Kaliane Bradley, Rumaan Alam, success and 'sexy dead guys'
British Cambodian author Kaliane Bradley shares the inspiration behind her hit 2024 debut The Ministry of Time. It's a time travel novel that began during lockdown when Kaliane became obsessed with the failed 19th century Franklin Arctic Expedition and one of the officers on board who sported seductive muttonchops and a twinkle in his eye.
Rumaan Alam is the American author of four novels but is most known for his 2020 end-of-the-world thriller Leave the World Behind. He followed it up with Entitlement which is about a young black woman working for very rich, old white man. Both works explore the similar territory of race, power and privilege.
Kaliane Bradley and Rumaan Alam spoke to Claire Nichols at Melbourne Writers Festival.
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News.com.au
27 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Trial for Outback Wrangler Matt Wright hears explosive claims
A Netflix reality star 'idolised' by his staff was an 'anti-vaxxer' who broke Covid-19 laws and was allegedly secretly recorded talking about tinkering with flight records while visiting a chopper crash survivor left paraplegic in hospital, a jury has heard. The extraordinary claims about Outback Wrangler Matt Wright were made this week during his trial in the Northern Territory Supreme Court, where he is charged with three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The 45-year-old celebrity is accused of failing to accurately record flight times in the Robinson-R-44 that crashed in February 2022, killing his co-star Chris 'Willow' Wilson. It is not alleged Mr Wright is responsible for the crash. Mr Wilson, 34, was dangling from a sling attached to the helicopter during a dangerous crocodile egg collecting mission when the chopper crashed in Arnhem Land. CHOPPER RECORDS ALLEGEDLY FUDGED Pilot Seb Robinson, who survived the crash but is now a paraplegic, testified his former boss was an 'anti-vaxxer' despite Mr Wright going to two Covid restricted areas – the remote helicopter crash site and the injured pilot's Brisbane hospital room. He told the jury the main reason Mr Wright was not on the egg mission was 'because he was an anti-vaxxer'. At the time, there were strict Covid rules for anyone entering remote areas in the Territory, where they needed to provide proof of vaccination and take a rapid antigen test. The jury previously heard Mr Wright flew to the crash site with Wild Harvest NT director Mick Burns and off-duty senior NT Police officer Neil Mellon. Following the crash, Mr Robinson spent one month in hospital, where Covid restrictions meant two people could visit and everyone needed to provide a valid vaccination certificate. Mr Robinson said he had just come out of a coma, was heavily sedated and 'hallucinating' but 'vaguely' remembered a visit from Mr Wright and his wife Kaia on March 11. 'I have a vivid memory of him having some sort of paperwork in his hands,' Mr Robinson said. He alleged his boss wanted to move 'a few' hours from the crashed helicopter – with the call sign IDW – to Mr Robinson's personal chopper,with the call sign ZXZ. Mr Robinson, 28, also alleged Mr Wright 'asked to go through my phone and delete a few things'. 'I remember looking over and seeing him holding my phone and flicking through it and deleting things,' Mr Robinson said. The jury heard the former pilot also deleted 'some stuff', including phone notes for start and stop times for IDW during egg collection trips. 'It was a very hard time for me. I didn't know who to trust and I panicked and went along with it,' he said. Mr Robinson alleged on Mr Wright's second hospital visit he brought Jai Thomlinson to again discuss the transfer of hours from IDW to ZXZ. 'I just remember having concerns about what was happening,' Mr Robinson said. 'I said I didn't feel comfortable doing it,' he said. 'I don't think (Mr Wright) was upset … he sort of said: 'That's OK.'' A secret mobile audio recording of this hospital visit allegedly captured Mr Wright talking about IDW flight times over the phone. Mr Robinson admitted he initially repeatedly lied to investigators because he 'panicked' and was worried about losing his pilot's licence. PILOT'S COCAINE PARTYING Mr Robinson admitted he used cocaine 'a couple times a year' – up to 10 times over 12 months – but he denied he was a 'raging cocaine junkie'. The former pilot said he had never flown a helicopter while intoxicated, either by drugs or alcohol. He admitted he sometimes supplied cocaine for his mates and footy players, as well as flying small amounts of booze into Aboriginal communities. But Mr Robinson denied being a 'drug dealer' while being questioned about a series of texts about his wild partying. Mr Wright's defence counsel David Edwardson accused Mr Robinson of 'sourcing and supplying' cocaine from 2018 to the time of the crash. Mr Edwardson read messages from the pilot's friends asking 'are you getting more coke?', 'Seb any chance you know where to get the good stuff?' and 'anyone got bags?'. In one message exchange, Mr Robinson told a friend he was 'crook as a dog', with his mate replying 'snorting too much coke out of Matty's arse?'