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...
Richard's Most Memorable Guests — William McInnes
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Richard's most memorable guests through out the years.William McInnes is a much-loved Australian actor and an author, whose childhood in the sunny Queensland left him fluent in the peculiar, funny and colourful words and phrases unique to Australian English. Over the years, he's continued to collect them to celebrate how much they say about who we really are.William McInnes’ Stories of FatherhoodWilliam McInnes on life after the death of his wife, Sarah WattThis episode of Conversations contains discussions about Australian slang, colloquial language, Australian dialect, Seachange, Yeah Nah! A celebration of life and the words that make us who we are, books, writing, author, Australianisms, colloquialisms, acting, television, actor, performing arts, theatre, NCIS Sydney, Australiana, Australian culture, Australian history, language, linguistics.Â
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Richard's Most Memorable Guests — Shaun Christie David
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Richard's most memorable guests through out the years.Shaun Christie David grew up eating the Sri-Lankan recipes his mother brought with her from Sri Lanka. After a life-change trip to his parent's homeland, Shaun left a successful career in finance to open a social enterprise restaurant, Colombo Social, giving jons to refugees and serving food from his mother's cookbook. Shaun Christie-David's family migrated to Australia during the Sri Lankan civil war.The family's three sons grew up in a house full of home-cooked food and love, with dishes like 48-hour Mudcrab on the menu at Christmas.In 2019, Shaun set up Colombo Social, a restaurant giving jobs to refugees and people seeking asylum, serving food straight from his mum's cookbook.Starting the restaurant was a sharp turn in his own life.Shaun had left Sydney's Western suburbs at 18 determined to make a lot of money in the finance world. But at 28, at the pinnacle of his career in banking, a trip to Sri Lanka changed everything.This episode of Conversations contains discussions about immigration, migrants, Sri Lanka, multiculturalism, childhood memories, cooking, family, mothers, fathers, sons, siblings, brothers, high school, racism, finance, success, money, careers, mudcrabs, Christmas, chicken biryani, spices, recipes, traditions, culture, Sri Lankans, restaurants, social enterprise, charity, refugees, asylum seekers, support, disabilities, homelessness, unemployment, support, Plate It Forward, Colombo Social, Kabul Social, Sydney, NSW, Afganistan, Ukraine, purpose, giving.Â
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Richard's Most Memorable Conversations — Magda Szubanski
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat - a collection of Richard's most memorable guests through out the years. This time it's Magda Szubanski.At the height of her successful career, behind closed doors, Magda was coming to terms with the past of her Polish-born father, whom she loved dearly, and who was an assassin in his early life.Magda is well known for her comic performances across film and television, and is perhaps most beloved by Australians for her role as Sharon in Kath & Kim.But at the height of her successful career, Magda was navigating a more difficult journey, to integrate the disparate parts of her life. Most challenging was coming to terms with the past of her Polish-born father, whom she loved dearly, and who was an assassin in his early life.So Magda wrote a memoir, Reckoning, which delved into her father's complicated story and how it fit into her own distinct journey, from a child migrant to one of Australia's favourite comedians.Richard recorded this conversation with Magda Szubanski in 2015, at a Wheeler Centre event at Melbourne's Athenaeum Theatre.This episode of Conversations contains discussions about comedy, theatre, improvisation, university, Poland, Polish, Scotland, Scottish, England, immigration, migrants, Australia, families, family relationships, fathers, mothers, parents, siblings, Second World War, World War 2, World War II, assassins, Resistance, guerillas, Nazis, Germany, Germans, autobiographies, secrets, family secrets, family history, extended family, Babe, actress, acting, film, Fast Forward, television, comedians, Sharon, Kath and Kim.Â
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Best of 2024 - Bhawani O'Brien
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. Help and support is always availableYou can call Lifeline 24 hours a day on 13 11 14Bhawani 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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Best of 2024 — Ruth Shaw
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 availableYou 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. Â
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.
Whether it's an exploration of Australian and American politics, the intricacies of mental health, or the mysteries of ancestry and origin stories, our episodes offer a conversational approach that brings topics to life.
We uncover epic tales of war and peace, the complex dynamics of relationships and family, and the profound impact of grief and loss.
Follow Conversations for thought-provoking discussions, heartfelt stories, and a deeper understanding of the world around us.
Conversations explores the meaning of life, history, relationships, motherhood and fatherhood, love, religion and the origins of human life through a contemporary and conversational Australian lens.
From distinctive accounts of crime, mental health, ancestry, cults, grief, family and parenting, to discussions about science, books, art, music, war, spies and economics, Conversations traverses myriad topics.
Our interviews focus on pioneers of the natural world, wildlife, oceans, fungi, archaeology, palaeontology and megafauna.
Our guests speak about geopolitics, being a refugee and the experience of migration. They come from all walks of life — First Nations, Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander peoples, CALD communities and ancestors of Australia's first fleeters. We explore Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Buddhist, Sikh and Hindu faith traditions, among other beliefs, including atheism.
We look at social history as well — close encounters with the ancient world, the Stolen Generations, and adventurers on an explorative odyssey.
In a Conversations interview, you will hear personal stories of secrets, lies, adoption, and living with disability, neurodiversity or chronic illness.
We traverse a person's life story, full of human interest topics, including redemption, love at first sight, spirituality, poverty, having children, family dynamics and even hidden families.
We hear from individuals who have struggled with drug addiction, jail, family violence, political imprisonment, persecution, abuse, depression, anxiety and mental health issues.
Conversations also speak to the public figures of Australian and international society — leaders, artists, politicians, authors, sports stars, actors and musicians.
A writer, a builder, a neurologist, a Paralympian, an Olympian, an amputee, a historian, a comedian, a funeral director, a bird photographer, an ethicist, a doctor, a spy, a pilot, a choreographer, a firefighter, a bookseller, an astrophysicist, a martial artist, a principal, an oud virtuoso, an ecologist, a carer, a demographer, a chess master, a forensic archaeologist, a biologist, a chef, a surfer, a button shop owner, a costume and set designer, a boxer, a drummer, a conductor, a dog behaviourist, an AFL player, a longevity expert, a barber, a Matilda, and a psychologist have all appeared on our program.
Stories make us who we are. Join Conversations for an hour of diverting listening, to transport, touch and uplift you. Our guided storytelling will teach you something new, introduce you to someone extraordinary and take you away to a different place or time in history.
After almost 20 years of digging into the lives, stories and worlds of thousands of people, Conversations continues as the ABC's most popular podcast, providing Australians with a social history of our country and paying close attention to the small, personal details that make up a life.