The Lingerie Makers who put Neil Armstrong on the Moon
In the 1960's when President JFK accelerated the space race, NASA needed someone to design a spacesuit capable of putting man on the moon. When the big defense contractors failed to meet the challenge, NASA had no choice but to work with the only company up to the job: Playtex - manufacturers of women's girdles and bras.
The UK's best selling historian under 40 Kassia St Clair tells host Marc Fennell (Stuff the British Stole, Mastermind) the incredible true story of the unsung heroes of the space race: the seamstresses who painstakingly sewed the Apollo 11 spacesuits.
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News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Moorabbin bowling alley saved as General Public reveals plans
Melbourne's longest running bowling alley is set to be reopened in time for Christmas after a more than $10m play that has saved it from developers. The Moorabbin bowling lanes date back to the 1964, and have been operated by popular groups from AMF to Zone. It's now just months away from being reopened under the banner of General Public, who plan to not only reopen it — but make it a bigger draw card for families from as far as Melbourne's Bayside suburbs. Inside East Sunbury's new $80m shopping village Actor Ryan Reynolds, Wrexham help pay Aussie mortgages General Public managing director Harry Kourbeis said while they were still firming up all of their plans, the bowling lanes would definitely be a part of it — but there will be less of them. 'You can expected another bowling offering to come back to what is known as one of the earliest bowling centres in Victoria,' Mr Kourbeis said. 'And we're hoping to open by early December. 'But we will reduce the lanes to 12. We are expecting more of a social interest, than a competitive bowling one, so that will give more room for other activities.' General Public also have venues in Dingley, Frankston, Corio in Geelong and the Queensland city of Ipswich. They typically offer bowling, gaming arcades, pool tables, and golfing simulators. Bowling leagues, as well as kids events are among their regular offerings. They're also planning to give the venue a menu makeover and offer 'good comfort food' made from quality ingredients that suits casual dining – and takes things a step beyond the usual bowling alley fare. Mr Kourbeis said when he had seen the forthcoming sale sign at the property while driving to one of the existing General Public sites in Dingley he 'couldn't stop quickly enough to get the details'. 'I thought it was perfectly located,' he said. The entertainment retail industry veteran also appreciated the site's 1960s character, something he has little intention of changing on the outside — despite bigger plans for inside. The local landmark at 944-954 Nepean Highway was listed for sale in January and sold in March this year for $10.2m. Three months later, Zone Bowling in Moorabbin was closed on June 13 ahead of a new site under that brand being opened at Southland on June 19. JLL's Dominic McGrath worked on the sale and said there had been interest from retailers as well as developers, despite heritage aspects giving some pause to those planning a significant transformation. 'But a lot of retailers and some developers were looking at it,' Mr McGrath said. 'The size gave it a lot of flexibility, so it was a competitive campaign.' He added that with other parties still looking, there was still demand in the $10m range for larger Moorabbin addresses. However, Mr McGrath said it was a good thing for Melbourne that a bowling alley was likely to continue on at the site. 'A lot of people we spoke to knew it straight away, having taken their kids there and having gone there when they were younger,' he said. 'So it's great for the area that it may stay there. People in the bayside area will be pretty rapt to see it continue as a bowling alley.' JLL's Xander Yeo was also involved in the sale and said it was a win for the wider community that the 'Nepean Highway landmark' would continue on as an entertainment spot.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Hardy, 'eco-friendly' Nguni cattle may be a value breed as climate changes
Farmers and researchers hope the birth of a new generation of hardier, more heat-resistant cattle on a West Australian farm will spur the breed's adoption across the country. Originally from Eastern Africa, Nguni cattle are bred to survive in tough landscapes, which advocates say makes them ideal for regional Australia. The new herd was born on Whitby Falls Farm, run by Murdoch University south of Perth, to educate veterinary students and research the breed. Murdoch University animal reproduction expert and research lead Pete Irons said Nguni cattle had adapted over many centuries to harsh environments. "They're very light on the land … they're very efficient at utilising resources … their ability to conserve nitrogen [and] recycle nitrogen in their bodies is all very highly developed," he said. The cattle's skin contains an oily substance that reflects the sun's rays, and they are also able to regulate their body temperature very effectively. Dr Irons said these characteristics contributed to the breed's ability to tolerate tough conditions, making them a desirable livestock option in drought and heatwave-prone regions like WA. "[They're also] highly disease resistant and very fertile," he said. "So despite being in very harsh environments, they're able to breed and reproduce very successfully." Nguni breeder Ed Rous said they produced less methane than other breeds, and were the best cattle for any sustainable farming operation. The red-meat industry recently abandoned its target of net-zero emissions by 2030, claiming the goal was not possible. However, Dr Irons said the beef industry needed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, and the Nguni offered an environmentally friendly step in the right direction. "Anything we can do to address [those emissions] by creatively using different breeds of animals with unique genetics like this and farming efficiently … that will, by its very nature, reduce methane emissions," he said. "This breed has real advantages here in Western Australia that the farming community should take seriously, especially as we move more and more into drought conditions [and] resource constraints. "We think it's a breed we should be looking at." Mr Rous said while interest in breeding Nguni cattle had been growing, the market remained focused on larger breeds such as Angus and Hereford. "I feel the place in the sun for the Nguni is definitely more sustainable operations where people are farming paddock to plate because of their good meat … you can value-add by selling the product directly yourself," he said. Mr Rous said he hoped research, like the studies being done by Murdoch University, would raise awareness about the breed. "I have no doubt that they are capable of doing exceptionally well and they've proven to me that they [can], but I'm hoping we get more and more Australians interested in them," he said. Murdoch student vet Caitlin Cooper said she expected the breed to have a "huge impact" moving forward. "They truly are [the ultimate survivors] … they're tick resistant, heat resistant and in this current climate we need a resistant breed," she said. "It's just about getting the word out about the Ngunis because I think that's the way into the future."