. Mr Robinson said the friend knew Mr Wright. But the lawyer has said the reality star had a 'zero tolerance' approach to drugs. Under cross-examination, Mr Robinson was also grilled about a message sent to a mate in November 2019, saying there were 'footy players in town wanting bags' and other texts referring to 'zingers' and 'pills'. 'Are you implying I'm a drug dealer? … No,' Mr Robinson said. While Mr Robinson did not believe he was a trafficker, Justice Alan Blow explained: 'It is trafficking, even if you're not making any money for yourself.' Trace amounts of cocaine were detected in Mr Robinson's blood, which prosecutor Jason Gullaci said experts were likely to say was from use days before the crash. Mr Robinson admitted to flying in booze to remote communities, but said he did not sell the alcohol. He said 'on occasion' he would take a small amount of alcohol under the seat of his chopper for people in Arnhem Land. PILOT'S INJURIES Mr Robinson said his last memory from that fateful day was 'having a laugh' with his mate in the chopper. The jury was shown a photo of Mr Wilson piloting the Robinson R-44, with the image appearing to capture the fuel gauge between three-quarters and completely full mark. Mr Robinson said at that level, the helicopter should have been able to travel from Noonamah to King River and back. He became emotional as he shared his next memory – waking up in hospital, then being told his friend was dead and he would likely never walk again. Mr Robinson's spinal cord was completely severed, he had 12 broken ribs and puncturing in his lungs. His neck, elbow and both ankles were also fractured. He said he struggled with his memory due to a traumatic brain injury. NETFLIX STAR AN 'IDOL' Fellow helicopter pilot Jock Purcell told the jury he took official aviation records from Mr Robinson's home two days after the crash but could not recall who asked him to do it. He said he did not show the logbook to anyone or take photos of the official records, but was later asked by Mr Robinson to return the records. 'I took it home, and then Seb's brothers come and got it from my house,' Mr Purcell said. However, in a tapped telephone conversation between Mr Purcell and Mr Wright five months after the crash, the pair allegedly discussed Mr Robinson talking to investigators, the crashed chopper's maintenance release and Hobbs Meter, which records flight hours. 'Something had gone on with the Hobbs there, I dunno, they've moved it forward or some f***ing thing as well,' Mr Wright said. 'I'm just trying to think how much Sebby's, or what Sebby's tried to say to them, if anything even.' The pair then said some of that information could have been gathered from the maintenance release, which pilots fill out to record flight hours and service histories of helicopters. Three years after the bugged call, Mr Purcell told the court he was unsure if it was related to the crash investigation. Mr Purcell, who arrived at the crash scene, initially said he did not remember anyone approaching but then said the only thing removed were a few headsets. However, under cross examination, Mr Purcell said: 'I know someone lifted the dash of the helicopter.' Mr Purcell said he checked to see why the chopper might have gone down, and happened to notice the Hobbs Meter was connected. But Mr Gullaci alleged the sole purpose for Mr Purcell to look under the dash was to inspect this device 'because you knew there was a practice among Matt Wright's helicopters of the Hobbs Meter being disconnected'. 'And you wanted to see whether it was connected or not, for when investigators turned up to look at the crashed helicopter?' Mr Gullaci asked. Mr Purcell said he did not believe that was the case. When asked what else he could have been inspecting, the experienced pilot said: 'I'm not an investigator so I don't know.' However, Mr Purcell had already conceded there was a pattern of not recording flight hours, and had previously seen both Mr Wright and Mr Robinson disconnect the Hobbs Meter. He said there were times when the flight hour recorder was disconnected because 'it was getting close to service'. Mr Robinson also made full admissions to the jury of his own dodgy record keeping practices, which he said were common across the Territory helicopter industry. After almost a decade in the industry, Mr Robinson alleged he had worked for two other businesses which had similarly failed to properly record flight hours. Mr Robinson agreed he continued to 'break the rules' while working at Mr Wright's company. '(Mr Wright) would say 'pop the clock for this trip',' Mr Robinson alleged. He also said Mr Wright 'controlled all aspects of his aircraft regarding maintenance scheduling'. Mr Robinson said employees 'absolutely' followed Mr Wright's directions. 'We were young men, we looked up to him,' he said. 'Everyone looked at Matt as an idol. He'd say 'jump' and they'd say 'how high?' 'He had an aura about him. 'Everyone wanted to be around him, work for him, everyone bent over backwards to try and be a part of what he was doing.' The trial continues.
