Latest news with #Commodore
7NEWS
9 hours ago
- 7NEWS
South African man Jonathan Green fighting for life after horror crash on Capricorn Hwy in Queensland's Central Highlands
A man fighting for life after a head-on crash on a Queensland highway that claimed the lives of four people has suffered a series of horrific injuries — including rupturing the largest artery in the human body. Jonathan Green, 27, and his friend, 28, were in a Toyota Hilux that was hit head-on by a Holden Commodore on the Capricorn Hwy, between Comet and Blackwater in the state's Central Highlands, just before 11am on Sunday. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: One of the worst weekends on Queensland roads. All four occupants of the Commodore — Corey Bietzel, 32, his friend Shaun Ranger, 28, and Ranger's two children Baylee, 7, and Chandler, 6 — died at the scene. Green was airlifted to Brisbane, while the 28-year-old was taken to a local hospital in a serious but stable condition. It is believed the pair had been travelling for work. Green is originally from Randfontein, Gauteng, in South Africa, but is understood to have lived in Australia for several years. His sister Elizma Van Zyl said her brother has suffered significant injuries and is expected to have ongoing surgeries over the next four to five months as he recovers from the crash. 'He ruptured his aorta and lost all of his stomach muscles,' she said. 'He also has dead tissue and muscle that needed to be removed.' Van Zyl said her brother was 'fortunate' to have survived the accident and her heart 'goes out to the families that lost their loved ones'. She has started a Givealittle fundraiser to help cover the costs of her brother's medical care, recovery costs, and basic necessities once he is stable. The horror crash tore apart a family of five, with Ranger's fiancee, Renee Carla, now a single mother to the couple's youngest daughter, Saphora, 2. The group in the Holden Commodore had been returning home from a camping trip, with Carla and Saphora travelling behind them in another car. Chantel Semple, a friend of Carla's, said Baylee had a cheeky smile and a love for horses, while Chandler 'was a sweet and kind-hearted little boy' who enjoyed the outdoors. 'Shaun (was) a dedicated and selfless father, supportive friend and loving partner,' Semple said in a fundraiser she set up for the family. 'We are all very heartbroken over this unexpected loss and want to give them the send-off they deserve, a meaningful goodbye, surrounded by the people who love them.' On Monday, Bietzel was identified as the fourth deceased victim of the crash as his family shared a touching tribute describing him as a 'loving son, grandson, a devoted father, brother, cousin and friend'. His cousin Taya-Marie Harper said he 'touched the hearts of many people and left an irreplaceable void' and the family are 'heartbroken over this unexpected loss'. 'Corey was loved and cherished by many and brought much joy and light to people's lives,' she said. Harper has launched a GoFundMe to help support her family as they prepare to give Bietzel 'the send off he deserves'. Following the crash, the Capricorn Hwy was closed in both directions for several hours while police remained at the scene. The Holden was completely destroyed in the crash and the wreckage was left crumpled on the side of the highway while the ute had flipped onto its roof. Inspector Ben Wiltshire said both of the vehicles had caught fire on impact. He said it was a 'high-speed' crash but that the exact circumstances were still being investigated. Wiltshire said the injuries the victims sustained were 'horrific'. 'There is a complex investigation that takes place for every fatal traffic accident and this was no exception,' he said. 'We need to conduct a thorough investigation before we make any decisions about charges.' Wiltshire said the tragedy would reverberate throughout the entire Central Highlands community. As a result of the accident, police will be ramping up traffic enforcement efforts throughout the region. 'This heartbreaking incident serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of road safety,' Wiltshire said. 'These lives were cut short far too soon leaving families and loved ones to grapple with the unimaginable grief.' Eleven people were killed on Queensland's roads over the weekend, including three teens who crashed into another car while trying to overtake a semi-trailer in Mackay on Friday night. Two of the teens have been identified as T-Jay Petrass and Liam Doumergue, both 19, while a 19-year-old girl also travelling in their car was killed. Also on Friday a 21-year-old girl was killed in a head-on collision in the Gympie Region, while a 26-year-old man died falling out of a car in Tamborine. Police are also investigating after a car hit and killed an 18-year-old man lying on the road in the South Burnett region on Saturday morning. Later that morning a 45-year-old motorbike rider died when he crashed into a trailer being towed by a ute in Mackay. Wiltshire urged motorists to drive to the conditions and said a split-second decision could be a matter of life or death. 'Don't speed, drive to the conditions, avoid distractions and ensure that you're well rested before embarking on any long journey,' he said. 'Our families, our friends and our children are depending on you.'
