SBS Gujarati Australian update: 22 July 2025
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ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Founding Play School presenter Donald Macdonald remembered as gentle, generous and prolific
Donald Macdonald was many things over his 80+ years, bringing his infectious energy to both screen and stage around Australia and the world. When he died on the Gold Coast in June, Donald was remembered for a particularly important career achievement: he was one of the original presenters on Play School. But this was just the first chapter in a theatrical career that spanned the next 60 years. As said on ABC Kids' social media, his role helped to "shape the foundations of what Play School has become today". "His gentle spirit and playful storytelling made countless children feel seen, heard and encouraged to imagine." But he was also one of Australia's most prolific theatre talents, widely acclaimed for his extraordinary vocal coaching, directorial expertise, and his calm and generous spirit. Donald's father "Mac" Macdonald served in World War II but died of war wounds shortly thereafter. Donald, born in Sydney in 1938, was too young to remember his father and was an only child, raised by his mother. After completing school, Donald began his acting career at Sydney's famous Music Hall, performing in East Lynne and Lady Audley's Secret, among others. The first episode of Play School was on July 18, 1966. Among a cast of former school teachers and Australian actors, Donald helped shepherd the show into the country's hearts with his friendly manner, wonderful clear voice and comic timing. His instinct for comedy was to prove vital as his career blossomed in future decades. In 1968, Donald starred in the ABC's I Married a Bachelor, where he played Mervyn MacGregor — the show won the Logie for Best Comedy that year. For the ABC, Donald also starred in The Box and Come in Spinner, as well as Is Australia Really Necessary, alongside the legendary Miriam Karlin. On stage, he starred in A Cup of Tea, a Bex and a Good Lie Down. Later, Donald appeared in the ABC's Backberner and the films Black and White, Superman Returns and Kenny. Donald also had guest roles in dozens of other shows including Kingswood Country, Cop Shop, A Country Practice, Rafferty's Rules, Heroes II, GP, Jag, and Rake. Donald performed innumerable roles with the Sydney and Queensland theatre companies, as well as appearing in the musicals Camelot and McKillop. After establishing his career in Sydney, Donald moved to the UK, making his West End debut in Sons of Cain, before first appearing on UK television in Colditz. An award-winning screenwriter, novelist, and author, Donald wrote one of Australia's most successful stage comedies, Caravan (1983). The show originally delighted audiences at the Sydney Opera House for The Ensemble Theatre, and then it went to London, where Donald also starred in the cast. A story of three couples on holiday together in NSW, Caravan is still regularly performed to this day. Donald also wrote several other plays, including Hot Taps, Giuseppe, Saints Alive, Seasons, Boulevard Play, Truth, and The Italian Classic. His novel, With a Wise Man, was published by Pan Macmillan Australia. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Donald explored various eastern and western spiritualities. Following a long period of discernment, he ultimately converted to Catholicism, and later became an enthusiastic proponent of Christian meditation. After spending time in meditation and prayer, Donald learned the entire gospel off by heart and developed his one-man play, The Gospel According to St John, where he brought the story to life in a captivating 90-minute production. Over the next 25 years, Donald performed The Gospel of St John across Australia and overseas, including at the Edinburgh Festival, in London, and New York. In 2002, Donald became principal theatrical director with Artes Christi, where, over the next two decades, he directed multiple productions including A Man for All Seasons (2002 and 2011), Murder in the Cathedral (2005 and 2018), Shadowlands, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Jeweller's Shop, and his own play, Saints Alive. Donald enjoyed a legendary reputation among the actors he directed — many spoke of being profoundly uplifted in their work by him. Donald would famously instruct his casts: "Use the words — it's all there. It's in the words." A strong supporter of Australian veterans, Donald became artistic adviser to The Australian Remembrance Foundation, and in 2021 performed in the original Anzac Sunset Tribute alongside Christine Anu, Judy Nunn, and Bruce Venables. One of Donald's final successes was writing Letter to Larry: A play based on the life of Vivien Leigh, which has been staged in London and Paris to rave reviews. The play has had three successful West End runs, with a feature film also in planning. Donald was prolific until his final weeks, continuing to write and develop multiple works while suffering from cancer. Donald was the greatest artistic influence of my life, an extraordinary person whom I had the deep honour to work with for more than two decades. He will be sorely missed by his family, hundreds of artists, and thousands of audience members across Australia and overseas. Anthony McCarthy worked with Donald Macdonald on more than a dozen productions and is now the artistic director & CEO of The Australian Remembrance Foundation.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
How Bachelor couple overcame burnout and bottled-up emotions