The Australian
2 hours ago
- The Australian
Golfer Grace Kim wins Evian Championship play-off, claims first major
For as long as anyone can remember, Grace Kim has always worn a pin for a man she never met. It takes a special kind of person to honour someone's legacy like that, and she's always believed in the Jarrod Lyle story. Lyle had a smile which could light up a small town. Australian golf fans laughed with him, they cried with him when he was diagnosed with cancer and he kept coming back to play, they mourned him when his battle came to an end. He was just 36. As she fidgeted through her winning press conference after a major championship won in the dead of the Australian night, and frankly one no one saw coming, she grabbed for the little yellow Leuk The Duck pin. It's the mascot for the Challenge charity which raises money for kids with cancer. At first, Kim grabbed for the wrong side of her hat, then quickly realised it was on the other. 'I forgot to wear it the first three days and I just remembered to put it on before I teed off (in the final round),' Kim says after her stunning Evian Championship win in France. 'I'm glad I did. 'I didn't get a chance to meet Jarrod Lyle, but just to be representing Australia, as well as his foundation, shows the camaraderie of all Aussies, what he's done and the inspiration he's left behind.' Grace Kim kisses The Amundi Evian Championship 2025 trophy after winning her first major. Picture: Getty Images Kim was only 17 when Lyle died, but for some reason his story resonated with her. 'She puts other people first,' says Kim's coach Khan Pullen. 'She always has. That's one of her greatest strengths as a person, and sometimes as a player you feel you might need that competitive hardness. That's just her. She's never going to change that. 'She's just a wonderful human being. She's a very talented golfer, but she's a better person than she is a golfer.' That's saying something, because if you only watched the final hour of the Evian Championship, you would have been forgiven for thinking there's no one better on the planet with a golf club in hand. Kim won on the second play-off hole, making a sequence of unbelievable shots, sealing consecutive women's major wins for Australia after Minjee Lee's success in the KPMG PGA Championship (Lee finished one shot behind Kim in tied-third on Monday morning AEST). Grace Kim looked like the best golfer on the planet as she stormed to victory. Picture: Getty Images Kim finished with eagle-birdie-eagle to down Thailand's world No.2 Jeeno Thitikul by two shots. She almost fluked an albatross on the last hole in regulation, somehow sunk a miracle chip-in for birdie after a water ball on the first play-off hole, and then made eagle again on the second extra hole. Before the play-off, Kim stood beside the green with her arm around Thitikul like long lost friends. Golfers have many ways to beat their rivals. Kim only knows one way: with kindness. 'We were watching and after they hit her tee shots in regulation, she was walking talking to Jeeno and I was (thinking), 'sometimes she's got to be a little bit meaner',' says Australian golfing legend Karrie Webb. 'She definitely has that grit, but she's such a lovely kid.' If anyone knows, it should be Webb. The path to being a major champion and winner of Webb's scholarship four years in a row was made for Kim at a young age. Grace Kim reacts after putting a birdie to win the The Amundi Evian Championship. Picture: Getty Images Grace Kim is sprayed with champagne as she celebrates her victory. Picture: Getty Images Kim is the daughter of Korean migrants who raised a family in Sydney. Her parents, Kevin and Jane, ran a small cleaning business. At first, she hated going with her dad to the driving range. One day, something clicked. The better she got, the longer the hours her parents worked to support her. Kim would notice them getting tired driving her to golf sessions all around Sydney after their shifts had finished. By the time she was doing her HSC, she was representing Australia at the Youth Olympics. She had to sit an English exam in Buenos Aires, which said students must stay for at least an hour. As the clock ticked past 60 minutes, Kim upped and handed in a half-completed paper. School was out. 'She was pretty all in with her golf,' Pullen says. 'Once she decided what she wanted, she had this incredible work ethic. She was a great student, would always listen and was extremely coachable.' Webb saw it too, so much so she kept having Kim to the United States as her scholarship winner. The last time, Webb took her on a road trip to play some of the most prestigious courses in America: Pine Valley, Winged Foot, Westchester Country Club. They even shared a hotel room. 'It was a memory money can't buy,' Kim says. Grace Kim is the second straight Australian to win a women's golfing major. Picture: Getty Images For the past 18 months, Pullen and Kim's conditioning team have desperately sought what everyone is chasing in the modern game: power and distance. They also made a pact that Kim, one of the most relentless workers in the game, would play less tournaments too. As a result, Kim, 24, has spent more time in the gym, and unlike traditional warm-up methods, walks onto a practice range and goes full throttle with a driver first, rather than working her way through her bag from wedges up. She's added more speed and length off the tee. 'My idea is you should be physically ready when you come out to the range with your natural swing at full speed,' Pullen says. 'Particularly if her warm up wasn't going well, she would tend to slow down and get a bit steery in her swing. I wanted her at full speed. That's kind of been the strategy.' For the first three days of the Evian Championship, Kim battled an illness she felt she couldn't shake. As she spluttered over her playing partners, she kept apologising, chasing around her little white golf ball with a picture of an avocado on it as a tribute to her favourite food. As the avocado rolled in to the hole to cement her place in Australian golfing history, no one was smiling more than the man watching from the 19th hole in the sky, the one she was wearing the little yellow pin for. Maybe good things do happen to good people.
