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</p> <p>"Country music has lost one of its pillars...sing with the angels and talk to God, Kenny. Bless you for being a part of so many lives..." expressed Carrie Underwood.</p> </div> </div> </div>

Caring

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Woman’s X-ray from car crash reveals dangers of common habit

<p>A UK police officer has released an X-ray of a car crash victim to warn other passengers against putting their feet on the dashboard.</p> <p>An unidentified woman had one of her hips broken and the other dislocated in a car accident while her feet were propped on the vehicle’s dashboard.</p> <p>Wales police sergeant Ian Price took to Twitter to share the X-ray initially posted by the Platinum Ambulance Service to warn other front-seat passengers against the habit.</p> <p>“Here is an X-ray of horrific injuries sustained to the front seat passenger who had their feet on the dashboard at the time of a collision,” he wrote. “If you see your passenger doing it stop driving and show them this.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Here is an X-ray of horrific injuries sustained to the front seat passenger who had their feet on the dashboard at the time of a collision. If you see your passenger doing it stop driving and show them this. <a href="https://t.co/f3XCT8ePvi">pic.twitter.com/f3XCT8ePvi</a></p> — 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Sgt 121 Ian Price 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@DPGoSafeSkipper) <a href="https://twitter.com/DPGoSafeSkipper/status/1220030119735103489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>According to trauma surgeon Dr John Crozier, putting up feet on the dashboard may in a crash cause <a href="https://www.mynrma.com.au/cars-and-driving/driver-training-and-licences/resources/feet-on-dash">death or serious injuries</a> such as a ruptured bowl, spinal cord damage and paralysis.</p> <p>In 2016, more than 400 people in Australia were admitted to hospital with injuries related to putting their feet up on the dashboard.</p>

Body

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Why returning back to my childhood home was so emotional

<p><strong><em>Ray Thomas left his family farm in South Australia when he was in his 20s and moved to New Zealand. He has always loved writing short stories and watching sport. He married an amazing woman 16 years ago and they both retired three years ago. They love family life, travelling, spending time in their large garden and fostering young children.</em></strong></p> <p>My wife and I had been planning the trip to my home state of South Australia, for many months. Now, after very little sleep because of our early flight, combined with great anticipation, we were finally on our way. Like excited young children off on their first overseas holiday, we happily boarded our aircraft. We grinned at each other saying, “Aussie here we come”.</p> <p>This, in all likelihood will be final trip home to South Australia, the country I left about 45 years ago, but still the country I call home. I fully expected the holiday to be full of mixed emotions. Fortunately, I had my amazing wife beside me, to share it with.</p> <p>So what the real reason for this trip, and why do it now? I have older siblings who are not in the best of health, so thought it would be nice to spend time with them, while I have the opportunity. We also thought it would be nice to visit places that meant a great deal to me, in my younger days, and allow myself to take one last trip down memory lane.</p> <p>We arrived in Adelaide several hours later than we had expected due to cancelled and alternative flights. To arrive in a city I had once called home (but had obviously changed a great deal), with a Google map to guide us, in peak hour traffic before a long weekend, was somewhat daunting, challenging and stressful.</p> <p>It was with great relief, when we finally arrived at ours friends home. Wayne and Wendy were relieved and delighted to finally see us. So began an amazing few days, full of laughter and great fun.</p> <p>It was great to spend time with our close friends, and we really appreciated everything they did for us.</p> <p>The following day was the first of many that were to follow of mixed emotions, as we took them with us around the district where I spent the first 17 years of my life.</p> <p><strong>Closure</strong></p> <p>First, we drove around the township of Gawler. It was great to revisit places that used to mean so much to me, and share it with my wife and close friends.</p> <p>I noticed a sign above a shop door with the name of distant family members where they once ran a thriving business. Then we walked up to the house where my grandparents once lived. We then drove passed the church where my brother was married over 55 years ago, to name but a few of the places, we visited, all of which brought back happy memories. It had been decades since I last visited Gawler, but instinctively I knew where to go. I was home. Upon leaving the town, I had mixed emotions. I felt perfectly happy and content, but also a sense of not needing to return.</p> <p><strong>Heartbreaking sadness</strong></p> <p>And so we travelled out to Reeves Plains and our former home and farm. What initially struck me was how dry and barren the district was after months of drought. I had also forgotten how flat the country was. Despite little recent rain, and the high cost of piped water, from reservoirs many miles away, combined with the searing heat, the total absence of gardens still shocked me.</p> <p>I noticed our shearing shed, but was then amazed to see our large sheep yards had vanished.</p> <p>As I surveyed the nearby paddocks, I was deeply saddened that for whatever reason, no sheep were to be seen. I presume farmers now rely totally on growing cereal crops, which upset me, because the district once had large numbers of sheep.</p> <p>It was desperately sad to see our old house and gardens looking so badly run down, almost like it was un-loved. The barn where we once spent countless happy hours playing table-tennis still stood proud amongst the drought and desolation.</p> <p>We then drove passed the decaying and broken old school and the adjoining tennis courts.</p> <p>The odd metal post which once helped to support the tennis net’s, stood strong and defiant. With overgrown trees and long since disintegrated tennis courts, we would never have known they ever existed. What was once one of the meeting places in the district is now confined to the minds of those who are old enough to remember the importance of the courts all those years ago.  </p> <p>A short time later, we arrived at Redbanks and walked around what was once our local church and community hall. Many happy memories came flooding back. It was heart breaking to see what was once a fun filled building decaying and slowly succumbing to nature.</p> <p>The once bustling township of Wasleys still exists, but like so many rural towns, is now struggling to survive. However, it was heartening to see the Bowling Club Clubhouse where both my parents once happily played with their many friends, had been rebuilt after the disastrous fire, which swept through the district a few years ago.</p> <p>It was the only glimmer of life we had seen in the district all day. Was it a day of mixed emotions? The answer is undoubtedly yes. I now have closure with no desire or intention of returning to that part of my life. I found it to be deeply upsetting to see everything so badly decayed, largely because of time and I suspect, years of low rainfall.</p> <p>I felt it was far better for me to remember our home and district, as it used to be, rather than (I fear) the inevitable total disintegration that will follow in the years to come.</p> <p><strong>Family time</strong></p> <p>The next day we visited my niece and family in Riverton. It was great to see them all again, and relive the happy time we spent together on their trip to New Zealand a few years ago.</p> <p>Then we travelled to the Barossa Valley and visited my elderly sister. It was nice to share old family photos and happily talk about the “old days” with her and rekindle the relationship we once had.</p> <p>It had been a long, hot, emotionally tiring day. Surprisingly, for the first time in many years, I began to realise I was missing MY family. It turned out to be a day of mixed emotions which I had not expected.</p> <p><strong>Childhood memories </strong></p> <p>Many decades ago, when we stayed at Port Elliot, our family often ate fish and chips for tea and then together went for a walk afterwards.  My wife and I found ourselves often doing exactly the same thing.</p> <p>We spent many happy days walking along the many paths, which offered magnificent views of fantastic scenery, and along the quiet streets, most of which had not changed. Several great trips to nearby Victor Harbour and walking around Granite Island and climbing The Bluff were also highlights of our time spend in that amazing area. Both towns were fantastic places to relax and unwind.</p> <p>Being our final night, it seemed appropriate to eat fish and chips overlooking the golden sandy beach. We then went for a leisurely walk, into the fast setting sun, sitting briefly on the rocks overlooking Green Bay, soaking in the sight and sound of the waves crashing on the rocks. We left the next morning, but not before our final walk, and say our “Goodbyes” to the many places we had frequently visited and enjoyed.</p> <p>In my youth (55-60 years ago) I had only climbed over the rocks. The paths were only for “oldies”. Now, I was THAT “oldie”, and quite happy to do just that, while fondly remembering my “long ago” youth.</p> <p>We were both sad to leave.  It was great to share the special area which means so much to me with my wife. Both of us would love to return, which we hope to do again sometime in the near future.</p> <p><strong>Overwhelming grief</strong></p> <p>Visiting the Mundalla cemetery however left me with very real mixed emotions. To walk around and see the names of many of my parent’s friends and bowling mates and people that I knew, was very sad.</p> <p>A short time later, we located my parent’s headstones. We left flowers and tidied the around the area, “talking” to them as we did so. I had an overwhelming sense that Dad was quite happy, as he had Mum beside him, and he was surrounded by people he knew. Mum is also surrounded by people she knew, but when I kissed her headstone to say “Bye Mum” before turning to leave, I sensed her saying “Don’t go, stay here with me”. Walking away with tear filled eyes, I clutched my chest thinking and re-affirming “here is where you will always be and always stay”.</p> <p>I once read: “A mother holds her children’s hands for a-while but their hearts forever”, and I thought how appropriate.</p> <p>I joined my wife who was sitting on a nearby seat. We held each other, for several minutes, the silence broken only by the sound of the kookaburra’s in the nearby gum trees. Somehow, words were not required.</p> <p>Visiting the cemetery affected me more than I thought it would. Very real mixed emotions and my feeling of home caught me by surprise.</p> <p><strong>More family time</strong></p> <p>And so on to Mount Gambier, where we stayed with my brother and his wife. Yes, he was very frail, but he still remained my much loved, admired older brother, with his wife I had known virtually all my life beside and taking care of him. We spent many happy hours, laughing together, sharing old ‘photos and reliving our younger days together.</p> <p>On his 78th birthday, it was great that most of his family were able to celebrate his birthday with him. It also gave us the opportunity to catch-up with many family members we had not seen for many years.</p> <p>All to soon it was time to leave and return home, but not before my brother said to my wife and I, separately and alone, in his softly spoken, frail voice “I hope I will see you again”, to which we could only mutter with voices choked with emotion, something that we hoped sounded bright and positive, knowing that in our hearts, it would be highly unlikely. After hugging and saying “Bye big brother”, and a “Thank-you” hug, for my amazing sister-in-law, we were on our way.</p> <p>So was it a trip of mixed emotions as I had expected? Absolutely, and for parts of it, a sense of total and absolute closure. For other parts of me, a very strong desire to return, at least for a holiday.</p> <p>The desire to suddenly want to live closer to family, has taken me by surprised, and I am uncertain what (if anything) can be done about it. With time, hopefully the concerns I am currently having with my mixed emotions will be resolved.</p>

