Monday, 26 March 2001

Disciples flock to scene of The Don's triumph - THE BRADMAN MEMORIAL, The Australian, 26 March, 2001.

Disciples flock to scene of The Don's triumph - THE BRADMAN MEMORIAL: [1 Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 26 Mar 2001: 4.
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ALAN Wetheridge is one of the lucky few who can remember seeing The Don bat at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Last night, the 75-year-old was among several hundred people allowed on to the SCG's playing surface for the first time to bid farewell to the nation's greatest sportsman. Of the 76 centuries Bradman scored on Australian soil, 22 of them were at the SCG.
"It is almost spiritual. It is great seeing fathers and sons playing cricket. This is a special way to acknowledge Don Bradman's contribution to world cricket.
ALAN Wetheridge is one of the lucky few who can remember seeing The Don bat at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Last night, the 75-year-old was among several hundred people allowed on to the SCG's playing surface for the first time to bid farewell to the nation's greatest sportsman. Of the 76 centuries Bradman scored on Australian soil, 22 of them were at the SCG.
"I came here in 1936, when I was 10. I sat up there with my mother," Mr Wetheridge said last night, pointing into the stands.
"We used to listen to the cricket on the radio. Bradman was a great sportsman and a great character.
"My grandson Matt, who is seven, is here -- he loves cricket. My memories aren't going to last that much longer, but he might remember this night for another 80 years."
The broad appeal of The Don was evident in the diverse crowd that gathered on the ground despite the damp weather. All spoke ofthe peculiar, almost spooky feel of walking where the greats had walked.
"All the world's best cricketers have played here," said Steve Towner, 43, who brought his 11-year-old son Andrew to the event. "It is good to see so many people are paying their respects to a great Australian."
A group of students from Kelso High School in Bathurst travelled to Sydney, bowling balls under the bright lights on the same field where Bradman had played.
Year 12 student Laura Parkes, 17, said attending a memorial tribute to a world cricket icon was something special. "He was cricket," she said. "If you think about cricket that is who you think of. He will always be remembered as the best cricketer in the world."
Fellow student, Jack Gardener, 17, said it was good to be part of history: "I love cricket and Bradman has always been an inspirational figure."
Chief executive officer of the SCG, Jamie Barkley, said opening the grounds for free to the general public was a way of marking theoccasion and giving something back to the people. "We have never allowed patrons onto the grounds like this," he said.
"It is almost spiritual. It is great seeing fathers and sons playing cricket. This is a special way to acknowledge Don Bradman's contribution to world cricket.
"He started his career here and it is fitting that everyone has been allowed to come here today.
"He was a great role model and he always appealed across the generations and across social divides."
Illustration
Caption: Fond farewell:; Pictures: Angela Brkic, Chris Mangan, James Knowler; Photo: Photo
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Friday, 23 March 2001

Vineyard is centrepiece of retreat, The Australina, 23 March, 2001.

