From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's your host, Sam Coley.
Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And for the next half hour, we talk matters of blindness and low vision.
Well, the library, we're always looking for beautiful First Nations stories, own voices that can really tell us about different things and different parts and times of Australian history, and really acknowledging that First Nations people were the original oral story tellers. They were speaking stories to each other long before any of us had ever set foot on this part of the world. So there's some really beautiful stories that I'm very excited to chat about.
Welcome to the program! This week we catch up with manager of the Vision Australia Library, Sarah Bloedorn, who's here to tell us about a range of events coming up at the library, as well as some First Nations reads and stories of First Nations experiences, as we mark Naydock week on the program this week. But before you hear from Sarah, I catch up with Ben Dew from Tennis Australia as the Australian Blind and Low Vision Tennis Championships
are coming up once again very shortly. So if you'd like to find out a little bit more about those, make sure to stick around as that interviews coming up right now. I hope you'll enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. It feels like only just yesterday that the Australian Blind Tennis Championships were kicking off in Melbourne just last year, but it's been 12 months, can you believe it?
And as we did the same time last year, it's my great pleasure to welcome Ben Dew from Tennis Australia to tell us all about the upcoming championships and the progress of blind tennis over the past 12 months. Ben, welcome back to Talking Vision. Great to have you again. Thanks for having.
Me, Sam.
Now, a while ago, Ben, we were chatting about the blind tennis championships going on in Melbourne and they are very, very quickly rolling around again. So tell us a little bit about the 2024 iteration.
Yes. Uh, it's exciting times. And uh, this will be the third edition of the Australian Blind and Low Vision Tennis Championships and once again at the home of tennis at Melbourne Park there at the National Tennis Centre. So we're pretty excited. Over the last 12 months particularly, we've seen this pathway grow exponentially in in a lot of areas through all the different sport classes, but also in
the junior participation numbers through our state tournaments. So, um, our pathway for blind and low vision tennis is, is certainly growing. And uh, and it's events like these national championships where we get to, uh, I suppose, celebrate the achievements of a lot of players and also introduce a lot of new players to the sport at an event like the national championships, which is a pretty cool experience
on and off the court for these athletes. And then it's also an amazing opportunity for the top level and the top ranked players in the country who are vying for spots and and also some match practice before they head overseas to compete at the International Blind Tennis World Championships, which are held in September over in Europe later Later in the year.
We'll talk about those world championships. And, you know, the amazing progress that blind tennis has made over the past 12 months in just a little while. But firstly, Ben, I think let's get some more details about the blind tennis championships happening right here in Melbourne over the next couple of weeks. So it is, as you've said, held at Melbourne Park. But what is the timeline looking like?
What days can people expect to go and watch and support their family and friends, or just have a first watch of some high quality, blind and low vision tennis?
Yeah, absolutely. There's a lot to see and a lot to come and experience and take in. We'll have matches and an opening ceremony on the Friday the 19th of July, starting off, uh, around mid-morning with the opening ceremony and matches starting around about 11:00. And yeah, basically be playing across four of the indoor courts at the National Tennis Centre. Uh, there's a viewing platform there, and there's also a tournament central where we have a large screen TV that has, uh,
a live stream from the Tennis Australia YouTube channel. So there'll be, uh, opportunity to view and to listen to commentary as well, both at the venue, but also remotely for those who maybe can't make it to Melbourne or wish to watch or listen to some of the matches. Saturday we got a half day plan. So we've got basically matches starting uh, around about midday and going right
through the afternoon. And depending on entry numbers and the schedule, it could be a full afternoon full of matches and then again on Sunday. So, um, there'll be matches kicking off around 9:00 on the Sunday, and we aim to have the presentation ceremony around about 5:00 on Sunday the 21st of July.
Tell us a little bit more about that live stream in particular. So that's available on YouTube. But what other platforms or sites can people head along to and have a watch of that?