Retirement Life

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Ray Meagher reveals why he never had kids

<p>For 30 years while starring as Alf Stewart on <em>Home and Away</em>, Ray Meagher has played a father, stepfather and foster father on the popular show.</p> <p>Now in a new interview, the Aussie actor has revealed why he never had children of his own.</p> <p>Speaking to <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/ray-meagher-why-i-never-had-kids/news-story/74b4a0974fbeb721751694cc59ed91e6?utm_source=Daily%20Telegraph&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=editorial" target="_blank"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Daily Telegraph</span></em></strong></a>, Ray Meagher said: “When I was younger as a freelance actor, I wondered whether I’d be able to feed myself let alone anybody else.”</p> <p>“It's a funny old profession, it’s very precarious, it's a pretty dodgy old profession employment-wise.</p> <p>“I have a stepdaughter Rebecca (the daughter of his wife Gilly) who is in her early 40s and I talk to her at least once a week and see her for brekkie or brunch whenever the H<em>ome and Away </em>schedule permits, which is maybe once a fortnight, and I love that.”</p> <p>Meagher no longer has to worry about the uncertainty of his acting career, with his role on<em> Home and Away</em> spanning three decades –  earning himself the title of the longest serving soap actor in Australian history.</p> <p>Last night at the Logies, Meagher took home the award for Most Popular Actor. </p> <p>During his acceptance speech, Meagher thanked his former co-star Cornelia Frances, who passed away in May this year.</p> <p>"A lot of the young people go off to Hollywood to audition for bigger and better things. This lady decided to try to get into that studio in the sky,” he said.</p> <p>“When she got up to the pearly gates, I hope St Peter didn't have the temerity to say, 'You can't come here'. </p> <p>"I think she would have looked over the top of those horn-rimmed glasses and said, 'Peter, you are the weakest link. Goodbye'.</p> <p>"Cornie, we know you are up there looking down with the champagne. We are not going to mourn your passing anymore. We are going to celebrate your life."</p> <p>In the interview, the actor explained his wife's absence at the significant event. </p> <p>“Gilly would rather swallow a tonne of bricks than go to the Logies­,” Meagher said. </p> <p>“She says ‘That’s your work, you go and you don’t have to worry about me … not knowing a whole heap of people’ so she’s very comfortable with that.”</p> <p>In an interview with the <em>Daily Mail</em> in May, Meagher revealed that he was reluctant to leave Summer Bay as he wasn’t sure how he would cope in retirement.</p> <p>“I've never really thought about it [retirement],” he said.</p> <p>He added: “You know, I'm not sure what I'd do if I retire - I'm not into gardening. I hope it's a long way off. The main thing at this age is to try and stay fit and healthy and well and, so far, touch something, that's working, at least.”</p>

Family & Pets

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How the weather has shaped and influenced my life

<p><em>Catch up on the series here: <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/2018/02/growing-up-on-a-farm-in-1950s-australia/" target="_blank">Chapter 1: Aussie Summers – 1950s</a></strong></span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/2018/02/growing-up-on-a-farm-in-1950s-australia-part-2/" target="_blank">Chapter 2: Aussie Winters – 1950s</a></strong></span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/2018/03/a-time-of-great-change-in-my-childhood/" target="_blank">Chapter 3: Aussie Winters – 1960s</a></strong></span>, and <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/2018/04/saying-goodbye-to-my-family-farm-in-the-1960s/" target="_blank">Chapter 4: Aussie Summers – 1960s </a></strong></span></em></p> <p>Having moved to New Zealand almost 40 years ago, it soon became apparent, that the weather this side of the ditch is considerably different, to what I experienced in Australia.</p> <p>Upon arrival in this country, I worked on several North Island farms. It was really enjoyable, especially working on several dairy farms, in much higher rainfall than I had previously experienced. This was a totally new adventure for me. We had grown up purchasing milk from a neighbour who milked a few cows, about a mile away.</p> <p>It soon became apparent to me that most Kiwi farmers had a different attitude to farming regarding the weather. In my experience the Kiwi farmer EXPECTED to receive the average amount of rain when required and farmed accordingly. Sometimes they were not as well prepared for a dryer spell, especially those in the normally high rainfall areas.</p> <p>The Aussie farmer HOPED for rain but farmed more cautiously in case of an extended dry spell. They could soon adapt and adjust if they received more rainfall than was normal, which did happen, sometimes. This was my opinion at the time, and I think still largely applies even today. However, I could be mistaken.</p> <p>After leaving farming, I was employed at various North Island meat processing plants in various capacities. Again, the number of livestock (especially lambs) processed annually was dictated by the weather. Freezing cold temperatures, heavy rain or snowfall could decimate newly born lambs, if it fell at lambing time.</p> <p>From a personal point of view, I found the weather in the North Island far cooler but more humid than I had experienced in South Australia. Many years ago, I returned home in March for my father’s birthday. As with most Australian homes, my parent’s home was fully air conditioned. This particular day was hot, but not exceptionally so. I opened the outside door with the intention of walking around the garden. However, as I stepped to go out, I was faced with what felt like opening an oven door, and quickly retreated to the cooler inside temperature. My parents laughed at my reaction and commented, “You have been in NZ for too long”, to which I only grinned and nodded in agreement and returned to the more acceptable temperature inside the house. Going outside would have to wait until it was cooler.</p> <p>About 20 years ago, I moved further south to the top of the South Island, where the summers tended to be hot and dry and the winters quite mild, which reminded me of home. I had grown up with vineyards and the Barossa Valley a short distance away, and here I was virtually surrounded by what seemed like never ending vineyards. Living in that region, reminded me most of the South Australian weather I had left, many years previously.      </p> <p>On the move again, to North Canterbury, just north of Christchurch, where I met and married, an amazing woman. Again, changes in the weather soon quickly became apparent, with cooler summers, much colder winters, and sometimes, very windy days, especially during early spring. If the temperature reaches 30 degrees we think we are experiencing a heatwave, but if I inform Aussie friends and relatives, they generally laugh at me, or begin to explain what a real heatwave is like.</p> <p>In a small area of our lifestyle block, we have approximately 150 mature pine trees. Almost four years ago in early spring, we had gale force NW winds which blew off the Southern Alps and lasted for several hours. It happened at night but because of the dreadful noise, we were unable to sleep. I was terrified and felt certain the roof was going to lift off the house at any time. The storm covered a huge area, and many households were severely affected for many days due to power losses, caused by trees blowing onto power lines. We later heard that wind gusts had reached 150kms per hour. At first light we went outside to assess the damage. Fortunately, we only found some branches blown off trees. Everything else had escaped unscathed. However, when we saw the mature trees, it was a different story with many of them either uprooted entirely or badly blown over. At least we will not have to worry about firewood for the next few years.</p> <p>As mild as the summers are, the winters are entirely different. Yes, we still get the heavy, white frosts which are quite common in many regions. What sets us apart from some other areas is the snow we can receive. Most years we have had at least one snowfall every year, some quite light which barely covers the ground. Some however can be 30cms or so deep. It is those heavy falls which can make life interesting for us.</p> <p>We have a large bird aviary which ranges in height from 2-3 metres. When we receive a heavy snowfall, it tends to gather on the bird netting. This snow causes the netting to stretch severely under the weight and eventually the aviary will collapse if not dislodged. So how do we rectify the problem? My dear wife normally informs me it is my job! With a thick, woolly hat, raincoat and gumboots and a wide metal, garden rake I go into the aviary. I push the flat, wide part of the rake against the snow to dislodge it. The really difficult part is to do so, without the snow going down the back of my neck or inside my gumboots. During a prolonged snowfall, this procedure has to be performed a number of times. Each time I ask my wife, “Would you like to take care of the snow in the aviary?” but at times like that, she has “selective hearing” and only smiles at me.</p> <p>One year, we had spent the day out with one of Kay’s numerous sisters and husband, who were visiting us at the time. The evening was relatively mild and calm for that time of the year. A cooler southerly change was expected during the night. Early next morning we woke at 4.45am which was our normal, weekday time for getting up. Upon opening the curtains, realised that it had snowed heavily during the night and was continuing to do so.</p> <p>With a heavy, white blanket of snow covering everything, we quickly realised that to drive to work would be foolhardy and extremely dangerous, so we did not risk it. We both phoned our work places, advised them of our situation, and were advised to stay home. Later, we were to realise the snow had blanketed a large area of the East Coast, right down to sea level in many cases. As soon as it was light enough to see, I again asked my wife regarding the bird aviary, and immediately realised to continue the conversation would be futile! Eventually, it stopped snowing and the cold wintery sunlight began to filter its way through the broken clouds. It looked amazingly beautiful with the thick snow glistening brightly. It was picture postcard brilliant, and reminded me of amazing photos we have often seen in Northern Europe and America. This outstanding beauty was equally matched by the stillness and quietness. In a beautiful, almost magical way, the silence was almost deafening. Yes, we had neighbours some as close as 150 metres away with young children, but at that moment in time, not a sound could be heard in the district. It appeared everyone was in total awe of nature at its finest. It seemed almost surreal, and a world away from the previous day. Every now and then we would hear, what sounded like the crack of a rifle shot, to discover it was a branch from a tree, collapsing under the weight of the snow.</p> <p>A little later, I went out to dislodge the snow from many of our smaller trees and shrubs, so they would not be damaged, and collapse under the weight. My wife was preoccupied playing Scrabble with her sister (both of whom were cheating) in front of a roaring fire to initially offer assistance. They are very close in all respects. I could hear them laughing, and totally oblivious to what I was doing. It was like winding back the clock many decades. At the completion of their game, they came outside and helped me, which was much appreciated. Eventually, the snow melted and caused very little damage to our property. We were not affected by power outages although some inland people living in isolated areas were without power for many days.</p> <p>One time, we had an even heavier (but brief) snowfall which was at least 30cms deep, and filled my gumboot as soon as I walked to the aviary. Very soon, I could feel my feet begin to freeze. I yelled out desperately for warm water to my wife who was cosy and warm inside by the fire. I then poured the water inside my boot, hoping it would melt the snow enough for me to withdraw my (now) frozen feet. Fortunately, it proved successful with no long term ill effects.</p> <p>While we were working, it was those types of really wintery, cold, snowy days that we dreaded. The snow and ice on the road made the road very slippery for driving, and extra care was needed. Walking along the footpath in cold, wet windy weather usually in the dark, for about 10-15 minutes we dreaded but endured because there was no other alternative. We were always relieved to finally enter our warm workplace.</p> <p>We noticed, especially during the winter, that the weather could be vastly different between Christchurch, and our home, less than an hour’s drive away, across the plains, towards the foothills. Having now retired, we no longer have to face those kinds of problems. It doesn’t matter if we are farmers or not. To some degree whatever we choose to do with our lives, or wherever we go, the weather will always play a part in our everyday lives.</p> <p>My sincere wish is that you have enjoyed the journey I have attempted to take you on, regarding how the weather has shaped and influenced my life, in both Australia and New Zealand, and I’m sure, will continue to do so.</p>

