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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.

Conversations Live is coming to the stage! Join Sarah Kanowski and Richard Fidler for an unmissable night of unforgettable stories, behind-the-scenes secrets, and surprise guests. Australia’s most-loved podcast — live, up close, and in the moment. Find out more at the Conversations website.

Conversations

Tens of thousands of 'van lifers' and 'grey nomads' drive around Australia each year. But the iconic road trip has a surprising origin story involving a pair of missionaries, a retired butcher and a gun-slinging mother-daughter duo.

David Riley is a pastor and father who was on a lap around Australia with his wife and three children when he heard about the surprising origin story of this great road trip.

In 1925, two young men set off from Perth to Darwin in a tiny French car nicknamed 'Bubsie'.

They were running an errand for their Church – instructed to set up a Seventh-Day Adventist Missionary outpost in the Northern Territory, then to turn around and come back home.

Nevill Westwood and Greg Davies battled flat tires, evil cows, losing their way, leaky fuel tanks, dangerous river crossings and a falling out along the way.

With the help of First Nations people and station owners they met along the way, they made it to Darwin.

But when they got to Darwin, they just kept going, entering into a race with a retired butcher and a gun-slinging mother-daughter duo to become the first vehicle to circumnavigate Australia.

For David, researching and writing the story down became a powerful way to preserve the memories of his own family's lap around Australia, after receiving terrible news.

Bubsie and The Boys: The First Journey Around Australia by Car is published by SIGNS.

Early next year, Bubsie's sister car, a 102-year-old Citroën, will drive around Australia for the 100th anniversary of the original journey. The trip will be raising money for Canteen and Brain Child. Information about the trip will be online early next year.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris, executive producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores travel, road trips, Australian history, modern history, motoring history, great global road trips, grey nomads, caravanning, van life, historical records, religion, church, cancer, losing a daughter, brain cancer, grief, driving, driving Western Australia, madman's track, white history, black history.

How a pair of disobedient missionaries invented Australia's most iconic road trip

Despite being a stand-out young player, many NRL clubs initially rejected Johnathan Thurston because they thought he was too small and wiry but he went on to become one of the best rugby league players of all time.

Johnathan showed his rare talent for rugby league early on but his parents didn't have the money to help him travel to games.

So in his late teens, Johnathan moved to Toowoomba to get a start in rugby league, while working part-time in the butcher’s section of a supermarket.

When Johnathan moved to Sydney at 18 to try his luck with the Cantebury Bulldogs, he began to get noticed and by the time he retired in 2018, had won a record 4 Daly M medals. 

Johnathan Thurston The Autobiography (with James Phelps) is published by Harper Collins.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison, the Executive Producer was Pam O'Brien.

It explores the career of Johnathan Thurston, the NRL, rugby league, sporting talent, growing up in Brisbane, working part time jobs, alcohol, scholarships, NRL clubs, the Canterbury Bulldogs, North Queensland Cowboys, State of Origin, Queensland, Daly M medal, NRL Grand Final, Queensland Maroons, indigenous Australian, Maori heritage, goal kicker, housing commission, Toowoomba, Indigenous All Star, GOAT 

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Encore: How Johnathan Thurston became one of the greats

Artist, author and Stolen Generations survivor, Rhonda Collard-Spratt, on bush hugs, beehives, emu bumps, and finding peace.

Aunty Rhonda Collard-Spratt is a Yamatji-Noongar elder and Stolen Generations survivor who grew up on the Carnarvon Native Mission in Western Australia.

As a little girl she would escape from her dormitory into the bush to feel the love and warmth she was missing from her mum.

After leaving the mission as a teenager, Rhonda trained as a hairdresser, creating some of the best beehives in Perth.

Later in life, she managed to reconnect with her mum and formed a surprising bond with her English stepfather, through music.

Rhonda Collard-Spratt's memoir, Alice’s Daughter: Lost Mission Child, was written with Jacki Ferro and published by Aboriginal Studies Press.

You can find her children's book series, Spirit of the Dreaming, online in both print and audiobook formats.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris, executive producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores Aboriginal Australia, black history, colonisation, segregation, assimilation, religion, Christianity, the Native Act, reckoning with Australia's history, the Voice, racism, Indigenous suicide, mental health, medical neglect, art, motherhood, writing, books, memoir, modern Australia, Ipswich, Churches of Christ, Aborigines Mission Board.

