A, B, C, and listen.
Hello, friends. It's Ruby here.
I'm back, and you're listening to News Time.
Hi, Ruby. Welcome back, Ruby.
On News Time today, we're going to follow the footsteps of dinosaurs all the way to a Queensland school.
We're also going to explore an ancient shipwreck unearthed by a cyclone.
What do you think? Are you ready to roll?
Let's do it! Story number five.
Do you know what a fossil is?
A fossil is like the remains of an animal.
Yep, that's one type of fossil.
Or it can be a plant or footprints.
Usually they're found in rocks.
20 years ago, a geologist, that's a scientist who studies rocks and minerals and fossils, donated a big rock to the Billie Wheeler State High School in Queensland.
This rock was covered in little footprints.
To me, they sort of look like they came from chickens.
What do you think these footprints look like?
It makes me think of, like, a stampede of dinosaurs.
I think that, over time, lots of dinosaurs could have stepped on it.
Those little ones, they were, like, really fast. They could have been, like, running from a predator and they ran over the stone.
You're right. These footprints came from a dinosaur called Anemopus scambus.
Cool. Anemopus scambus was a small, two -legged plant -eater and it roamed around Australia about 200 million years ago.
Whoa! In this one rock alone, there are 66 footprints.
Experts say that makes it one of the rarest fossil specimens in the entire world.
This rock was found at a coal mine.
And now that we know how special it is, there are plans to put it on display for the whole community to see.
They could go to the most recent place where I've found the dinosaur fossils and try and search for more, to see if they can find some new other dinosaurs.
Good idea. The geologist who found this specimen is hoping it'll inspire mining companies to look out for future fossils, so they can be protected, too.
Story number four. I live on Wongal and Bijigal land, and I work on Gadigal land.
Do you know what Indigenous land you live on?
I live on Gadigal, Mongool land.
One of the reasons we acknowledge the country we're on is to pay respects to the traditional owners.
The first people on the land took care of it.
Aboriginal people. Yep, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were the first peoples of Australia, caring for this land for more than 65 ,000 years.
Up near the top of Australia, the Gummach people are the traditional owners of a place called the Gove Peninsula in north -eastern land.
It is a place with rugged coastlines, beautiful blue water and lush rainforests.
The Gove Peninsula is also a place where mines were built about fifty years ago.
The mining made the Gummach people unhappy because they didn't give permission for the mines to be built and they didn't think it was good for their country.
The Gummj people took the government to court to fight against the mines.
And not too long ago, it was decided that the traditional owners deserved compensation.
That means that they should be paid for the loss or damage to their land.
They would've felt, like, quite proud and they would've been happy that they won.
Absolutely. Gummj leaders say that justice has been served and they hope the court decision will create a better future for their people.
Story number three.
I hope the weather's nice and calm at your place right now.
Not like a couple of weeks ago, when ex -cyclone Alfred swept across parts of Australia's east coast. A cyclone is basically a mix of...
..hard ray, maybe there's floods and lightning and scary stuff.
And don't forget those really strong winds.
Alfred brought lots of wind to southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales.
Trees fell down, trampolines toppled over, ocean waves became enormous, and lots of sand blew away from the beaches.
When the winds died down and it was safe to go outside again, beachgoers in a town called Ballina discovered a mysterious object that used to be buried beneath the sand.
Maybe a sign or, like, a fence or like a barrier.
Good guess. There is wood and nails and metal, but this is actually part of a shipwreck.
Ballinar historians think it might be an old paddle steamer called The Comet that sank in a nearby river more than 100 years ago.
Maybe it got wrecked in a different shiclone.
Maybe, it's just a guess right now, until the experts can properly examine the wreck.
In the meantime, they say it's really important for people not to touch it.
In fact, you can get into big trouble if you damage or disturb a shipwreck.
Personally, I think it's a bit dangerous to leave a broken shipwreck, it might pollute the ocean.
That is a sensible point of view.
The Ballina Mare is finding out whether this shipwreck can be removed.
But some people think it should be left where it is.
They say that soon enough, the wind will blow the sand back over the shipwreck and bury it for another hundred years, or even more.
I guess we'll have to wait and watch the weather.
Story number two. I love the theatre, the stage, the curtains, the red carpet.
Have you been before?
Yeah, I saw Hamilton.
I've seen School of Rock at the theatre.
Yes, The Beauty and the Beast. Oh, you lucky ducks!
Sometimes the theatre can be a little bit uncomfortable for people who don't like bright lights or loud noises.
That's why a company called the Electric Light Theatre in the Victorian town of Mildura has come up with some ideas to help people feel prepared and welcome and comfortable.
they've made something called visual stories that let the audience know what to expect, like when the lights are going to flash or when the music's going to change.
I think that sounds really good because I have some friends who are on neurodivergent and she doesn't like bright lights or really loud noises.
I'm sure that that would be a lot better for her.
That's the idea, Thinking about things like lights and sound and preparing people for what's coming up, it's all about making an experience accessible.
It means that all people with a whole range of abilities can take part.
It's great that they're, like, making it more accessible because I get scared of loud noises, so that's, like, a really good idea.
And then better reviews, more people come, equals more money for them.
Well, you sound like a very savvy business person.
And you're right. Accessibility has benefits for everybody.
And now, my friends, it's time for...
WOW OF THE WEEK! This story made me go, wow, that's so cool!
row row row yo What is that?
Jelted me down that street.
Guys in an orange. It's a miniature person who got shrunk.
That's a pumpkin. Why is there a person in a pumpkin?
Woah. That's not something you see everyday.
But you're right. It's a pumpkin.
A man named Mark Peacock grew a giant pumpkin and turned it into a boat.
Mark rode that pumpkin boat down the Tumut River near his home in the snowy mountains of New South Wales.
How on earth do you reckon he grew a pumpkin so big?
I reckon you just leave it on the plant for a long time and you, like, put it in perfect conditions for it to grow big.
Use an air pump. Use magic.
Maybe loads and loads of fertilizer.
All excellent ideas.
Mark is now giving tips to other would -be giant pumpkin growers.
He says you have to make sure you've got good healthy soil, no frost or pests nearby, and then, when the pumpkin starts growing, it helps to put a little bit of sand under it to help it expand.
You also have to make sure the plant doesn't get too much sun and you need to prune new stems and leaves and fruit as they sprout.
If you follow those tips, you too might grow a pumpkin as big as Mark's Biggest, which, by the way, was 426 kilograms. That's about as heavy as a grand piano. Wow.
Mark chopped the top off his pumpkin and turned it into a boat.
What would you do with your super sized pumpkin?
Make a giant pumpkin pie.
Yes. Pumpkin juice.
Hmm, nice. I reckon I'd make some pumpkin scones.
I might go and cook a batch. They'd be great to share for Harmony Week because they're orange.
It's Harmony Week right now and some people like to wear orange to mark the occasion.
Happy Harmony Week!
To you too! Harmony Week is a time to celebrate all the different cultures in Australia.
Maybe you're celebrating at school.
One way you can celebrate is by learning words in other languages, like goodbye.
In Mandarin, that's zài chàn, or in Hungarian, goodbye is w�isson la ta'sra, or in Welsh, it's hawil văo, there are thousands of different languages and cultures in the world, and they're all worth celebrating this Harmony Day.
So zài chàn, w�isson la ta'sra, hawil văo.
See you next time. Bye, Ruby!