Arabian Post
a day ago
- Business
- Arabian Post
Commodore's 8‑Bit Glory Returns with FPGA‑Powered Revival
Commodore has re-emerged under new leadership, offering a modern reimagining of its cherished 64‑bit machine. The Commodore 64 Ultimate, now available to pre‑order starting at $299, is positioned as the first genuine Commodore hardware release in over three decades, combining classical design with updated performance. Christian 'Peri Fractic' Simpson, a prominent retro computing content creator, has acquired the Commodore brand in a low seven‑figure deal and now serves as its acting CEO. He's joined by veterans such as engineer Gideon Zweijtzer and original Commodore architects, aiming to balance nostalgia with authenticity. Rather than emulate the past via software, the new device uses an AMD Artix‑7 FPGA to reconstruct the original architecture at silicon‑level precision. The launch lineup features three variants: the BASIC Beige at $299, a lighting-equipped Starlight Edition at $349, and the premium Founders Edition at $499 with gold accents and limited availability. Each unit supports HDMI 1080p output, USB‑A and USB‑C ports, Wi‑Fi, Ethernet, microSD storage and legacy connections such as datassette, disk drive and joystick ports. Internally, it ships with 128 MB DDR2 RAM, 16 MB flash storage, tape emulation via Ultimate‑II+ core, and a USB stick with over 50 officially licensed games. ADVERTISEMENT Production is set to begin shipping in October 2025, with a one‑year warranty and full refund guarantee for pre‑orders. Commodore is using its own crowdfunding platform to avoid third‑party fees. Only Founders Edition is capped at 6,400 units, each marked with unique serial numbers and extras like gold‑plated badges. Challenges remain: intellectual property fragmentation, including rights to ROMs and Amiga assets, and the question of whether this revival will appeal beyond hardcore fans. Analysts note that Raspberry Pi systems offer broader versatility at lower cost. Long‑term success will require Commodore to deliver ongoing innovation, potentially through educational, creative or minimalist computing tools, as Simpson envisions. The 1980s‑inspired brand messaging emphasises a 'digital detox' against today's social‑media‑ driven tech consumption, aiming to rekindle the era's 'techno‑optimism'. For many enthusiasts, this revival marks the first authentic Commodore experience in over thirty years, renewing hope for the legacy's endurance.