Filming a reality TV show on which she fell in love with her future husband might seem like the most emotionally intense thing that could have happened in Irena Gilbert's life that year, but in 2020 it was only part of the story. The 34-year-old nurse had fallen in love with her future husband, entrepreneur Locky Gilbert, 35, in front of the cameras on The Bachelor, but behind the scenes she was navigating the challenging reality of a healthcare worker in Melbourne during the Covid pandemic. 'While you hear a lot about nurses experiencing burnout, I think the events of that year really made things a lot more intense,' she said. Keeping her relationship with Locky a secret as per her contract, as well as being a frontline worker in some of the harshest lockdown conditions on the planet began to take its toll on Irena. 'I started dreading going to work,' she said. 'I'd have this panicked feeling just walking into the building.' Locky, who had returned home to Perth, could only provide support from afar. 'Everything in Perth was open, and so it was hard for him to fully grasp the gravity of the situation, but he was always there for me, sometimes for hours on end on the phone. I'd debrief at the end of each day during my one-hour walk,' Irena said. It was Locky, too, who eventually broached the solution to Irena's burnout. 'He said: 'why don't you move to Perth and take some time off?'' recalls Irena. 'Part of me was like, 'I've worked so hard to get to this point in my career,' and the other part of me was thinking: 'but I don't even want this job right now!' So I quit my job, moved to Perth and took a year off from nursing.' Australia is in the grips of a mental health crisis, and people are struggling to know who to turn to, especially our youngergenerations. Can We Talk? is a News Corp awareness campaign, in partnership with Medibank, equipping Aussies with the skills needed to have the mostimportant conversation of their life. Irena credits the move, as well as seeking professional help - 'I started seeing a psychologist, and I still see one,' she says - with healing her burnout and radically improving her mental health. And while openness about the ups and downs of life has become something of a hallmark for Irena, who has been candid about the heartbreak of suffering miscarriages in her journey to becoming a mother to Ava, now 18 months old, Locky has, for most of his life, struggled to get in touch with his own emotions. 'I've just always been kind of hard, masculine, 'don't talk about it', eat your feelings, 'get over it' - all that kind of stuff,' says Locky. 'And I think since having Ava, it's made me realise that's not at all the way it should be. I want Ava to be able to come to me and Irena with absolutely anything. And if I've got that hard exterior, no one's going to want to talk to me.' This instinct is in line with new research by News Corp's Growth Distillery in partnership with Medibank, which found that while family dynamics can play a crucial role in mental health conversations, notable communication gaps exist between parents and children in Australia. The research also found relationships are central to discussions about mental health, and partners were the most frequent confidants with 79 per cent of participants comfortable opening up to their significant other when it came to mental wellbeing. Strong relationships were found to have a big influence on our mental wellbeing, with more than half (53 per cent) citing their relationship as a key factor in having a positive impact. Earlier this year, Locky began seeing a holistic therapist - both individually and together with Irena. 'The first time I saw her, she laid me down and did some healing that had me absolutely bawling my eyes out,' he recalls. 'I hated it. But since then I've just learned so much - I hate the word trauma, but I'm learning about what it means to heal from your past, and the importance of dealing with emotions. Long story short, I've learned that opening up and just talking to someone can change a lot. It's been very helpful.' One of the most surprising things for Locky was the support of his inner circle when he began to be more vulnerable with them. 'The funny thing I realised was that (before therapy) in my head, I was constantly telling myself: 'don't show your emotions, this is what needs to be done.' That's what I had in my head,' he said. 'But when I came to all of my best mates and said, 'hey, I'm seeing a coach, and I'm trying to release all my emotions, and all this trauma kind of stuff,' they were all super proud of me. 'They're like, 'man, this is awesome. This is amazing'. Irena, my mum, everyone that was close to me was super happy that I was showing these emotions, and they're the people that I care about.' It's still early days and 'a work in progress,' says Locky, but he's been stunned at the change he's seen even in a matter of months. Irena agrees. 'Locky's changed so much since he's been seeing our therapist and opening up,' she says. 'He's never been a very naturally empathetic or compassionate person, but he's definitely changed. He was always just raised to think that 'men have to be men'. They don't show their emotions, they don't share their feelings. And because of that, he shut off his own emotions and his level of compassion and empathy. Now, he's realised that he's actually being strong by sharing this.' 'I'm still grappling with that,' Locky admits. 'But no one wants me to be bottled up emotionally. Everyone that I love wants me to express myself. I'm still having trouble with that, but I'm getting there.'
