Latest news with #EastMelbourne
News.com.au
30-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- News.com.au
Cricket great Ivo Bligh's former East Melbourne home hits market
Cricket tragics could find themselves bowled over by an East Melbourne heritage property once home to the captain of English's first Ashes test side. Renowned cricketer Ivo Bligh lived at the Victorian-era residence 'Hazelwell' with his Australian wife Florence Morphy in the mid-1880s. It's believed the English captain stored the original Ashes urn at the house, earning it an enduring place in cricket folklore. Bligh, who later became the Earl of Darnley, was presented with the tiny terracotta urn after a match at Rupertswood Estate on Christmas Eve in 1882, where he also met his future wife. Fitting, the couple set up home just moments from the MCG at 121-123 Powlett St, East Melbourne. They later returned to England with the urn, which sat on the mantelpiece at the family home before being bequeathed to the Marylebone Cricket Club. With the current vendors pulling up stumps, Marshall White, Boroondara agent Chris Barrett is taking the single-level circa 1854 house to auction on June 5 with $4.7m to $5.1m price hopes. The four-bedroom, two-bathroom residence occupies a 448sq m block with the rare luxury of front and rear gardens in a prestigious position between Fitzroy Gardens and Darling Square. Mr Barrett said the location was popular with those in the medical field. 'It's obviously got access to all the hospital but it's a great landholding, with good orientation, and a beautiful period home so we are expecting to have lots of interest,' he said. 'When you get these types of properties, with the history, it adds to the romance of the property, especially for cricket tragics, and there's a lot of them out there.' The house blends hallmark period features such as a concave-roofed veranda, ornate iron lacework, high pressed metal ceilings, open fireplaces and dark-stained timber floors with a contemporary kitchen/dining area and family bathroom with integrated laundry. French doors link the rear living zone to a secluded brick-paved courtyard with a wood-fired pizza oven, while a side lane provides access to a double carport. Mr Barrett said there was scope for future expansion, subject to council approval.
News.com.au
16-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
AFL icon Robert Walls' incredible act in final moments
Robert Walls 'skipped' to his death on Thursday, the footy icon's family has shared. The AFL world was in deep mourning on Thursday when it was announced the 74-year-old has died following a battle with a rare and aggressive blood cancer. Walls, a member of the Australian Football Hall of Fame and one of the most respected voices in the sport, chose voluntary assisted dying. Unwilling to undergo another round of brutal chemotherapy after briefly being in remission, Walls died at his East Melbourne home on Thursday. He was surrounded by loved ones, including children Rebecca, Daniel and David and partner Julie. A doctor was also present. David has now told Code Sports: 'In the movies you think of someone on death row dragging their feet but he skipped down the hallway like he was running through the banner. 'His dog Lily was craning her neck trying to get to him and see what was happening but Lily will go with (former partner) Julie. 'They aren't together any more but she has been a good companion and they have known each other for 18 years. We had dinner last night with all the grandkids and today was Daniel, Rebecca, myself (his children), his sister and Julie and Lily.' David said his dad continually told his loved ones he was grateful to have lived the life he did. 'He was ready,' David said. 'He said, 'I have had a great life and I have tried to fight it, but it's enough'. 'Seeing how mum (Erin) went through what she did, he did an unbelievable job looking after her but he lived on his own and he knew what was coming and he thought he would go a little earlier rather than reaching the point of no return. 'He had to jump through a lot of hoops. He had to see three doctors, he had to be terminal and he had to have a certain type of cancer but he was ready.' 