Latest news with #Dreamworld
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Swift tour at heart of Guy's manager's trial
Guy Sebastian's former manager is alleged to have embezzled $187,000 earnt by the pop star for supporting Taylor Swift, leaving the Australian Idol winner to take home $23,000 from the tour, a court has been told. Titus Emanuel Day is standing trial in the NSW District Court where he has denied embezzling hundreds of thousands in royalties and performance fees from the pop star. The court has been told that Mr Day was Mr Sebastian's long-time manager – through his 6 Degrees agency – and friend before they had a bitter falling out in 2017. The Crown alleges that Mr Day failed to remit performance fees and royalties that were collected on Mr Sebastian's behalf by Mr Day. Mr Day has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of embezzlement as a clerk or servant and one count of attempting to dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception. On day two of his trial on Friday, his lawyers told the jury that Mr Day denied doing anything dishonest or fraudulent. One of the charges relates to an allegation that Mr Day failed to remit $187,000 to Mr Sebastian for performance fees as a support act for Swift on her 2013 tour of Australia. Titus Day is standing trial in the NSW District Court. NewsWire / John Appleyard. Credit: News Corp Australia Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC told the court that the booking agent paid $494,000 – in the form of four payments of about $123,000 – into a 6 Degrees trust account following the four arena performances. According to the Crown case, Mr Day was entitled to a commission of $59,000 and Mr Sebastian should have been paid $435,000 according to the 80-20 split in his contract with 6 Degrees. However, Mr Hatfield told the jury, Mr Sebastian was only paid $247,500, leaving $187,500 unpaid. Mr Sebastian paid $179,000 to his band and for other expenses for the tour. 'You'll see effectively when you look at it that Mr Sebastian, of the $247,000 paid to him, he had already paid out of his own pocket $179,000,' Mr Hatfield said. 'Effectively he cleared $68,000 out of which he also had to pay GST of $45,000. 'So effectively he made about $23,000 for those four performances, while the accused retained about $246,000, whereas he should have been paid $59,000 as his commission.' Guy Sebastian claims he was short-changed while performing as a support act to Taylor Swift. NewsWire/Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia It's alleged that Mr Sebastian was also not paid for corporate gigs, performances at the Opera House, a Big Bash game and Dreamworld and for singing at weddings in Italy and Sydney. The court was told that in 2018 he filed proceedings against Mr Day in the Federal Court that prompted his former manager and 6 Degrees to file a counterclaim Mr Sebastian took the stand before the lunch adjournment on Friday afternoon. He told the court that he first met Mr Day through the manager's wife, Courtney, whom he met via his record label. And three years after he won the inaugural Australian Idol, he agreed to join Mr Day, who was working at the 22 Management agency at the time. 'I was signed to Sony Music and one of the employees that I had a lot to do with on the recording side was Courtney Day,' Mr Sebastian told the court on Friday. 'And Courtney Day is married to Titus. And Courtney was recommending her husband as a manager.' The court has been told that in 2009, Mr Sebastian agreed to follow Mr Day when he opened his own agency, 6 Degrees. Taylor Swift toured with Mr Sebastian in 2013. NewsWire/Richard Dobson. Credit: NCA NewsWire Mr Day's barrister Thomas Woods, in his opening remarks to the jury on Friday morning, said his client firmly denied doing anything criminal. 'There will be no dispute that on some occasions money did come into that account which my client should have transferred onto Mr Sebastian but did not,' Mr Woods said. 'For many of the charges, the real question is not going to be whether my client failed to transfer the money to Mr Sebastian but whether his failure to do that was criminal.' He said there was a 'major dispute' in the case about whether there was any fraud or dishonesty in Mr Day's actions. 'The background is the breakdown of a personal relationship … and a commercial relationship between the two men that went on for many years,' Mr Woods said. 'What was once a close friendship and business relationship turned sour. Both men claimed that the other owed him money.' The trial before Judge Alister Abadee continues.
