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ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Petit Paris: How a sleepy Sydney suburb became the French capital of Australia
Killarney Heights might be a sleepy suburb in Sydney's Northern Beaches, but for much of Australia's French community, it is their chosen home. Surrounded by bushland and the tranquil waters of Middle Harbour, thousands of people from the other side of the world have relocated to Killarney Heights, while many simply visit for the unique French experience it offers. Over the years, the cultural markers have grown. There are French cheeses in the local deli, handmade saucisson in the grocer's, while the bottle shop stocks bubbly from small champagne houses. Come 3pm, there are families picking up baguettes to take home for dinner and children heading off to French class. This leafy suburb — just 12 kilometres from Sydney's CBD — is the French capital of Australia. According to the 2021 census, 6.1 per cent of Killarney Heights's population speak French at home — compared to 0.3 per cent of Australia as a whole. It may seem bizarre that this peaceful little place became a cultural epicentre, but it was precisely the suburb's sleepiness that made it possible. In 1998, a circle of French-speaking newcomers happened to settle in the Northern Beaches and founded a French playgroup for their preschoolers. As their children approached school age, they asked the Department of Education if they could establish a bilingual kindergarten in the local area. The department suggested several schools that had room to grow, including Killarney Heights Public School (KHPS), where then-principal Jessica Wiltshire was interested both in boosting sluggish enrolment numbers and the potential of bilingual education. In 1999, the school offered its first bilingual class, with a French teacher employed by the newly established French-speaking Association of the North Shore (FANS) delivering the Australian curriculum in French alongside the department's teacher. Word of mouth about the program grew, and now, over 25 years later, 16 teachers deliver this program school-wide, with about 85 per cent of KHPS students registered. FANS has also worked with Killarney Heights High School to ensure francophones and prior KHPS students can continue to study French at the appropriate secondary level. FANS general manager Anne Bentley, originally from New Caledonia, said the program had transformed the school and suburb. "People in the francophone community choose the school because of the program, while anglophones are interested in the bilingual approach," she said. Lauren Emanuel's daughters are enrolled in the bilingual program. "There are French-speaking students and French teachers dispersed among the classrooms, so they're really immersed in it," she said. "I love hearing people talking in French when I go to the cafe, and my kids love all the French pastries. It's such a unique community." Community events include crepe and raclette nights, a French market, and the annual Fête de la Musique in June — when the French celebrate the northern hemisphere's longest day. During May's federal election, the school even served up "democracy croissants". Claire Aroul, originally from the French city of Poitiers, moved with her family to Killarney Heights in 2018, drawn by its language exposure and multicultural experience for her children. The suburb's cultural familiarity was an added bonus. "It offered a comfort I didn't realise I needed and helped me settle more quickly. "While we don't need the French cultural connection, it's wonderful to have it." Her parents find it beneficial too. "My mum loves visiting and is amazed by the vibrant French community so far from home. And she likes being able to see a French GP if she needs to." Le Parisien Cafe serves as the community hub, where locals chat over a cafe au lait and chocolate éclairs. Le Parisien's owner, Jerome Chevalier, said the French community had put Killarney Heights on the map. "People hear about us, so they come for lunch. People say when they come here, they feel like they're in France," he said. Ms Bentley, who relocated here with her English husband in 2019, describes the area as a unique blend of Australia and France. "When I first visited Le Parisien, I thought, 'This is strange. It feels like I'm in France with Australian tourists'." For Ms Aroul, it's more than just language exposure or access to French products. "Killarney attracts not only French people but also Australians and others who are open-minded, worldly and interested in French culture. "It's a very welcoming place, and I feel so lucky to live here."