Family & Pets

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The 3 most important weddings in my life

<p><em><strong>Ray Thomas left his family farm in South Australia when he was in his 20s and moved to New Zealand. He has always loved writing short stories and watching sport. He married an amazing woman 16 years ago and they both retired three years ago. They love family life, travelling, spending time in their large garden and fostering young children.   </strong></em> </p> <p>It would seem to me that nothing brings family and friends closer together than the two extremes of life. People travel near and far to attend, sometimes seeing each other for the first time in many years. One of life’s events unites people in the happiest of times, and the other, the saddest of times. Of course, I am talking about weddings and funerals.</p> <p>Happily, this is about weddings. All three of these family weddings took place over 17 years, in three different countries. For us as a family, each of them truly memorable and special in their own different ways. This is my story and the story of two amazing young people, who entered and enriched my life, when I married their mother.</p> <p>Almost 17 years ago, I was lucky enough to meet an amazing woman, through a dating agency. This was fortunate because otherwise it was highly unlikely we would have ever met. She was a widow, with two grownup children – Jim was living in the North Island, and Sarah who was working in England at the time.</p> <p>It soon became apparent that all three were a very close family, and although not living locally, both Jim and Sarah were very protective of their mother which I fully understood and accepted. At the time of our meeting, I was in my early 50s and she was 18 months older than me, and lovingly referred to me as her “toy boy”.</p> <p>After a short while, it soon became obvious that we would marry. At our age, and with our life’s experiences, there seemed to be no point in delaying what we both wanted. For me especially, there was a major problem I needed to confront. How to mention it to Jim and Sarah, and to obtain their vital approval, knowing what a close and remarkable relationship they both had with their late father? How would they accept our marriage, but more importantly, how would they accept a total stranger entering their tight knit family? Happily my fears were unwarranted, and I was warmly welcomed by both. Our wedding was made even more special, when both agreed to be our attendants on the day.</p> <p>My wife to be was the second youngest of nine children. How would they respond to the news of our impending wedding, as they also were very protective toward their sister?</p> <p>Again, there was no problem, much to my relief. It soon became obvious that I was marrying into an amazing family.</p> <p>Obtaining everyone’s approval meant a great deal to us. We could then proceed with our wedding plans. With so many family members, most of whom travelled a great distance, it turned out to be a logistical nightmare, but one I sensed, had happened numerous times before, within the large extended family.</p> <p>The wedding took place in Christchurch shortly before Christmas 2001 with a large number of people in attendance including my two sisters from Adelaide, South Australia.</p> <p>Now, to continue this story, I need to fast forward four years.</p> <p>Sarah was now working in North Carolina, USA. It was approaching Christmas and she was feeling a little homesick so asked us to spend the festive season with her. I, in particular, jumped at the opportunity, as it would be my first trip to America, and there was always the possibility of experiencing a white Christmas.</p> <p>It was an amazing trip. Sarah took us to Florida, where we spent a few incredible days at Disneyworld, and visited several scenic attractions on the way back to North Carolina.</p> <p>When the opportunities presented themselves, she also showed many of the local tourist attractions. We did not receive the hoped for snow at Christmas, but it did not seem to matter, as the three of us still enjoyed a fantastic Christmas together.</p> <p>Before leaving to come home, Sarah assured us, she would be home by the following Christmas, and was even looking into the costs of bringing her beloved dog Abby with her. A few months later, and despite the best of her intentions, her plans were suddenly disrupted as she had met an amazing man. It came as no surprise, a short while later when she announced her plans to marry. For various reasons, the decision was made to marry in America.</p> <p>We arrived about a week before the wedding. It was all great fun, getting everything organised, and preparing for the highly anticipated wedding. This was even more so when family/friends from Australia and New Zealand began to arrive.</p> <p>It was December and just before Christmas so, as expected it was really cold, but that did not prevent it from being a truly memorable occasion for all of those fortunate to attend. After the wedding in the darkness of the still, frosty night, with street lights guiding our way, it was an amazing, experience as the wedding party (and a few close family members) happily laughed and recalled the wedding on our way up the hill to where the reception was held. It was something I have never forgotten.</p> <p>In place of her late father, Sarah asked her mother to “give her away”, the poignancy of which was not lost on those closest to the family, and helped make a remarkable day even more special. Jim was a groomsman and MC at the reception.</p> <p>With two weddings in two countries completed, Jim was now the only member of the family still single.</p> <p>About four years later, Jim was now studying in northern NSW. Being a largely private person, it was therefore a major surprise when shortly before Christmas, asked his mother if it would be OK to bring a female friend home for the large, family Christmas.</p> <p>We were happily surprised, and it was great to meet her, not knowing if anything would develop between them in the future. It was a little daunting for her to be suddenly confronted by so many family members but she handled herself and the situation really well, and everyone really liked her. We were all hoping they would have a future together, as they seemed to be an ideal couple.</p> <p>Because Jim, who was living in Auckland and she in Brisbane, it made a relationship for them both, difficult, but they persevered and spent time together whenever the opportunities arose.</p> <p>A few months ago, we unexpectedly received a phone call from Jim, who had flown to Brisbane and informed us of their engagement. We were naturally thrilled and delighted for them both.</p> <p>So began weeks and months of planning for the wedding, which took place in coastal, northern NSW, in late February of this year. Some family and friends travelled a great distance to attend the wedding, including Jim’s sister Sarah and her husband who was a groomsman, and their two daughters were flower girls.</p> <p>The thoughts and prayers of many close family members were of Jim’s late father, at that special time in his life. It was despite that, a great, fun-filled (although extremely hot) day which was enjoyed by all.</p> <p>For those Kiwi family and friends unable to attend, a large marquee was erected on our lawn a few days later, and part of the wedding was re-enacted. The weather was fine and warm, and helped to make a great day.</p> <p>That completes our trio of weddings in three different countries, so there is no chance of anymore weddings and a chance to bring long distance loved ones together, if even for a short time.</p> <p>That only leaves funerals. From previous experience, we know they unite people, but we would prefer it if we were not faced with any for many years to come.</p>

Relationships

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Saying goodbye to my family farm in the 1960s

