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ABC News
04-05-2025
- Science
- ABC News
World-first genetic index helps Aussie farmers breed heat tolerant cows
On a hot, humid afternoon in autumn, near the New South Wales Southern Highlands, hundreds of milking cows make the long commute from Trevor Parrish's back paddock to his dairy. Despite the unpleasant conditions, most of the herd has been grazing all day and is now teeming with commercial-grade milk. That is because this fourth-generation farmer has been breeding for heat tolerance using an invention designed to better protect cattle, and maintain milk yield, amid global warming. Mr Parrish manages a 40-hectare dairy farm with 300 cattle outside Kangaroo Valley. ( ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale ) While Kangaroo Valley is certainly not the hottest area in the state, the surrounding hills trap the flow of cool air, often creating sweltering conditions for Mr Parrish's Holstein heifers. "This year has been more humid but December was exceptionally dry … the year before was exceptionally wet. So each year is never the same," he said. "And in the summertime, when it's too hot, [the cows] all stand together, which makes it worse because their body heat multiplies." Kangaroo Valley, made famous by its heritage bridge, is about a 2-hour drive south-west of Sydney. ( ABC Illawarra: Brooke Chandler ) Industry peak body, Dairy Australia, estimates milk yield can drop by between 25 to 40 per cent if cattle are too hot, causing them to stop eating or not eat enough. Mr Parrish, 62, said he previously looked at other strategies aimed at keeping both milk production and his income steady. "We have a larger dairy shed so there's more shade and trying to milk the cows earlier in the morning and later in the afternoon," he said. Mr Parrish has worked as a dairy farmer on his family property for almost four decades. ( ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale ) In 2017, a new tool was published for farmers using artificial insemination called the Heat Tolerance Australian Breeding Value (ABV). It used statistical analysis to tease out which animal had a greater ability to tolerate hot conditions and expressed it as a number with the base of 100. Mr Parrish was quick to sign up, becoming one of the first farmers in NSW to try it. " To me it made a lot of sense to have a look into it and try and use bulls that were [more] heat tolerant so it would help the next generation moving forward. " Tool in genomic selection Melbourne-based scientist Thuy Nguyen is the creator of the Heat Tolerance ABV. In 2013, while working at an agricultural bio-science organisation, she set out to help farmers using her expertise in genomic selection. "Farmers have already done a lot to help cows cool during hot days," Dr Nguyen said Thuy Nguyen created the Heat Tolerance ABV. ( ABC Melbourne: Richard Sydenham ) "But adding genetics on top of all that is significant because it's better for the animals and improves the bottom line for the farmers when they go through the warmer season, which we know is becoming more apparent due to climate change." The ABV requires a quick genetic sample, such as a tuft of hair, which is then posted to Dr Nguyen and her team at DataGene — an independent and industry-owned organisation. Any result above 100 tells farmers that the cow has an above average heat tolerance and is the animal they should breed from. "We will be able to tell [farmers] which animal is more tolerant or susceptible to heat stress," Dr Nguyen said. Mr Parrish's cattle can produce up to 50 litres a day in commercial-grade milk. ( ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale ) Mr Parrish said the results from his herd were surprising. "One bull I've used did a big drop which was unfortunate. But I had a couple of others that went way up," he said. He now estimated around 20 per cent of his herd were genetically better at handling hot and sticky weather. " I would totally encourage other farmers to use [the ABV]. It's not getting any cooler. " ABV receives praise overseas Breeding heat tolerant cattle using the ABV has received a huge amount of homegrown industry support. Dairy Australia's national animal health and welfare lead Stephanie Bullen said the genetic index was a "world first". Stephanie Bullen is the national animal health and welfare lead at Dairy Australia. ( ABC Central Victoria: Sarah Lawrence ) "We are really, really proud … I think it's important to put the cow at the centre of this conversation; those cows are going to be uncomfortable in that hot weather," she said. "So it's about maintaining the cow's welfare as much as it is maintaining the productivity effects." Ms Bullen was a panellist at this year's HERD-25 conference, a biennial event held in Bendigo. She said the ABV was discussed on multiple occasions and had garnered international acclaim. "[There] is certainly appetite by others internationally to look at what we are doing here and how that might work for them," Ms Bullen said. Dr Nguyen said the tool had already been tested in America. "The US tested our ABV and found that it works in their conditions so it's great to see it make waves globally," she said. Watch ABC TV's Landline at 12:30pm AEST on Sunday or on . ABC Rural RoundUp newsletter Stories from farms and country towns across Australia, delivered each Friday. Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
