Southern Right whale mother and calf
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
21 minutes ago
- ABC News
Iconic 'lucky' bomber G for George returns to the Australian War Memorial
The fuselage of an iconic World War Two Lancaster bomber nicknamed "Lucky" has been returned to the Australian War Memorial (AWM). G for George is one of the memorial's most beloved and well-known exhibits and has been in storage for the past five years while the memorial underwent significant redevelopment. Hundreds of people lined Anzac Parade in Canberra to see the aircraft's fuselage return to the memorial under police escort. The aircraft will now be reassembled to return to public display. Murray Vogt's father Brian flew with the 460 Squadron, of which G for George was a part, in the war. Mr Vogt was among those watching on. "Dad was pretty stoic and didn't really talk about bad experiences, he spoke of mateship and sacrifice. "It's a great thing for people to see and understand some of the sacrifice people have made." AWM director Matt Anderson described the aircraft as a "significant" part of the institution's collection. "Of all the moments this morning, the most powerful moment for me was when school children spontaneously applauded as she came around the roundabout," he said. "It just reminded me of the first time I saw George — I was 10 years old — and they will have that memory now forever. "It's a very powerful moment, it's a historic moment." The aircraft carried out 89 bombing missions over Germany and occupied Europe between 1942 and 1944. There were zero casualties among the 250 aircrew who flew on George throughout the war, leading many to believe the aircraft was "lucky", according to AWM senior historian Lachlan Grant. "There were no casualties amongst the aircrew flying on George itself but over 80 of the aircrew who flew G for George were later killed in operations flying in other Lancasters and other squadrons," he said. Dr Grant said George had "a lot of very near misses", returning to base damaged on several occasions. Over the next month, the remaining parts of G for George will be transported to the war memorial where it will be fully reassembled. It will form the centrepiece of a new exhibition, opening to the public next year, after renovations at the memorial are complete. Emily Hyles, a curator at the memorial, said the exhibition would provide powerful new insights for visitors. "We have got a lot of new objects that have never been on display before and in doing that we can tell our visitors a whole range of new stories," she said. Her fellow curator Garth O'Connell said George was an "icon". "It has been a professionally and personally very rewarding experience to help put George back on display and to help bring other stories to life."
ABC News
21 minutes ago
- ABC News
Man and teenager sentenced over roles in murders of gangster Salim Hamze and father
A man has been jailed and a teenage boy has been spared prison over their roles in the underworld murders of teenage gangster Salim Hamze and his innocent father Toufik four years ago. Suliman Hamza, now 23, was jailed for four years but with time served and a non-parole period he will be released in October. The boy, who was just 16 at the time, avoided a jail sentence but was handed a two-year intensive corrections order. Both pleaded guilty to being accessories after the fact to the two murders in the Downing Centre District Court. While the pair were not convicted of shooting the Hamzes, they admitted to being recruited to clean evidence from the getaway cars used by the killers. Their sentence hearing last week heard the pair left not only their own DNA after cleaning one of the vehicles, but that of the previous owner who the car was stolen from. Hamza and the boy's legal team argued they had no idea the cars were used to murder two people, describing them as "novices". The court heard Hamza had to Google what Windex was used for when tasked with wiping evidence from the getaway car. "I wouldn't employ them to clean my home," the boy's barrister said during last week's hearing. The Hamzes were gunned down in broad daylight getting into a red ute outside the Osgood Street, Guildford family home in October 2021. Their deaths came at the height of gangland hostilities between the rival Hamzy and Alameddine clans over the city's drug trade. The warring families run organised crime networks in Western Sydney, with their feud responsible for the deaths of seven people. Toufik Hamze, 64, was one of two innocent civilians to be killed as the tit-for-tat shootings played out on Sydney's streets over two years. Despite sharing the same last name, 18-year-old Salim Hamze was not a blood relative of the Hamzy family that earned public infamy through notorious crime boss Bassam Hamzy. Police believe Mr Hamze became a target after suspicions he was the gunman who killed rival drug dealer Shady Kanj a few months before he met his own end. The teenager is also suspected of being the gunman who shot a senior member of the Alameddine family, who survived the attack and is currently in jail. The man police believe shot the Hamzes was one the teen's best friends and fled overseas after allegedly shooting the father and son. Zaid Abdelhafez, 22, is wanted on a warrant for the murders and police have spent the past four years attempting to locate him. Alameddine family patriarch Rafat Alameddine and associate Ray Bayssari are also wanted on warrants for two counts of murder for allegedly organising the hit, but have fled to Lebanon.
ABC News
21 minutes ago
- ABC News
Convicted sex offender Gareth Ward faces expulsion from NSW parliament
NSW MP Gareth Ward could become the first member of the Legislative Assembly expelled from the New South Wales parliament in more than 100 years when politicians return to Macquarie Street next week. The Legislative Assembly is expected to consider a motion to expel Ward as its first order of business on Tuesday, following his conviction for sexually abusing two young men. It would be the first time since 1917 that the parliament has used this power. The vote is expected to pass comfortably, with both the government and opposition supporting Ward's removal. On Monday, Premier Chris Minns said Ward's continued presence in parliament was "ridiculous" and threatened the integrity of the institution. Mr Minns called on Ward to resign and said if he did not, the parliament would take steps to remove him. On Thursday, Opposition leader Mark Speakman repeated his support for the expulsion motion. "The fact that he is now incarcerated makes that call even stronger," Mr Speakman said. Ward spent his first night in Silverwater jail after his bail was revoked in the District Court on Wednesday, where a date was set for his sentencing in September. Once expelled, Ward will lose his salary and entitlements immediately. The Speaker of the House will assume responsibility for the Kiama electorate until a by-election is held and a new member is sworn in. If Ward is discharged from the parliament, it is the Speaker's responsibility to contact the electoral commission to organise a by-election in the seat. If Ward appealed against his conviction and succeeded, he would remain removed from parliament and would have to recontest the seat of Kiama to return. The last time a member was expelled from the Legislative Assembly was in 1917. Richard Arthur Price was removed for conduct "unworthy of a member of parliament and seriously reflecting on the dignity of the House", after a royal commission found he had made baseless allegations against a minister. Mr Price recontested and won the subsequent by-election just weeks later. Expulsion remains one of the most serious sanctions parliament can impose on one of its own. In the Legislative Council, the last expulsion occurred in 1969, when Alexander Armstrong MLC was found to have engaged in conduct that included procuring false evidence, entertaining the possibility of bribing a Supreme Court judge, and offering false testimony. Mr Armstrong unsuccessfully challenged his expulsion in the Court of Appeal. As the reality of Ward being jailed sinks in, there are mixed feelings on the streets of Kiama about the future. Couple Sue and Glenn Lawrence said the former Liberal turned independent had been effective for the electorate, but that it was time for him to resign. "I think it's the right thing to do, as much as he has done a lot for Kiama as a politician," Ms Lawrence said. Russell Hawkins said Ward should have stepped down long ago. "I think he shouldn't have contested the previous election," Mr Hawkins said. "He's been found guilty. I think it's repugnant what he did, and I'm glad he's going to be out." There was concern for the electorate of more than 80,000 people to be left without representation in parliament from next week. "There will have to be a vote for a new person," Mr Lawrence said. "You could get the Liberals coming back in again or Labor, I don't know, but we do need somebody here." Other residents said they were in less of a rush and were eager to wait until any appeal was finalised. "I'm puzzled," Rupert Jarvis said. "Overall, in his capacity as an MP, I think he does an excellent job." Another resident, Margaret Mitchell said: "He's done years and years of incredible service" for Kiama. Ward's electorate office in Kiama was temporarily closed last week but has since reopened. Staff told the ABC they were continuing to respond to enquiries and had received strong support from the community. They also urged the public to treat all political staff with respect. A day after he was sent to prison, Ward's defamation case against Sydney radio station 2SM was mentioned in the District Court. The case was relisted on the court's active list following Ward's conviction for sexual assault offences, prompting consideration of how the guilty verdict may affect the defamation proceedings. A certificate of conviction could be tendered as part of the broadcaster's early serious harm defence or in support of an application for summary dismissal. The matter is due back in court on September 11.
