'Poor training' caused Bali sea crash

A Lion Air Boeing 737 lies submerged in the water after missing the runaway during landing at Bali's international airport near Denpasar on April 14, 2013. AFP PHOTO/SONNY TUMBELAKA Source: AFP

INDONESIAN authorities blamed poor training for a crash in which a rookie pilot undershot the runway and landed in the sea off Bali last month.

All 108 passengers and crew survived the spectacular April 13 crash, which split the new Boeing 737-800 in two and was a major blow to Lion Air, which has signed record plane orders but is trying to shake off its poor safety record.

The preliminary investigation by the National Transport Safety Committee found the 24-year-old Indian national at the plane's helm was forced to hand control to the Indonesian captain since he could not see the runway upon descent.

The switch was made at 46 metres - below the minimum altitude considered safe to continue descending - and the captain ordered the plane to go around just one second before it crashed into the sea.

The report recommended Lion Air immediately implement several safety measures, such as reviewing "the policy and procedures regarding the risk associated with changeover of control at critical altitudes or critical time".

The airline should also reiterate safety protocols related to minimum altitudes to its pilots, it said.

The report described a sudden change in weather, with clear visibility minutes before the flight landed changing to rain and very poor visibility seconds before.

While a full investigation will determine the exact cause, the preliminary report ruled out any fault with the aircraft.

Lion Air was little-known internationally until it struck two of the world's largest aircraft orders worth a staggering $US46 billion ($46.2 billion).

In March Lion Air ordered 234 medium-haul A320 jets worth 18.4 billion euros ($24 billion) from Europe's Airbus to boost its expansion as air travel booms in the fast-developing nation of 240 million people.

That order followed its $US22.4 billion order for 230 Boeing 737 airliners in 2011.

But experts have raised concerns there is a lack of qualified pilots in Indonesia to fly the fast-increasing number of planes acquired by Lion Air.

Along with with most Indonesian airlines, it is banned from US and European skies for safety reasons.

Between 2004 and 2006 Lion Air suffered a series of six accidents which all involved planes overshooting or missing the runway. No one died.

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These Aussie crooks are no ladies

Valmae Beck aka Fay Cramb was convicted for her part in the rape, torture and murder of Sian Kingi in 1987. Picture: HWT library Source: HWT Image Library

Judy Moran arrives at the Supreme Court for an appeal over the murder of brother-in-law Des Moran. Picture: HWT library Source: Herald Sun

Storm Brooke is infamous for what is believed to be the only murder inside a women's prison in Australia. Picture: HWT library

Victim Sian Kingi was enticed from a Noosa park by Valmae Beck, who pretended she was looking for her dog. Picture: HWT library Source: HWT Image Library

CHILD-killer Valmae Beck's role in luring a schoolgirl to her death earned her notoriety and hatred throughout the country.

In 1987 Beck enticed 12-year-old Sian Kingi from a Noosa park by pretending she was looking for her dog.

Her husband Barrie Watts then grabbed Sian and drove her to bushland, where he raped, stabbed and strangled her.

Beck and Watts were convicted of Sian’s murder, and police always suspected the couple’s involvement in other abductions and murders.

After being jailed for life Beck changed her name to Fay Cramb and became very religious.

But prison authorities had to move her to a different jail after attacks from other inmates left her with nerve damage, including one incident where Beck was bashed with a jam tin inside a sock.

After being ostracised by other inmates Beck – who was reportedly moved out of her kitchen job when her weight reached more than 150kg - became pen pals with child rapist Robert Fardon.

Manson family led to slaughter

They corresponded for eight years after meeting at a “lifers picnic” arranged for inmates in 1993.

In 1998 Fardon – who raped a 12-year-old girl and a woman in the 1970s – tried to get permission to buy Beck an engagement ring.

Beck died in a Townsville hospital in 2008.

Brit mum a shocking serial killer

What is believed to have been the only murder committed inside an Australian women’s prison also took place in Queensland, at Brisbane’s Boggo Road jail.

Severe overcrowding saw violence erupt on January 7, 1990, when armed robber Storm Brooke grabbed a sharpened barbecue fork and repeatedly stabbed fellow prisoner Debbie Dick in the back.

Dick’s friend Deb Kilroy managed to fend off Brooke with a chair that she smashed over her.

The Moors child killer's sick fantasies

Brooke spent more than a year in isolation following the murder.

Brooke was given life for Dick’s murder, but in 1993 broke out of jail using a rope made of knotted sheets.

