Latest news with #Lynette
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
King's Birthday Honours shine light on years of unheralded human decency
There were times in the last six decades when Wendy Rowe had doubts she could go on. Her daughter, Lynette, was born without limbs in 1962. The devastating disability was caused by the drug thalidomide, which Wendy was prescribed for morning sickness when she was pregnant. A doctor advised Wendy and her late husband Ian to admit baby Lynette to an institution because she would probably live for only six months. Instead, the couple took Lynette home to their house in Nunawading in Melbourne's east, loved and cared for her, and became her staunch advocates. Wendy is still by her daughter's side and Lynette is a cherished daughter, sister and auntie. Lynette describes her Mum as 'a wonder woman' and says Wendy well deserves her OAM in the King's Birthday Honours list which has the citation, 'for service to the community through thalidomide awareness'. 'She's awesome,' said Lynette of Wendy, who has advocated for Lynette and other disabled thalidomide survivors for most of her life. 'I'm very lucky to have somebody like that,' Lynette said. Wendy reflects now: 'I'm amazed that I've been able to be so strong, actually. I thought I was a bit of a mouse. But when I think back, I have been pretty strong.' She describes fighting battles from the start, from finding clothes, mobility aids and therapy for Lynette, to dealing with a fever at 11 months that left Lynette in a coma, to handling nasty comments from strangers. In 2012, Lynette was lead plaintiff in a litigation that yielded a multimillion dollar settlement between Diageo, the company that bought the drug's Australian distributor, and more than 100 thalidomide survivors. For Lynette, her share funded equipment including a state-of-the-art wheelchair, a modern van and computers and extra care if she needs it in future. Wendy says it's a weight off her mind, 'to feel that Lyn's going to be catered for, that there will be someone there to keep her safe'. In 2011, developer Watersun Homes built a brick home, pro bono, for Wendy, Lynette and Ian, with a purpose-built bathroom, ceiling hoists, and technology allowing Lynette to remotely open doors. Lynette can now get out to chat to neighbours, go to local shopping centres, to the pool and to galleries. And Wendy can go out separately to meet friends for coffee. Wendy, whose husband Ian died in 2019, insists she did what any Mum would have, but Lynette says some people don't have relatives to support them. 'You're a special mum,' she said. The honour was 'fantastic' and well deserved, Lynette said. 'Because she's a wonder woman. She's there if I need her.' For their unpaid work, the couple each receive an OAM in the King's Birthday honours. They volunteer one night a week for the charity Carevan, handing out free meals and groceries from Apex Park, 1 kilometre from the Wangaratta CBD, near the Ovens River. The Houghtons have also fostered children for 19 years, and are active in Lions clubs that fundraise for charity. Jennefer volunteers with an after-hours school in Wangaratta that teaches children road safety. Along with a busy roster of volunteering, the Houghtons own Koffie Bean Cafe in Wangaratta. John also owns an insurance company franchise and Jennefer works in a supermarket office. The couple said while it was nice to be acknowledged with a King's Birthday Honour, they don't seek recognition. John said: 'We've been very lucky in the town for a long time, and we're in a situation where we want to be able to give back.' He said some of Carevan's clients sleep in tents, are couch-surfing or live alone and come for the company. John has seen clients who are sleeping in their car because their landlord has put up the rent by $20, they have lost their job and can't afford their accommodation, and they have nowhere else to live. Jennefer says: 'We try to offer them as much help as we can. We give them blankets, beanies and scarves, and make sure they get a shopping bag full of food.' One young woman was camping and couldn't get a job without a fixed address. Jennefer found her a job in a shop, where two years later, she still works. Jennefer said Carevan is 'not just for the homeless, it's for anyone in need'. 