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SBS Australia
a day ago
- General
- SBS Australia
I survived 10 years alone in an Australian rainforest. I didn't want to be found
What happens when someone vanishes and what questions do they leave behind? Insight explores why some might choose to go missing, while also asking what it's like for those left wondering — families, friends, police. Watch Insight episode Gone Missing on SBS On Demand . There were a series of unfortunate events that led to me living on a lava rock in a rainforest when I was a middle-aged man. Even before I'd formed my first memories, I'd already developed an innate awareness around my own safety. My father was the most dangerous person in my life. When I was 10 years old in 1965, my mother took me and four of my siblings to visit our aunty. Where we actually ended up that day was an orphanage. It was a cruel trick; one that led me to mistrust the world , and everyone in it, from that point on. I hated society, and from what I could tell, society hated me. Acting out and contempt for the world saw me in and out of juvenile detention centres until I was 19 years old. Then, that was that. I was apparently fit to be released into society. Having spent most of my life locked up until then, I knew very little about the world I'd just been let loose in. I couldn't read or write that well; a combination of lack of skills and an unsavoury attitude meant that I was great for the labouring jobs nobody else wanted. I also had developed an unquenchable thirst for alcohol and drugs. Anything to kill the pain. Anything to forget. There is a lot more to my story, but I was mostly homeless throughout my 20s, and all my 30s and 40s. Making a home of the rainforest When I finally wandered into the Goonengerry National Park near Mullumbimby, northern NSW at age 35, something struck me. For the first time, I felt at peace. Not knowing what home felt like, I questioned if this was it. I decided to stay the night, then another. Before I knew it, I was working out how to live in a rainforest. Gregory aged 25, a decade before he entered the rainforest. Source: Supplied I made my camp on a lava rock where I always kept a roaring fire; I did not have shelter nor swag, and I slept on ferns. "What did you eat up there?" is a question I've often been asked. The answer: anything I could catch. I ate bats that I shot from trees with slingshots fashioned from a T-shirt. I ate worms. Food was scarce. 'Those aliens were real to me' Finally, after eating all the critters around my camp, it had become apparent that if I wanted to stay on the mountain, I needed to find something to trade with the townsfolk nearby. I grew a small crop of marijuana, made wood carvings and collected the skins of lizards and snakes. It was a three-day walk from the mountain to the closest town. I only ventured near people when I absolutely had to. Sometimes it would be six months between trips. People were quite aware that there was a highly questionable, wild-looking man living somewhere up in the mountain. Nobody found my camp. On the trips to town, I'd also buy tea, tobacco, rolling papers, powdered milk, rice and other basics. But over time, general malnutrition and the ravaging effects of drugs and alcohol had taken their toll. Gregory during the decade he spent living in the rainforest. Source: Supplied By the end of 1999, I was 42kg and dying. I became resigned to the idea of dying on that mountain until one evening, a couple of thin white aliens joined me by my campfire. They convinced me to leave my mountain home. The idea that I debated my next move with a couple of aliens is usually met with mixed reactions from others. In simple terms — actual or a figment of my mind — those aliens were real to me. I owe them my life. Returning to society By the time I decided to return, I had not seen my family in more than 10 years. Apparently, I was considered missing. After removing all traces of my existence from the mountain, I left the forest at age 45. On the day I left, I was hit by a car. This was possibly a blessing as I entered the hospital system — albeit as an unidentified middle-aged man who didn't know who he was. I was treated for my illnesses, and I slowly began to remember. A few months later, I experienced an epiphany that made me turn away from drugs and alcohol. Now with a clear mind and a new attitude to life, was it possible that society might let me back in? Something very special happened over the next few years. I had decided that if I was going to live in society, I'd need to learn the rules. So began my education journey. I went to TAFE, where I learned foundational skills needed for further training. At 48, I decided to study sociology at university in Queensland. Becoming an academic I studied in my makeshift camp in the sand dunes of Surfers Paradise. Many of my essay drafts were handwritten on the beach by candlelight. Halfway through my undergrad degree, I moved to Coffs Harbour. It was my first time renting a place since my late 20s. I finished my degree with first class honours and went on to my PhD — becoming Dr Gregory P. Smith and an academic lecturer in 2016. I had found somewhere to belong with people who understood. Through education and writing