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Canberra Today 14°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Welsh / ‘Diamond’ Dave’s gloves quietly do the talking

AS THE world was being enchanted by the real-life “Rocky” tale of Jeff Horn taking the WBO welterweight crown from Manny Pacquiao, a Canberra professional boxer’s career was quietly climbing to new levels.

Mike Welsh
Mike Welsh.

Undefeated middleweight “Diamond” Dave Toussaint outpointed Shane Mosley Jr in an undercard bout at the Battle of Brisbane. The 26-year-old southpaw told ESPN: “I can’t wait to get back in the ring”. And on his Facebook page Toussaint promised “exciting times ahead” for his Canberra supporters.

WHILE Toussaint’s star brightens, the future and personal safety of another of our sport stars is under threat. Forced to retire early from Wimbledon due to injury, Nick Kyrgios has vowed to do “everything possible” to avoid the knife as an option to fix a chronic hip injury. But Nick’s late-night partying with two girls in London, hours after his exit from the prestigious tournament, may cause him more pain than the surgery. The father of one of the girls, 18-year-old British player Chelsea Samways, reportedly wants to “knock out” the tennis bad boy.

THE paucity of detail in a statement announcing former chief police officer of ACT Policing, Roman Quaedvlieg – currently head of Australia’s Border Force – had taken sudden leave of absence, is frustrating some.

A statement from Justice Minister Michael Keenan confirmed the 52-year-old father of three “is on leave” and “a matter is under investigation by appropriate authorities” adding “there will be no further comment until that process is complete”.

TELEVISION is being credited for a healthy rise in the number of people tuned into Canberra ABC breakfast radio host Dan Bourchier. The Tennant Creek-raised journalist consolidated his #1 position (up 1.6 per cent to 19.3 per cent) in the latest GfK radio survey. Bourchier also anchors the ABC TV evening bulletin which insiders believe boosted his popularity. The major casualty of the survey was 2CC’s syndicated shock-jock Ray Hadley, down 2.4 per cent to a share of 5.8 per cent.

THE Bimberi Youth Justice Centre, an ongoing headache for the ACT government, is again in the headlines after revelations by a whistleblower drew condemnation from the Australian Lawyers for Human Rights. The group says: “The allegations involve what would amount to incredibly disturbing human rights abuses against the most vulnerable people in society, our children.” They’re calling on the government to “weed out” such systematic abuses.

A SPOTLIGHT shone on the shortcomings in the nursing-home industry across the nation, shifted to the ACT after disturbing reports of a 77-year-old resident of Southern Cross Care at Garran, presenting at Canberra Hospital with maggot-infested wounds. The family of the man, who died earlier this year, say they were told by the then nursing home manager that maggots “were good for wounds” due to the fact they “cleaned them out”. Hospital staff have complained to the Aged Care Commissioner.

DISTURBING statistics on our status within the illicit drug scene have been published. The number of cocaine seizures in Canberra has jumped by more than 500 per cent (from 11 to 68) in 2015-16. The ACT recorded the greatest increase in cocaine busts nationally, just ahead of NSW.

The figures are from the annual Illicit Drug Data Report published by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.

A BATTLE is brewing among conservatives across the border in the Labor-held seat of Eden-Monaro. Seems the divisions within the Federal Coalition may spread to the one-time bellwether electorate and spark a three-cornered contest at the next election. Speculation has grown after Nationals’ leader and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce failed to douse talk of a Nat’s candidate contesting the NSW seat for the first time in 25 years.

THE phrase “all politics is local” may have been redefined recently when a Belconnen resident answered a dinner time phone call from the Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. The Premier’s “personal” robo call was to invite our randomly selected recipient to a Town Hall meeting in Brisbane next week.

 

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Mike Welsh

Mike Welsh

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