Latest News from The Age
The Age
an hour ago
- Business
- The Age
The cheque is a dramatic (and dying) way to spend a dollar. We must keep it alive
Picture this. You're in a crowded restaurant, seated at the head of the table, surrounded by friends and family. A long lunch that has bled into dinner. Everywhere you look, there are half-empty bottles of wine, people are enjoying themselves, and there's talk of kicking on to another venue. Because you're in a double-breasted suit and everyone else is dressed normally, the waiter brings you the bill. 'Cash or card, sir?' Neither, you say, pulling a Montblanc pen from your inside pocket, followed by a personal chequebook. You write a cheque for the full amount plus a little something extra for the staff. You date it, sign it, fold it in half and discreetly slip it into the waiter's pocket. Two pats on the shoulder, a knowing wink. He begins, 'Sir, we no longer accept cheques as a form of payment ...' but his protest is drowned out by cheers. People have seen what you've done. They adore you. Life is good. Of all the things 1990s pop culture led me to believe would feature heavily in adult life – quicksand, hammerhead sharks, Mr Squiggle – the disappearance of the chequebook is easily the most devastating. Back then, cheques were everywhere: in films, on TV, and most memorably, tucked inside the birthday cards from my Greek grandparents. Every year, without fail, I'd open the card, skim the well-wishes, and then turn my attention to the real prize – a rectangular slip of paper, payable to me and me only. Superior to simply being gifted cash, the cheque's power lay in delayed gratification. Twenty bucks in a card is twenty bucks in a card, but a handwritten cheque for twenty dollars and zero cents offered something far more valuable – the promise of money. Loading Of course, because we are inherently impatient creatures with no appreciation for the fact that good things come to those who wait, we went and ruined it all. In 1980, cheques accounted for 85 per cent of non-cash payments, so if you wanted to buy a house in Sydney (something people could still do in the 1980s), then you'd likely be writing a cheque for $76,500. By the mid-1990s, cheques still represented 50 per cent of non-cash payments and were deeply ingrained in the culture. Tabloid newspapers began paying sources for stories about high-profile figures, giving rise to the term chequebook journalism. Meanwhile, in 1994, my favourite cheque-related movie, Blank Cheque, was released. The film follows a boy who inherits a blank cheque and uses it to buy a house under an alter ego, which he then fills with all his favourite gadgets and toys. The dream! According to Wikipedia, ' Blank Cheque received mostly negative reviews,' but you know what they haven't made a movie about? Contactless payments.
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Qld fails to increase sentence of man who used rope to drag woman to car
The Queensland government has failed to prove a man accused of using a rope to drag a woman to a car was handed a 'manifestly inadequate' sentence. The government had sought to increase Brock Andrew McDonald's sentence after he was jailed for assaulting and depriving the liberty of a young woman in October 2023. He was sentenced to 2½ years on parole in December, with 413 days as time served. Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said in January that in her view, the sentence did not meet community standards and was 'manifestly inadequate'. McDonald, 44, put a rope around a young woman's neck on a Bundaberg street before dragging her into a car in the early hours of the morning. He placed the screaming woman in the back seat while repeatedly telling her not to look at his face. She eventually escaped and hid in a nearby bush before calling for help. McDonald had pleaded guilty to charges of deprivation of liberty and assault occasioning bodily harm. In the appeal, the attorney-general had sought to increase his sentence to no less than three years for the deprivation of liberty charge.
The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
Qld mother who allegedly killed daughter found ‘unresponsive' in jail
A Queensland woman accused of fatally stabbing her daughter has been rushed to hospital after being found unresponsive in her prison cell. Lauren Flanigan was due to appear before a Queensland court in July, charged with murdering her three-year-old daughter, Sophie. Queensland Corrective Services confirmed officers responded to a medical emergency involving the 32-year-old at Brisbane Women's Correctional Centre in Wacol on Friday night. Paramedics then transported her to hospital. Flanigan was being held in custody after being charged with murder on Monday. Neighbours called triple zero after seeing a young child unresponsive in the front yard of a home in Moore Park Beach, north of Bundaberg, about 4.45pm. When emergency services arrived at the home, they found a three-year-old girl with several wounds. She died at the scene. A crime scene was established at the property, where police seized a knife.
The Age
3 hours ago
- Sport
- The Age
Knights prop reported for crusher tackle
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The Age
3 hours ago
- Sport
- The Age
Wait for the ‘Siuuu': What Melbourne City's captain learnt from Cristiano Ronaldo
'You obviously have to wait for him to do his celebration before you start celebrating with him but it was great, it was surreal,' Behich said with a smile. 'I watched him when he was at Manchester United and I was a young guy - I followed him then. It's something I will look back on. 'In Turkey was where I played with a lot of players who had accomplished a lot,' Behich said. 'The year we won the league [İstanbul Başakşehir, 2019-2020] we had players like Martin Skyrtel, Gael Clichy, Robinho and Demba Ba - I've been fortunate to share the changerooms with guys like that and then played against the likes of Lionel Messi and those sort of players for the Socceroos - you learn a lot about yourself as a footballer. 'It gives you experience at a higher level. I've always been one to embrace challenges and test myself against the best in the world.' The charismatic veteran is now 34 and all his experiences help him set a stellar example for his relatively young team as they face the furnace of a sold out, pro-Victory crowd. But Behich's whole football career reached its sliding doors moment when he was thrown onto the field for Victory in the 2009-2010 grand final against Sydney FC at a bursting Marvel Stadium. Behich was a skinny teenager on a youth team contract who played as a speedy winger. In the final minutes of normal time with scores tied 1-1, he had a header close to goal which was saved by the keeper. Sydney went on win on penalties 4-1 and Behich was let go with the newly formed Melbourne Heart, City's old name, signing him for its inaugural season, a move that launched his career. 'One thing my parents always told me is when one door closes, another door opens, and after that night, that door closed but I got an opportunity for Melbourne Heart,' Behich said. 'The rest is history.' Does he ever think about what might have happened if he scored and became a Victory legend? 'It could have gone in and my career could have been on a different path but I couldn't be more grateful for the journey I've had so far,' Behich said. It was in that first Heart season that then coach John van't Schip moved Behich to left-back where he has ascended to 75 Socceroos caps, an Asia Cup win in 2015, two World Cups and a decade of club football in Europe - he's still a regular with the Socceroos as well. That move was made without warning when Heart lost veteran left-back Dean Heffernan to suspension before the first Melbourne Derby, so Behich was thrown into the role and never looked back. 'I had never played there but John said he saw the type of player I was and knew I would do well there, so go enjoy it,' Behich recalled. 'We ended up winning that first derby and I got stuck there so I got to give credit to John who I like dearly - he played a big part in my career and development.' Behich has become a respected figure at City and within the Socceroos and his captaincy has been praised by City coach Aurelio Vidmar this season. 'I certainly felt that while we've got some strong leaders at the club, the only one who could do the job we'd expect would be Aziz,' Vidmar said. 'We certainly missed him the last six months of last season and he's been instrumental, he's been so important for us this season. 'Sometimes as a coach, it's not easy to control the changeroom and he's made my life easier because anything that happens or even prior to things happening, he's already onto it, it's like he can sense it.' Loading Winning the championship at home in Melbourne would be special for Behich. 'I'm straight out of Meadow Heights in Broadmeadows and I loved my childhood and where I come from,' Behich said proudly. 'It's made me the person I am today.'