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
'Rooster dumping' on the rise as backyard chicken flocks grow in popularity
Renay Robinson's property in Townsville is a bit of a boys club. With not a hen in sight, at any one time there can be more than 30 roosters living in her "bachelor flock". Ms Robinson runs a not-for-profit animal welfare group — Rooster Rescue and Rehoming NQ — in order to give unwanted birds a second chance at life. It's been a busy year. "We get three, four messages a week of people notifying us of dumped roosters in bush with no food, no water," Ms Robinson said. Their noisy nature and restrictions by local councils means roosters routinely need to be rehomed, but Ms Robinson believes the practice of "dumping" them is becoming more common. She believes the high price of eggs is leading to an increase in the popularity of backyard chicken flocks and means more people are buying unsexed chicks and ending up with roosters they are unable to keep. "They take them home, they raise them and out of the size little fluffy chickens they've brought, they're going to find that three or four are going to be roosters." She said that in Townsville and the surrounding suburbs her group had rescued around 35 roosters that had been dumped in bushland, at rest stops or in parks. Ms Robinson said it was difficult to find solutions — particularly non-lethal ones — to deal with excess roosters. She said there are few places that will take unwanted roosters, and there is limited space in her group's "bachelor flocks". Ms Robinson said when her group is notified about dumped roosters it can take many days to capture them. "Usually once we find them we set up water and food and then we try and go back there every day so they get used to us. Once we know that they're coming for food and water then we'll set up our trap," she said. They then use what she calls the "dinner and a date" method using a hen and food to lure a rooster into a crate. While roosters are renowned for their fighting nature, she said it is a myth that you cannot keep multiple roosters together. "They're really complex beings. You might put them with a group initially and they don't get along, so it's about finding their little group that they are going to like," she said. Ms Robinson said without hens, the flock is much more harmonious. "Sometimes it might just be over food, sometimes they have an order of who goes to bed first and who sits where." Y'vette Kelly fosters roosters while they try to find a permanent home for them. She said there needed to be more awareness around what happened to unwanted roosters. "Dumping roosters is not the answer. We need to come up with a solution as a collective," Ms Kelly said. Recently she came across a rooster that was dumped with a bowl of food. Ms Kelly said people may believe that by dumping a rooster they were giving it a chance to survive. "It might make them feel like they are giving them a chance and it's not them that's actually causing their death in the end," she said. She said dingoes, foxes, birds of prey and starvation are all likely to kill the birds. "They wouldn't know how to survive out in the bush. They're domestic animals so it's a horrible thing for them to starve to death and be eaten by a predator," she said. "I think there's a huge gap in the humanity of how we deal with animals. A good death is just as meaningful as a good life and making sure that things are done humanely," she said. Debbie King, from the RSPCA, said people who had never had backyard chicks before may not be "fully aware" of the behavioural traits of roosters. "They will begin to crow at dawn — sometimes before — and they'll crow through the day. Sometimes it is to signify they're under threat, sometimes it is to show dominance," she said. "Sometimes neighbours don't always feel so keen on it." The RSPCA estimates there are around two million non-commercial backyard and fancy breed domestic poultry in Australia. Ms King said there are no regulations against breeders selling unsexed chicks. "I would advise to avoid buying day old chicks that you don't know what the sex is," she said. "You can actually buy chickens at point of lay." She said she would also encourage people to give mature chickens that may have been part of a commercial poultry operation a home. "Maybe they are no longer laying at a rate that's commercially viable, but it would still be perfectly acceptable for a backyard flock and would produce more than enough eggs for a household." Anyone interested in buying backyard chickens should do their research, Ms King said. Ms Robinson said despite their noisy reputation, roosters make great pets with distinct personalities and can act as protectors for established chicken flocks. She said she would like to see more people re-home roosters if they are able to. "When I started taking them on I was following poultry pages and people were desperately trying to rehome them and saying they'd have to kill them if they couldn't rehome them," she said. "I had a bit of a soft spot and just took some on and then took some more on and realised how great they were.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Spicks And Specks: S12 Episode 3
ABC iview Home Watch all your favourite ABC programs on ABC iview. More from ABC We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.