'We don't ask questions, and we don't turn anyone away,' she said. The Houghtons and six friends started Carevan in Wangaratta in 2010, after seeing a similar food van running in Albury, 70 kilometres away. Theirs operates four nights a week, year-round, except for Christmas Day. Jennefer says the van is not connected to a religion or group. It gets no government funding and runs thanks to donations. It costs about $12,000 annually to run. Local supermarkets contribute food and community groups help to cook. Rural City of Wangaratta mayor Irene Grant said the Houghtons' OAMs are well-deserved and they had 'made a meaningful difference to the lives of many in Wangaratta'. 'We thank you for your leadership and dedication to the wellbeing of our community,' Grant said. Richard Knight has featured in thousands of customers' photos, usually anonymously, as a volunteer train driver for more than 40 years with Mooroolbark Miniature Railway, in Melbourne's outer east. He has been the railway's treasurer since 1981, but he also built many of its trains. They were all petrol-fuelled until, three years ago, Knight's daughter Katrina asked him to build an electric train. The result is a pint-sized replica of the full-size trains that Katrina drives across Melbourne as a Metro Trains driver. Last month Knight proudly showed the new miniature train to a delegation from V/Line and Metro. Knight has received an OAM in the 2025 King's Birthday Honours list, which also recognises the 162 blood donations he has made in 44 years. The blood donations were inspired by his late wife Margaret needing transfusions after their twins Anne and Russell were born in 1973. Knight realised that donations of his B negative type blood, one of the rarest types, could help save other people's lives. Knight also spent 13 years, until 2020, driving about 2000 patients to and from Box Hill hospital, and currently he is the treasurer of Mooroolbark Men's Shed. His love of trains started as a child, when Knight and his three brothers played with Hornby 00 model train sets. In 1980, Knight was working as an accountant when the then-Shire of Lilydale asked for volunteers to run the miniature railway it planned to build at Kiloran Park, Mooroolbark. Knight's four children grew up riding the miniature trains, and Knight's fellow volunteers became friends. He says volunteering at the railway makes him happy, as does donating money to over a dozen charities. 'It gives you a good feeling.' As an instructor in taekwondo for over 60 years, Jack Rozinszky still gets a kick out of practising the martial art. At 84 years old, the founder of the Melbourne Taekwondo Centre continues to teach at black belt level and enjoys seeing the achievements of his students, some of whom have competed in the Olympic Games. Rozinszky, who fled southern Hungary as a 16-year-old in 1956, said receiving an OAM for service to taekwondo meant recognition of him as an Australian. As a child, Rozinszky survived the bombing of his house in Hungary during World War II, and then lived under a decade of communist rule. He said after a brief revolution in 1956, communist troops returned and he narrowly escaped gunfire when they shot into a meeting of residents outside a town hall. With his parents' blessing, Rozinszky fled with a friend to Yugoslavia and they spent a year in detention before gaining permission to migrate to Australia. Being a sporty person, while he worked in factory jobs in Melbourne, Rozinszky took martial arts classes at the Silver Top Taxi self defence club in West Melbourne. 'In 1963, Mr Kim, a judo instructor, visited from Korea and he did a sort of taekwondo [which was then called Tang Soo Do] but from the army style of training, and he showed us all the techniques and the jumping kicks and self defence component. 'I decided, 'That's my style, I want to learn it'. It had a lot of moving actions, and I wanted to move.' Rozinszky started teaching taekwondo in a hall in Barkly Street, St Kilda. He married his girlfriend, a New Zealander, Valerie, in 1967 and on their honeymoon, they sailed to Japan and then Korea to train, and it was in Seoul that he earned his first black belt. Now, in 2025, Rozinszky's Melbourne Taekwondo Centre has 15 training centres, and his son, Andrew, is head instructor. Disaster struck last October when their Glen Waverley head training centre burned down. Jack assured Andrew they would rebuild, and after operating from a school hall for six months, they opened a new head studio in a Mount Waverley business park six weeks ago.
