Kurt Fearnley's Tiny Island

Curtis McGrath is an incredibly humble and hard working Australian paracanoeist & Paralympian. He took up canoeing competitively after having both of his legs amputated as a result of a mine blast whilst serving in the Australian Army in Afghanistan. McGrath is the current Paralympic Champion & has won ten gold medals at ICF Paracanoe World Championships between 2014 and 2019. 

Tiny Island Podcast will return from the break with fresh sounds and new stories from around Australia.

Today is a quick check in with Tiny Island listeners. We will be taking a short break between episodes. Now is a great chance to catch up on past conversations with some of the previous guests.

I am the product of Australia's world-leading and renowned public education system. Teachers changed my life, offering the support, direction and fight to guide me where I am today. They inspired me and two of my siblings to become teachers. My belief in public education is due to the work of teachers from day one that lived by the belief of equality. This weeks guest is Elaine Masters, a primary teacher and principal in rural Australia for a few decades an my first teacher. We share stories of our first years in Carcoar & our common belief in the power of education.

Kevin Mitchell is an Australian singer-songwriter; Mitchell uses the name Bob Evans for his primary solo project. He is also the founding lead vocalist for the alt rock band Jebediah. Kevin’s music would be the soundtrack to the lives of a generation of Australians & he takes it all in his humble creative stride.

There's an elite club of 15 athletes who have competed in full medal events at both an Olympic and Paralympic Games and one of them is an Aussie. In 2016 Milly Tapper wrote her name in the history books when she represented Australia in Rio, playing table tennis in both games, a few weeks apart. I guarantee after today's episode you will have caught some of Milly's infectious laughter and learned a bit more about what it's like to represent Australia at the highest sporting level.    

Craig Foster played football for Australia in the 90s, honing his craft in leagues across Asia, Europe and here in Australia. These days he is a sports analyst for one of Australia's state broadcasters, and recently came to prominence campaigning on behalf of Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Araibi, who was granted protection as a political refugee in Australia but was detained upon arrival in Thailand  while honeymooning with his wife. We cover the power of sport, the need to give back to community and his love for the those who’s life is centred around the betterment of humanity.

Osher Gunsberg might be best known these days for handing out roses on the Bachelor Australia but his most important work happens away from the camera. Osher is an active advocate in the mental health space, sharing his own journey openly and trying to help others as host of the Osher Gunsberg podcast. We sat down a few weeks ago, and a week later Osher welcomed his first son, Wolfgang into the world.

It's hard to drive through a town in NSW without seeing the names of our first Governors Phillip, Hunter, or Macquarie on a sign for a landmark, but who are our most recent Governors? And what is the role of a modern Governor? My first exposure was as an 11 year old when I entered the residence of the NSW Governor, known as Government House on the door step of the Opera House. One of the few trips over the Great Dividing Range that wasn’t to see a doctor, I was receiving an award for what I believed to be a consolation prize for coming last in multiple cross country runs (that I would crawl). I was overwhelmed with the setting and meeting a person I had to call His Excellency. 27 years on I go back to interview our current Governor, Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AO QC. We speak about the importance of the roll of Governor, the power of a teacher and the need for hope within the justice system

Recognition for the work and life has never been something that has sat comfortably with me. But being named as one of the four recipients for the various categories of NSW Australian of the year has been an incredible honour. In particular, sharing the honour with 3 powerful people. Jarred Wheatley, Sophie Smith & Heather Lee OAM have an amazing message. This conversation covers the power of optimism, healthy lifestyle and the importance of relationships. 

Do your kids enjoy a bit of downtime in their bedroom with their phone? Have you ever considered that someone posing as 'Justin Bieber' could get your innocent, clever daughter to do unimaginable things online? Nobody is immune to online crime, even our children. People like Queensland Australian of the Year DI John Rouse, are playing a leading role globally investigating and acting on crimes against children. This is a heavy topic and in this episode we talk about sexual abuse. If this is a trigger for you, sit this one out. And remember Lifeline is there for you on 13 11 14.

Kevin Coombs is an Australian wheelchair basketballer and athlete who competed at 5 Paralympics including the first Paralympic Games in 1960. He is also the first Indigenous Australian Paralympic competitor. He is the most resilient man that I have met and I feel grateful to have grown up within the Australian Paralympic family that Kevin Coombs helped create. Affectionately known within the community as Uncle Kevin. 

Gladys Berejiklian is an Australian politician serving as the 45th and current Premier of New South Wales and the Leader of the New South Wales Liberal party. Berejiklian was born in Sydney, the eldest of three daughters born to Armenian immigrant parents. Berejiklian spoke only Armenian until she was five years old, when she began learning English. We speak about gratitude and a strong since of duty and resilience that has assisted in the rise to the highest ranks of the NSW political stage.  

George King is the 5th generation of his family to run Coombing Park, one of the founding homesteads of Carcoar. Carcoar is in the central west of NSW and where I grew up. My connection to Coombing Park is deeper then the location. My grandfather worked the property as the head stockman for around 40 years.  Today we speak about how farming is changing, life in the bush and the nobility in farming.

Phil Kearns captained Australia 10 times of the 67 he pulled on the Wallabies' jersey but his impact on our nation goes well beyond his rugby career. Phil is a successful businessman and the founder of the Balmoral Burn, a charity foot race that has raised more than $30 million for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation, who supply medical equipment to childrens' hospitals across Australia. We spent some chatting about media in footy, Phil's proudest rugby moments (none as a player!) and the difference the work of Humpty makes for Aussie kids.

On 3 January 2003, I was in my car, pulled over, teeth clenched, sweating a little, ears tuned to what would end up being one of the most memorable moments in Australian cricket history. In a test Australia lost. This week I get to chat through this moment with the man who created it, Steve Waugh, Australian cricket legend, perhaps our greatest ever captain, philanthropist and all-round good bloke. We also touch on media in sport (including sandpaper-gate), the young girls Steve supports in India and how he and his foundation are changing the lives of children in Australia with rare diseases.

I often say the 10 years of not winning was one of the major factors in my success when I eventually got there in 2004. But what if you never get that individual success because you keep coming up against the best athletes your sport has ever seen? How do you keep going?   Enter Daniel Kowalski, dedicated swimmer, champion bloke, but known most for his minor medals than anything else, behind messrs Perkins and Hackett. He competed in the Olympic Games in 1996 & 2000. At the 1996 Summer Olympics, Daniel was the first man in 92 years to earn medals in the 200-, 400- and 1500-metre freestyle events.    We have a great yarn about all sorts of things. Daniel is definitely a gold medal Australian.

Have you woken up at night wondering 'Am I doing enough'? Kumi Taguchi uses that question to drive herself. A familiar face on our screens, Kumi is an ABC TV presenter, and current host of Compass. We speak about work goals, race, the view of Australia from abroad and the changing landscape of Australia.