<p><em>Missed the start of series? Read <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/2018/02/growing-up-on-a-farm-in-1950s-australia/" target="_blank">Chapter 1: Aussie Summers – 1950s</a></strong></span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/2018/02/growing-up-on-a-farm-in-1950s-australia-part-2/" target="_blank">Chapter 2: Aussie Winters – 1950s</a></strong></span>, and <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/2018/03/a-time-of-great-change-in-my-childhood/" target="_blank">Chapter 3: Aussie Winters – 1960s</a></strong></span>.</em></p> <p align="center"><strong>Chapter 4: Aussie Summers – 1960s </strong></p> <p>The 60s were great for me, but did result in the biggest changes in my life, certainly towards the end of the decade. I was in my late teenage years, and a little outspoken as to what I wanted regarding my farming future. However, all of that were to happen much later.</p> <p>I still loved everything involving the sheep. Uncle Henry still continued to supply us with rams, until his untimely death due to a road accident in Western Australia in early 1962. He was only aged 54 at the time of his death.</p> <p>His widow was Mum’s sister so Mum immediately flew to WA to comfort her. Mum would later tell us that every day she was away, for about three weeks, the temperature never dropped below 40 degrees.</p> <p>We still continued growing wheat and barley, the success of which was dependent entirely on receiving the right amount of rain when we needed it. Some years we received too much rain, which could result in partial flooding, other years not enough. This was just part of being a farmer.</p> <p>This decade saw huge changes as to how harvesting was done. From bags, and carting them all to Wasleys, bulk handling was slowly introduced. The grain was poured into a large bin on the back of the truck and then driven to where there were several grain silos. Once weighed, the truck was driven onto a grid, the sides of the bin opened up to release the grain from where it was sent into one of the huge silos, by various conveyor belts. The truck was then weighed, and the process continued until harvesting was completed.</p> <p>After I left school, Robin and I did all the tractor work. Robin did the harvesting, and I drove the truck to the silos at Roseworthy which was about a 20-minute truck drive away. Depending on weather conditions, harvesting could take several weeks. I was 16, the first season this happened. It was not uncommon for many of the other truck drivers to be farmers sons of similar age.</p> <p>It was during the harvest time in ‘63 that American President Kennedy was assassinated. It only seemed like yesterday when this tragic event occurred. I had ridden my bike home from school, and Mum had heard about it on the wireless, so she told me to tell Dad and Robin. Like everyone else, certainly in Australia, everybody was deeply shocked, as JFK appeared to be a great world leader.</p> <p>Robin was married in the 60s and he and his wife moved onto a recently purchased property about two miles away. As usual, Robin and I had some funny experiences during the summers in that decade.</p> <p>At the front of his house, was a solid looking stone wall. For some reason, the decision was made for it to be demolished. The intention was for Robin to reverse the truck as close to the wall as possible, so we could dismantle it and put everything onto the truck. I was to tell him when to stop. However, I made a crucial mistake. Instead of being out to the side, I stood directly behind the truck, and directly between the truck and the wall, with Robin slowly inching the truck back. I was getting a little concerned for my health, because despite my best efforts to tell him to stop, he continued reversing. Finally and by now fearful for my life, I yelled out, almost begging him to stop. I’m certain the terror in my voice was heard many miles away. The wall was eventually safely removed without further mishap, or near loss of life.</p> <p>Another time, he decided to change part of the fence leading from the road, to the house. This required digging several post holes. I decided, because the ground was really hard after a long dry summer, and it was HIS driveway, that he should dig the holes, which he did. A post was then put in the hole, and some dirt tipped back in. Robin then rammed the soil with the round heavy round piece on the end of the crow-bar. This process was repeated several times, until the dirt reached the top of the ground, to make the post nice and tight. Having fenced with Robin previously, it was then customary for me to then ram the ground with the heel of my foot.</p> <p>A major disaster was about to happen. For some unknown reason, this time we were both ramming at the same time, with the inevitable result that my foot was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was only wearing light-weight old tennis shoes at the time, and soon we could see blood seeping up through the top of my shoe. I was too frightened to see the mess of my big toe, so decided not to take my shoe off.</p> <p>Eventually we went home and Mum cleaned it up for me. What hurt the most was the fact I was unable to play tennis for a few weeks, because my toe was too sore. I’m not sure if I eventually lost my toe nail or not, as that did not seem so important.</p> <p>When I was aged about 10, I began playing Under 12 competitive tennis on a Saturday morning. We played against teams like Kangaroo Flat, Gawler River, Sandy Creek and Williamstown to name but a few. As was normal for me, at that age, I had undoubted beliefs (which were totally unfounded) in my abilities with anything sporting. I think there were six players per team. As we had many more players than that, we had to give others a turn, no matter how good we were, or thought we were.</p> <p>One Friday we were in Gawler doing our weekly shopping. We saw Robin (my best friend’s mother), who was the selector for the team. She told me, that the following day I would not be playing, and would be replaced with a player I felt was well below my abilities.</p> <p>I was totally devastated because I knew we were playing Kangaroo Flat who happened to be THE best team in the competition. Without me, I knew we would lose, which we did. My rationale at the time for our defeat was simply because I was not playing.</p> <p>Robin was not yet married and still living at home. He happened to be the Captain of the senior team that played in the afternoon. Sometimes a Gent player would ‘phone about lunch time saying that for some reason he could not play. Rather than trying to get another player at short notice he would ask me… my hero. I still loved to win, but somehow that did not seem so important. I was playing in the same team as my brother and other players I knew and respected, and to me that seemed to be enough.</p> <p>My sister-in-law and her younger sister, both of whom were top sportswomen in the district eventually joined our team which strengthened it considerably. We later went on to win the prized premiership for many consecutive years.</p> <p>When aged about 10, if I wasn’t going to become a farmer, then I wanted to travel the world playing tennis like Rod Laver, Lou Hoad, Ken Rosewall, and John Newcombe amongst others.</p> <p>I truly believed I was that good.</p> <p>During my final year at primary school, it seemed highly likely that rather attending Gawler High School, I would be sent to boarding school in Adelaide and be coached by one of the State’s leading tennis coaches. It would give everyone a true indication of my abilities, or lack of. Although I hated the ides of being away from the farm, I thought it was a sacrifice worth making. However, circumstances changed and the possibility never eventuated.</p> <p>By now, both Mum and Dad had become excellent lawn bowlers, winning countless events and trophies. Sometimes on a really hot, summers night I would go along and play with them at Wasleys. It was great fun as I knew most of the people and I really enjoyed it. I was asked to play more regularly, but in those days, bowls was something “older” people played, not energetic teenagers like me.</p> <p>Initially, we still had our annual holidays at Port Elliot, which were still the highlight of the year. However, a few years later Mum and Dad purchased a caravan, so our holidays were spent visiting different places like Barmera, and Port MacDonnell (south of Mt. Gambier) visiting Uncle Murray’s property at Keith on the way, to name but a few.</p> <p>These holidays were still great, but different. The highlight one year was when a really neat couple who were farmers and lawn bowler friends, decided to drive to Port Lincoln. For both Alison and I this was really exciting as we knew it was a long drive. To make it even more exciting, we drove through the night, because it was too hot to travel during the day time. I loved following on the map, where we were going. I would have a doze, then excitedly wake up and ask where we were, and then look on the map. It was fantastic to drive through towns I had studied in geography like Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Whyalla and finally Port Lincoln. We had a great holiday, with great friends.</p> <p>In 1967 we had one of the worst droughts on record, resulting in no financial return from our cereal crops. We also had to sell many of our precious sheep, because we had no feed for them. It was very sad for us and our neighbours to see our once beautiful farms transformed into what looked like deserts.</p> <p>After much family discussion it was decided to sell the farms, and move to the South East of the state. It was a huge decision, which would affect many lives. Not the best thing to do when gripped in a severe drought, but there were several other factors involved.</p> <p>I remember our first trip to look at properties. It was early morning after our table tennis Grand Final against our greatest rivals Kangaroo Flat, and it seemed fitting that after years of friendly rivalry, our final, Grand Final would be against them, and that we would win.</p> <p>After several trips looking at properties and many sleepless nights, two properties were purchased within about an hour’s drive of each other, one farm for Robin and his family, and one for Dad, Mum, Alison and I.</p> <p>Eventually the properties were sold, farm machinery and tools railed to the new properties, and sheep loaded and moved. It was a mammoth job, not helped by the drought, and by now, oppressive summer heat.</p> <p>After Robin and family had relocated, it was our turn.</p> <p>I can still vividly remember the day. It was a really hot summer’s day with the temperature in the low 40’s when the furniture men packed our furniture into a huge van. It took them all day and was dark by the time they had completed their huge task.</p> <p>After a final clean of all the rooms and our individual goodbyes to our home of many years, a home in which Mum and Dad had raised four children. A home in which they had personally lived for almost 30 years. It was a very emotional time for us all, with very little talking. We were totally absorbed with our own thoughts, and memories.</p> <p>It was time to begin the next chapter of our lives. We finally left on our 4 hour journey, during which the temperature never dropped below 38 degrees.</p> <p>We drove in a convoy, Mum and my sister with our spoilt cat in the car. Dad drove the Land-Rover with our sheep dog in the front between us. In the enclosed back, on top of various soft bags, with her head sticking out of a wool pack and looking quite happy, was our spoilt pet kangaroo, Josie. Behind in the trailer were our 20 or so chickens.</p> <p>It was a slow hot, journey, with numerous stops. We finally arrived at our new home which was empty. We soon settled the animals into their new homes, and relaxed on mattresses we had previously taken down on a previous trip, with a big fan, until the furniture truck arrived.</p> <p>That day it was 44 degrees in the nearest town. Understandably everyone was exhausted after the furniture truck arrived and everything was safely in the house. We then went for a short drive into town for a much deserved milkshake.</p> <p>The next day, we all started our new lives. We knew things would be different and would take time to adjust to everything new, but we were still going to be farmers, so nothing had changed. We would still be reliant, as we always had been, on the weather. That was not about to change.</p> <p>To quote the words from a well-known poem we learnt at school, written by Dorothea Mackellar in 1908, part of which reads:</p> <p align="center"><em>I love a sunburnt country,</em></p> <p align="center"><em>A land of sweeping plains,</em></p> <p align="center"><em>Of rugged mountain ranges,</em></p> <p align="center"><em>Of droughts and flooding plains,</em></p> <p align="center"><em>I love her far horizons,</em></p> <p align="center"><em>I love her jewel sea,</em></p> <p align="center"><em>Her beauty and her terror</em></p> <p align="center"><em>The wide brown land for me</em></p> <p>The 17 years were amazing with some great, and some not so great years financially, but always happy, with fantastic memories. How appropriate therefore to end my stories about South Australian weather with such a beautiful poem.</p>

