Conversations
Conversations draws you deeper into the life story of someone you may have heard about, but never met. Journey into their world, joining them on epic adventures to unfamiliar places, back in time to wild moments of history, and into their deepest memories, to be moved by personal stories of resilience and redemption. Hosted by Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski, Conversations is the ABC's most popular long-form interview program. Every day we explore the vast tapestry of human experience, weaving together narratives from history, science, art, and personal storytelling. Whether it's an exploration of Australian and American politics, the intricacies...
Wed, April 16, 2025
Made in Burnie — Justin Heazlewood on swapping fame for his hometown
Justin Heazlewood fled a complicated early life in Tasmania searching for fame as an artist on the mainland. Recently he moved back to his home town of Burnie, and realised community is where you find it. Justin Heazlewood grew up in Burnie, a coastal town on the North West coast of Tasmania. For years he imagined his hometown as somewhere he had to leave, especially if he was going to be any kind of artist. And there were other, more personal reasons that made staying in Burnie complicated. Justin's Mum has schizophrenia, and growing up he was often forced into the role of being her carer. It was something he did his best to hide from his friends and other people in his life. So after school, Justin headed to the mainland and began a life as a comedian and a songwriter. But a few years ago, he found himself returning to his home town for good. This episode of Conversations explores mental health, caring for parents, parents with mental illness, small towns, leaving your hometown, big city life, regional Australia, creatives in regional Australia, mother son relationships, returning home, community, fame, triple j, bedroom philosopher, radio, writing, music, musicians, learning guitar, grandmothers. Get Up Mum is published by Affirm Press and Justin's new book, Dream Burnie, celebrates the creative humans like him making art far from the big cities, and some of the teachers who recognised the young artists while they were at school. The Young Carer's Hotline is open Monday-Friday on 1800 422 737
Tue, April 15, 2025
From Manila to Sydney — how Loribelle found family, love and her art
The artist Loribelle Spirovski on her unusual childhood in the Philippines, meeting her father for the first time at 7 years old, and making her way as one of Australia's most exciting young painters. Loribelle Spirovski grew up in the Philippines, with her mum and her extended Filipino family. Her Serbian father, whom she had never met, was in Australia, driving taxis and waiting for the visa that would allow him to bring Loribelle and her mum to join him. Loribelle didn't meet her father until she was 7 years old, and when she saw him for the first time at Manila Airport, she was shocked by how hairy his arms were and the way he smelled just like she did. Eventually, the family was properly reunited in Sydney, Australia, where Loribelle had to navigate family and cultural ties, where she found love and where she made her way as one of Australia's most exciting young artists. This episode of Conversations explores painting, creativity, writing, books, love, marriage, Simon Tedeschi, William Barton, the Archibald Prize, art education, art teaching, chronic pain, chronic injury, identity, memoir, family dynamics, origin stories, refugees, Serbia, former Yugoslavia, music, piano, singing, language, mothers, fathers, long-distance relationships. White Hibiscus is published by Upswell.
Fri, April 11, 2025
Encore: The poker-playing cardiologist
As a child, before she escaped communist Hungary, Bo Remenyi had no ambitions. But when she got to Australia all of that changed. She's gone from cruising the casino floor as a high-stakes professional poker player, to saving the lives of children in remote Australia. (R) In 2018, Dr Bo Remenyi was made the Northern Territory’s Australian of the Year for her work as a paediatric cardiologist. But her path to receiving that honour, and to her work in remote communities, has been filled with unexpected twists and risks. After escaping communist Hungary as a child, she got her first job flipping burgers in a Townsville Hungary Jacks. From there, she put herself through medical school by cleaning the very lecture theatres in which she was studying. Somewhere along the way, Bo decided to play 60 hours of professional poker a week, and she was very good at it. This episode of Conversations explores Aboriginal health, Indigenous health outcomes, closing the Gap, Soviet Union, Communism, fleeing the Iron Curtin, Putin, medicine, studying medicine, studying medicine in Australia, university life, gambling, multiculturalism, migrant stories, first generation Australians, the Northern Territory, remote Australia, FNQ.
Thu, April 10, 2025
Miles Franklin's secret life as a 'boy sober' undercover maid
Journalist Kerrie Davies with the story of how novelist Miles Franklin went undercover as a maid for a year, in Sydney and Melbourne's wealthy houses, well before gonzo journalists became household names. The real-life story of novelist Stella Maria Miles Franklin had an unexpected chapter after publishing My Brilliant Career. In 1903, Miles became a 'girl stunt reporter' by going undercover as a servant. For a year, she lived as a maid in Sydney and Melbourne's wealthy houses and wrote about the humiliations and drudgery in the daily lives of servant girls, or 'slaveys'. During her experiment she hand-rolled heavy, wet clothes through a washing mangle; served her employers pre-breakfast tea and toast in bed, which she thought was an obscene indulgence; she cleaned guest rooms and parlours; helped at high-society balls and kept fires burning in winter. The manuscript Miles wrote about this year pre-dated George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London by three decades, yet it never found a publisher. Journalist Kerrie Davies has investigated this little-known chapter of Miles' life, finally bringing this story to life in her own book. This episode of Conversations explores feminism, suffragettes, biography, books, servants, writing, Australian fiction, boy sober, class warfare, adventures, adventurous women, risk-taking, origin stories, gonzo journalism, Nellie Bly, Rose Scott, early 20th century Sydney, Chicago, women's rights, trad wives, motherhood, partnership, self-partnering. Miles Franklin Undercover is published by Allen and Unwin.
Wed, April 09, 2025
The life-changing power of a choir
Song propelled Morris Stuart from his early life shepherding sheep in British Guyana to an unlikely love story in London. In his retirement, he found himself shaping a choir of Central Australian Aboriginal women, who had been breathing life into 138-year-old Lutheran hymns. Morris Stuart met his Australian wife, Barbara in London in the 1960s. The pair led a youth group attached to a nearby church, and initially tried to ignore their growing feelings for each other. Morris was a young, Guyanese activist who was descended from African slaves, and wasn’t ready to face the social reality of marrying across racial lines. Morris and Barb fell in love and married several years before the film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? was released, and featured at several screenings in London, where community members could ask them questions as a real life, interracial couple. The couple went on to have four children and moved to Australia, where Morris became a pastor with a community church in Melbourne. In their retirement, Morris and Barbara developed relationships with the Warlpiri community in Central Australia. They arrived in Alice Springs in 2005 and Morris started recruiting for a choir. More Indigenous communities started joining in and Morris formed the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s choir. They performed hymns brought by German Lutheran missionaries to the region in the late 19th Century, which were translated into Pitjantjatjara and Western Arrernte. The choir’s biggest achievement is a tour to Germany in 2015 — to perform the hymns that had all but vanished from use in Germany, but have been preserved in the Central Australian desert for 138 years. Follow the Central Australian Aboriginal Women's Choir on Facebook . Watch the documentary about the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir tour to Germany, The Song Keepers . This episode of Conversations touches on heritage, epic life story, origin stories, church, personal stories, childhood and reflection.
Tue, April 08, 2025
The wisdom of an ancient Pencil Pine
Nature writer Andrew Darby on what he learned from his rambles through the wilds of Tasmania, communing with the world’s oldest surviving trees. In particular, his ‘buttock clenching’ ascent up a 60-metre-tall eucalyptus known as The Vibe Tower. Nature writer, Andrew Darby spent more than 20 years as a Fairfax correspondent based in Tasmania. His stories involved the natural beauty of the bush, including visits to wild places and to the people who protect them, but it was deadline-driven and he couldn’t spend the time he wanted to. In 2017 Andrew was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. He underwent immunotherapy and was given a maximum 18-months to live. It has been eight years since he entered his “second life”. Andrew was determined to fully inhabit his beloved Tasmanian bush, so he went by himself to commune with ancient trees. These are some of the world’s oldest surviving trees, like King’s Lomatia; some of the biggest trees, like a 60-metre-tall eucalyptus known as The Vibe Tower; and Andrew’s favourite, the dignified Pencil Pine. The Ancients: Discovering the world’s oldest surviving trees in wild Tasmania is published by Allen & Unwin. This episode of Conversations touches on wild Tasmania, ancient trees, Pencil Pine, King's Lomatia, King Billy Pine, Giant Eucalyptus, Peter Dombrovskis photography, Walls of Jerusalem National Park, Pool of Siloam, epic hike, solo hike, stage four lung cancer, immunotherapy, second life and loving nature, hikes of Australia.
Fri, April 04, 2025
Encore: A daring escape from Vietnam to the halls of prestigious American universities
Anh Nguyen Austen's family fled Vietnam by sea in 1982, on a wooden boat bound for the Philippines. When a once-in-a-century storm struck in the South China Sea, they thought all hope was lost (R) Anh is an academic and community volunteer who grew up in Vietnam in a Catholic family. Anh's childhood was idyllic, with a big extended family and a close friendship with her cousin named Joe. But life for the adults was complicated after the end of the war, and so in the early 1980s, her parents planned a daring escape. Under the noses of the regime, they secretly constructed a boat which they hoped would take them to the Philippines. They intended to bring 40 people with them, but on the day of departure 101 people crowded on board, before the boat sailed into a once-in-a-century storm on the South China Sea. Years later, Anh found film footage of their rescue, at a moment when almost all hope was lost. After their rescue, her family made it to a refugee camp in the Philippines, then to America, where Anh grew up to attend some of the world's most prestigious universities before she became an academic herself. This episode of Conversations explores family dynamics, refugee stories, migrant stories, boat people, Vietnam War, Catholcism, escapes, near death experiences, the great American dream, Harvard, Bryn Mawr College, University of Melbourne, theology, PhD, doctorate, academia, Christianity, life story, United States. Originally broadcast in June 2022. Since Richard spoke with Anh, she has created a walking group in Melbourne for refugees and friends of refugees. Anh says walking creates connections and can inspire belonging to land, people, and country in Australia. This is part of her research on post-traumatic growth for refugees and her upcoming memoir The History of Walking with Refugees. If you would like to join the Melbourne Refugee Walking Group, email Anh.Nguyen.Austen@acu.edu
Thu, April 03, 2025
How Vincent Fantauzzo's life was saved by love and painting
When artist Vincent Fantauzzo was a boy he was a street-fighting petty criminal with dyslexia and a blazing talent for drawing. He escaped jail time, and grew up to become one of Australia's most well-known portrait artists. VIncent Fantauzzo is one of Australia's most successful portrait artists. For his luminous, photo-realistic paintings he's won the People's Choice Award at the annual Archibald Prize more than any other artist. He's also won the Moran National Portrait Prize twice, once with a painting of his friend, filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, and the second time with a painting of his wife, actor Asher Keddie. All the success is a long way from his upbringing in Broadmeadows in Melbourne, when at times it seemed like he was going to end up in jail, or dead. Vincent struggled so badly with dyslexia that he developed elaborate rituals to avoid writing at school, which is partly how he came to drawing. He became a street-fighting petty criminal and he was kicked out of school at 14 and was drawn into a violent world where he had to be extraordinarily streetwise to survive. Vincent still carries the scars of surviving his childhood into the big, beautiful life he's built for himself as one of Australia's most well-known artists. This episode of Conversations explores origin stories, social disadvantage, parenting, father son relationships, boxing, learning disabilities, struggling in school, Hollywood, the art world, Heath Ledger, Kim Ledger, Batman, family, family dynamics, life story, art, portraits, painting, juvenile crime, drug dealing, hot houses, brothers. Unveiled, written with Craig Henderson, is published by Penguin.
Wed, April 02, 2025
'Mistakes were made' — a live storytelling experience
Rebecca Huntley, Rick Morton, Julia Zemiro and Sarah Kanowski bring you stories of human failure, misadventure and outright fiasco in a live storytelling event recorded at Adelaide Writers Week. A few weeks ago, some former guests of Conversations, and our two presenters gathered at the Adelaide Town Hall. The event was a live storytelling hour, with the theme 'Mistakes were made', in front of a rapt audience of 800 forgiving souls. Writer and social researcher Rebecca Huntley shared her dramatic foray as a first-time driver. Journalist Rick Morton recounted a story about a run-in between his brother's drug- and alcohol-fuelled friends, with a cameo from the rom-com 'Bridget Jones' Baby'. TV presenter and actor Julia Zemiro told her own tale of mortification in a professional setting, and her experience of "esprit de l'escalier" — thinking of the perfect response once you have already left the building. Our own Sarah Kanowski spoke of the time when a few very big risks were taken, that one time in the Amazon Basin. This episode of Conversations touches on mistakes, fiascos, accidents, insults, life stories, epic personal stories, ayahuasca, The Amazon, ice, drug addiction, Bridget Jones, and more.
Tue, April 01, 2025
Two sisters, Dod and Brattle - the lesbian poet, and the evangelical Christian
Josie McSkimming on growing up with her bohemian sister, the poet Dorothy Porter, and how their lives took off on wildly diverging paths as they grew up. Sisters Dorothy and Josie Porter grew up in an interesting and sometimes volatile home on the northern beaches of Sydney in the 1970s. Together with their middle sister Mary, they lived in a world of books, a backyard menagerie of animals, and regular birdwatching excursions. Their father Chester was a well-known lawyer who was sometimes a explosive presence at home. Josie adored her charismatic big sister 'Dod', for her wicked sense of humour, her appetite for life, and her fierce talent. After the girls left home and began their adult lives, they set off on wildly different paths. Dorothy ran headlong into bohemian adventures, and became a famous poet. While Josie, to her sister's dismay, became a born-again Christian for 35 years, eventually leaving the church after questioning the doctrines enforcing women's submission. Dorothy died at just 54 years old, and decades later, Josie has written down her own version of the family story, paying tribute to the many ways her big sister shaped her life. This episode of Conversations explores family dynamics, parenting, love, grief, sisters, sisterhood, poetry, religion, indoctrination, gay conversion, coming out, lesbians, the queer community, writing, books, family history, origin stories, parenting, mothers, fathers, Lindy Chamberlain, Australian poets, modern poets, Church, bible study, leaving the church, Mona Vale. Gutsy Girls: Love, Poetry and Sisterhood is published by UQP.
Fri, March 28, 2025
Encore: Doctor Koppe — PTSD and me
Hilton Koppe was a beloved country GP for 30 years before an unexpected health crisis of his own forced him to reassess everything (R) Hilton Koppe grew up knowing his parents wanted him to become a doctor and so when he got the marks to make it into medicine, they were overjoyed. By the time he was 30, he'd started working as a country GP. Hilton then became a beloved local doctor in Northern NSW, and he worked there for more than three decades. But a few years ago, Hilton's own health suddenly went awry. He started experiencing constant neck pain, and then the side of his face went numb. He was sent him for an MRI, which revealed nothing. But then Hilton's own GP gave him an unexpected diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, related in part to his work as a doctor. This news up-ended almost everything about Hilton's life. This episode of Conversations explores medicine, Australia's medical system, Judaism, migration, post WW2 migration, Jewish families, Australian multi culturalism, family dynamics, health, wellbeing, PTSD, trauma, mental health diagnosis, South Africa, fascism. Hilton's memoir is called One Curious Doctor.
Thu, March 27, 2025
Shaking — escaping the grip of a lifelong tremor
Journalist and author Sonya Voumard on the rare neurological condition that has stalked her since a family tragedy during her childhood. Sonya Voumard was on the precipice of teen hood when her father suddenly and unexpectedly died. In the months following his death, Sonya developed a tremor in her right hand, not dissimilar to the shaking she sometimes noticed in her father when he was cutting the top off her boiled egg at breakfast. The tremor got worse as she got older, but working late nights as a dogged journalist, fuelled by coffee and nicotine, it almost became a badge of honour for Sonya. One day, though, a terrifying moment while driving set her off on a decades-long quest through Australia's medical system. This episode of Conversations explores disability, neurological condition, brain surgery, experimental medicine, grief, untimely death, death of a father, journalism, Port Arthur massacre, Mabo, Melbourne, substance abuse, alcohol, shaking, Parkinson's, being queer, unexplained medical anomalies, neurosurgeon, neuroscience, St Vincent's hospital, writing, books, memoir, Dystonia, essential tremor, familial tremor, MS, multiple sclerosis, medical system, medicare, public versus private patients. Tremor: a movement disorder in a disordered world is published by Finlay Lloyd. Learn more about dystonia from the Dystonia Network of Australia.
Wed, March 26, 2025
Loneliness — it's not only you
Loneliness is a universal experience, for each of us at some point in our lives. Journalist Ros Thomas travelled the world to investigate, and find the antidote. Ros spent a year travelling around the world to research something all of us have experienced — loneliness. She met an old man who had learned to thrive through crushing grief with the help of a small, desktop robot. Ros visited a share house in Sweden where pensioners live with young asylum seekers, who care for each other like grandparents and grandchildren. And she explored her own early and devastating experience of loneliness — when her father abandoned the family when Ros was a tiny child. This episode of Conversations touches on loneliness, isolation, being a friend, social connection, community modern history, life story, fatherhood, absent fathers, personal stories, family dynamics, fathers, solutions to loneliness, the loneliness epidemic, Churchill Fellowship and connection.
Tue, March 25, 2025
The fearless Kate McClymont — weathering death threats and court cases for work
The chief investigative reporter on her work exposing criminals and corruption, including former politician, Eddie Obeid and financial fraudster, Melissa Caddick. Kate McClymont is chief investigative reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. She grew up on a farm in NSW, and during university, funded her start in Sydney by setting up a busking booth in Kings Cross. Passers-by would pay her to answer a question, have an argument, or verbally abuse them. Kate's start in crime reporting came from an early job writing for a gossip column. She was instructed to cover a wedding of a family member of known criminal figure, George Freeman. Kate compared the sequins in the bridal party's outfit to a bullet-proof vest, and received the first of many death threats throughout her career. She has won 10 Walkley awards for her work on the biggest crime and corruption cases in NSW. She has exposed the crimes of politician, Eddie Obeid, former Health Services Union boss, Michael Williamson and financial fraudster, Melissa Caddick, among many more. This episode of Conversations covers crime, corruption, true crime, Melissa Caddick, Eddie Obeid, corrupt politicians, investigative reporting, Walkley awards, Kings Cross, George Freeman, Minder, SMH, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Fairfax, Nine.
Fri, March 21, 2025
Encore: Krystyna Duszniak and Poland's lost histories
As a young woman, Krystyna thought her father had taught her everything about Poland’s history, but she didn’t know that what he’d left out would become a focus of her life (R) Growing up, Krystyna Duszniak's father didn't speak a word of English to her, instilling in her a love of the Polish language, literature, history and culture. As the child of immigrants who had survived World War II, history was all around Krystyna, and while her patriotic father taught her so much about his homeland, she found he left out a vital part that turned out to be the focus of her career. Krystyna has made it her life's work to decipher historical records and bring the past back to life. She helps families connect to long forgotten events and people in the old country. Often, she will unearth unsavoury war stories, hidden first children of remarried parents, or secrets no one wants to hear about their relatives. This episode of Conversations explores family history, modern history, ancient history, Europe, War, family dynamics, migrant stories, patriotism, secrets, family secrets, genealogy, ancestry.
Thu, March 20, 2025
Life on the lam — how Peter escaped from under his fugitive father's shadow
Peter Norris's father was a notorious bank robber who lived life on the run, dragging his boy across the country with him, until Peter refused to go with him one last time. It was the hardest decision he ever had to make. Peter Norris grew up on the run with his criminal father, Clarence 'Clarry' Norris. Every time Clarry was arrested, he would find a way out of custody and fulfil his promise of coming back to his son, and every time they reunited they would be off once more tearing across Australia. Peter climbed out windows at foster homes, and escaped group homes for boys to be with his dad, in Sydney, in Shepparton, Perth and Port Hedland. Until one day, his father came back to Peter when he had landed on his feet in the home of a beautiful foster family in regional Victoria. The faith the Dullards had in Peter gave him the courage to finally say "no" to his loving, caring, criminal, complicated dad. It was the hardest decision he ever made, but while desperately Peter wanted to be with his father, but didn't want to be him. It was the last time Peter ever saw his father. This episode of Conversations discusses family dynamics, origin stories, crime, criminality, theft, intergenerational trauma, foster care, abandoned children, group homes, remand centres, Baltara, homelessness, abuse, parenting, grief, closure, fatherhood, father son relationships. The Bank Robber's Boy is published by Simon & Schuster
Wed, March 19, 2025
Martha, baby Michael and the police officer who cried
Martha Jabour was a young mum when her baby son Michael died suddenly. In the thick of her grief, she worried for the devastated young police officer who had come to her home that day, before he unexpectedly reappeared in her life (CW: this conversation discusses the death of a child). Martha Jabour has lived through the worst possible day for a parent. When she was a young mum, she put her baby Michael to bed one night, and by the morning he had died in his sleep. Michael was just 7 weeks old, and because his was an unexplained death, there were police on her doorstep, and a post-mortem, and an ambulance which took away her baby boy. At the time of Michael's death in the 1980s, not much was known about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Martha threw herself into support groups, fundraising, and helping to change the story for parents like her, affected by the shocking and unexplained loss of their babies. Within a few years, research discovered more about the causes, and today rates of SIDS have fallen by nearly 90%. Martha trained as a grief and trauma counsellor, and her work with grieving parents saw her tapped on the shoulder to start a Homicide Victims Support Group. It was a job she initially said she’d only do for a year - but it became her life’s work. This episode of Conversations explores SIDS, death of a child, grieving, grief, policing, community policing, motherhood, fatherhood, parenting, birth stories, sick children, sudden loss, cot death, trauma, shock, counselling, therapy, support groups, where to find support. Help and support is always available. You can call Lifeline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 13 11 14, or text them 0477 13 11 14. Red Nose also offers counselling services to parents who have lost a child. Their number is 1300 308 307.
Tue, March 18, 2025
Undercover hitmen, shady drug deals and covert surveillance — life as a top cop
While working as an undercover cop, Nick Kaldas played a drug baron in the market for vast quantities of hemp oil, tracked a fugitive with a penchant for hair transplants, and posed as a hit man for a spurned lover. Nick was a 21-year-old immigrant lad from Egypt when he decided to join the NSW Police Force. He soon rose up the ranks from working as a junior constable on the beat, then as one of the first Arab-Australian undercover cops, to becoming one of the most senior police officers in Australia. While undercover, Nick tracked a fugitive with a hair transplant, bought hemp oil and heroin at the Sydney Hilton, and was hired as a hit man by a spurned lover. He then had stints as the head of the homicide squad, the gangs squad and led some of NSW's biggest criminal investigations as Deputy Police Commissioner. Nick's work also took him to Iraq to rebuild the police force after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Since leaving the NSW Police, Nick has continued his work in international law enforcement. This episode of Conversations explores crime, gangs, Egypt, migration, the Arab world, Syria, Iraq, Saddam Hussein, policing, law enforcement, corruption, inquiry, undercover cops, films, Batman, Northern Territory, NT Police Commissioner, Michael Murphy. Behind the Badge is published by Angus and Robertson.
Fri, March 14, 2025
Encore: Andy Paschalidis on the death on the football pitch which changed everything
Football tragic Andy Paschalidis was in his 50s when a dear friend and fellow player died during an over-35s soccer game. The tragedy inspired him to begin a whole new story for himself, and the sport (R) Andy grew up in Sydney's Balmain when it was a working-class suburb, full of migrant families. His parents had arrived in Australia from Greece a few years before, seeking a different life. Andy grew up to be one of the first Greek-Australian sports broadcasters on TV and radio on SBS and 2GB, and he never lost his zeal for football. When he was in his early 50s, Andy joined an ordinary weekend over-35s football game as he did each weekend. His friend and fellow player Matt Richardson had a heart attack on the pitch that day and died. He was just 42 years old. Then Andy discovered another friend had recently seen his teammate die exactly the same way. He decided to take six months off work to find a way to reduce the number of deaths in Australian amateur football. Since then Heartbeat of Football has saved many lives. This episode of Conversations explores grief, mateship, masculinity, male health, health and wellbeing, heart attacks, heart disease, cardiac arrest, signs of heart attack, exercise, football, FIFA, soccer, senior sports, older sports, amateur sports, deaths on the field, health, safety, migration, migrant Australians, first generation Australians, post-war migration, Sydney. When Andy's conversation with Richard first went to air, a listener named Kevin Whitby realised he was having a heart attack. Minutes later, he presented himself to the emergency department at Wollongong Hospital, where medical staff confirmed he needed immediate treatment. Since we last spoke with Andy, last year in Sydney alone, six footballers (the youngest of which was 13 years old) have been saved in the midst of on-field cardiac incidents by the defibrillators provided by Andy's charity. Learn more about the work of Heartbeat of Football .
