Global News Podcast - The Happy Pod: Punching a crocodile to save her sister

Episode Date: May 18, 2024

We hear from Georgia Laurie on the 'superhero move' to save her twin sister from a crocodile that's earned her a bravery award from King Charles. Her sister Melissa tells us how Georgia's singing helped her fight for her life. Also: Bringing the joy of Irish dancing to a global stage -- the Gardiner Brothers, Michael and Matthew, talk about their rise to social media fame. We go to Thailand to find out what happens if you let children take control of their school. Sven the heartbroken reindeer finds new love after generous donors helped pay for a new stable mate. Why Stevie Wonder wanted to become a citizen of Ghana. And the girls football team who went from losing every game to winning their local cup -- beating a boys team five divisions above them. Our weekly collection of the happiest stories in the world.

Hello, this is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service, with reports and analysis from across the world. The latest news seven days a week. BBC World Service podcasts are supported by advertising. If you're hearing this, you're probably already listening to BBC's award-winning news podcasts. But did you know that you can listen to them without ads? Get current affairs podcasts like Thank you. Amazon Music with a Prime membership. Spend less time on ads and more time with BBC podcasts. This is The Happy Pod from the BBC World Service. I'm Janet Jalil and in this edition, uploaded on Saturday the 18th of May, we hear from the incredibly courageous Georgia Laurie

who repeatedly punched a crocodile to save her twin sister Melissa. Her bravery's been recognised by King Charles. When you think about it now, it's kind of like a superhero move, but do you know what? I just had no other choice. I couldn't live with myself if I left. I mean, it would have to have taken someone to drag me away. Meet the brothers taking on the world one jig at a time. with myself if I left. I mean, it would have to have taken someone to drag me away. Meet the brothers taking on the world one jig at a time.

You know, that's something that we love about our dancing and our style is that we are so in sync and we love that, you know, dancing as brothers is great. What happens if you let children run their own school? We go to one revolutionary school in Thailand to find out. The school is not to be producing good, decent people, to make a better human being, not just to be able to read and write, pass exams, take no as a question, never no as an answer. Also in this podcast, why Stevie Wonder thought it was wonderful to become a citizen of Ghana and... Oh gosh, I don't think there's actually words that can

describe how I felt when we realised it was actually going to happen. How Sven the reindeer was saved from a broken heart. We begin with the inspiring story of a woman who risked her own life to save her twin sister from a crocodile. Georgia and Melissa Laurie were swimming in a lagoon in Mexico three years ago when Melissa was dragged underwater. Georgia repeatedly punched the crocodile as it attacked her sister three times before they were finally pulled to safety on a boat. They were both treated in hospital and Melissa even had to be put into a medically induced coma. But thankfully, they've both made a full recovery and now Georgia is being honoured for her bravery in King Charles's first civilian gallantry list. Georgia started

by telling me about the moment they realised there was a crocodile in the lagoon that they'd been told was safe. We all started swimming frantically away and, you know, that feeling of sheer terror, I can't explain it to you, it was petrifying. You could feel the peril of all of us. The atmosphere was just very dense with it. So, yeah, we just swam away as quickly as possible. And then the next thing I heard was Melissa screaming because she'd been taken under the water by the crocodile when it attacked her. Honestly, I thought that she was dead. And my whole world just collapsed. It felt

like the bond between us had been severed. I mean, honestly, I wanted to get as far away as possible from the danger. I know that might sound quite selfish, but I think that's just quite... Not at all. I mean, I think a lot of people would understand that feeling. What I think a lot of people find quite remarkable about your behaviour was the fact that you went back and you fought off that crocodile. Yeah. I mean, you know, when you think about it now, it's kind of like a superhero move. But do you know what? I just had no other choice.

I couldn't live with myself if I left. I mean, it would have to have taken someone to drag me away. So, Melissa, what was going through your mind when you were attacked? I had these thoughts entering my mind that no one wants in their final moments. Like, I'm never going to see my friends and family again. I just thought, you know, what a horrible way to go. Like, I never thought I would die from a crocodile attack. And you must be very proud of Georgia.