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
How Daylesford is reaping The Block's rewards
The Block builds plenty more than the five houses viewers see on screen when it rolls into town, according to host Scott Cam. The Gold Logie winner says The Block had injected almost $8 million into Daylesford through its spending on crew accommodation, catering and building costs. Two iconic businesses —the old Phoenix at the Rex Theatre and Hepburn Spa — also underwent major refurbishments in challenges undertaken by the teams during production. 'The Block has brought almost $8 million here, just in this town, and that's without employing people and buying stuff from outside of Daylesford,' Cam enthused of building five luxury eco-friendly homes on the outskirts of town. The Raglan St site was initially proposed for the 2024 season, but planning approvals and backlash from the township delayed it. Despite that initial reluctance, Cam says the Daylesford community had made the Channel 9 reality show feel completely at home. So much so that the local fish and chip shop, the Daylesford Seafood Bar, even named a dish – the 'Scott Camburger' after the long-serving host (featuring his signature combo of BBQ and tomato sauce). In addition to bringing jobs and trade to local businesses, The Block lifts tourism, with the opening episode of the 2025 season spotlighting Daylesford's annual Chill Out Festival. For Shelley Craft, the latest season of The Block will also serve as an endorsement of the benefits of a tree change. Craft, who moved to Byron Bay with her family in 2016, hopes that showcasing the Daylesford lifestyle as well as the renovation projects will inspire others to follow her lead and consider moving to a regional township. 'I know it's not as easy as it sounds, but to live in a community like this in regional Australia is such a wonderful gift for anyone to experience,' she said. 'A lot of our crew got to do that for three months and went: 'You know, country living ain't bad'. 'I've always loved country living myself, and it's just so wonderful that they got a little taste of that. 'And I know there'd be a lot of families going: 'You know, maybe it's time we should move out of the city. Maybe Daylesford is the spot'.' Federal Ballarat MP Catherine King said she was really pleased to hear about the significant investment made in local businesses throughout the filming process. 'I've also heard how delighted the community was to host the program and how respectful everyone involved in the production was,' Ms King added. 'We're all excited to see Daylesford showcased in the upcoming season and I'm sure it'll encourage even more people to visit our stunning region.' Certainly, all 10 contestants have vowed to continue to visit Daylesford in the future and have urged friends and family to do the same after falling in love with the region known for its hot springs. 'Rural Victoria is idyllic and very beautiful,' West Australian contestant Can said after completing her renovation with her girlfriend Han. 'Coming to countryside, the fresh air very different from Perth. 'The quality of the drinking water here is insane too. It's so crisp. 'I actually spent some of my time growing up in rural Victoria as a child. My grandparents had a farm. So, there was a lot of childhood nostalgia, coming back to rural Victoria.' Fellow 2025 contestant Alicia added: 'I don't think that we would ever leave the Gold Coast because our families are there, but this is absolutely a place that we will continue to visit. 'We absolutely love Daylesford. And it's now on our radar and we have told all our friends about it.'
