Animal pathologist Dr Lydia Tong reinvented the role of veterinarian. After uncovering a cruel dog-killing scandal, she spearheaded a campaign to enforce stricter rules on racing-dog breeders, as well as bringing attention to animal abuse in households with domestic violence. Her most important work, however, might be the discovery of a new method to determine, within seconds, whether an animal has been illegally captured or bred in captivity.
On this episode she shares how she discovered a new role for vets in pathology and her work at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo.
This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Angela Heathcote (Digital Producer at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com).
You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic
Inspiring a whole generation to explore Australia: Mal Leyland (Part 2)
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In the 1970s Mal Leyland and his brother Mike hosted several highly successful TV series, including the iconic Ask the Leyland Brothers, which launched in 1976 and drew a weekly audience of 2.5 million people. The duo inspired a whole generation of Australians to get out and explore their vast country and showed it could even be done in a van with the family.
The brothers became national icons but also experienced the dark side of stardom after they lost everything in a failed attempt to build their own theme park.
As well as losing his fortune, Mal lost his brother, and two years ago, after 50 years of marriage, his beloved wife. Both died. His ‘never quit’ attitude, however, has helped him secure a new gig with Network 10 and he’s working on a new TV show too.
This is part one of our conversation with Mal. Make sure to check out part two.
This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Chrissie Goldrick (Editor-in-chief at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com).
You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic
Inspiring a whole generation to explore Australia: Mal Leyland (Part 1)
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In the 1970s Mal Leyland and his brother Mike hosted several highly successful TV series, including the iconic Ask the Leyland Brothers, which launched in 1976 and drew a weekly audience of 2.5 million people. The duo inspired a whole generation of Australians to get out and explore their vast country and showed it could even be done in a van with the family.
The brothers became national icons but also experienced the dark side of stardom after they lost everything in a failed attempt to build their own theme park.
As well as losing his fortune, Mal lost his brother, and two years ago, after 50 years of marriage, his beloved wife. Both died. His ‘never quit’ attitude, however, has helped him secure a new gig with Network 10 and he’s working on a new TV show too.
This is part one of our conversation with Mal. Make sure to check out part two.
This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Chrissie Goldrick (Editor-in-chief at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com).
You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic
Besides his day job as a University Research Assistant Corey Tutt works tirelessly to raise funds and books for his initiative Deadly Science. So far the program has distributed 5000 books and 70 telescopes to Australian schools. For his efforts to bring knowledge and resources to some of Australia’s most remote schools Corey has been named the 2020 NSW Young Australian of the Year.
Being an indigenous person himself his motivation is to inspire other young indigenous people and empower them to believe they can be whatever they dream to be.
On this episode he talks about his upbringing, what it is like to work as an Alpaca shearer and how he got to become a zookeeper without a university degree. Corey also shares how Deadly Science evolved from sending out a few private books to an ever-growing initiative that raises thousands of dollars and gains more and more supporters.
You can find out more about Deadly Science here:
https://deadlyscience.icu/
This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Angela Heathcote (Digital Producer at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com).
You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic
What it takes to become a nature photographer: Justin Gilligan (Rebroadcast)
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Justin Gilligan has been working as a nature photographer for Australian Geographic for more than a decade. He specialises in marine wildlife and underwater photography, travelling everywhere from the Great Barrier Reef to the Great Australian Bight and the coral reefs of Western Australia. In this episode, he shares his passion for photography and how he ended up with a job that many would consider a dream.
Here you can find out more about Justin´s work:
www.justingilligan.com
This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Angela Heathcote (Digital Producer at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com).
You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic
A life devoted to wildlife and conservation: Terri Irwin (Part 2) (Rebroadcast)
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Terri Irwin, the owner of world famous Australia Zoo and wife of the late crocodile hunter Steve Irwin, has dedicated her life to conserving wildlife. Over the past decade, Terri and her children Bindi and Robert have built up Australia Zoo to new heights. Here, she tells us about meeting Steve for the first time, making ground-breaking television together, and how she and her family coped with losing him.
For more info visit www.australiazoo.com.au
This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Chrissie Goldrick and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com).
You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic
A life devoted to wildlife and conservation: Terri Irwin (Part 1) (Rebroadcast)
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Terri Irwin, the owner of world famous Australia Zoo and wife of the late crocodile hunter Steve Irwin, has dedicated her life to conserving wildlife. Over the past decade, Terri and her children Bindi and Robert have built up Australia Zoo to new heights. Here, she tells us about meeting Steve for the first time, making ground-breaking television together, and how she and her family coped with losing him.
For more info visit www.australiazoo.com.au
This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Chrissie Goldrick and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com).
You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic
Paddling the Nile - 7 months of hippos, deserts and danger: Sarah Davis
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Sarah Davis is a risk-management expert who took on a seven-month journey full of peril: angry hippos, blazing heat, kidnapping threats, civil war and raging rapids. All to fulfill her dream of paddling the Nile River from its source to the sea. Despite being a seasoned and successful ocean paddler, nothing could prepare her for the adventure ahead.
On this episode Sarah talks about her training and meticulous prep, and how her first encounter with a territorial hippo just days into the journey made her realise it was a far bigger challenge than imagined.
You can find out more about Sarah here:
https://www.paddlethenile.com/
This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Liz Ginis (Managing Editor Digital at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com)
You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic
John Rumney is considered a true legend of the Great Barrier Reef. For decades the passionate diver and boat operator has been taking tourists and scientists to visit it, and has witnessed firsthand the decline of the world’s mightiest and most famous coral reef.
John was at the forefront of introducing eco-tourism to the Reef, and to this day he’s an advocate for doing it right. He’s also so committed to saving the Reef that he recently created the Great Barrier Reef Legacy, a program that aims to improve the long-term survival of this precious ecosystem through research.
You can find out more about John´s efforts here:
https://greatbarrierreeflegacy.org/
This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Angela Heathcote (Digital Producer at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com).
You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic
Albert Wiggan is an inspiration.
A traditional owner and Bardi-Kija-Nyul Nyul man from the Dampier Peninsula of Western Australia, he’s also an Indigenous ranger and sees himself as a translator between Western science and Aboriginal teachings. “I feel part of both worlds,” the 38 year old says.
His knowledge and love for nature led him to fight the government’s plans for the world’s largest LNG gas export terminal at James Price Point (a vital marine sanctuary, home to songlines and dinosaur footprints). Albert lobbied the Supreme Court and fronted a blockade until the developer withdrew from the project.
On this episode of Talking Australia, Albert discusses his concerns for the future of the Kimberley and how the entire nation can benefit from the region – without extraction and potential devastation of one of country’s most pristine areas.
This episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Chrissie Goldrick (Editor-in-chief at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com).
You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic
