Latest news with #Graeme
Otago Daily Times
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Boarder, 78, still cutting shapes
You won't find many snowboarders on Queenstown's ski slopes who took up the sport in the 1980s. An exception is 78-year-old local retiree Graeme Burgess, who threw away his skis after seeing a snowboarder on Cardrona in about 1989. Raised in Tokanui, Southland, Graeme used to come up to ski, mostly on Queenstown's Coronet Peak, every winter weekend when he was living in Invercargill, especially from his late 20s after he and wife Zeta had had a family. He'd already shown good balance, building and teaching himself to ride low and tall unicycles from a young age. As a youngster he also waterskied, starting on two skis then progressing to one, and entered competitions for many years, performing tricks and jumps. Then from 20 he also raced speedway motorcycles, buying one of international racer Ivan Mauger's bikes from the latter's brother. He perfected racing sideways at 100kmh and even raced against legendary Southland motorcycle racer Burt Munro. "He was too good, but half the time he was stopped because his bikes were blowing up." Graeme thinks his single ski waterskiing and speedway racing meant he took to snowboarding — in the sport's comparative infancy — like a duck to water, with no need for lessons. He immediately hired a snowboard at Cardrona, then bought his first — a Burton Big Air with wire bindings to fit ski boots — from Queenstown's NZ Shred. He's now on to his sixth board, an Elan Ballistic, which he imports from Slovenia along with bindings and boots. "I use alpine carving race boards with special hard boots, similar to ski boots but much shorter. "This aspect of boarding isn't so popular here but is still an Olympic sport in the dual slalom." Till they stopped, Graeme competed every year in the New Zealand Snowboard Masters in slalom and boardercross events, often winning on handicap against much younger riders. He'd also compete in Coronet's regular Sunday races though he might be the only boarder. He's ridden, too, in Europe, Canada and the United States where he's raced with his good friend Dick Schulze from Truckee, California. Nowadays he picks and chooses when he goes up, and only went six or eight times last year. "I'm on the first chairlift, away from the crowds, because I love to go quite fast, so I don't mess around bumps and jumps and allthat." Though skiers sometimes complain about snowboarders' behaviour, Graeme — who's aiming to ride till he's 80, in two seasons' time — says he's never knocked a skier off, "but I've been run over the top by a ski instructor". Meanwhile, Graeme's not idle in summer, either. He's regularly off boating and fishing, and he and Zeta base themselves at their Stewart Island home over the holiday season. He dredges for oysters and used to scuba dive, too. Graeme formerly owned an engineering business in Invercargill for 26 years, selling up when he was 56 and retiring to Queenstown. Astutely, he'd invested in three homes on the lower flanks of Queenstown, renting them out before selling them mortgage-free. He and Zeta lived in one for a year before moving into a new home overlooking the Shotover River 18 years ago. Graeme's been active in the Lions Club, first down south then with the Queenstown club, and helps its fundraising by chopping wood and looking after its coin-operated binoculars on the town pier. He enjoys the company of several groups including one that meets at Arrowtown's Fork & Tap every Thursday. He also runs a spud-in-a-bucket comp each year — competitors, limited to nine at a time, wear PGA-embroidered jackets, which stands for 'potato growers association'. Harking back to his engineering days, Graeme loves tinkering — "I love fixing things and if something's broken I'll get to the bottom of it". Though he stopped speedway racing at the age of 60, he now rides a 1300cc motorcycle which he often takes on trips with mates. "We ride very fast all around the place," he says, before quickly adding, "we're not very high speed".