Family & Pets

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1960s: A time of great change in my childhood

<p><em>Missed the start of series? Read <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/2018/02/growing-up-on-a-farm-in-1950s-australia/" target="_blank">Chapter 1: Aussie Summers – 1950s</a></strong></span> and <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/2018/02/growing-up-on-a-farm-in-1950s-australia-part-2/" target="_blank">Chapter 2: Aussie Winters – 1950s.</a></strong></span></em></p> <p align="center"><strong>Chapter 3: Aussie Winters – 1960s</strong></p> <p>The 1960s were for me personally, a decade of changes. From leaving a small country primary school to attending a large high school where I did not know many kids, to leaving school and working on our family farm with Dad and Robin. Later in the decade we changed farms and moved from the district, but that will be dealt with in another story.</p> <p>During this decade, I became an excellent driver of tractors and farm vehicles. Sport was a dominate feature of my life, about which I had grandiose, but totally unachievable dreams.</p> <p align="center"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Dealing with foxes</span></p> <p>Lambing time was still one of the highlights of the year, providing we received enough rain to provide feed for the ewes. We still had our pet lambs, and the first were still called Sally and Jimmy, and they lived their lives quite happily on the farm, with the Sally’s eventually having lambs of their own.</p> <p>We still had problems with foxes. On really dark nights, I used to go out with Dad and some friends/neighbours, in our Land-Rover with me holding the spotlight. I soon learnt the foxes were difficult to find and were very cunning. Sometimes they were very scarce and we would only shoot one or two, other nights we would get many more. All the neighbours knew us so had no problems with us shooting on their properties. By the time we arrived home (anytime between midnight and 3am) we would be FROZEN with the cold. After a short sleep it was probably back to tractor driving the following day.</p> <p>Shearing time continued to be great fun, especially after I left school and could spend all day trying to help. Initially I continued just to sweep the floor, but as I grew taller and stronger, I was taught how to do other jobs. I simply loved everything about shearing, the smells, sounds and the sights left me with happy, life-long memories.</p> <p align="center"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Farm “accidents”</span></p> <p>The older I became, the more Dad trusted me to do things unsupervised. This was best illustrated with driving the tractor. When I was about 12, Dad had just started cultivating a new paddock. By now I had seen him do this numerous times and it required a fair amount of skill, to pull an implement wider than the tractor, getting as close to (but not hitting) the fence. This was especially difficult when turning 90 degrees in the corners.</p> <p>After the outside few rows were completed, Dad would allow me to take over while he watched, providing there was nothing in the paddock that I could hit. I tried really hard to impress him, by driving straight like he and my brother.</p> <p>This particular day, it was starting to get really dark and overcast, and with the wind in the NW usually meant we could expect thunderstorms. After a while, Dad said, “I’m going home for tea, you can take over for awhile”. With a huge grin and pride to match it, I started, trying really hard to keep the lines straight like Dad had done.</p> <p>A short time later, I could see flashes of lightning and even above the noisy tractor, I could hear the thunder, and it seemed to be getting closer. My rows started to become quite crooked as I was become more fearful by the minute. I didn’t know a lot about lightning but knew that it struck the highest point, so I was trying to work out which was the highest, my head or the tractor exhaust.</p> <p>By now, it was windy and raining as well and I was pretty nervous and fearful of my life, so I pulled the tractor to a stop (I didn’t know how to turn off the motor) hopped off the tractor and crouched on the ground between the rear wheels.</p> <p>Finally Dad arrived and I was SO embarrassed for him to find me like that. He said laughing “What are you doing”? I explained my thinking. He laughed again and said, “The tractor has rubber wheels so you would be perfectly safe”. It was a lesson well learnt, and a huge blow to my ego.</p> <p>Another tractor driving incident when I was about 14. By now Robin drove one tractor and me the other, and Dad would take over on one of them while went home for lunch.</p> <p>Obviously with two tractors going around and round, very quickly the paddocks became smaller, until it reached the stage there were just the corners (headlands) left to do. It took a fair amount of skill and practice to complete the 180 degree turn, when confronted with two fences fast approaching, especially considering the fact that the combined length of tractor plus cultivator would have been at least 6 metres. I had ALWAYS been told that before turning, to change the tractor down to a much slower gear, thereby making the turn that much easier to complete.</p> <p>This particular day, we were working in the hill paddock, which was on a fairly busy road close to the house. One of the fences was brand new. Nearly completion of the paddock, Robin and I discussed what we would do. It was decided he would drive off and start in a different paddock so I did the headlands as I had been taught.  </p> <p>On the final one, with the new fence, I decided NOT to change to a slower gear, because I thought I was clever enough to achieve it. However, I left the turn far too late. Suddenly, the front wheels were disappearing through Dad’s new fence and the wires were getting tangled around the front wheels. I pulled the tractor to a halt in total panic and absolute shock, not knowing what to do. To continue would totally destroy the fence, to reverse meant driving over an expensive implement, either way I knew Dad would not be impressed. I decided to leave the tractor and walk home and face the music. As I expected, Dad was not at all happy with me. I’m not sure what happened next, as I think I was too traumatised to remember.</p> <p align="center"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Sporting glory</span></p> <p>By now I was totally absorbed with table-tennis and played when I could. The matches were fiercely competitive with our team. Reeves Plains was still one of the top teams, with our main opposition being Kangaroo Flat. Other teams included Wasleys, Two Wells, and teams from Gawler, amongst others. Each team consisted of six players, so with Dad, Mum, Robin and me, we only needed two others. One of Kangaroo Flat’s top players was Janice, so when she married my brother and played for us, that firmly tilted the balance in our favour.</p> <p>We played in the Adelaide Plains Table Tennis Association, and it was always a great honour to be selected to play for the association against others like Clare and Strathalbyn. In my final couple of years I was selected and it felt great to play with the rest of the family and friends from other clubs.</p> <p>Every year a local tournament was played in Wasleys and I was always keen to win the Under 15 Boys Single title. When I was 12, I was beaten in the semi-final by an older boy who played for our team. The following year I lost in the final. I was not happy, as I had played him many times previously and had always beaten him.</p> <p>The following year which was my last, all the older boys were too old, so I won with virtually no opposition, which was almost a hollow victory. Still, it was great to win a silver teaspoon, which I treasured dearly for many years, and have my name in the local paper.</p> <p>Those cold winter nights I will never forget. To come home after a night of table-tennis, have some of Mum’s cooking, a hot drink of Milo as we put our feet in the ARGA stove to warm up before going to bed, nothing has ever topped those feelings, of un-bridled happiness, and contentment. Then, getting up early next morning sit on a tractor in the freezing cold and rain, it didn’t seem to matter, as my world was perfect.</p> <p align="center"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">A time of change</span></p> <p>After leaving primary school, I was faced with the daunting situation of high school. My first year was spent at the new school that was being built by the race-course (Barnet Road) in Gawler. To get there, I first had to ride my bike 2 miles to catch the Mallala to Gawler bus.</p> <p>After our small primary school, where everybody knew everyone, to be faced with at least 200 new faces was rather daunting. With a series of tests completed, I was placed with about 40 others with Mr. Barr, in 1C who was our very nice class teacher. My good friend from primary school, Graham, was in another class so initially I missed him a great deal, until I got to know some of the others, (mainly “townie” boys from Gawler) and some nice girls.</p> <p>I was just an average student and didn’t really like high school and left when I turned 15 as I had no desire to be anything other than a farmer.</p> <p>Dad still went on his annual bush trips with friends, but now it was different. No longer being able to shoot kangaroos he now shot foxes on outback sheep stations. To cover their costs, they would skin the foxes, and then sell them to a firm in Adelaide.</p> <p>Most winters were cold and wet, with the wind from a southerly or south west direction. Sometimes however, we did not receive enough rain which caused all sorts of problems regarding the feed for the sheep, and germination of the seed crops. This lack of rain during the winter and early spring months meant our crop yields would be really low, therefore affecting us financially, a great deal.</p> <p>In those days, no one had nice warm tractor cabins to sit in. We were outside totally exposed to the weather. During the winter, no amount of warm, waterproof clothing could keep us warm, but as we did not know any different, we just endured it without complaining.</p> <p>I slept in a sleep-out attached to the house, with solid brick walls on two sides but the West and North sides were louvre windows down to about my waist. Sometimes as a thunderstorm approached on a winter’s night, I liked to watch the flash, and count the seconds to work out how far away it was, because I knew four seconds equalled one mile.</p> <p>About 20 metres from my room there was a large, high power pole. Suddenly there was a tremendous whizz-bang noise, which almost resulted in me almost hitting the ceiling and soiling the sheets because of the fright. Next day we realised the lightning had struck the nearby power pole. After that experience, I became a little warier when thunderstorms were approaching.</p> <p>Being married with two children (which a couple of years later became three), Robin was looking at alternative farming options in other areas of the state. Dad was looking to downsize, and I wanted a property with sheep and cattle, and no tractor work, because as much as I loved to drive a tractor, I was not the slightest bit interested in anything mechanical.</p> <p>Without doubt, the biggest problems were the droughts. In 1967 we had one of the worst droughts on record. In the middle of winter when we should have had lush green pastures, and thriving, healthy crops, we were experiencing strong northerly dust storms which took much of the priceless top soil. We had one sheep trough (where the sheep drank water) that was completely covered in dust. That year, like most farmers, we had to sell most of our sheep, which broke our hearts.</p> <p>It was time to stop and revaluate and decide what to do next. Despite the possibilities of droughts and associated problems with farming, it was still a great life. I couldn’t imagine my life not involved with farming.</p>

