Wednesday, 26 August - I will always love you

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 26 August. In your Squiz Today…

• The first anniversary of the Dezi Freeman shootings

• Country music queen Dolly Parton has died at 80yo

• And a bat-flavoured reno in the UK…🦇

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🙋🏻‍♀️ This newsletter was written by Andrew Williams, Anna Pykett, Larissa Huntington and Sophie Felice

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said a customer outside Woolies’ Darwin city store, because the supermarket has taken to blasting its Fresh Food People jingle on repeat to deter people from loitering outside. Now we know how to get guests to leave our next dinner party…

A year since the Dezi Freeman shootings

The Squiz

Today marks a year since 2 Victorian police officers were killed while attending a rural property in Porepunkah in connection with a child sexual abuse investigation. This led to gunman Dezi Freeman going on the run, and the largest manhunt Oz has ever seen, before he was eventually shot dead by police in March this year. Today, a memorial service for Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart will be held in the nearby town of Bright.

Remind me what happened?

Ten police officers arrived at a house to serve a search warrant on Freeman in Victoria’s north-east Alpine region when he opened fire on them. Victoria Police said he was heavily armed, and that a 59yo detective and a 35yo senior constable were "murdered in cold blood", and another officer was shot and airlifted to hospital. Freeman then disappeared into the bushland for 7 months, while hundreds of officers from across the country looked for him. After 216 days on the run, the 56yo fugitive was caught 150 kilometres from where he’d last been seen, following a police tip-off that led officers to his hiding place. Reports say Freeman had been living in a half-shipping-container, half-caravan - and that he emerged holding a gun after hours of negotiations, before being shot dead by police.

How has this impacted Porepunkah?

Several people have been arrested as part of the investigation into Freeman’s movements and how he managed to get to the NSW/Victoria border - but none have been charged. Hundreds gathered to remember the 2 dead officers outside Wangaratta police station yesterday, where a memorial for the pair was unveiled, and today another plaque is being dedicated to them further up the mountain. Reports say local towns have been heaving with people who’ve travelled to be there, and in terms of the community, local people say it took a long time for things to feel normal again. The huge Freeman search came after bushfires, COVID-19 and substandard snow seasons, which reports say took a toll on the local economy, but businesses say, while they’ll never forget the events of the last year, they’re starting to feel optimistic about the future.

More’s possible with Google AI

Hearing loss is an important risk factor for dementia because of the social isolation it causes people. The good news is that it’s reversible. Bringing back clear sound and conversation is one of the most effective ways to stay connected to loved ones and protect cognitive health. That’s why researchers are using Google AI to help hearing devices better isolate sound, just like the human ear, and restore those vital connections. When medical research joins forces with Google AI - more's possible...

Squiz the Rest

Vale Dolly Parton

Just before 4am AEST this morning, the singer’s official Instagram account confirmed that the music legend has died aged 80yo. Born in Tennessee, Parton was one of 12 children - she grew up in poverty, but it didn’t take long for her talent to shine through - she made her first record at 13yo. Famously, she wrote 2 of the most popular songs of all time - Jolene and I Will Always Love You - in the span of a few days. And her career extended far beyond music - she founded a film/TV production company, ran the Dollywood theme park, helped save the endangered bald eagle, and donated to COVID-19 research. In an interview published last week, she said she’d been battling health issues that she ignored while looking after her late husband Carl, but was keeping busy with plans for a new museum. She will always be loved…

Sanction angst

The new economic sanctions on Iran and its trading partners announced by the US yesterday are copping some feedback this morning - particularly from China. A sanction basically means that if you’re a company that keeps trading with Iran, you could get blocked from engaging with the US financial system and the US dollar, which most global trade runs on - and that’s not healthy for your business. Now, Iran’s biggest export is oil - and its biggest customer is China. China’s not happy with the US move - foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian called them “illegal unilateral sanctions” and said China would take “all necessary measures” to protect its interests. This may make things a tad awkward when US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet up, which is (currently) scheduled for 24 September.

