Radical Australia

Arborist and life-long rock star. That's this week's guest, Andrew Matters, calling in from Adelaide. Andrew has been shaping, saving, planting and assessing trees for over 20 years. He loves planning and planting gardens and is currently crushing on the Crepe Myrtle tree. He spent his young adulthood in Sydney with a panel van and a band - Neptune Lolly Shoppe. The spectre of illness hung over his life for a long time, as Andrew was really ill when he was young. We talk about his time in and out of hospitals and the illness he survived. We had a really great time talking with Andrew and we thank him for sharing some of his life with us. Thanks, Andrew. Keep up your great work.@tree_matters@WilliamStreetStrikers@neptunelollyshoppe back in the day.. 

Jeannie Erceg was one of 5 residents who resisted the demolition of their homes on the Barack Beacon public housing estate in Port Melbourne just a little while ago and says 'They can't make me disappear. I can say what I want'. Jeannie says the estate had a 'friendly feeling' and it was a 'wonderful community'. Like every resident on the estate, Jeannie found out her home was due to be demolished just 2 weeks prior to Christmas by a knock at the door by a couple of government representatives. There was no community consultation whatsoever about the most recent estate to come under the instrument that is the Big Build. Jeannie makes it quite apparent that the public has been shortchanged in the plans for the new dwellings, with thousands of people waiting ever longer on the public housing list.Jeannie grew up in Caufield and is a '71 baby. She is the mother to 7 children. When young, she was enthusiastic about being a choirgirl and went on to get married in the Carnegie church. Prior to her removal from Barac

Greg returns on the blower from Queensland to the Radical Australia studio talking about this new research on West Papua and its shady colonial history. Definitely one for the enthusiasts and for anyone wanting to enlighten themselves about colonial wars on the doorstep of our nearest neighbour. Freedom for West Papua.

I want to lead the way in having difficult conversations says this week's guest, Ruth Clare. Ruth is perhaps best known either for her acting job in a genital herpes commercial or for her memoir about growing up with her returned serviceman father. One lighthearted and one serious fact about Ruth and we straddle both ends in our conversation with her this week. Ruth is a Rocky girl and went to Rockhampton High which was 'a bit rough' but at which she was 'a total nerd' who loved performing. She eventually figured out that she could follow her dreams as a career and forayed into acting after her move to Melbourne. Ruth's memoir, ENEMY, won the final Asher Award in 2017 and she is now a motivational speaker, engaging highschool students in conversations she wished she had at their age. Ruth is a mother to two children and was born in '74. She has a great smile and a personality to match. Thank-you, Ruth, for joining us on the show this week.Cover of Ruth's book, ENEMY.A young Ruth.

Pauline Klemm is the woman behind the social media juggernaut, The Baba Desi Story, on Facebook, where she has taken some stunning pictures of Belgrave wizard, Baba Desi. She has been taking pictures for the last 6 years after coming to care for her brother's camera when it came into her possession. It was a sliding door moment and Pauline learnt there is another life in front of the camera. It has changed her life. The Baba Desi Story has opened up the Hills community to her. Pauline is still a nurse, however, working in theatre in anaesthetics recovery. She grew up in North Balwyn, down the creek looking for tadpoles. Pauline is a '64 baby. Her photos are gorgeous and we thank Pauline so much for joining us this week.facebook.com/belgraveswizard3cr.org.au/radicalaustralia/episode/baba-desiinstagram.com/slidingdoorphotography

Antoinette Pitt used to roadie for 73 Bob Bob and was Australia's first female wrestling referee. She is a woman of many surprises. Antoinette is a nurse and an executive for Australian Progressives who have 6 pillars of E's: Ethics + Empathy + Evidence + Equality + Engagement + Empowerment. Learn all about Antoinette's goth phase in Lilydale and her time as an apprective spray painter. Antoinette is a '77 baby. Thanks for being our lovely guest, Antoinette!progressives.org.auAntoinette chatting in studio 1 at 3CR.

This week's guest, Ribke Ovide, is a volunteer at the the West Papua Office in Docklands. She has been living in Australia for the last couple of years, coming here on a scholarship to further her studies in aviation mechanics. Ribke hails from Timika in West Papua and speaks 4 languages. She was born in 200. Her faith is very important to her, as is her family, along with her dream to become an aviation aircraft mechanic. She has been working hard at it. Ribke has a moving story to tell and we were so pleased to meet her this week. Thank-you, Ribke. With your hard work and tenacity, you are sure to succeed. We wish you all the best.Join Ribke and friends at the West Papua Open Day on Sunday 14 April // 211/838 Collins St, Docklands // 1pm Lunch // 2pm Dr Jacob Rumbiak // 3pm Joe's Auctionwww.facebook.com/dfait.federalrepublicofwestpapuawww.instagram.com/westpapuawomensofficeLouise Byrne, Joe Toscano, Ribke Ovide and Tommy Latupeirissa in Studio One at 3CR.