ABC News
04-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Vietnam War photographer reflects on conflict 50 years after fall of Saigon
When John Geoffrey Fairley thinks of the Vietnam War he recalls trudging through the humid countryside as a 24-year-old, being careful not to tread on buried land mines. Unlike most of the young men he walked beside in Vietnam, Sergeant Fairley wasn't carrying a gun, but instead a camera and orders to photograph whatever he could. Sergeant Chris Balis and Sergeant Fairley in a dry rice paddock carrying still and cine cameras. ( Supplied: John Fairley ) In 1970, he spent 12 months living alongside the 1st Australian Task Force in Southern Vietnam. "One area was the Long Hai hills where a lot of Australians were injured or killed by land mines," he said. " I was there on Operation Hammersley with 8RAR, and we went in after a B-52 bomb strike, and all the soldiers had flak jackets and helmets on, but we were never offered any. " Sergeant Fairley joined thousands of Australian and Vietnamese veterans across the country reflecting this week on the fall of Saigon. "Until our Welcome Home parade, which was 17 years after I got home, I really tried to forget about Vietnam," Sergeant Fairley said. Sergent Fairley was 24 years old when he was drafted to Vietnam as an Australian war photographer. ( ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale ) Now thinking back to that time, he remembers witnessing tragedies and losing colleagues. "I think of the Vietnamese people scrambling for helicopters, which most didn't get on, and the boat people. " I think of the graphic photos that Neil Davis took, the Tasmanian cameraman that lost his life in a coup attempt in Bangkok, and that graphic photo of the tank coming through. " Sergeant Fairley will pay tribute to Australia's troops in Vietnam by donating thousands of images to the Australian War Memorial. From photographer to Sergeant Sergeant Fairley was born in Wollongong, New South Wales, in 1946. He discovered a love for photography at his Sydney boarding school and worked alongside a commercial photographer after school. Sergeant Fairley developed a love for photography in his primary school's darkroom. ( Supplied: John Fairley ) He was drafted to Vietnam in 1969 and was part of the small group of photographers who captured most of the images of the conflict that were broadcast to Australians back home. "There were three of us at any one time in Vietnam, mostly at Nui Dat," he said. "We used to rotate to Saigon to print photos and dispatch the cine to Canberra, which was processed and sent to the three TV channels. " Most footage you saw of Australians — one of us took it. " He returned home in December, 1970, a year before Australia withdrew its troops. The first Black April 7th Battalion soldiers look into a Viet Cong well at a bunker system near Long Tan. ( Supplied: John Fairley ) For the Vietnamese, the war continued for four more brutal years. On April 30, 1975, tanks belonging to the North Vietnamese Army rolled through the gates of the Presidential Palace in Saigon, ending the war and marking the beginning of the reunification of Vietnam into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Australian TV was flooded with images of US forces evacuating thousands of American troops and South Vietnamese refugees in an ambitious helicopter evacuation mission. In less than 24 hours, US forces evacuated over 7,000 people, including 5,500 Vietnamese citizens. Those who were unable to be evacuated are remembered every year on April 30, on the day known to survivors as Black April or Tháng Tư Đen. 6th Battalion mortar men duck the muzzle blast of their weapon at Fire Support Base Peggy, Vietnam. ( Supplied: John Fairley ) President of the Vietnamese community in Wollongong Teresa Tran said this year's Black April marked the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, and was emotional for many. "Every Vietnamese family you talk to will have at least one or two members who died during the war, or who had been sent to concentration camps after the Communists took over South Vietnam in April," she said. The loss of a homeland In April, 1976, the first of many boats from Vietnam reached the shores of Darwin. Until 1983, Australia took in more than 15,000 Vietnamese refugees per year. Following the fall of Saigon, threats of imprisonment and re-education camps forced many to flee to refugee camps where they applied for resettlement to other countries, including Australia. Five fallen South Vietnamese soldiers were remembered at a Black April candlelight vigil in Wollongong. ( ABC News: Mikayla McGuirk-Scolaro ) Mrs Tran was 14 years old when she escaped Vietnam with her mother on a small, wooden boat carrying 118 refugees. "We were cramped in like sardines for two to three weeks," she said. " On the last night, I said to my mum, 'I'm going to die' because we had no food and nothing was left. " "When we were at sea, there were a lot of big ships passing by, but not even a single ship would stop to give us food or provisions so we could continue our journey." Thinking she would not make it to morning, Mrs Tran's refugee boat was saved by a big ship passing by, and she was taken to a refugee camp in Singapore. Mrs Tran spent two years in Singapore before she was accepted into France before following a friend to Australia, where she has lived ever since. Many Vietnamese communities gathered this week to remember the loved ones they lost 50 years ago. Mrs Tran brought together the Vietnamese community in Wollongong to commemorate the 50th anniversary. ( ABC News: Mikayla McGuirk-Scolaro ) "Not everybody is as lucky as us to make it to the safe land," Mrs Tran said. "There are half a million of Vietnamese who died during their journey searching for freedom. "We are teaching the next generation about the journey their parents and grandparents went through for them to have the life they have now." ABC Illawarra — local news in your inbox Get our local newsletter, delivered free each Thursday Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
ABC News
03-05-2025
- ABC News
80yo woman takes on 17-day, 130km hike to Mount Everest base camp
At the age of 80, Carolyn Robinson has embarked on a 17-day trek to reach Mount Everest's South Base Camp. Ms Robinson, from Berry on the New South Wales south coast, isn't letting age get in the way of her accomplishments. "It was never on my bucket list, but this is an opportunity that I couldn't let go by because I love to experience other countries and their cultures," she said. " The challenging 17-day trek is something I will never ever forget, and it will change my life. " She is among 13 Australians, including her neighbour Laurelle Price, 74, who have set off on the hike, a 130-kilometre round trip, in Nepal. Ms Price and Ms Robinson keep fit by walking to Drawing Room Rocks, 600 metres above sea level, in NSW. ( ABC Illawarra: Sarah Moss ) The adventurers have an average age of 67 and are all members of Rotary. They aim to walk about 8 to 10 kilometres a day on the trek and will reach base camp at 5,364 metres above sea level. The route for the group's Everest base camp trek. ( Supplied: Goutam 1962 ) An 'OBE' Ken Hutt (right) with Ms Price in the Himalayas in 2019. ( Supplied: Laurelle Price ) The trekking group's leader Ken Hutt said if Ms Robinson reached South Base Camp she could be the oldest woman to do so. "Almost without doubt Carolyn Robinson will be the oldest female to accomplish this trek," he told the ABC. Trekking permits show the oldest woman to reach base camp is Eiko Funabashi, 78, from Japan, who unsuccessfully attempted to reach the summit four times between 2006 and 2018. "If Carolyn manages to be successful in the trek, she will be the oldest ever in history to reach base camp of Everest — an incredible feat," Mr Hutt said. If Ms Robinson reaches base camp, she could be the oldest woman to do so. ( ABC Illawarra: Sarah Moss ) Ms Robinson, who was born in 1945, said she was now on the wrong side of 80. "That's what they call an OBE, over bloody 80," she laughed. "I believe everything in life happens for a reason, you don't always know what the reason is, but there's always a reason." Preparation is key with well-fitting walking boots an absolute must. ( ABC Illawarra: Sarah Moss ) Fight to eradicate polio The trekkers are Rotary members and Mr Hutt says participants have raised $50,000 to help efforts to eradicate polio worldwide. "Across the world, Rotary International, with the help of UNICEF and the World Health Organization, have pledged to eradicate polio," Mr Hutt said. "But our main function is to create awareness by talking to governments and raising funds." The cause is a big reason why Ms Robinson decided to take on the challenge. "This trip would not be happening, and I would not be doing it, if it wasn't for the fundraising aspect," she said. Acclimatising to higher altitude After spending two nights in Nepal's capital Kathmandu, the trekkers began their hike in Lukla and will take a