Latest news with #Leonora
ABC News
6 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Basketball team resurrected to help build kids' dreams in remote WA town of Leonora
Most nights in Leonora are filled with the sound of basketballs hitting the concrete. It's the sound of a small outback town coming back from adversity. About 800 kilometres east of Perth, Leonora has many problems: limited opportunities, crime and high rates of youth suicide. It also has one basketball team, the Blazers. The Blazers were resurrected by Rene Reddingius, affectionately called "Pop" by Leonora children, who high-five him when they see him in the streets. He runs the basketball program with the help of his partner Shelley. Almost a decade ago, six Aboriginal youth took their own lives over an 18-month period in the town of about 1,500 people. So in 2017, Rene — a Pirni man — left his job with the WA Commissioner for Children and Young People to return to his country, the Goldfields, to make a change. "We were the hotspot for the world," Rene said. Rene knew what pain felt like, "having a hell of a time trying to survive 2004", after recovering from an attack. "I survived by coming to my country at my darkest hour," he said. "On my country … contemplating my future, I ended up walking back into camp, and I've become the man that I am today, and I will always walk with strong sense of purpose." And it's that sense of purpose that he wants to help young people on his country to find. Resurrecting the old Blazers team, which he founded in 1991, gives Rene a way to reach them. He says the majority of children in the remote Goldfields town are "at risk", often facing additional socio-economic challenges, but that shouldn't limit or determine what they can achieve. Rene says there's no "miracle work', it's just about giving children the skills, strength and support to make the best choices for themselves. "You've got to do the actions that will make the difference, the choices at the crossroads," he said. "It's: 'Don't jump in that stolen car, driven by your cousin'. It's: 'Don't take that substance that's been offered at the party by your boyfriend.'" The basketball program has given a new direction to the lives of many Leonora children, such as captain Amber Thomas. She lived in the neighbouring ghost town of Gwalia and used to walk one hour into town for "muck-up games" when the program restarted. Amber had a full house where she was "like a big sister to her big sisters," and a full head. "Pop" Rene and the Blazers became her second family. "He's my safe space when I don't have a safe space," Amber said. On the basketball court she stopped saying "I can't do it" and, now a youth worker, she's guiding other teens, just a little younger than her. "Push through and see how far you can get," she said. Blazers look up to Amber and the other captain, McKye Blake, who's also her partner. "When the kids think about what a healthy relationship looks, they think like Amber and McKye," she smiles. McKye used to get in trouble, but staying in the team helped him stay in school and he's now an apprentice boilermaker. Being a role model "puts a lot of pressure" on McKye, who has to "act like a leader". But basketball has taught him pressure can shape character. "Going into these areas we don't feel comfortable. Like, going through, helps you become better," McKye said. The Blazers' training starts without Rene, with the children taking it upon themselves to lead the warm-up session. Anyone who's late, including Rene himself, runs laps. It's about accountability but also hard work. "If you have the bar low, people can fall over it." Every Blazer player is expected to set and achieve goals, cheered on, and held accountable, by the entire team. It's something Leonora mother Naomi Sprigg dos Santos appreciates. "I think it's vital for children who come from trauma and often times dysfunction to know that life can be predictable and to have a routine," she said. "Rene offers that in the program. There is a predictability about his training, there's a predictability about his expectations." Ms Sprigg dos Santos thinks relationships play a huge part in the success he's having. For Rene, the "life-skill program" must try to engage families, and the whole community. "They have shared memories, and instead of dropping a kid off at a program, you can go and do stuff with them," he said. Wongai grandmother Samantha Banks is an ex-basketball player and current supporter, touring with the team when she can to see her grandchildren playing. "It keeps us all together, me, the kids," she said. "My nana comes and watches me play, cheers me on and makes me confident," Aliahky smiles shyly. Ms Banks said basketball was teaching her grandchildren how to want to be on time, organised, but, most importantly, on the right path. "He can take his little anger or whatever on the courts," she said. It is one positive message, reinforced on the court, at school, and at home, that Rene wants children to internalise. The Blazers have been touring the state. Rene says they are big opportunities for small-town children, and their peers who have fallen through the cracks are taking notice. But if the basketball program is taking them places, it's because it's a grassroots movement. Rene's father, who's also called Rene, but is better known as "Sir", taught four generations of Leonora youth. "They respond to you as the relationship you've built," he says. Families, the shire CEO and the school principal say having familiarity and continuity makes the program more successful than anything that could be offered by a visiting service. Choosing to return to his home town and stay, Rene has helped it to bounce back. Even if he decides to leave, the once under-confident Amber is ready to step up. "My dreams and hopes for Blazers is, let me just say, me working for them, being a big boss of Blazers," she smiled. "One day, I will get there."
West Australian
07-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Infinity sells Leonora copper asset to focus on core projects
Infinity Mining has executed a binding share sale agreement to transfer its interest in the Leonora Goldfields copper project in Western Australia as part of a tenement merger. The tenements will be transferred to ASX-listed WA and Northern Territory-based explorer Evergreen Lithium via private company U Resource. Under the deal, Infinity will become a substantial shareholder in Evergreen (EG1) and retain exposure to any upside from the Leonora Goldfields project. Management says the arrangement supports Infinity's longer-term strategy to liberate value from the company's non-core assets and sharpen its focus on advancing its core assets. Infinity owns a diverse portfolio of gold and copper projects in New South Wales, Victoria, WA's East Pilbara and the Central Goldfields. The company's immediate priority will be further exploration and development of its flagship Cangai copper project, about 50 kilometres northwest of Grafton in northeastern NSW. Infinity acquired Cangai, with its three exploration licences, last October. The project has a JORC (2012) compliant mineral resource estimate of 4.4 million tonnes inferred in-situ mineralisation at a grade of 2.5 per cent copper. The estimate includes an additional indicated resource of 0.2Mt at 1.35 per cent copper in historic stockpiles for about 114,000t of contained copper metal, with additional credits for zinc, gold and silver. Under the sale agreement, Evergreen will pay Infinity a $35,714 cash deposit within five days of execution. In turn, Infinity will be issued an upfront consideration of 8,928,571 Evergreen shares valued at $446,439 at a deemed price of $0.05 per share on completion of the transaction. Infinity will also be issued deferred Evergreen shares valued at $267,857, subject to shareholder approval, based on a 14-day volume-weighted average price (VWAP) measured between April 11 and April 30, with a floor of $0.035 and a cap of $0.065 per share. Additionally, Infinity will receive a milestone consideration of $89,286 in Evergreen shares, based on a 14-day VWAP, which will be issued if Evergreen announces a JORC-compliant inferred resource greater than 100,000 ounces of gold within three years. The upfront and deferred considerations will be escrowed for 12 months from the date of issue of the upfront consideration. Infinity says the deal provides the additional funding it requires to advance its core projects. The deal opens the door for immediate value realisation and potentially to long-term growth, as the Leonora project is advanced by Evergreen's strong leadership team. Evergreen is chaired by Simon Lill, who played a key role in Northern Star's $5 billion acquisition of De Grey Mining. He is accompanied at Evergreen by newly-appointed non-executive director Steven Morris, who brings extensive gold mining expertise that includes previous roles at De Grey Mining and Auric Mining. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
CBS News
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Opera Colorado performs classic opera Il trovatore in concert format
Opera Colorado is performing the Italian opera, Il trovatore, in a concert format. The four act classic is shortened to 90-minutes, but still brings all the drama of the original. "You would think it's bare bones, but it's far from that. It's all the muscle, blood and guts of a full three house condensed... distilled to its essence," said Marcia Ragonetti, who is the Narrator in the production. Il trovatore is a twisty, turny melodrama. Secrets and misunderstandings drive the action to a dramatic conclusion. The opera starts with a love triangle. Count di Luna wants to marry Leonora, and Manrico, a knight, is in love with Leonora. The rivalry and desire for vengeance runs deep between Manrico and Count di Luna which leads to duels, capture, and ultimately, a devastating final scene. Production photography of Opera Colorado's 2025 Production of Il Trovatore in Concert in The Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver, Colorado on Thursday, April 24, 2025. Photographer: Matthew Staver Matthew Staver Il trovatore in Concert delivers all of Verdi's most powerful music and the iconic moments of the opera. There is also a Narrator who guides the audience through the story. "I have the best seat in the house because I'm on stage and the orchestra is right behind me. The singers are the most magnificant creatures. There are six of them plus a dancer. I'm happy to be among them and be their cheerleader," Ragonetti told CBS News Colorado Il trovatore in Concert would make a great entry into opera. It is a different experience than a fully staged, full length performance, but it may be easier to follow for a newcomer to opera. "The purists love it because they're getting the hits non-stop. A lot of it is very familiar. People will recognize this. I don't think a lot of it has been used in TV commercials, but it's beautiful, beautiful, dramatic music," Ragonetti explained. LINK: For Tickets and Information about Il trovatore in Concert Il trovatore in Concert has one more performance on Sunday, May 4, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. at The Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