Sky News AU
a day ago
- Sky News AU
'It's a tragedy': Father and two kids among four killed as Queensland Police reveal details into fatal rural crash
Police have revealed fresh details into the fatal head-on crash which saw a mother witness her fiancé and two children die in Queensland's Central Highlands on Sunday. Just before 11am on Sunday a Holden Commodore collided with a Toyota Hilux on the Capricorn Highway between Comet and Blackwater. Four people inside the Commodore - father Shaun Ranger, seven-year-old Baylee, six-year-old Chandler, and another man - were killed in the crash. Ranger's fiancé Renee and their youngest daughter Saphora, aged two, were travelling behind them as the tragedy unfolded. The family is understood to have been returning from a camping trip. Officers said the two vehicles collided at 'very high speed' on the Capricorn Highway before both cars caught fire. 'Initial investigations indicate a Holden Commodore travelling towards Blackwater with four occupants struck a Toyota Hilux utility containing two occupants travelling in the opposite direction,' the police said. 'The driver, a 28-year-old man, six-year-old boy, seven-year-old girl and 32-year-old man died as a result of the crash.' Two men in the Hilux, believed to have been driving to work, were also injured. Paramedics took a 28-year-old man to hospital in a serious but stable condition and flew a 27-year-old man to Brisbane for treatment for life-threatening injuries. On Monday, Inspector Ben Wiltshire said the mother was at the scene of the crash when police arrived. "It was a very high-speed crash with significant damage to both vehicles, fire was involved and the injuries to the people involved were horrific," Wiltshire said. 'It's a tragedy that reverberates not just through the families, but through the entire Central Highlands community. 'It's very early days in the investigation and it would be premature for me to speculate on who was at fault or the reasons for the crash at this stage.' Inspector Wiltshire said Central Queensland have a larger proportion of people who are involved in crashes because of fatigue and the distances between town across the region. 'Every time you get into a vehicle, you are conducting a high-risk activity,' he said. 'It is this case, it's two young kids who aren't going to play ball or play an instrument ever again in their lives. 'It is about people. It's about families.' The Central Highlands region, about 850km north of Brisbane, stretches from Rockhampton in the east to Emerald and Alpha in the west. A GoFundMe has been started for the surviving members of the family by friend Chantel Semple. "Shaun, Baylee and Chandler were cherished and loved by many and brought so much joy and light into our lives," Ms Semple said. 'Baylee, aged 7, had a cheeky smile, bubbly personality and a love for horses. 'Chandler, aged 6, was a sweet and kind-hearted little boy, full of life and loved the outdoors. 'Shaun a dedicated and selfless father, supportive friend and loving partner.' Ms Semple said the family friends are still coming to terms with the 'unimaginable loss'. 'I hope to relieve the extra stress and heartache that this family already have to endure by raising much-needed funds to cover costs for funeral expenses and support Renee and little Saphora,' she said. 'We are all very heartbroken over this unexpected loss and want to give them the send off they deserve, a meaningful goodbye, surrounded by the people who love them.' As of Monday afternoon, $34,036 from 453 donations has been raised from a $45,000 target. Investigations into the incident are continuing. Anyone with dashcam footage or information about the crash are encouraged to contact police. The tragic crash has brought Queensland's road toll to 16 deaths in just seven days. As of July 20, a total of 158 people have died due to road crashes this year in Queensland. Central Queensland has so far recorded 25 deaths on the state's roads.
7NEWS
a day ago
- Automotive
- 7NEWS
Australian car manufacturing could and should return, says local CEO
As the head of a major automotive engineering company, Premcar CEO Bernie Quinn understandably is a cheerleader for local auto industry, but he thinks that car manufacturing should not only return to Australia, but could. The Premcar boss argues that demand for locally tuned products from both his company and Walkinshaw Automotive shows there's demand for vehicles developed in Australia, for Australians. 'We're doing it through secondary manufacturing at the moment, but this could be expanded to build cars in Australia for Australians,' Mr Quinn told CarExpert in a wide-ranging Expert Insights interview. You can read our full Expert Insights interview with Premcar CEO Bernie Quinn here. 'We'd have to invest a lot of money. We'd have to build all that capital equipment again and all that infrastructure again. 'It wouldn't be easy. But is it possible? A hundred per cent, yes. Would it be successful? 