National Cabinet is meeting today

It’s where PM Anthony Albanese gets together with state and territory leaders to talk big-ticket items - this time, national standards for AI and gun reforms are top of the agenda. You’ll remember that Team Albanese is beavering away on a big piece of AI legislation that includes setting standards for data centres, safeguarding copyright, job security and national security, while ensuring we don’t scare off investors. But he could have a task getting some states on board - the conservative-led Queensland and Northern Territory have raised several issues, and Labor in South Oz has called a Royal Commission to investigate… If that wasn’t meaty enough, also up for discussion is ending gender-based violence and updates on fuel levels and H5N1 bird flu. And while it’s not on the formal agenda, GST could also enter the chat. Expect the states to have a lot to say…

An Arrow to the heart

The NRL has approved a special rule change to allow Jai Arrow to ‘play’ 2 more games to reach his 100-game milestone for the South Sydney Rabbitohs. You might remember that the 31yo had to medically retire earlier this year after he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. Souths asked the NRL for one extra player and an interchange for the next couple of games. It means Arrow (named as co-captain) will lead the team out in full kit and then be subbed off before any active play begins… His Souths teammate Cody Walker said the gesture was “a beautiful way to send him off”. The first game is against Arrow’s former side, the Titans, on Saturday on the Gold Coast, and then the Sydney Roosters the following Friday night at Allianz Stadium in Sydney.

Bad manors

The owner of a British estate used as a location in a Batman movie has been told it might be taken off his hands if he doesn’t hire someone to come in and assess the place - for bats. Mentmore Towers in Buckinghamshire was used as the location for Wayne Manor - that’s Batman’s house - in the 2005 Christopher Nolan movie Batman Begins, which starred Christian Bale and Liam Neeson. And since the owner, Simon Halabi, bought it in 1999, it’s seen better days - it’s now in such a guano state that the local council says he has to bring in contractors to fix it up, including a licensed bat ecologist, which we now know is a thing. If he does that within a month, he’ll be able to keep the house - unless, you know, they also find a cave… and a car… and a suit…

Apropos of Nothing

Move over boxers…. Zookeepers in London got creative for the zoo’s weigh-in day where animals are weighed and measurements taken to check in on their health and contribute to a global database on endangered species. It’s seriously adorable…

They say many hands make light work, and this castle repair project would suggest that’s true… In Japan, 1,000 people were picked in a lottery to pull the 400-tonne castle with ropes to help shuffle it back into place after its repair work.

And there are a fair few news stories and tidbits coming out of this interview with Taylor Swift, celebrating 20 years - yep, 20 - since her debut album was released. And as a bonus, she busts out a medley of her hits, like All Too Well. It’s worth a watch…

Squiz the Day

10.00am (AEST) - A memorial will be held at Bright Police Station to mark the one-year anniversary of the death of Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, who were shot by Dezi Freeman in Porepunkah. A permanent memorial for the 2 officers will be unveiled by Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush - Bright 

10.15am (AEST) - Press conference about bird flu in NSW with NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty, Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Jo Coombe and Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Rhys Powell - Orange 

10.30am (AEST) - Trial is due to begin for James Farquhar, charged with the murder of 20yo Jayme Sykes in October 2024 - Geelong 

12.00pm (AEST) - The 2026 National Bush Summit begins. Speakers include leader of One Nation Pauline Hanson, leader of the National Party Matt Canavan, One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce and leader of the Liberal Party Angus Taylor (until 27 August) - Dubbo

12.00pm (AEST) - Newly appointed ASIC Chair Sarah Court will outline her key priorities at a CEDA event - Sydney 

12.30pm (AEST) - Universities Australia Chair Carolyn Evans will address the National Press Club on the state of the sector - Canberra 

7.00pm (AEST) - Boxing: Nikita Tszyu v Ben Mahoney in an IBF super-welterweight world title eliminator - Gold Coast, watch on Kayo 

PM Anthony Albanese will host a National Cabinet meeting to discuss new national standards for AI - Sydney 

Woolworths, Domino's Pizza, Nine Entertainment and Wisetech full-year financial results released 

Australian Bureau of Stats data release: construction work done, June 2026; consumer price index, July 2026

Women’s Equality Day in the US - marking the anniversary of American women winning the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution (1920)

🍅 La Tomatina in Buñol, Spain

🐶 International Dog Day

Birthdays for former Governor-General David Hurley (1953), Macaulay Culkin (1980) and Chris Pine (1980)

Anniversary of:

• the birthdays of Mother Teresa (1910) and Katherine Johnson (1918)

• the release of The Beatles’ Hey Jude (1968)

Housekeeping

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