They'll definitely, uh, be live streaming of our show court. Our court one across all three days. And that's, as you said, through the Tennis Australia YouTube channel. Um, so you can get on there and, and if you just, uh, search blind tennis, you should be able to find that. We'll also be sharing the link through Tennis Australia social media as well as blind sports, so Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria will definitely be promoting the event and the
live stream. And also we've got Blind Sports, New South Wales and Act So Blind, Sports and Recreation New South Wales and Act will be there as well. And we're looking to hopefully live stream a second court through the Blind Sports and Recreation New South Wales and Act Facebook page.
Is there any sort of audio description along with that or commentary that people can listen to? Um, those sort of accessibility features? Absolutely.
That's, uh, one thing that we're really, uh, trying to improve on last year, which was was great to have a a live stream component, I suppose we have each year we've slowly improved the offering and yeah, internally with our Tennis Australia production team and through the features of YouTube,
you can have live captioning on there. But we really want to see if we can take it to that next level and have commentary and special comments as well as, you know, some on court interviews with some players post-match, particularly on Sunday as things start to heat up a
little bit on Sunday with our finals day. So yeah, by all means there'll be, uh, some live streams, some captioning on that live stream on the YouTube channel, but then also some engagement through the commentary, which will be that typical kind of radio commentary for our viewers and listeners.
And yeah, as I said, trying to engage some of the players post-match, a little bit like Jim Courier at the Australian Open and um, hopefully capture some, you know, immediate feelings and insights from some of the players post-match.
And in terms of what's happening over the next few months after people have had their fill with the Australian Tennis Championships, what are the events coming up that people can look forward to? Following our Australian blind and low vision tennis players as they move around the world and head off to compete in Europe and such places.
Yeah, we've got quite a big calendar actually. This year it's probably our largest calendar of events for blind and low vision tennis ever, which is great. We've actually just come off a pilot of a blind and low vision tennis league, which is a weekly league happening in Adelaide that just finished last week. So we're looking to roll out another blind and low vision league, which is, you know, a weekly competition for players locally to play more regularly.
And then we'll probably have some more updates on that in the coming weeks. But um, we're hoping to do that in some other states. So not just in South Australia. And then we've got our Northern Territory blind and low vision open. The inaugural NT open, which is coming around quickly as well. That's on the 31st of August and the 1st of September up in Darwin, which is exciting, and we're looking to provide a tour off the back
of there. So partnering with Cocky Guides to be able to provide an off court experience for both players and also just spectators who are wanting to go to Darwin and see some of the sights. So looking forward to that as a bit of a partnership and also something that we can look forward to providing in future years. For anyone with low vision that would like to see some of the country and have a bit of a holiday, as well as play some tennis. So, um, that's pretty exciting.
And then moving into September, we've got the Ibta European Championships, which a lot of Australian players will go and compete in Poland, and the 15th to the 20th of September. And that's a bit of a warm up and leading into the Ibta World Championships. So they're going to be held in Italy this year, which is super exciting. And there from the 25th of September to the 28th of September. And that kind of rounds out the international calendar for blind tennis. And then a lot of our athletes will
come back home. And we have two more domestic tournaments in the calendar, one over in Perth for the WA open. That's in October, the 12th and 13th of October, and our final event of the year, which was our biggest event last year and I believe one of the biggest in the world in terms of a domestic blind and low vision tournament, which is the South Australian blind and low vision open. So that's on the 29th of November
and the 1st of December. So we're looking forward to rounding out another massive year and seeing as many of our players and new players coming along to Adelaide to compete there.
Speaking of new players and the increasing calendar that is really promising to hear about that. There's, you know, more and more events available for blind and low vision tennis athletes across Australia and no doubt across the world. But tell us a little bit about the progress that blind tennis has made over the past 12 months and potentially going into the future down the track. And this is a years long conversation, potentially, about getting blind tennis into
the Paralympics. As you know, Paris is on the mind of quite a few people, and hopefully that encourages people who watch the tennis at the Olympics and think, oh, I'd love to play Paralympic blind tennis one day and, you know, get into the sport that way.
