Conversations

Conversations draws you deeper into the life story of someone you may have heard about, but never met. Journey into their world, joining them on epic adventures to unfamiliar places, back in time to wild moments of history, and into their deepest memories, to be moved by personal stories of resilience and redemption. Hosted by Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski, Conversations is the ABC's most popular long-form interview program. Every day we explore the vast tapestry of human experience, weaving together narratives from history, science, art, and personal storytelling. Conversations Live is coming to the stage! Join Sarah Kanowski and Richard Fidler for an unmissable night of unforgettable stories, behind-the-scenes secrets, and surprise guests. Australia’s most-loved podcast — live, up close, and in the moment. Find out more at the Conversations website.

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Episodes

A boy, his pony and the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Lennie Gwyther was 9 years old when he rode Ginger Mick from country Victoria to Sydney to be at the opening of the Bridge (R)

Oct 31, 2018•52 min

Helping troubled kids find a way back

Bernie Shakeshaft was a wild teenager who grew up become a jackeroo and a dingo trapper. Then he began helping kids in trouble

Oct 30, 2018•52 min

Safari suits and Quiche Lorraine

Richard Glover revisits the landscape of his Australian childhood, when parenting was lackadaisical, and avocados were a rarity

Oct 29, 2018•49 min

Anne Summers on taking centre stage

Anne has worked in the midst of power on both sides of the Pacific, as a prominent journalist, policy advisor and magazine editor

Oct 26, 2018•53 min

North Korea from the inside

Veteran reporter Jean Lee did the seemingly impossible from within Pyongyang

Oct 25, 2018•52 min

Blade runner Dave Henson: after the blast

After losing both legs to an IED, veteran and Paralympian Dave Henson is applying his unique insight to developing advanced prosthetics

Oct 24, 2018•52 min

Inside the mind of a bomber

Bruno Guevremont was working in a bomb disposal team in Afghanistan when he was called to dismantle the vest of a live suicide bomber

Oct 23, 2018•52 min

Dr Munjed Al Muderis restores mobility with robotic limbs

How a doctor's brave escape led him to Australia, and extraordinary medical advancements for amputees (R)

Oct 22, 2018•49 min

The other Tuscany

In 1957, Moreno Giovannoni's family left Tuscany for Australia. Twelve years later they returned to San Ginese, but struggled to make it their home

Oct 19, 2018•51 min

Artist Ben Quilty on Syria's children, and witnessing war

Exploring the drawings of children who've survived Syria's conflict. Australian artist Ben Quilty has made several visits with World Vision to camps in Greece, Lebanon and Serbia, housing refugees from the Syrian conflict. On his first visit to Lebanon’s Bekka Valley, Ben asked the children there to draw for him. The power of their pictures, expressing what they’d seen before fleeing their homeland, was immediate. Ben has since made a number of visits back to the camps, often holding drawing wor...

Oct 18, 2018•52 min

The pavlova in the suitcase

Michelle Garnaut created one of the world's most famous restaurants in Shanghai

Oct 17, 2018•49 min

How Lawrence Levy turned Pixar's fortunes around

Pixar was $50M in the red when Lawrence was hired (R)

Oct 16, 2018•49 min

David Astle's brain on puzzles

David's is the first mind in the world to be tested on an MRI machine while solving cryptic clues

Oct 15, 2018•51 min

How a department store family's fortune was lost

Melissa Fagan reveals the scandals entwined in the McWhirters department store story

Oct 12, 2018•40 min

Raising boys with love

Maggie Dent’s ideas on growing up good men stem from her professional work, and having brought up four sons

Oct 11, 2018•52 min

The Antarctic voyage which helped end a decade of silence

Robyn Mundy has adventured in some of the world's wildest places (R)

Oct 10, 2018•50 min

The making of Mike Carlton

While reflecting on his life's work, Mike uncovered his parents' controversial love affair

Oct 09, 2018•52 min

The day that shook the Olympic movement

Matt Norman's late uncle Peter won a silver medal at the 1968 Olympics, but he was notoriously cast out of Australian sport

Oct 08, 2018•51 min

How Brolga Barns became a 'kangaroo mum'

Saving the orphaned kangaroo joeys of Central Australia

Oct 05, 2018•51 min

Taking desert art to the world

Cecilia Alfonso learned how to sell art when she was a child, and now brings millions of dollars a year to the Central Australian town of Yuendumu

Oct 04, 2018•47 min

Bringing life-saving dialysis to the bush

Sarah Brown always wanted to be a remote area nurse. Then she began a medical revolution

Oct 03, 2018•51 min

Love and family and Asperger's: Tony Attwood

Tony works with couples in which one partner has Asperger's, helping them navigate relationships and parenting (R)

Oct 02, 2018•51 min

Leigh Sales: the day after the worst possible day

In 2014, Leigh went through an event which changed her profoundly. She was left questioning how we cope when the unimaginable happens

Oct 01, 2018•56 min

Brylcreem, beehives, and Devils on Horseback: how the 1960s changed Australia

Noeline Brown went from librarian to household name during the 60s, and here remembers some of the era's most distinct pop culture and political moments (R)

Sep 28, 2018•47 min

Rachael Maza's tale of three islands

Palm Island, Mer Island, and Australia are the cornerstones of this hard-working actor and director's story

Sep 27, 2018•53 min

Toad vs toad: outwitting the cane toad with ingenious biology

Rick Shine used one toad to defeat another, by a process of evolutionary conditioning, to save the snakes he was studying in Northern Australia

Sep 26, 2018•51 min

Inside The Family, the bizarre and brutal Australian cult

Rosie Jones and Chris Johnston have unearthed the origins of the bizarre Australian cult known as The Family (R)

Sep 25, 2018•52 min

Laura Tingle on leadership, and political self-indulgence

Journalist Laura Tingle asks if it's time to update our idea of what makes a great leader

Sep 24, 2018•50 min

Kristina Olsson spent years untangling the story of the brother she'd never known

Kristina Olsson's brother Peter was stolen from their mother's arms as a baby (R)

Sep 21, 2018•50 min

Tim Minchin makes his own luck

Tim Minchin's bruising Hollywood experiences have helped bring him a new perspective on comedy

Sep 20, 2018•48 min

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