Susan Chenery

Yvonne Whear, a 73-year-old pensioner from Dungay in New South Wales, disappeared on 19 February 2026 after leaving an art class in Murwillumbah. CCTV captured her buying orange juice and phone credit and later driving toward Dungay; her car and phone subsequently went missing. Her daughter, Gillian Hallac, says Whear’s routines, concern for her animals and apparent lack of distress make a voluntary disappearance unlikely, and believes some people know more than they have disclosed. NSW Police have conducted extensive searches using drones, helicopters, boats, sonar, trail bikes and officers on foot, but have found no answer and remain open to all possibilities. Whear’s family continues caring for her animals while living with uncertainty over her fate.

Australian playwright, producer and director Andrew Upton discusses Krank Fuss, his debut novel about a disfigured chicken living within a brutal hierarchy on a farm in Nazi Germany. Framed as a fable written by a First World War veteran for his unborn daughter, the novel combines fantasy, dark humor and graphic violence while exploring powerlessness, animal exploitation, war and the human systems animals cannot understand. Upton says his work with Chekhov, Ibsen and the Sydney Theatre Company influenced the book, which he shared first with Cate Blanchett, their son Dashiell and Kip Williams. Despite initially warning them that the novel was “weird,” all three encouraged him to stop describing it that way.

Guardian Australia editors and critics recommend nine forthcoming books, spanning fiction, nonfiction and a cookbook. The selections include psychological and literary novels, a critique of alternative-medicine conspiracies, a Bengali food history, stories of queer Afghan exile and offshore-oil-rig survival, an animal allegory set against fascism, and an analysis of social-media outrage. The reviews are broadly enthusiastic, emphasizing literary ambition, cultural history, scientific clarity, political urgency and unusual premises.

Samoan tenor Pene Pati has risen from poverty in Upolu and South Auckland to a major international opera career, with engagements at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala and other leading venues booked through 2029. A new documentary, Tenor: My Name is Pati, follows his family, cultural background and difficult path into opera, including early discouragement that Polynesian singers could not succeed. Pati credits his voice’s emotional power and his family’s support, while acknowledging the sacrifices and loneliness of international performance. His story is also framed as a way to make the path easier for future Pacific singers.

The NSW coroner has recommended that the 2021 death of Melbourne man Jackson Stacker near Byron Bay be referred to the homicide squad’s unsolved homicide team. Stacker’s skeletal remains were found near his abandoned Toyota Hiace van, with a hunting-style knife lodged in his chest, but forensic pathologist Leah Clifton could not conclusively determine the cause of death because of decomposition. The coroner found it could not be established that Stacker died by suicide, while the absence of defence wounds and other evidence also prevented a finding of murder. Although the coroner could not conclude that the early police investigation was inadequate, she identified concerns and said homicide-squad involvement would have been appropriate earlier. Stacker’s family welcomed the recommendation, saying serious unanswered questions and additional witnesses warrant a thorough, independent investigation.

Kerrie Stratford, a 65-year-old resident of Stanthorpe, Queensland, wins her 22nd apple-peeling title at the town’s apple and grape harvest festival despite severe chronic illnesses and constant pain. She produces a 3.9-metre strip of apple peel, falling short of her 2018 record of 6.1 metres while John Bruschi gives her a stronger challenge than usual. The festival, now in its 60th year, attracts about 70,000 visitors and generates an estimated $20 million, reflecting Stanthorpe’s enduring agricultural and Italian-Australian heritage.

Australian cave diver and anaesthetist Richard Harris became internationally known after helping rescue 12 boys from a flooded Thai cave in 2018, but remained obsessed with proving himself in New Zealand’s dangerous Pearse Resurgence. In 2023, Harris and Craig Challen joined a specialist team for a record-setting descent, using hydrogen in Harris’s breathing gas to counter the tremors caused by high-pressure neurological syndrome. Despite equipment failures, extreme cold, logistical isolation and serious concerns from the scientific team, the hydrogen experiment worked at 200 metres and Harris reached the agreed depth of 230 metres before beginning a 12-hour decompression. The experience gave him a sense of achievement and personal closure, although it also forced him to confront the risks his ambitions imposed on his family.

Mandy Sayer discusses No Dancing in the Lift, her memoir addressed to her late father, Gerry Sayer, a charismatic but often absent jazz musician who could not read or write. Gerry’s devotion to music, storytelling and improvisation shaped Mandy’s identity and writing, despite the family instability caused by his absence and her mother’s alcoholism. The memoir draws on memories of their years busking and breaking laws in New York and on Sayer’s later role as Gerry’s carer during his terminal illness. Rather than focusing solely on grief, the book finds humor, absurdity and creative connection in their complicated relationship.

The Guardian’s September roundup recommends eleven Australian books spanning fiction, memoir, graphic novels, cookbooks and environmental nonfiction. Highlights include Kathleen Folbigg and Tracy Chapman’s account of wrongful conviction and exoneration, Mandy Sayer’s humorous memoir of caring for her father, Omar Musa’s lyrical novel about Malaysian Borneo and palm-oil devastation, and Randa Abdel-Fattah’s story of censorship and Palestinian solidarity in Sydney. Other selections explore grief, class, friendship, gothic isolation, extinction and inventive cooking, with the books broadly presented as compelling, thoughtful and emotionally resonant.

The Dull Men’s Club, founded by Grover Click in New York in the 1980s, has grown into an international online community that celebrates mundane hobbies, meticulous observations and deliberately understated humor. Its Facebook groups now include millions of members, who compete playfully over topics such as toilet-roll orientation, post boxes, appliance dismantling and windscreen-wiper speeds. For 85-year-old Australian member Andrew McKean, the club provides more than amusement: after a heart attack forced him and his wife, Patricia, into residential aged care, he uses its community to share poignant writing about ageing, confinement and everyday life. The group offers McKean companionship, recognition and a renewed sense of purpose in circumstances that have sharply reduced his independence.

