Latest news with #Nudgee
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Jockey legend sells hit horse house for record suburb price
Renowned jockey Jimmy Orman and his wife Heidi Whalley have sold their horse-friendly home for a record price across the whole of their suburb. The four-bedroom, four-bathroom home at 129 Spoonbill St, Nudgee, was personally reviewed by the celebrity pair as it was made, becoming the closest home to Brisbane with a private area for horses in the backyard. 'It's a beautiful place to live,' Orman said. 'A lot of young families in the area, [and] to have an acre this close to the CBD is unheard of.' The 6909 sqm property features five stables and three paddocks with shelters, giving the family a chance to spend time with horses as their kids grew up. 'We both grew up with horses,' Ms Whalley said of her and her husband. But the couple felt it was time to move on as their living circumstances changed. 'We're selling so we can have a small loan, or don't have a loan [at all],' Orman said, when the home went on the market. 'We're only going to sell it if it meets what we think it's worth.' At a private treaty sale, the couple found that price: $3.7 million, beating the previous suburb record by $1.75 million. Place Ascot agent Drew Davies said the home was purchased by a local buyer: a family who also lived up on the north side of Brisbane. 'We were fortunate to attract serious interest and create strong competition, ultimately securing a local buyer who saw the exceptional value on offer,' he said. 'This sale sets a new benchmark for Nudgee and highlights the increasing appetite for high-quality lifestyle properties, even in Brisbane's emerging middle-ring suburbs.' Place Nundah agent Chris May said selling the home involved finding both a price Orman and Ms Whalley were happy with, along with a family who appreciated the lifestyle on offer. 'It was a real privilege to represent such a special property and to help Jimmy Orman and Heidi Whalley with their next chapter,' he said. 'The response from buyers was incredible, and we're grateful to have been part of the journey.'
Courier-Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Courier-Mail
Ignoring scandals at elite schools does not serve students
Don't miss out on the headlines from Kylie Lang. Followed categories will be added to My News. If you've allowed your school to define you – and cause you to ignore or dismiss issues that might taint its public image – try stopping. Immovable pride – in any institution just because you're part of it – is a dangerous thing. All too often, 'old boys' and 'old girls' of private schools, most notably, will feel aggrieved and personally attacked when an alarming issue makes headlines. It's as if their own identity has been targeted and found wanting – and it can explain why they close ranks and, like a scene out of the film A Few Good Men, 'can't handle the truth'. For some people in these tight-knit fan clubs, such as alumni associations, the first instinct is to ask who blabbed. I've written countless articles over many years about schools – independent, religious and state – and that those with strong leadership do best, taking swift and meaningful action. Shouldn't the objective be constant improvement through learning from mistakes and unfortunate incidents – and not pretending they didn't exist? Ridiculous, really, for anyone to have their sense of self enmeshed in a school – because like first names, they are chosen by someone else, specifically parents. If I had been able to name myself, I wouldn't have been Kylie. I rather like Valentina. Had I been in charge of deciding on my schooling, I wouldn't have left my first one to attend another. I am grateful my parents sacrificed, including holding down several jobs, to give me a private education from years 1 to 12 – but it was their decision, not mine. Nudgee College in Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard So I do have to call out this obsession with old school ties. How is it logical to attend an institution for a few years of your life then allow it to define the rest of your life? And why do people, particularly in Brisbane, persist in asking where you went to school, and decades after you left, as if your answer determines if you're an acceptable individual to know? Snobbery or insecurity, perhaps, but it's a bit silly, not to mention limiting. This week I interviewed an alumnus of Brisbane Boys' College who told other old boys to 'stop closing ranks and grow a backbone'. This followed two examples of poor behaviour – BBC boys sharing allegedly serious and potentially illegal nude content on social media, and trashing an Airbnb house during an out-of-control party. Both sparked police investigations. Some old boys shrugged off the incidents as 'boys will be boys' and maintained that BBC always would be a great school. Last week a parent alerted me to a 'disgusting' video made and shared on social media by St Joseph's Nudgee College boys about St Rita's girls. Nudgee said 'the behaviour did not meet the standards expected at this college' and was investigating. An appropriate response. Yet some parents like to vent. A Nudgee mum emailed, asking if we 'stop to consider the broader impact these stories have'. 'My son loves his school and wears his uniform with pride,' she continued. 'How unfair it is for his pride to be undermined by criticism based on the actions of a few.' Hmmm. Pride, in any school, is to be earned and not automatically present because of its perceived pedigree – or the significant financial price parents pay for their kids to belong. The broader impact is why it matters. I like how a parent in a general Brisbane schools chat group put it when another questioned why the story was newsworthy: 'Because silence protects the wrong people. 'Parents, schools and the public need to be informed so we can guide our children, hold institutions accountable and create a culture of respect – not secrecy. 'If girls from St Rita's or any other school are affected, their experiences matter. 'Brushing it aside minimises the harm and perpetuates a dangerous silence. 'We must talk about it – loudly, honestly and without shame.' Principals and teachers have to deal with problems that didn't exist when I was a kid – with social media enemy number one. But it's time past students and current parents wearing rose-coloured glasses ditch them in favour of perspective. Schools are complex entities and will never be perfect. They may shape a person, but they should not define them. Kylie Lang is associate editor of The Courier-Mail LOVE Women who drink coffee (in moderation) are more likely to age well, maintaining physical, mental and cognitive health into their 70s and beyond. Can't see this study translating into cheaper prices though. LOATHE A tone-deaf decision by Queensland's Court of Appeal that juvenile criminals who invade homes and attack residents with knives in heinous acts should not have convictions recorded against them. It apparently aids their rehabilitation.