Thu, March 13, 2025
Tim Winton on staying alive, in extremis
Australian writer Tim Winton on the stories which inspired his latest novel, 'Juice', a story of determination, survival, and the limits of the human spirit. 'Juice' is an astonishing feat of imagination. It takes us to a far-off future on a superheated planet, where people must live like desert frogs in Northwest Australia. They go underground for the murderously hot summer months, before emerging in winter to grow and make what they can. The nameless narrator of the book is travelling with a child under his protection. They are taken hostage by a man with a crossbow, who takes them to the bottom of a mine shaft. There, the narrator has to tell his story to the bowman in the hope that he won't kill them. This episode of Conversations explores climate change, science, climate justice, storytelling, writing, books, narrative, fiction, Australian writers, Cloudstreet, Western Australia, coral bleaching, Pilbara, Ningaloo Reef, Putin, Trump, American politics, global politics, Russia, oligarchs, tariffs, trade wars, artists protesting, romantasy, climate change refugees. Juice is published by Penguin. This conversation was recorded in front of a live audience at Adelaide Writers' Week .
Wed, March 12, 2025
Love, death and duels — Marie Curie's radioactive life
The Polish-French physicist and chemist is famous for discovering radium, but Marie Curie was more than her accomplishments. From 'the flying university' to great loves and losses, Dava Sobel investigates her extraordinary life. Marie Curie was the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize, and the first person to win a second Nobel Prize. But alongside her discovery of radioactivity, Marie’s life was marked by her fierce love for husband Pierre, a scandalous affair following his death, and feats of heroism during the First World War. Dava Sobel is one of the world's best loved science writers, who has written about revolutionary innovators from an 18th century clockmaker who changed marine navigation forever to Copernicus, Galileo's daughter. Now, Dava explores the extraordinary and surprising life of Marie Curie. This episode of Conversations touches on epic stories, origin stories, weird science, physics, chemistry, women in STEM, female scientists, family dynamics, grief, sudden death, modern history, human innovation, technology, military technology, medical technology, medical advancements, radium, polonium, the elements, Pierre Curie, University of Paris, academia, war. Dava Sobel's book about Marie Curie is called The Elements of Marie Curie: how the glow of radium lit a path for women in science, and is published by Harper Collins. This episode of Conversations was recorded in front of a live audience at Adelaide Writers' Week.
Tue, March 11, 2025
Could you live forever? The neuroscience behind brain preservation, consciousness and death
Would you want to live for longer? Forever? Have your mind preserved and uploaded into something non-human? And is it even possible? Neuroscientist Dr Ariel Zeleznikow explores challenging ideas about life and death. From adding a few decades onto a life span, to suspending the aging process altogether, and more radically, uploading a preserved brain and consciousness into an entirely different physical structure, Ariel's research is at the cutting edge of neuroscience. These seem like strange ideas, scientifically and morally, but Ariel says that with the advent of new techniques of brain preservation and the recent successful attempts at mapping consciousness, we could be looking at drastically longer lives in the future. This episode of Conversations explores weird science, epic stories, brain preservation, the aging process, how to stop ageing, getting older, brains, minds, souls, humanity, morality, lifespan, cancer, brain disease, Walt Disney, cryogenic freezing, genomes, biology, neurology, philosophy, ethics. The Future Loves You: How and Why We Should Abolish Death is published by Penguin.
Mon, March 10, 2025
A life in the law, on the Glitter Strip
Gold Coast lawyer Chris Nyst on his 45 years in criminal law, defending career criminals, going head to head with corrupt police, heroin addicts and a postcard bandit (R) When Chris Nyst finished studying law in the mid 1970s, he moved to a town by the beach to begin his life as a lawyer, not because it was a glitzy and glamorous city back then, but because he wanted to surf. But his nearly five decades as a criminal lawyer on the Gold Coast turned out to be a wild ride through crime, corruption, and shady characters. Chris has used some of the most dramatic chapters in his working life as inspiration for his crime fiction and for the film Getting Square. This episode of Conversations explores drug crime, surf culture, addiction, substance abuse, the justice system, the Fitzgerald Inquiry, the Fitzgerald Report, Tony Fitzgerald, Queensland corruption, cops, petty crime, bank robbing, robbery, murder, Australian crime, Brenden Abbott, career criminals. Millen is published by Angus and Robertson.
Fri, March 07, 2025
Encore: A restaurant named Parwana — Afghan treasure in Adelaide
Durkhanai Ayubi and her family keep alive the stories and flavours they carried to Australia from Afghanistan, in the dining room of their 'accidental' and thriving restaurant (R) Durkhanai was two years old when she and her family came to Australia from Afghanistan. She grew up with stories of the old country from her parents, but her most powerful sensory connection to Afghanistan developed in the kitchen of her mother, Farida. Both her parents had other professions in their homeland, but in 2009, sensing an opportunity to share their culture's rich tradition of hospitality, they opened a restaurant. They named it Parwana, meaning butterfly, and serve traditional Afghan food cooked by Farida. This episode of Conversations explores migration, multiculturalism, cooking, food, history, the Silk Road, trade, refugee, war, civil war, family, parenthood, multicultural Australia, origin stories, epic journeys. Parwana: Stories and Recipes From an Afghan Kitchen (by Durkhanai Ayubi with recipes by Farida Ayubi) is published by Murdoch Books.
Thu, March 06, 2025
How Geraldine Brooks learned how to live again through grief
Writer Geraldine Brooks on love, grief and letting go after her husband died in a shocking and unexpected way. In 2019, Australian writer Geraldine Brooks was forced into a world of practicalities when her beloved husband, Tony, collapsed on the street in the United States and died. She had to immediately manage finances and family life, organise a funeral and work out what had happened for Tony to so suddenly and unexpectedly die. As time went by, Geraldine realised she had never let herself properly grieve his loss and the loss of their imagined future together. So she rented a shack on Flinders Island in the Bass Strait to face what had happened, to reflect on their big, itinerant life together, and to finally feel peace again. This episode of Conversations explores grief, grieving a loved one, death, how to cope with an unexpected death, marriage, death of a spouse, letting go, origin stories, love stories, relationships, writing, books, America, Australia, politics, journalism, war correspondence, Syria, Israel, Iran, Palestine. Memorial Days is published by Penguin Random House.
Wed, March 05, 2025
Singing for her life: Camille O'Sullivan on Ireland and her dearly departed friends
It took a catastrophic car accident for the singer and actress to leave a decorated career in architecture and focus on her artistic ambitions, including a tribute show to her friends Sinead O'Connor, and Shane MacGowan of The Pogues. Irish-French singer and performer Camille O’Sullivan grew up in County Cork, with her Irish father and French mother. Although she sang throughout her youth, she was persuaded to become an architect and went on to win awards for her work. But after she nearly lost her life in a harrowing car crash, she decided she had to be honest with herself and become the singer she always wanted to be. Camille has brought her unique voice to the songs of Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf, Nick Cave and Radiohead. In her newest show, she’s honouring two late Irish singers who were her friends: Sinead O’Connor and Shane MacGowan from The Pogues. This episode of Conversations touches on epic life stories, origin stories, Ireland, Irish singing, Jacques Brel, friendship, songwriting, poetry, and performing.
Wed, March 05, 2025
Singing for her life: Camille O'Sullivan on Ireland and her dearly departed friends
It took a catastrophic car accident for the singer and actress to leave a decorated career in architecture and focus on her artistic ambitions, including a tribute show to her friends Sinead O'Connor, and Shane MacGowan of The Pogues. Irish-French singer and performer Camille O’Sullivan grew up in County Cork, with her Irish father and French mother. Although she sang throughout her youth, she was persuaded to become an architect and went on to win awards for her work. But after she nearly lost her life in a harrowing car crash, she decided she had to be honest with herself and become the singer she always wanted to be. Camille has brought her unique voice to the songs of Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf, Nick Cave and Radiohead. In her newest show, she’s honouring two late Irish singers who were her friends: Sinead O’Connor and Shane MacGowan from The Pogues. This episode of Conversations touches on epic life stories, origin stories, Ireland, Irish singing, Jacques Brel, friendship, songwriting, poetry, and performing.
Tue, March 04, 2025
Finding my dad, and myself — unravelling a family's secret
Lindsey Fidler’s quest to find her biological father started with jazz and an American Air Force Base. It ended with a trip to the U.S. through a disastrous free flights promotion run by the British division of Hoover Vacuums. Sociologist Lindsey Fidler’s parents met and married in the 1960s in East Anglia, United Kingdom. They would go to jazz clubs and socialise with the men from the American Air Force base nearby. Lindsey’s father was known as The Typewriter King because he could fix any typewriter in the area. He had contracts to repair machines on the nearby base, and even in London, where he was responsible for some of the Royal typewriters. This was the world Lindsey knew — the one she was born into. However, she was always separated from it somehow. Adults behaved strangely around her, and she felt she didn’t fit in. She was 22 when her parents sat her down and told her why. This episode of Conversations touches on biological fathers, family secrets, secrets we keep, epic life stories, belonging, identity, race, infidelity, siblings, affairs, being mixed race, blended families, biological parents, step parents, sociology, finding dad, personal stories, origin stories, typewriters, jazz, U.S. military, motherhood and self.
Fri, February 28, 2025
Encore: Let them ring — Paul Livingston on making a great big noise
Paul is a musician, author and performer best known for his comedic alter-ego, Flacco. In recent years he's joined an eclectic band of people who ring the bells at his local church tower in inner Sydney (R) Paul is a musician, author and performer best known for his comedic alter-ego, Flacco. In recent years he's joined an eclectic band of people who ring the bells together at their local church tower in inner Sydney. Every week Paul and his fellow bellringers climb high into the tower where they stand in a circle and create a beautiful noise that ripples across the city. He's also been working as a hospital volunteer, listening to and writing down the stories of people at the end of their lives, after his own brush with mortality. This episode of Conversations touches on comedy, death and dying, caring, being a carer, cancer, palliative care, biography, volunteering, bell ringing, churches, ringing bells and personal stories.
Thu, February 27, 2025
Gabor Maté on transforming trauma
The renowned physician discusses the role of trauma in our lives, showing up as addiction, chronic disease and mental illness — and how recognising his own led to true healing. Dr Gabor Maté was born in Budapest to a Jewish family, just before Nazi tanks rolled into the city. His mother risked handing him to a stranger on the street to try and get him to safety. Many years later, after establishing himself as a successful physician in Canada, Gabor looked at the problems in his work and marriage and wondered if they were linked to that early trauma. He uses his own experiences as the test case for the effects of trauma on the body and is now internationally renowned for arguing that trauma casts a long shadow in our lives, showing up in addiction, ADHD, chronic disease and mental illness. Gabor argues that realising the impact of trauma of all kinds allows for real healing — as has happened in his own life. Dr Gabor Maté's new book written with Daniel Maté is called The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture and is published by Penguin Random House. This episode of Conversations deals with trauma, early childhood trauma, mental illness, addiction, ADHD, chronic illness, epic life stories, origin stories, healing, autoimmune disease, and therapy.
Wed, February 26, 2025
My Moroccan matrescence
When Nadia Mahjouri travelled to Marrakech with her four-month-old baby to find her long lost father, she also underwent the process of matrescence — becoming a new version of herself as a mother. Nadia Mahjouri is a Moroccan-Australian author and counsellor. Growing up in Launceston, Tasmania, Nadia didn’t know anyone else who had her height, dark skin and curly hair. She knew her father was Moroccan, but that was the extent of the information she had about him. When she had her first baby at 21, Nadia decided to go to Morocco to try to find him. All she had was her family name, a photo of her parents on their wedding day, and the name of a suburb in Marrakech. Nadia's journey to Morocco intersected with the process of inhabiting a new role in her life — mother. Nadia's book Half Truth is published by Penguin Random House. This episode of Conversations focuses on family dynamics, epic life story, grief, fatherlessness, matrescence, motherhood, personal stories, origin stories, ancestry, Morocco, Tasmania and becoming a mum. Nadia's book Half Truth is published by Penguin Random House.
Tue, February 25, 2025
Gus Worland on the men who made him and Australia's male suicide epidemic
Two of the most important men to Gus Worland departed his life in shocking and unexpected ways. Gus' grief led him to dig deeper into what it means to be a strong man and re-frame vulnerability as something powerful. TV and radio host Gus Worland grew up with some deeply rooted ideas about what it meant to be a man and a good bloke. When Gus was just 10 years old, his father left the family home for reasons Gus didn't understand or even know about until many years later. Then, when Gus was an adult, the role model who had filled the gap left by his father also disappeared. All the unresolved grief he felt prompted Gus to almost spontaneously open up one morning on his radio program on Triple M. What began as an impulsive moment of vulnerability turned into a national conversation, and led Gus to dig deeper into his own understanding of what it means to be a strong man. Content warning: this episode of Conversations discusses suicide and mental health issues. If you or anyone you know needs help there is always someone available at: Lifeline on 13 11 14 Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36 MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978 This episode of Conversations explores sexuality, fatherhood, parenting, love, homosexuality, male suicide epidemic, masculinity, vulnerability, honesty, origin stories, opening up, seeking help, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideations, speaking up, mateship, friendship, the Grill Team, mental fitness, coming out stories. Further information You can learn more about Gus' work in suicide prevention at the Gotcha4Life Foundation here. Boys Do Cry is published by Penguin.
Fri, February 21, 2025
Encore: Brigitte and the seven peaks
Brigitte Muir's dream to climb the seven highest mountains on each of the seven continents took much longer and cost her more than she expected, but she also discovered more about herself than she could have imagined (R) Brigitte Muir fell in love with the outdoors and adventure as a teenager in Belgium. Initially she was exhilarated by going caving, deep in the earth, and then rock-climbing, until she made her way closer and closer to the heavens and became a mountaineer. In her thirties Brigitte became fixated on a big dream — to climb the seven highest mountains on each of the seven continents. To achieve what she set out to do, she pushed her mind and her body to their limits, and was even left for dead near the summit of Mount Everest. Brigitte lost loved ones along the way, but also found some unexpected truths about herself. This episode of Conversations explores epic adventures, explorers, expeditions, extreme conditions, the Himalayas, Nepal, the lives of Sherpas, grief, death, natural disasters, avalanches, nearth death experiences.
Thu, February 20, 2025
David Whyte on writing poetry the world loves
For poet David Whyte, the power of poetry lies in its unmatched ability to meditate and focus on what's right in front of us -- whether it's a mountain, a loved one, or our own reflection. He explains how one line of poetry is enough to change your life. David grew up amongst the moors and fields of West Yorkshire, with an English father and an Irish mother who had a gift for lyricism and language. He started writing poems at just seven years old, but it wasn't until he was working as a guide in the Galapagos Islands that David truly understood what poetry was and what it could do for us. A near-death experience there prepared him for life as a poet by teaching him to pay attention to what lay right in front of him at any given time. Since then, David has written hundreds of poems loved by the world, recited as often at weddings and funerals as they are on less auspicious occasions. This episode of Conversations explores literature, language, prose, philosophy, epic stories, nature, marine biology, zoology, near death experiences, mortality, grief, love, origin stories, adventure, Charles Darwin, Ted Hughes, William Blake, Bronte sisters, Carl Jung David has written and published several collections of poems and essays. His latest is Consolations II, published by Canongate.
Wed, February 19, 2025
Translating adolescence and speaking Teenage Girl
When Dannielle Miller became a teacher, she was given the classes no one else could handle. She was given a whistle on her first day, to call for help. She didn’t need it — in fact, she had something in common with some of her students. Dannielle Miller is the CEO of Enlighten Education and Director of Education for Women's Community Shelter. As a young teacher, fresh from university, Dannielle was given a class of vulnerable students no other teacher could handle in a Western Sydney school. Dannielle took to these students immediately, and found they responded to her with trust and affection. Dannielle shared a certain understanding with her students —as a child, she saw domestic abuse and gaslighting in her house. When she was very small, Dannielle was burned in a shocking attack. The care she received following her burn has stayed with Dannielle and has informed her resilience, which she now uses to shepherd teenage girls and boys through one of life's most challenging times. This episode of Conversations touches on epic life stories, origin stories, domestic violence, family violence, respectful relationships, teenage girls, teenage boys, teens, adolescence, burns, women's shelters.
Tue, February 18, 2025
The Bark Petitions — how Yolngu tradition changed democracy
Historian, Professor Clare Wright tells the story of a formative moment — before the Mabo decision — in Australia’s democracy that you may not have heard of. Historian Clare Wright moved her family to Yirrkala in North-East Arnhem land in 2010. She became a part of the Yolngu community and kept in touch after the family returned to Melbourne. Little by little, Clare learned about an extraordinary moment in Australian history, when Yolngu people used their artwork and their language, Yolngu Matha to petition the Federal government over a planned bauxite mine on their traditional lands. The bark petitions were not sent in the traditional sense, pleading up to an authority, but rather asserted Yolngu custodianship of the land, and spoke as equal partners to the Australian government. This episode of Conversations touches on Indigenous stories, Yolngu, Yirrkala, Australian democracy, the Bark Petitions, Naku Dharuk, Yolngu Matha, mining, the Australian Government, Menzies, Kim Beazley Snr.
Fri, February 14, 2025
Encore: the life of songwriter Jimmy Webb
Singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb on how growing up as the child of an Oklahoma preacher opened up a door to music, and inspired his songwriting (R) Jimmy Webb grew up poor in Oklahoma, where his mother encouraged him to play the piano, revealing a prodigious musical talent. After moving to Los Angeles, Jimmy wrote his first hit for the Fifth Dimension: Up, Up And Away. Shortly after, he met Glen Campbell, who had already recorded Jimmy's song By the Time I Get to Phoenix. Glen asked Jimmy to write a song especially for him - Wichita Lineman, which became another huge hit for Campbell. Jimmy's many other famous songs, including MacArthur Park, Adios, and The Highwayman, have been recorded by artists including Frank Sinatra, Isaac Hayes, Barbra Streisand, Art Garfunkel and Donna Summer. While he's best known as a songwriter, Jimmy is a renowned performer in his own right. This episode of Conversations explores music history, rock music, Americana, Hollywood, the recording industry, the Mid-west, middle America, religion, origin stories, personal stories, celebrity culture, country music, rock n roll, songwriting, yacht rock.
Thu, February 13, 2025
Surviving bombs and starvation on a Mediterranean island paradise
When Linda Peek's mother Margaret died, Linda collected the scraps of handwritten notes strewn around the home and put together Margaret's remarkable tale of survival on Malta during WWII. When Linda was growing up, Margaret, would tell her these remarkable stories from her wartime childhood -- stories of survival, friendship and tragedy. Margaret had spent her most formative years on the island of Malta during World War Two. The Mediterranean island was not only an idyllic paradise, it was also a British stronghold in a highly strategic position, and Adolf Hitler wanted it. And so the Axis powers laid siege to Malta for more than two years, dropping thousands of bombs and trying to starve the island into submission. Somehow, Malta survived, and so did Linda's mother. This episode of Conversations explores Italy, Sicily, island life, modern history, the second world war, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Churchill, Royal Engineers, air raids, personal history, family history, family dynamics, life story, ancestry, travel. Malta: A Childhood Under Siege is published by Woodlands Publishing.
Wed, February 12, 2025
How tiny crystals reveal the secret history (and future) of volcanic eruptions
Volcanologist Teresa Ubide opens volcanoes up from the outside, like a doll's house, searching for tiny crystal balls to help her predict when the next eruption might occur Humans have always had a complicated relationship with volcanoes — they are striking to look at and create fertile soils for farming, but they can be destructive and deadly. Today, around 10 per cent of the world's population lives within 100km of an active volcano, which means volcanology — the science of studying volcanoes — is becoming increasingly important. Volcanologists like Teresa Ubide, spend their time getting to know the 'personalities' of different volcanoes: how they work, the composition of the magma, the likelihood of eruption, and how spectacular that explosion of lava could be. When Teresa was a little girl, a teacher opened her imagination up to what she calls the 'guts of a volcano' and today, as an Australian Research Council Future Fellow and a lecturer at the University of Queensland, she travels the world visiting volcanoes and predicting their future by looking at tiny crystal balls. This episode of Conversations explores natural disasters, Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius, La Palma, Stromboli, Spain, Italy, Argentina, copper mining, sustainable mining, electric vehicles, smartphones, geology, magma, exploration, epic history, chemistry.
Tue, February 11, 2025
Birtles, Brown and Bean: Warren's madcap world tour, in a vintage car
Warren Brown drove through 80 countries in searing heat and pouring rain in a vintage Bean car to recreate the 1927 world tour of Australian motorist, Francis Birtles. Today we bring you the next chapter in the adventurous exploits of author and cartoonist Warren Brown. Some years ago Warren Brown stumbled on the true story of a pioneering Australian motorist, Francis Birtles, who set out to drive a 'Bean' car from London to Melbourne in 1927. For nine months he rattled through Europe, Turkey, Iran and India, through murderous mountain ranges and blustering blizzards. Warren has just returned from his own recreation of Birtles' epic journey, in the very same model of car and 1920s outfits. He and his co-pilot Matthew Benns travelled through 80 countries in the open-top car in searing heat and pouring rain while recreating Beans' escapades. To his great surprise, while they were en route, their trip made them accidental celebrities in Saudi Arabia. This episode of Conversations explores modern history, Australiana, Australian explorers, car rallies, Peking to Paris, motorsport, motoring, motoring history, automobiles, Gaza, Suez Canal, travel, Ford, historical re-enactment, politics, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Middle East, Cairo, Pyramids, royal family, Laurence of Arabia.
Fri, February 07, 2025
Encore: The making of Nazeem Hussain
Nazeem Hussain honed his comedy in Melbourne's suburbs in the 1990s. After his father left the family, his fearless mother taught Nazeem how to use humour to get bullies off his back. (R) Comedian, Nazeem Hussain honed his comedic chops in the suburbs of Melbourne in the 1990s. It was there, after his father left the family, that his fearless mother taught him how to use humour to get bullies off his back. Since then Nazeem has performed all over the world. He hosted his own Netflix special and opened for Dave Chappelle in New York City, before deciding to write a children's book to celebrate his journey into parenthood. This episode of Conversations touches on personal story, origin story, fatherhood, dads, absent dads, fatherless children, father figures, Nazeem Hussain, comedy, ASIO, 9/11, September 11, racism, family and kids.
Thu, February 06, 2025
Drug bazaars, hitmen and hackers — why Eileen went deep into the dark web
Lawyer turned journalist Eileen Ormsby on her journey deeper and deeper into the internet's 'evil twin', where, under the cloak of anonymity, people sell buy and share anything a person is willing to pay for. Eileen Ormsby had just returned to university to study journalism when her friend told her about a website called The Silk Road. Created by American libertarian, Ross Ulbricht, it was essentially like any other e-commerce marketplace, the kind that people use to order books and homewares, except that it sold illicit drugs and fake ids. Eileen became fascinated with the platform, how it operated, who used it and where existed -- in a secretive part of the internet colloquially known as 'the dark web'. As Eileen journeyed further and further into the darkest corners of the underbelly of the internet, she came across scammers, hit men and horrendous truths, some of which spilled out into her real life. This episode of Conversations explores the dark web, Ross Ulbricht, libertarian, drug dealing, the deep web, FBI, CIA, AFP, undercover agents, Facebook, Meta, Google, Instagram, social media, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, AlphaBay, illicit drugs, addiction, murder, hitman, scams, bitcoin, crypto, crypto currency, investigative journalism, presidential pardon, assassination.
