Latest news with #SammyMiller
ABC News
10-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Children's books written in English, Hazaragi and Noongar-Menang languages
Noongar woman Jeanice Krakouer says the story of how her great-grandfather found a missing child in the West Australian town of Mount Barker was only known within her family until recently. Indigenous readers are advised this article includes the names of people who have died. She decided to share it as part of Mount Barker's Reading for Generations project that has published four children's books, telling stories from the local Hazara, an ethnic group originally from Afghanistan, and First Nations Menang-Noongar communities. Ms Krakouer's book Little Boy Lost tells of how, in 1954, her great-grandfather Sammy Miller found a four-year-old boy who had wandered away from his home one winter morning. After hours of searching, including into the night, the boy was found in bushland 5 kilometres from his house. Given the cold and wet conditions he had been in, the boy was taken to the hospital, and his family was grateful to be reunited with him. Ms Krakouer said the historical context of the story was important. "I think the story came because of the way that Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people worked together [to find the missing boy] in 1954 and I think it's a great way to lead up to Reconciliation [Week]. "It wasn't until 1967 that things had changed, our people weren't allowed in town before 6am and after 6pm at night, yet, late at night, these Aboriginal guys were still out searching the district to find the little boy?" She said, at first, it was difficult trying to decide whether to tell the story to the wider community. "Then I started to do more and more and see the illustration from the kids and hearing the story they were asking, 'What did Sammy do?' "It brought joy to your heart and you knew that you were doing the right thing. A group of primary school students from Mount Barker Community College illustrated the books for the project. Eleven-year-old Maisie Hemmings said they worked on the artwork for two terms and it was great to see the final published book. "It's crazy," she said. Ms Krakouer's book, as well as a story about the late Bella Kelly, a local Aboriginal artist who painted landscapes of the Great Southern region, both include a Menang-Noongar translation. Ali Sina Azimi contributed the stories of The Farmer and the Snakes and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, both include a Hazaragi translation. The former Mount Barker Community College student said it was a privilege to share the stories and their values, including with his younger brother. "When I was writing the book he was four years old and he was slowly starting to read," he said. Nicole Selesnew from the Shire of Plantagenet, which includes Mount Barker, was one of the main organisers of the project. She said including an audio recording in both languages with each of the books was important to assist parents who wanted to help their children with their reading. "We had an opportunity to talk to a Hazara family and they said that for their parents to read to the kids it was quite intimidating because not a lot of the parents could read English very well, so that's sort of when the ideas started,'" Ms Selesnew said. The Shire of Plantagenet has a population of approximately 5,700 people. About 4.5 per cent are part of the Hazara community. Rhonda Oliver from Curtin University's school of education said it was great initiative. "To foster cultural understanding across all kids, regardless of background, to see that we do have other ways of being and knowing and doing," Professor Oliver said. "It's really good for the kids whose language background it is because it makes them feel good about who they are and and self-identity is really important for academic success."
Euronews
17-02-2025
- Automotive
- Euronews
Two wheels better: Customising classic, rare and vintage models at France's biggest motorbike showsh
The French city of Lyon is now firmly established as home to 'Salon du 2 Roues', Europe's second largest motorbike trade fair. It's an enormous opportunity for fans of all the world's two-wheelers to gather to inspect, try or buy old, rare, unique engines and new products from more than 800 exhibitors from across Europe and beyond. In addition, the show offers an immersive experience with various themed displays, highlighting unique motorcycles, rare models, and stories of riders that span generations. Kustom Kulture Lyon Kustom Factory is a big draw for many visitors - showing off scores of choppers, bobbers, café racers and other classic models, all reimagined and rebuilt as labours of love for collectors. Stéphane Grand is a European champion of bike building and makes his living by refashioning and reworking vintage machines. "When it comes to buying, there are different types of people. It's not just one type of person, but it depends on the bike and the hours I put into it which will make it more expensive than others," he explained to Euronews Culture. "There are bikes that I put 3,000 hours of work into. And then it's considered art, like a painting. It's a bike that starts, that runs, but it's really meant for a show or an exhibition or for advertising or things like that. So it's a slightly different clientele, but one with means." Some attend the show simply to spread and share information about living legends. France's Works Trials Bikes Owners Group aims to preserve and protect the history of former glories. For the group's second appearance at 'le salon' they decided to dedicate their show to Sammy Miller, the British multiple trial and road race champion. Jean Caillou from Works Trials Bikes Owners Group says their goal is to give the public and historians an exclusive window into exceptional people and their models, and this represented a unique chance to gather many of Miller's bikes under one roof. "They are all very special. We have, Honda prototypes with frames made and conceived by Sammy Miller. We have a Bultaco with all the parts, that were available in his catalogue," Caillou says. "I'm wearing a Sammy Miller, suit designed for trials, which were very successful as well. And the Ariel is well known in the world of motorcycling because it won so many events, including the Scottish Six Days, including British titles." BSA is back The iconic British brand BSA, now in French hands, is looking to recement its place back on the market, after a more than 50-year hiatus. Its models remain a firm favourite among older nostalgia seekers eager to relive their youth but the firm says it's also increasingly attracting a younger audience. Emmanuel Charveron, head of BSA Europe told Euronews Culture that BSA is younger people are looking to bigger motorcycles to boost their mobility and have a completely new type of experience: "You don't need the same mobility but people still need to have some fun actually on a two wheeler. And we have some young people coming to authentique motorcycles because it's not boring, it's different." Sisters doing it for themselves Ask anyone who's put on the leathers or goretex for a ride - the speed, the sights, the sounds all swiftly becoming intoxicating. That was very much the case for Wildust Sister creator Charlotte Séjourné. She began her motorbike clothing and lifestyle brand after passing her test and then failing to find anything on the market to her liking. Séjourné, who is based in Bordeaux, says the main motivation is to give women more clothing options when they take to the open road, compared to traditional outfits which are usually tailored for men only. "The idea is that through the brand, beyond selling products, it's to actually inspire, to give more and more role models and to show girls who ride, who take up motorcycling, who engage in different adventures, who dare in fact," says Séjourné. "I think there's a real message there about being brave, trying it out and wanting to do it. When you see girls who look like you, who are able to wear clothes that aren't too ugly or too over the top, it makes you want to do it."