about my time at the orphanage, I found my tribe. I had found somewhere to belong with people who understood what these large and enduring emotions all were about. I'd since learned that upwards of 500,000 children, like me, were placed in out-of-home care, particularly during the period between 1920 and 1970. This group is now known as the Forgotten Australians. In the past decade, I've received a lot of media attention about my rough entry into education. A documentary about my life caught the interest of a lifestyle magazine in 2019. I became best friends and then romantic partners with the journalist, Catherine, who had been sent to write my story. I moved in with her and her two young sons the next year, and in 2022, we welcomed our son William — completing our little blended family. 'It was not my fault' It's been 26 years since I left my forest home, and I have had lots of time to consider what it all meant. It was in the forest that I learned to see my parents, not as my tormentors, but as people who knew no better due to their own traumatic childhoods. I learned to forgive them and see them from a different perspective. I also learned not to hate myself for the things that had happened to me; it was not my fault. But the most valuable thing that the forest taught me was that I was now responsible for making the necessary changes to myself for a better tomorrow. It wasn't by magic or science; it was simply by doing what needed to be done each day. Gregory and his partner Catherine Player have been together since 2019. Source: Supplied Now, as a 70-year-old man with arthritis in most joints, it all feels like a blur. I have written two books about my life and survival, and I've received an Order of Australia medal for my charity work in the homelessness sector. I am still filled with energy and continue to thrive on all the work I do as co-leader of my family, senior lecturer at Southern Cross University, co-chair of The End Street Sleeping Collaboration and in the homelessness sector at large — generally as an adviser to government bodies and non-government organisations. This month, Catherine and I have just registered a charity, Home Address Australia Ltd, which seeks to professionalise the voice of lived experience in the homelessness sector. Ultimately, if our work can save just one person from the shame and pain that I felt as a person experiencing homelessness, my discomfort in asking for help will all be worth it. To report a missing person, visit If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000. If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, phone 1800 RESPECT. For counselling, advice and support for men who have anger, relationship or parenting issues, call the Men's Referral Service on 1300 766 491. For addiction support, contact National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline (1800 250 015). For crisis and mental health support, contact Lifeline (13 11 14), SANE Australia (1800 187 263) or 13Yarn (139 276), a 24/7 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders crisis support line.
ABC News
6 days ago
- ABC News
Platform Perfection
Jerry takes a ride on the 130-year-old Kuranda scenic railway, winding his way through Far North Queensland's world heritage listed rainforest. This area is in the wet tropics, and it's the world's oldest rainforest - home to over 1200 species of flowering plants. Jerry's here to see the celebrated tropical gardens at Kuranda railway station, renowned for their eclectic collection of jungle jewels. Station master Glen Currie first worked at Kuranda 30 years ago. He loves working at the greenest station in Australia and say it's great to get the compliments from the customers about the gardens. He says he's only an amateur gardener, but the pandemic meant the staff had extra time for the garden in anticipation of welcoming back customers. His favourite plant is the King Fern ( Angiopteris evecta ) on platform 2, that's been there for decades. Jerry says the size of the base shows how old it is. It's even bigger brother sits at the station entrance. Jerry says this species is older than the dinosaurs, and this particular plant is as old as the railway itself. Jerry meets Leanne Roods-Smith, who has been at the station 35 years and is the Operations Coordinator. Her favourite area of the station has stands of Heliconias, Cordylines and ferns. Jerry says this garden is a great example of what does well in north Queensland. Stationmaster Glen has asked Jerry for some expert advice on Kuranda's maidenhair ferns, which are looking a little shabby. Jerry says they always put on a flush of growth and then fade and shrivel each year. He can see the new flush is about to come through, so it's time to be brutal in anticipation. Jerry prunes off all the current, dying foliage, and Glen is a little shocked! Jerry recommends a teaspoon of dolomite watered in to aid the bounce back. Glen promises to send a photo of the response. True to his word, Glen sends the photo, and the maidenhair is looking better than ever. 'This garden is a must see, where the destination is just as important as the journey' says Jerry. KING FERN Angiopteris evecta TORCH GINGER Etlingera elatior LOBSTER CLAW Heliconia rostrata cv. CORDYLINE Cordyline fruticosa cv. MAIDENHAIR FERN Adiantum aethiopicum