Wed, February 05, 2025
The family secret that inspired 'The Teacher's Pet'
Journalist Hedley Thomas grew up knowing that his grandmother Gladys had vanished in the sea off Sydney in the 1950s when she was just 35 years old. Decades later, her story spurred him on to begin a new life as a hugely successful true crime podcaster Hedley Thomas has had a storied career in journalism, which has seen him win many Walkley Awards and expose a lot of corruption and dodgy dealings. But it has also placed Hedley and his family in harm's way. In 2002 Hedley and his wife Ruth were at their home when bullets were fired into their bedroom, missing their heads by just centimetres. The shooter was never found, and Hedley grappled with PTSD after the event. A couple of decades later Hedley decided to begin a podcast about a story which had stayed with him for years. It was the about a woman named Lyn who 'went missing' from her home in the Northern Beaches of Sydney in the 1980s, and was never seen again. Hedley's podcast, The Teacher's Pet, became a huge hit. Five years after it began, Lyn's former husband Chris Dawson was convicted of her murder and sentenced to 24 years in jail. Just recently, Hedley has started speaking out about how his commitment to Lyn's story, and to finding justice for her was partly inspired by a tragedy in his own family which occurred decades earlier, just a few kilometres from where Lyn vanished. This episode of Conversations touches on family dynamics, true crime, femicide, domestic violence, family origins, life story, secret family, ancestry, parenting, PTSD, Donald Trump, Hong Kong, London, New York, Australian expats, foreign correspondents, police corruption. Further information Help and support is always available. Beyond Blue provides 24/7 support on mental health issues.
Tue, February 04, 2025
Lucinda Light on MAFS, living with ADHD, and her search for love
Lucinda Light was running a speed dating company in Byron Bay when she auditioned for 'Married At First Sight'. While on the show, she became a huge hit with fans because of her emotional intelligence and open-hearted soul. When it ended, she embarked on an unexpected new life In 2024, a woman named Lucinda Light burst on to Australian TV screens on the reality show juggernaut 'Married at First Sight'. At first, Lucinda seemed to be another wild and kooky reality TV character. She was filmed hugging a tree, twirling on a beach, and reading out from her 'Man-ifesto' — a list of things she hoped for in her prospective groom, whom she was about to meet for the very first time live on TV. During her season on the show, Lucinda gained a loyal tribe of fans for her optimism, empathy, and hilarious antics as she pranced around in an animal mask, and declared her disdain for sharing a toilet with a lover. While things didn't work out with her TV husband, Lucinda emerged from the show with an entirely new career. This episode of Conversations touches on reality television, MAFS, MAFS2025, Timothy Smith, relationship expert, falling in love, John Aiken, Mel Schilling, Alessandra Rampolla, MAFS experts, MAFS Australia, Lauren and Eliot, Rhi and Jeff, Katie and Tim, relationships, love after 40, love after divorce, queer relationships, dinner parties, commitment ceremonies, the experts, dating, dating apps, dating after 30
Fri, January 31, 2025
Encore: The Toilet Warrior's origin story
Mark Balla was on a business trip to India when he met two young men on a train. They invited him back to see their home, one of the world's biggest slums. This meeting changed the course of Mark's life. (R) A former Lonely Planet writer and researcher, Mark was wary of participating in 'slum tourism', but something made him say yes to the invitation. That visit changed the course of his life: it was where he learned many millions of people go about their lives with no access to a toilet - at home, work or school. Mark became obsessed and began learning as much as he could about the situation, particularly in relation to Indian schools. From there, he met Mr Toilet, Poop Guy, and eventually Mark earned the title of Toilet Warrior. This episode of Conversations touches on developing world, humanitarian aid, career changes, sanitation, preventative disease, exploration, travel, schooling, education, India, Mumbai, menstruation, women's health, girls' education, infectious diseases.
Thu, January 30, 2025
The spy who kept secrets for the self-made man
Belinda Probert knew her father as an English war hero named Bill. What she didn't know, was that he was born Roy and that his spying did not end when the war did. Belinda Probert knew her father to be a decorated English war hero and successful businessman, whose family had all died long ago. But a few months after Bill Probert died as an old man in France, a letter arrived at her mother’s house from a man claiming to be her father’s nephew. Slowly, the much more complicated story of Bill's life unfurled — a story of forgotten family, new identities, spying, and a man who simply decided to make himself anew. Belinda decided to track down the truth of her father’s origins and in doing so she also learned that his work with the British intelligence didn’t end when the war was over. This episode of Conversations explores family secrets, family dynamics, spying, MI6, MI5, ancestry, origin stories, epic adventures, love, Wales, coal mining, classism, class warfare, World War Two, France, Normandy, Nazis, Germany, emigration, brotherhood, parenting, fathers and daughters.
Wed, January 29, 2025
Dressing drag queens in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
A chance find at age 14 at Flinders Street Station led Tim Chappel to a life of silver lamé, sequins, girdles, and an Oscar. Costume designer, Tim Chappel can’t remember all the places he lived, growing up on Army bases around the country, and overseas. His one constant interest was nature. He’d look for stick insects to pin into his collection and draw endless terrestrial orchids. Tim was ready to focus his life on botany. This all changed when he found a copy of French Vogue at Flinders Street Station in Melbourne. He was entranced by the glamour of the clothes he saw, and felt an instant connection to the tailoring. Tim was creating shorts for bartenders and costumes for drag queens at Sydney's Albury Hotel when he was asked if he would like to design the costumes for an Australian film called The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. This episode of Conversations touches on film-making, the Oscars, award season, LGBTQI+, queerness, Hollywood, Oprah, Tom Cruise, Los Angeles, Army Brat, military families, orchids, flowers, Guy Pearce, Hugo Weaving, Stephan Elliott, Terence Stamp.
Tue, January 28, 2025
Singing as 'sweet relief' — Meg Washington on stuttering, spirituality and song
The musician reflects on the epic evolution of her singing from practical childhood speech therapy to sacred musical fluency. Meg Washington was born in a musical home in Port Moresby, where her parents had met as Australian expats. Meg and her sister spent a lot of their time watching classic Hollywood musicals and also down at the local yacht club where their dad DJ'd every Saturday night. Singing became something Meg was encouraged to do herself after she developed a stutter as a little girl. And eventually it grew from a therapy into a thrill. Meg's stutter was something she did her best to disguise while building her career as a singer and songwriter in Australia. But after going public about her speech impediment in a TedX Talk, Meg realised she no longer cared about hiding who she was. This honesty led to a whole host of exciting new opportunities – including becoming the voice of Calypso in Bluey, and making a film with her husband based on the iconic Paul Kelly song, “How To Make Gravy”. This episode of Conversations explores origin stories, parenting, artists, music-making, Hugo Weaving, reflection, family dynamics, Australian music scene, Christmas movies, motherhood, TedX, Ted Talk, public speaking, speech impediments, speech therapy, Papua New Guinea, PNG, expats, Australian expats, Christianity, religion, spirituality, The Deb, Rebel Wilson, The Killers, Hot Fuss, Batflower Records.
Fri, January 24, 2025
Encore: From Yugoslavia to Australia — Jelena Dokic on tennis and the truth
Jelena Dokic on the trauma and violence which underscored her extraordinary life in tennis, and how she worked to change her own story(CW: discussion of family violence, eating disorders) (R) After arriving in Australia with her family as a refugee, Jelena Dokic became a tennis champion while still a teenager. But her father’s drunken outbursts at Jelena’s tournaments got even more headlines than her playing. What the world didn’t know was that Jelena’s father was also violently assaulting her and had been since the day she first picked up a tennis racquet. Jelena finally found the courage to tell the truth about what happened to her, but she discovered that was only the first step in escaping her father. This episode of Conversations explores family dynamics, origin story, body shaming, dysfunctional families, abuse allegations, childhood abuse, child athletes, elite athletes, the Australian Open, Tennis, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Shelton, Alex de Minaur, Madison Keys, Iga Świątek, Aryna Sabalenka.
Thu, January 23, 2025
How a teen father used the local skate park to change the world
Jayden Sheridan was just 17 years old when he found out he was going to be a father, and immediately he knew he needed to give his son better opportunities than he had. Growing up in regional Victoria, Jayden experienced homelessness, substance abuse, violence and a general lack of direction. He had no male role models in his life, but he did have the local skate park. It's where he went to feel safe and to feel himself, and Jayden wanted to create that same feeling for his son, and all the other kids in his town of Seymour. What started as adhoc skate lessons quickly turned into Gnarly Neighbours, something far bigger and more impactful than 17-year-old Jayden could have imagined. This episode of Conversations explores substance abuse, drug use, drug dealing, expulsion, troubled children, mental health, bipolar disorder, teen parenting, teen fatherhood, teen motherhood, skateboarding, skating, streetwear, origin stories, family dynamics, male role models, father figures, dysfunctional families, single parenting, rural and regional Australia.
Wed, January 22, 2025
43 carolling magpies, CPR on a blue tongue lizard and Claire's animal ambulance
The first sound Claire Smith heard when she landed in Australia from the UK was the carolling song of a nearby magpie. That was enough to make her fall in love with Australian wildlife. Very quickly, Claire poured all her energy into looking after injured animals, which seemed funny for a girl who grew up in the English countryside the daughter of a hunting dog master. She began volunteering for wildlife rescue groups, and caring for animals at home, where at one stage she had 43 baby birds in her garage. Claire went on to build the first kangaroo hospital in Queensland, and created the state's first volunteer-run 24-hour wildlife rescue service. Claire Smith has been named the 2025 Local Hero for Queensland, in the Australian of the Year Awards. This episode of Conversations touches on conservation, the environment, wildlife carers, kangaroos on the road, what to do when you hit a kangaroo, birding, birds, foxhunting, hunting, native wildlife, pests, animal husbandry.
Tue, January 21, 2025
Bite Club: Surviving a shark attack, and the aftermath
Dave Pearson runs Bite Club, a support service for anyone who has survived a shark attack. Dave’s own brush with death came in 2011, when a three-metre-long bull shark almost tore his arm off. Dave lived that day, but it’s what happened during his recovery that he didn’t see coming. Dave Pearson was with his mates on the NSW mid-north coast back in 2011, and couldn’t get in the water fast enough to try out his brand new surfboard. He’d caught a few ripper waves when he was slammed by what felt like a freight train. Under the water, through the bubbles and the shock, Dave saw something huge, brown and grey. Dave survived that day, but it’s what happened during his recovery that he didn’t see coming. He founded Bite Club to support survivors through the mental heath challenges following their shark attacks. This episode of Conversations touches on an epic personal story, grief, shark attacks, PTSD, surfing, and mental health.
Mon, January 20, 2025
Voicing velociraptors and capturing the dawn chorus
Meet Doug Quin, sound designer and naturalist who makes field recordings all over the world. Hear what Doug heard when he got up close to emperor penguins, lions and vultures. (R) Sound designer and naturalist Doug Quin has been highly attuned to sound since he was a young child growing up in Algeria under the threat of bombing. Through his family’s travels and his years at a Scottish boarding school, Doug fell in love with the outdoors, and especially with wintery landscapes. He later transformed his deep curiosity about nature and skills in music and art into a prolific career. Since the early 1980s Doug has been making field recordings in every corner of the Earth, and putting them to use in work spanning all media. His extensive credits include designing sound for films such as Jurassic Park 3 and countless nature documentaries, collaborating with the Kronos Quartet, composing soundscapes for museums and art galleries, releasing albums, and contributing planetary ambiences to the score of the game Spore. This episode of Conversations touches on the natural world, Jurassic Park 3, animals, nature, silence, Antarctica, origin stories, Scotland, Algeria, birding, birdsong, war, bombing, resilience and family.
Fri, January 17, 2025
Sarah's Most Memorable Guests — Shanelle Dawson
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Sarah's most memorable guests through out the years. In 2018, Shanelle Dawson's family were the subject of a hit true crime podcast which helped convict her father Chris Dawson of her mother's murder. Now she's reclaiming her own story and the story of her mother Lynette.Help and support is always available by calling Lifeline on 13 11 14 Shanelle Dawson was four years old when her mother Lynette disappeared from the family home. Shanelle's teenage babysitter, a former student of her father's was moved into the family home soon afterwards. She began wearing Lynette's wedding ring, and her clothes, and became a reluctant stepmother to her two daughters. Shanelle was raised believing her mother had abandoned her. But over 30 years later, after the family was the subject of a hit true crime podcast called The Teacher's Pet, in 2022 Chris Dawson was found guilty of his wife's murder and sentenced to 24 years in prison. Throughout her life, Shanelle was dealing with the aftermath of trauma, lies and family violence. But she also found the strength to confront her father and to create an entirely new life for herself and her own daughter. This episode of Conversations contains discussion about family history, family secrets, domestic violence, murder, grooming, missing people, mother-daughter relationships, crime, cold cases, crime reporting, podcasts, true crime podcasts, media, Northern Beaches, Sydney, NSW, Australia, The Australian, Hedley Thomas, The Teacher's Pet, Lynne Dawson, Chris Dawson, Lynette Dawson murder, family violence, victims, childhood trauma, teachers, high school, emotional violence, psychological violence, domestic abuse, babysitter, cover-up, missing bodies, stepmothers, step sisters, extended families, autobiographies, deception, misogyny, law, court cases, criminal courts, convictions, sentencing, victim impact statements.
Thu, January 16, 2025
Sarah's Most Memorable Guests — Tony Bull
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Sarah's most memorable guests through out the years. Tony spent three decades in and out of jail for property crimes and safecracking. When he joined an unusual club inside Hobart's Risdon Prison, he found his voice for the first time. Then a few years ago, on a fishing trawler far out to sea, he began the painful process of changing his life. Tony Bull grew up across the road from Hobart's Risdon Prison. As child he started running with a crowd of boys who stole money for the woodman and the milkman from people's front doorsteps. In late primary school he found himself in trouble with the law for the first time. He was 17 when he first went to jail, in Queensland's Boggo Road after a car chase with the police in Cairns. A year later, he was back in Tasmania, and inside Risdon Prison for the first time. It was a scary experience because he'd heard so many unsettling sounds coming from inside the prison walls when he was a child. In his 20s, Tony joined the Spartan Debating Club inside the jail. The prisoners, including Chopper Read, often debated teams from outside the jail, and their families were sometimes allowed in to watch the debates. Learning to debate changed how Tony used his voice. He eventually became yard boss, a conduit between the prisoners and the Superintendent. Some years later he was out of jail and working on a fishing boat called the 'Diana' when he had a pre-dawn epiphany far out at sea. He realised it was finally time for him to break the cycle of crime and incarceration in his own life. Tony worked incredibly hard to unlearn some of his old habits which had previously led him straight back into jail. Today he lives in his own unit with his beloved dog Princess and runs a home maintenance business. This episode of Conversations contains discussion around prison, jail, incarceration, youth detention, youth crime, burglary, break and enter, safe cracking, criminals, inmates, Hobart, Risdon Prison, Tasmania, Queensland, Cairns, Brisbane, police, corrections, debating, inmate reform, prison reform, Chopper Reid, family relationships, fishing, boating, Salvation army, rehabilitation, crime prevention, fishing trawlers, crime and punishment, safecracker, lighthouse, swimming, ocean swimming, The Diana, living alone, relationships.
Wed, January 15, 2025
Sarah's Most Memorable Guests — Sue Ellen Kusher
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Sarah's most memorable guests through out the years. Sue Ellen Kusher’s father was an ASIO agent, and she and her siblings were taught to memorise number plates, spot unusual behaviour, and keep the family business secret at all costs. Sue-Ellen’s parents were ASIO agents living secretly in the Brisbane suburbs at the height of the Cold War. Their mission was to locate and track Soviet agents, and they enlisted their 3 young children to help. Sue-Ellen was taught to memorise numberplates, stake out buildings, and never ever let anyone else know the truth about her family. During the Melbourne Olympics Sue-Ellen’s family secretly hosted the Petrovs, Australia’s famous Russian defectors… they spent much of their time together in beer gardens at the Gold Coast until Vladimir Petrov nearly gave them all away. This episode of Conversations contains discussion about spies, secret agents, ASIO, cold war, China, Russia, Canberra, Brisbane, Australian history, Australian politics, world history, 20th Century history, family relationships, siblings, security intelligence, national intelligence, national secrets, secret keeping, defence, national security, diplomatic work, undercover, surveillance, Petrovs, the Petrov affair, ASIO files, spy kids, Olympic Games, Brisbane Olympics.
Tue, January 14, 2025
Sarah's Most Memorable Guests — John Prine
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Sarah's most memorable guests through out the years. A songwriter's songwriter, John Prine turned his often bemused view of people and politics into songs for fifty years. John Prine October 1946 — April 2020 John first picked up a guitar at fourteen, encouraged by his older brother. He started writing songs when he couldn't remember the lyrics to existing ones. Growing up in Maywood, a suburb of Chicago, the Prine boys had a wealth of music around. There were country, folk, and rock and roll shows on the weekends, and The Grand Ole Opry on their father's radio. Just as influential were trips to visit family in Paradise, Kentucky. By the late 1960s after his first, reluctant performance at an open-mic night, John's song writing talent saw him become a regular on the folk circuit. Encouraged by Kris Kristofferson, he was persuaded to give away his regular gig as a mailman; and songs from John's first album, "John Prine", released in 1971, are still popular and relevant today. John toured and recorded regularly across five decades, as well as collaborating with and providing songs for many of the music industry's biggest names. Bob Dylan cites John as one of his favourite songwriters, and Johnny Cash recorded one of John's most famous songs, "Sam Stone". John won three Grammy awards and was inducted to both the Nashville Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Grammy Hall of Fame. John Prine passed away in 2020. This episode of Conversations contains discussion about music, guitar, postal services, American history, United States of America, USA, Chicago, Nashville, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, musicians, singing, singer-songwriters, songwriting, composition, country music, folk music, touring, Kentucky, music industry, lung cancer, cancer treatment, family, autobiograpy, The Tree of Forgiveness,
Mon, January 13, 2025
Sarah's Most Memorable Guests — Peter Lalor
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Sarah's most memorable guests through out the years. Peter Lalor tells the story of 9 year old Lennie Gwyther's 1000km solo horseback ride to see the grand opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932. When the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened in 1932, anyone who was anyone was part of the celebrations. There were floats and dancers, and a spectacular firework display. Right in the heart of the grand proceedings was the young Lennie Gwyther from country Victoria, and his horse Ginger Mick. The story of Lennie and Ginger, and their long journey to see the opening of the Bridge, captured the imagination of depression-era Australia. This episode of Conversations contains discussion about Australian History, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Great Depression, 20th Century history, Victoria, Leongatha, farming, horse riding, adventure, childhood, family relationships, biography, Sydney, New South Wales, Melbourne, Canberra, ACT, historical figures, Australian political history, Francis de Groot, King George V, The Bridge, writing, research, historian,
Fri, January 10, 2025
Sarah's Most Memorable Guests — Ken Faulkner
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Sarah's most memorable guests through out the years. People travel from all over the world to learn about horses from Ken Faulkner. But after a life-threatening riding accident on his favourite horse, Smoke, Ken had to learn to walk and ride again, rediscovering himself in the process. When Ken Faulkner was growing up in rural Queensland, he saw horses as tools for farm work, using them to muster and get around the station. But his very pragmatic view of these enigmatic creatures changed when Ken got his very own horse called Sascha, and 'started' her from scratch. Sascha helped Ken develop his own style of horsemanship, and in the process Ken's attitude toward himself also changed, as he edged closer and closer to the man he always wanted to be. Since then, Ken has become so respected for how he transforms horses and their riders, that people travel from all over the world to learn from him. After a terrible accident on one of his favourite horses, Smoke, Ken had to learn to walk and ride again, and at the same time he discovered himself all over again. This episode of Conversations includes discussion about horses, horsemanship, horse riding, horse training, cattle stations, Australian outback, animal behaviour, traumatic brain injury, TBI, farming, racing, Melbourne Cup, horse accident, accident, acquired brain injury, Queensland, France, Japan, United States of America, USA, ranches, equestrian, rodeo, cowboys.
Thu, January 09, 2025
Sarah's Most Memorable Guests — Gisela Kaplan
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Sarah's most memorable guests through out the years. Gisela Kaplan fell under the spell of birds when hand-rearing a magpie nestling. After it learned to speak, she was so intrigued she switched careers and began her research into avian behaviour. Her many books on Australian native birds have been ground-breaking. Listen to Gisela's other conversation with Sarah Kanowski here. Many assumptions about the nature of birds and their behaviour are completely wrong when applied to Australian birds. Gisela Kaplan was a professor of sociology when a magpie nestling she was hand raising bonded closely with her, followed her about, and learned to speak. Her curiosity about birds became so strong she switched careers to become a field biologist and animal behaviourist. Based in Armidale NSW, Gisela has conducted extensive research into avian behaviour. Her second PhD was a study of the songs of Australian magpies. Gisela's many books on Australian native birds have changed the way these creatures are understood. Along with her teaching, writing and research in ornithology, Gisela has been a wildlife carer for 25 years, raising countless birds of all ages. This episode of Conversations contains discussion around birds, native Australian animals, Australian fauna, magpies, cockatoos, tawny frogmouths, owls, galahs, domestic pets, animal rehabilitation, animal rescue, Australian wildlife, Australian bush, animal behaviour, ornithology, biology, field biology, wildlife carers, bird rearing, bird release, Bird Bonds.
Tue, January 07, 2025
Sarah's Most Memorable Guests — Robyn Davidson
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Sarah's most memorable guests through out the years. Robyn Davidson on her adventures high in the Himalayas, her love affair with an Indian prince, and her late in life reckoning with her mother's story. In 1977, when Robyn Davidson was in her twenties, she set off with a dog and four camels to cross 1,700 miles of Australian desert to the sea. Her book about the journey, called Tracks, brought her a taste of fame. But that life wasn't something Robyn was seeking.Instead, she continued adventuring, living amidst Sydney's underworld, the London literary scene, and with nomads in India and Tibet before marrying an Indian prince. In her ceaseless travel, the only territory she avoided was the past. Now Robyn has begun a reckoning with the loss of her mum at a young age. When she neared the age that her own mother was when she died, the past suddenly drew very close. This episode of Conversations contains discussions around travel, trekking, deserts, Australian outback, camel trekking, solo travel, Western Australia, Indian Ocean, farming, families, family relationships, mother-daughter relationship, isolation, depression, mental health, suicide, music, piano, Queensland, Europe, India, Himalayas, Afghanistan, adventure, Tracks, National Geographic, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, cattle stations, boarding school, Brisbane, Sydney, gambling, nomadic culture, Tibet
Mon, January 06, 2025
Sarah's Most Memorable Guests — Archie Roach
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Sarah's most memorable guests through out the years. Archie tells of writing Took the Children Away and playing it in public for the first time, of his belated reunion with his siblings, and his love story with Ruby Hunter. Archie passed away in 2022. Help and support is always available You can call Lifeline 24 hours a day on 13 11 14 Widely admired for his powerful lyrics and the grace of his pin-drop performances, Archie overcame blow after blow throughout his life. He was just two years old when he was taken from his Aboriginal mother and given to the Cox family to raise. His foster family brought him up with love, in a house filled with music. But when he discovered the truth about his birth family, Archie's world shattered. Years later, his song, Took the Children Away, would become an anthem for the Stolen Generations. As a teenager, Archie found his way to the streets, where he found solace in alcohol, and eventually, met his great love, Ruby Hunter. So many of the stories of Archie's life have become songs, starting with his debut hit record, Charcoal Lane (produced by Paul Kelly), and they're listened to all over the world. Writing and performing have helped Archie endure many sorrows, as well as celebrate the strength of his culture. Along with multiple awards for his music, Archie is a Member of the Order of Australia, and is the 2020 Victorian Australian of the Year. This episode of Conversations contains discussions about Stolen Generations, Indigenous history, Aboriginal culture, family history, adoption, foster families, fostering, music, guitar, singing, songwriting, musicians, singers, Took the Children Away, Tell Me Why, Charcoal Lane, siblings, family relationships, love, marriage, Ruby Hunter, Paul Kelly.
