Latest news with #Jono
The Citizen
a day ago
- Health
- The Citizen
Dundee motorcycle crash leaves father fighting for recovery
The biking community is rallying to support local rider Jono Pienaar, who suffered a life-altering motorcycle accident on Saturday, May 31. Riding home from a charity Poker Run to pick up his daughter, Jono was struck head-on by a car that pulled out in front of him near the Engen Garage on Karel Landman Street. Initially released from the hospital with only Panado syrup, Jono's condition worsened overnight. After a house call by a local doctor, it was confirmed he had sustained severe trauma to his groin and pelvic area, leaving him unable to walk. An update on June 3 from friend Esme Steenkamkp revealed a pelvic dislocation fracture requiring a brace for four to eight weeks. The brace alone costs between R3,000 and R4,000. With Jono bedridden and his wife, Paige, forced to take leave to provide round-the-clock care, the family is struggling to keep food on the table. 'Friends, neighbours and fellow riders are asking anyone who can to contribute whatever they can to help Jono's family weather this crisis. Any donation—no matter how small—will go directly toward groceries, medical needs and basic living expenses until he can return to work. 'To support Jono and his family, please go to the Back a Buddy page to help Jono. Your generosity will make a real difference as he begins the long road to recovery,' said friend and fundraising organiser, Jackie Vermuelen.
Daily Mail
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Married At First Sight star throws his support behind VERY surprising candidate in the Federal Election
Married At First Sight veteran Jono McCullough has revealed his support for a surprising Melbourne candidate in the 2025 Federal Election on Saturday, despite not living in the electorate. The reality TV star, 40, who lives in Palm Beach, Queensland with partner Ellie Dix, has shared images of himself to Instagram supporting his co-star Tim Smith, who is running as an independent for the seat of Melbourne. Jono appeared to have jetted down to Victoria to help his TV pal, 52, hand out How To Vote pamphlets to constituents, which advised them to 'Vote 1 Tim Smith'. And it seems Jono wasn't the only MAFS star to fly into town to help, as fan-favourite Tristan Black also shared images and video of himself helping Tim out amid voting. 'To all the political campaigns today, everyone deserves a shout-out. This shizz is hard to do! Be nice to the people handing out the pamflets [sic],' Tristan, 31, captioned one image of Jono enjoying a beer. It comes just a few weeks after Tim performed a dramatic citizen's arrest early last month in Melbourne when he chased down a teenage boy allegedly armed with a machete. Police arrested a 14-year-old boy, who allegedly attempted to carjack a woman with another teenager, after Tim managed to detain the youth when he ran, reported Seven News. In shocking footage captured by CCTV, the reality TV star could be seen sprinting after the two youths in Prahran after he heard the commotion while standing outside his campaign office on Chatham St. Tim was standing at the intersection of Chatham St and Chapel St when two black-clad individuals raced past him. The TV star-turned-budding politician, who is running as an independent for the Melbourne seat in the federal election, immediately took off after the pair. Further clips saw Tim keeping the alleged machete-wielder detained until police arrived to arrest him. Tim later claimed on Jacqui Felgate's 3AW Drive he was first alerted something was wrong when he heard nearby screams while talking with his campaign manager. 'I was out the front talking to my campaign manager and then we heard some screams. Some guys came by, one with a machete, and I gave chase to the one with a machete,' he alleged. 'They were waving them around. As I was running behind him he kept yelling, "I'm gonna cut you," but he wasn't stopping.' The reality TV star, who lives in Palm Beach, Queensland with partner Ellie Dix, has shared images of himself to Instagram supporting his co-star Tim Smith, 52, who is running as an independent for the seat of Melbourne And it seems Jono wasn't the only MAFS star to fly into town to help, as fan-favourite Tristan Black, 31, also shared images and video of himself helping Tim out amid voting Tim went on to claim the teenager burst into tears when he realised he was about to be arrested, but the reality star wasn't moved by the display. 'He was young. When they have a knife in their hand they're very confident. But once that knife's gone the tears start,' Tim said. 'But how's that lady gonna feel? That's traumatic. His tears don't do anything for me.' Tim added he felt no fear for his own life when chasing after the boy, saying he was far more 'annoyed' with the wave of youth crime which has struck Melbourne in recent months.