And she's now getting this King's Gallantry Medal. Oh, I'm incredibly proud. For Georgia to have risked her life like that, you know, she didn't know what she was going to come across when she went back into the water. It could have been not one crocodile, but two. It's so brave of her, so courageous. And Georgia, having survived this, come through this together,

has this experience made the bond between you stronger? Because you talked about how at the moment when you saw Melissa being dragged away by the crocodile, you felt as if the bond had been severed. But has it now become instead stronger? Yeah, most definitely. We're much stronger. And I think we're very lucky in the fact that we have this shared experience. So when things get a little tough, we can just be in each other's company.

We don't even have to say anything to know and understand what each other are feeling. It's just a very special bond that twins have. It certainly makes you appreciate what you have and whom you have in your life. So that expression, you don't know what you've got until you've lost it. And Melissa, once Georgia got you onto the boat, she found another way to help you survive. Georgia did something so beautiful. She started singing Stand By Me and Three Little Birds. And she just sung that on repeat. And I could feel myself trying with all of my might to stay connected to her. And I believe that that's the main reason

that I'm here today. I couldn't give up. I think I just wanted to give her something to focus on other than the pain that she was feeling. I just wanted to give her a melody to focus on rather than the thoughts that may be running through her head. And it was it was comforting for me as well I didn't believe that she was made she was going to make it so you know if there was anything that she was going to hear in her last moments I wanted it to be the comfort of my voice I've always been Georgia's number one fan when it comes to her singing I think she's got such a lovely voice and hearing it, it really did help remind me of what I was fighting for, for the life that we share together and all the years that we've got left to live. You're much stronger than you think you are. Everybody has this incredible strength inside them that they can tap into.

Georgia and Melissa Laurie. Take a listen to this. That tapping you can hear is the work of Matthew and Michael Gardner. Known as the Gardner Brothers, they've taken the internet and their millions of followers by storm with their Irish dancing videos. Matthew and Michael were actually born in the US to Irish parents who wanted to instil their culture in their children. And they did it through the medium of dance.

Harry Bly has been speaking to the brothers. We always had a goal and a vision to post our dancing on social media. The very first video that went up of us dancing was the video that we performed at a wedding actually. We were performing to Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal. The woman that was attending the wedding posted the video, and I think it got about 44,000 shares, which at the time was enormous. To fast forward to the pandemic,

Michael was on tour with Riverdance, and I was finishing my degree. We had a bit of lost time, so we started creating different choreographies to the likes of Michael Jackson again, and Eminem, Ed Sheeran, ACDC, I mean, you name it. And the Beatles,

we started posting it online and it just, it brought people joy and it really just started to grow and grow and grow. Which is your favourite video? What's been the most enjoyable one to not only make, but to get the reaction from the viewers?

It's a tough question because we love them all. It's like us trying to pick our favourite child or something. I think for me, the first one that comes to mind is a video that we did to Tulsa Time by Don Williams we got to put our cowboy hats back on. And it was almost like we were young kids again pretending to be cowboys. But we were able to mix line dancing and our Irish dancing together, which is another thing that we love to do. We love to show that you can mix the different styles of dancing with it.

I think my favourite one would have been the Bee Gees. We did Stayin' Alive and it was just so much fun. It's a much slower tune than what we're used to dancing to, but again, we love the challenge. I mean, both great songs, I've got to say. I'm a fan of both. Big question now, your choreography. The question that everyone's thinking is,

how do you both stay in sync? You know, that's something that we love about our dancing and our style is that we are so in sync, and we love that, you know, dancing as brothers is great. We just put the music on, we listen to it a few times, and then we just start throwing some moves around. Yeah, I think it really starts with a little bit of that, a little bit of just jamming out to the music.

And then both of us sit down, and we do like to break down the music into its different layers. We've learned over the years to hear all these different accents, even though they might be happening all at different times with different instruments. And as Michael said earlier about dancing to the Bee Gees, then we might try and get in something, you know, some disco moves or some more retro hip hop moves. I'm intrigued that your journey starts all the way in Denver, Colorado.

What does Irish dance mean to both of you? And when you're dancing, how does it make you feel? Because it's not just a hobby that you had when you were a kid. You've both made enormously successful careers out of it. In the 90s, obviously, Riverdance hit the world. And I think it had an enormous impact on the entire world because everybody wanted to have that little slice of Ireland. It's something that Irish people are incredibly proud about because we have our own thing that's ours, I guess.

