Conversations

When David McAllister was a little boy growing up in Perth he would tuck tea towels into his undies and dance around in front of the TV.He watched his own reflection, as he twirled, and leapt around the lounge room.At 7, David went to his first ballet class at a suburban scout hall, and loved it right away.But doing ballet was a kind of social death for a boy, in the 1970s in Western Australia.David says the torment he went through at school helped to spur him on to become one of the best dancers of his generation.After winning at place at the Australian Ballet School, he joined the Australian Ballet company in 1983.One artistic director told him his nose was all wrong and he would never be cast as a prince, but he eventually danced many principal roles.David was named as the Artistic Director in 2001, and he's been the longest-serving director of any in the Australian Ballet.Next year he will retire after 37 years with the company.Further informationLearn more about the Australian Ballet's 2020 seasonTo binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

The outrageous story of a group of financiers from a poor and damp island on the outer rim of Europe, who created a private company that became the biggest military and political power in all of India

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 HunterWidely admired for his powerful lyrics and the grace of his pin-drop performances, Archie has overcome 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.Further informationTell Me Why: the story of my life and my music is published by Simon and SchusterThe accompanying CD is also entitled Tell Me WhyArchie Roach Foundation

Di Morrissey grew up in a tiny village only accessible by rowboat, with film star Chips Rafferty and poet Dorothea Mackellar as her neighbours. In 1954, a terrible accident on Lovett Bay changed everything

While fleeing the aftermath of a failed marriage, Hilary McPhee accepted a job in Jordan to write the autobiography of a Hashemite Prince. Living alone for the first time, she was plunged into extreme loneliness

Leah was a teenager working in a small-town meatworks when she discovered her true path in life (R)

Winemaker Will Rikard-Bell was working at Hunter Valley winery when a catastrophic explosion knocked him off his feet. He sustained burns to 70% of his body, and his skin needed to be almost entirely rebuilt (R)

As a young man studying in Europe, Misha formed underground links that would propel his whole career. The former BBC correspondent interviews criminals all over the world to understand the all-pervasive webs of modern organised crime

How hot young widows, perceptive friends and twitter kept television executive Que afloat after the death of her husband

Tara was raised by parents who were radical Mormon survivalists, preparing for the End of Days. Although they didn't believe in traditional schooling, Tara taught herself in secret and made it to Cambridge and Harvard (R)

Patrick Kennedy on growing up next door to some of Australia's most violent criminals (R)

Aminata Conteh-Biger was kidnapped by rebel militia when they stormed her village and ransacked her family home. A strange series of events saw her released, but then she was still being hunted (R)

As a girl, Davida Allen was brought up to be a proper young lady. Instead, she covered her naked body in paint and rolled around to make art. She grew up to become one of Australia's most famous painters (R)

British boys as young as nine were transported to Van Diemen's Land for petty crime. 3000 of them were incarcerated at Point Puer, the first prison in the world built exclusively for children

Juliet Rieden traces the story of her Czech father, who was taken as a child refugee to Britain a week before the Nazis arrived in Prague, and thus spared the fate of his extended family

Australian journalist Kumi Taguchi grapples with divided loyalties after the death of her father

Kate Forsyth tells the origin story of a fairy tale staple, the ever-flowering red rose. Her version has its roots in Imperial China, and arrives via the French Revolution

Dr. Melissa Kang explained sex, puberty and periods to teen girls in her role as Dolly magazine's ‘Dolly Doctor’. She spent 23 years answering questions sent by mail, that young people were too embarrassed to ask out loud

The random find of a dinosaur bone on her Queensland property led Robyn Mackenzie to develop an outback museum of international importance, and a deep sense of wonder at prehistoric geology

Author Favel Parrett’s grandmother escaped from Czechoslovakia as a teenager, but her sister stayed behind - suffering the twin nightmares of Nazism and Stalinism

Waiting in line to enrol for a teaching degree in history and English, Eddie was persuaded to pursue maths instead. Despite never really liking maths at school, he signed up. The split-second decision changed his life, and the lives of many of his future students

Helen Pitt on how the luminous shells of Australia's most loved building nearly didn't make it off the drawing board (R)

Growing up, Louisa Deasey knew very little about her late father's life. Then she found a bundle of his lost love letters (R)

Neuropsychologist Dr Amee Baird on the mysterious connections between our brains and our desires

From the party of protest to the balance of power, journalist Paddy Manning looks at the history of Australia's most successful third party

Why is scratching an itch so pleasurable? How can someone leap from a burning plane in the sky and survive with a few bumps and scratches? Take a journey through the wondrous complexity of the human body

When working with people experiencing homelessness, Erin Longbottom looks to their strengths to help them find their way to health and a home

Alison Hoddinott and Gwen Harwood were great friends with a shared love of English, family, and thumbing their noses at convention (R)

School was nearly the undoing of the intensely curious child who went on to discover nearly a quarter of the world's coral species, and be awarded the Darwin Medal (R)

The late Kath Venn was a powerhouse of community spirit. After serving in Tasmania's parliament, she was State President of the Housewives Association, a marriage celebrant and much else besides (R)

In October 1944 Frank's De Havilland Mosquito was shot out of the sky and he parachuted into Nazi territory (R)

Botanist and Dharawal elder Fran Bodkin uses western science to explain up to 80,000 years of Australian Indigenous plant knowledge (R)

After attending a conference on endometriosis in 2015, journalist Gabrielle Jackson broke down in tears. She realised she knew nothing about the disease that had been wreaking havoc with her body

Durnford Dart longed to return to life on the land, where he’d spent his best childhood years. He went on to pioneer bamboo farming in Australia

Seeking a connection with a higher power led Rob Donnelly into the Catholic priesthood, but the reality of a religious life was not what he expected

Ben on his musical career, the art of song writing and his brief stint as a one-man polka band in a German restaurant

A childhood of abuse and neglect led Corey to an unusual place - the stage. His wit and resilience make his stand-up comedy sharply observed and darkly humorous

For four-time world champion surfer Nat, surfing is about more than competition or exercise, it's a religion

Daughter Nia tells how early-onset dementia has reshaped the powerful partnership of her parents, Moira and Leon Pericles

Annabel Crabb on the inequity between parents of different genders, prompted by the hullabaloo surrounding New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden’s baby, and the corresponding lack of concern about Australia’s Prime Minister having young children

Bradley Garrett explores ‘doomsday prepping’, a multi-billion dollar industry driven by dread (R)

An impulse decision to buy a home in the rainforest launches a comedy of errors involving a python in the roof, a half-finished home, an unexpected tax bill and two reality TV shows

Early aviation's most dramatic event saw courage, tragedy and a miraculous rescue involving the whole town of Albury

Overcoming breast cancer in the first year of her daughter's life led scientist Amanda Niehaus to a deeper study of reproduction and death

When the ship starts to cut through the ice, marine biologist Sarah Laverick feels the vibrations rumble through her body like a thunderstorm

The modern world functions on precision - phones, computers, cameras that operate with exactness. But in the quest for perfection, have we lost the art of craftsmanship?

Lawyer Kimberley Motley took a nine-month assignment in Kabul, and never looked back, becoming the first foreign litigator to practice in Afghanistan's conservative and male-dominated courts

Katy was described by Donald Trump as disgraceful, a liar, and 'third-rate' during her coverage of his successful Presidential campaign (R)

When they were kids, Stephen and his brothers would climb onto the laundry roof and put on a show for their neighbourhood. Stephen's since made an exceptional career as a dancer, and at the helm of Bangarra Dance Theatre

We reprise the former Deputy Prime Minister's account of his time as Australia's representative to the Vatican (R)