Family & Pets

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A cry for help: What it’s like hitting rock bottom

<p><strong><em>Ray Thomas left his family farm in South Australia when he was in his 20s and moved to New Zealand. He has always loved writing short stories and watching sport. He married an amazing woman 16 years ago and they both retired three years ago. They love family life, travelling, spending time in their large garden and fostering young children. </em>  </strong></p> <p>Slowly and methodically I locked all the doors and windows, and carefully closed all the curtains. I turned off all the lights. I wanted to give the impression that the house was empty.</p> <p>I then took all types of painkillers I could find in the house and washed them down with water. This continued until I could find no more pills, and my body could take no more fluids.</p> <p>Feeling totally relaxed, I then calmly lay down on a bed and drifted off to sleep, hoping never to wake.</p> <p>I have heard people say, largely those with little or no experience or knowledge of depression, that people at this stage must be mad, or words similar to that.</p> <p>Obviously I cannot speak for others, but for me personally, this was the first time for several tortuous months and years that I felt totally at peace with an absolute clarity of mind. I was sad because, for me, I felt there was no other possible solution.   </p> <p>I knew what I wanted. It was very simple.</p> <p>I wanted the mental torture I had endured for many years to end. I simply couldn’t take it anymore.</p> <p>Later in the night, I woke up feeling drowsy, extremely bloated and angry and disappointed that I had failed to achieve what I thought I so desperately wanted.</p> <p>Looking back however, did I REALLY want to die that night, because there were other options available? As much as I wanted my life to end, I didn’t want to die in pain, so taking pills seemed the “easiest option”. Was it simply a cry for help?</p> <p>If successful, I knew that once my mother found it, it probably would have shortened her life. She had cancer, so the shock of my death probably would have been too much for her.</p> <p>I knew my family would quite rightly be angry with me for causing mum’s death. I knew they would be sad, for a short time, but felt they would soon get over it, and I would be quickly forgotten.</p> <p>None of this mattered to me. I felt desperately alone.</p> <p>Yes, (in hindsight) I was extremely selfish but my rationale was simple. I wanted the pain to stop, and I could see no other alternative.</p> <p>If a person has some kind of obvious “physical” injury you can immediately see and sense their “physical” pain.</p> <p>Usually there are no obvious outward signs of knowing when a person is experiencing inward “mental” pain, so to an outsider, you have no idea of what that person is feeling.</p> <p>So why write this story now? What was my background that led me to believe there was no other way to end my suffering?</p> <p>To begin with, many decades ago, the world was a far different place as regards “mental illness” when it was rarely discussed or understood.</p> <p>Fortunately, in these modern days of enlightenment and the excellent work of many experts in this field, particularly Sir John Kirwan and many others, it is now OK to discuss depression more openly.</p> <p>However, despite the best efforts from a large number of well in-formed experts in this field, suicide rates appear to be climbing, among people of all ages, which is very sad and tragic.</p> <p>Maybe by sharing MY very personal story it may (hopefully) make a difference to at least one person, I can only hope.</p> <p>My early childhood was no different to most people.</p> <p>I had siblings both older and younger, and two parents who clearly loved each other. There was never any violence in the house, no alcohol of any kind, just a normal type of family.</p> <p>Dad was financially an excellent provider. We, as a family never wanted for anything. We went on annual family holidays, which were always the highlight of the year. New (Holden) cars regularly appeared in the garage, together with the latest tractors and farm machinery.</p> <p>However, emotionally Dad was never there for me, for reasons I never understood.</p> <p>In my younger days I described him as “distant, a large shadowy figure with no clear outline surrounded by a powerful yellowy light”.</p> <p>Although I loved to sit on a tractor all day, I was not the slightest bit interested and had no desire of learning how to service it. I much preferred to be working with the sheep. Like most farmers, he could make or fix anything, but again those sorts of things did not interest me.</p> <p>Mostly, we did not share similar hobbies or interests. Sometimes I would try to please and be accepted by him, but felt I could never meet his high standards, so quickly gave up.</p> <p>The one common interest we, and most of the family shared, was sport, but here again there were difficulties.</p> <p>Before taking up lawn bowls, Dad was an excellent cricketer, and I think he hoped I would follow in his footsteps.</p> <p>While at high school I tried to play cricket, but because I was virtually hopeless at bowling, batting, and fielding, I soon accepted that unfortunately, cricket was not for me, so quickly returned to playing tennis which I much preferred, as was better at.</p> <p>Our relationship was not all doom and gloom and he did have some great times, but that’s another story.</p> <p>Maybe if I had felt accepted the way I was, our relationship and what was to follow years later could have been totally different. No-one really knows.</p> <p>In my latter years I began to understand his upbringing and the reasons he became the man he was, which helped a little.  I have tried to accept that he did the best he could, because for men of his generation were almost always strong and stoic and rarely showed emotion.  </p> <p>Largely because of his treatment to my older siblings, mum largely took care of me, especially emotionally. As a result, I was undoubtedly spoilt by her, much to the annoyance of other family members.  </p> <p>She tried her best to be both parents, for which I truly loved her. Growing up, she was my ever reliable, dependable rock. She was simply my mum.</p> <p>However, by the time I had reached my late teenage years/early 20’s, as much as I loved her, I was beginning to feel suffocated by her. I knew that as difficult as it may be, I needed to get away and not live in her shadow, even if that meant possibly live overseas.</p> <p>When the opportunity presented itself, I grabbed it with both hands, undoubtedly knowing it was probably not my wisest choice, but worth taking the risk.</p> <p>I met an overseas woman. She was much younger than me, and in almost every conceivable way we were direct opposites.</p> <p>Shortly after meeting, we began a very intensive relationship, which while mutually satisfying, could not hide the huge differences that were so blatantly obvious.</p> <p>Finally, what initially drew us together eventually tore us apart.</p> <p>I couldn’t blame her entirely for the break-up of our marriage. We were both at fault, and therefore were equally responsible and at times irresponsible during our time together.</p> <p>One day, she was out of town visiting family and did not return that night. I phoned her to be told she was not coming home and that our relationship was over.</p> <p>This leads me back to the very beginning of this story.</p> <p>During the conversation I stupidly said words like “I might take some pills” because I was now feeling desperate. Life with her had not been great for a long time, but I felt that life without her would be even worse. She replied with words like “It’s OK, I checked the house before I left. You can’t do anything too serious”.</p> <p>Many hours later, to my surprise, there was a knock at the door.</p> <p>In my groggy and somewhat agitated state, I answered it to find two St John Ambulance staff. “We believe you may have taken some pills,” one of them said. I can only presume that despite everything we had been through, my ex wanted to make sure I was alright. We never discussed the events of that night.</p> <p>They then checked me over, asked a few questions and sensing I was OK, soon left again.</p> <p>Was it a case of a cry for help?</p> <p>Looking back, the simple answer was an undoubted yes. What I REALLY needed was for someone to take control and HELP me get my life back on track, because I was incapable of doing it alone.</p> <p>Life continued. I had an excellent job, was well respected, and always bright and happy.</p> <p>Away from work, I became highly adept, of becoming what I call a hedgehog. I simply rolled myself into a tight ball, protecting and not allowing anyone to see my soft, vulnerable side. I wanted people to see my outer prickly side and would therefore keep away from me.</p> <p>I was aware that I had a (mental) problem but was not yet ready to acknowledge or accept it, as I had not yet reached rock bottom.</p> <p>Suddenly I again reached breaking point and again taking my life seemed the only acceptable outcome. I had it all planned.</p> <p>The ONLY thing that saved my life was a miracle, which is another long and complicated story.</p> <p>I was now between jobs so to occupy my time I applied for and was accepted by a voluntary organisation. This was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and I met, and worked with, some amazing people.</p> <p>One day, I saw brochures about various mental health issues, and started to read them.</p> <p>Suddenly I became quite excited, as obviously the time was right to explore and confront my many issues, no matter how slow and painful the recovery might be.</p> <p>With a support person with me, I visited my GP, at the end of which I was told that, “Yes, there were some problems, but nothing that could not be overcome with the help of medication and counselling, both individual and in a confidential support group.”</p> <p>Before attending the first group session I was absolutely terrified. The very idea of me sitting around with a group of total strangers, where we were expected to discuss openly our inner most thoughts and fears, was somewhat overwhelming.</p> <p>Each time became easier, and I felt safer.</p> <p>Very quickly, I began to look forward to the meetings. In many ways, they were the highlight of my week.</p> <p>The meetings ALWAYS began with (part of) the SERENITY PRAYER, which we all quickly learned, and seemed a perfect way to begin…</p> <p>“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference”.</p> <p>Yes, for many weeks I found it all very difficult and at times seriously considered walking away but realised this was my best chance to make a positive difference for the remainder my life.</p> <p>For years, I had experienced times of real anger (for no apparent reason), extremely low self-esteem, deep depression and frequent thoughts of suicide.</p> <p>Fortunately, the thought of turning to alcohol for solace, never appealed.</p> <p>I did dabble with gambling briefly. The thought of a big win was exciting. However, before that silent, insidious disease took over and ruled my life, despite my fragile, weakened state, I was able to say “no”.</p> <p>To try and describe it another way, I could clearly see myself in a deep pit. If I looked up, I could barely see a small round hole of light. I could TRY to climb out of the hole and be in the light, but was scared because that was foreign to me, and was unsure what I would be faced with. I felt much safer in the familiar surroundings of the dark and cold in the bottom of the pit.</p> <p>In another way, it was like climbing to the top of a giant slippery dip. The easy part was climbing the steps to the top as I had something to grab hold of. Once at the top, the view was great, but the next stage was the difficult part. In my “suicidal days” once I began the down-ward slide there was no way of stopping until I came to a sudden and painful stop at the bottom.</p> <p>With time I learnt it was safe to start on my descent, but more importantly how to reach out to the sides to stop myself from falling any further and at any time. In some instances, I was able pull myself back up to the top.</p> <p>This for me was a huge, positive step on my road to recovery.</p> <p>This gradual improvement and self-worth I was beginning to experience was amazing, and certainly life-changing.</p> <p>I have an incredible wife, a close, loving network of family and friends. Life is good.</p> <p>For me, with time and as a result of acknowledging and dealing with my numerous issues, a cry for help now means two different things.</p> <p>During my dark, lonely, negative times, a cry for help meant “I think I want to die. Will someone PLEASE find and help save me from myself? I don’t know how and I don’t have the inner strength.”</p> <p>“A cry for help” in my latter years means “please help me deal with the painful grief of losing a loving family member, or close friend”.</p> <p>My private battles which for many years almost defeated me are under control. They will never be entirely conquered, but at least now under control.</p> <p><em>If you are troubled by this article, experiencing a personal crisis or thinking about suicide, you can call <a href="https://www.lifeline.org.nz/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Lifeline</strong></span></a> 0800 543 354 or <a href="https://www.lifeline.org.nz/suicide-crisis-helpline"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Suicide Crisis Helpline</strong></span></a> 0508 828 865.</em></p>