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Family of football fans from West Lothian complete 24-hour SPFL club challenge
They started off in Annan at 3pm last Friday as they took on the 720-mile journey Three generations of football fans from a West Lothian family visited the grounds of all 42 SPFL football clubs in a 24-hour challenge. Graeme Cunningham, 38, from Fauldhouse, his dad Colin, 66, and his 11-year-old son Cole, who lives in Bathgate, started off at Annan at 3pm last Friday as they took on the 720-mile journey north to Dingwall, raising over £4,700 for three worthy causes. Graeme, a bus driver with Lothian Country, had set a target of £3,000 to be split equally between baby-loss charity SiMBA, Scottish Autism, and for Cole's team - Bathgate Thistle Community FC. All three organisations are close to his heart, his baby daughter Rebecca-Rose was still-born in 2013, and SiMBA supported the family then. His four-year-old niece Evie, Cole's cousin, is autistic. Graeme, Colin and Cole arrived at Ross County's Victoria Park on Saturday afternoon. 'We completed our challenge yesterday at 2:05pm so inside the 24 hour target,' said Graeme. 'There were no hiccups on the road. 'Some of the grounds are behind gates, like Spartans and Airdrie, so we couldn't get really close but that's understandable as we were there in the very early hours of the morning. 'Highlights for me were Kilmarnock, East Kilbride, Peterhead and Ross County. 'My dad's friend David Sneddon, whose own dad was Kilmarnock manager years ago, met us outside Rugby Park and donated a bottle of Kilmarnock FC gin and also presented Cole with a Kilmarnock top signed by the whole team, which made him so happy. 'East Kilbride's kitman Davie let us into the dressing room and pitchside and gave Cole an away and goalkeeper top, which was amazing. They even told us to keep in touch so we could meet them in Elgin as they were travelling north to play in the Premier Sports Cup. 'Peterhead gave us full access to the dressing room, media room, and allowed us to take pictures at pitchside even with it being a match day. Sharon the General Manager was absolutely fantastic with us. I even bought myself a Peterhead top as a keepsake. 'Ross County, our last stadium was equally as good. Ryan who works for them let us in and walked us round the pitch so we could get some amazing pictures to finish off our trip.' The challenge and trip is one that will last a lifetime for Graeme, a self-confessed 'fitba geek', his dad Colin and Cole. He has documented every stadium on his social media accounts with his TikTok page attracting a fair bit of attention. You can see for yourself on Facebook: 42 Clubs in 24 Hours and TikTok: @42in24. Graeme added: 'Overall it was an absolutely amazing trip with memories I will cherish forever. Most importantly we are sitting at £4,700 raised for the three charities which is crazy considering I only aimed for £3,000. 'Big thanks to everyone in Lammies Bar in Fauldhouse as well, they had a fundraiser on Saturday night (July 19) and raised £800.'
The Irish Sun
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Inside Graeme McDowell's life away from golf with wife & kids as he makes commentary debut at The Open
GRAEME McDowell has already impressed after making his commentary debut at his local course of Portrush on Thursday. The 6 McDowell joined Sky Sports' regular commentators such as Laura Davies and Wayne Riley Credit: Getty 6 He married partner Kristin Stape in 2013 6 They have two children together Credit: Getty Images - Getty 6 Nowadays he is a teammate of Brooks Koepka on the Smash GC team on the LIV Golf circuit Credit: AP He had hoped to play at the 153rd edition of the world's oldest golf tournament but Here, SunSport delves into the 2010 US Open winner's life away from the golf course: WIFE AND CHILDREN Around the time of that career highlight Major victory, Graeme met his spouse Kristin. He'd initially hired her as an interior designer while he was building his home in the ultra-wealthy Florida community of Lake Nona in Florida. Read More On Irish Sport They wound up dating and got engaged in October 2012. They tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in The Bahamas in September 2013. The couple have two children together. Their daughter Vale was born in 2014 whilst son Wills came into the world two years later. Graeme is a very private individual so there are no photos of them publicly available with his EARLY LIFE He's been based in the US for much of his life as he went to college at the University of Alabama in Georgia after transferring over from Belfast's Queen's University where he'd studied engineering. Most read in Golf The former When asked about his personal sense of identity he emphasizes that he doesn't like picking one nationality over another. Tense moment as furious Jon Rahm confronts golf fan at The Open When asked about potentially playing in the He explained: "I'm not bothered who I play for. I'll be honoured to represent Britain or Ireland or both. I'm proud to play golf for Europe." He added: "Yes, I sit on the fence but why not? There's no right or wrong answer. I'm always going to upset someone so why not sit on the fence?" The 45-year-old ultimately never represented either on the Olympic stage as he chose not to replace 6 The 'Golf, But Louder' circuit has seen him play in tournaments around the world compared to the more US-centric PGA Tour Credit: Reuters 6 Talor Gooch is another relatively famous teammate of his at Smash GC Credit: Reuters NET WORTH McDowell's become a somewhat peripheral figure in playing terms ever since Playing on Multiple sites such as and estimate his net worth to be around $40million. This leaves him trailing only McIlroy in COMMENTARY PRAISE Despite only being a quarter of the way into this year's final Major, he's proven a hit with viewers as a co-commentator. Among the online posts hailing his insight on Thursday, the GolfisLife account hailed: "Graeme McDowell is doing a great job on the Open broadcast as the in-booth player commentary. "It is amazing the booth crew are also being respectful on LIV and asking about LIV. This plus 19 LIV guys in the field it seems very appropriate." Similarly, Golf Monthly tweeted: "Very much enjoyed listening to Graeme McDowell in the booth today." To which Terry agreed: "Yes. Him and Faldo commentate without eulogising or speculating, the twin curses of most the others." Lastly, Luke reckoned: "One thing many missed in the division of golf is that great people & their ability to article the game went to LIV. "Players like Mickelson, McDowell & Casey would all make exceptional broadcasters & it was moronic to initially blackball them."
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is buying with friends the answer to a tough housing market?
Four friends keen to get on the property ladder, but finding prices too steep, clubbed together to buy a home in London. Could this be the future of home ownership? The two couples, now each with a baby, live together in a three-bedroom flat in north-east London. Francesca, Graeme, Sonja and Kieran, all 34, have known each other since school and university, and lived together during the Covid pandemic until the landlord "doubled the rent overnight". From moving in, to house renovations, to the women giving birth four months apart, how is it all working out? Francesca, a musician, says when they all bought the flat together in 2022, she and her partner Graeme would not have been able to afford a suitable place in London on their own. Graeme says they would have been able to afford a property in the £350,000-£400,000 price range - but by bringing all four incomes together, they could afford "a lot more". They ended up paying £650,000. He says "apart from some estate agents being surprised", there were no massive hurdles to overcome to buy as two couples versus a sole couple. They got a floating deed of trust, a legal document that outlines how ownership of a property is divided between joint owners. Rise in non-traditional mortgages The four friends are among a growing number of people with non-traditional mortgages. Some of the UK's biggest lenders have reported trends in people co-buying with friends, siblings and parents. Lloyds Bank said its research found half of young first-time buyers were willing to consider more non-traditional routes to be able to afford a home, while Barclays reported "a strong interest" in non-traditional mortgages this year. Natwest head of mortgages Lloyd Cochrane said the bank was seeing "more and more customers think about different ways of getting on the housing ladder", but there was a need to raise awareness of non-traditional ways to get there. Part of the decision for Francesca, Graeme, Sonja and Kieran was that they wanted to stay close to their workplaces in London. It helped they were already close friends and living together "so it didn't feel like such a big step", Francesca says. "If anything, moving in just the two of us felt like a bigger step." Kieran points out the couples have each been together for a decade, so they were "fairly confident" they would not to split up and "cause havoc". Francesca and Sonja found another bonus, in that they spent a lot of their maternity leave together, which Sonja says "helped in a time that can be really lonely". The two families share groceries, childcare and cooking - splitting all expenses four ways - and their two children get on "like siblings", according to all the parents. The reaction from others has been positive, Kieran says. "Whoever I tell about it, they always think it's a great idea and they like it," he says. "But I do have to preface it with: 'It's not like a commune or anything. It's communal living.'" SpareRoom, a UK-based website that specialises in flat-sharing and finding flatmates, recently conducted a survey on 6,524 flatmates and lodgers in the UK. When asked how they planned to afford a deposit, of those who expected to buy a property, 89% said savings, 44% said they planned to team up with a partner, 25% said with financial help from friends or family, 17% said inheritance, 9% will team up with a sibling or parent, and 6% will team up with a friend. Of the 14% who said they did not expect to be able to buy a property, almost half said it was because their family could not help with a deposit. Things to consider The legal agreement or deed of trust Adam French, consumer expert at Money Facts, said: "What happens if the mortgage cannot be paid, or for example one of you wants to move out? Having all of that crystal clear in writing is really important." Credit scores Mr French said it was important to be "really transparent" about that one bad credit score or it could bring down the mortgage application. Other costs Insurance and stamp duty will need paying. Having a plan and an agreement in place will help to make sure things go smoothly. Friends Mirko, 37, and Lorenzo, 30, moved from Italy to London more than 10 years ago to work in casinos. After nine years, realising they had spent £160,000 on rent between them, they pooled their salaries and bought a two-bedroom flat in Woolwich for £450,000 with a deposit of £90,000. "We thought... why, instead of paying rent, don't we pay a mortgage?," Mirko says. "We've known each other so long, we trust each other. We can do that." He says the bank told them it was more likely to give a mortgage to friends because "couples are more likely to split up". "The bond you can have with a friend is bigger than a bond you can have in a relationship," Mirko says. Lorenzo adds that "with the money of a two-bedroom flat in London, you can buy a villa with a swimming pool" in big Italian cities like Rome and Mila, and their parents are proud of what they have achieved because they know how expensive London is. Mirko says he would recommend the set-up for "no more than two people" because it is difficult to find friends who think in the same way, but "if you find the right person, I think it's the right solution". 'I see huge value' It has been three years since Sonja, Kieran, Francesca and Graeme moved in together, and the experience, they say, has "really worked" - although Kieron says he would not recommend it to everyone. "You have to be confident with who you're living with and be very open with your finances and your family plans - and have a timeline," he says. Sonja says she could see such an arrangement working throughout different stages of life. "I think there's something sad when your networks narrow. I see huge value for this type of investment in retirement as well," she says. "Who knows what the next stage is for us - whether we'll continue to live together or separate into different homes - but I'd really like to have some element of communal living in my life." Additional reporting by Anna O'Neill Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Similar stories Tips from first-time buyers: 'We bought a £320,000 home aged 25' When will interest rates go down again? Is buying with friends the future of housing? Solve the daily Crossword
BBC News
17-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Buying a house with friends: 'It's not a commune, it's communal living'
Four friends keen to get on the property ladder, but finding prices too steep, clubbed together to buy a home in London. Could this be the future of home ownership?The two couples, now each with a baby, live together in a three-bedroom flat in north-east Graeme, Sonja and Kieran, all 34, have known each other since school and university, and lived together during the Covid pandemic until the landlord "doubled the rent overnight".From moving in, to house renovations, to the women giving birth four months apart, how is it all working out? Francesca, a musician, says when they all bought the flat together in 2022, she and her partner Graeme would not have been able to afford a suitable place in London on their says they would have been able to afford a property in the £350,000-£400,000 price range - but by bringing all four incomes together, they could afford "a lot more". They ended up paying £650, says "apart from some estate agents being surprised", there were no massive hurdles to overcome to buy as two couples versus a sole got a floating deed of trust, a legal document that outlines how ownership of a property is divided between joint owners. Rise in non-traditional mortgages The four friends are among a growing number of people with non-traditional of the UK's biggest lenders have reported trends in people co-buying with friends, siblings and parents. Lloyds Bank said its research found half of young first-time buyers were willing to consider more non-traditional routes to be able to afford a home, while Barclays reported "a strong interest" in non-traditional mortgages this year. Natwest head of mortgages Lloyd Cochrane said the bank was seeing "more and more customers think about different ways of getting on the housing ladder", but there was a need to raise awareness of non-traditional ways to get there. Part of the decision for Francesca, Graeme, Sonja and Kieran was that they wanted to stay close to their workplaces in helped they were already close friends and living together "so it didn't feel like such a big step", Francesca says."If anything, moving in just the two of us felt like a bigger step."Kieran points out the couples have each been together for a decade, so they were "fairly confident" they would not to split up and "cause havoc".Francesca and Sonja found another bonus, in that they spent a lot of their maternity leave together, which Sonja says "helped in a time that can be really lonely". The two families share groceries, childcare and cooking - splitting all expenses four ways - and their two children get on "like siblings", according to all the reaction from others has been positive, Kieran says."Whoever I tell about it, they always think it's a great idea and they like it," he says. "But I do have to preface it with: 'It's not like a commune or anything. It's communal living.'" SpareRoom, a UK-based website that specialises in flat-sharing and finding flatmates, recently conducted a survey on 6,524 flatmates and lodgers in the asked how they planned to afford a deposit, of those who expected to buy a property, 89% said savings, 44% said they planned to team up with a partner, 25% said with financial help from friends or family, 17% said inheritance, 9% will team up with a sibling or parent, and 6% will team up with a the 14% who said they did not expect to be able to buy a property, almost half said it was because their family could not help with a deposit. Things to considerThe legal agreement or deed of trustAdam French, consumer expert at Money Facts, said: "What happens if the mortgage cannot be paid, or for example one of you wants to move out? Having all of that crystal clear in writing is really important."Credit scoresMr French said it was important to be "really transparent" about that one bad credit score or it could bring down the mortgage costsInsurance and stamp duty will need paying. Having a plan and an agreement in place will help to make sure things go smoothly. Friends Mirko, 37, and Lorenzo, 30, moved from Italy to London more than 10 years ago to work in casinos. After nine years, realising they had spent £160,000 on rent between them, they pooled their salaries and bought a two-bedroom flat in Woolwich for £450,000 with a deposit of £90,000. "We thought... why, instead of paying rent, don't we pay a mortgage?," Mirko says. "We've known each other so long, we trust each other. We can do that."He says the bank told them it was more likely to give a mortgage to friends because "couples are more likely to split up"."The bond you can have with a friend is bigger than a bond you can have in a relationship," Mirko says. Lorenzo adds that "with the money of a two-bedroom flat in London, you can buy a villa with a swimming pool" in big Italian cities like Rome and Mila, and their parents are proud of what they have achieved because they know how expensive London says he would recommend the set-up for "no more than two people" because it is difficult to find friends who think in the same way, but "if you find the right person, I think it's the right solution". 'I see huge value' It has been three years since Sonja, Kieran, Francesca and Graeme moved in together, and the experience, they say, has "really worked" - although Kieron says he would not recommend it to everyone."You have to be confident with who you're living with and be very open with your finances and your family plans - and have a timeline," he says she could see such an arrangement working throughout different stages of life."I think there's something sad when your networks narrow. I see huge value for this type of investment in retirement as well," she says."Who knows what the next stage is for us - whether we'll continue to live together or separate into different homes - but I'd really like to have some element of communal living in my life." Additional reporting by Anna O'Neill
