Latest news with #Ballarat
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Brad Waters' best bets and jockey to follow for Tuesday's meeting at Ballarat Synthetic
Victorian form expert Brad Waters analyses Tuesday's fields for the eight-race card at Ballarat Synthetic, presenting his best bets, jockey to follow and lay of the day. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! â– â– â– â– â– BEST BET SOUTHBY (Race 4 No.4): Got the money at Moe but was outgunned at Flemington. Dropping sharply in class will be perfect for him on Tuesday. â– â– â– â– â– NEXT BEST GIRLCANCHAT (Race 5 No.4): The locally-trained filly made a good start to her career when running on well over 1000m last time. She'll be harder to beat over more ground. COOL CHARLIE (Race 7 No.4): Boxed on well when racing on the speed at Wangaratta but has a good record on the Ballarat Synthetic track and could go one better. â– â– â– â– â– VALUE BET GRUNDY THREE VOTES (Race 8 No.8): The five-year-old broke his maiden in decisive fashion last time out. He's up in class but is worth including again on his favourite track. â– â– â– â– â– LAY OF THE DAY SUPERVISE (Race 7 No.1): Racing well but he's got plenty of weight despite the claim and will be forced to work too hard from a wide draw. â– â– â– â– â–
News.com.au
4 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Big cat expert reveals truth behind viral ‘panther' footage
An Australian big cat expert has revealed the truth after a clip of a supposed 'panther' went viral on social media early last week. The footage, which has amassed over 2.5 million views, shows a large, jet black cat prowling along a road in Victoria's bushland. Viewers were quick to brand it 'irrefutable proof' of the folklore that has long gripped the nation. However, former Australian Zoo big cat keeper and expert Vaughan King has now revealed the truth behind the hugely popular video. 'It's almost certainly just a healthy looking black feral cat with its winter coat,' Mr King told For years, people have believed that Australia's vast, untamed bushland could be hiding more than just kangaroos and kookaburras. In late April 2024, prospector Angus James filmed what appears to be a large, jetâ€'black feline near Ballarat, Victoria. At the time, he told that he spotted the jet black shaped animal in his paddock when he was driving past. 'I pulled up and went to zoom in on it with my camera. And then it sort of took off and just sort of panned with it.' 'It was obviously a big cat – massive – bigger than your average house cat, that's for sure,' he said. There are numerous sophisticated online databases that track 'big cat' sightings across Australia. Perhaps the most common descriptions include large, black or tan-coloured cats resembling panthers or pumas. And big cat origin theories are almost as plentiful as the sightings themselves. Some theories suggest that the so-called big cats are escapees from private zoos, circuses, or exotic pet owners. Historian David Waldron of Federation University's Ballarat campus left the door slightly ajar for the possibility of big cats roaming the nation. 'If you actually think about it, it's not particularly absurd — adding another introduced species to the pile,' he told ABC RN in 2018. Dr Waldron canvassed government and media archives to uncover evidence of the early exotic animal trade in Australia, including instances of escaped circus animals. 'I came across one case in NSW where disgruntled performers let three tigers lose when they quit,' he said. Another well-known theory is that today's cats might be descendants of abandoned mascots from World War II American soldiers. 'There definitely have been individual big cats in the bush out there from time to time, even quite recently. That's documented. 'Particularly in the 19th century where you didn't have quarantine regulations, like we have today.' Indeed, reports of big cats span back to the 1800s, with a more recent, 2001 Deakin University study concluding that evidence of big cats in the Grampians was 'beyond reasonable doubt.' In Vaughan King's documentary ' The Hunt: In Search of Australia's Big Cats ', the big cat expert teamed up with veteran researchers John Turner and Simon Townsend to investigate the sightings that have gripped Australians. The film investigated multiple reports across the Otways in Victoria, the Hunter Valley in New South Wales and southâ€'west Western Australia. Mr King — who moved his family to Victoria to lead the project — used longâ€'range camera traps, thermal drones, DNA sampling and intensive field investigations. The team received hundreds of reports of sightings