There's a new Aussie property dream

THE great Australian dream used to be a family home on a quarter acre block; how times have changed.
                                             

The latest "property dream” idea involves never living in the home you buy.

A survey by State Custodians Home Loans has found almost three-quarters of people (74%) now believe "rentvesting” is a good strategy for those struggling to enter the property market.

Rentvesting is a term that has been coined for those who choose to continue renting in a place they enjoy to live, but otherwise couldn't afford to buy in. Instead they buy an investment property to build equity and get a foot on the property ladder.

The survey found a third of people are in favour of rentvesting, and 29% say it's a good way of providing investors with dual income streams - one from tenants and the other from tax benefits.

Gen Y were particular open to the idea of continuing to rent while investing, with 29% saying it's virtually impossible to obtain property through other means and almost one in three said it would be cheaper to rentvest than shouldering an owner-occupier mortgage, which leaves them with limited disposable income.

State Custodian General Manager Joanna Pretty said lifestyle has become a major driver for young people when it comes to their property choices.

The survey also found 26% of Gen Y respondents feel it's more desirable to live in better-quality rental homes than in worse-quality mortgaged homes, only 19% of Baby Boomers feel the same way.

Ms Pretty said the attitude change show how much Australian society has changed.

"However, young people are now settling down later in life and choosing to - or forced to - rent for longer periods in order to save up enough money for an initial deposit. Or else they're taking their time to consider their next move and focusing on other things like their career or travel, so they're entering the market later.”

Dream night for milestone man Lewis

Sharks, ex-Panthers, Kangaroos and NSW veteran Luke Lewis – one of rugby league's true survivors – got the perfect celebration of his magical 300-game milestone on Friday night with a win in front of home fans in a round that has plenty of personal significance.
                                               

The win returned Cronulla to the top four and helped their shaky 2017 home record; it came with a huge NRL Women In League round logo spray-painted onto the Southern Cross Group Stadium pitch, with the 30-metre markings repainted '300', and with the vast majority of the 12,123-strong crowd sporting cardboard Luke Lewis facemasks.

"Women in League round, it was just crazy it fell in that round to be honest," Lewis said after the win.

"Obviously a lot of women in my life mean the world to me. I'm stoked they were all here – it's awesome. It's been a really good week and a lot of good memories."

Lewis has endured more than most through his top grade career of 16 seasons and counting; his wife Sonia has helped him through not just highs and lows in terms of form and serious injuries but a two-year cancer battle to see the popular back-rower come out the other side and continue to put together some of the best form of his career.

Lewis was honoured to join the exclusive NRL 300 club which includes current teammate Chris Heighington and a raft of Lewis's former club-mates or representative teammates in including Petero Civoniceva, Luke Priddis, John Morris, Ryan Hoffman, Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Nathan Hindmarsh.

"The players love playing with him. He's shown this year, he's continued his form, he's not tailing off, that's why we've re-signed him. He's continuing his form, he's just as good as he was 16 years ago. It's great to have him in our club."

What Do Dogs Dream About?

One of the great pleasures of having a canine companion is watching them fall into an exhausted pile of fur after a long day of doing absolutely nothing. It’s at this point that many pet owners wonder: What do dogs dream about, if they dream at all?
                                               

First, researchers believe that yes, dogs do dream. There’s no actual testimony, but we know from a 2001 MIT study with rats that the animals can enter REM sleep and exhibit the same brain activity as they did while they were navigating a maze earlier. Other studies using electroencephalogram (EEG) devices have been able to observe similar activity in dog brains while slumbering. Like humans, dogs have a sleep stage where their breathing slows and their eye movements become rapid—all indicators that dreaming could occur.

There’s also the superficial evidence: Dogs often bark or twitch while asleep in ways that imply they’re dreaming of chasing an elusive target. (Or leaf.)

Details of those dreams remain elusive. Apart from physical clues, it’s hard to know exactly what goes through an animal’s mind. Some gorillas who have been taught sign language have communicated their dreams to their handlers—sometimes about people they’ve seen recently. It’s also possible dogs dream about their owners frequently, since the canine/human bond is so strong.

If you want to observe dreaming in your own dog, experts recommend you wait until about 20 minutes after they’ve dozed off. Their muscles may begin to twitch and their eyes might start to flutter, both likely signs the dog is entering REM and starting to dream. It’s also important not to disturb them during this stage of sleep, since it can be startling to them. If you leave them be, maybe they’ll finally have an opportunity to catch whatever they’ve been chasing.

So what do dogs dream about? A lot of the time, probably the thing that’s most often on their mind: you.

