Latest news with #BackRoads
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Heather Ewart won't use the word retire, but there's a reason she's leaving Back Roads
After 10 years, 234 towns, and countless beers and yarns at outback pubs, Heather Ewart is leaving Back Roads, the rural Australia showcase that sprung from her 2014 documentary, A Country Road: The Nationals, about the history of the National Party. It's a bittersweet milestone for the former ABC news journalist who won't use the word 'retire'. In truth, she was ready to keep road tripping for at least another year. But two cancer diagnoses that she has kept to herself over the past decade, and arm injuries sustained from a car crash in May outside the NSW town of Nimmitabel, have contributed to her decision. 'It was the 10th anniversary of Back Roads coming up. Timing matters. And I just always think it's good to go out on a high,' she says. 'And there's nothing more to wake you up about life than having cancer, or being hit head-on by a bloke asleep at the wheel. You think, 'Life can be short.'' Recently returned from a holiday in the Cook Islands with her husband, fellow ABC news veteran Barrie Cassidy (she was visiting there for the first time since 1980, when she covered then-opposition leader Bob Hawke's attendance at the South Pacific Forum), Ewart is pleased to be handing the Back Roads car keys to former ABC News Breakfast host Lisa Millar, who, like Ewart, grew up in the country. 'There are certain character traits that country people share, like 'no bullshit', and resilience. You never lose that,' says Ewart. ' B ack Roads has succeeded because it is about country people and not about the presenter or the scenery. You've got to be careful not to make it a travelogue. And I think country people, particularly, are really aware of that. I've known Lisa a really long time. I don't need to give her any advice.' The first episode of Ewart's final season takes her to the NSW farming township of Moree, where she meets famed wedding dressmaker Melinda O'Donoghue, who has a classic Back Roads story. 'She'll drive through floods and drought to get that wedding dress there on time,' says Ewart. O'Donoghue is likely to join the long list of friends Ewart has made on the road, many of whom attended her farewell party at the Richmond Bowling Club, in her home town of Melbourne. 'I invited some of the characters that I've interviewed, not thinking that they'd actually come,' says Ewart. 'And lo and behold, Lyn Westbury, a travelling hairdresser from Innisfail, flew down with her husband, Barry the plumber. And Gail Sharp, the baker from Birchip, came down. And a fantastic fellow, Josh Arnold, a great country singer who goes all around outback Queensland to schools, helping the kids write anthems about their schools and their towns, he flew down.
The Age
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Heather Ewart won't use the word retire, but there's a reason she's leaving Back Roads
After 10 years, 234 towns, and countless beers and yarns at outback pubs, Heather Ewart is leaving Back Roads, the rural Australia showcase that sprung from her 2014 documentary, A Country Road: The Nationals, about the history of the National Party. It's a bittersweet milestone for the former ABC news journalist who won't use the word 'retire'. In truth, she was ready to keep road tripping for at least another year. But two cancer diagnoses that she has kept to herself over the past decade, and arm injuries sustained from a car crash in May outside the NSW town of Nimmitabel, have contributed to her decision. 'It was the 10th anniversary of Back Roads coming up. Timing matters. And I just always think it's good to go out on a high,' she says. 'And there's nothing more to wake you up about life than having cancer, or being hit head-on by a bloke asleep at the wheel. You think, 'Life can be short.'' Recently returned from a holiday in the Cook Islands with her husband, fellow ABC news veteran Barrie Cassidy (she was visiting there for the first time since 1980, when she covered then-opposition leader Bob Hawke's attendance at the South Pacific Forum), Ewart is pleased to be handing the Back Roads car keys to former ABC News Breakfast host Lisa Millar, who, like Ewart, grew up in the country. 'There are certain character traits that country people share, like 'no bullshit', and resilience. You never lose that,' says Ewart. ' B ack Roads has succeeded because it is about country people and not about the presenter or the scenery. You've got to be careful not to make it a travelogue. And I think country people, particularly, are really aware of that. I've known Lisa a really long time. I don't need to give her any advice.' The first episode of Ewart's final season takes her to the NSW farming township of Moree, where she meets famed wedding dressmaker Melinda O'Donoghue, who has a classic Back Roads story. 'She'll drive through floods and drought to get that wedding dress there on time,' says Ewart. O'Donoghue is likely to join the long list of friends Ewart has made on the road, many of whom attended her farewell party at the Richmond Bowling Club, in her home town of Melbourne. 'I invited some of the characters that I've interviewed, not thinking that they'd actually come,' says Ewart. 'And lo and behold, Lyn Westbury, a travelling hairdresser from Innisfail, flew down with her husband, Barry the plumber. And Gail Sharp, the baker from Birchip, came down. And a fantastic fellow, Josh Arnold, a great country singer who goes all around outback Queensland to schools, helping the kids write anthems about their schools and their towns, he flew down.
