Latest news with #TheFredHollowsFoundation
Perth Now
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Why Olympic legend Susie O'Neill signed on for DWTS
This was supposed to be Susie O'Neill's belated gap year, when the Olympic swimming legend, who turns 52 in August, would change it up, try new things, take a break from full-time work to reclaim a bit of herself. Late last year, she announced she'd be stepping away from her job at Nova radio in Brisbane. The plan was to spend 2025 holidaying, four-wheel-driving, and generally enjoying being an empty-nester with her husband, Cliff. But six months on O'Neill, famously nicknamed Madame Butterfly because of her record-breaking butterfly and freestyle swims, has to admit none of her best-laid plans have come to fruition. Instead, she's swapped the radio studio for the dance studio to compete on this year's Dancing With The Stars. The question is, why? 'Dancing definitely wasn't on my bingo list,' O'Neill laughs. 'I was asked (to do the show) years and years ago, when it first started, and it was something I said I would never do.' But time sometimes changes your perspective and by the time producers reached out in late 2024, O'Neill was more open to the idea. It helped she had also recently — and coincidentally — been listening to a podcast about the UK version of the show. There was a strange sense of synchronicity that seemed serendipitous. If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. 'It felt like there were all these things pointing to the fact that I should say yes to doing it,' she says. 'I am 52 this year, and I think when I turned 50, I never wanted to feel like I didn't want to try new things. I saw a post the other day on Instagram, which was like, 'what are you a beginner at?' 'It was talking about starting new things, and how important it is to push yourself. And I agree: it's good, it keeps you young. Well, maybe not young , but less stale.' O'Neill, who has enjoyed a career in broadcasting and commentating since retiring from professional swimming, could never be accused of that. The champion swimmer, who boasts two Olympic gold medals (Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000, both in the 200m butterfly), nine Commonwealth Games gold medals, and 24 wins at major international events, has worked consistently since retiring in 2000. Dancing on the show with Lyu Masuda, to raise money for The Fred Hollows Foundation, is just another in a long line of accomplishments. This season will see her competing alongside other high-profile contenders, including radio and podcast host Brittany Hockley, comedian Felicity Ward, TV host Osher Gunsberg, comedian Shaun Micallef, and actor Rebecca Gibney. O'Neill admits to feeling some trepidation about the fact all of Australia is about to see her as a 'beginner' at a sport that is well and truly out of her comfort zone. 'You learn a lot about yourself, especially doing things you are not good at. I found that challenging,' she admits. 'Well, compared to swimming — when you are the best in the world at something.' Susie O'Neill wins a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where she competed in the Women's 200m freestyle final. Credit: Vince Caligiuri VJC / Alliance But O'Neill is nothing if not relentlessly optimistic, and she's taking a philosophical outlook as she prepares for her dancing journey, which is filmed in advance, to finally be broadcast to viewers. 'I've been in denial (that people will actually see it),' she says. 'But I feel fine now, because it's done.' 'I feel like it's kind of like childbirth, in that while you're doing it, you're like, 'Oh my God, who would do this?' because it really was traumatic in places. But now it's done, I'm not so emotional.' One way O'Neill was able to de-stress during filming and the show's rigorous rehearsal period (she relocated from Brisbane to Sydney for the duration) was through swimming. Retreating to the comfort and familiarity of the pool was her saving grace while competition played out. 'Swimming is still my favourite thing to do,' O'Neill says. 'I swim maybe three or four times a week — not many (ex-professional) swimmers can say that. 'Swimming is something I do, especially when I'm stressed out. I swam a bit during filming with (DWTS host) Dr Chris Brown. He's actually a really good swimmer. We trained near where I was staying, and he'd come and meet me.' With the competition now concluded, O'Neill is back to what's left of her gap year, while waiting for the show to go to air. She's planning some upcoming four-wheel-drive trips, has just signed on to be a member of the Australian Olympic Committee, and there's another (much-needed) holiday in the works. She'll also be back later in the year doing fill-in radio shifts for Nova. 'My gap year never really happened, and I haven't really had a break yet,' she laughs. 'But it's good — I have to pinch myself. I'm very lucky.' Dancing With The Stars premieres at 7pm on June 15 on Seven.