'He just kept saying how grateful he was for the life he had and the way he had travelled, the places he had been. He had a great career in football and grandkids that loved him. He said, 'I can't complain'. The triple premiership winner and 1987 premiership coach had battled acute lymphoblastic leukaemia since being diagnosed just before the 2023 Grand Final. He had been in remission, but when the cancer returned in recent months, the Carlton legend decided against another round of chemotherapy, deciding to end his life by voluntary assisted dying. Friends of the AFL icon said the horrific toll of his wife Erin's long battle with cancer played a part in Walls' decision to end his life by voluntary assisted dying, as well as the intense pain he was in as a result of his own fight. Walls told his closest friends and family he had spent around 250 days in hospital in the last 18 months since his cancer diagnosis. But despite all that Walls was said to be in good spirits in recent days and was at peace with his decision. Before passing away, the Carlton legend called friends and former football associates and teammates to bid them farewell. He is understood to have made it clear that there was to be no publicity about his decision before his passing. Walls informed them on those calls that with the diminishing quality of life due to another round chemotherapy he would rather end his life on his terms. Since news of his death broke there has been an outpouring of grief from the Australian sporting world as people paid tribute to one of the AFL greats. 'Behind the gruff exterior of AFL… Robert Walls was a beautiful human being. Kind, generous, caring. In the end unbelievably courageous.,' Australian television presenter Stephen Quartermain wrote in a touching tribute on X. 'He loved his family dearly. I was proud to call him a friend and I'll miss him. Condolences to all those that loved him. Vale Rob.' Veteran journalist John Ralph wrote: 'Vale Robert Walls who passed away this morning after choosing not to go through another gruelling cancer fight. His family were there as he passed after a brave 20 month battle with a rare cancer. A coaching, playing and media legend.' The AFL official page wrote: 'Our thoughts are with the family and friends of three-time Carlton premiership player, 1987 premiership coach and Australian Football Hall of Fame member Robert Walls.' And Collingwood great Tony Shaw wrote: 'Sad day with the passing of Rob Walls. A mentor, colleague and family man with unbending integrity. Right to the end he did it his way. Condolences to family and friends.' After news of his passing spread, Carlton released a lengthy statement, labelling Walls 'ahead of his time' and a 'visionary'. 'The Carlton Football Club and the League football community are today mourning the passing, at the age of 74, of one of the game's great servants, Blues' three-time Premiership player and Premiership Coach Robert Walls,' Calton said in a statement on Thursday. 'Walls' tenure as a player and coach extended across four clubs, and as a respected commentator across television, radio and print, spanned some six decades. It was at Carlton that the AFL Life Member and Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee savoured his greatest individual and collective footballing moments. 'On-field, Walls was part of the drought-breaking Grand Final victory over Essendon in 1968, the incredible come-from-behind Grand Final triumph over Collingwood in 1970, and the winning Grand Final shootout with Richmond in 1972. 'Off-field as Senior Coach, he commandeered Stephen Kernahan and his players to Carlton's penultimate Premiership, when they prevailed in the heat against Hawthorn on Grand Final day in 1987. 'Walls faced his final days with extraordinary courage and a remarkable perspective. He took time to reflect on a life well-lived and was able to share his farewells with the many players, officials and media representatives whom he had met along the way. As he said: 'I've had a wonderful life'.' Carlton Legend Stephen Kernahan also paid tribute to a person he deeply admired. 'When I came to Carlton, 'Wallsy' drove me to get the best out of myself, and I'd do anything for him,' Kernahan said. 'He was a hard man – but I loved that hardness in him. He was also ahead of his time, a real visionary. 'Wallsy was a great mentor and friend to me, and I'm shattered I'm not going to see him again.' Nathan Buckley wrote on X: 'Robert Walls was one of the most impactful people in my football journey; just 7 months as my first AFL coach. 'He was hard but fair and drove unrelenting standards around putting team over individual, ruthlessly schooling those that refused to. I am forever in his debt.' Carlton also revealed just weeks ago he gave each of his four Premiership medallions and his Jack McHale Medal to the club to display in the front-of-house Museum at IKON Park.
