🌞 Bluey in Indigenous language

When I first applied for this job, I wrote a sample piece about gratitude for this newsletter. 

I’m grateful for every day I get to work at TDA, but the highlight was probably on Friday, when Zara asked me to write the intros to the newsletter going forward - which I quickly found out is a lot harder than it looks (and I definitely didn’t spend 20 minutes writing this one). 

I’ll be dropping into your inboxes every Sunday from now on with your weekly good news recap, and only occasionally bringing up my love for Bluey.

Enjoy!

Amidst the chaos of 5am Socceroos wake-ups and the joy of Europeans trying Chicago pizza, I have some FIFA men’s World Cup good news for you.

For the first time, a mother and son have both played for their country at a World Cup. New Zealand defender Tyler Bindon came off the bench against Iran this week, 15 years after, his mother Jenny Bindon represented the Football Ferns at the 2011 Women's World Cup.

Long-time readers will know that late last year, I wrote about how Curaçao had become the smallest country to qualify for the men’s FIFA World Cup. 

While they lost their first match against Germany, simply being there is a massive achievement: the nation has a population of fewer than 200,000 people, a third of the size of Tasmania. By simply qualifying, they’ve unlocked FIFA funding and a global spotlight, which could boost their tourism. 

Curaçao’s next match is against Ecuador at 10am. 

The 2022 tournament marked the first time an all female refereeing trio officiated a men’s World Cup match, and that feat was repeated earlier this week. Thursday’s match between Czechia and South Africa was the first all-woman referee trio for this year’s tournament, with referee Tori Penso and assistant referees Brooke Mayo and Kathryn Nesbitt. 

When asked what it means to be part of the all female-officiating crew, Mayo said people have come up to her saying how proud they are to see women at this level, adding: “even though I view us as just a normal trio that has earned their place at this FIFA World Cup, I know we represent something bigger than ourselves.”

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention Messi’s World Cup hat-trick, which was historic for all sorts of reasons. Scoring a hat-trick in a World Cup is impressive in itself - only 50 other male players have done so. It’s the Argentinian’s first World Cup hat-trick, and ties him with the all-time record for career men’s World Cup goals with 16. If he scores two more goals in the tournament, he will become the all-time record holder for most World Cup goals, men or women. 

The final bit of FIFA good news is simply highlighting our own Socceroos. The squad smashed Türkiye with two beautiful goals last week, and put up a good fight against the U.S. on Saturday morning.

With today being the end of Refugee Week, I also wanted to highlight what attacker Awer Mabil, who is one of four former refugees on the team, said about Australia. 

In an interview, he said: “Australia is a special country… it’s taken in a lot of refugees, given them a lot of opportunities… We all belong in this world… it’s important we take care of each other.” 

Members of the New York Knicks during the parade celebrating winning their first NBA Championship in 53 years. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

For the first time, five episodes of Bluey will be available in an Indigenous language.

The episodes have been dubbed in Yolŋu Matha, a group of First Nations languages spoken in the Northern Territory.

The five episodes were intentionally chosen for their connection to family and Country.

Project co-director and Yolŋu leader Sylvia Nulpinditj told the ABC that she expects a positive response, saying the community will “be freaking out for Bluey and Bingo speaking in language. It’ll be awesome.”

The episodes were translated with Yolŋu stories and references filling in parts that did not translate. 

For those unfamiliar with the Heeler family, it comprises dad Bandit, mum Chilli, our main character Bluey, her sister Bingo, and her extended family. 

Bandit will be voiced by Dimathaya Burarrwanga, a founding member of Yolŋu band King Stingray, while Chilli is voiced by Rosie Mununggurr. Bluey’s grandad is played by respected Elder Andrew Gurruwiwi, and Bluey and Bingo themselves were voiced by local children. 

The episodes will be available to watch on iView from 5 July, coinciding with the start of NAIDOC week. 

Ludo Studio, which produces Bluey, said: "Bluey is a show that is intended for everyone to enjoy, so to be able to share it in Indigenous language at NAIDOC Week feels really special.”

An animal welfare centre has opened up in NSW’s Central Coast, designed to provide care, support and rehabilitation for animals. 

The non-profit Liberty Foundation’s adoption centre takes on small animals that were previously used for research purposes, and helps them transition from research facilities to homes.

It’s one of only two organisations in Australia solely dedicated to rehoming formerly research animals. 

The NSW Government-supported centre has a gymnasium for rats, enclosures for mice, and a playroom for volunteers to help out with the animals and support their social development.

Do you live near Alice Springs and have a cold head? Here’s the event for you: the Alice Springs Beanie Festival. 

The festival was organised to “sell beanies crocheted by Aboriginal women in remote communities… develop Aboriginal women’s textiles, promote women’s culture and the beanie as a regional art form, as well as promote handmade textile arts”.  The large community festival sees both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal artists exhibit their beanies together..” 

In 2025, around 500 beanie makers created more than 7,250 beanies. More than 5,000 beanies were sold for $243,455. 

Nonagenerian and Alice Springs local Lyn Suich has been part of the festival for 29 years, and told the ABC that making the beanies made her life worthwhile 🥹

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.

Queensland’s Sunshine Coast Hinterland has been declared the state’s first International Dark Sky Reserve, and the second in Australia. 

This recognises a region’s “exceptionally low levels of light pollution" and means it’s one of the few certified places worldwide with night skies dark enough to view stars, planets, and the Milky Way with the naked eye. 

Local astronomer Dr. Ken Wishaw says while city dwellers usually aren’t able to see more than 10 stars in the sky in the best conditions, you can see more than 2,000 in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland just with your eyes. 

A new UK shows children and young people’s enjoyment of reading and daily reading has risen for the first time in five  years. 

The National Literacy Trust surveyed more than 125,000 children aged five to 18 across the UK about their reading attitudes.

More than a third of those (36.1%) aged between eight and 18 said they enjoyed reading in their free time, an increase from 2025, while around 20% said they read daily in their free time.

The future is in good hands.

I’ve kept this last story the shortest and sweetest.

Guide Dogs Victoria has 48 new puppies in its nursery right now, and they are adorable. 

Pictures speak a thousand words, so here you go: