Conversations

Stories of starting over: DJ Hookie

04 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Nash was 19 when his limbs were amputated due to meningococcal septicaemia. After he began to navigate life with hooks for arms, he built a new ...

Maggie Mackellar on farming, motherhood, and catching sheep

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Maggie Mackellar with stories from her life on a Merino wool farm on the east coast of Tasmania, and all of life and death that surrounds her throug...

The Big Pineapple, The Big Merino, The Big Gumboot: how big things captured Australia

31 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Amy Clarke on the history of Big Things and our enduring fondness for kitsch and curious creations

Crispian Chan on Perth's forgotten terror

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Crispian Chan grew up in the shadow of a campaign of terror in Perth that engulfed his family restaurant and haunted him for years 

Geraldine Brooks and the world in words

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The historical novelist has seen enough action to last a lifetime from her days as a Middle East correspondent, and it was her mother's imaginative i...

Craig Hamilton's three lives

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Coalminer turned broadcaster Craig Hamilton was in his 30s when he had a psychotic episode on Broadmeadows train station. In the aftermath, his life...

Lessons from the world's longest study on happiness: Dr Robert Waldinger

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Robert Waldinger on what it takes to live a happy life. Robert Waldinger has spent most of his working life trying to understand the secret to hum...

Bertie Blackman's bohemian childhood

24 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bertie Blackman on her unconventional childhood with her father the artist Charles Blackman

How Julie became Matilda #1

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 1979, Julie Dolan was named as the inaugural captain of the Matildas. Ever since, she's helped build the juggernaut from the ground up

Kim and the Constitution

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kim Rubenstein on the inner workings and history of the Australian constitution

John Gaden's golden run

21 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John Gaden on turning his back on law and landing on the stage

Remembering Michael Parkinson

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Broadcaster Michael Parkinson with the life story of his late father John William - Yorkshireman, miner, humourist and fast bowler (R)

Maddy, the shipwreck mermaid

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Maddy McAllister's job as a marine archaeologist involves diving into the deep to uncover the artefacts and human stories sunk in shipwrecks (R)

The invisible Mrs Orwell

17 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Anna Funder on unearthing the story of the talented and determined Eileen O'Shaughnessy, George Orwell's first wife

From the meatworks to mending men's souls

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After arriving in Australia from Yugoslavia as a boy, Peter Stojanovic began working at a Melbourne meatworks. Decades on, he's now a counsellor hel...

Jana Pittman's turning point

15 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jana Pittman became one of Australia's most famous athletes as a young woman. Then at age 30, she found herself at a painful crossroads

David the Seahorse saviour

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

David Harasti with the story of how he opened a chain of underwater seahorse hotels to save an endangered species

A Heart in Two Places

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Donnelley on her life working at Wilcannia Central School, on Barkandji Country 950 kilometres west of Sydney (R) 

Dr Freakman, hippie psychiatrist

10 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Psychiatrist Dr Harry Freeman on the memorable patients, LSD, and medical epiphanies from his 50 years in psychiatry 

The sculptor's son

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hung Le and his family made a terrifying escape from Saigon in 1975, carrying one suitcase, a box of biscuits and some seasick pills. Decades after...

How Brendan Watkins claimed his birthright

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brendan Watkins on his search to find the truth about his birth parents and the failings of the Catholic church his discoveries unveiled

Mark Brandi on compassion, chance and reinvention

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Author Mark Brandi is a keen observer of people, a skill he honed growing up in a pub in country Victoria, where the family’s Italian heritage was...

Danny Estrin's Eurovision glory

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Voyager frontman Danny Estrin on his unconventional path from heavy metal to law and the Eurovision grand final 

Oliver Twist, the storyteller

03 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rwandan-born comedian and playwright Oliver Twist on his years as a refugee and how his life as a storyteller began

The leadership and gentleness of Alex Blackwell

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The former captain of the Australian Women's cricket team shares what she's learned along the way, and how cricket has helped her in genetic counsel...