110 per cent. With the right attitude and the right amount of commitment it could be very, very successful. 'And keep in mind that many of the countries that dominate new-car manufacturing and assembly today didn't know how to make cars or their components 40 years ago. But with the right attitude, commitment and investment they've achieved remarkable results.' While Chrysler, Nissan and Mitsubishi, among others, had long ago ceased Australian manufacturing, Holden, Ford and Toyota continued well into the 2010s. Ford announced in May 2013 it would end Australian production in October 2016, and this set off announcements from Holden, which announced in December 2013 it would end all local production in October 2017, and Toyota, which announced in February 2014 it would also end production in October 2017. There was a common theme in these announcements. Holden and Toyota both blamed an unfavourable Australian dollar, poor economies of scale, and high manufacturing costs, with Ford noting its costs locally were double that of its European operations and nearly four times those in Asia. Companies such as Ford have maintained a strong local engineering presence, while others like Premcar modify existing vehicles and Walkinshaw remanufactures vehicles in right-hand drive with the backing of their original manufacturers. However, no passenger car, light commercial vehicle or SUV is produced in its entirety in the Australian market. Mr Quinn blamed the shuttering of local manufacturing on exchange rates. 'You have to remember that the decisions made about closing the local new-car manufacturing industry in Australia were made at a time when our currency was, let's say, artificially and temporarily high,' said Mr Quinn. 'Those decisions had their gestation in 2009. That was the time when key decisions about the possible next Commodore, next Falcon and next Territory were being cemented. 'The Australian currency didn't support the industry at the time because it was about A$1.05 to A$1.10 to the US dollar due to the global financial crisis, which happened mostly in other countries, and not to the same extent in Australia. 'And that was really the beginning of the end. Now, when these big car companies closed their doors on local manufacturing, the currency was back around 70 cents US, and at the moment it's around 65 US cents. 'We would be very competitive if we had maintained all the capital equipment and knowledge and systems and processes. We had been able to capture that and leverage it in 2009 through to 2015. 'We'd have a thriving industry now, so it was really an aberration which led to its closing. That's the really frustrating and disappointing thing about it.' Premcar can trace its roots back to the 1996 launch of the Tickford Vehicle Engineering-enhanced Ford EL Falcon GT, followed by the 1998 TS50, TE50 and TL50, and the 2001 Mustang converted locally to right-hand drive by Tickford. FPV (Ford Performance Vehicles) was then formed in a joint venture between Ford and Prodrive, which bought out Tickford, and the first fruit was the 2003 BA Falcon-based FPV GT. Prodrive also collaborated with Mazda Australia to create the MX-5 SP, and with Toyota Australia to create the TRD Aurion and HiLux. After it developed the supercharged 5.0-litre 'Miami' V8 for FPV's Falcon-based range, Prodrive became Premcar in 2012 and produced a succession of powerful Falcon-based sedans in the dying days of the homegrown large car. In 2015, Premcar also began its extensive defence industry work, and even co-developed its first helicopter for a major corporation, before teaming up with Nissan to become one of Australia's two largest automotive engineering companies alongside Walkinshaw Automotive. While Premcar currently doesn't remanufacture vehicles in right-hand drive like Walkinshaw does with pickups including the Chevrolet Silverado, Ram 1500/2500 and Toyota Tundra, it has the experience to do so and Mr Quinn has teased 'it's quite likely at some stage you'll see something about this from Premcar'. In the meantime, Premcar works over the Thai-built Nissan Navara ute to create the Navara Warrior and transforms the Japanese-built Nissan Patrol into the Patrol Warrior. It has also formed a joint venture in South Africa to produce Navara Warriors at Nissan's factory there.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Automotive
- Perth Now
Australian car manufacturing could and should return, says local CEO