News.com.au
32 minutes ago
- News.com.au
St Kilda's Alex Theatre facing uncertain future after $7m listing
An iconic St Kilda stage that's hosted Rob Mills, Pia Miranda, Gyton Grantley among a roll call of Australian theatre greats is on the market — and it may not stay a theatre. The Alex Theatre, at 135 Fitzroy St, has been a creative cornerstone since it was transformed from the George Cinemas into a two-stage performance venue in 2015. In the decade since, it has become synonymous with the suburb's arts revival, hosting musicals, comedy, cabaret and the St Kilda Film Festival. But the historic venue, spread across 1484sq m within the heritage-listed George Apartments building is now for sale with $6m-$7m price hopes. Colliers Melbourne East's Lucas Socio said the combination of cultural cachet and a prime St Kilda location would attract interest from wealthy individuals, arts institutions and owner-occupiers. 'It's a truly unique opportunity to secure a fully operational performing arts venue in one of Melbourne's most vibrant suburbs,' Mr Soccio said. The property's two purpose-built theatres seat 500 and 291 patrons respectively, with a rehearsal studio, bar and lounge, and office space also on site. The site could remain a stage for live performance or be reimagined for hospitality, events or other uses, subject to council approval. Some of the Alex's most prominent performances have been the musical Sexercise in 2015, Cruel Intentions: The Musical, and Puffs — a Harry Potter parody play, which starred Rob Mills. It's also given a platform to emerging talent. 'It's part of the fabric of St Kilda, people have a real emotional connection to it,' one industry source said. 'That kind of nostalgia can make buyers more aggressive in today's market.' The Alex occupies a prized position less than 6km from the Melbourne CBD and a short walk from the beach, Luna Park and the Palais Theatre. Expressions of interest for The Alex Theatre close at 2pm, August 22.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Nothing beats the rakali, Australia's mighty native water rat
Whether it's hunting invasive pests or rolling in a river like an otter, there's a lot to love about the rakali ( Hydromys chrysogaster ). The nation's biggest rodent is perhaps its most resourceful having adapted to urban, mountainous and coastal habitats around the country. All these traits and more have seen the rakali crowned the nation's most underrated animal in the ABC's National Science Week poll. Its landslide win even took some rakali researchers like Antia Brademann by surprise. Ms Brademann is currently monitoring rakali at Bush Heritage Australia's Scottsdale Reserve, south of Canberra. "As a rakali fanatic myself, I wasn't sure the Australian public would respond to the call to elect a rat as our most underrated animal," she said. "But right around the country people have spoken and the rakali is finally getting its moment in the spotlight — proof that being a furry little water ninja with webbed feet and a taste for cane toads pays off." And rightly so, according Dr Ann Jones host of What The Duck?! on ABC Radio National. "The rakali is worthy of this crown. It is more than a rat — it is the ruler of all the rats." "It's widespread but secretive, it's fluffy but a kick-arse fighter, it surprises and delights observers, and its very presence repels introduced black rats out of its territory. Rakali live in many environments While it might look like a large rat on first glance, the rakali has a white-tipped tail and, across most of its habitat range, yellow belly fluff. This is even reflected in its scientific name — chrysogaster — which means "golden belly" in ancient Greek. Loading The rodent's diet is extremely varied. Mostly, it will eat shellfish, fish and other aquatic animals, but it has been known to also try its hand at catching birds that get too close to the water. It can co-exist in the same habitats as platypus. But the wily rat has better