Hicks braces for MS battle

London bombing survivor Gill Hicks has spoken about her health fears. Picture: 60 minutes Source: Supplied

LONDON bombing survivor Adelaide's Gill Hicks has symptoms of multiple sclerosis and says she is "absolutely terrified of the unknown".

Ms Hicks, 44, who returned to Adelaide last year after 22 years in London, also revealed on Channel Nine's 60 Minutes that she has split from her partner Karl Falzon after he admitted a six-month affair.

He is the father of her daughter, Amelie, who was born in January.

Ms Hicks lost both legs when a suicide bomber blew up the Piccadilly Line underground carriage in which she was commuting to work in 2005. She was the last survivor to be pulled from the wreckage in which 26 people died.

The MS fears were sparked by an incident in which she woke up temporarily blinded last year.

"Because of other symptoms, multiple sclerosis is the most likely diagnosis. I'm absolutely terrified of the unknown," she told 60 Minutes.

She did not say if the diagnosis had been confirmed.

The disease affects the central nervous system and interferes with the transmission of nerve impulses throughout the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. There is no cure. And only months after the birth of their daughter, Ms Hicks says she and Mr Falzon have split.

"Karl and I are spending time apart. He's working on his life and I'm looking at my life. Everything's very different to what I expected," she said.

60 Minutes said Mr Falzon recently admitted a secret six-month relationship with another woman.

The pair met 18 months ago in Australia, where she regularly gives talks about the London bombings and her work with the M.A.D. peace campaign. Earlier in the TV interview, recorded before the split, she had said: "Our relationship is the most wonderful thing in the whole world."

Asked if her work through her charity M.A.D had saved lives, she said: "I've had one young person come back to me and say `I listened to what you said and I'm not going ahead'. (He was) an extremist who was very willing to die for that cause as a suicide bomber in London."

Despite the continuing challenges in her life, Ms Hicks said: "I'm one of those resilient people in life who can weather every storm.

"If anyone rented the movie Gill Hicks, you'd probably take it back and say `what ridiculous Hollywood rubbish - how much can this person take in one life'?"

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Hicks braces for MS battle

London bombing survivor Gill Hicks has spoken about her health fears. Picture: 60 minutes Source: Supplied

LONDON bombing survivor Adelaide's Gill Hicks has symptoms of multiple sclerosis and says she is "absolutely terrified of the unknown".

Ms Hicks, 44, who returned to Adelaide last year after 22 years in London, also revealed on Channel Nine's 60 Minutes that she has split from her partner Karl Falzon after he admitted a six-month affair.

He is the father of her daughter, Amelie, who was born in January.

Ms Hicks lost both legs when a suicide bomber blew up the Piccadilly Line underground carriage in which she was commuting to work in 2005. She was the last survivor to be pulled from the wreckage in which 26 people died.

The MS fears were sparked by an incident in which she woke up temporarily blinded last year.

"Because of other symptoms, multiple sclerosis is the most likely diagnosis. I'm absolutely terrified of the unknown," she told 60 Minutes.

She did not say if the diagnosis had been confirmed.

The disease affects the central nervous system and interferes with the transmission of nerve impulses throughout the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. There is no cure. And only months after the birth of their daughter, Ms Hicks says she and Mr Falzon have split.

"Karl and I are spending time apart. He's working on his life and I'm looking at my life. Everything's very different to what I expected," she said.

60 Minutes said Mr Falzon recently admitted a secret six-month relationship with another woman.

The pair met 18 months ago in Australia, where she regularly gives talks about the London bombings and her work with the M.A.D. peace campaign. Earlier in the TV interview, recorded before the split, she had said: "Our relationship is the most wonderful thing in the whole world."

Asked if her work through her charity M.A.D had saved lives, she said: "I've had one young person come back to me and say `I listened to what you said and I'm not going ahead'. (He was) an extremist who was very willing to die for that cause as a suicide bomber in London."