This week's guest, Tim Hollo, is kind of like Green royalty in Australia. He heads The Green Institute, a think tank focussed on transformative issues in the green space, he founded Green Music Australia, he was the communications director for Christine Milne, and he has been at the environmental game since university in the 90's. His first love, however, was the violin. He's been playing it since he was a child and was in the Australian Youth Orchestra, attending the Atlanta Olympics. Tim's parents are refugees from Hungary and China. He grew up with a brother who also plays music. Tim is a member of Four Play, a string quartet. He has a book titled 'Living Democracy'. It was a treat having Tim on the blower from Canberra. Thanks, Tim! Keep up the great work!greeninstitute.org.augreenmusic.org.aufourplay.com.auTim signing his book, Living DemocracyTim at an AAPP protest

In case you missed it - here is the second part to our talk with Kutcha Edwards. Kutcha is a legend of 3CR, steering our annual Beyond the Bars NAIDOC prison broadcasts for many a year. In this chat, we are taken on a trip down the memory lane of aboriginal Fitzroy of the 1990s. From the MAYSAR/ Fitzroy Stars Youth Club gymnasium and Uncle Herbert Jock Austin, to singing opera while on homebrew ouzo among the gardens of the high rises, to band time with fellow 3CR legend, Uncle Robbie Thorpe. We are lucky to hear Kutcha's reflection on life in sobriety, his approach to performance and Beyond the Bars with Gilla and Johnnie Mac. Such a treat to have Kutcha in the studio and we hope you enjoy this conversation. Thanks so much, Kutcha.kutcha-edwards.com Kutcha and Uncle Archie Roach RIP in an episode of Kutcha's Koorioke kutchaskoorioke.com

We are thrilled to broadcast a couple of chats we recently had with the mighty Kutcha Edwards. This week, we learn the origins of Kutcha's name and some things about his early life. Kutcha tells us that he was born before The Referendum and politics has played a big part in his life. Kutcha went to high school in Taralgon before moving to the city to be with brothers and sisters. He went to Koori College and knew his place as an aboriginal man in the city. He worked at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service and learned to yarn with the patients. Kutcha is a loyal family man and we were honoured he shared some of his intimate memories with us. We are looking forward to next week's episode and we hope you enjoy this special with him.kutcha-edwards.comkutchaskoorioke.com

A life full of mentors and a-ha moments. That has been the story of this week's guest, Rob Brown, a big tall Scotsman indeed. Rob was born in 1960 in the Gorbals, tenement housing in Glasgow, sharing one toilet among five families. That's just how things were. Rob's mother scrubbed the steps of the school on her hands and knees with a brush. That's where he says he probably got his work ethic from. Rob has gone on to have a very successful career around the world. He's good at leading people and understanding the processes of big companies. Rob now heads up Fruit2Work, a social enterprise hiring people with lived experience of the criminal justice system. They deliver fruit and milk to businesses around Melbourne. Fruit2Work has had a 0% recidivism rate among its employees and now hires over 100 people. Rob also recently began Recycle4Change, a container deposit scheme in North Geelong hiring women and youth affected by the criminal justice system. He's a big fella with a big, warm personality and it was a pl

We spoke with this week's guest, University of Sydney Professor of Law, Simon Butt, on Indonesia's Presidential Election Day. Simon came on to talk about some of the legal infrastructure in Indonesia, during the pre-1998 Suharto era and now. On paper, Indonesians have more legal rights than Australians, but corruption runs right through the system. Simon did a big job researching this during COVID and has released a book titled 'Judicial Dysfunction in Indonesia'. It was interesting to learn about the legal institutions in Indonesia, from a Constitutional Court, Islamic Courts and an Anti-Corruption Commission. Indonesia is a sprawling multi-ethnic, socially and economically diverse nation and Simon has been learning about it since high school. We had a great time talking with him. Thanks so much for joining us this week, Simon.mup.com.au/books/judicial-dysfunction-in-indonesia-paperback-softbacksydney.edu.au/law/about/our-people/academic-staff/simon-butt.htmlImage courtesy of Tim Lindsey

The only left-winger in the family. That's Sue Bolton, well-known to many in Melbourne's left and socialist communities, long-standing councillor at Merri-Bek. Sue is always standing up for what is right, for people's rights, in her community. Sue hails from Western Queensland and says the class divide was really vivid in the bush. After boarding school she went and studied psychology for a little bit, then went fruit picking around the country before turning onto the revolutionary movements in Latin America. Sue eventually joined the Socialist Worker's Party and both during that time and before she drove buses and trucks. Sue moved to Melbourne in the early 90's and began full-time organising at the Resistance Centre, getting involved in the student movement, including organising a school walk-off against Pauline Hanson, industrial struggles, anti-nuclear testing, anti-logging and the East Timor struggle. Sue has a good memory of all her activities and what was going on politically in Australia throughout th

