Latest news with #reconnection
BBC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Race Across the World has made Coventry brothers closer
A pair of brothers who are taking part in the latest series of Race Across the World have said the experience has improved their Mole and his brother Melvyn Mole, who are both in their 60s, are one of five teams who have raced more than 14,000km (8,700 miles) across China, Nepal and India for the chance to win £20, Coventry born brothers said they are using the show as a way to reconnect with each other."Before the race, I couldn't imagine Brian and I talking the way we've spoken over the last seven weeks." Melvyn said on the show. On Wednesday's episode the teams embarked on the penultimate leg of the race across India, from Sasan Gir in Gujarat south to Panaji in being at the top of the leader board, the brothers made the decision to visit a vineyard in Nashik, Maharashtra, costing them the top siblings expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to reconnect."Our relationship will only get better now," Melvyn said on the Mole jokingly told Radio Coventry and Warwickshire: "We're blokes, we don't usually say I love you to your face, he was lucky to get a hug the other day."Brian previously said it took him a little while to make up his mind about joining the challenge but he was glad he his delight on the show he said: "Once the race is finished we'll speak to each other more. "I'm not a big lovey dovey bloke but I love him really, I wouldn't tell him that to his face," Brian joked. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
ABC News
25-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Mixed emotions this National Sorry Day as survivors in Queensland and WA wait for compensation
It took many decades and three failed "reunions" for Angelique Wittwer to finally reconnect with her family and culture. "I felt like, I'm finally home. But it took decades to find it, I'm old now," she said. Taken as a young child from Lajamanu, a remote Walpiri community in the Northern Territory, Angelique was separated from her people and her culture. "They just took us and they said, 'we are taking these children to get a better life, to get better education,' and that's the last they saw of me." She was placed in a Catholic mission on Melville Island, and a few years later adopted by a non-Indigenous family in South Australia. Just saying her name comes with some difficulty. Born Jill Kathleen Djungali, a Warlpiri word for 'firstborn', her name was changed at the mission to Jill Kathleen West, and then her adoptive parents called her Angelique Kathleen Wittwer. "I think it was ridiculous that names were changed, but I think it was part of losing your community, who you are, your identity," she said. "They wanted to get us away from being Indigenous." Angelique worked hard to fit in a society that she felt didn't want her. "Growing up, I was always the only Aboriginal going to school, so I had to be the best, that's how I saw things," she said. "There were bad connotations with being Aboriginal, so I had to prove that I was better than others, be good at sports, good at study, good at my behaviour." As an adult she moved to Papua New Guinea with her husband and raised their four children in his culture. But she always felt a part of her was missing. "I didn't know where I was from, I didn't know my community. I knew nothing about me," she said. When she moved to Queensland she reached out to Link-Up, a community-based non-profit, that worked through years of records to reunify her family. The search took her to three different communities, but it was two years ago that she finally returned to the place where she was stolen from decades ago. "They just welcomed us. They didn't ask questions, they didn't ask why have you taken so long. They just accepted us." But the reunion was brief. More time was spent travelling to the remote community than enjoying each other's company. Ms Wittwer received reparations for what happened to her as a child through the Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme, a financial and wellbeing package that recognises and assists with the healing of the trauma of the Stolen Generations. She used that money to visit her family again, this time for five days. "Without it we would have been in dire straits on getting back to community," she said. But children that were taken from the state she lives in — Queensland — aren't offered the same compensation. National Sorry Day marks the anniversary of the tabling of the landmark Bringing Them Home report in the federal parliament on May 26, 1997. The report encompassed the findings of the first inquiry into the experiences and impacts of forced removal on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. It handed down 54 recommendations, including that all levels of government establish a joint national scheme for survivors and their families to assist with healing and the ongoing trauma. The joint scheme never happened. Over the years, most states set up their own schemes, and the federal government established a scheme for the territories. But 28 years on, Western Australia and Queensland are the only jurisdictions that have resisted the call to compensate survivors. "Queensland and WA have some of the highest populations of Stolen Generations survivors. It's so important we get these schemes across the line as soon as we can," said Healing Foundation CEO Shannan Dodson. The ABC asked both state governments whether they would commit to a redress scheme. In a statement, a Western Australian government spokesperson said "the forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families, their country, and their culture is a shameful part of our history, which has resulted in ongoing harm and trauma to survivors and their descendants." 'The WA Government acknowledges that no amount of money will ever be able to make up for the trauma, the pain and suffering endured by members of the Stolen Generations. 'However, we are committed to working with Aboriginal Stolen Generations organisations to provide the necessary supports and to contribute to the economic and social changes that are needed. "This includes measures to address truth-telling and healing as well as preventing new harm.' In a statement, a spokesperson for Queensland's Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Fiona Simpson did not address the redress scheme but said the government was "committed to practical reconciliation by delivering projects, designed in partnership with Indigenous leaders, to support measurable improvements in health and education". Of the other states' and territories' redress schemes, the Healing Foundation said there were "significant discrepancies" between jurisdictions in terms of what they offer survivors. "There are some redress schemes that have closed that potentially need to be re-looked at, and that is largely due to people either missing out or not being eligible," Ms Dodson said. She also called for better access to records for survivors that have not yet traced where they were taken from and greater investment in culturally safe support services. For survivors and their families who continue to live with the lasting impacts of Stolen Generations policies, compensation is only part of the path towards healing. "Redress is never going to make up for what has happened to these people and to the survivors and their experiences," Ms Dodson said. "However, it is a common thing across countries to have redress, particularly for injustices at this scale, to have that validation and acknowledgement of their experience." For survivor Angelique Wittwer, the redress scheme gave her and her children a life-changing opportunity to reconnect with what was stolen from them. She wants all survivors to be given that opportunity. "When you are taken away you have your life stolen and really nothing can compensate for that," she said. "Your identity is taken away completely, and you are at a loss, I was at a loss. "I think anyone who was in the same position as me, they need financial help to find out where they are from and go back and visit. "It is the rebuilding of your identity."