She scaled a 5m high wall and a fence and spent two months on the run before being recaptured in a raid on a Gold Coast house.

Kilroy, who was serving a sentence for drug offences, later went on to form the support group Sisters Inside, and wrote a book her experiences in jail and how she had turned her life around.

Victoria’s “Body in the Boot” assailant Tania Herman is prepared to admit she’s a wannabe killer – she admitting strangling her lover’s wife and leaving her for dead in a car boot.

But the former triathlete will meet any suggestion she might now be a prison “top dog” with outrage.

Herman used a bag strap to strangle Maria Korp in 2005.

Ms Korp, 50, died months later when her life support was switched off.

Herman pleaded guilty to attempted murder and offered to give evidence against Ms Korp’s husband Joe, whom she had met on an internet dating site.

She claimed she had no idea he was married at first, and was later seduced into killing his wife.

Korp took his own life before Herman could give evidence.

Herman was recently refused permission to marry her lover, fraudster Nicole Muscat, behind bars at Tarrengower Women’s Prison.

Before that she had shared a cell at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre with Bernadette Denny, who was involved in the killing of swinger millionaire Herman Rockefeller.

Herman was interviewed for Rochelle Jackson’s book, Partners and Crime, in which she revealed she was studying for a fine arts degree and enjoys cooking.

But claims from prison sources that Herman and ailing gangland matriarch Judy Moran had battled for control inside Dame Phyllis Frost Centre “deeply hurt” her during Moran’s bid for bail in 2010.

Herman provided an affidavit stating she had never spoken to Moran in jail, and denying they were in a turf war. The mere suggestion “defamed our solid and good reputations”, Herman said.

Moran, a former showgirl and mother of slain gangsters Jason and Mark Moran, was later convicted of the murder of her brother-in-law Des Moran.

Now using a wheelchair, Moran had been a talented dancer as a young woman and earned spots on several television shows in the 1960s.

Inmates claimed she was exaggerating her physical ailments, allegedly leading to a spat in which Moran drove over the foot of another prisoner.

Her first husband, Les Cole, was murdered in 1982. Her former de facto husband, Lewis Moran, was also executed in 2004.

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20 signs you're totally addicted to travel

Do you live out of your suitcase, even when at home? Picture: Thinkstock

DO you break out in a cold sweat when you don't have your next holiday planned? Do your relatives barely recognise you anymore?

You may be suffering from dromomania, or "mad travellers' disease" - a medical condition that describes people who are driven to wander long distances due to irresistible impulses.

Or you could just love to travel.

So how do you know if you're developing an addiction to wandering around the world? Take a look at this list:

1. Your suitcase is never fully unpacked.

2. You can swear in different languages.

3. The only reason you work is to save up for your next trip.

4. The flight attendants greet you by name - without looking at your ticket first.

5. You have more friends overseas than at home.

6. You plan your next trip before you finish the current one - or as soon as you get home!

7. Fellow travellers ask you for directions in foreign places, and you know where to point them.

In pictures: Tacky souvenirs

8. When you sit down at your work desk you reach for the seatbelt.

9. You have more miles in the air than you have on your car.

10. You own more of those tiny bottles of toiletries than standard ones.

11. Waking up at home feels strange.

12. You try to curve your pillow around your neck, like a travel pillow.

13. Some people collect books, but your room is filled with souvenirs.

Is your room filled with souvenirs? Picture: Watchsmart/Flickr Source: No Source

14. You're an expert on currency conversions and have a stash of money in different currencies.

15. You panic at the thought of having to stay in one place for too long.

16. You find it hard to sleep without the sound and vibrations from the jet engines.

17. You can pack in under five minutes.

18. Your bucket list is almost entirely travel-related.

19. You wear t-shirts or other items of clothing emblazoned with country names.

 20. You feel sad when you walk through your front door.

View the original article here

Country cops suspected of tip-offs

Andrew Rule, Associate Editor for the Herald Sun investigates improper activities of Police with bikie gangs in Victoria

VICTORIA Police internal "spy catchers" are set to investigate officers suspected of corrupt or improper relationships with outlaw motorcycle gangs in the Goulburn Valley.

But any moves by the anti-corruption Taskforce Eagle will not come as a surprise to likely targets.

Sources believe the taskforce plans to question at least one detective, other police and civilians over claims that local motorcycle gang members have been secretly tipped off about planned raids.

A former policeman has told the Herald Sun of suspicions over at least eight search warrants for properties linked to a bikie gang.

