Latest news with #Parrott
Perth Now
12 hours ago
- Perth Now
Forget the diamonds, camels are a girl's best friend
Instead of a dozen red roses, a bottle of bubbly or romantic poetry, Emily Parrott gave her hubby a camel for their first Valentine's Day. "When he met me, that's when he met camels," she tells AAP of husband Luke. "He found his first two loves. "As long as I don't ask which one comes first then we don't have a problem." Nearly 15 years after that fateful February, camels remain the centre of the Parrott family's world. The couple runs the Oakfield Ranch with Ms Parrott's father at Anna Bay in the NSW Hunter Valley, hosting camel rides along the picturesque beaches of Port Stephens. They're gearing up to take 10 camels, including Foxy Lady, Polished Copper, Bronte, Barry and Jeffrey on a nearly 6000km round-trip via South Australia to Queensland for the Desert Champions Way: Outback Camel Trail. Winding through the red dust to the Queensland outposts of Jundah, Birdsville, Bedourie, Boulia and Winton in July, the trail features camel races and rides, live music and markets at every stop. Ms Parrott, who has been around camels since she was a baby and began racing at 14, can get the animals running up to 45km/h. It's a bumpy - or humpy - ride around the dirt track as jockeys skilfully hover above the saddles. "They're not very nice to sit on at speed," she says. "They're quite bouncy, so the less your bottom is in the saddle is probably more comfortable." Apart from the rollicking races, the trail is a celebration of the outback spirit and pays tribute to the storied history of cameleers in colonial times. Camels were brought to Australia from Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent during the gold rushes, when they were used to transport goods across the arid inland. Cameleers established their own transport and import businesses until cars were introduced in the 1920s. Many of the animals were then released into the wild. An eccentric "globetrotter" named HD Constantinou spent nine years walking with camels and a cameleer from Sydney to Perth in the 1930s, wearing through 50 pairs of boots. "He stated he had walked every inch of the way across from Sydney, the camels ... carrying his baggage," Brisbane's Telegraph newspaper reported in 1939. Ms Parrott feels an affinity with the ancient creatures, a passion passed down by her father who bought 20 camels to establish his business. "Animals don't get enough recognition for the amount of effort they've put in for humanity," she says. "Donkeys and camels are a huge part of Australia's history. "They were brought over here to build Australia up." Her 10-year-old daughter Abby, who will accompany her parents on the outback trail with her six-year-old brother Cooper, has observed the deep connection between her mum and the herd. "About six months ago she said, 'mum, when do I get my special power?' "I said, 'what do you mean?' and she said, 'your special power, how you know what animals are thinking'." The Desert Champions Way: Outback Camel Trail kicks off with the Jundah camel races on July 5 and ends in Winton on July 26.
West Australian
12 hours ago
- West Australian
Forget the diamonds, camels are a girl's best friend
Instead of a dozen red roses, a bottle of bubbly or romantic poetry, Emily Parrott gave her hubby a camel for their first Valentine's Day. "When he met me, that's when he met camels," she tells AAP of husband Luke. "He found his first two loves. "As long as I don't ask which one comes first then we don't have a problem." Nearly 15 years after that fateful February, camels remain the centre of the Parrott family's world. The couple runs the Oakfield Ranch with Ms Parrott's father at Anna Bay in the NSW Hunter Valley, hosting camel rides along the picturesque beaches of Port Stephens. They're gearing up to take 10 camels, including Foxy Lady, Polished Copper, Bronte, Barry and Jeffrey on a nearly 6000km round-trip via South Australia to Queensland for the Desert Champions Way: Outback Camel Trail. Winding through the red dust to the Queensland outposts of Jundah, Birdsville, Bedourie, Boulia and Winton in July, the trail features camel races and rides, live music and markets at every stop. Ms Parrott, who has been around camels since she was a baby and began racing at 14, can get the animals running up to 45km/h. It's a bumpy - or humpy - ride around the dirt track as jockeys skilfully hover above the saddles. "They're not very nice to sit on at speed," she says. "They're quite bouncy, so the less your bottom is in the saddle is probably more comfortable." Apart from the rollicking races, the trail is a celebration of the outback spirit and pays tribute to the storied history of cameleers in colonial times. Camels were brought to Australia from Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent during the gold rushes, when they were used to transport goods across the arid inland. Cameleers established their own transport and import businesses until cars were introduced in the 1920s. Many of the animals