All posts tagged: Australian

The Boys co-stars Jack Quaid and Claudia Doumit marry in tiny Australian farming town with Kevin Costner and Tom Hanks among guests

The Boys co-stars Jack Quaid and Claudia Doumit marry in tiny Australian farming town with Kevin Costner and Tom Hanks among guests

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more The Boys stars Jack Quaid and Claudia Doumit have reportedly married in an intimate, star-studded ceremony in a small Australian farming town. Quaid, 33, and Doumit, 34, were first linked back in June 2022 after meeting on the set of Amazon Prime Video’s satirical superhero television series. Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported the news Monday that the couple had married at Mona Farm — a five-star hotel and 124-acre estate located in Braidwood, New South Wales. The town is home to fewer than 1,800 residents. “Braidwood itself has been one of NSW’s best-kept secrets,” Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council Mayor Kenrick Winchester told the publication. “It is a great little town, only an hour to the beach and an hour to an international airport. Outside …

My rookie era: I lived off the land for a week – by day five I was naked, my clothes dangling over the campfire | Australian lifestyle

My rookie era: I lived off the land for a week – by day five I was naked, my clothes dangling over the campfire | Australian lifestyle

Published by Sam Flores

At 15 I proved the maxim: “Hire a teen while they still know everything.” That summer of 1971, I judged the world and concluded that civilisation was meh, and surely doomed. So with the zeal of the truly clueless I resolved to try living off the land, and left behind my comfortable family home and smirking parents. Equipped for an epic, I’d packed a tent, canteen, billy, sleeping bag, cord, emergency rations (two carrots, bag of soup mix, creamed rice) and a bushcraft pamphlet protecting a Women’s Weekly cutting of Princess Caroline of Monaco. I’d convinced fellow members in our class geek club, Peter and David, of the venture’s virtue, and together we chugged along now-vanished tracks through Victoria’s central highlands to Molesworth station, then ascended 460 metres over the summit of nearby Mount Concord to the nirvana I’d spotted on a survey map: a grassy flat beside the seductively named Chrystal Creek. ‘There are moments in life when hubris resets your ego.’: Andrew Herrick in 1971 Day two we spent staggering around in agony, …

Australian soldier charged with war crimes vows to clear his name

Australian soldier charged with war crimes vows to clear his name

Published by Sam Flores

SYDNEY: An Australian former soldier charged with committing war crimes in Afghanistan vowed on Sunday (Apr 18) to clear his name, saying he had never “run from a fight” in his first public comments since his arrest. “For the past 10 years, my family and I have been subject to a campaign to convince Australians that I’ve acted improperly in my service in Afghanistan,” Ben Roberts-Smith told journalists in Gold Coast. “I categorically deny all of these allegations, and while I would have preferred these charges not be brought, I will be taking this opportunity to finally clear my name,” he said. Roberts-Smith was granted bail on Friday after a high-profile arrest on five counts of “war crime – murder”. Police alleged he was complicit in a string of unlawful killings between 2009 and 2012. The Victoria Cross recipient has denied all the charges. He was released from prison on Friday evening after 10 days behind bars. “I’m proud of my service in Afghanistan. While I was there, I always acted within my values,” he …

Former Australian Soldier Speaks Out Against Allegations of Afghan War Crimes

Former Australian Soldier Speaks Out Against Allegations of Afghan War Crimes

Published by Sam Flores

(Corrects day to Sunday in first ⁠paragraph) SYDNEY, ⁠April 19 (Reuters) – Australia’s most ⁠decorated soldier, charged with war crimes related to Afghanistan ​deployments more than a decade ago, on Sunday publicly denied the allegations ‌against him and said he ‌was proud of his service. Ben Roberts-Smith, 47, freed this week ⁠on bail, ⁠is charged with five counts of war crimes over the ​alleged murder of five unarmed Afghan civilians between 2009 and 2012. Each charge carries a maximum jail term of life. The former Special Air Service (SAS) ​corporal has consistently denied the accusations of wrongdoing, many first reported ⁠by Nine ⁠Entertainment newspapers in a ⁠series ​of articles starting in 2018. Speaking to the media on Queensland’s Gold Coast, ​Roberts-Smith said he ⁠always acted within the rules of engagement in Afghanistan. “I categorically deny all of these allegations, and while I would have preferred these charges not be brought, I will be taking this opportunity to finally ⁠clear my name,” he said. “I’m proud of my service in Afghanistan.” After ⁠more than a week …

The moment I knew: Our knees touched and we froze – it was cinematic | Australian lifestyle

The moment I knew: Our knees touched and we froze – it was cinematic | Australian lifestyle