In each case, it appeared that weapons, drugs or other incriminating material had been removed from the premises before the police arrived with their search warrants. In one case, several mature cannabis plants vanished overnight.

It is believed most of the premises were linked to The Outlaws Motorcycle Club.

The Outlaws have two chapters in the Goulburn Valley - one in Shepparton and one in nearby Kyabram.

Members of both groups are regulars at a raunchy strip venue, named Club Rawhide, in an industrial estate that's walking distance from Shepparton police station and two popular hotels.

It is believed angry police found hidden electronic "bugs" in one regional station this week, after a heated confrontation between officers over rumours of the impending internal investigation.

The Outlaws Motorcycle Club's Shepparton chapter.

The search for the "bugs" was sparked by leaked information about likely targets of the taskforce's inquiries.

Investigators are probing friendships between serving officers and disreputable people. One potential line of inquiry is that a police officer who has taken leave still has access to local police facilities.

Investigators are believed to be checking reports the officer has worried colleagues because of the officer's relationship with a local man recently charged with aggravated burglary and drug offences.

The Herald Sun does not suggest the officer has committed any offence.

Some police are concerned about the background of the officer's latest partner, whose father was expelled from the force and jailed for long-term corruption.

Since Taskforce Eagle was launched last month, investigators have arrested a serving officer for allegedly leaking documents to the Hells Angels. Victoria Police could not comment specifically on events in the Goulburn Valley.

"Through Taskforce Eagle, investigations into associations between police and OMCGs (outlaw motorcycle groups) are continuing," spokesman Charles Morton said.

Members of The Outlaws are regulars of local strip venue, Club Rawhide.

"We have a number of avenues of inquiry ... at this time."

View the original article here

Fire rips through luxury hotel

A FIRE at a luxury hotel on Phillip Island has caused more than $1 million worth of damage.

The second floor of Castle Villa by the Sea on Steele St in Cowes was destroyed after a fire broke out around 7pm last night.

Firefighters battled the blaze for six hours with 13 trucks on scene.

No-one was hurt in the fire and arson investigators will return to the scene this morning.

The hotel commands up to $675 per room a night.

View the original article here

Coral Bay tragedy: woman dead, man missing

A woman's body has washed up on a beach near Coral Bay. Source: PerthNow

A WOMAN has died and a man is missing after what police believe to be a snorkelling excursion gone wrong in the idyllic West Australian resort of Coral Bay.

An emergency beacon was activated just after 4pm south of the coastal hamlet near Ningaloo Reef, which led to the 41-year-old woman's body that had washed up onto the beach.

The woman's 48-year-old partner is still missing in the water, with the Water Police Co-ordination Centre leading the marine search and rescue operation.

Two children aged 10 and 13, believed to be those of the man and woman, were on the beach at the time.

Police say if the man is not found tonight, the search will resume in the morning.

A team of police divers is preparing to leave Perth for Coral Bay early tomorrow morning if the man is not located tonight.

Earlier this afternoon, WA Police spokesman Sam Dinnison said an EPIRB was activated just south of Coral Bay Beach at about 4pm.

"At this stage we believe a body of a woman has washed up on the shore at that beach, it's been confirmed she is in fact deceased," he told ABC Radio.

"We've got police from Exmouth heading to the scene to undertake more enquires.

"We think the woman may have been snorkelling prior to this, but we're yet to confirm that 100 per cent.

"But we've also got reports that her husband may also be in the water, but we're not sure if he's injured or what the circumstances are there."

Mr Dinnison said an EPIRB was set off by a third party.

"We believe the EPIRB was set off by a third party who had access to it, which is great for us because not only can we become aware of an emergency situation, but it gives us the coordinates of where we need to go," he said.

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'We've lost your boy, here's $7'

A Gold Coast with her young son who went missing from after-school care. She was offered a $7 refund of her daily fee by way of apology. PIC: Mike Batterham Source: Gold Coast Bulletin

A GOLD Coast mother is outraged that staff at a childcare centre lost her five-year-old son, then offered her $7 discount by way of apology.

The distressed mother, who asked to remain anonymous, said her son was missing for at least one hour after wandering off from the Helping Hands Network after-school care group at the Worongary State School between activities earlier this month.

The prep student had crossed nine roads - two of which were ramps to the busy Pacific Motorway - and was found about 2km from the school when he was picked up by another mother.

The police then notified the boy's mother, who claims Helping Hands staff did not even know the boy was missing.

After police returned her son, Helping Hands' regional manager rang the mother to apologise and said she would not be billed $7 for childcare that afternoon. 