Yeah, it's a great call out in terms of the Olympics and Paralympics coming up. It's where a lot of kids, you know, and other adults are watching and have eyes on sports and, and where we, uh, where a lot of us got that inspiration to pick up a racket or get into sport. So seeing some of those top athletes and seeing them compete on a global stage is super important and something that we'll look to engage, particularly
all of our pathways on. So there'll be a bit of a promotional campaign that we're working closely on now to try and get people into tennis, and all eyes are on on the Olympic Games and Paralympics, so that's really exciting for our sport, but probably super exciting for all sports in Australia and something that we're looking forward to.
And yeah, obviously looking at the growth that we've had over, it's really over the four years that we've been investing into blind tennis and, you know, from the early days of running a pilot tournament, which was really just before Covid. So it wasn't all that long ago where we had just dipped our toe in the waters and seen that there was a demand. And, and athletes out there that would love more regular and comprehensive pathway for blind tennis.
And since then, um, yeah, we've got well over 120 competitive players in our database and playing seven, uh, tournaments a year here in Australia. And then now that, uh, the international tournaments are back, there's quite a few heading overseas as well. So the growth we've seen is amazing,
particularly in the junior ranks. We're probably, uh, a country that's got some of the highest number of junior blind and low vision tennis players, and we do work fairly closely with some of the other countries on resources and pathways and things, and learn a little bit from the LTA and what they're doing. And, you know, in terms of ranking systems and, and calendar of events. So, um, another key area we're looking to grow is the B1 category. So the B1 sport class, which is our category with
the least amount of sight. I know there's quite a few countries that have got a lot of players in that class. However, we're lagging a little bit and we're certainly trying to grow that space a little bit more. Another area we've seen a lot of growth is in our women players, so female players have skyrocketed across a lot of different sport classes. So B2, B3 and B4. So it's great to see we're being able to split and have, you know, a B2 women's singles competition as
well as a B2 men's competition. So, um, yeah, it's super exciting. Um, it's working a lot with our states and our coaches in each state and setting up some development hubs for people to play and and learn the sport, particularly that skill development side of things and the awareness of the tennis court and then to progress through into
a competitive environment. And that's why I think the leagues, the weekly leagues, are really important for that development and to engage players on a regular basis more locally, where they don't have to travel so much.
If people out there would love to get involved, perhaps find out more, they might be thinking, oh, you know what is blind and low vision tennis? I'd love to hear more about it. What ways to contact Tennis Australia would there be for people to perhaps get in touch and find out more?
There's definitely more information on our Tennis Australia website. Um, so if you head to tennis. Com.au uh, and then you can see at the top there's a section on play and then inclusion and diversity, and you can follow the links there to find our blind and low vision page, which has everything from information on classification to, uh, some videos.
It also has some information on our event. So there's a whole page there with a calendar of events which you can click to each event and enter online there. And there's also another tab that shows you how to get involved. So some local coaches that might be in your state or your area. And if you prefer email and any general requirements or specific queries about blind and low vision tennis, I encourage people to get in touch through our email, which is blind tennis at tennis. Com.au.
So yeah, there's a couple of ways you can get involved. And uh, if not through your local blind sports contact in your local, state and territory.
I've been speaking today with Ben Jew from Tennis Australia here to chat to me all about the 2024 Australian Blind and Low Vision Tennis Championships coming up very shortly in Melbourne over the weekend of the 20th of July. Ben, thank you so much for your time today. Great to hear from you again and thank you very much for your time.
Thanks for having me, Sam, and I look forward to seeing, uh, yourself and others come down and enjoy some of the tennis action.
