Good morning here’s your headlines from around regional Australia and beyond. Scroll down and refresh for weather, road reports and more.
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South Coast weather
Roads and rail
For those hitting the road this morning we’ve got a clear run so far. Good news for train commuters, there are no delays on the South Coast line.
Need a national news snapshot first thing - well, we have you covered.
8.33am: That's a wrap for this morning. Remember to check in on your local paper's website for breaking news throughout the day.
8.32am: It’s a popular swimming spot for families with young kids but Merimbula’s Bar Beach is not always safe.
The outgoing tide is well known by Sapphire Coast locals but the strong current caught a number of visitors off guard over the summer school holidays. Full story.
8.21am: The Narooma VRA rescue squad has received some new life-saving equipment just as it has experienced the busiest start to the year. Full story.
8.17am: We are searching for the South Coast’s top amateur photographer. We want to find the best photograph taken during autumn from the region. Enter here.
7.49am: Newly-released drawings will give residents an idea of what Bermagui’s main street would look like after a planned makeover.
Noted architect Philip Cox drew the pictures based on SPIIRE’s Landscape Master Plan for the town. Find out more.
Regional news
► BERRY: A girl was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition in the wake of a car crash that claimed the lives of a woman and child at Berry. Full story.
► PORT MACQUARIE: A POLICE strike force investigating a series of violent armed robberies and shootings across the Hunter have released vision of two bandits wanted over the hold-up of McDonald’s at Williamtown just over two months ago. Full story.
► SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS: Investigations are underway after an abandoned car was found on fire in Moss Vale on April 2. Full story.
►TASMANIA: Opposition Leader Rebecca White used her first Question Time in the role to go head-to-head with Premier Will Hodgman over the state’s hospital issues on Tuesday. Full story.
►NOWRA: A Parkinson’s grief workshop for carers will be held next month. The workshop will be held at the Bomaderry Bowling Club on Friday, May 19 from 11am to 1pm. More details.
►BALLARAT: A Delacombe ice addict who said he "didn't care about having a licence" was caught unlicensed three times in three months before crashing his car, a court has heard. Full story.
National news
► Midway through The Testament of Mary, the Mother of God was recounting the miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead, when the sound of fireworks burst through the theatre. The impromptu interruption unsettled the audience somewhat. Actor Alison Whyte ploughed on with her performance, despite the din of unscripted pyrotechnics outside. Full story.
"You feel invincible when you're taking them. The thought of feeling the pain again was too confronting," Ms Proud, 45, said. Full story.
►In 2008, with much of Australia deep in the torment of what became known as the millennium drought, a new Governor-General set out across the backblocks of NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Full story.
►The freedom you have to do your job and the support you get from colleagues and bosses is more likely to make you happy than your pay packet, a new study has found. Full story.
National weather radar
World news
►LONDON: Downing Street has explicitly ruled out that Brexit Britain will go to war with Spain over Gibraltar - an extraordinary step made necessary after it backed a former Conservative party leader's sabre-rattling comments over Britain's big Mediterranean rock. Full story.
►BANGKOK: Australian miner Kingsgate is seeking compensation from Thailand's military government over its controversial order to shutdown the company's gold mine in northern Thailand, forcing the sackings of more than 1000 Thai workers. Full story.
►BEIJING: Young Australians aren't the only ones feeling locked out of a red-hot housing market that seems unfairly skewed towards their parents' generation. Full story.
On this day
1985 - An estimated 5,000 radio stations around the world simultaneously played the song "We Are the World".
1993 - Construction began on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH.
1993 - In Beverly Hills, CA, Marky Mark Wahlberg had assault charges against him dropped. He had reached an out-of-court settlement with the man he allegedly beat in 1992.
1994 - Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) killed himself with a shotgun. He was found three days later.
2000 - Ziggy Marley became the official spokesman for the Hemp Bar.
Faces of Australia: Frank Hunt and Bill Wilcox
As two veterans sat discussing the war that brought them together on the battlefield, it seemed as if they had known each other forever.
This week, Bega’s Frank Hunt was emotionally reunited with Bill Wilcox, one of the two men who saved his life after being severely wounded by an M16 anti-personnel landmine in the dense jungle of the Long Hai mountains in Vietnam almost 48 years ago. Read all about it.