Monday, 25 May, 2020

Time capsule call-out; School’s back!; India’s lionhearted daughter; and Ariana and Lady Gaga team up.

 

LINKS:

Dear Australia

https://auspost.com.au/dear-australia

Piano man

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=320754852245793

 

– EPISODE TRANSCRIPT –

 

THE LOWDOWN

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You’ve heard of a time capsule, right? It’s the idea that you take a snapshot of a moment in history and preserve it for future generations. And that’s exactly what Australia Post – the nation’s postal service – is aiming to do with the launch of a new campaign called ‘Dear Australia’. 

They’re calling for Australians of all ages to write a letter, do a drawing, compose a poem – anything that tells the story of the last couple of months of your life and the impact that living in a coronavirus lockdown has had. Maybe it’s been a good experience – spending more time at home with your family. Maybe it’s been a strained experience … spending more time at home with your family. Maybe you’ve gotten to know your neighbours, maybe life has slowed down, you might have learned to sew, cook or practice your shots at the netball hoop or kicks for goal. 

All the material gathered will go to create an historical record of this time – with a selection being displayed on the Australia Post website and also at the National Gallery in Canberra. 

So what are you waiting for? Get creative! There’s a link in today’s episode notes with the details … 

Can you hear that sound? It’s the school bell ringing, marking the return to classrooms for so many of you today. And could it be more exciting? Seeing friends and teachers again, getting stuck into all those exciting maths and reading exercises again!  As primary school kids in NSW, Queensland and Tasmania – as well as Years 3 and 4 in the ACT – head back to school today – and with Victoria filing back to the classroom tomorrow – it’s worth a little stocktake on how well you’ve all done being at home and flattening that COVID curve.

At last count, there were only 33 people in hospitals around the country with the coronavirus. And of the 7114 cases of COVID detected in Australia, more than 6500 have made a full recovery. 

If a coronavirus report card was being issued … we’d be getting a gold star. Now get back into that classroom and get busy with the learning … and be nice to your teachers. 

 

SPIN THE GLOBE

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Each day we give the world globe a spin and find a news story from wherever it stops .. and today, we find ourselves in India – where a remarkable story of a daughter’s love for her dad has just come to light. The Kumari family, like millions of others in India, don’t have a lot of money. And when 15 year-old Jyoti Kumari’s father was stuck in the capital city New Delhi, injured and unable to walk, and couldn’t get back to his home village over 1000 kilometres away, Jyoti took it upon herself to get her dad home.

Using the last of their savings to buy a $30 purple bike, Jyoti perched her dad on the seat of the bike and set off.

Cycling more than 100 kilometres a day, sleeping in petrol stations and accepting food from kind strangers, the pair eventually made it to their home village – where Jyoti was hailed a hero, with the local media calling her ‘lionhearted’. 

And now, the Indian Cycling Federation has invited her to try out for  the National Team. 

Across India, a country with the second highest population in the world, it’s estimated that tens of millions of poor workers are moving from the cities back to their home villages as coronavirus restrictions take hold. 

 

SPORTS TIME!

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League fans will be counting down the days this week until Thursday night, when the NRL comp resumes with a clash between the Brisbane Broncos and Parramatta Eels in Brissie in front of an empty stadium at Lang Park. 

Meanwhile the AFL is set to restart on June 11 with reports suggesting the fixture for a shortened 2020 season could be released today.  

Meanwhile, in the United States, there are reports that the national basketball league, the NBA, could be headed to Disney World … but not to ride the rollercoasters or get a selfie with Mickey. Reports say the Magic Kingdom – with its sprawling grounds and complex of hotels and sports facilities could be the perfect place for all NBA players to be kept in quarantine for a resumption of the season. 

 

POP CULTURE CORNER

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Lots happening in the music world over the weekend. Powderfinger, an Aussie band from Brisbane, played a special YouTube concert on Saturday night – which may have had your parents singing along?  And Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s joined forces to produce a thigh-slapping new dance hit called ‘Rain On Me’ – with an eye-popping music video to go with it. But it’s the musical effort of a Tasmanian pianist that has caught our attention – and the imagination of all in the Apple Isle. Amateur pianist Kelvin Smith has been staging surprise performances on his piano in some of Tasmania’s most beautiful outdoor locations – all captured by a local camera crew. If you want a bit of stunning scenery and lilting piano – check out the link in today’s episode notes. 

 

THE S’QUIZ

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This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …

  1. In which country does devoted daughter and marathon cyclist Jyoti Kumari live?
  2. Which two teams will clash in this Thursday’s resumption of the rugby league competition?
  3. Which two singers have collaborated on a new pop tune called Rain On Me?

 

SHOUT OUTS

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Today’s birthday shoutouts… Zara from Gosford East, Caitlyn from Fingal Bay, William from Rowville, Jacob from Floraville, Alexis and Owen from Oakleigh, Lucas from Griffith, Patrick from Garran, Aleeza from Pendle Hill, David from Inverell, Madeleine from St Ives, Emily from Edensor Park and Cassie from Crookwell. 

And some belated birthday shoutouts…Zara from Putney, Carmel from Cairns, Scarlet from Newcastle, Adwin from Taree, Bridget from Belmont South, Abigail from Mooroolbark, Maya from Perth, Milly from Morningside, Rylee from Taree and Noah from Peakhurst Heights

Today’s classroom shoutouts… go to Honor and all of Year 3 at Wenona School in North Sydney, Years 2, 3 and 4 at Kororo Public School, Year 5 at Jindalee State Primary School, and Year 4 Agnes at St Michael’s Grammar School with Mrs Fenton, who celebrated a birthday yesterday.

 

The S’Quiz Answers:

  1. India
  2. Eels and Broncos
  3. Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga