‘Fitness, faith and fulfilment': 90-year-old yoga instructor shares his journey of service and strength
For news, information, and interviews in Punjabi from Australia and the homeland, tune into SBS Punjabi live, Monday to Friday at 4 pm, on
SBS South Asian
, digital radio (channel 305 on your television) or via the
SBS Audio app
. You can also stream directly from our
website
.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
6 minutes ago
- ABC News
North West Island feral chicken's incredible survival story
Robinson Crusoe never laid an egg. But don't let that stop comparisons with this little-known breed of bush chook. In the pantheon of desert island survival stories, the North West Island feral fowl deserves its own place alongside Daniel Defoe's fictional character. This breed of chicken endured abandonment, starvation and near-constant predation to survive on an island with no permanent fresh water source for about a century. Its story has captured the fascination of poultry conservationists like Logan-based John Urane, who made it his life's mission to save the breed from extinction. In the 1880s, a global guano boom led to the rapid development of mines as countries tapped into rich deposits of bat droppings for use as natural fertiliser. One such operation was established on North West Island — an unremarkable outcrop about 30 kilometres off the central Queensland coast. "From then, the island was not occupied until about 1924, when a turtle soup factory was established. "That lasted for about four years … and then there was no human habitation, other than visitors to the island, up until 1980 when it became a national park." For that entire century of basic abandonment, these chooks were beset by feral cats that, presumably, also arrived with those early guano miners. To make matters worse, North West Island was missing one important element for sustaining life. "But there's a grass that grows [on the island] called bird's beak grass, and the birds developed a technique to harvest water off the leaves." Cereal grains, which typically make up the bulk of a chicken's diet, were non-existent. "So, the birds' diet was varied from figs from the fig trees that grow on the island to insects, mice, turtles that washed up, or dead fish," Mr Urane said. "A high protein diet — cockroaches, but no cereal grain as such." The durability of these birds was so extraordinary that several scientists have investigated them over the years. "Glenorchy McBride studied the birds and estimated that their numbers would increase to about 1,500 annually, and they'd be trimmed back to about 500 individual birds by the feral cats," Mr Urane said. "When Parks and Wildlife eventually poisoned, trapped and shot the feral cats to remove them, they recorded over 100 cats." The only time the chooks were safe from predation was during the annual breeding migration of muttonbirds to the island. "The feral fowl could come to the ground, raise their chicks, build their numbers up. "Only the smartest, and those who were best able to survive the cat predation, were the ones that passed on their genetics to future generations." That constant predation has made these chooks very skittish operators — and it affected their behaviour in other ways, too. "I had a trio — a rooster and two hens," Mr Urane said. "One of the hens laid eggs and she started to incubate. "The second hen, she just went about her business until the chicks arrived — and she immediately displayed the same behaviour as a broody hen, a clucky hen with a chick. "She would call them and feed them." The cock was also something of an oddball. "He'd also brood the chicks at night. "That's unheard of [among other breeds] … but with feral fowl, it's a family affair." Work to clear North West Island of feral animals began when it was declared part of Capricornia National Park in 1980. That included the wholesale slaughter of those pesky cats — but it also meant the removal of chickens. Fortunately, a handful of poultry enthusiasts rescued and bred some of them in isolation from other run-of-the-mill chooks. Rare Breeds Trust poultry coordinator Susan Locke said protecting breeds like the North West Island feral fowl from extinction was of huge scientific and historical importance. "The North West Island feral fowl and the King Island turkey — which are both 'in-the-wild' breeds if you like — are of great scientific value for studying the characteristics of poultry in a non-controlled environment," she said. "Exhibition breeds tend to be highly selected for form and colour by breeders, but these breeds respond to entirely natural environments in breeding and survival. "Their genetics are important for biodiversity studies in environments where they effectively need to survive and adapt to natural conditions themselves." Mr Urane is the latest in that line of custodians fighting to keep these bloodlines alive. "I'd like to see more people dedicated to preserving the future of these birds," he said. "Although we've established satellite flocks in Queensland, there are certainly fewer than a dozen populations. "As long as they're not interbred with other breeds of poultry that exists. Once that occurs, you've basically just got a chicken."
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Katie was fat-shamed by her husband on TV, now she's lost 28kg
A MAFS bride who was fat-shamed by her groom on national television has unveiled her dramatic new look after losing 28 kgs. Katie Johnston, who appeared on the 2025 season of the popular reality dating show, was left heartbroken when her 'husband', Tim Gromie, declared on their wedding day that his preference is 'petite blondes' and said he had 'no spark' or attraction to his new 'wife'. Australia rallied behind Johnston, claiming the 37-year-old 'deserved better' than being horrifically 'body-shamed' by her partner. Now Johnston, an award-winning social enterprise CEO from Queensland, has revealed she's overhauled her lifestyle after a terrifying diagnosis sparked a health journey that has seen her lose nearly 30kgs in 12 weeks. 'For the first time in my self-love journey, I've turned my attention to my physical health – not for approval, but for me,' she wrote on Instagram. 'Today, I am officially healthy. Here's to the next chapter – living life at my highest, happiest, healthiest self.' The reality TV contestant, who previously opened up about gaining weight while living with the trauma of being sexually assaulted at age 20, explained that her decision to change her lifestyle came after undergoing a medical test that uses low-energy X-rays to measure bone mineral density (BMD). After undergoing the routine DEXA scan, it revealed she had dangerously high levels of visceral fat — the kind that wraps around your organs and silently shortens your life expectancy. As a result, she underwent a massive health overhaul, and now says her most recent DEXA scan showed 'I'm free from dangerous visceral fat, strong in both muscle and bone, and thriving instead of just surviving'. Alongside medical support, Johnston – who has gone from a size 18 to a 12 – said she was weight training 3 times a week and walking every day, while also eating 'high protein nutrient-dense meals'. Fans have been quick to praise the TV star for her efforts, with some cheekily noting 'I bet Tim will be kicking himself now'. 'I ALWAYS thought you were a beautiful person inside AND out. But holy sh*t Katie, you are glowing,' one wrote. 'Looking amazing! Keep up the good work,' agreed another. As one noted: 'Incredible Katie! You have worked hard both inside and out. That smile is so deserved.' Others flooded the comments sections of her social media pages to simply write, 'wow'. 'You where a beauty anyway, but well done,' one stated. 'Tim punching the air right now,' mused someone else. 'Oh wow!!!!! Stunning then, stunning now!!!' added another. Johnstone has since responded to her fans, who declared they were 'blown away' by her efforts, and revealed she too is chuffed with how far she has come. 'I've made myself so bloody proud. Not for the way I look (which is [flame emoji] haha) but for how hard I've worked to get back to good health, well actually to good holistic health for the first time,' she wrote.
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
INTERVIEW: Why don't people speak up against racism?
Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox. Your email address * Morning (Mon–Fri) Afternoon (Mon–Fri) Weekend Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to SBS's terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.