Read the full story at The Gold Coast Bulletin

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Zoo bid to cash in on our wonders

Adelaide Zoo has the southern hemisphere's only giant pandas. Picture: Chris Mangan Source: National Features

• TELL US: Will this campaign prove successful?

ZOOS SA wants to join forces with tourism operators from the Fleurieu Peninsula and the River Murray in a new campaign aimed at luring tens of thousands of interstate and international visitors.

In an interview with The Advertiser, Zoos SA chief executive Elaine Bensted has outlined a vision to offer package deals combining Monarto Zoo and Adelaide Zoo with iconic South Australian tourism destinations as part of her bid to boost admission numbers at both sites.

Ms Bensted has revealed she will meet with SA Tourism Commission chief executive Rodney Harrex in July to seek support for her vision to embrace several tourism experiences in the state.

"If we want to attract interstate tourists to (Monarto) we need to work with other people in the region to sell a package of reasons to come ... because it's hard to promote just one place," she said.

"If you're from Victoria or New South Wales, to spend a day doing the beautiful wineries around the Fleurieu, then a day at Monarto with a really nice dinner somewhere and then a day out on the River Murray - it's a really nice package."

Senior keeper Karen Davis and education officer Claire Peterson with rare golden southern hairy nosed wombats Icy and Polar at Cleland Wildlife Park. Picture: Watkinson Tricia

Ms Bensted - who has been in the top job since September - said she was starting to work more closely with regional tourism providers and councils in order to offer greater incentives to attract people to both zoos.

"It's about working closely with community, industry partners, local government and other state agencies so we can come up with a proposal that is cost effective ... to deliver and have a much greater reach (to international and interstate market)," she said. "(It's about) being smarter about your marketing."

Ms Bensted has already conducted several talks with Regional Development Australia Murraylands and Riverland Chief Executive Brenton Lewis, to discuss ways of enhancing tourism in Monarto Zoo's Murraylands region.

Mr Lewis said he threw his full support behind Zoos SA and the marketing venture.

Visitors at Remarkable Rocks, Kangaroo Island. Picture: Dylan Coker

"There isn't currently a lot of that happening ... (Monarto) Zoo would be the anchor tourism destination and from that you're leveraging other opportunities," he said.

"What Elaine (Bensted) is attempting to do is multiply the tourism dollar coming into the area ... the tourist might then go on and do other things within the region."

While Adelaide Zoo numbers are steady - it has recorded about 300,000 visitors so far this financial year - Ms Bensted believes she can do better.

"I'd like to get 400,000 at Adelaide (Zoo)," she said.

A houseboat takes a leisurely cruise down the River Murray. Picture: Ian Greenwood

Ms Bensted said about 100,000 tourists visited Adelaide Zoo annually.

"Would I like to do more? Yes, I still think we can," she said. "If you look at Adelaide over the last 15 years it has averaged about 350,000 visitors a year ... then there was a peak when the pandas first arrived (when) it got closer to 500,000 visitors for about an 18-month period."

Ms Bensted said she believed there was a "real potential" for growth at Monarto Zoo.

So far this financial year, about 90,000 visitors have gone through the gates.

A baby seal at Seal Bay Conservation Park. Picture: Chanel Parrat

Last year, Monarto had 100,000 visitors, but Ms Bensted said she hoped to lift attendances to 130,000 people in the future.

She said there was a common perception between South Australians that Monarto Zoo was actually further from the city than what it actually was.

A spokeswoman from the SA Tourism Commission said the organisation would not comment on future marketing initiatives until the meeting with Zoos SA in July.

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Hong Kong deflated over lame duck

A workman (R) stands on the remains of a 16.5-metre-tall inflatable rubber duck art installation as it lies deflated in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour. Source: AFP

THE giant inflatable rubber duck which has attracted tens of thousands of visitors to Hong Kong has been reduced to a sad deflated disc.

Duck mania has gripped Hong Kong since its arrival, with locals and tourists flocking to catch a glimpse of the 16.5-metre-tall artwork, conceived by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman.

But those who made the trip to Victoria Harbour to see it on Wednesday morning were left disappointed as the wind had firmly been taken out of the duck's sails leaving it looking like a floating fried egg.

Organisers said that the duck had been deflated on Tuesday evening as part of scheduled maintenance work and that it would be towed to a shipyard on Wednesday for thorough checking.