News.com.au
15-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
AFL and Carlton legend Robert Walls passes away, aged 74 after battle with rare blood cancer
AFL legend Robert Walls passed away on Thursday morning by voluntary assisted dying after a long battle with a rare and aggressive blood cancer. The 74-year-old Australian Football Hall of Famer and Carlton Team of the Century member passed away at his East Melbourne home, surrounded by loved ones including children Rebecca, Daniel and David and partner Julie. A doctor was also present. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. The triple premiership winner and 1987 premiership coach had battled acute lymphoblastic leukaemia since being diagnosed just before the 2023 Grand Final. He had been in remission, but when the cancer returned, the Carlton legend decided against another round of chemotherapy. Friends of the AFL icon said the horrific toll of his wife Erin's long battle with cancer played a part in Walls' decision to end his life by voluntary assisted dying, as well as the intense pain he was in as a result of his own fight. Walls told his closest friends and family he had spent around 250 days in hospital in the last 18 months since his cancer diagnosis. But despite all that Walls was said to be in good spirits in recent days and was at peace with his decision, according to Code Sports. A close friend of his said: 'It's incredible how strong he was, he was consoling me and others. 'He was taking calls non-stop from well wishers and had dozens of visits. He certainly knew how much he was loved.' Before passing away, the Carlton legend called friends and former football associates and teammates to bid them farewell. He is understood to have made it clear that there was to be no publicity about his decision before his passing. Walls informed them on those calls that with the diminishing quality of life with another chemotherapy he would rather end his life on his terms.
The Guardian
14-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
June Dryburgh was asked to help out at an abortion clinic. She stayed for 47 years
When June Dryburgh cleaned out her desk after almost five decades as a counsellor, it was a reminder that even though many of her consultations were brief, their impact was significant. 'I found so many letters and cards. There was even a long letter from one woman who wanted to share just how much the care she received at the clinic had meant to her,' she says. Dryburgh started at the East Melbourne Fertility Control Clinic (FCC) less than a decade after abortion was effectively decriminalised in Victoria, Australia. She saw first-hand how access to safe abortion changed lives, and personally helped more than 100,000 women. She was also witness to anti-choice campaigners' relentless efforts to wind back this access, weathering daily harassment of staff and patients, which turned deadly when a gunman entered the clinic in 2001 and shot their security guard. Dryburgh began working at the FCC in 1977. She was 32 and married with a young daughter. Eight years earlier, Victorian supreme court justice Clifford Menhennitt had ruled that an abortion was not illegal if the pregnancy endangered the health of the mother. This ruling, the first in Australia, effectively made back yard abortions in Victoria a thing of the past. The clinic was founded just three years later, in 1972, by high-profile abortion campaigner Dr Bertram Wainer. Dryburgh began working on the front desk, but it was clear that she had a rapport with the women coming in. Counselling came naturally to her, and she returned to study to complete the required qualifications. 'I loved helping people. I loved the women,' she says. Dryburgh worked at the clinic until late last year, retiring just shy of her 80th birthday. Although she rarely recognised the women she'd counselled outside the clinic, they remembered her. 'Once, at the National Theatre, I met a woman who said to me, 'I know you from somewhere', and so I started naming places where we might have met. Finally, and I don't know if there was anyone else around, I said, 'Would it have been in East Melbourne?' The penny dropped, and she said, 'I knew I'd had a long talk with you somewhere'. Another time I was trying on shoes in a shop in the city, and the girl at my feet said, 'You're June, aren't you? I saw you just the other day'.' Most of the women who came to FCC were very comfortable with their decision, Dryburgh says. 'About 80 to 90% are absolutely sure.' For the small percentage that seemed uncertain, she would suggest time away to think about the choice. 'They'd come back a different person, and you'd know that they were OK,' she says. Dryburgh's role was to give women information about what would happen in the procedure and how they might feel afterwards. Knowing this was reassuring and empowering for them, she says. It was Dryburgh's friend Pippa Green who thought she would be ideal for the role. They had previously worked together at the Postmaster General's Department in Melbourne. 