New York Times
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
In a Monastery Turned Asylum, Outcasts Must Band Together
The Stone of Madness, a new tactical-stealth video game, delivers two meaty campaigns inside a Spanish monastery that doubles as an asylum at the close of the 1700s. One concerns church corruption while the other delves into the secrets of the dwellers of the monastery. In both campaigns, your motley band of inmates conspire to outfox their guardians, including monks, soldiers, nuns and an inquisitor. The narratives pick up a historical thread noted by the French philosopher Michel Foucault in 'Madness and Civilization,' a study of the West's long and varied history of identifying and treating people who fall afoul of society's norms. One of the prevailing trends in 18th-century Europe, Foucault said, was to confine the 'insane,' the poor and the religious and political outcasts to places where they might not be seen or heard. Taking a cue from the Darkest Dungeon series, each of the five main characters in The Stone of Madness is burdened by phobias and has particular strengths and corresponding skill trees. At night, they can retire to a room to strategize and buff one another's stats; a violin recital increases everyone's sanity. Players can wander about the monastery while controlling up to three characters at a time. The choices are quite distinct: Father Alfredo, a priest who goes from investigating the questionable goings on at the monastery to being a prisoner there; Leonora, a woman from a bourgeois background whose family packed her off because of her fiery temperament; Amelia, a young orphan; Agnes, an elderly woman proficient in witchcraft; and Eduardo (one of the asylum's longest-serving inmates), a tall man with great strength who is also mute. When the characters come into contact with the source of their fears — violence, darkness, mirrors, fire and, for Amelia, the asylum's gargoyles — their individual sanity meters are depleted. If their meters reach zero, they are burdened with new ailments like migraines, back pains or claustrophobia. Cycling through the characters and using their abilities — Eduardo can use a crowbar to remove obstacles, while Father Alfredo can don a priest's robes to pass undetected by most guards — to overcome tactical challenges is invigorating. At one point, I hit a wall trying to get Agnes to stand on a crate in a heavily patrolled area so that Eduardo could move her into a position that would have otherwise been impossible for her to reach. But then I felt like a master strategist after taking a step back and unlocking a skill upgrade for Leonora that allowed her to forge a letter at night to reduce the security in a particular area, as well as another for Eduardo that allowed him to pass along valuable items to the monastery's staff at night so he could enter prohibited areas without trouble. Returning to the section that had frustrated me numerous times, I breezed through and felt the rush of executing a well-conceived plan. 'When we were working on the final set of skills and disorders in the game, we wanted to reach two different sweet spots,' the game's director, Maikel Ortega, said. 'One thing was for each character to cover a role like the ones you see in heist movies — one of them can act as the specialist in sneaking around, the other as a hacker.' Ortega, who works for the Game Kitchen, a Spanish studio that developed Blasphemous, added that the level design in The Stone of Madness took a lot of inspiration from immersive sims like Dishonored and Hitman. 'We want the player to experiment and choose their own solution for a certain problem,' he said. Aside from its snazzy mechanics, The Stone of Madness also sports beautiful visuals. José Antonio Gutiérrez, the game's creative director, said its art direction was heavily inspired by the paintings of Goya. The studio used actors to convey the physical movements of the characters and then painted over their performances to achieve the final aesthetic. 'The backgrounds of the game are very detailed and hand painted,' Gutiérrez said. 'But the animation of the characters has more to do with Disney classical animation — cells of plain colors with only one shadow' beneath a character. Ortega said he hoped that players would enjoy the game's take on 'people fighting against the odds and taking care of each other.' Given the real-life madness on display these days, that's a cozy sentiment to sink into.