On the trail of the mega-shark

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When Tim Flannery was a boy he found a palm-sized fossilised tooth of a prehistoric shark.The find changed the course of his life

Toby Walsh: the power and perils of Chat GPT

31 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Toby Walsh on the rise of generative AI chatbots and their potential to overtake human intelligence

John's wild dogs

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

They have strange coats that look like they're painted on, and while their big Mickey Mouse ears are cute, their domestic dog-like looks aren't parti...

Martin Flanagan on exchanging shame for grace

27 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 1966, Martin was 10 years old when he was sent to a Catholic Boarding school in North-West Tasmania. Decades later, he began his own reckoning wi...

Healing the grieving heart

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Wendy Liu has spent many years right up close to death. As a forensic counsellor she worked with families who had lost someone to an accident or viol...

Maggie Beer: from Bankstown to the Barossa

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Maggie Beer started her working life at the age of 14 in a chenille bedspread factory. Two decades later, in a pheasant farm in the Barossa Valley, s...

How Ben's brain changed

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An unexpected stroke temporarily robbed Ben Mckelvey of his ability to speak, write and understand words. Eventually, Ben re-learnt the art of lang...

The army town, the lodger, and a succulent Chinese meal

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Writer Mark Dapin’s childhood was disrupted at the age of 10, when his mum fell in love with the lodger. He was then raised in an army town called ...

Anna McGahan and God

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Anna McGahan was playing a sex worker on Australia's biggest television show when she found God, renounced nudity on screen and tried to become the ...

The story of the human voice

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John Colapinto was singing a Beatles song in front of Bette Midler when he injured his vocal cords. The experience set him on the path to studying t...

The wild boy who became a parenting expert

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Mark Dadds has helped hundreds of troubled kids from his clinic at the University of Sydney. He feels an extra connection to them, as he wa...

From Boudicca to the Night Witches: a history of women at war

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Percy with a new history of the world's frontline women soldiers

Marcia Hines the American Queen of Australian Pop

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Marcia Hines arrived in Australia just 16 years old, and unknowingly pregnant. She planned to stay for six months, but 50 years later, she still cal...

The Bookbinder's Luck

13 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dominic Riley on how a a chance encounter with a bookbinding monk named Brother Bede changed the course of his life

The power and determination of Nas Campanella

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nas Campanella grew up in a big Italian-Australian family, and she was six months old when she lost her sight. Nas then grew up to become one of Au...

Frank’s years of living dangerously

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Frank Palmos arrived in Indonesia as a green journalist looking to make his mark. He walked straight into a pivotal moment in the nation's history, w...

Jessica's life in two worlds

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jessica Kirkness on her luminous childhood with her grandparents Melvyn and Phyllis, who were both profoundly deaf

Stories from Gudanji Country

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Debra Dank walks and talks differently when she's at home on Gudanji country, because she comes with this place (R) 

The tin hut that's still standing

06 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr John Paterson grew up in a tin hut in rural Darwin. He helped hold it down during Cyclone Tracy and has taken care of it so it still stands today....

Nova Peris shines bright

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nova is a woman of many firsts — an Olympic gold medallist and Northern Territory Senator. She continues to strive for excellence while showing up...

Leanne's passion for justice

04 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Leanne Liddle was just 18 years old when she became a policewoman, but after a brutal attack during a routine traffic stop left her unable to serve, ...

Jimmy Little's daughter tells her dad's story

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Frances Peters-Little speaks about writing the story of her dad Jimmy's extraordinary career in music, and how he never lost his connection to his co...

Mama Piku

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For more than a decade now, Yolarnie Amepou has been navigating tribal conflicts along the Kikori River to help protect her beloved pig-nosed turtle...

Sorcery and salvation in Papua New Guinea

29 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ruth Kissam was absent-mindedly perusing a noticeboard at a hospital in Papua New Guinea when she came across a flyer from the local morgue. That no...

The mythical legends of Dravuni Island

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When Kaliopate Tavola retired from Fijian politics, he turned his attention to recording the fantastic stories of creation from his home island of D...