Older spouses and family members caring for people with dementia often provide round-the-clock support without respite, while their own health, finances and wellbeing deteriorate. Don Cameron insists on caring for his wife Marjorie at home despite her dementia, rheumatoid arthritis and worsening mobility, but worries about what would happen to her if he became ill. Cases involving Peter and David Lodge in the UK and Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa in the US show the potentially fatal consequences when a carer dies or becomes incapacitated. Experts and advocacy groups stress early contingency planning, greater respite provision and prioritizing carers’ own health, while acknowledging that love, duty and a sense of purpose often keep them providing care beyond what they can safely sustain.

Blanche d’Alpuget discusses The Bunny Club, her first detective novel, set among Sydney’s wealthy eastern suburbs and the southern highlands. The story follows detectives investigating the grisly murder of television host Evelyn Sinclair and features sex work, shibari, surveillance and the dark web, including male escort Anton de Villiers. D’Alpuget explains how she researched poisons, policing, medicine, law and technology while adapting from historical fiction to crime writing. She also reflects on her long career, the shadow cast by her relationship with former prime minister Bob Hawke, his death in 2019, and her subsequent struggles with grief, breast cancer, Covid and pneumonia before returning to writing.

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred continued to cause flooding, power and telecommunications outages across Queensland and New South Wales, prompting emergency warnings and evacuations. Brisbane recorded its wettest day in 51 years, sewage overflows were expected in some floodwaters, and more than 8,000 insurance claims had been lodged across the two states. Anthony Albanese announced up to 13 weeks of income support for eligible affected workers and sole traders. In Western Australia, emergency services searched for a surfer feared taken by a shark after recovering a bitten surfboard. Police also said a Sydney caravan containing explosives was part of a fabricated terrorism plot allegedly orchestrated by organised criminals, while warning that the scheme had nevertheless caused serious fear within the Jewish community.

Residents across New South Wales’ Northern Rivers remain isolated after heavy rain from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred caused widespread flooding, road damage and power outages. Homes are developing damp and mould, food is spoiling, communications are unreliable, and authorities are urging people to conserve water or use bottled supplies after wastewater treatment plants and pump stations lost power. Emergency responders face delays from trees on potentially live power lines and are conducting welfare checks on people in remote areas. Despite the disruption, residents and community groups are supporting one another, while concerns remain that further rain could worsen flooding and damage access routes, homes and agricultural land.

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred continued to cause heavy rain, flash flooding and widespread disruption across south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales. Emergency services rescued people from flooded homes and vehicles, while hundreds of thousands of properties remained without power and major telecommunications outages persisted. Thousands of insurance claims were lodged after a catastrophe declaration, although the total damage bill was still uncertain. Schools and public transport services were disrupted, ADF personnel remained hospitalized after a crash, and authorities warned that flooding and dangerous weather could continue. Political debate also emerged over the government’s proposed participation in planning for a potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine.

Residents of Murwillumbah and surrounding northern New South Wales communities brace for Tropical Cyclone Alfred amid rising winds, heavy rain, power and communications disruptions, and evacuation orders. The flood-weary region remains anxious after the devastating 2022 floods, while elderly residents and people in temporary accommodation face particular difficulties. Despite warnings, some residents remain reluctant to evacuate, though local volunteers and community networks are helping vulnerable neighbours prepare.

Residents across Queensland and northern New South Wales describe the anxious, frustrating wait for Tropical Cyclone Alfred to make landfall. People have secured homes, stocked food and prepared for possible power outages, flooding and destructive winds, but uncertainty over the cyclone’s timing and path has prolonged the tension. Communities around the Gold Coast and Brisbane show contrasting signs of normality and disruption, while residents in the northern rivers—particularly around Lismore—face painful memories of the devastating 2022 floods. Firsthand accounts emphasize both the difficulty of remaining idle while danger approaches and the uneven impact of the storm across the region.

Murwillumbah residents are preparing for Tropical Cyclone Alfred nearly three years after catastrophic 2022 floods left about 4,000 homes uninhabitable and some people homeless. The approaching cyclone is causing renewed fear and post-traumatic stress, while its predicted winds pose an unfamiliar risk beyond the town’s experience with heavy rain and flooding. Authorities have deployed staff and equipment, installed new flood pumps and urged residents to prepare for power, internet, wind and flood disruptions. Despite the anxiety, residents, volunteers and local organisations are again helping one another move livestock, assist vulnerable people and prepare for the storm.

In 1985, 49 mostly teenage women became the first Australian female recruits to undertake the same basic combat training as men at Kapooka, including weapons, physical and field training. Despite discrimination, intense scrutiny, unsuitable equipment and severe physical demands, 33 graduated and established that women could meet the army’s standards. The experience forged enduring bonds but also left many with serious lifelong injuries, prompting veterans to seek medical compensation and recognition. Four decades later, the former recruits remain proud of their achievement while arguing that women in the military have continued to face barriers and repeated demands to prove themselves.

Veterinarians and wildlife carers describe the physical and emotional toll of responding to Australia’s 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires, which killed an estimated three billion animals and destroyed vast areas of habitat. They treated koalas, kangaroos, echidnas, livestock and other wildlife suffering burns, smoke inhalation, starvation and habitat loss, often while uncertain whether their own homes had survived. The work continued for months after the fires, and many responders report lasting trauma triggered by heat, smoke and renewed fire danger. Their experiences underline both the vulnerability of Australian wildlife and the helplessness felt by those trying to save animals amid unprecedented destruction.