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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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,
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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'.
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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 14Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636Mensline on 1300 789 978Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511This 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
- Visa fler
