Kurt Fearnley's Tiny Island

I'm fast learning that leading an interview is an art and not something you pick up overnight. So it was a pleasure to sit down with one of our best, Andrew Denton. Currently hosting The Interview on Channel 7, Andrew has a gift of drawing unheard insights from filmstars, politicians and even the occasional wheelchair athlete... A Rabbitohs tragic and driving force behind their reinstatement to the NRL, Andrew shares some of his wisdom with me, including a good yarn about his push for assisted dying. 

When you ask an Aboriginal woman what it means to her to be Australian and she responds that she's never identified as Australian you step back a little... Learn why Teela Reid, a proud Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman from Gilgandra, takes a different view on our nation and growing up in Australia. A lawyer, a Harvard emerging leader, Teela wears many hats and it was great to sit down and have a yarn

Geoff Trappett OAM is a former Paralympic Athlete. Competing in 2 world championships, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Paralympics. He won Gold in Sydney, being the first person to dip under the 14 second mark for the 100m wheelchair sprint, holding this world record through his retirement in 2005. Following on from sport, Geoff has transitioned to working professionally in multiple senior executive roles in the disability sector. He currently runs his own social policy change organisation Inclusion Moves and speaks out on human rights and disability inclusion.

After 5 minutes with Peter Helliar, in person or through one of his many exploits, you've undoubtedly had a laugh and probably learned something too. Peter is an Australian comedian, actor, radio and television presenter, writer, producer and director. He is one of four regular hosts of The Project on Network Ten & previously he was known for his work on television on Rove. He’s an AFL loving self confessed bogan & loved by the Australian public.

Reaching the pinnacle of one sport is incredible. In two? That's something else. After an Olympic Games representing Australia in hockey, Georgie Parker made the leap to play AFLW at the highest level with the Collingwood Magpies. A fierce, determined athlete and one of my favourite larrikins, Georgie now also hosts the sports commentary podcast "That's what she said". Loved this yarn and everything Georgie stands for.

Craig Bellamy is one of the most successful coaches in Rugby League history. His record while at the helm of the Melbourne Storm is incomparable. We speak about what drives him and how he gets the best out of the people around him. We also chat about Craig's history before the coaching role including his experiences in bush football and journey through the sport as an athlete.

Thérèse Rein is one of Australia's leading entrepreneurs.  She founded Ingeus, an international employment and business psychology services company, is the recipient of the human rights medal, a mother of three, and part of the Paralympic family as the daughter of one of Australia’s first Paralympians. And she's lived in the Lodge a couple of times with her Prime Minister husband. 

Father Rod Bower is an Anglican Priest at the Archdiocese of Gosford. He gained national notoriety with billboards supporting social justice issues that conflict with the beliefs of more conservative approaches to Christianity. He speaks about what drives him towards activism & what he believes is the main message of Easter.

This week is a yarn with one of Australia's most well known disability advocates, Carly Findlay. Carly is a voice that every day encourages a proud identity in disability. I hope you enjoy out chat and find time to check out her book "Say Hello". 

ACDC. Inxs. Silverchair. The Wiggles. Australian music gods, The Wiggles are one of Australia's most loved exports. They came by Newcastle last month so I took my kids along for their show and snuck backstage to see what makes them tick.

Today you're going to hear some stories that I recorded while I was in Kenya. I've been to some far off places learning more about disability. Around the world, 66% of people who need a wheelchair to get around don't have one. More than that number can't attend school or university, hampering opportunity in life. Here's a few yarns with people helping to break that cycle in one of the toughest places in the world to live, especially if you have a disability. We talk about the acceptance of grief around the altered path of disability but the rejection of shame. This one was a special one for me as I got to take my mum along for the ride!

I've known Bill Shorten for about a decade from his days as Disability Services Minister and a key driver to create the NDIS. This was a great opportunity to share some time with the man who could be our Prime Minister in a couple of months and learn about what keeps him up at night. 

We've spoken a lot on this podcast about the importance of our First Peoples in our national identity but this the first time I've managed to line up a yarn with an Indigenous Australian! This episode is a chat I had with fellow adopted Novocastrian, Associate Professor Kelvin Kong. He's an Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon - the FIRST Aboriginal surgeon in Australia in any field. Every day he is helping children hear which can change their lives. We explore the role community plays in shaping who we are as individuals and what we do with our lives.

What was it like growing up in 1980s Western Sydney as a woman from Afro-Caribbean descent? Award-winning writer and slam poet Maxine Beneba Clarke and I chatted about the point in your life when you realise you might be a little bit different to everyone else. Learn about Maxine's love of words, winning at the right time and how we can build on the incredible history of our First Peoples to strengthen our Tiny Island. Stay to the end to hear a great riff about the state of the Murray-Darling Basin!

With what seems to be an everlasting dominance of African athletes in long-distance running events, it's hard to believe that Australia's own Rob de Castella was the world-record holder over the marathon distance in the 1980s. Rob set the world record in 1981 and represented Australia at four Olympic Games, won two Commonwealth Games marathon races and was Australia's first track and field world champion. The 1983 Australian of the Year (one up on Kurt!) Rob is known in more recent years for his passionate drive to see running change the lives of Australian Indigenous communities through the Indigenous Marathon Project.      

Sam Mostyn is a non-executive director and sustainability advisor, with a long history of sports governance. Her current board roles include Mirvac, Transurban and Virgin Australia, and she is the Chair of Citi Australia. She joined the board of the Sydney Swans in 2017, after serving for more than a decade as a Commissioner with the Australian Football League - the first woman to ever be appointed, and in that role, was an advocate for the creation of the AFL Women's League. It was on a board that Sam and Kurt first met while both serving as Directors of Australian Volunteers International. Kurt and Sam chat about life, sport and what hard work looks like.

Barry O'Farrell is a former politician and was Premier of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) from 2011-2014 having led the NSW Liberal Party to a landslide election victory, ending 16 years of Labor government. Barry and Kurt first met in 2009 in the lead up to Kurt's crawl across the Kokoda Track, crossing paths many times over the next decade. In this chat, Kurt and Barry talk about the pull between progressive and conservative politics in Australia and the direction Barry took as Premier, including signing NSW onto the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Gonski education reform and the rights of same-sex couples to adopt. 

Layne Beachley AO is regarded as the most successful female surfer in history. Winning seven world championships, including six in a row, Layne helped forge the way for professional women's surfing around the world. In this chat, Kurt and Layne reflect on their sporting careers, the transition into life post-competitive sport and what drives them to succeed in their lives. 

Kurt Fearnley's Tiny Island is yarn with some amazing Aussies about their passions, what makes them tick and what it is to be an Australian. Here’s a snippet of what’s to come.   Don't forget to subscribe to the show!