A new survey of Australian primary and high school teachers has uncovered disturbing evidence of the psychological toll the classroom is taking on educators.

The study found nearly 62% met the criteria for moderate to severe anxiety, 18% had symptoms that met the criteria for moderate to severe depression, while 17% abused alcohol to cope.

The report’s author Dr Peta Stapleton from Bond University tells Mark the findings are worrying for both teachers and their students.

Puccini’s masterpiece Tosca was originally set in 19th century but a new Opera Queensland production to open this month at QPAC brings it forward to a more contemporary period, the 1970s.

Tosca survives the time travel because it’s themes of political tyranny and widespread intolerance are as relevant in the modern world as they were when it was written.

Leading Queensland tenor Gregory Massingham takes on the role of Spoletta, the lackey to Rome’s tyrannical Chief of Police, and he tells Mark it is a fun role to play.

There can be few greater and more humbling experiences than coming face to almost human face with our evolutionary cousins the gorilla in the wild.

For years adventurous tourists have traveled to Uganda and Rwanda to get close to the great apes but there are new avenues opening up.

Sean Lues from Journeys Worldwide tells Mark that travelers really need to consider visiting Congo and the Central African Republic.

The 6th of June is Queensland Day.

It marks the day in 1859 when Queen Victoria signed the “Letters of Patent” declaring Queensland a colony, separate from New South Wales.

Given 19th century communications the news took some time to filter through to Brisbane but was met with jubilation.

However as Queensland historian Associate Professor Libby Connors from USQ explains to Mark those celebrations were tempered when people in Brisbane and Ipswich realised they had effectively lost any hope of voting rights.

The Reserve Bank has moved on official interest rates for the first time in almost three years cutting the cash rate by 0.25% to a new historic low of just 1.25%.

It’s welcome news to homeowners, saving about $60-a-month on the average $400,000 mortgage and there may be more on the way with some economists predicting two more cuts in the next 12 months.

It’s not such great news though for those who rely on their savings in retirement.

Paul Versteege from the Combined Pensioners & Superannuants Association tells Mark it’s going to make it very hard for retirees already struggling to make ends meet.

Interest in Freddie Mercury and Queen has never waned but it has gone through the stratosphere following the release of the Bohemian Rhapsody biopic.

Queen fronted by Adam Lambert is due to tour Australia next year but if you can’t wait that long Chocolate Starfish frontman Adam Thompson is bringing Bohemian Rhapsody Live to QPAC in December.

He’ll be backed by the We Will Rock You Band and tickets are already in very short supply.

Adam tells Mark the show was meant to be a one-off staged in Melbourne in April but it has taken on a life of its own.

The Australian Open lawn bowls tournament, which begins next Friday week, is the world’s biggest bowls festival attracting hundreds of the country’s very best.

The event moved to the Gold Coast in 2015 and today it was announced the Open will remain on the coast until at least 2024.

Bowls Australia COO Tony Sherwell tells Mark the move to the Gold Coast lifted the tournament to the next level and today it is one of the world’s premier bowls events.

Most Australians are probably not familiar with Haemochromatosis despite the fact that it is the most common genetic disorder in the country.

Put simply, people with the condition absorb too much iron from their diet and the excess iron can damage organs and can even cause death.

Mark has a family history of the condition and suspects he may also be a sufferer.

Prof Greg Anderson from the QIMR Berghofer’s Chronic Disorders Program is one of the country’s leading authorities on Haemochromatosis and tells Mark treatment is simple and effective, but the key is an early diagnosis.

It promises to be a fine and clear weekend across southeast Queensland, perfect weather for getting out and about and Olympia has some great suggestions, brought to you by The Good Feet Store.

It has taken nine years but Jimmy Barnes is back with his first album of pure rock and roll since 2010’s Rage And Ruin.

The 13 tracks on My Criminal Record are musical distillations of his two best selling books Working Class Boy and Working Class Man.

He shares writing credits with a who’s who of Australian music including Don Walker, Troy Cassar-Daley, Diesel and The Living End’s Chris Cheney.

He tells Mark dealing with his past has made him a better man and a better singer.