The whistling frogs of Fiji's forests

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nunia Thomas-Moko grew up afraid of the reptilian creatures that lurked in Fiji's stunning forests. Ironically, she has become the country's leading...

Meet the Queen of Vude

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When Laisa Vulakoro was six years old she learnt the English words "famous" and "star". She would point to the night's sky on her tiny island, and ...

Michael Trant on writing a farmer’s way

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Author Michael Trant combines his love of the land with his passion for storytelling — writing his books while ploughing the paddock in a tractor

The broken-hearted cure

22 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After a devastating divorce, Charlotte Ree began cooking her way out of heartbreak

Sarah Davis: Paddling the Nile and beyond

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Davis on her journey from corporate risk management to the paddle-powered adventures in shark-infested waters

Fergus, prison visitor

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Fergus Hynes found his true calling in retirement: listening to prisoners and helping them with their problems 

Doctor Sonia, Outback GP

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When Sonia Henry signed up to work as a GP in a remote mining town in the Pilbara, the experience changed almost everything she believed about Austra...

Shirley's secret and a silver angel: the story of Heather Mitchell

15 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Actor Heather Mitchell on the family secrets and the fortune teller's prophecy which shaped her life (CW: mentions suicide and cancer)

An unexpected life in Murderball

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Cameron Carr was a rising star in Rugby League when a shocking accident changed everything. A few years later he found a new path, in a sport known...

Finding a dad, zoology and a life-threatening illness

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Bravery tells the story of his childhood in Logan, Queensland, how he went from a career at KFC to studying male satin bowerbirds and why being a...

A Fat Girl Dancing: Kris Kneen

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How Kris Kneen learned to look unblinkingly at their fat body, and find a new courage to be in the world

Muzafar Ali: from Afghanistan to Adelaide

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Muzafar Ali is a football-loving photographer from Afghanistan, now living in Australia. When he discovered the long history of Afghan cameleers in ...

Life as a prison philosopher

08 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Andy West on how his family story led him a life teaching philosophy inside some of Britain's toughest jails

Charmian, the violin and the zipper man

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Australian violinist Charmian Gadd was a wild musical prodigy from the Central Coast when a zipper-inventing musician changed the course of her life ...

William Sitwell: a history of the restaurant

06 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Food critic William Sitwell with stories of eating out in history, from the wine taverns of ancient Pompeii to today's  molecular gastronomy

Sean Fong dominating life on the jiu-jitsu mat

05 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sean Fong is a para world champion in jiu-jitsu. The 'gentle' martial art has allowed Sean to shatter any illusions that society might have about...

Asma Khan and the Darjeeling Express

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Chef Asma Khan uses cooking to connect with her family. After moving from Kolkata to England, she longed to return home to learn her mother's recip...

Mandy Nolan: embracing the 'weird freaky girl'

01 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mandy Nolan didn't fit in as a child, in the country town where she grew up. But later in life, her differences became her superpower (CW: discusse...

How Deb Wallace became the gangbuster

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Former Detective Deb Wallace with stories from her working life in the NSW Police, where she was tasked with breaking up criminal gangs

David Rankin: Outback teaching, Gymea, Art and Lily

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Artist David Rankin grew up as the son of a bootmaker in suburban Sydney. He became an outback teacher, then  a a painter, before meeting the great...

Scientist Tany Letty's lessons from slime mould - a brainless blob

29 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tanya Latty is an insect scientist with a quirky taste in pets, and a keen eye for detail. But it's the lessons from her brainless pet slime mould th...

Don Walker: the quiet bloke in Cold Chisel

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Don Walker has written some of Australia's greatest songs, and they keep coming. But rock and roll's resident 'quiet bloke' could have led a very dif...

Letting the tiger out of the cage

25 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Adventurers and extreme athletes, who jump off bridges and walk across deserts, have a reputation for being fearless daredevils who take unnecessary...

Lessons from the Kingdom of Sargon

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Peter Frankopan on how the earth's climate has shaped human history

Bo Seo on good arguments

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Two-time World Debating champion Bo Seo on how love and listening can improve how we disagree 

The wild ride of Di's life

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The bull rider and horsewoman has lived a life full of danger and drama, at the rodeo and outside it. Di's incredible experiences have taught her to ...