Mind

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Home and Away’s Ray Meagher shares update on Johnny Ruffo’s cancer battle

<p><em>Home and Away</em> actor Ray Meagher has provided an update on former co-star Johnny Ruffo’s cancer battle after his shock diagnosis six months ago.</p> <p>In an interview with <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-5405759/Ray-Meagher-gives-update-Johnny-Ruffos-cancer-battle.html" target="_blank"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Daily Mail Australia</span></strong></em></a>, Meagher explained that Ruffo is doing well despite the situation he is in.</p> <p>“I had coffee with Ruffo the other day. You probably know that he's having a problem with brain cancer at the moment,” Meagher, who plays Alf on<em> Home and Away</em>, said.</p> <p>“But he's still as sharp as a tack. We had a coffee and a good yarn.” Meagher revealed that it was nice to connect with his former co-star and hoped Johnny would recover quickly.</p> <p>“He's a good boy Johnny and it was nice to see him, and he was in really good spirits and we wish him a speedy recovery.”</p> <p>Reminiscing on their memories together on the Aussie soap show, Meagher recalled one scene where their characters encountered a near-death experience.</p> <p>While on a row boat together, Ruffo’s character Chris accidentally added death cap mushrooms to a batch of risotto, causing Alf to slip into unconsciousness.</p> <p>Laughing while thinking back on the memories Meagher said, “He had to row the boat and his rowing skills are as about as good as mine, it's a wonder we both didn't drown."</p> <p>Last week, Ruffo appeared on <em>The Morning Show</em> and gave a positive update on his health.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></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/BfMaI_ZhLqJ/" target="_blank">A post shared by Johnny Ruffo (@johnny_ruffo)</a> on Feb 14, 2018 at 2:28pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“I've got a little way to go now but everything's looking good and is on the mend,” he said.</p> <p>Meanwhile, Meagher has announced he is launching a new condiment called Ray’s Flamin’ Hot Sauce.</p> <p>“It's something that's been bubbling away in the background for a long long time and it sort of started when I was a kid in the bush,” he said.</p> <p>When the actor was a child, he would add Worcestershire sauce to his bread with his brothers.</p> <p>“Then of course I graduated to all sorts of hot sauces and chilli sauces as I got older and I love spicy foods now,” he said.</p>

Caring

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Growing up on a farm in 1950’s Australia