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
That'll get the likes! Married At First Sight's Lauren Dunn shows off her extreme cleavage in skimpy ensemble
Married At First Sight's Lauren Dunn is racking up the Instagram likes after drawing attention to her 'girls' in a white crochet bralette. The MAFS Afterparty podcast host, 33, is one of the few 2024 cast members to have emerged from season 11 with a strong enough social following to launch an influencer career. 'Girls just wanna have FUNN,' Lauren captioned her cheeky carousel of photos on Monday, as she modelled a skimpy two-piece set from White Fox. The former publicist held her hands to her chest and posed with her tongue out in a rock-n-roll pose. She finished her at-home photoshoot attire with a Louis Vuitton purse and a pair of glasses. Fans and followers could not contain their excitement as they flooded the reality star's comments with praise. When entertainment data experts at NZ Casino crunched the numbers to reveal each season 11 cast member's expected earnings, Lauren came in third behind her co-stars Lucina Light and Eden Harper. Like Eden, the former bride had secured brand partnerships with MCo Beauty, Rebecca Vallance, and Dissh by the time the season aired. All three women have gone on to launch careers as social media influencers and presenters in the last 12 months. Lauren dumped her TV husband Jono McCollough in a brutal Final Vows speech that marked the end of their on-screen romance. The bombshell ending for the couple followed a tense few days after Jono's secret texts with former co-star Ellie Dix were exposed in a shock twist. Jono, 41, had insisted the texts were completely innocent, but Lauren was unconvinced as she claimed he never mentioned her in the 100-odd messages. During the speeches, Lauren was left open-mouthed when Jono doubled down on his innocence and accused her of lying about his messages being 'flirty' to make him look bad, before insisting she wasn't the person for him. She started off by praising their initial meeting at the altar, gushing: 'Our wedding day was magical, everything I expected and more. The chemistry and immediate attraction was palpable and I felt the experts got it right.' Lauren then described their Homestays visit as the 'highlight' of their relationship and said it allowed her to see a future with Jono, before the shock texts with Ellie were exposed. 'Our Homestay visit to me was the absolute highlight of our relationship. I felt I could see some type of future together outside this experiment, and it was exciting,' she said. 'And then, of course, it all came crashing down. It was brought to my attention that you had been continuing to build some kind of connection with another bride, one that you hid from me, then had the audacity to blame me for when you were exposed.' She concluded her mic-drop speech by slamming Jono for wasting her time and placing the blame for the downfall of their relationship on him. She fumed: 'Although you completely wasted my time in terms of finding a romantic partner, you taught me that I should always trust my gut. Jono, I don't see a future with you, I know it's not me - it's you.' Ellie and Jono's texting scandal proved one of the biggest scandals of 2024, but the season 12 MAFS cast have undoubtedly blown all previous seasons out of the water in the drama stakes. Lauren is currently single and Ellie and Jono are still together.
Daily Mail
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jono Castano enjoys date night with Love Triangle star Emily Ryder - one year after welcoming daughter with model Simone Holtznagel
Jono Castano looked very loved-up when he stepped out for a date night with new girlfriend Emily Ryder. The celebrity personal trainer and Simone Hotznagel's baby daddy, 35, went Instagram official with the Love Triangle star earlier this week. The newly-minted couple looked over the moon to be in each other's company on Tuesday when they enjoyed an intimate dinner for two in Sydney's Potts Point. Jono cut a relaxed figure for the romantic interlude, wearing a plain white T-Shirt that fitted his well honed torso perfectly. He also wore a pair of loose-fitting navy blue tracksuit pants, while finishing his ensemble with a pair of white sneakers. Sporting a shock of stubble, Jono accessorised with a silver bracelet on his wrist while holding tight to his phone as the couple strolled. Emily also went with a casual look, stepping out in a plain black long-sleeved top with a scooped neck. She tucked her top into a pair of patterned, wide leg pants that featured a drawstring and black and white stripes running down the leg. Choosing to leave her flaxen locks down for the occasion, Emily finished the look with a pair of black leather slides. Wanting to protect herself from the inclement Sydney weather, she also accessorised with a chic beige trench coat that finished just below the knee. The lovebirds looked very happy to be spending the evening together, beaming as they walked, arm in arm to the restaurant. Choosing to enjoy their intimate meal al fresco, Jono and Emily appeared lost in deep conversation as they enjoyed the ambiance. Jono's new romance comes after he was previously linked to Perth-based fashion designer Nilofar Khirzad, following his high-profile split from Simone Holtznagel. Jono and Simone dated for almost two years after meeting through Sydney 's social scene. The newly-minted couple looked over the moon to be in each other's company on Tuesday when they enjoyed an intimate dinner for two in Sydney's Potts Point The lovebirds looked very happy to be spending the evening together, beaming as they walked arm-in-arm to the restaurant The trainer, who owns the Acero fitness brand, remains one of Australia's most in-demand celebrity trainers, having worked with the likes of Rebel Wilson, Rita Ora and Michael Clarke. Castano abruptly ended his relationship with designer Nilofar in January after less than six months of dating. 'They've been over for weeks,' an insider told Daily Mail Australia at the time. 'Their relationship just ran its course.' The genetically blessed couple have since unfollowed each other on Instagram. Emily meanwhile rose to fame on Stan's hit dating series Love Triangle, where she was initially matched with Sam Fisher. Their relationship quickly soured after it was revealed that Sam had been secretly communicating with an ex-girlfriend named Hannah during filming, leading to a dramatic fallout on the show. Emily later spoke out about the betrayal, stating, 'The lies were so detailed, you couldn't even write this. I congratulate him for how great he was at lying, it was pretty well done!' Meanwhile, Simone and Jono split in May last year, around nine weeks after welcoming their daughter Gia into the world on Easter Sunday. Jono confirmed news of their break-up to Daily Mail Australia in July and Simone has since said she is raising Gia alone. She also recently made a cryptic remark that she 'couldn't change' the man she loved. 'I wanted to set an example for my daughter; that's something that shifted for me, Simone revealed to Stellar. 'One day I was like, "What am I doing? This isn't right. And I would hate if she was ever in this situation.' She continued: 'You have to do what is right for you at the end of the day. 'No matter the number of promises or anything else that people make, when they show you who they are, believe them. Because you can't change people.' Simone also said she is content co-parenting Gia with Jono and that she is confident she made the right choice. 'I've never felt more sure of anything, and I know I can do it by myself,' she admitted. 'It's unfortunate that I'm mostly having to do it by myself, but I couldn't think of it any other way, really,' she said.
Otago Daily Times
30-04-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
A journey to reunite brothers
Reuniting two long lost brothers, separated by war, is the goal of Canterbury man Jono Taylor. On August 14, 1939, Jono's grandfather Stewart Taylor and his great-uncle Esmond Theodore Taylor enlisted in the New Zealand Army just prior to the start of WW2 - one as a medical officer, the other as a rifleman. They farewelled each other at the Christchurch Railway Station with Stewart bound for Trentham and Esmond to Burnham for his basic training. For these two men the war had very different outcomes. Stewart came home, Esmond did not. In February this year, Jono departed on a motorbike to take a portion of his grandfather's ashes to Crete to bury in the earth on Esmond's grave at Suda Bay War Cemetery, 85 years after the brothers said their final goodbye. Esmond had enlisted in the 23rd Battalion, also known as the Canterbury-Otago Battalion, serving in an infantry battalion as part of the 2nd NZ Expeditionary Force (2NZEF). They were originally sent to England to help the British as they prepared for the German Invasion, which never came. One day while walking around London sightseeing, Esmond got hopelessly lost, but fortunately met his future wife, a local lass named Rose Harding. He asked her for directions and she decided it would be easier to show him how to get to the local station by walking him there. She said it was love at first sight and he proposed within 48 hours of meeting her. They were quickly married, but sadly his battalion was posted back to Egypt. Esmond took part in the failed Greek campaign before being evacuated to Crete. He died there on May 22, 1941, near Maleme, of injuries sustained during the 23rd Battalion's valiant defence of the airfield against German Army Fallschirmjager (parachutists). He is buried at the Suda Bay War Cemetery. Meanwhile Stewart Taylor, serving as a medical officer aboard the newly converted Hospital Ship HS Maunganui, had only just arrived in the Suez on May 22, 1941, to carry casualties from the Greece and Crete campaigns back to New Zealand. Sadly he saw his brother's name appear as 'missing' on the daily casualty lists . He hoped he was just unaccounted for in the fog of war, but two days later, Esmond's status was upgraded to ''killed in action''. Jono's part in this tragic story of separation begins in 2008. He is a dog handler for MPI at Christchurch Airport. By 2008, his granddad Stewart Taylor's health was failing. 'I made the trip to Crete to find Esmond's grave and cried for a man I had never met. ''I took a scoop of earth from his grave, had it treated at the airport when I got back, then placed in Stewart's coffin when he passed at the end of 2008. ''My granddad was cremated and unbeknown to me, I was allocated a portion of his ashes as he wished they would be put in the earth on Esmond's grave to close out the separation from when they had last seen each other in 1939.'' He is riding cross-country aboard a Honda CT125 motorcycle. After shipping the bike from Christchurch to Melbourne he rode to Perth through the outback of Australia. ''In the spirit of the Anzacs, Qantas came onboard, airfreighting it from Perth to Jakarta, Indonesia, for me.' He then rode through Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand before again airfreighting the bike from Bangkok to Kathmandu in Nepal three weeks ago. His plan is to ride through India, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey, to Crete in Greece. Jono says riding the Honda CT125 is not new as he has previously taken trips through the Australian outback on the smaller Honda CT110, and even ridden up to Mt Everest on the Chinese side. ''It's a slow ride but you get to enjoy the countryside you are passing through.'' Staff at Canterbury Honda in Woodend helped Jono prepare his small farm bike for its long arduous journey, helping out with spare parts and accessories. ''It's not a fast bike but if he keeps the maintenance up on the small 125 cu cm engine, it should continue to power him right through the journey. ''We are hosting his messages and photos on our Facebook site so friends and family can follow his amazing journey,'' says Kevin Wells, a salesman at Canterbury Honda. Jono says the trip is going well despite a few punctures, ''The riding is actually the easy part, getting visas and permits is the hard part, especially heading into India, Pakistan, and Iran. ''The people I have met along the way have been warm, and welcoming. He says he has plenty of stories to tell friends and family when he returns including how his helmet was run over by the Victorian police, to transporting the bike on a Banana boat across the Malacca Strait from Northern Sumatra to Port Klang, Malaysia.''