It's our own little art form. That's part of our motivation and part of our mission is to, you know, showcase that to the world, to continue showing it and to push it forward, push the boundaries and, you know, see where we can take Irish dancing in this next generation. Matthew and Michael Gardner speaking to Harry Bly. Now, if you could invent a new kind of school, what skills would you teach? Dancing, perhaps? And how would it be run? Well, one school in Thailand has found success by handing almost total control to the children. The Michai Bamboo School

was founded by the campaigner Michai Viravajia in 2008. It's free to attend but every year students and their families must do 800 hours of community service and plant 800 trees. William Kramer went along to find out more. So it's 25 past six in the morning and all the students are just streaming into their kind of assembly hall space which is really a magnificent domed structure made out of bamboo with a corrugated metal roof. You might think that asking children to run a school is a bit like asking convicts to run a prison. Chaos is likely to ensue.

But the bamboo school is the very opposite of chaotic. It's a very orderly, calm place where the children are polite and typically go on to university. All 150 children at the school sit cross-legged on the floor and say a prayer together. Then the students all line up and about six of them take the register and check everyone's hands are clean and their uniforms tidy. Twice a week, three children go to the market

and they buy food for all 150 students at the school. After they bring it back, it gets carefully checked by another set of students. Hello, my name is Nung Nim. I'm head of audit. I am interested in accounting to begin with, so I get excited by it. My old school wasn't like this. Here I get to try so many things, gain real world experience and work on my leadership skills with my friends. There's also a business committee, which provides loans to students to start their own companies.

And perhaps most radical of all, a business committee, which provides loans to students to start their own companies, and, perhaps most radical of all, a recruitment committee, which interviews prospective students. In a recent interview with a young boy, the kids took turns to ask questions, and the atmosphere was warm and encouraging. Recruitment panels consist of six students and two teachers. Everyone's views are treated equally. They interview staff too. For founder Michai Viravadja, that makes perfect sense. They also evaluate teachers, and what their evaluation goes towards

is salary increase on a yearly basis. If you select your teachers, you better look after them. After all, who's the beneficiary? Who's the recipient? It's the students. They must have a say. Every child does two hours of community service every week. I found myself with five children in a local hospital. There's a big kind of waiting area with maybe 50 or 60 people waiting for an appointment.

So we come and play some songs to cheer their heart up because, like, they come to the hospitals, they are worried and a lot of stress. That's why we just want to make them relax and get some cheer up from playing ukulele. I believe that the school is not to be producing good, decent people, to make a better human being, not just for people to read and write past exams. In our school, we want, to make a better human being, not just for people to read and write,

pass exams. In our school, we want people to be honest, they're willing to share, and they take no as a question, never no as an answer. So if you ask a question and someone says no, then... You must ask again. Maybe I asked the wrong question. Maybe you didn't have enough backgrounds. So don't give up. Mithai Veeravajja ending that report by William Kramer with an important lesson for us all. And if you'd like to hear more about this unusual school,

listen to People Fixing the World wherever you get your podcasts. And talking of schools, on the last episode, we asked for your stories of remarkable teachers who've made a big difference in your life in honour of Teacher Appreciation Week in the US. Well, Timothy got in touch. He's originally from Italy, but now lives in the United States and credits the kindness of a former teacher

who is not only changing, but saving his life. Here is a story about a teacher who made a big difference in my life. It was the last year of high school. Her name is Attilia Sironi. She was my literature teacher. And it was a very dark place in my life where things were not so good at home. I thought I reached the end of my path.

And she just sat down next to me on the front stairs of the school and told me you shouldn't listen so much to your parents you shouldn't worry so much about them they really don't need you to take care of them now is your chance to go out in the world and make a difference and enjoy your life and make it a happy one and just those simple words gave me the courage to look ahead move out of my parents house which if you know in Italy is quite rare with all the mamones staying with their parents until they're in their midlife and I managed to move to Rome and then found the courage to move all the way to California. And here I am talking to you today where it could have all ended in 1998. So thank you, Atilia, for everything you've done and the inspiration

that you have provided later on in life. Timothy with his story of how a simple act of kindness can make a huge difference. If you'd like to tell us about a teacher who left a lasting impression on you, please send us an email or voice note to the usual address, globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. Still to come in this podcast.