<p><em>Missed the first part of the “Growing up on a farm in 1950’s Australia”? Read <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/2018/02/growing-up-on-a-farm-in-1950s-australia/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Chapter 1: Aussie Summers – 1950s</span></strong></a>. </em></p> <p align="center"><strong>Chapter 2: Aussie Winters – 1950s</strong></p> <p>Now retired, as I reflect on my life thus far, the ‘50s were without doubt the most enjoyable. I was happy and had great family and friends. We lived on a farm, what more could I want?</p> <p align="center"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Lambing time</span></p> <p>We heard the heavy rain falling on the roof.</p> <p>Dad looked happy and said to Mum “Just what we need to make the grass grow for the ewes.” The weather was still fairly warm, but the days were getting shorter.</p> <p>I love lambing time.</p> <p>I go out every day with Dad, if I get the chance, to see the ewes and lambs and to make sure that everything is OK which it normally is. It is great fun to see the lambs running around together with their tails in the air playing “chasey”.</p> <p>Sometimes though, we have to bring a lamb home to look after it, if their mums can’t feed it properly. Our Mum would mix up warm milk in a bottle. Then it was fun to feed them, as they wagged their cute little tails.</p> <p>When they got bigger, Dad put them out with the other sheep. They still loved to come over for lots of pats every-time they saw us.</p> <p>The first ewe (girl) lamb was always called Sally and the ram (boy) lamb was called Jimmy. I don’t know why, it’s just how it was. Any other lambs, my sister Claire and I got to choose their names.</p> <p>As Dad and me drove around the paddocks, sometimes Dad would see a dead lamb, and would say “Darn foxes”. Then he and some of our friends would go out on a dark night to try and shoot foxes.</p> <p>After all the ewes had had their babies, Dad would bring them into the sheep yards. It would take a long time with lots of noise ‘cause sometimes the Mum’s and their babies could not find each other and cry out for each other. Then Dad, with the help of us kids would sort out the babies from their Mum’s, and then they REALLY made lots of noise as they tried to get back to each other.</p> <p>After that, my brother Robin would catch them one at time while Dad put a round green thing around something stopped the ram lambs from making babies. Then with a really sharp knife, Dad would cut off their tails. Then Robin would let them go and they would run flat out crying all the way back to their Mum’s.</p> <p align="center"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Shearing time</span></p> <p>The other job I really loved at the end of winter was shearing time. Most times we had two men who were local farming friends that shore the sheep for us.</p> <p>I loved the smell of the wool and the sheep. Before and after school I really enjoyed helping. It was my job to sweep any bits of wool left over after each sheep was shorn and Dad had picked up the fleece. I always thought I did a good job, ‘though sometimes I probably got in the way a bit.</p> <p>Sometimes one of the shearers as he was going to get another sheep, would pretend to grab me and say “Time for a hair-cut” and I would laugh but run pretty quick back to Dad or Robin ‘cause I thought he was joking but I wasn’t sure.</p> <p>After we had finished for the day, I would help fill the shed with more sheep ready for the next day.</p> <p align="center"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Tractors</span></p> <p>After it had rained, Dad would spend lots of days driving a tractor, pulling something that had “things” that dug up the ground. Dad would try to drive it in a really straight line. Sometimes there would be a tree in the way, so he had to drive around it. I thought Dad was pretty clever ‘cause he always got real close to the tree, but never hit it.</p> <p>I loved to sit on the green and yellow (John Deere) tractor with Dad.</p> <p>When I was little, the tractor was brand new and it looked all bright and shiny and smelt great.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="499" height="315" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7268645/growing-up-on-a-farm-in-text-image_499x315.jpg" alt="Growing Up On A Farm In Text Image"/></p> <p>After a day at school, I would ride my bike flat out to our house, and yell out to Mum, “Which paddock is Dad was in”? Then I would change into my old clothes making sure I was warm ‘cause the weather was cold and sometimes wet. Then I would rush to where Dad was and sit with him until it was dark and then I would ride my bike home again. Dad usually came home much later.</p> <p>When I got a bit older and Robin had left school, Dad brought another green and yellow tractor for him to drive. I liked to be with Dad but Robin was better and more fun. Robin liked to sing a lot, and some people seemed to think he was pretty good. He sang in a choir (whatever that meant) so he liked to practice while he was driving the tractor and I thought he was so clever ‘cause he could sing AND drive the tractor in a straight line at the same time.</p> <p>Sometimes he liked to “show off” by doing all that while he was driving standing up…wow!</p> <p>Sometimes Dad would drive pulling something else that Robin sat on. It had kinda bins with lids that lifted up that they poured stuff into. Sometimes they would stop by the truck that had bags on them and carry them over. When I got a bit bigger I could carry them as well, but they were REALLY heavy. While Dad was driving, Robin would tip the stuff out of the bags into the bins, and I thought he was so clever. Then we would just sit and talk.</p> <p>Most times it was really, really cold and we would put the empty bags over us to keep out the wind and rain.</p> <p>When I got a bit older, I asked Robin what we were doing and he told me we were “Seeding, planting the grain (wheat or barley) with the fertiliser, to make it grow”.</p> <p align="center"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Passing time in winter</span></p> <p>On one side of the farm, we had a dirt road and ‘cause it was a road between two district councils (whatever that meant), nobody looked after it so it became like a fairly narrow track in places with a few trees. It was known as the Boundary Road.</p> <p>One day when I was about 6, and Robin was about 15, somehow he was driving the Land-Rover with just me with him. We ended up on the Boundary Road. It had lately been raining lots. Robin was driving real fast probably ‘cause he wanted to “show off” when suddenly we struck a real slippery patch, and he lost control. The Land-Rover did a full circle.</p> <p>Lucky we did not hit a tree or a fence post and damage the Land-Rover, or hurt ourselves. Robin went real quiet but I thought it was funny. He drove real slow back to the house after that and made me promise not to tell Mum and Dad ‘cause he knew they would be cross with him, but it wasn’t my fault.</p> <p>The other thing we did during winter time was play table-tennis. Our team was Reeves Plains and we used to play against a lot of local teams. When we played our home matches it was always in our barn, and was great fun.</p> <p>The barn was where we stored the seed wheat, barley and fertiliser. Being really little I thought the barn was a long way from the house (it was probably about 50 metres) and even with the outside lights turned on at the house and the barn, there was lots of dark places. There were sheds both sides with trees, and sometimes the branches would make a noise on the roof of the shed and I would get scared and run flat out if I was by myself. I never told anybody ‘cause I didn’t want them to think I was a baby.</p> <p>When I first started to play I was only little and couldn’t reach very far, so I used to stand on a box. I always thought I was pretty good.</p> <p>Often I used to pester Robin for a hit and try my new fancy trick shots and thought I could beat him. I never did, but sometimes I got close. Maybe he just let me. He was the second best player in the WHOLE district so I was dreaming if I thought I was ever going to beat him. Dad was really good, and Mum was fairly good too. Claire didn’t seem to like playing very much and was no competition for someone like me.</p> <p align="center"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Starting school</span></p> <p>When I was a bit older than five, I started going to school. Most days, Claire and I used to read our bikes on the dirt road, about two miles.</p> <p>One day she wouldn’t wait for me so I went too fast trying to catch up and fell off grazing my knee. Claire asked if I wanted to go home so Mum could clean it up, but I didn’t want the kids at school, especially the three other boys in my class to think I was a baby by having a plaster on it, so I said “No”.</p> <p>For the first three years before she went off to college in Adelaide, it was kinda nice to have Claire around, in case I got into trouble.</p> <p>I loved Primary School and was always the smartest kid in my class. It was also great to play with all my friends.</p> <p>The toilets seemed a long way away from the class-room. At least they did when I was little. They were in amongst the Pepper Trees and made of galvanised iron. As I went into them, there was a long trough thing to pee into that was always surrounded by spider webs. If I wanted to do “two’s” I went through a door. When lifting the lid I had to be careful not to sit on a Redback Spider, ‘cause I knew they would bite. When I lifted the seat it was a long drop and looked disgusting so I only used it if I was busting. I was always afraid I might fall in.</p> <p align="center"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Dealing with kangaroos</span></p> <p>During most winter’s Dad and some friends would “go bush” for about a week. Sometimes there were lots of kangaroos on the outback stations, so they would go up and shoot them, ‘cause the kangaroos ate all the grass the cattle were ‘spose to eat.</p> <p>When I was about 10, people like Dad were stopped from doing that. Sometimes when a kangaroo was shot, without Dad knowing it, they had a baby (joey) in their pouch.</p> <p>Every time Dad went away Claire and I would always hope Dad would come with one. One year, when I was about five, Dad came home with three of them.</p> <p>The boy ones were brown in colour and the girls were blue. They were the most amazing, cute, gentlest, beautiful pets we EVER had. When they were really little they used to sleep in an empty wheat bag, hanging against the hot water thing to keep them warm. When it was feed time Mum or Dad would gently get them down and tip them out so Claire and me could feed them.</p> <p>They would try to grab the bottle with their cute little front legs as we fed them. We had to be careful they did not slip on the lino floor. Their fur was so lovely and soft.</p> <p>When they got a bit bigger we used to take them outside and they used to hop after us, and they looked adorable. By that stage they slept outside in a small yard close to the house Dad made for them. After that they spent the rest of the day and their lives in a really big yard, and one year one had a baby, but that’s another story.</p> <p align="center"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Royal Adelaide Show</span></p> <p>At the end of winter was time for the 10-day Royal Adelaide Show.</p> <p>On the Monday morning, the whole family would rush down to see the Merino Sheep judging to see Uncle “Henry” and his family with their stud sheep. I loved all the sights, smells and excitement of all the sheep and lots of people.</p> <p>Uncle Henry always did really well and won lots of cups, medals and sashes with his sheep.</p> <p>It was a great, fun day out, ‘cause after that we would spend the rest of the day looking at all the animals, and side-shows. After that, we had to see all the stuff the adults wanted to look at, which was a bit boring for us kids.</p> <p>Usually we had lunch with other aunts, uncles and cousins so it was always a fun day out.</p> <p>Yes, winter in the ‘50s took some beating, with so many great things to do.</p>

Family & Pets

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The one reason why Ray Meagher has stayed on Home and Away for 30 years

<p>He’s been a constant presence on our television screens for over 30 years, but <em>Home and Away’s</em> Ray Meagher – or Alf Stewart, as he will always be known to many – still is startled by his fame.</p> <p>"I feel [fame] is the domain of the more attractive, younger people that people are interested in looking at and reading about," the 73-year-old told TV Week in an exclusive interview.</p> <p>Like the character he’s played for three decades, Ray is friendly, down-to-earth and talkative. But there's one crucial difference. </p> <p>"I don't think you've heard me say 'flamin'' or 'galah' once – or any of the character expressions," he says. "There is a difference there.</p> <p>"I hope I don't do my block quite as quickly as Alf does. He usually apologises, but if you get up to make a cup of tea, you might miss it."</p> <p>With a successful TV and film career before he moved to Summer Bay, a question that dogs the veteran <em>Home and Away</em> actor is why has stayed on the show for so long.</p> <p>"There have been a couple of times along the way where I've thought, 'Maybe I should go and do that,'" he says, admitting he often asks himself the question. "Realistically, I don't need more than five fingers to name the jobs that were firm offers that I would have done other than this.</p> <p>"So, this job has stopped me doing those five jobs. But then you look at the opportunities it has created."</p> <p>But it should come as no surprise the key reason why Ray has stayed year after year - it's the people.</p> <p>"It's what makes up the show – it's the people," he says. "It's the people who have made it such a wonderful place to go to work for so long."</p> <p>But with 30 years of ups and down on the show – with his character having faced every scenario imaginable, the latest of which he finds himself fighting for his life – how much longer does he see himself going? Will he be retiring anytime soon?</p> <p>"I'm sure there is," he says. "Exactly when that is, I have to talk to Julie McGauran [Channel Seven's head of drama] in the next few months. That will give a clearer indication as to when that might be. I've had an incredible run."</p>

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