Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from Australian Community Media, which has journalists in every state and territory. Sign up here to get it by email, or here to forward it to a friend.
We've handpicked some Sunday reading in the hope you get a chance to enjoy some downtime. From Tasmania to the Northern Territory and all places in between, these are the tales you'll only learn through the Australian Community Media network. The good, the bad, the ugly - but always the real Australia.
THE EXAMINER: Why skilled migrants leave Launceston
Edward Obi, population attraction coordinator with the Northern Tasmanian Development Corporation, has interviewed more than 100 international migrants to Launceston about their experiences. He said the number one cause of migrants' reluctance to stay was a perception of racism.
"Migrants talk about Tasmanians as racists, as prejudiced, and that's why they leave as soon as they get [permanent residency]," he said. "Otherwise, everyone agrees that Tasmania is basically heaven." READ ON
Two NSW government departments have distanced themselves from the significance of PFAS blood test results despite mounting overseas evidence of the link between exposure and serious illness. "On every count, it seems these residents are being abandoned," one MP has said. READ ON
BORDER MAIL: On illness, arrogance and leaving home at 17
Michael Erdeljac has always attacked his role as a cricket administrator in Albury head-on. And Erdeljac is adopting the same approach as he and his wife, Anthea, come to grips with her early onset dementia diagnosis. He spoke with The Border Mail's Brett Kohlhagen. READ ON
NAMBUCCA GUARDIAN: Why the Bowraville Memorial Cup attracted more kids than ever
You might have heard of Bowraville on the Mid-North Coast of NSW. Maybe because of the ongoing legal wrangle after the deaths of three children that occurred over five months from September 1990 to February 1991. The Memorial Cup, envisioned by the families of those three children Evelyn Greenup, Colleen Walker and Clinton Speedy-Duroux, is a legacy event, but also as a day of fun for local kids. It is a platform for healing; to relieve some of the intergenerational trauma passed on as a result of the murders and the following systemic injustice. It has really taken hold in the hearts and minds of the communities impacted by the untold horror of years gone by. READ ON
COWRA GUARDIAN: How a country kid local became Australia's first NBA draftee
Long before the likes of Andrew Bogut and Ben Simmons made the basketball world sit up and take notice a country kid from Australia made it big in the world's biggest and best basketball league. Reporter Ben Rodin caught up with the man you may not know who led the Aussie assault on the NBA: Carl Rodwell. He lives in the Rocky Mountain's foothills in the USA but was last night inducted into the Basketball NSW Hall of Fame. READ ON
KATHERINE TIMES: The drummer with no hands or feet has found his groove
Rhythm didn't come naturally to Ralph Hall. It took months of practice, but now people can't wait to hear him pound out the beats. And not just because they're curious to see how a man with no hands or even feet can play a drum, they scratched that itch a long time ago. Now they all come to see him play. Reporter Roxanne Fitzgerald met the man whose dance moves are the stuff of legend. READ ON
Enjoy your Sunday.