The Age
2 days ago
- Health
- The Age
King's Birthday Honours shine light on years of unheralded human decency
There were times in the last six decades when Wendy Rowe had doubts she could go on. Her daughter, Lynette, was born without limbs in 1962. The devastating disability was caused by the drug thalidomide, which Wendy was prescribed for morning sickness when she was pregnant. A doctor advised Wendy and her late husband Ian to admit baby Lynette to an institution because she would probably live for only six months. Instead, the couple took Lynette home to their house in Nunawading in Melbourne's east, loved and cared for her, and became her staunch advocates. Wendy is still by her daughter's side and Lynette is a cherished daughter, sister and auntie. Lynette describes her Mum as 'a wonder woman' and says Wendy well deserves her OAM in the King's Birthday Honours list which has the citation, 'for service to the community through thalidomide awareness'. 'She's awesome,' said Lynette of Wendy, who has advocated for Lynette and other disabled thalidomide survivors for most of her life. 'I'm very lucky to have somebody like that,' Lynette said. Wendy reflects now: 'I'm amazed that I've been able to be so strong, actually. I thought I was a bit of a mouse. But when I think back, I have been pretty strong.' She describes fighting battles from the start, from finding clothes, mobility aids and therapy for Lynette, to dealing with a fever at 11 months that left Lynette in a coma, to handling nasty comments from strangers. In 2012, Lynette was lead plaintiff in a litigation that yielded a multimillion dollar settlement between Diageo, the company that bought the drug's Australian distributor, and more than 100 thalidomide survivors. For Lynette, her share funded equipment including a state-of-the-art wheelchair, a modern van and computers and extra care if she needs it in future. Wendy says it's a weight off her mind, 'to feel that Lyn's going to be catered for, that there will be someone there to keep her safe'. In 2011, developer Watersun Homes built a brick home, pro bono, for Wendy, Lynette and Ian, with a purpose-built bathroom, ceiling hoists, and technology allowing Lynette to remotely open doors. Lynette can now get out to chat to neighbours, go to local shopping centres, to the pool and to galleries. And Wendy can go out separately to meet friends for coffee. Wendy, whose husband Ian died in 2019, insists she did what any Mum would have, but Lynette says some people don't have relatives to support them. 'You're a special mum,' she said. The honour was 'fantastic' and well deserved, Lynette said. 'Because she's a wonder woman. She's there if I need her.' For their unpaid work, the couple each receive an OAM in the King's Birthday honours. They volunteer one night a week for the charity Carevan, handing out free meals and groceries from Apex Park, 1 kilometre from the Wangaratta CBD, near the Ovens River. The Houghtons have also fostered children for 19 years, and are active in Lions clubs that fundraise for charity. Jennefer volunteers with an after-hours school in Wangaratta that teaches children road safety. Along with a busy roster of volunteering, the Houghtons own Koffie Bean Cafe in Wangaratta. John also owns an insurance company franchise and Jennefer works in a supermarket office. The couple said while it was nice to be acknowledged with a King's Birthday Honour, they don't seek recognition. John said: 'We've been very lucky in the town for a long time, and we're in a situation where we want to be able to give back.' He said some of Carevan's clients sleep in tents, are couch-surfing or live alone and come for the company. John has seen clients who are sleeping in their car because their landlord has put up the rent by $20, they have lost their job and can't afford their accommodation, and they have nowhere else to live. Jennefer says: 'We try to offer them as much help as we can. We give them blankets, beanies and scarves, and make sure they get a shopping bag full of food.' One young woman was camping and couldn't get a job without a fixed address. Jennefer found her a job in a shop, where two years later, she still works. Jennefer said Carevan is 'not just for the homeless, it's for anyone in need'. 'We don't ask questions, and we don't turn anyone away,' she said. The Houghtons and six friends started Carevan in Wangaratta in 2010, after seeing a similar food van running in Albury, 70 kilometres away. Theirs operates four nights a week, year-round, except for Christmas Day. Jennefer says the van is not connected to a religion or group. It gets no government funding and runs thanks to donations. It costs about $12,000 annually to run. Local supermarkets contribute food and community groups help to cook. Rural City of Wangaratta mayor Irene Grant said the Houghtons' OAMs are well-deserved and they had 'made a meaningful difference to the lives of many in Wangaratta'. 