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The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Lake Mac Choir lend their voices to honour the memory of Zoe Wright
Singing was Zoe Wright's happy place. Over the past year, the Lake Mac Choir was somewhere Zoe could meet with friends and momentarily put her mental health struggles aside and enjoy the beauty of sharing music with like-minded people. Sadly, on May 14, the Lake Macquarie Marine Rescue volunteer lost her battle with depression. She was 50. Her friends at the Lake Mac Choir are using their voices on Wednesday to ensure that Zoe is not forgotten. Lake Mac Choir is dedicating their performances at 10am and 6pm at the Caves Beach Bar and Bungalows to Zoe's memory and are raising money for Lifeline. The performance will include a special arrangement of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, a song requested by Zoe for her funeral on May 26. Zoe's husband and Marine Rescue Lake Macquarie unit commander, Jim Wright, said his wife would be touched by the dedication. "She loved going to the choir," Mr Wright said. "It made her happy and she enjoyed the people that were there. "She'd look forward to it every week when it was on. She was a little annoyed when they had to stop for holidays." Shay Perry, the director of Lake Macquarie tuition school Sunny Music Studios, launched Lake Mac Choir in February 2024 and Zoe was among the inaugural members. Ms Perry said the goal of the choir was to make "music super accessible" to people who otherwise thought their "time had passed with music." The choir has performed everything from rock classics like Dreams by Fleetwood Mac and Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over to modern pop songs by Billie Eilish. "Zoe stopped coming for a few weeks and I knew she had struggled a bit and it was pretty normal for her to have a few weeks off and then come back and be as happy as ever," Ms Perry said. Members of the Lake Mac Choir missed Zoe's funeral, so Ms Perry said it was an opportunity for the group to pay their respects. "I've always said that music is not prejudiced and has the ability to connect people who otherwise might not have connected," she said. "When you add in singing, we're all doing something that we love and have in common. "Take away singing, and this is a group of my favourite people now. It's extraordinary the way the community comes together." Earlier this week, the CEO of Lake Macquarie and Newcastle Suicide Prevention Network, Bradley Dunn, described the mental health statistics in the Hunter as "alarming." More than 480 people died by suicide in the Hunter between 2019 and 2023, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data. There were also more than 21,000 presentations to Hunter New England emergency departments for mental health issues in 2023-24, the third-highest per capita among NSW's 14 health districts. Singing was Zoe Wright's happy place. Over the past year, the Lake Mac Choir was somewhere Zoe could meet with friends and momentarily put her mental health struggles aside and enjoy the beauty of sharing music with like-minded people. Sadly, on May 14, the Lake Macquarie Marine Rescue volunteer lost her battle with depression. She was 50. Her friends at the Lake Mac Choir are using their voices on Wednesday to ensure that Zoe is not forgotten. Lake Mac Choir is dedicating their performances at 10am and 6pm at the Caves Beach Bar and Bungalows to Zoe's memory and are raising money for Lifeline. The performance will include a special arrangement of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, a song requested by Zoe for her funeral on May 26. Zoe's husband and Marine Rescue Lake Macquarie unit commander, Jim Wright, said his wife would be touched by the dedication. "She loved going to the choir," Mr Wright said. "It made her happy and she enjoyed the people that were there. "She'd look forward to it every week when it was on. She was a little annoyed when they had to stop for holidays." Shay Perry, the director of Lake Macquarie tuition school Sunny Music Studios, launched Lake Mac Choir in February 2024 and Zoe was among the inaugural members. Ms Perry said the goal of the choir was to make "music super accessible" to people who otherwise thought their "time had passed with music." The choir has performed everything from rock classics like Dreams by Fleetwood Mac and Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over to modern pop songs by Billie Eilish. "Zoe stopped coming for a few weeks and I knew she had struggled a bit and it was pretty normal for her to have a few weeks off and then come back and be as happy as ever," Ms Perry said. Members of the Lake Mac Choir missed Zoe's funeral, so Ms Perry said it was an opportunity for the group to pay their respects. "I've always said that music is not prejudiced and has the ability to connect people who otherwise might not have connected," she said. "When you add in singing, we're all doing something that we love and have in common. "Take away singing, and this is a group of my favourite people now. It's extraordinary the way the community comes together." Earlier this week, the CEO of Lake Macquarie and Newcastle Suicide Prevention Network, Bradley Dunn, described the mental health statistics in the Hunter as "alarming." More than 480 people died by suicide in the Hunter between 2019 and 2023, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data. There were also more than 21,000 presentations to Hunter New England emergency departments for mental