route to South Base Camp via Gokyo Lakes. "We fly from Kathmandu to Lukla, which is apparently the most dangerous airstrip in the world because it's curved," Ms Robinson said. The fastest way to reach Lukla airport is by taking a domestic flight from Kathmandu. ( Supplied: Laurelle Price ) Photo shows A snow-covered mountain seen past lower hills. For many adventurers, the attraction to breathtaking views on top of towering mountains is irresistible, but doctors are urging climbers to be aware of the dangers associated with altitude. Then they walk around Gokyo Lake and over three high mountain passes. Staying for two nights in some places, the group do acclimatisation walks where they go up 3 or 400 metres, then go back down and sleep lower. The higher altitude makes each breath more laboured as oxygen decreases. "It's not necessarily how fit you are, it's your ability to cope with the acclimatisation," Ms Robinson said. Along the route to South Base Camp are tea houses where hikers stay the night. ( Supplied: Laurelle Price ) Slow and steady In preparation, Ms Robinson has been regularly climbing Woodhill Mountain near Berry, an intermediate grade walk that is 4.5km return. She also attended an altitude training centre in Sydney. "You train in a room with altitude conditions of 3,500m, that gets you used to doing strenuous workouts with less oxygen," Ms Robinson said. "You've got to watch out for headaches. Apparently, if you start getting headaches and start feeling nauseous, that's not good." The octogenarian is exceptionally motivated to make it to Kala Patthar near South Base Camp where you can take in views of Mount Everest and surrounds. Ms Price has been hiking up Woodhill Mountain with Ms Robinson ahead of their trek. In 2019 Ms Price hiked a shorter route to South Base Camp. ( Supplied: Laurelle Price ) Last year, at 74, Ms Price was recognised as the oldest woman to complete the Kokoda Track. "I've been climbing to Drawing Room Rocks [near Berry] for probably 12 months because I had some trips overseas last year and I did Kokoda as well, so I just continued throughout the year," Ms Price said. Ms Price is looking forward to reaching base camp a second time. ( Supplied: Laurelle Price ) She completed a shorter route to South Base Camp in 2019 and is looking forward to immersing herself in the Himalayas and vibrant Sherpa culture once again. "The walking is slow and steady; a nice, even walk so you can conserve energy especially in higher altitude," Ms Price said. "It's just one step after the other and you take a rest all the time because you struggle for air more as it's only 50 per cent oxygen when you're at base camp." ABC Illawarra — local news in your inbox Get our local newsletter, delivered free each Thursday Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
ABC News
29-04-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Young voters in Australia's most expensive towns slam housing policies ahead of federal election
When Alex Moore walks out his front door, he sees a "for sale" sign in front of the house across the road. It's a reminder of a dream that feels completely out of reach. Stay updated: Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on "[It is] currently going for around $3 million — an average house, unrenovated, three or four bedrooms, one level," he said. " I will never be able to live where I grew up. " An aerial view of a lighthouse in Kiama, NSW. ( ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale ) The 21-year-old student lives in the idyllic beachside town of Kiama on the New South Wales South Coast. With a median home price of almost $1.5m, it is the most expensive place to buy a home in regional Australia. Labor and the Coalition have launched Labor will allow all Australians to buy their first home with a 5 per cent deposit and is promising to build 100,000 homes reserved for first-home buyers. The Coalition will allow people to dip into their superannuation for a house deposit and claim interest paid on a mortgage as a tax deduction providing it is a new build. Young people like Alex Moore living in Australia's most expensive towns are disappointed with both major parties' housing policies. ( ABC Illawarra: Tim Fernandez ) But Mr Moore is not convinced. "It makes me angry," he said. "This is a bandaid solution — this isn't anything long term that is going to be suitable for people of my generation. " There's no vision for the future and I don't understand what the endgame is supposed to be, for either of the major parties. " The electorate of Richmond, which includes the popular beachside town of Byron Bay, is the least affordable seat in regional Australia. ( ABC North Coast: Matt Coble ) Least affordable electorate In the past five years, house prices in the regions have climbed, on average, by 57.4 per cent compared to 34.1 per cent in the capital cities. On the north coast of NSW, Byron Bay continues to attract the rich and the famous, but its housing crisis is repelling young people. Chandre McSweeney does not feel that the major parties are thinking about young people. ( ABC North Coast: Elloise Farrow-Smith ) It took social worker Chandre McSweeney three months to find her share house in the Byron Shire town of Mullumbimby. The 29-year-old lives with four housemates and is still paying more rent than ever. "It is a dream to buy a house, but I just don't think as a single person that is a possibility," Ms McSweeney said. Byron Bay and Mullumbimby sit in the electorate of Richmond, the most difficult electorate in regional Australia to buy a home. A housing affordability analysis by CoreLogic found it was also the least affordable electorate in the country to rent. It would take a household a median time of 16.5 years to save a 20 per cent deposit, while tenants were paying a median of almost half their income on rent. Ms McSweeney doubts either major party will improve her situation. "I don't think they really are thinking about young people like me," she said. " What I think would speak to me more would be if they would bring down housing prices and rent prices as well. " Read more about the federal election: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 Upward pressure on prices Experts are worried that both major parties' policies are Research from the McKell Institute found the superannuation for housing policy could see median home prices increase by $150,000 in Adelaide and $70,000 in Sydney. The public policy think tank's executive director, Rebecca Thistleton, said the scheme was particularly unhelpful for young people and women. "It has been quite disappointing to see so much of the opposition's rhetoric has been around how this will help women and young people, when these are the people who do not actually have those funds in their superannuation to begin with," she said. Ms Thistleton said the Coalition's other policy of claiming interest as a tax deduction would mostly help wealthier individuals. "The greater your income is, the more that policy actually rewards you," she said. " I would understand, if you were a young renter, why this would be a real slap in the face. " Ms Thistleton welcomed Labor's pledge to build new homes for first-home buyers but was sceptical about whether the scheme would move the needle on supply because of construction constraints. Kiama is a popular tourist destination, but high prices make it hard for young people to live there. ( ABC Illawarra: Tim Fernandez ) Policies encourage short-stay rentals The housing policy neither major party wants to talk about this election is tax reform. Like many coastal Australian towns, many homes in both Kiama and Byron Bay are leased as short-term rentals. "It is actually quite attractive for people to have an investment property in a coastal or a regional area and have it up on a short-stay website and negatively gear it," Ms Thistleton said. " That is one less property for a young person who's looking for somewhere to live. " Mr Moore and Ms McSweeney believe the policy settings in place favour people who already have homes and property investors at the expense of people such as them. Neither major party is likely to get their vote at this election. Kate Dezarnaulds says neither major party has the courage to tackle housing affordability. ( ABC Illawarra: Tim Fernandez ) Independent candidate Kate Dezarnaulds, who is running in the Kiama electorate of Gilmore, says voters dissatisfied with the "short-term sugar hits" offered by the major parties are backing minor parties and independents. "The status quo just seems to keep on keeping on, like a freight train, and the gap between the haves and the have-nots gets bigger and bigger," she said. "How are we going to get back to a place where there is housing as a human right and get out of this two generations of housing as an investment class that is benefiting an increasingly narrow group of our population?" Alex Moore doesn't think he'll ever be able to afford to live in his home town. ( ABC Illawarra: Tim Fernandez ) Ms Dezarnaulds wants government investment in long-term rental stock and establishing schemes to house essential workers in regional communities. Mr Moore just wants a future in the town where he grew up. "It is very difficult to have this idealism that we can have a better world when you're looking right in front of you and there's just no future ahead of it for you," he said. Loading Having trouble seeing this form? Try
ABC News
24-04-2025
- ABC News
Grandmother of teen murdered in hit-and-run confronts mother and son in court