Vineyard is centrepiece of retreat: [1 Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 23 Mar 2001: 37.
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A million-dollar working vineyard has been established in two plots on the estate, owned by Bradman but managed by Evans Wines. The first chardonnay grapes are expected next year.
There are caveats on the minimum size and style of homes to ensure a country feel. Building guidelines at the estate were created by Bradman Corporation's own designers in conjunction with Order Architects' Kim Crestani.
Reflecting the views of other developers, Bradman chief executive Peter Brennan said that during housing downturns high-quality estates still sold.
RURAL RESIDENTIAL
RON and Joan Stokes were feeding cattle on their 120-hectare property near Picton when Sydney developer Bradman Corporation bought a nearby property in order to establish a golf resort.
"We had been farming all of our life, and I said to my wife: `Let's just sell out and retire'," he said.
"We were married when we were 20, had five kids and never had a honeymoon. I was getting up at 4am. I'm only 60, but I was worn out.
"I rang 'em up, Bradman came out. Once council approved the subdivision, they bought."
The Stokes got a handsome price, which they coyly put at more than $1.4 million, but to this day Ron remains amazed at what has happened to the old farm.
Now called Nangarin Vineyard Estate, the $45 million development is a one-off; not quite a gated community, but almost. A single entrance across a protected creek ensures no through traffic.
There are 115 blocks surrounding a vineyard or winding along valley roads, with sections of bushland and all the ridgetops preserved.
Horse trails and walking paths along Stone Quarry Creek are jointly owned by the community. Almost half the development is taken up with the vineyard or community land.
Seventy lots have been sold. Fibre-optic cable has been laid throughout the estate, ensuring high-quality internet access to appeal to telecommuters, people who may need to travel to Sydney or Canberra for their jobs several days a week but can also do much of their work from home.
The developers are keen to point out that once Sydney's M5 is finished Nangarin will be only one traffic light from the city.
The company's research shows people are looking for privacy and tranquility, but with all the mod cons.
Under innovative zoning rules at Wollondilly Shire Council, subdivision was being allowed on some farms as long as an agricultural function was also maintained.
The rules have since been rescinded, ensuring that Nangarin Vineyard Estate will remain unique.
A million-dollar working vineyard has been established in two plots on the estate, owned by Bradman but managed by Evans Wines. The first chardonnay grapes are expected next year.
A "no interest until 2002" campaign has seen 26 properties sell for $5.68 million in the first two months this year.
Prices range from $185,000 to $290,000 for land and from $495,000 for a house-and-land package. Blocks vary in size between .4 and 1.1 hectares.
There are caveats on the minimum size and style of homes to ensure a country feel. Building guidelines at the estate were created by Bradman Corporation's own designers in conjunction with Order Architects' Kim Crestani.
The zoning means that the flatter agricultural land is taken by the vineyard. Four house-and-land packages, including a design by Prestige Pole Homes, are available and ready to be occupied.
Graheme Kelly, Bradman partner and land operations director, said there had never been a problem with someone wanting to build a small house.
"These are people's dream homes. They're not usually first homebuyers."
Bradman Corporation, after legal action from the famous cricketing family, has agreed to change its name to Bradcorp within the next two years.
Reflecting the views of other developers, Bradman chief executive Peter Brennan said that during housing downturns high-quality estates still sold.
"We are keying into the aspirations people have for a better lifestyle and something better for their family," Mr Brennan said.
"Our studies show that 7 per cent of people in this area telecommute to some degree. They spend a couple of days in the city and therest in the country.
"We think this trend is increasing. The fibre-optic cable and high-speed internet access is a definite factor in the success of this development. It is city country living."
Illustration
Caption: Dream:; Photo: Photo
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Wednesday, 21 March 2001

Constable at fatal siege influenced by cannabis, The Australian, 21 March, 2001.

Constable at fatal siege influenced by cannabis: [1 Edition]

