WAG tales hit myths for six

HAVE you ever wanted an insight into the life of a cricket WAG?

Being married to an Australian cricketer has its perks, including plenty of travel and invitations to exclusive red-carpet events.

But there are downsides, such as being away from loved ones for months and missing family birthdays and weddings because of tour schedules.

Life as a cricket wife or girlfriend is never dull, which is why Virginia Lette, wife of Tasmanian cricketer Ed Cowan, has started a Girls on Tour blog to give cricket fans an insight into what life is like on tour with the team.

Ms Lette is in the UK with her husband for six months. Cowan has been playing county cricket for Nottinghamshire for the past three, but will this weekend join the Australian Test team in preparation for the Ashes series.

Travelling with the couple is 10-month-old daughter Romy, who was born in England last August so Cowan, who was captaining the Australia A side, didn't miss the birth.

"If I had a dollar for every time someone said 'So, you're a WAG?' when they find out I'm married to a professional cricketer, I would be a very rich woman," Ms Lette, a TV and radio presenter, said.

"I'm bemused by people's fascination with 'the women behind the men' and the common perception that we're all a cross between Desperate Housewives and Victoria Beckham."

But Lette spent most of the past year at home in Tranmere in her polar-fleece onesie looking after Romy alone while her husband travelled.

The blog has already attracted over 3000 views.

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Tassie beckons for Mary

HOPES are high Crown Princess Mary and Prince Frederik will visit Tasmania this year.

The Danish royals will lend their star power to the 40th birthday celebrations of the Sydney Opera House in October and there is a chance they could extend their visit to Mary's home state.

By then it will have been nearly two years since Princess Mary, now 41, visited her home city, Hobart.

The Opera House was designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon and Mary and Frederik are expected to promote Danish design while taking part in celebrations from October 20-28.

Opera House chief executive Louise Herron said mother-of-four Mary was "absolutely loved by the Australian public" and the pair embodied the enduring links between Australia and Denmark.

The royal couple's love bloomed during the 2000 Sydney Olympics after they met in a pub.

In Tasmania, Mary's sister Jane Stephens was politely mum on any details.

"We don't know their travel plans at this stage," she said.

The couple and children Christian, Isabella and twins Vincent and Josephine visited in December 2011 on a private holiday.

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Health costs beyond many

TASMANIA is one of 32 areas in Australia where at least one in 10 people has put off seeing a doctor, filling a prescription, or both because of the cost.

The state was also among 14 locations listed in a National Health Performance Authority report in which at least 25 per cent of residents had delayed or avoided seeing a dentist because they could not afford it.

A NHPA report, released today, is the first national attempt to examine how well access to health services aligns with local needs.

The report, for 2011-12, found that where people lived made a big difference to their access to, and use of, medical and dental services.

It also showed the areas where people had poorest average health were not receiving a larger share of health-care services, shorter waiting times for specialist attention or lower cost barriers to visiting a GP, dentist or specialist.

More than half of Tasmanians (52 per cent) were reported to have long-term health conditions in 2011-12.

The report found 27 per cent of Tasmanian adults referred to a specialist in the preceding 12 months felt they had waited longer than acceptable for an appointment. Elsewhere the proportion of people who felt they waited too long ranged from 19 to 35 per cent.

In Tasmania, the number of GP attendances per person was 5.1 a year.

This compared with only 2.4 in the remote Kimberly-Pilbara region of Western Australia or 7.4 in southwestern Sydney.

The average amount spent over those visits in Tasmania was $210.83.

The report is based on Medicare statistics as well as survey data from almost 27,000 Australian adults.

Authority chief executive Diane Watson said the NHPA's website, which allows comparisons to be made between Medicare catchments, was a good starting point to inform the public and make it easier for health leaders to see where improvements could be made.

helen.kempton@news.com.au

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Skywhale to take to skies

CITY COMMUTERS were in for an unexpected treat this morning when a change of plan saw Dark MOFO's latest exhibit launched high over the Hobart Regatta Ground during peak-hour traffic.

Motorists were given an excellent view of the $300,000, 34m-long Skywhale as it lifted off just before 9am.

The artwork created by Patricia Piccinini to celebrate Canberra's centenary was meant to be launched from Parliament Lawns in Salamanca at 8am.

But slight winds and the proximity of tall trees prompted the specialist crew tasked with getting the awe-inspiring hot-air balloon airborne to move the controversial artwork to a more suitable site.

