IN Coriole, a little country town in Northern NSW, folks are getting ready for the big day. But what are they really celebrating? No one seems to have a proper answer to this question, but all parties have their own two bits to put in. Master of satire, Johnathan Biggins, has whipped up a comedy in Australia Day with as much froth as a shaken tinnie where jokes snap along like a string of Chinese firecrackers. Laugh all you like, but there is plenty to think about in this hilarious examination of the true blue Aussie identity. Racism, federal politics,…
Author: Bayside News
SCREENING rates for breast cancer in the Carrum and Frankston electorates are among the lowest across the state, according to new data. BreastScreen Victoria noted participation rates for 2012-14 reveal just 49 per cent of women in Carrum and Frankston aged between the ages of 50 and 69 had checks for breast cancer as part of the free BreastScreen Victoria program. The participation average across Victoria was 54 per cent with suburbs such as Geelong and Essendon hitting the 60 per cent participation mark. Parliamentary secretary for health Mary-Anne Thomas, who released the data to state MPs last week, said…
By David Quinn* THIS month marks 40 years since Prime Minister Gough Whitlam ran soil through the hands of Vincent Lingiari stating: “I want to acknowledge that we Australians still have much to do to redress the injustice and oppression that has for so long been the lot of Black Australians”. Whitlam then added: “This land will be the possession of you and your children forever.” In reply, with trust implicit in Whitlam’s pledge, the softly-spoken elder decreed: “Now we can all be mates”. It is now August 2015 and the question is raised – are we mates? Have we…
IN January last year Lindsay Davies lost his son Jayden to bone cancer (osteosarcoma) when he was 17. Jayden was a talented sportsman, and loved footy, cricket and being with his mates, he said. Inspired by Jayden’s “strength, guts and dignity”, Mr Davies is embarking on the Ride to Conquer Cancer for a second year. “It is an honour to ride in Jayden’s team: ‘Hope Is stronger Than Fate’, he said. Last year the group raised $39,439 and, this year’s 14-rider team hopes to exceed $50,000. “It is a huge challenge personally, however, the greater challenge is creating awareness and…
“NOT having an answer” is the hardest thing for loved ones of missing persons to bear. It’s a numbing feeling, and one which the family of missing Frankston North woman Karen Rae experience daily. The 48-year-old has not been seen or heard from since leaving her home on Wednesday 15 April. Mother Chris Boyle said Karen’s disappearance has had a huge effect on our family, especially her sons. “I regularly see her 10-year-old son and it is heartbreaking trying to explain to him what’s happened,” she said. “He’s very sad and misses his mother. He asks to see photos and…