Helen was working as a psychologist when she became so ill she was held in a locked psychiatric ward. There she was given ECT, one of the most extreme treatments for depression (R)
Sep 24, 2020•52 min
Zenith Virago married at seventeen, and had two children. Then she left her young family to create a life of her own on the other side of the world (R)
Sep 23, 2020•53 min
When Akmal and his wife decided to have a treechange by moving to Byron Bay, almost immediately a comedy of errors ensued, involving a python in the roof, a half-finished home and rats in the wall (R)
Sep 22, 2020•53 min
How the man who voiced Darth Vader and Mufasa overcame a childhood stutter to build a career on his rich, resonant voice (R) James grew up with a stutter so severe he was almost mute until the age of fourteen. After the intervention of an English professor, he went on to become one of his generation's finest stage and screen actors. James is famous for his roles in films like The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games and The Great White Hope. He is the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars series ...
Sep 21, 2020•43 min
Dave looks back on the many forms of employment and unemployment to have sustained him as a hard working musician (R)
Sep 18, 2020•46 min
In the late 70s, Gabrielle Carey co-wrote a blisteringly honest novel about the real lives of teenage surfie chicks in Cronulla which caused a storm of public outrage. What happened next saw her make a new life far from the limelight
Sep 17, 2020•50 min
Why the only remaining WW1 German A7V tank is in Brisbane, Australia (R)
Sep 16, 2020•52 min
A new conversation with James Rebanks on how he saved his family farm by returning to ancient ways of growing crops and meadows
Sep 15, 2020•50 min
Lisa Woollett's family made their living from combing through London's waste for treasures. Her great-grandfather was a scavenger and her grandad was a dustman, and as she grew up she also began mudlarking on the Thames
Sep 10, 2020•50 min
When they were kids, Stephen and his brothers would climb onto the laundry roof and put on a show for their neighbourhood. Stephen's since made an exceptional career as a dancer, and at the helm of Bangarra Dance Theatre (R)
Sep 09, 2020•49 min
Grace Karskens with the story of the riverlands of the Hawkesbury-Nepean, where ancient and modern Australia first collided
Sep 08, 2020•49 min
Maggie grew up around boys, then raised four sons of her own. Now she helps parents understand the changes teenage boys are going through as they cross the bridge from boyhood to manhood Maggie Dent grew up in the country and she always felt she 'spoke bloke'. As a high school teacher and a family counsellor, she discovered she had a real affinity for teenage boys, and understood how to communicate with them. It helped that she was also the mother of four sons. In her conversations with parents ...
Sep 07, 2020•53 min
Andrew was a 4 year old when his family migrated to Australia from Burma. By his mid-20s he had his own criminal law practice. When he took on a client named Ivan Milat, his career became front page news
Sep 04, 2020•51 min
When a powerful wave he was riding sent him smashing into the sand, breaking his neck, former Army Ranger Billy Hedderman came within a breath of dying. Good fortune and an iron will featured in his recovery
Sep 03, 2020•53 min
After young Australian soccer player Hakeem al-Araibi was imprisoned in Thailand, Craig fought the power of two monarchies, a military junta, and the world's largest sporting institution to free him (R)
Sep 02, 2020•50 min
A former boxer and builder's labourer, Geoff is now a highly successful poet (R)
Sep 01, 2020•49 min
How a girl from the suburbs of Melbourne grew up to become Australia's first female Muslim standup comedian
Aug 31, 2020•50 min
The true story behind Looking for Alibrandi (R)
Aug 28, 2020•52 min
Richard shares stories gathered while writing his biography of the city of Prague. Some emerged from his research trip of 2019, others involved deep historical research, and others are altogether more personal
Aug 28, 2020•34 min
Jeff's latest book on animal behaviour tackles grief — the loss we feel when a beloved pet dies, as well as the understanding other species have of death
Aug 27, 2020•51 min
Timothy’s stellar career, including roles in ‘Mr Turner’, ‘Secrets and Lies’, the Harry Potter films, and his latest, ‘Mrs Lowry & Son’, was almost cut short by a life-threatening illness (R)
Aug 26, 2020•53 min
Dr Raymond Shuey saved countless lives during his career with Victoria Police, driving significant change to road rules, as well as how police respond to incidents involving the mentally ill. Ray is Victoria's Senior Australian of the Year 2020
Aug 25, 2020•53 min
Isaiah lived in 17 places in his first 18 years, none of them with his parents. Now he's established an organisation to give Indigenous young people in the out-of-home- care system everything he wanted back then: love, cultural and family connections, and a sense of pride
Aug 24, 2020•48 min
Sarah Holland-Batt's dad Tony was a loving father, her intellectual mentor and her friend. At 18, she became one of his carers. Later she battled an aged care system which let him down in the worst way possible
Aug 21, 2020•56 min
After decades walking in the South East Forests of NSW, John Blay thought he knew them well. Then Indigenous friends showed him the Bundian Way, a trail from the mountains to the coast predating both the Silk Road and the Roman Empire
Aug 20, 2020•52 min
Dylan Moran on his County Meath childhood, making Black Books, and why he gave up drinking for good (R)
Aug 19, 2020•47 min
Rozanna Lilley was raised in a bohemian household by her parents, writers Dorothy Hewett and Merv Lilley. In her early teens, her childhood was carelessly broken. Later she made a good life for herself as a writer and an autism academic ***CW: This episode discusses sexual assault
Aug 18, 2020•54 min
Owen Davies on his 98-day trek with goats and dogs, walking more than 990 kilometres down the Georgina River in outback Queensland (R)
Aug 17, 2020•47 min
Sugarbag bees who headbutt their queen to death are among the many Australian bee species which fascinate ecologist Toby Smith (R)
Aug 14, 2020•53 min
Claire Nelson was in the Joshua Tree National Park hiking alone when she strayed from the trail and slipped, shattering her pelvis. Her phone was out of range, and she knew she had to stay alive long enough for someone to realise she was missing
Aug 13, 2020•52 min