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE 'We lost the spark in our marriage - so we filled a suitcase with MDMA, ketamine and 2C-B for a wild weekend away... it ended in horror': The deadly truth behind the rise of chemsex among straight middle-class couples desperate to boost their sex lives
Like many parents in their early 40s, Harry and Bella Thomson leapt at the chance to enjoy a long weekend away without their children at the end of last year. They hoped to reconnect with each other, and rediscover the spark that had gone missing from their marriage while they were stuck in the trenches of domestic life.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Woman Says Friend Who Ghosted Her 2 Years Ago Resurfaced and 'Sincerely' Apologized. Now She Doesn't Know What to Do
A woman says a former friend who ghosted her over two years ago recently reached back out in an attempt to reconnect The woman says that while the former friend apologized and explained that she had been going through a difficult time, she is still unsure that she wants to let this person back into her life The woman sought advice on a popular community site — and many of her fellow community members said they thought she should cut the former friend some slackA woman says that a 'former friend' who ghosted her more than two years ago recently reached back out, leaving her unsure about whether or not to reconnect. The woman detailed her experience in a post on the U.K.-based community site Mumsnet, a place where women can go to seek advice from other women. In her post, the woman explained that she last messaged the former friend in January 2023, but the message was 'ignored.' 'Before things went quiet, I had invited her on a birthday trip abroad, which she bailed on without much warning and didn't acknowledge my birthday at all. At the time, I was hurt but eventually moved on,' she continues. However, the original poster (OP) says that the former friend has since reached back out, sending her 'a long message out of the blue on WhatsApp last night.' The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! She says that the woman apologized for missing her birthday celebration, writing: 'I know some time has passed, but I wanted to give you some context. This has stayed with me and I've felt ashamed.' 'I was struggling when I moved — new job, new place, grieving my partner — and I got overwhelmed,' the former friend continued. 'I made an excuse and avoided you, which I regret. I don't expect a response but I'd be happy if you were up for catching up.' The OP says that while she appreciates the apology and believes the other woman "means it sincerely," part of her still feels 'unsettled.' 'It's been over two years and I had to process the silence and let it go. I'm not sure how I feel about opening the door again, even slightly,' she added. The OP concludes her post by asking her fellow community members if she would be 'unreasonable' to keep her distance, even though the other person apologized. A number of commenters said that they strongly believe the OP should at least acknowledge the former friend's apology, regardless of whether or not she ultimately decides to open the door to friendship again. 'It takes courage to be honest and apologize. Even if you decide not to meet, I would acknowledge her apology,' said one person. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'You've both moved on so reconnecting as friends might be hard. You could respond by saying you're glad she's doing better now and leave it at that. You don't have to catch up with her, but an acknowledgement that she wrote about her situation might be a good way to close it,' added someone else. Others said they thought the OP was being harsh — and that she should perhaps try to see this from the other woman's perspective. 'She was grieving and you were partying, she couldn't face it and couldn't tell you why [...]. I don't blame her, I would probably have done the same,' one person said. The same person added, 'If you liked her before all of this, why not give it a go? A cup of coffee and a chat isn't going to hurt.' Another person agreed, saying: 'You never know what someone is going through. There are times I've ignored people because I couldn't face talking to anyone and left messages unread for days, and after that you think it's too late. I would cautiously reconnect if you want to. It could mean a lot to them if they were a good friend.' Read the original article on People