As the head of a major automotive engineering company, Premcar CEO Bernie Quinn understandably is a cheerleader for local auto industry, but he thinks that car manufacturing should not only return to Australia, but could. The Premcar boss argues that demand for locally tuned products from both his company and Walkinshaw Automotive shows there's demand for vehicles developed in Australia, for Australians. 'We're doing it through secondary manufacturing at the moment, but this could be expanded to build cars in Australia for Australians,' Mr Quinn told CarExpert in a wide-ranging Expert Insights interview. You can read our full Expert Insights interview with Premcar CEO Bernie Quinn here. Supplied Credit: CarExpert 'We'd have to invest a lot of money. We'd have to build all that capital equipment again and all that infrastructure again. 'It wouldn't be easy. But is it possible? A hundred per cent, yes. Would it be successful? 110 per cent. With the right attitude and the right amount of commitment it could be very, very successful. 'And keep in mind that many of the countries that dominate new-car manufacturing and assembly today didn't know how to make cars or their components 40 years ago. But with the right attitude, commitment and investment they've achieved remarkable results.' While Chrysler, Nissan and Mitsubishi, among others, had long ago ceased Australian manufacturing, Holden, Ford and Toyota continued well into the 2010s. Supplied Credit: CarExpert Ford announced in May 2013 it would end Australian production in October 2016, and this set off announcements from Holden, which announced in December 2013 it would end all local production in October 2017, and Toyota, which announced in February 2014 it would also end production in October 2017. There was a common theme in these announcements. Holden and Toyota both blamed an unfavourable Australian dollar, poor economies of scale, and high manufacturing costs, with Ford noting its costs locally were double that of its European operations and nearly four times those in Asia. Companies such as Ford have maintained a strong local engineering presence, while others like Premcar modify existing vehicles and Walkinshaw remanufactures vehicles in right-hand drive with the backing of their original manufacturers. However, no passenger car, light commercial vehicle or SUV is produced in its entirety in the Australian market. Mr Quinn blamed the shuttering of local manufacturing on exchange rates. Supplied Credit: CarExpert 'You have to remember that the decisions made about closing the local new-car manufacturing industry in Australia were made at a time when our currency was, let's say, artificially and temporarily high,' said Mr Quinn. 'Those decisions had their gestation in 2009. That was the time when key decisions about the possible next Commodore, next Falcon and next Territory were being cemented. 'The Australian currency didn't support the industry at the time because it was about A$1.05 to A$1.10 to the US dollar due to the global financial crisis, which happened mostly in other countries, and not to the same extent in Australia. 'And that was really the beginning of the end. Now, when these big car companies closed their doors on local manufacturing, the currency was back around 70 cents US, and at the moment it's around 65 US cents. 'We would be very competitive if we had maintained all the capital equipment and knowledge and systems and processes. We had been able to capture that and leverage it in 2009 through to 2015. Supplied Credit: CarExpert 'We'd have a thriving industry now, so it was really an aberration which led to its closing. That's the really frustrating and disappointing thing about it.' Premcar can trace its roots back to the 1996 launch of the Tickford Vehicle Engineering-enhanced Ford EL Falcon GT, followed by the 1998 TS50, TE50 and TL50, and the 2001 Mustang converted locally to right-hand drive by Tickford. FPV (Ford Performance Vehicles) was then formed in a joint venture between Ford and Prodrive, which bought out Tickford, and the first fruit was the 2003 BA Falcon-based FPV GT. Prodrive also collaborated with Mazda Australia to create the MX-5 SP, and with Toyota Australia to create the TRD Aurion and HiLux. After it developed the supercharged 5.0-litre 'Miami' V8 for FPV's Falcon-based range, Prodrive became Premcar in 2012 and produced a succession of powerful Falcon-based sedans in the dying days of the homegrown large car. Supplied Credit: CarExpert Supplied Credit: CarExpert In 2015, Premcar also began its extensive defence industry work, and even co-developed its first helicopter for a major corporation, before teaming up with Nissan to become one of Australia's two largest automotive engineering companies alongside Walkinshaw Automotive. While Premcar currently doesn't remanufacture vehicles in right-hand drive like Walkinshaw does with pickups including the Chevrolet Silverado, Ram 1500/2500 and Toyota Tundra, it has the experience to do so and Mr Quinn has teased 'it's quite likely at some stage you'll see something about this from Premcar'. In the meantime, Premcar works over the Thai-built Nissan Navara ute to create the Navara Warrior and transforms the Japanese-built Nissan Patrol into the Patrol Warrior. It has also formed a joint venture in South Africa to produce Navara Warriors at Nissan's factory there. MORE: Expert Insights: Q&A with Premcar CEO Bernie Quinn