West Australian
19-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
'Best I've seen': Toia's rise from rugby gun to Maroons
Billy Slater has full faith in "world-class" debutant Queensland centre Robert Toia, and his legacy at rugby union powerhouse Nudgee College has certainly left an indelible mark. "I've been here 11 years and he's the best I've seen," Nudgee director of rugby Sean Graham told AAP of the former First XV outside centre. The Sydney Roosters 20-year-old will play for the Maroons in the State of Origin series opener after just 10 NRL games where his right-foot step, strength, balance and speed have been electric. Slater had no hesitation throwing Toia into the Origin cauldron in his preferred centre position rather than on the wing. "Although playing on the centres is man-on-man out there, it is a system. He is a great system player and has some good strengths (NSW) need to defend as well," Slater said. "Hopefully he is going to get some ball in some good situations and be pretty dangerous himself. I think he is a world-class centre." Toia is likely to have to mark Latrell Mitchell on debut. "I've looked up to him,'' Toia said. "He's an unbelievable player ... very strong and he's got it all, but I'm ready to do my job.'' Toia played rugby union for Nudgee and rugby league for the Redcliffe Dolphins as a youth. His YouTube clips are reminiscent of a young Mal Meninga in his pomp, shrugging defenders off at will. "Robert just had an unbelievable step and fend. He wasn't worried about the defender in front of him," Graham said. "He could move the ball in and out of either hand and was light on his feet. "Then as he progressed through the grades at Nudgee this unbelievable body developed. He looked at a squat rack and got big. It was ridiculous … an absolute specimen and super-athletic." He was also a budding basketball gun, who Graham said had "a vertical leap where he could nearly dunk from the free-throw line". Toia has rebounded from two season-ending ACL ruptures and a back injury that kept him out for seven months at school. Through it all the Roosters, who signed him as a 14-year-old, stuck solid when Toia wondered whether he would ever make it. "I'd be lying if I was saying there wasn't any doubt, but my family and the club never lost any of their support, which was through the roof," he said. "I can't thank them enough for their loyalty." It was why Toia stuck solid and re-signed with the Roosters in Year 12 when his junior club the Dolphins came knocking. Toia idolised Maroons great Greg Inglis for his "dominance" of Origin, a legacy the young man hopes to emulate. That he is about to do it so soon blew him away. "It doesn't feel real," he said of the Origin media attention. Toia is just grateful for the great start Nudgee College gave him, even though he chose a professional career in league. "I feel like they moulded me as a person and taught me core beliefs and values. I am definitely the man I am today because of them," he said."Ever since I was young, I knew I wanted to be an NRL player."
Perth Now
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
'Best I've seen': Toia's rise from rugby gun to Maroons
Billy Slater has full faith in "world-class" debutant Queensland centre Robert Toia, and his legacy at rugby union powerhouse Nudgee College has certainly left an indelible mark. "I've been here 11 years and he's the best I've seen," Nudgee director of rugby Sean Graham told AAP of the former First XV outside centre. The Sydney Roosters 20-year-old will play for the Maroons in the State of Origin series opener after just 10 NRL games where his right-foot step, strength, balance and speed have been electric. Slater had no hesitation throwing Toia into the Origin cauldron in his preferred centre position rather than on the wing. "Although playing on the centres is man-on-man out there, it is a system. He is a great system player and has some good strengths (NSW) need to defend as well," Slater said. "Hopefully he is going to get some ball in some good situations and be pretty dangerous himself. I think he is a world-class centre." Toia is likely to have to mark Latrell Mitchell on debut. "I've looked up to him,'' Toia said. "He's an unbelievable player ... very strong and he's got it all, but I'm ready to do my job.'' Toia played rugby union for Nudgee and rugby league for the Redcliffe Dolphins as a youth. His YouTube clips are reminiscent of a young Mal Meninga in his pomp, shrugging defenders off at will. "Robert just had an unbelievable step and fend. He wasn't worried about the defender in front of him," Graham said. "He could move the ball in and out of either hand and was light on his feet. "Then as he progressed through the grades at Nudgee this unbelievable body developed. He looked at a squat rack and got big. It was ridiculous … an absolute specimen and super-athletic." He was also a budding basketball gun, who Graham said had "a vertical leap where he could nearly dunk from the free-throw line". Toia has rebounded from two season-ending ACL ruptures and a back injury that kept him out for seven months at school. Through it all the Roosters, who signed him as a 14-year-old, stuck solid when Toia wondered whether he would ever make it. "I'd be lying if I was saying there wasn't any doubt, but my family and the club never lost any of their support, which was through the roof," he said. "I can't thank them enough for their loyalty." It was why Toia stuck solid and re-signed with the Roosters in Year 12 when his junior club the Dolphins came knocking. Toia idolised Maroons great Greg Inglis for his "dominance" of Origin, a legacy the young man hopes to emulate. That he is about to do it so soon blew him away. "It doesn't feel real," he said of the Origin media attention. Toia is just grateful for the great start Nudgee College gave him, even though he chose a professional career in league. "I feel like they moulded me as a person and taught me core beliefs and values. I am definitely the man I am today because of them," he said."Ever since I was young, I knew I wanted to be an NRL player."