"We scheduled a body check for these two days. If everything is fine we can inflate it as soon as possible and the public can appreciate it again," said Andrew Yeung, advertising and promotions manager for waterfront shopping mall Harbour City, which is organising the duck exhibit.

Mr Yeung added that the deflation had been announced on the Harbour City Facebook page on Tuesday night and also on signs around the piers.

"I know people are disappointed but we need to do the checking of the overall condition. We don't want to upset everyone."

Happier times for the rubber duck.

Mr Yeung said he did not know when the duck would be re-inflated.

On a grey morning in Hong Kong tearful 45-year-old clerk Mirinna Chan reflected the feelings of visitors to the pier.

"The sky looks like it is crying for me - I took time off from work just to see the duck, now it is just a blob," she said. "It's really our childhood dream, because when we bathed as children, we would have one or two of the rubber ducks next to us."

Hong Kong has taken the bright yellow inflatable bird to its heart since it arrived on May 2 to cheering crowds, with stalls and shops throughout the city selling replicas and restaurants creating special duck dishes.

"The duck represents happiness for us," 30-year-old office assistant Lee Chun-shing said.

"It was the highlight of this place, but now the highlight is deflated, of course everyone is disappointed," he said.

One man commenting on the Harbour City Facebook page said: "Kids were crying when they deflate the duck."

Most visitors resorted to having their pictures taken with smaller rubber ducks on show nearby.

Since 2007 the duck has travelled to 13 different cities in nine countries ranging from Brazil to Australia in its journey around the world.

Hofman said he hopes the duck, which is due to stay in Hong Kong until June 9, will act as a "catalyst" for connecting people to public art.

A six-story inflatable 'rubber duck' created by a Dutch artist floats into Hong Kong's iconic harbor. Elly Park reports.

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Riverina alert for wanted fugitive

A man who has been on the run from police since 2010 may be in the NSW-Victoria border area, detectives say.

Anyone who sees Graham Gene Potter is urged not to approach him. Source: Herald Sun

AUSTRALIA'S most wanted fugitive may be working as a fruit picker on the Victoria-NSW border.

Graham Gene Potter, 55, who has been on the run for three years, is facing charges of conspiracy to murder and is also wanted over a syndicate's attempts to import a record haul of drugs through Melbourne's docks.

The conspiracy case involves a plot to kill a well-known underworld identity, who can't be named for legal reasons.

There were plans to strike at Mick Gatto's son's wedding in March 2008, after a kickboxing tournament the night before the wedding, and at the Reggio Calabria Club in Parkville three months later.

Potter has been on the run since he failed to answer bail in the conspiracy case at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on February 1, 2010.

Police opposed bail being granted the previous May.

But it is understood Potter had been co-operating with federal authorities in the drug case.

Several months ago Purana Taskforce detectives received information that Potter might be staying in the Riverina area.

He was spotted by police in Tully, south of Cairns, last August 28. Potter ran and a search recovered camping gear at a caravan park where he had been staying for about six weeks.

He had grown a beard and donned a fat suit while a fugitive in Queensland.

There have been numerous sightings and CCTV taken of a man suspected to be Potter.

Detective Superintendent Gerry Ryan said there had been unconfirmed sightings in Tocumwal, NSW, and Cobram areas.

"We are aware that Mr Potter is capable of living rough and camping out so there is a chance he could be staying in caravan parks or camping in remote areas of the Riverina," he said.

"We also believe there is a possibility that local growers and farmers could unknowingly be employing Mr Potter as a labourer or picker.

"We are asking those employers to consider carefully who they are providing lodging to or employing and to make reasonable enquiries about their prospective employee's identity."

In 1980 Potter murdered Wollongong teen Kim Barry and cut off her head and fingers. He became trusted by underworld figures during 16 years in jail.

Police say he uses aliases that include Josh Lawson, John Page, Jim Henderson and Peter Adams.

A $100,000 reward was offered in 2011 for information leading to his capture.

Anyone who sees Graham Gene Potter is urged not to approach him and to call triple 0, while anyone with information on his whereabouts can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

anthony.dowsley@news.com.au

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Meet the teen who made Julia cry

Fiona Anderson and her son Sandy, whose thank-you to Julia Gillard for the NDIS prompted her emotional speech in Parliament this week. PIC: Darren England Source: The Courier-Mail

NOT every mother is happy to hear the words "your son made the Prime Minister cry".

But Fiona Anderson was touched yesterday when she was told her son Sandy's story had reduced Prime Minister Julia Gillard to tears in front of the entire nation.