'We thank you for your leadership and dedication to the wellbeing of our community,' Grant said. Richard Knight has featured in thousands of customers' photos, usually anonymously, as a volunteer train driver for more than 40 years with Mooroolbark Miniature Railway, in Melbourne's outer east. He has been the railway's treasurer since 1981, but he also built many of its trains. They were all petrol-fuelled until, three years ago, Knight's daughter Katrina asked him to build an electric train. The result is a pint-sized replica of the full-size trains that Katrina drives across Melbourne as a Metro Trains driver. Last month Knight proudly showed the new miniature train to a delegation from V/Line and Metro. Knight has received an OAM in the 2025 King's Birthday Honours list, which also recognises the 162 blood donations he has made in 44 years. The blood donations were inspired by his late wife Margaret needing transfusions after their twins Anne and Russell were born in 1973. Knight realised that donations of his B negative type blood, one of the rarest types, could help save other people's lives. Knight also spent 13 years, until 2020, driving about 2000 patients to and from Box Hill hospital, and currently he is the treasurer of Mooroolbark Men's Shed. His love of trains started as a child, when Knight and his three brothers played with Hornby 00 model train sets. In 1980, Knight was working as an accountant when the then-Shire of Lilydale asked for volunteers to run the miniature railway it planned to build at Kiloran Park, Mooroolbark. Knight's four children grew up riding the miniature trains, and Knight's fellow volunteers became friends. He says volunteering at the railway makes him happy, as does donating money to over a dozen charities. 'It gives you a good feeling.' As an instructor in taekwondo for over 60 years, Jack Rozinszky still gets a kick out of practising the martial art. At 84 years old, the founder of the Melbourne Taekwondo Centre continues to teach at black belt level and enjoys seeing the achievements of his students, some of whom have competed in the Olympic Games. Rozinszky, who fled southern Hungary as a 16-year-old in 1956, said receiving an OAM for service to taekwondo meant recognition of him as an Australian. As a child, Rozinszky survived the bombing of his house in Hungary during World War II, and then lived under a decade of communist rule. He said after a brief revolution in 1956, communist troops returned and he narrowly escaped gunfire when they shot into a meeting of residents outside a town hall. With his parents' blessing, Rozinszky fled with a friend to Yugoslavia and they spent a year in detention before gaining permission to migrate to Australia. Being a sporty person, while he worked in factory jobs in Melbourne, Rozinszky took martial arts classes at the Silver Top Taxi self defence club in West Melbourne. 'In 1963, Mr Kim, a judo instructor, visited from Korea and he did a sort of taekwondo [which was then called Tang Soo Do] but from the army style of training, and he showed us all the techniques and the jumping kicks and self defence component. 'I decided, 'That's my style, I want to learn it'. It had a lot of moving actions, and I wanted to move.' Rozinszky started teaching taekwondo in a hall in Barkly Street, St Kilda. He married his girlfriend, a New Zealander, Valerie, in 1967 and on their honeymoon, they sailed to Japan and then Korea to train, and it was in Seoul that he earned his first black belt. Now, in 2025, Rozinszky's Melbourne Taekwondo Centre has 15 training centres, and his son, Andrew, is head instructor. Disaster struck last October when their Glen Waverley head training centre burned down. Jack assured Andrew they would rebuild, and after operating from a school hall for six months, they opened a new head studio in a Mount Waverley business park six weeks ago.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Patrons support Phoenix LGBTQ+ owned ice cream shop where teens were robbed at gunpoint
