🌞 Australia's Paralympian of the Year

My attention span is as bad as the next Gen Z-er, but there is one video I will watch all the way, every time it comes on my feed.

In 2024, Liverpool players Mo Salah and Virgil Van Dijk surprised six-year-old Isaac, a lifelong Liverpool fan born with the rare genetic condition Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, at his school. Then, they whisked Isaac and his family to meet the other players, where he had an incredible time.

Now, I have it on good authority that Premier League teams can get quite competitive (said authority is George, TDA’s Sport Journalist) but Isaac has managed to wriggle his way into the hearts of all football fans, not just Liverpool. 

His excited waving to the players, passionate singing in the stands and utter joy of being there is infectious. 

Warm fuzzy feelings. Every time. Maybe some tears too.

P.S. Send over your unskippable feel-good videos! 

Mental health organisation headspace has expanded its outreach programs to help young people based in regional and remote Australia. 

The Government-funded programs will help “bring support closer to where young people live,” and reduce time, distance and financial barriers to accessing care. 

The 20 new outreach programs will be governed by existing headspace centres, with consultation from local communities across most of Australia’s states and territories and Norfolk Island.

Fans get the ball during the round of 32 match between England and the Democratic Republic of the Congo DRC at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, the United States, July 1, 2026. (Photo by Xu Zijian/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Para snowboarder Ben Tudhope was crowned Australia’s Paralympian of the Year on Thursday, after winning two medals at Milano Cortina.

At the games, Tudhope was one of Australia’s flag bearers at the opening ceremony and won silver and bronze in the snowboard cross SB-LL2 and banked slalom SB-LL2 respectively.

Tudhope, who also won the title after 2022 Winter Paralympics, said: “I don’t think a lot of people have won the Paralympian of the Year twice, so it’s an absolute honour to be part of Australian Paralympic history and to be such a profound member of the Winter Mob”.

Tudhope also won Male Athlete of the Year, and had a message to share to anyone getting involved in Paralympic sport: “I would say, ‘Keep on going’. Trust the process and do that with an open mind because many doors will be opened, many doors will be unlocked, but it’s you who has to take a step forward and go through it.” 

Fantastic advice for life in general, might I add. 

Worksite safety, redefined by Claude

Aussies are transforming safety for construction workers using AI. Presien, a physical AI company built for heavy industry, used Claude to develop an agentic platform that analyses worksites around the clock - surfacing risks before they become issues, cutting critical safety events by over 70% in three months.

TDA’s Copyeditor Lucy had this to say:

“Her brain works in amazing ways, linking different genres and musicians I never would have thought to connect. Watching her get really into a drum solo or a tiny detail in a song sparks joy in me”

Speaking of sparking joy… 

This edition of Sparks Joy is brought to you by the TDA team: 

Lucy: “A guy posted a video of his tiny dog curling up behind his neck while driving and the comments are full of people sending photos of their dogs doing the same thing”

Emma: “it's been so cold this week which is great news as a cat mum of two. The colder the weather, the cuddlier my cats. They are extremely snuggly right now, sleeping on my feet every night, warming up my lap on the couch when I watch TV, being so sweet to each other. Even though I'm wishing for warmer days, I am cherishing their winter snuggles”

For those curious (me): Emma’s cats are called Kingsley and Nyxy.

Claudia: “After Jai Arrow's recent MND diagnosis, the South Sydney Rabbitohs (his club), called on NRL and NRLW players to celebrate tries with an arrow celebration this month. During Thursday night's AFL game between Sydney and Fremantle, [Swans player] Tom Papley joined in too 🥹. It was so sweet seeing the sporting community rally around each other across codes.”

Rosa: “My herb garden that I planted for my building to enjoy! It’s growing! yay 🌱"

Skye: TDA’s special guests:

A study by La Trobe University has found more First Nations babies are being born healthy through a “culturally tailored midwifery model of care”. 

The model was created with First Nations health units at three major Melbourne maternity services and the Victoria Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation. 

The Baggarrook Yurrongi (or “Women’s Journey”) model makes sure First Nations families are being looked after by a known midwife throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal period. 

The study analysed over 164,000 births, including 2,000 First Nations babies across three hospitals, comparing outcomes before and after the model was introduced. 

The study found that the program led to “significantly better outcomes for First Nations babies,” with babies 36% less likely to be born early and a 45% increase in the birth of healthy babies. 

Lead researcher Professor Della Forster said: “The study highlights that when women are cared for by a known midwife who provides culturally informed care built around the needs of First Nations families, we see real improvements in short and long-term outcomes for mothers and babies… [representing] a meaningful step towards closing the gap in perinatal health.” 

Clinical Midwife Specialist Grace Arnold said: “Women are more likely to attend appointments, raise concerns and ask questions about their pregnancy when they feel safe in a trusted relationship with a known midwife.”

The model was well received by women, with a strong uptake and positive experiences between the expectant mothers and midwives. 

I started this newsletter with sport, so I’m concluding with it too. 

Tennis sensation Alexandra Eala made history to be the first Filipina to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam, after already making history as the Filipina to reach the third round. 

Her competition wasn’t easy either: she beat Aussie star Maya Joint and defending Wimbledon champion and former World No. 1 Iga Świątek to secure her spot in the tournament’s second week. 

In her on-court interview, she said the achievement may be small for grand slam winners, “but for someone who grew up in Philippines – I went to train with my brother and my grandfather every day after school, with my ruffled socks and light-up shoes and chubby cheeks, so to her this is everything.” 

Another feel-good story on the men’s side is British tennis player Arthur Fery’s performance. The Wimbledon wildcard had an amazing run, reaching the semi-finals of the tournament. 

While he lost to world No. 3 Alexander Zverev, we shouldn’t underestimate what a monumental effort it is to get to a Grand Slam semi-final – especially when it’s your home slam. A player can receive a wildcard to enter if their ranking isn't high enough to allow them to qualify by other means, but securing a wildcard is extremely competitive. It’s rare for wildcards to make it to the semi-finals of a singles grand slam. Arthur is only the fourth man in tennis history to do so. 

If you enjoy this newsletter, please consider supporting me (emotionally). I trek and traverse through the internet to find the positive stories every week, but it can be a little difficult. If you see any good news - a community event, local initiative or ultra-niche joy - please email me: [email protected].