Sydney Morning Herald
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
A messy masterpiece at the 'G, ending with Mannagh from heaven
Conversely, Geelong's super veteran Patrick Dangerfield grabbed those crucial opportunities – seizing them forcefully – and booted three goals in his new role as de facto key forward, including Geelong's first of the final quarter. Jack Gunston, a near contemporary of the 35-year-old number 35, had an outstanding game as a marking forward, and would have been the most influential afield had he nailed a couple of additional shots. The ageless performances of players well into their 30s has been notable in 2025. This game, if not quite at the standard of the best Cats and Hawks classics, was eventful and contained multiple twists, momentum shifts and was on the line, the margin the barest, until under three minutes remained. It had villains, too. For the gold and browns in the record 88,746 crowd, the man in the metaphoric black hat wore a white headband and long locks. Bailey Smith, the game's most visible brand on social media, pushed the footy in the face of Jarman Impey in the second quarter and was subsequently booed, pantomime-style, for the duration and often (he had plenty of possessions and was among his team's best). Conor Nash was the bad guy for the Geelong folk at the MCG after he clobbered and knocked out Gryan Miers with a crude round arm, a strike that, while not intentional – the ball was thereabouts – was simply unacceptable and should earn him weeks from the match review officer. Chris Scott, while reluctant to grade the Nash incident, said he wouldn't argue against a reporter's suggestion that Nash's strike was worse than Docker Patrick Voss' on Nick Vlastuin (a three-week ban). But the match was far more than a compilation of incidents. Just when the Hawks appeared to be sinking, as Geelong's lead stretched to 23 points in the second quarter, they surged and took over in the midfield. Clearances can be overrated as a measure of what matters, but Hawthorn's 11-consecutive clearances were a genuine barometer of the shift in the match. They owned territory in the dozen minutes before half-time and really should have been level, rather than 11 points behind. Lloyd Meek was important in the surge, as were James Worpel and Jai Newcombe. Later, in the second half, Amon's ball use and run were important in levelling up the scores. Max Holmes, who covers more territory than the ABC's Back Roads program (421 metres to half-time) produced a play early in the third quarter that was near the standard of Harley Reid's 2024 goal of the year – three bounces, running around hapless Hawks – except that Holmes merely kicked it to Jeremy Cameron, who converted from the goal square, rather than booting it, himself. As the match unfolded, it asked multiple questions. One was whether Hawthorn could convert their opportunities, if they had the nerves to finish the job and to turn their territorial advantage into victory. The other was whether the Cats could stem those stoppage defeats, and either rebound or gain enough midfield impetus to let their efficiency deliver the win. In the second half, the Cats duly did overcome that stoppage problem, helped by the forever-unsung Tom Atkins. Hawthorn played with marginally more verve, speed and enterprise. Geelong, as the more-seasoned unit, played with the greater composure. Ultimately, the old pros – Dangerfield, Cameron, Mark Blicavs, Atkins and Mannagh from heaven – did what was necessary in the moments that mattered. The blockbuster bar was raised. It is up to the various combinations of Collingwood, Essendon, Richmond, Melbourne and Carlton to match the messy masterpiece at the 'G.
The Age
21-04-2025
- Sport
- The Age
A messy masterpiece at the 'G, ending with Mannagh from heaven
Conversely, Geelong's super veteran Patrick Dangerfield grabbed those crucial opportunities – seizing them forcefully – and booted three goals in his new role as de facto key forward, including Geelong's first of the final quarter. Jack Gunston, a near contemporary of the 35-year-old number 35, had an outstanding game as a marking forward, and would have been the most influential afield had he nailed a couple of additional shots. The ageless performances of players well into their 30s has been notable in 2025. This game, if not quite at the standard of the best Cats and Hawks classics, was eventful and contained multiple twists, momentum shifts and was on the line, the margin the barest, until under three minutes remained. It had villains, too. For the gold and browns in the record 88,746 crowd, the man in the metaphoric black hat wore a white headband and long locks. Bailey Smith, the game's most visible brand on social media, pushed the footy in the face of Jarman Impey in the second quarter and was subsequently booed, pantomime-style, for the duration and often (he had plenty of possessions and was among his team's best). Conor Nash was the bad guy for the Geelong folk at the MCG after he clobbered and knocked out Gryan Miers with a crude round arm, a strike that, while not intentional – the ball was thereabouts – was simply unacceptable and should earn him weeks from the match review officer. But the match was far more than a compilation of incidents. Just when the Hawks appeared to be sinking, as Geelong's lead stretched to 23 points in the second quarter, they surged and took over in the midfield. Clearances can be overrated as a measure of what matters, but Hawthorn's 11-consecutive clearances were a genuine barometer of the shift in the match. They owned territory in the dozen minutes before half-time and really should have been level, rather than 11 points behind. Lloyd Meek was important in the surge, as were James Worpel and Jai Newcombe. Later, in the second half, Amon's ball use and run were important in levelling up the scores. Max Holmes, who covers more territory than the ABC's Back Roads program (421 metres to half-time) produced a play early in the third quarter that was near the standard of Harley Reid's 2024 goal of the year – three bounces, running around hapless Hawks – except that Holmes merely kicked it to Jeremy Cameron, who converted from the goal square, rather than booting it, himself. As the match unfolded, it asked multiple questions. One was whether Hawthorn could convert their opportunities, if they had the nerves to finish the job and to turn their territorial advantage into victory. The other was whether the Cats could stem those stoppage defeats, and either rebound or gain enough midfield impetus to let their efficiency deliver the win. In the second half, the Cats duly did overcome that stoppage problem, helped by the forever-unsung Tom Atkins. Hawthorn played with marginally more verve, speed and enterprise. Geelong, as the more-seasoned unit, played with the greater composure.
