April 16th
Comm Games bosses admit they ‘got it wrong’ for Closing Ceremony
IT SHOULD’VE been the perfect end to an otherwise successful Commonwealth Games but last night’s Closing Ceremony instead had Channel Seven commentators unleashing on live TV and the event’s bosses scrambling to apologise.
Even before Channel Seven host Johanna Griggs slammed the ceremony on-air, it was clear she wasn’t happy with the network copping criticism for not showing the athletes entering the stadium — including flag bearer Kurt Fearnley.
Griggs went into damage control more than an hour before the ceremony had even wrapped up, furiously tweeting that GOLDOC, the event’s organising committee, was to blame.
“There was no arrival of the athletes as part of the show. A decision by the artistic creative team of the ceremonies. Not us,” she wrote, an hour before the ceremony had even finished.
“They have actually minimised the value of any nation having a flag-bearer for closing. Athletes arrived in drugs [sic — dribs] & drabs with … no mention or fuss being made of any flag bearers. So not Seven’s fault,” she added.
Woman overboard identified as Pacific Dawn cruise ship docks in Brisbane
THE Brisbane woman who fell overboard from the Pacific Dawn and disappeared in a tragedy at sea has been identified as Natasha Schofield, 47, but police say it “wasn’t an accident”.
The cruiseliner docked in Brisbane this morning as police waited to board the ship and investigate after Ms Schofield fell from an upper level deck into the ocean around 150 nautical miles west of New Caledonia on Thursday afternoon. Queensland Police will take statements from crew and passengers.
A search for Ms Schofield was called off on Friday morning and shell-shocked passengers were returned to Brisbane early on Sunday. Her body has not been found.
Ms Schofield was travelling with her husband and three children — aged from 12 to 16.
Queensland Police Inspector Rob Graham said Ms Schofield’s death was intentional.
“This wasn’t an accident,” he said.
“Let’s be open and honest about mental health.
“It’s a tragic end to what should’ve been a lifetime holiday experience for a loving family.
“Her husband was standing right next to her when she went over.”
Concern and confusion over Bundaberg suburb’s PFAS-contaminated water
Bundaberg residents affected by a contaminated water supply say they are worried, despite being assured the risk to their health is low.
The local council has switched off drinking water from a reservoir in the suburb of Svensson Heightsafter unsafe levels of potentially toxic PFAS chemicals were confirmed in the water.
The group of chemicals was used in firefighting foam on Defence bases across the country.
Svensson Heights is located near the city’s airport, a former RAAF station.
Since at least 2000, scientific research has linked these chemicals to a range of human diseases, though the Federal Government’s formal health advice says there is “no consistent evidence” they cause specific illnesses.
A Four Corners report last year revealed Defence was warned as far back as 1987 that the foam product must not enter the environment.
“Even though they were saying on the news it is a very low level, [I] still have concerns,” Svensson Heights resident Nadine Russell said.
There is still some confusion in the community about what exactly the contamination means.
The Queensland Government is offering concerned residents free blood tests through their local GPs.
Ron Holzheimer, who has lived in Svensson Heights for seven years, found out about the contamination on TV.
“We haven’t heard from council at all, the first we heard of it was on the news,” he said.
“No-one has been around or phoned or anything.”
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