A glittering disco ball is a call to dance.
Legend has it that the famed disco ball at University of Newcastle's Auchmuty Library sometimes caused people to break out in spontaneous bursts of dance.
In their mind's eye were tracks like the Bee Gees' Stayin' Alive and The Trampps' Disco Inferno. We're pretty sure John Travolta's bell-bottoms and David Bowie's post-disco track Let's Dance came to mind, too.
But these moments of dancing joy have been brought to an abrupt halt, like someone unexpectedly pulling the plug on a disco DJ. You see, the disco ball at the library has gone missing.
Gionni Di Gravio, university archivist, is disappointed. He bought the 30-centimetre mirror ball on eBay in 2009.
He donated it to the university's Cultural Collections for the You Are Here Now exhibition, which documented the history and lives of LGBTIQ people at the university.
The mirror ball was a centrepiece of the exhibition, which was held in October 2009. It brought "fun and a sense of joy into the library and archives' environment".
After the exhibition, the disco ball became a "beautiful addition to the library".
Gionni said the area that housed the disco ball was often used by students "wanting a relaxing chill-out zone".
"Researcher parents would lie their babies underneath it to be dazzled by the magic of the lights. Library tours would take the visitors past it, regaling them with stories of its mythical origins. It became a landmark of sorts. Everybody knew where the mirror ball was," he said.
Whoever borrowed the mirror ball, you've had your fun and hopefully a dance. It's time to give it back.
Tinder Dreamboat
Glen Fredericks has been trying his luck with the ladies on Tinder.
Glen initially used the nickname Brickhead, which refers to his love of Lego. His profile picture was a Lego costume.
Glen, of Adamstown Heights, reckons the girls went for Brickhead. But we reckon he might have hit a few brick walls.
He decided to create a new Tinder profile, with "my real name and photos of me".
"The results have been outstanding."
The new profile photos show Glen displaying his awareness of the need to clean the house, hang up wet towels, replace empty toilet rolls and use the washing machine.
"Don't worry, I haven't had a tissue in the wash since 2016," Glen said.
"I check all the pockets before putting the load in the machine."
One woman apparently said this was "every married woman's fantasy".
Mind you, Glen did inform the ladies that "guys don't like having their efforts to stack the dishwasher criticised or judged".
He urged prospective partners not to take a "sneaky peak" at his dishwasher stacking and unpacking, which he likened to "Tetris gameplay".
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