Sun, January 05, 2025
Sarah's Most Memorable Guests — Brendan James Murray
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Sarah's most memorable guests through out the years. Brendan James Murray tells the story of the hunt to capture the Australian coastal taipan, and the quest to create the world's first taipan antivenom in his book Venom. Listen here to Sarah's other Conversation with Brendan James Murray The story of George Rosendale, a 19-year old from Hopevale North Queensland, became the stuff of legend when he survived being bitten by a coastal taipan. One bite from the snake was usually lethal. Brendan James Murray unearthed George's story when researching a book about snakes. He became fascinated by the near-hysteria surrounding the search for the coastal taipan in northern Australia after WWII. This species had been thought of as a myth by Europeans until 1933, when local Indigenous people led naturalist Donald Thompson to a living specimen. To the Wikmunkan tribe, the snake was known as the Nguman, and it was seen as a part of the landscape, but best avoided. For Europeans, the discovery of a living taipan began a scramble for an anti-venom for the lightning-fast snake with hooded eyes, which could kill with one strike. This episode of Conversations contains discussions about taipans, brown snakes, venom, antivenom, Australian fauna, reptiles, Australian history, poison, poisonous snake, Queensland, hospital, lethal venom, author, biology, medical research, snake bites
Fri, January 03, 2025
Richard's Most Memorable Guests — Peter Hoysted
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Richard's most memorable guests through out the years. This time it's Peter Hoysted. Peter Hoysted, known in print as 'Jack the Insider', tells the incredibly strange story of the Fine Cotton affair. The story includes a vicious gangster, a used-car salesman, a hapless horse trainer and a bucket of hair dye. 'The Fine Cotton Fiasco Conversations Bonus' is available to listen to here . Richard's other Conversations with Peter Hoysted: The crime-soaked history of Melbourne's Dockyards Roger Rogerson: crimes and punishment The story of Stan 'The Man' Smith Peter Hoysted, known in print as 'Jack the Insider', tells the incredibly strange story of the Fine Cotton affair. In 1984 a group of conspirators hatched a plot to defraud racing bookmakers of millions of dollars. The story includes a vicious gangster, a used-car salesman, a hapless horse trainer and a bucket of hair dye. It started out as fraud, became a fiasco and ended up as farce. Ultimately it was a 'colourful Sydney businessman' who walked away with the cash. This episode of Conversations contains discussions about true crime, Australian history, gangsters, organised crime, horse racing, gambling, Jack the Insider, Fine Cotton, horse trainers, fiasco, horses.
Wed, January 01, 2025
Richard's Most Memorable Guests — Gill Hicks
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Richard's most memorable guests through out the years. Gill Hicks lost both her legs in the London bombings in 2005. But from the start of her recovery, she was determined not to dwell on hate or revenge, instead focus on the love that surrounded her, from family, police, doctors and nurses and complete strangers. She formed a charity called MAD for Peace, which invites us all to look for peace in our lives. Gill Hicks was living in London in 2005. One morning she boarded a train on the Picadilly Line, and in the crowded carriage she was standing next to Jermaine Lindsay who was carrying a bomb. When the bomb was detonated, she felt as though she was being enveloped in inky blackness. When the emergency lights came on she saw her legs and feet were shattered. Gill heard two insistent voices in her head: one was female, inviting her to surrender into the peace of death. The other voice was male, and it was demanding that she choose to live. As Gill waited for help to come, she made a contract with herself to survive. But she says, she wasn't fully aware of the 'fine print'. Gill became close friends with the many police officers and medical staff who saved her life. She says the love she received from complete strangers is much more important to her than the hateful attack on herself and her fellow passengers. Gill founded a charity called MAD for Peace, which invites people all over the world to look for peace in their own lives. This episode of Conversations contains discussion about terrorism, bombs, bombings, Jihad, terrorists, London, underground, the Tube, relationships, disasters, religion, London Bombings, rescue operations, rescuers, ambulance, first responders, Jermaine Linday, Mad for Peace, Picadilly Line, Adelaide, expats, mad nests, charities, walking, prosthetics, prosthetic legs, disability, fundraising.
Tue, December 31, 2024
Richard's Most Memorable Guests — Ross Gittins
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Richard's most memorable guests through out the years. Ross Gittins is one of Australia’s most popular newspaper columnists. For five decades, he has explained the inner workings of the Australian economy to readers in plain English through his three weekly columns in the Sydney Morning Herald. Ross Gittins is one of Australia’s most popular newspaper columnists. For five decades, Ross has explained the inner workings of the Australian economy to readers in plain English through his three weekly columns in the Sydney Morning Herald. He's often contacted by readers who tell him he's helped them understand interest rates, negative gearing, and other facets of the economy that would have once been privy to only those in power. For Ross, his touchstone is his own early life story. His outlook on life was largely formed by his frugal, hard-working parents, who were Salvation Army officers who lived through the Great Depression. This episode of Conversations contains discussions about family, Australian history, journalism, economics, the depression, Salvation Army, religion, Christianity, politics, finance, writing, newspapers, editors, publishing, mortgages, interest rates, home ownership, investments, income, Australian society, baby boomers, young people, generational wealth, inheritance, negative gearing, flexible work, job market, women at work, employment, workplace, childcare, cost of living, real estate.
Mon, December 30, 2024
Richard's Most Memorable Guests — Gregory Smith
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Richard's most memorable guests through out the years. After a cruel and abusive childhood and an adulthood full of unemployment and homelessness, Gregory Smith decided to step out of society and into the solitary life of a hermit, living in the elements in a forest in Northern NSW. Gregory is an academic in the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Southern Cross University in New South Wales. He recently completed his PhD highlighting the experiences of children raised in institutional care. For much of his adulthood Gregory was homeless; and by his own admission, a 'do not approach' figure. For ten years he lived as a hermit in a forest in northern NSW, catching his own food. After decades of life on the margins, he now has a place of his own, and is a popular teacher. Gregory's childhood, in and out of orphanages, boys' homes and youth detention centres, made getting a foothold in regular society a massive challenge. This episode of Conversations contains discussions about child abuse, orphanages, boys homes, child psychology, sociopaths, homelessness, unemployment, hermit, solitude, forests, rainforest, New South Wales, NSW, recluse, sociology, university, relationships, memoirs, autobiographies, Southern Cross Univerity, PHD, Order of Australia.
Sun, December 29, 2024
Richard's Most Memorable Guests — Uncle Jack Charles
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Richard's most memorable guests through out the years. Uncle Jack was forcibly removed from his mother as a baby and denied his Aboriginality. A one-off trip to Fitzroy connected him with a family he didn’t know about, and promptly landed him in jail. Jack died in 2022. Help and support is always available You can call Lifeline 24 hours a day on 13 11 14 In a career spanning more than half a century, Uncle Jack Charles used the stage to share painful and personal truths about being a Stolen Generations survivor. Uncle Jack was born in Melbourne in 1943. He was taken from his mother as a baby and ended up in Box Hill Boys' Home where he was abused and told he was an orphan. It was only towards the end of his life that Uncle Jack found out who his father was, finally knowing himself as a Wiradjuri man, as well as Boon Wurrung, Dja Dja Wurrung, Woiwurrung and Yorta Yorta. Uncle Jack's early life had been defined by addiction, theft and twenty-two stints in jail. But he forged a legacy as a giant of the arts, a tireless advocate for youth in detention and a trailblazing advocate for a fairer Australia. This episode of Conversations contains discussions about Aboriginal identity, Indigenous history, stolen generation, orphanages, boys homes, youth offending, foster families, birth mothers, family relationships, Lilydale High School, Victoria, Melbourne, Fitzroy, youth detention, home invasion, robbery, acting, performing, theatre, film, Sydney Opera House, Box Hill Boys' Home, orphans, sisters, brothers, siblings, addiction, heroin, jail, racism, advocacy, David Gulpilil, initiation, Bennalong.
Thu, December 26, 2024
Richard's Most Memorable Guests — Sandy MacKinnon
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Richard's most memorable guests through out the years. When Sandy Mackinnon set of through the waterways of England towards Gloucester in a Mirror dinghy, he little imagined he would find himself crossing the English Channel, the river systems of Europe, and eventually the Black Sea, on an adventure full of friendly strangers, amazing scenery and even a threat to his life. Listen here to Sarah's Conversation with Sandy MacKinnon Sandy was teaching at a school in the English countryside when he sold almost all his belongings and set off in a Mirror dinghy, intending to sail as far as Gloucester. He enjoyed his river voyage so much, he decided to keep going. Sandy's journey took him through locks, across the English Channel, and eventually into the great river systems of Europe, and then, the Black Sea. Along the way he encountered strangers who showed him great kindness, and some who threatened to kill him. This episode of Conversations contains discussions about England, English countryside, boarding schools, teaching, travel, European travel, sailing, boating, paddling, rowing, canals, locks, the English Channel, France, Romania, rivers, the Black Sea, the Thames, autobiographies, memoirs, authors, writing, adventure books, yachts, The Unlikely Voyage of the Jack de Crow, Pith helmets, small boats.
Wed, December 25, 2024
Richard's Most Memorable Guests — Elizabeth Chong
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Richard's most memorable guests through out the years. Elizabeth Chong has spent the last 90 years teaching Australian's the delights of cooking real authentic Chinese food. Chef, author and teacher Elizabeth Chong was born in China's Guangdong Province in 1931. When her heavily pregnant mother was expelled from Victoria under the White Australia Policy in the 1920s, the whole family returned to China. Years later her family returned and a young Elizabeth was free to roam the closed Queen Victoria Market on Sundays with her siblings. With fresh, fragrant and plentiful Chinese food at home, Elizabeth didn’t cook her first meal until she was married. Since then, she's made it her mission to raise the profile of Chinese cuisine, something she's done by teaching more than 37,000 people how to cook. This episode of Conversations contains discussions about China, Chinese culture, immigration, migrants, gold rush, Australian history, multiculturalism, white Australia policy, racism, Chinese cooking, Chinese food, Chinese cuisine, dim sums, Queen Victoria markets, Melbourne, marriage, relationships, parents, mothers, fathers, daughters, family history, genealogy, cooking school, cooking teachers, chefs, cooks, family, relationships, community education, adult education, lifelong learning,
Tue, December 24, 2024
Richard's Most Memorable Guests — William McInnes
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Richard's most memorable guests through out the years. William McInnes is a much-loved Australian actor and an author, whose childhood in the sunny Queensland left him fluent in the peculiar, funny and colourful words and phrases unique to Australian English. Over the years, he's continued to collect them to celebrate how much they say about who we really are. William McInnes’ Stories of Fatherhood William McInnes on life after the death of his wife, Sarah Watt This episode of Conversations contains discussions about Australian slang, colloquial language, Australian dialect, Seachange, Yeah Nah! A celebration of life and the words that make us who we are, books, writing, author, Australianisms, colloquialisms, acting, television, actor, performing arts, theatre, NCIS Sydney, Australiana, Australian culture, Australian history, language, linguistics.
Mon, December 23, 2024
Richard's Most Memorable Guests — Shaun Christie David
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Richard's most memorable guests through out the years. Shaun Christie David grew up eating the Sri-Lankan recipes his mother brought with her from Sri Lanka. After a life-change trip to his parent's homeland, Shaun left a successful career in finance to open a social enterprise restaurant, Colombo Social, giving jons to refugees and serving food from his mother's cookbook. Shaun Christie-David's family migrated to Australia during the Sri Lankan civil war. The family's three sons grew up in a house full of home-cooked food and love, with dishes like 48-hour Mudcrab on the menu at Christmas. In 2019, Shaun set up Colombo Social, a restaurant giving jobs to refugees and people seeking asylum, serving food straight from his mum's cookbook. Starting the restaurant was a sharp turn in his own life. Shaun had left Sydney's Western suburbs at 18 determined to make a lot of money in the finance world. But at 28, at the pinnacle of his career in banking, a trip to Sri Lanka changed everything. This episode of Conversations contains discussions about immigration, migrants, Sri Lanka, multiculturalism, childhood memories, cooking, family, mothers, fathers, sons, siblings, brothers, high school, racism, finance, success, money, careers, mudcrabs, Christmas, chicken biryani, spices, recipes, traditions, culture, Sri Lankans, restaurants, social enterprise, charity, refugees, asylum seekers, support, disabilities, homelessness, unemployment, support, Plate It Forward, Colombo Social, Kabul Social, Sydney, NSW, Afganistan, Ukraine, purpose, giving.
Sun, December 22, 2024
Richard's Most Memorable Conversations — Magda Szubanski
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat - a collection of Richard's most memorable guests through out the years. This time it's Magda Szubanski.At the height of her successful career, behind closed doors, Magda was coming to terms with the past of her Polish-born father, whom she loved dearly, and who was an assassin in his early life. Magda is well known for her comic performances across film and television, and is perhaps most beloved by Australians for her role as Sharon in Kath & Kim. But at the height of her successful career, Magda was navigating a more difficult journey, to integrate the disparate parts of her life. Most challenging was coming to terms with the past of her Polish-born father, whom she loved dearly, and who was an assassin in his early life. So Magda wrote a memoir, Reckoning, which delved into her father's complicated story and how it fit into her own distinct journey, from a child migrant to one of Australia's favourite comedians. Richard recorded this conversation with Magda Szubanski in 2015, at a Wheeler Centre event at Melbourne's Athenaeum Theatre. This episode of Conversations contains discussions about comedy, theatre, improvisation, university, Poland, Polish, Scotland, Scottish, England, immigration, migrants, Australia, families, family relationships, fathers, mothers, parents, siblings, Second World War, World War 2, World War II, assassins, Resistance, guerillas, Nazis, Germany, Germans, autobiographies, secrets, family secrets, family history, extended family, Babe, actress, acting, film, Fast Forward, television, comedians, Sharon, Kath and Kim.
Sat, December 21, 2024
Best of 2024 — Bhawani O'Brien
Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024. The child of doctors, Bhawani followed her parents footsteps into medical school without a second thought. But after the dissatisfaction of decades as a GP, Bhawani discovered the field of voluntary assisted dying and it changed the course of her life. Help and support is always available You can call Lifeline 24 hours a day on 13 11 14 Bhawani O'Brien grew up in Malaysia with Sri Lankan parents, both of whom were doctors. Bhawani was also expected to become a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer or an accountant. Luckily for her, she adored her father, and followed his footsteps into medical school without protest. But after decades working as a GP, Bhawani had lost her purpose and also her beloved father, who died back at home in Malaysia while Bhawani was stuck behind locked borders in Western Australia. Not long after his death, she found a random pamphlet in her pigeonhole at work. It was about voluntary assisted dying, which became legal in WA in 2021, and it changed the course of Bhawani's professional and personal life. She immediately started her training as a voluntary assisted dying practitioner, and has since helped 100 people in their dying moments. This episode of Conversations contains discussion about death, palliative care, voluntary assisted dying, VAD, medical practioners, doctors, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Australia, Australian Medical System, Medicare, Covid, border lockdowns, Western Australia, families, family relationships, grief, grieving, mourning, funerals, cancer, motorneuron disease, alzheimers and dementia, migration, immigration, multiculturalism, racism, medical fraternity, terminal illness, living wakes, saying goodbye, good deaths.
Thu, December 19, 2024
Best of 2024 — Ruth Shaw
Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024. Ruth Shaw runs a collection of three tiny bookshops at the southern tip of New Zealand's South Island. Even more than the books on her shelves, Ruth's life has been a high adventure full of danger, tears, heartbreak and love. Help and support is always available You can call Lifeline 24 hours a day on 13 11 14. Ruth Shaw runs a collection of three tiny bookstores at the southern tip of New Zealand's South Island. In them, she sells books of adventure, drama, tragedy and romance. But many of these stories pale in comparison to the colourful life Ruth has lived. In the decades before she became a bookseller at the end of the world, Ruth sailed the seas, she was attacked by pirates, she deserted the navy, she played cards to survive, she had her heart broken and had it mended by a special man in gumboots. Content Warning: this episode of Conversation contains discussion of sexual assault, forced adoption and infant death. It also explores military service, the Navy, teen pregnancy, family relationships, fishing, fishing boats, romantic relationships, publishing industry, New Zealand, Tahiti, Papua New Guinea, travelling, ocean travel, pirates, card sharks, card games, gambling, guns, international travel, Catholicism, Catholic Church, Cardinals.
Wed, December 18, 2024
Best of 2024 — Ken Wyatt
Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024. Ken Wyatt was the first Indigenous minister for Indigenous Affairs. When he made his first speech to parliament, he wore a kangaroo skin cloak given to him by Noongar elders in Perth and he shared with his government colleagues the extraordinary journey he took from a boy in a remote Western Australian settlement, to Canberra. Ken Wyatt has Yamatji, Wongi and Noongar ancestry. He came into the world as a premature baby on a mission south of Perth called Roelands Farm, run by the Protestant Church. From 1938 to 1973, Roelands housed more than 500 forcibly removed Aboriginal children from all over Western Australia. One of those children was Ken's mother Mona, who was separated from family at just 4 years old. Mona married Don and they built a life for themselves away from Roelands, in Nannine, a railway fettler's camp in remote WA. That's where Ken grew up, as one of 10 children. Ken went on to enjoy a fulfilling life as a teacher, and he was in his fifties when he decided to have a tilt at politics. He joined the Liberal Party, and in 2010 he was elected as the first Aboriginal member of the House of Representatives. Wearing a kangaroo skin cloak given to him by Noongar elders in Perth, Ken made his first speech in Federal Parliament, about his extraordinary journey from Roelands to Canberra. This episode of Conversations contains discussions about Indigenous peoples, Australian history, Aboriginal history, Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal Policy, Australian Politics, Indigenous Policy, Indigenous Affairs, Australian Government, federal ministers, Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Western Australia, racism, Aboriginal missions, school teachers, mentors, political campaigns, elections, Indigenous Voice to Parliament, referendum, retirement, marriage, families.
Tue, December 17, 2024
Best of 2024 — Kasey Chambers
Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024. Kasey Chambers grew up surrounded by country music, singing around the campfire with her family, and listening to her father's cassettes of old country classics. She now makes her own country music, which has won her a devoted following and recognition as one of Australia's favourite country music stars. Kasey Chambers started singing around the campfire as a little girl. She and her family spent much of the year camping on the Nullarbor Plain, where her dad would hunt for foxes and rabbits. Kasey and her brother Nash had a free range childhood, and went to sleep to the sound of their father's rifle as he worked through the night. Singing came naturally to Kasey, and she loved all the old country classics, as well as some Cyndi Lauper and Bruce Springsteen. Kasey has spent her life making music and connecting with audiences. It’s what she believes she was put on the earth to do. This episode of Conversations contains discussions about country music, Australian outback, hunting, families, guitars, singing, vocals, musicians, singers, Country Music Association, CMA, Country Music Awards, Golden Guitars, ARIA Awards, music awards, popular music, Crowded House, Neil Finn, Paul Kelly, family relationships, marriage, divorce, parenting, women musicians.
Mon, December 16, 2024
Best of 2024 — Candice Fox
Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024. Candice Fox is one of the world's most successful crime writers, but she when she is not at her writing desk, you can find her rushing around Sydney rescuing stranded and injured wallabies, cockatoos, lizards, frogs and ducks. Listen to Richard's first Conversation with Candice Fox here. Candice Fox is one of the world's most successful crime writers. Her latest work is about a female agent who goes undercover in a rogue firefighting crew in New York City. To research the book Candice travelled to New York to meet up with firefighters and find out more about the real people working in firehouses. While Candice is a prolific writer and a mum, she's not someone who believes in downtime. When she's off duty from her writing desk, she straps on a tiny torch and a tool belt, and hurtles around Sydney rescuing stranded and injured wallabies, cockatoos, lizards, frogs and ducks, often with her small daughter Violet as her sidekick. Candice has also recently taken up oil painting, inspired by some of her charges from her work in animal rescue. “This episode of Conversations discusses Australian wildlife rescue, Australian fauna, animal rescue, volunteer work, injured animals, firefighters, first responders, New York, NYC, 9/11, September 11, crime fiction, crime novels, crime thrillers, crime writers, crime authors, novelists, book publishing, research, families, motherhood, mother-daughter relationships, families, family history, family legacy, childhood memories, prison, prisoners.
Sun, December 15, 2024
Best of 2024 — Gideon Haigh
Gideon Haigh is a prolific author, but it took him decades to write down the story closest to his heart — the life and tragic death of his brother, Jaz, who was killed in a car crash at just 17 years. But eventually, on a hot summers evening, it all came pouring out onto the page, and became his book My Brother Jaz. Gideon Haigh's brother Jasper was 17 years old when he died in a car crash. Until this year, Gideon and his mother were the only two people who really knew what happened to Jaz on that tragic night. Gideon has spent decades perfecting answers to questions about his brother — answers that never invited further discussion. This year, something peculiar happened, and in a few days, Gideon poured his pent-up recollections onto the page, to be turned into a book about the story of his brother, Jaz. This episode of Conversations discusses sibling relationships, brothers, death, mourning, parent-child relationships, families, grief, writing, the publishing industry, car accidents, road accidents, motor vehicle accidents, autobiographies, biographies, memoirs.
Sat, December 14, 2024
Best of 2024 — Pauline McGrath
Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024. Pauline McGrath's life changed forever when her husband of 30 years, David, was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor. Together Pauline and David set out to take advantage of the incoming Voluntary Assisted Dying laws about to come into effect in Queensland. Since David's death, Pauline has been has kept her promise to him to speak openly about their experience and be an advocate for VAD. A few years ago, Pauline McGrath came home from work and found the lights on and the dog already fed. This was something which had never happened in her 30-year marriage to David, a director of paediatric medicine at Queensland Children's Hospital. Straight away, Pauline asked David, "Who has died?" Her beloved husband told her he had a brain tumour, and that voluntary assisted dying was going to be an option for Queenslanders in six months. This moment began a heartbreaking but ultimately empowering path for David, Pauline and their family. David's wish was for Pauline to speak openly about their family experience. So that's what she's been doing while grieving her husband, supporting her two daughters, and embarking on the next chapter of her own life. This episode of Conversations contains discussions about VAD, voluntary assisted dying, euthanasia, palliative care, cancer, brain tumor, relationships, parents, children, daughters, marriage, love, grief, good death, mourning, grieving, medicine, doctors, hospitals, Queensland, Brisbane, paediatricians, cancer treatment, advocacy, dying, end of life laws.
Thu, December 12, 2024
Best of 2024 — Rafael Bonachela
Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024.At the make or break moment of his choreography career, the last person Rafael expected to hear from was Australia’s pop princess, Kylie Minogue. Rafael Bonachela was born in the dying years of Franco’s Spain, into a patriarchal culture that didn’t appreciate little boys who wanted to dance. As the eldest of four brothers, his father expected him to be an example of academic achievement and bravado. This hardline approach slowly drove his father away from the family, though when it came time to say goodbye, Rafael saw an unexpected side of him. At the age of 17, when the wide world beckoned, Rafael left his home country without a backward glance, grasping with both hands the opportunity to become a professional dancer. After a last ditch attempt at becoming a choreographer, he received an email from Kylie Minogue. And the rest is history. This episode of Conversations contains discussions about Spain, Spanish, Catalonia, Catalonian, General Francisco Franco, Spanish history, small towns, villages, dancing, Fame, choreography, dance school, choreographers, London, Australia, Sydney, Sydney Dance Company, classical dance, music, theatre, performing arts, high school, homosexuality, gay, LGBTQIA, coming out, death, grief, artistic director, naked, nakedness, undressed, modern dance, contemporary dance.
Wed, December 11, 2024
Best of 2024 — Anita Heiss
Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024. Anita Heiss is a Wiradjuri woman and a prolific author. Her latest novel, Dirrayawadha, brings together Indigenous and colonial history, as well as Wiradjuri language, into a 19th century love story between an Irish convict and a brave Wiradjuri woman. Anita Heiss is a Wiradjuri woman, an author of many books and a Professor of Communications at The University of Queensland. Many of Anita's books focus on great love stories, and the inspiration for these romances came from the enduring, devoted love she saw between her parents – the very Austrian “Joe-the-carpenter”, and Elsie, a proud Wiradjuri woman. Anita’s latest book goes back to the 1800s, bringing to life the brutal frontier wars in Bathurst, when martial law was declared. Her book is called Dirrayawadha - which is a Wiradjuri command meaning 'rise up'. This episode of Conversations contains discussions about authors, novels, romance, adventure, politics, Australian history, Indigenous history, Aboriginal culture, Indigenous languages, academics, universities, parents, childhood, marriage, multiculturalism, racism, Sydney, Bathurst, frontier wars, convicts, first nations, Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
Tue, December 10, 2024
Best of 2024 — Jack Beaumont
Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024. Jack Beaumont (not his real name) grew up in a turbulent family in Paris before joining the French Air Force as a young man. After a devastating mid-air accident, he joined the DGSE and became a French secret agent and he now uses his first-hand knowledge to write spy thrillers set in the world of international espionage. Jack Beaumont (not his real name) is a former intelligence operative and the author of several spy thrillers. Jack grew up in a turbulent family in Paris and when he got older he decided to train as a jet fighter pilot with the French Air Force. During a training dogfight at supersonic speed, Jack suffered a devastating injury that meant he could no longer fly jets, but he still wanted a job steeped in adventure and danger. So he began piloting covert spy missions, and eventually became a spy with France's secret intelligence service: the DGSE, maintaining up to five secret identities as a time. While he now lives in a beautiful part of Australia with his wife and family, Jack has struggled to leave behind the extreme hyper vigilance of his early working life. This episode of Conversations contains discussions about spys, secret service, France, French Secret Service, DGSE, French Air Force, French Military, fighter pilots, fighter jets, back injuries, spinal injuries, disability, mid-air accidents, thrillers, novels, nom-de-plume, pen names, Australia, authors, writing, publishing, private schools, Napoleon, boarding school, Paris, families, family relationships, international relations, diplomacy, CIA, MI5, crime fiction, global politics.