A steady flow of traffic the afternoon of May 27 at Lix Uptown Ice Cream was a contrast to only a few nights before when police cordoned the business off as they investigated an armed robbery. Lynette and Scott Smith, both in their 60s, and daughter Amber Riley, 39, drove from separate corners of metro Phoenix to lend monetary support to the shop at Seventh Avenue and Osborn Road. "It's the best place in the Valley," Scott Smith said after he and Lynette, both from Ahwatukee Foothills, and Riley, of Goodyear, enjoyed a cold treat as Phoenix temperatures hit triple digits. Surveillance video captured a man pointing an apparent firearm at two teenage employees as they emptied a cash register. The robber ran off with $300 about 9:30 p.m. May 23 after frightening the two women, 18 and 19, who were working the shift, Lix owner Richard "Richie" Dolan detailed. "They're resilient," Dolan, 58, said about the employees, one of whom only started two months ago. He added that the incident must have left them contemplating, "I could be dead now." Dolan wondered why his establishment was targeted, mentioning he was presented with a giant prop check at the PHX Arena for $5,000 a few months before. Lix received the Business of Pride award, which is bestowed annually by the Phoenix Suns and FirstBank to an establishment owned by someone who is LGBTQ+. "Maybe they saw that on TV," Dolan said. Lix opened three and a half years ago after Dolan had run two 24-hour restaurants at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport for a large Valley-based dining company. Overwhelmed by the demanding schedule, Dolan opted to start his own business after receiving praise from neighbors in the Melrose District who tried the ice cream samples he left at their doors. A sweet aroma filled the air at the colorfully decorated eatery as Dolan helped a first-time customer select a to-go ice cream cup. All options are lactose free with a daily rotation of 12 ice cream flavors, he explained. The shop was preyed on before with an overnight break-in where the intruder left $450 in property damage and nabbed $150 from the change drawer, according to Dolan. The shop owner said he no longer leaves money in the drawer after hours. Dolan voiced optimism the case would be solved since there was video of the incident and Phoenix police dusted for fingerprints that night. On May 27, Phoenix police said a detective was working the case, and no suspects had been identified. Anyone with information was urged to call Silent Witness at 480-948-6377 or 480-837-8446 for Spanish speakers. A reward of up to $1,000 is available for tipsters who provide information leading to an arrest. Blaze reported: Homeless encampment and semitruck burn in south Phoenix fire This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix eatery receives support from patrons after armed robbery
Glasgow Times
06-05-2025
- Glasgow Times
'Disgusting' scammers target Johnstone schoolgirl's funeral
Sick impersonators claimed to be relatives of Lucy Grant, who passed away at the age of 17 in April. They sought to raise money through the fake Facebook page, where they also advertised a live stream of the funeral procession and targeted mourners by adding them as friends on the social media site. Lucy's mum, Lynette, 44, warned people of the fake page, saying: "Can my friends who have added this page please report it, and I hope no one has given them money. "Lucy's funeral wasn't streamed." Many of Lynette's friends rushed to condemn the page, with one saying: "Can't believe people could stoop so low, why just why." Another fumed: "This is absolutely disgusting, the immoral things people do never ceases to sicken me, reprobates of the highest order." One friend admitted that she was caught by the scam: "I fell for it and sent money! Disgusting someone would set this up!" The sick fake page set up by scammers (Image: Facebook) The Glasgow Times previously reported that Lucy tragically died after suffering 60 suspected epileptic seizures in under one year and that her family have demanded a probe into her care. READ MORE: Have you seen her? Urgent search launched for missing women Lucy Grant sadly passed away on Tuesday, April 15, at her home in Johnstone. Following her death, it is claimed the 17-year-old lay on the floor dead for over nine hours, as reported by the Scottish Sun. It is understood that the teenager suffered from her first suspected seizure just four days after she turned 16 in 2024. Lucy's mother, Lynette Anderson, told the Scottish Sun that the past year has been a "constant battle" to get the youngster "the care she deserved". However, the 44-year-old claimed that her daughter being treated as an adult at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital delayed access to vital treatment. The caring mother also claimed that Lucy had to wait for appointments as she was classed as an adult after turning 16. READ NEXT: Demolition of former McVities factory building called 'final insult to Glasgow' In a social media post, Lucy's heartbroken mum said: "As most of you know, the last year has been a constant battle with the NHS and fighting weekly to try and get Lucy the care she deserved, but more importantly needed as her seizures were getting worse and more dangerous. "Her two appointments at the