Despite the continuing challenges in her life, Ms Hicks said: "I'm one of those resilient people in life who can weather every storm.

"If anyone rented the movie Gill Hicks, you'd probably take it back and say `what ridiculous Hollywood rubbish - how much can this person take in one life'?"

View the original article here

Australia's best in croquet battle it out

Dwayne McCormick and Harley Watts are part of the SA team in the national croquet championships, which start this week. Picture: Stephen Laffer Source: adelaidenow

AUSTRALIA'S best croquet players are in town to battle it out in the national championships.

The Croquet SA headquarters in the south parklands is hosting the bulk of the action, including the Australian Croquet Association Gold Medal, open to both men and women.

The Australian Women's Singles competition will be split between the Hutt Rd venue and the North Adelaide Croquet Club.

The parklands will also host some games in the interstate teams competition for the Eire Cup.

The national titles come after Adelaide hosted the world championships for the first time last year.

"It's great because croquet is so popular now," Croquet SA executive director Cathy Leske said.

"People hear the word croquet and say it's the new funky game to play.

"People can come up and see the the top players and it's all for free."

SA Captain and Australia's third ranked player Harley Watts, of Lewiston, will play in the open, men's and team events and has high hopes for SA in the Eire Cup.

"While I'm not 100 per cent sure we'll win, we'll give it a red hot shot," he says.

The men's competition will be held at suburban clubs.

The championships began this week and run until March 24.

Details: croquetsa.com.au

For more news on the city, pick up a copy of the City Messenger, read our digital edition online, or become a fan of our Facebook page.

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Bra Boy's mother, widow battle over $30m empire

The alleged will of Bra Boy Cade Dallas. Picture: Higgs Greg Source: Twitter

THE widow of Bra Boy surf gang member Cade Dallas has gone to war with his mother in South Australia's highest court over his $30 million clothing empire.

The unwritten code of the infamous NSW surf gang - "be your brother's keeper" - has done nothing to stem hostilities between Veny Amelia and her mother-in-law, Kerrie Dallas.

Ms Amelia, who lives in Adelaide with Cade's son Keanu, says Mrs Dallas has taken control of the estate by tricking Indonesian authorities with a false will signed with a smiley face.

She claims Mrs Dallas is spending the fortune on a lavish Balinese lifestyle, robbing her grandson Keanu in the process.

Mrs Dallas, however, says the gang member's business collapsed as he indulged in the drugs and alcohol that killed him.

In her Supreme Court documents, Ms Amelia says Mr Dallas was the owner of the lucrative Balinese clothing store chain Somewhere, which turned over $100,000 a month.

She says although the couple separated, he continued to send money for Keanu's education at an Adelaide private school.

Ms Amelia says that, upon her husband's death, Mrs Dallas promised to continue that maintenance provided she sign some documents.

However, she claims Mrs Dallas used that paperwork and the will - handwritten on a piece of notepaper - to convince Indonesian authorities she had been appointed executor of the estate with Ms Amelia's permission.

"I did not understand the document would be used to keep Keanu out of his money and the business of Somewhere until he was 30 years old," Ms Amelia says.

"My concern is (Mrs Dallas) is using the money for her own good lifestyle - because she told me she regards the business as just for her.

"Before Cade died, she was working as a casual cleaner."

She asks the court to make a declaration she is Keanu's sole guardian, thereby giving him access to his father's estate.

In her defence papers, Mrs Dallas says Somewhere was "insolvent" when her son died.

"It was run down and in very bad shape... the approximate cash at hand was $35,000," she says.

"It was not uncommon for Cade to have long drinking binges and to neglect the business."

Mrs Dallas says she has been advised that, under Indonesian law, Keanu cannot obtain his father's estate until he is an adult - and then only in $50,000 increments per year.

She asks the court to dismiss the case, saying it should be heard in Denpasar under Indonesian law.

The case returns to court next month.

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