Mon, December 09, 2024
Best of 2024 — Rebecca Huntley
Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024. Rebecca Huntley spent 50 years trying to process PTSD brought on from a traumatic childhood. But it was only when she decided to experiment with MDMA as a treatment that Rebecca's life began to change. Rebecca Huntley's public life as a broadcaster, an author and a social researcher made her well-known to many Australians. But in private, Rebecca spent years grappling with complex PTSD and childhood trauma. At 50, while walking the Camino, she realised that despite decades of therapy, she was still living with a roiling anger about what had happened to her as a child. She decided to undergo MDMA therapy delivered by an underground healer. The treatment changed Rebecca's life and her view of the world. This episode of Conversations contains discussions about childhood trauma, parenting, PTSD, abuse, MDMA, psychedelics, therapy, acid, hallucinogens, psychologists, psychology, healers, mental health, anxiety, depression, Australia, families, relationships, alternative medicine, memoirs, autobiographies, human experiences, human interest stories, controversial drug treatments, experimental treatments.
Sun, December 08, 2024
Best of 2024 — Troy Cassar-Daley
Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024. Troy Cassar-Daley is one of Australia's most beloved country music stars, with a string of awards and albums to show for it. But his latest album, Between the Fires, is a reflective, deeply personal exploration of grief, love and his childhood, caught between the two worlds of his Indigenous mother and his Maltese-Australian father. Help and support is always available You can call Lifeline 24 hours a day on 13 11 14. Troy Cassar-Daley is a proud Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung man, and one of Australia's most beloved country music stars. As a 17-year-old musician just starting out, Troy joined a band called Little Eagle. Soon afterwards, he won the Tamworth Starmaker Quest, and within a few years, Troy was a fully-fledged country music star. In his long career, Troy has won 40 Golden Guitars and 5 ARIA Awards, among many other accolades. In his latest album, Between the Fires, Troy digs deep into his own family history, with songs of grief, love and connection. This episode of Conversations contains discussions about country music, rock music, musicians, music teachers, country towns, driving, cars, vintage cars, Malta, Maltese, Indigenous culture, Aboriginal history, family, culture, multiculturalism, racism, intergenerational, family relationships, marriage, divorce, depression, grief, suicide, Country Music Association, CMA Awards, Golden guitars, music awards, Deadly awards, identity,
Fri, December 06, 2024
Helen Garner's love letter to her grandson, and football
When writer Helen Garner began following her grandson’s under-16s football team, she gained a new appreciation for 'the ordinary beauty of human society'.
Thu, December 05, 2024
Cyclone Tracy 50 years on — the epic survival stories of a cub reporter and a woman in the navy
Finance journalist Alan Kohler and Patricia Collins, who had just joined the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service, recall their vivid memories from the night that irrevocably changed Darwin It's been half a century since Darwin was nearly completely razed by Cyclone Tracy. On Christmas Day in 1974, the monster cyclone bore down on the city, killing at least 66 people. Both Alan Kohler and Patricia Collins survived that night in very different circumstances. Alan was living in a share house on stilts with other young journalists at the time, and they were all huddled in the bathroom when the house fell down. The next day, he and his friends set about printing an emergency copy of the Northern Territory news to let locals know what had happened and what do to next. Patricia was still a teenager and had recently enlisted in the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service. Stationed at HMAS Coonawarra in Darwin, Patricia and the other women in the Navy were given the option to evacuate after the storm, or to stay. Patricia chose to stay and help get Darwin back on its feet. Further information Disasters take time to work through — and it's ok to ask for support. If this episode of Conversations brings up any issues for you, you can call any of these helplines: You can also call any of these hotlines if you, or someone you know, is in distress: Lifeline on 13 11 14 Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 Mensline on 1300 789 978 Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511 This episode of Conversations discusses natural disasters, storms, wet season, how to survive a cyclone, Darwin, Northern Territory, Top End, Monsoon Season, tropical weather, modern history, Australian history, books, grief, reflection, personal stories.
Wed, December 04, 2024
Love, jail, Jesus, and pubs — a tangled tale of four very different parents
Lech Blaine with the strange true story of his childhood, shaped by love, religious zealotry, and four wildly different parents. CW: descriptions of foster care and child removal. Lech Blaine grew up in a big family in country Queensland, where his Dad Tom ran pubs for a living. He had six older siblings, who had come to the family as foster kids before he was born. It was a happy, knockabout, sports-obsessed childhood. But in the midst of all the love and warmth, Lech's mum Lenore lived with a creeping sense of dread. She knew that one day the troubled biological parents of three of the children in the family would appear in their lives. Michael and Mary Shelley were Christian fanatics wandering from place to place, in and out of jail and psychiatric hospitals, and notorious for stalking politicians and judges. One evening, when Lenore was at home with some of the children, Mary Shelley knocked on her door, changing the family's life forever. This episode of Conversations explores family, origin stories, adoption, foster care, religion, Christianity, mental health, mental illness, family dynamics, parenting.
Tue, December 03, 2024
Professor Richard Scolyer — Melanoma expert turned brain cancer patient
When Richard's team developed pioneering treatment for melanoma, he didn't expect he would become the first person in the world to use this experimental therapy on his own, terminal brain tumour. Joint Australian of the year Professor Richard Scolyer has spent his medical career saving the lives of people with melanoma. Then suddenly last year, the life he had to save was his own. A tumour was discovered in Richard’s brain and the diagnosis was terminal. So Richard and his colleagues decided to try something completely radical and experimental. This episode of Conversations touches on personal stories, epic origin stories, cancer, dealing with cancer diagnosis, how to cope with cancer, glioblastoma, brain tumours, brain cancer, melanoma treatment, immunotherapy, Australian of the year, skin cancer and terminal illness.
Mon, December 02, 2024
Antarctica, Kiribati and outback Australia — the adventures of a GP doctor
When Dr Gillian Deakin became a GP, she knew she didn’t want to work behind a desk. Instead, she travelled overseas to make a difference. More recently, she has focused on treating patients with functional illnesses — symptoms that come and go despite all tests and scans showing up as normal. Dr Gillian Deakin grew up close enough to hear the lions roaring at night in Sydney's Taronga Zoo. She was part of a large, Catholic family and learned social justice and critical thinking from a young age. When Gillian became a doctor, she promised herself her career wouldn’t involve sitting behind a desk. She worked on the Australian outback film Burke and Wills, in Antarctica and on the tiny coral atoll of Kiribati. Today Gillian treats patients with functional disorders — aggravating symptoms that sometimes escape medical diagnosis and can deeply affect people’s lives. This episode of Conversations touches on personal stories, family origins, personal stories, mothers, fathers, Antarctica, Kiribati, outback Australia, GP training, functional symptoms, and functional illness.
Fri, November 29, 2024
Jonathan Haidt on 'attention fracking' and how to stop tech companies from stealing your child's focus
Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt says it is time to reinstate the play-based childhood to bring our kids back from life online and into the real world, away from their increasing obsession with devices. It’s a fact of modern life that children who are given smart phones are able to access pornography, real images of violence and harmful comparisons with their friends and also influencers around the world. Social psychologist, Jonathan Haidt argues that as the social norms have changed, and younger and younger children have been allowed access to their own devices, their participation in the real world has suffered. Jonathan’s theory is that in order to combat the addicting influence of technology on our kids’ lives, families and society must encourage and allow children to enjoy free play, independence and responsibility in the real world. He says, rather than despairing at the current state of childhood, we have the power to give children fun, excitement and a passport to the real world. This episode of Conversations touches on Australia's social media ban, screen addiction, smart phones, online gaming, social media, mental health, teens, childhood, free play, children's independence, risk, outdoor play, child development, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, gaming, and Jonathan Haidt.
Thu, November 28, 2024
The secrets in the stars — what we can learn about habitable planets, alien life and ourselves
Dr Laura Driessen takes you 26,000 light-years away, into the centre of our galaxy and beyond in the search for radio stars, supermassive black holes and supernova remnants. Dr Laura Driessen is a radio astronomer who is fascinated with the scale of the universe and the wealth of information it holds, especially in its stars. Her obsession began as a child, looking through her mini telescope on family camping trips at the planets and at comets. But it wasn't until Laura was an undergraduate science student — poring over data from a giant radio telescope to create images of what the centre of our Milky Way looks like — that she got truly hooked into radio waves. Laura now specialises in radio stars at the University of Sydney's Institute for Astronomy. What she is discovering about these flaring beasts could be pivotal in the search for other habitable plants, and possibly alien life. This episode of Conversations discusses space exploration, physics, astrophysics, astronauts, rocket ships, space shuttles, telescopes, radio telescopes, aliens, NASA, Elon Musk, Space X, galaxies, constellations, astronomy.
Tue, November 26, 2024
Alice Zaslavsky's hunger for life
The Masterchef graduate and cookbook author grew up in Georgia as the Soviet Union was crumbling, gorging on plums in her grandfather's garden. During this time the young, voracious Alice couldn't keep her food down at kindy. And it took years to work out why. Cookbook author and TV presenter, Alice Zaslavsky grew up in Georgia as the Soviet Union was crumbling. She would gorge herself on plums in her grandfather's garden, and her voracious spirit was celebrated and encouraged by her parents and grandparents. In 1989, a Georgian independence protest was violently quashed by Soviet soldiers, in the street where she went to kindergarten. Alice repressed the fear of that time, through her Jewish family's emigration to Australia. Alice eventually became a teacher — the fourth generation in her family — and ended up on Masterchef in 2012, as a way to encourage her students to study her elective at school. She has passed on her love of Georgian food to her daughter, through lashings of rye bread and sunflower oil. This episode of Conversations touches on origin stories, family stories, life story, family dynamics, personal stories, reflection, Georgia, USSR, former Soviet Union, Tbilisi, Jewish, immigration, cookbooks, cooking and cooking with family.
Tue, November 26, 2024
Pip Williams — from dyslexia to the Dictionary of Lost Words
Pip Williams was diagnosed with dyslexia as a teenager. She grew up to write a novel inspired by the history of the Oxford Dictionary, which soon became an international bestseller. (R) Pip Williams was a teenage poetry enthusiast when she had her first poem, called Fifteen, published in Dolly magazine. Then just a couple of years later, she was diagnosed with dyslexia. But despite her struggles with reading and spelling, she never drew back from the world of books and words. A few years ago Pip was reading a non-fiction book about the history of the Oxford English Dictionary when she started to question why there weren't more women in the story. Then she found the story of a missing word left out of the first-ever edition of the dictionary. This story became the seeds of Pip's first novel, The Dictionary of Lost Words, which is now an international bestseller. This episode of Conversations touches on dyslexia, dictionary, tree change, writing, books, Italy, travel, memoir, neurodivergence, learning disability, permaculture, farm to table, author, novels, personal stories, motherhood, origin stories, and reflection.
Mon, November 25, 2024
Jon Ronson on psychopaths, sociopaths and how to spot them
The journalist delves into the history of experimental psychopathy treatment in Canada, which included mass, nude LSD trips. Years ago, journalist Jon Ronson did a course on how to spot a psychopath. People with psychopathic tendencies tend to use certain patterns of behaviour, turns of phrase, and a decoy mask of normality. Then Jon went out and met with men who had committed violent crimes, or had used their traits to make extraordinary amounts of money, and who had been locked up, for years, all because of their psychopathy. In the process of his research, Jon noticed that today's reliance on social media fuels and rewards certain psychopathic traits. This episode of Conversations touches on psychopaths, sociopaths, the Hare checklist, Jon Ronson, psychopathic traits, CEOs, murderers, life stories, prison, jail, psychiatric institutions, LSD and psychotherapy.
Fri, November 22, 2024
Heroin, Ivan Milat, rehab and redemption — the incredible life of Claude Robinson
For years Claude Robinson was doing crime to fund his heroin addiction. He was eventually locked up with murderers in Goulburn Prison, where he shared a dentist with Ivan Milat. But in 2006 he made a big change, to turn his life around. (CW: descriptions of drug use, addiction, and crime) Claude Robinson is the manager of Rainbow Lodge, a home in inner Sydney for men just out of prison. Claude knows the place well because nearly 20 years ago he was sent there himself. Claude was a heroin addict who had taken to crime to pay for his habit and wound up in a minimum security jail. But after he assaulted a prison guard, he ended up in one of Australia's toughest jails - Goulburn Correctional Centre. While Claude was inside, his father died, and he found out that he had inherited $60,000. It was a chance to start a new life when he got out of prison. But instead, he and a girlfriend checked into a hotel in Kings Cross and bought some backs of heroin. Within weeks, all of Claude's inheritance was gone. In 2006, Claude was back in prison when he decided to finally change his story. He got off drugs, went to TAFE, and started working his way back to Rainbow Lodge, where he helps men who have walked a similar path to his own. Help and support is always available: The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015. This episode of Conversations discusses drug use, substance abuse, addiction, crime, mental health, toxic masculinity, manhood, fatherhood, parenting, turning your life around, getting clean, rehabilitation, rehab, intervention, AA, NA, sponsors, inheritance, heroin, methadone, ice, meth, illicit substances, incarceration, recidivism.
Thu, November 21, 2024
Darren Hayes on the bruising truth behind his Savage Garden stardom
During the height of his fame as one half of Savage Garden, Darren Hayes struggled to reconcile what he'd lived through as a child growing up in Logan (CW: descriptions of domestic violence). Darren Hayes rose to fame in the 1990s as part of the musical duo Savage Garden. The band ended up selling 35 million albums and won numerous awards with hits like 'Truly Madly Deeply'. On the surface, Darren had achieved wealth, adoration and stardom —everything he dreamt of as a kid growing up in Logan, on the outskirts of Brisbane. But the scars of his violent childhood nearly ended everything. Content Warning: this episode of Conversations contains descriptions of domestic violence. Help and support is always available: Call 1800 737 732 (1800 Respect) to speak to a counsellor if you are experiencing domestic violence. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week This conversation talks about family, Savage Garden, Daniel Jones, celebrity, singing, singers, fame, ancestry, music, modern history, Michael Jackson, grief, origin stories, family dynamics, music industry, reflection, life story, memoir, 90s music, fatherhood, mothers, motherhood, epic personal stories, life before, during and after musical fame, parenting, divorce, books.
Wed, November 20, 2024
Alice Roberts on the skeletons' secrets
Professor Alice Roberts examines the bones of those who died between five and ten centuries ago, solving the mysteries of how they lived and died. Professor Alice Roberts wants us to listen to skeletons. She's an anatomist and archaeologist who says that posthumous examination of our bones can reveal so much more than what someone might have looked like. Whether it's about our health, our diet, what we did for a living, how we died, and whether that was a violent end — epic stories are written into our bones. Recently Alice has been examining the bones of those who died between five and ten centuries ago to find out more about them. She's uncovered some amazing life and death stories. There’s the sad and gothic tale of a medieval Anchoress, who was walled up inside a church in York for 28 years; the lives of the drowned sailors who died in the sinking of a ship called the Mary Rose, once owned by Henry the Eighth; and new revelations about a terrible massacre ordered by a King in the year 1004 AD. This episode of Conversations explores death, anatomy, science, burial, history, origin stories, historic mysteries, ancestry, biology, ghost stories, Catholic Church, STIs, syphilis, medical history, early medicine, arthritis, strong bones, genocide.
Tue, November 19, 2024
Cows on a plane — an epic journey from Tullamarine to Chennai
Paul McVerry is an experienced cattleman and a stud breeder, who had a wild vision to fly a gift of cattle to India with the help of winemaker Dan Murphy. (R) New Zealand-born cattleman Paul McVerry has been surrounded by animals his whole life, and not just in cattle pens or in sheep yards. Paul has accompanied thoroughbred horses on weeks-long ship journeys across the Pacific ocean. He's been stuck with prized bulls in the back of a truck going the wrong way down Broadway in New York City. After being with animals on land-bound vehicles and sea-faring vessels, eventually Paul thought, "Cows can fly." In the 1970s, thousands of cattle were being slaughtered in Victoria and southern New South Wales because of ongoing drought. At the same time, the dairy industry in India was struggling due to generations of inbreeding. Paul saw an opportunity to solve both problems, and loaded the world's first ever airborne cattle onto a stretch D68 at Tullamarine Airport, bound for Chennai. This episode of Conversations explores farming, agriculture, epic journeys, foreign aid, animal welfare, animal transport, charity work, Mother Teresa, India, Tullamarine airport, Melbourne, Darwin, Chennai, Hong Kong, travel, plane travel, aeroplanes, airplanes, weird cargo, genetics, cross-breeding animals, diverse gene pool, insemination.
Mon, November 18, 2024
From Jaipur with love — building a romantic life in Australia
Screenwriter, Mithila Gupta thought her life would mimic her beloved Bollywood films — full of swooning and drama. But something was stuck, and she was an adult before she could embrace her vibrant Indian heritage. Screenwriter, Mithila Gupta grew up obsessing over Bollywood heart-throbs, thinking she would meet her own prince in a movie perfect meet-cute, involving serenades and moonlight. Her parents had left their home in Jaipur, India, to move their daughter to Australia, with hopes of more opportunities. Mithila's parents succeeded in building a life in Australia, though the family had periods of isolation and longing for home. Mithila became a screenwriter, and worked on Neighbours to introduce the first Indian family to Ramsay Street. As covid loomed, her father became ill, and Mithila found herself losing hope in dating apps, while she searched for a partner. During Melbourne's lockdown, her father’s face-reading — a skill he learned when he was young in north India — helped Mithila find her way to the love she had yearned for. This episode of Conversations touches on origin stories, life stories, loss, reflection, migrant life, personal stories, grief, immigration, Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan, Jaipur, Four Years Later, SBS, screenwriting, show runner, Mithila Gupta, Indian heritage, and Neighbours.
Fri, November 15, 2024
The magic of metallurgy — inside the ancient trade of blacksmithing
Matt Mewburn, one of Australia's last blacksmiths, takes you inside the "iron cathedral", where blacksmithing is still very much alive. Matt didn't grow up dreaming of forging knives and sculptures over heat as hot as volcanic lava. He thought he might take over the family farm or become a scientist. But when Matt was 20 years old, his father unexpectedly died, and Matt went looking for a hobby to keep himself distracted through the grief. A spontaneous trip to the local TAFE in Sydney introduced him to the magic of metallurgy and a burning passion was forged for the creativity and simple perfection of smithing. Matt developed his skills in his apprenticeship and then overseas during his so-called Journeyman years, spending time in a seminary in the hills of Tuscany, and in Scotland and Norway. For the last decade, Matt has been the custodian of Australia's largest and most historic rail works in Sydney. This episode of Conversations discusses apprenticeships, trade school, art, death of a parent, grief, origin stories, family dynamics, life story, loss, reflection, death, how to grieve, farming, regional Australia, Eveleigh, Carriage Works, Sydney, Australian history, vocational training, iron ore, steel.
Thu, November 14, 2024
'It was meant to be me' — the teenage TV star who feels 'lucky to be paraplegic'
Louise Philip had just scored her breakout role on Australian television, in Bellbird, when a horrific car crash threatened to derail the life she was forging for herself. Louise Philip was 15 years old when she convinced her parents to let her drop out of high school to become an actress. She had just scored her breakout role on Australian television, but within a few months a terrible car crash threatened to derail the life that she was forging for herself. Louise broke her back and permanently lost the use of her legs, and she was told that the silver screen was no longer a place for her. But Louise fought to get back to work, and thrived on Australian television sets for years until she did something else that people told her was impossible -- she became a mother. This episode of Conversations discusses disability, acting, paraplegia, wheelchair users, love, family dynamics, guilt, personal stories, origin stories, love, reflection,. motherhood, parenting with a disability, pregnancy with a disability, creativity, Bellbird, Cop Shop.
Wed, November 13, 2024
Exploring death and grief with heart and healing
As a forensic counsellor and then a grief counsellor, Wendy Liu has spent many years right up close to death. Her work with people who are processing all kinds of losses has brought her a much keener appreciation for life. (R) Wendy Liu was a young woman on a social work placement when she realised she had a special affinity for hard conversations about life and death. She put her aptitude to work in palliative care, and then some years later she began working as a forensic counsellor. For seven years Wendy worked supporting families following unexplained deaths, fatal accidents, child deaths, suicides and homicides reported to the Coroner. Today Wendy is a grief counsellor and a passionate advocate for us all to have more open and honest conversations about death and dying. She also says being so close to loss and grief each day has given her a stronger appreciation of life. This episode of Conversations explores terminal illness, murder, crime, survivors, how to grieve, healthy grieving, counselling, funerals, wakes, tough conversations, family dynamics, organising funerals, forensics, police.
Tue, November 12, 2024
How a macabre country childhood spawned a best-selling dressmaker’s tale
Author Rosalie Ham grew up in a country town three blocks long and three blocks wide. She paid close attention to the characters there, like the woman at the shops whose face was frozen into Munch’s scream. This eye for detail led to her first novel, which became a hit movie starring Kate Winslet. Author, Rosalie Ham grew up in country NSW, in a town three streets wide and three streets long. During a mouse plague, the rodents were so prolific that their droppings would appear at the bottom of the cereal packet, and the town's children — unsupervised — would chop the mice up with a downpipe in the farmyard shed. When Rosalie was a child, her mum received a devastating diagnosis, and started an affair as a way to find herself before it was too late. Watching her mother's life and extreme changes proved a formative experience, which led Rosalie to write her first novel, The Dressmaker. The book was eventually made into a film starring Kate Winslet. Rosalie's husband Ian had been a staunch support through her writing career, until he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and she became his carer. This episode of Conversations covers a life story, family dynamics, mothers, parenting, reflection, loss, origin stories, grief, personal stories, The Dressmaker, Kate Winslet, Australian fiction, Liam Hemsway, carers, infidelity, cheating, divorce, coping strategies and Alzheimer's Disease.
Mon, November 11, 2024
The epic mystery of a female pope and the birth that was her undoing
Writer Emily Maguire on losing her own faith, but finding awe and inspiration in a controversial myth about a female pontiff who some people believe sat disguised on the papal throne for two years in the ninth century. Writer Emily Maguire grew up in a very Christian home, where life revolved around the Church and prayer. By the time she was in her late teens, Emily had well and truly rebelled against her religious upbringing, eventually dropping out of high school, getting a job at McDonalds and getting married. But it wasn't until she suffered a rare stroke in her 20s, that Emily truly lost her faith. She remained fascinated by the history and the stories of the Church, however, and has written several books inspired by that interest. Most recently, Emily was gripped by a tale that has haunted the Catholic Church for more than 1,000 years—rumours of a woman who disguised herself as a man, entered a Benedictine Monastery and rose up the ranks until she was elected the most holy ruler of all, the Pope. If she truly did exist, after two years on the papal throne, Pope Joan was found out in the most dramatic way possible. This episode of Conversations discusses Catholicism, Jesus, religion, faith, writing, books, atheism, Christianity, finding God, losing faith, agnostics, spirituality, Christian history, power, politics, Roman Empire, Constantine, Charlemagne, marriage, childless by choice, Pope Joan, female pope, female Bishop, female leadership, teenage girls, teen sexuality, rebellion, crisis of faith.