How Aunty Rhonda learnt to cry

Dr James Loxton on how modern democracies can crumble as authoritarian regimes take hold, but also how freedom and democracy can rise again, from the Americas to Europe and into Asia.

James grew up in stable Canada, where he spent his summers herding sheep in the middle of forest plantations.

As a teenager, he hatched a plan to escape his "rough as guts" bush town and the life of a shepherd, moving to India on his own to finish high school.

At an international school in Maharashtra, James' classmates taught him about the world outside of democratic Canada, and he became fascinated by military dictatorships and guerilla insurgencies. 

Later on, years of living in Latin America showed him firsthand how dictators operated, how they are feared and hated, but also revered and loved by some of the people they control.

Now James, and many other political scientists, have their eyes turned to America, watching closely to see how the world's most powerful democracy is changing right before their eyes.

Authoritarianism: A Very Short Introduction is published by Oxford University Press.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris, executive producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores Donald Trump, Putin, USA, regime, dictators, ICE, Clinton, Epstein, politics, democracy, Chilean presidential election, Russia, China, Taiwan, Philippines, government, globalisation, Latin American politics, Whitlam, dismissal, divisive politics, left versus right, parliamentary versus presidential forms of government, united kingdom, British colonies, Javier Milei, Venezuela, Argentina, Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, Hugo Chavez, Maduro, elitism, drain the swamp, populism, power for the people, tariffs, Peru, Cuba, straw man, Stalin, Hitler, competitive authoritarianism, substance abuse, addiction, alcoholism, alcoholic mothers, homelessness, losing a mother.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

From democracy to dictatorship and back again—how freedom falls and tyranny takes hold

Eric Philips has always loved cold weather and from young age became fixated on the idea of polar exploration and following in the footsteps of the adventurers he read about in National Geographic.

And he went on to lead gruelling expeditions to the North and South Poles, pushing his body and mind to the limits.

Eric also had dreams of travelling into space and had assumed the would be impossible.

But while on a ski expedition in Svalbard, he met a crypto billionaire who was planning a trip to space and he later asked Eric to come along.

The crew Eric was a part of would go on became the first human spaceflight mission to explore Earth from a polar orbit and fly over the Earth’s polar regions.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake, the Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores polar exploration, South Pole. North Pole, hypothermia, mental and physical exhaustion, physical endurance, kite skiing, antarctica, large families, drug overdose, Space x, polar orbit, dramatic weight loss, rescue, failure

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

A bulldog on the ice -- Eric's journey from the South Pole to Outer Space

Screenwriter Samantha Strauss on her grandmother's vibrant last years in a Gold Coast retirement home where love, sex and startlingly pragmatic conversations about dying were all part of daily life. (CW: not suitable for children) (R)

Samantha Strauss started dancing from the age of 2, and as she grew up, she became increasingly serious about it.

Sam was 18 when her budding ballet career was cut short by a shocking injury.

After a year on the couch recovering, she reinvented herself.

A few years later, inspired by the story of her own life in ballet, she co-created a TV series called Dance Academy.

Dance Academy went on to screen in 160 countries, with Sam as the head writer across the 65 episodes.

Sam's next show, The End, was set partly in a Gold Coast retirement village.

Samantha got the idea as she watched how her own Grandmother's life changed after moving into a similar place at the end of her life.

She expected to hate it, but eventually she found a circle of friends who partied hard and talked freely about love, sex, and death, including experimenting with making their own Nembutal.

Further information

Originally broadcast April 2021.

Samantha has since won a Logie for her work on the Netflix program Apple Cider Vinegar, based on Belle Gibson’s life.

This episode was produced by Nicola Harrison. The Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney.

It explores Belle Gibson, wellness, scam, scammers, Philip Nitschke, exit international, VAD, voluntary assisted dying, nursing home, aged care, grandparent grandchild relationship, sick parent, writing, being a writer, dance career, LA, Los Angeles, film industry, connections, Australians in LA, actors, nudists and naturalists.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Encore: Love, sex and the secret life of retirees

Reuben Kaye has always known he was going to be a performer and grew up a house that encouraged his love of the limelight. But in the background was the weight of his family history full of complicated characters and stories of cruelty.

Reuben's parent both came from Jewish European families who were forced to flee their homes because of World War 2. And there were other more secretive stories, involving a return to Communist East Germany and a heartbreaking decision made by Alfreda as a young woman.

But Reuben uses the art of cabaret to help make sense of and pay tribute to his momentous family stories.

Reuben Kaye's one man show is called EnGORGED and tickets are available via Reuben Kaye's website

This episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake, executive producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores family history, Nazi Germany, East Germany, persecution, Russia, immigration, dress making, grief, suicide, divorce, cancer, queer identity, bullying, Jewish history, Jewish identity, the Holocaust, musical theatre, drug use, London, death, funerals, live shows, comedy, make up, drag, Stolpersteine, stumbling stones, Melbourne, Leipzig.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Making peace and finding laughter in my family's dark past

Petal Ashmole Winstanley was just a teenager when she left Perth on her own to sail to London. There, in the swinging 1960s, she began her wild adventure of dance, love and heartbreak.

Petal got her first big dancing break in a Christmas pantomime, and then she had a spin as a Go-Go dancer in a Parisian nightclub, before eventually working her way into some of the most prestigious ballet companies in the world.

Along the way, Petal fell in love with three great men, and she lost them all under brutal circumstances.

Get Up, Dress Up, Show Up: Lessons in Love and Surmounting Grief is published by Grosvenor House.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris, executive producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores ballet, dancing, United Kingdom, Dancing with the Stars, love, relationships, marriage, career women, death, grief, loss of a spouse, sexuality, lavender marriages, 1960s, hippies, free love, Western Australia, South Africa, apartheid, genocide, Canada, couples who work together, dating in later life, how to date in later life, online dating after 70, bravery, courage, HIV AIDS, STI, divorce, memoir, writing, books, origin story.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Loving and losing three good men—the story of a ballerina called 'Blossom'

Editor-at-Large of The Australian, Paul Kelly looks back at the most profound crisis in Australia’s democracy, including the off-the-record information he was given five days before it took place.

In 1975 Paul was a young press gallery journalist, working in the cramped old Parliament House, where all it took was a flight of stairs and a few steps to find himself in the Prime Minister’s office.

Paul was on close terms with both Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser when Australia faced the biggest crisis in its political history.

Five days before the dismissal, Paul was told — off the record — that the Governor General, Sir John Kerr, was going to sack the Whitlam Government, but Paul was sworn to secrecy and had to stand back and watch the fallout like everyone else.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the political upheaval, and Paul looks back at his insider’s experience in the press gallery from that tumultuous time.

Further information

This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan. The Executive Producer was Nicola Harrison.

This episode explores remembrance day 2025, government shutdown, paul kelly, democracy in crisis, conspiracy, gough whitlam, whitlam, whitlam government, malcolm fraser, john kerr, constitutional crisis, election, it's time, no fault divorce, free university, women's rights, women's lib, medibank, great barrier reef, healthcare, old parliament house, press gallery, old school journo, power, journalism, mungo mccallum, graham freudenberg, killing season and dismissal.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

The conspiracy that brought down the Whitlam Government in the 1975 dismissal

When Ben Gillies was 15 he began touring around the world in his band called Silverchair. After the band broke up, Ben had to work through anxiety and addiction to make an entirely new life for himself.

Silverchair toured America, supporting the Ramones and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. They played on the roof of the Radio City Music Hall during the MTV awards.

And when they weren't working, they were back at high school, at Newcastle High.

Silverchair made 5 albums together, all of which debuted at Number 1 on the Australian charts.

But being a teenager rock god wasn't all roses, and through the years, and especially after the break-up of the band, Ben had to work through anxiety and addiction to make a good life for himself as a grown up.

This episode explores Silverchair, teenagers, rock music, guitar, male friendship, record deal, live music, mental health, fame, touring, Newcastle, money, anxiety, family, recovery

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Encore: How Johnathan Thurston became one of the greats

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