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Articles by Monique Ross
The Last Ship review – Sting's sincere but cloying musical stars the man himself – and Shaggy
When Sting says he grew up in the shadow of a shipyard, he means it literally. At the end of his street in Wallsend, northern England, the Swan Hunter factory dominated the skyline. Each day thousands of workers filed past his house to labour on ships so big they obscured the sun. A royal visit sparked a childhood epiphany: watching the Queen Mother drive past in a black Rolls-Royce, Sting decided he didn't want a life in the belly of a metal beast.
The Last Ship review – Sting’s sincere but cloying musical stars the man himself – and Shaggy
Sting as Jackie White in his musical The Last Ship.Photograph: Mark Senior (Photograph: Mark Senior) When Sting says he grew up in the shadow of a shipyard, he means it literally. At the end of his street in Wallsend, northern England, the Swan Hunter factory dominated the skyline. Each day thousands of workers filed past his house to labour on ships so big they obscured the sun.
The 20 best theatre, musicals, dance and opera shows in Australia in 2025
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Beetlejuice, Jesus Christ Superstar and the Talented Mr Ripley were among Guardian Australia’s best stage shows of 2025. Composite: Guardian Design default Guardian Australia’s staff and reviewers spent many hours in the dark this year and have re-emerged with a recap of the best theatre, musicals, dance and comedy of 2025.
By Cassie Tongue, Sian Cain Verified, Tim Byrne, Jared Richards, Monique Ross, Jane Howard Verified, Steve Dow, Walter Marsh, Jason Blake Verified
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Yahoo Style Canada
Verified
Olafur Eliasson on using art to bring us together to save the world
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‘I’m a prisoner of hope’: Olafur Eliasson on using art to bring us together to save the world
Artist Olafur Eliasson in his studio in Berlin: ‘It’s comforting to know people have the capacity to change how they see things.’Photograph: John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images I gasp as it comes into view: an enormous sun looming above, its surface roiling with what looks like thousands of tiny atomic explosions. It seems to notice me as well: when I stop, it stops too. It’s both awe-inspiring and unnerving.
Your leg or your life: Inside a perilous 24-hour wild river rescue Original
By Monique Ross and Robyn Powell, ABC Valdas jumps from one boulder to another. It's a simple rock hop, one he's made hundreds of times in his 50 years of rafting. But this time, in the remote and rugged Tasmanian wilderness, it goes horribly wrong. Valdas slips - and falls into the thundering rapids of the Franklin River. His left leg jams in a narrow gap between two boulders. "My friends tied ropes around me and tried hauling me out," Valdas tells Australian Story in Lithuania.
How one slip on the Franklin River triggered a race to save a rafter's life
Loading... When Valdas Bieliauskas fell into the Franklin River, it triggered an extraordinary rescue mission that pushed everyone to the brink. Valdas jumps from one boulder to another. It's a simple rock hop, one he's made hundreds of times in his 50 years of rafting. But this time, in the remote and rugged Tasmanian wilderness, it goes horribly wrong. Valdas slips — and falls into the thundering rapids of the Franklin River. Loading... His left leg jams in a narrow gap between two boulders.
an art exhibition that will make even weary adults feel like kids again
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an art exhibition that will make even weary adults feel like kids again
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Wonderstruck: an art exhibition that will make even weary adults feel like kids again
A towering archway fashioned from humble cardboard boxes stands like a portal to another world; pass beneath it and the line between ordinary and extraordinary begins to blur in captivating and unexpected ways. Wonderstruck, a major and free exhibition at Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art in Meanjin/Brisbane, is an exploration of wonder that traverses the human experience, the natural world and the intangible divine.
Jim Rogers on love, loss and living well with younger-onset dementia
At the memory clinic, Jim Rogers is asked to reach out and touch his husband's left cheek with his right hand. He does the opposite — left hand, right cheek — and Tyler starts crying, because he knows something is very wrong. Jim, whose life has been shaped by searing loss and serendipitous love, was soon diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer's disease.
Actor Samuel Johnson felt like a 'turd burger' — until a crash nearly killed him
Warning: This story contains discussion of suicide. Actor and cancer campaigner Samuel Johnson can't remember the car crash that nearly killed him, but he has an unlikely name for it: "The good accident".
