Latest news with #Fitzroy
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Doctors stumble on 7cm brain tumour after footy player goes in for scan following concussion
Getting knocked out during a football match has probably saved local player Mick Marrett's life - after doctors discovered a deadly 7cm brain tumour while doing scans. Marrett, senior captain of Kilmore Football Netball Club, was knocked unconscious during his side's clash with Fitzroy last week. Suffering concussion symptoms after the match, Marrett's wife took him to the hospital to get checked out. It was there that doctors found a brain tumour during a precautionary scan. If left to spread further, it could have been deadly. The father-of-two went under the knife four days later to remove the growth. Doctors were able to get rid of most of the tumour, leaving only a small section which was close to an artery. 'As most people are aware of now, Micky, our senior captain, had a CT scan following a knock from Saturday's game, and whilst everything was fine from the knock, the scan unfortunately showed Micky had a brain tumour,' the club posted on Facebook. 'He has since had surgery to remove it. All early signs are positive, but his beautiful family still needs our family with the recovery ahead.' A GoFundMe page has since been organised to help pay for Mick's medical bills. 'Hi, my name is Jayde, and I'm raising funds for my good mate Mick Marrett and his beautiful family,' the GoFundMe page says. 'Mick recently underwent brain surgery to remove a tumour — a life-changing and incredibly challenging experience. 'If you know Mick, you know he'd do anything for anyone. He's the kind of person who's always there when you need him — generous, kind-hearted, and never hesitates to help others, whether it's raising money for a cause or lending a hand in tough times. 'Now, Mick and his family need our help. Kim, Mick's wife, has taken time off work to care for him during his recovery, meaning their family is now relying solely on Mick's sick leave. 'On top of this, they're facing substantial out-of-pocket medical expenses and the ongoing pressure of covering their mortgage and supporting their three beautiful children. 'Your support will go directly towards easing the financial burden of medical bills, household expenses, and ensuring Mick can focus fully on his recovery without the weight of financial stress. 'Any contribution, big or small, will make a real difference to this wonderful family. Thank you for helping support Mick, Kim, and their kids during this tough time.'
7NEWS
25-05-2025
- Health
- 7NEWS
Kilmore captain Mick Marrett has 7cm brain tumour found during brain scan for concussion
Kilmore Football Netball Club captain Micky Marrett had a CT scan to rule out any brain bleeding after getting knocked out last Saturday. Doctors thankfully found no sign of bleeding — but they did find a 7cm tumour. Marrett was knocked unconscious in the dying seconds of Kilmore's Northern Football Netball League division three clash with Fitzroy last weekend, sparking a heated melee that broke out between the two teams after the final siren. Still experiencing concussion symptoms later that night, Marrett's wife dragged him to the hospital to get his head checked out. If not for that precautionary scan, his silent brain tumour could have become deadly. It had already infected part of his skull and, left much longer, could have spread even further. Four days later, the father-of-two underwent surgery to remove the growth, which may have saved his life. Surgeons were able to remove almost all of it, but for a small percentage that was too close to a main artery — which medical experts think is benign. 'As most people are aware of now, Micky, our senior captain, had a CT scan following a knock from Saturday's game, and whilst everything was fine from the knock, the scan unfortunately showed Micky had a brain tumour,' Kilmore Football Netball Club posted on Facebook in the days after the tumour was found. 'He has since had surgery to remove it. All early signs are positive, but his beautiful family still needs our family with the recovery ahead.' The locally revered figure now faces a months-long recovery, for which a GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for the medical bills. 'Hi, my name is Jayde, and I'm raising funds for my good mate Mick Marrett and his beautiful family,' the GoFundMe page says. 'Mick recently underwent brain surgery to remove a tumour — a life-changing and incredibly challenging experience. 'If you know Mick, you know he'd do anything for anyone. He's the kind of person who's always there when you need him — generous, kind-hearted, and never hesitates to help others, whether it's raising money for a cause or lending a hand in tough times. 'Now, Mick and his family need our help. Kim, Mick's wife, has taken time off work to care for him during his recovery, meaning their family is now relying solely on Mick's sick leave. 'On top of this, they're facing substantial out-of-pocket medical expenses and the ongoing pressure of covering their mortgage and supporting their three beautiful children. 'Your support will go directly towards easing the financial burden of medical bills, household expenses, and ensuring Mick can focus fully on his recovery without the weight of financial stress. 'Any contribution, big or small, will make a real difference to this wonderful family. Thank you for helping support Mick, Kim, and their kids during this tough time.'