were then released into the wild. An eccentric "globetrotter" named HD Constantinou spent nine years walking with camels and a cameleer from Sydney to Perth in the 1930s, wearing through 50 pairs of boots. "He stated he had walked every inch of the way across from Sydney, the camels ... carrying his baggage," Brisbane's Telegraph newspaper reported in 1939. Ms Parrott feels an affinity with the ancient creatures, a passion passed down by her father who bought 20 camels to establish his business. "Animals don't get enough recognition for the amount of effort they've put in for humanity," she says. "Donkeys and camels are a huge part of Australia's history. "They were brought over here to build Australia up." Her 10-year-old daughter Abby, who will accompany her parents on the outback trail with her six-year-old brother Cooper, has observed the deep connection between her mum and the herd. "About six months ago she said, 'mum, when do I get my special power?' "I said, 'what do you mean?' and she said, 'your special power, how you know what animals are thinking'." The Desert Champions Way: Outback Camel Trail kicks off with the Jundah camel races on July 5 and ends in Winton on July 26.
Daily Record
20 hours ago
- Daily Record
Beauty And The Geek star charged with murder after partner's body found
The star of Beauty And The Geek remains in police custody as the investigation continues. A former reality TV star has been arrested and charged with murdering her partner after he was found dead in what emergency services described as a "grisly scene". Mercy crews were called to the couple's home in Port Lincoln, South Australia at 3.25pm on Thursday, June 19 amid "reports of a small fire", with the man's body found inside. The 34-year-old star, whose identity has not been disclosed, appeared in the show Beauty And The Geek, which aimed to match a "nerd" to a beautiful woman. According to local newspaper The Courier Mail, she was arrested and later charged with murder. South Australia Police confirmed both the suspect and victim were known to each other. The woman was refused bail and remains in police custody. Major crime officers and forensics teams travelled to Port Lincoln to help local police with their investigation, the Mirror reports. A neighbour described her as "really nice, very pleasant, polite", on hearing the news. A statement from South Australia Police read: "When police entered the property, they located a man deceased inside the premises. A 34-year-old Port Lincoln woman has been arrested at the scene and has been charged with the man's murder." It continued: "She has been refused police bail and may appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court today. Detectives from Major Crime Investigation Branch and Forensic Response Section officers flew to the scene last night and are assisting local police with the investigation." The force added: "Police believe both the man and woman are known to each other and there are no community safety concerns." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Ian Parrott, an officer from the force, said: "I can reassure members of the community that this is not a random incident." He added: "We understand that the female who has been arrested and the deceased male both lived at this address." It is understood the couple had recently moved in together. Parrott added: "It is still very early stages of this investigation and it's likely that the Major Crime investigators and the forensic response members will be there most of today." A cause of death is yet to be confirmed. At the time of speaking to local media, the victim's family had not been informed, meaning certain details of the investigation could not be released. A suppression order has been put in place, preventing the victim's identity or details of his death being published, as well as the identity of the suspect, which will be reviewed by a court next week. The woman is said to have been held under the Mental Health Act, and has not been granted bail. A date has been set for her to appear in court in December.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Something that mattered': 3 Kentucky women on their military service
Growing up, service was a way of life for Dina Parrott. From watching her grandmother make a meal and deliver it to a family coping with the loss of a loved one, to seeing her mom pitch in to help a neighbor down on his luck, Parrott was surrounded by servant leaders. 'My mom and grandmother had me all over the place helping people,' said Parrott, 53, an Air Force veteran. 'They did so much of that, and I remember seeing that, and not thinking it was a big deal. As I got older, I was like, 'Wow.' They elected to help people. And then, as I grew up a little bit more, I started feeling like it was what you were supposed to do.' Without knowing it was happening, that became what Parrott wanted to do with her life. For her, she discovered that service would come in the form of a career with the U.S. Air Force. 