Fri, November 08, 2024
From Yugoslavia to Australia — Jelena Dokic on tennis and the truth
Jelena Dokic overcame adversity, poverty and violence to rise to the top of the tennis world. Years later, her revelations about her father's abuse stunned the world. (CW: discussion of domestic violence and coercive control). This episode of Conversations also talks about sport, training, family, origin stories, parenting, relationships, childhood trauma, sports commentary, online trolls, refugees, security, control, family violence, therapy, mental health, identity, disordered eating, books, documentary film, reflection, culture, meaning, Australian, counselling, conversational story, and memoir.
Thu, November 07, 2024
Journey inside Africa's cave of Great Apes to upend your understanding of the human origin story
Lee Berger, National Geographic Explorer in Residence and real-life Indiana Jones with tales of his hominid discoveries, many of which have rewritten the story of palaeoanthropology. (R) National Geographic Explorer in Residence, Lee Berger, entered the field of palaeoanthropology when there was an infinitesimally tiny chance he would discover anything, while digging around South Africa. But this real-life Indiana Jones kept bucking the odds. He kept unearthing previously unseen parts of hominids - the group known as the Great Apes; comprising modern humans, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans plus all their immediate ancestors. First, he found a pair of hominid teeth in southern Africa. Then after a fossil hunting dry spell, his 9-year-old son Matthew found the jawbone of an entirely new hominid species. A few years later came Lee's most extraordinary discovery yet: a nearly inaccessible cave filled with skeletons of another new hominid species which seemed to be violating all the rules. The story of what happened in this cave revolutionises what we understand about the origins of our own human species. This episode of Conversations discusses the origin of human life, archaeology, science, research, caving, adventure, Indiana Jones, human species, evolution, Charles Darwin, theories of evolution, Africa.
Tue, November 05, 2024
Why Andrew sets the table under the stars in the Australian Outback
As Andrew Dwyer ventured further into the desert, he fell in love with the people and the landscape. He battled sandstorms, floods and isolation to serve fine foods under the stars. When Andrew Dwyer was growing up in 1960s Melbourne, the city wasn't the foodie destination it is now, in fact it was often described as a "culinary wasteland". But luckily for Andrew, his Czechoslovakian godfather and his Chinese stepmother introduced him to incredible flavours and cooking techniques from further afield. At the same time, Andrew was bushwalking and skiing and falling in love with the outdoors. Eventually, he combined his passion for wild places with his passion for good food. Andrew started venturing further and further west, far into the Australian outback — and he took his fine foods with him. This episode of Conversations explores travel, fine dining, food, cooking, camp cooking, travel, snow skiing, the Victorian Alps, good food, good weekender, travel recommendations, the Gibson Desert, Nothern Territory, South Australia, Adelaide, Australian Explorers, Giles, Pintupi 9, Indigenous tourism, tourism industry, foodies.
Mon, November 04, 2024
Byron Bay, reality TV and Shane Warne's bowel movements — why Akmal Saleh hates the jungle
An impulse decision to buy a home in the rainforest results in a comedy of errors involving a python in the roof, an unexpected tax bill, two reality TV shows discussing bowel movements with Shane Warne. (R) Akmal Saleh doesn't like the jungle or rainforests, or any of the animals in the jungle or rainforest. Akmal likes cafes and running water, which made the comedian's purchase of a cabin in the hills outside Byron Bay incredibly puzzling to those who know him. Looking for a place where their two dogs could run free, Akmal and his wife bought their remote cabin on an impulse. After twelve days, they knew the tree-change, hippie lifestyle wasn't for them. What followed was a comedy of errors involving a python in the roof, carpet-eating rats, a half-finished home, an unexpected tax bill, two reality shows and discussing bowel movements with Shane Warne. This episode of Conversations discusses sea changes, tree changes, impulse purchases, real estate, comedy, stand-up comedy, regional Australia, regional property market, buying property, I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Selling Houses Australia, the rainforest, the Byron Bay Hinterland, northern NSW.
Fri, November 01, 2024
From the Commonwealth Games to Everest and the Channel swim — Gerrard doesn’t need to see to believe
Athlete Gerrard Gosens didn't realise he was blind until his first day at primary school. His adventurous spirit led him to become a three time Paralympian, climb Mt Everest, swim the English Channel, and perform the rhumba on Dancing With The Stars. This conversation talks about family life, family history, childhood memories, origin stories, training, medical procedures, surgery, mountaineering, mountains, cycling, open water swimming, parenting, genetic conditions, glaucoma, disability, charity, Stevie Wonder, chocolate, training, exercising, Paralympic sport, triathlon, indoor climbing, sepsis, team building, reality TV, and fundraising.
Thu, October 31, 2024
What Jack Reacher did next — Lee Child on our favourite lone wolf
How a Birmingham boy became best-selling thriller writer, Lee Child, and the creator of one of the literary world's most popular loners. (R) James Grant grew up in Birmingham when it was a bustling industrial city. While huge workforces would pour of the factories as men ended their shifts and headed home on bicycles, for children, there wasn't much to do. Young James often found himself at the library, and he grew up a voracious reader. He began working for Granada Television after leaving university, but after a 20-year career, Jim suddenly found himself out of a job, and with a wife and child to support. With a pragmatic sense of mission, he sat down with a pencil and wrote his first novel in longhand, under the pseudonym Lee Child. It was a thriller about a loner named Jack Reacher, and went on to become a best-seller around the world, adapted into films and a television series. Now every nine seconds, somewhere in the world, someone buys a Jack Reacher book. This episode of Conversations explores crime writing, stories, thrillers, Jack Reacher, In Too Deep, television adaptations, Lee Child's real name, origin stories, Birmingham, books, authors, best-selling books, book recommendations, Tom Cruise, Netflix, Amazon Prime, film adaption, Hollywood, Bill Clinton.
Thu, October 31, 2024
What Jack Reacher did next — Lee Child on our favourite lone wolf
How a Birmingham boy became best-selling thriller writer, Lee Child, and the creator of one of the literary world's most popular loners. (R) James Grant grew up in Birmingham when it was a bustling industrial city. While huge workforces would pour of the factories as men ended their shifts and headed home on bicycles, for children, there wasn't much to do. Young James often found himself at the library, and he grew up a voracious reader. He began working for Granada Television after leaving university, but after a 20-year career, Jim suddenly found himself out of a job, and with a wife and child to support. With a pragmatic sense of mission, he sat down with a pencil and wrote his first novel in longhand, under the pseudonym Lee Child. It was a thriller about a loner named Jack Reacher, and went on to become a best-seller around the world, adapted into films and a television series. Now every nine seconds, somewhere in the world, someone buys a Jack Reacher book. This episode of Conversations explores crime writing, stories, thrillers, Jack Reacher, In Too Deep, television adaptations, Lee Child's real name, origin stories, Birmingham, books, authors, best-selling books, book recommendations, Tom Cruise, Netflix, Amazon Prime, film adaption, Hollywood, Bill Clinton.
Wed, October 30, 2024
From the Pilbara to Perth and beyond — the Indigenous psychologist doing things differently
Dr Tracy Westerman grew up in the Pilbara, where suicide and mental health issues have deeply scarred Indigenous communities. So this Nyamal woman decided to do something about it. Nyamal woman Tracy Westerman grew up in some of the most remote parts of Western Australia, moving from a station to a town called Useless Loop, eventually landing in the mining town of Tom Price. Tracy, the daughter of an Aboriginal mother and a white father, became the first person educated entirely in Tom Price, from kindergarten to year 12, to go on to University. When she arrived in Perth, she had never been on a bus or on an escalator, but she was fired up to study psychology. Tracy wanted to use the skills she learned in the city to deliver practical mental health care to Aboriginal people, and to help entire communities reeling from the impact of suicide and other mental health issues. Along the way to obtaining her doctorate, Tracy has become a businesswoman, the WA Australian of the year, and she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal. Her next mission is to build an army of Indigenous psychologists to continue the work she's already started. This episode of Conversations discusses mental health care, mental health struggles, First Nations mental health, remote communities, interracial relationships, psychology, university, PhD study, tertiary education, the Pilbara, Nyamal, traditional owners, Indigenous psychologist.
Tue, October 29, 2024
How a famous, broken bible changed the story of a family
Michael Visontay with the true tale of how fragments of a rare Gutenberg Bible were sold off, leaf by leaf, in New York in the 1920s, and how the sale of these books, chapters and verses changed the course of his own family. Some years ago journalist Michael Visontay was researching his family history when he stumbled upon the story of a man named Gabriel Wells, who had been a New York book dealer at the height of the Roaring 20s. As a way to make fast money, Wells came up with a scandalous plan. He bought a precious, ancient copy of the world's greatest book, the Gutenberg Bible, and began extracting leaves from it to sell off the individual pages. Wealthy buyers were willing to pay big money for the 'noble fragments', and Wells died a rich man. More than a century later, Michael discovered an extraordinary link between the story of Gabriel Wells and his own family history. He then set out to track down the pages of the broken bible himself. This episode of Conversations discusses rare books, the Holocaust, World War Two, refugees, the Iron Curtain, post-war migration, Hungary, Judaism, divorce, blended families, small business, love stories, family stories, origin stories, Anglicisation of names, Sydney, Kings Cross.
Mon, October 28, 2024
From Bankstown to the Barossa: the story of Maggie Beer
Legendary cook, author, food producer and educator Maggie Beer had a circuitous path to the food world, which began when she left school at 14. (R) Legendary cook, author, food producer and educator Maggie Beer grew up in Lakemba in South-West Sydney, and got her first job when she was 14 years old. Maggie had to leave school early to go out to work to help support her family after her father's business went bankrupt. Although she had a varied working life over the next two decades, it wasn't until her mid-30s that Maggie found her purpose. She and her husband, Colin, began a pheasant farm in South Australia's Barossa Valley, then added a farm gate shop and a restaurant. After a few years of struggle, a review of their business changed everything. Later, Maggie began her next chapter as a TV star on The Cook and the Chef and Masterchef. Recently Maggie has been campaigning to improve the quality of food in aged care. This year she was recognised with an international TV host award for her work on ABC TV's Maggie Beer's Big Mission . This episode of Conversations explores food, food inequality, farm to table, the Barossa, Western Sydney, aged care, nutrition, health and wellbeing, food for the soul, recipes, dinner recipes, home cooking, gastronomy, hospitality, chefs., family recipes.
Fri, October 25, 2024
Panic attacks, pride, the navy, and Nate Byrne
In 2024 Nate Byrne went from presenting the weather to making the news when he acknowledged live on air that he was experiencing a panic attack. Keeping cool under pressure is a skill Nate developed in his first career as a Naval Officer, and perhaps also from his days as a go-go dancer in a Perth nightclub. Nate Byrne is the Weather Presenter on ABC News Breakfast. In August this year Nate went from presenting the weather to making the news when he acknowledged, as he was broadcasting live, that he was experiencing a panic attack. It's something that had been happening on many mornings for the past few years whenever Nate stood at one of his favourite places in the world: in front of the weather wall in the ABC TV studio. Nate has decided this is just his body being 'a doofus' and has found a way to redirect his brain once the panic starts. Keeping cool under pressure is a skill Nate developed in his first career as a Naval Officer… and perhaps also from his days as a go-go dancer in a Perth nightclub. This episode of Conversations explores family, marriage equality, science, meteorology, TV Broadcasting, the weather, origin stories, weather forecasts, military history, World War Two, the navy, submarines, sea mines, naval mines, Arab Spring, and dancing.
Thu, October 24, 2024
A life-changing quince, backyard butchery, and ethical food obsession
Chef Ben Shewry grew up on a farm in New Zealand where his family grew or hunted most of their own food. Ben was 10 when he started working in restaurants and his discovery of a second hand Thai cookbook eventually led him to Australia. In 2015 Ben become the owner of Attica in Melbourne and turned it into one of the world's most acclaimed and innovative restaurants. This episode of Conversations explores origin, family, ancestry, parenting, origin stories, Melbourne, personal stories, depression, mental health, reflection, memoir, life story, exploration, food, cooking, hospitality, aboriginal food, bush foods, restaurant, critics, butchery, baking, farming, hunting, fishing, diving and lockdown lasagne.
Thu, October 24, 2024
A life-changing quince, backyard butchery, and ethical food obsession
Chef Ben Shewry grew up on a farm in New Zealand where his family grew or hunted most of their own food. He's now the owner of Attica in Melbourne one of the world's most acclaimed and innovative restaurants.
Wed, October 23, 2024
Lee Miller: surrealist photographer, war correspondent, and gourmet chef
Antony Penrose grew up knowing little about his remarkable mother Lee Miller, who had studied with Man Ray in Paris, and become a model, a photographer, and a war correspondent. But then an unexpected find in the family attic changed everything. (R) Lee Miller was a Vogue model, a photographer, and a war correspondent who studied in Paris with her lover, Man Ray, lived in Egypt, and captured some of the most searing images of the holocaust. Recently she has become famous in pop culture for her glamour and her iconic photographic images. But there is much more to her story. Lee's son Antony grew up on a farm in East Sussex as the son of Lee and the surrealist painter Roland Penrose. His relationship with his mum was often strained, as Lee was then struggling with PTSD and alcohol addiction. She eventually lifted herself out of her drinking and when she became sober, she swapped her camera for the kitchen and became an experimental chef of some renown in the last years of her life. Soon after Lee's death at the age of 70, Antony's wife made a chance discovery of thousands of photographic negatives and some of Lee's manuscripts in a family attic. It became a rich seam of material for the family to begin to begin to understand Lee's multi-faceted life story. Antony now devotes his working life to Lee's legacy. Some years ago he wrote an acclaimed biography of her called 'The Lives of Lee Miller'. This episode of Conversations touches on new films, film recommendations, family legacy, epic life story, origin stories, Man Ray, WWII, the Holocaust, Lee Miller, motherhood, family, PTSD, war correspondence, war photography, Kate Winslet and Ellen Kuras.
Tue, October 22, 2024
Helping people die on their own terms — why Bhawani became a VAD practitioner
Bhawani O'Brien's first name means "giver of life" in Tamil, which is ironic she says, because one of the greatest privileges of her life has been helping more than 100 people in their dying moments as a voluntary assisted dying practitioner. Bhawani grew up in Malaysia with Sri Lankan parents, both of whom were doctors. She was also expected to become a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer or an accountant. Luckily for her, she adored her father, and followed his footsteps into medical school without protest. But after decades working as a GP, Bhawani had lost her purpose and also her beloved father, who died back at home in Malaysia while Bhawani was stuck behind locked borders in Western Australia. Not long after his death, she found a random pamphlet in her pigeonhole at work. It was about voluntary assisted dying, which became legal in WA in 2021, and it changed the course of Bhawani's professional and personal life. This episode of Conversations explores death, grief, grieving, cancer, terminal illness, Neurodegenerative disorders, VAD, voluntary assisted dying, living wakes, euthanasia, palliative care, how to say goodbye, how to grieve, doctors, GP, medical fraternity, medical community, migration, multiculturalism, prejudice.
Mon, October 21, 2024
Kanye and me — why John Safran squatted in Ye's Hollyweird mansion
Australian Gonzo author and documentary filmmaker John Safran has made a career out of getting into places he probably shouldn't be. He put his sanity on the line in his latest escapade — breaking into one of Kanye West's strange homes. His latest slightly criminal expedition saw him squatting in a Hollywood mansion belonging to Kanye West. John had seen a clip of the hip-hop mega star denying the Holocaust, defending Adolf Hitler, and claiming that Black people cannot be anti-Semitic because they are actually Jewish. His week writing and snooping in this strange house, with no running water and a vulture in the roof, made John go increasingly loopy as he tried to understand what pushed this critically acclaimed artist from celebrity eccentric to seriously 'out there'. This episode of Conversations explores celebrity culture, pop culture, Taylor Swift, Hollywood, anti-Semitism, Donda Academy, conspiracy theories, celebrity worship, hip-hop, street fashion,Jay Z, Kim Kardashian, Cornerstone Christian Church, UFOs, Black Hebrew Israelites, David Cole, holocaust deniers, revisionist history, racism, race relations, modern America, US election, Trump, Kamala Harris.
Fri, October 18, 2024
Changing prisoners' minds with Vedic meditation at Rikers Island
Joh Jarvis was a high-flying boss when grief from a terrible loss began to overwhelm her. She tried therapy, exercise and healthy eating. Then she found Vedic meditation, and the experience was 'psychedelic'. Joh Jarvis is a Vedic meditation teacher. Every week, she travels into Rikers Island Prison — a notorious jail in New York City — to teach meditation to hardened criminals. Joh grew up in Adelaide and had always wanted to live amidst the bright lights of New York. After a stint as a bicycle courier, she worked her way up to management at the ABC. As she approached 50, she had a well-paying job, a nice house, and strong connections with friends and family. But long-term grief had hollowed her out, and she asked herself, is this all there is? Then she was introduced to Vedic meditation, and she says her first encounter was 'psychedelic'. This episode touches on epic life stories, family dynamics, grief, loss, reflection, Vedic meditation, meditation, personal stories, origin stories, death, career, giving back, New York City, Rikers Island prison, incarceration, justice system, prison system, mindfulness and mantras.
Thu, October 17, 2024
A wild Bollywood adventure — from Sydney to Mumbai and back again
Indian-Australian actor and playwright, Nicholas Brown on being cast as a villain, and what made him end his time in Mumbai for a different life back home. Actor Nicholas Brown regularly appears on Playschool — cavorting with stuffed animals and singing about the solar system. Back when he was growing up in Western Sydney there was no one who looked like him when he’d turn the telly on. Nicholas became the youngest student accepted to NIDA, straight out of school, but his career failed to launch in Australia. So, he packed his bags, headed to Mumbai and became a Bollywood villain, working with the Brad Pitt of India and meeting producers who had gunshot wounds from their time in the industry. But Bollywood wasn't the right fit, and when dear friends invited Nicholas home to Sydney to start a new project, he couldn't resist. This episode of Conversations touches on epic life stories, personal stories, origin stories, mothers, fathers, grief, family dynamics, LGBTQI, Bollywood, Hrithik Roshan, NIDA, acting, reflection, identity and fatherhood.
Wed, October 16, 2024
Aunty Ruth Hegarty’s life of defiance, faith and finding her voice
The hardship, cruelty and loneliness of the mission system during the Great Depression didn't crush Aunty Ruth Hegarty's spirit. She found her voice, God and her family. (R) In 1929 during the Great Depression, Ruth travelled with her mother and grandparents to Barambah, later known as Cherbourg Aboriginal Mission. After being told someone there would help them find a new home, they soon discovered they weren't allowed to leave. At 4 years of age, Ruth was separated from her family. She grew up as a dormitory girl, and was sent out to work as a domestic servant when she turned 14. But the cruelty and loneliness of the mission system didn't crush Ruth's spirit. Ruth found her voice, she found God, and she became a matriarch to five generations of descendants. Content warning: this episode contains discussions about abuse, family violence, and Stolen Generations This episode of Conversations explores Australian history, Indigenous history, the Stolen Generations, missions, the Voice referendum, the Great Depression, Cherbourg, domestic work, motherhood, grief, religion, Christianity, God, Faith.
Tue, October 15, 2024
Arnhem Land to Everest — surviving worst case scenarios in the wilderness
From the unforgiving tropics of the Kokoda track to Mt Everest, wilderness guide Steve Ellis has made a career teaching bushcraft and survival skills to civilians and Defence personnel – and along the way he has survived his share of life-threatening situations. Steve Ellis' own first lesson in survival came very young. He was just 6 years old when he got lost in the national forest near his family farm in central Victoria, but as Steve snuggled up to one of the working dogs for the night, he knew he'd be ok. Steve has made a career of teaching bushcraft and survival skills to civilians and Defence personnel. He's guided treks across freezing North American glaciers, and through the unforgiving tropics of the Kokoda track. Steve never tires of the awe and wonder of the natural world and looking up at the night sky, particularly at his beloved Southern Cross, when he's far from the city lights. This episode of Conversations explores mountaineering, avalanches, hiking, Mt Everest, fire, NORFORCE, Army, military, celestial navigation, food, family, war, military history, WWII, Anzac, Nepal, astronomy.
Mon, October 14, 2024
I was a political prisoner in Myanmar — and I could never hate the Burmese
Following the coup of 2021, Australian economist Sean Turnell received an email from a "secret friend", warning him he was being watched by Myanmar's military. Moments later, the police closed in on him. Sean Turnell is an Australian economist with longstanding connections to Myanmar, the nation formerly known as Burma. In 2016, Sean was appointed as senior economic advisor to the dissident Aung San Suu Kyi, who had become the country's prime minister after decades of military rule. The country had another election, and democracy was cemented. But the military staged a coup in 2021, and Sean was arrested and charged with being a spy, and imprisoned in a sealed room the size of a shipping container. For nearly two years, Sean struggled to keep his mind and body together, while his wife and the Australian government campaigned for his release. This episode of Conversations touches on an epic life story, personal story, grief, memoir, reflection, death, modern history, an exploration of Myanmar, political history, Burma, civil war, prison, jail, death row, political prisoners.
Fri, October 11, 2024
The coal miner's daughter and the bride stripped bare
From Wollongong to London, via Alice Springs, this is writer Nikki Gemmell on her deeply romantic life, and how she defied expectations to become a famous author. Writer Nikki Gemmell grew up the daughter of a coal miner who thought writers were a burden on society, while her mum taught Nikki that only success was worthy of love. So Nikki went above and beyond to prove her beloved father wrong, and to get the attention of her mother through her achievements, publishing 20 books in the process, including the wildly successful The Bride Stripped Bare. The mother of four children, Nikki has also been determined to live her own life and raise her own children very differently, being generous with her love and pride for her sons and daughter. Content warning: Please take care when listening as this conversation mentions suicide. This episode of Conversations explores romance, love, epic love, relationships, break-ups, divorce, menopause, peri-menopause, parenting, coal mining, the working class, education, books, writing, novels, children of divorce, adventure, fathers and daughters.
Thu, October 10, 2024
A Sri Lankan hotel, a Harlem nightclub and orgasm-induced amnesia — Dasha Ross' epic adventures
Dasha Ross' most epic adventures were chartered with her larger-than-life husband John Pinder, including the time they managed a beachside hotel in Sri Lanka. Things did not go as planned. Dasha Ross has lived a life full of adventures, from nude modelling in Sydney and making films in Brazil, to renovating a nightclub in Harlem with a baby on her hip. But Dasha's biggest adventures were with her beloved husband John Pinder, including the time the two of them took up a surprising offer to revamp and manage a beachside hotel in Sri Lanka. Things did not go as planned as they battled typhoons, demanding guests and a meddling, possibly murderous, manager. This episode of Conversations explores epic adventures, cancer, the death of a loved one, grief, travel, Sri Lanka, Harlem, New York City, film production, journalism, film making, Brazil, marriage, amnesia, brain conditions, medical enigmas.
Wed, October 09, 2024
Prostate cancer, testosterone and Tim Baker's masculinity
When surf writer Tim Baker was diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer, he had no idea how the hormones which saved his life would fundamentally change his experience of being a man (R). Surf writer Tim Baker was in his early fifties when he was riding a very good wave in his life. He had a job he loved as a surfing writer, a beautiful family, and he lived within walking distance of the beach. But on a work trip to Los Angeles, Tim began to need to use the 'rest room' a lot more than usual. Back in Australia, he went to see his doctor, then an oncologist who gave him some terrible news. He had Stage 4 prostate cancer and it had spread to his bones. Tim has written a candid account of living with cancer, and some of the grim and rarely spoken about side effects of his life-saving hormone therapy; effects which have profoundly changed his identity and his relationships. This episode of Conversations explores cancer, prostate cancer, testosterone, hormone treatment, surfing, masculinity, mortality, books, writing, manhood, aging, bone cancer, fatherhood, big waves, middle age.
Tue, October 08, 2024
Obsessive-compulsive disorder and how Penny loosened its anxiety-inducing grip
Penny Moodie grew up consumed by catastrophic thoughts and developed habits to try to ward off impending doom. It turned out she had been living with obsessive-compulsive disorder. (R) Penny Moodie grew up consumed by catastrophic thoughts and ideas - that her parents would die in a car crash, that her mother was not really her mother, or that she had somehow contracted HIV aids. It's not unusual for children to worry about their parents and their own safety, but for Penny these anxieties went much further. She thought she could ward off catastrophes by doing specific things, by developing compulsive behaviours and routines. It turns out, Penny had been living obsessive compulsive disorder for more than 30 years before she was diagnosed. Only recently has Penny been able to understand what she's truly afraid of, to discard her constant state of anxiety and to finally take joy in the simple pleasures of life. This episode of Conversations explores mental health, mental illness, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, generalised anxiety disorder, OCD, late diagnosis, neurodiversity, behavioural disorder, therapy, habits, building good habits, simple joys.