health issues in 2023-24, the third-highest per capita among NSW's 14 health districts. Singing was Zoe Wright's happy place. Over the past year, the Lake Mac Choir was somewhere Zoe could meet with friends and momentarily put her mental health struggles aside and enjoy the beauty of sharing music with like-minded people. Sadly, on May 14, the Lake Macquarie Marine Rescue volunteer lost her battle with depression. She was 50. Her friends at the Lake Mac Choir are using their voices on Wednesday to ensure that Zoe is not forgotten. Lake Mac Choir is dedicating their performances at 10am and 6pm at the Caves Beach Bar and Bungalows to Zoe's memory and are raising money for Lifeline. The performance will include a special arrangement of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, a song requested by Zoe for her funeral on May 26. Zoe's husband and Marine Rescue Lake Macquarie unit commander, Jim Wright, said his wife would be touched by the dedication. "She loved going to the choir," Mr Wright said. "It made her happy and she enjoyed the people that were there. "She'd look forward to it every week when it was on. She was a little annoyed when they had to stop for holidays." Shay Perry, the director of Lake Macquarie tuition school Sunny Music Studios, launched Lake Mac Choir in February 2024 and Zoe was among the inaugural members. Ms Perry said the goal of the choir was to make "music super accessible" to people who otherwise thought their "time had passed with music." The choir has performed everything from rock classics like Dreams by Fleetwood Mac and Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over to modern pop songs by Billie Eilish. "Zoe stopped coming for a few weeks and I knew she had struggled a bit and it was pretty normal for her to have a few weeks off and then come back and be as happy as ever," Ms Perry said. Members of the Lake Mac Choir missed Zoe's funeral, so Ms Perry said it was an opportunity for the group to pay their respects. "I've always said that music is not prejudiced and has the ability to connect people who otherwise might not have connected," she said. "When you add in singing, we're all doing something that we love and have in common. "Take away singing, and this is a group of my favourite people now. It's extraordinary the way the community comes together." Earlier this week, the CEO of Lake Macquarie and Newcastle Suicide Prevention Network, Bradley Dunn, described the mental health statistics in the Hunter as "alarming." More than 480 people died by suicide in the Hunter between 2019 and 2023, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data. There were also more than 21,000 presentations to Hunter New England emergency departments for mental health issues in 2023-24, the third-highest per capita among NSW's 14 health districts. Singing was Zoe Wright's happy place. Over the past year, the Lake Mac Choir was somewhere Zoe could meet with friends and momentarily put her mental health struggles aside and enjoy the beauty of sharing music with like-minded people. Sadly, on May 14, the Lake Macquarie Marine Rescue volunteer lost her battle with depression. She was 50. Her friends at the Lake Mac Choir are using their voices on Wednesday to ensure that Zoe is not forgotten. Lake Mac Choir is dedicating their performances at 10am and 6pm at the Caves Beach Bar and Bungalows to Zoe's memory and are raising money for Lifeline. The performance will include a special arrangement of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, a song requested by Zoe for her funeral on May 26. Zoe's husband and Marine Rescue Lake Macquarie unit commander, Jim Wright, said his wife would be touched by the dedication. "She loved going to the choir," Mr Wright said. "It made her happy and she enjoyed the people that were there. "She'd look forward to it every week when it was on. She was a little annoyed when they had to stop for holidays." Shay Perry, the director of Lake Macquarie tuition school Sunny Music Studios, launched Lake Mac Choir in February 2024 and Zoe was among the inaugural members. Ms Perry said the goal of the choir was to make "music super accessible" to people who otherwise thought their "time had passed with music." The choir has performed everything from rock classics like Dreams by Fleetwood Mac and Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over to modern pop songs by Billie Eilish. "Zoe stopped coming for a few weeks and I knew she had struggled a bit and it was pretty normal for her to have a few weeks off and then come back and be as happy as ever," Ms Perry said. Members of the Lake Mac Choir missed Zoe's funeral, so Ms Perry said it was an opportunity for the group to pay their respects. "I've always said that music is not prejudiced and has the ability to connect people who otherwise might not have connected," she said. "When you add in singing, we're all doing something that we love and have in common. "Take away singing, and this is a group of my favourite people now. It's extraordinary the way the community comes together." Earlier this week, the CEO of Lake Macquarie and Newcastle Suicide Prevention Network, Bradley Dunn, described the mental health statistics in the Hunter as "alarming." More than 480 people died by suicide in the Hunter between 2019 and 2023, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data. There were also more than 21,000 presentations to Hunter New England emergency departments for mental health issues in 2023-24, the third-highest per capita among NSW's 14 health districts.