Piccinini was on hand this morning to witness the Skywhale's maiden Tasmanian voyage and said she hoped people would embrace the work.

"It's about nature and our own interpretation of what it is," she said.

"It's not a whale but it's giving people something recognisable and that's important."

Flights aboard the artwork are dependent on the weather and times are subject to change.

On Saturday the sky sculpture is scheduled to move to Long Beach, Sandy Bay, from 8am, and it will venture north to Royal Park in Launceston on Sunday, again hitting the sky at 8am.

For more details visit www.darkmofo.net.au/program/the-skywhale

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Wake-up call on homeless

HOMELESSNESS not only makes life hard, it can also cut life expectancy.

Bethlehem House chief executive Patrick Carlisle says the average age of death of former residents of Bethlehem House over the past decade was only 47.49 years old.

Exposure to the elements, an inadequate, ad-hoc diet, stress and a lack of basic health care were all contributing factors.

Mr Carlisle will be one of about 50 Tasmanian business people who will sleep rough at Launceston's Aurora Stadium tomorrow night as part of the Vinnies CEO Sleepout to raise money for essential homeless services.

"The forecast is for -1C overnight, so we will certainly know we are sleeping out," Mr Carlisle said yesterday.

He has been writing to Tasmanian businesses asking them to donate $47.49 as he strives to raise $4749 to pass on to St Vincent de Paul Society.

At the last Census, more than 100,000 Australians were counted as experiencing homelessness.

Of those, 58 per cent were under 35 years of age. Twelve per cent were children under 12.

To support his campaign and make a contribution to his sleepout, please visit www.ceosleepout.org, click on CEOs, then TAS CEOs, where you will find his listing.

Business leaders from around Australia will be taking part in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

Participants are given a beanie, a sheet of cardboard to sleep on and a cup of soup before they bed down.

helen.kempton@news.com.au

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Hoteliers raise drink age fears

RAISING the legal drinking age would see widespread closures of venues and almost destroy the Tasmanian hospitality industry, the state's leading hospitality association said yesterday.

With more than 70 per cent of alcohol consumed away from licensed premises, the age lift would do nothing to change the culture of binge drinking, Tasmanian Hospitality Association general manager Steve Old said.

The response follows a survey by the Federal Government that revealed public support for raising the drinking age had risen from 40 per cent to 50 per cent over the past decade.

However, Mr Old said the proposal would have far-reaching consequences.

"It would make many venues go bust because a lot of them are frequented by 18 to 21-year olds," he said.

"And they don't go there just to drink but also to eat and socialise more generally. They wouldn't be able to go into a licensed venue without a consenting adult so it's not only going to deal with the drinking side but could stop people that age from going out altogether.

"We want people drinking in licensed venues where they can drink safely because venues have a responsibility to patrons. The problem is people drinking at home where it is unrestricted, which would only get worse if the legal age is raised."

Mr Old said raising the drinking age would also mean staff in pubs and clubs would also need to be at least 21 years of age, which could impact on youth unemployment.

Tasmania has the highest rate of youth unemployment, with more than 22 per cent of 15 to 19-year-olds not working or enrolled in study.

Holyoake chief executive Sarah Charlton said the drug and alcohol counselling agency supported the move, but found the best way of tackling alcohol issues with young people was through education.

"Science has proven a young person's brain is still developing into their mid-20s so if we can delay any detrimental effect of alcohol on those vulnerable brains then let's do it," she said.

Ms Charlton said she understood why the hospitality and other industries would object, but changing societal attitudes to drinking had to be a priority due to Tasmania's high alcohol consumption rate.

"If you go down to Salamanca on a Friday or Saturday night you see a lot of young people in that age group who are drunk," she said.

"The majority of crimes committed against another person are by a young male when they are drunk. Anything we can do to change this is a plus."

jessica.howard@news.com.au

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Bec says love your lungs

Rebecca Harwood is spreading the "love your lungs" message. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE

REBECCA Harwood looks the picture of health.

But the vibrant events manager, who has asthma, was in hospital with pneumonia in 2011 and on oxygen for more than a week.

She is a spokeswoman for Pneumonia Awareness Week, a national campaign by lung specialists to teach Australians how to look after their lungs.

"You have to love your lungs," she said.

Ms Harwood, 24, has a flu vaccination each year, is vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia and uses alternative treatments such as Bowen therapy and natural remedies.

"I try to stay as healthy as possible," she said. "I eat good food, have regular exercise and maintain a positive mental outlook.

