Category Archives: australian media

What’s in an “I”.  Peris/Peiris …. !!

Earlson Forbes

I read with interest the exchange among Victor, Kyle and yourself regarding the question of whether Nova Peris is of Sri Lankan heritage, albeit ever so minor.  A few years ago, an article I had written titled … (From Ceylon to Australia: Migrant Journeys, 1860ies to 2010… was published in your excellent Thuppahi Blog.  In summary, some of the content of that article establishedv THAT:-
&  In 1882 some 500 Ceylonese entered Queensland as indentured labourers.
&  The development of the Pearl Fisheries and later jewellery trade, brought several Ceylonese to Thursday Island as skin divers, boatman, traders and utility workers.
suger plantation workers in Queensland   ina photo served up within  Earlson’s article
‘camel riders at sunset  in Broome

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Nova Peris: What’s in Her Name?

Michael Roberts  

In step with David Sansoni’s email questioning Victor Melder has categorically challenged my  speculative suggestion  that  NOVA PERIS may possibly have had  a grandparent who was a Sri Lankan pearler/trader/seaman in the north-western reaches of Australia .

VICTOR: “No, Nova Peris is not of Sri Lankan heritage; she is a prominent Indigenous Australian from the GijaYawuru, and Muran/Iwatja peoples. While her surname, “Peris,” has European origins, and she has documented Scottish, Irish, and Filipino heritage, her Indigenous identity comes from her family’s connections to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditions and cultures in Australia.”

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Nova Peris & Her Roots: Any Sri Lankan Links?

Michael Roberts

Since Nova Peris-Kneebone was one member of the Australian 4 x 100 relay team that secured  a medal  in the Olympic Games of 1996 ( …..   ), I  raised  the speculative question:  does  the name PERIS indicate that one of  her grandparents was a Sinhalese merchant, worker or pearl-diver who was  among the Sri Lankan personnel  known to have  particpated  in trading,  pearl-diving and labouring  activities in the north-western, northern coastal areas of Australia from the early twentieth century  and perhaps  even earlier? 

Australia’s gold medal team, (left-right) Sharon Cripps, N. Peris-Kneebone, Catherine Freeman and Tania Van Heer, celebrate their victory (Photo by Tony Marshall/EMPICS via Getty Images)

371732 05: Australian gold medalist Peris-Kneebone autographs the “Nova” watch she designed for Swatch Watches June 27, 2000 in Santa Monica, CA. Peris-Kneebone, the first Olympic torch bearer on Australian soil and a member of the Aboriginal Muran Clan was on hand to discuss her part in the 17,000-mile journey the olympic tourch will make. (Photo by Jason Kirk/Online USA)

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Tania Van Heer: Across Continents ….. A Widening Reach

The  Thuppahi SITE can pat itself on its bum for featuring  the athletic prowess of Tania Murphy nee Van Heer and  her son Aidan Murphy over the decades — achievements on  the athletic tracks as  well as academic fields and moving  beyond to a small welfare enterprise in Sri Lanka.

VISIT … https://thuppahis.com/2022/12/01/perseverance-delivers-degree-fulfilment-for-tania-murphy-nee-van-heer/

Australia’s gold medal winning team, (left-right) Tania Van Heer, Catherine Freeman, Sharon Cripps and N. Peris-Kneebone, wave to the crowd as they go on a lap of honour (Photo by Tony Marshall/EMPICS via Getty Images)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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World Political Propaganda TODAY: Revelation vs Deception at the Heights

Matt Gable, in an  email communication ….where The Editor has  taken  the  liberty of inserting his  own  highlights

It is worth watching the first 16 minutes of a presentation  by Rick Sanchez – a Cuban-born US citizen currently living in Moscow and hosting a TV show for RT.  He is a good journalist.  Here, Rick looks briefly at common elements in three recent protests in different regions of the world – Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines.
We are told all three protests involved students, Gen Z, were social media driven,  and used the same manga pirate flag depicting the Jolly Roger wearing Luffy’s straw hat.

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USA vs Ceasefire in Gaza !!

‘Archie  S’

The United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Gaza no longer exists.   The UN is a zombie – an impotent bunch of misfits, like a limp dick. One can only feel sorry for the Palestinians. They’ll be turned into cutlets for the “Free World’s” dinner in “the great feast of celebration of democracy, freedom and prosperity” on the blood and bones of Palestinians. It reveals democracies are parasitic that feeds of the bones and blood of others.

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The Western Newspapers Vicious ‘Images’ of India’s Foreign Policy

“Archie  S‘… responding to  Items in THE AUSTRALIAN newspaper on the 17th Sepember 2025 entitled “Dangerous Optics for the Quad” and “India crosses the Red Line” with  the highlighting below [other than the blackened words] being impositions by The Editor, Thuppahi

The AUSTRALIAN newspaper is desperate to try and bring India under Western control. They hate the idea of neutrality. They hate countries being non-aligned. The assumption of this editorial, as with all articles published in the Australian, is that these conservatives possess a total intolerance of all other political and social systems outside of the West, and they believe that all countries can only exist and must exist in the image of the West, conform to its political systems and doctrines or be deemed a threat. The assumption here is that the West is superior to all other civilizations – the same idea that has existed for 500 years. It is this attitude that turns many leaders in the global south away from the West to organisations such as the SCO and BRICS, not to be anti-Western, but to pursue alternative pathways that offer fairer and better outcomes for their peoples, without threats of sanctions and tariffs.

PRESENTING HERE the original TIMES article ….

 

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Peter Mayer: Straddling USA-India-Australia via Academia

Michael Roberts

 The world of university lecturers is quite varied and cannot be easily distilled. My experience is mostly based on my years teaching at Peradeniya University n Sri Lanka (1960-62 & 1966-76) and Adelaide University from 1978-2004—besides exposures to the environments in Oxford, Chicago, Heidelberg & Bielefeldt.

I have decided to introduce my TPS readership to some personnel from this highly-variegated field. My first choice has been an easy one: PETER MAYER is an easy man – personable, talented, multi-skilled and well-travelled. As vitally, he is an American who has married an equally personable lady named “Latha” who is from India.

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AI Looms Over Our Future …. Look-Out!

ITEM in LUMEN, Adelaide University Magazine, September 2025 or sono date specified clearly & bearing this title: “The  Future and  AI” …. Authorship unclear: maybe Carolyn Semmler, maybe Isaac Freeman

Whether we like it, or not, artificial intelligence is here to stay. The genie is out of the bottle. Its rapid evolution has been embraced by some, and met with raised eyebrows by others.

  In our earlier issue of Lumen this year, we asked readers to describe their hopes and fears for the future. AI was an overwhelmingly present theme.

We shared some of these letters with academics from both the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia to help clarify and respond to concerns on four broad themes: impact on jobs; global security; wellbeing; and the potential for cognitive decline.

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Transforming Gaza …… “The Great Trust”

Outback Aussie

The Great Trust is a 38-page document setting out plans to turn Gaza into a grand American Riveria by constructing over the bones and bodies of Palestinians — hotels, casinos, bordellos, condominiums, golf courses, and million-dollar seaside properties.  America has no legal basis for taking control of Gaza but they want to do it anyway which is why the US and the West support the genocide in Gaza, ethnic cleansing, and if need be the extermination of all Palestinians in Gaza.

VISIT https://www.madamasr.com/en/2025/09/01/news/u/the-38-page-displacement-framework-for-a-tourist-hub-atop-the-rubble-of-gaza/

Palestine and Israel news today on map – Jerusalem today – Israel News today – Palestine News today – israelpalestine.liveuamap.com

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