Herald Sun
20-05-2025
- Science
- Herald Sun
‘Cosmic camps': New ideas have students reaching for the sky
When Jen McDougall invites her students to look up at the night sky, she's not just teaching them about stars and planets – she's opening a door to discovery. As Bray Park State High School's STEM teacher, McDougall, 30, is known for turning science and physics into exciting experiences. Whether it's hosting astronomy nights where families witness Saturn's rings for the first time, organising 'cosmic camps' on the school oval during meteor showers, experiencing thrilling rides at Dreamworld and analysing how they work, or leading futuristic projects like designing sustainable colonies for Mars, she's helping students explore science in a way that feels bold and alive. Follow our Australia's Best Teachers advocacy series, in partnership with Officeworks, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, Education Perfect and BigAss Fans, at this link. Bray Park High School teacher Jen McDougall. Picture: Richard Walker 'Everyone assumes physics is difficult but you can feel physics all around you. It's not sitting in a classroom writing notes – it's about feeling the forces and understanding how the world works in that physical sense. That's why I love it so much, because it's something that you interact with and see every day. It's amazing to understand how everything works and why it works,' she says. McDougall's passion for her subject is infectious. Not only does it get students excited about learning but helps build relationships based on joy and wonder. Her physics classes have become so popular they had to add a second senior class for the first time last year. 'If I'm sharing my passions and I'm excited about them, the students tend to get excited too. If they feel that you're connecting with them, and you're taking the time to talk to them and find out what they're struggling with, and having those conversations with them to find out what they're interested in, they feel heard and they feel like we understand them,' she says. Ms McDougall is driving her students to innovate. Picture: Richard Walker Whether students are interested in soccer, space, motorbikes or making the world a better place, McDougall works with them to make the subject relevant and accessible. 'One of the keys to engaging them is allowing them that freedom to come up with their own ideas and support them. If they're interested in something in particular, I will be there to support that. If they're designing their projects, if they're making the decisions about what it's going to look like, then it makes everything so much better,' she says. Under McDougall's guidance, Year 9 students won three out of four prizes at the City of Moreton Bay Telstra Innovation Awards last year for their creative solutions to real-world problems. The projects included how AI can help boys' mental health, a satellite to collect space junk and a recycling initiative for schools. 'It was one of those moments where I was like, 'Oh my, we're making a difference' – not just in a student's life, but by inspiring them to go off and do something that will be good for the community,' she says. Originally published as Australia's Best Teachers: Jen McDougall has students reaching for the sky Read related topics: Australia's Best Teachers
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Aussie dad and son's incredible encounter while fishing 5km off WA coast
A father and son's school holiday fishing trip has become a moment they'll 'never forget' after the pair were joined by a very friendly dolphin. Ricky and Noah Plant were casting their lines 5km off the coast of Two Rocks, about an hour north of Perth, when one of the curious creatures decided to say hello. Incredible photos and video shared with 9News show the bottlenose dolphin bobbing in the water right next to their tinnie, and even grinning in delight as Noah pats its chest. 'I was blown away, I've spent my whole life on the ocean and I've never seen anything like that before,' Ricky told the broadcaster about their wild encounter on Sunday. 'It would just dive in the water and jump up.' The dolphin's entire pod — about 20 other animals — hovered nearby, and even followed the dad and son when they moved their vessel a couple of kilometres away. It was then the 'playful' outlier once again approached the pair. 'We turned around and he was almost inside the boat again," Ricky said. Local experts told 9News that while bottlenose dolphins are inquisitive, such behaviour is more common among those who have been raised in captivity. The Atlantis Marine Park, which housed performing dolphins and seals, opened in Two Rocks in 1981 but closed just nine years later. It's understood that some of those animals were released into the surrounding waters. Touted as Seaworld meets Dreamworld, the theme park also featured water slides, rollercoasters and a 10-metre-tall statue of King Neptune – the Roman god of the sea, according to the State Library of WA. The area has since been abandoned. 🛥️ Fisherman's warning after very close call in murky Aussie river 🦭 Local seal's cheeky behaviour amuses thousands: 'Mind of his own' 🏝️ Tourists stunned by incredible 'rarity' off Aussie coast Earlier this month, hundreds of worried West Australians called authorities after catching a glimpse of a mother dolphin gently pushing the lifeless body of her newborn calf along the coastline. The dolphin, fondly named Suru by the local Dolphin Discovery Centre (DDC), carried her deceased calf on her rostrum along busy areas for days in a powerful display of mourning. DDC told Yahoo News it had been inundated with calls by concerned members of the public who witnessed the sight close to shore, which can be seen below. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