hospital were for August 25 and September 2 this year, but I managed through sheer harassment to get them brought forward to April 24 and 29. "Instead of going to hospital on April 24, my baby girl will now be having her post-mortem carried out." Lucy was seen by the specialist Neurology team at the Glasgow hospital; however, on April 15, she sadly passed away at her home, where her mum claims she was lying on the floor for over nine hours. Lynette added: "I'll make sure her passing saves the lives of others as no child or mother should go through what we have." Following the youngster's death, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde confirmed that they would review Lucy's case. The health board also said they would be in touch with her family to discuss concerns about her care. READ MORE: Crook sent drug-soaked letters worth £12,000 to fictional prison inmates Morag Gardner, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde's Deputy Nurse Director for Acute Services, said: "We would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family of Lucy Grant at this extremely difficult time. "Lucy had been seen by our specialist Neurology team, who remained in contact with her through her family and GP to monitor and obtain further information about her condition, and further appointments had been made for her. "We will review Lucy's case, and we will be in contact with her family to discuss any concerns they have about her care. "We are also reviewing our pathways for deaths in the community of 16 and 17-year-olds and apologise for any distress caused."
Daily Record
03-05-2025
- Daily Record
Sick funeral scammers target heartbroken Scots family after teen's sudden death
Lucy Grant, 17, passed away after suffering a fatal seizure on April 15. The grieving family of a schoolgirl who died suddenly from a fatal seizure have been targeted by sick funeral scammers. Lucy Grant, 17, died at her home in Johnstone on April 15. The teenager had been diagnosed with epilepsy just over a year ago and suffered debilitating fits that left her unable to attend school. Mum Lynette and step-dad Stuart first noticed the teen wasn't responding on the morning of her death. They desperately tried to perform CPR on their daughter before emergency services arrived but she could not be saved. Lynette, 44, announced her daughter's funeral would take place on May 1 and asked mourners to wear pink. Within hours loved ones were targeted by cruel thieves who set up a fake Facebook page advertising a live stream of Lucy's funeral service in exchange for cash. The scammers also targeted mourners by adding them as friends on social media. Sharing a warning about the scam, Lynette wrote: Lucy's funeral wasn't streamed and anyone who knows us knows that there's not a chance she would have been having any mass. "Can my friends who have added this page please report it and I hope no one has given them money." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Lucy's tragic death prompted anger across Scotland after we reported how the schoolgirl lay dead on her bedroom floor for nine and a half hours as cops and ambulance staff "argued" over who should take her body to hospital. Her family said her sudden death was shocking, but that they were left "traumatised" after the police and ambulance staff warred over whose responsibility it was to remove Lucy from the property. The agencies profusely apologised to the family after the shocking scene and said an internal investigation over the handling of the case was being undertaken. A growing number of grieving families are being targeted by fraudsters using social media. Nick Britten from the National Association of Funeral Directors previously told the Record they began seeing this type of fraud increasing last year and that many Scots families had been targeted after featuring in the news. 'Friends and family of the deceased person are not only asked to provide their credit card details to supposedly have access to view the funeral, they are sometimes asked to accept a friend request from the scammers – thereby giving them access to their Facebook information and photographs. These links are fake and anyone who engages and hands over their credit or debit card details will be doing so to scammers. 'This is a despicable practice preying on bereaved people. Our advice to members of the public is to be extremely wary of any external links supposedly promoting a live-stream, fundraising or asking for donations, and instead always check with the family or the funeral director to see whether it is legitimate. If a funeral is being live streamed, a funeral director will always be able to provide the correct link. Funeral Directors do not generally charge for live streaming.'