adapted to more degraded habitats, like urban waterways, than the duck-billed monotreme. A rakali on a beach at K'gari (Fraser Island). ( iNaturalist: Tommi Mason, Rakali, CC BY-NC 2.0 ) Rakali can get by in a range of environments including coastal locations like the beach at K'gari (Fraser Island). ( iNaturalist: Tommi Mason , Rakali , CC BY-NC 2.0 ) Rakali have adapted to live in urban environments. ( iNaturalist: Jens Sommer-Knudsen, Rakali, CC BY-NC 4.0 ) Urban environments. ( iNaturalist: Jens Sommer-Knudsen , Rakali , CC BY-NC 4.0 ) Rakali swimming in the Tarra Valley which is part of Victoria's Strzelecki Ranges. ( iNaturalist: Scott Rolph, Rakali, CC BY-NC 4.0 ) And in mountainous areas like Victoria's Strzelecki Ranges. ( iNaturalist: Scott Rolph , Rakali , CC BY-NC 4.0 ) Charles Sturt University ecologist Emmalie Sanders said rakali didn't need a lot to get by. "They're resilient, they're everywhere, they don't need a great deal, they can survive in pretty low-quality water," she said. These wildlife warriors can kill invasive pests In a recent study in Australian Mammalogy, researchers found the rakali may act as a natural deterrent to feral rats in some areas. The study detailed the ambush of an invasive black rat in Sydney by a rakali, which was captured on a camera trap. Just like the polarising ibis, Ms Sanders said the rakali had figured out how to devour invasive and toxic cane toads without dying. "[Rakali] can sense prey moving with their whiskers," she said. "They usually mange to flip [toads] and consume them from the belly where they don't have those poisonous glands." Like surgeons, rakali carefully make an incision into the stomach of the then remove and eat the heart and liver. Loading Instagram content They've survived the fur trade (and a re-brand) But the native rodent wasn't always a hunter — in fact, it was previously the hunted. During the 1900s, when a Bubonic plague broke out around the country, a bounty was put on rats to try to limit the spread of disease. We know that at least some rakali were killed. Rakali were once known as the "beaver-rat" and their water repellent coat was collected in the 1930s when there was a ban on imported furs. The policy change saw the price of a rakali fur jump from 4 shillings in 1931 to 10 shillings (about $50 today, adjusted for inflation) a decade later. But they are one of many native rodents that have undergone a PR revision to distance themselves from the associations of "rat" or "mouse". A massive rebrand started a year before the start of the fictional TV crime show Water Rats about Sydney's water police. Back in 1995, the Australian Nature Conservation Agency (now called Parks Australia) started a campaign to change the name from the "water rat" to "rakali", the animal's Indigenous name used by the Ngarrindjeri people from the lower Murray River in South Australia. Three decades later, the name has stuck — but it's not the only one. Because the rakali is found throughout the country, there are many more Indigenous names for the nation's favourite underrated animal. There are different types of rakali Whether the rakali is just one animal is a divisive question. Early colonial naturalists thought there were 16 subspecies of the creature, but research in the 1980s and 1990s disputed these descriptions and suggested there was just one Australian species. An 1863 lithograph of the typical 'golden-bellied' rakali from John Gould's book The Mammals of Australia volume 3. ( Biodiversity Heritage Library: Henry Constantine Richter/The Mammals of Australia ) John Gould's third volume of The Mammals of Australia in 1863 included what was then believed to be four species of rakali including the "golden-bellied beaver-rat". ( Biodiversity Heritage Library: Henry Constantine Richter/The Mammals of Australia ) An 1863 illustration of a Fulvous beaver rat, later redesignated as also being a rakali. ( Biodiversity Heritage Library: Henry Constantine Richter/The Mammals of