From vilified ‘drug cheat’ to Olympic gold: Inside freestyle swimmer Shayna Jack’s extraordinary comeback
After being unfairly labelled a drug cheat, after missing an Olympics through a two-year ban, after clawing her way back into the Australian team, Shayna Jack is sitting on the pool deck, nursing a broken hand. There’s five weeks to go until her big comeback, the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham — and doctors tell her recovery will take at least eight weeks. "I was told there's no way I'm going back," Jack tells Australian Story.
Meet the defiant farmer using feral donkeys to regenerate his land in an 'illegal' experiment
In a remote pocket of the Kimberley, Chris Henggeler has seen scorched dry earth become a thriving oasis — an extraordinary transformation he credits partly to a radical experiment with a maligned feral pest. The pioneering land manager believes wild donkeys are helping to regenerate his land, and says they could also revolutionise how the region manages bushfire risk. The West Australian government has issued a kill order for the donkeys, but Chris would rather go to jail than shoot them.
Yael Stone turned her back on Hollywood. Jack Manning Bancroft collapsed from exhaustion. Why this couple is putting everything on the line
A little boy, sporting a long rat's tail and channelling his best Bart Simpson, hurls an egg across the primary school playground. It smashes into a girl who, unbeknownst to him, has a terrible egg allergy. Immediately, a welt appears. The first brush between Jack Manning Bancroft and Yael Stone hardly reads like the beginnings of a friendship, let alone a love story.
Iconic entrepreneur and beauty brand Poppy King to make a comeback after 20 years
Poppy King was THE entrepreneur of the 1990s. She launched her iconic lipstick business fresh out of high school, and rode the wave as a media darling all the way to Young Australian of the Year. But then it came crashing down, spectacularly. King moved to New York, far from the gaze of the business press and former business partners. But now, more than 20 years on, she’s exclusively announced to Curveball she’s returning to Australia with an exclusive new range.
Why tattoo and visual artist eX de Medici weaponised watercolours to fight conservatism
When Australian artist eX de Medici came across a video of performers sloshing around in hundreds of litres of animal blood, sharing a stage with the carcass of a freshly slaughtered bull, she couldn't bear to watch.
'Beneath our feet, blind fish swim': Ningaloo like you've never seen it before
Loading... Its sparkling turquoise waters and whale sharks are well known to many, but this World Heritage treasure extends to the land, too - and conservationists fear its future is on a knife's edge. This is a place of tender giants, and psychedelic dwarves. A place where the desert drinks in the sea air, kingdoms of blind troglodytes hide beneath your feet, and the gardens are plucked straight from dreams. Loading... A place of drifters and primeval creatures who hold their secrets close.
The Art of Banksy: Without Limits brings work of iconic street artist to Australia - without his endorsement Original
Subversive street artist Banksy is not a fan of museums and galleries, once writing that inside their rooms, "you are simply a tourist looking at the trophy cabinet of a few millionaires". Nor does the famously anti-capitalist mystery Brit support people profiting from his work. In 2022 he accused fashion giant Guess of "helping themselves" to his motifs.
How failure and a near-death experience set neobank Up's Dom Pym up for success
Dom Pym didn’t have a TV when he was growing up in the ‘90s, let alone a computer. But his mates did, so he’d hang out at their houses… a lot. A few of the dads were into computers, and he soaked up their knowledge like a sponge. “I’d just sit there fascinated. It really inspired me. I was right into learning how the computer works, why it works that way, how to pull it apart, how to fix it, and then how to write code,” Pym recalls. His tinkering quickly expanded into a more physical realm.
“Her Name Was” by SistaStrings Comes from a Place of Personal Reflection
String playing is the greatest. And Stringsmagazine.com is here to support you and the string world with fantastic content (like this story!) If you like what we do, please make a donation to support our work and keep the site running.
A Scout, the minister and a boy without a home phone: How the Queen changed lives of Australians who met her
In 1963, Robert Menzies stood before the Queen in parliament and declared that every man, woman and child who caught even a glimpse of her would treasure the memory forever. "I did but see her passing by and yet I love her till I die," he said, quoting 17th century poet Thomas Ford. To some, Menzies' devoted affection may seem a little overdone. But for others, his words ring true.
2.7m tall, 200 kgs and eaten by Girl Guides: How Queen Elizabeth's wedding cake ended up in Australia
For people still reeling from the ravages of World War II, who hadn't seen an iced cake in years, it was the stuff of dreams. The four-tier wedding cake of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten stood 2.7 metres high, weighed 220 kilograms and was decorated with ornate scenes from the future Queen's life. After Prince Philip cut the alcohol-laced fruitcake with his sword, an entire layer was sent to Australia. But what happened to it next?
The little girl never meant to rule: How fate and scandal collided to give rise to Queen Elizabeth II
By Monique Ross and Rebecca Armitage Posted 7m ago7 minutes agoThu 8 Sep 2022 at 5:52pm Share this article abc.net.au/news/queen-elizabeth-ii-obituary-a-legacy-like-no-other/100379910 After inheriting the throne at just 25, Queen Elizabeth II gave a lifetime of service to the job, providing a bedrock of stability for the monarchy as the world shifted around her. Through 1,200 years of war, death and empire-building, succession in the British monarchy has rarely been a straight line.
Best books for readers short on time, as recommended by Jennifer Down, Johann Hari, Tony Birch and more
Do you ever settle in with a book, ready to lose yourself in another world, only to find — just a few pages in — that this world is demanding your immediate return? Your kids are screaming, your phone is buzzing, and once again reading falls by the wayside of a busy life. We asked acclaimed writers, critics and book lovers to recommend great reads for those of us who are starved for time — books you can devour quickly, or dip in and out of easily, that still leave you feeling satisfied.
Contemporary dance is more accessible than you think - and you don't have to 'get it' to love it
If contemporary dance feels scary because you don't think you'll understand it, here's a tip: stop trying to understand it. Really. Part of the joy of watching dance, with its breathtaking physicality and artistry, is in making your own meaning. Choreographer Rafael Bonachela, the artistic director of the Sydney Dance Company, says there is no 'right' meaning to grasp. Just like music, it is completely open to interpretation. "I never want to provoke a prescribed response from an audience.
Want to get more out of your art gallery visit? Start by looking at less
Art galleries are places of splendour, home to things that can amaze, inspire and challenge you, fuel your imagination, and expand your view of the world. For some people, anyway. For others, better words to describe a gallery might include: exhausting, perplexing, intimidating, irrelevant, and dare we say it, boring. Here are six simple tips to make your next visit more fun, and help you look at art in a way that’s meaningful to you.
Go the half hog, build a bridge, experiment and other tips for changing your career, post-pandemic
Lisa Leong went from high flying lawyer to ABC radio presenter. Monique Ross went from ABC journalist to forest bathing guide. So when it comes to reinventing careers, Lisa and Monique wrote the book — or at least a book — on it. In this edited extract from their new book This Working Life, they share what they've learnt about doing a career 180.
This Working Life
This Working Life is the book you need to navigate your career with courage, openness and a good dose of laughter in these chaotic and uncertain times. Springing off the success of her ABC podcast, Lisa Leong, together with journalist Monique Ross, is bringing a deep curiosity to the world of work. You spend most of your waking life working – a jaw-dropping 90,000 hours for the average person. You deserve to feel joy during that time. But how?
In New Zealand, a disturbing past haunts the present. These headhunters are fighting to make it right
By Marc Fennell and Monique Ross for Stuff the British Stole Posted December 14, 2020 06:00:00 Tattooed, severed and mummified Maori heads were once a prized collector's item in Britain. New Zealand wants them back. It's hard to imagine Te Herekiekie Herewini overcome with anger. Even as he talks about something that is deeply macabre, he's softly spoken and incredibly calm. But beneath the surface is a smouldering Maori fire, and in his line of work it can be difficult to suppress.