This week's guests, Mecedes Zanker and Joe Lorback, are members of the Renegade Solidarity Audio Force crew who have been involved in all kinds of local radical activism, from #freeassange, to Melbourne's Palestinian motorcades, the Park Hotel protest actions and every Sunday Palestine rally to date. Joe joined us from his weekend at the Women's tennis finals where he delivered a pro-Palestine verbal bomb during a heightened moment of the match and from finishing his first day returning to teaching. Joe tells us he was radicalised during the S11 protests in Melbourne and we learn about his experience in collectives. Mercedes is a 3CR broadcaster on Uprise Radio.  It was great having them both in the studio this week. Thanks so much, Mercedes and Joe.renegadeactivists.org/renegade-solidarity-audio-forcefacebook.com/solidaritysoundsysteminstagram.com/solidaritysoundsystemfacebook.com/HARDOUTBARinstagram.com/hardout___

This week's guest, Alexandra, has had an interesting life so far, most of that spent in England with radical collectives. She is a dancer who grew up in Canberra. Alexandra is currently our Wednesday afternoon reception volunteer and has an interesting story to tell. Thanks for being with us, Alex.

A fashion brand for people who give a shit. That's how this week's guest, Nick Savaidis, decribes his label, Etiko, winner of an Australian Human Rights Award and the most ethical fashion brand in the country. Nick started making sports balls under the label before branching into clothing. He has always had a thing for the underdog and has used this feeling for some good deeds. Nick introduced No Sweat sneakers into Australia and helped bring in the Fair Trade label. Nick saw his mother sew garments for a pittance whilst the stores made a buck when he was a child. He was born in Carlton in 1958. Nick set up a number of social enterprises with community in Yuendumu (NT) over the course of  6 years as an adult educator in literacy and numeracy, from driver education, a community laundromat and a commuity-owned digital network for high school students in the area. We think he has a good heart and it was great to hear about the forces that have shaped his life. Thanks so much for joining us this week, Nick, and f

This week's guest, Gatwech Wal, is a war survivor from South Sudan. When Gatwech was 11 years old, he had to flee his village with his older brother and he spent 11 years in a refugee camp on the border of Ethiopia. We hear this story and what it was like. Since coming to Australia, Gatwech has worked incredibly hard to have a successful life and is now a Family Law - Family Violence lawyer. This is the first of a two-part chat with Gatwech and we welcome his return in a little while for a chat about Family Law in Australia. Thank-you for joining us this week, Gatwech, and we look forward to seeing you next time.

On our last live show for the year, we welcome the return of popular guest, Robert 'Smokey' Wolfgramm. We find Robert in conversation with Joe about his PhD on the ethnic identity. Robert set out on his research to answer the questions 'What does it mean to be Fijian? What does it mean to be ethnic? How do we know who we are?'. Find out what answers Robert came to in this engaging conversation. We thank Robert for entertaining us once again this year. We wish you all a safe and relaxing Christmas and New Year. We have two great repeats over the Summer break for you, so see you next week for the first of those. Kelly & Joe

Jill Lockwood is a community-minded gardener from the Dandenong Hills, currently volunteering her time at the Knox Environment Society in Ferntree Gully with all the other 'seedy ladies' and 'HAGS' cleaning seeds and preserving the indigenous flora of the area. Jill was born in 1944 at Epworth Hospital, worked in insurance and also as a medical receptionist for 26 years. The greatest love of her life was no doubt her husband, Roger. They used to volunteer for Puffing Billy together. Jill says 'life is for living' and she keeps herself busy with various community groups. She loves cooking, baking and, of course, gardening! Thank-you so much for joining us this week, Jill, and for your contribution to your community.Knox Environment Society: kes.org.auSav Lake Knox campaign: kes.org.au/campaigns/lakeknoxJill with friend and fellow gardener, Zoe

Baba Desi. The Wizard. The Doctor. Desmond Bergen. He is known as many things and has been many things in his long life: jazzer, hippie, bodgie, pirate. In fact, he's 'been them all', he says. We are delighted to welcome Baba Desi to Radical Australia this week to share with us some tales from his long life of 94 years. Baba Desi was born in Wangaratta and also lived in Warrnambool when he was young. He has lived in Melbourne ever since. As a young man he ran Dixieland jazz dances, trained racehorses and beat up American troops with other young blokes hanging around the city. He was a supervisor at George's department stores and has always loved stirring the coppers up. He was into 'every struggle that was going on', inlcluding leading marches against the Vietnam War and nuclear power. He has run for the Senate and knew Father Bob Maguire for decades. He's been in Hollywood movies and caught the eye of Billy Connolly when he was in town. Desi says the secret to life is to be positive and just get on with thin