Author: Madison Cunliffe

Fans of British singer, Ed Sheeran went into meltdown yesterday after tickets for his upcoming Australian tour, Divide sold out in minutes. Online ticket outlets, Ticketek and Ticketmaster struggled to maintain their websites with crashing servers and poor management to blame. The year is 2178.People are still waiting to buy pre-sale Ed Sheeran tickets.— Matt Cannot Be Back. (@MattiusBackius) May 16, 2017 @edsheeran 😲still trying ….I think the whole of Australia's on my queue.— Natalina De Lucca (@lucca_nat) May 16, 2017 been on the @edsheeran presale since before it opened, still "sit tight" mate I'm sitting tight and about to…

The Labor Party has come under fire after its latest campaign was labelled racist. The “Australiana First” advertisement featured a majority of Anglo-Saxon Australians standing behind Opposition leader Bill Shorten as he delivered a promise to “employ Australians first”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbIGQMV7k3s The ad has received backlash from the public and government official, with Mr Shorten conceding on Twitter the lack of diversity was a mistake, which will not be repeated. “Some people have pointed out the lack of diversity in the ALP’s video about local jobs. Fair cop. A bad oversight that won’t happen again,” he said. This wide disapproval has…

A Northern Sydney primary school has stopped setting daily homework. The decision comes after Allambie Heights Public School conducted a survey that found 70 per cent of students, parents and teachers doubted the value of homework. The homework debate has been held decades, with Australian state education systems favouring some form of homework, but varying amounts and frequency. The NSW Department of Education and Training says homework is important: “Homework bridges the gap between learning at school and learning at home. It reinforces work done in class. It helps develop skills such as research and time management. Homework helps to establish…

The Reebok CrossFit Games is the ultimate fitness test for athletes to distinguish themselves from the rest, according to those behind the upcoming Wollongong championships. The regional tournament will be held from the 26th – 28th May, with 17 teams set to compete. The tournament challenges strength, balance and stamina simultaneously to push competitors to their limits. Click here to watch a live interview with Sam Murphy, owner of the Illawarra’s CrossFit Reclaim.

Does Australia rank in your top 10 happiest countries in the world? According to the annual World Happiness Report, Australia is ranked 9th on the list, with Norway laughing in the top spot. The United Nations-initiated study measured “subjective wellbeing” against economic advancements. In the report, citizens were asked to grade their level of happiness in the hope national leaders would acknowledge the research and focus on improving their country’s standing. Western developed countries led the rankings, while countries afflicted by conflict and deprivation scored poorly. Determining factors included social support, freedom, generosity and corruption as well as mental and…

A 13-year-old boy carries the hopes of the Illawarra as the annual Arnold Classic Australia kicks off this weekend. Zayn Timev will be competing in the multi-sport festival, which will host international competitors and the man with his name in the title, Arnold Schwarzenegger. https://youtu.be/NuykzFfS3FM Timev is the first of his age to represent the region in three-minute, full-contact, knock-out rounds. The tournament held in Melbourne will showcase fitness and sporting competitions, with everything from boxing and arm wrestling to pole fitness and Brazilian Jui Jitsu. Heavily focused on an active lifestyle, the Arnold Classic has expanded its target audience…

Warilla library has been earmarked to become a branch of the new controversial Civic Centre library in Shellharbour causing outrage in the community. The proposed facility raises concerns of centralisation, accessibility and disadvantaging low socio-economic residents. The Civic Centre, formerly known as the ‘City Hub’, will house a modern central library, however Shellharbour councillor Peter Moran has slammed the new building as a waste of space. “At the moment, the Warilla community has a central library located right on the edge of one of the absolute poorest areas as far as socio-economic ratings of the whole city (goes),” Cr Moran…

Water bombing and rescue simulations will part of the Rotary Club of Minnamurra’s biggest Emergency Services Expo this weekend. The club will hold its tenth expo on Saturday at Black Beach. Event coordinator David Ferne said the expo aims to inspire people to give back to their community. “We feel this event has purpose within the Illawarra region,” he said. “Yes, to showcase emergency departments, but also to convey knowledge and seize as many willing people as possible.” NSW Police, Fire and Rescue and Surf Life Saving will conduct demonstrations across the day. “The community gets to talk to personnel,…