A gap year on steroids: 300 years ago, these 'Grand Tours' were a rite of passage for the super-rich
It was a rite of passage for young, upper-class Englishmen with virtually unlimited money to burn — a hedonistic "Grand Tour" far from home, unfolding over two or three or even four years. Designed to teach them about art, history and culture, it was a kind of finishing school that would ready them for life in the powerful ruling elite. Unsurprisingly, sex, gambling, drinking, and lavish parties also found their way into the mix.
He travelled thousands of kilometres to discover the power of something 'you can find anywhere'
He walked for 50 days and nights under the midnight sun, at the end of the Earth, dragging his food and supplies across the snow and ice in a sled. One foot in front of the other, again and again, for 1,300 kilometres. He was alone. The long journey imbued him with a profound appreciation of silence.(Supplied) He had no radio contact with the outside world. The bitter cold made his face ache. A great expanse surrounded him in all directions. "Here stillness is all-absorbing. I feel and hear it.
14 True Crime Books That Focus on the Victims & Amplify the Voices of Survivors
Too often, true crime books aim for the headlines. They want to rile you up, keep you guessing; they focus on all the sordid details they know will linger in your mind long into the night. And yet, behind every true crime case is a victim whose life was cut tragically short. These individuals had names, had friends, families, and lovers. They had stories to share beyond their untimely deaths.
The rise of yoga in the West, from the 1800s to 'The Great Oom' and Adriene Mishler
Adriene Mishler is the undisputed face of yoga in 2020. Dubbed the "patron saint of quarantine", she's a social media phenomenon, with 7.7 million subscribers on YouTube. She has videos for seemingly every occasion: for uncertain times, for courage, for back pain, for when you're angry, for your birthday, for bedtime. There's yoga for busy people, artists, office workers, chefs, surfers, for people with chronic pain, for those who are grieving. There's also Benji the dog.
Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert on why her response to Black Lives Matter is to #ShareTheMicNow
If we were all to write a memoir about 2020, author Elizabeth Gilbert has a title that would suit everyone, regardless of their experience: Not Exactly What I Saw Coming. Gilbert's own story would unfold something like this: A global pandemic. An economy in tatters. Travel plans upended. A new book left unwritten. And then, finally, a massive social justice movement, one she hopes will bring about real and lasting change.
Coronavirus will alter our history — like epidemics and pandemics before it
It’s still too early to know how profoundly coronavirus will change our societies, but it’s clear we’ll be living with the shockwaves for years to come. This pandemic will alter the course of history in ways we can’t predict — just like those before it. Along with wars, economic changes and technological developments, outbreaks of infectious disease have radically shaped the world we live in today.
Coronavirus will alter our history — just like these epidemics and pandemics before it - ABC News
It's still too early to know how profoundly coronavirus will change our societies, but it's clear we'll be living with the shockwaves for years to come. This pandemic will alter the course of history in ways we can't predict — just like those before it. Along with wars, economic changes and technological developments, outbreaks of infectious disease have radically shaped the world we live in today.
The Ruby Princess coronavirus saga could lead to homicide charges. These cases offer insight into a key legal issue
By Monique Ross and Damien Carrick for Law Report Posted April 24, 2020 07:00:00 The NSW Homicide Squad is investigating the 21 deaths and hundreds of coronavirus infections connected to the ill-fated Ruby Princess cruise ship. They're working to determine if the ship's management, crew or operator were criminally negligent in allowing thousands of passengers to disembark in Sydney on March 19, despite others on board showing symptoms of COVID-19.
Refugee law left Patrick Page feeling broken. Walking the mountains of Lebanon revived him
Posted February 14, 2020 07:00:00 The remote mountains of Lebanon aren't the obvious place for a burnt-out young Londoner to go in search of solace. But when Patrick Page realised just how disillusioned he'd become with his work in refugee law, he heard their call. "The work I was doing was fighting what's called the 'hostile environment' for migrants in the UK," he tells ABC RN's Saturday Extra. "Though I believed in our work, it was very much about conflict and anger against the Home Office.
'A whole new era of wilder fires': How history can help us face the bushfires of the future
Posted February 10, 2020 08:50:07 This summer's horrific bushfires have felt more intense than ever, the threat more immediate and encompassing — but fires are not new in Australia. They have shaped our continent for thousands of years — and there are lessons in history to help us face the risks of the future.