"When I'm down in the dumps, I tend to be prone to sickness."

Lung specialist Professor Lou Irving said pneumococcal pneumonia was a disease that can be prevented with vaccination but people were ignorant about its dangers.

Vaccination coverage is low among at-risk adults, with less than 29 per cent vaccinated, he said.

And only 37 per cent of those vaccinated had the second booster injection five years later.

"Pneumonia often comes after a cold or flu, but 70 per cent of at-risk adults can't tell the difference between flu and pneumonia," Dr Irving said.

Many people do not realise the severity of pneumonia, Rebecca said.

"Make your health No.1 priority, and talk to your doctor about ways to help protect yourself from pneumonia."

jennifer.crawley@news.com.au

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Port Arthur conspiracy anger

SIX months after a Facebook profile purporting to belong to jailed mass murderer Martin Bryant caused widespread community concern, a vicious international internet campaign is accusing two local police officers of being the real killers.

A conspiracy theorist based in Austria, and claiming to be a former Tasmanian, is writing a book about the massacre in which he claims Bryant is the innocent victim of a killing spree planned and carried out by the government and police.

While Port Arthur conspiracies abound online, Keith Noble is making sure his views reach audiences far beyond the confines of the internet conspiracy community.

Noble has been emailing chapters of his book to major media outlets, federal and state government ministers, justice officials and police officers who attended the massacre at Port Arthur on April 28, 1996.

One of the former officers being accused by Noble is Mike Dyson.

"I knew I had to do something about it when he sent a letter to my daughter's house suggesting I should kill myself," Mr Dyson said.

Noble's accusations come six months after Mr Dyson led the charge against a fake Facebook profile purporting to belong to Bryant.

Now he and his former colleagues are being described as active participants in the killing spree that left 35 people dead.

Mr Dyson and another police officer are repeatedly named in Noble's emails as the gunmen, with the author claiming the two officers dragged an innocent Bryant into the Seascape Cottage and tried to burn him alive.

Yesterday was Bryant's 46th birthday.

Noble released an email to mark the occasion, again naming Mr Dyson as the real murderer and calling for Bryant's release.

After failing to get a reasonable response from the author, Mr Dyson yesterday contacted City of Vienna officials to advise them of the potentially criminal campaign. "This person has sent surface mail postmarked in Vienna to members of my family and has a large email list ... to which he is continually sending written material in which he claims that I am responsible for the mass shooting at Port Arthur in Tasmania," he wrote.

Attorney-General Brian Wightman said yesterday the former officer had his full support.

zara.dawtrey@news.com.au

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Gun shots fired in suburbs

TWO gun shots were reportedly fired in Launceston's southern suburbs this morning, police have said.

Just before 6am, police were called to a Kay St, Kings Meadows, following a report of a gun shot.

Police said they were then called to Willow Lane, Prospect Vale, about 9.10am, in relation to another reported gun shot.

No one was injured and no property was damaged.

No formal complaint has been made.

Police ask anyone with information about either incident to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Move to update biosecurity law

THE most far-reaching Australian biosecurity law reform in more than a century will be discussed at a hearing in Hobart today.

The Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee, chaired by Tasmanian Senator Lin Thorp, will consider draft legislation to supersede the Quarantine Act 1908.

Huon Aquaculture Group co-owner and director Frances Bender said biosecurity was the key issue facing all primary industries and the natural environment in Tasmania.

"We are in a special environment that needs to be supported by appropriate mechanisms to protect and keep it safe for future generations," Mrs Bender said.

"Effectively it's what is special about brand Tasmania."

Huon Aquaculture Group is Australia's largest privately owned salmon farming business, harvesting 40 per cent of salmon produced in the country.

Senator Thorp said there was significant support for reforms to bring biosecurity protections into the modern age.

"The resulting legislation will be responsible for protecting primary industries, the environment and local economies from pest and disease risks for many years to come," she said.

"One in five Tasmanian workers is employed directly or indirectly in our primary industries, which are estimated to be worth $1.5 billion.

"We have a global reputation for quality produce free from many of the pests and diseases experienced in other countries and other states of Australia."

Senator Thorp is hoping the inquiry will lead to a more robust biosecurity framework.

The inquiry will be addressed by representatives from Australia's peak vegetable growers' group AusVeg, the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association and Brand Tasmania.

The hearing starts about 9.15am at Parliament House in Hobart and will be open to the public.

Read more rural stories in Tasmanian Country every Friday.

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