🌞 The Socceroos progress!

How is it July next week?

Actually, that’s on me. I should’ve been able to tell by the mid-year crash-outs around me, the influx of EOFY emails, and the increasing number of mornings where I’ve had to force myself out of bed. 

Well, hopefully this newsletter gets you out of bed. I’ve collected all the best news stories from each month, and a few fresh ones. 

For those of you playing along at home, I only took 18 minutes to write this intro instead of last week’s 20.

Progress! 

If your office was anything like ours on Friday, you would have been decked out in green and gold and (mentally) clocked out between 12-2pm.

The Socceroos drew 0-0 in their match against Paraguay on Friday, confirming their spot in the round of 32.

While we were lucky with the timings this time, that won’t be the case for their next match. It’ll be on the 4th of July at 4am. Get those alarms ready.

This story comes from TDA follower Camille, whose grandfather and cousin are cycling from Broome in WA to Bowral in NSW for Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

Bob Montgomery (82) and his 18-year-old grandson Tom Malcolm kicked off their journey earlier this week. They’re part of Miles for MND: One Last Ride, which is a fundraising challenge supporting families living with MND.

Bob’s cousin Judith died from MND in 2014, which inspired him to fundraise and advocate for the non-profit MND NSW. Bob says: “This is a charity I hold close to my heart. I continue to ride on behalf of people who no longer can.” 

This isn’t Bob’s first rodeo. At 70, he cycled from the Blue Mountains to Port Douglas (over 2,000 kilometres). This will be his sixth and final charity distance ride. With more than 5,000 kilometres to cover before early August, he and Tom will be averaging around 160 kilometres per day. 

Bob said: “I can’t do anything medically to help people suffering with MND, but I can help by raising much needed money for research and support”.  I’d also like to add here that the bikes are fully human-powered, not electric. 

Tom, a competitive cyclist, said: “Cycling with my grandfather showed me the bike could be a tool to help others. That journey changed how I see cycling.”

Their goal is $500,000. At the time of writing, they’ve already raised more than $26,000. 

You can check them out here.

We’re starting our good news round up with a story from January (remember then?). 

Canadian city Calgary launched a winter wheelchair in two of its parks. The wheelchair makes it easier for families to visit places that would have otherwise been inaccessible. They are free to book and come with skis and extra-wide tyres to help users navigate the snow, skating rinks and ice trails.

Candice McLellan, whose child uses a wheelchair, said she is “super thankful for projects like this so we can get out as a family in all seasons.” 

How could we not talk about the Winter Olympics for our February story? Australia had its best-ever Winter Olympics run, and there was one podium in particular that captured our hearts. 

Aussie flag-bearer Matt Graham won bronze in the Men’s Dual Moguls. Matt and his fellow medallists, Canada’s Mikaël Kingsbury (gold) and Japan’s Horishima Ikuma (silver) are all fathers to young children, meaning the men’s dual moguls podium was composed entirely of dads. 

Graham said: “We’re doing it not for ourselves anymore, but for our families. It’s really special to share that moment with two fellow dads but also two very good friends.” He also credited his wife Jess for “the way she’s carried our team”. 

Anyway, enough from me. Just look at this image 😭 

In March, Autumn Durald Arkapaw made history at the Oscars, becoming the first woman ever to win Best Cinematography for Sinners. She is also the first Black winner in the category, and the first woman of colour to be nominated.

In her speech, Arkapaw asked all the women in the room to stand, saying she wouldn’t be there without them. “I have felt so much love from all the women on this whole campaign,” she said. Director Ryan Coogler even ran to get her son so he could watch his mum’s moment.

April was marked by the Artemis II.

I know we live in a world where we make progress everyday, but it’s still amazing to think that we sent four humans the furthest away from Earth anyone had ever travelled – and they woke up to a Chappell Roan song.

The Artemis II crew, composed of Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover and Mission Specialists Chrstina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, gave us so much space joy. 

One of my favourite moments was their suggestion to name a moon crater after Reid Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll, who died of cancer in 2020. Reid told The Sunday Times he wanted to give up his astronaut dream when she was diagnosed, but she insisted he continue.

Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen said this crater was “especially meaningful for this crew,” adding that during “certain times in the moon’s transit… we will be able to see this from Earth… It’s a bright spot on the moon, and we would like to call it Carroll.”

The name is in the process of being submitted to the International Astronomical Union, the organisation responsible for the names of objects and bodies in space. 

Artemis II also represented social, scientific and technological progress. During the previous Apollo missions, all the astronauts were white American men. In this mission, Pilot Victor Glover became the first Black man to travel beyond low-earth orbit. Canadian mission specialist Jeremy Hansen became the first non-U.S. citizen to launch to the moon, and mission specialist Christina Koch became the first woman to fly around the moon. 

Claude, the AI for scientific discovery

Researchers at Australia's Garvan Institute are partnering with Claude to do what wasn't possible before: analyse genomic data at massive scale to understand how our genes cause rare diseases, and accelerate treatments to cure them. When science and AI come together, the future of human health gets a little brighter.

May’s top good news story was the 100th birthday celebrations for global treasure David Attenborough.

While the celebrations themselves were wonderful, I’d like to take a moment to highlight the reason why the world celebrated him the way it did: his legacy. 

The director of the Natural History Museum in London, Doug Gurr, put it well. He said: "I think every single person who's seen anything that Sir David has done has been inspired to care about nature." 

David Attenborough, once a boy who collected fossils, now has entire species of animals named after him. His legacy lies in every government that has banned plastic bags. His legacy lies in children who wanted to be marine biologists after seeing his documentaries. His legacy lies in his documentaries, which conclude with a message of hope.

A fine example of this legacy occurred earlier this year in Scotland. Their first-ever baby sloth was named Atty, after David Attenborough. 

Australia’s most popular export Bluey became more accessible this year.

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

In April, Auslan versions of many popular episodes were released, following a Change.org petition calling for Bluey episodes to be more accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing children. 

ABC TV executive Jennifer Collins said the organisation was “delighted… to create a more accessible, inclusive and connected experience for all young Australians as they enjoy our much-loved children’s content.” 

You can check them out here. 

Then, earlier this month, it was announced five episodes of Bluey will be available in an Indigenous language for the first time. 

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.

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