America and Iran have despised each other for decades. This is why
Posted January 04, 2020 06:02:51 America and Iran have despised each other for decades. The hostility intensified in 2019, reaching a fever pitch yesterday as the Pentagon ordered an air strike that killed Iran's most powerful general Qassem Soleimani. But where does the bitter tension between the two nations come from? Oddly enough, it began with the British in the Middle East during the first part of the 20th century.
Japan and South Korea are embroiled in a trade war. To understand it, you must look to history
Posted September 16, 2019 06:30:00 While the world has been focused on the escalating trade war between China and the US, another economic spat has been bubbling away. South Korea and Japan, two of Australia's biggest trading partners, are embroiled in a sour dispute with global implications. But unlike most trade wars, this isn't about economics or security. It is about history and colonialism, and a complex legacy of forced assimilation, slave labour and brutality.
Why the Pharmacy Guild is the most powerful lobby group you've never heard of
ABC News 22 mins ago By Monique Ross for Who Runs This Place? © AAP Image/Melanie Foster A NSW deputy state coroner has found a toddler who died more than 13 years ago was given an antidepressant tablet. It's been called the most influential lobby group in Australia, and some believe it has the power to bring down a government if it really flexed its muscle. It has nothing to do with miners, banks, the gambling industry or the church — in fact, there's a good chance you've never heard of it before.
Gay marriage advocates welcome Kevin Rudd's debate pledge, call for Coalition to back conscience vote
Updated August 12, 2013 16:36:13 Gay marriage advocates have welcomed the Prime Minister's "important" move towards legalising same-sex marriage, but warn it is not a reform Labor can achieve alone. During last night's leaders' debate Kevin Rudd promised that if re-elected, he would take the first steps towards making gay marriage a reality, describing it as a "mark of decency to same-sex couples".
Ita Buttrose will chair the ABC board. Here's five verbs to help futureproof it
Posted February 28, 2019 12:22:06 News that Ita Buttrose will take the reins as the new chair of the ABC has brought months of uncertainty at the public broadcaster to an end. It also caps what author and board advisor Marc Stigter calls an "extraordinary" and "unprecedented" level of turmoil at the top.
This man was convicted of murder. But his childhood friend says 'it should have been me'
This man was convicted of murder. But his childhood friend says 'it should have been me' Posted December 11, 2018 10:49:14 It's not unusual for a convicted murderer to protest their innocence — but you don't normally hear of someone feeling burdened by a not guilty verdict.
As it happened: Academy Awards 2013
Hostage thriller Argo has bested eight rivals including Steven Spielberg's Lincoln to claim the best picture Oscar, despite Ben Affleck's controversial omission from the best director shortlist. Argo is just the fourth film in Academy Awards history to take out the top prize at the Oscars without its director also being nominated.
The adventures of Queenie Chan, a manga artist crushing sexism and stereotypes
People are always putting Queenie Chan in boxes that don't quite fit. This is the story of how she carved out a sense of belonging in a lonely world. I was born in Hong Kong in the '80s, so I grew up immersed in Asian popular culture. Years before I migrated to Australia as a child, I was obsessed with the fantastical narratives and kinetic storytelling of Japanese comics, known as "manga". In Australia I discovered Western cartoons, but I still kept reading manga.
The challenger banks set to take on the big four - and how they could shake up the sector
Several new banks are poised to start in Australia, targeting niche markets — and your phone — and challenging the dominance of the established giants. The big four have almost 85 per cent of the home loan market and rake in more than $30 billion in profit every year — and they're taking the upstarts seriously. Disillusionment with the big banks in the wake of the royal commission could spur on the new players — but they also face hurdles of their own, like persuading people to make the switch.
'Animals get treated better': Life in solitary confinement
Debbie knows her grandson deserves to be in jail. A few years ago, Gregor* attacked a stranger who was sitting quietly with his girlfriend, stabbing him six times in the back and neck. "It was a shocking thing," Debbie says. But she doesn't think Gregor deserves to be "doing his whole time" in solitary confinement, isolated and alone for at least 22 hours each day. "They're human beings, they're not animals — animals get treated better," Debbie says.
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