"I was working and my phone went berserk with a whole lot of text messages and videos" Ms Anderson said.

Ms Gillard's emotional moment came during a speech to introduce legislation to increase the Medicare levy to support the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Julia Gillard breaks down in Parliament

"Sandy has big dreams for his future, like any teenager, but his future also has some big needs - mobility aids that cost tens of thousands of dollars, personal care to maintain his hygiene, physical therapy to maintain his muscles and his health," she said.

"When I met this young man he handed me a card signed by him and his mates to say thanks for what we are doing for people with disability."

At his Sandgate home yesterday, Sandy, who has cerebral palsy, said he was "shocked" when he first heard about the speech, but later felt a "mixture of relief and happiness".

"Even though she was crying, she was (also) relieved to have got it done," the 17-year-old said.

Ms Anderson, who is the Queensland coordinator for advocacy group Every Australian Counts, said she was floored when she was told "your son made the PM cry".

"As a mum, I think it's really important that prime ministers and other MPs understand how important the NDIS is.

"For us, personally, we now know that Sandy has a future because he'll have the same opportunities as other kids his age who don't have disabilities."

Sandy first met Ms Gillard last week when he handed her a signed card at an event celebrating the signing of the NDIS agreement by the Prime Minister and Premier Campbell Newman.

He said he had often seen her on television but it was a "massive moment" meeting her in person.

"I just said 'thank you', basically," he said. "I can't really remember what she said, because I was still thinking, 'boy this is the first time'."

Sandy is hoping to attend the University of the Sunshine Coast next year to begin his tertiary education.

Ms Anderson said the family had spent more than half a million dollars on wheelchairs, making their home more accessible, physical therapy sessions and other expenses over the years.

"My parents helped pay, we've used up our super and we've sold some of my parents' retirement investments," she said.

She said Sandy has needed a new wheelchair for the past three years, with his next one carrying a price tag of $38,000.

"The costs are extreme - children outgrow wheelchairs rapidly," she said.

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Charges over Kangaroo Point stabbing

A MAN has been charged with attempted murder after the stabbing and assault of a woman and two other people in inner Brisbane yesterday.

Emergency services rushed to a unit block at River Tce, Kangaroo Point, about 5.10am where it is alleged a man forced his way into a unit and argued with the 27-year-old female occupant.

Police will claim the man then punched the woman several times before stabbing her with an unknown weapon.

She was rushed to Princess Alexandra Hospital with multiple stab wounds in a serious but stable condition

Another man and woman were also assaulted and were treated at the scene for minor bruising.

The 39-year-old man has also been charged with enter dwelling with intent, grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning bodily harm and three counts of serious assault on a police officer.

He is will appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court today.

View the original article here

'We've lost your boy, here's $7'

A Gold Coast with her young son who went missing from after-school care. She was offered a $7 refund of her daily fee by way of apology. PIC: Mike Batterham Source: Gold Coast Bulletin

A GOLD Coast mother is outraged that staff at a childcare centre lost her five-year-old son, then offered her $7 discount by way of apology.

The distressed mother, who asked to remain anonymous, said her son was missing for at least one hour after wandering off from the Helping Hands Network after-school care group at the Worongary State School between activities earlier this month.

The prep student had crossed nine roads - two of which were ramps to the busy Pacific Motorway - and was found about 2km from the school when he was picked up by another mother.

The police then notified the boy's mother, who claims Helping Hands staff did not even know the boy was missing.

After police returned her son, Helping Hands' regional manager rang the mother to apologise and said she would not be billed $7 for childcare that afternoon. 

Read the full story at The Gold Coast Bulletin

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Apr 21 - May 21

When the going gets tough, the tough often seem to become ever more reliant on protocol and precedent. They like to stick with time-honoured tradition. They feel that things a... Read more

Is prolonged grief natural or a disorder?

1:10AM By Clifford Fram, AAP National Medical Writer A TWO-YEAR outcry by psychiatrists around the world appears to have derailed plans to turn prolonged grief into a mental illness.

Family's cancer tragedy hard to fathom

Jessica Elder FACING the same life-or-death decision as Angelina Jolie, two Gold Coast sisters had double mastectomies while the youngest opted to wait. She's now fighting for her life.

Why men the world over fear forty

LISA POWER IS turning 40 time for a meltdown or cause for celebration? The answer, apparently, depends on your gender, new research shows.

'Teen girls slam 164 doors each year'

4:02PM EVERYONE knows that teenage girls can be volatile but now researchers have measured exactly how volatile.

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View the original article here