I'm Sam Corley and you're listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia Radio, Associated Stations of Reading Radio and the Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation there with Ben Jue. If you missed any part of that chat with Ben or you'd love to hear it again. Talking vision is available on the Vision Australia Radio website
at VA radio.org. That's VA radio or one word.org. Or you can of course find the program on the podcast app of your choice or through the Vision Australia library. And speaking of the Vision Australia Library coming up next on Talking Vision. We have a long overdue catch up with Sarah Bloedorn, the manager of the Vision Australia library, who's here to tell us all about the latest events coming up over the next couple of months in the library, as well as some First Nations reads as we head
into NAIDOC week this week on Vision Australia Radio. Sarah, welcome back to Talking Vision. Great to have you.
Thanks for having me.
Now there's quite a few exciting new events coming up at the Vision Australia library over the coming months. Tell us a little bit about them.
Yeah, we have so much on I could hardly fit it on one page. So the first thing I wanted to tell you about is our short story writing with Amanda O'Callaghan, which starts beginning of July. So right about now. Um, so this is designed for anybody who's wanted to ever write a short story, or maybe they have a great little idea for a story and they weren't sure how to craft it. Uh, registrations are currently open, and we
often get booked up quite quickly with those. So I'd encourage you if you miss out on this round, definitely to inquire. And we'll put you on the wait list for the next one. Uh, we're also welcoming people to our next in conversation on 24th of July. So this is with Les Pobjie. Um, we're very happy to have him along. Um, he's an amazing writer. He has a beautiful book. Um, and we'll also be interviewing his children,
who are both equally as talented. Ben and Emily Maguire are both authors in their own right, so it's going to be a really jam packed in conversation. So this is a live webinar. So no matter where you are in Australia, please feel free to join up and come along and listen. That will be a 24th of July and you can register online for that. We also have our accessible writing tools and technology sessions. So this is the first time we've held these and they'll be online.
But you can also attend in person at any of our big flagship sites in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. So really this is an opportunity to learn from our team of experts in accessible technology on how you can keep doing all those important tasks around writing. So in person or online, if you attend in person, you'll have an opportunity to see some live demonstrations of different tools and technologies while chatting to our accessibility specialists. But if
you're only able to jump on online, no problem. You can also have a follow up call with one of our specialists later. If there was something in particular that interests you. And I've got more. Oh, more.
Awesome.
Excellent. On the 19th of August, we begin our Mindful Reading Wellbeing Through Stories series. So this is with Doctor Susan McLean, who is a bibliotherapist, which is maybe not a term a lot of people have heard, but I think it's the best job in the world. Susan supports people to reach a sense of wellbeing and mindfulness through stories, so it's a practice of reading books that could be short stories, poetry or non-fiction to support, guide and comfort
us during challenging times. So this will be a monthly online series so you can kind of sit back in your own home. You're really encouraged to kind of immerse yourself in the session and concentrate and listen and you'll really it's very nourishing. They're really beautiful sessions. I'm not sure if anybody's come across Doctor Susan before. We have done previous sessions with her and she has created a podcast for Vision Australia Library. But these sessions are really beautiful.
I'd encourage anybody that's interested to sign up for those. Lots happening.
Yeah. Lots happening. Okay, well, that sounds fantastic. And I think this is the perfect time of year also to curl up with a fantastic new book. And um, given that we are heading into no dark week, we're celebrating NAIDOC week on the program this week. I'd love to hear about, um, some First Nations reads from the Vision Australia Library. Um, highlighting First Nations authors and lived experiences. I'd love to hear more about that.
Yeah, absolutely. Well, the library, we're always looking for beautiful First Nations stories, own voices that can really tell us about different things and different parts and times of Australian history, and really acknowledging that First Nations people were the original oral storytellers. They were speaking stories to each other long before any of us had ever set foot on this part of the world. So, um, there's some really beautiful
stories that I'm very excited to chat about. Um, but this is not an exhaustive list, so please enquire with the library if you would like some more information about any. Uh, the first one and you may have well have heard us talk about Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright. We hosted Alexis earlier in the year, and her book since then has gone on to win the stellar prize and is shortlisted for the Miles Franklin, which is just wonderful and and absolutely needs to be. Um, so it's a huge epic novel.
