Latest news with #familyBonding
ABC News
08-07-2025
- ABC News
First mother-son rowing and kayak duo travels length of River Murray in four months
When Cy Wever-Jetis graduated from high school in Sydney, he did not expect his upcoming gap year to include the endurance test of a lifetime. But a month into 2025, he decided to step out of his comfort zone and begin training with his mum to conquer one of Australia's most treasured waterways, the River Murray. His mum, Anja Wever, also happened to be a competitive rower and had been training for the voyage for 18 months, rowing her single scull craft more than 100 kilometres a week in preparation. "I'm 53 and I wanted this to be an inspirational piece for middle-aged women," Ms Wever said. "But when Cy said he wanted to come too, I thought what a lovely opportunity." To get her 18-year-old son up to speed, Ms Wever put him in a kayak and dropped him well and truly in the deep end. "Cy had never kayaked before, so I took him to Sydney Harbour to see how he would go," she said. What at first seemed like an unstable and slightly risky undertaking soon became a 127-day journey filled with family bonding, emotional vulnerability and records. The pair hiked the first 340km of the voyage, beginning in New South Wales's Mount Kosciuszko summit before hopping into their respective vessels at Hume Dam. As they began their journey downstream to the Murray Mouth in South Australia, the pair made it their mission to stop at every rowing club in the hope of creating a community connection. "All we wanted to do was say hello and take a photo with [the clubs], but they really went out of their way to do so much more," Ms Wever said. Ms Wever said she was touched by how locals from the regional communities helped her and her son along the way. "At one stage my [rowlock] was squeaking and we asked some fishermen if they had any WD40 [lubricant] … to which they said, 'No,'" she said. "But then two hours later, the fishermen had hunted us down and come back to find us just to give us a can of WD40. "[We were both] really touched by that … to see that sort of generosity from everybody, it's so lovely." It was the generosity of locals and the tenacity to make it to the Murray Mouth that got the pair through the harshest conditions. "We had quite a few of those moments where we were just in despair, you know, terrible weather conditions, ice on the tent, ice on the boat, not enough food and we lost a lot of weight," Ms Wever said. "We used to not check the weather every day, but [in the end] we checked the wind like six times a day because we were so worried it was going to pick up," Mr Wever-Jetis said. Despite the aches and pains, the pair said the trip had given them a new-found love for Australia's natural landscapes. "I have loved waking up in the middle of nowhere and hearing the birds and the water flowing," Mr Wever-Jetis said. "All that reflection has been really nice for me, especially because I've just come out of high school." The now-19-year-old said that, although there had been some very challenging moments, giving up was never an option. "No matter how hard things got between us, we never really thought about quitting," he said. "We only thought about how we could move through those hard moments and find a way around it." According to records kept by Goolwa's national trust, the Inland Rivers National Marathon Register (IRNMR), 532 people have completed the voyage since its records began 70 years ago. In that time, Ms Wever and Mr Wever-Jetis are the first mother and son to complete the length of the River Murray. Ms Wever said she hoped her adventures with her son would inspire other mothers to do the same with their children. "Get yourself out of your comfort zone with your children because they will find a new side of themselves, and you will too." And as for what is next on the bucket list, Ms Wever said the pair had already begun planning their next big adventure. "The Murray I wouldn't do again because I have done it now," she said. "But I was thinking about the Amazon."
CBS News
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Dads and daughters get mani-pedis at South Hills nail salon
An out-of-the-box bonding experience brought together some doting daughters and their dedicated dads ahead of the Father's Day weekend. Frenchies Modern Nail Care in the South Hills hosted a daddy-daughter mani-pedi spa night for a group of Questors from the Spencer Family YMCA Adventures Program. The Y-Princesses and the older Questors strengthen family bonds through unique experiences. They go camping, rock-climbing, boating and bogging. And they do a lot of volunteer and charitable work in their communities. But the spa night was a first for this group. Don Cline and his daughter Brooke looked perfectly polished and ready for the annual Daddy-Daughter Dance, a formal gala that's a decades-long tradition for the Princess Program. "(We're) putting the girls first and getting out of the dads' comfort zone to do something crazy and wild to make a crazy memory for the girls and this is footing the bill!" said Don. Brooke said she's been looking forward to the event for weeks. "This is definitely different. I like that the girls get to choose what the dads get. We're going to have some interesting ones," she said. Frenchies is known for bringing the community together and for supporting charitable causes, just like the YMCA programs do. Craig Smeltz says it's all about creating those tender moments that make lasting memories. "That's the kind of thing I'm looking forward to. That's the memory we want to lock in with our daughters."
News24
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
I'm a magician and the looks on kids' faces make it so fulfilling
My dad, Pierre, always performed magic tricks for us when I was little – he'd entertain us for hours. When I was about five or six he decided to hold a session every Tuesday night where he'd teach me one trick. My dad wasn't a professional magician – he just did it for fun. After he started teaching me I'd entertain my friends with tricks at school. One day when I was in Grade 10 one of my mom's friends asked me if I could perform at her kid's party. I actually didn't feel like doing it but I went and found I really enjoyed it. I realised people would pay to see these tricks. So I created an 'André the Magician' page on Facebook. I did a lot of performances in grade 10 and grade 11, but it picked up in matric. I did about 30 performances in one month during the June exams. I still don't know how I got through it. I wrote my exams, gave performances, and studied in between. When I was about six or seven my parents bought me a magician's hat and I still wear it today, even though it's quite worn now. I got my costume in my matric year and I think I look just like a showman. After I got the costume, I went and bought myself a few new tricks. I have about two hours' worth of tricks. I do tricks like disappearing cloths for the little kids but for older children I do cool card tricks. I enjoy seeing how excited they get and they always want to be picked to come up and help me. These performances are a bonding experience for me and my dad because he comes with me to my performances. He helped me a lot when I was starting out – I'd perform for 20 minutes then he'd perform for another 20 minutes. READ MORE | The maths magician: meet Antonette Jordaan, the teacher making shapes and numbers fun and practical I don't just do birthday parties; I also go to schools. The largest group I've ever performed for was a group of 800 children. I entertain kids and make balloon animals for them – a sword or a little dog. I perform in many communities and I especially enjoy working with children in underprivileged communities. My grandfather works in underprivileged communities, handing out Bibles and helping at orphanages. I go along with him and do tricks. These children have never seen anything like this and they love it. They always come and hug me and it's so special and rewarding to see how much they appreciate it. I've also performed at a rehabilitation centre and the people couldn't believe their eyes. I'm studying at Stellenbosch University to become an actuary and I'm living in the Dagbreek residence. Making a living from being a magician was never my Plan A – it's just my side hustle. My friends tell me I'm the world's first magician-actuary! My res friends like it when I do tricks for them. I always do card tricks using other people's cards so they can see I'm not using a trick deck. My actuary friends watch me closely to try to figure out how I do it. They don't like it when they don't know how something works but they haven't figured it out yet. The Dagbreek people found out in my first year that I'm a magician. The house committee did background checks on us and came across my Facebook page. They told me to do a card trick immediately, so I did. They were very impressed. Although I'm studying now, I still make time for my magic. I actually did five performances this week. Sometimes I miss class. But it's worth it when I see the children's little faces.
