PODCASTS
I have produced or contributed to many documentaries over the years, but particularly love making radio documentaries/podcasts with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Here are a few:
Salleh Ben Joned: A Most Unlikely Malay
Salleh Ben Joned was a witty, fearless and charismatic poet and writer that some called the ‘bad boy of Malaysian literature’. He was an iconoclast: an incendiary critical with satirical with, a libertarian public intellectual known for challenging taboos about race, religion, sexuality and a whole lot more. By the time of his death in 2020 he had become a bit of underground 'legend' among a younger generation of artists and intellectuals.
In this two-part documentary series, aired just before Salleh passed away, his eldest daughter Anna takes us on a wild ride through the life and times of her infuriating yet utterly loveable father.
In Part 1 of 2 we hear about the influential decade the young Salleh spent in Australia where, among other things, he was a Colombo Plan scholar mentored by the controversial poet James McAuley at the University of Tasmania.
In Part 2 of 2 Anna charts her father’s return to Malaysia. Having blossomed into an ardent champion of free expression, how would he carve out a creative and intellectual life for himself in his increasingly conservative home country? And how would Anna navigate the extreme emotional highs and lows of her father’s journey?
Healing the trauma of the Stolen Generations
In Australia there are an estimated 17,000 Stolen Generations survivors, and a lack of culturally relevant mental health services is a major barrier to healing for many of them. Now programs led by Indigenous communities themselves are helping people to confront and move past their trauma. We talk with Stolen Generations survivor Aunty Lorraine Peeters, whose life experience led to a pioneering healing program, and became part of a groundswell of Indigenous-led solutions to address trauma. And Indigenous psychologist Kelleigh Ryan describes the challenges to supporting culturally appropriate healing. Presented as part of Reconciliation Week 2020, and the ABC's Walking Together initiative.
How two short words triggered a racism reckoning for plant scientists
Thousands of the world’s plant scientists were due to land in tropical Cairns for a major international conference in October.
It was a big deal and worth big dollars for the local economy.
But then two words on Twitter triggered a major reckoning on race and racism.
What went wrong, what can be learnt, and what might it mean for international and Australian science?
In a Science Friction exclusive, how a growing global justice movement is challenging scientists to think and do things differently.
Matty's Story - donor conception and the cost of secrecy
A candid, moving story of family, genetics, and what defines kinship.
Matty was on the cusp of adulthood, all set to move out of home and head to university to study psychology.
Then Matty’s parents, Eveline and Tony, called a family meeting. They'd waited a long time to tell their two children what they had to say. What has followed is much soul searching, reconfigured relationships, feelings of anger, loss and guilt – but also much love and care. Matty and parents share their story publicly for the first time.
The man in a dress: who were the real luddites?
"Don't be such a luddite!" Ouch. In the uber-shiny, uber-connected 21st century, that's the ultimate insult.
At face value it implies you're backward and behind the times...anti-technology, anti-innovation and anti-progress.
But who were the real 'luddites'? Does their legacy live on today? And is there a better way to talk about technological anxieties without all the name-calling? A chance to channel you're inner-Ludd...go on, you know you want to.
We're dipping our toe into the past, then hurtling towards the present.
Is your house making you sick? Endocrine disrupting chemicals
Could the everyday objects in your life be making you sick, fat or infertile? Chemicals called endocrine disruptors have crept int o plastic packaging, kid's toys, detergents, building materials, even your favourite couch. They can interact with your body's hormonal system and some scientists are concerned about their impacts on y9ur health. But where's the science at, and should you be concerned? Science Friction takes you inside a family home in search of these biochemical tricksters ... and beyond.
Musician Anna Salleh was first captivated by the magic of Brazilian music as a child, when she saw the film Black Orpheus. The call of Brazil was so strong that Anna packed up her guitar and travelled to the birthplace of bossa nova, hoping to explore the musical heritage of standards like The Girl from Ipanema. Her quest was to scratch below the Western cocktail-lounge image to discover the musical qualities that make up an authentic Brazilian sound.On the streets and in the clubs of Rio she discovered a diverse and exciting musical culture of choro, samba and other styles. She sought out pioneers of the bossa nova movement like Roberto Menescal and Mauricio Einhorn, who told her about the roots of their music and what makes it so alluring. And along the way, she was given tips on how to improve her own interpretations of the music. Spurred on by her Brazilian host, philosopher and music-lover, Luiz Carlos de Oliveira e Silva, Anna broadened her repertoire and took on the challenge of learning new rhythms, finally to perform some of her newly-learnt songs at a Copacabana jazz club.