I would encourage listening to this one on audio because the breadth of this book is so large, but I think the audio will make it really accessible. Um, so
I'll read you the blurb. It's quite, quite crazy and outrageous, but just packed full of so many things in a small town dominated by a haze cloud, which heralds both an ecological catastrophe and a gathering of the ancestors, a crazed visionary seeks out donkeys as the solution to the global climate crisis and the economic dependency of the Aboriginal people.
His wife seeks solace from his madness in following the dance of butterflies and scouring the internet to find out how she can seek repatriation for her Aboriginal Chinese family to China. One of their sons, called Aboriginal sovereignty, is determined to commit suicide. The other, Tommy Hawk, wishes his brother dead so that he can pursue his dream of
becoming white and powerful. This is a novel which pushes allegory and language to its limits, a cry of outrage against oppression and disadvantage, and a fable for the end of days. I think that kind of captures very, very small way that the hugeness of this book.
Um, certainly does. It's a really.
Important, uh, book. I would encourage anybody to have a listen. Some other ones that are wonderful, uh, women and Children by Tony Birch Tony Birch is a very well renowned Australian Indigenous writer, so this current book is set in 1965, in a working class suburb, and tells the story of Marion and her sister Ruby. And really, it's a beautiful family story, but it explores so many important themes and
certainly many of the challenges for First Nations people. Another book, which is just doing amazing things is We Come with This Place by Debra Dank. So this is a personal and profound tribute to her family and just lots about Australia, the land and people. And it's really beautiful celebration of all of those things. So that's just three books that we have that I would encourage you to have a listen to, but we have lots more, as I mentioned.
So please enquire. And on our website we do have an area dedicated to books by First Nations authors, if you're interested.
And that website library dot Vision australia.org that's library dot Vision Australia all one word.org. To find out more about all those first nations reads and much more. And Sarah, if people would prefer to perhaps ring the library or send them an email, what's the best ways for them to do that?
Yeah, please feel free to give us a call. We're at 1300 654 656. I'll give you that one again. 1300 654 656 to inquire about anything from the stories that I've spoken about, but also if any of the programs interest you or you'd like to be put on a wait list for upcoming programs, you can also subscribe to our newsletter, where you'll hear about all of these things and you'll kind of get first or early access to sign up. So I would encourage you to receive our newsletter if you
don't already. Um, and our email address if you'd like to get in contact that way is library at Vision Australia.
Org that's library at Vision australia.org for all general inquiries. I've been speaking today with Sarah Bloedorn from the library all about some upcoming fantastic events going on at the library, as well as some First Nations reads for people to enjoy. As we celebrate NAIDOC week this week on Vision Australia Radio. Sarah, thank you once again for making an appearance on Talking Vision. We always love to have you and get some updates from the library, So thank you very much for your time.
Thanks for having me.
And finally, on this show this week, we've got a bit of information about a Children's Book Week event with Sally rippin. It's a free event for children aged 7 to 12 years. Would you love to spend a day with the amazing children's author Sally rippin? Do you want to be part of a creative writing workshop hosted by the awesome author of the Billy B Brown Hijack and School of Monsters series? Come and join Sally in creating a book full of fantastical worlds and historical characters who
venture on awe inspiring adventures. The event is taking place on Tuesday, the 20th of August 2024, between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Melbourne time. It takes place in person at Vision Australia's office in Kooyong and it's completely free and open to Vision Australia members aged 7 to 12 years old. Children are invited to bring along a sibling or friend to participate with them. To register, please head to the Vision Australia website at Vision australia.org. That's Vision
australia.org and search Children's Book Week. And that's all the time we have for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the show together every week. And remember we love hearing from you. So please get in touch anytime on our email at Talking Vision at Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all. One word at Vision australia.org. But until next week it's Sam Collins saying bye for now.
You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during business hours on 1300 847 406. That's one (300) 847-4106 or by visiting Vision Australia. Org that's Vision australia.org.