'With the military… it's not about just going to war. It's about helping people and making people better,' Parrott said. Women Veterans Recognition Day is observed annually on June 12, commemorating the Women's Armed Service Integration Act of 1948. It is not a separate Veterans Day for women. Instead, in at least 21 states including Kentucky, special attention is paid to women's military contributions. Parrott is one of nearly 2 million female veterans living in the U.S. today — 24,000 of whom are in Kentucky. Since the Revolutionary War, more than 3 million women have served in or with the armed forces, according to the Department of Defense. Veterans like Parrott say it's essential to remember that much has changed for the better for women who serve, because of the sacrifices of those who went before them. Recognizing these female veterans coincides with a time of reflection across Lexington as they city celebrates its 250th birthday with one eye on its rich history and the other on its future as a community and its commitment to public service. After completing a year of college, Parrott's school funds were depleted. She needed a new direction, and wanted a change in her environment. She enlisted in January 1994 and stayed until her retirement in July 2019. 'It was two years before I really understood what (the military) was all about, and I really loved it,' she said. 'It spoke to everything I believed in morally, things I valued.' She enlisted in January 1994 and stayed until her retirement in July 2019. 'I was going to go for four years,' Parrott said. 'I stayed with the Air Force because their No. 1 thing became people first. Literally, this is what they said, 'Put people first and the mission will get done.'' After retiring from active duty, Parrott now serves as the women veterans program administrator for the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs. 'When I retired, I went back to school, but then I said to my husband, 'I don't have a purpose,' and I struggled. I had nothing to wake up to,' Parrott said. 'It was missing that itch, that call that somebody needs me.' Parrott was young and wanted to do more with her life, and she said she's found that in the work she does with the VA, especially because she gets to celebrate many who are often overlooked. 'People need to understand that every individual, no matter what race or gender or whatever, has something unique to contribute to a mission, whatever you're doing,' Parrott said. Parrott said historically many groups of people — including minorities and women — have been overlooked or relegated to more 'traditional' roles. 'Women have so much more to offer, we've evolved into seeing that everybody is capable. Not everybody has the same strengths, but that's how you build a good team,' she said. Parrott pointed to the accomplishments that continue to be brought to light about women's roles in the military, including those of the Hello Girls, a group of World War I female telephone operators and about the World War II-era 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, highlighted in the 2024 film 'The Six Triple Eight' by Tyler Perry. The battalion included 18 women from Kentucky. The unit has collectively earned a Meritorious Unit Commendation, awarded in 2019, and a Congressional Gold Medal, awarded in 2022. 'Back in the day, none of those women who served were recognized as a veteran for the service they did in the military,' Parrott said. 'There were sought out and brought in, and then overlooked.' Today, Parrott works to right some of those historical deficiencies, and she's hoping to set people straight for the future. 'The reason my program exists is to acknowledge women who have served,' she said. 'If I go to my VA here and my husband goes with me, the volunteers right away are shaking his hand saying, 'Thank you for your service.' I get so angry.' Parrott's husband has never been in the military, and he's quick to correct those who assume he's the veteran, she said. 'He'll give me my props and say, 'No, no, that's all her.' When a woman walks into the VA, she's thought of as anything but a veteran. 'We're trying to bring light to some of these issues, trying to make sure that women are acknowledged,' Parrott said. One major initiative is the Military Women's Memorial Register. An interactive database of records, the register asks women, or their loved ones if the veteran is deceased, to provide information about the service completed. 'It lives on forever, so that no woman's story is ever forgotten again,' Parrott said. Parrott remembers a photo she sent home to her family. On a wall on base were photos of various squadron leaders, including Parrott. 'I remember taking a picture of all these men up here, saying what squadron they're with, and you know they are this leader and that leader. And here's my little face, this little Black girl,' she said. 'I sent it to my mom, and she cried. She cried when she saw that and she said, 'How are you up there?' 