Good Vibe #1: Centenarian celebrates birthday with a hot-rod joyride
Turning 100 years old is a pretty big deal and, global pandemic or not, it should be celebrated. Western Australian aged-care resident Gwen Palmer’s big 100-year-birthday celebration was unfortunately cancelled due to social-distancing regulations, but that didn’t stop her from marking the occasion in style. Her fellow residents rallied together to come up with an alternative – a spin around the block (of her aged-care residence) in a golden vintage hot rod. Gwen gracefully waved at the other residents as they came out to their driveways to cheer her on, as well as her grandchildren who held up signs in celebration. You can peep Gwen’s joy-filled face and read her sage (wine-filled) long-life tips via ABC News.
Good Vibe #2: $127.9 million was raised for COVID-19 relief from the One World: Together at Home concert
In case you missed it, there was a huge Live Aid-esque concert over the weekend – One World: Together at Home. The star-studded two-hour virtual concert, which was organised by the World Health Organisation, Global Citizen and Lady Gaga, included live-streamed performances and appearances from the likes of Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Lizzo, Elton John and many more (even our own Delta Goodrem) from the comfort and safety of their homes. The concert featured an abundance of heartwarming performances and messages (including the ultimate collab of Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Lang Lang and John Legend performing ‘The Prayer’ – I’m not crying, you’re crying) – but the real good news was that, in addition to bringing joy, it helped raise more than $127.9 million for healthcare workers in their fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The benefit made a point of not accepting donations from viewers – it was a celebration for those on the frontline – so donations were all pledged from philanthropists and corporate partners, which will go to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organisation, powered by the UN Foundation. You can stream the full concert here.
Good Vibe #3: Tom Tilley is back to break down the daily news cycle
If you’ve been missing the dulcet voice of Tom Tilley on your airwaves, you can stop listening to old recordings – he’s back. The former triple j Hack host is part of an impressive line-up of journalists, alongside Jamila Rizvi, Jan Fran and Annika Smethurst, for a new daily news show called The Briefing. The podcast launched yesterday, Monday April 20, and will be available every weekday morning covering off three to four of the biggest news stories from the past 24 hours – in under 20 minutes. The award-winning co-hosts will each bring their unique brand of journalism and opinion to the podcast, delving deeper into the previous day’s news and current affairs. You can stream The Briefing through your favourite podcasting app, or listen through Spotify here.
Good Vibe #4: Send a Hero-gram
Last week we rounded up the various ways you can support our incredible frontline workers during the coronavirus pandemic, including sending them meals or offering babysitting services, but sometimes it’s just simple messages of praise and thanks that mean the most. The Ipswich Hospital Foundation has launched its online Send a Herogram initiative, allowing you to deliver messages of thanks and encouragement to frontline health workers and hospital staff. The messages are shared throughout hospitals in the West Moreton region as well as online and once again can I say, I’m not crying, you’re crying. For example, “Dear Ipswich nurses, Thank you for saving people’s lives. Your job must be so hard. I hope I put a big smile on your face like you put one on other people. Try your hardest and also try to save more people’s lives. From Student from 3Blue, St Mary’s Primary School in Ipswich”. Heart. Melt. You can submit your very own Herogram here.
Good Vibe #5: Puppers prove they really are man’s best friend by training to sniff out coronavirus
Just in case you needed more proof that dogs love us unconditionally – now they’re training to detect coronavirus and possibly save us all. United Kingdom charity Medical Detection Dogs has long been researching the science behind dogs’ sense of smell and has successfully proven that dogs can be trained to detect diseases, such as malaria, cancer, Parkinson’s and bacterial infections. The charity is currently working in partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Durham University (the team that proved malaria detection) to train dogs to detect COVID-19. Preparations to intensively train the pups have already begun, with the charity stating they could be ready in just six weeks. Considering their success in detecting other diseases, as well as their ability to detect subtle skin-temperature changes, researchers believe the dogs could be used to help provide rapid, non-invasive tests towards the end of the pandemic, such as screening travellers at airports. Read Medical Detection Dogs’ full statement here.
Image: Medical Detection Dogs