Published by Sam Flores

In 2019, I started a job as a junior editor for an online city guide in Melbourne. I was struck by the social media coordinator, Steph, who worked quietly and diligently in a corner of the office, but had a surname that was at odds with her vibe. She was Vigilante by name, but not by nature. Our shared Italian heritage was an instant bonding agent. We had chemistry, sure, but it was purely platonic. Even when lockdown put a pin in all things in real life, work’s instant messaging app helped our friendship survive working from home. I’d write stories about the city; Steph would cleverly bring them to life on social media. The synergy was real. As restrictions eased, we began spending more time together. But I was oblivious to how things were snowballing. I sent her cacio e pepe tortellini when she had Covid. I invited her to a restaurant I was reviewing and we lingered long after dessert, glassy-eyed, swapping stories about our nonnos, who we’d both just lost. I felt …

Helen Goh’s recipe for Anzac sandwich biscuits with dark chocolate filling | Australian food and drink

Helen Goh’s recipe for Anzac sandwich biscuits with dark chocolate filling | Australian food and drink

Published by Sam Flores

Anzac biscuits are closely associated with Anzac Day on 25 April, which commemorates the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who served in the first world war. Made with oats, coconut and golden syrup, the biscuits are said to have been popular because they travelled well and kept for long periods, making them suitable for sending to forces overseas. My version here, a slightly less austere take on the classic, sandwiches two small biscuits with a lightly salted, olive oil-enriched dark chocolate ganache. The result is crisp at the edges, soft within and not too sweet. Anzac sandwich biscuits with dark chocolate filling Prep 5 minCook 35 min, plus coolingMakes 12 s For the biscuits90g rolled oats45g plain flour40g light brown sugar30g caster sugar40g desiccated coconut80g unsalted butter40g golden syrup½ tsp bicarbonate of soda¼ tsp fine sea salt For the ganache110g dark chocolate (60-70% cocoa solids), chopped60ml single cream2 tsp olive oil ¼ tsp flaky sea salt Put the oats, flour, sugars and coconut in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. …

Australian sprinter Gout Gout breaks Usain Bolt’s under-20 200m mark

Australian sprinter Gout Gout breaks Usain Bolt’s under-20 200m mark

Published by Jenni Sidey

The number on the clock in Sydney was 19.67, and that alone was enough to put Gout Gout in rare company. The 18-year-old Australian sprinter ran 200 meters faster on Sunday than Usain Bolt ever did before turning 20, producing one of the most eye-catching performances of the track season so far. Gout’s run came at the Australian Championships, where he surged away from the field in the closing stretch to win the national title. He got out of the blocks well enough, then made up ground and kept building speed, finishing well clear of the pack. His time of 19.67 set a world under-20 record, pending ratification by World Athletics. It also broke Bolt’s best under-20 mark of 19.93, which the Jamaican great ran in 2004 when he was 17. The 18-year-old Australian sprinter ran 200 meters faster on Sunday than Usain Bolt ever did before turning 20. (CREDIT: Athletics Weekly) That comparison needs some context. Gout did not break Bolt’s senior world record of 19.19, set in 2009, and he has not touched …

I was a professional fairy. The kids made the job magical – but the adults could be a nightmare | Australian lifestyle

I was a professional fairy. The kids made the job magical – but the adults could be a nightmare | Australian lifestyle

Published by Sam Flores

From the age of 16 to 22, I was a children’s entertainer. Most often a fairy, sometimes a witch, ballerina, princess or mermaid – with conspicuous legs underneath her tail. One time, hilariously, a ladybug. The hourly rate was excellent, the costumes were cute and the tiny customers even cuter. My special skills were memorising every child’s name, preparing hundreds of fairy-bread triangles, vacuuming a party space in full costume, singing while I applied sparkles to the eyelids of my pint-size revellers, and driving a small hatchback car filled with 50 bubblegum-pink helium balloons. Oh, and the position required a strong tolerance for the behaviour of parents. Of course, the job taught me about children. Their belief in magic starts to wane about age four but it lingers till shortly after they reach double digits. Boys and girls are equally likely, when presented with a choice of prizes, to select lipstick, nail polish and glitter eye shadow. The truth of who a person is or could be? It’s already there, when we’re tiny. Group dynamics …

Once seen as a war hero, Australian ex-soldier will stand trial for alleged war crimes : NPR

Once seen as a war hero, Australian ex-soldier will stand trial for alleged war crimes : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Until a few years ago, Ben Roberts-Smith was one of Australia’s most celebrated war heroes. But now, he will stand trial for alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan. MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: Until a few years ago, Ben Roberts-Smith was one of Australia’s most celebrated war heroes. Now he will stand trial for alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan. As Kristina Kukolja reports from Melbourne, he remains in custody after his legal team declined to request bail. KRISTINA KUKOLJA, BYLINE: A yearslong investigation led to the arrest of Ben Roberts-Smith at Sydney airport on Tuesday. The 47-year-old former special forces soldier is charged with five counts of murder as a war crime over his alleged role in the killing of Afghan civilians in Uruzgan Province between 2009 and 2012. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett told reporters, it’s alleged… (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) KRISSY BARRETT: The victims were detained, unarmed and were under the control of ADF members when they were killed. KUKOLJA: The ADF is the Australian Defense Force. An ongoing investigation into the …