'You needed a particular kind of person to work there, and it wasn't about qualifications, it was about empathy and kindness and open mindedness,' Green says. Wendy Wishart, Dryburgh's youngest sister, also worked at the clinic briefly in the 1980s. 'June always got on with the underdog,' Wishart says. She still remembers Dryburgh's easy rapport with the sex workers of Sydney's Kings Cross, when she worked at a souvenir shop nearby in the early 1970s. 'She was never snobby, and always aware of the inequity in life. She would just treat people well, no matter where they came from.' Dryburgh's community-minded parents shaped this attitude. Growing up in Yackandandah, in north-east Victoria, everyone knew everyone else's business, she says. Her parents, Jean and Ellis Wishart, were open, welcoming and 'great fun'. Many stories from the clinic have stayed with her: the women who came to them because they had been raped, women who were in violent relationships, women who had been coerced into pregnancies, women who had no support because their families were virulently anti-abortion. One week, after Dryburgh had seen three women who were pregnant as a result of rape, she snapped. 'I was so upset about it, I went out to the demonstrators and said, 'Do you really believe that a person who's been raped should continue with pregnancy?' And they just looked at me blankly and said: 'People don't get pregnant that way.' 'I read later that they really thought that it wasn't possible. So I decided I would never bother to speak to them again. There was just no point.' Sometimes the protesters out on the street found themselves on the other side of the fence. In her 2006 book, Murder on his Mind – an account of the 2001 shooting at the clinic – psychologist Dr Susie Allanson wrote that Dryburgh offered 'compassion and non-judgmental assistance' when a familiar face from the protest group arrived for an appointment. 'A lot of those women never think it's going to happen to them, but when it does they see the reasons people do this,' Dryburgh says. 'That's when a lot of them change their mind about abortion.' For a long time, the protesters outside the clinic ignored Dryburgh. Petite, beautifully groomed and conservatively dressed, it took a while before they realised she was an employee, not a resident of the well-to-do suburb. She enjoyed hiding in plain sight. Once the protesters realised who she was, the verbal abuse became a daily, tiresome ordeal. In 2001, Dryburgh was in the middle of a consultation when she heard gunshots. A gunman entered the clinic and killed security guard Steve Rogers. His plans to destroy the clinic and everyone in it were thwarted by two heroic young men, Tim Anderson and Sandro De Maria, who were there to support their partners. Dryburgh kept her client calm, locked the door and called the police. She was one of several staff members to do so. Although it only took the police eight minutes to arrive, 'it felt like an hour', she says. In Murder on his Mind, Allanson, who worked at FCC for 26 years, mentions Dryburgh often. She was a crucial part of the team's recovery from the trauma of that day. 'June is more than just our senior counsellor,' Allanson writes. She is, 'always here, always knowledgable, invincible, indispensable and unflappable … An icon of the clinic.' The clinic shooting catalysed the staff to forcefully campaign for abortion access safe zones. In 2016, the Victorian parliament enacted legislation to enforce a 150m safe zone around abortion clinics. Victoria was the second Australian state to do so, after Tasmania. By 2021, every state and territory in Australia had followed suit. The protesters decamped up the street to outside Jolimont station, a location completely out of context to passersby. 'You could see people were wondering what the hell they were doing,' Dryburgh says. Back at the clinic, anyone entering was finally able to do so in peace. Despite the majority of Australians supporting a women's right to choose, Dryburgh is concerned about the impact US policies might have in Australia, and the increase in rightwing rhetoric locally. 'I am appalled about the situation in America,' she says. 'Overturning Roe v Wade has disadvantaged millions of poor women and turned the clock back to the bad old days when women were forced to go to unscrupulous operators or try dangerous home remedies. This will result in the deaths of many women. It bothers me greatly that there are forces in Australia that continue to lobby governments to outlaw abortion.' Allanson wrote that Dryburgh was the clinic's story keeper. 'I've always said … as have other people, June, you just need to write your memoirs.' When Dryburgh retired last year, writing was the last thing on her mind. For the first few weeks she couldn't stop sleeping. Now, she has resumed French lessons and is enjoying her free time. 'I retired because I thought, 'I can't be talking to teenagers about their sex lives when I'm over 80',' she says. Then she pauses for a moment and smiles. 'Actually, I could.'