in the lead up to filming, some of which ranged from strange growls in the night and barbarous livestock killings. In Victoria's Yarra and Dandenong Ranges, Mr King declared a big cat could '100 per cent' survive — despite the absence of sightings during filming. Over in NSW in the Blue Mountains region, there have been over 560 reports of big cat sightings in the Hawkesbury, Blue Mountains and Lithgow area since 1998. In response, the Department of Primary Industries commissioned four inquiries during the years 1999, 2003, 2008 and 2013. In a 1999 letter to then National Parks and Wildlife Service director-general Brian Gilligan, Department of Agriculture head Kevin Sheridan warned: ''The reports are becoming too frequent for us to ignore the possibility. To … do so could bring into question government's duty of care.'' Wildlife ecologist Johannes Bauer was later commissioned to provide expert opinion. 'Difficult as it seems to accept, the most likely explanation of the evidence is the presence of a large, feline predator,'' he said. 'In this area, [it is] most likely a leopard, less likely a jaguar.'' In 2008, the report concluded: 'There is no scientific evidence found during this review that conclusively proves the presence of free-ranging exotic large cats in NSW, but a presence cannot be discounted, and it seems more likely than not on available evidence that such animals do exist in NSW.' However, the 2013 inquiry returned bad news for lovers of the lore with invasive species expert John Parkes labelling the 500 eyewitness accounts as 'at best prima facie evidence'', saying 'large dogs, large feral cats or swamp wallabies'' were the likely candidates. But eyewitnesses continue to disagree. In 2020, professional photographer Amber Noseda captured a series of photos of a large, sleek black cat sauntering into the bush in southwest Victoria in 2020. That same year, TV host Grant Denyer revealed he had seen what he believes to be 'sheep-sized' panthers on his Bathurst property. 'I'll give you an exclusive, and don't think I'm crazy, but I am on the panther bandwagon right now,' Denyer told at the time. 'I'm talking about the famous panthers that roam the Australian bush,' he said. 'I've seen the panther twice on the bottom of my farm and I have video to prove it — although blurry and zoomed 10 times on my iPhone,' he said. Whether stories of panthers quietly stalking the Australian bush are true or not remains unknown, but witnesses and investigators are not giving up anytime soon.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
As I fear for my ancestral homeland Iran, I find solace in Persian music
My vintage Pioneer turntable is playing the music of the Ballarat-based duo Zöj. The voice of the Iranian singer Gelareh Pour and her Persian kamancheh, a bowed string instrument, are feeding my lounge with the song The God of Rainbows. The weather is bleak but then so is the state of the world. I try not to let my mood follow. The music helps, offering a welcome contrast to the pain, violence and despair churned out by my social media algorithm. I've been listening to Persian music a lot over the past month. Not only as a source of respite but as I strive to connect to my motherland – a place I've never been able to visit. My parents, who belong to the Bahá'í faith, left in 1979 during the Iranian Revolution. They have never returned. Iran's people are struggling through an intense period of civil unrest and suffering. Media continue to speculate about what the future holds for the country and, while the rockets have stopped for the time being, human rights organisations are reporting that the Islamic republic has turned on its own, arresting ordinary citizens, activists and members of religious minorities to 'stamp out any trace of dissent and reassert its control'. Nothing, it seems, can tend to our perpetually ailing hearts. Except, perhaps, for art. As I listen to these musicians who sing with fervour from the depths of their hearts, the Iranian people's deepest desires are made abundantly clear. Persian singing is a unique art form and traditional music is greatly influenced by Sufism – a mystical branch of Islam that emphasises purification and spirituality. Persian music is often infused with ancient poetry and, even though I'm not fluent, I still understand the essence of what is being said – the desire for eshgh, or love, and a yearning for light. Sign up to receive Guardian Australia's fortnightly Rural Network email newsletter I've not just been reconnecting through music. Rumi and Hafez, two Persian poets from the early 13th and 14th centuries, are known for their inspiring