We were just happy to be playing our favourite sports. You can't ask for a better team. Even with all the downs last season, you know, they keep on smiling. It was unbelievable and it was very exciting. The girls' football team who went from losing every match last season to a 28-game winning streak. If you're hearing this, you're probably already listening to BBC's award-winning news podcasts. But did you know that you can listen to them without ads?

Get current affairs podcasts like Global News, AmeriCast and The Global Story, plus other great BBC podcasts from history to comedy to true crime, all ad-free. Simply subscribe to BBC Podcast Premium on Apple Podcasts or listen to Amazon Music with a Prime membership. Spend less time on ads and more time with BBC podcasts. A few weeks ago, we brought you the story of Jamil and Saar, two lions born in captivity in Ukraine,

who were at last enjoying a new life in South Africa. Well, another family of lions rescued from Ukraine have also been settling into a new home, this time here in the UK. Isa and her three 18-month-old cubs, Emmy, Santa and Teddy, were rescued from the Donetsk region and spent nine months at a sanctuary in Poland where the youngsters were separated from their mother and unable to go outside. They arrived in northern England in March and have spent the last two months in rehabilitation before being released into a special enclosure. Colin Northcott from Yorkshire Wildlife Park says he felt like a parent taking their child to school for the first time.

A whole range of emotions going through my mind, excitement, apprehension, just feel like a proud dad at the moment. Although it's daft, but yeah, my connection with these animals is really quite close and I feel really, really chuffed to bits. Ah, and you can see video and images of the happily reunited family of four on the BBC News website. Now to the sad tale of a reindeer who was pining away, which now has a happy ending. Sven's stablemate Klaus died suddenly and his owners feared that he would die too, of a broken heart. But they've now managed to find him a new love thanks to crowdfunding. Stephanie Prentice has this report.

The happy grunt of a caribou reindeer greeting a member of its pack. But in a small patch of the world, Hull in northern England, one reindeer had fallen silent. Sven, who lived on a farm with his stable mate Klaus, had become withdrawn and sad when Klaus passed away after a sudden illness and his owner Susie Wright feared the worst. Well I thought he might die of a broken heart because well he was it was on his own and he was lonely and reindeer are herd animals and they absolutely couldn't survive on their own for a long period of time short term obviously until we found a partner for him but long term

I would fear that actually he would pass away. Susie's rescue centre Little Haven Farm couldn't afford to buy another reindeer and for herd animal Sven following humans around wasn't enough. Cody Chapman runs the animal company and has her own herd of reindeer and she told us why they can't be left alone. It's just very important for them they feel a lot safer and a lot less stressed and obviously in their native environment, they travel in packs for safety from predators and obviously to find food. Back in Hull, Sven wasn't eating, had lost a lot of weight and was pacing up and down his paddock.

Susie and her husband took a desperate chance on a JustGiving fundraising page. And to their surprise, the numbers started climbing. Oh gosh, I don't think there's actually words that can describe how I felt when we realised it was actually going to happen. Amazingly, the public across the country and even the world came together and got us the money. Soon, Susie and her husband were driving their trailer down to Dorset to pick up Daisy. We managed to find a female and we introduced them together. And it was, can I just say, it was like love at first sight. So the actual point where is we tried to keep them separate

so they can get used to each other gradually and she was absolutely having none of it whatsoever so to the point where she actually broke down the partition between them and it's just so lovely to see them together. Instead of dying of a broken heart Sven fell in love and Susie's faith in her fellow humans has never been stronger. Stephanie Prentice we've been asking about your stories of moving to new countries. Now superstar Stevie Wonder has been talking about wanting to relocate to Ghana in West Africa for years. Back in the 1970s, he said he believed he could trace his ancestry back there. Well, as you may have heard on the Global News podcast, the music star has finally become a Ghanaian citizen on his 74th birthday.