Buzz Feed
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
People Are Sharing The Absurd Things That Scared Them As Children, And It's Hilarious
Redditor u/ kismeticulous recently asked the people of Reddit, "What's something absolutely ridiculous you were terrified of as a kid that still kinda haunts you today?" Read on — that is, if you're not too much of a scaredy-cat: 1. "I was staying at my cousins' house and saw something on the floor. It looked like some kind of mold or mushroom I'd never seen before. Over the next week, my imagination got the best of me. It became a flesh-eating virus that was going to kill me in my sleep. One day, while waiting for it to rise up and attack me, a breeze rose up and the bane of my young existence fluttered. It was paper-thin. I touched it. It was slick. It was smooth. It was….a picture of the butt of a polar bear!" —u/ Suitably-Unsuitable 2. "There was an episode of Hey Arnold! where his grandpa tells some story about a train engineer that went mad and drove the train into hell. I had nightmares for weeks, and it still slightly freaks me out if I think about it now." —u/ Algothia 4. "The whale at the bottom of the pool, or the shark that will come out of the filters and pool drains." —u/ vintage_chick_ Universal / Everett Collection 5. "I was afraid of bugs crawling into my ears as I slept." —u/ Alive_River_4304 6. "I was terrified of the inside of the human body. For some reason, I went to college and studied the inside of the human body for eight years." —u/ thesevenleafclover 7. "The song 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow,' sung by Judy Garland in the original Wizard of Oz film. It gives me chills and a feeling of dread — and I don't know why." —u/ Lragce 8. "Dolls — especially those freakishly realistic ones. My siblings used to tease me with Annabelle and Chucky. It's not as bad now, but I'd rather still avoid them." —u/ kublyy 9. "There was a map of Quebec that hung on the wall of my third grade classroom. Dominating the right side of the map, of course, was the Atlantic Ocean. The increasing depth of the ocean was illustrated by deepening shades of blue. I remember the top right corner of the map, where there was the largest stretch of ocean, the water started light sky blue at the shore…then azure…then cobalt…then ultramarine…then navy…then indigo…and the very top right corner of that map was dead black. Every day, I stared at that corner. I imagined the abyssal depths it hinted at, the monsters lurking in that lightless world. Horrors that had never seen the sun. That map fucking terrified me." 11. "I was terrified of ketchup. I couldn't be near it, and the thought of it touching me repulsed me. Got some on my shoe in high school, cried, threw away my shoes, and walked barefoot for my last two periods of school." —u/ Ishinehappiness 12. "Coconuts. As my mom tells it, when I started crawling, my mom would find the biggest, hairiest coconut she could find at the grocery store and put it on the floor anywhere she didn't want me to go. I'd crawl up to it and immediately engage my reverse gear. Can't stand the things to this day." —u/ Individual-Spot2700 13. "I lived across from a forest, so at night I was always scared that there would be wolves that would come out and get me before I made it to the front door. I was always so scared when I was young, and I'd rush out the car to the front door." —u/ Roneobo 14. "Getting diabetes or cancer." —u/ serenagallen 15. "I had a reoccurring dream that Yosemite Sam lived under the backseat of my mom's minivan and would burn my legs with cigarettes. I hate riding in backseats of vans. My legs feel so exposed." —u/ beeksy 16. "The idea of dying. It got to the point where, if I thought about it, the thought would leave a hole in my stomach until I came to terms that I was being selfish for favoring life over death. I was terrified of it, solely because I didn't know what it would feel like or when it'd happen." —u/ cqane 17. "Escalators. I was convinced that some part of my clothing would get caught in the landings, and I would be stuck or mangled. I still have the habit of hopping onto the first step and hopping off the last to avoid the landings." —u/ Mamamollusk 18. "Grasshoppers. When I was really little, there was this massive grasshopper on the wall, and we were all looking at it. Some kid threw a rock at it, and it jumped off the wall onto me and crawled up the outside of my dress, up my face, and the top of my hair. I cried until my mum came and picked me up." —u/ I_love_ice_hockey 19. "Pinocchio. It's so weird, but he freaks me out." —u/ ceheyun And finally... 20. "The music video for 'Black Hole Sun' by Soundgarden. Holy shit, did that creep me out when I was a kid. I saw it for the first time while I was hanging out in the game room and I sprinted to the storage closet with my dog and refused to come out. I still think it's…unsettling." —u/ BeetlePies
