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John McBeth: 1944-2023

Published on Dec 7, 2023 by Luke Hunt

New Zealand-born John McBeth, one of Asia’s pre-eminent journalists with a record of scrupulous and ground-breaking reporting, has died after a short illness. He was 79.Over a career spanning more than 62 years McBeth’s reporting helped shape events in countries including South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia.McBeth was a blunt-speaking “old school” reporter and author whose writings pulled no punches and influenced many of the region’s policy-makers over decades.John McBeth was born in Whanganui New Zealand on 31 May 1944, the son of Taranaki dairy farmer Sandy McBeth and Isla Dickenson.After attending New Plymouth Boys’ High School he commenced his journalism career on the Taranaki Herald on 8 February 1962 and moved to the Auckland Star in....

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World Music

Published on Dec 2, 2023 by Luke Hunt

Chris Minko and his daughter Anya have carved out prominent lives in Thailand and Cambodia through music, sport, and education that came with the backing of Australian World War II hero Sir Edward “Weary” Dunlop and Thai philanthropist Mechai Viravaidya.Chris was raised in the small town of Myrtleford in the alpine valleys of southeastern Australia and initially found fame as a musician with jazz band Bachelors from Prague in the mid-1980s before moving into event management.He courted controversy with Melbourne’s Moomba Festival when he defied orders and put an Aboriginal float at the head of an annual parade but also found favor with the trade unions and the Australian Football League (AFL), where he organized half-time entertainment at the Grand....

Click for full post : 2 - min read.