Feature by Jackie Sinnerton
Premium Content Alyssa Nolan is Queensland s walking medical wonder. A conjoined twin that survived despite the most dire of odds and now at 20 she has one simple wish - a job. I am a caring giving person … I was given the most amazing chance at life and now I just want to live it like any other young woman, Alyssa told The Courier-Mail. I have a mild intellectual disability but it doesn t stop me working hard. I just might take a little bit longer to learn new things. Alyssa said she would love a job in retail, she was chatty, friendly and loved to meet and talk to people.
FEAR WAS REAL AS STORM NEARED FIVE years earlier Innisfail had been the unwelcome focal point of Cyclone Larry, so when another, even more powerful storm seemed to be heading their way, the fear was palpable. Firefighter Steve Wilson has lived in the Cassowary Coast town for more than 30 years and still remembers the underlying tension as Yasi approached - both among his colleagues and the entire town. On February 3, 2011, his team, their families and pets locked themselves in the fire station - a sturdy building on Fitzgerald Esplanade - reinforcing the front door with big metal beams. Once the winds hit 80km/h, no trucks are allowed out the door, he said.
High-profile Australians, including five former prime ministers, will jump at the chance to be vaccinated against COVID-19 when the first approved jabs arrive in a united front to combat vaccine hesitancy. Former prime ministers, Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young, Queensland politicians and the King Wally Lewis are among prominent Aussies to personally vow to have the jab when it is approved and rolled out across the country. Experts say the decision to halt the trial proves the rigorous process to develop a vaccine works, and Australians are being implored not to let it cloud their judgment as immunity through vaccination is the only way to eradicate the killer virus.