The curious history of sweating it out

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From the naked athletes of Ancient Greece to the Jane Fonda revolution of the last century, sport and exercise have had a surprising hold on humans

Hijacks, heists, and a sinking boat

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As a young woman craving adventure, Marele Day hitchhiked on a catamaran sailing across the Indian Ocean. After befriending the French skipper, Marel...

Being Sharon Stone's stunt double

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ky Furneaux spent 16 years in Hollywood as a professional stunt performer, falling, fighting and breaking glass on cue. She has managed to make her n...

Love and Loss, in Watsonia

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

 Damian Callinan with the grand love story of his parents Adrian and Kathleen, who met in 1946 at a football match. They were together for 62 years...

The art of English, according to Benjamin Dreyer

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Benjamin Dreyer has strong ideas about the English language, and how to transform books into the best possible versions of themselves. But he's not a...

Irish poet Pádraig Ó Tuama on surviving conversion therapy and becoming a peace negotiator

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pádraig Ó Tuama survived conversion therapy and exorcism as a young gay man in a church in Ireland, then became a leading peace negotiator and a p...

Cows on a plane

11 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Paul McVerry is an experienced cattleman and a stud breeder, who had a vision to fly a gift of cattle to India with the help of Dan Murphy

Jenny Graves — the curious case of sex cells

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For Jenny Graves, the genetic history of Australia's unique wildlife holds a key to the future of human evolution.

Benjamin's epic flight

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Benjamin is an adventure paraglider and documentary maker. One day, while paragliding in central Mexico, he was forced to make a sudden landing in a...

Raising the Kanneh-Masons

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason on what it takes to keep up with her seven children — all of them gifted classical musicians (R)

Paul Kennedy on finding his way

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The ABC Sports presenter describes his life at 17, a year dominated by football, girls, beer, and a serial killer stalking his neighbourhood (R)

Toni Jordan's lucky life

04 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Toni Jordan grew up working in a TAB and going to the greyhound races. Then she grew up to become a best-selling novelist

Crossing the continent

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sophie Matterson fell in love with camels at first sniff. After working with them for years, she hatched a plan to walk across the vast Australian co...

Dean Laws: running for his life

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dean Laws was in his 50s when doctors told him he had Parkinson's disease. For a time, he was devastated. Then he formed a running crew with his frie...

Remembering Barry Humphries

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Barry Humphries was a legend of the screen and stage, but throughout his career, he remained astonished at the success of Dame Edna and her enduring...

My father, Karratha, and me

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Annette Trevitt with a tale of real estate, family and complicated grief set in the Pilbara mining town of Karratha

Teddy Tahu Rhodes and the letter that changed his life

27 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

He's one of the world's most acclaimed opera stars, but Teddy Tahu Rhodes did everything he could, for a very long time, to avoid his destiny on stag...

Om's journey home

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Om Dhungel grew up in Bhutan, where his people became the target of a brutal ethnic cleansing campaign. Overnight Om became a refugee, eventually re...

Jackie Huggins: my father Jack

25 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jackie Huggins with the story of her father Jack, who was a surf lifesaver, a rugby league player, a soldier taken prisoner in the Fall of Singapore,...

Surviving Sandakan

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Only six men, out of thousands, survived the horrors of the infamous Sandakan POW camp. Bill Sticpewich was one of them

A sister's love

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When Bronwen Edward's big brother Mark took his own life, she decided to channel her grief into something much bigger than herself

On the wing

20 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Zoologist Milly Formby serendipitously became passionate about shorebirds while working as a tapestry weaver. She decided to learn how to fly, build...

A work of the heart

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

High school English teacher, Brendan James Murray with funny, heartbreaking, inspirational and strange tales from his working life (R)

Danijel's life between borders

18 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Danijel Malbasa grew up in an ethnically-mixed family in the former Yugoslavia. When the country was on the precipice of war, the Malbasa family wa...