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Hunter couple travels to Netherlands for MH17 court case

"I will never forget the look on her face, it was just awful, it was the worst thing in the world to have to tell her that," Lisa Clancy says of having to tell her 82-year-old mother-in-law that a family member had been killed.

Almost six years since MH17 was shot down by a surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine, Lisa and her husband Bryan Clancy have arrived in Amsterdam at the start of a criminal trial for four people suspected of being behind the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in July 2014.

Bryan's brother Mick and his wife Carol were on the flight, returning home from the holiday of a lifetime when they were killed.

'The court has restored her reputation'

A Newcastle woman has broken down in tears as she was found not guilty of poisoning her daughter with urine and laxatives.

After the verdict last night, her solicitor said the proceedings had cost his client dearly.

"Her daughter was removed from her care in 2015. Her house had to be sold to fund previous legal representatives. She lost her ability to carry on in her profession of nursing and midwifery," Mark Ramsland said in a statement.

Have you had a brush with a brush turkey?

Have brush turkeys moved into your neighbourhood? If so, researchers want to hear from you.

And they've set up an app and website to make it easy.

This week, Breakfast's Dan and Jenny spoke to Dr John Martin, a terrestrial ecologist from the Taronga Conservation Society, about why they want to know about where the birds are.

Calls for a massive increase in ovarian cancer funding

Friends of the late ABC broadcaster Jill Emberson have called for $50 million annually for ovarian cancer research.

Jill died in December after a four-year battle with the disease.

The Federal Government has committed $20 million in additional funding, but ovarian cancer advocacy group Pink Meets Teal say that's not enough.

These people are making a Viking ship out of chocolate ... really

We all know chocolate is for eating, right? Well, not always. The tasty treat can also be used in art (whether that's a waste of good chocolate is a whole other conversation).

In a Newcastle kitchen, an elaborate scene featuring a Viking ship, Vikings and waves is being created out of chocolate. And not only is it edible, it moves as well.

Breakfast's Dan Cox was the envy of the office when he got to speak to the people behind the creation - chocolatier and pastry chef Dean Gibson and industrial designer Jon Pryer - to find out what they're up to.

Matildas smash Vietnam in Newcastle

A huge crowd turned out in Newcastle on Friday night to see the Matildas demolish Vietnam 5-nil in the first leg of the women's Olympic qualifying tournament.

The team has now qualified for the Tokyo Games after beating Vietnam 2-1 in Cam Pha.

What people are talking about on Facebook

• A man in his 70s is in home isolation after returning from Italy with coronavirus. He's the Hunter region's first Covid-19 case. Hunter GPs have also met to discuss how to deal with the disease and minimise transmission in their practices, and to welcome news of a fever clinic at John Hunter Hospital.
• Tourism operators in Port Stephens say they could go out of business as coronavirus impacts tourism numbers. Port Stephens Council has announced a funding injection of $500k to assist the tourism and business sectors.
• More than 150 cyclists have taken to the roads around Merriwa in the Upper Hunter for the inaugural Tour de Merriwa. Watch our video to see all the action.
• Surfest wrapped up in Newcastle last weekend, with Western Australian surfer Bronte Macauley taking out the women's event, while the Hunter's Julian Wilson won the men's event.

The best bits on air this week

• After more than 20 years in the music industry, award-winning Newcastle based country musician Catherine Britt has decided to record and produce her next album independently of a label. She told Breakfast's Dan and Jenny about why she's made the move to crowd-fund the project.
• New Lambton Football Club players and members are frustrated following yet another act of vandalism on one of their home fields. It happened for the 10th time in 15 months, after $80k was spent on the surface over summer. Here's what the club president told Dan and Jenny. 
• Newcastle music fans turned out in their thousands for the all-Australian music festival The Drop, held at Bar Beach over the weekend. ABC Newcastle's Grant Wolter spoke with Boy and Bear and Ball Park Music.

What else made news this week:

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