Mon, October 07, 2024
Melbourne's seedy underbelly and the gangsters who run the joint
They're violent and scary, some of them are madmen and others are convicted killers, but the gangsters who control organised crime syndicates in Melbourne are mostly just stupid, according to veteran crime reporter John Silvester. Veteran crime reporter John Silvester has been covering gangland wars, armed robberies and serial killers in Melbourne for almost half a century. Over that time, the city has changed dramatically from a big town, where organised crime was isolated to suburbia, to a 24/7 global city with global city problems. But one thing has stayed the same—the type of characters who run the seedy underbelly of Melbourne city. Some of them are madmen, some are murderers, but according to John, most of them are too stupid to stop their egos getting involved in their business. And so every 20 years, the same cycle of territory wars and gangland violence starts again. John's latest book, Dark City, is published by Pan Macmillan This episode of Conversations explores Melbourne, organised crime, gangs, mafia, triads, yakuza, underbelly, police, cops, serial killers, true crime, drugs, fatherhood, writing, books, Chopper Read, Carl Williams, Tony Mokbel.
Fri, October 04, 2024
Play School's Noni Hazlehurst — Australia's TV mum
Beloved Australian actor, Noni Hazlehurst looks back on her life on stage and screen. Noni Hazlehurst has been on Australian TV screens and theatres for nearly 50 years. She comes from a long line of performers. Noni's parents met while they were part of a touring Variety act in the UK, and her great grandfather was a famous child trapeze artist. Keeping children company on Playschool was one of her best known roles, which she had for 24 years. In Noni’s day, Playschool was recorded in one take, unless one of the presenters swore or was bitten by a rabbit. This episode focuses on motherhood, acting, stage, screen, actors, Playschool, Better Homes and Gardens, vocation, life calling, trapeze, variety act, family, the Blue Mountains, characters, pretend, make-believe.
Thu, October 03, 2024
Kasey Chambers on how not to be a d***head
The country music star remembers a childhood spent roaming the Nullarbor Plain, and the number one lesson she learned from her father. Kasey Chambers started singing around the campfire as a little girl. She and her family spent much of the year camping on the Nullarbor Plain, where her dad would hunt for foxes and rabbits. Kasey and her brother Nash had a free range childhood, and went to sleep to the sound of their father's rifle as he worked through the night. Singing came naturally to Kasey, and she loved all the old country classics, as well as some Cyndi Lauper and Bruce Springsteen. Kasey has spent her life making music and connecting with audiences. It’s what she believes she was put on the earth to do. This episode of Conversations touches on motherhood, family, country music, Kasey Chambers, singing, songwriting, nature, childhood, parenting, co-parenting, divorce, re-partnering, gentle parenting, making music, recording music, guitar, banjo, mandolin, Slim Dusty, Tamworth Country Music Festival.
Wed, October 02, 2024
Into the wild with Gina Chick
Gina Chick, the winner of Alone Australia on her life as a creative, outrageous, nature-loving misfit who grew up to live through great depths of love, and grief (CW: discusses the death of a child). In 2023, Gina Chick spent 67 days by herself, in the wilderness of Tasmania’s West Coast, surviving on worms, fish, and one unlucky wallaby. After those 67 days, Gina became the first-ever winner of a reality show on SBS called Alone Australia, but her approach to the competition was very different from the other contestants. For Gina, the wild was not an enemy to be overcome but a place with no hierarchy, where she feels completely herself. It’s always been that way, since she was a 'weird' little girl with a rare affinity with birds and nature. As an adult, Gina spent years inside Sydney’s queer club scene and working for an all-girl security firm, but life changed completely for Gina when she became a mother herself. This episode of Conversations explores motherhood, parenting, reality television, Alone Australia, winner of Alone, hunting, survival, did Gina catch the wallaby? adoption, adoptees, Kiama, South Coast NSW, ADHD, birds, neurodiversity, bad boyfriends, debt, sexually transmitted debt, scent, pheromones, younger men, Oxford Street, survival, nightclubs, podium dancing, synaesthesia, breast cancer.
Tue, October 01, 2024
Shakespeare's stories aren't boring — we are teaching them wrong way
Irish journalist and author, Fintan O'Toole on how the Victorians changed the meaning of Shakespeare's plays, and how we can bring them back to life. Fintan O'Toole is an Irish journalist and author who writes on politics and history for the New York Review of Books and the Irish Times. He wants to change the way we think about Shakespeare's plays, because the way many of us are introduced to Shakespeare is wrong and boring. Fintan says Shakespeare’s work is wrongly presented as a delivery system for simple moral instruction — a hangover from the Victorian era, which wanted to turn Shakespeare into a form of "mental muesli". According to Fintan, the genius of Shakespeare is that his characters keep escaping narrow moral categories, just as people do in real life. This episode of Conversations deals with Shakespeare's epic plays, life, death, betrayal, history, kings, royalty, motherhood, fatherhood, grief, life processes, making meaning of life and morality, Othello, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet.
Mon, September 30, 2024
How Tolstoy and Chekhov schooled George Saunders on life's great lessons
Writer George Saunders on how famous short stories by writers like Chekhov, Tolstoy, Turgenev and Gogol are like miniature models of the world and how they can teach us to transcend our own limitations. (R) For many years, author George Saunders taught a writing masterclass in upstate New York, in which he introduced students to the stories of the great Russian authors. Conversations with his students about writers like Tolstoy and Chekhov have given George some of the happiest moments of his life. George thinks the short stories written by these literary giants are like miniature models of the world—they show us what it's like to get lost in the snow on a winter's night, and how it feels to swim in a pond in the rain. He says they can reveal so much to us about how we should live in this world and what we might want from the world and the humans in it. This episode of Conversations discusses books, writing, literature, Russian literature, tertiary education, human connection, personal development, personal growth, Anna Karenina, epic books, origin stories, Steven Colbert's favourite author, the creative process, how to write, how to become a writer.
Fri, September 27, 2024
The unexpected plot twist: how a solo hiker stayed alive after shattering her pelvis in Joshua Tree National Park
Claire Nelson hadn't told anyone where she was going, and her phone lost signal shortly into her hike. As an experienced bushwalker, she never dreamed an adventure would turn out like this. (R) Claire Nelson was hiking alone in Joshua Tree National Park in 2018, when she slipped on a stack of boulders and fell 25 feet to the ground. The impact shattered Claire’s pelvis, and she couldn’t even raise herself on her elbows, let alone stand. She could reach her phone, but in the middle of the Californian desert it was out of range. Looking at the maps she'd downloaded, Claire realised she'd walked way off the trail, so there was no chance of another hiker coming by. Day after day, Claire lay on her back in the scorching sun hoping she could last long enough for someone to realise she was missing. This episode of Conversations touches on mothers, mountains, epic stories, deserts, hiking, solo adventuring, catastrophe, wilderness, big nature, injuries, Joshua Tree National Park, survival, rattlesnakes, coyotes, travel in the USA, travel insurance.
Thu, September 26, 2024
The unexpected plot twist: the story of how suicide survivor Oceane, who became a beloved midwife
At the age of 18, Oceane Campbell tried to take her own life. She survived and fought her way back into life, becoming a midwife and a mother of three (CW: discussion of suicide, please take care when listening). (R) Oceane Campbell has been very close with the raw stuff of life. She's a midwife and a mother, so she's seen and experienced the power of birth many times over. She has also been very close to death. At the age of 18, Oceane tried to take her own life. After she survived, she began a painstaking climb back into living. Oceane also slowly rebuilt her relationship with her mother, Cecile, and a few years ago they wrote a memoir of what had happened together. As an adult, Oceane met and married her wife Sarah and retrained as a midwife. She and Sarah now have three children of their own. Recently Oceane was named as Newcastle's Woman of the Year for her work in midwifery and her advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community. This conversation mentions family dynamics, families, mothers, origin stories, mothering, midwifery, self harm, life and death. Content warning: Please take care when listening as this conversation mentions suicide and sexual assault. Help is always available. If you need to talk, 24/7 crisis support is available from Lifeline by calling 13 11 14. You can also text with them and chat online with counsellors here
Wed, September 25, 2024
The unexpected plot twist: The story of Toni Jordan's lucky life
Toni Jordan grew up working in a T.A.B. with her cyclonic mother, and going to the greyhound races. Then she grew up to become a best-selling novelist. (R) Toni Jordan is a best-selling novelist. But she didn't grow up in a house full of books. Her mum ran a T.A.B. and her dad trained greyhounds for a living. Toni's mum was hardworking and hilarious, but she could also be hard to live with. All her life, Toni felt she had to look out for her mum. But after Marg became a grandmother, Toni began to admire her in new ways. This conversation talks about gambling, money, family dynamics, origin stories, parenting, mental health, writing, film, domestic violence and relationships. Content warning: this episode of Conversations contains discussion about domestic violence and self harm.
Tue, September 24, 2024
The unexpected plot twist: The tech nerd who changed course to help the homeless
Jon Owen's mum enrolled him in a computer science degree at University - expecting him to build a flourishing career; which he did. It just wasn't the one that everyone expected. (R) Jon Owen came to Australia as a small child. He survived playground racism at school, and became a high achiever. His family expected him to excel at school and university and go on to a flourishing career. And that's exactly what he did — in a way that nobody could have predicted. Jon was near the end of his computer science degree when he chose a life of 'intentional downward mobility'. He began working with the homeless, the addicted and the disenfranchised, and living with them too. Today he's the Pastor and CEO at Sydney's Wayside Chapel in Kings' Cross. This story is about family of origin, ancestry, life stories, disadvantage, drug use, children, faith, charity, social work, refugees, asylum seekers, Christianity, Jesus, family stories, family life, homelessness, caring, love, and downward mobility
Mon, September 23, 2024
The unexpected plot twist: From the David Jones food hall to Opera Australia
After a stint being homeless and living in his car, Stephen Smith was working at David Jones Food Hall when one of his colleagues noticed his remarkable singing voice. A few years later, he became a tenor on the operatic world stage (R)
Fri, September 20, 2024
An odyssey across Australia — how 11,000 sheep were walked from Victoria into the outback
In 1882, thousands of sheep set off from a property in Western Victoria. Their destination was a huge station in the Northern Territory, land which a sheep had never set foot on. To get there, these animals and their drover battled drought, flood, famine and doubt. Tom Guthrie is a winemaker and sheep farmer in Western Victoria, and is a descendent in a long line of enterprising farmers. Almost 150 years ago, after surviving shipwrecks, fires and floods, Tom's ambitious great grandfather sent 11,000 sheep by foot to unseen land in the Northern Territory. The journey took 16 months, and the sheep were led almost 3,500km by their drover, through drought, flood and famine. It became the longest sheep drive in Australian history. In recent years, Tom has had to call on his family's grit and resilience to get through the most unimaginable tragedy for a parent -- the loss of a child. This episode of Conversations deals with family history, ancestry, farming, books, death of a child, Australiana, winemaking, colonisation, grief, fatherhood, death and the loss of a child.
Thu, September 19, 2024
Antibiotic resistant superbugs and how to fight them
Professor Ian Henderson has spent his career searching for new treatments in the fight against antibiotic resistance superbugs
Wed, September 18, 2024
A life spent making — ‘Mr Millimetre’s’ memories
Jeffrey Broadfield has made building his life. It has taken him around the world, and given him a place to belong. Jeffrey Broadfield is a master maker who builds houses to his clients’ wishes and quirks, using carpentry to turn recycled Australian hardwood into dream homes. It’s a craft Jeffrey says is dying. He grew up in Griffith, NSW, where he learned to swim in the irrigation channel and entice next door’s chooks over into his house to play. When he left school at 16, Jeffrey became interested in fitting and turning, but on the boring train ride to a factory job interview, a well-worn tie changed the course of his life. This episode of Conversations covers bespoke, custom craftsmanship, an epic life story, families, travel, architecture, marriage, nature, theatre.
Tue, September 17, 2024
Fish sperm sausages, and eyeball icecream: the Josh Niland story
From using fish eyes in ice cream, and not wasting the liver, to creating recipes with fish sperm, chef Josh Niland on his mission to revolutionise how we cook and eat fish. (R) Chef Josh Niland is devoted to changing ideas about how we cook and eat fish in the Western world. He believes that rather than eating just the fillet, we should aim to eat the whole fish, as we do nose-to-tail with animals. At his restaurants, he cooks with fish eyeballs, fish livers, fish heads, and milt (fish sperm). A big part of Josh's philosophy is about making fishing more sustainable. He says fishers risk their lives every, so we're duty-bound to use as much of the catch as we can. Josh's approach is winning him acclaim around the world. At 30, he won an award that is considered the Oscars of food writing, the James Beard Award, for his first book, The Whole Fish Cookbook. His passion has its roots in his childhood and his own origin story. At 8 years old, Josh fell terribly ill, and during a long convalescence, realised exactly what he wanted to do when he grew up. Today, Josh has several restaurants of his own. This conversation discusses family of origin, family, ancestry, parenting, origin stories, personal stories, reflection, memoir, life story, exploration and family dynamics
Mon, September 16, 2024
The architects of ancient Arabia – speaking to the sky
The deserts of Saudi Arabia are still holding on to many ancient secrets, hidden inside burial tombs and mysterious monumental structures called mustatils. Dr Hugh Thomas is on an archaeological mission to solve some of these mysteries. Hugh Thomas is an archaeologist who is fascinated by ancient mortuary practices and the secrets still hidden in the deserts of Saudi Arabia. In the north west of the country, thousands of mysterious rectangular structures, built in the fifth millennium, are still standing. They are monumental structures, up to 600m long, built from walls of rock and best viewed from the sky, where the chambers in which ritualistic killings took place, are clear. But who or what exactly motivated these ancient architects to build such things is not yet clear. And crisscrossing the landscape around them are kilometres of pathways called 'funerary avenues' -- routes carved out by people and herds, punctuated by burial tombs that look like jewellery from the air. This episode of Conversations explores ancient history, deep time, epic discoveries, the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, death and archaeology.
Fri, September 13, 2024
The epic highs and lows of Ji's life on the trampoline
Ji Wallace was at the top of his career as a gymnast and acrobat when a terrible injury and surprising diagnosis brought him back down to earth, temporarily. Ji was an energetic, only child growing up on a bush block in suburban Brisbane when his parents brought home a trampoline to keep him occupied. Ji took to it so quickly, he learnt how to flip by that afternoon, and was a national champion in gymnastics just a couple of years later. He managed to make a career out of bouncing around, representing Australia at the Olympics and then joining Cirque Du Soleil as an acrobat. But a terrible injury, and then the news that he was HIV positive, set Ji on a different course, although he didn't let it keep him grounded. This episode of Conversations explores elite athletes, gymnastics, the Olympics, Brisbane 2032, parenting, coming out, the queer community, LGBT issues, andHIV and AIDS.
Thu, September 12, 2024
Treating dementia — a new way of caring for the elderly
Psychiatrist Duncan McKellar wrote the report that triggered the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. He has seen how care changes when we take someone's life story into account. Duncan McKellar is a psychiatrist specialising in the care of older people with dementia and serious mental health conditions. When Duncan first started working with these patients, he was shocked to find elderly people tied to chairs and left in locked rooms. His advocacy helped trigger the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and he devoted himself to running a very different kind of care facility — one where everyone’s story is understood and respected. This episode of Conversations discusses aged care, elder abuse, older Australians, aging, Alzheimer's, dementia, aging population, family dynamics, grief.
Wed, September 11, 2024
The story of James Earl Jones, and his legacy
The late James Earl Jones grew up with a stutter and hardly said a word for years. After an English teacher intervened, he grew up to become one of the world's finest actors. (R) Actor James Earl Jones died recently, at the age of 93. When he was touring Australia in 2013 with a production of Driving Miss Daisy, Richard had the chance to sit down with him and ask him about his life. Although we knew him for his magnificent voice, James Earl Jones grew up with a stutter. A stutter which was so severe that he hardly said a word for years. But after the intervention of an English professor, he decided to become an actor. He grew up to become one of his generation's finest stage and screen actors, in films like The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games and of course, in Star Wars. This episode of Conversations explores Hollywood, film, cinema, stuttering, acting, Star Wars, cinema, obit, obituaries.
Tue, September 10, 2024
Epic sharks — the ancient origins of the monsters of the sea
From sharks with wheels of teeth, to gargantuan sharks like the megalodon, palaeontologist John Long has traced the long and storied history of these oceanic hunters. Sharks and humans have a complicated relationship. We have long considered them monsters and super predators that should be eliminated for our own safety. But sharks are much more than scary and fearsome. The history of this incredible animal stretches back hundreds of millions of years. From sharks with wheels of teeth, to the ascent of the super predators like the megalodon, palaeontologist John Long has traced the long and storied history of these hunters, asking how they've managed to survive extinction despite everything that's been thrown at them. This episode of Conversations explores science, origin stories, ancient history, sharks, palaeontology, the ocean, climate change, megalodon, hunting and predators.
Mon, September 09, 2024
Words of love — writing stories of Aboriginal land
Author and professor Anita Heiss on her parents' story of romance, and how she brings true history alive in her work. Anita Heiss is a Wiradjuri woman, an author of many books and Professor of Communications at The University of Queensland. She has described herself as a “concrete Koori with Westfield dreaming.” Many of Anita's books focus on great love stories, and the inspiration for these romances came from the enduring, devoted love she saw between her parents – the very Austrian “Joe-the-carpenter”, and Elsie, a proud Wiradjuri woman. Anita’s latest book goes back to the 1800s, bringing to life the brutal frontier wars in Bathurst, when martial law was declared. This episode of Conversations discusses First Nations Australians, interracial relationships, Indigenous culture, colonisation, colonialism, family, origin stories, love stories, Australian history, ancestry.
Fri, September 06, 2024
My brother's death — writing the story of a family's grief and loss
For decades, Gideon Haigh and his mother were the only two people who really knew what happened on Jaz's last night. This year, it all poured out. Gideon Haigh's brother Jasper was 17 years old when he died in a car crash. Until this year, Gideon and his mother were the only two people who really knew what happened to Jaz on that tragic night. Gideon has spent decades perfecting answers to questions about his brother — answers that never invited further discussion. This year, something peculiar happened, and in 72 hours Gideon poured his pent-up recollections onto the page, to be turned into a book about the story of his brother, Jaz. This episode touches on grief, family stories, loss, mothers, brotherhood, love, life, death, writing, reflection, secrets, storytelling, memoir, life stories, family dynamics and personal stories.
Thu, September 05, 2024
Quitting alcohol – the story of how Seana got sober
After a childhood spent trying to escape her father's booze-fuelled outbursts, Seana developed her own problem relationship with drinking. But by her mid-50s, Seana decided she had had enough. Seana Smith grew up in a beautiful house in rural Scotland, and when things were good at home, they were wonderful. But Seana’s father loved to drink, and his habit took over her family’s life. Despite the fights, abuse and violence, Seana's mother couldn't bring herself to leave her husband, and so Seana found every excuse to get away -- from pony camp at 12 years old, to applying for boarding school without her parents' knowledge, and then to Oxford University. Eventually Seana fell in love and ended up on the opposite side of the world, in Australia, where she started a family of her own. But as she reached her mid 50s, Seana realised that the way she loved to drink meant she hadn’t really left home at all, and so she started her own journey of sobriety. Seana's story deals with themes of alcoholism, substance abuse, problem drinking, dementia, family violence, sobriety, motherhood and getting sober.
Wed, September 04, 2024
How dogs think — and what they think of us
Dog behaviourist Laura Vissaritis uses science and psychology to better understand what our dogs really are telling us and how our behaviour influences theirs (R). Laura is a dog behaviourist with qualifications in both animal behaviour and human psychology. Dogs were the first animals to become domesticated, and over the centuries they've evolved from their wolfish origins to become more useful, attentive and appealing to us. Laura says that when a dog is displaying 'difficult' behaviours like too much barking, pulling on the lead, or jumping up, the first step in the process is often changing the behaviour of their human. She also believes with the increasing tendency in Australia to view our dogs as quasi-people has led to heavy expectations on many dogs, to which they can't always measure up. This episode of Conversations explores dogs, pets, animal behaviour, animal psychology, fur babies, service dogs, psychology, co-dependence, animal rescue, death, grief and animal welfare.
Tue, September 03, 2024
My Stolen Generations story: how Brenda was taken from her family, twice
As a young child, chunks of Brenda Matthews' early memories were missing until her biological mother told her the truth of what happened. Together they are slowly healing Wiradjuri woman Brenda Matthews was stolen from her family, along with her six siblings, when she was two-years-old. She came from a loving, hardworking, religious family. She was fostered by an affectionate white family, and she blended into her new life happily. After six years of living with them, she was told it was time to return “home” to her biological family — who she didn’t remember at all. For most of her life, Brenda suppressed her memories of her white parents and their love and care. Then, as an adult, she worked up the courage to bring both sides of her family together, so they could all slowly heal. This episode touches on family history, the Stolen Generations, memoir, life stories, ancestry, modern history, origin stories, personal stories, epic storytelling, reflection, grief, loss, exploration and memory.
Mon, September 02, 2024
The story of the melancholy spy
When a devastating injury ended Jack Beaumont's career as a jet fighter pilot, he decided to become a spy, in the French Secret Service. Jack Beaumont (not his real name) is a former intelligence operative and the author of several spy thrillers. Jack grew up in a turbulent family in Paris and when he got older he decided to train as a jet fighter pilot with the French Air Force. During a training dogfight at supersonic speed, Jack suffered a devastating injury that meant he could no longer fly jets, but he still wanted a job steeped in adventure and danger. So he began piloting covert spy missions, and eventually became a spy with France's secret intelligence service: the DGSE, maintaining up to five secret identities as a time. While he now lives in a beautiful part of Australia with his wife and family, Jack has struggled to leave behind the extreme hyper vigilance of his early working life. This conversation discusses family dynamics, adventure, history, global politics, spies, military life and spycraft.
Fri, August 30, 2024
The psychedelic revolution — how MDMA mended Rebecca's mind
While struggling with PTSD, social researcher Rebecca Huntley chose an unconventional and underground path to healing — MDMA therapy. Rebecca Huntley is well known to many Australians for her formidable intellect and career as a broadcaster, an author and a social researcher. But despite her impressive public-facing life, in private, Rebecca's trauma from a difficult upbringing refused to leave her. At 50, she walked the Camino in Italy and realised that after 30 years of therapy, she was still living with a great deal of anger about what had happened to her as a child. She decided to take a radical step to deal with her PTSD and her suffering. She had three sessions of MDMA therapy, delivered by an underground healer. The treatment changed Rebecca's life and her view of the world. This conversation discusses therapy, trauma, psychedelics, drugs, parenting, grief, family, mothers, ancestry, fathers, family dynamics, domestic violence, going no contact, exploration and loss.
Thu, August 29, 2024
Smuggled out of Wewak — Carolyn's dramatic escape from Papua New Guinea
When Carolyn Blacklock's passport was confiscated from her in a foreign country she was faced with a scary reality that got wilder at every turn Carolyn Blacklock's passport was taken from from her at the Port Moresby International Airport when she was trying to get on a plane back to Australia. It was at that moment she realised just how much trouble she was in. Carolyn, who had headed up the national power company in Papua New Guinea and worked for the World Back there, had faced charges of corruption after a change in government. When the court cleared her of any and all wrongdoing, she thought she would be able to leave the country, but still she was detained or threatened at every turn. So, Carolyn set about getting herself out of PNG and back to Australia by any means necessary. What ensued was a wild, nine-day journey travelling in a helicopter, in the boot of a four-wheel drive, in a tiny dinghy and on foot. While Carolyn did get herself out of PNG, she desperately misses the country she called home for more than a decade. Carolyn's story explores escape, adventure, family, regional development, the Pacific, banking, diplomacy, corruption, governance, country Australia, Papua New Guinea, close neighbours, emigration, illegal immigration, politics and foreign affairs.
