Heavy snowfall in NSW's Northern Tablelands
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The Australian
8 hours ago
- The Australian
Hunter Valley flood victim's body found after days-long search
A body believed to be that of a missing 26-year-old woman has been found by volunteer rescuers in NSW's Hunter Valley. The Chinese national was swept away on Saturday 2 August after downpours flooded the Hunter Region. The woman was a passenger in a Mini Countryman driven by a 27-year-old woman on Old North Road in Rothbury. Her body was found shortly after 11am on Wednesday morning, said Inspector Justin Cornes from the Hunter Valley Police Department 'Our forensic specialist police along with our detectives are on the scene currently,' he said. 'Our thoughts go out to the family of the missing 26-year-old for what has been and will continue to be an extremely difficult time for them.' On Sunday, Hunter Valley District Commander Superintendent Steve Laksa said both women had tried to get out of the car when it was clear they were stuck, but were swept away 'with the rising and rapidly running causeway waters'. He said both were 'swept into the causeway' but the driver managed to surface and collect her dog, which was in the back seat of the car. The driver made her way to the causeway's bank, while the 26-year-old passenger was pulled further away, and eventually found about 450m from the causeway. The passenger had lived in Australia for three years and worked as an engineer. A large-scale search was launched for the woman involving local police, the Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit, Marine Area Command, NSW SES, VRA Rescue NSW, and the NSW RFS. It was volunteer rescuers from VRA Rescue NSW who found the body. Rainfall totals as high as 137mm have triggered flash flooding in NSW over the weekend, and the NSW State Emergency Service responded to more than 1455 incidents caused by the severe weather, including more than 100 stuck vehicles. More than 40 flood warnings were issued north of Newcastle, and parts of the Upper Hunter town of Scone were ordered to evacuate immediately due to 'major flooding'. At the time Superintendent Laksa urged people to follow warnings about floodwaters. 'I'd just ask the community to take heed of those warnings and do not enter any waterway,' he said. The body is yet to be formally identified, and a report will be prepared for the coroner. Brendan Kearns Cadet Journalist Brendan Kearns is a cadet journalist with News Corp Australia. He has written for The Australian, the Herald Sun, the Geelong Advertiser, CHOICE, Cosmos, and The Citizen. He won Democracy's Watchdogs' Student Award for Investigative Journalism 2024 and hosted the third season of award-winning podcast Uncurated. He studied as Master of Journalism at The University of Melbourne, before that he worked as a video producer and disability worker. NewsWire An 84-year-old man has died three days after he and his wife, 82, were allegedly assaulted by a man known to them at their home near Wagga Wagga. NewsWire A 'hardworking father' who died at a construction site has been remembered as someone who always put others first.
News.com.au
15 hours ago
- News.com.au
Joe Pride wary of wet track for Missile Stakes favourite Private Eye
Trainer Joe Pride plans to keep options A, B and C open before deciding if early favourite Private Eye will take his place in Saturday's Group 2 $300,000 Missile Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick. Plan A is for Pride's grand galloper to make his return in Sydney's first stakes race of the season but the prospect of a wet track has the Warwick Farm trainer treading careful heading into the weekend. He has already made a contingency plan with Private Eye nominated for a 1000m trial on Friday morning that would see him line up in the same heat as star stablemate Ceolwulf. Pride wouldn't have to make a decision to Friday morning to decide which way he will go and by then he will have a clearer picture on what the weather is doing this weekend. More race-day rain has been forecast in Sydney this Saturday with Randwick already rated in the heavy range in the lead-up to the feature meeting. 'I would love to run in that Missile on Saturday, I really would and it is plan A but I am fearful of what rain is going to fall on Saturday,' Pride said. 'I will trial him if we don't run on Saturday but there is a Plan B and C for him. 'We could either go to the PB Lawrence first-up and Caulfield or wait to save him for the Winx Stakes. 'The weather is going to dictate but the latest I can leave it is Friday morning and we will work the horse on Thursday morning as usual before making a decision around 6.30 or 7am based on the weather predictions for Randwick.' Private Eye, last seen finishing third in a Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap, is the headliner in a field of 10 acceptors for the Missile Stakes. The two-time The Everest placegetter earning early support from punters, shortening from $3.30 into $2.60 favouritism with Nash Rawiller booked to ride. The Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained General Salute ($3.70) and Bjorn Baker's Robusto ($5.50) are both in the race while Brudenell was $9 into $7.50 in earlier betting. • Pride isn't the only trainer reluctant to run his returning talent on a wet surface with Gary Portelli also revealing his intention to bypass the Missile Stakes with Encap ($18) if the track remains heavy. Portelli could wait for the Group 3 $250,000 Show County Quality (1200m) in two weeks' time with his Doncaster Mile placegetter. Meanwhile, Chris Waller is set to take a heavy-handed approach in the Premier's Cup Prelude (1800m) after accepting with eight runners, three of which landed among the emergencies. By far the most interesting of those contenders is More Felons ($11), which hasn't raced since finishing runner-up to Kalapour in 2024 Tancred Stakes (2400m) after suffering a tendon issue.
News.com.au
19 hours ago
- News.com.au
Melbourne Lord Mayor: First Nations seasonal calendar ‘makes a bit more sense'
Melbourne's Lord Mayor has suggested a six-season First Nations seasonal calendar would 'make a bit more sense' than the four-season calendar Australians are used to. Nicholas Reece said there was merit in using traditional Wurundjeri seasonal calendars, which he said were more representative of the seasonal patterns in Australia than our current system. 'In the Wurundjeri calendar, there were six seasons. It was a wet summer and a dry summer. A wet winter and a dry winter. And when you think about it, it makes sense,' he said. Speaking to 3AW, Mr Reece argued 'we have gone and superimposed four seasons, essentially from Northern Europe'. 'They don't really match up with the weather patterns … this is actually quite an interesting idea, don't just rule it out' he said. 'This is one of those things where a bit of First Nations knowledge appears to make a bit more sense … Literally, wattle season starts and that week you look around Melbourne and all of the wattle trees have turned fluorescent yellow and it's beautiful.' 'Biderap', or 'dry season', is the first Wurundjeri season, which takes place from early December to early February and is considered to be 'high summer'. 'Luk', or 'eel season', takes place from early February until April and is considered 'late summer'. 'Waring', or 'wombat season', is early April to early June and characterised as 'early winter'. 'Gannawarra', or 'black swan season', takes place from early June to late July in 'deep winter'. 'Guling', or 'orchid season', is early spring and takes place from the end of July to late September. 'Porneet', or 'tadpole season', is the 'true spring', which takes place from late September to early December. Most other interpretations of the Wurundjeri calendar include seven seasons, removing Gunnawarra, extending wombat season, and adding 'Buarth Gurru', or 'grass flowering season', and 'Garrawang', or 'kangaroo-apple season', in November and December respectively. According to Wurundjeri woman Jacqui Wandin, First Nations seasons more effectively 'signify change'. 'During Biderap (high summer), the sun is much hotter, so be careful where you step! Luk (late summer) provides an opportunity to rejuvenate, reflect and learn,' she said. 'My favourite time of year is Guling (early spring) when the silver wattles are in full bloom, reminding us of Uncle Barak, our most courageous civil rights hero.' Uncle Barak was a prominent Wurundjeri civil rights activist who engaged in high-profile negotiations and protests on behalf of First Nations people in Victoria throughout the late 1800s. The idea to incorporate First Nations seasons into the Melbourne calendar was generated from the Melbourne 2050 Summit, which focused on what the city could look like in another 25 years.