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Britain's Got Talent semi-finals gets a shake-up with big rule change
Britain's Got Talent will send performers straight to the grand finale during the live semi-final shows with a golden buzzer. The ITV talent show will extend the concept during its five live semi-final rounds, so the judges and hosts can save acts from possible elimination. The golden buzzer had been used during the pre-recorded auditions phase of the talent show, allowing anyone from the panel and the presenters to press it and send acts to the semi-finals. The rule change will now mean that the buzzer can be used during the semi-finals, however, one of the four judges or its hosts will be appointed controller of the buzzer, giving them one chance to save the act from elimination and send them to the final. READ MORE: The public will then vote for their winning act of the night, who will gain a place in the live final, along with the act that secured the golden buzzer. Britain's Got Talent is hosted by TV presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, known as Ant and Dec, and sees performers take the stage in front of a live audience and a panel of four judges including Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli. The semi-finals will consist of eight acts performing in front of a live audience for the chance to win a £250,000 cash prize and a spot on the bill of the Royal Variety Performance. The series has already seen 21-year-old singer Linda Mudzenda receive the Golden Buzzer during her audition from Dixon. Other contestants that were sent through and will appear in the semi-finals include, Scissor swallower Bao Cuong who lifted a microwave while a large pair of scissors was in his mouth, one-armed drummer Cornel Hrisca-Munn, child dance troupe Lil Ms and singer Andy Hindson, who performed a comedy song about his children. Previous winners from the show includes singer Sydnie Christmas, who sang Somewhere Over The Rainbow in the final and won the 2024 series. The show has run since 2007 and has produced winners including tenor Paul Potts and dance troupe Diversity. The semi-finals will air every Saturday night with the first of the series taking palace at the Eventim Apollo in London on April 26 at 7pm and airing on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Wicked's Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande Give Oscars Rousing Oz Opening
Ariana Grande belted out Somewhere Over The Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz, Cynthia Erivo followed with Home from musical The Wiz and they joined in Defying Gravity from their hit musical Wicked in a rousing start to the 97th annual Academy Awards. It was some singing from the dynamic duo, who star as Elphaba and Glinda in the box office smash first installment of the Wizard of Oz retelling based on the Broadway musical. The film by John Chu is up for Best Picture – one of ten nominations. Erivo is nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Grande for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. More from Deadline Hulu Glitch Frustrates Oscar Viewers At Start Of Show Rachel Sennott Has Fun With ABC's Oscars Pre-Show Misidentifying Her As Rachel Zegler Oscars: Kieran Culkin & 'Flow' Among Early Winners - Updating Live It will be a night of music but not the usual with no live performances of Best Original Song nominees in a change by AMPAS this year. See Erivo and Grande above. Best of Deadline How To Watch The Oscars Online And On TV All The Songs In 'Severance' Season 2: From The Who To Ella Fitzgerald 2025 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Oscars, Tonys, Guilds & More