ABC News
24-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Melbourne's Afghan Gallery restaurant prepares for bittersweet closure after more than 40 years
Sitting in a softly-lit dining area in Melbourne's inner city, 69-year-old Aref Salehi gets a twinkle in his eye when he talks about the restaurant he opened with his siblings more than four decades ago. In the early 80s the Salehi family launched the Afghan Gallery on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy. But after 44 years on the busy strip, one of Australia's oldest Afghan restaurants is closing its doors — and for the tight-knit family, the end is bittersweet. "I worked here for 33 years, from one side I feel happy … it was a lovely time in the past, but I'm also sad on the other side," Mr Salehi says. The Salehi siblings fled to Europe from Afghanistan in the late 70s, at the start of the Soviet-Afghan war. The idea to open the restaurant came from Mr Salehi's older sister Nouria Salehi, who moved to Australia in 1981 from France, where she was working as a nuclear physicist. Dr Salehi AM moved to Melbourne at the request of her older brother Aziz, and their younger brothers Aref and Timur joined them not long after. The 82-year-old says her days were spent volunteering and working at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, while at night she worked at the restaurant with her brothers. "We were cooking, serving and washing the dishes and going home. The first three months were very difficult for us," she says. Dr Salehi says the initial plan was to use the ground floor of the restaurant as a dining area and to open a gallery upstairs. But as word spread of the new Afghan spot in Fitzroy, the second floor was used to seat more eager diners. Despite this, she decided to keep the name, the Afghan Gallery. The Salehi family have been renting the Brunswick Street property for the past four decades. But at the start of May, the owners sold the building, and the Afghan Gallery will be closing in a matter of weeks. Aref Salehi's daughter Tameena says none of her family members in her generation planned to enter the restaurant business and take over the Afghan Gallery. "Everyone just walked their own path, outside of hospitality in their own careers, and it just wouldn't make any feasible sense for anyone to pursue the restaurant industry when they've already got their own careers, so it is really bittersweet," she says. Her aunt, Dr Salehi, says while there were attempts to buy the property over the years, they never eventuated. Ms Salehi says the restaurant has served as a hub for Melbourne's Afghan community over the past four decades, even acting as a consulate at some stages. The 29-year-old says her aunt worked tirelessly to assist Afghan refugees, helping them find work and assimilate to life in Australia. "[For] the refugees that were here by themselves with no family around … the Afghan Gallery was a point of community for them," she says. "There was no consulate and when the immigration department needed something in Afghanistan … they were contacting us," Dr Salehi says. "My aim was to sponsor Afghans through the business, and I did." The nuclear physicist says she also used her proceeds from the restaurant to build two schools in Pakistan. Friends Khalid Amiri and Massi Ahmadzay are regulars at the Afghan Gallery and are sad to farewell the restaurant they hold dear. Mr Amiri fled Afghanistan in August 2021 when the Taliban took over Kabul. For him, the Afghan Gallery is a piece of home. "I felt like I am in mini-Kabul, that was the vibe that I got. The chairs, the painting, the photographs, the wall, everything," Mr Amiri says. "After the news of the closure, to be really honest, I'm heartbroken. "Buildings like this get sold, get closed, but the emotional impact it has on people like us, that's unmeasurable." Mr Ahmadzay's parents migrated to Australia in the early 80s. He says the restaurant and the work of Dr Nouria signify the contribution of Afghan migrants to Melbourne. "For us, for the Afghan community, it's an institution and there is a lot of history in this building," Mr Ahmadzay says. "When you talk about the fact that 40 years later it's still here in the heart of Fitzroy where you wouldn't expect an Afghan restaurant, and it's flourished for over 40 years, it says a lot about this establishment. "We as Afghans are very, very proud of this, and we were devastated when we found out that it was shutting down." With just over a month to go until closing day, Tameena Salehi says the family is coming to terms with the end of an era. "I'm sad to see it go but I just know that you can't force something to be a good thing forever," she says. Looking back on her work over the past 44 years, Dr Salehi says she is proud of her family's legacy. "We offered our culture and way of life in Afghanistan, including the food," she says.
The Age
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Age
‘They left us way too soon': Footy club honours Laos poisoning victims Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones
Thunderous cheers echoed throughout Banksia Reserve on Saturday as Beaumaris Football Club players ran single-file through a guard of honour on their home ground, their bright pink armbands and socks shining in the afternoon sun. Pink was a favourite colour for both Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones – the Melbourne teens who died last year after a suspected methanol poisoning incident while holidaying in Laos. Both girls rose through the club's junior ranks and won a premiership together in 2022, with Bowles winning another flag in 2023. However, Saturday's match against Fitzroy was not a day for mourning. It was a day of celebration of the girls' lives and legacy. As the siren blared, the guard of honour incrementally crumbled as girls stopped to tearfully embrace each other, while spectators wearing pink hats and ribbons watched on. Both junior and senior players gathered in a circle, with their hands around each other's shoulders, while the Birds of Tokyo song, Lanterns, played softly in the background. As the second siren blared to mark the start of the game, the players cheered and broke away. It was time to focus on the footy. Club president Nick Heath said he had sought special permission from the league to blend pink into the traditional yellow and blue guernsey, which also features Bowles and Jones' football numbers. The No.32 guernsey Bowles wore in her first senior season in 2024 will be retired out of respect.
Sydney Morning Herald
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘They left us way too soon': Footy club honours Laos poisoning victims Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones
Thunderous cheers echoed throughout Banksia Reserve on Saturday as Beaumaris Football Club players ran single-file through a guard of honour on their home ground, their bright pink armbands and socks shining in the afternoon sun. Pink was a favourite colour for both Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones – the Melbourne teens who died last year after a suspected methanol poisoning incident while holidaying in Laos. Both girls rose through the club's junior ranks and won a premiership together in 2022, with Bowles winning another flag in 2023. However, Saturday's match against Fitzroy was not a day for mourning. It was a day of celebration of the girls' lives and legacy. As the siren blared, the guard of honour incrementally crumbled as girls stopped to tearfully embrace each other, while spectators wearing pink hats and ribbons watched on. Both junior and senior players gathered in a circle, with their hands around each other's shoulders, while the Birds of Tokyo song, Lanterns, played softly in the background. As the second siren blared to mark the start of the game, the players cheered and broke away. It was time to focus on the footy. Club president Nick Heath said he had sought special permission from the league to blend pink into the traditional yellow and blue guernsey, which also features Bowles and Jones' football numbers. The No.32 guernsey Bowles wore in her first senior season in 2024 will be retired out of respect.
