Tuesday, 18 August, 2020

Vietnam Vets remembered; Lego up the nose; AFL Grand Final in Queensland?; and the car that honks like a goat.

 

LINKS

Australian War Memorial: Last Post ceremony:   https://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/last-post-ceremony

 

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

 

THE LOWDOWN

 ———————-

Commemorations were held over the weekend to mark the end of World War II in the Pacific. And today, commemorations will be held around the nation to remember the service men and women who fought for our country in the Vietnam War.

The Vietnam War happened in the 1960s and into the 1970s – with Australia sending troops to fight alongside America.

Vietnam is a country in South East Asia – so very much in our neighbourhood. 

Today marks the anniversary of a famous battle – in which Australian troops won against incredible odds. 

The battle was called the Battle of Long Tan. On that day 108 Australian and New Zealand soldiers fought off more than 2,000 Vietnamese troops – in a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tan. The Aussie soldiers were surrounded, and being fired on from all sides – yet managed to hold back the enemy.

Eighteen Australians lost their lives and 24 were wounded – remarkable in the circumstances.  

Some 245 Vietnamese soldiers were killed in the battle.

The Australian War Memorial is live streaming today’s Last Post ceremony at 4.55pm Eastern Standard Time – and there’s a link to it in today’s episode notes.

 

SPIN THE GLOBE

————————-

Each day we give the world globe a spin and find a news story from wherever it stops, and today, we’ve landed in New Zealand – where a piece of Lego that was stuck up a kid’s nose finally came out two years after it disappeared up there. 

The Anwar family of Dunedin on the South Island were yesterday celebrating after their seven year old son, Sameer, blew his nose and a piece of Lego popped out.

The Lego piece – one of those tiny little Lego character arms – went missing up Sameer’s nose back in 2018. Despite a trip to the doctor, the Lego piece could not be found – with the doc telling Sameer’s parents it had probably been swallowed and was making its way through the little boy’s digestive system. Gross. 

But on Sunday night, after bending down to smell a plate of cupcakes, the arm dislodged, and after a bit of blowing, out popped the Lego arm. Covered in fungus. Double eugh.

Apparently it’s not the first time he’s had things stuck up his nose: with his dad having to remove an imitation pearl on a previous occasion.

Sameer – move away from the nose. 

SPORTS TIME

—————–

The AFL Grand Final … it’s arguably the biggest day on the Australian sporting calendar – and traditionally, it’s been held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

But this year: the location of the grand final is up in the air as Victoria grapples with the coronavirus outbreak there and strict social distancing restrictions are in place that would prevent the staging of a big event like a footy grand final. 

Queensland Premier Annastascia Palaszczuk yesterday confirmed she had offered up the Gabba – the cricket and AFL ground in the centre of Brisbane for the grand affair. And other states, including NSW, Western Australia and South Australia have also indicated their desire to bring the biggest footy match of the year to their state.

The decision around where the grand final will be played will ultimately be made by the AFL. 

Queensland is hoping the fact that it has hosted most of this season’s games will mean it is the league’s first choice if Melbourne cannot happen.

 

SQUIZ KIDS SALUTES 

————-

Usually this segment is given over to the celebration of amazing people doing incredible things –  but today, we’re going to give a great big Squiz Kids salute to the silliest thing we’ve seen in the news this week.

The makers of the electric motor car, the Tesla, have hinted that some cool features will be available when the newer models of the car roll off the production line – including a sensor that detects potholes and drives the car around them.

But it’s the promise of a horn that makes goat noises that has left car enthusiasts most excited.

In a tweet, Tesla’s founder, Elon Musk said that his engineers had been putting the finishing touches on a horn that doesnt so much honk, like conventional cars, but rather bleats like a goat.

Because who doesn’t want a car that bleats like a goat?

 

THE S’QUIZ

—————–

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

 

  1. Which war is being commemorated in services around the country today?
  2. What got stuck up a New Zealand’s kid’s nose for a year?
  3. What animal will the horn of a new model Tesla be capable of imitating?

 

SHOUT OUTS

——————-

It’s August 18 ….. It’s National Couple’s Day .. so if you have a special someone, today’s the day to celebrate them. Euuggh. It’s also National Fajita Day – where the Mexican delicacy is celebrated. So if you prefer fried chicken to declarations of undying love – you know which one to celebrate.

It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today…. Maggie from Moorooka, Isabella from Lake Munmorah, Josie from Double Bay, Andreas from Wellington Point, Nicholas from the Sunshine Coast, Frank from Murarrie, Sivansh from Epping, Khanh  from Jindalee, Evan from Surrey Hills, Mickowai from Perth, Ella from Brighton East, Xavier from Marcus Hill, Patrick from Oran Park and Akshat, Monica & Garv from Wentworthville.

And some belated birthday shoutouts… Mia from Murwillumbah and Anabella from Fairfield Heights.

Happy birthday one and all!

Classroom shoutouts.. 5/6T with Mrs Tailford at Ellison Public School, Rooms 9, 10, 11 and 12 at Renmark Primary School, Langley and Cook at Launceston Church Grammar School,  Year 3 at St Andrew’s Catholic College, Grade 5/6 at Heaney Park Primary School, with Mrs Beimer who is celebrating a birthday today.

 

The S’Quiz Answers:

1.Vietnam War

2. Lego

3. Goat