Reuters
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Brazil tackles COP30 hotel costs, under pressure from developing nations
SAO PAULO, July 16 (Reuters) - Brazil assured worried governments on Wednesday it has organized enough rooms to accommodate the tens of thousands of people crowding into the rainforest city of Belem for the United Nations climate summit in November, even as its listings still fell short of the country's own projections for attendance. Valter Correia, Brazil's special secretary for the summit, known as COP30, laid out a plan to prioritize the needs of developing countries and island nations whose representatives expressed outrage during a conference in Bonn, Germany, that Belem's sky-high accommodation prices might exclude them from COP30. "What we are guaranteeing is that everyone can come at accessible prices," he said. "We can't leave small countries, countries that most suffer with issues related to climate change, out of this thing, it would be absolutely unthinkable." Environmental activists from around the globe had eagerly awaited Brazil's turn to host the climate summit after three years in which the conference was held in countries without full freedom for public demonstrations. Brazil chose Belem for the climate talks to focus attention on the world's disappearing rainforests, but civil society groups have been warning for months that a lack of accommodations in the Amazonian city would create barriers for many. Authorities have already identified more than 30,000 rooms available in the city, Correia said, compared to an estimate of 20,000 that United Nations officials told their Brazilian counterparts were required to accommodate delegations, journalists and observers. Still, the figure falls short of the demand from the 45,000 attendees at COP30 that Correia had projected earlier this year. He said on Wednesday that he expects Belem to meet additional demand as more private homes, hotel rooms, and alternative options, such as repurposed schools, become available. The United Nations climate change office, UNFCCC, declined a request to confirm the number. This week, Brazil also launched a booking website with 1,500 rooms for a group of 98 developing countries and island nations, priced between $100 and $220 a night, Correia said. Another 1,000 rooms will be added to the platform soon, open to all delegations, he added, with prices of up to $600 a night. The platform will later be open to everyone else. Brazil also said it has signed a contract for 3,900 cabins in two cruise ships that will park at the port city for the COP. Correia said he also expects civil society groups to find adequate accommodations. While his office is fighting price gouging, he added, it won't be able to offer everyone rooms at lower prices.
Bloomberg
14-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Amazonian Leaders Bring a Dark Message on Gold Trading to London
A delegation of Amazonian leaders journeyed from the world's largest rainforest to the financial center of London last week to deliver a message: capitalism has failed their home and its inhabitants. Representatives of the Yanomami, Krenak and Kambeba peoples of the Brazilian Amazon met with leaders in British academia and finance to give first-hand accounts of the hidden devastation behind commodity trading, highlighting the impacts that large, unchecked extraction of natural resources have on Indigenous communities.
New York Times
10-07-2025
- Science
- New York Times
This Jungle Plant Is a Good Landlord to Its Tenant Ants
On a hot and sticky day in Fiji in 2014, Guillaume Chomicki, an evolutionary biologist at Durham University in England, cut into a tuber the size of a soccer ball with a few leafy branches. The plant belonged to Squamellaria, a collection of species that grow on trees and are known for housing buckets of ants in what Dr. Chomicki previously showed to be a mutually beneficial relationship. Each type of Squamellaria specializes in offering a different species of ant a nesting site that's safe from predators and torrential rains. (In rainforests, there is a glut of ants with a scarcity of lodging options.) The ants, in return, provide crucial nutrients in the form of their feces to the rootless plants. The ants also carry the plants' seeds to new bark crevices, allowing the next generation to flourish. As Dr. Chomicki dissected the tuber, expecting to find a single kind of ant, he instead discovered something surprising — two distinct colonies of ants belonging to two different species. Different groups of ants are notoriously violent toward one another, so Dr. Chomicki was puzzled by how the species could coexist without causing the whole plant-insect enterprise to collapse. In a paper published Thursday in the journal Science, Dr. Chomicki and his colleagues show that some of these plants manage to serve as careful landlords, creating individual housing for up to five colonies of different species of ants, each within its own separate compartment. This feat of botanical architecture allows the insects to cohabit peacefully, creating abundance for multiple colonies and species within a single tuber. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