literary works, as are Saadi and Omar Khayyam, whose writings form the basis of many songs – including those of Zöj. Centuries after they were penned, these words fill me with spiritual insights, tranquility and nourishment. At a time of escalating global turbulence, music and art unite us and provide a lens into our spiritual truth. They speak to our common suffering, advocate for resilience and connection, and promote hope. They transcend boundaries and bind us together, speaking to what it is we all truly desire, no matter where we see ourselves on the political spectrum. As we search for the light and seek meaningful ways to contribute towards beauty wherever we live, we can find inspiration through the syllables and sounds emanating from the turntable. Rumi writes: Do not stray into the neighbourhood of despair. For there are hopes: they are real, they exist – Do not go in the direction of darkness – I tell you: suns exist. And therein lie the rainbows. Sign up for the Rural Network email newsletter
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
As I fear for my ancestral homeland Iran, I find solace in Persian music
My vintage Pioneer turntable is playing the music of the Ballarat-based duo Zöj. The voice of the Iranian singer Gelareh Pour and her Persian kamancheh, a bowed string instrument, are feeding my lounge with the song The God of Rainbows. The weather is bleak but then so is the state of the world. I try not to let my mood follow. The music helps, offering a welcome contrast to the pain, violence and despair churned out by my social media algorithm. I've been listening to Persian music a lot over the past month. Not only as a source of respite but as I strive to connect to my motherland – a place I've never been able to visit. My parents, who belong to the Bahá'í faith, left in 1979 during the Iranian Revolution. They have never returned. Iran's people are struggling through an intense period of civil unrest and suffering. Media continue to speculate about what the future holds for the country and, while the rockets have stopped for the time being, human rights organisations are reporting that the Islamic republic has turned on its own, arresting ordinary citizens, activists and members of religious minorities to 'stamp out any trace of dissent and reassert its control'. Nothing, it seems, can tend to our perpetually ailing hearts. Except, perhaps, for art. As I listen to these musicians who sing with fervour from the depths of their hearts, the Iranian people's deepest desires are made abundantly clear. Persian singing is a unique art form and traditional music is greatly influenced by Sufism – a mystical branch of Islam that emphasises purification and spirituality. Persian music is often infused with ancient poetry and, even though I'm not fluent, I still understand the essence of what is being said – the desire for eshgh, or love, and a yearning for light. Sign up to receive Guardian Australia's fortnightly Rural Network email newsletter I've not just been reconnecting through music. Rumi and Hafez, two Persian poets from the early 13th and 14th centuries, are known for their inspiring literary works, as are Saadi and Omar Khayyam, whose writings form the basis of many songs – including those of Zöj. Centuries after they were penned, these words fill me with spiritual insights, tranquility and nourishment. At a time of escalating global turbulence, music and art unite us and provide a lens into our spiritual truth. They speak to our common suffering, advocate for resilience and connection, and promote hope. They transcend boundaries and bind us together, speaking to what it is we all truly desire, no matter where we see ourselves on the political spectrum. As we search for the light and seek meaningful ways to contribute towards beauty wherever we live, we can find inspiration through the syllables and sounds emanating from the turntable. Rumi writes: Do not stray into the neighbourhood of despair. For there are hopes: they are real, they exist – Do not go in the direction of darkness – I tell you: suns exist. And therein lie the rainbows. Sign up for the Rural Network email newsletter
ABC News
6 days ago
- ABC News
Inside the Victorian courtroom of the Lachlan Young murder trial
