Couple spends $14m on Gold Coast mansions only to demolish them to build dream mansion

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Gold Coast couple David and Rhonda Henderson paid $9.35 million for a two-storey house on an 809sq m double block on Hedges Avenue at Mermaid Beach, last September and another $4.5 million in January for the adjoining two-level property on 405sq m.

They wasted no time in having them removed.

The couple plans to spend millions more having their dream home built on the beachfront location.

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Quad wheels out a lesson

A QUADRIPLEGIC has used his personal story to warn year 12 students at Hume Central Secondary College about the dangers of risk-taking activities.

Anthony Gray suffered permanent spinal cord damage that left him in a wheelchair after a BMX bike accident when he was 19.

The 25-year-old Lalor resident spoke to the students as part of the RACV SpinChat school speakers program.

It involves young people with spinal cord injuries visiting secondary schools across the state to talk about the risks and effects of high-risk activities, including dangerous driving or diving into shallow water.

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Nathan's different pathway to excellence

AFTER he was kicked out of school in year 11, Gladstone Park's Nathan Baxter thought he had run out of options until he heard about a program at the Kangan Institute in Broadmeadows.

The 17-year-old went on to complete a Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning at the institute, a study pathway that he has found to be a better fit than standard classroom teaching methods.

"I wasn't much of a student at secondary school, so studying VCAL at TAFE was the best option for me," he says.

"That's why I liked TAFE. The teachers are great, really solid and supportive. I gained a lot of confidence during my VCAL studies."

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Diabetes fighters gain support

WHEN a blood test six years ago showed she was at high risk of developing diabetes, Philomena Peters was determined to take action to prevent the onset of the condition.

The 80-year-old, who lost her mother to the disease, said she had been cautious about diabetes all her life.

"When I went to the doctor and the test came back that I was borderline, I went to Dianella Community Health in Broadmeadows the very next day."

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