John Stapleton, Sophie Morris. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 21 Mar 2001: 5.
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A SENIOR constable involved in the fatal shooting of a hermit on his NSW property has been suspended after tests showed he was under the influence of cannabis at the time.
A 33-hour siege involving 90 officers began after police tried to serve Hallinan with warrants relating to his use of unregistered cars. The hermit had had a long and hostile relationship with local police.
The NSW Police Service said yesterday the suspended officer had not fired a weapon during the incident. The officer was drug-tested after the fatal shooting on February 24.
A SENIOR constable involved in the fatal shooting of a hermit on his NSW property has been suspended after tests showed he was under the influence of cannabis at the time.
The shooting of Jimmy Hallinan at his isolated hut outside Tumut has created outrage in the tight-knit Snowy Mountains community.
A 33-hour siege involving 90 officers began after police tried to serve Hallinan with warrants relating to his use of unregistered cars. The hermit had had a long and hostile relationship with local police.
The NSW Police Service said yesterday the suspended officer had not fired a weapon during the incident. The officer was drug-tested after the fatal shooting on February 24.
Former federal attorney-general Kep Enderby, who lives in the area, said he was not surprised at the latest revelations. "It was an outrageous killing and an outrageous abuse of force," he said.
Retired Arbitration Court judge Jim Staples said the suspended senior constable was simply "the fall guy".
"The important question is who shot Jim Hallinan, not whether other people may have been on drugs that night. There were three people involved in the shooting of Hallinan. Those officers have not been charged. Police do not have a licence to kill.
"This was an execution. James Hallinan died from a gunshot wound to the back of his head."
A coroner's report lists the cause of death as "gunshot wound to the neck".
The man's distressed sister Loretta Jamieson said last night: "It's not right. They shouldn't be on duty if they have alcohol or drugs in their system. It is outrageous. It is just ridiculous. It should not have happened.
"Hopefully, we can stop this happening to someone else."
NSW Council for Civil Liberties secretary Joan Lock said it would be more appropriate to drug-test the officers before they went out into the field.
"It was a gross overreaction on the part of the police when they came out to serve a summons," she said. "The officer should not have been there. When one is under the influence of cannabis, it can lower one's sense of responsibility."
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Tuesday, 20 March 2001

Unions in fear of massive job losses, The Australian, 20 March, 2001.

Unions in fear of massive job losses: [1 Edition]

Graeme Leech, John Stapleton. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 20 Mar 2001: 2.
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"For the workers of Port Kembla, it is all very well to say you will `spin off' the steel company, but that steel company is underpinned by four coalmines.
Most workers enjoying a few beers after work in Port Kembla yesterday were unimpressed with BHP becoming a global resource company.
Trisha Bowden, a Port Kembla pharmacist and local Chamber of Commerce member, said sadly that she thought Port Kembla had gone down about as far as it could.
UNCERTAINTY faces the steel workers of Port Kembla, in the heart of the Illawarra region of NSW.
The merger of BHP and the British resource giant Billiton could ultimately spell the end of thousands of mining and steel jobs inthe region, unions said yesterday.
The BHP steelworks is still the largest of its type in the southern hemisphere, but the workforce has been reduced to about 5800 from a high of 22,000 in the early 1980s.
The Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union's mining national president, Tony Maher, said the jobs of 1000 coal miners could be at risk. He called on BHP to clarify their situation. Mr Maher said that attempts to extract security-of-employment guarantees from thecompany had failed.
"If there is no threat to job security, come out and say so," he said. "There is now massive uncertainty. BHP needs to clear this up."
Mr Maher said many workers would be disappointed that another Australian icon was going overseas.
"BHP will no longer be the Big Australian," he said.
"For the workers of Port Kembla, it is all very well to say you will `spin off' the steel company, but that steel company is underpinned by four coalmines.
"And we don't know if the coalmines are going with the steel company or whether they have to make their way on their own."
Port Kembla branch secretary Andy Gillespie tried to assure his members that there were awards and legal instruments in place to protect their jobs, at least in the short term.
"Nothing will change tomorrow," he said. "It is a question of the longer-term impact."
National secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union Doug Cameron condemned the merger as "another example of shareholder values coming before the interests of employees and the community and before Australia's national interest".
He said the merger raised concerns not just about jobs but the entire Australian manufacturing base.
Most workers enjoying a few beers after work in Port Kembla yesterday were unimpressed with BHP becoming a global resource company.
Plant operator Adam Moxon was resigned to the possibility of redundancy: "It has been a bit shaky around here for a while. Sure, I'm worried."
Ironworker Jimmy Tanasovski said he believed there would be job losses.
"I'll be doing more work for the same pay," he said.
At the Port Kembla Leagues Club, a show begins on Thursday titled "What if they closed your steelworks".
Manager Bruce Neaves expects business to drop as a result of the merger, just as it has for years.
Beer sales, at 25 kegs a week, are only an eighth of what they once were.
Trisha Bowden, a Port Kembla pharmacist and local Chamber of Commerce member, said sadly that she thought Port Kembla had gone down about as far as it could.
"When BHP has a sniffle, the rest of the economy gets a cold," she said.
"We've been in a slump for so long."
Illustration
Caption: Looking forward:; Renee Nowytarger; Photo: Photo
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Saturday, 17 March 2001

Two-pronged attack on cancer, Weekend Australian, 17 March, 2001.