The Guardian
14-02-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Episode 3: Bridging the gap in eye care
Tanya Morris, acting country director, Indigenous Australia Program, The Fred Hollows Foundation Jeena Tan, head of clinical systems, Specsavers Jolene Cheah, optometrist, Specsavers Cliff Axelsen, farmer, Armidale Auson Wu, optometry partner, Specsavers Fairfield In this episode of The Future Looks Bright, we take a look at the challenges of delivering essential eye care services to some of the communities that need it most: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, multicultural communities and people living in regional and rural areas. According to the 2016 census, about 2.3 million people, or almost 10% of Australia's population, live in small towns. Specsavers is the largest provider of optometry in Australia, with almost 400 practices nationwide, but in 2023 about 40% of locations in the Specsavers network had an unfilled optometry vacancy, with more than 60% of those in outer regional locations. Specsavers' head of clinical systems, Jeena Tan, says: 'There are less optometrists and less eye care professionals living in those regional communities to be able to provide that sort of timely and regular eye care service for people who need it.' Outside Armidale, in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, we meet farmer Cliff Axelsen. He is just one of thousands of Australians who have struggled to access timely, preventative eye care in their regional communities because of a shortage of optometrists. 'You've got to travel to a major centre for you to have an eye test or anything,' he says. But an optometry practice in his local town has begun offering an innovative approach to eye care services. At Specsavers, a local clinical technician assists a Melbourne-based optometrist in providing remote eye care, a telehealth eye exam, for Armidale residents. So far more than 400 Australians have had remote eye care appointments as part of Specsavers' ongoing pilot to help make eye care more accessible across the nation. Delivering comprehensive and culturally appropriate eye care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who desperately need it is a priority for The Fred Hollows Foundation and its eye care partner, Specsavers. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are three times more likely to go blind than other Australians because the health system is not meeting their needs. Specsavers supports the foundation's important work through equipment donations and financial contributions. And a skilled volunteering program gives Specsavers optometrists the opportunity to give back to remote and under-serviced communities by providing them with eye care services. Tanya Morris, the acting country director of the Indigenous Australia Program with The Fred Hollows Foundation, and a proud Bar-Barrum woman from the Atherton Tablelands, says the needs of First Nations people are complex, with many diagnosed with conditions such as cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and trachoma. Providing culturally appropriate healthcare in which patients are supported by Indigenous healthcare professionals and liaison officers makes a huge difference, Morris says. 'The way we get things done our way is word of mouth,' she says. 'So if an elder or somebody says, 'Hey, that wasn't too bad, it's not that bad', [people are] more than likely to go.' From regional NSW, we head to Fairfield, a suburb in western Sydney. It's one of the most culturally diverse communities in Australia, home to migrants and refugees who collectively speak more than 80 languages. Auson Wu is a Fairfield local who grew up here and is an optometry partner at Specsavers Fairfield. He's concerned about the rising rates of glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and cataracts in his community. Just like Morris, Wu says building trust with his community, providing culturally safe and appropriate care, and educating people about eye health, are essential for creating change and meeting long-term eye care goals. Equity in eye care requires creative community solutions and technological advances to address the 90% of vision loss experienced by Australians that can be prevented or treated. Through the dedication and innovative approaches of healthcare professionals and organisations such as The Fred Hollows Foundation and Specsavers, a more equitable future for eye care in Australia is on the horizon. The Future Looks Bright is produced by Guardian Labs Australia. Narrator: Fenella Kernebone Series producer and editor: Cinnamon Nippard Guardian Labs producer: Ciara Bowe Lead Commercial Editor: Nicola Harvey The Future Looks Bright is paid for by Specsavers. Find your local Specsavers store for optometry & audiology services Help support The Fred Hollows Foundation Find out more about The Fred Hollows Foundation and Specsavers partnership Find out more about Deadly Enterprises, Australia's first Aboriginal-owned optical provider
