A yodelling diploma won’t solve the European debt crisis, but humor can go a long way to get people through bad times—at least that’s what German social media users seemed to feel this week. Twitter and Facebook spheres have been buzzing with tributes for the country’s most beloved humorist Loriot, who died Monday aged 87,…
Broadcast in June 2010 on ABC Radio Australia, an ABC international broadcast service. Poor yields and unpredictable weather are part and parcel of any farming operation, but imagine the impact it can have when your average income is less than a dollar a day. That’s what farmers earn in East Timor…
Broadcast on ABC Radio National on June 23, 2010. People from around the world braved the scorching heat in Timor Leste’s capital this weekend to participate in the country’s first-ever marathon. In an effort to promote peace and understanding, the nation’s best athletes have come together to run the streets of Dili with competitors from Australia, Europe,…
Broadcast on ABC Local Radio Queensland’s Country Hour on May 7, 2010. Despite the uproar in the mining industry over the government super tax, Queensland businessman Clive Palmer says he’ll go ahead with the huge Waratah megamine project in the Galilee Basin in Central Queensland. The resources sector says that the new tax will thwart…
Broadcast on ABC Radio National’s Bush Telegraph in 2010. Now to some pretty antisocial activities – spitting. Queensland cane farmer Josie Bugeja says that alpacas are spitting specialists, and the strategy helps protect other stock against wild dogs and areal predators like hawks. Josie breeds alpacas, and she told Nicky Redl that they are the…
Broadcast on ABC Radio National’s Bush Telegraph on March 31, 2010. How would you feel if a tree crashed into your house leaving you trapped in there with no power, no running water, or even a mobile phone for a week? That’s exactly what happened to Guy Fletchere-Davies during cyclone Ului in Queensland’s north. Nicky…
This report was broadcast on ABC Radio National’s Rural Reporter on November 14, 2009 Many people like to collect things, like porcelain, stamps or art. Ear tags from dead animals spring to mind less readily. But that is exactly what Paul Armstrong in the remote town of Broken Hill in Australia’s Outback has been collecting for…
Broadcast on ABC Local Radio South Australia’s Country Hour in November 2009. With the decline of drive-in theaters in regional areas it is harder to catch a flick on the big screen, but an initiative called the Big Screen Festival is changing that. The festival travels through regional Australia with this year’s best flicks. The…
Broadcast on ABC Radio National’s Rural Reporter on May 9, 2009. A hole in the ground is not everyone’s idea of a dream home but for those who appreciate it White Cliffs is the perfect place to set up house. Most of the opal-mining town in the north-west of New South Wales is made up…
Broadcast on ABC Radio National’s Rural Reporter in 2009. Long-distance races are grueling enough in mild temperatures, but think how it tough it would be to do all your training in the Australian Outback. It’s dusty, dry, and temperatures regularly top 40 C in summer – not to forget the snakes. Broken Hill policeman Wayne…