http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/fiona-hudson/ Fiona Hudson’s cadetship at the Melbourne Herald Sun got off to a bad start in 1996 when she declined the beer offered by a hard-bitten police reporter and instead asked for a cup of Milo. She was banished to the features department until she toughened up, returning to the newsroom to cover the consumer and then medical rounds. After stints as the paper’s Sydney bureau chief and deputy chief-of-staff and city editor, the bosses shipped her off to London. She spent two years covering events in Europe for News Limited mastheads including the Daily Telegraph, Adelaide Advertiser and Courier Mail. As a foreign correspondent she drank Danish beer while in Copenhagen for the births of Princess Mary’s babies, and Turkish coffee while interviewing refugees from the war in Lebanon. On return to Melbourne in 2007 she was appointed assistant editor (news) of the Sunday Herald Sun, where her coverage of the court round won her the 2008 News Award for Specialist Writer of the Year. She is now a senior writer on the daily Herald Sun, where colleagues still insist on calling her “Milo”. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:13 +0000 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:13 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/good-golly-you-dont-know-how-to-use-a-brolly/ AS the nation scorches, it’s time to confront a less obvious side-effect of the drought - brolly barbarians. It’s been so long since many Aussies have unfurled an umbrella, when rain does arrive we abandon the basic etiquette of wet weather gear. The umbrella has - in the grasp of inexperienced Aussies - become a weapon. Watch during the next welcome shower. It’s enough to induce a Britney-style rage. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Fiona Hudson) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/good-golly-you-dont-know-how-to-use-a-brolly/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/good-golly-you-dont-know-how-to-use-a-brolly/#item1503 Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:35:55 +0000 Fiona Hudson | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/how-i-tried-and-failed-to-hire-a-hitman/ Any minute now an undercover policeman is sure to phone. You see, I’ve put word out I want to hire a hitman. Have you ever noticed when a normally law-abiding citizen tries to solicit a murder, they always end up procuring a covert cop? It got me wondering - how hard is it to put a contract on someone’s head without entangling the fuzz? feedback@thepunch.com.au (Fiona Hudson) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/how-i-tried-and-failed-to-hire-a-hitman/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/how-i-tried-and-failed-to-hire-a-hitman/#item1258 Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:50:10 +0000 Fiona Hudson | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/are-victorian-authorities-fighting-graffiti-with-graffiti/ TO a graffiti vandal, it’s the equivalent of a madman running through the Louvre with a knife at night slashing the Mona Lisa and other canvases. A secret squirt squad is systematically defacing illegal “artworks” daubed along Melbourne’s train lines by painting the letters “CTCV” over the top. The anonymous vigilantes are bombarding hundreds of sites across the rail network with their simple tag, prompting cries of foul play from graffiti crews. Outraged vandals have accused employees of train operator Connex, and also the transit police, of somehow orchestrating the blitz as some sort of bizarre “tit for tat” campaign to wipe out street art. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Fiona Hudson) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/are-victorian-authorities-fighting-graffiti-with-graffiti/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/are-victorian-authorities-fighting-graffiti-with-graffiti/#item1123 Sun, 06 Sep 2009 18:44:59 +0000 Fiona Hudson | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hurt-suing-over-it-may-hinder-your-road-to-recovery/ IT’S so tempting to see misfortune as a money spinner. Slipped on a grape at the supermarket? Sue! Stressed out by an overbearing boss? Claim! Hurt your neck in a car accident? Collect! But here’s something to consider before you speed dial a lawyer – a compensation payout may make life worse. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Fiona Hudson) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hurt-suing-over-it-may-hinder-your-road-to-recovery/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hurt-suing-over-it-may-hinder-your-road-to-recovery/#item854 Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:35:14 +0000 Fiona Hudson | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/beggars-choosing-creativity-to-beat-the-GFC/ A SIMPLE message scrawled on scrounged cardboard used to be enough. Basic signs like “Hungry, please help” or “homeless – need $$$’’ would help eke out a living. But in these tough financial times, scroungers are ditching generic pleas and getting creative to maintain their cash-flow. Faced with stiff competition – including an army of charity muggers, talentless buskers and ambush windscreen washers—society’s have-nots are polishing sales pitches. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Fiona Hudson) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/beggars-choosing-creativity-to-beat-the-GFC/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/beggars-choosing-creativity-to-beat-the-GFC/#item731 Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:50:54 +0000 Fiona Hudson | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/outsourcing-parenting-to-the-family-court/ Somewhere in Victoria there’s a dad who faces a fine or possibly even jail should he put his son on the bathroom scales. The Family Court has issued an order restraining the man from weighing his nine-year-old, or calling him chubby to his face or within earshot. The extraordinary order stemmed from a bitter 16-day custody hearing where the child’s health was a major flashpoint. The court heard the dad is fixated on the fact his disabled son blew out to more than 40kg, and blames the mum.   feedback@thepunch.com.au (Fiona Hudson) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/outsourcing-parenting-to-the-family-court/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/outsourcing-parenting-to-the-family-court/#item476 Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:50:48 +0000 Fiona Hudson | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/public-transport-whingers-should-pay-twice-as-much/ SQUASHED in a carriage like sardines, two bankers in striped suits bitched about a mutual client, then switched to moaning about how crowded and late the train was. “Shouldn’t have to pay for this,” harrumphed one. “Bloody public transport. Should be free,” his mate chimed in. If 10 strap-hangers and their sweaty armpits hadn’t blocked the path, I might have confronted the whingers with the fact no major world city has ever successfully run a free public transport system. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Fiona Hudson) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/public-transport-whingers-should-pay-twice-as-much/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/public-transport-whingers-should-pay-twice-as-much/#item321 Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:55:43 +0000 Fiona Hudson | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/full-cream-fascists-just-let-me-have-milk-in-my-coffee/ Coffee snobbery is getting out of control. The other night my request for a dash of milk in a post-meal espresso at a hip new eatery drew a firm shake of the head. “We do not have milk,” the French owner sniffed. She didn’t mean they’d run out - they simply don’t serve milk with coffee. Not a drop. Much like Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi, eatery owner Catherine Chauchat sets high standards for her patrons. Her chalkboard menu vetoes soft drink, and a cup of any tea other than obscure herbal digestives is out of the question. And you can bet if she ever puts steak on the peasant-style menu, eaters won’t have the option of it served well done. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Fiona Hudson) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/full-cream-fascists-just-let-me-have-milk-in-my-coffee/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/full-cream-fascists-just-let-me-have-milk-in-my-coffee/#item166 Sun, 31 May 2009 00:25:11 +0000 Fiona Hudson | Author bios | The Punch