Wed, August 28, 2024
When the pirate got paid on the island of Corfu
Kári Gíslason was 18 when he met a mysterious stranger called 'the Pirate' on the Greek island of Corfu. When he fled the island, he left behind a debt he promised to one day repay. When Kári Gíslason was 18, he came to the island of Corfu as a stony-broke traveller. But he quickly found work in a little town: lime washing walls and working as a builder’s labourer. The man who gave him the work was a mysterious figure known simply as ’the Pirate’. At first, Kári thought it was a nickname given to him as a comic exaggeration of his former life as a ship’s cook. But he received warnings from several people to get away from the Pirate. And when the Pirate said he wanted Kári to sail with him across the Atlantic to deliver unnamed goods to Brazil, Kári began to plot his escape.
Tue, August 27, 2024
The spark that saw Andy become solar-powered
Andy McCarthy found passion for solar power as a high school dropout. He began one of Australia's biggest solar businesses, right in the heart of Victoria's coal country. But then a breakdown changed everything for Andy and his family Andy McCarthy dropped out of high school in year 10. He was a highly energetic kid but found it difficult to latch onto any one thing for long. Andy was happier out of school, and tried a whole lot of different jobs. Then at 19, he connected his first solar panel and was suddenly fired up with a jolt of enthusiasm. He set up a rooftop solar business right in the middle of coal country – in the LaTrobe Valley in Country Victoria. Setting up a solar panel shop in a place surrounded by some of Australia’s biggest coal-fired power stations was always going to invite scepticism. But Andy’s drive saw the business grow from a garage operation to one of the biggest employers in the area. At the height of his success though, Andy suffered a breakdown that landed him in hospital – and he realised he would have to change, along with the rest of the planet. Andy's story covers themes of neurodivergence, ADHD, ADD, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, climate change, solar power, solar panels, batteries, small business, education, schooling, success, environmental issues, the economy, economic development, regional Australia and industry.
Mon, August 26, 2024
The sprawling history of the human soul — part two
In this two-part series, historian Paul Ham traces how our definition and understanding of the human soul has transformed over thousands of years. Humans have been probing their own invisible inner voice since the Stone Age. But where did the concept of the soul even come from? And is it really what separates the living from the dead? Historian and writer Paul Ham has traced how our definition and understanding of the human soul has changed over thousands of years. Human beings have been probing their own inner voice, what it means and how it makes us feel, since the Stone Age. The human soul has long thought to be an invisible, inner essence that makes each of us distinctively different from the rocks and trees, and which also separates the living from the dead. But where did it come from? Who invented the concept of the soul? And do we still believe in the soul as inextricably linked to the human spirit? In this two-part series, Paul investigated first what the pre-modern world called 'the soul' . In this episode, he explores how the concept of the soul disappeared, and became 'the mind' in the modern era. This episode touches on ancient history, philosophy, neurology, religion, death, epic storytelling, faith, exploration and memory.
Fri, August 23, 2024
The trailblazing papergirl, lawyer and playwright
Suzie Miller's frugal and free range St Kilda childhood taught her to question almost everything. She grew up to become a trailblazing writer and lawyer (R) Suzie Miller grew up in St Kilda, and from early in life she had a number of part-time jobs. She became a trailblazing paper girl in her local area, when the role was usually only offered to boys. As a young woman Suzie trained as a lawyer and began working with homeless teenagers in Sydney’s Kings Cross. She then began to write stories and plays out of the lives she was encountering in court. She thought these were stories the world needed to hear. And the world sat up and listened. Suzie’s award winning play Prima Facie, a one woman show about how the legal system treats victims of sexual assault, has received standing ovations from its Sydney premiere to the West End in London and on Broadway in New York. The play has since inspired a TV show, a movie and a novel. Suzie's story covers themes of grief, family, motherhood, memoir, an exploration of the legal system, grief, and reflections on the changing role of women the modern world.
Thu, August 22, 2024
My aunt was smuggled to Tashkent by Stalin
Helen Vatsikopoulos' family never spoke about what happened to her aunt, Aspasia after the Greek Civil War. She uncovered a story of secret evacuation, exile and unknown family members. Helen Vatsikopoulos was born in a little mountain village on the northern border of Greece. She came to Adelaide as a young girl and grew up to become a TV journalist, covering big international stories for the ABC and SBS. When she was in her 30s, Helen and her husband were visiting her parents when her father started telling stories she had never heard before. He remembered what happened in their village during the Greek Civil War and how Helen’s aunt Aspasia, along with thousands of other Greeks, were smuggled by Stalin to a new life in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The family didn't know what became of Aspasia, so Helen got to work to find out. This episode touches on family history, communism, memoir, life stories, ancestry, modern history, mountains, origin stories, personal stories, epic storytelling, reflection, grief, loss, exploration and memory.
Wed, August 21, 2024
Heavenly beings: the icon paintings of Michael Galovic
Artist Michael Galovic had been painting mysterious and mystical icons for decades before he truly understood the theology behind what he was doing — expertly and purposefully distorting reality to create a window into a heavenly and otherworldly realm
Tue, August 20, 2024
Dave Gleeson needs a damn good lie down
Dave Gleeson is known for his blistering performances in The Screaming Jets and The Angels, but he grew up singing at Mass in Cardiff, with a mum who opened their home to hundreds of foster children (R)
Mon, August 19, 2024
The sprawling history of the human soul — part one
In this two-part series, historian Paul Ham traces how our definition and understanding of the human soul has transformed over thousands of years. Humans have been probing their own invisible inner voice since the Stone Age. But where did the concept of the soul even come from? And is it really what separates the living from the dead?
Fri, August 16, 2024
The Natural Horseman
People travel from all over the world to learn about horses from Ken Faulkner. But after a life-threatening riding accident on his favourite horse, Smoke, Ken had to learn to walk and ride again, rediscovering himself in the process
Thu, August 15, 2024
The woman who was lucky in love
In 2014, Ailsa Piper's husband's unexpected death cast her adrift in a sea of grief. Then bit by bit, life called her back
Wed, August 14, 2024
The farm that Carol built
On Carol Perry’s communal farm there’s ‘no loneliness, and no mortgages’. It’s a long way from the life her parents expected her to lead, and she got there after an overseas motorbike tour and teaching in a war zone
Tue, August 13, 2024
Mummy bundles, fossils and DNA
Kim McKay is the Director and CEO of The Australian Museum, responsible for 22 million objects that tell the history of the world (Content warning: this episode discusses human remains held in museums and the repatriation process. Indigenous, Torres Strait Islander and Pacific Islander peoples, please listen with care.)
Mon, August 12, 2024
'More than cheesecake' — humanity's shared musical history
Like tracing the cultural history of breathing or love, it's difficult to pinpoint exactly when, how or why humans started making music. But composer and broadcaster Andrew Ford has uncovered the story of music, from pre-historic times to now
Fri, August 09, 2024
Conversations Gold: The silver medal that changed Laurie Lawrence
As a child, the superstar swim coach lived with a chronic lung condition, and had part of a lung removed. In 1956, a huge event held in his family's backyard changed the course of his life (R)
Wed, August 07, 2024
Conversations Gold: Jana Pittman's turning point
Jana Pittman became one of Australia's most famous athletes as a young woman. Then at age 30, she found herself at a painful crossroads (R)
Mon, August 05, 2024
Conversations Gold: Paralympian Christie Dawes is super/normal
The Tokyo Paralympics were Christie's seventh as a wheelchair racing competitor, but Christie almost gave up marathons after the 2013 Boston Marathon, and the most frightening experience of her life (CW: mention of suicide) (R)
Fri, August 02, 2024
Conversations Gold: The life of Anna Meares
Anna's stellar cycling career saw her smash Australian Olympic records and become the World Champion 11 times. Then to the surprise of many, she walked away from cycling for good, returning to the world stage as Australia's Chef de Mission for Paris 2024 (R)
Wed, July 31, 2024
Conversations Gold: Lisa Curry on winning gold and losing Jaimi
Swimmer and entrepreneur Lisa Curry's life has been full of highs and lows both in and out of the pool. But it was the death of her daughter, Jaimi, that completely changed her. This is how Lisa fought to get her old self back after her unimaginable loss (R)
Mon, July 29, 2024
Conversations Gold: Patrick Johnson's golden run
How a boy who grew up on a fishing trawler became the first man in Australia to run 100 metres in under 10 seconds (R)
Fri, July 26, 2024
Bruce McAvaney — what a legend, what a champion
Bruce McAvaney is the voice of Australian sport, with a commentating style built on his relentless work ethic and genuine passion. But if he hadn't chucked a sickie one day while working as a public servant, the past 50 years of Australian sport might have sounded very different
Thu, July 25, 2024
Louise Kennedy on Belfast, bombs and a disastrous pav
Writer Louise Kennedy grew up at the height of The Troubles, just outside of Belfast, where violence was ever-present. When her family's pub was bombed, they decided to move south, where Louise trained as a chef. But after decades of working in the kitchen, a chance invitation to a writer's group lead to an unexpected new career (R)
Wed, July 24, 2024
It's 'all sweet' for Tony Armstrong
Tony Armstrong felt like a failure when his AFL career ended. But he found his feet again, falling upwards into a different life, calling footy matches, hosting live television, and now writing a children's book. This is why Tony isn't scared of failing anymore
Tue, July 23, 2024
Lele's home under the Morning Star
Forced to flee West Papua, Lele's family wandered for years before coming to Australia. When they eventually received Australian citizenship and passports, the family was finally able to travel to West Papua. But Lele's homecoming journey was bittersweet, after tragedy struck
Mon, July 22, 2024
Tidying up the crematorium
When writer Lily Brett went to visit Auschwitz, the death camp both her parents had survived, she couldn't help but start tidying up the place where so many of her family had been murdered, and touching the ashes of what was left
Sat, July 20, 2024
PRESENTS — I Was Actually There | The Boxing Day tsunami 2004
I Was Actually There is a new ABC podcast featuring gripping stories told by people who witnessed history first-hand. Hear what it was like to be a police sniper tasked with handling the gunman at the Port Arthur massacre; how it felt to be a teenager seeing The Beatles during their record-breaking 1964 Adelaide visit; and how one man survived being trapped 1km underground for 14 days, after the Beaconsfield mine collapse. Follow the I Was Actually There podcast on ABC listen. In this episode, Rebekah Giles and her boyfriend were enjoying a last-minute Christmas holiday in Thailand when the deadliest tsunami in recorded history struck. Rebekah recounts her remarkable survival, from the moment a torrent of water blew apart her beachfront hut on Phi Phi Island.
Fri, July 19, 2024
The many magnificent, mysterious faces of Monte Punshon
Monte Punshon was 103 years old when she was crowned the world's oldest lesbian, but that wasn't how she summed up her extraordinary life. Historian Tessa Morris-Suzuki charts Monte's adventures through underground bars and secret clubs
Thu, July 18, 2024
Winnie Dunn — the first
How family and writing brought her home to Tonga, and gave Winnie the power to launch herself into the world on her own terms
Wed, July 17, 2024
The power and determination of Nas Campanella
Nas Campanella was six months old when she lost her sight. She fell in love with the radio and audio books as a child, growing up to become one of Australia's most well-known TV and radio journalists (R)
Tue, July 16, 2024
The megadeath of megafauna
Dr Aaron Camens studies the fossilised skeletons, footprints and soft tissue left behind by strange, alien-like behemoths, to work out how they lived, and what, or who, killed them
Mon, July 15, 2024
Sketchbooks, ghosts and a lost sister
Artist Michael Kelly's younger sister was born with intellectual disabilities in the 1950s, and went into care. The family lost touch with her until Michael decided it was time to find her again
Fri, July 12, 2024
The BMW of standup comics
Janty Blair is a Butchulla, Mununjhali and Woppaburra woman who, after a lifetime of nursing and midwifery, discovered her funny bone in her late 50s, after a serendipitous Bumble date
Thu, July 11, 2024
The tin hut that's still standing
Dr John Paterson grew up in a tin hut in rural Darwin. He helped hold it down during Cyclone Tracy and has taken care of it so it still stands today. John learnt many lessons in that tin hut, which have followed him through life
Wed, July 10, 2024
Bindi — always looking forward
When his elders named him Bindi, David Hudson had no idea his future would involve performing with his didgeridoo at the Taj Mahal, or a role in a film starring Marlin Brando (Content warning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners: this episode contains the name of someone who has died.)
Tue, July 09, 2024
Nardi Simpson on Crocodile Country
Yuwaalaraay writer, storyteller and performer, Nardi Simpson of the Stiff Gins talks about her life, art and the meaning of country (R)
Mon, July 08, 2024
Ken Wyatt - the Noongar boy who made history
Ken Wyatt was born at Roelands Mission in outback WA, where his mother had been taken as a small girl, after she was stolen from her family. More than 60 years later, he became Australia's first Indigenous Minister for Indigenous Australians
Fri, July 05, 2024
Surviving Pinochet, living for art
Paula Quintela was seven years old when she witnessed Augusto Pinochet’s coup d’etat in Chile. She broke up the darkness by becoming her country's champion ocean swimmer and an artist
Thu, July 04, 2024
Married at the Wayside Chapel
Playwright Alana Valentine on the story of the radical minister, Ted Noffs, who married thousands of couples who weren’t accepted anywhere else, including Alana’s own mum
Wed, July 03, 2024
Beyond the hills and into the mountains
Since she was a child, Michelle Johnston has tried to satisfy her insatiable curiosity about the world and the people in it. Most recently, her questions took her to a mysterious part of Russia called Dagestan, where mountains claw at the sky and time stands still
Tue, July 02, 2024
Finding home on the Tooraweenah Aerodrome
Mark Pitts needed to find peace after a hard life in the rugby and boxing worlds. So he went back to the airstrip that his aviator grandfather made famous when he flew home from England for love, breaking a world record in the process
Mon, July 01, 2024
Risking everything
For more than 20 years, Dominic Gordon cycled through the same self-destructive behaviours - stealing, risky sexual encounters, vandalism and drug-use -until he took the biggest risk of all to get his life back
Fri, June 28, 2024
Disaster specialist Lucy Easthope
When there's a plane crash, a bomb blast, a flood or a pandemic, Lucy Easthope's phone starts ringing. This is how she stays cheerful and trusts her gut in the face of never-ending disasters
Thu, June 27, 2024
Ben Lee: chutzpah mystic
Ben Lee was a teen rock prodigy by the time he was 14. He then began decades of making music, Hollywood fame, and a journey into alternative spirituality, including the world of ayahuasca
Wed, June 26, 2024
The ferryman from life to death
After Richard Gosling's young daughter survived horrific injuries and open heart surgery, he became a funeral director, leaning into the emotional intensity of that space between life and death
Tue, June 25, 2024
Life and death in the holy city
John Lyons, the ABC's Global Affairs Editor, reflects on the Israel-Gaza war, drawing on his background as former Middle East correspondent for The Australian
Mon, June 24, 2024
Like oil and water
A change of heart and a great romance drove Dr Paul Hardisty to walk away from the oil industry and the influence of his brilliant but violent father, and into the world of water
Fri, June 21, 2024
Pack ice, seal fat and the big slide: Tim and Ernest's incredible journey
Tim Jarvis takes you on his adventures, following in the footsteps of explorer Ernest Shackleton, who tried valiantly to cross Antarctica from sea to sea, from 1914-17 (R)
Thu, June 20, 2024
How Leila saw birds anew
Leila Jeffreys was a young photographer when she built a tiny studio specifically for birds. She then began taking heart-stopping images of budgies, owls, eagles and cockatoos
Wed, June 19, 2024
Avani Dias on the rise of Narendra Modi
Avani Dias was working as the South Asia Correspondent for the ABC when she was forced out of India after her reporting fell foul of the Indian government
Tue, June 18, 2024
The beauty of the brain
Neurosurgeon Brindha Shivalingam says it is a privilege to go into someone’s brain and repair the body's most vital organ. She didn’t expect to become the patient in 2019
Mon, June 17, 2024
Michael Theo's childhood dream
Michael Theo found unexpected fame on 'Love on the Spectrum'. Now he's realised a childhood dream: to become an actor
Fri, June 14, 2024
The strange true tale of the tattooed arm regurgitated by a shark
Phil Roope with a true crime saga from 1930s Sydney involving a tiger shark, a severed arm, a Gladstone bag, smuggled cocaine, and a wronged man (CW: graphic descriptions)
Thu, June 13, 2024
The girl who turned her head away
Juliana Nkrumah survived ill treatment at the hands of her stepmother, growing up in Ghana, and got away with a warning from the Mugabe regime when she was teaching in Zimbabwe in the 1980s. And she is still the same girl who was too shy to look her husband in the eyes the first time they met
Wed, June 12, 2024
Free will, liberty and Aristotle in the animal kingdom
Why do we all feel "funny" about zoos? And should we? Dr Jenny Gray is the CEO of Zoos Victoria, and an ethicist fascinated by concepts like liberty and free will in the animal kingdom
Tue, June 11, 2024
Michael Mosley’s legacy: empowering science for the everyday
The late Michael Mosley on his investigations into the complicated and fascinating world of our gut health and the human microbiome (R)
Mon, June 10, 2024
The 700-room nightmare
For a thousand years, Colditz Castle has sat on the edge of a cliff in eastern Germany. It has been a royal hunting lodge, a madhouse, and most famously an inescapable prisoner of war camp (R)
Fri, June 07, 2024
Tabletop, Spank, and Spycraft
Thriller writer Louise Doughty on spycraft, trench coats and her Romany roots
Thu, June 06, 2024
The charming Italian narcissist
When Kerstin Pilz discovered that her charming husband Gianni had been cheating on her while he was dying, she had to decide what to do next
Wed, June 05, 2024
Nick Bryant's America: polarised forever
Journalist Nick Bryant has had three years away from his beloved America, completely reassessing his ideas about the superpower and the wild, great American experiment
Tue, June 04, 2024
Psyche, the curious and brave goddess of the soul
Kate Forsyth on the otherworldly myth of Eros and Psyche, a story at the root of many fairy tales from Beauty and the Beast to Cinderella
Mon, June 03, 2024
The secret psychosis of a first-time mother
When psychologist Ariane Beeston started having delusions after the birth of her son, and hallucinating that he was a dragon, she had to learn how to become the patient
Fri, May 31, 2024
Japanese gangsters: the secrets of the Yakuza
Jake Adelstein's dogged reporting on Japan's organised crime earned him a nemesis in Tadamasa Goto, one of the most powerful Yakuza bosses in the country. When Jake's life was on the line, he found protection in surprising places
Thu, May 30, 2024
Bonnie Garmus on becoming a global phenomenon in her 60s
When Bonnie Garmus tried to sell her first novel, it was rejected 98 times. Then at 66, she wrote a novel called Lessons in Chemistry, which sold four million copies around the world
Wed, May 29, 2024
David Wengrow: everything we know about the human story is wrong
Archaeologist David Wengrow has discovered an entirely new way to think about the history of humanity, from the origins of farming, cities, democracy and slavery to civilisation itself
Tue, May 28, 2024
Matt Hall's life at supersonic speed
Matt Hall made his first solo flight at 15 years old and has been addicted to life in the air ever since. He became a top gun fighter pilot and after serving for more than 20 years, he still hasn't come down to earth (R)
Mon, May 27, 2024
The forgotten treasures of desert dwellers
Archaeologist Julien Cooper digs up the remote deserts of Sudan and Egypt, finding forgotten artefacts, which tell the uninterrupted, thousands-year-old story of the nomadic peoples of Northeast Africa
Fri, May 24, 2024
Billy Bragg — the boy from Barking
Billy Bragg grew up in working-class Barking, east of London. The expected path was to go from school to the local car factory, but Billy his sights set further, and even a brief stint in the army couldn’t keep him away from a life in music (R)
Thu, May 23, 2024
How Rafael Bonachela let his inner showgirl out
At the make or break moment of his choreography career, the last person Rafael expected to hear from was Australia’s pop princess — Kylie Minogue
Wed, May 22, 2024
The power of the extra dad
When Dugald Jellie was growing up in country Victoria, it was dads — his own and his friends' — who opened the world up for him, and as a father himself, today he is paying it forward
Tue, May 21, 2024
Bronnie and the jaws of life
Firie Bronnie Mackintosh attends emergencies to cut people out of crushed cars and rescue them from burning buildings (R)
Mon, May 20, 2024
Riding for a fall
What happens when a man can't stop his drive and desire for more? Author Andrew O'Hagan dissects the pitfalls of more money, more success and more applause in his latest novel
Fri, May 17, 2024
The velveteen rabbit at the end of the world
In the decades before Ruth Shaw became a bookseller in New Zealand's Fiordland, she lived the incredible stories of adventure, love and tragedy that now line the shelves in her shops
Thu, May 16, 2024
A Latvian Fairytale
Artist Brigita Ozolins grew up hearing about the magic of her mother's home country, Latvia. It wasn't until she was in her 50s that Brigita understood why her mother fled that paradise, full of flowers and polite children
Wed, May 15, 2024
Naomi and the smudge of luminous stars
Astrophysicist Naomi McClure-Griffiths was making an atlas of our galaxy when she discovered an entirely new spiral arm of the Milky Way
Tue, May 14, 2024
Sean Fong dominating life on the jiu-jitsu mat
Sean Fong is a para world champion in jiu-jitsu. The 'gentle' martial art has allowed Sean to shatter any illusions that society might have about people with physical differences (R)
Mon, May 13, 2024
The highs and lows of the ALP
From its surprising successes to its dismal failures, historian Frank Bongiorno takes you through the wild 130-year history of the Australian Labor Party
Fri, May 10, 2024
Troy Cassar-Daley: the boy from Halfway Creek
Troy Cassar-Daley grew up walking a tightrope between two worlds after his mum and dad broke up when he was small. As a grown man, a trip on a country music cruise began to change his story (CW: discussion of suicidal ideation and suicide)
Fri, May 10, 2024
Troy Cassar-Daley: the boy from Halfway Creek
Troy Cassar-Daley grew up walking a tightrope between two worlds after his mum and dad broke up when he was small. As a grown man, a trip on a country music cruise began to change his story (CW: discussion of suicidal ideation and suicide)
Thu, May 09, 2024
When Bonnie just kept paddling
When Bonnie Hancock stumbled on a book in her local library, she got a gut feeling that refused to go away. And so she set off on a gruelling 12,700km journey around Australia on her surf ski
Wed, May 08, 2024
Uncovering Tasmania's gruesome past
Cassandra Pybus exposes the secret trade of the skeletal remains of the first people of Tasmania. CW: This episode contains upsetting discussion about grave desecration and the trading of human remains
Tue, May 07, 2024
Fantastic and fascinating fungi
Fungi have given us many gifts, from penicillin to food, but they can also be quite scary. Dr Alison Pouliot spends her time trying to explain these strange alien-like things, which do their most interesting work underground (R)
Mon, May 06, 2024
Chris Haywood's life in character
The Australian actor looks back at his riotous life on camera, from Newsfront to Muriel's Wedding
Fri, May 03, 2024
The soup bar saving lives
Hana Assafiri was a child bride in her teens when she fought her way free of her violent husband. Then she built a new life helping other marginalised women (CW: the conversation discusses physical and sexual violence against women)
Thu, May 02, 2024
How our brains use autocorrect
Dr Margaret Moore is fascinated by our most mysterious organ - the brain. By looking at stroke survivors, she is trying to understand how brains work, how they don't, and how they predict the world around them
Wed, May 01, 2024
Nick Cave's broken-hearted optimism
Nick Cave has lived through addiction, love and unthinkable loss. His experiences have changed how he understands hope, heartbreak and optimism (R)
Tue, April 30, 2024
Terry's long goodbye
Keri Kitay with the story of her devoted, outgoing mum Terry, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease at 54 years old
Mon, April 29, 2024
Learning to read with Manisha Gazula
How headmistress Manisha Gazula radically (and controversially) transformed the literacy, and life, outcomes for her students at Marsden Road Public School
Fri, April 26, 2024
Mother Courage
Writer Colum McCann with the story of Diane Foley, whose son James was murdered by the Islamic State (CW: this episode contains descriptions of violent acts and terrorism)
Wed, April 24, 2024
ANZAC Day: letters from the front
For 100 years Australia has been collecting tens and thousands of letters and diaries from deployed service personnel. These are just some of the moving, beautiful and tragic stories among them
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