Conversations

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. To binge even more great episodes of the 'Conversation 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, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.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.

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.To 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, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.Further informationKeep up to date on Kate's work here.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.

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.

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 & SchusterTo 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, psychologists, musicians and celebrities.

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.

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.To 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, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.To 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.

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.

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.

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.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversation 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, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.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.

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.

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 14Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978This 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 informationYou can learn more about Gus' work in suicide prevention at the Gotcha4Life Foundation here.Boys Do Cry is published by Penguin.To 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.

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.

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 JungDavid has written and published several collections of poems and essays. His latest is Consolations II, published by Canongate.

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.To 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.Further informationLearn more about Enlighten Education here.Read about the Walk The Talk respectful relationships program for Women's Community Shelters here

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.

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.

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.

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 occurHumans 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.

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.

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.

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.To 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, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.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.

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 podcasterHedley 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 informationHelp and support is always available. Beyond Blue provides 24/7 support on mental health issues.

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 lifeIn 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

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.

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.To 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, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

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.

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.To 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.To 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.Further informationBite Club is a closed Facebook group available to those who have survived an attack by an apex predator.

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.

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 14Shanelle 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.To 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, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

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.

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.

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 2020John 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,

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,

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.

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.

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

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 availableYou can call Lifeline 24 hours a day on 13 11 14Widely 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.

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 MurrayThe 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