'And I said, 'Mom, we have come a long way. We can do this stuff. We just need the opportunity.'' Participation in the ROTC program in high school set Alex Lamb on her path to the military. But years before that, Lamb, now 57, had an inkling there was some type of service in her future. Lamb's mom worked at the police department and Lamb herself was involved in Girl Scouts in her hometown of Gainesville, Florida. Popular period movies of the 1980s like Top Gun and An Officer and a Gentleman further embedded that military mindset into Lamb. Still, Lamb's mother Wanda didn't immediately embrace the idea of her only child heading off to enlist. She went to college for a few months, but tuition and fees were hard to afford, so her mom gave her blessing to enlist. Lamb served from 1989 to 1993. 'I got on the bus that night, and I was wearing jeans and a University of Florida T-shirt, you know like an 18-year-old would wear,' she said. Upon arrival at the U.S. Navy Training Center in Orlando, Florida, Lamb said she quickly understood the weight of her decision. 'You get off the bus, and it's dark. They take you all into a room and you raise your right hand and swear (service) to the country,' Lamb said. Uniform sizing came next. Among other things, Lamb recalled the nondescript nature of the items: plain white underwear and stiff, ill-fitting boots. Nothing personal. Her comfortable jeans and T-shirt were gone, and days later showed up back at her parent's home. Navy personnel mailed Lamb's clothes back to her mother. When she saw the contents, Lamb's mom was shocked. 'She said, 'Honey, I felt like you died,'' Lamb said. 'My mom said that broke her heart. I'll never forget her telling me that.' After apprentice training school, where recruits would be exposed from everything to plumbing and electrical career pathways, to carpentry and machining, Lamb landed in a role as an electrician. But she'd been hoping for something a little more. 'I love water and diving and all that. I wanted to be in search and rescue,' she said. Back then, Lamb said she and other women were discouraged from pursuing those roles. What's more, she said that even in the jobs where women were assigned, the placements generated some not-so-friendly ribbing from their male colleagues. 'They would make bets on who would make it and who wouldn't,' she said. 'You always had to watch your back. No matter how long you were in an assignment, you had to watch your back. And then, when you worked hard — really hard — you never got the credit for it.' The Lexington woman recalled a conversation she overheard when working on a dock. 'After watching me work, a shipyard worker once said, in front of his employees, 'I'll take her and leave you three behind,'' Lamb said. 'That's just how you had to work, to prove yourself. But I hope it paved the way for men to think twice.' The pressure women felt during their active-duty years continues to be a challenge for female service members today, according to a 2021 study in the Journal of Trauma and Dissociation. Women veterans interviewed by researchers revealed that they, among other challenges, were subjected to gender-based discrimination, and continued to feel marginalized in the male-dominated military service environment. Carla Baker experienced that marginalization first-hand during her tour with the Navy. Baker, 54, went through boot camp in Orlando, Florida. Upon graduation, she was assigned to the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, Mississippi. 'I was a Seabee. I was in at a time when women were still not allowed to go into combat units,' Baker said. She was active duty from 1989-1995, and tried to re-enlist twice, but health complications prevented it. The Navy was a career path chosen from a default position. At the recruiting center, Baker wanted to know what would get her out of her hometown of Harrodsburg, Kentucky, the fastest. 'Enlisting was a spur of the moment decision,' Baker said. 'I was just ready for something different. I was in such a small town, there wasn't much to offer. And I had no desire at that point to go to college, so I took the plunge.' Wanting the fastest route helped Baker land on the construction mechanic pathway, despite the recruiter's encouragement that Baker pursue 'typical female jobs' like a personnel specialist (formerly personnelman) or a hospital corpsman. The choice turned out to be fortuitous, because in time Baker was asked if she wanted to be part of an underwater construction team, or transfer to Camp David. She chose the latter. 'The first time I ever saw my daddy cry, was when I told him I had enlisted. He had wanted to go into the service, he tried every branch, but he was deaf in one ear, so that kept him out. And then mama, she told me, 'Well Carla, you never know. You might meet the president.' She would eventually meet six presidents. 'I met all the way back to (Richard) Nixon,' Baker said. Baker was on site for the former Russian president Boris Yeltsin's trip to Camp David. And when Barbara Bush broke her ankle while sledding, it was Baker who accompanied the First Lady to the hospital. Baker, who today serves as the commander of the American Legion Douglas Laws Post 52 in Harrodsburg, said she encourages any young person who she thinks would succeed in the military to pursue enlistment. 