Two-pronged attack on cancer: [1 Edition]

Stapleton, John. Weekend Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 17 Mar 2001: C.12.
Last week the NSW Government, in conjunction with Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital, launched a research project combining the use of chemotherapy and thalidomide.
The treatment is the most promising breakthrough yet in the asbestos-related condition. Previous trials using chemotherapy or thalidomide alone showed positive results, the first in attacking the cancer and the latter in improving quality of life.
Initial experiments trialled patients on thalidomide or chemotherapy using low doses at frequent intervals. Those on the thalidomide had more pain relief and better quality of life. Those on chemotherapy lived with the disease more comfortably and appear to be surviving longer. The new trials will combine thalidomide with the chemotherapy.

Full Text

MESOTHELIOMA is one of the most virulent of cancers.
Patients usually present to their doctors with shortness of breath, chest pains and loss of weight. Within a year they are almost always dead. There is no cure.
Until recently there was virtually no treatment.
Last week the NSW Government, in conjunction with Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital, launched a research project combining the use of chemotherapy and thalidomide.
The treatment is the most promising breakthrough yet in the asbestos-related condition. Previous trials using chemotherapy or thalidomide alone showed positive results, the first in attacking the cancer and the latter in improving quality of life.
The trials are being funded with $198,000 from the Dust Diseases Board's research grants scheme.
Several high payouts have brought renewed attention to asbestos- acquired diseases. The latest statistics from the Mesothelioma Register shows that between 1989 and 1996 some 2611 Australians, mostly men, were diagnosed with the disease.
While thalidomide caused birth defects when it was used as a tranquiliser in the 1950s and 1960s, it also has anti-angiogenic qualities: it inhibits the growth of blood vessels in tumours.
Dr Helen Wheeler, who with research partner Dr Nick Pavlakis will run the trials, said: "In mesothelioma there is no treatment or standard of care. Most things are just supportive therapy. Patients suffer pain and poor quality of life. It is a terrible disease. There is a desperate need for a new therapy."
Initial experiments trialled patients on thalidomide or chemotherapy using low doses at frequent intervals. Those on the thalidomide had more pain relief and better quality of life. Those on chemotherapy lived with the disease more comfortably and appear to be surviving longer. The new trials will combine thalidomide with the chemotherapy.
Emily Blackman and Ron Evans are two patients who have had the chemotherapy and have both benefited markedly from it.
Last June Mrs Blackman was playing tennis when she felt short of breath and went to the doctor. She went in to hospital but was told there was no treatment and was sent home.
Like many sufferers, she does not know how she caught the disease but believes it may have come from washing her husband's clothes. He was a carpenter at Royal North Shore Hospital for more than 30 years.
Her distressed sons got on to the internet and discovered that there were experimental therapies and refused to accept that there was no help for their mother. Now, feeling much better, every day is a gift.
"I wouldn't like to go through the last year again," she said. "I feel like I am in heaven in comparison."
Ron Evans, 72, assumes he got the disease as a result of his years working as an electrician. Having already been through four heart attacks, he said: "I'm determined not to let them get me. I am proud of the age I have reached. Every day is a winner."
Dust Diseases Board executive officer Geoff Lansley said the new trials were not only very promising, but were "something tangible, they are going to make a difference to the quality of life of these people. Whether a cure can be found or not is hypothetical, but for a person who has a death sentence quality of life is very important. All the old conventional approaches have gone nowhere".
The Dust Diseases Board has a grants program of $1.1 million and is inviting further research funding submissions.
Illustration
Caption: Every extra day's a bonus:; Photo: Photo
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