He was asked what had drawn him to Ghana. Through having dual citizenship and this being my home as well, I can just do great things with bringing our family together, bringing African-Americans and Americans and everyone together to come together to celebrate the greatness of Africa. Stevie Wonder. Now, how's this for a sporting comeback? An under-10 girls football team that lost every game last season has had a dramatic change in fortunes. The Woodlanders FC from West Yorkshire have won promotion and become the first all-girls team to win their local League Cup. Stephanie Zachrisson has the story. The Woodlanders were coming from a truly rough last season,

having been unable to win a single game, once losing 18-0. But despite that, they still didn't find it particularly hard to keep the spirits up, as team captain Ada explains. Not really, because we were just happy to be playing our favourite sports. The all-girls squad, playing in a league of boys teams, kept impressing their coach David Gilroy with their attitude. He says they never gave up, even when it was tough. You can't ask for a better team, you know, they make you laugh, even with all the downs last season, you know, they keep on smiling and that inspires you as a coach as well to want to get them to that next level. And all that hard

work paid off. They're currently on a remarkable 28-match winning streak, got promoted and managed to beat the boys side, a club five divisions above them, by 3-2 in the final of the League Cup. Player Isabella told us how that felt. It felt great. I felt very happy and it was unbelievable and it was very exciting. Coach David, whose daughter Bella scored two of the three goals in the final, says the Cup win is a massive achievement. And of course there were celebrations all round as the team walked off the pitch with a Junior League Fast Trophy, says Ada. After the game, we went where we train and we all just had like a party,

ordered some pizza, just had a good time playing with each other. Stephanie Zachrisson with that report on what could be the football stars of the future. If you're a regular listener, you'll know we've been asking for your tales of bumping into people you know while far from home. Well, several of you have been in touch, including Ryan, who lives in Orlando in Florida. He grew up in Springfield in Illinois and did a university summer program in London back in 2001. One day I was moving from one flat to my dorm and I was walking along in Kensington and I saw someone that looked very familiar from a distance. And so I kind of walked up and got closer. And as I stopped dead in my tracks, I realized it was someone I'd actually grown up with across the street from for about 10 years of my life in Illinois. And we went to high school together and we hadn't seen each other since I

graduated. She was one year behind me. So I kind of approached very cautiously. And then I just said, hi, Nikki. And it was amazing because I'd never gotten such a shocked, surprised reaction of a scream and a hug before or since really. She ran up and hugged me and did that thing like in a TV show where they're hugging you. Then they kind of lean back and look at you and make sure it's real. And then they hug you again. So here we were randomly across the street from a Tesco in London, over 4,500 miles from where we grew up and just randomly ran into each other because she was waiting to cross the street and I was hauling a bunch of luggage around. And I invited her over to my dorm room that evening so I could call my parents.

And I basically called them and said, so I've got a surprise for you. And, you know, kind of dead silence. And then Nikki just leans in, she goes, Hello, Mrs. Kelly. And my parents just like, were so excited on the other end. And my dad, who's not prone to being very emotional was just like, Oh, my gosh, Nikki, my mom was kind of like yelling, it was really fun. Fast forward a little bit. And the next month, we went to Scotland together with a friend of hers. And we just had this most amazing time in Edinburgh. And we just got to catch up for this whole summer. And it was just really fun and amazing. And then my parents actually got to come and visit us. I love this random moment in my life that led to these really great experiences. And although we have lost touch, Nikki, if you're out there, I'm pretty sure you live in Michigan now. If you listen to the podcast, please get in touch because I would love to talk to you again.

But anyway, it's one of the best moments of my life. I love telling the story and I hope others will enjoy it as well. That was Ryan sharing his story of a very happy chance encounter. And if you've already been in touch with your own stories of chance meetings, thank you. And we're hoping to include you in future editions. And if not, we'd still love to hear from you. Send us an email or a voice note to globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. And that's all from us for now. Remember, if you'd like to be part of the Happy Pod, you can email us the sound that brings you joy. We'd also love to hear if you have any stories to share that will make us all smile.

As ever, the address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. This edition was mixed by Rob Vanner. The producers were Holly Gibbs and Rachel Bulkley. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Jeanette Jalil. Until next time, goodbye. podcasts like Global News, AmeriCast and The Global Story, plus other great BBC podcasts from history to comedy to true crime, all ad-free. Simply subscribe to BBC Podcast Premium on Apple Podcasts or listen to Amazon Music with a Prime membership. Spend less time on ads and more time

with BBC Podcasts.