The grandmother of an Indigenous teenager murdered during a hit-and-run on the New South Wales south coast has reprimanded the mother-and-son duo responsible in court, saying they will be seen forever as "coward murderers". Jayden Walmsley-Hume, 20, and his mother Katie Walmsley, 40, were found guilty in July last year of deliberately striking 18-year-old Taj Hart with a ute during a "revenge attack" at Nowra in 2022. Mr Hart's family has given permission for his name and image to be used. Mr Hart's grandmother, Glenda Hart, scolded the pair from the witness stand during the Supreme Court sentencing at Wollongong on Thursday. "I hope you are always looking behind you because Taj will be haunting you forever," Glenda Hart yelled as she walked off the stand. " You are forever murderers — forever coward murderers — and that's what people will see you as forever. " Ms Hart struggled to read her victim impact statement through tears as she told the court her grandson's life had been "brutally" cut short "just as he was starting to get somewhere in life". "I want you to understand the seriousness of your actions," she said. " You killed a real person, he was a son, a brother, a nephew … not a black kangaroo. " Nowra teen Taj Hart is remembered for his love of football. ( ABC Illawarra supplied: Glenda Hart ) Ms Hart described her grandson as the "glue" to the family. She said his absence had left a void that could never be filled. "I can't get the image of what you did to Taj out of my brain," she said. "I'm thankful Taj never knew what was about to happen. " The grief, anger and confusion has devastated our family and feels as if a piece of our soul has been stolen. " The trial During the four-week-long murder trial in July last year, the court heard Walmsley-Hume phoned his father after the incident to tell him he had hit a kangaroo and needed help with claiming insurance. It was the Crown's case the pair had lied and evaded police immediately after the incident, including leaving the south coast within a few days, where they ventured north and stayed in hotels and caravan parks using fake names. The pair were arrested and charged with Mr Hart's murder two months after his death. The Supreme Court jury rejected Walmsley-Hume's statement that he didn't intend to kill or cause serious harm to Mr Hart and that he believed he hit a pole when he was attempting to intimidate Mr Hart with his ute. Walmsley-Hume said he only became "worried" later when he saw the boy had died during a hit-and-run incident on Facebook and he realised it was his fault. "I started getting really worried, I started reading more comments and my heart hit the ground," he told the court. The jury also rejected Wamsley's statement that she was going to get fast food with her son and played no role in the act. The court heard of altercations in the lead-up to Mr Hart's death between Walmsley-Hume, Mr Hart and a friend. It was the Crown's case that "strong animosity or perhaps hatred" between the young men led to Mr Hart's eventual murder. Crown prosecutor Kate Ratcliffe said an incident seven weeks earlier in January, where Walmsley-Hume's elbow was broken in a fight involving Mr Hart, was the "boiling point". Ms Ratcliffe said Walmsley shared her son's animosity towards Mr Hart and grew increasingly protective of her son to the point of agreeing to murder Mr Hart and help to cover it up. Katie Walmsley was found guilty of murder. ( Supplied: Facebook ) Accepting responsibility Supreme Court Justice Robertson Wright questioned Mr Walmsley-Hume's acceptance of responsibility after he submitted in a letter to the court that the incident was an accident. Justice Wright said the evidence would therefore "fall short of an acceptance of intention". "I would have to concede that it is not full acceptance because he doesn't accept an intention to kill," Justice Wright said. Barrister Sharyn Hall SC told the court her client had acknowledged his responsibility "in a limited way" that he was driving the car and was responsible for what occurred. "He's not saying it was somebody else's fault," she said. The moral culpability of Ms Walmsley was also questioned but defended by her lawyer Edward Anderson who said she was merely a "passenger in a car in a set of circumstances that is evolving very quickly". "There is, in my submission, a lower degree of moral culpability than someone foreseeing something to happen than agreeing for them to do it," he said. Mr Walmsley-Hume's illegal drug problem from within custody was discussed, with his attempt to engage in an opioid treatment program raised as a reason to believe "positive prospects for rehabilitation" and "somewhat positive because of his preparedness to seek help". Justice Wright adjourned the sentencing to a date yet to be decided. ABC Illawarra — local news in your inbox Get our local newsletter, delivered free each Thursday Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