Australia ) The "fulvous beaver-rat" was described as an orange-furred animal in South Australia but was later considered a member of one species, the rakali. ( Biodiversity Heritage Library: Henry Constantine Richter/The Mammals of Australia ) An 1863 illustration of what was thought to be the white-bellied beaver rat but is now considered a rakali. ( Biodiversity Heritage Library: Henry Constantine Richter/The Mammals of Australia ) The "white-bellied beaver-rat" from the Hunter and Clarence Rivers, NSW, was also redescribed as a rakali. ( Biodiversity Heritage Library: Henry Constantine Richter/The Mammals of Australia ) An 1863 illustration of a sooty beaver rat which was later redesignated as a rakali. ( Biodiversity Heritage Library: Henry Constantine Richter/The Mammals of Australia ) Finally, the "sooty beaver-rat" from WA was another animal to fall under the rakali umbrella. ( Biodiversity Heritage Library: Henry Constantine Richter/The Mammals of Australia ) Genetic studies have brought a greater understanding of the history of rakali populations around Australia and their origins. Rodents first arrived in Australia about 5 million years ago, but rakali are a more recent arrival having been here for about 1 million years. Tasmania has the oldest lineage of rakali and may represent the earliest spread of the species from New Guinea. There is also significant genetic divergence between populations from Tasmania, south west WA, Barrow Island (off the northern WA coast) and the rest of the east coast. The colour of their cute bellies changes as well. Rakali on Barrow Island have silver-grey coats, south west WA specimens are mostly black, while golden-bellied morphs dominate the eastern states. Rakali from south west WA don't have any gold on their belly and instead have a mostly black coat. ( Supplied: DBCA/Karen Bettink ) Although rodents have been in Australia for a long time, they don't attract the same reverence as mammals like marsupials. That's despite about one third of the country's 60 rodent species going extinct or suffering massive reductions since European colonisation. How you can look after our rakali There's still so much we don't know about the rakali, including whether any of these distinct populations are under threat of extinction. Ms Sanders hopes to find out more about the plight of the species, although working with rakali isn't without its challenges. "They've been difficult to track," the ecologist said. "[In] any radio-tracking studies that are done, they are notoriously good at getting out of their little collars that we put the transmitters on." A rakali in Canberra eating a fish. ( Flickr: Duncan McCaskill, Rakali, CC BY-NC 2.0 ) Rakali love to hunt for fish. ( Flickr: Patrick Kavanagh , Rakali , CC BY 2.0 ) A rakali perched on a rock eating a shellfish. ( iNaturalist: Ron Greer, Rakali, CC BY-NC 4.0 ) The rodent is clever enough to pry open shellfish. ( iNaturalist: Ron Greer , Rakali , CC BY-NC 4.0 ) A rakali eating a shrimp. ( iNaturalist: Ron Greer, Rakali, CC BY-NC 4.0 ) Other marine invertebrates, including shrimp, are also target species. ( iNaturalist: Ron Greer , Rakali , CC BY-NC 4.0 ) But Meg Shaw, an environmental behaviour researcher at Monash University said there were still a number of things people could do to protect the rakali on a local scale. "One of the key threats to rakali is being entangled in fishing line and nets, so you can actually report sightings of illegal fishing nets to CRIMFISH, or there are other authorities within your state," she said. "They are also predated on by dogs, cats and foxes, so the recommendations are to try and keep cats and dogs away from waterways where rakalis could be." Two rakali swimming in Cecil Hoskins Nature Reserve, NSW ( iNaturalist: Jacqui Davey, Rakali, CC BY-NC 4.0 ) Finally, she said it was important to ensure cars drive slowly around rakali habitats, particularly at night when it's harder to see and more rakalis are out and about.