Injury threatens Wallace dream

A groin injury looks set to cost Peter Wallace a fairytale return to the NSW side and hand Gold Coast hooker Nathan Peats a surprise place in the Blues squad for the opening game of the State of Origin series.
                                               

Wallace limped from the field during his side’s win over Newcastle yesterday and will undergo scans this morning. While Penrith officials remain optimistic, it appears Wallace is fighting a losing battle to prove his fitness in time for Origin I at Suncorp Stadium on May 31.

Wallace was understood to have the edge on Peats and incumbent Robbie Farah heading into the weekend but injury threatens to once again derail coach Laurie Daley’s master-plan to unseat the Maroons.

In the absence of Wallace, Daley has a straight decision between the past and the future. Farah is closer to the end than the beginning of an Origin career that has made him one of the state’s most capped hookers of all time and it is understood Peats is the more likely proposition given at the age of 26 he would represent a long-term investment.

Morris has come into contention following the injury to Manly’s Tom Trbojevic, although Daley could yet opt to shuffle his backline to accommodate Cronulla utility Jack Bird in the centres, a move that would mean a move to the wing for Josh Dugan.

While hooker is the most significant headache for Daley, it isn’t the only one given the form of several Blues candidates, most notably fullback James Tedesco and centre Jarryd Hayne.

Tedesco has been below par this season while Hayne — considered a certainty to make the team — was embarrassed by Manly and NSW centre Dylan Walker on Saturday night.

At the other end of the spectrum is the halfback position, where Mitchell Pearce continued his rich vein of form by guiding the Sydney Roosters to a win over Canterbury at ANZ Stadium yesterday.

Aboriginal doctor's dream

Fast forward six years to Dr Chapman-Burgess’ University of Newcastle (UON) graduation and she couldn’t contain her excitement, even if she tried. “I felt like it was Christmas last night before going to bed,” Dr Chapman-Burgess said. “To say I’m proud is an understatement. This was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I’d do it again if I had to. It’s my dream and all I’ve thought about for the past six years.”

Dr Chapman-Burgess, 24, is a member of Australia’s first set of Indigenous quintuplets and proudly wore an Aboriginal stole over her academic gown at the Faculty of Health and Medicine ceremony on Thursday.

Of the 113 medical students who graduated, six were Aboriginal. UON has produced half of the country’s Indigenous doctors.

“I’d never met an Aboriginal doctor before coming to Newcastle and believe I’m the first Indigenous doctor from [my hometown] Glen Innes,” she said. “I’m extremely passionate about Aboriginal health and would love to be a specialist in women’s health, obstetrics and gynaecology, and work in rural and remote communities. It’s a privilege and honour to work with Aboriginal people and I definitely have a different connection with Aboriginal patients. As soon as they’re aware I’m Aboriginal, the whole process changes. That’s why we need more Aboriginal doctors, to close the gap in health and life expectancy.”

Dr Chapman-Burgess was considering a career as a veterinarian before she stumbled upon an episode of television show Grey’s Anatomy when she was in year seven.

The “quiet achiever” studied for one year, took a year off to do casual work and then returned to the degree.

Nigel Seberry estimates he has spent $30,000 on equipment, design work and fees. The sum does not include a $14,000 bond he hopes to recoup now the project appears to have gone belly-up.

The site in question is 40e Point Street. Though the building is zoned for residential use, it has housed businesses in the past.

Mr Seberry who quit his job at Sydney Opera House to pursue the plans, says be was led to believe his application could succeed.

Nick Lima's rookie season is off to a dream start

Nick Lima loved to score goals. That's a trait shared by pretty much all soccer players but especially forwards, which is the position Lima played growing up. That love led him all the way to Pac-12 power California, but it didn't take his college coach long to see a different future for Lima – one that would be centered more around preventing goals than scoring them.
                                 

When Cal head coach Kevin Grimes told Lima he saw a future for him at right back, Lima wasn't sure the switch was a good idea. When he saw the possibilities, though, Lima jumped in with both feet and now, less than four years later, the change has helped him realize his dream of playing as a professional for his hometown San Jose Earthquakes.

"It was hard to grasp at first, but it only took a few days to understand why he did it," Lima told Goal of the position change that shifted the course of his destiny. "Kevin Grimes is a phenomenal coach and a smart guy and I was up for the challenge. It took a couple of months, but by the start of my sophomore year I had embraced it. Obviously the skill set, and getting comfortable with the position takes a while. I'm still learning. There's still stuff to learn every day, especially when you make the jump to the next level."

Lima's lengthy history in the Earthquakes academy didn't stop some MLS teams from disputing San Jose's homegrown claim in an attempt to have Lima made available in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. Those disputes were ultimately tossed out, paving the way for San Jose to make Lima the second homegrown player signing in team history, joining Tommy Thompson.

So what has Lima enjoying such a smooth transition to the pros? Earthquakes technical director Chris Leitch, who signed Lima last fall, and who spent 10 seasons playing as a right back in MLS, sees a player with all the qualities to be an elite-level player at the position.