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Hello, it's Ruby here and you're listening to an episode of Newstime.
Hey, Ruby.
Hello.
I hope you're enjoying your summer holidays.
It's almost 2026, so what better time to look back at some of the best good news stories of the last year?
Are you ready?
Let's go.
Back in January, we heard how music is bringing people together.
Do you have any special older people in your life?
My grandparents are really nice, but sometimes they do kiss me a lot and hug me.
They live overseas, so I don't really get to see them that often.
They all have grey hair.
Every time I go to Megan's house, I get ice cream.
My nana likes giving me Smarties and my grandpa likes going to church.
Oh, they sound like really special people and a lot of fun to be around.
A class of kindy kids in Warrnambool in Victoria is discovering some older people who are great to hang out with too.
At an aged care facility, which is a place that old people go to live when they don't want to live at home anymore.
Kindy kids are invited to visit for music classes once a week.
The residents and the visitors play music together.
It's noisy and playful, and it's very popular.
Every week, more and more residents come along to play and sing with their pint-sized guests.
So can I go to it?
Because I'm great at dancing, you know.
Maybe they can learn things from each other.
Yeah.
It seems that when older people and younger people hang out together, they can understand each other better.
It can make people feel happier and more connected.
Have you got any suggestions for their music class playlist?
Pop music, like Ken Swift music or Robbie Williams.
Fun?
Sounds like my kind of class.
Story number four.
In January, we also heard about some very special pups.
Being a farmer is hard work.
Taking care of a farm, that's a big job.
But thankfully, farmers often have help from a furry four-legged friend.
I have heard of farm dogs.
They usually round up cattle for like farmers.
They help the farmers herd up cows and sheep.
They round up the animals and get them into the right spot.
But working dogs need to be trained before they can be sent to a farm.
I would train it by doing like tricks and then also like giving it treats if it does all the right things.
Right now, nine puppies with farm potential are being trained up for a program called Kelpies for Kids.
The Kelpie pups have a lot of work ahead of them.
Over the course of a few months, they get taught to listen to commands and be quick and clever and careful when they're rounding up farm animals.
Be really fast and listen to their owner when they're calling them.
They would have to have a very strong bark.
Once the Kelpies have learned everything they need to know, they will be auctioned off.
That means they're sold to whoever wants to pay the most for them.
The money that's raised goes to sick kids living in the country who might not have the same access to the same comforts as sick kids living in big cities do.
Families need support over their kids being sick.
Each Kelpie pup gets matched up with one kid and they get to keep track of the dog's progress over its months of training.
These kids love learning about working dogs and the working dogs.
They're pretty happy with the occasional visit too.
In March, we heard about an experience that everyone can enjoy.
I love the theatre.
The stage, the curtains, the red carpet.
Have you been before?
Yeah, I saw Halloween.
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 neurodivergent and she doesn't like bright lights or really loud noises.
I'm sure that that would be a lot better for her.
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 making it more accessible, because I get scared of loud noises, so that's 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.
You might remember this story from April.
We heard a happy hair story.
The hairdressers and barbers of Australia do a great job of helping us look our best, whether they're giving us a quick trim, a big chop or a new hairstyle altogether.
For the remote community of Papanya in central Australia.
The nearest hair salon is a three-hour drive away.
That's a long way to go for a new hairdo.
It's not a journey the locals were keen to make all that often.
So a Darwin-based hairdresser called Gary set up a shipping container in the middle of the town, and the Papunya Hair Salon was born.
It's nothing too fancy.
It's got four metal walls and a simple sign to let people know it's there.
Bit small.
It might be small, but this salon is having a big impact.
On his regular trips to Papunya, Gary is training up eight locals to learn how to become hairdressers too.
It's all part of a program called Deadly Hair Dude, which trains up Indigenous hairdressers in remote communities right across the country.
Then when other old hairdressers retire, there will be new ones too. to come in.
That's the idea.
When Gary's done teaching the students, they will have nationally recognised qualifications and that means they can travel the country working as hairdressers with the skills they've learnt at Papunya.
Until then, the locals of Papunya are very happy to have access to great hairdressing equipment and great hairdressers so close to their home.
Nice beach and grateful for their hairdressers because they might not have had a haircut for a long time.
Exactly story number one.
In june, we were reminded of the value of community and friendship.
If you moved to australia but you couldn't speak english, what do you think some of the challenges would be?
It would be hard to order food.
People wouldn't understand you.
Yep, it can be hard to fit in if you don't know how to talk to people.
So how might you go about learning some English?
Go to English school.
Listen to the other people and learn.
In the outback Queensland town of Mount Isa, a group of women get together each week to do just that.
They've all moved to the area from other countries.
And they don't speak much English.
But what they all do together is sewing.
Pillow.
Tote bag.
There might be an instructor and they might say some words from your culture.
Amina moved with her husband from Pakistan.
When she arrived in Mount Isa, she didn't know any English, and it meant she found it hard to get a job.
One day, Amina met a Pakistani friend in the street and they invited her along to the sewing classes.
The women there get to practise their English together.
You can't understand what they're saying, but after a long long, long time, she will be able to know how to speak English.
That's right.
These things take time.
And eventually, Amina grew confident in speaking English.
She managed to get a job at the town supermarket and she's had a baby and she's got a lovely community to support her through all of it.
She feels like she fits in and she's no longer a stranger to Australia.
Exactly.
And there you go, my friends.
Gotta say, after all that good news, I'm feeling pretty good.
That is News Time for 2025.
I will catch you next year.
News Time is an ABC Kids Listen podcast.
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