On day eight of a five-week trial, Lachlan Young was asked for a second time how he pleaded to the murder of his ex-partner Hannah McGuire. In front of a packed Victorian courtroom he replied "guilty", bringing the case to a dramatic close. As soon as the 23-year-old was led away, the public gallery — filled with Ms McGuire's grieving family and friends — cheered, clapped, hugged and wept. From start to finish, the Young murder trial has been riddled with twists and turns. The entire case was subject to a suppression order the day before it began. Once that lifted, Young admitted he killed Ms McGuire — just not intentionally — and offered unsuccessfully to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. That offer was rejected by the prosecution, paving the way for what was meant to be a five-week murder trial. A juror was discharged because they were "not capable of continuing", and the remaining jury was given a rare day off so Young could see his family. "Something's arisen overnight," Justice James Elliott told Supreme Court jurors in Ballarat on Thursday. The jury heard from a long list of witnesses, saw 33 exhibits which included maps, graphic images and videos, and even left the courtroom to visit key sites in person. All of this was to show who Young was, how he treated Ms McGuire, and what he did on the night of and days after he killed her. But all that came to a crashing halt in a matter of minutes on Friday when Young pleaded guilty to murder. The defence case led by Young's lawyer Glenn Casement hinged entirely on intent. Across two weeks, Supreme Court jurors heard that Young killed Ms McGuire in the home they previously shared, that he placed her in the footwell of her car, and drove her out to nearby bushland where the vehicle was torched. None of these facts were disputed. The main points of difference were how Ms McGuire was killed. The prosecution said she was suffocated, while the defence claimed Ms McGuire died when she hit her head against a bathroom sink during an argument with Young. The only other point where the defence diverged was in relation to the role of Young's work friend, Benjamin O'Keefe, who was paid $45 to bring an extra car so Young had a lift home after his plan to "roofie" Ms McGuire and crash her vehicle with her inside. For almost all of the witnesses there was little cross-examination by the defence, but when Mr O'Keefe took the stand Mr Casement changed his tune. "Let's get to it, Mr O'Keefe. You were arrested for murder on 7 April 2024, agreed?" Mr Casement said as his opening question. Mr Casement suggested Mr O'Keefe saw Ms McGuire's body, devised a plan to dispose of it, and therefore knew she was dead in the car all along. Mr O'Keefe maintained he had no idea Ms McGuire's body was in the car. He is not facing any charges in relation to the incident. "So the evidence before this jury is that whilst you were in that little white car you've agreed to help a man who you were not close with do that, the man saved in your phone as F***head?" Mr Casement said in court. Over eight days there were plenty of expletives, tears, and stops and starts to evidence. "Sorry, can I have a break? I just feel like I'm going to pass out," one of Ms McGuire's work colleagues told the court a few minutes into her testimony. There were also many moments of tension, particularly between members of the public gallery. When Young's father and sister attended court for day five, six and seven, they were subjected to looks and quiet, angry words from Ms McGuire's family and friends. Ms McGuire's father, Clunes publican Glenn McGuire, turned his attention to Young after giving evidence that Young was a problem drinker with a temper who did not treat his daughter well. "You f***ing animal," Mr McGuire mouthed as he walked past Young on his way out of the courtroom. Both Ms McGuire's parents told jurors about Young's conduct after he murdered their daughter, including a bank transfer and series of text messages Young sent to them from Ms McGuire's phone pretending to be her and devised to make her death look like a suicide. During her testimony, Ms McGuire's mother described several hysterical phone calls for help from her 23-year-old daughter during violent episodes involving Young. Mr McGuire broke down while detailing his attempts to help his daughter escape the relationship with Young. If you need help immediately call emergency services on triple-0 Throughout the entire trial Young, flanked by two police officers, sat expressionless at the back of the courtroom, eyes fixed ahead. As each day went on, and more of Ms McGuire's family and friends gave evidence, the gallery seats filled. On the final day the courtroom was packed to the door, with people even standing atop the back bench to see Young plead guilty to Ms McGuire's murder. Ms McGuire's family left court without speaking to the media. Young's admission of guilt on Friday means the jury has been discharged. He will return to court next Friday before a plea hearing at a later date.