'When I talk to anybody about the military, I say it is so easy to take a civilian, put them through boot camp and turn them into a military person,' Baker said. 'But once you're a military person, you're not coming back to civilian. I'm not the same person I was when I joined up.' She wouldn't trade her service years for anything. But that doesn't mean everything was always smooth sailing. 'We did the same job that men did, and we had to work harder than the men to be taken seriously… We were signing petitions saying that we wanted the same rights as the men who served… We fought tooth and nail for everything that we have gotten.' She recalled a story from June 2022, when Honor Flight Kentucky hosted 135 women, including Baker, on the first female-only Honor Flight. There was a younger woman on the flight who kept trying to speak with Baker, but the logistics of the day kept them apart. Finally, as the day was winding down, the two women spoke. Baker said the young woman was eager to learn about the elder veteran's service. Baker was quick to tell her she never served in combat or combat-facing battalions. 'I said, 'Hon, I was in during a time when women were not allowed to go to combat.' Of course, I told her we signed petitions and spoke out about deserving the same rights (as men). She gave me tears because she gave me the biggest hug and she thanked me.' She said, 'If you had not done what you did, I could not have done what I did.'' Baker said all she wanted then is all she wants now — to be taken seriously for her role, protecting and serving her country. 'America is free because of sacrifices made by individuals willing to stand up for our freedoms. I loved the Navy; I loved everything about it,' Baker said. 'It was the feeling like you were doing something worthwhile and something that mattered,' she said. 'There's nothing I could do now that would ever compare to what I did when I was basically a kid. There's nothing that will ever live up to the experiences that I had in the Navy.'
RTÉ News
10-06-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Ireland sign off season with low-key draw in Luxembourg
The Republic of Ireland ended their season with a largely underwhelming 0-0 draw away to Luxembourg. Following the 1-1 draw with Senegal last Friday, manager Heimir Hallgrimsson made five personnel changes, including a debut for goalkeeper Max O'Leary. The 'end-of-term' vibes were evident at Stade de Luxembourg as Ireland struggled to find any real rhythm against a side ranked 91st in the world, hitting the woodwork in both halves without looking like cutting the hosts apart. The opening period saw Luxembourg create more chances, yet it was the Boys in Green that went closest to breaking the deadlock. In a scrappy affair, it was just short of the half-hour mark before a meaningful goalscoring opportunity was created. Evan Ferguson coughed up possession in midfield and Luxembourg's most industrious player, Danel Sinani, struck a crisp effort that required debutant O'Leary to go at full-stretch to keep out. The hosts looked the more likely to score but three minutes before the interval it was the woodwork that denied Hallgrimmson's side the lead. Dara O'Shea was there to meet the free-kick and guided it toward goal where his defensive partner Nathan Collins got his head to it, the captain's effort bouncing back off the bar. 42 mins: 🇱🇺 LUX 0-0 🇮🇪 IRL Nathan Collins hits the woodwork from a rebounded free kick just before half-time. 📺 @rte2 & @rteplayer from 7:30pm 📱 Follow a live blog 👇 — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 10, 2025 Kasey McAteer – from close range – and substitute Jack Taylor from outside the area both saw efforts fizz wide, while Parrott couldn't sort his feet out in the area shortly after the resumption to threaten the Luxembourg goal. Parrott had the ball in the back of the net in the 65th minute, but the offside flag went straight up. 65mins: 🇱🇺 LUX 0-0 🇮🇪 IRL One off the post in the first-half by Collins and another chance off side in the second, this time from Parrott. A great finish but flag goes straight up for an obvious early run. 📺 @rte2 & @rteplayer Follow a live blog 👇 — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 10, 2025 Adam Idah and Matt Doherty were sprung from the Irish bench to provide some offensive spark, but the closest either side came to finding the back of the net was Taylor rattling the crossbar in the 87th minute with a rasping drive from outside the area. The only thing of note in the concluding stages was the international debut handed to John Joe Patrick Finn, the French-based, Spanish-born midfielder from French Ligue 2 club Reims who replaced Jason Knight in the engine room in the final minute. The Republic's next outing is a crunch home game with Hungary on 6 September where Hungary will be the visitors for the opening game in World Cup qualification.
